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5 Ways to Swing a Kettlebell

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The kettlebell is literally the most underutilized tool in most commercial gyms. Many places have dozens of them, while other gyms have a shitty plastic one collecting spiderwebs in the corner.

Some gyms have none. Others have only kettlebells, and do all of their fitness related activities with that tool.

Still, very few people utilize its plethora of benefits to fitness. Below are some variations of this exercise which falls into the hip hinge family of fundamental human movement patterns.

The kettlebell swing is a way to train powerful hip extension, conditioning, and a silky smooth hip hinge pattern.

In my years of both training and coaching in a public gym setting, I have never seen a proper swing. I’ve seen folks who squat the swing, bend the swing, and do all kinds of other things in an attempt to swing, but never a true kettlebell swing.

The kb swing is an explosive hip drive with minimal knee bend and maximal hip bend. This is very similar to the deadlift, only faster, and with less load.

Here are 5 ways to train this incredible movement.

 

The Kettlebell Swing with a reset

 

 

This is the primary way I prefer to teach the swing right off the bat, when I feel a student can benefit from the kettlebell swing. The reset tends to teach how to create force out the hinge position from scratch. By stopping the momentum after each rep, you can feel the tension of the hinge longer, and hold a proper position out front to ensure proper bell path. Give these a try if you are just starting out, need to work on single rep explosion, or need to relearn the proper mechanics of the swing.

 

Kettlebell Swing vs. a Band

 

 

This is one of my favorites for a few reasons. The band adds significant resistance on the way to the top, so you have to recruit more power from your hips to achieve a good lockout position. The second reason I like the band around the bell is that from the top position, the band promotes a better hinge. If you try to squat it, the band will go slack, and will feel very awkward when trying to move back to lockout.

 

Single Arm Kettlebell Swing vs. Band

 

 

This is a nice progressions up from the double arm kb swing vs. band seen above this video. Anytime we are forced to generate more power from lower in the body, we put a premium on form and execution of the exercise. Since only one hand is guiding the kettlebell, it is essential that you explode out of the hinge position with fury and intent. The band will resist the top half of the movement before lockout, demanding that you accelerate to the top.

 

Single Arm Kettlebell Swing with a Hand Switch

 

 

This one involves a bit more coordination, but it’s a great way to challenge your athleticism as well as proper kettlebell path with a single arm. In any kettlebell swing variation, the arms are involved minimally. The more you can use the power of your posterior chain to drive out of the hinged position, the more efficient you’ll be. The transition at the top should be relatively easy, as the kettelbell should basically be floating and ready for you to catch it and sit back into your loaded position.

 

Double Kettlebell Swing

 

 

If you want to load up the swing, while getting into a sumo like deadlift stance, this kettlebell swing variation is for you. I’d never have anyone jump right into double kettlebell swings without mastering the single bell swing, just as I would have anyone swing the kettlebell without showing proficiency in the hinge and deadlift patterns first. This is a progression, and can be great at working on power development and work capacity from a sumo deadlift stance.

These are some of the more fun and challenging ways I enjoy swinging the kettlebell, along with programming them into strength and conditioning programs for clients.

If you have any questions, or wish to learn more, email us at showmestrength@gmail.com, or find us on our facebook, twitter, and instagram

The Hip Hinge : From Zero to Hero (Part 2)

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In part 1 of this series, I began showing how I take ultra beginners through hip hinging, and deadlift patterns.

The article was very well received in the fitness community, and is successfully helping you guys/girls, whether coaches or gym goers, learn how to safely progress and master the deadlift pattern. That is the ultimate goal of this series.

I am adamant in my belief that learning the hip hinge pattern can open up a huge window to accommodate and propel any goal into overdrive “gains” mode.

World renowned strength coach, Dan John also agrees. He quoted me in his recent newsletter, and was kind enough to share and promote part one of this series.

This excerpt below is from Dan’s “Wandering Weights” newsletter. This is the most informative and value filled email list I am part of. I highly recommend joining for free –> here <–

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In the videos and descriptions in this article, I will go over some intermediate progressions of the hinge, and show you how I like to train the movement prior to moving on to the barbell.

Again, for beginners, take a look at the fist part of this series here to hammer home the basics, groove a safe/strong pattern, and differentiate the deadlift from the squat.

Without further ado, phase two of hinge progressions.

The Double Kettlebell vs. Band

Very similar to the single kettlebell deadlift vs. bands, this is just a heavier version that mimics the upper body tension as well as grip that is most closely associated with the barbell. Again, to refresh your memory, we use the band to force the hip hinge back to its proper maximum hip bend. This strategy is extremely useful for people who are having a difficult time deciphering the adjustments between the squat and deadlift patterning.

 

The Double Kettlebell Hovering Deadlift 

I love this variation of the deadlift for two types of people. The first is the population of beginner or intermediate lifters who are a bit slow off the floor. If you don’t have an explosive drive off the floor with lightish kettle bells, it might be a good idea to add the pause at shin level on the way off the floor, and on the way down. The second type of person I enjoy using this variation with is the guy or girl who is having trouble maintaining stiffness in the lats and upper back. This exercise with the added pause requires you to fight gravity a bit more, and stay strong through the brief stop.

The Assisted Single Leg Romanian Deadlift 

This is an exercise that is truly difficult to both teach, and execute without assistance. Many times I’ll see people deadlifting their bodyweight and more, but struggle mightily when it comes time to do single leg work. By simply using the opposite hand against the wall for touch, not something to pull on, it gives the brain a green light to focus on the task and exercise at hand. I would certainly suggest going super light to start, and groove the proper pattern. You should be reaching with the leg and not the arm on this one, and striving to keep the upper back locked in without rolling the low back.

The Kettlebell Swing

I have most of my students become proficient at the kettlebell swing well before heavy barbell deadlifting. I truly believe that the art of the swing teaches powerful hip explosion that is necessary for locking out the deadlift with heavier weight. A swing is not a squat. A swing is, at it’s finest, a pure, explosive hinge that you should feel in the hamstrings, glutes, abs, lungs, and heart. Too many people use their arms and low back, when in reality neither should be working very hard at all. The top position should mimic a plank like contraction, and I don’t really suggest or teach it above the head crossfit style. When this exercise is learned with some proficiency, it is one of the greatest tools we can use for conditioning and fat loss alike.

The Elevated Trap Bar Deadlift

When all systems are a go, and you are moving heavy kettlebells in both hands fast and explosively, it might be time to move onto the trap bar. I like the trap bar for several reasons, but the biggest is that the starting position is easier, and more comfortable to get into for beginners. The grip is on the side of your body instead of the front, allowing an easier, more accessible way to gain stiffness in the lats and upper back without rolling into flexion. I usually suggest elevating this one for awhile before moving to the floor to teach proper setup and execution, just to gain a comfort level and appreciation for how to perform the trap bar deadlift.

 

This is the second phase of teaching the hip hinge I use with my clients. As with any exercise, I never progress it until it looks clean, smooth, and efficient.

Yes, barbell work can be some of the most rewarding, bang for your buck training in the world, but the goal is to make certain you are more than ready for it before trying to be the hero. Mastering the hinge at a lower level will pay off down the road.

It will set you up for when the time comes to move significant weight off the floor, and ensure you’re using the right muscles to improve you’re entire body safely.

If you haven’t checked out the first installment of the series, it’s here.

Stay tuned for an even more advanced progressions in part 3. If you have questions, leave them in the comments below, or shoot us an email at showmestrength@gmail.com

The Hip Hinge : From Zero to Hero (Part 1)

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Correctly watching a student progress through the hip hinge gives me more pride and joy than any other of the fundamental movement patterns.

Why? Well, when performed well, this move can open up a whole new window of opportunity for just about any physical goal a human could have.

Want to get stronger? Correctly hinging from the hips will allow you to perform a deadlift with power and precision.

Want to look better naked? All of the exercises that use the hip hinge will open up the doors to create a backside that will quite simply make people jealous.

