Hello readers! Kelly Reeves here reporting for AVP content. How are we doing?! Before we dive right into the “Workout Article,” I was given orders to put together a little back story of my life. It won’t take long, I promise. Ready?
My name is Kelly Reeves. I’m from San Diego, California. I started playing volleyball at age 12. I played indoor at UCLA (2010-2014 and won a National Championship in 2011). Trained with the USA National Team for a year and a half (2014-2015). Played 4 months overseas in Switzerland. Competed in my first AVP event in 2016. Was named AVP Rookie of the Year in 2016. Flash forward to present day, I’m entering my 5th year playing professional beach volleyball on both the AVP and FIVB circuits and am co-writing an article about my workout programs. Woo!
Alright, the reason this article is even happening is because I couldn’t give Kim Smith a brief description of what I do in the gym for the piece on, “AVP Athletes: Lifting and Conditioning.”
I don’t do brief when it comes to working out.
Kim was intrigued by our phone interview, more so by the fact of how much time I actually spend in the gym: five times/days a week for three-four hours. Like I said, I don’t do brief.
As I’m entering my 5th year on tour and am nearing my 30’s, I’ve changed my complete outlook on what strength and conditioning really means. It’s obviously a key component for any professional athlete (duh), but for me, it came down to creating body awareness. What does that mean? Well, it involved a lot of hours watching film on my movements in match play or practices, and countless discussions with coaches and trainers on my footwork and technique. I became obsessed with learning how my body was moving on the court and wanted to find ways to build strength in areas where I felt needed work, which was pretty much everywhere. So, I sat down with Christian Hartford, our strength and conditioning coach at USA Beach Volleyball, immediately after AVP Hawaii 2019 and expressed to him the areas of where I wanted to make improvements entering the 2020 season.
- Explosiveness
- Shoulder extension strength: being strong at full extension
- Hip mobility
- Endurance
I didn’t waste any time and got right to work in the fall. The thing with Christian’s and my relationship is:
1) We’re both super loud and energetic human beings; we love to crank up the volume in the gym, which makes working out SO MUCH FUN.
2) He challenges me to understand the intent behind every exercise. We break down every detail and are in constant communication of how my body responds to each and every exercise. I also ask him lots of questions (A LOT, maybe too much), but that’s part of me being curious about learning what my body likes, doesn’t like, or needs. Again – everything to create awareness, an important detail that is so critical.
With the programs Christian has put me through since October, I’ve grown to become very in tune with my body and what it needs. I’ve developed a routine that I’ve come to enjoy, once which involves a lot of time in the gym. From stretching to lifting, to conditioning and recovery – the hours I spend in the gym are preparing me for what’s to come this summer. It’s going to be competitive, intense, grueling, hot, and a long season and I want to be ready for it.
So, with that, I wanted to share a few of my absolute favorite exercises with you all! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via Instagram at @KellyReeves02.
DAILY MOBILITY WARM-UP
Ankle board calf stretch 2×20 secs
Low Kneeling Cat/Camel 2×6 (3sec count)
Quad Hip Circles 2×5 each way (5sec count)
Side-Lying T-Spine Rotation 2×8 each side
Clamshells w/ mini band 2×12 each side
Jump Rope 2x 1min
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LIFT
Kelly’s note: I’m organizing these by supersets (labeled A, B, C, and D). Do these workouts as a group before you move on to the next group.
Superset A
A1 Glute Bridge series w/ feet on bench – (Double leg, Single leg, Straight) 3×12 each variation
A2 Single Leg Lateral Hurdle Jumps 3×6 each leg
A3 Straight Leg Abductor Plank
(side plank) 3×20 each side
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Superset B
B1 Trapbar Dead Lift
OR
Front Squat
(depending on what your gym has access to)
2 warm-up sets
3×5 work sets
B2 Vertical Med Ball Throw 3×4 (8lb ball)
B3 Weighted Front Plank 3x30sec
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Superset C
C1 Alternating 2 Dumbbell Bench Press 3×8 each arm
C2 3 Point Dumbbell Row 3×8 each arm (heavy)
C3 Prone Row to Rotate 3×12) – bench elevated on 2nd notch. Belly on bench. Dumbbells in hand, lightweight (3-5lbs). Arms create a field goal or “L” shape. Slow movement, and squeeze with your scapula muscles.
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Superset D
D1 2 DumbBell Single-Leg RDL 3×6 each leg
D2 Hanging Knee Tucks 3×10
D3 2 DumbBell Reverse Split Squat (aka Bulgarian Squat) 3×6 each leg
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Conditioning
Lactic Acid Capacity Intervals: 20 seconds MAX effort sprints / 40 sec recover x 5 (3 rounds)