CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: 2-Bench Plank/DB Row

As some of you may or may not know I’ve been banged up as of late, and haven’t really been training up to my normal standards. I’m still heading to the gym everyday, of course (I work in one, so I have no excuse not to), but it’s been a bit of a downer the past few weeks knowing that I’m unable to do many of the things I’d really like to do.

Sometimes, though, we have to follow our own advice.  I’ve been quoted as saying that part of the job of a strength coach and personal trainer is to play the bad guy sometimes and force our clients into doing what they need to do, and not what they want to do.

Using myself as an example, I want more than anything else to head to the gym, load a metric shit ton on the bar, deadlift that sucker from the floor, and then get so fired up that I tear infants in half.

Okay, I got a little carried away there. Admittedly that’s a bit much………..

……..but I DO miss heading to the gym and training with some gusto and panache in my step.

Call me crazy, but performing endless repetitions of supine dying bugs is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But, unfortunately, that’s what has to be done at this point in time.

The good news: My back is feeling better. The bad news: It’s just a slow, mind-numbing process and I’m bored to tears.

Goddammit – I hate taking my own advice.  I want to lift heavy stuff!!!  You’te ruining my life Tony, I hate you!!!!!!!!

*turns around, stomps up the stairs, and slams door*

All theatrics aside, a few weeks ago I asked my good friend, Dean Somerset, if he’d be willing to help me out and write up a little sumthin sumthin for me to follow to hopefully get myself back on track sooner rather than later.

He came through with flying colors and I’ve been following his program for the past week.  I’ve often been quoted as saying you can ALWAYS train an injury, and Dean certainly concurs!

While I won’t give away all his trade secrets, I will say that he’s definitely provided a nice mix of the corrective stuff I need to be doing in conjunction with some cool stuff I’ve never done before.

Which brings us to today’s exercise you should be doing:

2-Bench DB Plank/Row

What Does It Do:  Before I get to that, I have to say that I’ve done my fair share of exercises that make me hate life – bulgarian split squats, turkish get-ups, high rep squats, Prowler pushes, etc – but as simple as this one looks, it’s about as enjoyable as setting your face on fire.

To that end, this is an excellent exercise that trains both core stability while simultaneously allowing for one to get a bit more horizontal pulling into their repertoire.

The added “row” component really pushes the envelop in terms of making this a brutal core stability exercise, though.  That’s where the true benefit lies.

Key Coaching Cues:  Again, this looks simple and I know there are going to be a lot of people who are going to scoff when they watch the video – how hard can it be Gentilcore???? – but I’m telling you when it’s performed correctly, it’s brutal.

Start with a lighter DB than you think – in the video I used a 30 lb DB, and that was plenty – and assume the starting position with your opposite forearm resting on one bench and your toes on the other.

As with any plank variation you want to make certain that the body is in a complete straight line from your head to the toes, so you’ll need to make a concerted effort to not poke your head forward or allow the hips to hike or sag.  If you do, lower the weight being used.  And, after that, if you still can’t perform the movement correctly without compensating, it’s too advanced you need to take a step back and regress as needed.

In addition, you’ll want to brace your abs, squeeze your glutes, and don’t forget to breath!

Perform 5-8 repetitions on one side, and repeat on the other.

Good luck.

CategoriesStrength Training

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Band Lateral Lunge with OH Driver

I wish I were more like Ben Bruno. Sure the guy is a freak of nature when it comes to feats of strength, but even more admirable is the uncanny ability he has when it comes to thinking of cool and innovative exercises that I’ve never seen before. It’s like the guy has a perpetual light bulb above his head 24/7.

Just check out his Youtube page (HERE) if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

It’s almost like he lives in his very own evil strength and conditioning lair doing nothing but 1-legged squats and stroking his evil strength coach beard while he conjures up exercises that will make people hate life.

Okay, that’s unfair to Ben.  He’s actually a much more well rounded person than that, and  probably one of the most decent hunan beings I’ve ever met.

But dammit, two can place this game. I’ve been coming up with a few of my own diabolical exercises, too.  Albeit instead of a lair, I work out of  an evil strength coach volcano. That’s surrounded by sharks with freakin laser beams on their heads.