You want to lose fat? Using your hips to access some of the bigger compound lifts will challenge your body in ways you never thought possible, consequently building lean muscle and eviscerating stubborn body fat.

Ah, you want to be a better athlete? Every explosive, strong, and dynamic athlete has a powerful hinge. They have either built it up from years of good training, or get into the position organically from good body awareness, good natural movement, and of course genes. Just look at what most sports require performance wise, and you’ll notice explosive hips and posterior chain as a huge component.

But you may be asking what a hip hinge actually is…Here, we take a look at the fundamental human movements which include the following..

Squat Patterns <- More about that here <-

Hip Hinge Patterns

Upper Extremity Press Patterns

Upper Extremity Pull Patterns

Single Leg Knee and Single Leg Hip Dominant Patterns

Loaded Carry Variations 

Regardless of someone’s goal, the majority of my clients will be taught to master and progress through these fundamental movements that every human will need during their lifetime. Obviously, if it’s a main goal to get a better ass, we will be doing a shit ton of hinging (minimal knee bend…maximal hip bend = minimal quad involvement…maximal hamstring and glute involvement) 

Arguably, the hinge has the most potential for health, strength, and physique goals due to it’s overall impact on the body, and it’s transfer of increased athleticism to the rest of one’s training program.

Below, I will show you 8 ways that I teach people to unlock their potential in the hip hinge right at the very beginning of their training life. Each exercise can be a great tool for beginners who will absolutely see world of benefit from the very novice variations of fundamental movements, as well as advanced athletes and weight lifters who need to refresh the intricacies and fundamentals of their deadlift patterns.

The Hip Hinge with a Stick

This is one of the very first tools I use with clients who have simply never properly hinged or tend to “get squatty” with their deadlift variations. Assuming you or your students have good shoulder mobility, grab a dowel rod or broom stick put it behind your back like so. Have one hand on top, right behind your neck, and one hand underneath at the small of your low back and keep the as much of the rod in contact with your body. I usually use hands on cues at the knees to keep them soft, and assist by pushing folks to sit those hips back until the hamstrings are taught and sometimes shaking.

The bow and arrow analogy works well for the audible as well as visual learner. Tell them to imagine the hips as the bow string getting pulled back and the feet, knees, shoulders, and head as the stable part of the bow. Pull the string (hips) as far back as tension allows then powerfully snap to neutral.

The Wall Hinge with a Kettlebell

As soon as I see that someone has a firm understanding of what a hip hinge is, what it feels like without load, and observe a clean, safe move, I begin adding load in a non-risky area. This is the stage right before picking stuff up off the floor. Before getting there, I like turning the kettlebell upside down and putting a bit more pressure on the hamstrings this way. A good cue is to tell someone to use the handle around the belt buckle area to force the hips back towards the wall. Step a foot and a half away from the wall and use the handle to force the glutes back to tap it. Once again, fire the hips (bow string) to hard squeezed glutes in the top position. The top position on all these exercises should mimic a plank with the abs and glutes both locked in to form a neutral spine.

The Dumbbell Deadlift with Shoulder Peeling 

The dumbbell is a tool I have found to be a better teacher for super beginners and the deadlift, more so than the kettlebell. The reason is due to where the hands are placed. By placing the hands on the side of the dumbbell as opposed to the kettlebell handle, beginner clients have an easier time gaining stiffness in the upper back to promote a safer, stronger hinge. Also, by “peeling” the shoulders back in a separate movement at the bottom, we teach beginners in the deadlift to engage their lats appropriately every time. You can use this strategy with the kettlebell, just keep in mind that it is slightly tougher to “peel” and get into a proper position. As with any pull from the floor, don’t be afraid to elevate the load to ensure proper positioning at all times. It is non negotiable to allow students to pick things off the floor in an unsafe manner. A great cue for the peeling part is to imagine someone walking up behind you and tickling your armpits. Protect them by pulling those lats down and back.

The Paused Barbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

With nearly everyone I coach, I employ a pause at the max tension point of this exercise. The benefits are just too great not to stop for a second. By adding a short pause, we can really teach tension in the lats, and feel what it means to sit the hips back properly for maximum hamstring tension. The barbell itself is a good enough load as a teaching tool once you or your student has a good understanding of grooving the hinge at a good tempo. With all of these exercises, it’s important to stress control on the way down (eccentric) and explosion and power on the way up (concentric). Another key point here is to never add load unless you can keep optimal tension. If it’s too heavy, and you lose it by rolling the shoulders, you put your spine in a compromised position, therefore ruining chances at great, powerful hinge. Check out the video below for proper set up and tempo.

The Cable Pull Through

This exercise is an excellent teacher, and one that many beginnerish clients can do usually right off the bat. Many times the initial tendency when teaching or learning the hip hinge is to squat it down a bit too much, consequently limiting the potential of hamstring, glute, and overall posterior chain recruitment. With the rope between the legs pulled out from the cable machine, the force back, similar in nature to band resisted kettlebell deadlifts is enough to feel the “ah ha” moment and get to the tension point of the hinge. Simply relax the arms (still keep armpits back tight), reach back through the legs with a neutral spine, and fire through the heels up to a hard squeezed finish position. Just as in the video below, you must walk the weight off the cable stack, which should be set at the bottom (rope). Pick an appropriate load you can control as always. At the top try and make your two glutes into one as highly sought after coach, Matthew Ibrahim, (the mastermind behind Movement Resilience) would like to say.

The Kettlebell Deadlift vs. Band 

If you or a client continue to have trouble deciphering between the squat and deadlift, this exercise might be a perfect fit. With the external force of the band adding pressure to the hips, one is more inclined to sit back into an appropriate deadlift pattern. A squat is a squat, and a deadlift is a deadlift. While there is some hinging during a squat, it is not to the degree of a deadlift or pull from the floor of any kind. During this move, set the band at about hip height, then get in and move out so the band is taught, but not pulling you too much. Work on the standard kettlebell deadlift pattern with this band assistance as show below.

The Kettlebell Hovering Deadlift

This exercise is another great teacher of tension. I prescribe this for my students who have a bit of weakness and tend to fall straight to the floor from the top position with poor control, or for people who are a bit slow off the floor. By stopping around mid shin I get to teach three things. 1.) This is a neutral spine. This is what a neutral spine feels like. Adding this stop lets this information sit in and digest into a person’s brain for future reference. 2.) Here is what tension in the hamstrings should feel like. This is where powerful athleticism is generated from, and this is how a badass backside is created. 3.) This is what locked in lats and upper back stiffness should feel like. If the shoulders drift, chances are you’ll feel it in the low back, which is not ideal at all. All in all, keeping the neutral spine, the hips back with soft knees, and upper back locked down and back with a pause can create a more speedy process of a beginner learning the hinge and getting a stronger, healthier pull from the ground.

The Double Kettlebell Deadlift

The double kettlebell deadlift is usually the last progression I use before moving clients to the barbell or trap bar (usually trap bar before barbell). For me, using a pair of 35-50lb kettlbells properly for 6-10 reps is a good enough indication of strength and hinge competency for me to graduate strength and conditioning students onto the hex bar and/or barbell. To perform this you must have a grasp on sitting back into the hinge, staying ultra tight in the upper back, and possess enough strength to drive relatively fast off the floor. It usually will take a few weeks to a few months of dedicated strength work to get to a point where you’ll get brand new weightlifters to this point where the barbell work from the floor is in the conversation.

 

It’s no secret that I love teaching this movement. I truly believe the family of hip hinge movements have the greatest return on investment as an exercise selection amongst all the fundamental human movement patterns.

If you’re a beginner, try a few of these movements out and see how you progress. Remember that the hinge isn’t a squat. If you want to learn about the squat, check this out.

Also, if you’re well past these movements and are a veteran of the iron game, this read wasn’t a waste…it might be wise to use a few of these patterns from time to time to practice bracing, and even warming and ramping up before getting to your barbell work.

