CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design

5 Ways to Upgrade Your Skater Squats

Today’s guest post by San Diego based personal trainer, Scott Hansen, is quite fortuitous.

  1. I’m in a bit of a writing funk and this, for better or worse (likely the latter), allowed me to lean into my procrastinating ways. Thanks Scott!…;o)
  2. I posted my own version of Skater Squats yesterday on IG HERE.
  3. Pretty badass, huh?
  4. Adding chains to any exercise make it more badass.[footnote]Except kipping pull-ups.[/footnote]

Anyway, check out Scott’s tweaks below. I think you’ll dig em.

Copyright: romastudio / 123RF Stock Photo

5 Ways to Upgrade Your Skater Squats

There’s more to building strong, powerful legs than just traditional barbell squats and deadlifts.

Note From TG (cue Southern Belle drawl): I do say kind sir, I have never heard such blasphemous shenanigans uttered in all my life. I feel a bit of faint coming on.

Someone.

Catch me.

CATCH ME!

While those movements certainly have their place, you know by now not to skimp on single leg work.

Single leg exercises are going to help you work out imbalances between sides, improve coordination, balance, stability, and athleticism, while helping to make you more resistant to injury.

Single leg work can be divided into two categories:

  • Supported – As in a lunge or rear foot elevated split squat
  • Unsupported – As in a single leg deadlift or skater squat

Both categories are sagittal plane dominant, meaning the body moves from front to back.

But when you do unsupported single leg exercises, the need to resist motion in the frontal and transverse plane increases significantly. You need to call in your adductors, glute medius, minimus, the intrinsic muscles of the foot, and your core musculature, to a larger degree.

The best single leg exercise is the skater squat.

Why?

Because just like with every other exercise in the world, progressive overload is the name of the game. Of all the unsupported single leg exercises, skater squats allow the greatest range of motion and the most loading potential.

Not quite a single leg squat and not quite a single leg deadlift, skater squats are the ultimate hybrid. They build lower body strength and add size to your quads and glutes, without beating up your back, hips, or knees.

The only problem with them is most people don’t want to do skater squats because:

  1. They take a little bit to get the hang of the technique, and
  2. They are really hard and humbling.

Here’s How to Master Them

1. Use a Counterbalance

Use 2.5 or 5 pound weights in your hands as a counterbalance, and squeeze a tennis ball between your hamstring and calf on the non working leg. This will help keep the back leg in a better, tighter, position and keep you from turning it into a reverse lunge.

 

2. The Rest

  • Reach with your hands slightly across an imaginary line coming out of your middle toe of the working leg and towards the wall in front of you as you lower your back knee down to a pad without letting your back foot touch the ground.
  • Then, use your hands like ski poles and drive them down as you push through your front foot to return to the starting position.
  • Start by stacking a few airex pads for your back knee and lower them as you get stronger to increase the range of motion.

I mentioned before that they have the greatest overload potential. After you start knocking out 8+ skaters to the floor, you need to continue upping the ante to keep building muscle and strength.

Here Are 5 ways to Take Them to the Next Level

1. Torso Weighted

Use a vest or chains to increase the load.

 

2. Front Loaded

Using a sandbag or weight plate increases the core challenge and emphasis the quads more.

 

3. Angled

Full disclosure: I picked this up from performance coach Vernon Griffith. The angled loading places more stress on the muscles involved with stabilizing you in the frontal plane: your adductor and glute complexes, QL, and obliques.

 

4. From a Deficit

Elevate the working leg on a 45 pound plate or two to increase the range of motion.

 

5. Eccentric Emphasis

Use anywhere from a 3-8 second lowering phase to increase the time under tension.

 

Whichever variation you’re using, try these for 2-4 sets of 5-8 as either your main lower body exercise or after your heavier bilateral exercises to balance out the spinal loading.

About the Author

Scott Hansen is a Bostonian transplanted in Southern California, a strength/fitness/wrestling coach, educator, sub par surfer, and die hard New England sports fan.

