Today’s guest post comes from strength coach, Travis Hansen. I respect Travis a ton because 1) he actually works with athletes and gets results and 2) he’s not scared to think outside the box (which you will read more about below).
His amazing resource, The Speed Encyclopedia, rocked my world a few years back when I read it the first time. He’s revamped it and has placed in sale at 30% off the regular price. If you work with athletes and want to make them into sprinting, jumping, and turning on a dime freaks….definitely give it a look.
The title may sound a bit cliché, especially this day and age, but I truly believe that the exercise I’m about to share with you is still relatively unique as far as speed and athletic development is concerned.
And it’s definitely not a gimmick, it works.
The amount of evidence to date to support glute-ham strength and its powerful impact on athletic performance tasks such as running, jumping, cutting, and sprinting is incredibly vast. Every single athlete and client for that matter should be performing several posterior chain dominant movements, like squats, deadlifts, swings, sleds, lunges, split squats, etc. at some point during their training program.
However, to my current knowledge the “Modified Reverse Hyper” has not received a lot of attention and publicity throughout the athletic training mainstream and scientific community. Moreover, I would be very curious to see any study that attempts to identify how well the reverse hyper and sprinting would connect?! I’m confident the results would be favorable.
Louie Simmons was a mastermind in not only powerlifting, but his training concepts permeate into athletic and speed development as well!
The initial thing I like about the exercise is that you are training the target muscle groups at long lengths throughout the muscle contraction spectrum. This situation can help stimulate the addition of sarcomeres and result in increased hypertrophy to the muscles responsible for increasing acceleration and running speeds. What athlete wouldn’t want that?
Secondly, you are provided a very stable foundation in which to exert high amounts of force and energy from resulting in greater strength production limits. Recall that the less stability you have in an exercise the less involvement of the prime movers, which in this case are critical to health and athletic performance potential.
Last but not least, is that this exercise truly emphasizes the development of specific muscle and joint actions that occur during high speed movements such as maximum effort sprinting.
Strength has been found to be very specific to range of motion/training angles in research, and it obviously makes perfect sense. What doesn’t make sense is that there really isn’t a wealth of potential exercises in the weight room that do a sufficient job in bridging the gap for both strength and speed during the common act of hip hyperextension. Sled marching, hill runs-sprint progressions, and quadruped work are great, but the room for loading is questionable and hard to manage, except for perhaps the quadruped variation.
Even if this is the case, there is still reduced hamstring contribution due to the knee being bent (Active Insufficiency) in the quadruped exercise.
Moreover, the Modified Reverse Hyper is very versatile. You can perform the drill bilaterally with a plate, or dumbbell if you don’t have a partner. And then unilaterally with a plate or ankle weights.
Please Note:I’m not a big proponent of ankle weight drills at all, unless they are performed in a prone position. They provide a distraction force at the knee that really creates a lot of unnecessary pull and tension at the surrounding ligaments.1
Here is an actual video of the exercise. As a disclaimer, the weight bearing pressure of the weight can be brutal on the calves initially. And make sure the middle of the plates sit close to or directly behind the knee joint to prevent too much shearing and stress to the ACL and lower hamstring muscles.
I like to train this movement 1-2 per week at opposite ends of the week if your goal is to get faster and more athletic. 2-4 sets of 6-12 reps work great as the hamstrings are comprised of a lot of fast twitch muscle and respond to high force/velocity efforts.
Summary
Really focusing on working the backside from a hip position of neutral, and another 20-30 degrees past neutral, just before the lower back starts hyperextending is very valuable for athletes.
For one, it’s not too common, and also it really prepares the hamstrings for propulsion (take-off) when you are sprinting. Many people who are ailing from hamstring problems will report a twinge or tweak when they go to drive off.
By performing this exercise, you are supplementing them with some of what they more than likely lack, prevent and rehab the ailment depending on your approach, and get them faster in the process.
Want to nerd out on a Saturday night and read about speed development, joint angles, and torques? Travis has got you covered.
Okay, there’s all that AND you’re going to get the inside details on a system that’s been proven to work, including and abyss of exercises and drills Travis uses with his athletes in and outside of the weight room.
It’s the real deal. Check out The Speed Encyclopedia HERE.
I’m a firm believer you get what you work for. Nothing just happens. You don’t miraculously earn a decent income, hit a new PR in the gym, pick up three new clients, get an A on your history paper, or finally beat Mike Tyson in Punch-Out without some modicum of effort and hard work.2
Hashtags like #grind or #grindcity or #grinding worry me. For starters, some people (certainly not all) use them as a way to cover up the fact they’re lazy AF and to give off the perception they’re somehow working hard (or to be more colloquial: crushing it). It worries me because it gives off a false sense of accomplishment.
Such hashtags are commonly accompanied with an epic picture of a cup of coffee, or, if someone is going to tap into their inner Scorsese, maybe a laptop (with a cup of coffee conveniently placed next to it for added effect).
