CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Paused Deadlift

I know this is going to come across as weird or unconventional to some of my loyal readers, and if you’re one of them (or if not, welcome!  I hope you stay awhile) you may wonder if my website was hacked into today by someone playing a practical joke.  I assure you it wasn’t, but I do have something to share.

Ready?  Here it goes.

I like deadlifts!! Like, a lot.

What did you think I was going to say? Something like “You know what, I could really go for a soy burger today!” or “That Tracy Anderson….she’s onto something.  She’s really smart.”

Come on.  Don’t be silly.

All facetiousness aside I don’t think it’s any secret I’m a fan of the deadlift.  A quick search on the internet shows I’ve written roughly 1,812 articles on the topic.  Give or take.

Me saying I like the deadlift is like Gray Cook saying he likes the Functional Movement Screen or Taylor Swift saying she likes writing songs about how much she hates boys.

It’s all in the same boat.

That being said, when it comes to the deadlift there’s a lot we can dissect.  Depending on one’s leverages, personal anthropomorphic differences, and postural considerations some deadlift variations will be better suited for certain body types compared to others.  As an example, those with limited ankle dorsiflexion and/or hip flexion, or even those lifters who are taller, will find that trap bar or Sumo variations fit them very well.

Along those same lines, regardless of what variation we’re discussing, some lifters will find “sticking points” within the arc of the lift itself, to the point where some may have issues off the floor while others will have trouble locking the weight out.

I’ve heard some coaches discuss initial (low) back positioning and how that may affect the mechanics of the lift itself.

Advocates for a more rounded back will note that it makes initial pulling off the floor easier (due to leverage), but things become more arduous at lockout.

Conversely, those who swear by a neutral or hard arch throughout will note that the bar is slower off the floor, however lockout is a breeze.  Again, due to leverages.

I fall in the latter camp and will rarely (if ever) advocate someone to purposely lift with a rounded back.  So it’s no surprise that I tend to be slower than molasses – a smidge above slower than shit – when I deadlift.

Without fail every FIRST rep off the floor for me is slow, which always makes any lift above 90% of 1RM interesting.

Yes, I’ve done deficit pulls.  And yes, I’ve done speed pulls vs. chains, all of which have helped some.  Lately, though, one of my favorite accessory movements – and something that’s been heavily influenced by fellow CP-coach, Greg Robins – is paused deadlifts.

We’re all familiar with the likes of  bench pressing with a pause or squatting with a pause, but rarely do you hear coaches talk about deadifting with a pause.

Paused Deadlift – from Floor

What Does It Do:  As noted above, it’s a fantastic way to help improve strength (and explosiveness) off the floor.  More to the point:

1.  It helps increase time under tension in a “trouble spot,” which then feeds into the explosiveness factor.

2.  Helps train people to engage the lats to a higher degree which will prevent the bar from getting away from the body.  In other words:  it helps maintain a better bar path.

Key Coaching Cues:  You won’t need to be too aggressive with the weight selection here, anything from 50-70% will suffice.  In addition, the actual pause can vary from 2-5s with the rep scheme varying from 2-5 reps.  We’re looking for QUALITY reps here, not quantity.

A sample cycle may look something like this:

Week 1: 4×3 (pause 2 inches off floor for 2s) @ 50%
Week 2: 4×3 (pause 2 inches off floor for 2s) @ 55%
Week 3: 4×2 (pause 2 inches off floor for 3s) @ 60%
Week 4: 3×2 (pause 2 inches off floor for 3s) @ 65%

I’ve also seen coaches stick with the same set/rep scheme throughout or stick with a set time for the pause – there’s no wrong way here.

The important thing to consider is that some semblance of progressive overload is being followed.

Give these a try and let me know what you think.

NOTE I: Just to clarify on my end, I’d consider this an exercise that should only be implemented if you’re pulling close to or over 2x bodyweight.  Anything less than that I’d be more inclined to focus on technique in general or just getting stronger.

NOTE II:  I normally don’t wear shoes when I deadlift.  It was a quick video I shot after training myself, sooooo cut me slack will ya.

NOTE III:  Apparently my skills in gym math are lacking.  The weight in the video is 275 lbs which is 48% of my 1RM.  Not 50-55% like I mentioned.  Oops.

