Front Squats For Improved Posture & Performance
This scares me to death… strength and sports coaches who load heavy weights onto the back of weak and muscularly imbalanced athletes.
Listen, if yourself or your athletes can not maintain a STRONG posture… which in my book is defined as:
“The capacity to maintain The Instantaneous Axis Of Rotation of all joints while static or during dynamic movement.”
Then you have no business adding external resistance (barbells or weights) to their body in a manner that facilitates the weakness or exposes it to injury.
Let me explain… if a kid has overdeveloped traps and weak scapular adductors (the muscles that hold the chest up and shoulder blades together) he will appear to have a “rounded” or “hunched” mid / back, It may not be as obvious a deformation as the Hunchback of Notre Dame but it is a Red Flag none the less.
Now if you take that kid who can barely maintain thoracic extension (chest up, shoulders down posture) and load his spine with a 225 lb. barbell and expect him to squat… you’re gonna have one of several situations on your hands.
1. The barbell will crush him and toss him face first onto the floor with the barbell doping down on his neck!
2. He will squat the weight, but it will look more like a Good Morning bow than a squat… and his low back is going to be killing him!
3. He will simply not be able to attempt the lift…. EVER! He will never get stronger with this weak link in his “kinetic chain.”
So, what the heck do you do?
Use what I call “Corrective Bodybuilding” to strengthen weaknesses while still taxing the nervous and endocrine system for increased strength and growth!
Check out one more of my “Corrective Bodybuilding” exercises below:
Check out… Football Strength System for more “Corrective Body Building Exercises”, before the price goes up this month!
Categories: Squat Exercises, Strongman Exercise Database, Uncategorized Tags: corrective body building, drayton, front squats, posture
Squat Technique Flaw
If you are familiar with my philosophies on strength and conditioning for football player, athletes and general fitness… you know that I LOVE Squats!!
Nothing builds a solid set of legs, back, core, shoulders, neck, ears and eye lids than a healthy set of barbell squats. In fact, squats are so important for the development of athletic strength and speed that it was the very first exercise that my uncle taught me when I began training at 14 years old.
Unfortunately, most people suck at squatting… and this is a shame since squats not only improve athletic performance but are essential for the maintenance of good health.
You might not know this, but squats are a “Primal Pattern” (ref. Paul Chek) which means that if you couldn’t squat during primordial times… you’d be pretty useless as a hunter/gatherer/builder and would definitely have a tough time pooping! (can you say Colon Obstruction?)
We’ll I am going to show you a common muscular imbalance that many adults and athletes have that makes squatting nearly impossible.
But, I also show you how to fix it… who loves ya?
I spent an entire chapter on how to squat properly in my Football Strength System. Make sure you are not wasting your time with ineffective exercises or with improper form.
Squats with bands – Leg Exercise
Primary Muscle: Quads
Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, Lower Back, Glutes
Equipment Needed: Squat Rack, Barbell, Box
Mechanics Type: Compound
About: Great exercise for building dynamic speed and agility.
Squatting with bands
by. Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell
To use bands for squatting, if you squat 650 or less, use green bands. If you squat more than 650, use blue bands. Here are two ex-amples of 900+ squatters. Billy Masters and Dave Barno used a top weight of 500 pounds and 150 pounds of tension with blue bands. Billy did 909 and Dave did a perfect 925. Neither train at Westside, but they use our methods.
When squatting, wave your training weights from 50% to 60% in a 3 or 4 week cycle. Do mostly 8 sets of 2 reps with 45 seconds rest between sets.
For max effort work, one can choose a bar weight of, say, 400 or 500 pounds. Do a single and then add a set of chains. Keep doing singles and adding a second and third set of chains until you break a PR or miss. You can do the same with Flex bands. Good mornings are a great exercise to do with chains and bands. High pulls with the pink or green bands are also great.
I have seen one of our lifters with a 600 deadlift go to 670 in 6 months by using bands on the deadlift. Bob Young would use 275-315 on the bar, with about 200 pounds of tension from the bands. We use the platform that Jump-Stretch sells with their bands to do this exercise.
If you want to excel at powerlifting or any sport, then you must develop speed strength, increase acceleration, and gain absolute strength. Bands and chains can be instrumental in developing these aspects of strength. I highly recom-mend that you try them as soon as possible. For chains, call Topper’s Supply at 614-444-1187. For bands, call JumpStretch at 1-800-344-3539.