It’s the age we live on nowadays. Where we can bullshit ourselves (and everyone around us) that we’re somehow better or more work ethicy (<– not a word) than everyone around us. It’s never been easier to curate a life that seduces adoration.
I’m not holier than thou. I don’t deny I do it. As of late, every picture that my wife and I have put up of our now 7-week old son is of him smiling or being super cute.
“Look at us. Parenting is sooooo easy. #nahnahnahnahnah.”
A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on
Whenever I see all those different iterations of #grind on social media regurgitated by coaches and personal trainers alike part of me can’t help but think to myself, “what’s so impressive or vainglorious about going to work?”
But then I think about how many of those same people are listening to every podcast or 2-minute clip of Gary V on Facebook about the grind and how you have to work your ass off if you want anything to happen and to make something of yourself.
Work, work, and more work. You can sleep when you’re dead.
To some extent I couldn’t agree more. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t work my ass off:
I remember all those mornings getting up at 3:45 AM in the dead of winter in central NY to open the gym for members.
I remember working as a commercial gym trainer for FIVE years before I even smelled my first professional athlete.
I remember 6-7 day work weeks when we first opened up Cressey Sports Performance. 12-14 hour days to boot.
I remember writing articles for my site – everyday – knowing that only 50 people (okay, 20) would read it on a good day.
As much as I’m a fan of telling people to embrace the ass-kicking and inevitable failures that are bound to happen, and that there are many sacrifices that will be made in the name of entrepreneurial shenanigans3, I also, too, encourage people to know when to tone it down or turn it off.
Go to the movies.
Have a date night.
Spend time with your kids.
Read a non-fitness, non-business, non-existential-money-making-life-changing-x-y-z-book-that-was-only-written-by-the-author-so-he-or-she-would-increase-the-chances-of-being-hired-by-a-fortune-500-company-as-an-consultant-and-nothing-written-in-the-book-will-have-relavance-to-your-fitness-studio book.4
Watch Netflix. Even better if there’s some chill involved.
In short: have a life.
Recognize that part of being “successful” (whatever that means to you) is recognizing there’s only so much “grind” you can muster before you want to toss your face into a brick wall. You’re not going to lose demerit points if you decide to go bowling with some friends on a Friday night instead of scouring PubMed for the latest studies on moment arms and hip extension torques during a deadlift
Bret Contreras and Greg Nuckols are the only two people I know who would happily choose the latter. But they’re also super nerdy. And super good looking and classy (in case they’re reading)….;o)
There’s a work-life balance that’s going to be different for everyone. And trust me: there will (and should) be times where you’re dragging ass and grinding.
I just encourage you to find a little more life to fit into the scheme of things.
Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.
I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.
[SPOILER: Dean and I also in talks to bring the Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint to London this summer. Stay tuned……..]
2. SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th.
I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.
If you’re a fitness professional you know full-well one of the best things you can do for your athletes and clients is to help them hone in on their nutrition. THAT’s often the key to helping them look and feel better.
Exercise alone won’t get the job done.
But what kind of nutrition advice can you actually give?
(Is it even LEGAL to give nutrition advice?)
And if you CAN give nutrition advice, how should you give it?
Find out in this FREE Nutrition Coaching Course put together by renowned coach, researcher, and pioneer in the field of exercise nutrition — Dr. John Berardi.
And to celebrate they’re giving everyone a free sponge bath! Kidding.
However, they have reduced the price on everything on their site by 40% until midnight (3/17). I don’t feel there’s a huge need to be pitchy here. They’re the largest database (50,000+ references), they’re 100% independent, they’re trusted (2 million+ visitors/day), and they’re simply the best.
No ads, no consulting, no coaching – just an education company 🙂
We’re always quick to gravitate to the latest and greatest trends in the weight room without taking into consideration something more relevant: how to motivate our clients & athletes and meet them where they are…both psychologically and emotionally.
It’s not always about sets, reps, and PR’s.
Cool Factoid: Tom Hanks (yes, Forrest Gump) is going to be narrating the audio version of this book. Awesome.
In my career as a strength coach I’ve worked with numerous athletes and non-athletes alike dealing with back pain. And while much of the time my initial “go to” exercises are things like the McGill curl-up, birddogs, deadbugs, and various planks I also recognize that, after awhile, some people would rather wash their face with broken glass than perform another rep of any of those exercises.
Curl-ups, birddogs, and planks work. There’s no denying that. Coaching people up on those three movements alone and having them perform them on a consistent basis will clean up a lot of aberrant movement reduce pain in a symptomatic back.
However, it’s just, you know, they get boring after a while. As much as I’m a fan of those movements (and could care less how bored someone gets if it’s what they need to be doing to get better), part of my job as a coach is to help people not feel like a patient and to find other means to elicit a training effect.
I mean, raise your hand if this sounds familiar:
Athlete/Client:“Ready to train coach. What are we doing today?”
Coach:“You’re in for a treat. We’re getting after it with birddogs today. Holla!”
Like I said, it’s not to bemoan the birddog – it’s lovely exercise – but it’s not to say we can’t toss in alternative exercises that are just as conducive to working through low back pain AND more palatable for those looking to actually train.