He works with adult athletes, as well as an assistance wrestling coach and strength and conditioning coach for La Costa Canyon high school wrestling in Carlsbad, CA.
Instagram: Hansen_performance

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Split Stance Trap Bar RDL

First things first:  some very cool news.

No, Justin Bieber hasn’t somehow been scissor kicked in the throat.

No, I still haven’t beaten Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out.

And no, I haven’t officially earned my Top Gun wings. Yet……;o)

I’ve had something “top secret” marinating.  It’s something that I’ve collaborated on with the guys over at WeightTraining.com, and it’s a little project that’s been in the words for a few months now.

And by “little” I mean the opposite of that. It’s going to be huge. Like, Death Star huge.

I don’t want to give away all the juicy details, but suffice it to say 1) it’s going to be an ever evolving product that’s going to help change people’s lives 2) I’m really excited about it and it’s going to be available to the world starting this coming Monday, Jan. 20th, and 3) I’m pretty much going to win a Nobel Prize for Awesomeness.

NOTE: One of the three above (probably) won’t happen.

I’m going to have full details available by Monday, so consider this the official teaser.

With that out of the way I want to toss a “new” exercise your way that I’ve been parading around the facility and using in a lot of programs I’ve written lately.

I say “new” (in quotations) because it’s not necessarily new in the sense that I invented or anything.  Believe me: if or when I invent something – like, I don’t know, an economy sized, fuel efficient tank, or Grape flavored Spike** – I’ll be the first one to take full credit for it.

Giving credit where it’s due, though, I have to defer all accolades to my buddy Ben Bruno for this one.  This is an exercise that he featured over his blog at some point last year and I’ve been dabbling with ever since.

Split Stance Trap Bar RDL

What Does It Do: In short, it serves as a pseudo 1-Legged RDL, but on two legs.  Let me explain.  Everyone knows that single leg work is important and that it offers a host of benefits from improved balance and hip stability to addressing strength asymmetries and improving athletic performance.

The thing is a lot of people suck at it, and as a result typically don’t do it.  Ever.

While not related to the actual discussion, one of the major mistakes I see most trainees make with regards to their single leg work is that they treat it the same as their max effort work…..which is dumb.

To me, max effort work (1-3 reps) should be relegated to the “big three” like squats, deadlifts, and bench press…..with the occasional overhead press, bent over row, and goodmornings peppered in.

Single leg work, however, 95% of the time, should be treated as ACCESSORY work……and something that’s used to address imbalances or weaknesses.  I can’t tell you how many times I watch an athlete or client try to be a hero and grab the 80 lb DBs for lunges or 1-Legged RDL only to resemble Bambi walking on ice throughout the set.

What good does that do?  Why amp up the weight only to go into knee valgus and risk injury? Sure it may stroke the ego for a few minutes, but there’s no real benefit.

I lean more towards the camp which tells people that single leg work should – generally – be done under the assumption that QUALITY matters.

Reduce the weight, make quality movement matter, and do it right.

That said, for many of us, that inner meathead prevails and just wants to lift heavy stuff.  I get it.

With this variation, you get the added benefit of support from the rear leg…..but too, you can load the weight much heavier and REALLY load that front leg.

So in a way it’s a hybrid single-leg variation.  But not.  Get it?

I didn’t think so.

Key Coaching Cues:  The set up is the same as if you’re performing a regular deadlift, except, you know, you’re going to use a split stance.

No need to be too aggressive here.  I usually coach people to take a heel-to-toe stance, with the brunt of the weight towards the leading leg (the one most forward).

Ideally both feet will be flat, but for some with limited ankle dorsiflexion it’s okay to come up on the toes of the REAR foot.

From there it’s hip hinge city.  Initiate by hinging the hips back trying to keep the bulk of your weight in the front foot.  The objective isn’t to go all the way to the floor, either.  For most, just below the knee to mid-shin is plenty.  Either way you should feel a massive “stretch” in the front leg hamstring.

