Literally all the Tweet said was “Exercises You Should Be Doing” followed by the link.
A few minutes later someone Tweets back with the comment, “Why? It’s a little over the top.”
To which I responded, “Uh, read the post and find out.”
And then they came back with, “ok.”
I just find it comical that someone would pass judgement on something without actually taking the time to read what the post was about in the first place. It’s akin to all the belly aching in Congress over the budget. They finally come to a compromise after three years and a government shut-down. It’s not perfect, but they decided to put their big-boy and big-girl pants on, stop acting like children, and come to a compromise.
Then I watch some interview with some ass-clown Congressman go on a tirade on how, “Well, I haven’t read the actual document, but based off of the reporting I’ve heard, it’s going to ruin America!”
I’d argue that the pull-up is the best predictor of overall relative strength. I think I remember Joe DeFranco mentioning how he’s seen a correlation in some of his athletes and how well they’ll do in their 40-yd dash time.
Nevertheless, pull-ups are kind of a big deal and in this article Nick does a fantastic job offering some new ways to approach training them.
Even for those who don’t make a living throwing a baseball 90+ MPH, this was a fantastic read on what it really takes to grind it through professional baseball season.
More importantly it serves as a needed wake-up call to many “entitled” young athletes who feel that just because they signed a professional contract that the world owes it to them to make it to the Big Leagues.
Slow clap to Collin for writing this article. Awesome, awesome stuff.
And lastly I wanted to share two videos with you between Kevin Kuzia and David Dellanave. The two of them had a heart-to-heart “chat” a few weeks ago about entrepreneurship which sparked the two of them to post up a few “riff” videos discussing their thoughts on the matter.
Giving a brief background: Kevin tends to play the “conservative” card, plays things safe, and doesn’t feel he takes too many risks when it comes to stepping outside is comfort zone; something I can relate with 100%.
On the flip side, David, is a risk taker and always has been.
I just found the discussion fascinating and I think both videos are worth a look.
No, Justin Bieber hasn’t somehow been scissor kicked in the throat.
No, I still haven’t beaten Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out.
And no, I haven’t officially earned my Top Gun wings. Yet……;o)
I’ve had something “top secret” marinating. It’s something that I’ve collaborated on with the guys over at WeightTraining.com, and it’s a little project that’s been in the words for a few months now.
And by “little” I mean the opposite of that. It’s going to be huge. Like, Death Star huge.
I don’t want to give away all the juicy details, but suffice it to say 1) it’s going to be an ever evolving product that’s going to help change people’s lives 2) I’m really excited about it and it’s going to be available to the world starting this coming Monday, Jan. 20th, and 3) I’m pretty much going to win a Nobel Prize for Awesomeness.
NOTE: One of the three above (probably) won’t happen.
I’m going to have full details available by Monday, so consider this the official teaser.
With that out of the way I want to toss a “new” exercise your way that I’ve been parading around the facility and using in a lot of programs I’ve written lately.
I say “new” (in quotations) because it’s not necessarily new in the sense that I invented or anything. Believe me: if or when I invent something – like, I don’t know, an economy sized, fuel efficient tank, or Grape flavored Spike** – I’ll be the first one to take full credit for it.
Giving credit where it’s due, though, I have to defer all accolades to my buddy Ben Bruno for this one. This is an exercise that he featured over his blog at some point last year and I’ve been dabbling with ever since.
Split Stance Trap Bar RDL
What Does It Do: In short, it serves as a pseudo 1-Legged RDL, but on two legs. Let me explain. Everyone knows that single leg work is important and that it offers a host of benefits from improved balance and hip stability to addressing strength asymmetries and improving athletic performance.
The thing is a lot of people suck at it, and as a result typically don’t do it. Ever.
While not related to the actual discussion, one of the major mistakes I see most trainees make with regards to their single leg work is that they treat it the same as their max effort work…..which is dumb.
To me, max effort work (1-3 reps) should be relegated to the “big three” like squats, deadlifts, and bench press…..with the occasional overhead press, bent over row, and goodmornings peppered in.
