I hated P.E. class. I was a skinny, weird and uncoordinated kid.
I was the one who got picked on in the changing rooms about my lack of size, and we’re just not talking about muscles.
Whenever P.E. class was on my schedule, I dreaded it.I’d rather go to the dentist to get a tooth pulled or talk about my confused teenage feelings.
Our masochistic P.E teacher liked to put us through a series of fitness tests every few months to determine our grades. As far as I was concerned, showing up was an A.
One of the many tests was an isometric chin up hold for time. You were to hold the top position of a chin up for as long as possible.On this particular testing day, as soon as my name was called, the knives came out.
“You won’t last 10 seconds, McLean. You’re as weak as piss.”(That’s Australian for not strong and bad tasting beer.)
As I stepped up to the bar, I had a little extra incentive and was determined to prove my doubter wrong.I willed myself to a 40-second hold which was not bad for a weakling. I even got the nods of approval from the high school meatheads.
Ever since then I could always do a chin up.
In the gym, chin ups/pull ups are still great test of your relative body strength.You’ll never hear someone ask “How much to you row, dude?” However, you will hear in gyms around the world “How much do you bench?”
Not everyone can do a chin up (although it should be a goal), but everyone needs to build upper back strength because in today’s society we’re constantly looking down at our smart phones, tablets and computers.
Furthermore, we sit too much and move too little.
Over time this can wreak havoc on upper back strength, posture and spine. For instance, every inch our ears are forward from our shoulders (forward head posture) you increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds. (Kapandji, Physiology of Joints, Vol. 3).
And while there’s no scientific correlation, forward head posture also increases one affinity for douchiness.
Upper back strength also plays a huge role in the big lifts such as squats, deadlifts and even the bench press, which is big deal for hardcore gym goers and for the everyday desk jockey who wants to look better naked.
That’s reason enough to include some old school and new age rows into your routine. Your back and biceps will thank you, and the chest will just have to wait its turn.
Old School Rows
1) Barbell Bent Over Row
This is the godfather of rows. Not only does this strengthen your upper back, shoulders, biceps and grip, it’s the perfect accessory exercise for improving your deadlift. Bent over row mimics the hip hinge, and holding this for time with help improve your lower/upper back endurance. More importantly, it will improve your ability to keep a neutral spine while pulling heavy.
The classic cues of shoulders down, chest up, grow tall or shoulders away from the ears work here. If you feel this movement in your lower back or upper traps, you’re missing something and should check your form.
Note From TG: Check out THIS baller post by Harold Gibbons dissecting a ingenious drill – the hamstring bridge hold – to help people learn to “feel” the hamstrings during a bent over row.
Programming – I’ve found doing this for strength (low reps 3-5 and more sets 5-6) will help improve your ability to pull from the floor and to keep a neutral spine under heavy loads.
If you’ve never done sets of 20 reps before, you don’t know what you’re missing.
2) Single Arm Dumbbell Rows
There’s a multitude of variations to choose from. From the classic single arm bench supported variety to this excellent variation from Eric Bach of Bach Performance.
Or this one from Tony himself:
Dumbbell rows in general are perfect for ironing out strength imbalances that often exist between sides and you’ll get some additional core work in the form of lateral stability.
Let’s face it, you cannot get enough core work.
Keeping the spine in neutral and not rowing with the upper traps is the key here. Please don’t go extremely heavy and short arm the weight because you’re not fooling anybody. It’s almost as bad as knee bend squats or poorly performed pushups.
Note From TG: Another point to consider is pinning or “glueing” the shoulder blade(s) in place. The scapulae should move around the ribcage, not stay in place. Read THIS for more information.
Programming – I prefer programming these for higher reps (8-15 range) and lower sets (2-4). Pairing these in a super set with any press variation or including these in a metabolic circuit works well.
Running the rack to murder the upper back is fantastic, if you’re a fan of pain.
New Age Rows
1) TRX Rows
Dan John sums up why we need to do TRX rows:
“TRX single arm and double arm rows target an area of the body that often gets missed or ignored. The whole upper back/rear shoulder area is probably the most underdeveloped area of people I’ve worked with.”
The beauty of the TRX is you can adjust the intensity simply by adjusting the foot position closer or further away from the anchor point. This makes this exercise accessible to almost everybody.
Here’s how to set up for a single arm row, one of my personal favorites.
Keeping your shoulders down and chest up and not shrugging your upper traps to pull yourself towards the handles is the key here, too.
Also, try the Hinge Row (which “nudges” a bit more upward rotation in the shoulders)
Or, if you’re really feeling fancy pants you can try this variation, which, technically, isn’t a TRX row, but uses the TRX so whateves:
Programming – TRX rows are a great change of pace from weighted rows and I’d recommend training these for higher reps (12-20) and fewer sets (2-4). The TRX makes exercise transition simple, so including rows in a superset or a circuit works like a charm.
If you’re looking to burn out the back and pump up the biceps, TRX mechanical drop sets are perfect.
2) Single Arm Landmine Row
Single arm landmine exercises such as the row will help reduce joint stress while maximizing shoulder tension and stabilization. In my experience you can use more weight than the traditional dumbbell/cable row set up without any undue stress.
The set-up and cues are similar to a barbell bent over row. A good hip hinge and a neutral spine are essential.
The landmine allows you to row from a variety of positions and grips which is great for hitting the upper back from different angles.
Programming – Holding the end of the barbell instead of the dumbbell will provide a greater grip challenge.
Use the same programming guidelines as for the dumbbell rows. Or if you’re hating life, include them in a landmine complex, like this one courtesy of Ben Bruno.
Wrapping Up
Just because you cannot see the upper back, shouldn’t mean the chest gets all the love. Keeping the upper back strong is necessity for good posture and healthy shoulders.Upper strength will help improve your deadlift, squat and bench numbers.
If that’s not reason enough, rows work the biceps. They’re always in need of extra attention.
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.
If you’re like a lot of people, back on December 31, 2015 you vowed to make some changes in your life. You were going to quit smoking, drink more water, read more, spend more time with family, start a new hobby, stop watching porn1, or any number of equally nobel and novel things.
It’s likely, however, you (probably) made the decision to start exercising more or eating healthier.
“Tomorrow,” you thought to yourself, “January 1, 2016 starts a new day, a new year, a new me. For real this time.”
NO, for real, real.
And then January 2nd came (0r maybe you lasted a week, or hell, a month!) and inevitably, as is the case every year, you got hit with another case of the Eff Its.
As in, “fuck it, I’m out.”
Lets Hit the Reset Button
This is the part where I’m supposed to sit here and type comfy words like “develop a support network” or “find a workout with a buddy/friend” or “it’s okay,” or “don’t worry, you’ll get em next year, tiger!”
I’m not going to to that.
You’re a grown up, it’s time to act like one.
The onus is on YOU to make the change.
I’ll grant you you can find inspiration via an article you read, or an audiobook you listened to, and sometimes that’s what we need to hit that tipping point and push us into action.
But it’s still on you to start. To make things happen. To break the inertia of ineptitude.
You can read, renew your subscription to Audible.com, and re-watch all the same motivational workout videos on YouTube you want (and I’d encourage you to do so)…but it doesn’t mean anything unless you put things into action.
People speculate too much.
Since when do we have to “research” everything. I don’t need an article to tell me that sticking my finger in an electrical socket will hurt or that eating something that’s gluten-free will taste like sawdust dipped in anthrax.
Maybe that’s a dumb analogy, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a conversation with someone about their health and fitness and come to find out…they’re really, really well-read.
They’ve read everything. They’re bookshelf would give the Health and Fitness section of Barnes & Nobles a run for its money.
Yet, they’re stuck, incapable of taking that first step; seemingly paralyzed by too much information.
Do you (we) really need a book or article or any sense of confirmation to tell us to just, you know, “show up?”
^^^ That’s today’s date as I type these words. Chances are, like many others, you fell off the New Year’s bandwagon a looooong time ago.
That “promise” you made yourself to get to the gym 3x per week, or to start training for a 5K, or to start cooking more meals at home instead of eating out?
Long gone.
So lets do something about it. Lets pony up. Lets hit the reset button.
Because, 1) why 2) the 3) fuck 4) not?
I get it: Me being all RAH-RAH telling everyone to “shut up and do the work” isn’t going to solve anything. It won’t help.
This is why marrying yourself to one ideology, or book, or person can sometimes be an epic failure. Because what works (or worked) for them, may not apply to you.
