I remember a few years back when I was still coaching at Cressey Sports Performance another trainer who was there observing for the day walked up to make casual conversation and to ask a question he wanted my opinion on.
Him: “Hey Tony.”
Me: “Hey, what’s up?
Him:“Oh, not much. Say, I noticed pretty much everyone here only deadlifts using the trap bar.”
Me:“Indeed. We don’t feel the majority of people need to use the straight bar or anything. It’s a risk-reward scenario where we feel the risk isn’t worth any inherent (ego) reward.”
Him:“Huh, but don’t you feel you’re feeding dysfunction or that they’re cheating by using the trap bar only?”
And by that what I mean is that it took every ounce of willpower for my eyeballs not to roll out of their sockets.
Let me address each point separately.
“Do I feel I’m feeding dysfunction?”
Due to improved mechanics with regards to the center of mass (you’re inside the barbell) and axis of rotation (hips closer), the trap-bar deadlift is a safer, more user-friendly variation.
A deadlift is a deadlift is a deadlift.
So long as someone hinges at their hips, maintains a neutral spine, and then proceeds to lift something off the ground from a DEAD stop, I don’t care if it’s a barbell, a trap bar, or a Volkswagon.
My job as a coach is to do the best I can to “match” an exercise to the injury history, ability level, and goal(s) of the individual I’m working with.
Almost always the trap-bar is going to be the best option in terms of not only performance, but safety as well.
“Do you feel they’re cheating?”
Nope.
Unless you’re a competitive powerlifter or weightlifter, you don’t HAVE to use a straight bar. It’s not cheating.
Recently the indelible, delightful, and impressive Meghan Callaway and I collaborated on a series where we each shared four innovative exercises for both the hip flexors and adductors.1
As far as duos go, we rank somewhere in between peanut butter & jelly and Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga.
Check em out.
You Won’t Believe Your Eyes
#1 Isometric Copenhagen Side Plank + Band Resisted Psoas Marches
This exercise strengthens the adductors and hip flexors, improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular stability.
Meghan’s Coaching Tips:
Place a resistance band around your feet.
Fully extend your upper leg, and place your ankle and foot of this side on an elevated surface.
IMPORTANT: If this position bothers your knee/any other part of your body, opt for the bent leg variation (your knee should be bent to 90 degrees, and your knee, lower leg and foot should be on the surface). If you do this, the band will need to be placed above your knees.
Get into a side plank position from your forearm, and set your body so it is in a straight line from your head to foot. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise.
Your shoulder should be above your elbow.
Now use your adductors and press your body away from the surface and towards the ceiling. Do this for the duration of the exercise.
Perform psoas marches on your other side.
Pay attention to your supporting arm. Push away from the floor and protract your shoulder blade (move it away from the spine and around the ribcage).
Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hips to pike or collapse.
Aside from your moving leg, the rest of your body should remain in a fixed position.
Maintain a 360 degree brace. In terms of breathing, do what works best for you.
Do 8-12 marches per side
#2 Copenhagen Side Plank Tempos
This exercise strengthens the adductors, improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular stability.
Tony’s Coaching Tips:
Fully extend your upper leg, and place your ankle and foot of this side on an elevated surface.
IMPORTANT: If this position bothers your knee or any other part of your body, opt for the bent leg variation (your knee should be bent to 90 degrees, and your knee, lower leg and foot should be on the surface). If you do this, the band will need to be placed above your knees versus around your feet.
Assume a side plank position making sure your elbow is directly below your shoulder. From there push away from the floor so that you’re not “hanging out” on your upper traps (and to better support your shoulder blades).
Think about pressing your top foot (the one on the elevated surface) INTO said surface and think about PULLING your lower leg up from the floor via the top leg. Your body should remain in a straight line throughout – no deviating via your lower back or slouching forward with the shoulders and upper back.
The key here is the tempo.
THREE second count up and THREE second count down with EVERY rep.
This is an exercise that can easily be butchered and adding in a strict tempo helps to increase the challenge and to ensure the muscles we want to engage (adductors) actually do the work.
#3 Towel Adductor Slides aka “Thighmaster”
This exercise strengthens the adductors and improves hip controlled mobility.
Meghan’s Coaching Tips:
Kneel on two towels (you may place a pillow on each towel if this is more comfortable). Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
Now slowly slide your knees apart, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form (and where it feels comfortable).
Once you hit your end range, really squeeze your inner thighs (adductors), and return your legs to the starting position.
Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or weight to shift from knee to knee.
Maintain a 360 degree brace.
In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
#4 Lateral Lunges With Plate Slides
This exercise strengthens the adductors – bilaterally (<– Cue emphatic & dramatic music here).
Tony’s Coaching Tips:
A quick shout out to friend and colleague @vernongriffith4 for this brilliant idea.
Place a light plate on the inside of your LEFT foot, grab a kettlebell or dumbbell in your left hand and step laterally to right making sure to sit BACK into your RIGHT hip. Return to the standing position by “pulling” or gliding the plate with your left foot.
Repeat for 5-8 repetitions per direction.
#5 Prone Band Resisted Psoas Marches With Feet Elevated
This exercise strengthens the hip flexors, improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular stability.
Meghan’s Coaching Tips:
Place a resistance band around your feet.
Get into a plank position from your hands and feet, and elevate your feet on a wall or other surface. Your body should be roughly parallel to the floor.
Place your hands so they are well ahead of your shoulders.
While remaining in the plank position, lift one foot off the wall and bring your knee in towards your torso. Return your leg and foot to the starting position with control, and repeat using the other side.
