CategoriesConditioning Motivational Nutrition Program Design

Look Like Jason Bourne

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of business/life/fitness writer and world-traveler extraordinaire, Anthony Yeung. The title says it all folks.  

Jason Bourne is the badass to end all badasses. He’s not a British playboy like James Bond and he’s not a billionaire-wunderkind like Bruce Wayne.

Instead, he’s just a gruff and simple man who beats the crap out of people by using desk stationery — a pen, a rolled up magazine, and a book.

In this article, I’ll crack the code of actually BECOMING Jason Bourne with a five-step plan. I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to leap across buildings or get multiple passports… but I can guarantee you’ll increase your rating on the “Jason Bourne Scale of Awesomeness” and have A LOT of fun while doing so.

Enjoy!

1) Build REAL Strength and Power

Jason Bourne’s one-punch KO is a testament to his brute strength.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ugKCJsNyBQ

 

And his overall badassery.

Fortunately, if you read Tony’s blog regularly, you already have all the information you need to get strong as hell. (The man is WAY smarter and stronger than me.)

But I’ll simply review the basics and share a few add-ons that could help take your fitness to Bourne-levels.

1) Focus On the Big Lifts and Get Strong as Hell.

Your workouts should center on things like heavy squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows, pullups, overhead presses, and lunges — basically, any exercise that targets a lot of muscles and creates a massive stimulus for growth. Also, go heavy with fewer reps to build that foundation of absolute strength.

From there, build “old-school strength” by doing lots of weighted carries for core, grip, and stability work.

 

It might help you KO someone… or open a pack of shaving razors without scissors.

2) Once You Have a Solid Foundation of Basic Strength (alactic), Develop Your Lactic Capacity with Complexes.

Jason Bourne’s fight scenes take a lot longer than a set of three fronts squats.

That’s where complexes come in: You’ll race through sets of different exercises without any rest or even setting down the weight. It’ll hammer every muscle in your body and crank up your work capacity, all in 1 – 2 minutes.

Here’s a dumbbell complex:

  • Romanian Deadlift x 6
  • Bent-Over Row x 6
  • Reverse Lunge x 6 each side
  • Dumbbell High Pull x 6
  • Overhead Press x 6
  • Front Squat x 6
  • Plyo Pushups x 6

For the final set of pushups, toss the dumbbells aside and do them on the floor. Rest for a few minutes and repeat the complex.

3) Free Your Body

Jason Bourne is like an MMA and parkour athlete wrapped together in a dark overcoat. Thus, to fight every kind of villain imaginable, scale walls, and leap across buildings, you have to be mobile, agile, and spry.

If you can’t touch your toes, however, start there. Use mobility drills, PRI exercises, and self-myofascial therapy to improve your range of motion, release chronically tight and toned muscles, and get more limber.

 

Next, work in all planes of movement. While traditional strength exercises are usually in the sagittal plane or frontal plane, incorporate modalities that builds free-flowing strength, endurance, and power.

My favorite method is Animal Flow, which is just a series of crawling patterns on steroids. It’s great for conditioning, stability, and developing complex movement patterns. It’s also very humbling: one full minute of crawling patterns could kick your ass.

 

4) Develop Power and Speed

Jason Bourne has blazing speed and lightning quick reflexes. Thus, not only can he demonstrate absolute strength, but he can also demonstrate that strength faster than anyone else.

While Olympic lift variations are great for this, I prefer kettlebell swings, snatches, and cleans because (1) their learning curve is quicker, (2) they improve stability/mobility, and (3) they can be used in conditioning drills.

TG Layering the KB Swing #1

 

TG Layering the KB Swing #2

 

From there, feel free to add high-speed work like sprints. Just follow Charlie Francis’s suggestion to stay above 95% max-effort — anything less will be too slow to create the right adaptations.

2) Condition Like a Badass

So Jason Bourne is strong… got it.

But he’s also conditioned like a badass too.

If you struggle to run a few miles, then sprinting through buildings, jumping through windows, and fighting Desh will be damn near impossible.

Step One: Develop a Massive Aerobic Base.

Developing an aerobic foundation actually improves your performance in high-intensity efforts and helps you recover (1) between bouts of high-intensity exercise and (2) after hard workouts.

There are many different ways to build an aerobic base, but two easy places to start are with cardiac output training and high-intensity continuous training.

Cardiac Output is basically any modality that keeps you in the 120 – 150bpm zone for 30+ minutes. You could go for a jog, a bike ride, or even do a circuit of various bodyweight exercises.

[Note from TG: if there’s ONE thing I’ve done a complete 180 on in recent years, it’s my thoughts on aerobic training or “cardio.” We need it. Don’t be one of those stupid “it will steal your gainz” bro-science boneheads.

For more information on WHY it’s important and HOW to implement it read THIS, THIS and THIS.]

High-Intensity Continuous Training (HICT) is where you do one explosive rep of an exercise every 3 – 5 seconds for 5 – 7 minutes while staying in the aerobic zone. This way, you’ll target your fast-twitch muscle fibers without exhausting them and help them become more fatigue-resistant as the cells create more mitochondria.

 

Once you have a strong aerobic base, layer on the anaerobic stuff, which you can get from typical HIIT workouts.

3) Get Lean (If You Ain’t Already)

Unlike James Bond, Bourne doesn’t need a tuxedo to look like a badass; most of the time, he’s wearing a T-shirt you could get at Goodwill.

But you can’t do that if you’re rocking a “Dad Bod.” Fortunately, you don’t need to get shredded — even in the most recent film, he looks like he’s around 10 – 15% body fat.

To drop any stubborn body fat, figure out your caloric defei

Dial in your diet.

“IS JASON BOURNE GLUTEN-FREE… OR IS HE PALEO?!”

My guess is that, if you asked that question, he would give you a cold stare.

Eat whole foods. As a rule of thumb, don’t eat things that come out of a box or can.

Protein: Lean meats, fish, nuts, eggs, good protein powders, bacon (because, duh), etc.

Carbs: Veggies (pile on the veggies), rice, potatoes, quinoa, whole grains, fruits, etc.

Fats: Olive oil, coconut oil, real butter, nuts, avocados, fish oil, flax oil, etc.

4) Improve Your Stress Response

“I can tell you the license plate numbers of all six cars outside. I can tell you that our waitress is left-handed and the guy sitting up at the counter weighs two hundred fifteen pounds and knows how to handle himself. I know the best place to look for a gun is the cab or the gray truck outside, and at this altitude, I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking.”