HBT Front Squat March
Who Did I Steal It From? – a combination of Dr. Joel Seedman and MA based strength coach, Ryan Wood.
What Does It Do? – I’ve discussed the concept of HBT before in THIS article, but to reiterate:
“HBT = Hanging Band Training.
It’s exactly what is sounds like. You take some bands, hang some stuff off them, and do stuff. Because, science.
While at first glance it comes across as a bit gimmicky, HBT training does have a fair amount of efficacy. As Dr. Seedman explains in the article linked to above, the oscillatory characteristics of this brand of training provides a unique training stimulus that challenges stabilization, increases core demand, helps “excite” the CNS, and also has a bit of carryover to muscle gain due to the increase in time under tension.”
Germane to this exercise, the oscillatory effect of the kettlebells (or plates if you don’t have access to KBs) works wonders with regards to challenging the core musculature to stabilize and in helping to build a more resilient back.
The exercise itself can work in one of two ways:
1) If you have the space to do so, you can have someone unload a barbell from a rack and have him of her walk a specific distance.
2) Or, if you’re like me, and have a smaller studio, you can just as effectively have someone stand in place and march it out, like my client Dima is doing in the video above. Like a boss.
Key Coaching Cues: This is a fairly intuitive exercise. The KBs hanging from the bands is going to jostle the individual every which way if they’re too lazy and not CONTROLLING the barbell. The objective is to resist the movement of the KBs.
I like to tell my clients to “keep the KBs quiet.”
Some other things you want to be on the lookout for is too much leaning back and/or any excessive lateral flexion (side bending). The idea is to “stay tall” as one alternates back and forth from foot to foot.
You can either shoot for a specific time (say, 30-40seconds) or a specific number of steps. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Coaching. There’s a connotation that it’s all butterfly kisses, rainbows, wearing sweatpants to work and/or hoisting up a Lombardi Trophies.5
From a fitness pro’s perspective the sweatpants part is true, however the career is anything other than rainbows. It’s an arduous, drawn-out, paying your dues ass-kicking to be truthful. In today’s guest post by Texas based personal trainer, Shane McLean, he sheds some light on the “other” side of coaching.
You see them on TV. You see them in the gym and you see them at ball games. Coaches, they’ve got it made, right?
They’re strutting along the sideline yelling and screaming instructions at their players. Or it’s the personal trainers at your gym wearing tracksuit pants and checking their social media feed while telling clients what to do.
They don’t seem to be doing an ounce of ‘work’ and they get to wear comfortable pants to boot. Some might say, “That job looks so easy even I could do it.”
When I first started in the fitness industry over 8 years ago, I had no clue what to expect. Sure, I’d been lifting weights for a while, was in reasonable shape and was freshly armed with a personal training certification.
Which meant I knew everything and everybody else knew nothing. I thought coaching would be a walk in the park. How wrong I was.
I couldn’t coach my way out of wet paper bag. I was hurting my clients and they weren’t understanding any of my instructions, cues or programs. Maybe it was my Crocodile Dundee accent?
‘That’s not a knife…….that’s a knife.’
It’s one thing to know something, but it’s an entirely different matter to coach what you know to someone else. The history of sports is littered with great players who couldn’t coach to save themselves.
Sorry Magic
So, how did I get better at coaching? I worked my butt off, observed good coaches in their natural environment and read. That has kept my head above water (for now) but I’m still a work in progress.
Coaching is a great profession but I’m pulling back the curtain to reveal the other side. Here are some things that you probably never considered about that coach who is going bananas on the sideline while his/her team is up by 20.
1) People Are Less Than Truthful
When I first started working as a trainer, a fellow professional said something to me that I’ll never forget.
“People are liars.”
I brushed this comment off at the time, to be honest. I’ve always seen the best in people (rather than the worst) and I’m inclined to believe whatever they’re telling me.
However, over time this statement has rung true. Some clients (in my experience) have been less than truthful about their reasons for cancelling, their old injuries or about general life details.
It’s hard enough to get the best out of players/clients as a coach, but when they’re less than truthful, it becomes more difficult. And when your livelihood depends on results, it becomes a real problem.
2) It Doesn’t Always Pay the Bills
Most coaches get into this business because of a burning desire to help people and they also love telling people what do to. I know I do. Furthermore, most coaches get to wear tracksuit pants to work.
Beats the suit and tie every time.
However, the passion coaches have doesn’t always reflect in their pay check, particularly at the start of their career. I’ve known good coaches who have left the profession or have had to work a second job to make ends meet.
While others have sold a little of their soul to get a decent paycheck.
Hint: none of the trainers (or models hired behind them) got their body by doing the exact thing they’re selling.
I’m extremely fortunate to have a supportive wife who understands but doesn’t necessarily like the up/down nature of the fitness business. For a large part of my career as a coach, I’ve struggled to make a decent living. However, that’s all on me and I’m working hard to rectify this.
