At some point you’re going to have to get into the gym and start training.  It doesn’t matter how many books you’ve read on the subject, real hands-on experience is the only way to learn how to train and find out what works for you.  Yes, the principles for getting stronger and building muscle are the same for everyone, but training can look very different depending on where you’re at as an individual.

Not everyone can (or should) bench press through a full range of motion with a barbell.  Not everyone should full squat.  Not everyone should pull off the floor.  You have to earn the right through progressive reinforcement of fundamental movement proficiency and develop of position-based mobility and stability.

Conventional exercises just aren’t appropriate for some lifters.  But sometimes, you can find a better way to train that might work for you.

In this second installment of Strength Training Tips, we tackle 4 more ways to get creative in the gym.  In Part 1, we talked about fat bar training, glute activation, powerlifting, and how to use a foam roller to help with beat up shoulders when you bench press.

Let’s start with a simple way to help load weights when you’re deadlifting.

Strength Tip #1:  Use Bumpers for First Plate

Bumper Plates from Rogue Fitness – CLICK HERE

We typically use rubber bumper plates when we deadlift.  It is much easier to load weights when you have bumpers on because they’re slightly bigger than conventional steel plates.  Once you use a bumper for the first plate, all of the other plates slide on easy.  Also, if you’re gym doesn’t allow you to drop the weights, bumpers allow some absorption of the sound and of the weights hitting the floor.

Strength Tip #2:  Keep Honest with Foam Rollers

In Part 1 of this series, I showed you how a foam roller can replace boards when benching to give your old shoulders a break when bench pressing. Using a foam roller will help you absorb the weight of the bar and give you a little ‘help’ to get the momentum reversed off of your chest.

Now, I wanted to show you how we also use foam rollers to keep you ‘honest.’ Place a foam roller under your chest when you’re performing push-ups.  You’ll hit the same depth everytime and it will teach you have to keep tension at the bottom of the exercise.  We’ve found the setup works best when you use dumbbells to raise you up a bit off the floor.

 Strength Tip #3:  Use a Cage to Get Your Belt Tight

Putting on your belt is no easy task.  You don’t want it too tight where you can’t expand your torso and brace properly and you don’t want it too loose for your max effort lifts.

Here’s how you do it.

Stand facing the rack.  Put the end of the belt through the buckle and wrap it around the column of the cage.  Twist your body away from the rack while you suck in your stomach.  Fix the buckle and test the tightness.  You should just be able to get your fingers between the belt and your stomach.  If you can’t, the belt is too tight.  If you can and you can expand your stomach outward (circumferentially, or in all directions) and the belt gets really tight, then you’re just right.

Rogue Lifting Belt from Rogue Fitness – CLICK HERE

Strength Tip #4:  Use Bands for Next Level Conditioning

I caught this rower variation from Mark Bell (Supertraining.tv and the creator of the Slingshot).  Instead of doing a long distance row, try some high intensity sprints against band resistance.

It is a simple setup.

Put a band around the arm of the rower and back around the handle.  Use a light band because this exercise gets serious real fast.  Make sure you don’t lose the neutral position of your back and use your legs and arms to drive and pull the resistance explosively.

We have used sprints of 10 sec, 20 sec, and 30 seconds for 8-12 sets.  You’ll feel like your chest is exploding, so progress at your own pace.

If you enjoyed the variations, please let me know in the comments and share this article with your friends!

In the 3rd and final installment of our Sleep Better series, Big Tom discusses his top supplements for improving your quality of sleep. As Big Tom says, it’s all about controlling cortisol, improving your hydration, and eating better quality food.

Listen to what Tom suggests are the best supplements to take to improve your sleep and pay special attention to ‘when’ he says you must take them.

Here is the full Better Sleep Series:

Why Is Getting More Sleep Important?
Top 5 Ways to Get Better Sleep
The Best Supplements to Improve Your Quality of Sleep

In this 2nd installment of our Better Sleep Series, Big Tom tells us his top 5 ways to get better sleep. I know this has been a big issue for me over the years as I continue to put more focus on building my business and less on my own personal health.

More sleep is critical to our recovery, how you feel throughout the day, hormone regulation, and performance. What I’ve learned is that if I can work more efficiently and eliminate distractions, I don’t have to stay up until 1am every night.

Here is the full Better Sleep Series:

Why Is Getting More Sleep Important?
Top 5 Ways to Get Better Sleep
The Best Supplements to Improve Your Quality of Sleep

In today’s video, I asked Tom Langton from Gabriele Fitness to talk about why getting more sleep is important for everything we do; in and out of the gym. This will be a 3-part series that will cover all facets of sleeping better and improving your performance throughout the day.

Here is the full Better Sleep Series:

Why Is Getting More Sleep Important?
Top 5 Ways to Get Better Sleep
The Best Supplements to Improve Your Quality of Sleep

[Repost from Diesel Newsletter]

While watching the benefit on TV for Superstorm Sandy, I saw Eddie Vedder cover Comfortably Numb with Roger Waters (Pink Floyd).

I love Vedder and thought he did an amazing job. The funny thing was I didn’t really pay attention to the lyrics until a friend of mine sent me the video again in a text with the word “AMAZING” attached.

