Archive for Exercise of the Week
Increase Deadlift Lockout Strength with the Exercise of the Week
Increase Deadlift Lockout Strength with the Exercise of the Week
Fixing your Deadlift Part 3
Glute Bridges
By John Gaglione
The last few weeks we have been discussing ways to improve deadlift technique. We learned how to keep a neutral spine with the stick good morning and how to sit back with the wall RDL. This week we will discuss deadlift lockout.
Many times when people lockout deadlifts they will tend to extend the lumbar spine(low back) instead of using their glutes and extending their hips.
For athletes we want to get as much glute activation as possible since glutes are very important for running faster and jumping higher. By using the glutes to lockout rather than the low back it is also a much safer lift on the spine. By using the glute bridge exercise we can improve glute strength and learn to use the hips in order to lockout the deadlift.
Supine glute bridges are a great way for athletes to FEEL their glutes working and FEEL what true hip extension feels like. The athlete should be instructed to keep abdominals tight and drive through the heels. They should really try to squeeze their glutes together at the end range of motion. Pavel has a great cue to “try and pinch a coin”. This will teach the athlete to properly extend the hip.
Here is a video of a basic glute bridge below.
This is what the athlete should feel when they properly lockout a deadlift . They should push their hips into the bar as it comes up over their knees and lockout their hips aggressively.
We can use the glute bridge as a basic exercise for beginners or as a warm up. There are many variations of the glute bridge that can be loaded and used as an assistance exercises as well, but we will save that for another article. The glute bridge will teach proper hip extension and help the deadlift lockout as a result.
Educate, Motivate, Dominate
-Coach Gaglione
Learn To SIT BACK with the Exercise of the Week
Learn To SIT BACK with the Exercise of the Week
Fixing you Deadlift Part 2
Wall RDL
By John Gaglione
Last week we learned how to keep a neutral spine for deadlifts with the stick good morning. The draw back to the stick good morning is the athlete can still “squat” the stick without really sitting back. In order to develop a really solid “hip hinge” pattern for deadlift we like implement the Wall RDL.
The athlete will set up facing away from the wall to start the move. The wall will serve as a guide to let the athlete know if he or she is truly sitting back. The athlete will sit back and try to tap the wall with his or her glutes. If the athlete fails the athlete is either rounding their back or squatting straight down. The coach should instruct the athlete to get as far away from the wall possible in order to complete the drill. I also like to instruct the athlete to reach out with their arms in order to feel like there are elongating their spine. This will help the athlete maintain a tight back and a neutral spine.
Here is a video of the wall RDL below.
The wall RDL is great way to teach the athlete to sit back during a deadlift. It is one of the best ways to teach the athlete to hinge at the hips, which is a critical skill to learn for performance and overall health. Stay tuned next week for more way to improve your deadlift technique!
Educate, Motivate, Dominate
-Coach Gaglione
Improve you Deadlift Form Today
Improve you Deadlift Form Today
The Stick Good Morning
The Stick Good Morning is a great exercise to teach the deadlift. Many of the principles learned for the squat hold true for the deadlift as well. The athlete wants a tight upper back, brace abdominals, they want to sit back, and drive through their heels. A good cue is to “keep the chest proud” and be able to “wiggle your toes”. It is important to note that all of these exercises are NOT geared toward competitive powerlifting although a powerlifter would certainly benefit if they used these drills. They are more geared toward athlete and the general population.
The difference between a squat and deadlift is one is a more of a Knee or Quad dominant exercise and the other is a Hip dominant exercise. In other words a good squat has more knee range of motion and a good deadlift has more hip range motion. Many beginner trainees will want to round their back in the beginner stages when first learning to deadlift.
It is critical that people understand what a neutral spine feels like and they can get in that flat back position. The deadlift works the entire posterior chain, the grip and the core. This will help translate to a good stance when the athlete is on the field or when a regular person is picking up a heavy box or carrying groceries. Being able to pick up heavy things off the ground with proper form is a critical skill for everyday life.