If you read a book about yoga and how it’s going to solve all the world’s problems from global warming to your waistline, yet you fucking hate yoga, what’s the likelihood it’s going to work?
For the record: you can switch out the word yoga with powerlifting, CrossFit, pilates, bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, kettlebells, or naked hula-hooping, I don’t care.
I find a lot of success with my own clients the more I give them a choice. Rather than me barking orders, I give them a sense of autonomy and it makes the experience more enjoyable.
Give yourself some choices. You don’t have to go to the gym to perform heavy squats or deadlifts. I think it’s pretty baller if you do, but you don’t have to.
Instead, maybe you want to head to the local football field and perform some 60 yd tempo runs. Or maybe summon your inner-Dan John and perform a day where you do nothing but carry variations and sled drags.
Heck, maybe it’s just a matter of going for a nice, leisurely walk. Exercise is exercise. Give youself some choices. Whatever you need to do in order to put momentum in your favor…..DO IT.
3) Stretch Your Goals
I’m currently reading Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg and one of the things he hammers home throughout the book is the notion of stretch goals.
Stretch goals, in short, are goals that force people to commit to ambitious, seemingly out-of-reach objectives which can then spark outsized jumps in innovation, productivity, and progress.
Duhigg uses several examples in his book such as GE CEO, Jack Welch, setting the bar for the company to reduce manufacturing defects on airplane engines from 25% reduction to a 70% reduction; and to do it within three years.
This, of course, was seen as “ridiculous” by managers.
But they got it done.
And while he wasn’t used an example in this book, Steve Jobs was also notorious for pushing his employees to the point where things seemed impossible.
Helping turn Apple back around into one of the most respectable companies in the world? What’s next…1000 songs in your pocket?
Oh, wait.
The point is: sometimes we undershoot our goals, and the concept of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timeline), while admirable and tested, isn’t enough.
We need stretch goals. Goals that seem unattainable.
Telling yourself that you want to try to hit the gym 2x per week is fine, but telling yourself “I want to hit the gym 5x per week so that I can rub it in my ex’s face (and possibly bang their best friend)” is even better.
“I want to learn to squat better” is cool. But setting a stretch goal for yourself and signing up for your first powerlifting meet at the end of the year is going to light a fire under your ass. It’ll get you out of your comfort zone and give you a sense of purpose and intent in your training.
You’re going to be more likely to kick-ass and take names. Shooting for the stars, may in fact, be exactly what you need.
I want to fight Jason Bourne. There, I said it…….;o)
I’m pumped to announce the inaugural Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop featuring myself and my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis.
*smoke bomb, smoke bomb*
TA-DA!
This is an event Lisa and I have been marinating on for a few months now, and something we’re really excited to explore and hopefully make into a “thing.”
The 10-second Elevator Pitch:
1) I’ll spend the bulk of my time speaking on the Art of Coaching, program design, as well as sharing pictures of my cat spending a fair portion of time dissecting common barbell lifts; going over technique cues, troubleshooting strategies, and regressions/progressions.
2) Lisa (Doctorate in Sports Psychology) will speak to the Psychological Art of Coaching, as well as peel back the onion with regards to behavior change and how fitness professionals can best set up their clients and athletes for long-term, consistent success. In short, she’s totally going to demonstrate some Jedi mind-tricks.
This workshop will be an asset to any fitness professional or enthusiast looking to not only hone their coaching/programming prowess, but it will also provide more depth into the art of mindset, in addition to helping attendees learn to create/develop better interpersonal skills (with themselves and their clients).
The Deets
When: Saturday, June 18th.
Where: Life Time Fitness – Austin South, Austin, TX.
Why: Because Lisa and I are the bomb to hang out with (and we want some good BBQ).4
Cost: Early Bird (until June 1st) – $149, and $179 thereafter.
As a fitness professional part of the job description is the ability to answer questions. Specifically those questions posed by your athletes and clients.
This makes sense given, outside of their primary care practitioner, you’re the person your clients are trusting with their health and well-being.
Granted, you’re not curing cancer or writing prescriptions for irritable bowel syndrome or anything5. But it stands to reason that as a personal trainer or strength coach you’re numero Uno when it comes to being most people’s resource for health & fitness information.
You’re it.
You’re the go to.
And like or not…You’re “the guy (or girl)” whenever someone says “I gotta a guy (or girl)” whenever they’re asked a fitness or health related question.
“Will intermittent fasting help me lose 20 lbs of fat while also increasing my squat by 55 lbs AND give me x-ray vision?”
“Is it normal not to be able to feel the left side of my face after performing last night’s WOD? Also, it stings when I pee.”
I don’t know about you, but it’s a “challenge” I don’t take lightly.
I want to be a reliable and valuable source of information for my clients. They have (a lot of) questions, and I want to be able to answer them to the best of my ability.
I don’t know everything.6 I’m not a pompous a-hole who’s afraid to say “I don’t know.”
It’s rare when I get stumped with a question, but when I do I’m fortunate to have a long-list of people I can reach out to to get the answer(s).
I know when to stay in my lane and refer out when needed. You want to train for a figure competition? Not my strong suit. You need some manual therapy? Definitely not my strong suit. That irritable bowel problem mentioned above? Don’t worry, I gotta guy.
Most questions I receive are generally un-original in nature and something I can handle on the spot.
One question I get on an almost weekly basis, while inert and mundane (but altogether apropos), is this:
“How much weight should I be using?”
It’s a very relevant question to ask. And one that, unfortunately, takes a little time to answer.
To be honest whenever I’m asked this question two things inevitably happen:
1) The theme music from Jaws reverberates in my head.7
2) The smart aleck in me wants nothing more than to respond with “all of it.”
That would be the dick move, though.
Like I said: it’s a very relevant question and one that many, many people have a hard time figuring out on their own.
As it happens I was asked this question last week by a client of mine during his training session. It wasn’t asked with regards to that particular session per se. Rather, he was curious about how much weight he should be using on the days he wasn’t working with me in person.
NOTE:the bulk of my clients train with me “x” days per week at the studio and also “x” number of days per week on their own at their regular gym. I write full programming that they follow whether they’re working with me in person or not. Because I’m awesome.
When working with people in person I have this handy protocol I like to call “coaching” where I’m able to give them instant feedback on a set-by-set basis.
I’ll tell them to increase/decrease/or maintain weight on any given exercise as I see fit.
The idea is to give them a maximal training effect using the minimum effective dose without causing harm or pain.
Challenge people, encourage progressive overload, but not to the point where they feel like they’re going to shit a kidney.
Pretty self-explanatory stuff.
Where things get tricky is when people are on their own and don’t have someone telling them what to do.
What then?
Here Are Some Options/Suggestions/Insights/WhatHaveYou
1) Write That Shit Down
In the case of my client above, when he asked “how much weight should I be using?” I responded with “how much weight did you use last week?”
[Crickets chirping]
He hadn’t been keeping track of anything.
He’d simply been putting a check-mark when he completed a set, and then moved on.
I, of course, was like “nooooooooooooo.”
I can’t blame him. It was on ME for not being clearer on the importance of writing things down and being more meticulous with tracking everything.
But the fix was/is easy: write down what you did, and try to do “more work” the following week.
I realize we like to overcomplicate things, but that’s part of the problem.
Write shit down. Really, it’s that simple.
2) What Is “Do More Work?”
What does that even mean? Do more work?
It means that in order for the body to adapt, you need to give it a stimulus and then nudge it, over time, to do more work. There are numerous ways to do this in the weight room, but for the sake of simplicity we can think of “more work” as more sets/reps or load.
Do the math. If you’re keeping track of things take your total sets and reps (and the weight you lifted) and figure out your total tonnage.
Try to increase that number week by week.
One strategy I like is something I call the 2-Rep Window.
If I prescribe 10 repetitions for a given exercise, what I really mean is 8-10 repetitions.
If someone picks a weight and they can easily perform more than 10 on every set, they’re going too light. If they can’t perform at least 8, they’re going too heavy.
The idea is to fall within the 2-Rep Window with each set and to STAY WITH THE SAME WEIGHT until the highest number within the range is hit for ALL sets.
**I’d rather someone cut a set short a rep or two rather than perform technically flawed reps or worse, miss reps.
If I have someone performing a bench press for 3 sets of 10 repetitions it may look something like this:
Week 1:
Set 1: 10 reps
Set 2: 8 reps
Set 3: 8 reps
Week 2:
Set 1: 10 reps
Set 2: 10 reps
Set 3: 9 reps
Once they’re able to hit ALL reps on ALL sets, they’re then given the green light to increase the weight and the process starts all over again.