PEW PEW PEW

Take that Ben!

All tomfoolery aside (and yes, I just used the word tomfoolery in a sentence), one of the exercises we’ve been using a lot lately at Cressey Performance is something I kind of haphazardly came up with when discussing both the Pallof Press Band Squat and Split Squat HERE.

Band Lateral Lunge with Overhead Driver

What Does It Do:  This is one of those exercises that provides a lot bang for our training buck.

1. There’s a definite Pallof press “vibe” going on, so it’s safe to say that we have a strong rotary stability component in the mix.

2. Simultaneously there’s also a decent anti-extension component coming into play as the arms reach overhead.

Which is to say, with both elements combined, it’s an awesome “core” exercise that plays very well into what the core’s actual role is:  stability and subsequent transference of force between the lower and upper body.

3.  Too, there’s a fantastic lunge pattern involved that helps increase adductor length (something most people woefully lack), which in turn helps improve hip mobility in the frontal plane (but I guess you could argue the transverse plane as well when you factor in the pull of the band).

4.  I could probably come up with a few more benefits, but those are the ones that pop out at the moment.  It’s still up in the air whether or not doing this exercise increases the chances that girls will want to hang out with you.

Key Coaching Cues:  It’s important to note that those with limited shoulder flexion (whether it’s due to stiff lats or an overly kyphotic upper back) may not be the best suited for this exercise as they’ll inevitably compensate by going into excessive lumbar extension.

Another thing to consider is the lunge pattern itself.  Many trainees will make the mistake of lunging with more of a “quad dominant” pattern (knees translating forward over the toes) rather than sitting back into the hip and keeping more of a vertical shin angle.

This isn’t to say that it’s wrong (or bad) that the knees go over the toes; it’s just not ideal in my book. Especially when we’re trying to place more of an emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings anyways.

Lastly, it’s important to not allow the rib cage to flair out at any point – especially during the overhead portion.  Try to think about “locking” your rib cage down throughout the duration of the set.

And that’s about it. I usually shoot for 6-8 reps per side for a total of 2-3 sets.  Try it out today and let me know what you think.

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Split Stance Low Cable Row

If you ask me there are only a handful of things in this world that people seemingly can’t get enough of:

1.  Cowbell

2.  Twilight (I’m still trying to figure this one out).

3. And in the strength and conditioning realm:  horizontal rowing.

The first two are obviously pop culture references (if you haven’t watched it already, I HIGHLY suggest you click on the cowbell link I provided) that I threw in there just because I can. And because I absolutely despise Twilight.

The latter, however, is something that’s a bit more pertinent to today’s discussion and something that – contrary to above – I feel many, many, MANY trainees go out of their way to avoid – which is a shame.

If you look at the overwhelming majority of programs that people follow, it’s hard not to notice that they’re very anterior dominate.  Meaning, they place a premium on the parts of the body that we can see (pecs, abs, biceps) and generally disregard the muscles that actually play a role in performance and optimal posture (glutes, hamstrings, and rest of the backside).  It’s BRO-gramming in its purest form.

Taking it a step further, even if someone is making a concerted effort to be a good little lifter and including more horizontal rowing into their training repertoire, sadly, most absolutely butcher technique and end up causing more harm than good.

Giving a few examples, here’s some old videos of EC when he was like 15 demonstrating the three biggest culprits:

Chin protrusion, forward head posture:

Hip and lumbar extension:

Humeral Extension with Shrug:

I each case I think we can all agree that neither of the above pass the “shit test.”  Put simply: if it looks like shit, it’s probably shit.

Moreover, none are actually working the muscles that the exercise is intended to target, and there’s a bevy of compensation patterns that come to the forefront.

In any case I bet these look vaguely familiar, right?

If you walk into any commercial gym, anywhere, at any time…. and someone is performing a seated row, that’s what you’ll inevitably see.

That notwithstanding, I do love me some rows.  I think they’re invaluable movement for building an impressive physique, and even more importantly, for addressing many of the postural issues that plague our society.

Nothing represents this phenomenon so succinctly more so than Janda’s brilliant Upper Cross Syndrome.

