5 Core Exercises to Spice Up Your Training
This is a piece I had written last year that was lost with the transition from our old website to the new one. As our readership has grown, I thought this may be of interest to those of you who hadn't seen it yet. Ah yes, with the holidays approaching and everyone merrily chomping away at holiday parties, people will quickly begin thinking about "their abs" as the we round the New Year and begin to prep for Summer. While one can definitely not out-train a crappy diet, these will be sure to spice up your core training.
Most people tend to pay attention whenever I say the word "Core," so I' thought this would be of interest to many reading this. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, (there are many different exercises/variations I'll use depending on the specific scenario), I thought it would be useful to see some "unconventional" exercises that are actually extremely effective.
With the exception of a few of the combat athletes and military folk we train at SAPT, I rarely program sit-up variations for anyone training under our roof. So, what do I normally utilize? Movements that challenge stability of the torso.
If your motive in doing core work is strictly driven by aesthetics, these will help you on your quest. If you're an athlete seeking a stronger core for performance, these will, quite effectively, get the job done more so than the endless crunches and situps you're doing. Not only are these great for those who "have to feel their abs working" to consider something a good ab exercise, but they have remarkable, (dare I say) functional implications as well. Without further ado, here are 5 core exercises guaranteed to light those abdominals on fire.
(Note: The beauty of #1 and #2 is they can even be performed at home)
1. Bodysaw Plank
For those of you who have already investigated training beyond the muscle mags, you know this one isn't anything new under the sun. However, for those of you who haven't tried this, be ready to have your pants blown off.
Once someone has mastered the standard plank, it's time to progress. Rather than simply add time to the equation (ex. making someone hold a plank for two minutes, which does nothing other than cause them to die of boredom), I prefer to make the exercise more challenging by one of two means:
- Loading the exercise (placing a weight on the back)
- Adding a dynamic component
The bodysaw progresses the plank by adding a dynamic element to the standard plank position. This exercise utilizes the "anti-extension" function of our core. In other words, it trains the trunk to resist hyperextension (excessive arching) of the low back. There are 3 variations in the video below, ordered easiest --> most difficult (although some may argue my ordering of #2 and #3). The first one, with the slideboard, I originally saw taught by Mike Boyle. The second - executed by dragging plates along the ground - I actually picked up from Chris, who figured it out when trying to find a way to have the Mason baseball guys do the exercise without use of a slideboard. The third variation is completed by suspending your feet in a TRX (or any suspension system). The TRX variation is quite difficult as you have to fight the "pendulum effect" of the straps wanting to swing you back to the starting point.
I also like it because it adds a nice intermediate stage between planks and rollouts. Or, if you can already do rollouts, it's a way to train the anti-extension core function without quite as much delayed-onset muscle soreness.
**If doing the bodysaw plank at home, all you need is to do is simply place two hand towels on a tiled (probably kitchen) floor and go from there**
2. "Move the Mountain" Plank
Similar to the Bodysaw Plank, this variation adds a dynamic element to the standard plank exercise. You know have to stabilize your trunk as your arms move. You can widen the base of support (your feet) to make the exercise easier. The key here is to have minimal shifting of the torso and/or hips as you move the plates back and forth (I am even shifting my hips a bit too much as I demonstrate this one).
And be careful: this exercise becomes tiring deceptively fast. Hope you enjoy!
**If you want to move mountains at home, you don't necessary need to use weight plates. You could use tennis balls, books, playing cards, your cat, you name it**
3. Offset-Loaded Deadlift (or "shovel lift")
This is a fantastic exercise I picked up from a guy named Steven Morris. You simply load one end of a barbell (I recommend a trap bar to begin with), then pick it up and stand perfectly straight. Trust me: you won't need to put much weight on the end of the bar. You can do this for reps (I'd keep it 6 and below) or hold it for time. Then do the same thing facing the other way. If you don't know where your obliques are prior to performing this exercise, I guarantee you'll figure it out as soon as you try this! It is absolutely brutal, especially with the barbell.
Pointers: as you begin the lift, think about "pushing down" with the hand furthest from the loaded end (like your shoveling dirt) as you initially pull the barbell off the ground. Also, the further you are from the loaded end, the more difficult the exercise will become. This is very tough to get used to at first, but with some practice, you'll get it! Just make sure you're not cheating by shifting your hips toward or away from the plate (have a partner watch to keep you in check).
