Blog Archives

Minimal Equipment? No Problem. Strengthen Your Legs And Glutes With This Challenging And Effective Squat Variation

5/29/2017

When it comes to strengthening and building your lower body and glutes, you do not need a lot of equipment. The band resisted negative goblet squat is a deceptively tough and effective exercise. If you are traveling and have no access to a gym, or want to perform a workout at home, or even outside, this is a fantastic option that requires minimal equipment.

Adding in the band resistance makes the majority of the concentric portion significantly tougher, and you will be blown away by how much you feel your legs and glutes during the lockout. Trust me, this exercise is tough enough with just a band so don't jump the gun. Master the technique before you add additional resistance, both in terms of the band, and kettlebell/dumbbell.

While I like to use this exercise as a brutal lower body workout finisher, it is very versatile and can be performed as one of your main lower body exercises, as part of your warm-up, or as part of a conditioning circuit. You can perform higher reps (8-12), or you can increase your weight and decrease your reps (3-6).

Coaching Tips:

Place a resistance band so it's resting under the mid/back portion of your feet, and on your upper traps. Make sure that the band is not sitting on your neck. This is important. Use as much tension as possible, but only if you are able to maintain proper form for 100% of your reps.

Grab onto a kettlebell by the horns. Keep the kettlebell right against your body, and squeeze your arms into your sides. Pretend that you are crushing something in your armpits.

Form a tripod base by keeping the weight on the mid/back of your foot, and keeping your toes down, particularly your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend that you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the ground.

Before you go, take a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around the spine), brace your core (5-6), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection). This will stabilize your pelvis and spine, allowing you to focus on your lower body.

Now perform a squat and take 3 seconds to lower yourself down to your full depth. When you are performing the squat, aim to sit between your heels, and keep your torso in a relatively upright position.

As you are pushing up and are completing the rep, exhale.

Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or ribcage to flare.

Never allow your muscles to disengage at any point. Eccentric does not mean that you get to relax and shut off your muscles. Maintain control at ALL times. The same goes with the lockout.

Do not allow your knees to cave in or fall out. Keep them in line with your toes. Also, in most instances, it is perfectly fine (if not helpful) if your knees are above, or even slightly in front of your toes. The key is that you do not allow your weight to shift to the front of your feet, and your heels must not leave the ground.

Reset before each rep.

Regression:

Make this exercise easier by using a band with less resistance, or by using a lighter weight, or no weight at all.

Progression:

Make this exercise more challenging by using a band with more tension and/or a heavier weight. You may also perform a negative 1.5 rep scheme where you take 3 seconds to squat down, stand halfway up, squat back down, and stand back up. This is one rep.

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Open Your Mind And Optimal Results Will Follow. Closed-Mindedness Will Get You Nowhere, And Quickly

5/23/2017

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Meet Mike. Mike does not have the mobility to deadlift from the floor. After stubbornly trying to in the past, and injuring his back in the process, Mike discovered block pulls and has been performing them ever since, and has dramatically improved the strength and hypertrophy in his posterior chain muscles. Meet Mary. Mary has an old shoulder injury and struggles to lift her left arm overhead. Rather than forcing herself to perform overhead presses as they do not feel good and she compensates by flaring her ribs and hyperextending her back, Mary is thriving at many different Landmine pressing variations. Meet Mark. Mark is new to working out and does not have the upper body strength, scapular and lumbo-pelvic stability to perform regular push-ups. Rather than doing poorly executed reps from the floor, Mark checked his ego at the door and is dominating hands elevated push-ups, and will soon be able to progress to doing regular push-ups from the floor.

The moral of the story is that square pegs should not be crammed into round holes. Doing so will compromise the health of your body, and your overall progress. There is no written rule that you must perform any given exercise. If something does not feel good, or if you are not able to perform an exercise correctly (might be temporary or permanent and due to different factors), there are always other options that will allow you to achieve similar results. If you are working with a coach and they are close-minded and force you to perform exercises that do not feel good, or that you cannot perform correctly, run for the hills and don't look back!

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Blast Your Glutes And Anterior Core With This Killer Combo

5/14/2017

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This bang for your buck exercise is an advanced variation of the single leg isometric glute bridge and leg lowering combo I've shared before. In this challenging variation, you will also hold onto a kettlebell and will extend your arms towards the ground. This additional component makes the exercise even more anti-extension in nature, and significantly tougher.

