CategoriesStrength Training

Stuff That Works But People Think Doesn’t But It Does: Submaximal Training Edition

The movie The Bourne Identity, based off the novel of the same name written by Robert Ludlum, was released in the summer of 2002 and starred one Matt Damon.

Up until that point Damon wasn’t a no-name actor. He was most recognized for his roles in Good Will Hunting, Rounders, The Rainmaker, and Ocean’s 11, to name a few.

I, like many others upon hearing the news Matt Damon was going to be playing Jason Bourne – an iconic, bonafide, badass – had this reaction:

“The fuck?”

Matt Damon?

Matt Damon the same guy who was in The Talented Mr. Ripley and All the Pretty Horses? That Matt Damon?

“Pfffft, no way it’ll work,” I thought. “A piece of french toast comes across as more badass than Matt Damon.”

Clearly I, and everyone else, didn’t know what the hell we were talking about.

15 years and four installments later (five if you count The Bourne Legacy) it’s hard to think of anyone else playing Bourne.

Damon was/is a legit boss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJz7P1V3_M4

 

Needless to say it worked.

People didn’t think it would, but it did.

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, I notice the same parallel in the strength & conditioning world.

People think something won’t or doesn’t work, but it does.

Take for instance sub-maximal training.

Sub-Maximal Say What Now?

Loosely described, maximal (or max-effort) training is a load – usually a one, three, or five rep max – that can’t be completed for an additional rep.

For example if you squat 275 lbs for three reps, but attempted a fourth and know you’ll perform the world’s fastest face plant, that’s your 3-rep max.

I.e., you’re unable to complete an additional rep.

Alternatively, sub-maximal training is best described by strength coach Todd Bumgardner:

“Submaximal effort training is simply work done with heavy loads that don’t require maximal effort. The weights exist in the range between seventy-five and ninety percent of one rep maximum and each set finishes with a few reps left in the tank.”

There’s been a shift in recent years of people always training to failure and always utilizing maximal loads, because, you know, #peoplearefuckingstupid.

While I can appreciate one’s desire to want to train hard and at maximal effort, for many, most of time, it’s a less than optimal approach to take (long-term).

For starters, maximal training beats up the body. Now, before some snooty internet warrior chimes in with something like “but Tony, isn’t that the point of lifting weights? To challenge the body and force it to adapt?” let me explain.

Yes, I’d agree with that comment. Most people could benefit from training a little more savagely. Often, when someone says he or she isn’t getting results there’s a convenient correlation to how “hard” they’re working in the gym.

I.e., they’re not.

However, if you’re someone who’s routinely training at “max-effort” and/or training to failure and missing reps all the time I’d garner a guess you’re routinely compromising your ability to recover.

Ergo, unless your name is Wolverine or you’re *cough, cough* taking supplements, sustained max-effort training isn’t a smart choice.

Utilizing loads in the 75-90% range tends to be spot-on for the bulk of trainees. It serves as an obvious option for adding volume, which is an important component to adding muscle.

Moreover, sub-maximal training, when implemented intelligently, won’t brutalize your joints and it’ll allow you to train more frequently.

It’s a win-win.

NOTE: All this is not to insinuate maximal-effort training should be avoided at all costs. Don’t be cray-cray. If that’s how you’re interpreting things please take your face and throw it against a wall.

Training with sub-maximal loads isn’t only great for adding mass, but it’s also a great way to get strong.

Think of it this way: If you make your 3 rep-max your 5-rep max, it’ll also likely result in your 1-rep max seeing a boost too.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a real-world example.

Two months ago I started working with a female client, a coach herself, who walked in on day one with a 300 lb (straight bar) deadlift.

She was already very strong.

She wanted to work with me to help “audit” her deadlift and to help prep for her first barbell competition – not a powerlifting meet.

Some Brief Context: she’s actually a co-owner of a gym here in Boston that specializes in kettlebell training and is StrongFirst certified herself. The name alludes me at the moment (sleep deprivation sucks), but she and a few of her colleagues/co-workers are competing in a StrongFirst “event” that includes some barbell lifts, with the deadlift as the main course.1

Like I said, she walked in on day one with an already impressive pull of 300 lbs. Nevertheless, I was up for the challenge and wanted to see how much progress we could make in two months.

For eight weeks, we never pulled anything heavier than 250 lbs. In fact, I had her perform all sets based off 90% of her 1-rep max.2

This allowed us to utilize a bit more volume (she deadlifted 2x per week: one “heavy” day and one “light” day), albeit under the premise technique was going be at a premium (honing in on attaining a lifter’s wedge) while also ensuring reps stayed snappy.

For deadlifting success (and for a spine that won’t hate you) this is mucho important. Top video = zero lifter’s wedge. You’ll notice when I initiate the pull my armpits are way in front of the bar and subsequently shear loading on spine is significantly higher. Bottom Video = what the lifter’s wedge should look like (a term popularized by @backfitpro). I use the barbell as a counterbalance to pull my chest up (upper back extends) in addition to getting my weight back and armpits above the bar. Likewise I push my feet into the ground to generate more stability and force. Resultantly my back is placed into a much more biomechanically sound position (less shear) and I’m pretty sure this guarantees I’ll be nominated for People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. Pffffft, who needs pecs that can cut diamonds and an 8-figure bank account. Overrated if you ask me. NOTE: load used in both videos was 390 lbs. You should notice a much smoother & faster bar path with the latter video.

A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

The Result?

This past Monday marked the “ten days out” point from her competition and I wanted to test the waters.

Jessica ended up hitting a pretty damn clean 330 lbs (with more in the tank). We’re hoping she’ll match that number (if not add another 15-20 lbs) when it’s go time.

Remember: she hadn’t touched anything heavier than 250 lbs for eight weeks.

I know some of you reading will clamor for the meat and potatoes of her programming. That’s NOT the point of this post.3

The point is that you don’t have to shit a spleen and hoist max effort loads every time you walk into the gym. More often than not you should focus on quality reps (but strain sometimes), end each session kinda-sorta refreshed, and wanting more.

Sub-maximal training is a thing.

And it works.

Categoriescoaching Program Design Strength Training

3 Ways to Improve Your Deadlift Without Deadlifting

For the sake of brevity, this post assumes you can perform a deadlift – trap bar, straight bar, bag of groceries of the ground, person, whatever – without shitting your spine.

If you can’t, go seek out a reputable fitness professional – or Google it4 – to show you how.

Copyright: langstrup / 123RF Stock Photo

Much like if someone wants to get better at writing they should, you know, write, or if they want to get better at not getting laid, they should attend Star Trek conventions…if you want to get better at deadlifitng, you should deadlift.

The more you (purposely) practice something the better you’ll get at it. I understand it’s stating the obvious, but it can’t be repeated enough.

There are many moving parts to executing a pristine deadlift, however, and oftentimes it bodes in our favor to include exercises, drills, and/or movements that compliment the lift or, more germane to the conversation, address a technique flaw or general weakness.

Below are a handful of quick-n-dirty suggestions that may (or may not) apply to you and help increase your deadlift badassery.

1) Deadstart Squats

 

This is one of my favorite deadlift accessory movements for a few reasons:

  • When set up to match your hip position for the deadlift it offers a ton of carryover in terms of both mechanics and musculature targeted.
  • The deadlift is (mostly) a concentric movement. The Deadstart Squat, too, is (mostly) a concentric movement.
  • For people who struggle with keeping their chest up (preventing their upper back from rounding) during the deadlift, this will be a challenge. NOTE: I’d likely revert to a FRONT squat hold for those who really struggle with back position here. Front squat position is also a better option for those who lack the requisite shoulder mobility (external rotation) to perform well. Another great option is using the Safety-squat or Yoke bar.
  • Great option for training power/explosiveness.
  • Because I said so.