In dissecting the diagram to the right, we can easily see how our daily lives spending copious amounts of hours in front of a computer, as well as our programming mishaps can play into dysfunction.

The pecs, upper traps, and levator (tonus muscles) tend to be overactive and short/stiff; while on the other side of the fence the neck flexors, rhomboids, and serratus anterior (phasic muscles) tend to be weak and inhibited.

While it can be a bit more complicated, the easy solution would be to stop benching three times per week for…..the…..love……of…….god stretch what’s stiff/short and strengthen what’s weak/inhibited.

While I’m not going to go out of my way to address the former, the best course of action would be to perform some dedicated soft tissue work on the pecs, lengthen the tissue, and then “cement” that new length with some non-eye gouging exercise selection.

With respects to exercise selection, today I want to share yet another rowing variation that we utilize quite a bit at Cressey Performance:

Split Stance Low Cable Row

What Does It Do:  What doesn’t it do?  Obviously we’re going to strengthen the upper back (specifically the scapular retractors), which is never a bad thing.  Secondly, would be the anti-flexion component.  By bending over at a 45-degree angle – which you don’t do during a regular standing cable row – the spinal erectors get quite a bit work trying to prevent shear loading.

Third, one gets a fair amount of glute activation in the trailing leg.

Last, and maybe less obvious to some, would be the multi–planar stability in the front (plant) leg, as the hip musculature (glute max, glute med, deep hip rotators) has to resist the torsional forces placed upon the body.

In short, there’s a lot of “stuff” going on during this exercise, which makes it a winner in my book.

Key Coaching Cues:  While I’m all about progressive overload, I’m not overly concerned about being aggressive with this exercise.  I’d rather one not try to be a hero and do this exercise correctly than use too much weight and look like they’re having an epileptic seizure.

To that end:

1.  Tuck the chin and try your best to prevent any forward head posture.

2.  Squeeze the glute of the rear leg.  Like hard. So hard that you tear your shorts.

3. Make sure to keep the shoulder blade depressed (and adducted)….and don’t shrug the weight.

4.  Pull the elbow towards the hip and squeeze for a 1-2 second count with each repetition.

5.  Give somebody a hug.

Try it out today, and let me know what you think!

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Tall Kneeling Landmine

You may be wondering why I’ve been out of commission since like the middle of the last week. For starters, Joe’s post – Just Because a Doctor Said It: A Response – was such a huge hit, and got such a great response, that I wanted to keep it up for a few days to maximize the total number of people who would read it.

Secondly, my girlfriend was out of town for a day and half and I took every opportunity to catch up on some of the manly things I never have a chance to take part it.  You know stuff like growing a beard, staying up past midnight, and chopping down trees just for the hell of it.

Of course I didn’t do ANY of those things. Instead, all I did was use the time to be as productive as possible and spent my entire Friday afternoon (and night) catching up on programs that needed to be written, doing some (pleasure) reading, and then hanging out at Panera where I put the finishing touches on another article that I just submitted to T-Nation.  Oh, and I ate a lot of bacon.

And, just like the rest of the free world (or at least the parts that have an IMAX), I also went to see The Avengers. All I have to say is holy epicness.

What’s more, did you happen to see how much freakin money that thing made this past weekend?  It SHATTERED the previous opening weekend record – previously held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  I think it made something like a kazillion bajallion dollars.*  Crazy.

With money like that, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about Joss Whedon – the director – taking a martini bath every two hours.**

Anyways, it’s a gorgeous day here in Boston and we haven’t seen the sun in like a week.  Coincidentally, both Lisa and I have the day off and we’re going to take full advantage of it and walk around and enjoy the sites.  But, before I leave, here’s an exercise you should be doing.

Tall Kneeling Landmine

Who Did I Steal It From:  No one, technically.  But I know it’s been made popular by the likes of Mike Boyle and Gray Cook.

What Does It Do:  Since “core” training is all the rage just about everywhere you turn, it’s important to train it in a manner that it’s designed for. While there are several applicable “actions” of the core, this exercise specifically targets both rotatary stability and anti-extension.

