How To Zercher Squat: One Exercise To Rule Them All

TOPIC:

We all want that golden ticket. The one-size-fits-all exercise and perfect program. You know – the one that makes us look like the Hulk as long as we follow that program to the T.

Well folks, that all sounds great. But in reality, we know there is no one-size-fits-all exercise, program, food, or supplement… PERIOD.

However, I have a secret weapon exercise that will get us really close; it has a lot of bang for its buck. It builds massive quads, big glutes, a wide back, and some awesome biceps. Exactly what every athlete needs.

Meet the Zercher Squat

What an exercise! It almost sounds mythical. I would say that outside of most strength and conditioning coaches and the athletes we implemented it with, very few people have heard of a Zercher Squat or know what is.

The Zercher Squat is a heck of an exercise: you hold a barbell in the crease of your arms and squat up and down. What makes it so great? This movement has a lot of details hidden in it for athletes to make major gains:

1. Tension: It creates and teaches you to generate a lot of tension throughout your body. We need to learn how to brace and squeeze. Due to the bar’s placement, we subconsciously, or naturally, must contract all the right places.

2. Toughness/Grit: I’m not going to lie – this movement doesn’t always feel great. Many athletes may need to wrap some form of padding around the bar for a while. That’s just the cost of admission though. The mental fortitude you need to perform the exercise will pay off.

3. Safety: It is very hard to load this exercise to the point of increasing an athlete’s risk of injury. Also, if the athlete gets in trouble, they can just bail by dumping the bar out in front of them. No spotters needed.

4. Mobility: We struggle with many lifting movements due to not being mobile enough to access the correct positions. The Zercher doesn’t require much mobility, and mimics natural movement, making it a good fit for the majority of the athletic population.

Any drawbacks? It can be awkward, but it’s well worth it.

How to Perform a Zercher Squat

1. Set the rack up just below your elbow

2. Put the bar in the crease of your elbows and keep them tight to your sides

4. Squeeze your hands together or have palms facing the ceiling

5. Get your hips under the bar, grab a big belly breath and stand it up from the rack

6. Take a couple steps back, settle the bar, and grab more air if you can to brace

7. Squat down until your elbows touch your thighs or fall in between

8. Stand up. Repeat and get massively athletic.

No Rack? No problem. You can perform a Zercher deadlift with the bar resting on the floor. You can also do a conventional deadlift it, then let the bar rest on your knees, scoop it up at the elbow crease, and go right into your squats. Don’t forget to try Zercher carries for some serious core work.

Zercher Squat From Rack

Deadlift to Zercher Squat

Zercher Deadlift to Zercher Squat

When to Program the Zercher Squat

Add Zerchers as an alternative to any of your current main squat movements. They’re relatively interchangeable for volume and intensity as well. Try changing your program’s back squat to Zercher squats for the next block and see what kind of weight you can handle.

Train strong!

– Ryan

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What Does Paralympic Strength Training Look Like?

TOPIC:

Paralympians undergo rigorous training when preparing for the Paralympic Games. While the Paralympics only last about two weeks, getting ready takes place all year, as these athletes are among the most dedicated in the world. Here’s how people with disabilities prepare for their events.

How Paralympic Athletes Strength Train

Strength training is integral for success as a Paralympian. These athletes overcome obstacles and demonstrate grit and determination with their workouts. Here’s what some Paralympians endure when strength training.

Incorporating Targeted Exercises

Paralympic athletes prioritize workouts that target their niche. While they can benefit from whole-body exercises, these competitors often focus on specific parts.

For example, a wheelchair basketball player will focus most of their attention on upper-body exercises. These athletes could do Russian twists, seated rows, pullups, and other movements concentrating on their arms and core.

Another example would be a Paralympic athlete prepping for swimming competitions. The training depends on what type of competition they’ve entered — breaststroke, butterfly or freestyle. You can expect swimmers to focus on their flexibility and range of motion. These athletes may also do resistance workouts like tethered swimming.

Differentiating the Workouts

Consistency and repetition are crucial to improving a Paralympian’s performance. Practicing the same exercises aids their muscle memory and enhances their skills. However, these workouts can become stale, so occasionally switching up their routines is important to remain engaged and balance their muscles.

While switching up their routine is crucial, Paralympians should still focus on relevant workouts to boost their performance. They also might adjust the intensity of their regimen based on their training phase.

An older study from The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research examined how 16 Paralympic swimmers trained for the world championships. The researchers found the swimmers increased their training in the late phase but reduced it substantially in the taper phase to avoid taxing their bodies too much.

Paralympians know this strategy as periodization. You adjust the training throughout the time leading up to your competition to prepare your mind and body. Periodization is critical for Paralympians to avoid injury by overtraining. A 2019 Frontiers in Physiology study says inadequate periodization can lead to chronic damage in muscle tissue.

Using Adaptive Equipment

Paralympians need special tools to assist their training, depending on their physical disabilities. Adaptive equipment helps these athletes get stronger and faster without risking injuries. You can see examples of adaptive equipment across the Paralympic Games.

For example, running blades help track and field athletes by making their strides more efficient. Manufacturers produce them with carbon fiber, making them resilient to hard use. The devices release energy while running, making it easier for Paralympians to navigate the tracks. Some athletes prefer curved blades to increase their range of motion and implement a more natural run during their performance.

Racing chairs are another example of adaptive equipment. Companies develop these seats to fit each Paralympian and their unique body shape. A few years ago, BMW designed a minimalist racing chair to enhance aerodynamics and stability for competitors.

Working With a Coach

The first step for Paralympians is to find the right coach. People with disabilities need unique coaching that is different from that of any other world-class athlete. Someone who understands them and their disability is crucial for proper training, safety and success in their sport.

The relationship between a coach and their Paralympic athletes is crucial. The coach is responsible for setting a strength training regimen and safely pushing athletes to their limits. They must also instill confidence in their athletes so they can perform at higher levels.

For example, volleyball coach Heidi Peters has been instrumental in Canada’s Paralympic team growth. While they narrowly missed a medal at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games, Peters’ athletes have lauded her coaching and motivational skills. Danielle Ellis, the team’s captain,
said Peters creates individual relationships and finds a way to motivate each player when training for the Paralympic games.

“She’s not stuck with ‘OK, we’re gonna run this because this is what other top teams do,’” Ellis tells the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “She says, ‘This is how our team moves. This is how we move. We’re going to do this instead because this is
going to make us better in the future.’”

Leveraging Technology to Improve Performance

Technology has become more integral to Paralympians with every Paralympic Games. Artificial intelligence (AI) advancements have made training easier by letting athletes visualize their venue during practice.

For example, cyclists employed augmented reality (AR) at the 2020 Paralympics to simulate their tracks while watching vital rates during training. The Paralympians also used wearable sensors to prevent heatstroke, considering the Tokyo Games were among the hottest on record.

More examples of improving performance come from using advanced technology to mitigate the risk of injury. A 2023 Journal of Sport Rehabilitation study examines what Paralympians and their trainers use to assess external training load and maintain high performance levels. Some examples include:

• Internal radiofrequency-based tracking system for wheelchair rugby
• GPS devices for wheelchair tennis
• Heart rate monitors to monitor external load for paracycling and swimming
• Miniaturized data loggers for wheelchair tennis, basketball and rugby

Other Ways Paralympians Train

Strength training is only one element of Paralympic preparation. Here are other critical pieces of the puzzle for Paralympians.

Preparing Psychologically

While physicality separates competitors, Paralympians must also psychologically prepare for the games. Training occupies a significant portion of your day, but the remaining days and hours leave athletes to wonder about their performance. Some may have anxiety or uneasy feelings heading into competition. These feelings emphasize the importance of coaches and their influence on athletes. A 2019 Cognition Brain Behavior study finds that Paralympians have psychological disadvantages in contrast to other athletes at the Olympic Games.

Combating these anxieties means visualizing their success, maintaining positive thoughts, and relying on support from their coaches and teammates. Some Paralympians find motivation by
reminding themselves of those looking up to them. Kadeena Cox, a cyclist representing Britain, uses her platform to inspire future athletes and wants them to outperform her.

“I totally expect there to be a young boy or girl seeing me and going on to be better than me, and that’s what I want to see,” Cox tells the British Paralympic Association.

Balancing Work, Life and Training

Paralympians focus much of their time on training for the Paralympic Games, but they have other duties to worry about in their daily lives. Most athletes have day jobs and families to support as they prepare. They’ll find time throughout the day to incorporate workouts — even if it means waking up earlier.

