Being a “good” coach and writing effective training programs isn’t about inserting the most demanding or most obnoxious looking exercises for your athletes & clients.
Peruse social media and you’ll inevitably come across any number of fit pros vying for everyone’s attention with elaborate looking exercises ranging from Quasi-isometric deadlifts vs. chains (from a deficit on one leg) to flag-holds with band abduction (think about it).1
I’m being facetious. But I’m not far off from being dead serious.
I’m lame, and could really care less about garnering “likes” by wooing people with circus acts.
When I watch some of the things coaches put up on their IG feed or YouTube channel I have to wonder if they think about the following:
1. What’s the likelihood that 3% of their audience can reproduce a modicum of what they’re viewing?
“Look at me, Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”
2. How is said exercise going to help them?
I’m not trying to be a Johnny Raincloud here. I understand that, sometimes, people just want to do shit to do shit.
Great.
Do it.
There doesn’t always have to be a reason or rationale backed up by a Mel Siff quote.
However, too, I feel those who do have an audience and do pride themselves on sharing actionable content (and not just selfies) with the masses, share a responsibility to be practical – more often than not – with the content and information they’re relaying.
Just my two-cents.
Excuse me while I step off my soap-box.
On that note, lets talk about one of my favs.
2-KB Front Squat
I’m not the only coach who’s a fan of this squat variation. Others like Mike Robertson, Artemis Scantalides, Molly Galbraith, and pretty much every coach in the history of ever who’s been affiliated with StrongFirst or RKC certification are fans.
It’s one of my “go-to” squat variations that I use with athletes and general population clients alike for a variety of reasons:
1. It’s un-paralleled with how it helps people learn to appreciate FULL-body tension. The anterior placement of the load forces the core to fire like crazy and helps to promote ideal positioning of the torso:
Less rib flair and more of a “canister” position where the pelvis and rib-cage are stacked on top of one another, in addition to the pelvic floor and diaphragm. The abdominals are called into action to resist an excessive arch.
As a result…
A more upright torso comes to fruition which helps to offset excessive shearing of the spine. NOTE: this is NOT to insinuate a forward lean is wrong or “bad” when squatting, it’s not. In fact, it’s warranted and needs to happen. However, for a large chunk of people, especially in the beginning stages, it’s more “joint-friendly” to adopt an upright torso, accumulate reps there, and then progress to advanced variations where more forward lean enters the picture.
2. It’s a great way to load someone without crushing them.
To steal a train of thought from Artemis Scantalides:
“The double kettlebell front squat allows you to train a decreased load for the same physiological effect. So even though you are not squatting as much weight, because of the asymmetrical shape of the kettlebell, and the placement of the kettlebells in the rack position, you are able to maintain squat strength by training the double kettlebell front squat regularly.“
3. It humbles people. Even large humans who can seemingly squat Ohio will find this variation challenging. It doesn’t take much. Two, 24 kg bells will make many huddle in the corner sucking their thumb.
Below is a quick video I shot this AM which goes into slight detail on some of the components of the exercise, namely the set-up, how to transition the bells to the starting position, and basic cuing.
While I can’t say it’s always been the case (I’ve grown less dogmatic and immature as a coach the older I’ve gotten1, I operate under the guise that every exercise has its time and place.
Except for maybe this one.
If she were juggling a pair of chainsaws while standing on the BOSU balls I could see myself giving a nod of approval.
I used to scoff at any coach or trainer who had the audacity to have his or her client leg press instead of squat.
Roll my eyes whenever I saw leg extensions or leg curls programmed.
And don’t even get me started on the gym coat rack Smith Machine.
I was a gym snob through and through. Borderline douchey. I still am to a small degree. But I’ve toned it down considerably as the years have passed.
I mean, for what it’s worth: I’ve actually been including more low intensity aerobic training in my own training (and that of my athletes), which is something I would have punched myself in the face for in the not so distant past.
I’d like to think of it as a form of evolvement on my end. More to the point, I’m not so singular in my train of thought on any given topic2 In short: I’m more open and less of a dick.
In fact, my thoughts on the topic mirror that of Bret Contreras (in THIS post):
“If there’s one movement that I absolutely loathe, it’s the “movement” that attempts to convince readers to avoid certain exercises altogether.”
Flipping the script, though, rather than waxing poetic on exercises not to do, today I wanted to instead discuss an exercise I feel is vastly underrated and underutilized.
Dare I say…most people reading should make it a point of doing it more often.
