A shoulder saver, and some training footage...
What’s up folks! Today I bring you yet another awesome “shoulder saver” exercise. I’ve been programming these suckers with reckless abandon over the past month. Ladies and Gents, I give you the “Standing W”. This footage was taken from our comprehensive online database of exercises used to coach our distance coaching clientele.
Why is this a great exercise? Not only does it smoke the external rotators, but it forces the individual into scapular retraction as well. Also, if performed correctly, this movement will recruit lower trap with minimal upper trap activation.
From a coaching standpoint, I find the movement to be “Dumby-Proof,” meaning it’s extremely easy to learn (and coach) as it puts the individual in an advantageous position to move and execute correctly. The ol’ “pinch my finger” cue comes in handy if the individual isn’t retracting and depressing appropriately. Anyone can benefit from a “Standing W,” especially overhead athletes (baseball, softball, etc.).
I’ve also been getting some inquiries regarding our Buttkamp classes. You know, our bootcamp styled classes that are scientifically designed to kick your butt? Well here’s some footage from last week. These ladies are getting strong!
Chris (Romo) Romanow
Depletion Pushup Eccentrics
It’s really great how some exercise variations come about. Every once in a while an athlete I work with will misinterpret an exercise in such a creative way that the misinterpretation becomes a new variation in its own right. Here’s an example: for Mason Women’s Basketball I programmed Diminishing Pushups for the team’s very last movement of the week. I wrote about these here a few weeks ago.
Trust me, they’re a pretty punishing way to finish a hard training week, but what one of the girls came up with as her interpretation is a sick and twisted variation. So, sick and twisted that I will likely cycle these into their program in the future.
Diminishing Pushup Eccentrics
***To be done at the end of a training week***
3xAMAP :03-:06 eccentrics in 90 seconds (rest :90 between sets)
John was kind enough to finish off his training this morning with this insanity. John did a great job making these look smooth as butter and just as easy! But you should know John just finished his D1 wrestling career and is generally in outstanding condition at any moment in time. He benches close to 300lb and I’d be can rep out well over 100 pushups in a row. But you can see even with the seemingly innocent 25lbs on his back he’s having a rough time at the end of his first set.
Consider giving them a try without using the concentric (the push back up), so just lower yourself slowly to the ground over and over for time.
Good Luck!
A Little Deadlift Troubleshooting
Something I find myself frequently discussing with the athletes and adults at SAPT (as well as with Sarah, Chris, and Ryan) is that there is ALWAYS room for improvement in the lifting and performance realm. More specifically, there is always room for improvement with regards to form. One can always make his or her form just a little better, even if he or she has been training for years on end. Case in point: I recently stumbled across an old video on my computer that Kelsey (my lovely fiancee) had filmed for me when I was around the 15-month mark of learning the deadlift. During this particular deadlift session, I was pulling 285lbs for as many reps as I could without technical breakdown (i.e. rounding of the back, hips shooting up ahead of the shoulders, etc.). Given that I'd severely injured my low back due to improper deadlift form in high school, I wanted to be sure my form was spot-on, so that I could continue to progress accordingly.
A couple years ago, when I initially watched the video, I gave myself a small pat on the back. Not because I was lifting a lot of weight (I wasn't, and I readily admit my deadlift is far from world-class), but because, at the time, I thought my form looked pretty good. At least, it appeared angelic compared to the form you see in people like THIS deadlifting across America (Warning: don't watch the video unless you want to crawl into the fetal position under your desk).
HOWEVER, as I re-watched my deadlift video the other day, I chuckled a bit because I realized that my form was far from perfect, although I didn't realize it at the time. Were there a lot of good things going on? Sure. But, there are also a few tweaks that "2011 Stevo" would make if he were coaching this.
Here are three coaching cues I would give to correct some of the errors in the video:
- "Pack the Neck"
- Reset the bar between each rep (i.e. don't bounce it off the floor)
- Finish "tall" at the top
Let's quickly go over each one....
1. Pack the Neck
In the video, I'm looking straight ahead, thus hyperextending my neck/cervical spine at the start. This can put significant undue pressure along the cervical spine, negatively affect mechanics further down your back (at the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae), and actually compromise your breathing patterns, too.
So, I would cue to "pack the neck," or, make a "double chin" by looking down and pulling the chin in.