For the duration of the exercise, press your body away from the floor and protract your shoulder blades. Also, press your body backwards against the wall. Otherwise your feet will likely slide down the surface.
For the duration, engage your glute on the side(s) that is in contact with the surface.
Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hips to pike or collapse.
Maintain a 360 degree brace. In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Do 3 sets of 6-10 marches per side.
#6 Core Engaged Ludicrous Deadbug
This exercise strengthens many things: your hip flexors, abdominals, glutes, lumbo-pelvic stability, your soul, everything.
Tony’s Coaching Tips:
Loop a band around an immoveable object: pole, squat rack, etc. Place a small mini-band around both feet and situate yourself so that your shoulders are on a bench and your heels are on another bench/box/chair a few feet away with the looped band over your head.
Next, perform a glute bridge, grab the band above your heads with both hands, and pull taught with arms straight until you have max (or ludicrous tension) in your abdominals.
While maintaining the glute bridge (don’t allow your hips to deviate position), press one heel into the bench as you bring one knee towards your chest against the resistance of the band while forcefully exhaling ALL your air.
Do not allow the tension from the band in your hands to diminish.
Lowering your leg back to the bench and repeat the same process of FIVE reps, making sure to exhale ALL your air every rep.
NOTE: You can regress this exercise to be performed on the floor only.
#7) Straight Leg Lifts (Lateral And Medial)
This exercise strengthens the hip flexors, improves hip controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability. You may use any items you have at home. I’m using some Lysol spray.
Meghan’s Coaching Tips:
Sit on the floor. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position. Fully extend both of your knees, and plantarflex your feet (point them away from you).
While keeping your knees fully extended, ankles in a fixed position, and feet plantarflexed, lift your legs over the objects in a lateral direction, and then back to the starting position.
Do not allow your legs or feet to strike the objects, or for your legs or feet to strike the floor.
Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or weight to shift from hip to hip. Some minor spinal flexion is ok.
Maintain a 360 degree brace.
In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
This exercise strengthens the hip flexors and abdominals and basically “locks” you into place so you can’t cheat with your lower back.
Tony’s Coaching Tips:
To give credit where it’s due: I stole this exercise from friend and colleague @dougivsc. The hip flexors can be both simultaneously tight and weak and endless stretching is NOT the answer. It actually (may) be feeding the symptoms.
Grab a foam roller, a light or average band, and a tennis ball. Wrap the band around a pair of J-hooks in a squat rack so that they match the length of the foam roller from the ground.
Sit down underneath the band with your legs in a V-shape and your torso as upright as possible; place a tennis balls to the side of your ankle.
With the foam roller upright and just in front of you press it UP into the band. Oh shit, that’s a lot of tension!
That’s good – it’ll make it harder for you to cheat.
Maintain tension INTO the band with the foam roller, lift your foot off the floor and “lift off” over the tennis ball alternating over and back for 8-10 reps per direction.
You ever head to the gym, get there, and then all you want to do is leave?
No matter how hard you try you just can’t muster the mojo to get going and preserver through a training session.
I had one of those days yesterday, actually.
I stayed and swallowed a somewhat decent session down, but I definitely veered off my program and just opted to perform some random exercises that filled my training love tank that day.2
In today’s guest post by TG.com regular, Shane McLean, he shares some ideas you can implement when you just need a slight change of pace on any given day.
Years ago, my son was getting a cavity filled. Let’s face it, nobody likes going to the dentist and getting those big needles stuck into your mouth.
It sucks.
My son’s first shot didn’t take, and needed a second one to numb the pain.
Then the water works started. Who can blame him? Those needles are scary.
The dental nurse had no bedside manner plus no clue on how to turn the water works off, so I had to think fast.
“Hey, do you realize your bottom lip is so fat the astronauts in space can see it,” I said.
“What are you talking about, Dad? It’s not fat!”
“Feel it. It’s huge,” I said. He smiled, touched his lip and the crying stopped. Problem solved.
You’re thinking, “What the heck has this got to do with exercise?”
Let me explain.
Sometimes you are sore, tired, or uninspired and the last thing you want to do is knock out sets of deadlifts, squats, and overhead presses. The trick (when feeling meh) is to exercise without realizing it.
Hence, the art of distraction training.
I find the best way to achieve distraction is through game play, plus a little friendly competition because you can have fun while exercising, even if you have goals.
Plug the following drills into your warmup or as a substitute for any exercise you have planned. You’ll be sweating and smiling in no time.
NOTE: These ‘games’ work well in a personal training and group exercise setting too.
1. Balloon Tennis (Not Just a Kid’s Game)
This is a great substitute for planks, pushups, or shoulder work, and it’s simple and easy to play.
Set Up – For your “net” you need three step up risers on either side, a body bar, space, plus a blown-up balloon.
Rules – Imagine a straight line down from the edge of your risers. That is your boundary.
Now you and your partner assume a pushup position with feet wider than hip width apart and set up within arms distance from the net.
“Serve” the balloon over the net and bat it back and forth over the net until
The balloon lands out
The balloon touches the ground
You or your opponent lose the plank position
All the above results in a point.
First to 5 points wins. You’ll be surprised at how much this drives up your heart rate.
2. Reaction Ball Squash
This is a great drill to get you moving in all directions quickly while improving your hand to eye coordination. Play this on the squash or racquetball court. Think of it as squash without a racquet.
Set Up – The server serves from inside the service box while the receiver stands anywhere within his or her service half.
Rules – Once the ball has been thrown against the far wall and bounces once, it is fair game. If the ball is dropped, missed, or has bounced twice this results in:
If the server wins, he wins the point and the right to serve again.