(Double) Anterior Loaded KB Front Squats
This is an exercise I’ve been using for years at Cressey Sports Performance and have always understood its benefits. I’ve used it with many beginner and intermediate lifters, and for those who feel they’re above this exercise and think they’re “too elite,” I’d defer to strength coach, Joe Kenn, who uses it exclusively with many of his NFL athletes too.
Side Note: I’d encourage you to listen to his interview on Mike Robertson’s Physical Preparation Podcast HERE.
Why I Heart This Exercise
1. I’m not an anti-back squat guy. We incorporate it – and it’s many iterations – at CSP often. I do feel there’s a cost-benefit to the exercise and that it has to be paired well to the athlete/person given their injury history, training experience, and overall goals.
Having said that, the Anterior Loaded KB Front Squat (from now on referred to as ALKBFS because I’m lazy and don’t want to type it out every time) lends itself to be a much more “back friendly” variation that most anyone can do on day #1.
The fact the load is more anterior (and not directly over the spine) seems an obvious advantage.
2. The ALKBFS elicits an almost unparalleled “core” challenge. Because the load is more anterior, one must fight like crazy not to tip over.
I.e., this is an excellent drill to help teach/coach people to maintain t-spine extension. You’ll still want to encourage a flexion moment, but because this variation encourages more extension it allows people to stay more upright.
It won’t take much to humble even the strongest back squatter. I’ve seen numerous trainees (both male and female) second guess their weight selection.
3. Moreover, for those with upper body imbalances or mobility issues – which may make back squatting difficult – the ALKBFS is great option. If someone doesn’t have the requisite shoulder abduction/external rotation ROM it doesn’t make much sense to slam a square peg into a round hole.
Of course we can utilize a Safety Squat bar, a giant cambered bar, or even have them perform a traditional barbell front squat, which makes the aforementioned imbalance moot. However, I encourage you not to disregard this movement just to be a contrarian.
4. Another reason why I like the ALKBFS so much is that it can transform or melt itself into more of a “hybrid” exercise if one so chooses.
Who’s to say we couldn’t transition from a KB clean to a squat? Or a KB clean to a squat to a press? Or a KB clean to a squat to a press to an overhead farmer carry? Or a KB clean to a squat to a press to an overhead farmer carry to sniper roll off a loading dock, Jason Bourne style?
The possibilities are endless.
You could even perform them offset style:
Give them a try today and let me know what you think.
For many people walking into a gym can be just as confusing as long division, watching a leaked copy of House of Cards spoken in Mandarin (shit!), or a Lady Gaga outfit. I don’t get it.
Lets put it like this: there are a lot of machines, trinkets, and gadgets in the gym and trying to figure out which “tool” to use for whatever goal can be daunting.
We have barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, suspension trainers, ab wheels, squat racks, power racks, platforms, specialty bars (trap bar), not to mention a litany of different brands such as Cybex, Hammer Strength, LifeLine, and Swole Patrol (<— not a brand, but it should be).
While nothing is set in stone – besides, only Sith’s deal in absolutes – generally speaking we can “pigeon hole” certain exercise/training equipment into categories to better match with certain goals.
My latest article on BodyBuilding.com better elucidates my thoughts on this topic. Check it out…..
Hate’s a strong word. When someone says they hate something they must really, and I mean really, have a strong disdain for whatever it is they’re referring to.
For example, I’m typing this very sentence as I’m cruising 36,000 feet above the ground on my way back to Boston (from sunny Florida), and as everyone knows I absolutely hate flying. It’s not my favorite thing to do in the world, and it ranks right up there with other h-word worthy candidates such as Hitler, cancer, Twilight, rising gas prices, paper cuts, and Coldplay.
But in the grand scheme of things pretty much everything is fair game. Everyone has different tastes and prejudices; things that annoy them, and things that drive them up the wall. I mean, I’ve heard some say how much they hate puppies for crying out loud! Cute, little, adorable puppies!
That’s just wrong in my book, but the point is: There’s a whole lotta people guzzling the Haterade out there in the world.
And I’m certainly not impervious to the sweet nectar myself.
Haterade is pretty powerful stuff. All the things I listed above aside (except Coldplay. No one really likes Coldplay, right?) I prefer to think of myself as a pretty open-minded individual who is willing (and able) to do a complete 180 and change his mind on things. I just feel that comes with the territory when you talk about maturity and growth as a human being.