Another simple approach is one I stole from strength coach Paul Carter.
Simply prescribe an exercise and say the objective is to perform 3×10 or 15 (30-45 total reps) with “x” amount of weight. The idea is to overshoot their ability-level and force them to go heavier, but within reason.
They stay with the same weight until they’re able to hit the upper rep scheme within the prescribed number of sets.
It’s boring, but it works.
Another layer to consider is something brought up by Cincinnati-based coach, PJ Striet:
“I’ve went over and above in my program notes to explain this subject. I used to just give 2 rep brackets, and, like you pointed out here, told clients to increase weight when they could achieve the high end of the range on all sets, and then drop back down to the lower end of the bracket and build back up again.
The problem though, as I soon figured out, was that people were doing say, 4 sets of 8 (bracket being 6-8) with a weight they could have probably gotten 15 reps with on their 4th set. This isn’t doing anything/isn’t enough of a stimulus. This isn’t meaningful progression. Feasibly, one could run a 12+ week cycle in the scenario above before the 4 sets of 8 actually became challenging. And this was on me because I should have realized most people will take the path of least resistance (literally).
Now, in my notes, I tell clients to do as many AMRAP on the final set of to gauge how much to progress. If the bracket is 4×6-8, and they get 8-8-8-9, weight selection is pretty good and a 2-5% increase and dropping back down to 6 reps is going to be a good play and productive. If they get 8-8-8-20, there is a problem and I should either stab myself in the eye for being a crap coach or schedule a lobotomy for the client.”
Brilliant.
3) Challenging Is Subjective
I feel much of the confusion, though, is people understanding what’s a challenging weight and what should count as a set.
Many people “waste” sets where they’re counting their warm-up/build-ups sets as actual sets, and thus stagnating their progress.
A few ideas on this matter:
I like to say something to the effect of “If your last rep on your last set feels the same as your first rep on your first set, you’re going too light.”
Using a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is useful here. Give them some criteria using a scale of 1-10. A “1” being “super easy” and “10” being “who do you think I am, Wolverine?” Ask them to be in the 7-8 RPE range for ALL sets.
And That’s It
There’s a ton of trial-and-error involved here, but it’s your job as the fitness professional and coach to educate your clients on the matter.
It’s important to consider context and everyone’s starting point, of course…comfort level, ability, past/current injury history, goals, etc.
However, beginners are typically going to have a much harder time differentiating “how much weight to use” compared to advanced lifters. There’s definitely a degree of responsibility on the trainer and coach to take the reigns on this matter.
But the sooner they realize it’s not rocket science, that there are some simple strategies that can be implemented to make things less cumbersome (and maybe even more importantly, that there’s a degree of personal accountability involved), the sooner things will start to click.
I am not a perfect coach. While I feel I’m above average in my abilities, I’ll be the first to admit I have many “gaps” in my knowledge-base.
Some things I’m good at: coaching the barbell lifts, assessment, hand-to-hand combat vs. zombies.
Some things, not so much: Olympic lifting, speed and jump training.
I’ve written about my thoughts on Olympic lifting in the past, and it’s been within recent months that I’ve decided to take a more proactive approach to addressing my gap in speed & jump training.
I’ve been devouring resources from Lee Taft and Adam Feit on the topic.
To that end, today’s EPIC post, written by strength coach Eric Bach, continues said gap narrowing.
FTY: his new resource, The Power Primer 2.0, just went on sale this week at 50% off the regular price. It jumps (<– HA, get it?) into jump training; and why, even if you’re not an athlete, is something you should be incorporating into your training program(s) to become a lean, mean, machine.
Enjoy. It’s a VERY thorough and informative post.
Jump Your Way to Power Development
Here’s a new twist that answers an old question: how can you bridge the gap between performance-oriented training and physique training?
Can you really look great and improve athletic performance, no matter who you are?
Put more bluntly, can you really have it all?
And does it matter where you train?
The surprising answer has more than a little to do with jumping, of all things.
WTF?
But let me back up to set the stage.
A few months ago, I moved from a sports performance facility to an independent facility. I work with fewer athletes and more people who just want to look great naked and stay healthy.
Note from TG: Hey! Just like me!
Most trainers try to move in the opposite direction. They train general population clients, but really want to train athletes.
It’s been quite a transition. But I noticed something interesting. None of my clients – old or new, in-person or online, athlete or ordinary Joe — JUST have physique goals or JUST have performance goals. Everyone wants the total package.
And why not?
Everyone wants to be confident struttin’ down the beach to jump into a Volleyball game, whether they are 26 year-old ex-athletes or 50-year-old executives.
Here’s the secret: explosive intent is everything. This blog post will explain how you can jump your way to success.
For every high-performance gym with turf and bumper plates, there are 30 “regular” gyms packed with machines and dudes reading the newspaper on a preacher curl.
Being jacked, tan, and strong is nice. But it’s best to top off your physique with real-world athleticism.
Jumps improve performance for recreational athletes.
Jumps build stronger, more powerful legs.
Jumping requires explosive hip and knee extension. It’s the same movement needed to accelerate in sprinting, crush a heavy squat, and to a lesser degree, get you from your Lazy Boy to grab leftover pizza.
Key Point: Jumps Increase Your Athleticism
You need to generate strength quickly to generate force that propels your body (or an object) through space.
That’s where jumps come in. Incorporating jumps into your training bridges the gap between the strength you have and the speed you need.
Get Powerful with a Minimal Learning Curve
Just load up and jump, right?
It’s not quite that simple, of course. But it’s a lot simpler than learning how to clean and snatch.
Jumps work the same athleticism-developing movement pattern as most Olympic lifts, squats, and deadlifts: explosive hip extension, sans the technicalities and steep learning curve.
Compared to mastering the Olympic movements, jumps provide the best bang for your buck to add an explosive component to your training in any gym environment.
Boost your Deadlift and Squat Numbers
Let’s get all rigorous and sciencey and stick to the irrefutable facts, backed up by the finest peer-reviewed literature. We know with certainty that:
Tony likes Star Wars and deadlifts (P.S: Imagine if they did deadlifts in Star Wars?)
Donald Trump’s mullet is the same color as mustard.
Strength serves as the foundation that allows you to improve every other quality in the gym.
Digging into my third point, maximum strength is vital. But lifters would benefit from an occasional change.
They should add explosive training to further improve their strength gains. Even the strongest lifters will derive huge benefits to adding jumps to their training.
The reason is improved nervous system efficiency. In both the deadlift and the squat, extending the hips and knees with power is key to performance. The same holds true for crushing jumps.
Adding jumps to your training grooves the same hip and knee extension movement with lighter weights and more explosiveness.
This is huge for two reasons: Intramuscular and intermuscular coordination.
Don’t let these complicated terms intimidate you. I’ll break it down:
Intramuscular Coordination is the ability of individual muscle fibers (say your quads in a jump) to fire and generate force together.
Intermuscular Coordination is firing of muscle groups to work together in a movement pattern, such as your quads, hamstrings, and glutes contracting and relaxing during the jump.
By training similar movement patterns with various loads, like a heavy squat and a jump squat, you’ll teach your nervous system to recruit more muscle fibers to fire faster. And you’ll groove agonist and antagonist muscles to produce smoother movement.
Training with explosive movements improves your muscles ability to work individually and concurrently with other muscles, producing stronger and more explosive movements.
This is important for a few reasons:
Lighter, more explosive exercises are less stressful than always lifting heavy ass weights.
Lifting heavy weights is still important to build strength, but for most lifters less Central System and joint stress is a good thing.
Replacing a heavy strength session with explosive, sub-maximal exercises opens the door for multiple training improvements.
Because stress is lower, you’re capable of practicing a movement pattern more often for faster improvements in technique.
By and large, less stress allows you to train with more volume. This sets the table for progressive overload and muscle growth.
Keep doing heavy strength work. But consider making it less frequent. Use explosive jumps or sub-maximal speed squats as an alternative.
Jump to Prevent Injuries
We all know someone who’s played flag football or pick-up basketball, only to land awkwardly and shred a knee.
Sometimes, these are the guys that look like they’re in the best shape.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always matter how strong and athletic you are. If your mechanics stink, your injury risk will skyrocket.
If you’re not performing an exercise right or landing correctly, you’re grooving a technique that’s dangerous and inefficient, whether it’s a squat or a jump.