If the receiver catches the ball, he wins the right to serve.
Only the server wins a point.
The first person to 10 points wins.
3. Core War
This is a fantastic drill that I “stole” from PTA Global. Core war works on the anterior, posterior, and lateral core while challenging balance. This drill will improve hand-to-eye coordination and quickness.
Set up– Face each other with 1-2-foot distance between each other. Place your hands to shoulder height, elbow bent and palms facing towards your opponent.
Rules– Each person is trying to slap the others hand while avoiding being slapped. You can do this for time for warm up purposes PLUS each partner can keep score. First to 5, 10 or 15 slaps wins.
To make things interesting, the winner can decide a “punishment” for the loser.
4. Stability Ball Wrestle
I know some fitness professionals debate the use of stability balls and Bosu balls in a gym environment. Even some have taken their anger to extreme levels.
Note From TG: It was a dark time in my life.
However, I see them as another tool in the toolbox.
Stability ball wrestle can be used in place of single leg or balance exercises. You’ll be too busy trying to knock each other off balance you’ll never realize (and workout partner) you are training your ankle stability, mobility, and balance.
Set Up – Standing in front of the stability ball put your right foot on top of the ball making sure your right knee is bent 90 degrees. Your partner who is directly across from you on the other side puts their left foot on the same ball, right beside your foot. Your other foot is flat on the ground, This is your stabilizing leg.
Rules – You are both trying to knock your opponent’s foot off the stability ball by rolling the ball aggressively with the foot on the ball. There is no kicking, just pushing the ball any way possible to knock your opponent’s foot off the ball. Person whose foot stays on the ball wins the point.
This can be done as a timed warmup, for 30 seconds on each foot. Or turn this into a friendly competition. Every time some loses his balance it results in a point for the opponent.
First to 5 or 10 points wins.
5. The Boxer
Use this in place of any chest or shoulder exercise. This drill will work on power, muscular endurance, and hand-to-eye coordination. Think of it as a fun band chest press.
Set Up – Use a resistance band with handles looped around a solid anchor point and bring hands to shoulder level with the resistance band under and not over your arms. Your partner puts his or her hands up, open palms facing forward and away from their face.
Rules – You hit the open palm (with a clenched fist), one hand at a time. Your partner can change his hand position up, down, or left and right to increase the challenge.
You can do this for time and record the amount of hits or use it as an upper body finisher, using a timed interval of your choice.
Wrapping Up
These five games can be integrated into any training session to turn the tedious part of your workout into something fun that can help improve your performance too. Let’s put some fun back into exercise.
About The Author
Shane “Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Louisiana with the gators.
I want to make something crystal clear before I proceed:
Exercise – I.e., lifting weights in particular – should have a degree of sucktitude attached to it.
No one became a brick shit house in the gym or built an impressive physique without pushing their body to the limits on a consistent basis. I’m often flummoxed by people who, when I post a video of myself or one of my clients doing something badass, will sometimes chime in with something to the effect of “oh, you better be careful. Such and such exercise causes too much stress on the body.”
I can’t help but think to myself: “Um, that’s kinda the point of exercise isn’t it?…
…to stress the body and force it to adapt?”
It’s a narrow-minded and boneheaded take if you ask me.
That being said, I do feel there’s a distinct difference between working hard and (always) striving to make exercise harder.
The easiest way for me to explain my train of thought here is to use a real-world example.
I have a client I started working with a few months ago. She’s a trainer herself, actually, and is no stranger to being a gym-rat, getting after it, and satiating her inner-meathead.
She reached out to me because she had been training on her own for several years and was sorta “stuck” in her progress. Namely she wanted someone to audit her technique with the barbell lifts (squat, deadlift, bench) in addition to having someone take over the mental gymnastics that’s often a side-effect of writing your own programs.
I can totally relate (even coaches need coaches).
As is the case with every client I work with there’s always a window where the two parties are kinda feeling each other out and getting the lay of the land. On my end I’m trying to ascertain how I need to temper my coaching style to better fit the personality, ability level, and needs of the client.
On their end there’s undoubtedly an adjustment to Techno Tuesdays or, I don’t know, maybe even coaching with no pants Thursdays.3
This was no different.
One thing that struck me in our initial sessions together was her proclivity to always want to beat her previous workout. Meaning, if she deadlifted “x” weight the week prior and didn’t surpass that number the following week (or at least attempt to) she’d be disappointed.
Now, in a general sense I LOVE this kind of attitude.
I want people to work hard and to push themselves in the weight-room.
A continual, consistent pattern of progressive overload – gradually doing more and more work over the course of weeks, months, years – is the key to long-term progress & success.
It makes my job infinitely easier when someone “gets” this concept. However, it can also be a double-edged sword.
In the case of my client, I got the impression that she was stuck in the trap of constantly testing her strength rather than building it.
More to the point, she was stuck in the trap of trying to always make exercise harder.
But Tony Didn’t You Just Say You WANT Your Clients to Work Hard?
Yes, I did (and do).
But working hard and always making exercise harder are two different things.
To help ruminate my point further I always recall this idea of “80% Workouts” I picked up from strength coach Paul Carter.
In short:
10% of the time you will feel like Leonidas leading his Spartan soldiers to battle and crush your workouts.
10% of the time you will feel like you spent the night in the Sunken Place and your workouts will crush you.
80% of the time you will just show up, get your reps in, and leave.
THAT’s the key.
Those 80% workouts.
The workouts where nothing spectacular happens.