Single leg work, however, 95% of the time, should be treated as ACCESSORY work……and something that’s used to address imbalances or weaknesses. I can’t tell you how many times I watch an athlete or client try to be a hero and grab the 80 lb DBs for lunges or 1-Legged RDL only to resemble Bambi walking on ice throughout the set.
What good does that do? Why amp up the weight only to go into knee valgus and risk injury? Sure it may stroke the ego for a few minutes, but there’s no real benefit.
I lean more towards the camp which tells people that single leg work should – generally – be done under the assumption that QUALITY matters.
Reduce the weight, make quality movement matter, and do it right.
That said, for many of us, that inner meathead prevails and just wants to lift heavy stuff. I get it.
With this variation, you get the added benefit of support from the rear leg…..but too, you can load the weight much heavier and REALLY load that front leg.
So in a way it’s a hybrid single-leg variation. But not. Get it?
I didn’t think so.
Key Coaching Cues: The set up is the same as if you’re performing a regular deadlift, except, you know, you’re going to use a split stance.
No need to be too aggressive here. I usually coach people to take a heel-to-toe stance, with the brunt of the weight towards the leading leg (the one most forward).
Ideally both feet will be flat, but for some with limited ankle dorsiflexion it’s okay to come up on the toes of the REAR foot.
From there it’s hip hinge city. Initiate by hinging the hips back trying to keep the bulk of your weight in the front foot. The objective isn’t to go all the way to the floor, either. For most, just below the knee to mid-shin is plenty. Either way you should feel a massive “stretch” in the front leg hamstring.
I prefer to do this for 6-8 reps per leg, per set.
NOTE: You can use regular ol’ Olympic barbells on this one too. Or DBs. So for those who don’t have access to a trap/hex bar, you should still be good to go.
Give it a try today and let me know what you think!
I’m really excited to announce that not only will be attending The Fitness Summit in Kansas City this Spring – May 2nd and 3rd to be exact – but I’ll also be one of the people presenting!
I know through reputation that this event is one of the biggest, most highly anticipated, and fun fitness events of the year. And while I’ve always had the desire to attend, I haven’t been able to due to scheduling and prior engagements.
Moreover I won’t lie: there’s always been a smidgeon of hope that, at one point or another, I’d be invited down to be Lou Schuler’s personal water boy present in the flesh.
It was kind of like my version of Final Club hell.
What the heck is a final club you ask?
Remember that movie The Social Network from a few years ago? You know, the one about Facebook!
Yeah, that one.
Well, a small portion of the plot revolved around the two protagonists – Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin – and their desire to be “accepted” into one of Harvard’s fabled Final Clubs (essentially a fancy schmancy boys club where rich kids fraternize, tell each other how awesome they are, and I assume engage in all sorts of debauchery. They’re certainly not reading poetry to one another).
Anyways, getting into a Final Club is kind of a big deal just like getting invited to speak at The Fitness Summit is kind of a big deal.
Low and behold: it’s 2014 and I’m going down baby!!! I’m in the club!
And this year has a sick line-up of speakers: Alan Aragon, Bret Contreras, David Dellanave, Roland and Gayla Denzel, Cassandra Forsythe, Bryan Krahn, Mike T. Nelson, Brad Schoenfeld, Jen Sinkler, and of course the incomparable Lou Schuler.
Not to mention they’ll be a sprinkling of other “names” in the industry in attendance. Guys like Dean Somerset, Roger Lawson, and I think Han Solo will be making a cameo appearance as well.
I know the organizers of the event want to make this as affordable as possible, and they’ve just opened up registration to the public for a price of $249 (and that includes lunch on both days and a t-shirt and a high-five from yours truly).
I assure you spots WILL BE LIMITED and this event will sell out faster than a One Direction concert.
Check out the link below for more details as well to register. Hope to see you there!
** = and by “hang out with me,” what I really mean is deadlift, eat an infinite amount of dead animal flesh, and maybe play a game of Settlers of Catan or two.
I took the closing epilogue of an old Looney Tunes cartoon and applied it to an article I wrote on lat training.
Barack Obama ain’t not nuthin on my word play!
