Execises You Should Be Doing: Pallof Press – Alphabet

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Before I get into today’s post, I first wanted to “touch base” with everyone to fill them in on a few things going on in my life: both personal and professional.

1.  Both Eric Cressey and myself will be heading to Providence, RI this weekend for the Perform Better Functional Training Summit.  Last year was the first time I hadn’t attended since 2006, so it will be great to head down and talk shop with a bunch of very smart people.  The line-up is redunkulous.  Pretty much everyone who’s anyone in this industry will be speaking:  Dr. Stuart McGill, Mike Boyle, Professor Dumbledore, Gray Cook, Lee Burton, Alwyn Cosrove, Gandalf, Rachel Cosgrove, Martin Rooney, Dan John, Thomas Myers, Thomas Plummer, Lee Taft, and Mark Verstegen to name a few. 

And that’s just the speakers.  I know there are going to be many, many other high quality people in attendence as well.  For example, I know Joe Dowdell and a few members of his staff from Peak Performance, NYC will be there.  Too, I think I heard through the grapevine that Anthony Renna, Kevin Larrabee, and Dewey Nielsen will be making cameo appearances, too.  In all, it’s going to be an awesome weekend, I can’t wait.

2.  The highlight, though, might be the fact that Charlie Weingroff (of Training=Rehab, Rehab=Training fame) will be stopping by the facility TODAY to talk some shop.

Coincidentally, the Northeastern Sports Medicine and Sports conference is this weekend as well, and Charlie is one of the main speakers attending.  As a result, he’ll be stopping by at some point to today to play with Tank.

3.  As many of you may be aware, I’ve been toying around with the idea of producing a fitness product for a while now, and admittedly, I’ve been dragging my heels.  Part of me recognizes that it’s “time” and I need to put my big boy pants on and do something.  The other part, however, is a bit intimidated.  It’s a big leap to come up with a product, and if I’m going to do it, I’d want to do it right.

That said, it seems I’ve come up with the perfect solution – collaborating! 

Martin Scorcese and Robert DeNiro did it (many times); Eminem and Elton John did it; hell, even Optimus Prime and Megatron did it once!

It’s still in the early stages, but it seems I’m going to be one of the featured presenters in Rick Kaselj’s follow-up to the widely popular Muscles Imbalances Revealed – Lower Body.

This time around, Rick will be focusing on the logical sequel – Muscles Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body.  Needless to say, I’m humbled that he would ask me to participate, and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity.  Stay tuned for updates…….I may or may not doing the powerpoint presentation shirtless.

Kidding.

Kinda.

4.  Oh, and t-minus ten days before my girlfriend and I move in together.  Which means only ten more days left of throwing my underwear on the floor, leaving dishes in the sink, not putting the cap back on the toothpaste, and Die Hard Tuesdays. 

Soon I’ll be separating my colors from the whites, offering to wash the dishes, wiping tooth paste of the mirror, and watching Notting Hill.  An Era is ending, folks.  But I can’t wait!

Alright, lets get into the meat and pototoes of today’s post.  It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of the Pallof Press.  Not only is it a fantastic exercise to promote core stability, but it’s arguably one of the more versatile core exercises out there.  Today, I’d like to share yet another variation I came across that I think may be my favorite thus far.

What Is it:  Pallof Press – Alphabet

What Does It Do: Much like the regular pallof press, this variation trains core stability – albeit with a little twist.  Here, you’ll use a Jump Stretch band and write the alphabet with your arms straight out in front of you.  Trust me, this is harder than it looks.

Key Coaching Cues:  I’d recommend starting with a 1/2 inch band to test the waters first, but feel free to use a one-inch band if that’s too easy.  From there, simply assume an athletic stance and “press” your arms straight out in front of you making sure to keep your elbows locked out the entire time.  Draw the alphabet from A to Z.  Start with small letters, and progress to larger letters if need be.  Perform a set on one side, then switch and do the other.

That’s pretty much it.  Try it out today, and let me know what you think!

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