When you get out the gym and onto the field, fatigue can set in and form can go out the window, leading to injury
In the interest of not winding up thigh deep in a leg brace, it’s best to groove optimal mechanics every time you jump. Here are some guidelines:
1) Your feet should be flat, rather than in an anterior weight displacement on the toes. If you’re landing on your toes, you’re not getting full hip extension and limiting power. And you’re placing more stress on the knee joint due to greater shear stress.
2) Knees should be neutral, rather than in valgus or varus (knees diving in or diving out, respectively).
3) Abs braced: any rounding of the back and trunk shows a power leak that will cascade down the kinetic chain and place stress on the hips, knees, ankles, and feet. Keep the abs engaged so you can absorb force and transfer power.
4) Eyes ahead, chest up: Stand up, keep your head down, and walk ten stops. Starting to trip over your toes yet?
Wherever your head goes, your body will follow. Keep your head neutral and eyes ahead, otherwise the rest of your mechanics will go out the window.
Activate More Muscle Fibers For Growth
You can’t build muscle fibers that aren’t activated. That means step one to building muscle is activating a greater number of muscle fibers.
That happens in two ways:
First, Lift heavy weights. By being a dedicated reader to this blog I’d assume you already are. Just sayin’…
Second, lift lighter weights (or your bodyweight) faster, which…this case means jumping. TADA!
Now, you could argue that except for beginners, neither lifting explosively nor heavier weights directly builds muscle. What they do-do (Yay, a poop joke) is increase neural drive to your muscles, activate dormant fibers, and crank up the efficiency of your central nervous system.
Take it a step further. If you only lift heavy and moderate intensity weights, adding in lighter more explosive exercises improves muscle unit recruitment. You’ll be throwing a figurative lightening bolt to your nervous system.
This is where it gets cool! You’ve activated more muscle fibers and your strength should increase.
By being stronger, you’ll be able to lift more weight for more reps with more muscle fibers. This gets you progressive overload: the driving force for all progress in the gym.
Getting more explosive provides another tool to turn on muscle fibers. This allows you to more aggressively train the muscle building mechanisms needed to get jacked, tan, swole, and sexy.
This is all fine and dandy, so what the hell are we supposed to do…Jump Volume Training?
Not quite. We can’t jump to conclusions. First, lets cover different types of jumps and why each variety is important.
Static Versus Countermovement Jumps
Static jumps and countermovement jumps look similar, but there are distinct differences in how they train your body.
On static jumps you start loaded, just like the bottom of a squat before jumping. In this position you negate the storage of elastic energy, making the static squat jump a great way to build static strength and explosiveness. Further, because there’s no countermovement, these jumps are less complex and generally safer for most lifters.
Static Jump:
Countermovement jumps differ because you start tall, using a downward arm swing while dropping into a squat. Then, from the bottom of your squat you rapidly extend and jump.
This countermovement makes the jump more complex, adding a full eccentric motion (dropping into a squat) before rapidly transitioning to your concentric (going up).
Note: I’m using dumbbells in this case, hence no countermovement with the arms, but there is still a countermovement in the lower body.
Countermovement:
I’d recommend starting with static jumps for at least 4-6 weeks to groove proper take off and landing technique. Then, as dictated by technique, incorporate countermovement jumps for more complexity.
Single Versus Multiple Jumps
As you guessed, single jumps are done as individual jumps within a set, with a re-set between each rep.
Most of the time, these are a better option to groove technique and train explosive power.
Multiple Jumps are a set of jumps performed in rapid succession. In this case, a set of 3 jumps would be 3 squat jumps performed with a consistent range of motion without spending too long in transition.
This transition time, known as the amortization phase, should be kept to a minimum. Otherwise, energy stored during the eccentric of each jump dissipates.
Bring in multiple jump sets gradually, grooving proper landing and takeoff mechanics before going all-out with multiple jumps.
Types of Jumps
If you haven’t squatted in years it would be a bad idea to load the bar with near-maximum weights and giver’ hell, right?
Right?
Well, the same thing applies to jumps.
Jumps are stressful, especially if you haven’t done explosive training or played sports in years. So ease into jumps, starting with jumping rope, building up to box jumps, squat jumps, and then broad jumps (if appropriate.) You’ll groove technique while conditioning the tissues in your lower body for the impact of jumps.
Jumping Rope:
Jumping rope is an exceptional tool to build foot speed, athleticism, and coordination with little space or equipment. Start by adding three to five minutes before and after your training. A huge benefit of jumping rope is it’s a rate limiting activity. The exercise ends when your technique breaks down, making it damn near impossible to jack yourself up.
Box Jumps
Box jumps, when done for power rather than a conditioning exercise, are a great tool to building explosiveness. Box jumps are an ideal candidate if you’re working on technique because they allow you to groove takeoff and landing technique while reducing joint stress on impact.
On each jump make sure you’re emphasizing hip extension—not testing hip mobility. Pause at the top of each rep to reinforce landing technique. Use another box to step down onto. Jumping off backwards defeats the purpose of focusing on technique and decreasing joint stress.
Squat Jumps
Squat jumps are an explosive lower body exercise with a short learning curve, making them perfect for most non-athletes. Start jump squats as static, single jumps before moving on to weighted or multi-rep jump sets.
Broad Jumps
Broad jumps are awesome for developing explosive hip extension in a more hip dominant manor than squat jumps. This may lead to more carryover on hip dominant exercises like deadlifts…along with activities that require horizontal power development, like sprinting.
But with a horizontal trajectory comes a caveat: increased shear stress on the knee, making broad jumps tougher on the joints.
To minimize joint stress, perform broad jumps for lower reps and focus on jumping up and out to reduce shear stress on your knees.
Adding Jumps into your Routine
Squat jumps are an explosive exercise ideally programmed after a dynamic warm-up and before lifting.
To increase your hops and potentiate your body pick one type of jumps once or twice per week.
Focus on technique and explosive intent, not high volume. Try 2-4 sets of 3-6 reps on lower-body training days.
1) Workout A: Lower Body, Squat Dominant
Full Dynamic Warm-Up
1a. Static Squat Jump 3×5 Rest 60 seconds
1b. Plank 3×45-60 seconds rest 60 seconds
2. Front Squat 4×6, 6,4,4 Rest 120-150 seconds
3a. Dumbbell Walking Lunge 3×8/each rest 60
3b. Half kneeling pallof Press 3×8 each rest 60
4. Dumbbell RDL 3×12 rest 90 seconds
2) Workout B: Upper Body
3) Workout C: Lower Body, Hinge Dominant
Full Dynamic Warm-Up
1a. Broad Jump 3×3, rest 90 seconds
1b. Single arm farmers walk 3×30 steps, rest 60-90 seconds
2. Deadlift 4×4, 4,2,2 Rest 120-150 seconds
3a. Barbell Single Leg RDL 3×5/side rest 30 between sides, 60 after set
3b. RKC Plank 3×20 seconds, rest 60 seconds
4. Goblet Bulgarian Split Squat 3×8 each, rest 30 between sides, 60 after set
Height isn’t the most important factor, form is.After all, there’s no point in building power on top of a faulty foundation. Keep your focus on full hip extension and sound landing mechanics.
Then, once you’ve nailed your technique, progress to dumbbell and/or multi-response jumps.
A progression of exercises would be:
Bodyweight single response –> bodyweight multi-response –> dumbbell/vest single response –> dumbbell/vest multi-response.
Next Steps: Power Up Your Training Today
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Help me, help you. You deserve a plan that gets you the best results.
Note From TG: Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Long Island based personal trainer and coach, Chris Cooper. I had the pleasure of meeting Chris in person a few weeks ago in NYC during the Motivate & Movement LAB hosted by Mark Fisher Fitness.
We discussed training, programming, and, of course, unicorns.8
Enjoy. I think you’ll like this one a lot.
6 Unconventionally Simple Exercises
Simple equals easy, right?
Wrong.
Simple almost rarely means easy. When it comes to exercises, simple just means there is a lot less that can go wrong. Which in most cases leads to a surprisingly difficult yet effective exercise.
One look at the exercises below without experiencing them may lead you to believe they are easy. Test them out for yourself – with proper form and focus – and you will change you opinion instantly.
Last year, while presenting at a personal training conference, I discussed with the attendees the subject of simple exercise selection for their clients. The Pallof press was given as an example as the exercise that appears “simple” however not necessarily easy.
I further explained how countless clients have given me odd looks as I demonstrated and explained it, thinking there is no way it has any effect on their bodies.
Low and behold, they end up shocked by it, exasperated, and boasting about how much they felt it.