Chances are anytime you ask someone what the latissimus dorsi are you get one of two things happening:
1. Someone conjures up their inner Dorian Yates and breaks off a lat spread like like no one’s business.
Or
2. They look at you with a quizzical look – as if you had three nipples – look down, snap their fingers rapidly, and then, in a light bulb moment blurt out, “WAIT……I got it! That’s the name of that one planet that that dude with pointy ears is from, right? You know, in Star Trek?
Alas, the latissimus dorsi or “lats” for short are an often glazed over muscle group relegated to nothing more than “that muscle you work on the pulldown machine.” Which is unfortunate because I’d argue that the lats are one of the more critical muscles in your body in terms of not only aesthetics, but performance as well.
In this article, which went live on BodyBuilding.com yesterday, I up the geek ante slightly and talk anatomy as well as the MANY functions of the lats (there’s a lot more than you think).
More importantly, I discuss strategies one can implement to learn how to “engage” the lats more effectively, which in turn helps protect the spine, which in turn results in more weight lifted, which in turn raises your awesome factor by like a lot. It’s science.
Today’s guest post comes our way from Montreal based strength coach, Rich Thaw. I had the pleasure of meeting Rich several times a few years ago while he was here in Boston interning for Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning.
We all know the importance of single leg work, and it’s probably a safe assumption to say that it’s something we all love to hate.
While I won’t sit here and say I hate single leg work as much as I hate Jar Jar Binks, I have no qualms putting it in the same breath as poodles or people who don’t turn right on red.
I’m not impervious to the hate. But I still do it.
That said, single leg work is a staple at Cressey Performance and if there’s one exercise which makes our athletes belly ache the most it’s the RFESS, or more popularly known as the Bulgarian Split Squat.
In this post Rich breaks down some technique flaws as well as offers some different variations to try.
Enjoy! – TG
Bulgarian Split Squats have been around for generations (apparently) but only recently have been thrust into the limelight. In recent years Bulgarian Split Squats have been making headlines everywhere from magazines to online publications and even on YouTube (note the sarcasm…everything makes it to Youtube)
Bulgarian Split Squats were outrageously foreign to me until the summer of ’09 when I started my internship at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC). Although I had seen them before and used them a few times, I had not really exploited them to their full potential.
Long story short, after chasing a 315lb front squat for several months leading up to the internship, I decided to abandon the all-mighty lift in exchange for RFESS.
Fast forward 3 months and back to Montreal where I returned post-internship, I decided to re-attempt front squatting 315lbs.
The most recent experience yielded a mediocre 280lbs for 3 reps.
This time was different, I un-racked the bar and it felt really freakin’ heavy. I sat back and lowered myself to the 12’ box I had as a depth gauge, and then stood up without much difficulty…hmmm.
I decided to go for another, and then a 3rd. Racking the bar I thought to myself; “I have one more in me”. So I took a breath and gave’er for another.
I just front squatted 315lbs for 3 + 1 reps up from 280lbs for 3 reps only 3 months ago. That’s a 35lb increase and a rep to boot in a little under 3 months. WTF!?
What The Heck Is A RFESS And Where Can I Get Some?
Simply put, a RFESS (Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat) is a Bulgarian Split Squat, only with a less cool and more straightforward name.
Besides, I doubt the Bulgarians made up this exercise.
Note: I’m still awaiting conformation from The Bulgarian Government).
Lets start things with demonstration of the difference between a “good” RFESS and a bad one.
RFESS are a tricky beast, but when done correctly, in my opinion, they’re one of the best exercises which gives you the most bang for your training buck.
RFESS Are (Not) Made For You
They have huge benefits if used and loaded correctly, but correctly is a pretty vague term.
However, they’re not the best exercise for everyone – particularly if you’re rocking a solid anterior pelvic tilt (APT).
(Hyper) lordotic individuals usually develop these patterns as a result of breathing mechanics as well as a number of tight and weak muscles most likely set forth by sport, and repetitive, aberrant habits.
Lordotic people usually have a diaphragm that is ‘stuck’, tight lats, Quadratus Laborum (QL), Psoas, and Rectus Femorus, which are also tight/overactive – most notably understood under Janda’s Lower Cross Syndrome.