Finding Time for Rest

Training occupies many days and weeks for Paralympians, but they, like all athletes, must find time for rest. Most train at least five days a week, leaving just enough time for rest. During downtime, Paralympians use numerous tactics for recovery like massage therapy, which increases acute circulation.

Paralympic Preparation

Gearing up for athletic competitions heavily emphasizes strength training and muscle-building exercises. Paralympians use this same approach, but in a different way. Adaptive equipment, targeted workouts and advanced technologies have become excellent tools for Paralympic strength training in the 21st century.

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Your Guide to Passive Recovery Strategies

TOPIC:

What is Passive Recovery?

I don’t think that there exists a complete guide for athletes that tackles the underrated topic of “Recovery-Regeneration” strategies. I plan to disclose a majority of the scientific and practical information that I know of on this topic and equip you with everything you need to be successful. Faster recovery means faster strength gains.

You can break recovery down into two categories: passive and active.

Both approaches are indeed vital and complement one another. Recovery is ultimately dictated by fluid flow in the body, which can be expedited by active recovery strategies — your heart, lymphatic systems, and muscles are working to pump out waste and deliver essential nutrients.

But taking full advantage of passive approaches shouldn’t be overlooked, and will do wonders in restoring your body’s cells as fast as possible so you can keep training.

In this blog, we’ll focus on the following passive recovery strategies:

• Soft tissue Massage/Self-Myofascial Release
• Static Stretching
• EMS
• Ice/Cryotherapy
• Contrast Baths
• Cat Naps & Sleep
• Sauna
• Ultrasound
• Epsom Salt Baths
• Nutrition: Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats
• Hydration
• Pre & Post Workout Nutrition
• Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing Techniques

Passive Recovery Strategies

Massage & Self Myofascial Release (SMFR)

The topic of Massage has been discussed to death, but that’s because it’s important. Massage is used to “promote relaxation of muscles, help loosen up scar tissue, and stretch tight muscles and fasciae. [1]”

Moreover, massage and soft tissue work may improve the elasticity of tissues. Massage is believed to increase local blood flow and metabolic waste removal; however, there were several studies along with the words of world famous coach Christian Thibadeau that refute this claim. The specific mechanism for why both SMFR and massage work deals with the GTO mechanoreceptor located at the musculotendinous junction. When you apply a certain degree of pressure to a specific muscle, the GTO is activated, which in turn creates what is called autogenic inhibition.

Autogenic inhibition is simply a decrease in activity of the opposing muscle spindle located within the muscle belly which stimulates contraction of the muscle. When this occurs, the muscle won’t contract, and relaxation and tissue lengthening ensues.

Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson co-authored an awesome piece awhile back which emphasized SMFR/massage as a means of reducing the activity of the nervous system (tone) and its components. You can attempt to stretch a muscle, but if what’s regulating the muscle (nervous system) doesn’t respond, then it won’t lengthen.

Static Stretching

In my book, I disclosed several studies considering whether or not hamstring stretching had benefits on hamstring health and performance. Of the near half-dozen studies I found, a couple showed it may prevent injury. Several studies showed it can obviously improve the flexibility of tissues and joint range of motion. But does it assist in recovery of neuromuscular structures?

In one study, researchers used a protocol that involved 7 minutes of static stretching following a football game. Relative to cold water immersion (CWI) and active recovery methods the stretching was deemed inferior. [2] A similar study with basketball players identified the same outcome. [3] Two other reviews went on to state that stretching was not an effective recovery modality. [4][5]

However, I don’t think that there are downsides to stretching if you want to do it. Just make sure you practice it a day or so prior to high-intensity efforts — one study showed it could delay performance if done too close to training for too long. Dynamic stretching is better for pre-workout warmups. But for the purposes of increasing flexibility, static stretching is basically “time under tension” for getting into deeper ranges of motion.

Try this guide to static and dynamic stretching to help you on your way:

Pre-Activity or Workout

Dynamic Stretching         1-2 sets of 5-8 reps or 5-10 minutes

Post-Activity or Workout:

Dynamic Stretching         1-2 sets of 5-8 reps or 5-10 minutes

Static Stretching              1-2 sets of 2-3 reps or 10-60 seconds +

Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)

EMS or Electrical Muscle Stimulation is a classic therapeutic protocol that assists in several important physiological processes that positively impact recovery from high-intensity athletic training.

EMS works by transmitting electrical impulses that bypasses the CNS to a target muscle. The unique contraction signal sent from the EMS device is nice, because it doesn’t affect the CNS or contribute to the fatigue of this system. EMS can help with muscular re-education, atrophy reduction, pain management, edema or swelling, and more. A while back I located a solid review of the modality as it pertains to recovery, which shared about a dozen studies, but I can’t find it. (Sorry about that.)

I do vividly recall though, that the primary consensus and benefit of EMS with recovery was increased blood flow. The lymphatic system lacks a central pump, so the contraction generated with EMS is one way to get things moving along in the bloodstream. I would recommend reading this awesome article compliments of Chad Smith over at Juggernaut Training Systems. Chad discusses EMS in its entirety and includes a basic outline on how to manage its use during the training week. [6]

Ice/Cryotherapy

The vasoconstriction effect of cooling tissue makes the superficial cold application an effective modality to reduce pain, swelling and edema following trauma. Therapeutic cold can be used to inhibit spasticity, facilitate muscular contraction for various forms of neurogenic weakness, and for muscle re-education.” [7]

Cold packs and immersion are the most common forms of ice treatment. Bret Contreras shared an article on his site which examined a study conducted on nearly two dozen professional rugby players. The study was intended to see how different recovery options affected a series of functions, such as (i) Creatine Kinase Levels, a.k.a. the marker for muscle damage and soreness, (ii) jump performance, and (iii) individuals own perceived level of muscular soreness.

The specific approaches used on the athletes were cold water immersion (CWI), contrast baths, and light aerobic exercise. All three functions were deemed effective, although both cold water immersion and contrast were superior to light aerobic exercise for improving all three measures. The contrast was crowned king compared to both light aerobic exercise and cold water immersion according to researchers. [8]

Contrast Baths

Contrast baths (alternating submersion in warm and cold water) are also a hot topic for athletic recovery. Every study or article I researched supports contrast therapy for increasing superficial blood flow, which can only help recovery efforts. There was one large systematic review that analyzed all 28 articles on the topic of contrast baths dating back from 1938 to the present, and it also advocated contrast baths as an effective means of increasing blood flow. 9

Looking at how many professional athletes use ice and contrast on a regular basis is an unignorable data set. Perhaps there exists a placebo effect to some extent, but why would they subject themselves to such torturous techniques if they weren’t working somehow physiologically? Most athletes report decreased soreness and better muscle function following contrast therapy.

Sauna Sessions

I first heard of this one from world famous strength and conditioning coach, Joel Jamieson. Joel is a very bright guy and used to be part of the Seattle Seahawks staff. He notes that the sauna can increase activation of the sympathetic nervous system — this is important for individuals who are more aerobic or long-distance dominant. Often this type of athlete can suffer from parasympathetic dominance and all of its associated symptoms, such as decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration rate.

By integrating a sauna into the mix, you can help balance out signals sent from each branch of your collective nervous system. I found a study that showed a mist sauna can help someone recover from local muscle fatigue. [12] I should note that this doesn’t pertain to most athletes, especially in team sports, but I think it may serve great for an in-season athlete dealing with ridiculous workloads and volumes.

Ultrasound

I am not a physical therapist, nor do I understand the full effects associated with ultrasound treatment, but I did work as a technician for a couple years. I got to witness firsthand how this technique can help loosen up scar tissue and increase blood flow. Please note that this modality should only be used in the care of someone qualified/licensed to handle and administer this form of treatment. “If used with care, deep heat, such as ultrasound, can be effective by increasing the extensibility of tight connective tissue, thereby increasing blood flow.” [13]

Epsom Salt Baths

I personally didn’t respond very well to Epsom salt baths. I nearly fainted and passed out when I submerged myself in a bath sprinkled with this stuff, but I later found out my mother and I are allergic to sulfate-based products, so beware of that. Epsom salt baths can be great for neural recovery due to the fact they contain magnesium. Minerals can have a sedative effect and induce pure relaxation that is essential following high-intensity training endeavors like sprinting, agility, jumping, lifting, etc.

Many athletes use epsom salt baths as a method of tissue relaxation and recovery.