There are plenty of coaches who are making a good living because they work their butts off and have figured it out. However, in my experience, that’s more the exception than the rule.
There are lots of good coaches who are still waiting for the rewards of their hard work.
3) There is More to Coaching Than Meets the Eye
Most of the public sees the final product of the coach’s toil, where they yell, scream, motivate and act like a crazy person who’s had way too much caffeine.
What the public doesn’t see is all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. Good coaches burn the midnight oil planning and preparing to make their clients/teams/players better.
Most coaches I know are happy to do the work. However, at times the consumer only sees the costs but not the value. What a lot of people fail to realize is all the hard work that goes into that final dollar value.
Furthermore, the coaching profession is an ever-evolving industry and if you’re not getting better, you’re getting left behind. The time and money spent on continuing education, industry conferences, coaching and travel adds up to a pretty penny.
Good coaches invest ton to make themselves and their clients better, a fact not seen by most of the non-coaching public.
Wrapping Up
Coaching is not all sunshine and roses. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears involved. There are far more ways to earn a better living but none as quite as rewarding as affecting people’s lives in a positive way.
Wearing tracksuit pants is just a welcome bonus.
About the Author
Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Texas. Shane believes in balancing exercise with life while putting the fun back into both.
Having a newborn at home = I’ve been waking up on the wrong side of the bed lately. A lot. I’m cranky AF and my brain waves aren’t firing on all cylinders this morning so you can blame this lame introduction on that.
Cool?
Awesome. Lets discuss abs. Specifically, lets discuss one of the more common ab exercises out there: the abdominal rollout.
The Abdominal Rollout: A Complete History (But Not Really)
I’d like to sit here and pizzaz you with some interesting factoids and trivia about the abdominal rollout, like, say, I don’t know, its roots can go all the way back to Mesopotamia and that every male had to perform strict repetitions for 17 hours straight before he was allowed to mate. Maybe the History Channel can back me up on that one?
Who knows, for all I know some guy named Phil was the first to perform the exercise while training in his basement in 1968 while jamming to Hendrix. Phil was cool as shit.
Either way, all I can really tell you is that it’s a staple exercise that trains the anterior core musculature – upper and lower rectus regions in addition to the internal and external obliques – and has long been a “go to” exercise for anyone looking to shred their mid-section.
Specifically the abdominal rollout is an excellent variation that trains ANTI-EXTENSION, and, well, many people tend to miss the boat in this regard.
I see a lot of common mistakes when I watch trainees perform this exercise. In fact, most would be better off pumping the brakes a little bit and mastering something like an RKC plank first.
RKC Plank = a plank (albeit learning appreciate tension).
The set-up is more or less the same a regular ol’ plank, except here you’ll want to flex everything – your abs, glutes, quads, eyelids, everything.
An important cue I use when teaching the RKC plank is to tell the person doing it to pretend as if they’re trying to drag their elbows towards their toes. When done right, it increases the “holy cow, this is really hard” factor by a large margin.
Also, when done right, 10 seconds will feel like torture.
But I’m getting a little off-track. What are those common mistakes of the rollout I was referring to above? The two most common are:
People falling into excessive lumbar extension (<– remember: the rollout is an exercise that helps train anti-extension; it defeats the purpose of the drill if you allow your lumbar region to “fall” into extension). The idea should be to maintain posterior pelvic tilt of the pelvis throughout.
Not allowing the hips to follow the shoulders.
In Case You’re Too Important to Watch the 2-Minute Video Above
1. I like to cue people to start the exercise in a bit more of a lumbar flexed posture (PPT). Relax, it’s unloaded flexion, you’ll survive. By doing so, most will end up in spinal neutral as they draw closer to the floor.
2. My triceps look jacked in that video.
3. Oftentimes as people break toward the floor their shoulders will lead and the hips will tend to lag behind. A cue that often works for me is to tell the person to pretend there’s a rope or chain connecting their hips and shoulders and that the shoulder are “towing” the hips behind them. They should move simultaneously.
Address those two things and technique will clean up nicely.
How About Progressions?
Assuming you’re already pretty good at the standard rollout, what are some ways we can progress the exercise?
Some less sexy alternatives would be:
Add a pause at the bottom.
Use a slower tempo on the way down and up. Think: three seconds down, pause, three seconds up.
We all know you’re going to skip those however, so maybe consider these options?
Level 1: This Is Kinda Cool, I Guess – Elevator Ab Wheel Rollout
Here, the idea is to include some pitstops or “speed bumps” along the way to make the movement more challenging and to increase time under tension.
With the Elevator Rollout I’ll tell people to rollout to three different lengths:
1/2 way out, then back.
3/4 way out, then back.
Full ROM, then back
THAT’s one rep.
Aim for 5-6 repetitions (which is really 15-18 repetitions when you count all the additional stops).
Level 2: Alright, Now We’re Talking – 2-Way Ab Wheel Rollout
All we need to do to make something a little more challenging is to add a change of direction. With the 2-Way Ab Wheel Rollout the idea is to alternate between veering off to the left and to the right. But, really, you can add as many directions as you want. And, if you’re really feeling frisky you can combine this with the elevator variation above.