Coaching Tips:

Set yourself up as you would when you are performing regular glute bridges. Lie on your back on the floor. If it is more comfortable, you can rest your head on a foam yoga pad.

Set your shin so it is in a relatively vertical position or else your hamstring will take over. Hold a kettlebell, dumbbell, or weight plate, and extend your arms so the weight is directly above your chest.

Before you go, take a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around the spine), brace your core (3-4), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes. This will dramatically increase your lumbo-pelvic stability.

Now extend your hips by pressing through the mid-back portion of your foot and squeezing your glutes, NOT by arching your lower back. This is extremely important. In the top position, your body should form a straight(ish) line from your knees to your shoulders. Keep your body in this position for the duration of the exercise.

Extend your other leg so it is in a vertical position. Straighten your knee, and point your toes towards you (dorsiflex). If you lack the hamstring flexibility, you can keep your knee in more of a bent position, but whatever joint angle you adopt, maintain this angle for the duration of the exercise. Keep your muscles in the moving leg relatively relaxed as this will prevent the leg from dominating the movement, and will force the muscles of the anterior core to work harder.

Before you perform the arm and leg lowering movements, repeat the breathing (3-4), bracing, and rib tuck pattern that I described above. Now slowly lower your leg towards the ground while simultaneously extending your arms backwards, exhaling through your teeth, and contracting the muscles of your anterior core as hard as you can.

Lower your arm and leg as much as you can while maintaining proper form. Once you hit YOUR end range, return your arm and leg to the starting position, slowly inhaling as you do so.

Your torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, or ribcage to flare, and do not allow your ribs, hips, or spine to rotate.

Make sure to engage the glutes and anterior core on both sides of your body, as this will prevent your hips on the non-working side from collapsing, and your body from twisting.

Regression:

You can make this exercise easier by decreasing the range of the arm and leg lowering movement, or just performing the leg lowering movement.

Progression:

You can make this exercise more challenging by increasing the range of the arm and leg lowering movement, increasing the amount of resistance, or using two kettlebells.

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Ab Wheel Roll-Outs - A Great Exercise For Improving Your Ability To Perform Pull-Ups

5/10/2017

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In order to excel at pull-ups (and chin-ups), you need to be able to maintain full body stability. Most people struggle to do this. As a result, their body swings back and forth like a pendulum. This flawed technique makes pulling your body up to the bar much more challenging as you are moving dead weight, and it significantly increases the length of your path to the bar (inefficient arc vs efficient shorter straight line). The shorter the distance of the pull, the easier the exercise will be.

The ab wheel rollout is one of many great anti-extension exercises you can do, and has a fantastic carryover to the pull-up as it develops the lumbo-pelvic stability (and full body tension) that is needed to perform the pull-up efficiently and effectively. Unfortunately, most people do not perform ab wheel rollouts correctly, or anywhere close.

Here are some tips that will help you excel at performing ab wheel rollouts. While I am performing a more advanced variation from my feet, start out by performing the regressed version where you are on your knees. I have included this video in my blog (link below).

Coaching Tips:

Grab onto the roller. In the starting position, your body should be in a plank position and in a straight line from your head to heels. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position, your chin should be tucked, and your shoulders should be directly above your hands.

Before you perform the rollout, take a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around your spine), contract the muscles of your anterior core as hard as you can, tuck your ribcage towards your hips, and squeeze your glutes. This will help stabilize your pelvis and spine.

Now perform the rollout. Roll the wheel forward and extend your arms as much as you can, WHILE maintaining proper form. As you extend your arms and the wheel travels forward, your entire body should remain in a fixed position. Once you've reached YOUR full range, return to the starting position. While you are doing so, slowly exhale through your teeth.

Reset before each rep.

It is imperative that you do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, or your ribcage to flare. This defeats the entire purpose of the exercise. Also, do not allow your hips to pike, or your head to collapse. Your body should remain in the plank position for the duration of the exercise, and you must maintain your full body tension. Do not allow your muscles to disengage at any point.

Regression:

You can make this exercise easier by performing the exercise from your knees (see blog for video), and shortening the range of each rollout. You can also perform rollouts on a stability ball as this is much easier.

Progression:

You can make this exercise more challenging by increasing the range of each rollout, elevating your feet on a box, or adding resistance in the form of a band, weight, or chains.