There are plenty of scenarios in my past where I was adamantly opposed to something, only to have a change of heart down the road.
Take Sex and the City, for example. Yep, I just went there and am talking about the tv show. Maybe the altitude it making me a little loopy.
When Lisa and I first started dating she was all like, “do you shower?” “OMG, you’ve never watched Sex and the City???? You have to watch this show! You, me, Netflix, now.”
Of course in trying to play the sweet, sensitive, cultural, and open-to-new-things guy (code speak for: I want to sleep with you)….I was down.
At first it was like that torture scene in A Clockwork Orange where they tie societal thug Alex down to a chair with his eyes pried open with that medieval looking contraption and feed him subliminal images for hours (days?) on end to “re-program” and rehabilitate him.
Yep, it was just like that. I wanted out, and I wanted out NOW!
Then, after a few episodes I was like “eh this ain’t so bad. At least there’s some gratuitous nudity here and there.”
And then something happened. Something unexpected. I started to actually like the show. I went from thinking it was worse than someone scratching their nails on a chalkboard to actually reacting to the characters and storyline……..
OMG CARRIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING???? I CANT BELIEVE YOU’RE JUST GOING TO LET AIDEN GO LIKE THAT. CAN’T YOU SEE HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU????? YOU DIABOLICAL BITCH! I HATE YOU, CARRIE. I HATE YOUUUUUUUUUUU!
*slams door*
Yep, I watched every season of Sex and the City, along with the first movie.
Not the second, though; I have my limits.
I went from “hating” something to actually, you know, liking it.
But lets get on the right track and transition to the health and fitness world.
Taking a gander into my personal rear-view mirror, there are plenty of similar instances throughout my fitness career where I had a strong opinion on something – to the point of dismissing it entirely – only to change my mind later on.
Here are a few that jump up to the forefront:
1. Accommodating Resistance
Narrowing it a bit further (because I actually utilize accommodating resistance quite a bit with my athletes), what I really had beef with back in the day was the whole notion that “newbies” should not be using it.
First, though, we should at least offer a brief description for those who aren’t familiar:
In general, accommodating resistance refers to the concept of increasing muscular strength throughout the complete range of joint motion. Better yet, you can technically refer to it as a way to sustain near maximal force throughout the complete range of joint motion. This is the basic premise behind the use of bands and chains.
There comes a point when you’re doing an exercise (squats for example) where the force generated during the movement is less at certain joint angles compared to others. This is why you can handle more weight with those cute quarter squats you’re doing than you can with full squats (force-velocity curve).
Add chains into the mix — where the squat is “deloaded” in the bottom position and “loaded” in the top position — and you can see how using chains can be highly beneficial in terms of strength gains.
The thing is, almost always, newbies (and I’ll even throw some intermediates lifters into the mix here as well) don’t really need to concern themselves with adding accommodating resistance into the mix. Sure, it looks badass and offers a nice change of pace, but there’s a rate of diminishing returns when your best squat (for example) is 185 lbs.
Many in this situation would be better off just focusing on getting stronger rather than adding a bunch of “bells and whistles” into their repertoire.
But then I remember reading an article that Mike Robertson wrote on why utilizing chains (and bands) could be beneficial for inexperienced lifters which changed my mind entirely.
Again, using the squat as an example (there are numerous ways to utilize this concept: band assisted pull-ups, push-ups vs. chains, etc), and more specifically speaking on the notion of TIGHTNESS and how to attain it, accommodating resistance pays huge dividends.
Place a regular bar on a trainees back and ask him or her to get “tight” and many will look at you like you’re speaking Klingon. However, throw a chain or two – or bands – on each side of the bar and ask them to get “tight” and the picture changes entirely.
Immediately they’ll start to comprehend what you mean by getting tight, as they really have to brace their entire body to resist the swaying of the chains or the pull of the bands.
In this regard, I feel accommodating resistance definitely has its place in the backpocket of a newbies training program. But only as a teaching tool, and NOT as a main component of their training.
2. Onions
The younger version of me did notlike onions. If I even tasted a hint of onion in anything I shoved down my pie hole I’d immediately spit it out and run for the nearest fire hydrant to wash my mouth out.
Thankfully, as an adult, my pallet has gotten a bit more refined. Now I save the dramatics for things like oysters, shrimp, or anything seafood related for the most part.