  • Rotatary Stability:  Essentially this is akin to preventing unwanted motion – especially in the lumbo-pelvic-hip area. With this exercise it’s important to lock the center in place and to have as little motion as possible in that area.  Of note, when done correctly, this exercise also HAMMERS the external obliques.
  • Anti-Extension:  Again, while locking oneself into position, another key component of this exercise is to resist extension.

Key Coaching Cues:  One of (if the THE most) benefits of this movement is that it can be done anywhere, at any gym.  There’s no special equipment necessary. All you need is a barbell and a corner.  While you can’t see it in the video above, all the setup requires is placing the opposite end of the barbell in a corner so that it doesn’t slide around.

In terms of execution, the main point to consider is to emphasize a LONG-lever. In other words, try to keep your arms as straight as possible (maybe a very slight elbow bend) and focus on making as large of an arc as possible WITHOUT compensating.  Trust me, it’s much harder than it looks, and you won’t need a lot of weight to feel the effectiveness.

Furthermore, I like to tell people to dig their toes into the ground (more dorsiflexion) and to squeeze their glutes as hard as they possibly can.

I tend to shoot for anywhere between 5-8 repetitions per side, usually using the lower end with newbies and those who are generally weak.

Try it out today and let me know what you think!

* = rounded up.

** = you know, because that’s what rich people do. Right?

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Half Kneeling Cable Batwing/Pulldown

Every so often (read: all….the….time) I come across an exercise or exercise variation that someone else made up or invented and the first thing that crosses my mind is how brilliant that person is for thinking up something so spectaculous.*

Not surprisingly, soon thereafter the second thought that hits me like a ton of bricks is how much of an numbskull I am for never having thought of it myself.

One such moment came about a year ago when I read something from Dan John about “batwing” rows (see picture just above). For those unfamiliar, basically you perform a standard chest supported row and then HOLD the retracted position for a certain amount of time.  The idea is to increase time under tension and to strengthen the scapular retractors – something most trainees can never get enough of anyways.

It was a fantastic concept, and something I implemented with a few of my own clients almost immediately.

Fast forward to within the last few weeks where Ben Bruno has taken the same concept and added his own spin to it, which, of course, made me feel like an idiot (seriously, why can’t I ever think of something so cool?).

…..but unlike times past, Ben’s thinking outside of the box prowess, gave me an idea:

Half Kneeling Cable Batwing/Pulldown

Who Did I Steal It From:  I’d like to take full credit for this one, but again, I have to give props to Ben for giving me the idea for the exercise.  Too, giving added credit where it’s due:  Mike Boyle wrote a fantastic article last week on t-nation where he expanded on a few similar variations, which served as a precursor to this blog post.

What Does It Do:  This is an excellent exercise which trains the middle and lower traps, as well as the rhomboids and lats (of course).  As a nice corollary, by doing this in a half-kneeling position, you also get the side benefit of performing a active stretch on hip flexors of the trailing leg.  In short, while it may look like a simple exercise – and it is – you get a lot of bang for your training buck.

Key Coaching Cues:  As far as the “batwing” portion is concerned, whichever leg is UP is the side you’ll pull to and hold.  Here, you want to focus on pushing your chest forward and holding that scapulae in a retracted position.

With the opposite arm, you’ll perform the allotted repetitions focusing on keeping the shoulder blade depressed the entire time – do not go into scapular anterior tilt!  In addition, you’ll also want to “dig” the toes of the trailing leg into the ground and squeeze the same side glute – HARD – to get more of a co-contraction in the hip flexor.

Perform 8-10 repetitions, then switch sides and repeat the same process on the opposite side.

* = HA!  I just made up a word.  Take that people who are smarter than me!

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Zercher Goodmornings

Normally with this segment I gravitate towards exercises that fall under one of the three categories:

1.  Those exercises I see most people perform poorly (seated rows, push-up variations, single leg variations, etc).

2.  Those that are new to me, and thus, new to the reader, but can be performed by most everyone without running the risk of poking their eye out (band overhead shrugs, innovative pallof press variations, etc).