(Meanwhile, I barely remember MY license plate number.)

Bourne has RIDICULOUS awareness.

A lot of that comes from being a freak… but a lot of that also comes from eliminating your mind clutter and being completely in the present moment. It’s when we’re constantly worrying about the past, the future, or how our Fantasy Football team is doing, however, that we miss life’s little details.

Bourne can also handle A TON of stress without tapping into his “fight-or-flight” systems. (P.S. Building your aerobic system helps with this too. Woohoo!) I mean, sure, he had that car chase with Kirill, but SEE HOW FREAKIN’ CALM HE LOOKS:

 

Here’s how you’re going to increase your ability to tolerate stress without frying your sympathetic nervous system:

1. Meditate

Everyday, take a few minutes to relax, take a few deep breaths, and increase your awareness. I use the Headspace app, but feel free to explore the many different options and find something that works for you.

The key is that (1) you like it and (2) it helps you de-stress your mind.

2, Eustress Training

I learned about eustress training from the guys at Ethos Colorado and the concept is simple:

“Do as many reps of a big lift as you can without tipping into a stress response.”

For example, set up a deadlift with a weight that’s hard, but still something you can do smooth, fast, and calmly. (“No grunting, no death metal, and no belts?! What is this — Planet Fitness?!”)

Then do 40 sets of 1 rep and keep your heart rate under 150 bpm. The next time you workout, try to do more sets or do a slightly heavier weight each workout while still staying stress-free. Over time, you’ll increase the amount of volume you can handle without stress.

5) Simplify

“I’m gonna ask you some simple questions. You’re gonna tell me the truth, or I swear to God, I’m gonna kill ya.”

Jason Bourne is all about simplicity. Think about it:

His wardrobe is as diverse as Ned Flanders. He doesn’t shop at Ed Hardy and his dark, muted colors would make any New Yorker proud. His haircut is something you can get at a barber college for $5. (Unlike Bourne, however, I recommend you smile occasionally.)

 

“I’m so happy!”

This is an optional step, but I encourage you to take a look at your life and take note of the superfluous things you can do without.

Do you have shirts you only wear once a year? A shelf full of books you never read? A cable television package you never use? Boxes full of random crap that take up space in your garage?

Perhaps you can donate or get rid of them.

It seems small — and even unrelated — but it all goes a long way in freeing your mind and simplifying your lifestyle. Now your possessions won’t possess you.

The result?

Being able to focus on what’s truly important and being able to control your life.

Oh, and please cut off your man bun.

About the Author

 

Categoriesbusiness fitness business

What I Learned Listening to Unicorns About the Business of Fitness

Unicorns are real.

Copyright: cattallina / 123RF Stock Photo
Copyright: cattallina / 123RF Stock Photo

 

I hung out with two of them this past weekend. Except, these weren’t unicorns in the fantastical sense, you know, with horns sticking out of their foreheads and the proclivity to shoot rainbows out of their ass.

In fact, these unicorns didn’t even have four legs. Or a tail.1

No, these “unicorns” were none other than my good friends Mark Fisher and Michael Keeler of Mark Fisher Fitness, co-founders of one of the most successful gyms in NYC (or the world for that matter). A place where members are referred to as ninjas, the gym itself is referred to as The Ninja Clubhouse of of Glory and Dreams, and well, lets just say it’s not uncommon territory for spontaneous ABBA dance-offs to take place in between sets of KB swings.

Actually, it’s par for the course on a Wednesday night.

Their moniker is Serious Fitness For Ridiculous Humans. Oftentimes people see the glitterly website and think: “Huh, that’s odd/interesting/WTF, did I just see a pic of a trainer wearing buttless pants? I guess it’s a cool place/I think I need to go wash my eyes.”

And it is. It’s an amazing place. I’d make the case there’s no gym in the world that does what MFF does. It’s impossible to walk within their walls and not feel good about yourself. The incessant positive reinforcement and insatiable desire to make people happy (and to accept their unique weirdness) is impressive.

What gets lost in translation (and amongst the buttless pants) is that their staff are some of the best at what they do. Sure, they have fun (like, a lot of fun)…but they’ll also casually discuss PRI, Pavel, Strong First, RKC, Smolov squat cycles, neck alignment, McGill vs. Contreras/Schoenfeld, and the pros and cons of OLY lifting.

Further, this was the end of an email I received from Mark a few years ago when he and I were going back and forth on a job opening MFF had and what they look for in a possible hire:
“Don’t get me wrong, if they’re a drag queen, that’s HUGELY helpful, but they need to be a drag queen who knows who Ed Coan is.”

To say Mark and Michael have built a successful (fitness) business – a very unique and unconventional one at that – would be an understatement. They are the MASTERS at building community and hiring the right people who are the right fit. And, they’re also the masters at being anal as balls at implementing systems and having a spreadsheet and purpose for everything pertaining to MFF and their business.

They were in Boston this past weekend and I had the opportunity to attend Day #2 of their Inside the Unicorn business workshop. Below are some takeaways (written in list/bullet format because I know I’m going to be all over the place).

1) We’re programmed by the industry to not offer free shit, and I’ll admit I’m hot and cold on this topic. To get people into your “funnel,” however, why not host a free outdoor class and then offer some sort of one-time offer or flash sale to lure people in? $50 off one-time assessment, or some sort of reduced price-point on a initial package.

2) To that point, you can then add people to your mailing list and then, in Keeler’s words, “hunt them like an animal for 30-days to purchase or to sign-up for a service you offer.” After 30 days, pump the brakes. Keep them on your list, but stop hunting.

  • Some people may take a few months (if not years) before they’re ready to commit to anything. Staying on their radar – in a non-pushy, non-urgent way – is important.
  • Interestingly, Keeler noted how NO-ONE picks up their phones, but that leaving occasional voice messages is still relevant. They can still listen to your voice, which “humanizes” the interaction.

3) At MFF they’re huge advocates of yearly (staff) reviews. Coincidentally, they’ve found that staff members are often harder and score themselves much harsher than management. To that end, their go to source on this front is the Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey.

  • Keeler readily admits that the questions are open-ended, abstract, and “wishy washy,” but the research on their effectiveness backs up the results.

4) Speaking of evaluations, on a more personal facility to facility level, both Mark and Michael implored the attendees to come up with their own evaluation questions based off THEIR core values.

For example, for me, some of the questions I came up with were:

  • “How do you demonstrate integrity?”
  • “Do you feel you’re in an environment where your needs are met and that you’re able to grow as an individual and professional?”
  • “A Tribe Called Quest is the greatest rap group of all time, right? RIGHT?”