As far as sets/reps there are two approaches I like, both of which gravitate more towards the low(er) end of the spectrum.

One (3-5)

Here, reps will stay in the 3-5 (25ish total reps) range using 60-75% of 1RM. A 4-week macro-cycle may look something like this:

Week 1: 5×5 @ 65% 1RM, 90s rest

Week 2: 6×4 @ 70% 1RM, 90s rest

Week 3: 8×3 @ 75% 1RM, 90s rest

Week 4: 3×5 @ 60% 1RM, 90s rest

Idea is to stay tight throughout duration of set. You should always come to a complete stop on the pins, however you shouldn’t relax

Two (Singles)

I love this option as I feel it offers the most carryover to my deadlift.

Because I’m only performing one-rep, I can place a premium on getting as tight as humanly possible and being as explosive AF. In addition I can go a little heavier in weight here (70-85% of 1RM)

A 4-week macrocycle may look something like this:

Week 1: 12×1 @ 70% 1RM, 30s rest

Week 2: 10×1 @ 75% 1RM, 30s rest

Week 3: 8×1 @ 80% 1RM, 60s rest

Week 4: 6×1 @ 85% 1RM, 60s rest

2) RKC Plank

I don’t know about you, but this is what I look like whenever someone brags to me about how (s)he can hold a two-minute plank:

via GIPHY

You might as well be bragging to me about how you can point out the color red or, I don’t know, walk in a straight line.

That’s how many fucks I give about your fucking plank.

Besides, you know and I know if you’re holding a plank that long it (probably) looks like garbage.

NOTE: This is not to insinuate I’m against the plank or find zero value in it.

Au contraire.

Without going too far down the rabbit hole of spinal mechanics, prone (and side) planks (and how long someone can perform them) are a legitimate assessment tool and are staples in terms of low back rehab and performance.

Teaching the RKC Plank offers a quick primer on how to 1) perform the plank right and 2) allow people a window to appreciate what it really feels like to get and maintain full-body tension.

 

The RKC Plank is all about building context.

More specifically it’s about appreciating full-body tension. If someone can’t understand (or feel) what this means while lying on the floor…how in the hell are they going to understand it standing up while attempting to pick up a heavy object off the floor?

Trust me, when done right, 10s will feel like torture.

3) Straight-Arm Band Pulldowns

 

I stole this tip from Dr. John Rusin when I was giving his Functional Hypertrophy Training program a test-drive last year.

For the Record: it’s an awesome program.

The idea is pretty simple (and effective).

Prior to each set of deadlifts you perform a set of 5-10 repetitions of band pulldowns (holding each rep for a 3-5s count).5

This serves a few functions:

  • It allows the trainee to prime or feel his or her’s lats firing. Setting your lats (and subsequently posteriorly tilting your scapulae) as part of your DL set-up will help with leverages and moment arms getting you closer to the barbell. Greg Nuckols does a fantastic job at explaining things more thoroughly and nerdely HERE.
  • Offhandedly, it also helps with anterior core engagement, which in turn aids with rib position. Less rib flare = less lumbar extension = more stable position to lift a metric shit-ton of weight.

Closing Thoughts

None of the above are revolutionary ideas or are going to win be any fitness writing Pulitzers. However, they are exercises/drills I use myself (and with my own clients/athletes) and have found they provide a lot of benefit.

Give them a try yourself and let me know your thoughts/experiences.

Categoriescoaching Exercise Technique Strength Training

Stuff I Used to Say, When I Was An Idiot: Squat Edition

I remember the first time I saw Eminem perform. I was at my apartment in between classes watching a little TRL on MTV. It was spring break, 1999. I was in my living room. Many of my friends were somewhere else, not in my living room, galavanting around on some beach in Cancun soaking up some rays and debauchery.

Customary during Spring Break week MTV was also in Cancun, and hoping to catch a glimpse of my friends – and Britney – I tuned in.

“Hi, my name is, what? My name is, who? My name is, chka-chka Slim Shady.“

Mouth agape with a spoon full of Fruity Pebbles I was like, “what in the what is this?”

Eminem something er other now? Trying to impregnate Spice Girls?

“Pfffft, whatever,” I thought. “He won’t last.”

Ten #1 albums, 45+ million records sold, and one not so sucky movie – 8 Mile – to his credit, I guess you could say I was an idiot.

Eminem didn’t do so shabby for himself.

And while I could sit here and reminisce over you6other past pop-culture snafus I made….

  • Chicks will always dig stone washed jeans.
  • Robert Downey Jr will never make it as Iron Man.
  • ABC’s What About Brian? (2006) will become the next Grey’s Anatomy or Lost. It’ll be a sure fire hit.7

…lets not bask too much in my ineptitude.

I mean, Adele?

She’s okay. I guess.

Speaking candidly, my “misses” can extend to the coaching side of the spectrum as well. I can think of a few things I used to think or say back in the day that, upon reflection, were pretty idiotic.

What are some examples you ask?

Good question.

1. Telling People to Arch…HARD.

Like many people interested in lifting heavy things I used to read – and still do – anything and everything by the likes of Dave Tate, Jim Wendler, and Louie Simmons.

All three are strong mofos and have, arguably, put out some of the best training advice on getting strong within the past few decades.

I mean, are you going to argue with this guy?

Or this guy?

Or him?

Uhhhh, no.

They’ve all contributed to the greater good of the industry and many of us owe our PRs to any number of articles or resources they’ve produced throughout the years.

That being said, I had to audit myself a few years ago when it came to coaching the squat. After being introduced to the concepts of PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) and listening to other strong dudes like Chad Wesley Smith speak on the topic, I wondered if cueing people to “arch, hard!,” and to” sit back” were the right things to be saying to the bulk of my athletes/clients when they were getting under the bar?

Copyright: Kurhan / 123RF Stock Photo

Very few were competitive powerlifters and even fewer were geared lifers. I.e., none wore squat suits when training (which require an aggressive arch and sitting back to reap the benefits).

To be clear: There are still many very strong dudes (and coaches) who advocate squatting with a hard arch, and that’s their prerogative. The thing to appreciate, however, is that what works and is ideal for a geared lifter won’t necessarily (read: rarely) ever translate well to a non-geared lifter.

If I were to balance the “I want to be brutally strong AND not shit my spine on this next set” teeter-totter, I’d opt for not arching (aggressively).

The ribs & diaphragm are pointing in one direction (up) and the hips & pelvic floor are pointing in another (down).

Put simply, this is all sorts of fuckeduppery not a stable position.

We’re placing a ton of shear load on the spine.

What’s more, this will invariably force the lifter to initiate the movement by sitting back (rather than down. You know, a squat). As a result, often, the chest will fall forward, and the cue we default to is “arch, arch, arch, chest up, chest up, chest up.”

This only feeds instability.

A better, I believe, approach (again, for non-geared lifters) is to tone down the arch and adopt what’s been referred to as the “canister” position.

Giving credit where it’s due, the first person I ever heard use this phrase was Dr. Evan Osar. A simple analogy he used was to think of your pelvis as one ring and your rib cage as a bunch of other rings.

We want all those rings to be stacked.