I like to shoot for 6-8 repetitions per direction with this one.
Level 3: Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, Snap – Band Resisted Ab Wheel Rollout
To up the ante even more we can add resistance in the form of a band. With this variation I wrapped two bands around the corner of a squat rack and wrapped the other ends around each handle of the abdominal wheel.
The band will “assist” with the yielding/eccentric component, but you will need to fight and overcome the concentric portion. It’s a pretty nasty progression, so don’t take it lightly.
Aim for 8-12 repetitions.
Level 4: “Whoa, I Know Kung-Fu” – Standing Band Resisted Barbell Rollout
^^ Bonus points for The Matrix reference.
Admittedly, this isn’t that baller…but it’s a nice variation for those who aren’t quite able to perform a strict standing rollout (which is next level Jedi shit). With this variation you have to overcome the band as you roll out, however on the way back the band will accommodate or assist you back up to the starting position. Pretty nifty.
Aim for 5-8 repetitions.
And that’s that. I hope those tips to clean up technique help and made sense, and I also hope you now have a few new exercises to try.
Speed ladders, parachutes, BOSU balls…it’s all nauseating at times. There’s a time and place for all those things – I guess – but when they’re added to an athlete’s (especially young athlete’s) training repertoire I have to wonder if they’re in there because the coach feels it’ll make him or her better, or if it’s the novelty they’re after? Today’s guest post by strength coach, David Otey, tackles the idea of sport RESTRICTIVE exercise and sport ASSISTIVE.
In fitness, finding your niche is a major part of making an impact on an individual. Over the last few years, Instagram celebrities and fitness magazines are guiding people on the best “sport specific” exercises for athletes.
If you want to be great at throwing, do this!
If you want to play cornerback in football, do that!
The whole process is very demanding of precise movements. The only issue is, details enhance, they don’t create. Just like a nice tie doesn’t make a cheap suit look better, detail work without a foundational set of athleticism, doesn’t change the athlete.
We can all remember our first intro to lifting weights, like a first date. The first interaction is the most impactful so a shit program can really compromise your results for years to come if you don’t find the right direction.
Ever meet that 50 year old guy that is still doing his HS football team’s lifting routine?? I meet that guy all the time. The issue with this idea is young athletes usually get thrown into a specific rotation of exercises that may be helping tiny details but neglecting overall development.
The fact is, the first 6 months to a year of working out is the most crucial from a muscle mass, neuromuscular awareness, and overall gym knowledge standpoint. Those initial days and exercises really set the table for your future accomplishments in the gym.
Sport specific exercises have been used for years with the intent of developing a particular athlete in their respective competition. Ever hear of the SAID principle? If so, makes sense right?
Sport restrictive exercises is a term I use for any exercise that could hinder the natural athleticism of an athlete.
If we are using sport specific exercises, they should be a compliment to some natural big lifts that are the foundation of our program. Thousands of athletes, right now, are practicing how to make one hand catches like Odell Beckham Jr. While focusing on that, they are neglecting speed, power, route running, catching fundamentals, and more
Athlete programming has two overall objectives: Maximize potential and minimize injury/restriction.
If you are not getting better, you are competing less.
If you are hurt, you are competing less.
We want athletes to compete more, work more efficiently, and stay in the game longer. The idea of sport restrictive exercises is to change the thought process from what things can I do for specific movements to what things should I REALLY not be doing to hinder my development in that sport.
I would argue that the majority of exercises are good for all athletes with a strong foundational level of athleticism (assuming no major injuries). There are a subset of exercises for each sport which should be avoided if you are looking to max out your potential. Here are four of the more common situations we may run into which are holding back our athletes.
Restricted Hip Drive
Restricted Shoulder Mobility
Loss of Rotational Power Generation
Loss of Multidirectional Movement
These four basic areas are really what encompass the attributes that set an athlete apart from the field.
Lacking in one or multiple of these either place you behind the curve or place you on the injury reserve. These for characteristics are also seen in every sport just in varying quantities. Let’s dive into how we can distinguish and avoid sport restrictive exercises going forward. As sport specific exercises are truly movements seen in game situations, I will refer to the exercises below as “sport assistive.”
Hip Drive
Hip drive is one of the most powerful and common strengths of any athlete. Whether you are throwing, blocking, sprinting, hips dominate the motion. Hip drive can be used in many ways but explosion and stability are the key responsibilities of the Glutes. To get the most of your hip drive, it’s important to work in areas that are similar to your sport. The weight room opens us up to a long list of activities that can work on a more powerful looking lower body. Key word is LOOKING. How can we adjust to just flat our powerful.
Sumo Deadlift – Sport Restrictive Movement
Note from TG: Noooooooooooooooo (sad face). I’m still posting a video of myself.