5) In addition, during the evaluation process it’s important to hit on different categories (and to make them relevant to YOUR facility). Here are some things to consider and my questions:

  • Skill-Based Competence – “I feel comfortable coaching the big 3 – squat, bench press, deadlift?” Maybe you’re a KB-based facility, so a more appropriate question here is your employee’s ability to coach a swing or get-up.
  • Communication Expectations – “I am able to regress/progress exercises based off client’s ability level, injury history, and goals?“
  • Unique to Culture – “I can articulate complex concepts – PRI, joint position, etc – simply?” If you work at a place like MFF, maybe a good question here would be “I’m okay with being silly.” or “I feel comfortable coaching a squat with a dildo glued to the squat rack.” Make these questions unique to YOUR gym culture.
  • Open-Ended Questions – “What can CORE do better to help you succeed?“

NOTE: note the use of “I.” This makes the evaluation more personal and more apt for people to honest.

6) Piggy backing off of #5, Michael and Mark encouraged everyone to omit the abstractness of using a numbered only ranking system (1-5), and to add words. Have fun with it. Here’s what I did:

“I feel comfortable coaching the big 3 – squat, bench press, deadlift?“

1 = I suck balls.

2 = Eh, I guess I’m okay.

3 = I’m Yoda with that shit.

SIDE NOTE: I think more numbers would be best. Say, 5, to give people a more diverse system to rank themselves. I used 3 for simplicity. Too, I almost feel as if it would be beneficial to add a “0” the ranking system. As in:

0 = I’d rather throw my face into a brick wall. I hate it.

This way you can better match services and skill-sets to the strengths of your employees. I don’t know, something to think about.

7) MFF take their team meetings VERY seriously. For starters it’s paid time for everyone to attend, and their meetings run 2-3 hours every week.

  • Have an agenda. In MFF’s case they’re expensive, make them count.
  • Time each activity. As in, 5 Minutes for general intro, 10 Minutes of announcements (upcoming workshops, new class offering, etc), 20 Minutes on coaching cues, 10 Minutes on interpretive dance, so on and so forth.
  • Plan long-term. MFF plans their meetings months in advance. That way they’re not spending an inordinate amount of time per meeting on any one topic. If program design needs to be covered, they may allot 30-60 minutes for four straight meetings down the road so they know they have digestible chunks.
  • They’ve set the expectation that everyone needs to attend, and they’ve more or less made them important and informative enough that staff would attend them even if they weren’t getting paid for them.
  • Hold staff meetings in the middle of the week – Wednesday/Thur – so you have less likelihood of people missing due to extended weekends or Holidays.

8) And finally, one of Mark’s greatest pet-peeves is lack of communication amongst staff, to the point where people talk shit and air their grievances with other staff members or management except for the person they really should be speaking to. Just, stop it.

Categoriespodcast Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 9/23/16

It’s a HUGE fitness industry weekend this weekend in Boston. For starters the Cressey Sports Performance Fall seminar is going down, which is always an industry gold standard. In addition, lead unicorns Mark Fisher and Michael Keeler, of Mark Fisher Fitness, will be at AMP Fitness to put on their Inside the Unicorn 2-day workshop.

I basically ended up flipping a coin as to which one I was going to attend this weekend. The unicorns won.2

Needless to say many a fitness pro are making their way to Boston this weekend, and I suspect the likelihood of a dead-animal flesh shortage to be pretty high.

Also, and forgive me for the lame transition here, before I jumped into this week’s list of stuff to read I wanted to remind everyone that Dean Somerset and I will be in Minneapolis, MN the weekend of October 15th putting on our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint workshop.

 

We’ll be at Movement Minneapolis and you can find out more details HERE. Hope to see you there.

NYC – Brian Patrick Murphy

Brian Patrick Murphy (or BPM) is a rare human being. Never have I met someone who is so genuine and full of zest than he. He’d hug everyone’s heart if he could.

It’s really hard – like, really hard – in our current political and social chaos (for lack of a better term) to remember that we’re all “in this” together, and that there is much more good and decency in this world than vitriol and hate.

This was a nice reminder of that. Thank you BPM.

UGH I Am So Fat – Kelly Coffey

I love how this woman thinks (and writes). Thanks for writing this Kelly.

Align Therapy Podcast – Aaron Alexander

I had the pleasure of being invited onto the Align Therapy Podcast with Aaron Alexander recently. If you’re bored at work today or maybe need something to drown out a certain orange skinned Presidential candidate, give THIS a listen….;o)

Categoriespodcast

The Next Fitness Power Couple?

I think my wife and I are starting to become a fitness power couple.

Copyright: maxutov / 123RF Stock Photo
Copyright: maxutov / 123RF Stock Photo

 

We’re not quite at the same level (or stratosphere) as the Cosgrove’s (Alwyn and Rachel), but in the past year it’s been pretty cool to see my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, gaining some attention from my neck of the woods.

(Not So) Humble Brag Alert

As most who read this website know, Lisa is a psychologist with a doctorate in Sports Psychology. She has a special interest in mindset, mindfulness, and exercise/behavioral psychology, and as it happens this is an area or niche that’s been receiving a ton more attention in the fitness industry of late.

We all tend to be our own worst enemy and Lisa can speak to many of the mental roadblocks and clusterfuckery (<– my words, not hers) that can often hamper progress or even prevent people from starting to exercise in the first place.

It’s been a treat to see people reach out to her for her expertise.

In the past year:

  • She’s performed several I Am Not Afraid to Lift workshops with Artemis Scantalides (the next one with Lisa is this November here in Boston. You can go HERE for more information and to register).
  • She and I have been invited to Austin, TX and London to put on our Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.
  • She’s also seen her name in print in the likes of Women’s Health Magazine and EliteFTS.com.

And while she’s a doctor, she’s also a doctor who lifts. #fitnessstreetcred

To say I’m proud would be an understatement. And to say I’m excited to see what the future holds for her (and us) would be even more of an understatement.3

One of the bigger “events” of late was Lisa being invited onto The FitCast a few weeks ago to record an episode.

She CRUSHED It. I’m totally not biased.

You can listen to her episode HERE (and look for another episode in a few more weeks. She and Kevin recorded Part II a few days ago).

More to come, I’m sure.

CategoriesWriting

How to Write Content That Will Get Read

Yesterday I made a cameo at a sports training facility located just outside of Boston where I was asked to come in and speak to the staff about writing. More specifically, they asked if I could come in and offer tips and insights on how they could go about writing more engaging content for their members and general public.

