Dizenzo Row If I said it once, I've said it a hundred times, a hundred different ways. "You can never have too much ass, abs and upper back." "Muscles up front are for show, muscles in back are for GO!" "You can tell if someone is strong when they have a big ass and thick upper back." If you're posterior chain is lacking, you're leaving better posture, performance, and injury prevention on the table. "A healthy posterior chain is required to counteract forces, sudden movements, and physical demands and is fundamental in physical performance, prevention of injuries, and physique development . A healthy posterior chain also enables good posture and motor control … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Slider Pushups
April 28, 2020 by
Alternating Slider Pushups Last time I wrote about some of the characteristics good athletes displayed. Truly elite athletes are, in short, Masters of Movement I like to think about it as , "Good movers are analog, not digital." Good athletes intrinsically figure things out and make movement happen. It always looks smooth, controlled and purposeful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY5RIA8uxIY Skip to 6 minutes in an enjoy...THAT is movement mastery. Rarely looking like the rest of us they're on the struggle bus, trying to link motions together. "These results suggest that experts were able to focus on motor planning integrating visual information with … [Read more...]
You Should DO This: Skater Lunge Slider Iso Holds
April 16, 2020 by
Really good athletes generally have some things in common. Excellent Power Output: They generate high force quickly. "the ability to produce high amounts of power output is what separates truly elite athletes from merely good ones. This has been evidenced in explosive activities, such as sprint running, cycling, and combat sports." - Optimal Balance Between Force and Velocity Differs Among World-Class Athletes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsGGCflGDgE Excellent Force Absorption: They tend to have high levels of eccentric strength and "stiffness" at high speed or loads. "During CoD (change of direction) tasks, two distinct forms of muscle actions are required to … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Kettlebell Swing
January 15, 2020 by
"If you could only do one exercise what would it be?" I seriously HATE that question. It instantly tells me that whoever is asking it is SUPER lazy. Why? Because why would you only do one exercise when you can do ANY and ALL of them? BUT If there was only one exercise I could do it might, MIGHT be the kettlebell swing. Why? Mostly cause it's boss as all hell. Other than that, it's probably the best example of highly user friendly, easily applicable, total body, explosive strength. "Strength and conditioning professionals may use both kettlebell swings and explosive deadlifts to increase deadlift strength and vertical jump power." - Effects of … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Goblet Squat
January 8, 2020 by
Squat: The King of All Exercises That's what the squat has been called. Why? Well, a good, heavy, squat works, well, EVERYTHING. From top to bottom: Upper Back: Gotta keep the mid back (rhomboids), lats, traps TIGHT AF through the movement to maintain upper torso stability. <---you NEED to be LOCKED INTO the bar. You DO NOT want to be balancing the bar on your upper back. Grip: At least in the back squat and Kettlebell Goblet Squat. Better be CRUSHING the bar to tighten the whole body and help keep that bar in place. Core: Lot's of people who have never squatted anything relatively challenging will tell you, "squats don't work the core" Those … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Half Kneeling Chaos Pallof
December 20, 2019 by
"Get Your Core Tight" What the hell does that actually mean? It seems to mean different things to different people. The old school powerlifter means, "Push your belly out into your belt" The functional fitness, physioball, guru means, "Pull your belly button to your spine" The "I don't really know what that means" weekend warrior means, "Round over, perform a half crunch and try to flex your 6 pack abs" So What the Hell Does "Get Your Core Tight" Actually Mean? To me, it means create, and maintain a neutral hip/ spine/ ribcage alignment regardless of the magnitude and direction of forces applied to you. ie. Maintain the Pillar. Your Core As a Coke … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Split Squat Row
December 5, 2019 by
Is the Split Squat Row THE MOST Sadistic Exercise I Know? Lots of people (myself included) do half kneeling rows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKPGzxMbfHU They're great. They train: Stability Glute activation Lats Anti-rotation and most importantly half kneeling rows put all those things together into one brutally efficient movement for training stability and bracing. But eventually you can't row any more weight, there's just too much on the stack, it pulls you forward and it becomes impossible to maintain position. Truth is, half kneeling rows for more advanced athletes are not even close to being the best "back" exercise for … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Tall Kneeling Behind the Back Kettelbell Holds
October 28, 2019 by
Confession time, I really like it when I program a new exercise and the client gets a kinda sick look on their face and goes, "This is one of those things that looks really easy, but I know wont be" Yep, makes my day. And Tall Kneeling Behind the Back Kettlebell Holds despite their innocent appearance can be like torture for many. Why So Awful? If you have a craptastic bracing system you're gonna suffer. And guess what? Most of ya's got a craptastic bracing system. What the Hell is a "Bracing System" Anyway? Your bracing system is how you stack the body to create and absorb maximal tension through the system. The goal of bracing is to limit (prevent) … [Read more...]