Whatever.  It’s not like you listen to me anyways.  You never listen to me!!  You’re RUINING MY LIFE!!!!  *slams door*

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Goblet Elevator Squats

As far as “fool proof” exercises are concerned, you’d be hard pressed to do much better than Goblet squats.

I’d toss in an obligatory “it’s so easy a cave man can do it” joke here, but, well, shit, I just did.

Time and time again I’ve seen someone with some of the worst squatting technique you can imagine (Think: knee valgus, rounded back, my corneas perpetually bleeding), only to see them squatting flawlessly in a matter of minutes when coaching them up on the Goblet squat.

Likewise, almost always, whenever someone complains about how much “squatting hurts my knees,” I can get them performing them pain-free with a little cueing and attention to detail.

I like call it “pulling a Dumbledore,” because it’s borderline magical in their eyes.

It makes complete sense when you think about though.

– Give them an anterior load to force them engage their core musculature more efficiently and to provide more stability.

– Cue them to SIT BACK (keeping their feet flat,however placing the brunt of their weight into their heels), while simultaneously pushing their knees out (t0 open up the hips).

– And then teach them to “finish” with their glutes at the top, and not only do they see drastic improvements in their technique (and depth), but it feels effortless and less painful.

That said, even though the natural progression is to (eventually) move towards barbell variations, sometimes it’s advantageous to stick with Goblet squats in the interim and make them more “challenging.”

Goblet Elevator Squat

Who Did I Steal It From:  In a roundabout way, Ben Bruno.  I saw a video he posted doing the same thing with a front squat, and figured this would be a nice regression for those of us who prefer not to hate life.

What Does It Do:  Well, first, it’s important to recognize that you should master regular ol’ Goblet squats before moving on to this variation.

HERE’s a great starting point from the guy who pretty much popularized the movement, Dan John.

Having said that, Goblet elevator squats are an easy way to increase time under tension, or TUT for the exercise physiology geeks in the crowd.

Key Coaching Cues:  All the same cues for a normal Goblet squat come into play, except here you’re going to break up each repetition into segments where you come up 1/2 way, go back down, come up 3/4 of the way, then come back up to the starting position.

Your quads should be flipping you the bird by the end.

Because of the increased TUT, I like to keep the repetitions on the low(er) side – 5 to 6 – but for the more sadistic minded people reading, feel free to work your up to ten total repetitions (which is really 30 when you factor in the “breaks” in each rep).

Have fun!

Also

For those looking for even more ways to up the ante with their Goblet squats (or their exercise repertoire in general) check out Jen Sinkler’s Lift Weights Faster.

The programming and exercise database will undoubtedly keep you on your toes and satiate anyone who gets easily bored with their workouts.

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: 1-Arm Kettlebell Front Squat

I had the opportunity of being invited to a local CrossFit affiliate here in Boston yesterday to spend an hour or so taking their staff – as well as a handful of other trainers from local commercial gyms – through an informal staff in-service on assessment.

I say “informal” because I wore jeans and a t-shirt and swore like a sailor. And I chewed gum the entire time.  I basically broke every rule there is when it comes to public speaking.  It was awesome.

While the main “theme” of the talk was shoulders, shoulder assessment, and how we can make things in CrossFit a bit more “shoulder friendly,” on more than one occasion I made the following point:

An assessment (or screen, which is a more appropriate term I feel) should serve a few functions:

1. To gather information and find out where a person’s Point A is.

2. Give them an opportunity to prove to YOU (the coach) that they can do “stuff.”

I’m a strength guy, and in my eyes everyone I work with is going to squat to some capacity, deadlift to some capacity, bench press to some capacity, and inevitably end up listening to Tiesto to some capacity.

Sorry, if you train under my roof, it’s my rules…..;o)

Where the assessment/screen comes in is to serve as a litmus test to tell me which VARIATION of the squat or deadlift or bench press or whatever the client will start with.

Not everyone can walk in on day one and conventional deadlift from the floor. Likewise, depending on one’s past or current injury history, training experience, goals, and postural imbalances (to name a few), maybe something as innocuous as a standard bench press will be too advanced for them.