Copyright: michaklootwijk / 123RF Stock Photo

At first I was mystified. Me? Come in and speak about writing and the writing process? I’m not even a writer. I mean, I write, sometimes coherently. But I’m just a strength coach who happens to dabble in “writing.” What could I possibly have to offer that couldn’t be covered in, say, Stephen King’s On Writing or THIS excellent piece written by my boy Bryan Krahn a few years ago?

Then I thought about it for a second and looked at the facts:

1. On this website alone, counting this masterpiece (<— only a slight exaggeration), I’ve published 1,843 posts. Holy shit.

2. According to Alexa.com, today (September 21, 2016), my site ranks as the 275,122nd most visited in the world (77,401st in the U.S). I’m coming for you Yahoo. And it’s just me, a one-man show, tapping away on my keyboard.4

  • For the record: You’re doing pretty good for yourself if you’re under the 1-million marker.

3. I’ve also had the honor of having my work printed in many of the most reputable fitness sites & publications in the industry: T-Nation.com, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, BodyBuilding.com, STACK, and Women’s Health respectively.

4.  And while it has nothing to do with anything, it’s a fact my cat is the cutest thing ever. #beautifulbeautifulprincess.

The cutest.

A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

I say none of this to brag.5 However it demonstrates I must be doing something right and that the content I put out on a weekly basis is resonating with a fair number of people out there. Thanks by the way.

So, in no particular order, here are some of the tidbits I shared yesterday.

It’s Never Been Easier to Be Heard, But It’s Never Been Harder to Get Heard

* Apologies to whomever this quote is attributed to. It’s awesome – thanks.

Think about it: it’s not very hard to get your stuff out there; the barrier to entry is nothing more than clicking “publish” or “send” on your computer screen.

The internet has allowed an amazing opportunity for people to have their voice heard when it otherwise would be muffled. Blogging and the advent of social media has opened the floodgates to everyone’s prose; and, unfortunately, word-vomit.

And therein lies the dilemma.

As wonderful as the digital age has been at giving everyone a “voice,” it’s also the ultimate catch-22. I.e., EVERYONE has a voice.

It’s never been harder to get heard amongst the cacophony of Tweets, Facebook updates, Instagram posts, articles, blogs, and endless e-books from trainers who have been in the industry for all of two months.

All the more reason to up your game and get a leg-up on the competition so you can better separate yourself from the masses.

1) Write, A Lot

I realize this is akin to me telling someone who’s thirsty to go drink some water, but I can’t stress this point enough.

Almost weekly I’m asked by fitness professionals how they can go about getting better at writing. The snarky Tony wants to say:

“Stop emailing me about writing, and go write.”

But I don’t do that. I’ll offer these quick-hitting tips:

  • Ideally, write for 60-90 minutes every day. As Ann Handley noted in her wonderful book, Everybody Writes, writing doesn’t always mean you’re writing the next To Kill a Mockingbird. Writing an email counts as writing. Writing a Facebook update counts as writing. Writing a detailed biography of your favorite characters from He-Man: Masters of the Universe counts as writing. It all counts. If you don’t have 60-90 minutes, start with 30. If you don’t have 30 minutes, who are you, Barack Obama?

 

  • Figure out when you’re most creative. The last thing I want to do after a full-day of coaching is to sit down at my desk at 8 PM and attempt to write. I’d rather throw my face into a wall. However, in the morning, when my wife leaves for work, that’s my magic time. And yes, I understand that that sounds very creepy. Everyone is different, so figure out when your inner Vonnegut appears and roll with it.
  • Once you have momentum, it’s VITAL you stay CONSISTENT.

“Someone once asked Somerset Maughham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. “I write only when inspiration strikes,” he replied. “Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

― Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles

2) You’re Right; Nothing You Say Is New

One of the common themes I run across with new writers is their proclivity to bum themselves out before they even start.

“What could I possibly write that hasn’t already been said?”

You’re right: nothing you say will be new or revolutionary. However, whether you’re writing on deadlifts, undulated periodization, or, I don’t know, sharing a recipe on Paleo M&Ms (I’m not surprised if this exists)…it hasn’t been written in your voice and with your perspective.

Your experiences and your opinions matter to your readers. Don’t forget that.

3) Finding Your Style

Writing style is one of those things that can help differentiate you from everyone else. I’m a firm advocate in writing how you talk, which is why, sometimes to my detriment, turns some people off to my writing.6

I have a potty mouth.

I swear when I talk, and I swear when I write. I can’t help it. And, there are many, many, really fucking good writers who are right there with me.

Writing how you talk takes practice (see #1), but it breeds authenticity. And even though it’s in written form and not face-to-face, people can sense it. And they will relate to it.

Of course, I am not implying you have to swear when you write. If that’s not you, don’t force it.

If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re not, you don’t have to be.7

If you’re someone who nerds out on PubMed on a Friday night (go you!), then nerd out when you write. There are plenty of dorks out there – myself included – who will read that.

4) Also, Stay in Your Lane

Tony Bonvechio once wrote,

“The internet is a scary place to try to establish yourself as a knowledgable authority. Droves of keyboard warriors are constantly at the ready to cut you down and point out your inaccuracies, especially when it comes to exercise. If you can’t back up your statements with a combination of scientific research and experience, you’ll quickly be tarred and feathered by the masses.”

Nothing is more authentic than writing on topics you’re passionate about and/or have first-hand experience with. I’m pretty good at deadlifting, assessment, and program design. That’s my wheel house and where the bulk of my writing gravitates towards. Breaking down the nuances of Intermittent Fasting or the Kreb’s Cycle? Not so much.

Also, be careful here. Just because you’re “passionate” about something doesn’t mean you should write about it. I’m passionate about deadlifting 8000 lbs and winning a rap-battle vs. Nas. Doesn’t mean I’m going to write about it.

5) Content Is King. What Your Content Looks Like Matters Too

I’m a firm believer if you’re someone putting out quality content consistently, it will get noticed. It won’t happen overnight, or maybe this year, but it will happen. Stay patient.

How many of you reading ever think about what your content LOOKS like, as in how it appears on the screen?

It matters.