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Working Out Should Bring You Joy, Confidence, And Empowerment. Anything Less Is A Travesty

5/5/2017

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An abundance of people are under the impression that unless their workouts leave them feeling exhausted, sweaty, and sore, they are a complete waste of time, or at least will not help them achieve optimal results. Due to this very common mindset, many people absolutely dread their workouts, struggle to perform them consistently (and rightfully so), and are never able to establish a healthy, enjoyable, and sustainable lifestyle. Let me put it bluntly, this mentality that is often perpetuated by inept fitness professionals, including many ''Insta trainers,'' is complete and utter bullshit and is doing a complete disservice to the masses. Working out is meant to be enjoyable and empowering, and should leave you feeling stronger, fitter, happier, and more confident. Working out is a tool that should be used to enhance all aspects of your life, and to help you become more, not less.

Just this week, I was having a conversation with someone I admire and respect a tremendous amount, both personally, and professionally. She said something to me that really hit home, and was one of the most impactful things anyone has ever said to me, professionally speaking, and I've been in the fitness industry for over 13 years. To summarize our conversation, she told me that I bring a real joy to training, that I make people want to train and have fun, and that I am very authentic. This has been my goal and mindset for a very long time, and her words let me know that I am doing something right. I made sure I told her just how profoundly impactful these words are to me.

As I've talked about many times, during my late teens and for all of my 20's, I did everything I am so vehemently against now, and used my own training and nutrition to make myself less, and I engaged in many mentally and physically exhausting, and completely counterproductive habits. My workouts did not bring me joy. They brought me stress, mental and physical lethargy, and very poor results. For well over a decade, I wasted the precious gift of being able to work out. I am extremely lucky as I learned the hard way. I now use my past experiences, and the sheer joy and freedom that my workouts bring me, to show my clients that enjoying their workouts and achieving optimal results are not mutually exclusive. It doesn't matter age, goals, overall fitness level, or experience. Joy should be experienced by all.

As coaches, it is our job to help all of our clients find the joy in working out, and we must do everything in our power to help them achieve this. We need to ditch the ''no pain, no gain,'' ''sweat is fat cells crying,'' ''unless you are dying, keep going,'' and all of the other detrimental and painfully insulting ''motivational sayings'' that are robbing people of enjoying their workouts, feeling empowered, achieving their goals, and cultivating a lifestyle that is sustainable. Cookie cutter programs, and cookie cutter mindsets do not work. We need to figure out what works best for each individual, and work as a team to make it happen. Unfortunately, the incompetent ''professionals'' who glorify exhaustion, muscle soreness, and excessive sweating, make the job of the credible coaches significantly more challenging, but it is a battle that we will conquer and defeat. People deserve better. I know that for as long as I'm alive, I will remain passionate about working out, and will use my workouts to feel happy and free, and I will do everything in my power to help my clients feel the same way.

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3 Exercises That Will Help You Strengthen And Develop Your Anterior Core Muscles

5/4/2017

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Here are 3 of my favourite exercises for strengthening the muscles of the anterior core. These exercises will provide you with a pillar of strength that will help improve your overall health, and performance in the gym, your given sport (if applicable), and in your every day life.

Band Resisted Dead Bugs

This brutally effective exercise trains the body to resist the extension of the spine, and will absolutely light your ''abs'' on fire! OWN the movement, and make 100% of your reps count. Going through the motions is not good enough!

Coaching Tips:

Fasten a resistance band around a secure pole/bar. Choose a tension that allows you to maintain proper form at all times.
Lie on the floor. Place the band around your wrists (I like to keep my hands in a prayer position), and extend your arms. Now bring your arms forward so your hands are past your chest. As you do this, you should feel your ribcage tuck down towards your hips, and your anterior core light up.
Extend your legs so they are in a vertical position, straighten your knees, and point your feet towards you (dorsiflex).
Before you go, take a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around the spine). Now forcefully exhale through your mouth, contract your anterior core muscles as hard as you can, tuck your ribcage towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and slowly drop one leg towards the floor. Return to the starting position. Reset and repeat with the opposite leg.
Do not allow your ribcage to flare or lower back to hyperextend, including between reps. Your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position.
Keep your legs relaxed so they do not dominate the movement. If you start to notice your legs, try re-bracing your core and tucking your ribcage towards your hips. If this fails, try shortening the range of your leg lowering.
Make sure that your knee remains in a fixed position and that the movement occurs from the hip.