10-20 minutes with 200-400 mg of Epsom should do the trick.

Sleep

I found a pretty awesome study that assessed many of the hormonal and metabolic effects associated with sleep performance, and its role in the collective recovery process. First off, sleep deprivation results in increased sympathetic nervous system activity. We want this branch of the nervous system to be active during high-intensity exercise. But if it’s turned on during the night, we aren’t recovering properly, especially in regards to hormone balance.

A big area of concern with a lack of sleep is the steady increase in cortisol concentration that occurs. Normally, as the day progresses, and we reach the evening, cortisol should begin to decline and other anabolic hormones start to increase their levels in the body, and vice versa. However, in a sleep deprived state this is not the case. One subject was six times slower at lowering cortisol near bedtime than someone who had experienced adequate sleep in the days that preceded. [14]  This becomes a major problem for muscle and tissue repair since cortisol inhibits the amino acid Leucine from generating protein synthesis, decreases insulin sensitivity, and lowers testosterone levels to name a few. [15]

Both the thyroid and growth hormone axis were also dramatically affected by a loss of sleep. [1]   After a week of poor sleep, subjects experienced a decrease in TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) by up to 30%. As many of you well know, the thyroid is a huge metabolic and performance regulator in the human body.  Just open up a basic anatomy and physiology book and you will see what I mean.  Aside from helping us to maintain a healthy and lean body composition, the thyroid’s function is synergistic with the nervous system.  Meaning that a low thyroid will reduce neural activity and subsequent muscular output that is essential to performance. The thyroid can also help raise growth hormone levels, which also take a hit when we miss out on sleep.

…Including Cat Naps

I think cat naps suck, but I have too many of my athletes and co-workers that participate in them on a daily basis. Perhaps it has to do with circadian rhythms and genetic factors, I’m not sure, but I just feel exhausted by them for some reason. The common claim over the years from coaches and trainers are increased releases of Growth Hormone during the nap period, and I found a study to confirm it. [10]  Try it out and see how you feel because it may help as Growth Hormone is clearly involved in strengthening tissue. [11]

Nutrition: Carbs, Fats, & Protein

Carbohydrates serve a major role in the recovery process and are arguably the most important nutrient in being able to recover fully. Without the appropriate intake of carbohydrates we won’t be as successful in re-hydrating after a grueling training session. Dr. Edmund Burke had a pretty stellar book on recovery, which discussed hydration science in full detail. The carbohydrates we consume not only help to replenish glycogen stores that help regulate performance and recovery (i.e. cell signaling, etc.), but they also increase the absorption of water through the intestinal wall with the help of sodium. [16]

Moreover, carbohydrates are hydrophilic or water-loving in nature.  So for each gram of carbohydrate we ingest, it brings approximately three grams of water along with it.  Not to mention that carbohydrates contain several of the key electrolytes that are excreted during training and need to be replenished in the hours afterward.

Carbohydrates also increase the release of insulin which is a key player in protein synthesis. Insulin prevents protein degradation or breakdown from occurring in our muscle cells. I’ve also seen some stuff that shows it helps regulate the MTOR pathway, which is one of the primary muscle building pathways in the human body, according to many credible sources.

I don’t think it’s any secret at this point that protein is essential to the recovery process. Next to water it is the most abundant source in the body, and along with carbohydrates, protein is a frontrunner in terms of recovery potential. It helps build just about everything in the human body.

I like the “gram per lb. of bodyweight” rule of thumb that many still advocate, or 30% of our total calorie intake per day. Every credible authority arrives at this recommendation and has dating back decades now. In his book “The Paleo Diet,” Dr. Loren Cordain discusses the “nitrogen governor” theory in our liver that regulates the consumption of protein. The body has clear limits, determined by the liver’s inability to handle excess dietary nitrogen (released when the body breaks down protein).  For most people, this limit is about 35 percent of your normal daily caloric intake. If you exceed this limit for a prolonged stretch of time, your body will protest with nausea, diarrhea, abrupt weight loss, and other symptoms of protein toxicity. [17] But, protein is primarily responsible for causing us to feel full in the short term. It also has a lower calorie content per gram, which is why it’s harder to overeat protein.

I’ve never seen a dietary reference guide (RDA, etc.) advise people to eat more than up to 40% of their calories from protein. My point with all of this is that protein seems to get too much credit above the other macronutrients when it comes to recovery and other topics. You need it, make sure to get it and prioritize it, but be sure not to overlook other essential sources of nutrition and their roles too so you complete your macronutrient synergy.

If you’re a sprinter or a team sports athlete, you will not be required to consume much fat in general as higher intakes affect certain anabolic responses negatively.  The alactic and lactic energy systems which we rely on primarily in sport, are fueled by carbohydrate and protein derived energy sources (glucose and creatine phosphate). That being said, fats play a critical role in recovery in the hours after training. Fats also help with neurological function by forming what is known as myelin sheaths around specific neural structures. Fats help build hormones, raise hormone levels, and supply us with the calories to make us more anabolic.

Pre-Workout Nutrition

First off, I think it’s important to note that the body has several energy reserves that it can call upon when the time is necessary to support activity. Blood glucose, muscle and liver glycogen stores, amino acid pools, and fat stores guarantee we do not run out of fuel right away. So is pre-workout necessary? I think it would depend on meal frequency and quantity, along with activity duration and type.

The Cori Cycle in the liver converts amino acids to glucose through a specific process. If we don’t get adequate carbs and decide to train at high intensities, then muscle loss becomes an issue. We need to make sure to get plenty of carbs for this reason alone. There is also some evidence showing increased protein synthesis post-workout with a pre-workout meal consisting of both carbohydrates and protein. [19]

None of what I read was conclusive, but the researchers did make mention that pre-workout carbohydrates might potentially delay fatigue. I also think a nervous system stimulant such as coffee works great for increased training production through higher adrenaline release and energy production. Anecdotally, we have some solid benefit from the addition of a stimulant (in moderation).

Post-Workout Nutrition

The biggest reason for a post-workout protein shake has to do with utilizing increased insulin sensitivity. The quicker we get a post-workout drink or what have you, the greater the uptake of nutrients into our cells and the faster we can recover.

However, there was a study that showed the window of rapid absorption was not dependent on insulin. Again, getting food in quicker could only help. Many people aren’t hungry after intense training, so it’s not always that simple. Glycogen replenishment eventually slows down after the acute phase of recovery is officially over. But we still generally have 40+ hours to get enough food and the right kind of food into our body to support recovery.

I’ve had dozens of athletes bulk up heavily and preserve muscle with very little emphasis on post-workout nutrition, and I’m sure many others can attest to this. We aren’t going to shrink that fast, so I don’t think people should worry all that much about timing. And according to one author, it took three hours before decreased protein synthesis and muscle loss became an issue. [6] That’s quite a big window, and other credible evidence suggests this “anabolic window” could be as long as five hours before you witness decreases in recovery and muscle mass restoration and growth.

Hydration

I’ve read figures that estimate our body is comprised of anywhere from 50-60% water. Moreover, a reduction in the water mass of just 2-3% could impair performance. [18] Lyle McDonald also referenced some solid research and evidence in one of his books that discussed the role water and hydration plays in tissue growth. Bottom line is that being able to create and maintain hydration is critical to the recovery process.

Supplementation

If you want the holy-grail of supplement information, browse through Sol Orwell’s site, read his articles, and check out his complete supplement guide. His guide is backed by a wealth of the latest research on effective supplementation.

There are a handful of tested supplements with enough evidence to support their positive effects. Check out this article for a solid foundational understanding of the most studied and relevant supplements for strength: Supplement Primer for Strength and Conditioning Athletes

Unfortunately, none of the research I have seen on more advanced supplements like BCAA’s, Arginine, Glutamine, or EAA’s was that promising or essential if your nutrition is on point. Your best bet is to make sure you are eating healthy and obtaining all of the right foods in the right quantities to meet your objectives and let the body do the rest like it’s hardwired to do naturally.

Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing

Deep diaphragmatic breathing modulates your autonomic nervous system, specifically activating your parasympathetic branch.  Also known as your “rest and digest system.”  Parasympathetic activity is anabolic, anti-inflammatory, and orchestrates mechanical, metabolic and nervous system restoration and development. Without adequate parasympathetic function, performance, resilience and health are all severely compromised. (Boyle, 20)  In other words, deep breathing can do a number of things in your body that will ultimately help you perform better, stay healthier, and recover faster after each grueling workout.