  • Introduction: 1st paragraph (and sometimes the 1st sentence) with either engage people or make them click away. Try to ensure it compels people to keep reading.
    • What’s the point of the article or post? How is this going to help them?
  • Main Content: meat and potatoes of the post. You better fulfill that promise from your intro. I’m spitballing, but most blog posts should be in the range of 500-1500 words. It’s blog post, a quick hitting topic or idea, a train of thought…not a dissertation.
  • Avoid long paragraphs. Nothing shuts off people’s attention more than no spacing.
  • Use Sub-Headlines: most people scan and rarely read a post word for word.
    • People love numbers and bullet points.
    • Use Videos and pictures to break up text.
    • And speaking of pictures, Copyright is no joke. Sign up for an image service like 123RF or Stock Unlimited. Google Images is like playing with copyright infringement fire.

I’ll End With These Gems

Grammar counts. Tick for tack, someone is going to place more credence on an article that can differentiate between there/their/they’re than one that doesn’t. Grammar Nazis are annoying, and nothing is worse than someone who takes time out of their day to point out you spelled a word incorrectly, but to their credit they know when to call a spade a spade.

Tip from Bryan Krahn: whatever you end up writing, in the end, chop 20% of it. Note: I didn’t do that to this post because fuck that guy…;o)

Voracious reading begets vehement writing. Read those writers you admire. All of them, not just fitness writers. You’ll hate them because they’re so good, but you’ll learn.

Hope this helped.

CategoriesAssessment Corrective Exercise mobility

Stop Cranking on Your Shoulders for More Mobility

Seriously, stop it.

For many people the first choice when their shoulder begins to hurt or if they lack mobility is to start cranking and yanking on it. This is rarely the right approach, and as Andrew Millett (my good friend and Boston based physical therapist) points out in today’s post…there a far better and far more effective approaches.

Enjoy.

45885490 - man with pain in shoulder. pain in the human body. black and white photo with red dot

Copyright: staras / 123RF Stock Photo

The shoulders, specifically, the glenohumeral joints, are typically very mobile joints. They need to flex, extend, abduct, adduct, horizontally abduct and adduct and internally and externally rotate in multiple planes and positions in relation to the body. Even though the shoulders are a common area of mobility, many people will present with limitations in at least one aspect of glenohumeral motion.

There are various reasons why someone may have limited shoulder mobility.

Bony Limitations

bone

photo credit: pediatric-orthopedics.com

People who engaged in various overhead sports such as baseball, softball, etc. have been shown on multiple studies to have changes to the glenoid and humeral head. In baseball players specifically, they can appear to have a loss of internal rotation range of motion as compared to their non-throwing shoulder and an increase in external rotation range of motion as compared to their non-throwing shoulder.

This change in range of motion is commonly due to humeral retroversion. Humeral retroversion is the alternation of the humerus and humeral head in relation to the glenoid fossa from years of repetitive overhead activity, specifically throwing.

gird

Photo credit: opensiuc.lib.siu.edu

This is typically only seen in overhead athletes. This differentiation in range of motion side to side in external and internal rotation is considered “normal” for this population. As long as External + Internal Rotation aka Total Motion is within 5 degrees of the non-involved shoulder, then that is considered normal.

Note from TG: In other words, loss of IR in a throwing shoulder is an adaptive response and is normal! It doesn’t necessarily have to be fixed.

With that said, we do not want to crank on someone who has “normal” total motion, but may lack internal rotation on one side versus the other. Asking your patient or client if they engaged in overhead sports as a child is a good clue to this. Then measuring their motion will give more information.

We will get into more detail later on how to improve their motion if their is more than a 5 degree difference in total motion.

Another bony limitation at the shoulder can be acromion type. The acromion is a bony structure that is present in all people that is part of the scapula.

acromion

Photo credit: ipushweight.com

All acromions are not created equal though. There can be 3 varying types of acromions.

acromion-type

Photo credit: cursoenarm.net

As you can see in the picture above, a type I acromion is relatively normal in appearance. In type II and III, there is more of a curved/hooked appearance to it. This alteration in can cause pain and limited motion when reaching overhead.

The only way to definitively know if someone has a type II or III acromion is through radiographic imaging. Programming may need to be altered to more horizontal pulling/pushing variations instead of overhead work if someone doesn’t have full overhead mobility due to a type III acromion.

For most people with a type II acromion, physical therapy can help to improve range of motion and decrease the effect of the acromion on shoulder motion and pain. For most people with a type III acromion, more often than not, surgical intervention is what will help.

Capsular Limitations

In the majority of the joints in the body, there is something called a “capsule” surrounding the joint. A capsule is synonymous to a ziploc bag encompassing the joint.

In this capsule, there are “folds” in certain aspects depending on where the arm is positioned. Due to an old injury, surgery, etc., this capsule can become “tight or stiff.” Now, without getting into too much detail about why it is tight/stiff or why there are capsular limitations, the only way to determine if there is capsular limitations, is by a licensed healthcare practitioner, ie. PT, chiropractor, etc.

Typically, older populations may have more capsular limitations OR if someone has had a long standing injury or prior surgery to the shoulder, they may present with decreased ranges of motion because of the capsule.

The only other area that can be attributed to decreased ranges of motion due to the joint capsule itself that affects the shoulder, would be the thoracic spine. Lack of thoracic spine extension and/or rotation can limit shoulder flexion, external rotation, etc.

To test for limited thoracic spine mobility, try Quadruped Passive Thoracic Rotation:

 

Normally, passive rotation should be 50 degrees in the general population. If it is less than that, that can significantly limit shoulder range of motion.

Soft Tissue Restrictions

Now, this is the more common of all three of the factors that can limit shoulder mobility. Excluding clients who are hyper-mobile, the majority of clients and patients have some form of increased soft tissue tone in one if not more areas of their body.

At the glenohumeral joint, there are a few “big” than can contribute to limited shoulder mobility.

muscles-of-shoulder

Photo credit: www.smogshoulder.com

Muscles that can limit shoulder flexion are:

  • Pectoralis Major/Minor
  • Teres Major
  • Latissimus Dorsi
  • Subscapularis

Muscles that can limit shoulder abduction are:

  • Pec Major/Minor
  • Teres Major
  • Latissimus Dorsi
  • Subscapularis

Muscles that can limit shoulder external rotation are:

  • Pec Minor
  • Teres Major
  • Latissimus Dorsi
  • Subscapularis

Muscles that can limit shoulder internal rotation are:

  • Infraspinatus
  • Teres Minor

Now, you’re probably thinking that I just “copied and pasted” most of those muscles from one section to the other. The latissimus dorsi is a huge contributor to limited overhead shoulder mobility due to its attachment on the trunk into abduction and flexion. It can also limit external rotation as it is a shoulder internal rotator.