Fortunately, there were trainers present who had not been familiar with the Pallof press and thus proved my point, exercises that are “simple” may not be easy to perform. Especially, with the ever changing variations that the Pallof press holds.
Notorious BIG
My programming and exercise selection are notorious for having such exercises…the ones that look clearly simple or as though the client has to do absolutely nothing to complete the task.
That is until the client performs the exercise for themselves.
After finishing the exercise correctly, they are then amazed by the intensity and express that it was the hardest thing they have ever done. Such as the Pallof Press above. Those are incredible moments because you have just taught the client something important about their training:
Not all exercises have to be elaborate or complex.
Simple can get the job done.
Circus Tricks Gone Wild
Many of the exercises that you see being performed in the gym or in workout videos are so complicated and involve many moving parts that it’s hard to know what to concentrate on, let alone the benefit.
Take a look at any ‘Gym fail’ type video, you see people attempting to squat and deadlift on Swiss balls.
It looks as though they were taping a submission for the circus.
Now stop and think, Why?
What training effect are you going to achieve from that? How long did it take to setup that exercise and how many sets did he do that for?
That time and energy could have been used more efficiently and safer by taking a simpler approach to their training, even if it didn’t look as impressive for the internet.
Remember: Simple.
Simple is usually more effective and potentially jaw dropping. A deadlift isn’t complex. It’s simple.
Pick the bar off the floor.
Sure there are subtle nuances to a deadlift that will increase your lift and make it efficient. It boils down to the simple act of picking a bar off the ground.
Listen to Yoda
“Control, control, you must learn control” – Yoda
Maintaining core control in simple movements will carry over into core control in other exercises.
Here are some simple exercises to use in your programming that will leave your clients scratching their heads, wondering what just happened:
1) Elevated Quadruped Hip Extension
Take the quadruped position, elevate one of the knees off the ground as though you’re going to crawl with the other on a yoga block.
Then throw in a hip extension drill on the non-supported leg.
Now you have a great core exercise that forces you to control any side to side hip shift.
Want an even bigger test? Put a ball on your back and don’t let the ball fall.
2) Yoga Block Hip Extension
Lay prone with the knees bent at 90°, place a yoga block between your feet.
Squeeze the block with your feet, then lift towards the ceiling. You should feel your glutes all the way.
This is almost like a reverse hyper extension, with limited range of motion.
3) Ring Hold & Tap
A great drill that teaches how to keep the upper back tight, which will carry over into multiple exercises, like the deadlift, pullups, or front/back levers.
The key to this exercise, besides keeping tension through the lats and upper back, is to actively maintain core stability.
When you release your hand from the ring unilaterally, there will be a shift in your weight, core and glute tension will prevent this.
4) Single Leg Foam Roller Bridges
Similar to a single leg glute bridge, which is another simple option, the glutes need activation for many people.
With one leg bent at 90° and the other extended with the calf on the roller, brace your core and press into the roller to elevate the hips off the ground.
Concentrate on the glute firing, and keep the hips from shifting.
5) Rolling Bug
Credit for this one goes to Perry Nickelston. How often are you rolling on the ground? Or better yet, when was the last time you rolled around on the ground? A long time? I thought so. Give these ago, they are harder than they look. Once again, focus on control throughout the exercise.
6) Torsional Buttressing
This a is (Dr. Stuart) McGill exercise through and through.
It is the epitome of simple, yet such a struggle.
The key, much like the other exercises in this list is maintaining core control and not letting the hips shift.
Notice a trend?
Keep the hips from shifting as most of these are unilateral exercises.
Remember, don’t judge a book by its cover. When it comes to simple exercises, looks can truly be deceiving. Just give any of theses a try and you’ll learn firsthand. Complicated exercises leave room for complications. Keeping things effective and simple.
About the Author
Chris Cooper, NSCA-CPT, LMT is a personal trainer with over 9 years of experience in the fitness profession. He is co-owner of Active Movement & Performance, a training facility on Long Island. In addition to being a trainer, he is also a New York State Licensed Massage Therapist, which has allowed him to blend the two worlds to not only get his clients stronger and in better shape, but to also fix dysfunctions to make them better movers overall. His firm belief in education is manifested as an educator for Fitness Education Institute, presenting at their yearly convention, as well as participating as an expert contributor for watchfit.com.
We all know that squats are a staple movement that span the gauntlet when it comes to helping people get stronger, leaner, and faster.
Blah, blah, blabbidy, blah.
That’s all well and good. But lets be honest.
Squats also help build bodacious bottoms.
There’s a reason why no one has ever written a song titled “Flat Bottomed Girls” or “I Like Average-Sized Butts.”
We like our derrieres fat and big, baby!
Alas, this article isn’t about the human form, appreciating the backside, and how squats help build bottoms.
No, this article is about something else entirely.
How to Build the Squat FROM THE BOTTOM
Dean Somerset and I spent this past weekend up in Kitchener, Ontario (<– that’s in Canada) just outside Toronto co-teaching our Complete Hip and Shoulder Workshop.
Note: you can check out to see if we’re coming to your neck of the woods HERE.
One of the main bullet points Dean and I hit on was squat patterning and how coaches and personal trainers can go about cleaning up their athlete’s or client’s squat technique.
Or, better yet: demonstrate to them some semblance of success.
Just so we’re clear: I think the squat is a basic movement pattern that everyone should be able to perform. I’m not insinuating that everyone should be able to walk into a gym on day #1 and drop it like it’s hot into a clean, deep squat and/or be able to load it to a significant degree.
Not everyone can (or should) squat deep. I’ve written on the topic several times, and for those interested you can go HERE and HERE.
That said, it is a movement pattern that’s important and one that can help offset many postural weaknesses, imbalances, not to mention more colloquial goals like athletic performance and aesthetics.
Assessment
Squat assessment is a crucial component to figuring out what’s the right “fit” or approach for each individual.
I can’t stress this enough: Not everyone is meant to squat to ass-to-grass on day one. Not everyone has the anatomy or hip structure to do it!
But it’s also important to figure WHY someone can’t squat to depth? Is it a mobility issue (which many are quick to gravitate towards) or a stability issue?
Digging deeper on the mobility-stability conundrum, Dean hit on a few important points this past weekend in trying to differentiate what mechanism(s) prevent someone from A) squatting deeper than that think they can squat and B) squatting with a better, more efficient pattern.
It’s a concept I’ve used myself with my own athletes and clients, but Dean did a really great job at peeling back the onion and helping the attendees better understand where they should focus their efforts.
Is it a Structural Issue?
Say someone makes the Tin Man look hyper-mobile when they squat. No matter what they do or how they position themselves, they just can’t seem to squat to an appreciable depth.
Most trainers and coaches would chalk it up to something lame like “tight hip flexors” or lack of hip mobility (which certainly could be the case), and revert to any litany of drills to improve either of the two.
This could very well be the correct anecdote, but I do feel it’s an often simplified and overused approach. I can’t tell you how many coaches have taken this route only to end up barking up the wrong tree.
It’s imperative to dig a little deeper.
Structural issue(s) = bony growth (FAI?), bone spur, and/or geometry of the hip joint itself.
As a trainer or coach you’re not diagnosing anything, and unless you’re Superman9 and have X-ray vision you’re more or less speculating anyways.
Assuming you have the knowledge base and are comfortable doing so, you can ascertain of what each person’s (general) anatomy is telling you by using a hip scour.
Supine (Passive): Have an individual lay on his or her’s back and bring knee into hip flexion. Is it uncomfortable or do they feel any pinching at or near the hip joint? If so, abduct the hip. Does the pinching go away? Do they gain more hip flexion?
This can speak to what their ideal squat-stance width should be.
You can also check hip internal/external rotation. Do they have more or less ROM in either direction? This could speak to more retroversion/anteversion of the acetabulum itself.
In general: those with an anteverted acetabulum (more than enough IR) are going to have crazy amounts of hip flexion. These are people are the ones who can squat ass-to-grass without blinking an eye. Of course, whether or not they can control that ROM is another story.
Conversely, those with a retroverted acetabulum (more ER) may struggle with hip flexion (bone hits bone earlier) and will likely never live up the all the internet trolls’ expectations regarding squat depth.
They’ll likely dominate hip extension ROM, however.10
Supine (Active): You can also have someone test their hip flexion ROM actively (meaning, they’re the ones doing the work). The key here, however, is making sure they use their hip flexors to actively “pull” their knees towards their chest.