With that in mind, today’s exercise you should be doing falls underneath this people-are-going-to-do-stuff-just-not-the-advanced-stuff-they-think-they-should-be-doing umbrella.

1-Arm Kettlebell Front Squat

Who Did I Steal It From:  I have no idea, so I’ll just say Professor Snape.

What Does It Do: This is a fantastic squat variation which, after mastering the Goblet Squat, still allows the trainee to groove their hip hinge pattern, engage the anterior core, but with an additional component:  ROTARY STABILITY.

By holding one KB to one side of the body, it forces the body to further stabilize itself and to resist the rotational forces placed on it.

Furthermore, this also serves as a nice variation which is a bit more shoulder friendly in its own right.  Back squats for example may be problematic for some due to the “at risk” position the shoulder joint is placed in (maximal abduction + external rotation) during its execution.

The easy fix would be to use specialty bars such as the Giant Cambered bar or Safety Squat bar – or to just front squat – but not many people have access to them.

Hence, why this is yet another viable option.

Key Coaching Cues: It sounds borderline trivial, but picking up the kettlebell correctly matters.  I see a lot of people just kind of haphazardly bend over and pick up the KB with a rounded back and this is something you don’t want to make a habit of doing.  For starters, a kitten dies every time it happens. Secondly, your spine will thank you in the long run.

I like to tell people to “straddle” the KB standing roughly an arms length away. Reach down with a neutral spine, and “set” the lats and then pretend as if you’re trying to “hike” the kettlebell through your legs.  Essentially you’re starting off the whole shebang by performing a 1-arm KB swing.

Clean the KB to one side of the body.  The KB itself should rest in the nook of your pec muscle and shoulder.

From there place your free hand out in front of the body to act as a counterbalance and make a fist.  Squeeze hard.  This will elicit much more tension in the body.

Now….squat.  All the same rules apply.  Initiate by pushing the hips back, pushing the knees out (I like to tell people keep the knee cap in line with their middle toe), and keeping the chest up.

I’ll typically shoot for 6-8 reps per side and then switch sides.  Give it a try today and let me know what you think.

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Split Stance Trap Bar RDL

First things first:  some very cool news.

No, Justin Bieber hasn’t somehow been scissor kicked in the throat.

No, I still haven’t beaten Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out.

And no, I haven’t officially earned my Top Gun wings. Yet……;o)

I’ve had something “top secret” marinating.  It’s something that I’ve collaborated on with the guys over at WeightTraining.com, and it’s a little project that’s been in the words for a few months now.

And by “little” I mean the opposite of that. It’s going to be huge. Like, Death Star huge.

I don’t want to give away all the juicy details, but suffice it to say 1) it’s going to be an ever evolving product that’s going to help change people’s lives 2) I’m really excited about it and it’s going to be available to the world starting this coming Monday, Jan. 20th, and 3) I’m pretty much going to win a Nobel Prize for Awesomeness.

NOTE: One of the three above (probably) won’t happen.

I’m going to have full details available by Monday, so consider this the official teaser.

With that out of the way I want to toss a “new” exercise your way that I’ve been parading around the facility and using in a lot of programs I’ve written lately.

I say “new” (in quotations) because it’s not necessarily new in the sense that I invented or anything.  Believe me: if or when I invent something – like, I don’t know, an economy sized, fuel efficient tank, or Grape flavored Spike** – I’ll be the first one to take full credit for it.

Giving credit where it’s due, though, I have to defer all accolades to my buddy Ben Bruno for this one.  This is an exercise that he featured over his blog at some point last year and I’ve been dabbling with ever since.

Split Stance Trap Bar RDL

What Does It Do: In short, it serves as a pseudo 1-Legged RDL, but on two legs.  Let me explain.  Everyone knows that single leg work is important and that it offers a host of benefits from improved balance and hip stability to addressing strength asymmetries and improving athletic performance.

The thing is a lot of people suck at it, and as a result typically don’t do it.  Ever.

While not related to the actual discussion, one of the major mistakes I see most trainees make with regards to their single leg work is that they treat it the same as their max effort work…..which is dumb.