If You Present with Low Back Pain
The rear foot elevated position sets your pelvis up in a mildly compromised position. If, for example, the surrounding hip musculature is tight, the innominate bone (the hip bone on one side) of the leg that is on the bench will anteriorly rotate while the sacrum and innominate bone of the driving leg stays neutral.
This is not a great loading pattern.
What’s more, if you’re really tight the sacrum could be rotated as well…also not a pattern you want to load.
During a seminar I took with Dr. Stuart McGill back in April of 2013, he mentioned the increase in popularity of sacroiliac (SI) pain resulting from single leg training. All the more reason to make sure your core is working flawlessly.
The idea is that you don’t rely on joints for stability but rely on the surrounding musculature for stability. As it relates to some people, their back pain can very likely be related to some sort of compensation pattern and/or tight muscle(s).
If Your Buns Aren’t Made Of Steel
At CoreXcellence it is of the utmost importance that by the time we progress to RFESS in the program, our athletes and everyday clients have effective and efficient glutei function.
To get buns of steel you need your butt to fire first in hip extension, then the Adductor Magnus, hamstring, and lastly the lower back at the extreme end range. To effectively determine if that is the case on your end, here’s a quick test:
If You Can’t Lock It Down
The ‘proper’ way to do a deadlift used to be to bend down, arch the back and pick up the bar. But no longer.
You need to be able to maintain a rigid torso throughout any movement and keep the ribs locked down.
Think of maintaining the distance between the ribs and the pubic bone the same as when you are standing braced to when you are bent over in a hip hinge (deadlift pattern).
It’s impossible to contract a stretched muscle, and by arching your back (shown in the 1st photo) your entire mid-section is stretched.
That leaves one of two places for a trainee to gain stability:
1) The powerful lats, and 2) The vertebrae, sacrum and sacro-iliac joints. Again, not a pattern you want to load.
The inability to keep the distance between the ribs and pubic bone consistent during a split squat, reverse lunge and a slideboard lunge, in that order, throws up a major red flag.
Sorry, no RFESS for you chief.
RFESS Progression Checklist
#1 – Split Squat
#2 – Reverse Lunge
#3 – Slideboard Lunge
#4 – RFESS
The Set-Up
Grab yourself a good old-fashioned bench. Prop the shoelaces of your left foot on the bench then lower that knee to the ground. You’ll be in a half-kneeling position.
The Right heel should be slightly behind your knee.
Note: This is a great position to assess if you can maintain neutrality in your hips or if you are rotated. If you can get and maintain a neutral pelvis, you’re cleared for takeoff.
At the bottom of the exercise your right femur should be just slightly below parallel with the ground.
It’s set up for RFESS specifically so no tinkering required. It’s much more comfortable on the ankle than a bench. Benches pinch your ankle at times.
If you don’t have access to a Single Leg Squat Stand you can always jimmy a bench to replicate it by attaching a half-roller onto the top with some mini-bands.
Load ‘er up
There are a few ways of loading RFESS. The go-to loading pattern I use with clients and athletes is always the dumbbell goblet. Once they master the goblet RFESS, then they can progress to any number of variations.
Here are a few I use quite frequently:
1. Dumbbell or Kettlebell Goblet
2. Bilateral Dumbbell
3. 1-Arm Kettlebell
The bell usually touches the floor at the exact moment when you reach optimal depth, usually.
4. Front Racked Barbell
5. Back Squat Barbell
My beef with back loading
While it may work wonders for some, I firmly believe that by loading the bar on your back only further reinforces an arched back, stretched abdominals, and recruits the lats & QL’s to act as stabilizers rather than the core.
Sure the first rep or so will look decent, but decent isn’t good enough for the first few reps. Every rep should be flawless. Your last rep should always be your last good rep. It’s also a lot harder to coach this pattern compared to the front racked position because of the pattern it reinforces.
Wrap Up
While there are more than a few contraindications and compensations to look out for in a RFESS, the same principle applies for every exercise.
A stable torso, ample mobility, stability and flexibility are all required to reap the rewards of this exercise with none of the risk. It all comes down to progression. RFESS are an advanced exercise and should be treated as such.