In installment two, I will take you even further down the progression continuum, and show you the intermediate and advanced stages of properly executed hip hinge and deadlift work.

Stay tuned!

 

11 Ways to Goblet Squat

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I am of the belief that no one, and I mean NO ONE is above the goblet squat. No one is too strong, too mobile, too in shape, or too advanced to grab a dumbbell or kettlebell and drop into the goblet squat.

Just about everyone I see as a personal training client will either perform goblet squat variations throughout their programming, or show me what they have for this movement as an assessment tool.

I even have my super advanced clients give me a few of these from time to time in a conditioning scenario so I can really see whats going on in their comfort zone of squatting.

The goblet squat showcases a plethora of information from a student to a teacher.

World renowned strength and conditioning coach, Dan John has been largely responsible for popularizing this fundamental movement pattern with load for people all along the spectrum of fitness and strength levels of advancement.

A couple of his most popular media publications on the topic can be found —-> here <— and —> here

But why the goblet squat??

Why not put the barbell on your back and just get down and dirty?

I agree that the family of barbell squat variation has it’s place, but when we look at the continuum of progressions and regressions in regards to the squat, the goblet squat reigns supreme as the largest bang for you buck for the majority fitness enthusiasts. I assess that too many people keep breaking down technique of the back and front squat when in reality, very few actual people are fit or confident enough to step under the bar at their local gym on their own.

My squat continuum is as follows for my students…

But before that, its important that I note each of them has a firm grasp of a proper squat before the even look at a barbell, and as I grow as a coach, I am more and more inclined to make people insanely good at the goblet squat before showing them how to approach and use the bar.

My Squat Continuum 

NOVICE SQUAT VARIATIONS <—> Bodyweight Assisted Squat to elevation with Partner <—> TRX assisted squat <—> goblet squat variations with dumbbell, kettlebell, or small plate <—> offset and double kettlebell variations <—> zercher squat variation <—> front squat variations <—> back squat variations <—> ADVANCED SQUAT VARIATIONS

This is just the continuum that works for me, and I find it effective for most people with general goals of moving, looking, and feeling better. Some people are more well equipped and thrive with different loading strategies, but the goblet squat sits right in the middle and can cover more ground up and down the continuum of regression and progression.

Why is it so versatile?

1.) Loading it with a kettlebell or dumbbell doesn’t require the upper extremity mobility and strength that the back and front squat require. Therefore, just about anyone can start with one of the following variations and find success and training effect.

2.) By default, it locks in the anterior core, creating a spine thats closer to neutral and abs that mimic a more plank like engagement.

3.) It doesn’t require elite motion in the ankles, hips, and knees to get into proper position.

4.) Regressing back to a simpler variation or progressing to a more advanced technique in the goblet squat are easy changes to make happen.

5.) All you need for the basic goblet squat is a kettlebell or dumbbell.

6.) If the traditional barbell squat variations hurt or intimidate you, we can often get similar training effects from the goblet squat.

The real bottom line is that the squat is a fundamental human movement pattern that everyone who is born will need almost everyday throughout their lifetime. We use the squat to sit down, stand up, retrieve something from the ground, put something back on the ground, and effectively move through life.

It is my belief that we all should work on our squat patterning in some capacity nearly every single day to improve the quality of our lives.

The goblet squat truly is the most versatile way for the majority of this earth’s population to both strengthen this everyday movement that we need, and ensure we have the movement and stability to perform those everyday tasks throughout our lifetime.

Below are 11 ways you can goblet squat, with video demonstrations that provide optimal technique.

11 WAYS TO GOBLET SQUAT

1.) The Traditional Dumbbell Goblet Squat – Many times when a client comes to me without any history of pain, and appears to have a relatively decent level of fitness and strength, I will have them drop into a regular old dumbbell goblet squat with a lightish dumbbell. This shows me so much. I can see what their aptitude is for a good squat, as well as see joint restrictions and strength deficiencies. This squat here can be put into just about anyone’s strength and conditioning program and deliver a training effect. This video here displays the basic dumbell goblet squat which can be loaded as heavy as you can carry in this position with good posture. This means absolutely no leaning back into extension because it’s too heavy. Adjust reps and sets according to you goals and needs.

2.) The Paused Goblet Squat – I use this squat with many students who can definitely get into position, but need more strength and control throughout the entirety of the squat. When talking about owning your squat and not letting it get away from you in the hole, there’s arguably no better way to improve this deficiency than the paused squat. You can add in pauses anywhere from 1 to 10 seconds and get a solid result, but it’s important to identify your ideal depth before pausing, I suggest holding tension around parallel as shown in the video below.

3.) The Horizontal Kettlebell Goblet Squat – I found this techinique while experimenting with a client who had a pretty beat up wrist from golf. This woman was a competitive athlete, but didn’t quite have any true need whatsoever that warranted moving on to the barbell. She did however need to squat in some capacity to keep moving well and gain strength in her lower body. Every single way to hold on to the dumbbell hurt her wrist except this grip which she accidentally tried while moving the bell around. We didn’t have any sandbags, weighted vests, barbells, or medicine balls to load up the squat which she was prepared for, but this grip worked wonders. The bottom of the kettlebell rests against the sternum area, and the grip resembles a safety squat bar. Give it a try if you have a cranky wrist or just want to mix it up with the kettlebell placement.

4.) The Sideways Goblet Squat With Band – This has become a big hit with my female training population as I constantly strive to provide the biggest bang for their buck in terms of glute activation and development. By adding the band around the top of the feet for the lateral step, you immediately get the glute medius (outside part of the glutes) fired up before dropping into the hole of the goblet squat. If you do 5 or 6 steps and squats each way, you’ve got yourself a solid set of goblet squats with added ass engagement. Make sure the band is both not too strong where you can’t get into your optimal squat stance, but also not too light where it feels like a rubber band and doesn’t require any strength to get a step in.

5.) The Goblet Elevator Squat – This is an absolutely evil way to make the goblet squat harder and ensure constant tension throughout the movement. I tell my students to go up and down “3 floors” on the elevator. This means drop down into the bottom of the squat, come up a few inches to the first floor, then back to the “ground floor” or bottom of the squat again, up again close to the top…but not quite…then back to the bottom…then all the way back to the top or lock out position. That is one rep. Between 5-8 reps is plenty for this killer. I took this variation from Ben Bruno, who I think did this with front squats like the beast that he is.

6.) The Goblet Squat With Band Around Shins – Putting the band here is a wonderful teacher. I agree that the cue of screwing the feet outwardly into the floor and pushing the knees out can be useful for some folks, but putting another piece of equipment in the mix to add resistance against the internal caving of the knees can turn on those glutes and put you in a better situation to grove the squat pattern with optimal positioning. I will do this with folks who have a difficult time identifying what a good, strong squat should feel like, and for those struggling to drop the goblet squat optimally between the thighs without knees caving in. Those who have weak external hip rotators can benefit with this variation when they are ready.

7.) Goblet Squat with Slow Eccentric Control – The eccentric focus of the squat has gotten all of the attention recently and deservedly so. Great coaches around the world are sick and tired of athletes of all kinds loading up the bar without owning every inch of their depth into the hole of the squat. Think crossfit athletes with an ass that falls to the ground 2x speed after half a squat. Cal Dietz and the whole triphasic crew has done a absolutely fantastic job at breaking down the importance of eccentric variability in regards to athletic development. I strongly encourage you to check that shit out if becoming a more explosive athlete is what you’re in to. Either way, for strength gain, kinesthetic awareness, hypertrophy gains, and overall squat development, give these bad boys a try.