You just exist and do the work.
80% of the time or 8 out of 10 workouts (<— I’m a master in math).
Another way to think about it: You’re still working hard every session, straining, and training with intent…but it’s just not worthy of Instagram.
To that end:
You can still work hard despite having a poor night’s sleep.
You can still work hard despite being injured.
You can still work hard despite having a bad day at work and resisting the urge to throw a stapler into boss’s face.
The point is: Every session (and exercise) doesn’t have to be a ball-breaker or “battle” or leave you with no sensation in the left side of your face in order for you to make progress.
Life gets in the way often and it’s unhelpful to hold ourselves to the impossible standard of breaking personal records every single training session.
It doesn’t always have to be harder.
This is where using other metrics of effort – like Rate of Perceived Exertion or Reps in Reserve – can be useful. For example, lets say you have a client who had a poor night’s sleep the night prior or maybe lost a fist fight to Rambo.
Whatever, they’re in no shape to train at full throttle.4
Instead of hitting that scheduled heavy double with their squats, maybe a better approach would be to have them perform 2-3 sets of squats aiming for 2-3 Reps in Reserve (a concept popularized by strength coach Dr. Mike Israetel).
This way they’re still squatting and hitting a few challenging sets, but not risking injury or further piling on more CNS fatigue that will only continue to accumulate and further derail their training.
Alternatively, you can try this approach (which is something I picked up recently from strength coach Conor Harris):
Week 1: 3×5 @ 70% of 1 Rep Max + one set of as many reps as possible (AMRAP).
If AMRAP >8 reps, go up 5 lbs next session.
If AMRAP 6-8 reps, repeat next session.
If AMRAP <5 reps, go down 5 lbs next session.
This is a healthy compromise because it satisfies my preference of each repetition being (somewhat) fast and crisp, but the AMRAP set also helps satiate the more competitive clients.
First of all, the mere thought of even calling myself something like that invokes an immediate gag reflex. But more to the point I am not nearly creative enough to fall into that camp.
I mean, a true fitness influencer would have used any of the following titles to lure you in:
“187 Goblet Squat Variations That I Made Up on a Wednesday”
“The Keto Guide to Goblet Squats”
“4 Maybe New to You Goblet Squat Variations (You Can Perform With a Chainsaw)”
All that said, I’m a firm believer that training doesn’t always have to be a circus show. Sure, it behooves us to add a little variety and pizzazz into the mix – I.e., chainsaws? blindfolds? unstable surface? chains? a black bear? – but for most people, most of the time, what yields the best results are sticking with exercises that:
Are user friendly and easily reproducible.
Don’t require a bevy of speciality equipment and/or signing a liability waiver to perform.
Provide carryover other than garnering “likes” on social media.
I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m a bit old school and am kinda-sorta set in my ways, but for me and my money, the best exercises are the ones that are monotonously boring.
To that end, since we’re all sequestered and training at home and likely doing all we can to NOT toss our faces into a brick wall from too much monotony, below are a handful of Goblet Squat variations – that, for the record, can be performed with either a kettlebell or dumbbell – I tend to default to with my own programming (and that of my clients/athletes).
1. Goblet Squat w/ Lowering
Let’s be honest: It’s a bicep curl. The “lowering” part is a bicep curl.
However, WHY I like adding in the bicep curl may surprise you.
Rather, I like how it forces you to OWN the bottom position of the squat. I find a lot of trainees tend to “relax” in the hole and either end up losing their spine position or just “hang out” on their passive restraints (ligaments and tendons). With the lowering component the idea is that they have to remain ON throughout the motion.
There’s a bit more of a mind-body connection which I find is beneficial for many.
SIDE NOTE: As you can see, my 3-year old in the background is super impressed.
2. Goblet Squat w/ Pulse
I got this one from Dan John years ago and it’s a sneaky little fucker.
The limiting factor, of course. will be shoulder endurance so err on the side of conservative when selecting a load to use.
That said, the main benefit of this variation is targeting the anterior core. Similar to above, the idea is to OWN the hole and pressing the KB out in front of the body forces you to fire your core to a very high degree.
It also forces a bit of weight shift (back), which allows for a bit of “settling” into the squat to occur. Be PURPOSEFUL with pulse part; it shouldn’t be a quick jolt back and forth.
3. Squat w/ Overhead Press
I’m just going to come right out and say it: This one suuuuuuuuuuuucks.
I picked this one up from Dr. Quinn Henoch of Clinical Athlete a few years ago when listening to him present, and was slapped in the face with intrigue when he mentioned he liked this variation to help with grooving thoracic extension with his athletes.
Once I tried it the lightbulb went off.
Try it.
You’ll get it too.
4. Goblet Kickstand Squat
Also known as a “B-Stance” Squat, all we’re accomplishing here is getting more acquainted with asymmetry and using it to our advantage. I’ve written more on my stance with regards to asymmetry in the past and you can check it out HERE.
TLDR: Asymmetry is normal. You’re going to live.
I like this variation because:
Everyone is a bit different – anthropometically speaking – and for many, experimenting with asymmetrical stances is a splendid way to help make the squat feel more comfortable.
I also view this as “fake single leg training” in that we can overload one limb over the other while not taking balance out of the equation (which can be a limiting factor for some).
If you’re like me you want nothing more than to tell it to stfuuuuuuuuu.
My wife and I were practicing some aggressive quarantining the past several weeks here in Boston, but reached our breaking point.
About a week and a half ago she turns to me and says, and I’m paraphrasing here (but not really): “Fuck this shit, why don’t we drive down to my mom’s place in Florida? At least there we’ll have access to a yard, a swimming pool, and a grandma.”