Can they do it? Any restrictions?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3TI-GJNl9w
Prone/Quadruped: Another “screen” to add is in the quadruped position where, again, the person is more stable.
Here you’re checking to see at what point do they lose control of lumbar positioning?
Some people, due to their anatomy, and despite 698 coaching cues being tossed their way, will lose positioning before they hit 90 degrees of hip flexion. You can be the most well-intentioned coach in the world, but unless you’re Professor Dumbledore you’re never going to be able to fit a square peg into a round hole.
So, you work with what’s presented to you. This person will need to squat at or above parallel.
I’m fairly certain the Earth will still continue to spin.
However, what you’ll often find is that they’re able to get into what would be equivalent to a “deep squat” position. Further, if you have them dip down and extend their arms above their head it’s akin to the same position as an overhead squat.
If they’re able to assume this position, it’s a safe bet (although not entirely exclusive) they it’s not a structural issue that’s preventing them from assuming a deep(er) and “clean” squat pattern.
All of it’s information – which may or may not stick – but it’s information nonetheless. And it’ll all help guide you as a coach to figure out what’s most suitable approach for your athletes and clients.
When assessing someone’s active squat pattern they may present as a walking ball of fail and demonstrate a whole host of compensation patterns. This is where some fitness professionals are quick to jump on the “it’s a mobility issue” bandwagon.
Taking the time to perform a more thorough screen (like the ones suggested above), though, is an excellent way to glean whether or not that is indeed accurate.
Squat From the Bottom
Lets assume you figured out it’s NOT a structural issue. You assess/screen someone in the supine/prone/quadruped positions and find they’re able to exhibit a passable squat pattern.
Yet, when they stand up and attempt to squat they resemble a stack of crashing Jenga pieces.
One of the best strategies I’ve found to help address this is to teach/re-groove the squat pattern FROM THE BOTTOM. Basically, start in the end position.
It helps to build context and confidence. In addition, it engrains the CNS to inform the brain “dude/dudette, relax, we got this!”
Assisted Squat Patterning
If I’m working with someone in person, I’ll hold my hands out in front of me (palms up), ask them to place their hands on top of mine (palms down), assume a squat stance, and “groove” their squat pattern (sit back with the hips, push the knees out), and “pull” themselves down into the bottom position of the squat.
I’ll then have them let go, hold that position for a good 3-5 second count, and then stand back up. We start them where we want them to finish. As a result this BOTTOMS-UP approach helps groove technique, but more importantly helps improve people’s confidence at sitting in the hole.
Some other variations you can use:
Squat Walk Down
Suspension Trainer Assist
Have someone grab the side of a squat or power rack (or use a suspension trainer – TRX, Jungle Gym) and use as much assistance as they need in order to get into the bottom position.
Note: Make sure they maintain a good back position.
Once they get into a position they feel they can control and “own,” have him or her let go and hold that position for a 3-5s count.
Then, stand up.
Have them repeat for several repetitions.
You’ll often find that after a few reps things start to click.
Boom
When it comes to squatting, not everyone should be held to the same standard.
Perform the screens mentioned above. Do your job.
Figure out what the best “fit” is for each person – depth, stance width, foot placement, etc.
Use pattern assistance if necessary. Start from the bottom. Build success into people’s training.
Either approach you use – whether it’s partner assisted or with external assistance (rack, TRX) – the main advantage is that it forces anterior core engagement, which in turn helps improve stability, which in turn improves motor control, which in turn makes people into rock stars.
Except without the fame, money, and glory. And amphetamines.
Note from TG:If there was ever a blog title conceived specifically for this website, this is the one. Jason Bourne, an F-16 fighter jet, and a lumberjack punching a grizzly bear in the face while eating a bag of beef jerky could have steel cage match and it wouldn’t be as manly as this title.
Fair warning: parts are a bit “heavy” with technical terms and verbiage, but there are still plenty of insights and suggestions (and videos!) that are applicable to everyone reading, because……
Everyone NEEDS to Deadlift
There are a few absolutes in this world. Some of those absolutes are:
Gravity
The Earth is round
Humans need oxygen to survive.
The Human Body needs food and water to survive.
Another absolute I could add to that list is that…Everyone NEEDS to Deadlift!
Now, that I’ve got your attention, finish reading this article before you decide to send your hate e-mail or hate mail if you are still living in the dark ages.
Let me clarify my point: Everyone needs to do some form of hip hinging in order to maintain good back and lower extremity health.
The movement of hip hinging is a vital component of everyday life.
Whether you want to lift up your kids without blowing out your back or you are trying to deadlift your car for reps, being able to hip hinge properly is an integral component to reducing injury risk as well as attaining a high level of performance.
What is “Hip Hinging?”
Hip Hinging is the ability of a person to maintain a neutral aligned spine while predominately loading the hips and having the primary movement come from the hips in an anterior to posterior direction.
For the visual learners, this is what it looks like:
As you can see from the video, we ideally want a neutral spine position and the majority of the movement comes from the hips moving in an anterior to posterior direction. The knees remain in a soft knee position. This means that the knees are not in a terminally extended (straight) position nor are they overly flexed (bent).
What movements use hip hinging?
The hip hinging move is used for a multitude of movements. It can be used in the:
Deadlift
Good Mornings
Variations of the Glute Ham Raise
Certain Athletic Endeavors
For activities throughout your day, it could include:
Properly picking up your kids.
Lifting a heavy box from the floor to a different location.
Picking a pencil up off the floor.
The list is endless. Being able to properly move through this movement pattern, whether it be for performance or daily life, is a NECESSITY!
How do I know if I can hip hinge?
Well, check out this video below for a quick and easy test to tell if you are hip hinging properly:
Place a broom, golf club, dowel, etc. on your back as shown in the video. Place one hand on the top portion at your head and the other hand at your sacrum (tail bone). Make sure to keep the three contact points between your head, thoracic spine (mid back), and sacrum.
Next, while maintaining “soft knees”, attempt to push your butt back like you are trying to tap the wall with it.
As you are doing this, you are going to need to counteract falling backwards by leaning your upper body/trunk anteriorly (forward). Time and time again, I will see people attempt to do this movement with just pushing their hips backwards and then in turn, fall backwards or lose their balance.
Your hips should always be more superior than your knees. If your hips are in line with your knees in the transverse plane, then you are squatting, not hip hinging.I can equate it going to an upscale club or lounge.
You walk up to the club and there is a line. It is up to the “bouncer” aka the strength coach/physical therapist in this example, to let you past the velvet rope and into Club Hip Hinging.
Once your in the club, there is a VIP section.
In this example, that VIP section is the Deadlifting VIP. If you aren’t on “the list,” then you aren’t making it into the “VIP” section.
For the physical therapists, strength and conditioning coaches, performance coaches, etc. who want to know if someone can perform hip hinging and/or deadlift variations, then screen your clients and patients.
Screening/Assessment
***Disclaimer*** If you are NOT a physical therapist, you need ask your client if you may put your hands on them to screen them. Also, if someone has pain with any of these screens/assessments, structure your programming appropriately and refer out to a PT, sports chiropractor, etc.
Tell them you want to screen them so you can adjust their programming so it is customized for them.
99.9% of people won’t have a problem with this, but you need to look out for yourself and make sure your clients are fine with this.
First piece of information I would like to know is, what does their hip flexion motion look like.
Place your client on the ground and passively/gently move their hip through their available range of motion (ROM).
Then, we want to check and see if they have the passive straight leg raise (PSLR) mobility. Gently raise their leg until you feel some resistance.
Per the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), we would like to see 80 degrees of the PSLR. If the client doesn’t have 80 degrees, all is not lost. We have to modify their training regimen. We will get to that later in this post.
Next, if the client has 80 degrees of PSLR, we want to see if they can stabilize in that ROM. Ask them to actively raise their leg, keeping the knee straight up in the air without letting the opposite leg come up off the ground/table. We like to see 70 degrees of active straight leg raise (ASLR).
If they have 70 degrees of ASLR, then we can progress further in our assessment/screening. If they do NOT have 70 degrees, have the client place their hands on the ground. Then press into the ground with their hands and try again.
If their ASLR improves, then they have either a:
Core Stability Issue
Anterior Pelvic Tilt
What the pressing down into the ground/table does is activates the anterior core musculature and in turn, places the trunk in a more neutral position.
Since the hamstrings attach on the pelvis, if the pelvis is in an anterior pelvic tilt, this can cause the SLR to appear limited because it is starting in a stretched position.