To me, max effort work (1-3 reps) should be relegated to the “big three” like squats, deadlifts, and bench press…..with the occasional overhead press, bent over row, and goodmornings peppered in.

Single leg work, however, 95% of the time, should be treated as ACCESSORY work……and something that’s used to address imbalances or weaknesses.  I can’t tell you how many times I watch an athlete or client try to be a hero and grab the 80 lb DBs for lunges or 1-Legged RDL only to resemble Bambi walking on ice throughout the set.

What good does that do?  Why amp up the weight only to go into knee valgus and risk injury? Sure it may stroke the ego for a few minutes, but there’s no real benefit.

I lean more towards the camp which tells people that single leg work should – generally – be done under the assumption that QUALITY matters.

Reduce the weight, make quality movement matter, and do it right.

That said, for many of us, that inner meathead prevails and just wants to lift heavy stuff.  I get it.

With this variation, you get the added benefit of support from the rear leg…..but too, you can load the weight much heavier and REALLY load that front leg.

So in a way it’s a hybrid single-leg variation.  But not.  Get it?

I didn’t think so.

Key Coaching Cues:  The set up is the same as if you’re performing a regular deadlift, except, you know, you’re going to use a split stance.

No need to be too aggressive here.  I usually coach people to take a heel-to-toe stance, with the brunt of the weight towards the leading leg (the one most forward).

Ideally both feet will be flat, but for some with limited ankle dorsiflexion it’s okay to come up on the toes of the REAR foot.

From there it’s hip hinge city.  Initiate by hinging the hips back trying to keep the bulk of your weight in the front foot.  The objective isn’t to go all the way to the floor, either.  For most, just below the knee to mid-shin is plenty.  Either way you should feel a massive “stretch” in the front leg hamstring.

I prefer to do this for 6-8 reps per leg, per set.

NOTE:  You can use regular ol’ Olympic barbells on this one too.  Or DBs.  So for those who don’t have access to a trap/hex bar, you should still be good to go.

Give it a try today and let me know what you think!

** = get on that Biotest!

 

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Best of 2013: Exercises You Should Be Doing

Okay since it’s New Year’s Eve and this is the officially the last day of 2013 I figured I end the whole shebang with ONE last “Best Of” post.  This time around I’ll highlight some of the more popular exercises I introduced in my “Exercises You Should Be Doing” series.

I don’t know what everyone else’s plans are, but Lisa and I will be heading into Boston’s historical North End district – like we do every New Years since we’ve been together – for a late dinner and probably a cannoli or two. Or three.  Okay, four…..;o)

I’m lame and only stay up past midnight for maybe four nights out of the year so fingers crossed I’ll be able to pull it off.  But I have a sneaky suspicion that once the ginormous plate of chicken parmesan I’ll order comes out and is placed right in front of me I’ll brighten up and it will be go time.

Nonetheless I’d just like to take a few moments to thank everyone who routinely stops by TG.com on a daily basis and who also offer their continued support by “Liking” and sharing my posts.

This site continues to grow and it’s only because of you* and your support that that’s the case. Next stop world domination.  Just kidding.

But seriously, I’m looking at you Canada!

THANK YOU and Happy 2014!!!!

Kettlebell Lateral Lunge w/ Pulse – While I think it bodes it most peoples favor to master the sagittal plane first before venturing out into the frontal and transverse planes with their exercises, at the same time I feel a lot of people are stuck in their comfort zones and NEVER do anything outside of the sagittal plane.

This is an excellent exercise which not only works on adductor length but includes a killer anterior core component as well.

Off-Bench Oblique Hold w/ Pulse – Here’s another exercise which takes the “pulse” component and runs with it.  This is an exercise that we’ve been using at CP quite bit as of late.

1-Arm Perpendicular Landmine Row Meadow’s Row – This exercise as grown to be one of my favorite single arm rowing movements.  So badass.

Supine Band Pallof (Belly) Press – This was an exercise I only just recently added into the arsenal, and it’s already become a fan favorite at Cressey Performance.

Turkish Get-Up: Roll to Elbow Conundrum – This isn’t so much an “exercise” as it is a technique to help clean up one of the most butchered components of the turkish get-up.

