CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

Rest-Pause Training: What, Why, Who, and How

In the realm of fitness – and particularly strength and conditioning – there’s no shortage of programs to follow.

Moreover, when you factor in all the varying set/rep protocols, rest intervals, tempos, and any other permutations, algorithms, or NASA level geekdom that can come into play when designing a program or general template…..it’s easy to see that the possibilities are endless.

And that’s what I dig so much about this field.

I’ll be the first to admit I have my own biases on what I feel are the most useful, safe, and time efficient protocols to implement for any given goal or task.

Hint: none include the Shake Weight.

At the end of the day there’s really no one BEST way to train someone.  Everything works!

At least for a little while anyways.

Having said that, today I want to discuss – albeit briefly – one of my favorite protocols that I feel leads to amazing results when implemented correctly (and with the right person).

Rest/Pause Training

What Is It:  Opinions may vary, but here’s the nuts and bolts.  Unlike a standard powerlifting routine where one performs low reps (1-3 reps) for several sets with long rest periods in between (typically 3-5 minutes), rest-pause training requires you to take as little as 10-15 second breaks between each set.

Why Use Rest/Pause Training:  That’s a great question.

It’s essentially a fantastic way to increase both training density and training efficiency with the compound movements (think: squat, deadlift, bench, chin-ups) using heavier loads by utilizing shorter rest periods between each rep.  There’s no dilly dallying around, and it’s no wonder that many people who choose to follow this type of training for a training block (or two) get really strong and pack on a decent amount of muscle in no time flat.

Sounds cool, right?

Who Should Use It (and How): Another great question.  And as with anything…..it depends.

I see two trains of thought here:

1. The more accepted (and popular) form of rest/pause training is geared towards those who have more of a  hypertrophy or muscle gaining agenda.  You know:  guys (or girls) who want backs the size of Kansas, pecs that can deflect a tank, and/or tree trunks for legs.

The most widely used variation of rest/pause requires you to perform a set to “failure,” rest about 25-30 seconds, perform another set to failure, rest about 25-30 seconds, and perform a final set to failure.

More often than not it will go something like this:  perform set, rest 15-20s, eek out 2 more reps, rest 15-20s, eek out another 1-2.

I placed “failure” in quotations because there’s a bit of a caveat.  When I say failure in this context I don’t mean “OMG OMG OMG OMG someone help and get this bar off my neck failure.”

Rather, what I really mean is TECHNICAL failure.

That is:  end your set when technique starts to falter and you can no longer perform any reps without the risk of destroying the back of your pants, dismemberment, or putting your life in danger.

2.  You can also view rest/pause training as a hybrid form of cluster training, where you perform 1-3 reps with a specific weight with an emphasis on strength and performance.

I’ve been toying around with this variation for a few months now with my deadlift training, and have seen marked improvements – especially with my speed off the floor (which I have always been miserable at).

I’ll take 70-80% of my 1RM and perform 5-10 singles (sometimes more) with 10-20 seconds rest in between each rep.

If I’m feeling super masochistic, I’ll set a timer for 15-20 minutes and try to get as many “singles” as possible within that time frame – taking the appropriate rest intervals of course.

This…..makes……you……hate……life.

But as I noted above it’s a superb way to increase training density, and with regards to the timed variation, has a pretty significant conditioning component as well.

Moreover, there’s a built in progression in that you can try to beat your rep-record from the previous week.

Taking it step further is a variation I “stole” from strength coach Mike Mahler (which I’m sure he stole from someone else, who probably stole it from Jesus), called modified rest/pause training:

To quote Mike himself:

What you do initially to prepare yourself for modified rest-pause training is to take your three rep max and do ten singles with that weight. Instead of taking only 10-15 seconds between each set, take one-minute breaks between each set.

For most people, this won’t be too difficult and that, of course, is the point. I want you to build a pattern of success with a few relatively easy training sessions to prepare you for the brutal rest pause training sessions to follow. Once you can complete all ten singles with one minute breaks, decrease the breaks to 45 seconds between each set. Keep the weight the same.

Once you can complete all ten sets at 45 seconds, go down to 30 seconds. Once you can do that, go to 15 seconds (even though you’re only resting 15 seconds, you’ll still rack the weight in-between).

Once you’ve completed ten sets with 15 second breaks, increase the weight by 10 pounds and go back to one minute breaks between sets. Work your way down the rest pause ladder again until you’re back to 15-second breaks. At that point, increase the weight again by another 10 pounds.

And I Lied, There’s Actually Three Trains of Thought

3.  While considered a more advanced protocol to follow – and definitely not for the faint of heart – I’ve also incorporated rest/pause training with some beginners I train to help with their technique.

A lot of personal trainers and coaches make the mistake that beginners should use nothing but high(er) rep training to slowly introduce them to loading and to better prepare the joints/tendons/ligaments to the rigors of training.

While I don’t necessarily disagree with that notion – how many times have you seen a beginner dominate his or her technique when performing a set of 10+ rep squats?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.  You’re more likely to see another Fast and Furious movie being made.  I mean, what are they up to now, five?  There’s no way they can keep this thing going.

Oh wait…….

I’m not gonna lie:  that does look pretty sick.

But back to my point – hammering technique is the name of the game when it comes to beginners, and I’ve found that, sometimes, rest/pause training fits the bill nicely here.

You just don’t need to be too aggressive with the loading!!!!!!!

If someone is struggling with technique, instead of having someone perform five continuous reps (which can get ugly really quickly), I’ll have them break down the “set” into five separate singles with 10-20 seconds rest in between.

Now I can have them focus on perfect technique with each rep, but without having fatigue become a determining factor.

And There You Go

Like I said, there are dozens (if not more) of other variations of rest/pause training out there, but hopefully this helped to clarify as to whether or not it would be a good fit for YOU.

This isn’t something that can (or should) be used long-term, but it’s definitely a great way to spice up your training and take your physique and performance to the next level.

CategoriesCorrective Exercise Product Review Program Design Rehab/Prehab Strength Training

Introducing Spinal Health and Core Training

For those familiar, Muscle Imbalances Revealed has slowly engrained itself as one of the more sought after, consistent, and continuously revered fitness product series out there.

Seemingly, every year (give or take a few months) the man and mastermind behind the scenes, Rick Kaselj, is releasing a new version to the masses.

If I had to equate it to anything, it’s basically like the Fast and Furious franchise where we can expect a new(er) and more badass upgrade of some sorts every so often. Except in this case there’s no tricked up cars, high-speed chases, hot chicks (bummer), or cheesy Vin Diesel dialogue (even more of a bummer).

High-octane gear head talk aside, some of you may recall a little trip I took to Canada last summer where I went alllllllllllll the way up to Edmonton to “party” with my Muscle Imbalances Revealed Upper Body alumni Rick Kaselj, Dean Somerset, and Dr. Jeff Cubos.

And by “party” what I really mean is the four of us decided to combine our collective minds, go all Professor X on the world, and set up an epic 2-day seminar all dedicated to a multi-disciplinary approach to core training and keeping spines bullet proof.

We video’d the entire thing in all of our high-definition glory (I even shaved!) and have finally made it available for everyone.

===> Spinal Health and Core Training Seminar <===

Outside of being completely freaked out by the fact that it was still daylight at ten o’clock at night, it was an awesome two days where everyone involved – the presenters as well as the 15+ attendees – had the rare opportunity of learning from four high-quality, uber smart, and unwittingly handsome professionals with varying backgrounds and expertise.