The stick good morning helps teach proper spine position in the deadlift. The athlete will set up hold a stick on their back. One end of the stick will remain in contact with their upper back (near head and cervical spine) and the other remain in contact with their lower back(lumbar spine). The athlete will be instructed to perform a “hip hinge”, which essentially is the good morning exercise. If the athlete rounds their back(goes into lumbar flexion) the stick will lose contact with the body. This makes the stick good morning a great self checking tool when working on form for the deadlift. If the stick doesn’t remain in contact with the athlete the movement was performed poorly. Here is a video of the stick good morning below.
It is important for the athlete not to just squat down as that doesn’t really train the deadlift pattern effectively. The athlete wants to have a soft bend in the knee and continue to sit back as far as they can without going into lumbar flexion. They will feel a stretch in their hamstring at the end range of motion for this exercise. If the athlete is having trouble with sitting back and the athlete is squatting too much the next exercises of the week will correct that nicely.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s exercise of the week. Any questions? Please comment below
Exercise of the Week: Fix your Hips with this Stretch
Alleviate Tight Hip with the Exercises of the Week!
For this week’s segment I will outline a few hip flexor stretches. Stretching the hip flexors are extremely important for both athletes and the general population. Many people are students or have a desk job or just sit for a great portion of the day.
As you can see sitting over time can lead to poor posture. Even when sitting upright the hip flexors are in a shortened position. Overtime this can lead to restrictions in hip mobility. People who have a lack of hip mobility often times will have problems with their knees or low back as a result. The lack of hip mobility causes the body to compensate either above or below the hip joint. If someone has low back pain it is of paramount importance to make sure their hip flexors aren’t in a shortened position for too long. Hip mobility in crucial for many exercises like squats and deadlifts as well as they are important for athletic performance.
I don’t like to make generalizations often as every athlete and client is different, but I would say EVERYONE should be doing some form of a hip flexor stretch in their training. This will improve the length in the hip flexors and help counteract the sitting we do all day at work or at class. This will improve hip mobility and therefore increase our performance and overall health.
In the video below I outline three variations of the classic hip flexor stretch. The athlete will assume as half kneeling position and may use a stick or foam roll for balance. For each variation the goal is to get “tall and tight”. The athlete should really try to squeeze their back glute hard in order to extend their hip. This will intensify the stretch even more. The athlete can progress to a rear elevated foot position to make the stretch more effective as well get some rotation with an overhead reach. The coach should watch that the lumbar spine isn’t extending too much as this will give a false sense of hip extension. We never want to substitute hip extension for lumbar extension.
These stretches should be in everyone’s routine in order to improve their hip flexor length and improve their performance in the weight room and on the athletic field. Give these stretches a try and let me know what you think!
Improve Glute Activation and Reduce Knee Pain with the Exercise of the Week
Improving your Squat Part 4: Squat with RNT
Prevent the Knees caving in while Squatting
If you missed the first three parts you can find them below.
Many athletes and clients will come to you and tell you they get knee pain when perform squats. Often times if the have performed squat in the past they have used improper form. Many times the same people who complain of knee pain will squat with the knees coming inward while squatting.
This causes a lot of stress on the knee and is a very unsafe squatting pattern. Some times this is caused by lack of glute activation while squatting and other times the athlete simply needs to be cued to keep their knees out.
We can use a perform better mini-band or other tubing to actually force the athlete into the poor pattern. This is called reactive neuromuscular training(RNT). The athlete will perform a squat with the band above their knees. The athlete is FORCED to keep the knees out in order to perform the squat. Squats with bands around the knees will activate muscles in the hip and prevent valgus collapse(knees caving in).This will ensure proper alignment of the joint as well as provide glute activation for the movement.
If you do not have a band available you can provide manual resistance with you hands. You simply push the clients knees inward and should instruct your clients to push your hands apart as they squat. Provide just enough resistance for them to get in good position. The great thing about this drill is you can continue to load the squat and still use the band to reinforce good technique is so desired.
Here is a video on the Squat with RNT.
The squat with RNT is a great way to teach someone to force their knees out while squatting. This will ensure proper mechanics while lifting and help prevent knee pain in the future.
Teaching Proper Squat Form with the TRX
Improving your Squat Part 3 : TRX Overhead Squat
The last couple of weeks I have outlined several exercises and drills that can be used to improve squat technique. In case you missed these exercises here are the links below. I invite you to read all of the articles and see what exercise is most applicable to your needs.
