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Pass Your IPPT: Shuttle Run

Clocking a good time for the shuttle run during your Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) is not only about speed, but also agility. A lot of guys can sprint but don't possess the ability to turn quickly, says Shahrin Amat, trainer at Pure Fitness Asia Square. Mastering this ability can shave a second or two off your time, he says.

Workout Instructions
The training focus is to improve the agility of your lower body, especially the hip flexors, in order to help your body turn and change direction smoothly and quickly.

1. Short Sprints
To build up your anaerobic capacity, practise short 10m sprints. This also helps build up your explosive power so you'll blast off the blocks. 

Directions: Sprint 10m, walk back to the start and repeat 10 times. Perform 3 sets with a rest period of 60 to 90 seconds in between.

2. Lateral Shuffle/Lateral Hop
The objective of these lateral exercises is to condition your body to turn directions quickly, and also it helps you synchronise your arm movements as you're moving -- arm swings are just as important as your hamstrings and quadriceps to power your sprint. 

If you don't have an agility ladder, you can make do with cones or anything you can use as a marker (shoeboxes, for example). Set them out shoulder-width apart. Zig-zag between the cones, or markers, from back to front, as quickly as you can from one end to another.

Alternatively, you can try the Lateral Hop. Jump horizontally between markers, taking care not to touch them, from one end to the other as quickly as you can.

Repeat 5 to 10 times. Perform 3 sets.

Lateral Shuffle

Lateral Hop

 

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