Rick has extensive experience working with and dealing with a wide array of injured clientele, and is a straight up Jedi when it comes to assessment and understanding how to program around injury.

Dean, too, has a plethora of knowledge with regards to rehab, assessment, and working with the general public. He also broke a deadlifting PR that weekend with me just standing in his presence.  True story.

Dr. Jeff is a chiropractor and manual therapist with tons of experience working with elite athletes. His knowledge base with regards to corrective exercise, posture, and the newly minted “it topic” in the industry, breathing patterns, is second to none.

And then, you know, there’s me.

Because I don’t want to leave anyone hanging, I felt it only fair to give a sneak peak into each person’s presentation so that everyone on the fence would have a general idea of the material and topics covered:

Me Discussing Assessment

Dean Discussing Assessment as Well

Dr. Jeff Discussing the Importance of Self Mobilizations Drills

Note:  This is a clip from the actual finalized product!  HD baby!!!!

Rick Discussing Parameters Writing Programs Around Pain

And there you have it!  That should give everyone a sense of what to expect.  And remember, there’s roughly TWELVE hours worth of this stuff – including more “hands-on” lecture, some talk on breathing patterns and how that effects core function as well as posture, exercise technique, programming, and there may even be some shadow puppets thrown in the mix for good measure.

Okay, I’m kidding on that last one. Needless to say there was no stone left un-turned, and I really feel this is something that can (and will) help a lot of trainers and coaches out there stay on top of their game.

And the general public shouldn’t feel left out in the cold either.  This is a very “user friendly” product for all the general fitness enthusiasts who may be reading as well.

I’ll finish by saying that I’m often asked what I feel differentiates the “good” trainers and coaches from the bad ones, and what – if anything – I feel separates the masses.

While I could sit here and come up with some arbitrary rationale as to why bald trainers and coaches are far superior compared to those who are more “follicly” endowed (you know, cause I’m kinda bald), the real truth is that those who tend to be more successful and have a long shelf-life are those who don’t view continuing education as burden, or more to the point……as a “cost.”

I’ve always used the mantra that even if I only learn ONE thing from any DVD or book, and it leads to me picking up ONE client, it essentially paid for itself.

It was a goal of ours to make this product as easily “accessible” as possible (while still being profitable enough to satiate my impending beef jerky addiction).  To that end, Spinal Health and Core Training is on sale NOW (2/12) through this Friday (2/15) for $97 (. Which is a steal given the amount of information provided, and the fact that you’ll see videos of me from when I had hair.  I mean come on: That’s worth the price alone.

After this week the price climbs to it’s regular price of $197. So get it while the gettin is good….;o)

===> Spinal Health and Core Training <===

CategoriesCorrective Exercise Program Design Rehab/Prehab Strength Training

5 Reasons Your Shoulder Is Jacked Up and Not Jacked Part I

We work with a lot of overhead athletes at Cressey Performance – in particular baseball players – and it’s no coincidence that we deal with, address, work around, and (hopefully) fix a lot of shoulder issues ranging from the acute like AC joint issues and external/internal impingement to the more “oh shit factor” scenarios like shoulder separations and post surgery situations.

And using the word “acute” in this instance isn’t to downplay things like impingement (as anyone who’s had to deal with a chronic case will think otherwise), but rather it’s just to put things into perspective that some shoulder pathologies take a little more attention to detail and TLC compared to others.

As an example I can’t tell you how many times someone’s walked into the facility complaining of consistent shoulder pain preparing for the worst, only to demonstrate to them that their push-up technique is god-awful.

I didn’t need to resort to bells, whistles, and smoke machines or take a page out of Professor Dumbledore’s Magic Book of Bedazzling Hexes and Awesome Shoulder Remedies (on sale now through Amazon!) to show them how to perform a push-up correctly and to not piss their shoulder off further.

Unfortunately, it’s not always so cut and dry.  For many people out there – average Joe’s and meat heads in particular – living their day to day life with shoulder pain or discomfort is sometimes second nature.  Analogous to riding a bike, putting your left sock on before the right, or reaching for that second cup of coffee. Or fifth, don’t worry I won’t judge.

What’s more, some view it as a proverbial right of passage or badge of honor, as if living with daily pain comes with the territory for those who spend their free time lifting heavy things.

While true, there is some semblance of “risk” involved, and many will undoubtedly have a few bumps and bruises along the way (we’re lifting weights here not doing origami), just “dealing” with pain  and sucking it up isn’t an option in my book.

That said, not many things can derail one’s progress in the gym like a banged up shoulder.  Okay, a Zombie apocalypse or a raging case of explosive diarrhea rank fairly high on the list for sure.  But a nagging shoulder injury bites the big one, too.

Below, while not an exhaustive list, are some of the more common “reasons” why your shoulder may be hating you.

1.  No, Seriously, Your Technique Is Horrible

I won’t beat a dead horse here, but it stands to reason that half the reason your shoulder hurts all the time is because your exercise technique is less than exemplary.

I know, I know:  you’ve been lifting weights since stone washed jeans were considered a cool fashion trend, and there’s no conceivable way you’re doing something incorrectly.

Well, I’m here to tell you otherwise!

Taking the time to actually learn how to perform a push-up correctly or how to bench press correctly – or at the very least tweak things to make them more “shoulder friendly” – will go long ways in keeping your shoulders healthy.

It’s akin to lightly tapping your thumb with a hammer.  While seemingly not a big deal at first, before long, it’s excruciating.

Constantly performing your exercises with shitty technique day after day, week after week, and month after month will eventually lead to some bad things happening.  Namely a shoulder ouchie.

And this goes for rowing variations, too.  You’d be surprised as to how many people butcher these on a day to day basis.

A perfect example would be something as innocuous as a face pull.

* Video courtesy of the one and only Mike Robertson

I was training at a commercial gym not too long ago and watched a gentleman perform this exercise with the exact opposite form Mike demonstrates above.

For starters, he held the rope with a pronated (overhand grip) which locks you into more internal rotation and thus compromises the acromion space.

Secondly, he’d allow his scapulae to go into posterior tilt with each rep, and worse he’d substitute scapular retraction with an excessive forward head posture.

While I’m sure he had good intentions for including the exercise in his program, the execution was less than to be desired and was probably causing more harm than good.

And this goes for just about every rowing variation out there.  You’d be surprised as to how many people butcher technique and aren’t even close to performing them correctly.

Take the time do things right, and your shoulder will thank you.

 2.  Your Program Kinda Sucks

More to the point: it’s the structure of the program thats sucks. It’s common in the strength and conditioning community to talk about programming imbalances, especially as it pertains to the upper body.

Dissecting most training programs, it’s not uncommon to see significant favoritism or preponderance towards pushing exercises compared to pulling.  It’s no secret:  guys like to bench press.  And as such, many develop muscular imbalances (overactive/stiff pecs and weak/inhibited upper back musculature) which results in a less than happy shoulder.

To counteract this, many fitness professionals will advocate more pulling motions compared to pushing – oftentimes to the tube of a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio.

In other words: for every pushing exercise prescribed, they’ll “counteract” it with two to three pulling exercises.

This is sound advice, and definitely a step in the right direction for many trainees.  But we’re omitting another less obvious (yet equally as important) component, and it’s something Eric highlighted last year and that we’ve been addressing at Cressey Performance for a while now.