Box Squats – Leg Exercise
Primary Muscle: Quads
Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, Lower Back, Glutes
Equipment Needed: Squat Rack, Barbell, Box
Mechanics Type: Compound
About: Box squats and box squat variations are a staple in FSS program. I love box squats for beginners and veterans for different reasons. First of all when you are working with a beginner the box squat is the easiest way to teach them how to squat and to prepare them for the more demanding back squat. Also because their confidence at this point sucks they feel more comfortable with a support structure underneath them. As for the coach it takes a ton of the frustration out of teaching young weaklings how to move.
When it comes to more advanced lifters the box squat shifts from being a technique and strength builder into a Super Speed and Power exercise. This is due to the fact that when you box squat the demand on static to dynamic strength increases. Essentially you need to generate enough power to get off of your ass from a low box with massive amounts of weights on your back. This can also be done with lighter weights for speed.
The box squat develops hip, glute and hamstring strength without the typical soreness associated with back squats. So, this means that you can go heavy on squat day and still have enough energy to give 100% in practice the next day. Below are pictures and descriptions with the essential cues that you must master in order to get your body squatting BIG.
Technique:
*Stance – With the box squat you are going to use a high box (thighs above parallel) or a low box (thighs below parallel) depending on the strength and flexibility of your athlete. Also, you may want to design boxes of various heights (18-21”) for shorter or taller athletes. Before I had a box like to one in the picture I would simply use a bench. Just remember that safety is paramount and that you use a sturdy structure.
This picture is a bit misleading and doesn’t tell you the whole deal. Here is what you need to know: in my opinion it is best to squat and box squat in a squat rack. Because I couldn’t get a good shot for you in the rack I took it out. Now, with this type of squat I prefer the power lifting stance, this is with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width and toes pointed slightly out. Also, your knees should be spread open- like your showing your crotch! Athletes with weak glutes have a tendency to let the knees buckle in, you correct this by cueing them by saying “show your crotch” or spread your knees.
* “Butt Out & Chest Up” – Ok, once you’ve lifted the bar off of the rack you will need to take a few tiny steps backwards and position yourself in front of the box. The heavier the weight gets the less you are going to want to move back towards your box so make sure that it is basically situated right behind you or your athlete.
Here is when you begin the decent of the squat movement. You are going to want to keep your eyes straight ahead, your chest up or “spread” and stick your butt out like a chick in an MTV video. This will ensure that your back remains tight or in a “C” position.
It’s very important that you stress proper form with this exercise. An athlete that is too weak to keep his chest up or stick his butt out is going to have a hard time handling heavier weights. Make sure that you can perform this movement properly for several reps with the bar alone or even with just your bodyweight before you begin to add weight. Once you get the form right ½ the work is done, your nervous system will begin to adapt to the new movement and your strength will go up very quickly – but don’t rush!
Another thing, your feet should remain flat on the floor. ALL of your foot should receive the same amount of weight-distributed trough out it. Most young or weak athletes will end up on their toes with their heels lifted as well as placing too much weight on the insides of the feet. More often than none I have to tell the athlete to press the floor with the heels and outsides of their feet.
As far as hand and elbow position is concerned, I tend to have my athletes grip the bar about 6 –8 inches outside their shoulders. Many coaches and power lifters have them grab the bar wider but I feel that the closer grip forces the athlete’s shoulders into external rotation especially if the elbows are tucked under or pointing down. This is important because most young athletes have poor posture and tight pecs; my technique exposes this weakness so that it can be corrected. I’m not saying that the others are wrong, just that this is what works for me. The cue I use for this is “Tuck your elbows.”
“Sit back on to the box & show your crotch.” – At this point in the movement you should be reaching your ass out or sitting back onto the box while keeping your knees spread. I know is sounds like I’m giving you a ton of different phrases and cues for each of these movements but sometime one cue works for 90% of your athletes and another for the 10% that didn’t get the first one. Sometimes I spend weeks trying to coach someone a move and one day they finally get it, so I ask them… “What made it click today?” and he’ll tell me “It was when you said BLANK____.” All it takes is the right descriptive term and someone who is hard to coach becomes your best student when you repeat the magic phrase.
Anyway, sit back onto the box without crashing down onto it. This is important, as many athletes will think of sitting on the box as a rest when it couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact you want to keep some tension in your legs and your feet firmly grounded when you are sitting on the box.