4. Feet-Suspended Sandbag Walkups
This one I actually made up, when I was coaching a guy who possessed a strong abdomen but needed to improve his shoulder health. I love this exercise, as it's a great "bang for your buck" movement. It trains, simultaneously, core stability and scapular function. More specifically (with regards to shoulder health) it strengthens the serratus anterior, a muscle that is extremely important in aiding proper upward rotation of the scapula (shoulder blade), which has critical implications for overhead athletes (think baseball and tennis players, swimmers, certain track athletes, etc.).
Not to get too sidetracked, but it's easy to - when training overhead athletes - tend to focus exclusively on the rotator cuff when looking to improve shoulder health/function. While this is definitely important, an often over-looked "piece of the puzzle" is the scapula. If the scapula doesn't track properly when the arm moves into an overhead position, it compromises health of the shoulder joint. Quoting physical therapist and strength coach, Bill Hartman: "Any altered scapular muscle function, weakness, or inability to position the scapula and then stabilize it results in a direct affect on the shoulder joint with dire consequences. These include glenohumeral instability leading to arthritis, impingement, rotator cuff tendonitis/tendinosis, rotator cuff tears, labrum injuries, and so on."
You will immediately find that you have to remain very tight during this, or your legs will very quickly begin to sway side to side in the straps. Think "glutes tight, abs tight" as you walk up and down the sandbag (you could easily use an aerobics step, thick book, etc. in place of a sandbag).
Anyway,one has to possess quite a strong trunk in order to do this, so I wouldn't recommend throwing it to a rehab client unless you're sure they're physically ready to do it.
If you don't have access to suspension straps, no sweat. Simply perform these with your feet on the ground, or even elevate the feet (ex. onto a stable step or bench), which increases serratus involvement.
When considering training economy, this exercise is PHENOMENAL for killing two birds with one stone, especially when working with an athlete who needs special consideration with regards to his or her shoulder health. For those simply looking to spice up their training with something different, this will fit the bill, too.
5. Chaos Training: Supine Bracing with Partner Disruptions
I honestly don't know how to name this exercise in a concise fashion. I do know that it originally came from Diesel Crew, so props to them for coming up with a devilish exercise. This exercise isn't really practical for most because of equipment limitations (although there are creative ways to still get the same effect), and it's an illogical exercise for beginners, but I'd like to share it nonetheless.
Simply lock your feet in under a stable surface, lean back, and BRACE. Hold one end of a rope, and have a partner hold the other end. Be sure to have your arms extended, as this increases the lever arm that your core has to work through - essentially making the exercise more difficult. As you can see in the video, Kelsey just pulls that rope in an unpredictable fashion: up, down, left right, away from me, etc. If you never knew your core was designed for dynamic stabilization, you will know shortly into this exercise as it will feel like your abs are being torn in half.
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The first thing I noticed when I walked into SAPT for my initial interview was that all of the athletes seemed to have a towel in hand. Looping them through kettlebells, wrapping them around barbells, hanging them over pullup bars, you name it, the towels were being used for it. As I walked through the facility, a high school guy nearly ran me over as he scurried across the room holding a towel looped through few kettlebells.
Didn’t take me long before I looked at the President of SAPT and asked her:
“So, uh, what’s with all the towels?”
Continue Reading....
(The link above takes you to my most recent OneResult article)
Cross-Training by Lifting Weights...?!?
Cross-Training by Lifting Weights – that’s the title of a New York Times article I found online. I like to peruse the Health section of the NY Times in an attempt to stay abreast of what mainstream people are reading regarding the health/fitness industry. Why the NY Times? They present researched information and, it seems, are genuinely interested in helping those attempting to navigate through all things Health related (not trick them into buying products or creating anxiety by twisting facts).
You may want to know if I read “muscle magazines” too – I do not… generally speaking, they’re all full of absolute nonsense.
Here’s an excerpt from the article:
“A more recent study of experienced runners by a group of Norwegian researchers confirmed that weight lifting could increase performance. One group did half squats with heavy weights three times a week while continuing a running program. The other group just ran. Those who did the squats improved their running efficiency and improved the length of time they could run before exhaustion set in…
… It is not known why weight lifting would improve performance, but investigators speculate that it may train supporting muscle fibers in the legs, allowing runners or cyclists to use them to augment muscles that get tired.”
Did you read the bolded portions?... I’ll wait while you read it again and let it sink in a bit…
1. It IS known why weight lifting improves performance even in “experienced” (code for endurance) runners: strength training improves endurance by improving the mechanisms responsible for improving running economy. Things like posture, leg turnover, reducing perceived effort, reducing injuries, improving speed (especially up hills and on uneven terrain) are all the amazing and, apparently, “not known” by-products of a strength training program.