Give yourself a few weeks to perfect a flawless Split Squat, Reverse Lunge and then Slideboard Lunge and then RFESS will be made for you!
About the Author
When he is not working as a Strength & Conditioning coach at CoreXcellence, Rich does extensive work with online training and nutrition consultations through his website titled ‘InnerAthlete’.
Using his extensive knowledge and experience in athletic development, Rich has developed a training system which progressively challenges his clients. To ensure proper postural alignment and injury prevention methods learned from the Functional Movement Screening System, Postural Restoration Institute and Myofascial Techniques have become an integral part of his programming.
When Rich isn’t working you can find him playing hockey, watching the latest Marvel Comics movie, drinking Reeces Peanut Butter Cup inspired smoothies and dreaming about front squats, kettlebells and chin-ups.
He has been found eating cacao nibs and spirulina by the pound and firmly believes that “Everyone should have access to professional grade training, nutrition, & rehab strategies. Everyone can go from an average Joe (or Jill) to looking, feeling and moving like a Pro.”
So remember that post I wrote yesterday detailing the best piece of advice I ever received** which then lead to me discussing WeightTraining.com’s release of their new Workout Tracker app, which then me laying down the ground rules for an opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a free TRX?
Well, I lied.
Kinda.
No, I didn’t lie about crushing raw egg-white protein shakes. All the cool kids were doing it back in the day.
And no, I didn’t lie about the overall ass-kickery of the new App by WT.com. It’s been getting glowing reviews thus far!
I actually lied about the cut-off date for your chance to win the TRX.
It’s been extended through TODAY (January 7th).
As a reminder here’s what you have to do:
In order to be entered into the app release giveaway, you must complete the following:
2. Log a workout on January 7th (<– THAT’s TODAY!!!!)
3. Tweet your logged workout to @TonyGentilcore1 (Twitter) or Facebook share your workout with the hashtag #TonyGentilcore on January 7th (<– Again, THAT’s TODAY)
Winners will be randomly selected on January 8th!!!!.
This is a very common myth and one that makes my insides hurt from laughing so hard. Sometimes I feel like we don’t give the human body enough credit. That if we somehow haven’t had a morsel of food for more than three hours or if we happen to eat, god-for-bid, a 10 oz steak in one sitting, our body is just going shutdown in a rage of shock, and we’ll start bleeding through eyes.
Let me preface this by saying: that is NOTHING wrong with running. Well, there is, but I don’t want to get into it here, so save the pitch-forks for next time.
Where things get a bit murky – and where much of the dichotomy begins – is when people are under the impression that running is an efficient way to lose weight. Don’t me wrong: It can be, but there comes a point in time where the amount of effort put forth doesn’t mirror the reward.
Nate Green wrote a blog post, Nate Green wrote a blog post, Nate Green wrote a blog post.
Nate Green wrote a blog post!!!!!!!!!!!
He doesn’t write as many blog posts as he used to, but when he does they’re gold.
** = outside of “Dude, go see The Matrix, it’s sick!” (1999, as told from a college teammate), and “Tony, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, your fly’s open…..zip up your pants!” (1980-2004, by my Mom)
I think every guy (and maybe girls too, I’m not sure) who has ever stepped foot in a gym has that one memory of starting out and being lucky enough to be taken under the wing of someone else.
Someone to show them the ropes, guide them, steer them away from the Smith machine. Or, as Rod Tidwell from the movie Jerry Maguire would say, “be their ambassador of Quan.”
I had that guy back in the day when I first started working out at my local town fitness center. His name was Joe, he was ginormous, and he just so happened to be one of the local sheriffs.
Every afternoon when I showed up to workout – I didn’t call it training back then – Joe would be there as well hoisting god-knows-how-much-weight, and I’d be in awe of him.
I didn’t have the courage to approach or talk to Joe right out of the gate to ask for advice partly because I was a scrawny, shy kid…..but mostly because I didn’t want him to eat me.
Soon enough, after a few weeks – maybe even months – I built what could be labeled as some semblance of a rapport with Joe, and I started peppering him with questions.
How much do you bench?
How often should I workout?
How much protein should I eat?
Who would win in an arm-wrestling match: you or a tank?
Do you know Arnold?