If pressing down into the ground/table does NOT improve anything, then try these ASLR correctives:
Active-Straight Leg Correctives (via FunctionalMovement.com)
If there is an improvement in the ASLR, now, have the client stand up and tell them to bend over and touch their toes.
If the client can bend over and touch their toes with ease and without trying to blow a gasket or bouncing up and down, then this is another assessment check point that can tell us that they may potentially be able to deadlift/hip hinge.
The toe touch test comes from the SFMA.
What does the toe touch tells us?
We want to see if the client has the ability to posteriorly shift their hips when performing the toe touch. This tells us that the client can get into their posterior chain to load their hips. When watching someone perform the toe touch, find their greater trochanter (hip bone on the side of their hip region) and watch to see if that area moves backwards during the toe touch
In the first video below, you can see the person can shift their hips backwards.
In this next video, if the person doesn’t perform an adequate posterior weight shift, then they wont be able to touch their toes.
If your patient or client doesn’t have the ability to touch their toes, then try these correctives as recommended by FunctionalMovement.com.
This series of correctives is called the Toe Touch Progression.
First, place a 1/2 foam roller or a 10 lb plate underneath your client or patient’s toes as shown in the picture below.
Then, while maintaining the feet on the plates and the knees straight, instruct the person to bend over and gently try to touch their toes.
Perform 10 repetitions then switch to the heels elevated as shown below and perform 10 more repetitions.
You can also place a foam roller or a small ball between the person’s knees and instruct then to squeeze it during the toe touch. When you instruct the person to squeeze the ball, it up-regulates inner core musculature and places the core/trunk in a better position to perform the toe touch.
Next, have the client perform the toe touch again. If they can know touch their toes or it has improved as compared to before, then we know that this simple corrective has taught their brain/body to learn how to perform a posterior weight shift needed to perform hip hinging and/or deadlifting.
Now, their toe touch may have improved, but in a few hours or when they wake up tomorrow morning, it may be back to the way it was before the toe touch progression corrective.
With the body and the brain when we see a quick improvement such as this one with the toe touch, we are tapping into the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the brain.
It is “teaching” the brain/CNS a new way to move.
As Erson Religioso has mentioned on his website, Modern Manual Therapy, the brain/CNS is easily tricked, but it is difficult to convince. What that means is that with the toe touch, we have opened a window to the CNS that has allowed for a chance or an improvement to the system, we want to do whatever we can to “keep that window open” through various correctives and behavior modification in our daily lives.
If the client’s toe touch hasn’t improved, then there may be something else from a mobility, stability, or motor control standpoint that a licensed healthcare practitioner may need to dig a little deeper to discover why the toe touch hasn’t improved. Refer them to someone in your network, but we will go into more detail now on other ways to train this client even though their toe touch isn’t sufficient enough to deadlift from the floor.
Well, there are many options that you can provide your client to receive a great training effect. The next few examples all work to help load the posterior chain musculature as well as helping to improve core/trunk stability.
Most of these exercises should be felt in the gluteal and hamstring musculature.
Cable Pull-Throughs
Key Points:
Sit back into hips.
Maintain a neutral spine; no rounding or extending of the lumbar spine/TL junction.
Make sure to extend through the hips at the end of the movement, NOT through lumbar hyper-extension.
Hip Thruster/Single Leg Hip Thruster
Key Points:
Start with upper back resting against a bench and hips/knees flexed.
Maintain a “neutral spine” or “ribs down” position.
Extend your hips upwards and squeeze butt at the top.
Finish with your knees, hips, shoulders, and ears in a straight line.
Barbell Supine Bridge
Key Points:
Place an airex pad or exercise mat over hips/under bar to provide some padding.
Maintain a neutral spine, “ribs down” position and drive hips to the sky.
Make sure not to try and lift too high by extending through the lumbar spine.
Elevated Kettlebell Deadlift
Key Points:
Stand directly over the kettlebell (KB).
Push your hips back like you are trying to touch your butt to the wall behind you.
Maintain a neutral spine position.
Grasp the KB, drive your heels through the floor, and lift up through your hips/legs.
Squeeze butt at the top. Make sure to extend your hips and not your low back. Imaginary line should be between your ears, shoulders. hips, knees, and ankles.
Once the client or patient demonstrates proper form with an elevated KB deadlift, eventually lower the elevation height to make the exercise more difficult and eventually perform off the floor as long as proper form is maintained.
Trap Bar Deadlift
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-sA3PG1kGY
Key Points:
Step into the trap bar/hex bar.
Push hips back like you are trying to touch your butt to the wall behind you.
Grasp handles and maintain a ribs down, neutral spine.
Imagine their are oranges in your armpits. Try to squeeze them.
Drive through the heels and extend your hips. Shoulders, hips and knees should be in a line at the top of the movement.
If the client/patient can’t demonstrate proper form with the Trap Bar DL from the floor, then you can place blocks or some other implement underneath the weights to elevate it so they can demonstrate proper form.
Rack Pulls
Key Points:
Step up to bar. Push hips backwards and grasp bar.
Same points as mentioned above.
Can use pronated grip (palms facing you) OR mixed grip (one palm facing you, one facing away from you).
Once someone can demonstrate proper form with these movements, then you can start by progressing towards the floor.
If someone’s goal is to deadlift from the floor and they can do it with proper form and pain-free, then we’re on our way to hitting that goal.
If someone’s goal is to be able to pick-up their kids or move and feel better, then the exercise variations mentioned above are great ways to help with that.
Regulars to this site are very familiar with the name Mike Robertson. He’s a good friend, but also a coach I respect immensely.
Not only does he produce top-notch athletes who are seemingly bulletproof, but he’s also someone who continuously churns out quality content that helps elevate the strength and conditioning/fitness community.
He also has impeccable taste in old-school hip-hop music.
His latest resource, Complete Core Training, is available starting today. It’s, well, a complete resource on core training. It’s not about six-pack abs or showcasing the latest core exercises that have people balancing on BOSU balls while juggling chainsaws.
It’s a system on how to set people up for success.
Mike was kind enough to take some time to talk some shop and discuss “core training” with me below. Enjoy!
Two Dudes Talking Core Training
TG: Mike, answer this: what in the name of infomercial hell is “the core?” And why should a whole manual be dedicated to it?
MR: Great question – and if someone can tell me, then that would be great….
In all seriousness, the core is literally everything from the feet to the head, because it all ties together, right? But that’s probably not the answer you’re looking for, either.
For our purposes, I define the core as a box:
You’ve got the diaphragm on the top,
The pelvic floor on the bottom,
The abdominals (transverse abdominus, internal obliques, external obliques, and rectus abdominus) on the front,
The IO’s, EO’s12, and quadratus lumborum (QL) on the sides, and
You’ve got the QL, erectors and multifidi on the back.
This is such a tricky answer, though, because no matter how I answer, someone hates me.
But I guess I’m okay with that at this point
TG: The cliche question here is to pop off your most common core mistakes people make. What do you feel people do right?
MR: First and foremost, you have to know that I live in a bubble at this point.
I don’t train in a commercial gym.
The people I’m surrounded by are generally high-level coaches, and are making strides to get the most out of their clients and athletes.
So with regards to doing things right, I think most are on the right path.
They’re focusing more on core stability versus creating movement at the core.
They’re realizing that flexion isn’t a bad thing, at least with regards to having that mobility through the spine and pelvis.
And they’re including core training in almost all (if not all) of their programs.
So when you factor all that in, it’s probably making quite a difference.
TG: Okay, I lied….NOW you can tell us the most common mistakes people make.
MR: Again, I’m around fairly high-level people so when it comes to mistakes, the devil is often in the details.
First off, I’m not sure most truly respect how important position is. For instance, almost every time I coach a core exercise now, we’re going to exhale to set a better position.
But often, we sell people short – what might seem like enough of an exhale simply is not. So we have to really drive a full exhale to set good position, especially with our more toned up bros and broettes.
Another mistake that I see is always leaving the core training to the end of the program. But before I get too deep here, I should probably let you in on a bit of my bias and philosophy…
I firmly believe that the core is a (if not THE) weak link with our clients and athletes. Therefore, it’s something that we have to address and multiple levels across the program.
So just throwing in some “ab work” at the end of a session isn’t enough. If it’s truly a weak link, we need to address it throughout the programming, both in the warm-up and the actually lifting portion. This comes largely through sound exercise selection, progression and regression.
Note from TG: this is why I LOVE deadbugs so much. Not only do most people do them incorrectly, but they can be injected into any portion of a training program to fit the needs of the athlete/client.