This will nudge us into a more stable, joint-friendly environment

Now, a minor glitch in this way of thinking is that some people think this infers going into posterior pelvic tilt, where we flatten out the lumbar spine.

This is not what’s happening. As you can see in the picture above, my hips are still behind the bar (still very important) but there’s less of an aggressive arch. Telling people to posteriorly tilt their pelvis towards spine neutral is different than telling them to flatten out their spine.

From there it’s a matter of owning the canister position and to squat down rather than back.

2. Knees Forward Instead of Knees Out

The “push your knees out” cue is something I’ve slide-stepped away from within the past year.

To defend my position I’ll need to piggy back off my comment above – the squat, for most trainees, is more about “sitting down” than it is “sitting back.”

I want the squat to look like a squat.

This means there will be forward translation of the tibia over the toes (but not so far that the heels come off the ground) and that there is equal parts knees coming forward and hips going back.

The net result = down.

My good friend, smart-as-balls physical therapist, and owner of Resilient Performance Physical Therapy (in NYC), Dr. Doug Kechijian, stated it best in a Tweet recently:

That’s right: it’s okay, nay, better?, for the knees to travel forward.

Cueing someone to break with their knees almost always negates the need to remind them to push their knees out.

They’ll do it automatically:

 

I’m all for using less coaching to clean up someone’s technique. The last thing most of your clients need is you barking a plethora of cues at them: “chest up, knees out, eyes forward, chin tucked, what’s the square root of 47?”

Play around with knees breaking first and then sitting down. My suspicions are that things will feel cleaner, more powerful, and the squat will feel like a squat.

Huh, weird.

ADDENDUM: NONE of this is to say I’m right. These are nothing more than cues and approaches that have worked for me in recents months/years with my clients and athletes. You may think I’m batshit crazy, and that’s cool.

I mean, to reiterate, I’ve been wrong on many things prior.

Amazon.com? Such a stupid idea.

I hope you’ll consider these suggestions however, and play around with them yourself. I think you’ll be surprised.

Categoriesmuscle growth Strength Training

It’s Not Just About the Weight…

In today’s guest post, regular contributor and resident Texan badass, Shane McLean, explains why the way to get bigger, faster, stronger isn’t to only put more weight on the bar.

Don’t get me wrong, it helps (and would be a nice starting point for some people)….but it’s not the only way.

Shane shares some examples below. Enjoy.

Copyright: jtrillol / 123RF Stock Photo

 

It’s Not Just About the Weight…

Progress in the weight room is much like life. It’s never in a straight line.

When you first started out on this lifting journey, progress (mostly likely) came easily and slapping more plates on the bar was second nature. You’d also look in the mirror, strike a pose and realize you’d gotten a little sexier.

Ah yes, those were the days.

As you move further along in this journey, the newbie gains start to wear off and it becomes more of a struggle to get bigger, faster and stronger.

When this started happening to me, I thought I was doing something wrong. I would workout harder and longer and would hop from program to program hoping to regain the gains.

But all I got was….

After some trial and error and having the benefit of some world class coaching, (hint hint Tony) I realized that changing a few variables was just the kick start I needed.

The following techniques have been around longer than you and me (and I’ve been around for a while) because they work. It’s not as sexy as twisting yourself into a pretzel or squatting on a Bosu ball, but your gains will thank you.

I’m bringing flexing back. The Bodybuilders don’t know how act.

1) Cluster Sets

I first came across cluster sets in Eric Cressey’s Maximum Strength program. After doing these for the first time, I felt like JJ Watt had taken me out. Ouch was an understatement.

Cluster sets involve inserting a short 10-second rest within a straight set which enables you to lift more weight without having to reduce volume. With a typical straight set, you lift the weight for a certain amount of reps and then put it down.

But with cluster sets, you’ll work with your 5 RM, lift it twice, rest for 10 seconds and complete 3 more 2 rep mini sets with 10 seconds of rest between each. You’ll do 4-5 total sets like this, which adds up to 40 reps with a 5RM weight.

Cluster sets work best with compound movements that don’t require a lot of set up time. For instance, barbell bench press variations, chin ups, barbell row variations or the Humble Goblet Squat.

For example:

1A. Flat barbell bench press (4 x 2) mini sets with 10 seconds of rest between – 5 sets

1B. Weighted chin up (4 x 2) mini sets with 10 seconds of rest between – 5 sets

A Little Sumthin on Bench Press Set-Up

 

And, I Little Sumthin on Chin-Ups

 

2) Pauses

Unless you’ve had your head in the sand for the past few years you should know the three main triggers for muscle hypertrophy are mechanical tension, metabolic stress and muscle damage.

If you want to geek out and get more in depth with this topic, click here.

Adding a pause in your lifts covers these bases, if somewhat brutally. But lifting weights isn’t meant to tickle and pausing while the working muscle is under tension will test you in ways that you’ve never thought possible.

Which is another way of saying they suck. ?

Pauses work best with compound lifts like deadlifts, squats, presses and rows but can also used for isolation exercises (Bicep curls, anyone?) to bring up a lagging muscle group.

Pauses can work on weaknesses, such as being slow off the floor when deadlifting or getting into a good squat position. Because if you’re struggling with certain positions within your lift, it helps to spend more time there, not less.

 

If you plan on using this technique, a 2- 3 second pause with a load between 60-80% 1 RM and lifting between 5- 10 reps works well. However, please feel free to experiment if you’re feeling particularly sadistic.

 

3) Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) Sets for Strength

This method is synonymous with metabolic training and workout finishers at the end of a training.

Starting a set every minute on the minute holds you accountable for work you do in a certain period.

However, if you dare, they can be used for strength also because strength is a skill that needs to be practiced and this method allows you to spend some quality time under the bar not at the bar. ?

Load a barbell with 90% 1 RM for lifts such as squats, deadlifts, presses or pulls. Set the stopwatch for anywhere between 10 – 20 minutes and do one rep every minute on the minute.

This will help you hone your technique and get stronger and better conditioned.

However, this is neurologically demanding and should be done with only one lift per workout. This is best done periodically to shake things up and to bust through plateaus. Please enter at your own risk.

Wrapping Up

You don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater when your progress stalls. Just adding some small changes to the basics will have you flexing, smiling and loving the mirror again.

About the Author

Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Texas. Shane believes in balancing exercise with life while putting the fun back into both.

Categoriescoaching Exercise Technique personal training Program Design Strength Training

The Beginner’s Checklist for Deadlift Badassery

It’s the start of a new year and with it a proverbial reboot or rejuvenation towards one’s health and fitness. Well that, and a metric boat load8 of Facebook statuses of people complaining about all the “newbies” crowding the gym.

Copyright: langstrup / 123RF Stock Photo

 

I am not one to complain because 1) I don’t typically work out in a commercial gym 2) Nah nah nana naaaaah and 3) I think it’s a good thing when people decide to be more proactive, take an active role towards their health and well-being, and join a gym. I mean, really? Are you that inconvenienced? I can appreciate it’s slightly annoying when there’s a traffic jam at the power rack (made worse when people are using it to perform bicep curls) or that it’s more or less an obstacle course to walk around all the meandering patrons doing this thingamajiggy or that whateverthef***.

Relax. Deep breaths. It’ll all be over by the second week of February…;o)

Nevertheless, as pumped as I am that people take the initiative to begin an exercise regime, I’d be remiss not to cringe – just a little bit – at the overzealousness of some as they begin their fitness journey.