Pectoralis minor can limit overhead motion because of its attachment on the coracoid process of the scapula and the rib. Decreased pectoralis minor tissue extensibility can cause an anterior tilt of the scapula limiting humeral motion on the glenoid.

Subscapularis can limit overhead motion due to its attachment on anterior side of the scapula and on the humerus. Teres major attaches on the scapula as well as on the humerus and can limit overhead mobility as well.

Infraspinatus and Teres Minor limit internal rotation of the shoulder due to its attachment points on the humerus and scapula.

Typically, one if not more than one of the aforementioned muscles can limit overhead mobility. Instead of performing intense stretches and forcing the glenohumeral joint into motions it just does not have, we need to ASSESS and then ADDRESS any limitations that are present.

Assessment

Active Motion

To assess someone’s active ranges of motion, ask them to move.

Have them perform:

Shoulder Flexion

active-shoulde-flexion

Shoulder Abduction

active-shoulder-abduction

Shoulder Medial Rotation

active-shoulder-medial-rotation

Shoulder Lateral Rotation

active-shoulder-external-rotation

“Normal” ranges of motion for general population clients would be:

Shoulder Flexion: 180 degrees OR humerus in line with the client’s ear.

Shoulder Abduction: 180 degrees OR humerus in line with side of body

MRE: 3rd digit finger tip to contralateral inferior angle of scapula

 LRF: 3rd digit finger tip to superomedial border of contralateral scapula.

Now that you have assessed someone’s active motion, we need to assess it passively to fully determine if someone has a true mobility limitation.

Passive Motion

Perform the same motions passively into flexion, abduction, MRE, and LRF. Do not force these motions or push through tightness or pain. If you cannot passively bring the client’s arm to the aforementioned areas mentioned in the Active Motion section, then we know the client has a true mobility limitation.

Addressing the Issue

If someone presents with limitations in passive shoulder flexion, abduction, MRE, or LRF, performing some form of Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) can be beneficial.

 

Then, re-test passive motion to see if there has been an improvement in mobility. If there has, then you know you have worked on the appropriate areas.

If there has NOT been an improvement in mobility, refer out to a manual therapist (PT, sports chiropractor, massage therapist, etc.)

If the mobility has improved, then we want to use appropriate mobility drills to help groove the patterns that were just improved.

Horizontal Adduction/Posterior Rotator Cuff Stretch

 

Key Points:

  • Make sure to keep scapulae retracted by using wall or door jam.
  • Once scapulae is fixed, gently bring arm across body.
  • Hold 5-8 seconds pre-training or 30 seconds post-training.
  • By fixating scapulae, it will provide a more focused stretch to the posterior aspect of the shoulder.

Latissimus Dorsi Stretch

 

Key Points:

  • Use opposite side hand to fix scapulae to rib cage.
  • Once scapulae is fixed, hold onto a stationary object and sit back.
  • Gentle stretch should be felt in the lat.
  • By fixating the scapulae to the rib cage using the opposite hand, it provides a truer stretch to the lat vs tractioning the glenohumeral joint.

 Motor Control

Once there has been an improvement in mobility, we want to make sure that the brain and the body knows how to access that “new” mobility. We need to make sure to re-pattern the proper movement patterns to avoid falling back into an poor compensations.

For shoulder re-patterning, various movements that help to promote proper movement patterns such as:

Forearm Wall Slides

 

Back to Wall Shoulder Flexion

 

Quadruped Assisted Reach, Roll, and Lift

 

Now that we have improved the mobility by addressing increased soft tissue tone, re-patterned those movement patterns, now we want to incorporate them all together.

Movements such as:

Turkish Get-Up

 

Kettlebell Bottoms Up Baby Get-Up

 

There you have it! Instead of mindlessly stretching your shoulder, address any potential limitations and get back to training effectively!

About the Author

Andrew Millett is a Metro-West (Boston) based physical therapist

Facebook: From The Ground Up

Twitter: @andrewmillettpt

Instagram: andrewmillettpt
CategoriesOff Topic

Movie Review: Sully

Director Clint Eastwood’s (American Sniper, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby) latest movie Sully is, ironically, not centered around a random guy with the last name Sullivan or some obscure neighborhood bar located in the outskirts of Boston.

It centers around the real-life event surrounding USA Airways Flight 1549 piloted by Chelsey Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), which left New York’s LaGuardia Airport en route to Charlotte, NC on the morning of January 15, 2009 and 208 seconds later performed an emergency and unprecedented landing (more like an aviation”bellyflop”) into the Hudson River.

(Not really) a Spoiler Alert: all 155 passengers on board miraculously survived.

Very well known for his thrifty movie-making approaches I was half-expecting Eastwood to show a dramatization of the entire crash sequence – which he did, twice, in very much a sphincter clenching way – and after all was said and done, pan the camera towards Hanks (Sully), have him say something like “yeah, that’s right, I landed that shit,” and then fad to black, roll credits.

Basically the ultimate mic drop.

 

And this is why I have never won an Academy Award or have never been paid money to make a movie.8

There are no real surprises to the events themselves, and I can understand why some may think to themselves “why did this movie need to be made in the first place? We all know what happens.” I can respect that.

Could the argument be made that it’s a predictable plot? Sure. This is standard procedure with any movie made about an historical event. I think it’s a stupid argument to make. We all know the Titanic sinks and yet that didn’t stop James Cameron from 1) making a metric shit-ton of money and 2) making me ball my eyes out.

So, yeah, the plot is predictable, but it doesn’t make what happened any less fascinating.  However, the meat and potatoes of the plot isn’t so much about the event itself…but rather how it affects “Sully” and the rest of the people involved.

Not surprisingly, after an event like that, there’s going to be a degree of “WTF just happened?” and wonderment about whether or not the right call was made?

Could he have made it back to LaGuardia?

Did he have to land the plane in the river?

Could the higher-ups involved with reviewing the whole scenario be any more dickish than they were?

The movie, while depicting a miraculous event, had more to do with the aftermath and how Sully dealt with the inquisition on his actions, and also, too, his transition from a guy “doing his job” to instant celebrity and hero and guy I want to pilot every flight I’m on from here on out.

In a time where we’re surrounded by a social and political environment fueled by hate, bigotry, ignorance, and a lot of dark and sinister adjectives…it was refreshing to head to the theater for 90 minutes and be reminded that human beings can be pretty darn calm, cool, and collected. It was nice to see and be reminded that something good can happen.

Final Grade: B+

 

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 9/16/16

I have two words for you: Bachelor weekend.