* = I’d like to say it’s my good looks and charm, but we all know that’s a bold face lie. Except for the charm part. I’m very charming.

Hey, have you been working out???

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Rocked Back Adductor Stretch w/ Extension-Rotation

So I have to assume that for many people reading my site today one of two things is happening:

1.  You’re recovering from the chocolate and/or peanut butter fudge* induced insulin coma you put yourself into yesterday. Was that 11th piece of fudge really necessary?

Yes, yes it was….;o)

Or

2.  You’re covertly folding the hideous homemade “whatever it is” you received as a present – along with a few pair of the 47 pairs of socks you received – and placing them into the “donate” pile for the Salvation Army.

Don’t worry, I won’t judge.

In any case it’s my hope that everyone reading had a joyous and wonderful few days spending time with their families and loved ones.

I for one had an amazing few days off.  On Christmas Eve Lisa and I headed to the local gym near our apartment and killllled it in preparation for our meal later that night at Fogo de Chao.  Here’s a picture Lisa took of me kneeling on the front steps of the restaurant before we walked in.  I’m classy like that.

I won’t go into all the details of Christmas Day, but suffice it to say Lisa and I were like two giddy kids on Christmas morning. At a little past 6 AM (which, technically, is the time we get up anyways on a normal day) the conversation went like this:

Lisa: Pssst, are you awake?

Me: Yeah.

Lisa: OMG, I want to open my stocking.

Me:  NINTENDO 64!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Lisa and I are both in our mid to late 30s, and yes, we were both excited to get up at the crack of dawn and see what Santa brought us.

And not for nothing, the coolest (and funniest) present I got was a Wampa Claw ice-scraper!

For those not geeky enough to know what a Wampa is:  1) I feel sorry for you. and 2) I suggest you watch The Empire Strikes Back. Gosh!!!!

As is the case every year……..it goes by way too fast.  It’s back to reality today.

I figured I’d ease my way back into my normal routine today and introduce a new exercise that you may or may not be doing.

Rocked Back Adductor Stretch w/ Extension-Rotation

Who Did I Steal It From:  Eric Cressey, actually.  He came into the facility a few days ago and mentioned to all of us how he was “toying around” with a few things the day prior – this is what Eric does in his free time – and he came up with this doozy.

What Does It Do: It kills a few birds with one stone.  For starters it bears a close resemblance to the regular ol’ quadruped extension-rotation, but with this variation we’re able to work on adductor length.

Of note, in the rocked back position, we take the lower back out of the equation so-to-speak, which makes it less likely someone can compensate through that area.

And, of course, this is also an excellent drill that works on thoracic mobility.

Key Coaching Cues:  I think this one is pretty self explanatory – it’s not like we’re trying to cure cancer or solve an advanced algorithm or anything.

Simply kneel down, brace your abs, try not to place yourself in too much extension and then rotate on one side following your hand with your eyes.

I will say, though, that for those who do tend to live in a little more extension it may be more beneficial to kneel down onto the forearms to help flatten out the back a bit more (I actually demonstrate this in the video).

This drill is more or less something I’d include as part of a warm-up, but it can just as easily be included as a filler in between sets of deadlifts or squats or nunchuck training.  I tend to stick to sets of 5-6 repetitions per side.

Give it a try today and let me know what you think!

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Supine Pallof (Belly) Press

I can hear the cacophony of groans now.  Agaaaaaaaaaain?  What the what Tony……another Pallof Press variation?

Yeah, sorry.  But this one is really cool.

And in case anyone reading right now is new to the site (welcome!) and has no idea what a Pallof Press even is – THIS should help get you squared away.

Oh, and on a completely random and un-related note I wanted to offhandedly share an article that I “stole” from Neghar Fonooni’s Facebook page titled UGGs and Their UGGly.  You can check it out HERE (it’s a short read), and if you’re like me you’re going to be really shocked and appalled by it.  Sorry to play the Debbie Downer card on a Monday morning, but I felt it was something should deserved to be shared.

Okay, lets get down to business.

Supine Pallof (Belly) Press

And yes, that’s me rocking a lumberjack beard like a boss.