And that is:

While anterior/posterior imbalances are important to address, not many people give any credence to superior/inferior imbalances.

Translated into English, we also have to be cognizant of the interplay between upward and downward rotation.  More and more (especially with our baseball guys, but even in the general population as well) we’re seeing guys walk in with overly depressed shoulders. For visual reference, cue picture to the right.

Most baller t-shirt, ever ================>

This can spell trouble for those whose livelihood revolve around the ability to get their arms over their head (baseball players) as the downward rotators of the scapulae (levator, rhomboids, and especially the lats) are kicking into overdrive and really messing with the congruency and synergy between the scapulae, humeral head, glenoid fossa, and acromion process.

And this doesn’t just pertain to overhead athletes either.  We’re seeing this quite a bit in the general population as well, as we as fitness professionals have been shoving down their throat  “shoulder blades together and down, shoulder blades together and down” for years now.

In this case, some dedicated upper trap work would be advisable so as to encourage more scapular UPWARD rotation.  And no, relax, I’m NOT referring to barbell shrugs.

These wouldn’t be useful because there’s no “real” scapular upward rotation involved, and you’re doing nothing but encouraging more depression anyways.

Instead drills like Forearm Wall Slides with Shrug;

And Back to Wall Shoulder Flexion will work wonders.

Too, it may come down to toning down things like heavy deadlifts, farmer carries, and anything that entails holding onto heavy dumbbells (since all will pull the shoulder girdle down promote significant shoulder depression) in favor of more overhead/waiter carries, Goblet variations (squats, reverse lunges, etc), and barbell related work.

Just some food for thought anyways.

And that’s it for today. Be sure to check back tomorrow for some more insight and conversation on why your shoulder is jacked up and not jacked.

SPOILER ALERT: your shoulder may not be the issue in the first place!

*Smoke bomb, smoke bomb.  Exit stage left*

Also, as an a side (and giving credit where it’s due):  Title inspiration came from THIS article I read a while back on Elitefts.com.

CategoriesMotivational Program Design

5 (Simple) Ways To Make Your Workouts More Effective

So we’re what, three weeks into the New Year? As I suspect, most reading this site have made your New Year’s resolutions three weeks ago, and whether it was to try to read more, watch less television, eat less cheese, smile more, put 10% of your paycheck into a savings account, drink more water, eat out less often, introduce a little culture into your life and watch more foreign film (or listen to jazz, or buy Grey Poupon), travel more, floss more, or simply accept the fact that a shirt is required attire when grocery shopping (which is utter BS!), I’m sure many are crushing it and still going strong.

But lets be honest, when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, 90% of them revolve around finally (like, I mean it this time) making a concerted effort to head to the gym on a regular basis and getting into shape.

While many have undoubtedly taken the plunge and dedicated some time and energy to fitness goals, the real coup de gras is sticking to these New Year’s resolutions for more than a month!  Understandably there are many reasons why people don’t stick to their workouts and fitness New Year’s Resolutions.

Some of them are just facts of life, such as time commitments, financial concerns, and lofty expectations, as my friend Mike Reinold noted in a recent post of his. Some of them are just lame as lame can get , such as “oh, American Idol starts tonight!” or ” Dammit, I forgot my gym shoes!” or “I have a hang nail.”

While I’m being a bit facetious in tone, it’s certainly not outside the scope of reality that there are some people out there who are pros at sabotaging their own efforts.

But then again, there are far, far more people who make a resolution to get healthy, purchase their gym membership, iPod, and new white kicks, and stay about as consistent as humanly possibly.

Yet, for some reason, fail to garner the results they’re after.

Many may head to the gym 3-5x per week, for weeks on end, yet fail to see the fruits of their labor.  Before long frustration sets in (why the heck do I ever bother!), and soon they become nothing more than a New Year’s resolution statistic.

While it’s almost impossible to nail down (exactly) what, why, and how someone fails to achieve optimal results in the gym, below are some ideas/thoughts/insights I’d like to throw into the mix for everyone’s consideration:

Supersets (Are You Using Them?)

Simply put, supersets are arguably (but I don’t really see what there’s to argue about) the most efficient way to set up your programming.

For those scratching their heads, all a superset implies is that you pair two exercises – preferably ones that work opposing muscle groups or an upper/lower tandem – together that are performed back-to-back.

So, rather than performing a set of bench presses and then walking around for two minutes twiddling your thumbs, annoying the hot personal trainer you have no shot with, or watching highlights on SportsCenter, you’d pair another exercise like a row variation, lunge variation, or mobility/activation drill. You increase training density, and can use the pairings to bring up weak areas.

Many people waste too much time in the gym by performing straight sets, where they’ll perform a set of an exercise, rest for an allotted amount of time, and repeat.

While there’s definitely a time and place for straight sets, instead try to pair exercises in an A1-A2, B1-B2 format.  By doing so, you’ll get more work done in a shorter amount of time, and burn infinitely more calories in the process.

If you’re still kind of lost on the idea, and need some ideas for exercise pairings, check out THIS post by Eric Cressey, which should turn on a few light bulbs.

Implement Fillers

Pigging back on the point above, adding “fillers” to your program is an awesome way to address imbalances and weaknesses.

Another common mistake I see many trainees make (along with trainers for that matter) is taking too long to warm-up or getting too caught up in “corrective exercise” mode.

Yes, it’s important to active “stuff.”  In fact, I’m often flummoxed that some people still don’t understand the importance of taking themselves through a proper warm-up.  Getting the body and nervous system primed for physical activity is kind of a big deal, and I won’t belabor the point here.  You should be doing it.

But I do feel – at times – people baby themselves.

I’m sorry but if you’re someone who takes 30 minutes to active your left glute, you’re missing the bigger picture here.

To save time I LOVE implementing fillers into my programs.  The idea is to address common “problem areas” by tossing in some low-grade activation/mobility drills during one’s rest intervals.

The key point here is LOW-GRADE.  Performing a set of 400M sprints or Tabata anything IS NOT a filler, and defeats the point. We’re trying to turn stuff on, not train for a cage match.

Instead, if I’m working with someone with poor T-spine mobility I may have them do a set of side lying rib rolls after their bench presses:

If they have poor glute function, I may throw in some glute bridges in between sets of squats:

Or if they’re just one massive knot in general, I may have them perform a Yoga Push-Up complex to work on everything:

Again, the idea here is to keep it simple, address common weaknesses, and not to shit an appendix.

There’s no need to go overboard here.

Don’t Perform Anything Sitting

It’s insane how much people sit during the day.  I’m a fairly active person, and yet I still sit upwards of 4-5 hours a day writing in the morning and driving to and from work.

But that’s peanuts compared to most people.

Many have a rough commute to work, and then have to spend 8-10 hours sitting in front of a computer all day, only to head to the gym and sit even more on the recumbent bike or through various exercises like seated DB press or seated leg extensions or seated whateverthefuck.

Performing the bulk of your exercise standing will not only be more challenging, but it will also force you to engage more muscle groups, which in turn will help you burn more calories, which will probably increase your chances of seeing someone of the opposite sex with their clothes off.  Maybe even with the lights on.

It’s a win-win.

Start With a “Money” Movement (The rest is just details.  Kinda).

When I write my own programs I don’t necessarily take the mindset that Monday is a “leg day” or a “lower body day.”

It’s deadlift day!

Likewise, Tuesday isn’t “chest day,” it’s bench day.

