Jewel posted on Ty's blog yesterday:
‘What an amazing week this has been’Hi everyone, it's Jewel!
Well, as we head into the final two weeks what an amazing week this has been and what a show last night!
Unfortunately, I won't be able to see Ty and sweet Chelsie tonight on the results show because I had to go to NYC to be on "Regis and Kelly" tomorrow and then with Kathy Lee Gifford the next morning on the "Today show," but I'm racing to the hotel right now to catch it live on the east coast!
Fingers crossed! But, no matter what happens, we sure are lucky to have the support of the amazing cowboy army.
Anyway, I was asked to write up a little something for a men's magazine so they could get a feel for the type of training Ty did to get in shape for his sport, and what it took for him to finally win the 7th all-around title, breaking the world record.
I thought maybe instead of some pics and an overview of the last week that I would share the men's magazine piece I wrote, in case you find it interesting... hope you enjoy the piece about his training program.
There is no formalized training in the sport Ty chose to go into so it was up to him to develop a style that worked for him. Ty was always strong and dedicated physically. He studied gymnastics to get good since of feeling in the air and how to flip so that when he rode he always landed on his feet--well, most of time.
He walked miles of fence line to teach himself balance. He breezed race colts on the track to build strength and muscular endurance.
Starting at age 19, Ty won six world all-around titles in a row and was now only one more away from breaking the world record set by Larry Mahan – a goal he had set for himself when he was in 3rd grade.
But after that 6th title he began a downward spiral for next three years of what would have been career-ending injuries for other riders, and this forced him to realize he had to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to make a comeback.
His first injury was the reconstruction of his left shoulder, which he rehabbed religiously and then went back to competing only to realize his right shoulder had atrophied and wasn't in good enough shape after having torn both ligaments in that shoulder.
This forced him to get surgery and take another year off.
So this time he rehabbed both shoulders to get them in great shape, but when he began competing that next year his knees were weaker from the time off and eventually he damaged all ligaments in both knees.
In fact, two ligaments in his right leg snapped completely while he was actually riding. As a result his lower leg came loose and detached from his upper leg and was just being held loose inside his skin.
He still had to figure out how to get off the bull safely!
He now had to take a third year off and several sponsors dropped him. And everyone whispered that Ty would never make it back at all, much less break the world record.
This is when Ty decided to radically rethink how to train for his sport and enjoy a full range of motion so that he could even walk well again, much less break the record and get that 7th buckle.
Not to mention he had the added pressures of a ranch he just bought and that he was suddenly unemployed and had to deal with the stress of how to keep making his payments.
But in typical Ty fashion he didn't waste time worrying and instead focused on the single most important thing--training.
He found a man named Jesse Marquez Lomali, who is a 4-time national Nippon Kenpo champion.
Ty explained what he needed to compete: explosive strength and flexible tight muscles that weren't bulky.
The cowboy and the martial arts fanatic made an unlikely team, but they designed a plan for Ty.
All workouts took place in an abandoned meat locker and the Texas summers made it so wet and hot in there that just sitting was nearly unbearable, much less doing the hard core intensive torture sessions they had planned for Ty.
They did not use any weights because they didn't want to increase his size. They wanted to increase his strength and his explosive fast response time.
Exercises included 2,000 sit ups a day where Ty would lay flat on the ground, lift his legs and then Jesse would throw Ty's feet to the ground as hard as he could. Ty would have to stop his legs just before they touched the concrete and then Jesse would quickly and simultaneously punch him in the stomach to force an even tighter contraction.
Another exercise was where Ty would extend both arms fully open and full close his hands as fast and as tight as he could for thousands of reps. He also made to do tiny pushups that were done on fisted hands where he would lift just enough to engage the muscles and then rapidly and repeatedly pump out these pushups to failure and beyond.
They did this to his neck, shoulders, back, legs and every single muscle, all with series of intense and changing challenges.
They were building Ty's muscles to be woven tighter and stronger and to create a rock hard body armor that was so tight and so responsive that it would serve as a living body armor that would protect all his joints and ligaments, quickly responding and protecting him instantly if he found himself being stepped on by an animal.
He also improved his flexibility to the point that he could stand at a wall and have Jesse raise his free leg all the way up behind his head to touch his toe to the wall in a standing split. This would come in handy to remain fluid and flexible in a tight situation, which would help avoid injury that way also.
After a year of this full-out training, Ty looked and felt like a warrior, and he felt confident to go back at it and compete.
He took the circuit by storm – competing in all three rough stock events: saddle bronc, bare back and bulls. Those are the three most punishing events there are and that year he was injury free, but also the world record holder for all-around championships! There is still no formalized training program in the sport of bull riding, though that is something Ty would really like to implement.
Now younger guys like Brian Canter are coming to him looking for an edge on their competitors and asking Ty if he can show them what to do to get in shape and protect them self from injury.
Something most people don't realize is how freakishly strong Ty is.
He has twice the bone density of other people (just ask Chelsie, she is getting bruised and cut just from running into his knees or elbows!) due to a life of stress testing his bones to respond by beefing the bones up.
And his training style has made his whole body so dense and tight that I have seen huge men – pro wrestlers and pro football players and body builders – challenge my smaller husband to an arm wrestling match.
And Ty beats them easily every time.
The type of training he did gives such power from the core and such coordinated support by every single muscle that he's like arm wrestling a block of steel, not just an arm. And you'd never know it by looking at him in jeans and button down denim shirts.
But, as you can see, the results of his workout routine are impressive and he thinks a similar approach would be great not just to protect rodeo athletes from injury, but any extreme sport athlete from injury.
Ty always says, "The stronger you are the more prepared you feel and the more confident you are the more you win. And your game can only get better."
He thinks proper training is the key to winning because he says, "Winning is when preparation and opportunity meet."
Ty always wanted to be prepared.
And, by the way, he still stays in touch with Jesse, who is now a cop in Redmond CA.
Love to you all, xxjewel
http://www.pbrnow.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/5/12/What-an-amazing-week-this-has-been#more