From this position you then want to push your feet into the ground and stand up tall. I say “tall” because many athletes will only come up partially and keep their hips flexed. I want to you explode off of the box and stand up tall. A good cue to use is to tell your athletes to imagine that there is a rope attached to the top of their head and it is pulling them up towards the ceiling. This will keep them tall throughout the entire movement. Stand tall and then repeat.
Glute Ham Raise – Leg Exercise
Main Muscle Worked: Hamstrings
Other Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, Calves, Glutes
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
There are two major style of a Glute Ham Raise; (a) the “natural” style, or with (b) a dedicated machine.
The “natural” glute ham is no walk in the park and is one of the nastiest of all weight room exercises there is. It will give you a powerful set of hams and a new level of ferocity to your training. This is not a complicated exercise but a brutal one. Make sure you set yourself up with sufficient padding under the knee so that the ankle knee joint is parallel to the ground and toes are dug into the floor with someone holding your feet down.
Keep the hips and abs squeezed tight as you pull yourself down with control and do not bend forward. As you invariably collapse to the ground have your hands meet the ground and push off where to the point where you can pull yourself back up using your hamstrings. One particularly devilish approach is to hold statically a few inches from the top for 15-60 seconds and then drop fast eccentrically.
Hopefully your gym has a dedicated Glute-Ham machine and with the growing popularity of this machine, many are adding them. Set the machine up so the knees are no more than a few inches from the pad with your hips pushed forward. From parallel position, rise up by pushing against the toe-plate and pull with the hamstrings.
As you get better with exercise you will invariably want to add resistance and one of the best ways to do such is by wearing an Xvest which will distribute the load equally throughout the movement but also not contribute to poor posture as other mediums will.
Categories: Bodybuilding Exercises, Leg Exercises, Squat Exercises, Strongman Exercise Database Tags: hamstring, leg, natural
Cable Pull Through – Leg Exercise
Main Muscle Worked: Hamstrings
Other Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, Calves, Glutes
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Begin by facing away from a low pulley cable with a single “D” handle or triceps rope. Bend over and grab the handle between your legs while facing away from the machine, then pull the handle through your legs until your body is in an upright position.
Reverse Hyper – Leg Exercise
Main Muscle Worked: Hamstrings
Other Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, Calves, Glutes
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
My First Time
We all remember our first time like it was yesterday. For some of us, it marked the passage from boyhood to manhood, and for others, it marked the progression from average to elite. For me, my first time was in a dirty ass gym known as “Westside Barbell Club.”
Westside Barbell is owned by renowned strength expert, Louie Simmons. He was the reason I came to Westside on that day and is also the reason I stayed for over 13 years. Westside was a HUGE part of my life and provided me with lessons and experiences that will last the rest of my days. The one lesson that stands out more than any of the others is the importance of glute, hamstring, and lower back strength. This is why the reverse hyper MUST be used.
My first session on this machine was in 1991 before it had its first patent. On one of the first trips I made to train with Louie, he addressed the squat. I learned how and why to box squat and what the best ab movements were to do to get my squat and pull moving. After all this, I was WARNED not to say a word about the next movement. I was told it was going to be patented and nobody outside of Westside was to know about it.
I was asked to jump up on a table type machine, strap up my ankles, and perform bilateral leg swings. Ten reps later, my lower back was cooked. There I was bent over a bench trying to get my erectors to stop hurting.
Then, I was told that this was where I was weak and that I needed to do this movement to get my lifts to go up. The way that my back felt, I decided against this idea pretty quickly. However, the guys I was training with tossed on 200 or more pounds and did their sets as if they were nothing. They were all bigger squatters and pullers than I was, and I was beginning to see the reason why.
Louie told me how he had injured his back in 1975 and came up with the idea for the reverse hyper. His back had become so bad that he could no longer squat or pull. Before this injury, his best squat was 670 lbs in the 181 lb class (without equipment). In 1983, he was told that they needed to take two disks out, remove bones spurs, and fuse some other disks. He opted not to do this and was determined to find a better way. At this time, he began to focus on a solution that could keep him going. This is when the reverse hyper came to him. After a few years of tweaking the unit, he came up with what is now known as the reverse hyper.