Are you picking up what I’m putting down?  Well good – you should.

Each workout – or to be more appropriate, each training session – should have a main exercise (or focus) of the day.  That’s the what I mean when I refer to a “money movement.”

And for the record, you should put all your heart and soul into that money movement.  When I know it’s a deadlift day, I don’t pussyfoot around.  I’ll get myself mentally prepared by planning out my session, visualizing hitting all my lifts, cueing up some mid-90s hip hop, and either sparta kicking a wall or punching a dolphin in the face.

Whatever gets me amped.

It’s me vs. the bar and that’s really all that matters.

And if I did everything right, and didn’t leave anything in the tank, I’m absolutely trashed afterwards.

Of course I’ll have a list of accessory exercises I’ll perform after the fact, but those are just details and serve just to “compliment” my money movement and to help me bring up my weaknesses.

I truly feel if people placed more of a premium on that money movement, got a little angrier, put every ounce of energy into it, and did more than just putter around on the Cybex circuit, they’d see marked improvements in their progress.

Include More Movement/GPP/Or Whatever You Want To Call Them Days

Know what I can’t stand (other than Ryan Seacrest)?  Are “off days” where people head to the gym only to walk on the treadmill for half an hour.

Listen, I get it:  getting your cardio in and improving your heart health is important. And if it’s something you want to do, than do it.

But if it were me, I’d nice the warm and cuddly cardio sessions and perform more movement based or GPP days into the mix.

Instead of hopping on the elliptical and dying a slow death of boredom, why not get your heart rate up in other ways and actually work on things you need to improve?

If you have access to a Prowler, farmer carry attachements, kettlebells, TRX, and the like, you’re golden.  You can set up some killer circuits and absolutely torch yourself.

Understandably, most of you won’t have access to those things, but that doesn’t mean you’re relegated to treadmill hell.

You can simply set up a circuit like this:

A1. LIGHT Goblet Squats: x10

A2.  3-Point Extension-Rotation: x10/side (thank you Conor Nordengren for the video)

A3. Side Plank w/ Row: x10/arm

A4. Bodyweight Reverse Lunge: x10/leg

A5.  Hand Switches w/ Push-Up: x5/side)

 A6. High FIve Someone

Perform in circuit fashion with as little rest as possible between each exercise.  At the end, rest 30-60s, and repeat for a total of 3-5 rounds.

It’s roughly 10-15 minutes of work (depending on how long you rest and how many rounds you complete), but it will definitely get your heart rate up (and be of more benefit because you’re addressing common weaknesses like poor glute function, core stability, etc), and it’s a heckuva lot more exciting than rotting away in the “cardio” section.

And I’m Done

While I could throw in a few wildcards like getting more (quality) sleep, drinking more water, hiring a reputable coach, or making an effort to train with people who will push you (even if it’s only once per week), I think I stated my case.

Nothing I mentioned above is revolutionary, but I think the above suggestions will go a long ways in helping people take their programs to the next level.  We often think that making things more complicated than they have to be is the way to go, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.

In reality just making an effort to simplify things, or to be more aware of common mistakes we’re making can make all the difference in the world.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

Does Everyone Need to Squat (Deep)

In a word: No!

In my latest T-Nation article I tackle the often controversial topic of squatting.  Why it’s controversial I really have no idea.  Squatting is a basic human movement pattern that I feel provides a gulf of benefits – everything from improved performance on the playing field to helping to offset many of the postural imbalances that we get from sitting on our rumps all day long.

The rub is that most people have the movement quality if C3PO on a good day. LOL – see what I just did there?  You see, C3PO is a robot and he doesn’t move well and……

…..okay, never mind.

Essentially, when loaded squats start to enter the picture and we start to debate safety, well, that’s just a different conversation altogether.

Moreover, squat depth is a rarely discussed topic.  Well, I take that back.  People are always arguing over squat depth.  On one end of the spectrum you have those who feel if you’re not squatting ass to calves (ass to grass in BroSpeak), you should just go home and watch The Notebook.

At the other end, you have those who have no idea what proper (or even “safe”) squat depth is.  Here, I’m referring to all the world renowned squatters on the internet who “claim” to squat 500 lbs.  For reps.

With a two inch range of motion.

All kidding aside, all squats aren’t created equal.  Likewise, squat depth is going to be a highly individual component depending on one’s training experience, pertinent injury history, so on and so forth.

In this article I discuss why I looooooove squats, but more importantly how to “screen” appropriate squat depth.

Check it out HERE.

Also, just a reminder that the GINORMOUS sale – 60% off – on the Muscle Imbalances Revealed series ends TONIGHT (12/28) at midnight. I don’t want to brag or anything (since I am affiliated with the product), but I feel this is a must have resource for any trainers or coaches looking to take their skill set to the next level.  You’d be learning from some of the best in business:  Bill Hartman, Mike Robertson, Rick Kaselj, Dean Somerset, Dr. Jeff Cubos and many more!

Check it out HERE.

 

 

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing Program Design

Exercises You Should Be Doing: 1-Legged RDL to Squat

I haven’t done one of these in a while, so I figured I’d throw a bone everyone’s way and introduce you to a brand spankin new exercise that I’ve been throwing into my own programs as well those of my athletes and clients.

I know (some) people are under the assumption that since I’ve omitted the bulk of single training from my programs, that this also means I’m avoiding them like the plague and that I’ve written them off entirely, or that what applies to ME also applies to my clients.

This is false, and couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, I heart single leg training and think it behooves pretty much anyone with a girl down there part or guy down there part* to include them (to some capacity) in their strength training programs.

The advantages in doing so are numerous, and something I’ve beaten to death numerous times on this blog so I won’t belabor the point now.  If you’re that curious, though (or if you’re new to the site – thanks for stopping by!) just do a search for “single leg training” or “listen to Tony because he’s the smartest man alive, even smarter than Yoda, and is also uncannily witty and awesome” in the search function in the bottom righthand corner.

Or you can visit my buddy Ben Bruno’s site and watch in awe as he demonstrates feats of strength on ONE leg that most people would give up their first born to be able to do on two.

Anyways, without getting too off-track, and since I can’t really think of a smooth segue ,I think single leg training is kind of a big deal and something that should be utilized by most trainees.  Here’s a new one you can try out.

1-Legged RDL to Squat

Who Did I Steal If From:  one of my former distance coaching clients, Laura, sent me an email a while back telling me that she had a nomination for an Exercise You Should Be Doing, and that it was one that her current trainer, the one and only Bill Hartman, had her performing on a regular basis.

What Does It Do: There’s really no other way to describe it other than how Laura explained it to me:

It’s a Frankenstein of a contralateral SLDL (Single-Leg Deadlift) and a RFE (Rear Foot Elevated) squat.

The first half of the exercise is a hip dominant RDL that places heavy emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes, while the second half is more of a quad dominant squat pattern.

It’s a marriage of both worlds, and takes the SLDL to a whole new level and really hammers hip stability, rotary stability (especially with the offset loading), as well as generally increases people’s level of awesome.

Key Coaching Cues:  Trust me, it’s a lot more difficult than it looks, so for those of you who may be scoffing at the “wussiness” of the exercise, just give it a try. It’s a much more humbling exercise than you think, as evident by the fact that I’m clearly struggling a bit with performing it correctly myself.

A few comments:

– Grab a kettlebell and crush the handle!  Literally try to make the handle “melt” in your hand.  Doing so will help the rotator cuff fire through a process called irradiation, and help make everything more “compact.”