So we packed our car and made the 21+ hour drive in two days; toddler in tow (he did amazingly well. Thank you The Croods).
We arrived at 4:15 PM yesterday and were in the pool and hot tub by 4:45.
#grandmashouserules.
The Real Reason For This Post (Not That My Travel Shenanigans Aren’t Thrilling to You)
Speaking of the lockdown…
…I’ve actually been spending much of it catching up on some reading. Personally, I’ve been re-reading a bunch of Kurt Vonnegut novels
I just finished both Mother Night and Slaugherhouse-Five (which I haven’t read since 2002).
However, I realize not everyone is a Vonnegut fan and he certainly hasn’t got anything of value to add to the world of online coaching. So it goes.
If you’re looking for a great read while we’re all practicing social distancing, I want to send you a free paperback book.
It’s pretty obvious that online training is going to grow huge as trainers and gyms adjust to our new reality. But there’s always a lot of uncertainty when we’re changing how we approach our career as fit pros. You can remove that uncertainty today—by ordering this simple step-by-step guide from my friend Jonathan Goodman, founder of the Online Trainer Academy and master of the digital fitness market.
Not only that, but this guide—with over 25,000 copies already in print that sells for $19.99 on Amazon—can be yours FREE today.
(and when you order, you’ll get the audiobook and Ebook free as well!)
If you…
are just starting out online
are struggling to grow your online coaching business
have a PASSION for fitness or nutrition, but don’t know how this online thing works
want to build an unbreakable fitness/nutrition business that will THRIVE even in turbulent times
Then the Wealthy Fit Pro’s Guide to Online Training can help you.
Here’s a snippet of what you’ll learn:
-How to choose your online fitness business model (pg. 13) -How to identify and market to your ideal client (pg. 51) -Savvy PRICING and PACKAGING strategies, so you get paid what you’re worth (pg. 67).
-How building a set of pecs that can cut diamonds will yield more client retention (pg. I’m just kidding). -Smart client onboarding and remote assessment techniques (pg. 85) -The tech you need to DELIVER WORLD CLASS RESULTS (p.103)
There’s no one in the industry I trust more than Jonathan on the topic of online coaching. He and his team at the Online Trainer Academy have helped countless fitness professionals scale their businesses and/or build new ones from scratch.
I’ve benefitted myself from their expertise and insights, and I think you can too.
On a scale of 1 to NASCAR they’re not very exciting. They’re not exciting to perform, much less write about. You think I want to sit here and write about push-ups?
I can think of a litany of things I’d rather write about:
Standing in line at the Post Office.
Rugs.
Buying socks.
Attending another kid’s clarinet recital.
Alas, given the pickle we’re all in at the moment (everyone’s training at home with access to minimal equipment) and the tsunami of push-up tutorials and variations making my eyes bleed on social media I felt it prudent to add my quick two-cents on the topic.
As much as I may bellyache on the push-up I’m actually a huge fan.
There’s a bevy of benefits.
They’re one of the more user-friendly exercises out there, require no equipment other than your body, can be easily progressed or regressed depending on the needs and ability level of the person performing them, are gluten free, and, maybe most important of all, have a superb carry-over to both everyday and athletic pursuits.
I’ve been coaching people for 18+ years and I have yet to come across a client/athlete who’s improved their efficacy in performing a push-up and not seeing a noticeable improvement in their ability to execute sexier lifts like squats, deadlifts, you pick.
A push-up done well improves lumbo-pelvic control (canister position or stacked joints) which then helps with force transference which then helps with…E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.
Poor Torso Position:Lower back arching, anterior pelvic tilt (porn star). Thanks to the folks at Mark Fisher Fitness for the porn star analogy.
But this isn’t even the main mistake I want to point out.
Everyone points this one out and I am wowing no one here.
Here’s the One I Wanted to Point Out
Performing them with pants on.
Why?
What’s the benefit of wearing pants?
Tell me.
TELL ME!!
Okay, the REAL Thing I Wanted to Point Out
Another bonafide benefit of the push-up is it’s proclivity to bolster one’s overall shoulder health.
Sometimes (but really almost always) whenever someone comes to CORE to work with me in person due to a shoulder that hates them, I’ll watch him or her perform a push-up and I’ll inevitably see this:
Other than the obligatory game of connect the dots you could play with the “beauty” marks on my back, what do you see?
SPOILER: Two shoulder blades that are glued together.
THIS is the mistake I see most people make. The (in)ability of the shoulder blades to upwardly rotate and move around the ribcage.
The shoulder blades are meant to move. This cementing effect can spell trouble:
Overactive rhomboids, which feeds into scapular downward rotation syndrome.
Ligaments of anterior shoulder capsule become lax and are more prone to injury.
A part of my soul dies.
Instead, what I prefer to see is something like this:
(Kudos to my wife for the Stanley Kubrick’esq camera work).
The subtle “plus,” or protraction (pushing fully away) at the top of the push-up is MONEY for Serratus Anterior activation which then helps nudge the scapula into upward rotation (as well as abduction).
The result is a proper push-up and most likely a pair of shoulders that will feel infinitely better.
Needless to say: 1) I have a potty mouth (#sorrynotsorry) and 2) I’m a firm believer that strength training is not only a wonderful (and often overlooked) way to get people strong(er) – duh! – but also as a means to “correct” or address a perceived dysfunction/road block in movement.6
I work with a lot of individuals who complain of shoulder ouchies, especially as it relates to performing stuff overhead.