Joe was always more than accommodating, answering my questions with equal parts mentor saavy and what I have to imagine was a smidgeon of eye rolling.
I remember he told me that one of his rituals was to toss in a raw egg whites into his protein shakes every night. Much to my mother’s chagrin I dutifully obliged.
He could have told me to put banana peels and unicorn tears into my shake and I would have done it.
More cogent to today’s conversation, however, was a piece of advice that Joe shared with me which stuck for a loooooooong time. It’s something that he took seriously and made it a point to make sure that I treated it in the same fashion. No BS.
And that was to always, no matter what, keep a training journal.
“It’s going to serve as your bible,” he said. “Use it, refer to it, never go to the gym without it.”
And I did. I wrote down all my workouts with a pen or pencil, meticulously kept track of sets and reps, and would oftentimes jot down notes to myself as feedback.
In more ways than one, and as silly as it sounds, it was one of my best friends. A sort of diary if you of blood, sweat, failure, and PRs.
One time, during a grueling deadlift session, I even taped a callous that ripped off my hand to that day’s training page.
I have no doubts that keeping and maintaining a training journal was what allowed me to continuously make progress in my teens through my twenties, and even now.
To this day I still have a pile of training notebooks tucked away in a box somewhere here in my apartment as well as at my parent’s house.
And while I don’t have one right in front of me, it’s fair to say that a typical passage would look something along the lines of this:
B1. Flat Bench DB Press 3×10: 70×10, 70×10, 70×10 B2. I’m sad I’m not deadlifting today.
C1. Chest Supported Row 4×8: 90×8, 90×8, 90×8, 90×8 C2. Decline Bench EZ Bar Skull-Crusher 3×12: 60×12,60×12,60×12
*** Note to self: don’t forget to set the DVR to record Alias tonight. OMG Jennifer Garner is so hot. I swear to god if Sydney and Michael don’t hook up soon I’m going to go crazy!
Oh, also, call mom.
D. Bicep Curls 3x infinity – damn, you’re gunny.
Of course with the advent of technology and given that today’s world is almost entirely digital the era of the training journal has slowly died a slow death.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Technology – more or less – makes our lives easier. I’m not going to go into the moral arguments that could be made with that statement, but lets just keep things nice a rosy and just run with it.
Introducing the WeightTraining.com App!
This is an instance where technology really amazes me. Many of you may recall my affiliation with the peeps over at WeightTraining.com, and if not, either way I’m really excited to announce the release of their FREEiOS 2.0 App.
What’s the Deal?
Beginners can have instant access to hundreds of pre-made trainer-approved workout plans, with a variety of fitness goals to choose from. Our database of over 2,000 exercises includes demonstration videos, step-by-step instructions, and tips to help take the guesswork out of exercise technique and make for a safer time at the gym and better results over time.
Experienced lifters can build their own workouts with a quick exercise search and input their time, distance, and sets / reps as needed. Both exercises and workouts can be saved as Favorites for even easier access in subsequent workouts. The logger will also update with suggestions based on past workouts.
Set specific goals, visualize your progress, and optimize your workouts to improve your health in 2014!
2. Log a workout on January 6th (<– THAT’s TODAY!!!!)
EDIT:To say that the giveaway has been extended THROUGH TUESDAY, Jan. 7th!
3. Tweet your logged workout to @TonyGentilcore1 (Twitter) or Facebook share your workout with the hashtag #TonyGentilcore on January 6th (<– Again, THAT’s TODAY, Monday, Jan. 6th).
Winners will be randomly selected on January 8th!!!!.
Or, in other words: Learn how to groove the hip hinge and then be able to train like a boss.
Quick question/observation: Have you ever wondered why, among other things – like why women tend to make that funny face when applying make-up – when it comes to American cars, or “Western” cars, the driver’s side is on the left side of the car and not the right (as is the case in the rest of the world)?
It’s something I’ve pondered in the past and up until recently I just kinda shrugged it off as one of those things which had no legitimate rationale other than us Americans are a bunch of pompous a-holes that like to do everything differently than everyone else – analogous to us being the only country not to adopt the metric system of measurement.