– I find that this exercise is much easier to perform with a kettlebell, but if you don’t have access to any, a dumbbell would be a suitable substitute.

– Initiate the movement by hip hinging and forcing the brunt of your weight into your heel.  I like to tell people to try to drive their rear heel towards the ceiling, but also to pretend like they’re trying to push the wall away from them. More to the point, try to think to yourself “make the spine long.”  The entire backside – from head to toe – should make a straight line.

– Once the weight is just below your knee, bend at the knee and single-leg squat the weight to the ground.  This is the main reason why using a KB would be better here, as you don’t have to quite as low to reach the ground.

– Once there, single-leg squat the weight back up to knee level, and then SLDL hinge back to the initial standing position (making sure to finish the movement with your glute!).

– I’d say that anywhere from 5-8 reps per leg would be the goal here.

Try today and let me know what you think!

* In other words: the Who-Ha and Jiggly Bits.  Okay, we’re all grown ups here.  I’m referring to vaginas and penises, okay!  There I said it.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

All the Hype Behind Kipping Pull-Ups

I’ve got an interesting topic today that may or may not win me some friends. I’m guessing the latter, but that’s okay.

Below is an email I received a few weeks ago about kipping pull-ups (what are they, is there any efficacy behind them, would I ever program them? Short answer:  Um, no.), and I’ve been sitting on it for a while now trying to think of a judicious, fair, and un-biased way to answer.

Most people who read this blog probably already know what I’m going to say, but at the same time I feel I’ve done a damn good job in my career keeping an open mind and not pigeon holing myself into one thought process or the other.  So hopefully I won’t come across as stepping on too many toes.  We can all get along, right?  Right?

Okay, let the madness begin.

Q: Hoping that you might be able to help me out with this topic that has been coming up a lot lately in my area and facility. Could you give some detail on what a kipping pull-up is good for?

A lot of people having been asking about its advantages and disadvantages. Is there even a scenario where you would add these into a program? What are the major differences between a standard pull-up and a kipping pull-up?

Sorry, I don’t mean to throw a ton a questions at you but I am pretty lost on how to answer. People keep asking me saying, “they seem more functional as it incorporates a total body movement, and that it helps with muscle timing,” (WTF is that?).

I have held out for a while, but the more people keep talking to me about it, the more I’m getting confused. Might not be the worst blog post, even though 99% of the people that read your site would just get a good laugh out of it.

Lets face it Crossfit isn’t going anywhere and I would like to be armed with some serious knowledge about how to answer. Thanks for the info that you consistently post on here. I enjoy reading your site on a daily basis.

Thanks 

A:  Okay, lets kick things off with the nicey nice stuff.

There are a fair number of CrossFit peeps and affiliates who routinely read my blog, support it, and go out of their way to link back and spread my message, and for that I am always appreciative.

I like to pride myself that I am a “middle of the road” kind of guy, and I’ve never gone out of my way to openly bash CrossFit or insult the people who enjoy it.

Contrary to belief I’m with you dear reader: I agree that CrossFit is here to stay and I’m perfectly fine with that. There are a lot of things about CrossFit that I really like and respect.

Case in point: I was walking in downtown Boston the other night in the pouring rain running some errands.  It was miserable outside, the kind of weather where you think to yourself, “I can’t wait to just get inside, plop down on my couch, put on my Pjs, and watch The Notebook, Steel Magnolias, The Matrix,” when I happened to walk past the doors of CrossFit affiliate.

I peeked inside and saw that the place was filled to the brim with people getting after it.  Granted I can’t say I approved of the exercises nor the technique involved, but it was impressive nonetheless.

I dig that!  I dig that people are so excited and jazzed up to train that they’re willing to brave the elements and train no matter what.

Even more the point, CrossFit has done an outstanding job at building an overwhelming sense of passion, unity, and camaraderie amongst its members and it’s hard for me as a fitness professional to poo-poo on that aspect.

Moreover, you’d be hard pressed to find any population that works harder. Like I said, people GET AFTER IT, and I really like that CrossFit advocates people to incorporate compound movements and introduces people to a wide variety of training stimuli (and gets them off the elliptical machine!!!).

Additionally, I have some good friends and colleagues who are CrossFitters who speak very highly of it.  One such person is Jen Sinkler, fitness editor of Experience Life Magazine and overall badass.

To her credit, she dabbles in everything (Olympic lifting, Parkour, yoga, every sport and hobby imaginable) and I can’t say for certain whether or not she still participates in CrossFit, but she did write an AWESOME article a few years ago titled Confession: I’m a CrossFitter which I felt shed positive light into the discussion.

Too, I also recognize that there are plenty of CrossFit affiliates out there who go out of their way to actually assess people, coach them up, and offer proper progressions and more importantly, regressions, depending on one’s ability level and injury history.

Unfortunately, at least in my eyes and experience, this is generally the exception and not the norm.

And frankly, if me stating that happens to offend you, and you’re going to get your panties all up in a bunch, then you’re probably one of those affiliates that does stuff like this.

I realize the above is a bit of an extreme example, but that kind of stuff happens in the CrossFit culture a lot, and to me doesn’t even come close to passing the eyeball test.

If it looks like shit, and smells like shit…… then it’s probably shit.

And let me just state before I move on:  I also recognize that there are a lot of strength and conditioning facilities who do a crappy job too and don’t coach their athletes properly nor provide an iota of sound programming, so I’m not insinuating a “holier than thou” mentality here.

But I don’t want this post to turn into a walking ball of fail here, so lets get to the heart of the matter here.

Kipping Pull-Ups – The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

If asked what they are, I’d reply, with a straight face:  it’s where someone looks like they’re having an epileptic seizure in order to cheat a pull-up.

Done.

Listen, I don’t doubt that there’s a certain technique to perform them properly, nor do I think it’s unimpressive that there are some people out there who can bust out 50+ reps and not blink an eye.  But lets not delude ourselves into thinking that they’re something they’re not.

Funnily enough, I was having a similar discussion with Boston University head strength coach, Glenn Harris, earlier this week and he mentioned to me a conversation he had with a family friend of his.

When asked his thoughts on kipping pull-ups, he replied, “well, they’re a way to cheat.”  To which she replied, “yeah but, they allow you do more!”

Uhhh, exactly!

Why do people cheat on tests?  To theoretically get a higher score.  Why do powerlifters use bench shirts?  To theoretically bench press more weight. Why do people continue to buy Nickleback albums?

Seriously, why? I want to know!

And, taking it a step further, fellow CP strength coach, Greg Robins, noted to me that the above CrossFit video (the one where all those women are performing the clean and press) demonstrates how strongman competitors “cheat” the clean and press in order to do more reps.

Does this cheating apply to Strongman and CrossFit?  Well, yeah, kinda.  The objective is to do more reps for the sake of doing more reps.

Does this apply to general fitness?  Hell no!  Why would I want to coach someone how to cheat?

As I noted above, I don’t doubt that there’s a bit of “mastery” involved when it comes to performing a kipping pull-up properly.  But that doesn’t mean they’re a good idea for about 99.5% of the population.  I mean, I could make a case on how to perform a rounded back deadlift correctly (in order lift more weight), but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Lets look at a video I came across on Youtube:

Pretty innocuous video for the most part – nothing that made my eyes bleed or made me want to throw my face into a wall (that much).