This may be very difficult for those of you who have been deadlifting for a long time with eyes looking straight ahead, and I won't deny that there are many elite deadlifters that lift this way. However, I do think it would be wise to at least begin practicing neck packing during your warm-ups, and gradually work towards keeping sound spinal mechanics up through max attempts. Also, I CERTAINLY recommend teaching it to beginners so that they can develop good habits right from the start.
2. Reset the Bar Between Each Repetition
As you can see, I transition, quite quickly, from the lowering to the lifting phase of the movement. I'm not "bouncing" it, per se, but I'm certainly not letting the bar settle completely, either.
The reason I recommend pulling every rep from a dead stop is this takes out the stretch reflex. Deadlifting seventeen reps without pausing (as in the video) is much easier than pulling seventeen reps with a pause between each rep. This is of special importance for those that are training for a max deadlift attempt, as well as those working on their starting strength. When you go for a max deadlift, you don't get to set the bar down and utilize the stretch reflex. Instead. you have to pull it from a dead stop. Be warned, lest Newton's first law (inertia) reign victorious over you.
Now, for those of you seeking a little bit more volume, I could see an argument for a "controlled bounce" betwixt each rep, but that is a different story. In general, I recommend that most trainees reset the bar in order to ensure safety and form are in check.
3. Finish the Pull "Tall"
If you look carefully, there are a number of reps where I don't stand completely vertical at the top. I'm slightly hinging forward from the trunk up. It's important to finish the rep by standing TALL, completely pulling the shoulder blades "down and back." This will ensure you're getting the hips all the way through (using your glutes and hamstrings and minimizing anterior pelvic tilt), strengthening the thoracic erectors, and pulling the scapulae into full retraction and depression.
So, essentially, as I'm coming up to the top, 2011 Stevo would tell pre-B.C. Stevo to:
- Hump the bar
- Stand tall with the chest out, as if you're strutting your stuff at the beach.
So, what does it all look like? Here's a demo:
Granted, there is still room for improvement (as I said in the beginning, there ALWAYS is...), but there are many more good things happening here than in the first video.
Auditory cuing, switch words, and a 14 year-old girl who can probably do more chin-ups than you…
I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of coordinating and teaching some strength and conditioning drills at the George Mason University Baseball and Softball summer camps throughout the week. It’s been a welcomed challenge attempting to coordinate 60-70 baseball and softball players through 45 minutes of drills in about 100 degree heat. As with any coaching scenario I immerse myself in, it is always my goal to elicit a positive response in the athlete that I’m coaching; in short, when they leave my guidance I want them to have learned something, and I want them to have gotten better, no matter the circumstances. Now, 100 degree heat, 7-7min stations of 10, 8-12 year-olds, may not be the most conducive situation, or my most comfortable setting, for eliciting the responses I’ve mentioned above. However, that just meant I had to get a little more creative, concise, and entertaining with my delivery. What I found to be most helpful was the usage of auditory cuing and switch words (I learned these techniques from Brian Grasso, so there, I’m not passing these ideas off as my own).
Auditory cuing is helpful for many reasons. One, it forces everyone in the group to be quite and attentive as they listen for the cue (a moment of solace amongst a pack of 10 year old girls is hard to come by). Two, it excites the athlete as it becomes a game to see who can react to the cue the fastest, thus yielding a more focused athlete.
Switch words come in handy as you try to elicit the effort in which you want the drill executed. Remember, 100 degree heat…who really wants to jump high or run fast. Switch words, and I’ll quote Brian Grasso, “are one-word declarations that enable the subconscious minds to literally “flip a switch’ thereby causing a particular behavior pattern or thought process to ensue.”
Below is how I ran a drill the other afternoon, auditory cues and switch words are labeled:
“Ladies, good afternoon, when I clap twice, I need you to clap twice and give me your attention. (Practice the clap response, and BAM you have their undivided attention).
Our first drill will begin on our stomach, when I say ‘ready’ (cue/switch) we’ll get to the half-kneeling position as fast as we can. When I say ‘hit’ (switch) you’ll run as fast as you can through me (repeat ‘hit’ loudly as they run to elicit the effort you want). Let me hear you clap twice if you understand the drill.”
These simple little techniques will allow your message to be less muddled and better received amongst your younger athletes. Being creative, but concise, with your instructions will make a world of difference.