As it turns out – there is a reason why the steering wheel is on the left hand side and not the right. And it’s something that makes complete sense.
In the book I’m currently reading, One Summer: America, 1927, author Bill Bryson spends a whole section going into detail about Henry Ford and the Model T car.
Up until the Model T came to fruition every car that was produced in America had the steering wheel on the right hand side so that the driver would have easy access to the side curb, side-walk, or grassy area to easily step out of the car.
Ford then decided that this was a convenience that should be afforded to the “lady of the house,” and thus the Model T was designed to have the steering wheel placed on the left hand side.
“Load is not weight. Load is how your body adapts to carrying the weight. So someone with good alignment can squat 100 lbs and experience an adaptation in their butt and legs, and another person can squat 100lbs and experience an adaptation in their hip flexors and low back muscles (very simplistic example). This is because of how we load our body! You want to load the muscles and joints properly to develop the qualities of strength, power, speed, mobility etc. A lot of pain and what “dysfunctional” movement can be a result of improper loading for your body and structure.”
This summary served as one of a few reasons why I wrote THIS article for T-Nation on why I feel learning to brace and not relying on over-arching or over-extending the lumbar spine (in other words: maintaining ALIGNMENT) is paramount with regards to lifting heavy things. Not only in the context of improved performance in the weight-room, but also as a way to play the house in your favor with relation to long-term health – especially spine health.
Taking this concept a step further, though, and since this is a fitness blog, lets roll with the talking point of alignment and loadand delve into something a bit more practical and relevant to just about everyone reading:
The Hip Hinge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw
For those unfamiliar and stealing some insight from renowned strength coach Dan John – who’s a mega fan of the hip hinge (and rightfully so), we can introduce the hip hinge as follows:
“It’s the hip snap, the hip slam and all of the various inappropriate terms coaches have used to teach young virgin ninth graders to tackle like NFL linebackers. Just learning the move right can open up hamstring flexibility. Doing it slowly with a massive load can impress your friends for generations. Learning to have symmetry in the movement can jumpstart you to an injury-free career.
And, to do it fast? It’s the one-stop shop to fat loss, power and improved athletic ability. Swings, the top of the food chain in hinge movements, are the most under-appreciated move in life, in sport and in the gym.”
In more rudimentary terms the hip hinge involves any flexion/extension originating at the hips that involves a posterior weight shift.
And if we wanted to be super-duper simplistic, and separate ourselves from the notion that a hip hinge is the same thing as a squat pattern – WHICH IT ISN’T! – we can break things down like this:
Hip Hinge = maximal hip bend, minimal knee bend.
Squat = maximal hip bend, maximal knee bend.
*Smoke bomb, smoke bomb, exit stage right*
Moreover, taking the swing out of the equation altogether, I’d argue that nothing has quite as a profound effect on one’s performance in the gym, overall movement quality, addressing pain (especially low back pain), as well as shortening one’s “learning curve” when introducing new exercises than the hip hinge.
About the only thing a properly patterned hip hinge doesn’t help fix is a bad hair day and Justin Bieber’s general level of douchebaggery.
1o points awarded to me for a Biebs burn!
So the question then becomes: How can we go about grooving a proper hip hinge?
More to the point – when working with athletes or clients who either A) have an extensive injury history, have engrained an aberrant motor pattern, and hence like to “squat” everything or B) are otherwise healthy and still like to “squat” everything……how can we groove the hip hinge pattern we’re looking for and start to teach people how to load their body properly?
Well, I’m glad you asked!
At the lowest level two of the easiest (and effective) ways to begin to pattern the hip hinge are:
1. The Wall Tap Hip Hinge
The objective here is pretty self-explanatory. Brace the abs, ensure spinal alignment (move through the hips and NOT the lumbar spine) and then focus on tapping your derriere to the wall.
One cue I like to use is to tell people to chop or “fold” their hips with their hands (you’ll see me do this on like the third or fourth rep).
I’ll start people as close to wall as I need to in order to ensure they’re doing it correctly, and as they become more proficient I’ll move them further and further away.
2. Dowel Rod Hip Hinge
This too is fairly self-explanatory, so I’ll try not to belabor anything. I love this variation because it gives the trainee some kinesthetic feedback on spinal positioning.