The TRX is a great tool for many body weight exercises. Other Suspension training devices will work such as Elite Fitness Systems Blast Straps or the Jungle Gym, but we prefer the TRX for this move.
For any type of bilateral squat a very tight upper back is required in order to maintain good spinal alignment when using heavy loads. This helps keep the chest up and the back straight. When using the barbell for back squat the upper back is very important for creating a “shelf” to hold the weight on. If you have ever seen a big time squatter they always have a thick upper back and this helps them stabilize the max effort loads on their back.
By utilizing the TRX we can “activate” and work the small stabilizer muscles in the upper back and help correct form. Most people will lack the understanding of a “tight” upper back in the early stages of training. Many trainees will have a tough time holding that position because the muscles in the upper back are typically weak and/or inhibited.
Here is an example of improper technique(don’t worry he is much better now!) Also keep in mind some people have overhead limitations or shoulder issues and for this drill we assume the individual is healthy and has no problems lifting overhead.
It is important to stand close enough to the TRX anchor point so when the athlete reaches overhead there is no slack on the TRX. If you do not have a TRX a broom stick or body bar can work as well, but it is not as effective because the athlete doesn’t have to actively engage the lower traps and rear delts as much in those variations. Here is a video on how to perform the TRX Overhead Squats. This a a great way to teach upper back tightness for any squat variation.
Any questions? Please leave a comment below
Exercise of the Week: Wall Squat
Exercise of the Week: Wall Squats
Improving the Squat Part 2
This week will will continue to discuss how we can use different exercises to improve squat technique. Last week we discussed Cook Squats to overhead Squats in order to improve hip mobility and thoracic spine(upper back) extension.
If you missed Part 1 CLICK HERE.
Sometimes when athletes perform the cook squat they don’t have the motor control to pull themselves down correctly and they will end up with an anterior weight shift. The anterior weight shift will put the athlete on their toes and they will end up with a poor squat pattern. The Wall Squat will help combat this anterior weight shift problem very nicely. If an athlete has a problem with their knees shifting too far forward in a squat the wall squat is the best exercise to correct this.
The athlete will use the wall as a guide to help them squat more efficiently. The athlete will set up with the feet nearly touching the wall. The distance will vary depending on the individual, but in general should be an inch or less away. The athlete will then start to sit back and then squat down while keeping their chest out as they squat facing the wall.
If the athlete rounds their back their face will smash into the wall. This cue works very nicely because in most people don’t won’t to hit their face on the wall!
If the athlete’s knees come too far forward the athlete will bang their knees into the wall. The again is a great self check since the athlete will not be able to perform a proper squat to depth if they make the mistake of letting their knees drift too far forward.
When proper squat is performed they will be able to achieve a desirable depth without a problem. The only thing the coach needs to watch for is the extreme posterior pelvic tilt as discussed last week. This means the athlete is squatting too low for the hip mobility that they currently have or it could be a technical flaw. Also make sure the athletes feet are flat on the ground and they do not roll to the outsides of their feet. We call this “frogging” the feet(looks like a frog) and this defeats the purpose of the drill. Other than that this drill is nearly fool proof.
Here is a video of the wall squat below. This exercise can be used as a warm up or an entry level exercise for teaching bilateral squats. The great part of the exercise is that is provide immediate feedback to the athlete and they know if they are performing it correctly right away.
Any questions about performing the wall squat? Please post in the comments below or e-mail me at gaglionestrength@gmail.com Have a great weekend everyone!
Exercise of the Week: Improve your Squat Today!
Increase Hip Mobility and Thoracic Extension with Overhead Squats
By John Gaglione
Over the next few weeks I will be outlining some exercises that will help improve squat technique. Squats are one of the best exercises to improve leg strength. Squatting is also a fundamental movement pattern to learn since a good squat requires a great deal of mobility in key areas for athletics. A well executed squat requires mobility from the ankles, hips and the thoracic spine, which can help transfer to a solid athletic stance on the field. The problem is many people do not know how to squat properly or they may not have the adequate mobility to do so. The cook squat to overhead squat is a great way to teach someone how to squat with proper form as well as gain mobility.