I prefer to do this for 6-8 reps per leg, per set.

NOTE:  You can use regular ol’ Olympic barbells on this one too.  Or DBs.  So for those who don’t have access to a trap/hex bar, you should still be good to go.

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

** = get on that Biotest!

 

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: DB Goblet Lateral Lunge – from Deficit

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these so I figured today would be as good of a day as any to give you something new to try at the gym today.

Well there’s that, and today’s my first day back at CP in like six days and I have approximately somewhere between a crap-load and metric shit-ton of programs to catch up on and write.

So, needless to say I have my hands full this morning.

DB Goblet Lateral Lunge – from Deficit

Who Did I Steal It From:  I didn’t have to look too far for this one, as I witnessed fellow CP-coach, Greg Robins, implementing this one with one of our pro-baseball guys the other day.

And when I saw it I couldn’t help but think to myself, “huh, I’m a complete moron for never thinking of that myself.”

What Does It Do: It’s no secret that we incorporate our fair share of single leg work at the facility in all shapes and sizes……..and directions.

The lateral lunge is definitely nothing revolutionary, but it’s a variation that many people neglect to utilize, which is unfortunate since it’s a great option to train more in the frontal plane.

Adding the deficit – in the form of a stepper or mats piled up on one another, or a person (kidding) – just serves as a way to make it more challenging and to help increase the ROM for those who may need it.

Key Coaching Cues: It’s pretty self-explanatory, so I won’t belabor any minute talking points here.  However, I will say that it’s important to make certain that when you do lunge laterally that you SIT BACK into the landing hip.  Ideally I like to see the heel stay on the ground, and while the knee will translate forward slightly, you should try to keep as much of a vertical shin angle as possible.

Something else to consider:  yes, you can hold DBs in each hand, but for those who present with a more depressed shoulder girdle (and live in extension), it may be more advantageous to perform this exercise as shown (holding the DB as a Goblet) so as not to feed into the dysfunction.

Just something to think about.

I like to shoot for 6-8 reps per side.  Give them a try and let me know what you think!

CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 9/20/13

I know I’m going to come across sounding like a broken record here, but I’m going to repeat myself nonetheless.

There’s only a little over a week left to take advantage of the early bird special for mine and Dean Somerset’s weekend workshop up in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) on October 19-20th.

The Boston version held a few weeks ago was a huge success, and we’re looking for more of the same this go around. Don’t believe me, just ask some of the people who attended:

“Dean and Tony are not only two of the brightest guys in the field, and they’re also two of the most entertaining.  Newer trainers will get brought up to speed on progressive training strategies and take away hands-on coaching techniques.  More experienced coaches will benefit from Tony and Dean’s refined understanding of more complicated concepts.  The only part that was weird was at the end when they made everyone do a group hug for 10 minutes, but after they explained it was really a “mind meld,” we all understood.  Don’t miss this seminar!”

– Mark Fisher, co-owner of Mark Fisher Fitness, NYC

“These guys are legit.”

– Han Solo, Capt. Millenium Falcoln, Tony Gentilcore BFF

You can click on the link provided below for more of the nitty-gritty details (and to register), but suffice it to say:  CEUs will be offered, you’re going to learn a ton, and it will undoubtedly be a fantastic opportunity to network.

—> Edmonton Workshop <—-

And with that, here’s some cool stuff to check out. For those heading to Boston this weekend for the CP Seminar, safe travels and see you in a few!

6 Ways You Might Be Over-Coaching Your Clients – Chet Morjaria

This is something I struggled with when I first started as a trainer, and it’s something that we address here at the facility with each incoming intern class.

As a coach I think it’s crucial to place a premium on technique and making sure people are performing exercises correctly, but at the same time it’s really easy to fall into the trap of over-coaching, sometimes to the detriment of the athlete or client.

I felt this article hit the nail on the head, and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who trains people for a living.