3. Those that, you know, activate or mobilize “stuff.”  As an example, HERE.

Today, however, we’re going to kick it up a notch or two (or ten thousand) and enter beast mode territory.  Because, well, why not?

I heart goodmornings.  But I also understand that they’re a fairly advanced exercise (okay, uber advanced exercise) that I feel only those with a solid 1-2 years of “real” strength training should utilize.

With that said, here’s some criteria before moving on:

  • As noted above:  it’s preferred that one has at least 1-2 years of solid training experience under his or her belt before attempting this exercise.
  • This isn’t an exercise that I’m just going to haphazardly throw into the mix unless I feel completely confident that someone knows what they’re doing.
  • You must have a SOLID foundation of squatting and deadlifting technique.  If at any point someone makes the this face (——>) while you’re performing either of the two, you definitely should not be performing goodmornings.
  • Why?  It’s pretty well known that the spine can handle compressive loading like a G6, and as such, we can sometimes get away with less than stellar technique. When it comes to shear loading, though, the water gets a little murkier and having a client perform goodmornings (which is shear loading central) when they’re not prepared for it, is a recipe for disaster.

Still, I do find that goodmornings are an excellent strength training exercise that, when performed correctly, has it’s advantages.

For starters, it’s an awesome movement that hammers the posterior chain and serves as a key accessory movement to the deadlift (which is probably why I like them so much).

Secondly, and pigging back on the point above, due to the anterior bar placement and subsequent control of shear loading, it forces people to get into more t-spine extension.

Note: This is, of course, assuming that they’re able to do it in the first place. If one has questionable t-spine mobility (particularly in extension), I’d probably pass on this exercise and opt for safer, more manageable alternatives.

And lastly, speaking from a personal perspective, goodmornings serve as an  “indicator movement,” which helps me better gauge my progress with the deadlift (and squat for that matter).  Because the goodmorning so closely strengthens the same muscle groups, whenever I see improvements in its performance, I can almost guarantee my deadlift and squat numbers improve as well.

There is a caveat.  Outside of someone’s preparedness to do them, goodmornings can be problematic for those with a history of cranky shoulders.  Due to the bar placement, which places the shoulders in the “at risk” position for impingement (abduction and external rotation), unless one has access to specialty bars such as a Giant Cambered Bar or Safety Squat Bar, traditional goodmornings probably are not the best option.

…which is where Zerchers come in.

Key Coaching Cues:  set the bar at or around chest height so that it’s easier to place it in the crook of your elbows.  It’s going to take some experimentation, and yes it’s about as comfortable as washing your face with broken glass, but deal with it.  Worse case, if you find it’s excruciating, you CAN place a towel between the bar and your elbows.  Don’t worry, I won’t judge.

“Hug” the bar close to your chest and keep the chin tucked throughout the set. Un-rack the weight, take two steps back and get your air.  I like to tell people to make themselves look fat and fill their belly with air – doing so increases intra-abdominal pressure and improves spinal stability.

Too, you need to make sure to arch like a bastard – particularly when pushing your hips back.  When doing so, you feel a significant “stretch” in the hamstrings.

If you can visualize it:  the bottom position of the goodmorning (in terms of feet/hip/back placement) should be about the same as your starting position for the deadlift.  The back should not be rounded in any way.

From there, you’ll reverse the direction making sure to finish “tall.”  Both your hips and knees should lock out and you should squeeze your glutes hard at the top.

I prefer not to go crazy with the reps here, and tend to keep these in the 4-6 rep range. Since it’s such a technique heavy movement, and requires Jedi-like precision, using high(er) rep schemes which induce more fatigue isn’t wise.

Like I said, this is a little bit of a break from the norm in terms of exercises I normally cover in this series, but if you’re looking to kick it up a notch and add a certain level of badassesery to your training, these may fit the bill.

Let me know what you think!

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: DB Reverse Lunge to 1-Legged RDL

This is an exercise that’s been in my programming repertoire for a while now, and every time I place it into someone’s program, I either get one raised eye brow of intrigue or a chuckle; as if to say, “dude, really?  This?  Come on….I need something more challenging.”

Then, of course, those who fall into the latter category wake up the next morning and realize their hamstrings feel like they were put through a meat grinder.