Last week was one of the rare weeks where I trained every day in a commercial gym (my wife was on vacation and I joined her at her gym) and while it was great to observe people getting after it, the coach in me couldn’t help but start to hyperventilate into a paper bag want to be a coach.

For example I saw a lot of people deadlifting. It was cool. I wanted to go over and high-five every single person. However, that would have been weird and possible justification for a restraining order I kept to myself, but past all of that was an insatiable desire to want to fix a lot of deadlifts.

I admired their intent, but I’d be lying if I said a small piece of my soul didn’t die watching a few people doing their thing.

You see, for a lot of beginners what I “think” ends up happening is that they watch a re-run of the CrossFit games on ESPN or watch videos like this:

 

…and are all like “that’s badass, I want to do that,” not recognizing that 1) a deadlift is much more than just bending over and lifting a barbell off the ground (regardless of whether it’s 1000+ lbs or 50 lbs) and 2) a straight bar deadlift (from the floor) is the most advanced variation of a deadlift there is. Not many people are ready or prepared enough on Day #1 to perform this safely and with proper technique.

So I figured I’d offer a sort of “check-list” for beginners to consider, and what I feel would be the appropriate progressions to follow to work up to a straight bar deadlift.

Note to Internet Hero Trainer Guy/Girl Who Will Inevitably Call Me Out On Why I Didn’t Address This Thing Or That: This is not a dissertation, it’s a blog post highlighting a few candid thoughts and processes. This is no where near an exhaustive breakdown of deadlift technique or programming.9

Checks and Balances

Everyone is different and there’s no ONE right way or variation or cue that applies across the board. People have different leverages, injury histories, and experience levels and it’s important to take all those things into heavy consideration when coaching anyone up on the deadlift.

I will say: I know what I DON’T want to see. This:

That’s pretty much THE golden rule.

Because it makes me do this:

There are any number of reasons someone’s deadlift may look like the above picture:

  • Lack of hip mobility to “access” the hip flexion required to get that low to floor.
  • Lack of t-spine mobility (specifically extension).
  • Lack of ankle dorsiflexion.
  • Lack of kinesthetic awareness.
  • The novelty of the exercise.
  • They were born on a Wednesday. I don’t know.

Obviously step #1 would be to address and musculoskeletal/mobility restrictions that may be present.

Lack of Hip Mobility

Wall Hip Flexor Mobilization

 

Dynamic Pigeon to Half Kneeling

 

Shin Box

 

Lack of T-Spine Mobility

Side Lying Windmill

 

T-Spine Extension (Done Right)

 

Lack of Ankle (and Big Toe) Dorsiflexion

This is a component that’s often overlooked. If someone can’t access dorsiflexion it’s going to compromise their ability to get into deep(er) hip flexion to get down to grab the barbell.

Active Ankle Dorsiflexion

 

Metatarsal Active Squat Drill

 

Lack of Kinesthetic Awareness

Oftentimes it’s lack of awareness of what the body/joints are doing in space that’s the limiting factor. I like to use the Cat-Camel drill to build context and to demonstrate what I don’t want to see (rounded back) and what I do want to see (neutral spine)

 

Addressing Novelty (<— This is HUGE)

Here we have the nuts and bolts. Much of time, even though the stuff discussed above is very important, it comes down to the novelty or “newness” of the exercise as to why some people fail. To be blunt, and as alluded to earlier, much of the reason why many fail at deadlifting from the get go (and end up hurt and using the lame excuse that deadlifts are dangerous for everyone) is because they’re too aggressive and end up gravitating towards variations (and loads) they’re not ready for.

They either don’t understand what it actually means to hinge through the hips (which is all a deadlift really is: it doesn’t always have to mean pulling a heavy barbell off the ground) and/or they fail to progress accordingly based off their experience and leverages.

Learning what it means to dissociate hip movement from lumbar movement step #1 in grooving a bonafide hip hinge. One of the most popular drills to do so is the Wall Hip Hinge. Unfortunately, as harmless and innocuous as it looks it’s easily butchered. Here’s how I like to coach it up:

 

Another drill I like is the Tall Kneeling Handcuff Hip Hinge. Here we can take some joints of the equation and place a KB behind the back, which, for some reason, works. I think Gandalf made it up.

 

If you’re’ interested in learning some more hip hinge drills you can check out in THIS article I wrote a few months ago.

Assuming I’m comfortable with someone’s hip hinge now it’s time to start adding some load.

Remember: You DO NOT have to use a straight bar, and I’d caution against it for more beginners. The only people who have to use a straight bar are competitive powerlifters and Olympic lifters. Generally the people who say otherwise are those who don’t coach people. So if some Joe Schmo internet warrior tells you otherwise tell him to f off.

While there are always exceptions to the rules my progression series is as follows:

1. Master Hip Hinge Drills.

2. Cable or Band Pull-Through.

 

3. Kettlebell Deadlift: Elevated if need be. And from there we can progress to pulling from the floor as well as ramping things up to 1-Arm KB Deadlift (which adds an additional rotary component), 2-KB Deadlift, and even Hover Deadlifts:

 

4. Trap Bar Deadlift: The trap bar (or hex bar) deadlift is an excellent choice for beginners or those with limited experience because of its user friendliness. This is often my “go to” variation for everyone I begin working with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-sA3PG1kGY

 

  • For starters one’s center of gravity is inside the bar, which makes it easier to maintain an upright torso angle and a better neutral spinal position. All of which translates to less shear loading on the spine.
  • The elevated handles make it easier for those with mobility issues/restrictions – such as limited hip flexion and/or ankle dorsiflexion – to perform in a safe and successful manner.

5. Rack Pulls or Block Pulls: Here we can start adding anterior load. With the barbell now in front of the body the axis of rotation is further away which can result in more stress on the lower back. This is fine so long as neutral spine is maintained.

I’d note here that I much prefer Block Pulls. I find they have more carryover to the actual deadlift as you’re still able to get slack out of the bar (which you’re unable to do with a rack pull). Both are great options, though, when introducing straight bar variations.

Is your spine still attached? Can you still feel your legs? Good. Lets move on.

6. Sumo Deadlift/Conventional Deadlift: Look at you, son! Pulling from the floor now. Whatever variation allows for the most success, feels better, and guarantees proper spinal position is the one I’ll run with.

Sometimes people picked the wrong parents and their anatomy dictates what will be the best fit long-term. Generally speaking those with mobility restrictions, longer torsos, and short(er) arms will prefer sumo style over conventional. I prefer a middle-ground approach for many and often use a Modified Sumo Stance with my clients/athletes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Xjb72gGTE

 

None of this speaks to the other particulars I like to go over with trainees with regards to foot placement, hand placement, leg drive, common mistakes with lockout and the descent, not to mention appreciating, getting, and maintaining body tension. You can do a search on the site and find an abyss of other deadlift articles that go over all those things.

The goal today was to showcase my (general) approach to deadlifting with beginners. I hope it helped.

Addendum (Other Stuff I Wanted to Say)

1. Consider hiring a competent coach to show you the ropes. A good litmus test to figure out whether or not they know what they’re talking about:

  • Ask them if they know who Andy Bolton is.
  • Have him or her point to their posterior chain. If they point to their abs. Walk away.
  • They can differentiate between a deadlift and a squat.
  • They actually look like they lift weights.

2. Stop BOUNCING your repetitions. It’s a DEADlift, not a BOUNCElift. On each rep, when you return to the floor, you should come to a complete stop. “Reset” your air and spinal position, and repeat.