Who Did I Steal it From:  I got this badboy from Providence based strength-coach Sean St. Onge who was at Cressey Performance this past weekend for what turned out to be a half coaching session/half shooting the shit type of scenario.

He stopped by to get some coaching and what ended up happening was the two of us exchanging a bunch of ideas, insights, and Predator handshakes.

What Does It Do: Supine is Latin for “doing cool shit on your back” and Pallof is the name of the Boston-based physical therapist – John Pallof – from which the exercise has been attributed to.

Since I’ve done it numerous times before I’m not going to sit here and beat a dead horse and regurgitate all the benefits of a Pallof Press. Besides you can click on the link above!  Suffice it to say, though, the Pallof Press (and all it’s variations) is a fantastic way to train the entire core in an anti-rotation/rotary fashion.

In this sense because you’re utilizing a cable pulley system (or band) and setting yourself up away from the anchor, this is the epitome of core stabilization and you’re forcing the internal/external obliques, as well as the rectus abdominus to fire on all cylinders. Too, I find this is one of my “go to” core exercises that’s fairly user friendly and doesn’t require any special equipment.

What’s great about this particular variation, and something that Sean nailed home, is that because you’re on your back this drill will cement the “ribs down” cue that’s been all the rage as of late – and rightfully so!  As Sean noted, “keeping your ribs down when performing this exercise – as well as others like plank variations, floor chest presses, and pullovers – simply increases the likelihood of keeping your lumbar spine loaded (glued) into the floor and less likely to hyperextend.

In addition, with this variation the glutes come into play to a high(er) degree in that they too have to fire like no one’s business in order to help keep the spine glued to the floor, as well as encourage a bit more posterior pelvic tilt.

Key Coaching Cues:  To a degree this one is self-explanatory, but some attention has to be paid to the details. You’re going to grab the handle of the pulley (or band) and lie on your back – heels to butt – and then try ti ensure that you brace your abs, squeeze your glutes, and attempt to cue yourself to keep the rib cage down.

I’ve used this visual in the past to better explain things, and it seems to work:  envision an imaginary line from your nipple line to your belly button.  Don’t let that line get longer.  There you go.  You’re a rock star.

From there you’ll went to tuck your chin and take a deep breath in through your nose trying to elicit more of a 360 degree expansion into your belly as well as the the rib cage (both should rise, and that imaginary line is still in tact) – albeit still keeping your lumbar spine pinned to the floor.

Then you’ll simply “press” the handle or band straight up away from your body, while exhaling your air…..all the while RESISTING the pull of the weight or tension, as well as maintaining spinal position against the floor and keeping the glutes engaged.

If this is easy, an obvious way to make it more challenging would be to move further away from the anchor.

I like to keep the reps in the 6-10 rep/side range, shooting for 3-4 total sets.

Give them a try today and let me know what you think!

 

CategoriesExercise Technique Exercises You Should Be Doing Rehab/Prehab

Deadbugs: The What, Why, and How

I know what some of you may be thinking:  “Really, Tony, a post on deadbugs?  What’s next….telling us how much you love Twilight or that you’re adopting another cat?  You haven’t gone soft on us now have you?”

<—– LOL, get it??  I actually put a picture of a “dead bug” here, when I’m actually just referring to the exercise.  High five!

Full confession time.  Okay, I admit it: back in 2008 I read the first Twilight book.  But only because I wanted to see what all the hoopla was about and see for myself why so many people were going bat shit crazy over it.

Well that, and it was a dark period in my life. I was single at the time and was going through some existential phase where I was trying to figure out what everything means.  Vampires wasn’t the answer.

I read it, didn’t care for it, and moved on with my life.

As far as the cat thing.  I plead the 5th…..;o)

With regards to deadbugs, however, in many ways I feel they get a bad rap and that they’re one of the more UNDERrated core exercises out there.  Perhaps a more apropos way to explain things would be that deadbugs are almost universally seen as a “sissy” exercise and a waste of time by many trainees, meatheads, and athletes alike.

I couldn’t disagree more.

I was recently asked by MensHealth.com to provide a “hot list” of some of my favorite go to core exercise that I either use with my athletes and clients, or that I pepper into my own training as well.

