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Ty to Be Fit
Lisa Altobelli
September 20, 2004
How the Pats' Ty Law builds speed
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September 20, 2004

Ty To Be Fit

How the Pats' Ty Law builds speed

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AFTER MISSING the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons, Patriots cornerback Ty Law, 30, decided he needed to get faster to get noticed. He sought out track coach Bob Kersee, who trained Olympic gold medalists Gail Devers, Joanna Hayes and his wife, Jackie Joyner-Kersee. "I heard how demanding Bob was, and I wanted that kind of intensity," said Law, who lives in Massachusetts but trains with Kersee at UCLA and in St. Louis. "I don't have a problem leaving everything behind--my cars, my jewelry, my comforts of home--and just concentrating on myself." Kersee uses hills and staircases for workouts and also believes in competitiveness. He has Law, who is 5'11" and plays at 200 pounds, line up with his track stars for 50- and 100-meter sprints. "As antiquated as it sounds, it still bruises the ego to get beat by a girl," says Law. He may get beaten on the track, but Law has made the Pro Bowl the past four years. A look at his regimen:

RUNNING WILD

High skipping (above) "helps muscle fibers store kinetic energy," says Kersee. Law's "ballistic" routine:

? High skip for 50 yards.

? Skip rope rapidly, five minutes

? Sprint 50 yards with legs scissoring straight out in front.

? For agility, Law does shuttles, running out and back 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards.

MIXING IT UP

Law challenges himself with these "gimmick" workouts:

? Sprint 20 times up and down 40 flights of stadium stairs.

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