To Sum It Up…

Everyone needs to recover, and if you’re an athlete, you’ll need to prioritize your recovery to feel ready to attack the next workout. Don’t short-change yourself by skipping out on recovery efforts. Try them all, but ultimately do the ones that stick and work for you regularly. Consistent recovery leads to consistent gains.

References

1 – Kendall, F. Muscles Testing and Function with Posture and Pain. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005. Print.

2 – Kinugasa, T., and A.E. Kilding (2009). A comparison of post-match recovery strategies in youth soccer players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 23: 1402-1407.

3 – Montgomery, P.G. (2008). The effect of recovery strategies on physical performance and cumulative fatigue in competitive basketball. Journal of Sports Science. 26: 1135-1145.

4 – Barnett, A. (2006). Using recovery modalities between training sessions in elite athletes: does it help? Sports Medicine. 36: 781-796.

5 – Vaile, J. (2010). Recovery Review: Science vs. Practice. J. Aust. Strength and Conditioning. 2: 5-11.

6 — http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2012/10/15/ems-for-maximum-strength-and-performance/

#7- #1- Kendall, F. Muscles Testing and Function with Posture and Pain. Philadelphia: Lippincott

Williams & Wilkins, 2005. Print.

8 — Webb, NP. The relative efficacy of three recovery modalities after professional rugby league matches. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27: 2449-2455, 2013.

9 – Breger Stanton, DE. A systematic review on the effectiveness of contrast baths. Journal of Hand Therapy, 22: 57-69, 2009.

10-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4377652

11-http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/jphysiol.2009.179325/full

12-Lee, S. Physiological functions of the effects of the different bathing method on recovery from local muscle fatigue. J Physiol Anthropol, 2012.

13 #1-http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/502825

14-http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/calorie-partitioning-part-2.html/

15-Burke, E. Optimal Muscle Recovery. New York: Avery Publishing Group, 1999. Print.

16-Cordain, L. The Paleo Diet. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Print.

17-Tipton, KD. Timing of amino acid-carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic response of muscle to resistance exercise. AM J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 281: 197-206, 2001.

18-Fink, H. Practical Applications in Sports Nutrition, 2011. Print.

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Top 6 Exercises for Managing Shoulder Injuries

TOPIC:

What to Do for an Injured Shoulder

After 6 years of coaching at the highest levels across multiple disciplines, the most common issues I see in my sports therapy clinic have to do with the shoulder. Statistics show us that shoulders are the most commonly injured area in many sports including CrossFit, weightlifting and rugby.

I give my athletes, from beginners to Olympians, 6 common exercises to help them prevent nagging injuries around life and training. Most of these exercises look at one of these key principles:

Strengthening the Lower Traps

Often neck and shoulder pain comes from an imbalance between upper and lower trapezius The lower trapezius should be the primary agonist once the arm is raised above 60° but is often neglected in favor of the upper traps.

Building the Infraspinatus

This muscle should be responsible for the first stage of raising the arm, but in athletes with poor mobility it is often trapped, and doesn’t properly generate force when lifting the arm overhead. This is the muscle that is often ‘pinched’ in the shoulders due to being weak and having an overzealous upper trap. Simply strengthening it can help avoid trapped nerves and numbing sensations down the arm.

“Functional redundancy” of the upper traps without weakening them

”Overactive” upper traps can cause all sorts of issues, pathologically as well as in terms of performance, even leading to increased concussion risks and migraines. Effective training of deep cervical tissues can help prevent and fix this.

1) Supinated Grip Cable Machine Rows

This is a great exercise for focussing on shoulder blade retraction under constant load and is easier to mitigate for grip strength than a chin up (which are also excellent)

Check out this demo video of IRONMAN athlete Kloe Gibson as we incorporated the exercise into her program to help with postural efficiency for her sport.

• Palms facing upwards.
• Lean forward to allow for shoulder blades to slide forward, pull them down and back as you row. Push your elbows backwards like you’re ‘trying to unhook your bra’, for those of us that know about such things.

2) Modified Cobra Pose / Diamond Push Ups

An interesting study looking at the electrical muscular stimulation of the lower trapezius found that these positions were some of the best body weight only movements to do so.

• Focus on a squeeze in between the bottom of your shoulder blades and allowing them to move as you press.
• Holding hands further back on either exercise will help here.
• Try holding a cobra pose with your hands by your side, palms facing upwards for time as well.

3) Dead Hangs

Dead hangs allow for space in joints at the shoulder girdle. There is some reasonable research that links benefits experienced by our monkey ancestors and a relief in pain from modern human lives.

For an extra bit of fun try out a gibbon grip dead hang by turning your wrists out so your palms face backwards.

• Play around with pulling into your lats, mid back and shoulders while you perform these.
• Use straps if you need to hang for longer.

4) Low ROM Lateral Raises

Keeping the range of motion limited on these (around 60°) will help in building the infraspinatus, preventing the levator scapula from pulling against the shoulder blade as much.

• The first 60° of raising the arm should be primarily performed by the infraspinatus
• Turn pinkie fingers up to the ceiling to help and keep tension off traps and in the deltoids and rotator cuff

5) Lu Raises

These are an extension of the lateral raises and the shoulder should be trained through a full ROM in general. If they’re good enough for the Chinese Olympic lifting team they should work wonders for you, provided you start light and focus on good scapula movement.

• Focus on keeping a neutral rib cage by bracing into core, think about keeping your sternum and pelvis in the same place throughout.

6) Neck Flexion and Extension

Going very light with these has been shown to cause what’s known as functional redundancy of the upper traps. This means that instead of using your traps to turn your head (when they should just be for lifting your shoulder blade and hyper extending your neck) the deeper muscles of your neck will do it, allowing for proper positioning and usage of the other muscles in your neck and shoulder.

• The same focus should be made in keeping the rib cage and shoulders still
  Move through a range of motion that is comfortable to you with a very light weight (see my article about neck training for further details).
• You could also try doing these while biting onto a towel which can help in activating the scalene muscles in the neck. This can cause what is called reciprocal inhibition of the muscles at the back of the neck (like how your triceps relax as you perform a bicep curl).

This list is certainly not exhaustive and you should seek medical advice if you’re struggling with chronic pain. Feel free to check out my neck training program if you’re having issues around your neck or shoulders. It can be dropped into most training regimes and is an extremely cost effective way of helping your ailments.

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Ballistic vs. Plyometric: Understanding Dynamic Movements

TOPIC:

Fred Ormerod is a freelance coach, army reserve medic, nurse, master’s student, and massage therapist. He’s spent a decade working in healthcare and five years coaching in one of Edinburgh’s leading training facilities.

What Are Plyometrics?

Plyometrics are exercises that stimulate the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). There are two elements to this:

1. Elastic elements (fascia and tendons)
2. Contractile (muscle) element

Imagine the human body is a mattress spring (or Hookian spring if you’re into physics) — if you compress it or stretch it, the spring will recoil back, just like when we perform a jump. During this jump we have three phases which you might have heard of:

1. The eccentric phase – where the spring stretches (think EE-longate), this is the downward motion of a jump as we load or ‘pre-stretch’ the muscles
2. The amortization phase – the brief period between phases, don’t worry about this one, I never do.
3. The concentric phase – where the spring CON-tracts, or we jump.

The two elements combine in these three phases to produce a force at a certain speed. The harder the muscles pull on the elastic elements the greater the force, they can also contract faster or slower, and this is influenced by how elastic or stiff the other elements are.

Why Should You Jump?

As athletes it is important to improve upon this elastic recoil in our training. Running faster, jumping further and hitting harder are all good enough reasons for this.

As you’d expect, improvements can be found by increasing the size of muscles (contractile), tendons (elastic) and absolute contractile force through simple strength training. However, we want to get really explosive and fast in our training/sport and doing so can help reduce the risk of many common injuries as well.

The Strength-Speed Curve

There is a spectrum of stimuli you can glean from training movements under different loads and at different speeds. Depending on your needs as an athlete, it’s wise to train specifically for that need. For instance, if you’re a powerlifter, you might want to focus primarily on the strength, maybe strength-speed portion of the curve. If you’re a ballet dancer or a fancy, flying, foot-working footballer, the speed-strength end of the curve might be more prominent in your training.

Photo Credit

The strength-speed curve above details what zones you might want to train in for your specific purposes, once you’re sure you need to. A lot of athletes should aim to live in the middle unless you are sport-specified.