Onions belong to the allium family, which also includes leeks, garlic, and shallots. They contain a whole pharmacy of compounds with health benefits, including thiosulfinates, sulfides, sulfoxides, and other smelly compounds. But those same smelly compounds offer a lot of nutrition bang for the relatively small price of a little eye-watering.
There are no two ways about it: onions are a cancer fighting food.
I put onions in just about everything. I add chopped up onion to my omelet every morning, and it’s always a staple in whatever Lisa makes for dinner on a nightly basis.
Two words: caramelized onion.
You’re welcome.
3. Kettlebells
Giving full disclosure: kettlebells have been around F.O.R.E.V.E.R, so anyone who thinks that they’re some kind of new fad that’s popped onto the fitness scene within the past 5-7 years is grossly mistaken.
But giving credit where credit is due, Pavel Tsatsouline is often credited with introducing us Westerners to kettlebells and all they have to offer.
Admittedly, when I first started seeing them pop up in various gyms and fitness clubs I just looked at them as some sort of cannonball with a handle attached and didn’t really see much use for them. Barbells and dumbbells worked just fine, thank you very much.
But as I read more and started experimenting a bit more with them, I began to tone down my BS meter and realized that there are a constellation of uses for them.
We were slow to introduce them at Cressey Performance, but now it’s rare to see a program that doesn’t include them in some fashion whether it’s in the form of the staples such as a Turkish get-up or swing( the former as way to ascertain glaring mobility/stability issues, and the latter a way to groove a hip hinge pattern and develop unparalleled explosiveness) or as a way to “offset” an exercise such as 1-arm overhead presses or 1-legged reverse lunges.
What I still take issue with is the seemingly “elitist” attitude that some people have when it comes to their use and efficacy. This certainly doesn’t apply to everyone, but we all know of that one person (or two) who goes on and on and on about how kettlebells are teh awesome and that nothing else compares.
According to some, kettlebells will solve global warming.
Funnily enough, the same people (especially some of the commercial gym trainers I see on occasion) who go off on how superior kettlebells are, are the same people who I have yet to see coach a swing properly.
Who’s with me on this one? I find it comical that some commercial gyms will go out of their way to give kettlebells the “velvet rope” treatment and tell people that the only way they can use them is if they’re under the supervision of someone; yet, I rarely ever see anyone using them correctly or with passable technique.
Of course, this isn’t to say that there isn’t some semblance of a learning curve here and that significant coaching doesn’t come into play. Not many people can just walk about to a KB and bust out a picture perfect get-up (or swing). It often takes weeks if not months (if not longer) to get them down pat.
But I think we can all agree that it’s not rocket science either.
And, just so we’re clear this is an acceptable use of a kettlebell:
Not this:
4. Yoga
All I’ll say on this one is that it would be hypocritical of me to bash yoga when just about every dynamic warm-up drill we utilize at Cressey Performance has it’s base in yoga.
Heck, one of the more common drills we use at the facility has the name yoga right in it!
And I can give you a whole laundry list of other examples.
Pigging back on the whole KB pseudo rant from above, yoga is another one of those camps which markets itself as some panacea of health and well-being.
Especially towards to women.
I highlighted my main concessions with yoga and how it’s marketed towards women HERE, so I won’t beat a horse while it’s down.
Suffice it to say – I think yoga is great. Fantastic even. But it’s certainly not for everyone, and as with anything, should be regressed (and progressed) accordingly based off one’s needs/imbalances/injury history/capabilities/etc.
Someone with a history of lumbar issues or even those with congenital laxity probably wouldn’t be good candidates for yoga, and should at least tweak a few things to keep themselves out of compromising postions.
All in all, though, I feel my feelings towards yoga in the past 3-5 years has taken a massive turn for the better and feel that it’s a wonderful way to offset many of the postural imbalances we tend to accumulate.
Most of us are walking balls of flexion as it is, and yoga helps to counterbalance and open us up.
But again, it’s just comes down to understanding the human body, functional anatomy, and knowing what applies to one person and not the other.
5. Ben Affleck
Okay, this one isn’t fitness related but I couldn’t resist. When I first started writing for various sites a few years back, I had a MASSIVE crush on Jennifer Garner. I’m talking, smoke-show, she-can-do-no-wrong, Alias, Jennifer Garner.
As a joke and as a way to place my own “tag” on every article I wrote, I often referred to Jennifer in some way. Sometimes as a way to demonstrate to women what the female body could look like (feminine, yet still lean and muscular) with with some serious, consistent weight training (I’m loosely acquainted with Valerie Waters who used to train her), but mostly as a way to throw in some line as to how hot I thought she was.