My wife is away this weekend with my mother-in-law as the latter is being inducted into her alma mater’s Athletic Hall of Fame.9 This 100% means I’ll be catching up on some movie watching and chilling with my cat on the couch for the next two days. You know, because I live life dangerously.

What are your plans this weekend? More exciting than mine I hope.

Lets jump into this week’s list of stuff to read.

39081393 - many old books in a book shop or library

Copyright: gregorylee / 123RF Stock Photo

Eccentric Isometrics: The Ultimate Way to Strength Train (Part I) – Joel Seedman

There is no other coach I have been obsessed with of late more so than Joel Seedman. Quite frankly, he’s someone who is consistently putting out phenomenal information and has a take on many topics I’ve never heard before.

I respect that.

In this article he breaks down eccentric/isometric training, which is named many other things – pause reps, iso holds, yielding isometrics, eccentric quasi isometrics, extreme isometrics, yo mama is fat, it’s all the same. He LOVES eccentric training and after reading this article I can see why. LOTS of good stuff to pick up and apply.

5 Ways You’re Screwing Up Your Squat – Paul Carter

This article made me sexually excited. It was that good.

Top 5 Advanced Abdominal Rollout Variations – Kelvin King (via NickTumminello.com)

Have fun trying these.

CategoriesAssessment coaching Corrective Exercise

Porcelain Post: Building a Wider Base to Reach a Higher Peak

NOTE: the term “Porcelain Post” was invented by Brian Patrick Murphy and Pete Dupuis. Without getting into the specifics, it describes a post that can be read in the same time it takes you to go #2.

Huh, I guess that was more specific than I thought.

Enjoy.

Building a Wider Base to Reach a Higher Peak

13460109 - himalaya mountains

Copyright: kapu / 123RF Stock Photo

I received a pretty cool email this morning from a college athlete of mine (Division I baseball) whom I worked with this past summer.

To give a little back story he had trained with me at Cressey Sports Performance a few years ago when he was in high-school, and had reached out to me this past May after completing his Junior season at school.

He walked into CORE and after going through the particulars – a thorough assessment, discussing his season, what he felt he needed to work on, his nagging back pain, his favorite GI Joe character, you know, the important stuff – he had this to say:

“The time I felt best was when you were writing my programs.”

With my chest sticking out a little further we broke things down and came up with a game plan for the summer, particularly with regards to how we were going to tackle his chronic back issue that had been hampering him for a few seasons:

  • As with any baseball player (and pretty much every athlete in the history of ever) we were going to hammer anterior core strength/stability to encourage more posterior pelvic tilt and implement drills to learn to dissociate hip movement from lumbar movement. Read: a metric SHIT-ton of deadbugs and birddogs. Not sexy, but whatever.
  • Work on regaining appropriate scapular upward rotation via actual scapular movement and not extending through lower back or shrugging.
  • Learn to control rib-position (limit rib flair and thus excessive extension) via positional breathing drills. There’s a lot of magic that happens when you teach someone the importance of a full exhale.
  • Also, teaching the importance of the reach and allowing the shoulder blades to move around the ribcage (again this whole extension thing rears its ugly head).

 

  • And, last but not least…still lift heavy things. Albeit doing my job as the coach to “pump the brakes” when needed and not fall into the trap of “lifting heavy at all costs because that’s what athletes do.” Truth be told: this mentality is probably why this athlete kept getting hurt in the first place.

To this last point (not lifting “heavy”), I wanted to showcase that it was more about the QUALITY of the movement and taking the time to 1) do stuff right and 2) understand how building a wider base (via more volume with SUB-MAXIMAL loads) will help with reaching a higher (strength) peak.10

Now, most guys at this point would roll their eyes and think I was going soft. However, this athlete was on board and willing to trust the process. So went to work for three months.

I received this email this morning:

“How’s it going? I wanted to tell you that yesterday we had our first testing day and I got 515 on a one rep max for trap bar deadlift! The best part is my back felt good after!”

He nailed a 515 lb deadlift despite having never gone above 405 all summer (on the last week we trained together).11

We still got after it all summer. He had his fair share of squatting (2 KB Front Squats), single leg work, carries, glute bridges, rows, Pallof presses, push-ups, and me making fun of him for having never watched The Usual Suspects. That’s sacrilege if you ask me.

However, the vast majority of his “strength” work was done in the 60-80% range and we were meticulous with making sure that every rep was pain free and that technique was solid.

I’d make the case that because we addressed alignment and stability issues along with movement quality, and got him into a better position, that he was then able to express his “true” strength more effectively when the time came.

The answer isn’t always to “lift heavy.”

Something to think about.

Categoriescoaching Corrective Exercise Exercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

How Unilateral Strength Training Can Improve Your Squat, Bench, and Deadlift

Another fantastic guest post today from Shane McLean. This time he tackles the importance of unilateral strength training and offers some neat ideas as to the best accessory movements to compliment the “big 3.”

Copyright: vadymvdrobot / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Don’t you love “that” guy who always stands between you and the dumbbells while doing single arm curls and making faces only his mother could love? What if I told you that he’s actually on to something, minus the faces and grunting?

Bilateral exercises (not biceps curls) should form the foundation of your strength program because this is where you’ll get most of your gains. However, unilateral training often gets neglected in the quest to get bigger and stronger because it’s just not as sexy (or cool) as a big squat, deadlift or overhead press.

However, unilateral training will help you get stronger, improve the big lifts (by shoring up weakness) and provide the following benefits.

Reduce Muscle Imbalances

Due to activities of daily living almost everybody has a dominant and non-dominant side. For instance, carrying more groceries on one side over the other over time may get one arm stronger.

During bilateral exercises such as a press or squat variation, your dominant side can pick up the slack for the weaker side.

Have you ever seen a lifter struggle to lock out one side over the other during a barbell bench press? I rest my case. Improving your “weaker” side will reduce your injury risk and help increase overall lifting numbers.

Improved Muscle Recruitment

Unilateral training makes you work harder and recruit more muscle fibers to perform the exact same movement, such as a split squat.

Taking one leg out of the equation forces your abductors and core to stabilize your pelvis while the working leg performs a split squat. Working more muscle with less weight will help correct strength imbalances between sides, also.

Core Work Without Crunches

When training unilaterally, you automatically throw your body off balance, forcing your core muscles to engage in order to keep yourself upright.

Trust me when I say that’s a good thing.

And we can double-down on the core training ante by utilizing offset loading:

 

Programming Guidelines

Unilateral exercises are best performed as an accessory movement after your big lift for the day.