3. I HATE high-rep deadlifts, especially for beginners. Fatigue is going to compromise form. Try to stick to no more than 5-reps per set.

4. Home base – in terms of loading – should be in the 65-80% range of 1-rep max. Not that this means you should test your 1RM right away. The thing to consider is that you don’t NEED to train heavy to start. Beginners or un-trained individuals can train with as low as 40% of 1RM (Hint: that’s super light) and still reap all the benefits and gain a training effect. Honing technique should be the main goal at this point.

5. Anyone see La-La Land yet?

CategoriesAssessment coaching Corrective Exercise

Porcelain Post: Building a Wider Base to Reach a Higher Peak

NOTE: the term “Porcelain Post” was invented by Brian Patrick Murphy and Pete Dupuis. Without getting into the specifics, it describes a post that can be read in the same time it takes you to go #2.

Huh, I guess that was more specific than I thought.

Enjoy.

Building a Wider Base to Reach a Higher Peak

13460109 - himalaya mountains

Copyright: kapu / 123RF Stock Photo

I received a pretty cool email this morning from a college athlete of mine (Division I baseball) whom I worked with this past summer.

To give a little back story he had trained with me at Cressey Sports Performance a few years ago when he was in high-school, and had reached out to me this past May after completing his Junior season at school.

He walked into CORE and after going through the particulars – a thorough assessment, discussing his season, what he felt he needed to work on, his nagging back pain, his favorite GI Joe character, you know, the important stuff – he had this to say:

“The time I felt best was when you were writing my programs.”

With my chest sticking out a little further we broke things down and came up with a game plan for the summer, particularly with regards to how we were going to tackle his chronic back issue that had been hampering him for a few seasons:

  • As with any baseball player (and pretty much every athlete in the history of ever) we were going to hammer anterior core strength/stability to encourage more posterior pelvic tilt and implement drills to learn to dissociate hip movement from lumbar movement. Read: a metric SHIT-ton of deadbugs and birddogs. Not sexy, but whatever.
  • Work on regaining appropriate scapular upward rotation via actual scapular movement and not extending through lower back or shrugging.
  • Learn to control rib-position (limit rib flair and thus excessive extension) via positional breathing drills. There’s a lot of magic that happens when you teach someone the importance of a full exhale.
  • Also, teaching the importance of the reach and allowing the shoulder blades to move around the ribcage (again this whole extension thing rears its ugly head).

 

  • And, last but not least…still lift heavy things. Albeit doing my job as the coach to “pump the brakes” when needed and not fall into the trap of “lifting heavy at all costs because that’s what athletes do.” Truth be told: this mentality is probably why this athlete kept getting hurt in the first place.

To this last point (not lifting “heavy”), I wanted to showcase that it was more about the QUALITY of the movement and taking the time to 1) do stuff right and 2) understand how building a wider base (via more volume with SUB-MAXIMAL loads) will help with reaching a higher (strength) peak.10

Now, most guys at this point would roll their eyes and think I was going soft. However, this athlete was on board and willing to trust the process. So went to work for three months.

I received this email this morning:

“How’s it going? I wanted to tell you that yesterday we had our first testing day and I got 515 on a one rep max for trap bar deadlift! The best part is my back felt good after!”

He nailed a 515 lb deadlift despite having never gone above 405 all summer (on the last week we trained together).11

We still got after it all summer. He had his fair share of squatting (2 KB Front Squats), single leg work, carries, glute bridges, rows, Pallof presses, push-ups, and me making fun of him for having never watched The Usual Suspects. That’s sacrilege if you ask me.

However, the vast majority of his “strength” work was done in the 60-80% range and we were meticulous with making sure that every rep was pain free and that technique was solid.

I’d make the case that because we addressed alignment and stability issues along with movement quality, and got him into a better position, that he was then able to express his “true” strength more effectively when the time came.

The answer isn’t always to “lift heavy.”

Something to think about.

Categoriescoaching Corrective Exercise Exercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

How Unilateral Strength Training Can Improve Your Squat, Bench, and Deadlift

Another fantastic guest post today from Shane McLean. This time he tackles the importance of unilateral strength training and offers some neat ideas as to the best accessory movements to compliment the “big 3.”

Copyright: vadymvdrobot / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Don’t you love “that” guy who always stands between you and the dumbbells while doing single arm curls and making faces only his mother could love? What if I told you that he’s actually on to something, minus the faces and grunting?

Bilateral exercises (not biceps curls) should form the foundation of your strength program because this is where you’ll get most of your gains. However, unilateral training often gets neglected in the quest to get bigger and stronger because it’s just not as sexy (or cool) as a big squat, deadlift or overhead press.

However, unilateral training will help you get stronger, improve the big lifts (by shoring up weakness) and provide the following benefits.

Reduce Muscle Imbalances

Due to activities of daily living almost everybody has a dominant and non-dominant side. For instance, carrying more groceries on one side over the other over time may get one arm stronger.

During bilateral exercises such as a press or squat variation, your dominant side can pick up the slack for the weaker side.

Have you ever seen a lifter struggle to lock out one side over the other during a barbell bench press? I rest my case. Improving your “weaker” side will reduce your injury risk and help increase overall lifting numbers.

Improved Muscle Recruitment

Unilateral training makes you work harder and recruit more muscle fibers to perform the exact same movement, such as a split squat.

Taking one leg out of the equation forces your abductors and core to stabilize your pelvis while the working leg performs a split squat. Working more muscle with less weight will help correct strength imbalances between sides, also.

Core Work Without Crunches

When training unilaterally, you automatically throw your body off balance, forcing your core muscles to engage in order to keep yourself upright.

Trust me when I say that’s a good thing.

And we can double-down on the core training ante by utilizing offset loading:

 

Programming Guidelines

Unilateral exercises are best performed as an accessory movement after your big lift for the day.

Choose one or two single limb movements per session and perform three to four sets on both sides. The repetitions performed will depend on your goal.

For example:

  • Strength: 4 – 6 reps
  • Hypertrophy/Fat Loss: 8 – 15 reps

If you have a strength or muscle size imbalance always start with the weaker/smaller side first and let the weaker side determine the weight/reps you do on the stronger side.

Without further ado, here are my top two accessory exercises you should be doing to improve your squat, dead lift and press numbers. Sorry, this is a biceps curl free zone.

1) Deadlift

 Suitcase Carries

 

Not only will carries change your life in three weeks, according to Dan ‘the man’ John, they can strengthen grip imbalances between hands which can be a limiting factor when pulling heavy from the floor or opening the pickle jar.

When you’re doing carries (you do, right?), pair them with a movement that doesn’t demand a lot of grip strength, so you can get more out of it. For example:

1A. Goblet squat/press variation.

1B. Suitcase carry- (25-50% of your bodyweight) 30 steps one hand then 30 steps with the opposite hand.

Form considerations – cues “shoulders down and back” or “chest up” work well here. Checking your form in a mirror will help if you having trouble knowing if you’re overcompensating or not.

Front Racked Kettlebell Bulgarian Split Squat

These were first introduced to me by Anthony Dexmier to improve my pulling ability from the floor. Let’s just say after doing them, we weren’t the best of friends.

Hardcore dead lifters knows that hip mobility, upper back strength and leg drive are essential elements for pulling heavy, and this exercise covers all those bases, if somewhat brutally.