What can I say, I’m a dude.
As well, part of the schtick was to poo-poo on Ben Affleck, who, like an a-hole, went on to marry Jennifer.
To say I was slightly miffed would be an understatement. I haaaaaated him. But only because I wasn’t him.
Well that, and for Dare Devil which was god-awful. Sorry Roman……;o)
Fast forward to 2007 when Ben made his directoral debut with Gone, Baby Gone. I was a skeptic going in, but once I saw it I could tell that he had a knack for this directing thing.
Two movies (The Town, Argo), and one win for Best Picture later, he’s the man.
He ranks right up there with the best of them: David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, Wes Anderson, Martin Scorcese, Alfonso Cuaron, Peter Jackson, and Quentin Tarantino.
Not many people can claim to have hit rock-bottom in terms of pop-culture semantics and then rebound with a fervor they way Affleck did. What’s more he just seems like a genuine, cool guy, and I really respect that.
And he’s BFFs with my man-crush Matt Damon, so there’s that.
What about you? What are some things you used to hate, but eventually had a change of heart? I’d love to hear your comments below.
UPDATE: My bad, I was told Valerie still trains Jennifer 3x per week. Hence why Jennifer still looks amazing after three kids….;o)
I like to consider myself as an even keeled person who tries to see the comedy in life and not to take things too seriously.
I’m originally from Middle of Nowhere, NY where I grew up in a small town with no traffic lights and no fast food restaurants. Just to be clear though, yes, we had running water. And the internet for that matter. But barely. My parents had been using a dial-up connection up until last year, which is considered child abuse in some states.
Love you mom!!!!!
Anyways, life moves a bit differently where I’m from. Where I’m from people don’t slam on their car horn and go bat shit crazy if you don’t move within one-hundredths of a nanosecond of a red light turning green. Here in the city? Different story. Everyone is the most important person in the world, and is apparently in some dire emergency to get somewhere.
Likewise, there aren’t many things that really bother me. Okay sure, some people can go out of their way to be “kinda douchy” and do something really irritating like talking, going to Maroon 5 concerts, or taking up two parking spots and blocking me in.
Hey dude: this isn’t Dukes of Hazzard, and I don’t drive the General Lee, so I shouldn’t have to do a window stunt just to get into my own car. Capiche?
But those are usually few and far between.
The internet, though: now THAT’S a whole new ball game, and a place where my pet peeves seem to increase exponentially.
Given the safe domain – not to mention the anonymity – that the internet provides, it’s not surprising how it often brings out the “inner expert” in people.
And why not? One of the advantages of the internet is the profound profoundness of it all. Never has information been so easily accessible. And never has there been a time where people can learn everything on anything with just a simple click of a button.
Which is also it’s drawback.
Just yesterday I read an article over on Livestrong.com by a buddy of mine who described a brief, albeit effective, metabolic type workout that could easily be followed by the masses and maybe provide a nice change of pace to someone looking to shed a little fat.
As is the case with any “universal” article geared towards the general public, it had to be watered down to the lowest common denominator so that the information could be easily followed. It was a slideshow piece which provided still-frame pictures (and descriptions) of each exercise.
Apparently PJ (the author) made the mistake of using dumbbells in his pictures – which makes sense given that the majority of people out there don’t have access to kettlebells.
I thought it was great and provided a solid routine for a lot of people reading.
But wouldn’t you know it, the first comment – as well as a few others that followed – were from the kettlebell nazis, trying to convey to the world that kettlebells are the only form of exercise everyone should be doing. EVER.
The very first comment:
The swing is a great exercise………when performed CORRECTLY…….WITH A KETTLEBELL! Do not use a dumbell as it is a different and less effective move and more likely to recruit the low back for power production.
The same person, then finished with these great words of wisdom:
nice technique………..NOT!
For starters: it’s a freakin STILL FRAME picture. Lets get off our high horse for a second. How can you judge one’s overall technique by one still frame shot?
Here’s a picture of Jim Wendler squatting:
Using the same logic, we could argue that his squat technique sucks because he’s not hitting at least parallel. We all know this is bullshit, because this is a STILL FRAME shot of him either descending or coming out of the hole during a max effort attempt.
Going back to the article, I have full confidence that a dude who trains HUNDREDS of people a month, has been published in several reputable magazines, and not to mention has a pretty smart editor at Livetrong who’s job it is to make sure that high quality content makes it to the site – knows how to perform a proper swing.