In fact, the guy coaching seems like an awesome coach.  His cues were spot on; he was concise; and I really liked how he broke everything down.  He’s obviously someone who takes the time to properly coach his athletes.  Weird how that works!

And on an aside:  how cool is it that a husband and wife are at the gym together and enjoying themselves!?!

This is in stark contrast from many of those couples you see eating at a restaurant together not even acknowledging each other’s existence.

Nevertheless, why not just coach/teach someone on how to (eventually) perform a strict pull-up?  What’s wrong with that?

Of course, I get it:  not many programs (outside of CrossFit) call for 10-50 rep pull-ups, so it kind of makes sense why kipping pull-ups enter the picture. As well, I don’t know many people who could perform ten strict pull-ups, let alone anything higher than that.

So again, the whole “cheating” aspect enters the picture here.  Don’t deny it.  Don’t you do it!!!!

And this isn’t even taking into considering the joint distraction forces taking place.

Holy mother of god, I haven’t even touched on that yet.

In the context of the population that I work with (baseball players), kipping pull-ups would be an absolute nightmare.

Throwing a baseball is one of the more violent motions placed on the human body – in particular with regards to what’s going on in the shoulder and elbow.

Baseball pitching is the single-fastest motion in all of sports, as the humerus internally rotates at velocities in excess of 7,000°/second.

What’s more, if we look at the elbow, the amount of valgus stress placed on it is equivalent to if we hung a 40 lb dumbbell from the hand towards the ground.

It’s pretty significant stuff, and explains why we’re very, very careful with the type of exercises we place into our programs at Cressey Performance. Kipping pull-ups would be a disaster.

In fairness, most people don’t make a living staring down professional hitters and could care less about throwing a baseball 95 MPH, so what about them?

Well, the same thought process still applies.  Most (not all) people have really poor tissue quality, move about as well as a pregnant turtle, have the joint integrity of a paper cloth, and can barely press a barbell over their head without some major compensatory patterns.

Looking at the amount of “stuff” that takes place during a kipping pull-up (repetitive lumbar hyperextension, as well as the joint distraction forces mentioned above), it’s just something that’s not worth the risk or effort in my eyes.  For many, they’re  just not capable or “ready” to do such an advance movement without hurting themselves.

If that doesn’t apply to you, fantastic!  I’m certainly not implying that these can’t be done safely and without incident.

Even still, I can think of a thousand and one different ways that my time would be of better use to my athletes and clients.

I’d much rather spend my time working on helping people move better, get them stronger, and, if it’s something they want, progress them to performing a STRICT pull-up.

So, to Recap

1.  I’m not adamantly against CrossFit.  I recognize that there are some redeeming qualities about it that I like and think are pretty cool.

2.  Conversely, there are a lot of things about it that are less than to be desired.

3. Nickelback is just god-awful.

4.  As with anything, it comes down to coaching.  I’d much rather someone perform a crappy program really well – and get coached really well through it – than to just do “stuff” for the sake of wanting to feel like you’re going to shit your spleen or to feel tired.

5. I “get” why kipping pull-ups are a part of the CrossFit culture, and that’s not to belittle anything.  It is what it is.  How else is one supposed to perform 25 pull-ups after running two-miles (on your hands) after deadlifting a tank 47 times?

6.  If you’re a CrossFitter and that’s your bag – cool, have at it. I respect you and the things that you can do, and I’m really happy you’ve found something you’re passionate about.  But please don’t delude yourself (or others) into thinking that a kipping pull-up is some magical exercise that makes you better than everyone else.

You’re cheating – get over it.

NOTE:  An important distinction that I should make (and something Alison commented on in the comments section which I should have hit on in the first place) is that CrossFit does differentiate between pull-ups and kipping pull-ups.  Which is to say, they do actually program “regular” pull-ups as part of their programming.

UPDATE

It’s been two years since I wrote this article, and since it’s still one that gets a fair amount of traffic I wanted to update everyone on my thoughts.

Still not a fan of kipping-ups.  But I DO recognize they’re their own “thing.” Comparing a kipping pull-up to a strict pull-up is like comparing a push press to a strict military press.  They’re in the same ball park, but not quite the same.

Having said that, I still feel adamant that perfecting a STRICT pull-up should come first. What’s more, if someone can’t do a strict pull-up (preferably for reps), they really have no business doing a kipping pull-up.

For further reading I really like THIS article written by Christian Thibaudeau which I feel is a fair and well-written expose on kipping pull-ups and where the fit into the equation.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

The Squat 4x Per Week Experiment

I’ve been alluding to this “experiment” for quite some time now – and I wouldn’t be surprised given how long it’s taken me to actually hunker down and write about it, if some of you felt I was just making it up and blowing out a bunch of hot air.

It’s kind of like that one time your best friend said he’s dating a lingerie model that he met online.

Riiiiigggghhhhttttt.

And I actually spend my nights fighting crime as a ninja.  No, really, I’m not kidding!

Anyhoo, for those who need a quick refresher:  I’ve been experimenting with a high(er) frequency squatting protocol that’s been in the mix for the past 6-8 weeks.  I love it, and feel it’s something I may implement long-term.

The article just went live today on T-Nation and you can read it HERE.

I’d be curious to hear your thoughts after you read it.  Something you feel you’d try?  Think it’s crap?  Don’t worry, you can be honest. I won’t cry……….

That much.

 

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

Tips For a Badass Bench Press

I’ve told this story numerous times via email exchanges and presentations I’ve given, so please forgive me if you’ve heard this one before.

Awhile back I wrote an article on T-Nation titled My Shoulder Hurts: The Finest Whine, and in it I detailed, among other things, some of the more common reasons why someone’s shoulder may hate them in addition to outlining some strategies to help alleviate said shoulder from hating them.

I thought it was a pretty baller article, and it helped a lot of people. At one point I made mention that my best bench press is 315 lbs (raw, no gear) and that one of the reasons why I feel myself – as well as most of my athletes and clients I train – rarely suffer from shoulder pain is because I place a premium on balancing my pressing numbers with my pulling numbers.

Speaking more precisely, in an ideal world, I like to see a healthy “balance” between one’s 1RM bench press and his or her’s 3RM chin-up.

Using myself as an example, my best bench press is 315 lbs, and my best 3RM chin-up is 301 lbs.  Not too shabby if I say so.

Almost predictably, some asshat made a comment in the LiveSpill that he stopped reading the article after he saw that I owned up to only bench pressing 315 lbs – insinuating that that was a piss-poor number and that I couldn’t possibly know what I was talking about.

I guess in order for it to count and for him to be impressed, I had to perform that for reps.  With my feet in the air.  And with Kate Beckinsale feeding me grapes.

Rather than get into some arcane pissing match with someone I didn’t even know (or had the inclination to use his real name), I made a snide comment back that: “yeah, well, my internet max is like 405 lbs, so that has to count for something.”

Suffice it to say, I recognize that a 315 lb bench press isn’t THAT big of a deal, and certainly doesn’t give me any bragging rights – especially considering some of the insane weights that guys like Vinny DiCenzo, Rock Lewis, and countless other raw and powerlifters put up on a regular basis.

That said, I still know how to COACH the bench press, and below is an article that I wrote last year that sorta got lost in the shuffle and never made it to print.

Lucky for you I happened to find it and decided I post up here.  Enjoy!