 

Pairing this exercise with a single arm row variation is a real upper back whammy that you’re sure to enjoy. For example

1A. Front racked kettle bell elevated split squat – 12 reps on each leg

1B. 3 point dumbbell row – 12 reps on each arm

 

Form considerations – Perform a bodyweight elevated split squat and notice where your big toe is, and then place weight plate in front of it. This will give you a reference point and shorten your set up time between sets. This is courtesy of the one and only Jordan Syatt.

Keep a nice tall chest and your wrists in neutral during this entire movement and smile through the pain.

2) Bench Press

Landmine Press

The single arm landmine press is a mix between a vertical and horizontal movement which makes this great for individuals who lack the shoulder mobility for overhead pressing and for those looking to improve their press numbers.

Note From TG (to Shane): How could you not include a link to THIS article I wrote discussing how to assess overhead mobility and drills to help improve it?

Why Shane…….WHY?!?!?

The beginning of this exercise (initial push of the shoulders) is the hardest part of the movement. This will assist you with pushing the bar off your chest during the bench press or pushing the barbell overhead from a dead stop. The extra core work doesn’t go astray either.

This press can be done from a variety of positions. For example, it can be done standing, tall kneeling and this half kneeling variation courtesy of Eric Cressey:

 

Pairing this landmine variation with a hip flexor stretch works well and provides an active rest between sides and sets. For example

1A. Half kneeling landmine press (right hand)

1B. Half kneeling hip flexor stretch (right knee down) – 30 seconds

1C. Half kneeling landmine press (left hand)

1D. Half kneeling hip flexor stretch (left knee down) – 30 seconds

Form considerations- Make sure the barbell is close to the front of your shoulder and actively squeeze the barbell. This provides Irradiation, allowing you to produce more force and lift more weight. This also turns on the rotator cuff, which helps with shoulder stability.

Single Arm Dumbbell Floor Press

The reduced range of motion of the floor press makes this a great triceps builder (when the elbows are close to your side) and will assist you in getting stronger with the lockout part of any press variation.

The single arm variation will turn on your core and shoulder stabilizers due to the offset load that can get neglected during bench/overhead pressing. It’s a shoulder saver because it eliminates the lower half of the press where the shoulder is externally rotated and nasty things like shoulder impingements can happen.

 

Pairing this with a side plank or a suitcase carry gives your shoulders and core the extra work they deserve. For example

1A. Floor press

1B. Side plank variation 30 sec/ Suitcase carry – (25-50% of your bodyweight) 30 steps one hand then 30 steps in the opposite hand.

Form considerations- Grip the dumbbell tight or strangle the handle and keep the elbow close to your side but not touching. Touch the entire upper arm to the ground at the start of each rep.

3) Squat

Single Leg Negative Calf Raise

It’s a common issue to lack ankle mobility as we wear shoes that inhibit the movement of the ankles, like wearing high heels, for example. The ability to dorsiflex the ankle (how far the knees can go over the toes without raising the heel) can get compromised and this can show up in the squat.

As the squat movement has to come from somewhere, lacking dorsiflexion can negatively affect the joints further up the kinetic chain especially the knee, and who hasn’t had sore knees (and everything else) at the end of an intense squat session?

If hammering away at ankle mobility isn’t working for you, try this single leg negative calf raise drill from Dr. Ryan DeBell before your squat session. This will help with ankle dorsiflexion under load.

 

Form considerations- Having something solid to hold on to is a must. If you have pain bending the knee during this drill, please use a pain free range of motion. Do 5-10 reps on each leg before you squat. Your knees will thank you.

Barbell Reverse Lunge- Front Squat Grip

Most lunge variations are interchangeable because they work on knee stability (knees that go out instead of in) and core (reduced base of support) hip mobility (active stretch of the hip flexors) and help build your quad strength and size. Sounds like everything a good squat needs, right?

This variation does this and more. The front squat grip works on your anterior core upper back strength and thoracic mobility which are also needed for a strong squat.

 

Pairing this with an upper back or anterior core exercise in a superset works well. For example

1A. Barbell Reverse Lunge – Front Squat Grip – 8-12 reps on both legs

1B. Chin up

Or

1A. Barbell reverse lunge- Front squat grip 8-12 reps on both legs

1B. RKC Front Plank

Form considerations- Start on the light side until you nail the technique and feel confident that you’re not going to bite the floor. Keep the ears away from the shoulders and maintain an upright torso during this exercise.

Wrapping Up

Don’t forget about unilateral training when it comes to getting bigger, stronger and more awesome. Including these exercises into your routine will improve your lifting numbers and overall balance and will help keep you off the lifting DL.

You can throw in some single arm curls (for the girls) to keep Ron happy, if you must. J

Author’s Bio

 Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Dallas, Texas.

No, Shane doesn’t wear a cowboy hat or boots.  After being told that his posture blows by Eric Cressey, he has made it his mission to rid the world of desk jockeys and have fun while doing so.

After all exercise is fun and never a “work” out.

You can follow Shane on Twitter HERE, and Facebook HERE.

CategoriesAssessment coaching personal training Program Design Strength Training youth/sports training

Addressing the Stone Cold Facts of Training Athletes

Remember that show diary on MTV? You know, the one that aired back in the early to mid-2000s?

The documentary style show centered mostly on musicians and celebrities and followed them through their daily lives.

Each episode started with said celebrity looking into the camera and saying…..

“You think you know, but you have no idea.”

And then for the next 60 minutes we got a true taste of the celebrity lifestyle, given an opportunity to witness their trials and tribulations with the paparazzi, hectic travel schedules, demands on their time, and what it’s like to demand a bowl full of green only M&Ms in their dressing room (and actually get it), not to mention the inside scoop on what it’s really like to be able to bang anyone you want.

Stupid celebrities. They suck….;o)12

Sometimes I feel like strength coaches should have their own version of the show diary, because when it comes to training athletes I feel like many people out there “think they know….

“…..but they have no idea.”

Oh snap, see what I just did there?

While I don’t think it’s rocket science, I’d be lying if I said there isn’t a lot of attention to detail when it comes to training athletes – or any person for that matter – and getting them ready for a competitive season. Everyone is different, with different backgrounds, ability level, injury history, strengths, weaknesses, goals, anthropometry, as well as considerations with regards to the unique demands of each sport and position(s) played.

By contrast, there are numerous parallels in training despite athletic endeavors or whether or not someone is an athlete to begin with.

We can take the Dan John mantra of:

Push, pull, hinge, squat, lunge, carry

Do those things, do them well, and do them often….and you’ll be better off than most. It’s complicated in its simplicity.

Much like Dan I prefer to train everyone I work with as if they’re an athlete. There’s something magical that happens when I can get Joe from accounting or Dolores from HR to deadlift 2x bodyweight or to start tossing around some medicine balls. Even better if it’s done while listening to Wu-Tang Clan.

They wake up!

They’re less of a health/fitness zombie, haphazardly meandering and “bumping” into exercises. Once they start to train with intent and purpose – and move – it’s game time.

That said, lets be honest: when it does come to training athletes there are many other factors to consider; many more than an article like this can cover. However, I do want to discuss a few philosophical “stamps” that some coaches deem indelible or permanent when it comes to training athletes, when in fact they’re anything but.

1) Strong At All Costs

There’s a part of me that cringes to admit this, but it needs to be said: strength isn’t always the answer.

Don’t get me wrong, I still believe strength is the foundation for every other athletic quality we’d want to improve.

If you want to run faster (<— yes, this matters for endurance athletes too), jump higher, throw things harder or further, or make other people destroy the back of their pants, it’s never a bad thing to be stronger.