8.) The Kettlebell Goblet Squat With Lowering – This exercise was one that I stole from one of my former strength coaches, Tony Gentilcore.  I love the two part component of this exercise, and I admittedly didn’t give it enough credit until I implemented them into my programming for a month. Once you really slow this exercise down, a couple of amazing things happen. For starters, you get to hang out at the bottom of your perfectly executed squat for a little while. This provides a ton of benefit in and of itself, but then you throw in the controlled kettlebell lowering, and your abs start working overtime. In a very similar fashion to the pulse, you put the weight further away from you center, forcing your whole body to resist the weight pulling you off line.

9.) The Kettlebell Goblet Squat With Pulse – This is an exercise that can be performed with either a light kettlebell or a 2.5-10lb plate. This is a fantastic variation that tends to be a perfect warmup or pre-work squat variation to prep for bigger loads. The stop at the bottom allows you to begin getting comfortable staying down there, in addition to owning the other variable, which is moving the load away from the body. Basically you are planking and squatting at the same time. What more could you want to get you want out of your pre-squat routine? I love programming this in for folks who aren’t natural squatters, but have the awareness, the stability, and the mobility to get down in this position after getting their body temp ramped up. Throw these in if you need more anterior core stability or want to feel yourself own that bottom position even more.

10.) The Goblet Squat to a Box – This is another excellent teaching tool to program into you or your clients beoginner progarams to identify appropriate depth. Often times you’ll have situations where you or your student has the capability to achieve and perform proper squats, yet the lack the body awareness to understand where they should start owning the bottom portion. A box around parallel will add that often needed external component to make you comfortable understanding where “ideal” is for you. Everyone is a tad different, but around parallel is a good place to start with the goblet squat to the box.

11.) The Stability Ball Goblet Squat – This was another movement that came out of the necessity for adaptation in a client that was weak and lacked the strength/body awareness to achieve proper squat depth. This variation has become a valuable tool for me in coaching the elderly and sedentary population who have father time and gravity working against their strength/mobility, and also present neurological perceived threat which stops them from moving into this depth just out of the blue. I love loading this variation with beginners who are almost ready for the elevated goblet box squat, but need to overcome some neurological hurdles to become comfortable with lower and lower depth. The stability ball provides a cushion and a failsafe component that tends to provide an extra push back up into the concentric portion of the exercise. For this reason, I give this to beginner clients who are new to exercise or have limitations that prevent optimal motion to perform the squat.

There we have it. The goblet squat displayed in 11 different ways. If you have any questions, ask us in the comments section below.

Also,

If you would enjoy distance coaching from us at a fraction the cost of personal training in your local gym, our January group opens very soon. –> Email us here <–

To learn more about us, we can be found doing cool stuff in the gym with and without our clients on instagram, and enjoy delivering daily knowledge bombs on twitter and Facebook.

Talk soon,

C.R.

 

 

 

The Biggest Problems With Your Offseason

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I’ve got a bone to pick. A few actually..but as a relatively newish retired baseball player, I’ve grown to see my past, the current state of the game, and the future of the sport in a different light.

When playing, I had blinders on. I was totally wrapped up and obsessed in accomplishment and achieving the highest level of my own individual human potential that I could give two shits about anything anyone else was doing.

I was in love with the game and the process.

I’ve ironically been very hesitant getting back into the baseball world post career for a few reasons. The first is that I became psychologically bored and aggravated with the game. Loads of being on the “other side of the fence” so to speak with rehab and being sidelined due to injury has a way of making a player iritable and hungry for something else..anything else besides baseball.

Long road rehabilitation has a way of detaching a competitor from the game or at minimum, inducing reflection on his or her craft.

Thats what the journey back from Tommy John, several shoulder setbacks, and a hamstring tear will teach you. The compilation of the hours alone, not competing, and drooling to get back give you no choice but to reflect and watch the game from a distance. It’s either that or drive yourself nuts worrying and overanalyzing to the point of insanity. It’s like keeping a tiger in it’s cage with all the necessary items to survive but not thrive. Taking competition away from a competitor is frustrating.

Anyways, being away has allowed me to see clearly the mistakes I’ve made, in addition to things I did really, really well which kept me in possession of a job as long as I possibly could have.

This is key because baseball is not a game of perfection. It is not linear. It is abstract, strange, and messy. It will screw the player who thinks it should be perfect. It will reward the player who respects it but doesn’t bow to it.

Unfortunately, I was one of those players who thought it should be perfect. I wanted the work I put in to be directly equal to the outcome I saw on the field. As I said before, the game is messy and doesn’t really mesh well with perfectionists and over achievers at all.

From being away for awhile, I see clearly the gaps that need filled in the game. I see what the underachievers do wrong, and I see where the overachievers screw themselves.

The ones that lie somewhere in the middle are the ones that survive. They are the ones that are rewarded in the game of  baseball, and I suspect other sports as well.

Here’s one of those “gaps”..

Enter the offseason…A clean slate…A time to rejuvenate, relax, and recharge….right?….Kinda. The game goes on without you whether you like it or not. It’s a brutal business, and everyone who ever plays has a day when the game says it’s time to hang em up. As a ballplayer you have a pre-sized window in which you can either optimize your potential or spit it out like like a sunflower seed from the dugout on an August afternoon.

There are ceilings.

We haven’t found what they are yet, and YOU certainly haven’t discovered them in your athletic career unless of course you have truly given your soul to discover what the best of the performance world has to offer.

A big step, in my experience, is having a plan for when the season is over that basically outlines how to dominate the next one.

The following is a list of 4 ways many baseball players sabotage their offseason, and give away their potential to the universe along with solutions to mitigate the issues…

Most of your problems are as follows. Listen up baseballers..

1.) You don’t begin your preparation soon enough. – When the season ends, there is no question there are issues to resolve from a fitness standpoint, a movement standpoint, and likely a rehabilitation and arm care standpoint. I know the last thing you want to do the day after the season ends is get back in the gym, but the reality is your window closes on your human potential one day at a time…and it closes faster than you think.

No, this doesn’t mean go squat the world and run 10 miles on day one, but you should already have a plan of action. On day one or very soon their after, you need to get to work on your weaknesses. You must solve your aches and pains, and you must have a plan of action with your nutrition and strength/conditioning.

Action Step – Before your season ends, have a plan for how your offseason will evolve. Some questions that need answered are –

Where will I be training? Is it the best place available for the resources I have and have access to? Where will I throw once my throwing program begins?

On what date will I begin my skill work, my throwing program, and strength & conditioning program? Will this give me plenty of time to be more than prepared?

What are the core issues I need to address with my body and mind to make myself a better player?

What are the issues in my game that need improvement?

What are the nutritional deficiencies and gaps that I have? Do I need to gain muscle mass and weight or lose weight and become more fit?

What weight do I feel best playing at? What are my goals in this game, and how can next season get me closer?

Write these questions down. They all need to be answered before the offseason begins.

Harrisburg Senators pitcher Josh Wilkie warms up as pitching coach Randy Tomlin looks on. JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News

2.) You don’t get started soon enough on your skill work – Improving your weaknesses in the game can be a humbling experience. It’s like the cold. We avoid it at all costs, and seek the warm comfort. The same goes for sports. If we are good at throwing curveballs, we tend to throw a ton in practice to boost our egos. If we are a good hitter but a horse shit infielder, we find comfort in staying in the cage taking b.p. We stay away from the cold that is our weaknesses. Deliberate effort on the weak parts of our game is a grueling but necessary step during the offseason months.

The season sneaks up on you before you know it, so you better have some of these deficiencies addressed whether it’s hitting to the opposite field, a pickoff move to first base or getting a jump when stealing a base. If you’re not any better than you were at the end of last season, you don’t deserve a spot on the team or a job in your organization. It’s a simple as that. Brutal truth, but it’s the truth nonetheless.

Get to work and progress toward efficiency at these weaknesses as the offseason progresses. The physical issues like mobility restrictions, imbalances, and strength and conditioning improvement should be priority number one at the beginning, however.

steak and eggs

3.) Your nutrition doesn’t have performance or even health in mind – Fellow Show Me Strength writer, and resident nutrition expert, Andrew Ferreira has written extensively on this topic as it pertains to performance in the baseball sphere.