So if I could just get everyone to cue their clients into a better starting position time and again, and address the core at multiple times throughout the training session, I’d be a happy camper.
TG: The meatheads out there will say all someone has to do is squat and deadlift and that’s all the core work they need. I think this is a very narrow-minded, nay, moronic approach. I assume you agree. Why is this not a smart or ideal line of thinking?
MR: We’re in firm agreement here. First off, let me throw this back at you…
How many people walking in on Day 1 would you say have great posture, or can hold great position in their training sessions?
Probably none, or next to none, right?
So why do we assume that loading these people up with heavy squats and deadlifts that they’re magically going to “fix” their positional issues?
I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t happen.
Instead, we need to often rebuild our clients and athletes. Again, it happens on multiple levels throughout the program.
Instead of a back squat, maybe we front squat. Or even better, 2-KB front squat.
Instead of throwing in a ton of work for the posterior chain, we actually teach them to load their anterior chain more effectively. (I’m going to get roasted for this, but it’s something I’ll explore in more depth at a later time).
Note from TG: Here, here! We’ve been over-programmed to think that it’s ALL about posterior chain, ALL the time, that I find many trainees have lost the ability to recruit their quads. I’ve been programming more leg extensions recently for some of my clients. How you like dem apples, internet?!
We need to get some isolated core training in the program, just to teach our athletes how to actually use muscles like their obliques and TVA (not via draw-ins), to help control their pelvis and lumbar spine.
We start doing things like that, then posture starts to clean up and we can hold position.
And when we can hold position with entry-level exercises, then we can start getting bigger bang from there.
TG: Love it Mike. I’m totally on par with you. Complete Core Training – 10 second elevator pitch. Go –
My goal was to take my entire approach to core training and give it to trainers and coaches who want to get more out of their programming and coaching.
Like you mentioned above, even the best coaches and trainers out there are looking for ways to get better. This is something that I’ve studied in depth for years, constantly seeking ways to get better results, and most importantly, to create lasting change in how my clients move and feel.
So Complete Core Training isn’t just a random collection of exercises – it’s a complete training system, where I cover everything from the anatomy of the core, to the mechanics of coaching and cuing, and of course, how to program most effectively.
I think it’s a really solid program, and one that’s going to help trainers and coaches across the world get better results with their clients and athletes.
But I’m also willing to admit I may be just a wee bit biased….;o)
Today I have an excellent guest post from strength and conditioning coach, jump training specialist, and Director of Sports Performance at Reach Your Potential Training, Inc (www.igotrypt.com), Adam Feit.
Adam’s new resource, Complete Jumps Training, is available starting today. Unlike most traditional jump training programs that tend to focus solely on sagittal plane exercises or worse, utilize ankle weights13, this one actually, you know, helps get people more athletic.
Hybrid Jumping: More Efficient Than Your Prius
Sure, I get it. It’s good for the environment.
Better gas mileage. Minimizing the carbon footprint. Hell, you even get a tax break in most states.
But you’d think they would work on the aesthetics a bit better, no?
All kidding aside, what if I could introduce a new type of hybrid locomotion that would close the gap between where you are and where you want to be?
Possibly even save you time, space and money (without the fear of being made fun of by your friends)?
Would you consider it?
Good.
Because we’re going to explore the latest innovation in jump training for today’s athlete—the hybrid.
When I transitioned from coaching NCAA and NFL athletes to today’s youth, I knew we did not have the resources or the athletes to advance our jump training exercises like we used to.
We actually had real budget restrictions, athletes who had never trained before and limited space. And it got even worse as our business continued to grow and new groups were added.
We were filling the gym but limiting our capacity to move, move often and move well.
So we adapted.
We overcame and attacked the situation at hand and found a way to work around all those roadblocks, specifically when it came to jump training.
Most jump programs focus on some sort of variation of the vertical jump and long jump.
Why? Because they’re easy to coach, touch on both aspects of vertical and horizontal power and allow results to be compared across multiple sporting and coaching organizations.
But was there more to jumping than simply getting up as high as possible or far as possible, especially when it involved athletics? Could jump training be properly programmed and planned out to maximize performance and reduce the risk of future injury?
No question.
After coaching thousands of athletes through jump training, we noticed a few reoccurring themes.
1) Athletes had a difficult time jumping on one leg and landing on the same or the alternate leg.
2) They were stuck moving in the vertical or linear plane, only moving up or out.
3) Coaches did not know how to progress outside the scope of increasing volume or height/distance.
4) There was less and less transfer to actualsport tasks simply because of focusing on double-legged takeoffs and landings.
Years ago, Coach Michael Boyle addressed this very issue and proposed a simplified way of explaining jumps to his coaches and athletes. To minimize confusion amongst his coaches and athletes, he classified jumps as follows:
Jump: a two-legged takeoff with a two-legged landing (e.g., vertical jump)
Hop: a one-legged takeoff with a same one-legged landing (e.g., vertical hop)
Bound: a one-legged takeoff with an alternate one-legged landing (e.g., lateral bound)
However, the more we looked at our own athletes, the more we realized this needed to be expanded. We decided to add a fourth category to the list.
Enter the hybrid.
The hybrid is the combination of any type of jump, hop, or bound with the possible addition of a medicine ball (MB) for upper body power development (e.g., lateral bound to double-legged landing or a hurdle jump to MB punch.)
The hybrid category was a valuable addition to Coach Boyle’s original three categories for three primary reasons:
1) It bridged the gap between the transition of double-leg and single-leg jumping exercises.
With the use of the hybrid, we were able to better prepare for single-leg hops and bounds through the use of single-legged takeoffs with double-legged landings.
No longer were we rushing to do a vertical hop or long hop.
Now, we could slow down our teaching progressions even further to ensure long-term success and appropriately layer sequences within themselves for optimal programming.
Don’t believe us?
Ask your athletes to do a vertical jump (two legs). Then watch them do a vertical hop (one leg).
What do you see?
Dropped chests? Internally rotated hips and valgus knees? Lack of triple extension?
By adding a single-legged takeoff with a double-legged landing (novice) or double-legged takeoff to a single legged-landing (expert), we were able to better prepare our athletes for the forces, speeds and positions they may face in sport.
(Not to mention better hops and bounds for our highlight videos!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn5v85ekXFs
2) It provided what we call “variation within simplicity.”
Rather than change exercises completely, we could simply add or remove one piece of the drill to change the stimulus and keep our athletes and coaches progressing.
Too often, coaches use a two-dimensional approach in regards to progressive overload—heavier weight or more volume.
What about rest periods? Changes in body positioning? Use of different implements?
When our space and time got cut shorter and shorter, we had to think of a way to combine not only types of jumps but also where they were occurring. Instead of devoting a day to solely linear jumping, why not combine it with another day?
Rather than only performing a long jump, why not add a lateral bound to a long jump? Or perhaps a rotational hurdle jump to a vertical jump and long jump?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUbClRjpLGk
Variation within the jumping exercise itself allowed us to combine multiple takeoffs, landings and planes of motion to better prepare the athlete for future exercises and what they may feel on the court or field.
3) Lastly, it allowed our staff to analyze single-leg jumping and landing mechanics much earlier in the programming.
Instead of wasting a period of 4–6 weeks on primarily double-leg takeoffs and landings, we could work on the limiting issue (usually single-leg strength/stability/power) right away.
From experience, we knew the importance of using jump training not only for power development, but also more importantly, for the reduction of future injury.
We have seen too many orthopedic doctors clear athletes for their return to play without evaluating all dimensions of their performance, namely deceleration and change of direction. Because of this, we have devoted our efforts to educating our staff and athletes on the importance of single-leg training, specifically jumping and landings.
We perform jump training in the warm-up, during movement, and throughout weight-training sessions.
After all, running, cutting, planting, pivoting, and jumping almost always occur with one leg at a time. Why would we not want to make it a priority?
So, if you’re looking to take your coaching and programming to the next level, I’d strongly urge you to check out the Coaches’ Guide to Jump Training.
It was made for coaches, by coaches. Whether you’re working with middle-schoolers or high-profile professionals, we’re certain this system will add another element to your awesome coaching.
Also, if you are looking to improve your own jump training, this is a fantastic resource. It’s currently available for HALF-PRICE.
with “how much weight did you use last week?”
change.
By training similar movement patterns with various loads, like a heavy squat and a jump squat, you’ll teach your nervous system to recruit more muscle fibers to fire faster. And you’ll groove agonist and antagonist muscles to produce smoother movement.
selection for their clients. The 