When working with athletes, though, there’s a spectrum. If you’re working with a college freshman who’s never followed a structured program and is trying to improve their performance to get more playing time, you can bet I’ll take a more aggressive approach with his or her’s training and place a premium on strength.

When working with a professional athlete – who’s already performing at a high level, and is worth millions of dollars – is it really going to make that much of a difference taking their deadlift from 450 lbs to 500 lbs?

Moreover, we’ve all seen those snazzy YouTube and Instagram videos of people jumping onto 60″ boxes:

 

It may get you some additional followers and IG “street cred”…but man, the risk-reward is pretty steep if you ask me. I’m not willing to risk my career (and that of my athletes) for some stupid gym trick.

Besides, if I wanted to I’d up the ante and have them do it while juggling three chainsaws. BOOM! Viral video.

To that end, I like Mike Robertson’s quote which sums my thoughts up the best:

“I think athletes need to be using the weight room as a tool to improve efficiency and athleticism, not simply push as much weight as possible – MR”

2) You Don’t Have to OLY Lift

Some coaches live and die by the OLY lifts, and I can’t blame them…..they work. But as with anything, they’re a tool and a means to an end. They’re not the end-all-be-all-panacea-of-athletic-and-world-domination.

I don’t feel any coach should receive demerit points – or be kicked out of Gryffindor – because he or she chooses not to implement them into their programming.

Lets be real: If you know you have an athlete for a few years, and have the time to hone technique and progress them accordingly, the OLY lifts are a good fit. It’s another thing, too, if you’re competent.

I for one am never guaranteed four years with an athlete, nor am I remotely close to feeling competent enough to teaching the OLY lifts. And that’s okay….

I can still have them perform other things that’ll get the job done:

Jumps:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUbClRjpLGk

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn5v85ekXFs

 

NOTE: both videos above courtesy of Adam Feit.

Starts/Acceleration

5 yd Starts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TklqD8uN_Ds

 

5 yd Jog to 10 yd Acceleration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM-BPJKTslg

 

Change of Direction

Up 2, Back 1 Drill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSFDp1QSA2w

 

That One Time I Looked Athletic

Medicine Balls Drills

Scoop Toss

 

OH Stomp

 

Kettlebell Swings

 

Punching Ramsay Bolton in the Mouth

No video available.13

3) Single Leg Work Matters

This is probably the part where some people roll their eyes or maybe scroll past, but hear me out.

I think it’s silly when I see coaches on Facebook argue over bilateral vs. unilateral movements and try to win everyone over as to which is best.

They’re both fantastic and warrant attention.

Where I find the most value in single leg training:

  • Serves as a nice way to reduce axial loading on the spine when necessary.
  • It can be argued all sports are performed – in one way or another – on one leg, so from a specificity standpoint it makes sense to include it.
  • Helps to address any woeful imbalance or weakness between one leg and the other.
  • Places a premium on hip stability and core/pelvic control.

All that said, I do find many people are too aggressive with their single leg training. It’s one thing to push the limits with your more traditional strength exercises like squats and deadlifts, but when I see athletes upping the ante on their single leg work to the point where knees start caving in and backs start rounding that’s when I lose it.

I’m all about quality movement with any exercise, but more so with single leg training. I’d rather err on the side of conservative and make sure the athlete is owning the movement and not letting their ego get in the way.

Like that one time I posted this video and Ben Bruno shot back a text showing me a video of Kate Upton using more weight than me. Thanks Ben! Jerk….;o)

Unfortunately, some coaches are so set in their ways that they’ll never cross the picket lines. They’re either team bilateral or team unilateral.

How about some middle ground with B-Stance variations?

 

4) Recognize Positions Matter

I’m not referring to Quarterback or Right Fielder here. But rather, joint positions and how that can play into performance in the weight room and on the field.

If you work with athletes you work with extension.

As I noted in THIS post, anterior pelvic tilt is normal. However, when it’s excessive it can have a few ramifications, particularly as it relates to this discussion.

Without going into too much of the particulars, people “stuck” in extension will exhibit a significant rib flair and what’s called a poor Zone of Apposition.

Basically the pelvis is pointing one way and the diaphragm is pointing another way, resulting in a poor position; an unstable position.

Anyone familiar with the Postural Restoration Institute and many of their principles/methods will note the massive role they’ve played in getting the industry to recognize the importance of breathing.

Not the breathing that’s involved with oxygen exchange – evolution has made sure we’re all rock stars on that front.

Instead, PRI emphasis the importance of the reach and EXHALE; or positional breathing.

It’s that exhale (with reach) that helps put us into a more advantageous position to not only encourage or “nudge” better engagement of the diaphragm, but also better alignment….which can lead to better stability and better ability to “display” strength.

NOTE: this is why I’m not a huge fan of telling someone to arch hard on their squats.

 

When joints aren’t stacked or in ideal positions, it can lead to compensation patterns and energy leaks which can compromise performance.

5) You Need to Control Slow Before You Can Control Fast

It’s simple.

Learn More With Elite Athletic Development 3.o

Mike Robertson and Joe Kenn released their latest resource, Elite Athletic Development 3.0 this week.

I can’t begin to describe how much information they cover, but if you’re someone who trains athletes then this is a no-brainer.

Many of the concepts I discuss above are covered, in addition to twelve more hours worth of content over the course of ten DVDs

Point Blank: You’ll learn from two of the best in the biz.

The seminar is on SALE this week at $100 off the regular price, and it ends this Friday (7/22), so act quickly.

Go HERE for more details.

Categoriespsychology rant

Overcomplicating the Uncomplicated

The message conveyed in the following post is meant to come across as a little tongue-in-cheek and sarcastic.

But here it goes anyways:

We like to overcomplicate things.

To say this, of course, comes with a degree of subjectivity.

Given the current climate we live in with regards to politics, gun control, terrorism, climate change, Black Lives Matter, LGBT rights, not to mention the impending zombie apocalypse, it stands to reason some topics, indeed, are very complicated.

However, taking those things out of the discussion14 …for me, things like Mandarin, Tort Law, rocket science, beating Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, and how to make an omelet without breaking it, is complicated.

For others those things are a walk in the park.

FML – I hate you random internet nerd because I am not you

That said, I’d make the case there’s no arena where we tend to overcomplicate things more so than in the health and fitness realm.

To quote Nia Shanks:

“If there’s an industry plagued with profuse amounts of bullshit, it’s health and fitness. Know what it is so you can avoid it and spend your time doing what actually works.”

Don’t get me wrong: there are, without question, certain aspects that require more analysis, deeper thought, and expertise.

Someone coming off a major injury and trying to return to a high-level of competition or fitness will require a more thorough, detailed approach compared to someone who’s just looking to “lose ten lbs.”

Working around a legitimate food allergy – and not some self-diagnosed gluten intolerance you learned about via your best friend’s, uncle’s, next door neighbor’s, milkman’s blog – requires more diligent planning and attention to detail.

Likewise, what it takes from a programming standpoint to take someone from a 500 lb deadlift to a 700 lb deadlift is more complicated than what’s required to coach a beginner on how to perform a basic hip hinge.

 

Extenuating circumstances aside, man-o-man do we like to overcomplicate things.

Take for example a conversation I had the other day with an athlete I work with. After his training session he asked my opinion on what the best recovery strategies were?

To his credit: he isn’t the type of guy looking for quick-fix answers, and we had a nice chuckle over my answer.

But I was serious.