5 Strategies For Winning the Minor League Nutrtion Battle on Eric Cressey’s website  <– Part one

5 Strategies For Winning the Minor League Nutrition Battle on Eric Cressey’s website  <– Part two

10 Nutrition Thoughts For the MLB Offseason 

I don’t need to delve further into the subject, as A.F. has written everything that you need to get started and successfully dominate the nutrition aspect of the season and offseason for baseball.

It’s a huge issue, however because you keep showing up to camp looking less than intimidating, and your insides aren’t functioning in a way that promotes performance.

In baseball, we must control the controllables which clearly means that we need to keep eating with on field and in gym performance/recovery in mind. As I said before, the door closes fast on your time to make a mark in the game, so you wouldn’t want to cite poor eating habits as a reason why you never reached your maximum potential.

Give those reads above some thought and start eating like a savage on a mission.

4.) You’re training doesn’t evolve with the spring in mind – There is nothing wrong with training hard and heavy as a baseball player. The timing of going hard and heavy, however, matters quite a bit.

I am guilty as charged with making the mistake of training too slow and too heavy late in a few of my offseason’s. As a result, I had a hard time feeling explosive right out of the gate in spring training. This was my own wrong doing, as I just love to lift heavy, but got caught up in pushing that specific training envelope too far into my winter.

The early winter months (typically Nov, Dec, Jan) long before your first practice is the time to make significant strength improvement. Waiting too long to train hard or continuing to train heavy too close to go time can cause you to be slow and unprepared as an explosive athlete on the field.

Here is a bare bones, simple guide to structuring your offseason training. This is by no means a specific program, but as a baseball player, you need to appreciate the different stages in the off-season process.

baseball player deadlift

Beginning “restorative phase” (First 4-6 weeks) – Restore mobility and soft tissue restrictions. Take care of pain. Dial in nutrition as well as caffeine reliance. Begin strength and conditioning ramping toward the middle phase. Pick a date to get started on a throwing program, and build your body and prepare your arm accordingly. Get on a solid sleep schedule. Starting on day one of your offseason, you need to start the process of resetting your body after a long season that has deteriorated your health. Foam rolling alone might get you sweating, but that’s exactly why you must get started right away.

Middle “gains phase” (The middle chunk of your offseason. At least a month after the restorative phase, and ending around 4-8 weeks weeks before your first official team practice.) Primary focus on strength development, energy systems development, arm strength, and throwing volume.  This is where the deposits are made into your performance bank account. This is where you make the biggest changes to your body and your capabilities in terms of resiliency and performance. These winter months will make or break your offseason, and will truly determine if you reach your potential or not. By now you should be getting significantly stronger, more powerful, and more healthy. You should be eating with your goals in mind, and sleeping/recovering like a beast. Leading into the final phase, you should be moving optimally, have plenty of applicable strength for the sport, and be free of nagging pains. This will be huge as you dedicate the next phase to working yourself into game shape.

End or “refinery phase” (Last 8-12 weeks before spring training, tryouts, or first practice) – Primary focus on skill work, explosive/speed work, maintaining strength gains, and increasing arm speed. In my experience, this is the most fun part of the offseason if timed correctly. There were a couple situations where I pushed my strength end of the continuum too hard and got started too late on the refinery phase. Big mistake. On the flip side, when I did time it right, I went into this stage excited and more than prepared for the ensuing skill, speed, and refinery work. This is the time to start ramping up the sprint work to a appropriate level, increase your intensity off the mound, and get your swing dialed in. Strength work should be fast, not get you too sore, and mimic the explosiveness required on the field. Of course we are still hammering the mobility and soft tissue stuff, but more from a maintenance standpoint. Everything you do at this stage should be geared around feeling good, feeling fast, and feeling ready for the demands at your position. You’ve put the plan in place, done the restorative work on your imbalances and restriction. You’ve put on applicable strength. Now’s the time to become the athlete.

Don’t screw up these phases.

Know the time to ramp, train, and refine the animal you intend to be this season.

If you need more help, we’ll be right here showmestrength.com/coaching

 

Baseball Physical Preparation : Oxidative Fitness For Baseball by Pat Davidson

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Note from Chad and Andrew: We are absolutely fired up that Pat Davidson and Doug Kechijian have decided to come on board at Show Me Strength and address all things physical preparation for the baseball athlete. Pat and Doug are two of the most knowledgable, yet humble professionals we know, while also doubling on the side as savages. We couldn’t be more pumped to have them on board.  

For this follow up to Doug’s installment yesterday, Pat thoroughly dissects the science from a series of questions we posed on the topic of oxidative fitness in baseball.  What follows are his thoughts on the subject.    

 

mike trout stealing

The baseball athlete does not appear to be one who would benefit greatly from focused oxidative training. The activities within a baseball game are ones that feature brief bursts of high intensity and high velocity movements interspersed with great rest.

If we examine muscular behavior below surface level observances, a case may be made for benefit coming from possessing oxidative fitness.

The model presented in this article will focus primarily on the benefits of possessing higher levels of mitochondria and capillary density found in the musculature associated with baseball movements, and in an enhanced ability of the athlete to recover post training/competition with a more robust cardiorespiratory system. Possessing more mitochondria and a greater network of capillaries in baseball specific muscles would create a situation where these muscles would be able to alternate between excitation and inhibition from an electrochemical perspective.

Scientists such as Stuart McGill, and coaches such as Charlie Francis have explained that the primary difference between lesser athletes and greater athletes from a neurochemical/neuromuscular perspective is the rate at which muscle is able to inhibit following excitation at a local level. The content of mitochondria found in specific musculature appears to be related to inhibition rates. From a recovery perspective, the ability to replenish the components of the phosphagen system (ATP and Creatine Phosphate (CP)) is accomplished through oxidative energy system capabilities.

The movements performed in baseball are powered through the actions of the phosphagen system. The ability to repeat these movements with the same level of power would be largely based on the capacity to replenish the substrate associated with the phosphagen system, which is driven through oxidative means.

Finally, the recovery and regeneration of the organism is accomplished in the post exercise time period through parasympathetic derived means. The ability to reach a deep parasympathetic state is primarily based on allowing the system to relax fully. Tissues that are operating through oxidative means will have lowered physiological cost associated with their behaviors, and a lower resting heart rate would allow the autonomic nervous system to function in a greater parasympathetic manner.

mariano rivera mechanics

 

Baseball is a sport where athletes must be able to demonstrate biomechanical proficiency to perform the sporting movements with fluidity and power. The ability to rotate the lumbo-pelvic-femoral complex, the thoraco-abdominal complex, and the temporo-mandibular-cervico-cranial complex smoothly and gracefully are the hallmarks of a baseball player who can achieve optimal mechanics in throwing, fielding, swinging, and base running.

These movement capabilities are driven through the ability to demonstrate optimal joint positioning, which is highly related to the ability to inhibit chains of musculature.

Inhibition of musculature is a neuro-chemical process. This neurochemical phenomenon is greatly linked to the energy system demands of the tissues. Tissues that are working in a non-oxidative manner for prolonged periods of time (particularly at rest) will largely be unable to relax, and will have reduced ability to achieve electro-chemical inhibition. This reduction in inhibition capacity will reduce the fluidity of movement and will delay the ability of the tissues to recover post training and competition.

Increasing the number of mitochondria found within muscles will allow them to work oxidatively to a greater extent, which will foster an enhanced ability of these tissues to inhibit. Greater inhibition capabilities can then feed into an enhanced ability to smoothly execute the mechanics of the movements associated with the game when the athlete is practicing these movements.

rest and digest

 

Fitness gains can only be maximized if proper recovery from exercise takes place.