How well did this work for him? In 2002 at 56 years of age, Louie squatted 920 lbs and deadlifted 715 lbs in the 220 lb class (actual weight 216 lbs).
The Real Deal
While I’m not qualified to tell you what is going on at Westside Barbell today, I can tell you what I did while I was there and what I saw everyone else do. I could tell you egotistical stories about how my squat jumped from 760 lbs to 935 lbs over five years and how I never missed a single squat workout because of lower back problems. I could also tell you that the main movements for every lower body day were pull-down abs, glute ham raises, and reverse hypers. For me, the reverse hyper kept me healthy so I could train harder. This was the greatest benefit for my training.
I could tell you all this, BUT I’ve been in the business a long time and KNOW that 99% of you could care less about what I did or what they do at Westside. What you want to know is how this can help you and what others in the same boat as you are using it for.
This is simple because the answers are the same regardless of the reason. You see, the reverse hyper is all about…
* Keeping your back healthy: As I said, this was a key for me. I’ve also heard back from hundreds of lifters who say that this machine has been a life (or lifting) saver for them. While some of them were elite lifters trying to extend their platform time by a few years, most were average Joes just trying to deal with their lower back pain and get some quality work done in the weight room. We’ve also heard back from many coaches and trainers on how this one machine has extended players’ carriers and has kept them on the field instead of on the bench.
* Lower back, glute, and hamstring strength: Most people now understand the importance that these muscles carry when lifting, running, and jumping. Nothing targets these the way that the reverse hyper does. This is why we’ve seen the results that you’ll read about below.
Now, you should see that this machine is the “real deal” and should be in every gym in the world.
Taken from Elitefts.com
Categories: Bodybuilding Exercises, Leg Exercises, Power Lifting Exercises, Squat Exercises, Strongman Exercise Database Tags: calf, glute, hamstring, hyper
Neck Harness
Main Muscle Worked:Neck
Other Muscles Worked: traps
Equipment:neck harness
Mechanics Type:Isolation
I’m a card carrying member of the Neckwork Network. I think every man should be doing neck work, regardless of sport. No one wants to have a stack of dimes holding their head in place. It’s embarrassing. As for exercises, I’m not a big fan of neck bridges as they seem unsafe and every time I see someone doing them I have this intense urge to kick their heads out from underneath them. Since I know I’m not the only that thinks like that, I’ll play it safe and stick to the neck harness and the 4 way neck machine. Now let me bestow some wisdom on you; don’t try to max out on these exercises. I tried putting a 100lb dumbbell on the neck harness and after a couple of reps, felt an intense pain in my neck. Not a good thing. When training the neck, either with the neck harness or the 4 way neck machine, stick to higher reps – 10-30 reps. I like to do neck work after each workout. When I was lugging the pigskin for University of Arizona, I would 2 sets of neck work every morning and 2 sets before I went to bed. I put my neck harness beside my bed as a constant reminder. I did sets of 30 reps. Bottom line; do some neck work or be doomed to a life of buying off the shelf.
Categories: Bench Press Exercises, Bodybuilding Exercises, Dead Lift Exercises, Squat Exercises, Strongman Exercise Database Tags: harness, neck, yoke
Stiff Leg Deadlift Leg Exercise
Primary Muscle: Hamstrings
Secondary Muscles: Lower back, glutes, shoulders, lower back, upper back
Equipment Needed: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Proper Exercise Technique:
Pick up a barbell off the ground using power from your legs (not your back). Space your feet slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart and hold the bar with an overhand grip just outside of your legs. Keeping a slight bend in your knees, bend forward at the waist and lower the weight toward the ground. As you lower the weight your lower back should remain arched as this will keep the tension on your hamstrings throughout the entire exercise. Lower the weight down until you feel a full stretch in your hamstrings. The distance that you are able to lower the bar will vary from person to person and will depend on body structure and flexibility. Once you feel a full stretch in your hamstrings, pull the weight back up into the standing position but stop just short of being fully erect. By not allowing your body to stand up completely straight you will keep the stress on your hamstrings at all times. Continue the motion until you have reached muscular failure.
Tip: It is extremely important that you do not round out your lower back at any point during this exercise but instead maintain a slight arch at all times. In order to keep your back flat, really focus on sticking your butt out and keeping the bar close to your body. You must also remember to keep a slight bend in your knees as you perform your reps as this will keep the tension on the hamstrings and will minimize your risk of injury.