There are any number of factors to consider:
Tight lats.
Poor anterior core strength.
Tight pecs.
Wearing blue.
Who knows? Lots of things can run awry.
I think it behooves any coach/trainer to put on their detective’s hat, dig deep(er), and try to ascertain what could be the root cause for someone’s discomfort or pain.
SIDE NOTE: Too, I think it’s important to be careful of scope of practice and not DIAGNOSE anything. Nothing irritates me more – other than people who refer to themselves as an “entrepreneur” or “influencer” – than a personal trainer who thinks he or she is a physical therapist or doctor and attempts to diagnose their clients:
“Ah, yes, I see your left shoulder lacks internal rotation. I think it may be cancer.”
It’s within our wheelhouse to assess movement, of course, and to use that information to help guide programming. But outside of that I implore you to stay within your lane and not get into the habit of diagnosing anything.
Okay, end rant.
Back to why someone’s shoulder hurts.
All of what I mentioned above applies and can definitely be a part of the conversation.
One factor, however, that often gets glanced over is the congruency of the shoulder blades and rib cage.
I.e., Can a concave scapula play nicely together with a convex rib cage?
One way to accomplish this is to give the Serratus Anterior muscle waaaaaaay more attention than we typically give it. The Serratus is a “reaching” muscle and helps the shoulder blade move AROUND the rib cage.
For those who have been incessantly told to keep the shoulder blades “together & back” – which, to be fair, is important to lift heavy things – it can sometimes result in faulty mechanics where they’re more or less cemented in place.
And, shoulder blades that don’t move = no bueno.
Renowned physical therapist, Shirley Sahrmann, popularized the phrase “Scapular Downward Rotation Syndrome” in her book Diagnoses and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes.
Without getting into the wordplay too much, Downward Rotation Syndrome can be the result of a few things, but the main players at play are (generally) overactive/tight Rhomboids, levator scapula, and lats. Symptoms can range anywhere from subsequent glenohumeral compensatory joint motion (joint fraying to tears) and instability to neck pain, and, in extreme cases, thoracic outlet syndrome.
It sounds like some nefarious, end-of-days stuff (and it can be).
However, rest assured the “fix” can be quite accessible.
Anything which allows more reaching (protraction), in addition to better access to rib cage expansion (movement), can be MONEY for many people.
You can see both in action in what’s undoubtedly the most boring video on the internet.
1️⃣ As I press my hands forward I’m thinking about reaching as far out in front of me as possible (I’m not keeping the shoulder blades still).
Hello Serratus. Nice to meet you.
2️⃣ As I progress overhead I’m reaching upward towards the ceiling with my upper traps, staying careful not to cheat via my lower back. Ribs stay down.
Not coincidentally BOTH – Serratus & Upper Traps – play an integral role in scapular upward rotation.
The shoulder blades are designed to move!
If overhead activities hurt it could be because you’ve programmed yourself to keep them in place.
3️⃣ At the top I’m OWNING the position (very important) by adding a breath: INHALE through the nose expanding the rib cage all around. Then a FULL, accentuated, EXHALE to get the ribs down and promote a canister position (rib cage stacked over pelvis).
It’s harder than it looks.
4️⃣ Pants optional.
If you want to aid better overhead motion – or just help people’s shoulders feel better – it’s imperative to get the shoulder blades and ribcage to become BFFs and to OWN better position(s).
Less band external rotation drills and more Serratus activation in concert with positional breathing.
Last week personal trainer, Shane McLean, wrote a guest post for this site titled “4 Mistakes Beginners Make When Starting a Fitness Program (and How to Fix Them).”
When I read it I was like, “goddammit, this is good.” How dare you Shane, HOW DARE YOU, SIR, FOR WRITING SOMETHING SO SIMPLE AND ACTIONABLE AND THEN MAKING ME LOOK BAD ON MY OWN SITE.
YOU’RE RUINING MY LIFE!”
(throws chair through window).
After my tantrum (and explaining to my landlord why a chair was tossed from the 13th floor) I got to thinking: “What about the intermediate lifter? They make mistakes too. A lot of them, in fact. How about an article directed towards them?”
And, most important of all, refers to a kettlebell as a kettleBELL and not kettleBALL
I’d garner a guess that most people reading this site identify as an intermediate lifter. You know, past the point where merely looking at a dumbbell makes you stronger, but not quite to the stage where you’re deadlifting 3x bodyweight or competing at the Arnold Classic.
In short, we could likely make the case that most people will stay in the intermediate category their entire training career. More to the point, I’d make the argument that unless you’re competing at a high-level – whether it’s in powerlifting, bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, Strongman, CrossFit, Hunger Games, etc – and either placing and/or getting paid to do so, you’re an intermediate lifter.
I mean, I still consider myself an intermediate lifter and I started lifting weights when New Kids on the Block were telling us to ‘hang tough.’
I’m such a Danny.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that most intermediate lifters are legit lifters and have a fair amount of experience. It’s just, much like beginners, they have their own set of mistakes they fall prey to as well.
1. Emulating the Programs of Elite Lifters
I get it.
We’re often inspired (or better yet enamored) by what we see our idols doing (or have done) in books or on Instagram and YouTube. It’s hard not to study the likes of Ed Coan, James Fitzgerald, Eddie Hall, Jen Thompson, or Arnold, to name a few, and not want to start a Smolov squat cycle, like this afternoon.
Clearly, if only we followed their programs and what they’re currently doing, the harder and more advanced the better, we’d reap the same result. We’d be the envy of everyone at the gym…
…jacked, diesel, and maybe, just maybe, Tina at the juice bar will actually make eye contact with you.