The recovery process is based on anabolic processes. Anabolism is the storage mode of the human body. The human organism cannot go into an anabolic storage mode unless a parasympathetic state is reached. Parasympathetic states are permitted to take place when heart rates decrease substantially, the emotional setting is one of comfort and control, and the organism is safe and relaxed. Reaching a state where the organism is safe and relaxed is based on reducing threat to as great a level as possible. Threats come in both conscious and subconscious forms. The primary physiological threats to the mammal are temperatures and pH levels that go outside of the window of comfort. Therefore, if the internal environment of the organism is not maintained at a level that is very easy for the system to control, threat level goes up and the ability to fall into a deep parasympathetic environment is compromised.

An elevated resting heart rate, inabilities to breathe freely and easily (poor rib cage mobility), having tissues that exist in non-oxidative states at rest (trigger points, diminished afferent signaling from poor joint positioning, etc.), and having internal organs working harder than they need to in order to maintain the system (gut problems from a poor diet) all are potential subconscious threats that will prevent optimal recovery through a highly dominant parasympathetic response.

From a training perspective, if we are interested in increasing the number of mitochondria for the purpose of improving inhibition capacities, we should utilize approaches that foster the physiological phenomenon of mitochondrial biogenesis. The main thing to think about in this area is that we do not want to create local muscular environments that are highly acidic, as this uncouples the mechanisms inside the nucleus of the cell that leads to the making of new mitochondria. Instead, we want to perform exercise that stays short of creating acidic environments.

Another conceptual piece to consider is that mitochondrial biogenesis is an adaptation inside a skeletal muscle fiber.

The only way that muscle fibers are capable of going through adaptation is if they are recruited and fatigued during an exercise bout. Muscles are recruited based on the size principle, wherein slow twitch fibers are recruited first, and as force increases, faster fibers are called into action in a gradated fashion. Fatigue of fibers is a nebulous topic that is based on a point at which a fiber shows a demonstrable decrease in the mechanical work output. Baseball movements are typically explosive in nature, and because of that, fast twitch fibers must be targeted for mitochondrial biogenesis.

While increasing the oxidative capacities of fast twitch fibers may sound like an oxymoron type statement, it is a physiologically valid approach. One of the primary training methods used to increase oxidative capabilities of fast twitch fibers is high intensity continuous training (HICT).

hict

 

High intensity continuous training involves repeated high force movements done at a pace that keeps the heart rate from going over the point of lactate threshold. An example of a HICT protocol for the lower body would be 2 to 3 sets of 20 minutes of step ups where all the step ups are high force (wear a heavy weight vest, and drive really hard on the effort), and the heart rate never spikes above the threshold point at which the athlete would enter a non-oxidative dominant state. The athlete may have to intersperse each step up with a 5 to 6 second break to keep the HR below the anaerobic threshold to avoid accumulation of acid.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the theoretical rationale for why developing an oxidative system is important for baseball players, and it is not intended to be a detailed training prescription; however, some thoughts will be provided in this paragraph.

Creating a specific training approach that increases the oxidative capacities of the baseball specific muscles is not the easiest task to accomplish, and may be largely a fool’s errand from a strength and conditioning perspective. From the perspective of increasing the mitochondrial density of fast twitch fibers of the body, pick a few good methods for the lower body and a few for the upper body and stick to them rather than trying to mimic the exact movements of baseball in a training environment. Fast twitch fibers are not the only fibers needed for targeting in baseball players. Slow twitch fibers, particularly those of the pelvis, abdomen, and thorax need to be developed so that many of the static and slow speed positions and movements associated with the game (the leg raise of the pitching wind-up, the stride of the batter, cocking positions of throwing, etc.) can be improved with specific training protocols that recruit and fatigue these fibers. Baseball players still need to do traditional strength and conditioning protocols aimed at strength and power parameters as well as the hormonal system.

 

scoop toss

 

In closing, it should be stated that there is a physiological cost associated with every piece of mechanical, cellular, electrical, and transport work that the organism performs. The organism has many strategies that can be used to perform work; however, there is always an easiest possible physiological strategy that involves the least amount of cost. If you are tight, you can still power through movements; however, it takes more effort compared to someone with less internal resistance doing the same movement. If you are using the glycolytic energy system to power the performance of your sport movements (or the recovery in between bouts of repeated efforts); however, you will experience fatigue faster than an athlete using oxidative means to accomplish the same task (even if that task is recovery).

The greater the cost you have to pay over your athletic career to accomplish the things you do in your sport, the sooner your career will burn out. Those who find the most energy efficient way possible to move, train, recover, and exist are those who will last the longest, be able to have more repeat great performances, and who will have longer, happier lives after their playing days are done. The oxidative energy system is our efficient system, and it is the one that requires the least physiological cost for utilization. Develop your aerobic capabilities for easy power, easy recovery, and the long haul of your athletic career.

 

pat davidson

 

Now read: Nutritionally Controlling the Autonomic Nervous System 

About the Author : 

Pat Davidson is the current Director of Training Methodology at Peak Performance in New York City. He has a PhD in Exercise Physiology and is a competitive strongman in the 175 pound class who has finished in the top 10 at the North American Strongman (NAS) National Championships and has competed for the Amateur World Championships at the Arnold Classic in previous years. Pat has coached many strongman athletes, including multiple NAS National Champions in the 2014 calendar year. Pat bases his training methodology on his interpretation of block program design, and he relies on information from the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) to guide him in his understanding of biomechanics and the strategies he utilizes to keep athletes feeling healthy and happy. You can contact Pat at pdpdavidson@gmail.com, as well as check out his awesome strength and conditioning program, MASS by clicking the link or picture here.

mass davidson

 

Intelligent Core Finishers (Part 1)

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There’s not a much more satisfying feeling in fitness than waking up with some nice sore abs from your workout the previous day.

I’ll happily attest to that, as I’ve never been one to naturally have abs carved out of stone and a super low body fat percentage. <– (Beer and too much chipotle have a lot to do with that too) Even though I absolutely know that ripped abs are 95 percent eating, recovery, and genetics, I enjoy my abs being sore, just as I do other parts of my body the day after training.

Everyone needs the feeling that they accomplished something at the gym, and moved slightly closer to the body and health they desire. It’s good for morale.

As I mentioned here in a Facebook video post yesterday, people are always looking for ways to “burnout” or make their abs look better through exercise. As a coach, it’s my job #1 get my student to see and feel results, and #2 do it in an intelligent manner that is best for health and performance in the real world. I understand that the abs are the part of the body that makes most people self conscious, and when folks come to me asking for great ways to train their core, whats my answer?

I mean sit-ups till failure will definitely get you sore, but is it in the best interest for long term performance and health? Probably not..

Russian twists will hammer your obliques, but is it going to make you lose your love handles, make you more athletic, and give you ripped abs? Not a chance.

Any dipshit trainer can make your abs sore, but it’s the great instructors that can make you feel better, look better, move better AND get you sore…..all at the same time.

The bottom line is that for me to be a trustworthy, competent, and successful coach, I must satisfy my clients, but do it in a manner that is effective, challenging, healthy, and fun.

In part one of Intelligent Core Finishers, I detail a few exercise combinations that will leave your abs worked, but in a way that is smart from a performance and health standpoint.

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A good trainer and strength coach will always train their client’s abdominals from a real world performance point of view. They take into consideration one’s lifestyle, current resting posture when hanging out (both standing, sitting, and moving), and obviously appreciate one’s health/performance/physique goals.

When it comes to all things athletic performance when dealing with abdominals, my goto resource is Mike Robertson. He understands the mechanics of the spine, and the surrounding muscles that keep us performing and moving well. Here is a great read from him on 21st century core training

If I’m working with someone 3x/week, based on what I see from a postural standpoint, I make it a point to train their midsection accordingly. If their aren’t any glaring issues, I’ll train their core in 3 different ways throughout the week (Anti-Extension, Anti-Lateral Flexion, and Anti-Rotation), and make sure the rest of their program challenges their core (fuck I’m sick of that word) in ways that suit their individual needs. If you don’t express to your client that this is the proper way to train, and that abs are made mainly in the kitchen, you’ll wind up with a frustrated person who will sneak off and do crunches when you’re not looking.