*strokes evil strength coach beard*

Muhahahahahahahaha.  I win.

Anyways, getting right to the point, there are quite few inherent benefits to this exercise.

1.  It’s a single leg movement.  People need to do more single leg work. Nuff said.

2. Thing is, single leg work can be about as exciting as watching Gossip Girl. More to the point, it’s a hybrid single leg movement, combining both the reverse lunge and the 1-legged Romanian deadlift, so I’ve found it’s a nice change of pace, and a bit more palatable for most trainees.

Note:  I will say, though, that this is a more advanced variation so I’d be reticent to encourage newbies to throw this into the mix right off the bat.

3.  With regards to the reverse lunge component, it’s more knee friendly compared to forward lunge variations.  With forward lunge variations you have to decelerate the body, which can be problematic for those with a history of knee pain.  Conversely, with the reverse lunge, it’s more accelerative (I think I just made a word up) in nature, and thus less stressful on the knee joint in general.

4. On the flip side, with respects to the 1-legged Romanian deadlift component, I just like it because it trains the lateral sub-system, and it really forces the trainee to focus on his or her hip stabilizers.

5.  Maybe a little less obvious, but nevertheless an important point to consider, is that this exercise – being hybrid in nature – kicks your ass! It’s not uncommon for peeps who perform this exercise for the first time to be fairly winded by the end of their set.

So, what does this bad boy look like?

Key Coaching Cues:  First and foremost, don’t be a hero.  You won’t need a ton of weight with this particular exercise, and given most people butcher the 1-Legged RDLanyways, I’d be more inclined to start conservative with the weight selection.

Secondly, while the reverse lunge part is pretty self explanatory, the 1-legged RDL is a different animal altogether. That said, I’d HIGHLY encourage you to click HERE to get a little more insight on how to be less sucky at it.

I generally keep the reps in the lowish range and shoot for 5-6 per leg, which is really 10-12 reps per leg because you’re doing two exercises in one.

AC/DC in the background is optional.

Try it out today, and let me know what you think

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Band Pallof Press Squat & Split Squat

I have two surprises for you today.

1.  Normally when I do an Exercises You Should Be Doing post, I give only one recommendation.  Today, however, I’m giving you TWO!

2.  In addition, not only do you get two new (to you) exercises to try out, but you also get to see me in all my high definition sexiness, because I used my new iTouch to film the videos.

Actually, scratch that.  There’s nothing remotely sexy about filming myself demonstrating videos after a brutal eight hours of coaching on the floor.

My arms look gunny though.  So that’s a plus.

Anyways, for those who have been reading this blog for an extended length of time, you know that I have a few obsessions:

  • Ninjas
  • Matt Damon
  • Eggs
  • Might as well throw beef jerky in there, too
  • Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (or any other fantasy/sci-fi movie that was equally as likely to not get me laid in high school and college).

  • Boobies – yeah, they’re pretty awesome!
  • And, Pallof presses

The latter, of course, is something I’ve written on extensively here on this blog.  For those you need a refresher or haven’t the faintest idea what the hell I’m referring to, it may help to read this: 

Click Me – I’m Ticklish.

Needless to say, I love me some Pallof presses, and I’d argue that they’re the most versatile “core” exercise you can implement into a program regardless of one’s training experience or history.  If you’re a complete beginner, you can perform a standard Pallof press to teach the whole concept of anti-rotation and core stability.

Conversely, for those with a little more experience under the bar, Pallof presses can easily be progressed to more challenging variations like the ones below.

Band Pallof Press Squat

Who Did I Steal It From:  No one.  I think.  I may actually be the first on the interwebz to combine a Pallof Press with a squat.  Genius!

What Does It Do:  As with any Pallof press variation, the name of the game is training core stability. As you extend your arms out – and thus, increase the lever arm – the more you have to RESIST the pull of the band inward. Adding in the squat is just a great way to make the movement more challenging (since you’re implementing movement into the mix), and well, it just looks pimp.

Key Coaching Cues:  Don’t try to be a hero and start with the thickest band possible.  This exercise is deceivingly harder than it looks, and I’d highly recommend doing what I did and start with a 1/2 inch band.