Choose one or two single limb movements per session and perform three to four sets on both sides. The repetitions performed will depend on your goal.

For example:

  • Strength: 4 – 6 reps
  • Hypertrophy/Fat Loss: 8 – 15 reps

If you have a strength or muscle size imbalance always start with the weaker/smaller side first and let the weaker side determine the weight/reps you do on the stronger side.

Without further ado, here are my top two accessory exercises you should be doing to improve your squat, dead lift and press numbers. Sorry, this is a biceps curl free zone.

1) Deadlift

 Suitcase Carries

 

Not only will carries change your life in three weeks, according to Dan ‘the man’ John, they can strengthen grip imbalances between hands which can be a limiting factor when pulling heavy from the floor or opening the pickle jar.

When you’re doing carries (you do, right?), pair them with a movement that doesn’t demand a lot of grip strength, so you can get more out of it. For example:

1A. Goblet squat/press variation.

1B. Suitcase carry- (25-50% of your bodyweight) 30 steps one hand then 30 steps with the opposite hand.

Form considerations – cues “shoulders down and back” or “chest up” work well here. Checking your form in a mirror will help if you having trouble knowing if you’re overcompensating or not.

Front Racked Kettlebell Bulgarian Split Squat

These were first introduced to me by Anthony Dexmier to improve my pulling ability from the floor. Let’s just say after doing them, we weren’t the best of friends.

Hardcore dead lifters knows that hip mobility, upper back strength and leg drive are essential elements for pulling heavy, and this exercise covers all those bases, if somewhat brutally.

 

Pairing this exercise with a single arm row variation is a real upper back whammy that you’re sure to enjoy. For example

1A. Front racked kettle bell elevated split squat – 12 reps on each leg

1B. 3 point dumbbell row – 12 reps on each arm

 

Form considerations – Perform a bodyweight elevated split squat and notice where your big toe is, and then place weight plate in front of it. This will give you a reference point and shorten your set up time between sets. This is courtesy of the one and only Jordan Syatt.

Keep a nice tall chest and your wrists in neutral during this entire movement and smile through the pain.

2) Bench Press

Landmine Press

The single arm landmine press is a mix between a vertical and horizontal movement which makes this great for individuals who lack the shoulder mobility for overhead pressing and for those looking to improve their press numbers.

Note From TG (to Shane): How could you not include a link to THIS article I wrote discussing how to assess overhead mobility and drills to help improve it?

Why Shane…….WHY?!?!?

The beginning of this exercise (initial push of the shoulders) is the hardest part of the movement. This will assist you with pushing the bar off your chest during the bench press or pushing the barbell overhead from a dead stop. The extra core work doesn’t go astray either.

This press can be done from a variety of positions. For example, it can be done standing, tall kneeling and this half kneeling variation courtesy of Eric Cressey:

 

Pairing this landmine variation with a hip flexor stretch works well and provides an active rest between sides and sets. For example

1A. Half kneeling landmine press (right hand)

1B. Half kneeling hip flexor stretch (right knee down) – 30 seconds

1C. Half kneeling landmine press (left hand)

1D. Half kneeling hip flexor stretch (left knee down) – 30 seconds

Form considerations- Make sure the barbell is close to the front of your shoulder and actively squeeze the barbell. This provides Irradiation, allowing you to produce more force and lift more weight. This also turns on the rotator cuff, which helps with shoulder stability.

Single Arm Dumbbell Floor Press

The reduced range of motion of the floor press makes this a great triceps builder (when the elbows are close to your side) and will assist you in getting stronger with the lockout part of any press variation.

The single arm variation will turn on your core and shoulder stabilizers due to the offset load that can get neglected during bench/overhead pressing. It’s a shoulder saver because it eliminates the lower half of the press where the shoulder is externally rotated and nasty things like shoulder impingements can happen.

 

Pairing this with a side plank or a suitcase carry gives your shoulders and core the extra work they deserve. For example

1A. Floor press

1B. Side plank variation 30 sec/ Suitcase carry – (25-50% of your bodyweight) 30 steps one hand then 30 steps in the opposite hand.

Form considerations- Grip the dumbbell tight or strangle the handle and keep the elbow close to your side but not touching. Touch the entire upper arm to the ground at the start of each rep.

3) Squat

Single Leg Negative Calf Raise

It’s a common issue to lack ankle mobility as we wear shoes that inhibit the movement of the ankles, like wearing high heels, for example. The ability to dorsiflex the ankle (how far the knees can go over the toes without raising the heel) can get compromised and this can show up in the squat.

As the squat movement has to come from somewhere, lacking dorsiflexion can negatively affect the joints further up the kinetic chain especially the knee, and who hasn’t had sore knees (and everything else) at the end of an intense squat session?

If hammering away at ankle mobility isn’t working for you, try this single leg negative calf raise drill from Dr. Ryan DeBell before your squat session. This will help with ankle dorsiflexion under load.

 

Form considerations- Having something solid to hold on to is a must. If you have pain bending the knee during this drill, please use a pain free range of motion. Do 5-10 reps on each leg before you squat. Your knees will thank you.

Barbell Reverse Lunge- Front Squat Grip

Most lunge variations are interchangeable because they work on knee stability (knees that go out instead of in) and core (reduced base of support) hip mobility (active stretch of the hip flexors) and help build your quad strength and size. Sounds like everything a good squat needs, right?

This variation does this and more. The front squat grip works on your anterior core upper back strength and thoracic mobility which are also needed for a strong squat.

 

Pairing this with an upper back or anterior core exercise in a superset works well. For example

1A. Barbell Reverse Lunge – Front Squat Grip – 8-12 reps on both legs

1B. Chin up

Or

1A. Barbell reverse lunge- Front squat grip 8-12 reps on both legs

1B. RKC Front Plank

Form considerations- Start on the light side until you nail the technique and feel confident that you’re not going to bite the floor. Keep the ears away from the shoulders and maintain an upright torso during this exercise.

Wrapping Up

Don’t forget about unilateral training when it comes to getting bigger, stronger and more awesome. Including these exercises into your routine will improve your lifting numbers and overall balance and will help keep you off the lifting DL.

You can throw in some single arm curls (for the girls) to keep Ron happy, if you must. J

Author’s Bio

 Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Dallas, Texas.

No, Shane doesn’t wear a cowboy hat or boots.  After being told that his posture blows by Eric Cressey, he has made it his mission to rid the world of desk jockeys and have fun while doing so.

After all exercise is fun and never a “work” out.

You can follow Shane on Twitter HERE, and Facebook HERE.