If you’re successful in breaking down the mechanics of great abdominal training and get your client on board with what you know is right, you’ll end up with a very strong, very healthy, and potentially shredded individual in the long run.

However, with that being said, you should always train your torso for health and performance first, but having sore abs is still necessary and important at times.

Here are some creative ways in part one to end your training session with more ab work, designed intelligently for your longterm health.

#1.) AB WHEEL ROLLOUT + BODYSAW COUNTDOWNS –

Planks on steroids are what you going experience in this one. Here, we are training the anti-extension aspect part of your spine. We are resisting the force that is trying to pull us down into excessive spine extension. On both of these exercises, it’s important to brace you core and glutes hard, simultaneously. This will keep your whole body tight, allowing you to go through full range of motion with a nice neutral spine position.

In this finisher, I like using the countdown method. You’ll pick a set number of reps for both movements, lets say 8. You’ll start with 8 ab wheel rollouts, then switch over to 8 body saws . Rest for a few seconds, then go back to ab wheel rollouts for 7 reps, then body saw for 7…and all the way down to 1 rep. By giving yourself this little break and switching exercises, you never really get to the point of poor form or failure. Pick a smaller number to start out if you’re new to these exercises, but keep this countdown method in mind. It’s fun, you’ll feel an incredible burn, and you’ll train yourself way smarter and harder than anyone else at the gym. You’ll need a ab wheel or barbell w/plates, and Valslides or as I used here, folded paper towels for the body saw.

 


#2) TRX BUSDRIVERS + TRX FLUTTERS –

Here is another anterior core/anti-extension combo. Again, I love the countdown method for this one. I started with 10 reps on both sides of the bus driver (top video), then took a couple seconds and proceeded to do 10 reps on each side for flutters. Not only are you getting serious ab work here, but your arms are getting a helluva workout too. Bracing here is important as you can see. Without proper tension, you’ll just collapse that spine. By thinking of squeezing your ribs down and holding your glutes in, if you’re strong, and ready for something new and challenging, you’ll enjoy this finisher. In the bus driver, you’ll use the TRX to make a big arc with locked out arms like a windshield wiper or big bus steering wheel. Flutters are best by starting with a pushup position with arms locked out right under your shoulders.

 

 

#3) ONE ARM FARMERS CARRIES + 10 SECOND SIDE PLANK

Here we are resisting lateral flexion of the spine. These exercises are way more effective and efficient than your traditional side bends, Russian twists, and side crunches. You’ll get the added benefit of getting your heart rate up with the heavy walk, and way more intense fatigue in your obliques when you do a strict side plank against the wall. Notice how I walk very upright and tight with the dumbbell off my body. Im trying to resist that flexion of the weight pulling me down. If you’re struggling to keep the weight off your leg or failing to stay tall, it’s to heavy. The heavier the weight, the tougher it is to stay out of lateral flexion. Walk 75-90ft with the DB in one arm then get to the ground against the wall for a 10 second side plank with deep inhale and hard exhaled breaths for even more activation. Stand up, switch hands, and walk back down to the next wall 75-90 ft away. I like to do 3-5 rounds/side in assistance to my lift to feel like I met my “abdominal quota” for the day. It won’t burn off your love handles, but you’ll be sore in that area for sure.

 

#4 OVERHEAD DUMBBELL PULLOVERS + MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

This is a fun one because it combines some heavy duty anti-extension work as well as some faster anterior (front) core pump. The biggest mistake I see with people performing pullovers (the top video) is that they are always arching their back to reach further back with the dumbbell. While you’re still getting good lat activation and development potential, why not keep those glutes turned on and resist those ribs from popping up? It’s way more bang for your buck. Notice my ribs staying down on the pullover. It’s because I’m squeezing the hell out of my abs and ass. Use these as a superset pairing or continue to use the countdown method. I guarantee you’ll get more than just your abs working on these two.

 

 

#5) KNEELING BAND ANTI-ROTATION CHOP + KNEELING BAND PALOFF PRESS

Here is our first anti-rotation pairing. This one is perfect to do counting down, because traditionally you’re arms will give out before you’re core starts rotating, so you’ll need that extra few seconds and less reps as you go to end up having a long set to achieve that fatigue you’re after. Important cues here are keeping you’re belly button in the same place the entire movement as well as locking your abs in like you’re bracing for a punch to the gut. Keep you’re butt engaged as well. Arms must be locked out the entire time for the anti-rotation chops (left video), and always get your ams locked out at the end of each Paloff press rep.

 

 

Give some of these pairings a try instead of your crunches and twists, and other exercises that will compromise posture and spine health. If you’re an athlete, you better be worried more about performance than physique, so these exercises have some huge value for you. If you’re just looking for new core exercises and consider yourself pretty experienced with some strongish abs, these will deliver what your’e looking for as well.

I will be back soon with Part 2…

Stay tuned

C.R.

 

 

 

Monday Motivation!

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be your own hero

Its Always Your Fault by Roger Lawson

Accountability seems to drift further and further away from our society each day. It seems as if everyone is a victim, and everyone wants a perfect life without working for it. Rog knock some sense into them will ya? Great read.

 

brass balls

Man up Monday : The Art of Developing Brass Balls by Chad Howse

Stress and responsibility get a bad rap these days for their negative health benefits. Everyone wants to relax, but no-one wants to suffer for what they want. This article from Chad hopefully will kick your butt into gear showing that it’s in fact ok to have a tough life. It’s ok to work your balls off, and we all should grow from hard experiences rather than get buried by the difficulties.

my body has a story

My body Has a Story by Neghar Fonooni

Neghar has made an incredible difference in the female fitness community not only with her expertise as a coach, but as an inspiration for women to begin loving their bodies instead of critiquing every little thing. She does a great job in this article by embracing the body she has instead of hating it. She will work hard on it, yet not obsess over it. A great message here.

 

 

6 Glute Exercises You Need To Try

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glutes pic

Unless you’re a genetic freak, building a respectable set of cheeks takes a bit of work and a bit of variability. No one really wants to hear this, but it’s the truth. You need to really come at your butt from all angles, all loading schemes, and all intensities if you want the best ass your jeans are capable of holding.

We all know that squats and deadlifts help, but often times for people, jumping straight to the bar can be intimidating.

Below are 6 exercise variations that can hammer your glutes without the stress of the barbell, and without slaving away on overrated machines. Gone are the days of awkward eye contact on the “inner and outer thigh” machines.

1.) Kettlebell Deadlift vs. Band – My good buddy Angel Jimenez of Boston Strength and Conditioning unveiled this exercise on social media not too long ago, and ever since, I’ve had a much easier time grooving every one of my new student’s hip hinge and deadlift patterns. This exercise does a great job of teaching hips back to the point of solid hamstring tension, and helps people differentiate the difference between squatting and hinging right away.

2.) Body Weight Hip Thrusts Wide & Narrow Stance + Band Abductions – Heavy banded and barbell hip thrust variations have their place in muscle development endeavors, no doubt about it, but high rep hip thrusting from a bench with a small loop resistance band and different foot placements can get you what you’re looking for when you’re not looking to load it up. Mix up holds, abductions on the ground, or even abductions at the top for an even stronger burn.

3.) Bodyweight Glute Bridge Wide/Narrow Stance + Band Abductions – This, to me, is a solid place to begin your quest to great, bullet resistant glutes. Push through the floor from both a wide and narrow stance for 10-15 reps each, then add in some band abducting at the top to further the burn. Varying wide and narrow stances allows you to hit different areas of the hamstrings and glutes, while adding the abductions can target hard to hit areas of the hips and glute medius.