I’ve had the same conversation with athletes/clients in the past and have been met with my fair share of quizzical looks.

As if the answer they were expecting to hear was:

“Okay, here’s what you need to do. Go home and perform contrast showers paired with Paleo x AMRAP.”

When in the reality the “best” approach is:

  • Go to bed.15
  • Do your best to stay hydrated.
  • Ensure ample calories between training sessions to promote and aid recovery.
  • Respect General Adaptation Syndrome, the concept of supercompensation, and how those correlate with managing training stress/recovery.

I’m sure if I perused all my behavioral economics books (or asked my wife who’s a psychologist) I’d find the technical term best used to describe why people tend to dismiss the simple answers and gravitate more towards the complicated, arduous ones.

It seems we’re like moths being drawn to the flame.

Categoriescoaching Exercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

Why Train the Posterior Chain?

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Zak Gabor, a MA-based physical therapist and strength coach. His alma mater – Ithaca College – also happens to be my alma mater’s – SUNY Cortland – sworn enemy.

But he’s cool…;o)

Enjoy!

Not only can tapping into your posterior chain get you extremely strong, help improve athleticism and give you the butt of your dreams, it can leave you significantly less injury-prone, especially with low back and knee injuries.

Photo Credit: Dr. John Rusin

I am here to discuss how and why posterior chain strength needs to be a priority in training (that is, of course, if you want to decrease your chance of getting injured.)  Training your posterior chain doesn’t guarantee injury prevention but it sets you on the right track for building a strong foundation.

What is the Posterior Chain?

In the strength and conditioning world, the posterior chain consists of the erector spinae, gluteal muscles, hamstrings, and gastroc/soleus complex.

Note from TG: “Posterior Chain” was also the original name of Thor’s hammer.

But it actually wasn’t.

Why is the Posterior Chain So Damn Important?

This is an area that I am extremely passionate about. What can I say, I’m a butt guy, but for good reason.

I truly believe that incorporating posterior chain strengthening into training can save tons of money on healthcare costs for low back and knee injuries, but more importantly, keep you healthy! 

As the PT profession is constantly evolving, my goal is to get clients in the door and teach them ways stay healthier, versus having patients in for rehabilitative purposes.

Lets dive into two of the major joints that are especially vulnerable to injury in the lack of adequate posterior chain strength:

Low Back:

Oh yeah, baby.

Over $80 billion spent each year on low back in healthcare… simply unacceptable. 

To me, if you know how to strengthen your posterior chain, that means you know how to hip hinge (i.e. load the glutes and hamstrings effectively while keeping lumbar spine neutral).  For anyone who knows what a freak I am about preaching this movement pattern, this right here is the primary reason why! 

Am I saying that if you can hip hinge you will never get back pain? No.  I am saying that understanding the hip hinge pattern will give you a much better chance at preventing low back pain.  The simplified reason is two fold:

1) Lifting loads from the ground with a neutral spine= less likely to hurt low back

-Now, now, not trying to be dogmatic, but research don’t lie.

Spines ARE resilient, we need to be able to tolerate both flexion and extension. 

Yet, if you are like me, and respect the work of one of the most influential low back researchers (Dr. Stu McGill) then you know that repeated flexion especially under loads; leave the lumbar spine vulnerable to injury.

Therefore, learning how to properly hip hinge and maintain a neutral, stiff, spine throughout the movement can not only prevent injury, but can also get you the butt of your dreams.  Enter strengthening the posterior chain.

2) Strengthening posterior chain = less likely to hurt low back

Simply put, a strong butt (Gluteals) will decrease your risk of low back injuries. 

There is a ton of research out that indicates how important gluteal strengthening is for low back rehab.  Lets simplify this in the pre-hab lens. 

Glute Max is one of, if not the most, powerful muscles in the human body.  Unfortunately, most individual’s glutes are offline thanks to endless hours of sitting.  If we can strengthen the most powerful muscle in the body (which just so happens to neighbor and play intimately with the lumbar spine), wouldn’t it make sense that it would be good protection for the lumbar spine?  Just sayin’

Knee:

The knee gets a little bit more technical, but I will try to keep it simple.

The knee as a joint is extremely vulnerable, to say the least. 

It is literally two bones sitting on top of each other with little to no bony stability…meaning it gains its stability primarily from soft tissue structures both inert (meniscus, ligaments) and contractile (quads, hammies, and a whole lot more). 

Believe it or not, the knee actually has more evidence online than low back for its correlation of posterior chain strength preventing injuries.

A lot of the research is specific to ACL injury prevention, but honestly, mechanics resulting in various knee injuries are often similar to ACL mechanics.

One of the predisposing factors to knee injury is what is known as dynamic valgus (knee collapsing inward) mostly brought on by quad dominance. 

The other major way it can be brought on is by lack of posterior-lateral hip control. 

Most individuals are quad dominant because of sitting all day, turning off the glutes and hammies, and leaving the quads as primary movers.  Here is a photo of one of my favorite examples of a dynamic valgus brought on by quad dominance (i.e. the quads winning the tug of war on the femur and pulling into dynamic valgus:

This is called “RG 3’ing.” Named after NFL Quarterback, Robert Griffin III.

Notice how his knees cave in as he develops power, this is a great example of when even “healthy” people can be predisposed to injury. Don’t RG 3….

How do we combat this? Well, this answer is multi-faceted, but Ill give you a hint… one of the best ways it to strengthen the posterior chain. 

It’s really that simple.

There are TONS of ways to strengthen and target the posterior chain.  As a matter of fact, just peruse Tony’s awesome website, and you will find tons of exercises… as I did when I was just a newbie in the S&C world.

Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Glute-centric: Bridging, every bridge variation….

2) Hamstring-centric: Nordic Hamstring curls (also AWESOME evidence for preventing hamstring strains)

 

Note From TG: This is an older video. So, relax internet trainer who doesn’t even perform this exercise in the first place, but is quick to point out how it’s not perfect technique. Am I bending a little too much from the waist? Yes. Is the music on point? Yes.

Here’s a nice regression:

3) Compound post chain: DEADLIFT, RDL, KB swings

Conclusion

You still need to train your anterior chain too! However, in a world where we’re stuck sitting for hours on end and prone to training our “mirror muscles,” placing more of a premium on the posterior chain is never a bad idea. For many reasons.

Anyone who might be interested in learning more and truly mastering the hip hinge, we will be hosting workshop July 24th at RX strength training in Medford, MA.

Either way, feel free to email me should you have any questions or anything about this you would like to discuss!

Peace, love, and glutes

About the Author

Zak GaborDr. Zachary Gabor, PT, DPT, CSCS, USAW, is a 2015 graduate from Ithaca College where he earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
Prior to that, he earned his Bachelor of Clinical Health Science degree from Ithaca College in 2013. Zak is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), and a Sports Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting (USAW).
Throughout his doctorate program, Zak served as a Teaching Assistant for several physical therapy courses including gross anatomy and musculoskeletal examination and evaluation. He also spent over three years providing personal strength training to clients and athletes.
Zak is passionate about teaching and educating, both of which are very important cornerstones to any patient’s plan of care. In addition, Zak’s clinical experience is rooted in sports-based orthopedic rehabilitation and physical therapy, with an emphasis on strength training and sports performance.
A firm believer in continuing education to better serve the patients, clients and athletes he works with, Zak is dedicated to constantly learning. His future post-gradation coursework will include: manual therapy courses, dry needling certifications, and sports certification specialist designation.