It is worth bearing in mind that your power output will always be limited by your maximum strength output. As such, you might be better spending your time simply getting stronger. As a rough guide, if you’re unable to squat or deadlift your body weight and bench press at least 75% of your bodyweight, then it’s a good idea to improve upon that before you spend too many hours of your training week on any of the ballistic/plyometric movements detailed here.

In fact, if you don’t see improvements in your ballistic outputs after training with these movements for an extended period (i.e. you can’t throw or jump further or faster than before) it’s likely because you’re limited by strength rather than the ability to perform movements quickly.

Assuming you’re strong enough to warrant including ballistic or plyometric training (and it’s worth getting help in continually assessing this) let’s have a look at what this training can do for you.

What is Ballistic Training?

Dynamic jumping movements are divided into two categories to avoid confusion and put each to their proper use. These are long (ballistic) and short (plyometric) response exercises.
Ballistic training is high velocity (fast moving) often with maximum (or close to) intent. The purpose of which is to build strength-speed in athletes.
There are multiple benefits in sports for training ballistic movements:

1. Muscle hypertrophy (mostly in people new to training)
2. Increased muscle fiber contraction force
3. Improved muscle contraction speed

All of which tend to lead to improved performance in training tests, strength tests and competition performance.

What is Plyometric Training?

Plyo work involves high velocity training with typically lower loads. They’re usually programmed to help improve speed-strength and reactive strength in athletes. The key element is fast contraction speed. What you’re looking for is a fast change from eccentric to concentric movements. Some scientists go so far as to classify plyometric contraction as anything below 0.25 seconds and the stimuli you gain from performing them regularly differ slightly to ballistic movements:

1. Increased tendon elasticity
2. Increased tendon stiffness
3. Reduced time for eccentric loading in jumping movements and in change of direction (you can jump and change direction faster without having to ‘pre-stretch’ muscles as much)
4. Reduced risk of injury due to increased tendon strength and stiffness

You might find that some jumps you do are ballistic in nature; you dip into them slower and jump further. Others are plyometric; you dip down as fast as possible so the muscles and tendons don’t have the same elastic recoil and you don’t jump as far (but you might change direction quicker).

How Do I Program Plyometrics & Ballistics?

Proper periodization is very important. Below you’ll find a table highlighting how much plyometric work to include in your training at different stages of a training plan:

It’s generally suggested that you should have 48-72 hours between intense plyometric training sessions, meaning about 2-3 times per week depending on your schedule.

It’s worth considering how many contacts you absorb per training week since introducing high volume can lead to severe delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and even tendonitis. Starting out at 80-100 contacts per week and building to 120-140 as you progress is advised. You’d do well to include any sport specific training into this count as well. I’ve learned this from experience in coaching elite fencers who absorb hundreds of contacts through their lead leg and do not need extra intense training sessions during which they absorb more force.

If you’d like to learn more about a plyometric training plan specific to your needs feel free to drop me a message on instagram @fred.strengthcoach or check out my max power BJJ plan — a full 12-week training program designed to increase athletes’ speed, strength and power.

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Winter Warfare: How to Bulk Up This Season

TOPIC:

It’s that time of the year to wreak havoc and prepare for a massive winter bulk! But wait, what is a winter bulk? What does it take, and how do we achieve it?

Joseph Lucero (CSCS), owner of Harvesting Strength, is a powerlifter and strongman coach with years of practical S&C experience in high school, collegiate, and professional settings. His programs have produced several PL and strongman championships. In this article, he talks about the winter bulk, what it is, and all the top tips for building a dominant presence that will overwhelm the dinner table discussion this holiday season. Check out his sample workout at the end of this article!

What is a Winter Bulk?

A “winter bulk” typically refers to a time of the year when athletes, especially those involved in strength training, aim to increase muscle mass during the winter months. This concept is rooted in the idea that cold winter weather contributes to a better bulk.

During the winter months, we begin to embrace the holiday season with many holiday traditions. Many holiday traditions involve two things — excess calories and a surplus of rest. When you merge these two concepts, you create an anabolic opportunity that lifters dream of!

This opportunity for growth is proven scientifically as well. A study by Harvard University found a 0.5% increase in body weight 10 days after Christmas. This proves the holiday season to be the right time for you to leverage growth for a better bulk.

But why would someone want to perform a winter bulk? Well, with the conditions above proving to be true, this is a time of the year when you’re in a caloric surplus allowing you to lift with more intensity and build a bigger physique. A bigger physique isn’t a bad thing either. The more muscle tissue you grow, the better your metabolism becomes and hormone regulation stays on track.

With that being said, it would be foolish to pass up this opportunity! Why not give yourself a priceless gift this holiday season — the gift of better health and a massive physique?

So while you’re sipping your eggnog and baking treats to get on Santa’s nice list, grab your notebook and prepare to take some notes!

How to Do A Winter Bulk

The recipe for a successful winter bulk consists of extra calories, rest, and a ton of lifting. Getting calories and rest is the easy part! During the winter, don’t completely limit yourself from all the enjoyable foods that come with holiday traditions. I’m not saying you need to eat everything in sight! I’m saying that if you do plan to indulge in some tasty treats, strategically use those additional calories to fuel your next workout session.

When it comes to calories, especially those from carbohydrates, it’s proven to have a positive effect on bouts of heavy resistance training. This study about carbs shows that when a lifter prioritizes carbohydrate consumption, they perform better with their resistance training. In the presence of carbohydrates, a lifter can take on a tough workout that could be the catalyst for muscular growth and development.

This is one of the big reasons why it’s important to embrace a bulk during the winter months. Taking on excessive calories, in particular carbohydrates, is a key determinant of resistance exercise and intensity. Think about it like this:

The harder we can train, the more we can grow. 

But to build dense muscle, it’s not always about lifting heavy weights. If you want to build the most size, you need to lift heavy, and lift hard. What’s the difference between the two?

Lift Heavy

Lifting heavy means performing high-intensity compound movements that take immediate priority in your program. These types of movements consist of the squat, bench, deadlift, and overhead press. The benefit of lifting heavy compound movements is the amount of muscular recruitment within each exercise. The more muscle groups incorporated, the more metabolically exhausting your routine becomes.

The level of exhaustion in your routine is what helps build more muscle. It’s been countlessly documented in research that exhausting the muscle tissue is the spark needed to naturally raise testosterone and growth hormone levels for increasing muscular density. You can also train towards exhaustion with isolation exercises.

Using compound movements incorporates multiple joints and multiple muscle groups to help you feel tired quickly. This is what you want, though. Exhaust the body, then move into isolation exercises to focus development within certain muscle groups.

Lift Hard

After you lift heavy weight, you need to start making exercises harder using different tempos, variations, and volumes for exhaustion. Lifting heavy puts metabolic stress on the body, but you can’t maintain this intensity from the start of the workout to the end. Once you have completed your first few compound exercises, it’s important to use isolation movements (and some compound movements sparingly) and integrate different tempos, variations, and volumes to create stronger contractions on specific muscle groups you want to grow.

One of my favorite ways to make lifts harder is to use isolation exercises that require more “time under tension”. This time under tension puts a ton of stress on the working muscle by working it for a prolonged amount of time. An example of this would be doing chest flies for a specific tempo, such as “5-2-3-0”. These 4 values have to do with the 4 phases of movement:

• 5-second stretch of the chest
• 2-second pause at the bottom of the chest
• 3-second contraction to the top of the chest
• 0-second hold at the top of the chest

Manipulating the tempo of movement makes an exercise harder. Because the tempo makes the lift so hard, you might not need to lift as much weight. This is a great way to make sure you continue to exhaust the muscle without using too heavy of weight.

How to Train Both Hard & Heavy for Anabolic Success

When it comes to lifting heavy or lifting hard, neither is best. Merging both heavy and hard lifting is best for providing a better stimulus for growth. When considering these two concepts, try the following format:

• Heavy Compound Movement: 2-3 sets (primary focus is “strength”)
• Heavy Compound Variation: 3-5 sets (primary focus is “exhaustion”)
• Isolation Exercise: 3 sets
• Isolation Exercise: 3 sets
• Isolation Exercise: 3 sets

Starting with a heavy compound exercise recruits multiple muscle groups for a better level of exhaustion. The first compound lift should be with a focus on raw strength, then the second compound movement should be done with more volume to exhaust the anatomy. Then, isolating the muscle groups you want to grow the most afterward will help you target the exact area of the body you want to be the focus of your training session.