Traditional Deadlifts are becoming more common in weight rooms everywhere which is a great thing. The movement is based on full body strength and developing power. With regard to the Sumo Squat, it’s inherently unique set up is unfamiliar to almost any sport we see on a regular basis. Now I know, some people are going to say, “But what about the extra muscles used in the Sumo Deadlift?”
I certainly can understand that, my argument is this is more suited for the athlete geared towards weight-room competitions and less towards indoor/outdoor traditional sports. Building a foundation should be based on movements that are going to directly impact performance, not just look sweet in your Instagram post.
Broad Jump – Sport Assistive Movement
Without hip mobility, you are leaving yourself with a quick road to injury. Restricted hip mobility leaves you in a position to rely on areas to gain mobility that aren’t meant to have mobility. This extra strain, either placed on your knees or lower back, can quickly turn into chronic issues.
To avoid this, don’t work on exercises with unique demands that are uncommon to your everyday activity. The broad jump for any athlete is a way to specifically focus on hip and lower body explosion with the outcome of “project myself as far as humanly possible”. All out power is what we strive for. The hip extension utilize in the broad jump mimics almost all lower body locomotive movements we will see more commonly.
Shoulder Strength
Shoulders are the second most impactful joint in the body. Where the hip is mainly responsible for power generation from the lower limbs, the shoulders have the main juncture of the upper limbs. In all throwing sports, the chain reaction between medial foot all the way through the throw, is either amplified or diminished because of shoulder (scapular and glenohumeral) strength and mobility.
Barbell Military Press – Sport Restrictive Movement
The traditional Military press is no argument a solid movement for building muscle mass, but not ideal for working with the general athlete. The fundamental difference between athletics and barbells is the level of predictability.
Barbell movements confine the body to accommodate muscle growth and patterning to a restricted path due to the bar. In sports, all movements are unique and the body is better prepared when trained to be strong through its own control of its path (Example: Dumbell Press).
With respect to athletes with large wingspan, shoulder movement independent from one another is also safer than fixated movement. Increased muscle mass restricts in some sports and helps in others, but overall, the barbell is counterproductive for the athlete.
Landmine Shoulder Press – Sport Assistive Movement
The Landmine Shoulder Press is a great method to strengthen the muscle while focusing on glenohumeral rhythm.
To build in the body’s capabilities to work at its highest demand, we need to reinforce the body’s desire to work in collaboration with coexisting parts of the system. The Landmine’s free pivoting base allows you to control the weight independently. Along with this, the path of the bar promotes scapular upward rotation along with force angle more appropriate for one of our most unstable joints.
Rotational Power
Power is only as good as it can be transferred. Its tough to turn on a light with a frayed power cord (don’t try that at home). The anterior and posterior core’s primary functions are to maintain spinal stability and transfer power. The inherently awesome part of rotational power is the body’s ability to work together and coordinate multiple segments to maximize output. This doesn’t happen without the core, and doesn’t happen without training the body in its full capacity rather than in isolated segments.
Power Cable Twist – Sport Restrictive Movement
Cable twists are commonly seen in gyms around the country as a method to great sick abs. Unfortunately, they aren’t great at that and are more detrimental to spinal integrity. Just as I wouldn’t swing a baseball bat without pivoting my feet, rotation without lower body rotation creates increased stress on the discs, vertebral columns, lumbar spine, hips, damn near everything. Creating rotational power generally starts at the medial foot and transfers up, so training in that manner is most appropriate.
Med Ball Throws – Sport Assistive Movement
The Med Ball Throw is one of the most similar movements to translation of rotational power. One key factor of power is the ability to go full throttle. Just like doing sprints on a treadmill is definitely not the same as doing full sprints outside, there is no restriction of full potential. Proper Med Ball throws can teach an athlete full power output, safely!
Multidirectional Movement
Side Shuffles – Sport Restrictive Movement
One of the hardest things for me to watch is a coach teaching an athlete to side shuffle. Usually, with the side shuffle, the athlete is instructed to keep their back foot in contact with the ground. This concept is generally contradictory to natural lateral movement. Try running while keeping one foot on the ground at all times. Chances are you are going to lose your race.
Lateral Skiers – Sport Assistive Movement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOI1exR6pSk
The medial foot is one of the primary points of the body where power starts. Stealing a base, juking a tackle, initial drive in the baseball swing, all start from medial foot. Lateral work is a great translator to rotational power and lower body reactive capability. Lateral Skiers allow you to focus on single leg accommodation and the ability to propel from that loaded position. This is a movement that every athlete should build do and practice.
Summary
Every program is going to be unique because of the athlete and specific coach writing the program. The purpose of this article isn’t to blast certain exercises but to bring up arguments to why other movements may be more appropriate for your athletes.
You don’t need a speed ladder to be sport specific.
The best sport specific movements are those done in practice. Unfortunately, as coaches, we may only work with certain athletes in a weight room setting. It is important to identify which exercises can translate, and which in the long term, could be holding back our athletes. Bottom line: don’t restrict your athletes by refusing to adjust from the status quo.
Author’s Bio
David Otey is a Strength and Conditioning specialist based out of New York City. David is the 2016 Fitness Manager of the Year for Equinox and has been featured in several major fitness publications on the topics of strength and Conditioning.
Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.
I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.
[SPOILER: Dean and I also in talks to bring the Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint to London this summer. Stay tuned……..]
2. SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th.
I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.
If you’re a fitness professional you know full-well one of the best things you can do for your athletes and clients is to help them hone in on their nutrition. THAT’s often the key to helping them look and feel better.
Exercise alone won’t get the job done.
But what kind of nutrition advice can you actually give?
(Is it even LEGAL to give nutrition advice?)
And if you CAN give nutrition advice, how should you give it?
Find out in this FREE Nutrition Coaching Course put together by renowned coach, researcher, and pioneer in the field of exercise nutrition — Dr. John Berardi.
In a few weeks I’ll be offering a new service…CORE Online.
It’s basically the closest you’re going to get to training with me at CORE without actually stepping foot inside the facility. Each month I write programs that’ll help give you structure and purpose with your own training. You log on with your own CORE Online app, watch me demonstrate exercise, and you get diesel.
If you want to get stronger….this will be for you.
If you want to get leaner or bigger….this will be for you.
If you want to move better…..this will be for you.
If you want to get really good at long division….eh, not so much.
5. Lisa on Cut the S#!t Get Fit Podcast
My wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, made an appearance on the Cut the S#!t Get Fit Podcast recently and she rocked it. If you’re remotely interested in mindset strategies, how to deal with negative self-talk, her impeccable taste in choosing a life partner, or brain stuff in general you’ll want to check this out.
I hate the term “girl push-up.” I hate the connotation it breeds; that girls are weak and that they should do these kind of push-ups instead (performed from the knees). Coaches who use it are 1) lazy and 2) are definitely worthy of the stink eye.
But what about squats? Is there such a thing as “squatting like a girl?” Does the term equally make me want to toss an ax into my face? Well, not exactly. In today’s excellent guest post, NY based coach, Meg Julian, provides some insight on why, sometimes, there is such a thing as squatting like a girl.
I’d like to start off by saying that I’m truly honored Tony named his firstborn child, Julian, after me. I hope to inspire the masses as much as I’ve affected Tony. But I’m not here to talk about Baby Julian; I am here because of Baby Julian (yay!).
We are here to talk about why “squatting like a girl” can be different than squatting like a boy.
After working in a female-only gym for five years and training many females clients during the past seven years (not to mention being a woman myself), I’ve found that we often don’t hear about how tips for men might not work perfectly for women, because our bodies (shocker!) are different.
This is one major reason why when I ask new clients to squat, they often struggle to squat, or even look back blankly (really!) Why? Because squats can be complicated, and most exercise science was developed for men by men.
Photo Credit: T-Nation.com
And that’s no way to live, as a great squat can help women with overall strength and weight-loss, which are frequently among the goals I hear from clients.
So, whether you want to put an Olympic barbell on your back or just get in and out of a chair, you’ll want learn how to properly squat. Here are four important ways that women can improve their squat:
#1: Use Your Butt
Squatting is widely considered a phenomenal exercise for building your butt, but many women don’t effectively engage their glutes when they squat. Counter-intuitive, right?
That’s partly because most people sit for much of the day and thus over-stretch their posterior chain, which is the butt and hamstrings; we also tend to over-work the front of our bodies, rather than the posterior.
It’s no surprise, then, that the little elves in your muscles don’t stand a chance.
This condition is called “glute amnesia,” and it’s a term coined by back specialist Stuart McGill — I’m not kidding! If you don’t engage your glutes when you squat, the connection between your muscles and brain will fade, which will make it even harder to use your bum when you want to. In other words, if you don’t use it, you lose it.
To remedy this, the cue we often hear when squatting is to “sit back.”
But this often turns into a balancing act of:
Gripping the ground with your toes and hanging on for dear life;
Sticking your butt back;
Leaning forward and hoping to not fall over; AND
Doing nothing positive for your body.
Instead, I tell clients to pick their toes up off the ground.
Picking your toes off the ground, and putting the weight in your heels, makes the connection between the brain and posterior chain stronger. This is often what is meant by “sit back,” but our bodies tend to take the path of least resistance, so instead of truly using your glutes, it’s common to become a bit of a surfing expert.
Note from TG: Nice cue to get people to “feel” their glutes work and to understand their role in squatting. While I don’t want to speak for Meg, it’s not one I’d use long-term, especially if the goal is to lift more weight.
If this seems weird and awful, or you topple over, you’re probably not doing it incorrectly; you just haven’t built the strength yet. Keep trying. And you might want to practice over a bench until you get the hang of it.
#2: Redefine the Relationship Between Your Knees and Your Toes.
The misinformed cue we often hear is “Don’t let your knees come past your toes.”
The idea, again, is that your weight should be in your heels and mid-foot instead of being perched up on your toes. The cue has it’s heart in the right place, but it’s just misdirected, much like this meme:
But I love home; that’s where I keep my bed, food and dog.