The most common mistakes I see when people are performing squats are that their backs are rounded, their knees cave in, and weight shifts forward causing their heels to come off the ground. Many of these mistakes can be due to a hip , ankle, or thoracic spine mobility limitation or it can be form related. This exercise will help improve mobility in these areas as well it well help reinforce good technique to those athletes who already possess adequate mobility.
In the first part of this exercise the athlete will set up in their squat stance will the toes pointed slightly out. As a general rule of thumb the wider the squat stance the more the toes will flare out to the side. In general most athletes will want to set up with a moderate stance, where as a powerlifter might want to set up wider in order to limit the range of motion so he or she can squat more weight. The athlete will grab the insides of their feet and pull themselves down into a deep squat position. They want to “keep their chest proud” and be able to “wiggle their toes”. This will ensure the spine is in a safe position and the weight is shifted toward the heels. This part of the move places emphasis on stretching out the hips and improving ankle mobility. The athlete should also push their knees outside of their forearms. This will ensure the knees track the feet and stay “out”.
The coach should really emphasize keeping the chest up becuase it is very common for the athlete to pull themselves so far down that their lower back(lumbar spine) rounds and the pelvis shifts backward(posterior pelvic tilt). I have included a picture below, which does a pretty good job of illustrating this. The person in the picture is squatting deeper than should with his hip mobility.
From this position the athlete should actively pull the shoulder blades down and back (retract and depress) even harder and bring the arms overhead while sitting back in the deep squat position. Make sure when the athlete lets go of their feet that their body doesn’t change position. The athlete should proceed to drive their heels into the floor and execute the overhead squat. The athlete would then repeat for a given number of repetitions. This part of the exercise helps to improve thoracic spine extension and improve the function of the stabilizer muscles in the upper back while squatting. By keeping the arms overhead it will also help teach the athlete to keep the chest up.
This exercise will help improve squat technique with our athletes. I like to use this move as part of the dynamic warm up, but it can certainly be used as a strength building exercise for young athletes as well. The cook squat to overhead squat will help build mobility in the ankles, hips, and thoracic spine and can be a great addition to your dynamic warm up. I will continue to included more drills like this to help improve the squat and other big lifts as well.
I hope you enjoyed the exercise of the week! Any question please feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me at gaglionestrength@gmail.com. Keeping training hard!
Educate, Motivate, Dominate
Improve your Golf Swing with the Exercise of the Week!
Exercise of the Week: Gain Rotational Power with Quadruped Extension Rotation
Today we are going to show you an exercise that will help you gain rotational power and will help improve your golf swing!
I just got back from visiting Anthony Renna of Five Iron Fitness in White Plains today and we talked a lot of how we can improve rotational power in our athletes. If you do not know Anthony he is a prominent trainer who works with high end golfers and also is the host of Mike Boyle’s Strength Coach Podcast. If you want to improve your fitness or your golf game I highly recommend you check both of these resources out!
During my visit we spoke about how mobility and flexibility is a highly important component to our strength and power program. We can improve rotational power simply by gaining mobility and the ability to rotate through a greater range of motion. The problem is many golfers tend to gain their range of motion from the wrong places. Some joints are designed for mobility and other are designed for stability. Many people tend to rotate with their lumbar spine(low back) instead of rotating from their thoracic spine(upper-middle back). Many golfers tend to have back pain because they are rotating from the wrong place. Here is a diagram so you can see the difference.
By learning to rotate from the right places we can eliminate back pain when we play rotational sports as well as improve our performance. Once we understand where we need to rotate from we can then work to gain mobility in that area. A great exercise for increasing mobility in the thoracic spine is the Quadruped Extension Rotation. Here is a video below.
Quadruped simply means that we are setting up on all four limbs and the extension rotation is what we are doing to our upper back. When performing this exercise think about pulling the shoulder blades down and back and arch the middle back(extension) then start to rotate toward the ceiling(rotation). A good cue here is to follow your elbow with your eyes.
The quadruped extension rotation is a great way to gain mobility in order to improve rotational power for various sports such as golf, baseball, tennis and even throws in combat sports such as judo and greco roman wrestling.
Any questions about this exercise? Feel free to leave a comment below