Benefits of a Winter Bulk

The benefits of a winter bulk are increasing your resting metabolic rate, improving strength, and providing hormone regulation for more normalcy within the holiday season. You learned earlier that the winter weather causes individuals to naturally gain weight.

Why not leverage this weight gain into something that can be beneficial? Why not use these additional holiday calories to add mass instead? Doing a bulking phase during the colder season makes a lot of sense.

Increased Metabolic Rate

One study found that increases in muscle mass contribute to an increase in resting metabolic rate. With a higher resting metabolism, you can expend more calories at rest. This could be helpful for those who are fearful of unhealthy weight gain during the winter season.

Improved Strength

One of my favorite quotes comes from a previous coach of mine. He told me “mass moves mass”, meaning that the more muscle you pack on, the more likely your strength increases. There could be some exceptions to this. However, I like my odds to bench press more if my body weight goes up. Who wouldn’t want a better bench!

Hormone Regulation

One study found that winter weight gain causes testosterone levels to decrease and estrogen levels to increase. Resistance training helps stabilize your hormones. This is a huge benefit for not just athletes, but anyone! Everyone should embrace their fitness this holiday season, especially resistance training.

Top Tips for a Winter Bulk

When working on your winter bulk, keep these top tips in mind!

Prioritize Compound Movements

Putting an emphasis on compound movements is crucial for a successful winter bulk. Compound movements are also termed “multi-joint” movements, meaning there are two or more joints being used. You are probably familiar with the main compound movements of the squat, bench, deadlift and overhead press. These tend to be popular movements in many programs, and rightfully so.

Compound movements provide an overloading stimulus — the more joints used, the more muscles used. The more muscle we can recruit, the more exhausting your effort becomes. Providing an exhaustive stimulus to the working muscle is the catalyst for growth. This is why compound movements need to take priority, especially at the beginning of your winter bulk workouts.

Embrace Carbohydrates (Within Reason)

Carbohydrates are the number one source of fuel for high intensity resistance training. Interestingly enough, carbohydrates tend to be the most accessible macronutrient in the holiday season. Take advantage of those holiday treats!

This study showed that restrictions of carbohydrates could cause a reduction in performance. Make sure you’re hitting your macronutrient goals, and perhaps exceeding them. Try not to go too far over for multiple days in a row. Work with a nutrition coach to get accurate macro numbers.

Lift More Often

During a winter bulk, you should aim to lift at least 3-5 times a week. I understand that is a big range of days, but those 3-5 days of lifting could be approached differently.

• If you are a busy person who can’t go to the gym often, perhaps you go 3 days a week but those sessions last longer.
• If you are someone who can go to the gym most days, perhaps you go 4-5 days a week but for shorter sessions.

Either way, you need to prioritize your strength training. Watch out for too much high intensity cardiovascular training, that could put you in a caloric deficit that would impact your bulking phase.

For those who want to continue cardiovascular training during a bulk, I would recommend low intensity cardiovascular training that is within 60-65% of their max heart rate.

How do you find your max HR? Generally:

• 220 – Age = Max Heart Rate

So this means if you are 30 years old, your max heart rate is 190 beats per minute, and 60-65% of this heart rate is 114-123 beats per minute. Anything higher than this would put your workout at an intensity that expends precious calories you could use for adding mass. This long, low intensity training prioritizes fat as a source of fuel. We want to spare all those extra carbohydrates for your heavy resistance training.

Hit Failure More Often

You need to hit failure in training to promote growth. Failure doesn’t need to happen in all aspects of your training, though. For compound movements, you want to work towards max effort by the third to fourth week of training. With your isolation movements, this is where you can hit failure more often and try to exhaust your muscle groups.

No one wants to be a failure this holiday season! However, being a failure in your workout is ideal. Fail in reps this holiday season, stud. But don’t fail and buy your spouse the wrong gift. Been there, done that!

Prioritize Rest

Rest is one of the most crucial parts to any training program. If you do not rest, you do not allow the body to repair itself from all the physical torment you put yourself through. During the holiday season, resting should be easier than ever. As noted in this study, due to the limited amount of sunlight, you’re more likely to rest more during the winter season.

This is the perfect condition, yet again, to embrace a bulk during the winter season.

A Sample Winter Bulking Plan

The following is a 4-day split to use this winter season to make gains and have a successful bulk! These workouts follow the guidelines discussed earlier with merging compound movements, isolation movements, and other characteristics of a successful bulking workout. Don’t forget to eat!

Day 1

For this leg workout, we are prioritizing the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps to build some massive lower body muscles.

Day 2

This upper body workout focuses on the pecs, triceps, and front shoulders for sculpting a thicker upper body. Nothing is more intense than big bodacious pecs that spark conversation at the dinner table!

Day 3

This pull day will challenge your back, rear shoulders and glutes as well. We use the farmer walks to amplify the intensity of this workout to prepare you for all the bags you’ll carry with your winter shopping!

Day 4

This secondary press day will challenge your shoulders and biceps, giving you an armor of  muscle to protect you from the shoulder-to-shoulder traffic you’ll experience while shopping.

Final Thoughts

A winter bulk offers a strategic opportunity for strength training enthusiasts to optimize muscle growth. The holiday season’s excess calories and opportunities for rest create an ideal environment for a better bulk, supported by scientific evidence. If you’re scared of the winter bulk, you need to consider the multiple benefits that come with it.

Performing a winter bulk allows for an improved resting metabolic rate, increased strength, and valuable hormone regulation. A winter bulk also gives you a reason to embrace the additional calories this holiday season. So, this winter, give yourself the gift of massive strength and a more robust physique.

Sources

Effects of Carbohydrate Restriction on Strength Performance

The Effect of Carbohydrate Supplementation on Multiple Sessions and Bouts of Resistance Exercise

Holiday weight gain is a worldwide phenomenon, study suggests

Increasing muscle mass to improve metabolism

The effect of seasonal variation on sexual behaviors in males and its correlation with hormone levels: a prospective clinical trial

Winter, sleep and your circadian rhythms

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Top 5 Exercises for a Better Deadlift

TOPIC:

Joseph Lucero, owner of Harvesting Strength, is a powerlifter and strongman coach with years of practical S&C experience in high school, collegiate, and professional settings. Check out his guide on the incline bench and its variations.

Deadlifting Is For Everyone

For anyone dedicated to building strength, a top belief is that incorporating compound movements like the squat, bench, and deadlift are essential. Among these exercises, aka the “big three”, the deadlift emerges as one of the most challenging lifts of all. The deadlift demands you to pull a motionless bar (“dead” weight) to a locked-out upright position. This action finds its roots in Newton’s First Law of Motion:

“An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion unless acted upon by an external force.”

In this case, that external force is you. If you lack the strength to defy these fundamental laws of physics, you’re left stranded on Schitt’s Creek (great show, by the way) without a paddle. And, a very heavy barbell.

Mastery of the deadlift holds immense significance, whether you’re a sprinter propelling from the blocks or a powerlifter engaging in competition. The art of mastering the deadlift parallels to several domains of life, too. Let’s dive into the anatomy of the deadlift, its distinctive attributes, and the top five exercises that contribute to a superior deadlifting performance!

The Anatomy of the Deadlift

The deadlift is a compound exercise that engages multiple muscle groups throughout your body. Here’s an overview of the key muscle groups involved in the deadlift, along with their locations and functions:

Hamstrings:

The hamstrings are located at the back of the thigh. Your hamstrings play a crucial role in extending and flexing your hips, aiding in the upward phase of the deadlift. They contribute to the initial pull off the ground.

Glutes:

The glutes are the butt muscles, the biggest and strongest muscles of the body. Glutes are known as the powerful hip extensors of the body. They are heavily engaged during the deadlift to help you lift your torso and hips from a bent position to an upright position.

Erector Spinae:

These muscles run vertically on either side of your spine. The erector spinae muscles help you maintain an upright posture by extending your spine. They work to keep your back straight and stable during the deadlift.

Quadriceps:

The quadriceps are on the fronts of your thighs. The quads straighten your knees during the lifting phase. They play a role in pushing your hips forward and locking out your deadlift.

Latissimus Dorsi (Lats):

The lats are the large muscles that span from your upper shoulder blade to your mid-back. The lats keep the barbell close to your body as you lift, providing stability and preventing the bar from drifting away from your center of gravity.

Trapezius (Traps):

The traps are the muscles in your upper back and neck. Your traps help stabilize the shoulder girdle and upper back, especially during the initial pull off the ground.