Are Bulgarian Split Squats Superior to Regular Squats? – Ben Bruno

It’s funny how Ben is pegged as the “single leg guy” when the fact is he (and his athletes) regularly squat AND deadlift some heavy ass weight.

I take the same approach as Ben and feel that single leg work is important, but so too is getting people stronger with the bilateral lifts.

In this article Ben offers some case studies which hopefully better prove his point:  they they BOTH have their place.

Back to the Basics: Why You Must Do Push-Ups – Lee Boyce

It’s no secret that I love me some push-ups.  Well, ice-cream is probably on top of that list (with old school Transformers cartoons a close second), but somewhere in the mix is push-ups.

I think they’re a fantastic assessment tool, as well as one of the best bang-for-your-training-buck exercises out there.  Sure, many guys will poo-poo on the push-up deeming them “too wimpy,” but it’s eerily universal just how many of the same guys can’t do them correctly, let alone for a set of ten without wanting to pour battery acid into my eyes.

In this article, my boy Lee gives his case for why push-ups deserve to get some more love.

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

2011 Bits of Awesomeness

2011 is quickly drawing to a close, and I thought I’d take this time to review some of the more popular blog posts from this past year. Collectively all of them made the list either because they were the most viewed, had the most responses/comments, or I just felt they kicked ass and thought you should read them again; or if you’re new to the site, for the first time.

Everyone does a top ten list. Ten is lame, so I thought I’d become a trend setter and go with twelve – albeit in two parts.

It’s interesting, though.  In dissecting the stats, those posts which I felt I put a lot of time and effort into, weren’t necessarily the most popular.  Jerks!

Conversely, some posts, which I literally put together at the last minute, were an instant hit.  I don’t get it.  Nevertheless, it’s readily apparent that there’s a lot of diversity on this site (not to mention I have no idea how to interpret my Google Analytics page), and there’s really no one “category” that reigns over another. It seems, at least transparently, I have a nice mix of geeky content and infotainment that appeals to a wide variety of people.  It works, so why fix what ain’t broken?

With that, I can’t thank all of you enough for the support.  Here are some of 2011’s highlights.

High Heels, Deadlifts, and Attitude (Part I and II)

I had a handful of superb guest bloggers this year:  Kellie Hart Davis, Jason Bonn, Michael Gray, Jonathan Goodman, etc.  But it was this two part post from personal trainer and co- Girls Gone Strong* founder, Molly Galbraith, that stood out.

* For those out in the dark:  look for the Girls Gone Strong page on Facebook.  They do an amazing job at putting out solid content geared towards women.

Perfecting the 1-Legged RDL

My “Exercises You Should Be Doing” series is one of the more popular staples on this site, and this post I did on the 1-legged Romanian Deadlift seemed to resonate with many people.  Maybe it was the killer commercial gym story at the beginning to set the tone, or maybe it was the random picture of Jessica Alba.  Either way, it worked.

My Case Against the Leg Press

Here, I opened a can of worms and left myself open for public scrutiny, but felt I made a solid case as to why I’m not a huge fan of the leg press. For 95% of people, 99% of the time, they’re worthless.  And, what’s more, I somehow managed to include a joke about Tom Selleck’s mustache into the mix.  If that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will.

Mistakes Skinny Guys Make: Eating Like an Olsen Twin

One of my goals last year was to start an on-going series that, unlike those shitty Transformers movies, didn’t suck.

This was the inaugural post that marked the beginning of my Mistakes Skinny Guys Make saga. I think the title says it all, but you should read it anyways because there is a lot of useful information in there.

Don’t You Think You Look Tiny: A Psychological Look Into the Female Brain

This was actually a surprisingly popular post, and I was amazed at how many people chimed in with their own personal stories of others – friends, family, colleagues – giving them backhanded compliments about their transformations.

This post only reiterates why I absolutely LOVE reading things on behavioral economics.

Intimidate the Weight

This one was an absolute blast to write, and I get fired up reading it every time. I’m so sick of people going through the motions when they train, and with little to no purpose.  GET ANGRY!!!