Tips For a Badass Bench Press

In the realm of fitness, deadlifts and Shake Weights* aside, no other exercise exhibits as much machismo and general “badassery” as the bench press. Like a moth to a flame, it’s the first thing that most trainees (especially newbies) gravitate toward when they embark on a fitness routine, or, you know, if it’s Monday.

It’s no secret that attaining an impressive bench press – whatever that number may be – is kind of a big deal in fitness circles, allowing one a certain degree of bragging rights; it’s something that many trainees strive for on a weekly, sometimes yearly, basis.

However, not everyone makes significant progress with the bench press and even worse, many often end up hurt in the process — which is ironic, given its overwhelming popularity. It doesn’t have to be this way. A few simple tips can help your bench press soar.

But First, Lets Address the Stuff You’re Probably Going to Skip Anyways

While addressing posture may seem trivial and mundane, and yes, you may prefer to swallow a live grenade, it’s critical to discuss. So deal with it.

Let’s face it, there are a lot of people walking around with less than stellar posture. With many spending upwards of 8 to 12 hours per day sitting in front of a computer at work, not to mention the endless hours commuting, and/or hunching over their iPhone it’s no surprise.

Exhibiting a kyphotic posture – rounded shoulders and upper back, or what I like to call the Mr. Burns effect – will absolutely affect rotator cuff mobility, as well as general joint function, which in turn will affect overall performance and how much weight one will be able to bench press.

Interestingly, it’s often popular for fitness professionals to prescribe copious amounts of direct rotator cuff work to help fix one’s posture in addition to providing more “stability” to the joint – with the idea being that the more stable the joint is, the more proficient it will be at transferring force.

This is true, to a degree.

However, rarely, if ever, is the rotator cuff the issue when referring to bench press performance. Rather, what you need to be more cognizant of is thoracic spine mobility and scapular stability.

As my good buddy, Dean Somerset, CSCS, notes, “while the rotator cuff’s function is undoubtedly one of providing stability to the glenohumeral joint and allowing it to have a pivot rotation versus a gliding within the capsule, it doesn’t need a lot of direct work when training for the bench press, even if the problem is a rotator cuff tear.”

In other words, if you’re walking around with a Quasimodo posture, all the rotator cuff work in the world isn’t going to improve your bench press.

Instead by addressing the real issues — improving t-spine mobility and targeting the scapular stabilizers like the serratus anterior and lower traps, which tend to be woefully weak in many trainees — you’ll improve overall shoulder function and help place the scapulae in an optimal position to transfer force.

Using a great analogy that pretty much everyone uses and I’m no different, it’s sort of like shooting a cannon from a canoe; it’s not necessarily a good idea, nor optimal. Shoot it from solid ground, however, and it’s a different result altogether.

For many trainees, they’re so unstable – due to poor positioning – that they never see any improvements in their bench press. Make the joint more stable – again, by improving t-spine mobility and scapular stability – and good things will happen.

While there are certain scenarios where dedicated rotator cuff work might be warranted – they’re few and far between. Instead, focus on thoracic mobility (rotation as well as extension) and improving scapular function, to set yourself up for success.

Here are a few drills that might help and provide some insight:

Quadruped Extension-Rotation

Bench T-Spine Mobilization

Forearm Wall Slides – 135 Degrees with OH Shrug & Lift Off

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7QVMrFDQ0FI

Side Lying Windmill

Those are just a few, of course, but should get the ball rolling in the right direction for most people reading.

For Those That Skipped the Nerdy Stuff, You Can Start Reading Here

It All Starts With the Set-Up: Part I

How you set up for the bench press can make or break your performance, and subsequently, long-term progress to boot. While conventional wisdom will dictate that the bench press is a fairly innocuous exercise that anyone can just show up and perform (kind of like pooping), it’s actually a bit more complicated.

Firstly, rule number one of bench pressing — especially if you’re looking to push some respectable weight – is to never, ever, under any circumstance bench press with your feet up in the air. Unless, of course, you’re actually trying to make people laugh at you and/or want to be weak.

If that’s the case – have at it!

Think about it: By placing your feet up in the air, you’re making yourself more unstable, and in turn, less capable of transferring force efficiently. Resultantly, this will affect how much weight you’re able to use, which defeats the purpose if you’re looking to improve your bench pressing “badasstitude.”

It also looks dumb — really dumb. And no one wants to look dumb.

With that out of way, you need to understand some very basic set-up parameters that will undoubtedly help clean up your bench technique and lead to more weight on the bar.

Step 1: Set your Feet. Dig your feet into the ground!

Don’t just haphazardly flop them out in front of you like a pair of dead fish. Literally, corkscrew those mofo’s into the ground – to the side and underneath you — and use them to push your back into the bench. This is called leg drive, and it’s a trick that many powerlifters utilize to help engage more of the entire body into the movement.

That’s because the bench press is more of a full-body movement than one might think, and by incorporating more leg drive, it’s not uncommon to see an instant increase in the amount of weight used.

Step 2: Grab the bar as if you want to choke it to death.

Too often, trainees gingerly grab the bar as if they’re scared they’re going to hurt it. Grab it and strangle it! By doing so, you’ll force the rotator cuff to fire and provide more stability throughout the shoulders.

Step 3: Place your shoulder blades in your back pocket.

As Mike Robertson, CSCS and co-owner of IFAST training facility located in Indianapolis, IN, notes, “The more stable you are through your upper back, the more strength you’ll be able to display and the less likely you are to strain a pec while benching.”

Grab the bar with your hands – remember, crush it! – lift yourself off the bench slightly and try to pinch your shoulder blades together and depress them by visualizing placing them in your back pocket.

For the visual learners in the crowd, you can always just watch this superb video by Dave Tate.

It All Starts with the Set-Up: Part II

In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, placing a little more of an emphasis on technique very well may be the missing ingredient to a badass bench.

Still reading? Well, you made it this far, you might as well keep going!

Step 4: It’s okay to arch your lower back.

There’s a major misconception in the fitness community that it’s somehow detrimental to arch one’s lumbar spine while benching. While this practice may be problematic for some individuals, it’s a bit remiss to make such broad generalizations.

For starters, the lumbar spine already has a natural lordotic arch to it anyway, so why would maintaining that arch be dangerous? In fact, increasing one’s arch is another useful trick many powerlifters advocate because it helps shorten the distance the bar has to travel.

Secondly, and more to the point, Craig Rasmussen, CSCS and one of the program designers at Results Fitness located in Santa Clarita, CA, says, “I believe that many people simply confuse the (correct) advice of keeping your butt on the bench with the bogus advice of keeping the lumbar spine on the bench. This will entail having a curve in your lumbar spine. You don’t need to press your lumbar spine into the bench as you perform a bench press, but you do need to keep your butt on the bench or you’re changing the movement into an unsupported decline bench press, which is not a good idea.”

Step 5: Get a hand-off.

It sounds borderline trivial, but it’s anything but. Getting a hand-off – as opposed to a “spot” – is an often overlooked component to the bench press.

Remember all that talk above about proper upper back positioning when you bench, and how, if it’s not optimal, it can drastically affect how much weight you’re actually able to lift?

No? What the F, dude?  It was like 30 seconds ago!  Go back and read it again!

Well, when you don’t ask for a proper hand-off, you’re essentially setting yourself up for failure. Think about what you have to do to unrack the bar on your own: “press” the bar by protracting your shoulders and allowing them to anteriorly tilt – losing any semblance of upper back tightness in the process.