Top Five Exercises for a Better Deadlift

Below are the top five exercises for growing your deadlift! Not all exercises are a deadlift variation. However, these lifts have been proven to aid your performance in pulling bigger weights off the floor.

Trap Bar Deadlift

I absolutely love the trap bar deadlift. Think about this, if you are to do a traditional barbell deadlift, the weight is displaced in front of you 100% of the time. Biomechanically, the lift puts a ton of engagement on your postural muscles. In competition there is no escaping this characteristic of the deadlift, but for those who are struggling to maintain proper posture and better leg drive, using the trap bar deadlift helps put 100% of the resistance in the middle of your body.

This helps you learn better pulling mechanics. With the trap bar deadlift, you learn to stack your shoulders, knees, and ankles in order to lift with more leg drive.

It might not be ideal to do trap bar deadlifts RIGHT before a deadlift maxout, but plan to do the trap bar deadlift for the first 4-6 weeks of an offseason program to improve your mechanics for a vicious lift.

Farmer’s Walks

Most people who powerlift believe the farmer’s walk is ideal for training grip. However, farmers work way more than just simply grip. With the farmer walk, you need to have grip, back, and glute strength to take on the demands of carrying something heavy. Although you’re carrying a weight and not performing multiple reps as you would with a traditional deadlift, you do have to have the strength to maintain and support heavier loads. This is a great stimulus to change the pace of programming and break up the monotony.

For programming purposes, the farmer’s walk might not be necessary for the later stages of a peak, but this could be a secondary or a primary movement in your early offseason programming. Imagine using a trap bar for the farmer’s walk as well. Early in the offseason you could choose one week to do a heavy walk and speed trap bar deadlift, then the next week go heavy trap bar deadlift and do trap farmer walk for speed and endurance as well. So if you want to become a dangerous deadlifter, start doing some farmer’s walks!

Speed Deadlifts

I am more than sure that every person reading this article at some point has trained their deadlift with massive volume. I bet you have followed rep schemes of 3×6, 4×8, or something in that range. But instead of 3×6, why not 6×3? In this case, you hit the same volume, but redistribute the reps to help focus more on “fresh reps” and less on fatiguing movement.

Let’s face it, deadlift is an intense movement and very exhausting on the body. Many people who deadlift heavily begin to discuss their friend CNS and needing to go get IV therapy and some kinesiology tape before their next training session. Sometimes it’s not an exhausted nervous system, though. Sometimes you might just be physically exhausted, period. But have no fear! Let’s make this easier on you.

I believe to have a massive deadlift, try focusing on more sets and less reps. So instead of 4 sets of 8 reps, go 8 sets of 4 reps. And even better, why not drop the intensity. Instead of using the normal percentages that would go with a 4-rep scheme, go lighter in percentage. Now for your 8 sets of 4 reps, you can focus on submaximal weight for massive power, speed, and rate of force development. When I began deadlifting, I could barely squeeze out a 515 pound deadlift. After 12 weeks of only doing speed deficit deadlifts for 6×3…my deadlift jumped from 515 to 575, and I was only using 315 pounds for training!

It’s true what they say, y’all. Speed kills.

Isometric Deadlifts (No, Not Pause Deadlifts!)

I am not against pause deadlifts. However, I do think there are some other variations of the deadlift that should be explored and recognized. One of those is the isometric deadlift, a high-intensity variation that strengthens a specific range of motion that could very well be your sticking point.

To do the isometric deadlift, you need to be in a power rack. Set up the safety pins or J-hooks so that when you grab a barbell from the floor, you pull the bar up and hook it under the safety pins. Once you set up the isometric deadlift, you pull against the pins and try to move the entire power rack off the floor. Warning! This only works if you have a power rack or rig setup that is heavy enough or is bolted to the floor.

The idea is that the isometric deadlift is a strong, motionless contraction against the pins. You should aim to hold it as hard as you can for about 8 seconds. Set the hooks/pins in a position where you are the weakest for your deadlift. The idea is that because the barbell is motionless, you focus your strength in the part of your deadlift that needs the most work.

I would recommend doing the isometric deadlift the last 4-6 weeks of a peak, for about 5 sets of 8 seconds. Do it before your speed sets. That way, the isometrics provide a max effort stimulus and the speed sets provide a chance to practice your mechanics and break through that sticking point.

Sandbag and or Stone Training

Whether it’s a sandbag and atlas stone, we are basically looking for the same end result — improving hip strength. The sandbag and stone require a more flexed spine, which might make some people nervous. But when you deadlift heavy, there are times you lose your technique and begin to lift with a flexed spine. Either way, the idea of implementing strongman event training with a stone or a sandbag helps us prepare for potential breakdowns in technique that would occur in a max effort deadlift.

Some movements I like are sandbag or atlas stone box squats where the athlete sits, weight in lap, then stands up and pushes their hips through to finish. Another lift that could be more rigorous is the “sandbag over bar” in which you pick up the sandbag, hold it in your lap, then drive your hips through completely to get the load over a tall bar or onto a tall platform. Whatever the lift may be, using the sandbag and stone in these instances requires hip strength, hip mobility, and the courage to try loading your spine in a flexed position.

Give some of these movements a try in your next pulling session and see how they translate to a stronger, more stable deadlift!

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The most wonderful time of the year—when everything is on sale and your inbox is flooded with promos and each time you click “purchase”, you can feel your bank account groan. 

But man, there is some cool stuff out there. And who doesn’t love giving a unique gift to someone important in their life? 

It’s time to #treatyoself (or actually shop for others)

Honestly, most gift guides kind of suck. They include silly stuff that doesn’t make sense, gifts that are too expensive or utterly useless. For the kind of Type-A personalities that train in Crossfit, powerlifting, bodybuilding, and Olympic weightlifting, you want to make your gift count.

Gifting Tip: When it comes to finding the right gift (especially for the bros), it’s a good idea to replace something old/used that your giftee already has, or give them something to enhance an activity they already do every day, like training. 

We hunted down some of the top-gifted gear, apparel, equipment, and accessories for the athlete who has it all. We also tried to keep things realistic here. You won’t find any $5k investments (you already know if you’re looking to commit to a big gift anyway) or random dumb stuff. Enjoy!

We’re all wishing for a visit from Lift-o Claus this Holiday season. But even the big guy might need some help with gift ideas. 

Jump to Any Section:

Fitness Gift Guide for the home gym warrior

Fitness Gift Guide for the mobility-challenged

Fitness Gift Guide for the strong ladies in your life

Gift Guide for the crossfitter in your life

Nutrition and Supplements

Bonus badass gymwear

Ever heard of the “mind-muscle connection” and thought, it’s gotta be bogus, right? But some of the top competitive bodybuilders (Arnold included) have used this method in their training and swear by it. Is it real? Are you doing it right? Learn up. 

Jack Shaw’s passion for all things sports and fitness shines through in his writing, as seen in his work on Modded, SportsEdTV, Undiscovered Mountains, and Better Triathlete. In this blog, he uncovers the mystery behind the mind-muscle connection associated with hypertrophy gains.

What Is the Mind-Muscle Connection?

Gaining muscle is sometimes as psychological as it is physical. It takes a strong mind to spend so much time in the gym and achieve feats of strength. You know there’s a link between your body and brain, but did you know it’s more than sheer willpower?

If the mind-muscle connection sounds foreign to you, there may be a disconnect between your exercises and how you do them. Deepen your knowledge of this concept to keep your mind in tune with your muscles.

The mind-muscle connection is all about concentrating on muscle contraction and stretching when working out. It aims to boost activation through intentional focus. This training principle emphasizes internal focus — what’s inside the body — and not external focus — the surrounding environment.

Is This a Real Thing?

The mind-muscle connection is science-backed. An ever-growing body of research proves that tapping the brain’s power to direct attention to specific body areas during exercises helps increase muscle activity. For example, a 2017-published study recorded a 9% jump in pectoralis activity while focusing on the pectoralis major during push-ups.

What Does it Feel Like?

The sensation of muscle contraction characterizes the mind-muscle connection. You know you’re doing it right when the specific muscle or muscle group you home in on tightens when performing a movement. If you’re working with enough volume, you’ll also feel the muscle group(s) fill with blood — known as “the pump”.

All fitness enthusiasts can leverage the mind-muscle connection’s magic to achieve different goals, but the biggest beneficiaries are bodybuilders and powerlifters. Weightlifters and functional fitness athletes interested in bigging up should adopt this training approach, too.