*fingers crossed*
Unfortunately, things don’t quite work this way. Mirroring what your idols do in the gym is the wrong approach. And, quite frankly, is probably going to get you hurt.
What You Should Do
A better, more cogent, reframe would be to think to yourself:
“I need to follow the program(s) that so and so did when they were a beginner/intermediate lifter. What did (s)he do 5, 10, 15 years ago that allowed them to build their base wide enough to attain a higher peak in order to do what they do now? “
I guarantee it was a program that was very basic and vanilla.
Here’s a simple example of a protocol I use with many of my own clients/athletes. I revolves around the concept of “Inverted Sets,” where you flip-flop sets/reps of a given exercise during the week.
The idea is to increase exposure to QUALITY reps which is a concept I feel gets lost in the weeds with many intermediate lifters. More often than not the mentality is that the only way to progress is to make every workout as hard and challenging as possible.
Stealing a line from Dan John, “easy training is good training.”
2. But Training Still Needs to Be Hard
Serving as nice counterpoint, I love this quote from John Meadows I saw on his Facebook Page recently:
“Stop saying the only way to get bigger is to get stronger!
This is ABSURD.
Getting stronger is awesome and can work…do it!
BUT do you realize that when you get to an advanced stage, and have trained for years, you wont just keep piling up the reps and amount lifted. If you can congrats on benching 2000 lbs or repping 1000 15 times (and having adamantium for connective tissue), cause that’s what will happen.
You will have to find other ways to tax the muscle, for example judicious use of high intensity techniques that some people like to say do no good. So get strong, gain muscle, but realize at some point you are gonna stall and you must now actually think and include other ideas in your plan.
Please stop saying stimulating a muscle is all it needs. No it is not. The daily 3×10 with many reps left in the tank on barbell curls will not give you massive biceps. It’s called a warm-up. You will need to activate, LOAD, and EXHAUST fibers to get the desired affect once you get past the novice stages of training.”
I recognize he was directing his ire towards “advanced lifters,” but I do feel it’s a message that should resonate with intermediates as well.
As much as I’m a fan of not making a habit of training to failure or missing reps incessantly, I do find a lot of trainees fail to make continued progress in the gym if for no other reason than they don’t push themselves.
Ever.
What You Should Do
Strain.
Struggle.
You don’t have to shit your spleen or anything, but get uncomfortable from time to time.
Try this:
On your next bench press session work up to a challenging set of FIVE (meaning, take as many sets as you need to in order to work up to a weight heavy enough where you can’t complete a sixth rep).
Whatever that weight ends up being, drop the load by 10-15% and on your next set or two (or three) perform as many reps as possible (AMRAP).
That sucks.
Or this:
That really sucks.
3. Being Too Strict With Technique
I encourage proper technique with all exercises.
I’m on your side.
Really, I am.
But being too strict with technique – to the point where someone becomes that asshole nun from Game of Thrones and shames everyone within a block radius whenever they see the slightest deviation from perfect form on any exercise – isn’t doing anyone any favors.
Listen, I want my clients (and you) to stay as safe as possible when lifting heavy things. When working with beginners (and holding them accountable with regards to their technique) I am that nun.
Much less assholey, of course, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t adamant they use strict form at all times.
That being said, there comes a point where it behooves everyone to loosen the reigns a bit.
Take the DB row for example.
Now, it’s one thing for someone to look as if they’re having an epileptic seizure – or as if they’re using an industrial strength Shake Weight – when performing the exercise.
It’s another thing altogether for me to permit “some” body english in order to allow progressive overload or time under tension to occur.
The strength curve of the DB Row – as broken down in THIS article by Nick Tumminello – almost guarantees that, at some point, a little shimmying is inevitable.
And it’s okay. The world will continue to spin.
Moreover, it’s important to lean into the fact that as you get strong(er) the more likely it is your body will explore precarious positions when performing compound movements like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, etc.
I’m fine with that.
It serves as a vaccine in a way.
The more small doses of these precarious positions the body is “introduced” to the more likely it’ll be able to defend against them when shit really hits the fan.
All of this to say…
…be relentless and practice good technique. Be a champion of it.
But understand that there will be a small window (say, 5% of the time) where it’s okay to deviate.8
This is a constant battle everyone interested in getting fitter or healthier deals with: You start working out a lot, you get a lot of initial gains in your strength, speed, power, endurance and overall performance, and you think “Wow this is awesome!”
You continue to work out the same way and over time you stop getting results. Or, at the very least, progress takes a major nose dive.
You’ve hit a plateau.
This is one of the hardest things to overcome. Many people give up, stop being as motivated, and try to work harder, but crash and burn, leaving a bad taste in their mouth because they aren’t getting the gains they were before.
Let’s be clear with one thing, reaching peak performance is a marathon not a sprint.
To get past sticking points in your program it will require you to look at your daily actions much more deeply. It will force you to painfully analyze the things you’re really not good at. As long as you can approach this with an open mind of getting better you’ll be able to push through your plateaus.
What follows are the top 5 things I’ve found to be the leading reasons why most people fail at attaining the results they want. Read them over, ponder, let them marinate, and then let’s get to work.
1. You’re Training Too Hard
Believe it or not, there is a such thing as training too hard.
Not that it will always result in “overtraining” but it can and absolutely will result in diminishing rate of returns in the gym.
At a micro level your body can only recover from so much stress on a daily basis and if you consistently go above that threshold every day you’re not going to recover and become stronger. The stronger you become the more likely this can happen.