4.) Stability Ball Leg Curls – This is a great way to target hamstrings and glutes simultaneously. By holding a locked in bridge position, and digging the ball in a leg curl, it will provide a nice catch all posterior chain activation and burn. You might find this slightly more advanced, as it can be a challenge to hold the glutes in bridge position while curling, but its an excellent progression once you have enough strength to hold that position.

5.) Loaded Back Extensions + Bodyweight Back Extensions + Band Walk – Nearly everyone you’ll see do this exercise fires with the back instead of the glutes. I teach my students to drive their hips hard and squeeze the hell out of their butt at the top. Grab a dumbbell or plate, hold it tight to the chest for 10-15 reps or whenever you feel a solid burn, then drop the weight and hammer out another 10-15 reps with just bodyweight. Step out of the back extension, and use a small loop resistance band to perform a band walk to hit the outer glutes as seen in video #6 below.

 6) Band Walks – Another way to hit outer hip trouble areas, as well as make your glute complex more stable via glute med. I like these targeted movements for nailing often forgotten areas. X-Band walks, and side-lying clams are also excellent ways to ensure you keep those muscles outside of the sagittal plane firing. It may seem easy, but the outside part of your hips will be on fire if you do these correctly.

5 Reasons your Baseball Team is Full of “Dad Bods”

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Chipper dad bod

If there is one sport that totally encapsulates the “dad bod” phenomenon, it is baseball. It’s just one of those activities that doesn’t take tremendous fitness prowess to be great at. In fact, while it might seem like baseball players look fit (uniforms hide a lot), for the most part they are just skilled at specific activities.

Baseball is an equal mix fine motor skill, years of accumulated development and learning, and decent athleticism. The leanest, strongest, buffest, and most athletic looking guys are not generally the best baseball players. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part, I would estimate that an average body fat percentage for a typical professional baseball team is somewhere in the 15-17% range. That’s your average Joe walking the street.

If you haven’t come to hear of “dad bod” phenomenon, some brilliantly average college girl wrote about the advantages of dating this type of guy. First, to give credit where credit is due, she defined this type of guy perfectly. Her definition is as follows…

The dad bod is defined as the type of physique that shows…“I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time.”

She hit the nail on the head with that one. I’ll give her that. We’ve been trying to find the perfect definition here in modern society for a while now.

The article goes further into defending this type of soft-bodied male, sparking several shake my head in disappointment comments that I will let you read here. –>http://theodysseyonline.com/clemson/dad-bod/97484  If you’re a guy, and you want to be successful with the opposite sex, you’ll be fine if you do exactly the opposite of what she claims is attractive. Trust me.

Back to baseball…

Our lifestyle as baseball players is extremely conducive to becoming soft bodied. It’s happened to me, and I’m not here to hate, just point out facts. Some of the best baseball players who ever lived look like they never touched a weight or consumed a vegetable. Some don’t appear healthy in the slightest, but they manage to stay on the field and crush it.

The vast majority, however, epitomize the dad bod because of a few big external factors. They are..

1.) Pathetic Eating and Food Choices – If someone doesn’t have to do something to survive, it is unlikely that one will consistently do that certain thing. What do I mean? It isn’t completely necessary to becoming a great baseball player, and survive and thrive as a professional to eat superbly healthy all the time, so most just don’t do it. They do whats convenient and affordable. Do I think eating optimally would improve a player’s health and wellness? Absolutely. Do I think it will help a player throw more strikes or hit for a higher average? Not so much. In my experience, the players who are the least neurotic about working out and eating tend to do the best. It’s probably because their mind is more free of clutter and worry than those of us who sweat even the smallest of details.

Anyways, baseball players, especially minor leaguers, are put in positions all day every day to make less than desirable nutrition choices at each meal. Fast food is often your only option, and uber processed turkey after batting practice every day just can’t be good for that half fat, half abs midsection on a typical ball player. Even more, being ravenous after a game at 11pm with 20 boxes of pizza waiting for the team will crush even the most disciplined athlete. Believe me.

2.) Piss Poor Sleep Schedule and Oversleeping – If it’s you’re job to be at your best physically and mentally between the hours of 7:00-10:00 P.M. then you can imagine a professional baseball player won’t have your “typical” and normal circadian rhythm patterns. Combine this with trying to force sleep on busses, planes, and hotels at atypical hours, and you have a recipe for compensation with too much afternoon sleep and caffeine from absurd amounts of energy drinks and coffee. My off-seasons were as if I was a totally different person with totally different demands and surroundings. I trained hard, ate well, and slept normally, then once the season started it was like everything in the baseball world’s power pulls you away from doing those three things.

3.) Lack of Quality Movement – I admire and love to death the strength and conditioning coaches, trainers, and physical therapists in professional baseball. They accept jobs to work long hours helping kids who are prized investments of very large companies. They accept this job with the understanding that they will be paid like shit for an opportunity to work with some of the world’s most skilled athletes. Baseball, unfortunately, is still a sport spinning its rear wheels in the old school ways of approaching health and fitness. Young players are still getting hurt at a high percentage, and millions are still being wasted on guys chilling in the locker room slouched over chic-fila breakfast biscuits wiping crumbs off their crappy moving and looking body. Some of my best friends have been made in the weight room and at the training table, and many are on the other end, fighting the good fight against baseball “norms” that promote stagnation and deterioration of athleticism. Things like standing around, sitting around, laying around, and riding around for hours and hours, then being expected to go perform tasks on the baseball field that simply wreck a healthy body is too overwhelming of a task for even the best trainers and strength coaches.

4.) Alcohol – One of the greatest things in the world is having a beer at the bar with teammates after a hard-earned victory. Nothing brings a team closer than the camaraderie of post game shenanigans. Checking out girls, slugging down a few cold ones, raising hell, it’s the best, it really is. There’s a saying that is so true about baseball players…”All we do when we are playing is talk about last night out after the game. All we do when we are out is talk about that day at the field.” The friendships created and the “fraternity” type environment cultivated on successful teams almost always involves alcohol on some level. I’d argue that without the bond of going out with the boys and reminiscing over the day’s baseball activities that a team would fail, every time. Is it good for the body? Not a chance. Is it good for recovery? Hell to the no. Is it good for winning as a team? I’d argue, yes. The body suffers from alcohol. We know this. Hormones get bent over and screwed. Fat loss get halted and diverted in it’s tracks. Recovery becomes delayed like a flight out of Boston in January. Crushing beers after a game, and on a belly full of post game mystery meat and pasta is a recipe for an optimal, glowing “dad bod.”

5.) Lack of Optimal In-Season and Even Off-Season Programming – A decent amount great players work their fucking tail off in the offseason. They heal from the previous season’s wear and tear, and train at a high level during the winter months. The best players seek out great coaches like Eric Cressey to program for them outside of what an organization will hand out to every player at the end of the season. It’s all about the edge, and resources delivered to strength coaches within organizations simply aren’t enough for minor leaguers looking to get to the big leagues. You would think otherwise, but if it weren’t for guys like Cressey, most players would fail to take advantage of offseason opportunities for improvement. In season workout programs are a totally different animal. I was fortunate enough throughout my career to receive programs from the most sought after baseball strength coach in the world. I would visit the northeast every winter to make the most out of my off-seasons. Eric Cressey would also program for me despite my in-season hectic, weak, injury provoking, dad bod conducive situation that is the minor leagues. Teams do a really awful job of monitoring their investments in the offseason. That must be noted. When the season comes, strength coaches and trainers have no clue about what a player did for the previous 5-6 months. They just “expect” that the kid is in shape and didn’t fuck around for 5 months like most 20 somethings do. When spring training begins, even the best strength coaches and trainers are caught in a shit storm of rigid scheduling and agenda. Players sneak by with little to no real work on their bodies or health. They get on the field and they get off, and I feel that almost everyone who doesn’t take it upon themselves to go against the grain, loses a step in their true potential.

My colleague, trusted friend, and fellow Showmestrength.com writer/consultant, Andrew Ferreira will be back soon with a follow up to this article via an action plan..Stay tuned.