Relax. Deep Breaths. The World Won’t End.
Secondly, while I won’t argue that using a kettlebell over a dumbbell “feels” better when performing a swing, as I noted above, not everyone has access to kettlebells in their gym. Using a dumbbell is fine.
No, really. It is.
And since when does a dumbbell recruit more of the lower back? I have a hard time figuring this one out. If one is performing a proper swing pattern, snapping their hips, “attacking their groin,” and keeping the weight close to the body, I don’t see how if someone uses a dumbbell that it’s somehow is more detrimental to the back.
Further down the comments section, there are several other readers who state that the same workout is, like, waaaaaaay more effective if done with kettlebells.
Kettlebell squats are better than dumbbell squats. Kettlebell rows are better than barbell rows. Kettlebell swings cure cancer. Kettlebells make the best salt and pepper shakers!!
Okay, I get it already: you like kettlebells.
And that’s cool. I do, too. I consider coaches like Pavel, Dan John, Mike Mahler, and Gray Cook (all of whom are “kettlebell guys) mentors. Moreover, I have a high respect for people like Neghar Fonooni, Jen Sinkler, Steve Cotter, and Batman (I think) – all of whom utilize kettlebells to a high degree as well.
I use them myself – heck, I’m even contemplating going for my HKC. I use them with all of my athletes and clients. But as with anything else, and I think all the peeps I mentioned above would agree – whether we’re talking about kettlebells, TRX, yoga, deadlifts, or anything else you want to throw into the mix – they’re a tool in the toolbox, and need to be used at the right time, with the right person, for the right job.
People are entitled to their opinion, of course. Everyone shouldn’t have to sing Kumbaya and hold hands on everything, and I think it’s great when people from different view points can have a civil discussion – even if all they do is agree to disagree.
But I just get flabbergasted (yep, that’s right: flabbergasted) when people go on and on and on and on and on*about how kettlebells are the shiznit (and they can be) and have to be used for E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. That’s not necessarily the case.
End rant, exit stage left.
Anyone agree? Disagree? Am I off base?
* = and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on. You get the idea.
Alright I’m not gonna beat around the bush today, I feel like poo…..again. My first clue was when my alarm woke me up this morning. I always wake up before my alarm – it’s like some hidden Jedi talent of mine. If, on the off chance my alarm does wake me up (like today), then I know I’m in for a doozy of a day. It just rarely happens.
My second red flag hit me when I had absolutely no appetite for breakfast. Normally, I’m ravenous in the morning, but today, no dice. I still ate, but I definitely had to force feed myself.
Thirdly, and probably the biggest factor of all, I just finished with the ladies group about fifteen minutes ago and about half way through their session, The Time by The Black Eyed Peas came over the stereo and that pretty much set me over the edge.
Jesus, what a shitty, make my ears bleed, nausea inducing, worthless piece of crap song that is. Seriously, I’d rather listen to a whale pass a kidney stone.
Anyways, as of late we’ve been experimenting with more carry variations at the facility. As a frame reference, this past Saturday, thanks to a little inspiration from Dan John, we toyed around with 110 lb farmer carries while dragging the Prowler behind us. It was awesome. Essentially, the only way it could have any manlier was if we replaced the Prowler with a tank and then had Katy Perry on top of it singing the National Anthem.
Anyhoo, back in reality, since many reading don’t have access to the same type of equipment that we have at CP, another carry variation that I’ve been toying around with as well is the kettlebell suitcase carry with a rope.
Who Did I Steal It From: To a large degree, as noted above, I owe my infatuation with carries to Dan John, but with regards to this particular exercise I have to give props to strength coach, Martin Rooney, who trains a ton of MMA fighters and is the author of Training for Warriors.
What Does It Do: I really like offset versions because it forces the contralateral side (external/internal obliques, quadratus lumborum) to fire and force the body to brace itself. Adding the rope, however, adds an additional grip component that I feel is benefical for many trainees. And, obviously, it looks cool. Nuff said.
Key Coaching Cues: Simply grab a rope that you would normally use for tricep rope pressdowns and loop it through a kettlebell. From there, grab the rope with one hand, and you’re off. There should be absolutely no deviation with regards to posture on these – chest should be tall, shoulder blades back, and there should be no lean to either side. Also, if you happen to have Matt Blake make a cameo appearance in your video acting like a jag-off, feel free to swift kick him into the abyss. Zing.