2. Can you imagine the improvements that would have been recorded by having this group use a program that involved more than just 3x/week of half-squats? Well, I can! If this programming were in the hands of an experienced professional strength coach, this group of test subjects could look forward to getting way more bang-for-their-buck. A periodized plan containing unilateral (see example video below) and other accessory movements plus special physical preparation exercises would no doubt blow the control group out of the water!
The NY Times makes a great effort to present unbiased information, but I would love to see more depth in their fitness articles. The research already exists and their readers can handle it!
If you’re ready to join the mighty training ranks of SAPT and be guided by a group of coaches that is not the least bit surprised by the above findings, then don't wait one more second and contact us here!
The Fine Art of Team Warm-ups
Designing a warm-up for a large team looks easy if you're watching passively from the sidelines. Unfortunately, this ease is quite deceptive. There are actually several critical aspects that need to be taken into account if you want you're warm-up to go from adequate to Fine Art status:1. Time: how much do you have? I usually try to end a minute or two before I told the coach I would be done (think under-promise and over-deliver, coaches LOVVVVVE that!). 2. Efficiency: you never have much of #1 and you may have as many as 30+ players. So, how do you keep them all moving, engaged, and organized? You gotta be efficient! 3. Effectiveness: Numbers 1 & 2 are components of this, but effectiveness speaks to the QUALITY of what you’re doing. Are you getting the most “bang for your buck” per movement? If not, go back to the drawing board. Be sure to take into account the 3 planes of motion, what the team’s first drill of practice will be, and general fatigue level (where are they within the season and within the training week?).
Beginning this past Saturday, I’ve been standing on a soccer field for about 5 hours a day working hard on the start of, what is certain to be, a legendary sock/farmer’s tan combo. Regardless, that’s just a fantastic by-product of my point: We just started the preseason training time period for women’s soccer and I’ve put together several warm-ups I think are pretty darn good. I’m going to share the two I used on Monday, August 8th and point out a couple important things about the two of them:
AM Session (the 5th practice within 48 hours):
Team Jogs 1 Field Lap in two lines
Upon return have two lines split apart on the 18
(one line on end-line other line on 18, lines face)
65% Builder Sprint to Back Pedal (long reach)
• Walking Spiderman to Overhead Reach
• Yoga Pushup x5
• Skip backwards with Heel Lift
70% Builder Sprint to Gate Openers
• Knee Hugs
• Cross-behind Overhead Reverse Lunge x5/side
• Frankenstein Kicks
75% Builder Sprint to Walking Opposites
• Walking Quads
• Bowler Squat x5/leg
• Skip for Distance
80% Builder Sprint to Alternating Side Shuffle
• Walking Toe Touch
• Split-Stance Kneeling Adductor Rockbacks x5/side
• Cradle Walk
Lateral Broad Jump x3 to Turn & Sprint (both directions)
Stretch on Own
Notes:
• This practice was the tipping point for the team. At the time it started, it was the 5th practice they would be attending within 48 hours – that’s a lot of soccer in a short window!
• The previous two days had a portion of testing (think non-contact) that was significant enough that I knew they would still be feeling pretty good for this session.
• My warm-up “template” typically consists of 3 levels of warm-ups. One is fairly intense and is for pre-match or other situations when the group is fresh, the second is a mid-level warm-up that respects the training volume the team is currently enduring (or the point in the season), and the third is a very low-level warm-up that is appropriate for recovery and respects the teams general level of fatigue but still preps them for the drills to follow.
• The AM Session warm-up was a Level 2.
PM Session (the 6th practice within 54 hours):
Team Jogs 1 Field Lap in two lines
Upon return everyone grabs ball and circles up
Soccer Ball SMR :20-:30/location:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Adductors
IT Band
Glutes
Squat Mobility Series x1
Team Lines up on Sideline:
2 Tuck Jumps to 65% Builder Sprint to Gateopeners
2 Tuck Jumps to 70% Builder Sprint to Frankensteins
2 Tuck Jumps to 75% Builder Sprint to Skip for Height
2 Tuck Jumps to 80% Builder Sprint to Alternating Side Shuffle
Stretch on Own
Notes:
• After a morning training session that lasted a full two-hours and was jam-packed with intense sprinting and full contact, I knew the team would be starting to get very sore and tired.
• I gave them as much time as I could (in this case only 8-minutes) to do some self-massage with the soccer ball and a mobility circuit before we started moving around to get the heart pumping.
• The PM Session warm-up was a Level 3.
Orchastrating an excellent warm-up day after day is certainly one of the less "sexy" aspects to the job of Strength & Conditioning Coach, but it is nonetheless extremely important. Keep in mind a solid dynamic warm-up on a regular basis is the opportunity to improve general fitness and work on power, strength, speed, change of direction, mobility, flexibility, and injury prevention... I think anyone would agree that's a great opportunity to have on a daily basis, so don't waste it by not planning properly!