Furthermore, make sure that you LOCK YOUR ELBOWS out to start.  From there, assume a basic squat position and have at it.  The narrower the stance, the harder the exercise becomes.

Focus on sitting back, while pushing the knees out as you descend towards the floor (maintaining more of a vertical shin angle).  Perform 8-10 reps/per side.

Band Pallof Press Split Squat

Who Did I Steal It From:  I’d like to take credit for this one, but Jim “Smitty” Smith blogged about this bad boy not too long ago, so he gets the credit.

What Does It Do:  For those looking to kick it up a notch, the Band Pallof Press Split Squat is a beotch!  Again, start with a 1/2 inch band. That’s what I was using in the video, and as you can readily see, I was struggling.

I love this variation because it allows us to pattern the lunge, which is important, but it also hammers the external rotators of the forward leg, which is equally as important because pretty much everyone has weak external rotators from sitting on their keesters all day.

Key Coaching Cues:  Seriously, start with the 1/2 inch band.  Don’t be an a-hole. Likewise, the pull of the band is going to be significantly greater here because your base of support is narrower.  As such, try to be more cognizant of taking your time with this one. Don’t rush, and control the movement.

And there you have it.  Yet a few more Pallof Press variations you can throw into your exercise repertoire.  Try them out today, and let me know what you think!

UPDATE:  come to find out, my iTouch isn’t in high definition after all.  My bad.  Sorry ladies.

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Inchworm Complex

Last Friday I wrote a little sumthin sumthin about my visit to the Diesel Strength facility, and how I essentially felt like a kid in a candy store training alongside my boy Jim “Smitty” Smith.

Traveling to other facilities to see what various coaches are doing with their clients and athletes, as well as using that time to simply sit back, observe, and really absorb the knowledge that others have to offer is an invaluable use of time that far too many fitness professionals don’t exploit nearly enough.

As is the case from last week, I spoke about the warm-up – albeit briefly – that Smitty took Lisa and I through that really opened up my eyes as to how “archaic” my approach to warming up has been for the past few years.

Now, not to throw myself under the bus entirely, the warm-ups that we use at Cressey Performance do serve a purpose, and are without question a step above what most trainees encounter at their local globo-gym where doing a few hamstring stretches coupled with some arm circles is considered a “warm-up.”

That’s just lame, and woefully inefficient.

I mean, the whole purpose of a warm-up is to:

1.  Help increase core temperature.

2. Help stimulate the central nervous system (CNS), and in turn better prepare you for the more dynamic nature of the training demands placed upon the body during your training session.

3.  Improve tissue quality and target those areas of the body that tend to be “problematic.”  For most reading this would entail:  weak glutes, poor ankle dorsiflexion, hips that are stiffer than a steel beam, poor thoracic mobility, atrocious pec length, overactive upper traps, and a very weak anterior core, to name a few.

4.  Improve tissue length/extensibility.

5.  Provide ample opportunity to scope out the hot chicks. Obviously.

Too, and this is something that’s been on my mind lately:  the warm-up should be fun.  I mean, when you think about it, the warm-up sets the tone for the rest of the session.  Training, for 90% of the people reading, 90% of the time, should be fun (and practical). It should be specific to your goals, of course, but it should also get you excited to the point where come 2 o’clock, all you can think about is how you’re going to make people destroy the back of their pants when you crush your deadlifts later on in the day at the gym.

There’s a time a place to put your game face on, and get after it (1RM attempts come to mind), but for all intents and purposes, if training is fun and is something you look forward to, you’re more prone to stick with it.

Raise your hand if actually look forward to warming up.

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

In much the same way, the warm-up should follow the same parameters as your training.  It needs to serve a purpose, and there should be some semblance of individualization involved, but concurrently, it should also be fun.

As I noted above, this is where I feel I could step up my game a bit, as I feel many of the warm-ups I program are very “robotic” in nature.

Quadruped Extensions-Rotations

High Knee Walks

Reverse Lunge with Posterolateral Reach

Scapular Wall Slides

Put your left foot in, take your left foot out, do the Hokie Pokie, and turn yourself around………blahblidy blah blah. Boooooooooooooooring.