Regression:

You can make this exercise easier by using a band with less resistance, or no band at all. You can also shorten up the range of the leg lowering.

Progression:

You can make this exercise more challenging by using a band with more resistance, and by increasing the range of the leg lowering.

Prescription: Do 3 sets of 5-10 reps/side.

Renegade Rows With Lateral Band Resistance

This progression of the Renegade Row is slightly more anti-rotational, and more challenging, than your traditional Renegade Row. I attached a resistance band around a bar, and have it sitting just above my hips. When I am performing the row, particularly with my arm that is closest to the point of the band attachment, my anterior core and glutes must work big-time to keep my body stable.

When you are performing this exercise, it is vital that aside from your arm that is performing the rowing movement, your entire body remains in a fixed position. Most people do not perform this exercise correctly and transfer their weight from foot to foot, and their body rocks from side to side. This is often a reflection of poor lumbo-pelvic stability.

Coaching Tips:

Attach a low to medium tension band around a bar and loop it around your waist.
Get into a plank position from your hands and feet. Your shoulders should be directly above your hands, your body should form a straight line from your head to heels, and your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
Before each rep, take a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (6-7 out of 10 in terms of the intensity of the brace), tuck your ribcage down towards your hips, and squeeze your glutes.
Now perform a single arm row. Keep your grip relatively loose, and initiate the movement by using the muscles in your mid to upper back, not by pulling with your arm. Stop your row when your elbow is in line with the top of your body. Do not allow your elbow to flare out. It should remain close to your side.
Lower the weight with control, reset and repeat the breathing and bracing, and perform the row with the opposite arm.

Regression:

You can make this exercise easier by using a band with less tension, using lighter weights, placing your feet so they are farther apart, or using no band. Aim to keep your feet approximately hip to shoulder width apart.

Progression:

You can make this exercise more challenging by using a band with more resistance, or using heavier weights. You can place a weight plate or chains on your mid back. You can also position your feet so they are closer together, or you can elevate your feet on a bench or box.

Prescription: Do 3 sets of 5-10 reps/side.

Ipsilateral Bird Dog + Single Arm Rows

This innovative and challenging core stability exercise strengthens the muscles of the anterior core, and trains the body to resist the extension, rotation, and lateral flexion of the spine. This exercise also strengthens the muscles in the upper body, most notably, the muscle of the mid/upper back, and the shoulder and scapula stabilizers.

**This exercise is significantly tougher than it looks, so I would start out with about 1/3 of the weight that you would use to do regular bent-over rows, and go from there.

Coaching Tips:

Kneel on a bench. Position one hand so it is directly below your shoulder, and grab onto a dumbbell or kettlebell. Extend the leg that is on the same side as the rowing arm so it's backwards and is roughly parallel to the ground.
Set your body so it is in a straight line from your head to heels, and tuck your chin. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
Before each row, take a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around the spine), brace your core (5-6), tuck your rib cage towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes. This will stabilize your pelvis and spine and will allow you to focus on your upper body.
Now perform a single arm row. Keep your grip relatively loose, and initiate the movement by using the muscles in your mid to upper back, not by pulling with your arm. Stop your row when your elbow is in line with the top of your body.
Lower the weight to the starting position with control. Do not use any momentum with your rowing movement. If you try to, you will likely lose balance, and this also defeats the purpose of the exercise.
As for your breathing, exhale towards the top of the row, and then take another deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around the spine) as you are lowering the weight to the starting position. You also have the option of holding your breath for the duration of the rep and exhaling and re-inhaling before the next rep.
Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or ribcage to flare, neck to collapse, or your pelvis, spine, and ribs to rotate.
Reset and repeat before each rep.

Regression:

You can make this exercise easier by using less resistance or by performing the contralateral bird dog + bent-over row where your leg and arm on the opposite sides of your body are on the bench.

Progression:

You can make this exercise more challenging by using more resistance, performing negative reps and taking 3-5 seconds to lower down.

**If you want to get my free glute building eBook, click on the link:
http://eepurl.com/cMbHKL

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Blast Your Anterior Core/''Abs'' With This Challenging Exercise You Likely Haven't Tried Before

5/3/2017

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The band resisted stir the pot is a deceptively challenging and extremely effective core stability exercise you likely haven't seen or tried before. If you are performing this exercise correctly, aside from your arms, your body should remain in a fixed position. Failure to keep your spine and hips stable is a sign of poor lumbo-pelvic stability.