And now, I give you a 14 year old girl that’s probably stronger than you…she could barely do one of these when she first started with us about 19-weeks ago…
When you see the word "click," the next time in this sentence, click it and you'll be on your way to getting stronger...clap twice if you hear me.
Romo
In-Season Training Programs for Fall Sport Student-Athletes: Retain and Rejuvenate
Scientific research and my own personal experiences have proven to me how critical in-season training is to ensure optimal performance, and ultimately realization of off-season training goals. SAPT in-season training programs aim to deliver the following: -While it’s not uncommon for novice and some intermediate trainees to garner strength and power improvements even while in-season, the focus for most should be on strength and power retention. Studies have shown that within just 2-weeks of training stoppage, one will begin experiencing declining strength levels and power output. Considering that the majority of a season’s most important competitions occur well after the 2-week mark, and you can imagine the competitive advantage one will possess if he or she remains consistent with training through the duration of a season.
Closely managed in-season programming will allow one to peak when the stakes are at their highest. Don’t let the 2”+ vertical jump improvement you worked so hard to attain during the spring and summer months dwindle before your most important competitions!
-Maintain the overall physiological health and well being of the organism. Often overlooked is the asymmetrical nature of sport. The countless, often times one-sided, repetitions one takes during a competitive season can snowball into overuse injuries. In-season training programs should include the mobility drills, corrective exercise, stretching, and soft tissue work necessary to limit restrictions and imbalances caused by sport.
-Rejuvenate the mind and body. An appropriately structured in-season maintenance plan considers both the physiological and psychological demands of a competitive season. Balancing school work, practice, travel, and competitions is friggin’ a grind. A focused, concise training session that incorporates some soft tissue work, total body movements, and some good conversation, will go a long way in ensuring both the mental and structural stability of a student-athlete.
To learn more information about our in-season maintenance training programs, CLICK HERE!!!
Chris
W, T, Y, and I your way to a stronger serve, pitch, or bench press…
Initially, the vast majority of our clientele exhibit less than optimal upper-back strength/stability, and a drastic imbalance between the upper traps and mid/low traps (the upper traps proving to be dominant in this relationship). Considering a large portion of our clientele are overhead athletes, the scenario above provides a perfect recipe for shoulder dysfunction. Desk jockeys and bench press “specialists,” keep reading because you can benefit from the information below as well. One of the many drills we incorporate into our clienteles programming to increase strength and reduce asymmetries in the stabilizing muscles surrounding the shoulder blades is W, T, Y, and I. The clip below was taken from our online database of exercises that we use to coach our distance coaching clientele. Without further ado, I give you the W, T, Y, and I drill:
The drill’s benefit lies in the execution of the movement (what else is new, right?). A couple important coaching cues to note are as follows:
-Perform these drills on a flat-solid surface where one is parallel to the ground. This will ensure the delts and upper traps don’t take over the movement. My preferred surfaces are a bench, or treatment table. You’ll see these drills sometimes performed on stability balls or other unstable surfaces. I’d advise not doing them on these surfaces as it’ll detract from force output and subsequently the conditioning of the upper-back musculature.
-Avoid hyperextension of the lumbar spine (lower back) as this will again limit the effectiveness of the drill.
-Be sure to squeeze the middle of the back (lower and mid trap activation!) when performing these movements. If you feel like you’re shrugging to raise the arms, that’s a sign your upper traps are taking over and you’re now just compounding problems…
-If you’re having a difficult time performing them bilaterally (both arms simultaneously), try performing them one arm at a time.
-Try to relax the neck as much as possible; stare at the ground NOT the wall in front of you.
If you’re an overhead athlete it’s imperative that you address your upper-back through drills such as these. Honestly, your pitching career probably depends on it.
For our bench press “specialists” in the crowd, if you think addressing the retractors and depressors is a waste of your time, enjoy benching 185 the rest of your life…if you’re lucky enough to bench the rest of your life.
And for the desk jockey whose neck and shoulders kill him after a day at work, or weekend golf/tennis match, come see SAPT and we’ll get you right.
To improve your fastball, serve, bench press or just quality of life, give me a clicksee right HERE…
A pocket full of M80’s and Roman Candles…who’s coming with me…
Chris AKA Romo AKA "Put your dishes in the dishwasher, please"