Sure it gets the job done, but the example above can be very uninspiring and feel more like a chore – kind of like doing the laundry – than anything else.

Which is why I LOVED the warm-up that Smitty had us do a few weeks ago, which had more of a “fluid” flow to it.  Rather than do one drill for “x” number of reps, and then moving to the other, Smitty prefers to COMBINE exercises and provide a little more value for your warm-up buck.

Not only does his approach still address many of the weaknesses and imbalances that most people possess, but it also takes a bit of the monotony out of the equation.

For example, lets take a look at the Inchworm Complex:

What Is It:  I just told you what it was – the Inchworm Complex.  GOSH!

What Does It Do:  holey moley where do I begin?  This badboy works a lot of stuff:

  • Serratus activation
  • Anterior core activation
  • Hamstring length
  • Ankle dorsiflexion
  • T-Spine mobility (specifically, extension)
  • Scapular mobility
  • Chin tuckification (meaning, one should tuck their chin, and therefore maintain more of a neutral spinal position throughout).
  • And I’m sure I neglecting to name a few more benefits

As you can see, this one drill combines several exercises which helps to target a lot of stuff at once, but is also shortens the warm-up time (perfect for those in a rush).

Key Coaching Cues:  try to have as little movement as possible in the torso.  If you have to, use a wide(er) stance to maintain more of a neutral spinal position (although, a teeny tiny bit of spinal flexion isn’t the end of the world……relax!).  Also of note, I’d be reticent to use this exercise first thing in the morning when the spinal column is fully “hydrated.” Doing so many compromise the spine and cause an ouchie.

Taking it a step further, we can add another element into the mix and perform the Inchworm Complex Plus.

Here we take all the benefits from above and add in some hip flexor/adductor length, in addition to some more thoracic spine mobility.

The possibilities are endless, really.

Try them out today, and let me know what you think.

I do want to stress that it’s still important to master the basics first, and that drills like the ones above aren’t what I would advocate for people who have the movement quality of a snail.   Having said that, I really feel taking more of a “progressive” approach to warming-up is exactly the kick in the ass most people need to make it a little more palatable to do.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

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Exercises You Should Be Doing: TRX Busdriver

While the world is currently at a standstill over the Royal Wedding pukefest coverage, I for one have stayed true to my word, and haven’t watched one single second of it.  And, despite their efforts to the contrary – I wouldn’t let any of the women in this morning’s womens group talk about it, because frankly, I didn’t want my sperm count dropping.

Nevertheless, I’m going to keep this one short today unfortunately, because I’m in scramble mode trying to find another apartment.  I’ve spent the past few days on Craigslist searching for apartments for my girlfriend and I, and I’ve been meeting with realtors all week trying to find a place that doesn’t smell like wet dog.  It’s getting somewhat comical, though, because this will be the seventh year in a row that I’ve moved.  Thankfully, I travel light, and all I have to pack are my books, a couch, my tv, and a vintage Star Wars poster.

Anyhoo, lets get to the meat and potatoes.

What Is It:  TRX Busdriver (or, for something less lame, you can call it the TRX Kid-n-Play:  as a tribute to the early 90’s dance masters, Kid-n-Play, ohhhhh, ohhhhh, ohhhhhh).  If you don’t get the reference, then shame on you.

Who Did I Steal It From:  strength coach and guy who can kick my ass with both hands tied behind his back, Dewey Nielsen

What Does It Do:  While this is a fantastic exercise to work core stability, what’s often left un-noticed is the fact that this is also a superb way to train ANTI-EXTENSION as well.  So, in a sense, you kill two birds with one stone here.

Key Coaching Cues:  Making sure not to hyperextend the lumbar spine, simply move the TRX (or blast straps for that matter) from shoulder to shoulder maintaining as little movement as possible in the hips and pelvic area.  Another point to consider, is to make sure that you squeeze your glutes the entire time, and to recognize that the narrower your stance is, the harder the exercise will be.

You can do this for time, but I prefer something along the lines of 2-3 sets of 6-8 repetitions PER SIDE.

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