Coaching Tips:

Tie a resistance band around a secure bar. It should be around the same height as the top of the stability ball. Grab onto the band, and set the amount of tension so it is low to medium. There should be tension in the band at all times.
Get into a plank position with your forearms on top of a stability ball, and set your body so it is in a straight line from your head to feet. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
Before you initiate the stir the pot movements, brace your core (7-8 out of 10 in terms of the intensity of the brace), tuck your ribcage towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes. This will provide you with the lumbo-pelvic stability you will need to perform this exercise.
While keeping your entire body but your arms in a fixed position, extend your elbows and roll the ball forward, and perform figure 8 (or alphabet) movements. Roll the ball back in towards your body by performing the reverse movements with your arms. Stop the movement when your shoulders are directly above your elbows.
Reset and repeat before your next roll-out/stir the pot movement.
Make sure you do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, hips to collapse/pike/, neck to collapse, or your hips/torso/spine to twist.
As for your breathing, do what is the most effective for you. But for the duration of the set, make sure you are taking deep breaths in through your nose (360 degrees of air around your spine), and are exhaling through your mouth.
Keep your arms relatively relaxed so they do not dominate the exercise.

Regression:

You can make this exercise easier by using no band, using a band with less resistance, not extending your arms as much, or placing your feet so they are a greater width apart.

Progression:

You can make this exercise more challenging by using a band with more resistance, extending your arms even more, placing a weight or chain on your mid-back, performing negative reps and slowing down your speed, elevating your feet on a bench/box, or placing your feet so they are closer together.

**If you want to get my free glute building eBook, click on the link below:
http://eepurl.com/cMbHKL

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Spice Up Your Renegade Rows With This Advanced Variation

5/2/2017

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Here is a progression of the Renegade Row that is slightly more anti-rotational. I attached a resistance band around the bar, and have it sitting just above my hips. When I am performing the row, particularly with my arm that is closest to the point of the band attachment, my anterior core and glutes must work big-time to keep my body stable.

When you are performing this exercise, it is vital that aside from the arm that is performing the rowing movement, your entire body remains in a fixed position. Most people do not perform this exercise correctly and transfer their weight from foot to foot, and their body rocks from side to side. This is often a reflection of poor lumbo-pelvic stability.

Coaching Tips:

Attach a low to medium tension band around a bar and loop it around your waist.
Get into a plank position from your hands and feet. Your shoulders should be directly above your hands, your body should form a straight line from your head to heels, and your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
Before each rep, take a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (6-7 out of 10 in terms of the intensity of the brace), tuck your ribcage down towards your hips, and squeeze your glutes.
Now perform a single arm row, and initiate the movement with the muscles in your mid/upper back, not your arm. Do not allow your elbow to flare out. It should remain close to your side.
Lower the weight with control, reset and repeat the breathing and bracing, and perform the row with the opposite arm.

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Set Your ''Abs'' On Fire With This Brutally Effective Exercise

5/1/2017

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Strengthen your anterior core with band resisted dead bugs. This brutally effective exercise trains the body to resist the extension of the spine, and will absolutely light your ''abs'' on fire!

Coaching Tips:

Fasten a resistance band around a secure pole/bar. Choose a tension that allows you to maintain proper form at all times.
Lie on the floor. Place the band around your wrists (I like to keep my hands in a prayer position), and extend your arms. Now bring your arms forward so your hands are past your chest. As you do this, you should feel your ribcage tuck down towards your hips, and your anterior core turn on.
Extend your legs so they are in a vertical position, straighten your knees, and point your feet towards you (dorsiflex).
Before you go, take a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around the spine). Now forcefully exhale through your mouth, contract your anterior core muscles as hard as you can, tuck your ribcage towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and slowly drop one leg towards the floor. Return to the starting position. Reset and repeat with the opposite leg.
Do not allow your ribcage to flare or lower back to hyperextend, including between reps. Your torso and hips should remain in a stacked position.
Keep your legs relaxed so they do not dominate the movement. If you start to notice your legs, try re-bracing your core and tucking your ribcage towards your hips. If this fails, try shortening the range of your leg lowering.
Make sure that your knee remains in a fixed position and that the movement occurs from the hip.

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