While I offered the prerequisite favs like Pallof press variations, stir-the-pot, and carry variations, I purposely OMITTED deadbugs for a few reasons:

1.  I didn’t want the incessant eye rolling pointed in my direction.

2.  Despite their perceived “easiness,” deadbugs are actually an exercise that are absolutely butchered by, well, everybody.

3.  As such, I took the greedy way out, held back, and decided to keep deadbugs to myself and dedicate an entire post on them in an effort to persuade everyone reading that they’re the bees knees (and that they should take the time to pay a little more attention to detail).

Getting the obvious out of the way:  deadbugs are an exercise that, for all intents and purposes, help with motor control and can be seen as a “baseline” exercise to ascertain whether or not someone has any glowing imbalances that need to be addressed.

Let me explain.

While it’s fairly common in the athletic realm, more and more we’re seeing people in the meathead/weekend warrior or what I like to call the “I like to lift heavy things category” present with an overextended posture or anterior pelvic tilt.

While this isn’t necessary anything to write home about – there IS a “range” of acceptable anterior pelvic tilt – it does become problematic when it’s excessive and otherwise leads to other imbalances up and down the kinetic chain.

For starters, those in excessive anterior pelvic tilt will almost always have extension based back pain – where the facet joints, posterior discs, etc are placed in an ungodly amount of stress which can manifest into more profound issues like spondylosis (end plate fracture) down the road.

Mike Robertson has a cool term for this called Flawed Active Stability – whereupon you’re cueing the body to engage the paraspinals and spinal erectors, effectively crushing the spine, in an effort to gain stability.

What’s more, in general, because of the misalignment associated with APT, it’s not uncommon for people to experience chronic pulled hamstrings, anterior knee pain, hip pain, and a myriad of other issues.

All of this to say: it just plain sucks donkey balls and can really mess with one’s training in the long run if not addressed or at least kept under wraps.

But again, I’m just stating the obvious.

Do Your Deadbugs, Yo!

Deadbugs are a fantastic way to teach the body to “encourage” more posterior pelvic tilt while simultaneously enhancing motor control and to engage the lumbo-pelvic-hip stabilizers to do their job.

As note above, most people flat out do a piss poor job when it comes to performing deadbugs correctly.  Here’s a great example.

Upon first glance those don’t look too shabby, right?  Offhand those look pretty good.  But with a closer look we can definitely comb through some common technique flaws that many should be able to appreciate.

1.  Before anyone makes fun of me for tucking my t-shirt into my sweatpants, just know that I did it for a reason. Which was to show how most people perform their deadbugs:  with an excessive arch in their lower back and with their rib cage flared out.

Well that and we had people visiting the facility from Australia yesterday and I didn’t want to make things awkward by walking around with my shirt off.

Admittedly, it’s still hard to see in the video above, but if you were in the video with me (oh, hey, hello!) you would easily be able to fit your hand in between the floor and my lumbar spine.  This shouldn’t happen and essentially defeats the purpose of the entire exercise.

And this is why I tend to lean more towards deadbugs from the get go – rather than birddogs – because the floor provides more stability and kinesthetic feedback to the body.

2. Another mistake is that people tend to rush this exercise.  Many will just haphazardly flail their arms and legs around hightailing it through the set.  While we could make a case that extending the arms and legs may be too much of a progression and we need to REGRESS the exercise – read THIS for more ideas – much of the time it just comes down to slowing people down.

All that said, lets take a look at what PROPER deadbug should look like.

I know it doesn’t look much different than the first video, but I assure you there’s a lot to consider.

1.  My shirt’s still tucked in.

2.  My lower back is flush against the floor – and I’m encouraging more posterior pelvic tilt.

3.  Moreover I’m also taking a massive breath and inhaling THROUGH MY NOSE to focus more on a 360 degree expansion into my torso.  In other words:  I’m not just breathing into my stomach, but also trying to expand sideways and INTO the floor as well as my ribcage (but without allowing it to flare out too much).

4.  From there I lower contralateral limbs – controlled, in an effort to resist extension – while FORCEFULLY exhaling my air through my mouth.  I do this until ALL my air is out.