In short: there should be three points of contact with the dowel rod – the sacrum, in between the shoulder blades, as well as directly behind the head. If at any point the dowel rod loses contact with any of those points – whether because the chin isn’t staying tucked or they’re squatting with too much knee bend – that should be considered a fault and corrected immediately.
Upping the ante a bit, here are some more drills that I like to implement.
3. Rip Trainer Hip Hinge
Taking the dowel rod hip hinge to the next level is the TRX Rip Trainer Hip Hinge, which very much plays into a lot of Gray Cook’s work on loading the hip hinge.
It’s a subtle load – you don’t need to be too aggressive here – but it’s amazing how much technique cleans up when you cue someone to “pull” themselves into the hinge pattern (here the trainee literally has to pull into the hinge).
Much like with the wall tap drill, I’ll tell people to visualize “folding” their hips and to sit back.
4. Sternum Hip Hinge
Place a kettlebell (you could use a plate or DB here) flush against the sternum and try to visualize driving it through your chest.
I can’t really explain why it works so well – most likely because of the anterior load – but it just does, so just do it! GOSH!
5. Behind the Head Hip Hinge
Pigging back off the sternum hip hinge is the behind the head hip hinge, which places the load posteriorly behind the head. This offers a bit more of a unique challenge in that you have to make sure that you’re bracing your abs HARD so that you don’t compensate and hinge through the lumbar spine.
6. Band Resisted Hip Hinge
Lastly, the band resisted hip hinge drill is great because it teaches people “terminal hip extension,” to the point where they must finish the movement with their glutes in order to finish the drill. Moreover, because the band is pulling them back they really have to be more cognizant of bracing their abs, maintaining alignment, and controlling the movement.
What Now?
If or when those drills are mastered THEN it’s time to add appreciable load. One of my go to exercises is the pull-through. I find that this is a fantastic exercise to introduce people to loaded hip hinging because, well, I said so!
And because it hammers the posterior chain with minimal spinal loading.
Of course deadlifts and squats will come into the picture, but not until I feel confident that the person I’m working with (especially for those with a vast injury history) can hip hinge properly and disperse the load accordingly.
I can usually coach someone up and get them deadlifting and/or squatting with a good hip hinge pattern within a short amount of time – typically in one session – but not without utilizing some of the drills mentioned above.
Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy 2014! The pic to the left is a photo that Lisa and I took roughly 17 seconds after the clock struck midnight last night.
It would have been quicker, but we had to get our New Year’s kiss in ya know…..BOM CHICKA BOM BOM.
Not to get all sappy and sentimental or anything but it’s because of all of you that this site continues to grow and to be so successful, I can’t thank all of you enough for your continued support.
I know I mentioned this yesterday but 2013 was a banner year for me personally and professionally and I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store.
SPOILER ALERT: Professionally speaking there’s already a lot in the works as I type this. I’ll be updating the website and giving it a “facelift” in 2014. I’ll also be making a few cameo appearances throughout the country doing some speaking engagements which is always cool. And, fingers crossed, I’ll also be making my way across the pond. To prepare I’ve already started watching more James Bond movies.
I’m still going to be doing the writing thing, and you can expect a TON more killer content from me here on this blog as well as places like T-Nation.com, BodyBuilding.com, Stack.com, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Muscle and Fitness, and if I play my cards right, IHeartMattDamon.com.
LOL – Just kidding.
Kinda.
I’ll also be involved with venturing into the fitness product realm – FINALLY – and should have some cool news for all of you on that front in a few days, as well as later this Spring.
Personally speaking: Well, what more is there to say other than Lisa and I have some big plans.
Which is to say, “one ring, to rule them all……….”
Which is to say, I better put a ring on it at some point in the calendar year of 2014!
HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!
Here’s a picture of a rabbit with a pancake on its head just because……
Using his extensive knowledge and experience in athletic development, Rich has developed a training system which progressively challenges his clients. To ensure proper postural alignment and injury prevention methods learned from the Functional Movement Screening System, Postural Restoration Institute and Myofascial Techniques have become an integral part of his programming.