The problem? Again, everyone is built differently. For example, if you have long femurs (thigh bones), it’s going to be better for your squat to let your knees come past your toes.
The focus, instead, should be on having your shoulders go straight up and down as you squat.
So instead of focusing on your knee placement, double-down on your efforts to keep your weight back, barbell over mid-foot, and your back upright.
#3 And One More Thing About Your Feet.
It’s common to be told “Squat with your toes facing forward,” but most women will feel more comfortable turning their toes out a bit when they squat. The female hips and the way the leg bones fit into them are built to be a little wider; you know, “birthing hips” and all.
So instead of focusing on your feet facing forward, focus on aligning your knees above your toes, and for women, this likely means turning your feet slightly outward — and your knees along with it.
Trying to force a more narrow stance or twist the toes in a direction they don’t naturally want to go will cause a lot of tension in the knees. It’s like trying to jam a drawer shut that’s off its runners — not pleasant.
This may be perfectly fine for some and even how most assessments are done, but it’s possible that this is not the ideal form during every workout. Just look at the way a little kid naturally sits in a sandbox (do they still have those?): knees are wide and toes are turned out.
Not sure how wide to point your toes? I recommend standing barefoot with your heels together on a smooth surface like wood, and squeeze your glutes. Then, separate your feet until your heels are under your shoulders. This is likely the most comfortable position for a squat for your body. Play around and see what feels best.
#4: Show Your Ankles Some Love.
Tight calves can lead to a lack of dorsiflexion, which is the ability to flex the toes up toward the shins. It’s a problem I often see in women who wear high heels or flip flops and never stretch.
Lacking range of motion in your ankles is terrible for nailing a squat. By limiting the bend, your body will find a way to compensate by flattening arches, caving knees in toward each other or leaning too far forward.
Here’s a simple test of ankle mobility: Place your toes four inches from a wall. Without lifting your heel, can you bend your knee until it taps the wall. If yes, you’re good! If no, keep practicing twice a day until you can. Keep it up until you can consistently hit a wall. In a good way.
Wrapping It Up
Most women have goals of losing weight, improving their backsides and getting stronger. While these goals are a bit vague, I do have a specific answer: Squat as much as you can handle — after you master squatting like a girl.
Author’s Bio
If you enjoyed what you read, want to learn more or just need to know where to send the hate mail, visit me HERE, where you can subscribe to my weekly email dedicated to tips like these and improving technique and strength for obstacle course racing. You can also follow me on Instagram HERE.
Megan Julian is a New York-based NASM Certified Personal Trainer, with additional certifications such as, FMS L2, NASM-CES and CFSC. She specializes in preparing brides for the big day, helping obstacle course racers improve their times and working with clients of all ages overcome injuries. In her free time, she enjoys running through the woods, jumping over walls and crawling under barbed wire — sometimes at events such as the World Championship Obstacle Course Race in Canada.
Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Vancouver, April 1-2nd.
Dean Somerset and I will be in Vancouver that weekend to talk shoulders and hips and to start a tickle fight.
We’re capping this workshop at 50 attendees and last time I spoke to Dean we only have three spots left.
For more information and to sign up you can go HERE.
SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th
I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.
In a few weeks I’ll be offering a new service…CORE Online.
It’s basically the closest you’re going to get to training with me at CORE without actually stepping foot inside the facility. Each month I write programs that’ll help give you structure and purpose with your own training. You log on with your own CORE Online app, watch me demonstrate exercise, and you get diesel.
If you want to get stronger….this will be for you.
If you want to get leaner or bigger….this will be for you.
If you want to move better…..this will be for you.
If you want to get really good at long division….eh, not so much.
3. Appearance on The Fitness Candor Podcast
Host Eric Feigl was nice enough to invite me onto his show earlier this week. I had a blast. I always enjoy talking shop with other passionate coaches.
Not to be braggadocious or anything but here’s what Eric said post show:
Just had probably my all time favorite podcast with @tonygentilcore1! I did learn that Santa wasn’t real, though…so…maybe second fav ?
Make no mistake: there are many benefits to doing yoga, and more power to those who enjoy doing it to reap those benefits. However, for some people, particularly for those who like to lift heavy things, yoga is the last thing on our minds. It usually goes like this:
1. Lift heavy things and/or sex
2. I’m hungry, I want a burger
3. LOLCats
4. When does the next season of Game of Thrones start?
5. Is it deadlift day?
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.344. Long division
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1,098,583 – Yoga
My friend, Neghar Fonooni, kinda feels the same way. For meatheads traditional yoga can take way too long and it can also be pretty boring. Her answer is Wildfire Yoga. In her words:
“This isn’t your standard yoga, but more along the lines of “flow series” that can be done in 5-20 minutes. The idea is to take the minimal effective dose and DO this shit.”
You can read more in THIS lovely post she wrote for my site earlier this week or just go HERE and get straight to it.
Another fantastic compilation piece put together by T-Nation asking a bunch of bonafide coaches and fitness pros their thoughts on “lies” perpetuated by the industry.