Conversely, by getting a proper hand-off, you’re able to keep the upper back compact and “tight.”

In reality, a hand-off should assist you only in the sense of “gliding” the bar over the j-hooks – the hand-off(er) should not lift the bar out of the hooks for you.

Also, just to throw it out there:  every time you yell out “it’s all you, it’s all you, it’s all you” when spotting, a dolphin gets punched in the face.  Stop it!

Step 6: Keep your elbows from flaring out.

Watch any elite powerlifter bench and what do you see? Well for starters, you won’t see them with their feet in the air. Seriously, stop it! Secondly, you’ll probably notice how they tend to keep their elbows from flaring out. Why? Namely, it prevents your shoulders from hating you.

Allowing the elbows to flare out – while true, does place more emphasis on the pecs – places infinitely more stress on the shoulders, and you want to protect them as much as possible.

Instead, when lowering the bar, try to keep the elbows at a 45-degree angle from the torso. In other words, if taking a bird-eye view, your arms should make more of a “W” shape than a “T” throughout the duration of the movement

It may be awkward at first, and it will definitely take some practice, but it will keep your shoulders healthier in the long run. And that’s a huge step in the right direction for long-term bench pressing success.

And that’s it!

*Yes, I’m kidding.

**Top Photo courtesy of BodyBuilding.com

CategoriesProgram Design Rehab/Prehab

What’s the Deal With Spondy? An Attempt to Solve the Riddle in Less Than 1500 Words.

Q: Hey Tony – I suffered a pretty severe L5 spondylolisthesis a couple years ago, and it took me nearly a year to recover.  I’m now back training again and feeling pretty good.  From what I’ve read, I realize I need to make sure I’m not in an anterior pelvic tilt position, so should I try to focus hard on developing glute, hamstring, and hip strength? 

I also realize that maintaining core strength is important.  Besides planks, side planks, anti-rotation exercises, and roll-outs, is there anything in particular you would do to make sure the lumbar spine is strong and healthy so I can prevent any possible re-injury?  Thanks for you input!  Really enjoy your educational videos and blog posts.

A: First off, I’m really sorry to hear about your injury. Speaking bluntly, back pain is about as fun as a bag of dicks – there’s really no way to sugar coat it. As someone who recently went through a spell of back issues (albeit not the same injury) I can commiserate.

Spondylolisthesis (along with it’s fraternal twin, spondylolysis) is definitely an injury that we’ve seen sporadically here at Cressey Performance, so we know how much work it takes to get back into groove of things – especially with regards to training.

For those reading, scratching their heads and thinking to themselves, “spondy- say what?,” lets take a moment to clear the air.

Spondylolysis refers to a fracture of the pars interarticularis portion of a vertebra (95% of the time, it’s L5). The pars essentially connects the vertebral body in front with the vertebral joints behind.

Presence of spondylolysis runs the gauntlet in terms of who it effects, but its highest prevalence is among weightlifters. That said we’ve seen a huge influx amongst young athletes as well, especially those who participate (and specialize too early) in sports that require excessive extension and rotation (ie:  baseball).

More pertinent to this conversation, spondylolisthesis is a lower back injury involving a forward slipping of one vertebra over another (far right picture above). It’s a very common diagnosis in athletes that participate in sports that have extreme axial strain on the low back (think powerlifters and strength athletes), but it’s also common in the general population as well.

With the geeky, spinal shenanigans out of the way, lets get to the fun stuff.

Off hand it sounds like you’ve got a fairly firm grasp on what to do moving forward, but I do have a few candid thoughts to add:

1.  Yes, correcting any EXCESSIVE anterior pelvic tilt would be wise.  You have to remember, though, that there is an “acceptable” range of APT (natural lordotic curve of the spine), but it definitely bodes in your favor to address any excessive tilt that may be playing into your symptoms.

2.  Expounding on the above point a bit more, most will say that you need to stretch the hip flexors, which, if you delve into the normal parameters of Janda’s lower cross syndrome (“tight” hip flexors, weak core/glutes) isn’t a bad place to start.  But as with anything, it’s not always quite THAT simple.

For instance, you can stretch your hip flexors until the cows come home (or George Clooney gets married, whichever comes first)…….but if your anterior core is weak – which is generally the case 100% of the time  – it’s a waste of time and effort.

Almost always, I place a premium on improving anterior core strength.  Things like Pallof press, various chops and lifts (done with spot on precision: abs braced, trailing leg glute firing, minimal compensation in the torso), as well as planks are a great place to start.

NOTE:  Most people will just haphazardly throw in planks because that’s what they’ve always been told to do.  Cool.  But most people absolutely BUTCHER technique.  To that end, you have to make absolutely certain that you’re doing these correctly!  Which is to say, they shouldn’t look like these epic balls of fail:

Or this:

In both scenarios each person is literally hanging on their spine and not doing their passive, ligamentous restraints any favors.

If you’re going to perform planks, at least do them correctly!

Another exercise to consider (for those who are a little further along in recovery such as yourself) is the reverse crunch.  As my colleague and business partner, Eric Cressey, has noted on several occasions: flexion from an already extended position to neutral is different than flexion from “neutral” to end-range lumbar flexion.

The external obliques help to posteriorly tilt the pelvis, but because they have no attachment points on the sternum (unlike the rectus abdominus) we don’t get all the nasty compressive forces on the spine.

Maybe serving as the rule of thumb above ALL of this is the notion that improving spinal stability is kind of a big deal.  Unless this addressed, all of the above won’t matter since all you’ll be doing is placing dysfunction on top of fitness.  Which, as we all know, would make Gray Cook punch a baby seal in the mouth!

On that point, my boy Dean Somerset wrote a fantastic post HERE which discusses in waaaaay more detail than I could ever cover.

3. Taking things a step further, anything that “encourages” more of a posterior pelvic tilt is most likely step in the right direction.

In addition to anterior core work, a healthy dose of glute work would be in order as well.  I’d start simple and perform supine bridges several times throughout the day.

While not shown above, I actually prefer glute holds, holding each rep for a 5-10 second count at the top.

You can then progress these to 1-legged variations and then proceed to perform 1-legged hip thrust, starting with your back on a bench and feet on the floor.  From there, if you’re feeling confident, you can add in a bit ROM and place your feet on a bench.

For my own edification – it’s important to note that there should be absolutely no lumbar compensation when performing these movements. Everything should be glute, glute, and more glute.  If you do tend to “feel” it more in your back, I’d regress the movement and make sure you’re firing the glute.

In case you missed it, you should feel these in your glutes.

Key Word: Glute.

4.  Above all, and this probably should have been point #1, you just need to make absolutely certain that you’re maintaining as much of a “neutral” spinal position as possible.

At. All. Times

We’ve had people with “spondy” deadlift with the trap bar with a lot of success, but we’re on top of them in terms of performing them correctly.  These may be a little too aggressive for you, so I’d be inclined to recommend exercises that won’t place a lof of direct loading on the spine to start:

Pull-Throughs.

1-Legged Hip Thrusts (see above).

Various single leg work.

And even Goblet squats may be acceptable here.

Nevertheless, getting lifting weights and attaining a training effect will undoubtedly help in that you’ll be making your active restraints (muscle) stronger and take the burden off your passive restraints (ligamentous tissue).

Anyways, that is in no way a thorough overview of the issue at hand, but my hope is that it sheds some light on the topic and points you in the right direction.