As a side note, if you train with us in Fairfax, you may soon get to experience warm-ups similar to the AM session - did you hear we got TURF last week?!? If you don't already train with us and wish to experience the excellence that is SAPT, please contact us here for information on in-house performance coaching, distance coaching, Buttkamp, or any combination of the three!
A Little Bit About Knee Injuries
Why Do Knee Injuries Occur?1. Poor biomechanical alignment 2. Suboptimal muscle function and strength 3. Poor mobility at adjacent joints 4. Poor strength in surrounding musculature 5. Excessive tension in surrounding muscle and fascia 6. Overuse Types of Knee Injuries 1. Acute knee injuries are those that occur in a moment – as in "if you blink at the wrong moment you’ll miss it" kind of thing. Acute knee injuries result in ligament tears, meniscal tears, etc. By taking a small mental step forward, acute knee traumas can further be classified into two separate categories: contact and non-contact injury.
Anytime I find out an athlete I work with has sustained the ever popular ACL tear the first thing I want to know is if it was a contact situation or not. Why? Because in the situation of a contact injury, there is really nothing that can be done to avoid sustaining that ACL tear (or insert your own injury of choice). In fact, the knee in question can often be functioning perfectly without any strength imbalances or deficiencies whatsoever. And that means that there was an outside force that initiated the injury sequence. A good example is that of a soccer player who is slide tackled. If the foot is planted as the impact occurs, say goodbye to continued knee health and hello to months of therapy. Even the most “perfect” knee will usually not make it out of that situation unscathed.
On the other hand, a non-contact injury typically occurs because the athlete is not strong enough to decelerate his or her own body mass safely. For example, if a basketball player goes to plant and cut and the knee simply “goes-out.” In this instance there was no contact to blame, instead the cause is simply lack of strength (with probable issues of joint restriction about certain joints, too). Chronic Myofascial Injury This is another extremely popular knee injury amongst young athletes. This one is very general and more of the “my knee hurts” kind of pain in which there are no signs of traumatic injury of any kind. In reality, this isn’t so much a knee injury, as a problem with the muscle tissue. My caution here is if you are a coach be sure you don’t write off these types of complaints as unfounded because this is a real problem that should be addressed by improving movement techniques and taking a look at the volume of work (so, think improve strength and address overuse). Chronic Joint Injury These are the old injuries that really settle in as we age and usually affect people that have had serious knee pain or have been dealing with a traumatic injury for and extended period of time. “Current literature indicates that a one-time trauma (such as an ACL tear) significantly increases the probability of knee osteoarthritis, pain, and functional limitations later in life.” – Bulletproof Knees In the case of chronic joint injury, performance improvements are no longer important. At this point the emphasis must be placed on improving the comfort of daily living, longevity of the joint, and avoiding major surgery.
10 Things You Must Do for Healthy Knees 1. Get your glutes firing!!! 2. Strengthen the posterior chain 3. Lots-O-Single-leg work 4. Strengthen the quads 5. Work frequently to improve hip mobility (like it’s going out of style) 6. Address ankle mobility 7. Maintain and improve tissue length 8. Maintain and improve tissue quality 9. LEARN TO ABSORB FORCE CORRECTLY!!! (This one is crucial, but you must have already gone through a focused period working on numbers 1-8 before attacking force absorption whole-heartedly) 10. Improve diet and supplementation (when appropriate)
So, where/how should you get started? The obvious answer is to click here and start training with us in-person or via our distance program. Buuuuuuut, if you're really eager, here is a great starter exercise that will knock out at least 5 or the 10 listed above: Stepback Slider Lunges
Many thanks to Mike Robertson's excellent source on all things knee related in Bulletproof Knees - I've referenced it many times over the last two years and leaned on it heavily for this post, too.
The Best Mobility Series You're Not (Yet) Doing
This series is from Grey Cook and I absolutely LOVE it. It's a staple mobility movement for all my teams at Mason, especially while they're in-season. The very first and very last portion that gets cut off is simply an overhead stretch (lift your chest and straighten out your arms).
The sequence is very time efficient and takes care of mobilizing everything you need to prior to a squat session like these NAAAASTY speed squats I did a couple years ago: ...I used to be able to move some weight.
This mobility series also works great at home should you find yourself monitoring a small child's breakfast and not actually eating yourself: Okay, I know that was a reach, but I really wanted to post an Arabella video - it's Friday, after all!!
Give the Squat Mobility Series a go - your entire posterior chain and your hips will thank you!