5 Benefits of Using the Mind-Muscle Connection

1. Increasing Muscle Mass

The mind-muscle connection promotes hypertrophy — muscle cell growth. A 2018 study about resistance training revealed that internally focused participants registered a 12.4% increase in elbow flexors and quadriceps thickness vs. the 6.9% improvement observed among externally focused ones.

2. Targeting the Correct Muscles

Putting your thoughts on the muscle groups you want to build is the key to stimulating them enough to grow more quickly. Mindlessly going through the motions can be counterproductive, for the less relevant muscles may take on more load.

3. Maximizing Workouts

Focusing on the right things will make your reps more effective. In contrast, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to increase hypertrophy with every movement if you’re psychologically all over the place.

4. Recording Rapid Gains Fast

The mind-muscle connection may offer the shortest route to training success. This concept teaches you the cues to spend your mental resources on to accomplish more in less time. You can be buff with or without it, but it helps make your journey to fitness more meaningful and attain new milestones more quickly.

5. Staying Motivated

Seeing your gains fast while grinding less can keep you optimistic about your training. Noticeable progress is an important incentive for goal-setters to keep going.

Debunking the Misconceptions

The mind-muscle connection is often misunderstood. Let’s dispel some erroneous beliefs and set more realistic expectations. While it’s crucial for single-joint moves, its application to compound exercises — activities engaging multiple body parts (squats, deadlifts) — requires a balance between internal and external cues. For compound movements, prioritize completing the movement with good form over fixating solely on specific muscle contractions.

The belief that the mind-muscle connection works uniformly for everyone is inaccurate. Although beneficial for all, individuals respond at varying rates, and what works for one athlete may not work for another. Trial and error becomes key in finding the personalized approach that suits you, considering factors like muscle mass and training methods.

Contrary to the misconception that it’s a shortcut for beginners, the mind-muscle connection is more likely to maximize its efficacy for experienced lifters. Research shows that the ability to focus on triceps contractions selectively correlates to years of training. Newbies may have to spend more time in the weight room to develop a sharper sense of muscle activation.

Make no mistake — you can benefit from the mind-muscle connection during strength training exercises. It can be a game changer when doing isolation movements like leg extensions, hamstring exercises and bicep curls. However, this training approach tends to be less effective for raw power or explosive movements.

Understanding these nuances allows for a more effective incorporation of the mind-muscle connection into your training regimen.

6 Mind-Muscle Connection Tips

Using the mind-muscle connection is a skill. Heed these seven pieces of advice to control your muscle contractions better and accelerate hypertrophy.

1. Do Ramp-Up Sets

In addition to your general warm-up, flex and relax the muscles you want to focus on. These ramp-up sets for isolation exercises can get your blood flowing, send more oxygen to your specific muscle groups and help prevent cramps/tightness. Get used to greasing the groove before doing single-joint movements.

2. Perform Reps Slowly

Take your time when your exercise permits it. Intentionally performing your reps at a slower pace increases your time under tension and strains your muscle fibers longer. Stopping after every prolonged rep is one way to feel your muscles working.

3. Heavier Isn’t Always Better

Why is it better to zero in on muscle contraction with lighter weight instead of going heavy? A 2012 paper discovered that the mind-muscle connection’s effect diminishes between 50%-80% 1-repetition maximum. Lifting heavier weights may require compound lifts, rendering the connection technique less effective.

4. Ignore Your Reflection

Opinions clash regarding whether you should work out in front of a mirror. Seeing yourself exercise has its merits, but the beauty of looking away from your reflection is less distraction.

Keep your mind on how your muscle contracts as you perform a range of movements instead of being mindful of your appearance. Watching what others are doing will affect your concentration and contribute nothing to your exercise.

5. Listen to Verbal Cues

Paying attention to verbal instruction to help your mind and muscles communicate may be counterintuitive, but it works. In the same 2012 study, resistance-trained men saw their pectoralis major’s activity rise by 22% while bench-pressing at 50% 1-rep max after being told to concentrate on their chest muscles.

6. Touch Your Muscles

Feeling how your muscles contract with your hands is an effective way to understand how your body moves so your mind can remember it. Do it while training if you can — during your first two reps — to know whether you’re having a productive workout. Ask a training partner to touch your muscles if they’re out of reach for you.

Try This Training Approach With an Open Mind

The mind-muscle connection may go against your tried-and-true methods, but it’s worth trying if your goals include good body control and solid hypertrophy. Countless studies can attest to its effectiveness, so why no give it a chance?

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A new competition has arisen alongside the trending buzzword “hybrid athlete”. It’s called Hyrox, and it’s growing rapidly in international popularity. Why? And how can you prepare for a Hyrox competition to make sure you don’t place dead last?

Fred Ormerod is a freelance coach, army reserve medic, nurse, master’s student, and massage therapist. He’s spent a decade working in healthcare and five years coaching in one of Edinburgh’s leading training facilities. 

What is Hyrox?

Hyrox is described as a fitness race for everyone. I’ve also heard it described as ‘CrossFit light’ since the events focus on easier functional movements, but leave out the complex barbell and gymnastic work. (Though personally, I try not to make burpees a functional part of my life wherever possible.)

Success appears to be based largely on aerobic capacity and an ability to push hard across the 8 different stages of the events and the sandwiched 1 km runs. Races can be performed at an open level (open to all), individual pro level (which includes heavier weights), doubles and relay teams.

Where the sport differs from CrossFit most importantly is in the simplicity of the movements. Where a CrossFit event separates groups based on elite skills such as advanced gymnastics, Hyrox events use movements that are more inherently doable. Farmer’s carries and sled drags don’t need hours of practice to perfect.

The beauty of Hyrox, however, is that any time spent in the gym is likely going to have some benefit on how you perform at the events, especially if you’re at a beginner level. Certain movements or attributes are important, namely running (see my article from March 2022) since you’re going to have to complete 8 stretches of running between different movements.

Breaking Down the Hyrox Movements

Some events might demand greater strength, such as farmer’s carries, or sled push/pulls, which will always be improved by increasing your absolute strength in these. Nonetheless, a focus on endurance should take some precedence.

In fact, none of the weights, even at a professional level, appear very difficult at first glance. In particular, note that your body mass will help in moving the sled before you even need to think about exerting yourself really hard.

Let’s Get to Work

The bulk of your time should be spent on “energy system training” as follows:

Aerobic Zone 2

You’ll want to put some solid focus on zone 2 work. This type of training is performed at an easy intensity, one in which you can maintain a conversation, for increasing periods of time. Start with a minimum of 40 minutes and work up to an hour of zone 2 work every few days.
Realistically, you’ll want to rotate between rowing, skierg, and running to help build your aerobic capacity. Be sure not to avoid the one you’re the worst at! This will improve your aerobic capacity (ability to endure long periods of sub-maximal effort) as well as provide a long list of health benefits.

Stroke Volume & Lactate Threshold

Stroke volume training is NASTY. Making your heart pump blood more efficiently should be like something out of a movie montage when you think about it though. Bursts of maximum effort with good rest periods will improve heart rate variability (HRV) and enable you to push hard in each stage of the event, especially those with greater loads over distance.

More importantly, it will improve the ability of your heart to adjust to imposed demands appropriately; which is useful in a race where you might look to conserve some energy while running to push harder through a burpee stretch.

I like hill sprints for this, but rowing machines and similar CV kit will suffice alongside burpees or sled work if you want to keep it competition specific.

Lactate builds up in our muscles when we exercise in the absence of enough oxygen. This is the burn you start to feel when exerting yourself, for example in sprint training. The level at which you need to train to improve your lactate threshold will vary depending on experience. The fitter/more experienced you are, the greater effort you’ll need to reach the threshold where you can feel the lactic acid start to build. That’s when you back off to stay in the “lactate zone”.

Don’t Forget to Fuel Yourself!

You should also focus on nutrition/fueling yourself adequately to support competing and training across different energy systems. This is a great excuse to re-feed depleted glycogen stores after intense anaerobic training sessions! For a better understanding of fueling and refueling with carbohydrates check out my article on carbohydrates here.

As a general rule, carbs and protein post workout (roughly 30g) is a good idea in terms of recovery and roughly 1.6-2g per kg of body weight per day is best for training athletes.

A good balance of fats (up to a considered calorie intake) will also help in preventing fatigue, injuries, burn out and illness.

For help smashing your first Hyrox, check out my 8 week program which includes nutrition guidance to get you on your way!

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