By doing this a few things happen (and I apologize in advance for all the enumerations in this post):

1. I slow myself down.

2. The diaphragm is better engaged.

3.  Many don’t think of this part, but with all my air exhaled out, I now have nothing to help stabilize my spine except the muscles themselves.

It’s not uncommon for people to literally start shaking as they proceed with their set. This is okay – so long as you maintain proper spinal position – as it just demonstrates that the muscles in the surrounding area are now doing their job more efficiently.

I’ll typically shoot for 2-3 sets of 5-8 repetitions PER SIDE.

And there you have it.  It’s nothing flashy or Earth shattering, but I guarantee that if you go a head and try to perform your deadbugs in this fashion you’ll notice how much MORE challenging they can be, and they’re anything but a sissy exercise.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

 

 

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: DB Goblet Lateral Lunge – from Deficit

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these so I figured today would be as good of a day as any to give you something new to try at the gym today.

Well there’s that, and today’s my first day back at CP in like six days and I have approximately somewhere between a crap-load and metric shit-ton of programs to catch up on and write.

So, needless to say I have my hands full this morning.

DB Goblet Lateral Lunge – from Deficit

Who Did I Steal It From:  I didn’t have to look too far for this one, as I witnessed fellow CP-coach, Greg Robins, implementing this one with one of our pro-baseball guys the other day.

And when I saw it I couldn’t help but think to myself, “huh, I’m a complete moron for never thinking of that myself.”

What Does It Do: It’s no secret that we incorporate our fair share of single leg work at the facility in all shapes and sizes……..and directions.

The lateral lunge is definitely nothing revolutionary, but it’s a variation that many people neglect to utilize, which is unfortunate since it’s a great option to train more in the frontal plane.

Adding the deficit – in the form of a stepper or mats piled up on one another, or a person (kidding) – just serves as a way to make it more challenging and to help increase the ROM for those who may need it.

Key Coaching Cues: It’s pretty self-explanatory, so I won’t belabor any minute talking points here.  However, I will say that it’s important to make certain that when you do lunge laterally that you SIT BACK into the landing hip.  Ideally I like to see the heel stay on the ground, and while the knee will translate forward slightly, you should try to keep as much of a vertical shin angle as possible.

Something else to consider:  yes, you can hold DBs in each hand, but for those who present with a more depressed shoulder girdle (and live in extension), it may be more advantageous to perform this exercise as shown (holding the DB as a Goblet) so as not to feed into the dysfunction.

Just something to think about.

I like to shoot for 6-8 reps per side.  Give them a try and let me know what you think!

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Side Plank

OMG – I’m getting soooo excited I can’t stand it.  T-minus 24 hours until the Boston Workshop kicks into high-gear.  Dean Somerset  is on his way from Canada, and a lot of the attendees are making their way to the facility today to hang out and to listen to our “guest” mystery speaker at 3:30.

I don’t want to give too much away but it just so happens the guest speaker’s name appears in the facility title “Cressey Performance.”

GODDAMIT!!!!  Why didn’t we name it Batman Performance or Kate Beckinsale Performance?

Anyways, in keeping with the theme that I don’t have much time to write extensive blogs this week, here’s a new Exercise You Should Be Doing:

Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Side Plank

Who Did I Steal It From:  Actually, this bad boy was the brainchild of current CP intern, former division I athlete, and stir-the-pot master (watch the entire video, trust me), Kiefer Lammi.

What Does It Do:  This is a fantastic exercise to up the ante on making the side plank more challenging which, no surprise, falls into the “spinal and core endurance/stability” spectrum.

In addition, with the added KB component, this is a superb way to train scapular stability as well as you really have to fight like a son-of-a-bitch not to allow the KB to move or to come crashing down and crushing your skull.

Key Coaching Cues:  Part of the battle is just getting into the initial position, so I’d play the conservative card and use a light(er) KB to start with.

Grip the handle as hard as you can and then extend your arm so that your body makes a pseudo “T.”

Try to “pack” the shoulder and set the scapulae in place.

As is the case with any side plank variation, the objective is to keep the body in a straight line with a little movement as possible.  Make sure your hips are forward (squeeze the glutes), and that your chin is tucked (no forward head posture).

From there hold for a 15-20s count and perform the exact same thing on the other side.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!