It’s called the Law of Supercompensation and it helps you to achieve the results that you want.
When you first workout your body becomes weaker, and after you eat, sleep and give you body time to recover you become stronger as an adaption to prevent damage to the body.
Your body literally adapts so you don’t die.
As you continue to ramp up the stimulus of training your body needs more time to recover, or it needs to optimize its ability to recover.
If you fail to allow either to happen the body will stop recovering to baseline and you’ll be in a constant state of fatigue.
Fatigue will mask your true fitness level.
Going into the weeds on this topic with a simple blog post is impossible, but the idea here is to champion RECOVERY. Your results in the gym are directly proportional to how well you allow yourself to recover.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can sit here and wax poetic on the importance of sleep, proper hydration, and ensuring ample calories to support your training but…
…zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Boring.
NOTE: All there are THE most important factors to consider when discussing recovery. I just know most people tend to black out or lose interest when anyone starts to discuss topics.
One of the best ways to ensure ample recovery and to prevent plateaus in the gym is to “lean into” the ebbs and flows of training volume. Some days/weeks should be hard, some days/weeks should be easy, some days/weeks should be right in the middle (what I like to call Goldilocks days), and then, yes, some days should absolutely make you hate your fucking life.
Here’s an excellent video via Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Training outlining the concept:
2. You’re Not Training Hard Enough
This seems to be an obvious one but it’s very common for someone to get stuck into a routine doing the same thing every time they go to the gym, operate at the same level of intensity, and do the same weights every…single…day.
Your body is very good at adapting to what you do on a regular basis and if you continue to do the same thing day in and day out your body will become so efficient at it that, not only will you stop seeing results, but you actually may begin to regress.
Your body needs novel stimuli that it’s not used to, and you need to change the intensity of your workouts on a regular basis.
If you program calls for you to perform an exercise for eight repetitions and when you’re done you could have completed eight more, you’re not training hard enough…
…and you’re likely seeing sub-optimal results.
I always like to tell people you should leave 1-2 reps in the tank after each set. This tends to be a nice compromise because
You’ll ensure good technique with each rep.
You’ll still be lifting an appreciable amount of weight in order to elicit an adaptive response from the body
And lastly, to piggy back from above, you’ll ensure ample recovery between workouts
Figuring out how much weight you should be using can be a bit of a quagmire.
THIS post from Tony should help those of you who need a little direction.
3. You Have Too Many Daily Stressors
Your body recognizes all stressors as the same thing, and when you have too many stressors – good or bad – it will influence your recovery and results.
These stressors can include: working out, a lack of sleep, fighting ninjas, financial stress, friends and significant other, sick kid, your boss is an asshole, and everything and anything in between.
If it feels like the stress is piling up chances are you won’t be recovering very well either.
Maybe taking a day or two off from working out is what’s needed. However, I recognize that for a lot of people heading to the gym on a daily basis IS stress relief. To that end, maybe something like a Bloop, Bloop, Bloop workout is in the cards?
Meditation is lovely idea.
Or, I don’t know, maybe try some yoga.
Try Neghar Fonooni’s Wildfire Yoga (I.e., yoga for meatheads) which provides a plethora of quick 10-20 minutes “yoga flows” that’ll help declutter your mind but also loosen up that pesky piriformis that’s been nagging you for years.
The idea is that you don’t always need go full-boar, DEFCON 1, OMG-this-workout-was-so-awesome-I-can’t-feel-the-right-side-of-my-face.
If daily stress is high, temper your workouts accordingly.
4. You Need to Change the Focus of Your Program
Many people fall victim to this.
Humans are creature of habit and if something worked in the past, it stands to reason it’ll work today, tomorrow, next week, next year, next decade, you get the idea.
Whether it’s strength training, being a cardio bunny, or going on a bodybuilder body part split…
…everything works until it doesn’t work.
The answer to your past problems – when overdone – will be the source of your new issues.
This is why having a basic understanding of periodization and focusing on different qualities of strength and fitness at different times is so important.
This means taking time to have phases where your main focus is strength, or Hypertrophy, or endurance, or power/speed, or just having better movement.
Change the focus of your program so you can be well rounded and avoid plateaus.
Progress feeds more progress.
5. Do More of What You Suck At
Stop always doing what you’re good at or what you’re familiar with.
If you write your own programs you’ll inevitably lean towards those exercises you’re comfortable with and good at. If you’ve always had a straight bar deadlift and a barbell back squat in your program, I have news for you…
…you don’t need either of them to be strong and get awesome results.
The body doesn’t know what a deadlift or a squat is.
All that happens is a stimulus and an adaptation to the stimulus.
If the stimulus is the same all the time, the adaptation will be less and less significant. Change your variations, go from a straight bar deadlift to a trap bar deadlift, use specialty bars, use accommodating resistance with bands and chains, use eccentrics and isometrics in your training.
There’re so many things you can change or tweak in your program; the options are endless!
Here’s a list of things you can change to create a different stimulus and continue to allow your body to make adaptation:
Use eccentric and isometrics to limit mechanical stress and master movement of your lifts
Use chains and bands to overload the top of your lifts, mimic the strength curve, and teach acceleration in your lifts
Use specialty bars to change the lift slightly and work on weaknesses
Change your rest periods
Use unilateral exercises as your main lift (ie, Bulgarian split squats, reverse lunges, single arm presses, etc)
About the Author
Ricky Kompf is the head coach/owner of Kompf Training Systems where we work primarily with team sport athletes like baseball, football, lacrosse and basketball.
He’s also a Head Trainer for a corporation for Bankers Heath Care.