I listened to it again and it hit me.

This song is so powerful that I had to stop and write this note to you with the impending new year approaching.

Life causes us to hurt.

It causes us to hide.

You lash out at your friends, your family, and strangers because you’re SO angry all of the time..

You become scared to even reveal yourself.

You become ‘comfortably numb.’

In the song, Roger wrote, ‘This is not how I am.”

Wouldn’t you like to say that.

Scream it at the top of your lungs.

THIS IS NOT WHO I AM.

I am caring, loving, supportive, smart…I just can’t show you because I am scared.  People will judge me.  People will see it as a sign of weakness.

Life has made me this way.

My past made me this way.

This is not just you…it is me too.

As I write this article to you, I am writing it to myself.

There are many times when I want to fall back into my old habits and old feelings…and hide…and lash out.  I am not perfect, but I keep focusing on my goals and I keep moving forward.

You might see a lot of articles about how to be tougher or how to be a “warrior.”

They tell you to “get on MY level.”

I’m NOT telling you to get on my level. 

I’m saying let’s come together and go to another level….TOGETHER.  (Reference: Humanity)

Letting Go and Being Free

Please believe that you CAN reveal yourself.

You will be accepted for who you really are inside.

Just tell one person. Just show one person… and you will get stronger. And then show another until you are living freely and without hate and anger.

Your life is but a whisper in eternity. Don’t waste it by letting life change who you always wanted to be. Who you always knew you were.

“I Am Because We Are.”

The following article was floating around Facebook a while ago and it felt perfect for our article today.

“Today I read a story about an anthropologist who proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the kids that who ever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run they all took each others hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself they said: Ubuntu, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?”

* Ubuntu in the Xhosa culture means “I am because we are”.

Never forget that we are all connected.  Everyone is struggling.

There is no need to hide.

Reveal yourself and live openly and freely.

Rage!

Smitty

WATCH THE VIDEO (all the way through and listen):

After a heavy training session this week, one of the fighters I was training – Pat Audinwood – wanted to finish up with some core work.  We regularly incorporate ab rolling variations (standing, multi-directional, band-resisted), rotational medicine ball throws, and offset carries (sandbag walks) or offset farmers walks (heavy kettlebell in one hand and lighter kettlebell in other).

But during this particular training session, Pat wanted to show me a killer exercise he’s been using for years.

Ab Strap Controlled Kicks

Hanging Ab Straps from Rogue Fitness – CLICK HERE

Pat showed me a controlled rotational kick variation using the hanging ab straps.  He finished the set by hitting a hanging reverse crunch to failure.

After one set, I was hooked; my abs were murdered.

Down With a Sickness

What you’ll notice with this advanced movement is that it is controlled.  There is no momentum.  You must have a high level of core stability and relative strength endurance.

The movement is initiated with reflexively locking down the upper back with a static humeral extension movement (think lat pulldown with the elbows driving downward).  This will stabilize the shoulders and initiate bracing of the core.

Hanging Ab Straps from Rogue Fitness – CLICK HERE

Do NOT leave your elbows up – in an elevated position.  You’ll strain – and potential impinge – your shoulders and you won’t get the required upper torso tension. Pull your elbows down and drive your shoulder blades back and down.

Next, the athlete will rotate their entire torso – hips should follow the shoulders – externally rotate and abduct the hip -> rotate back to center and kick to full knee extension – as high as possible.

Why I Love This Exercise

- Teaches core control and deep breathing.  The entire torso is locked down and tight.  Coordinating bracing and breathing is a must if you want to maintain tension throughout the movement and develop movement integrity.

- Forceful or hardstyle breathing engages the inner core and the dynamic movement fully integrates the rest of the superficial outer core musculature

- The hanging reverse crunch finisher does not have the negative ramifications that conventional ‘crunches’ are associated with; i.e., depressed rib cage, neck strain, low back issues.  The hanging reverse crunches require the athlete to lift their entire lower body upward with a powerful posterior pelvis tilt and engages the rectus abdominis and external obliques.  This can have an impact on better neutrality at the hips, and subsequently, better movement potential for ALL movements.

- Develops complete core control which carries over to all movement.  You’ll be able to remain rigid and stable when performing compound exercises.  Higher levels of explosive power and speed can be obtained as you develop more core strength.

Final Key Points

Key Point #1:  Notice Pat is focusing on (forceful) breathing throughout the movement.  Harnessing forceful or hardstyle breathing will make the contraction and tension much more intense.

Key Point #2: Do NOT lose position on the shoulders (common for most people).  Drive the elbows down and keep them down.

Key Point #3: Control the movement.

Key Point #4: Can be combined with a hip extension strength training movement or anti-extension core stability exercise.

Key Point #5: Finish with a high-rep hanging reverse crunch.

I was blown away by this video today and had to share it with you.

In my recent article, Humanity, I wrote about how each of us can change our mindset and change how we treat others. And if we can do it, we can literally change our lives overnight.

It seems so simple, but it is the truth.

Understanding that we are all together and connected will help you be in the here and now with everyone you meet. It will help you to see people, and not objects, are what is most important in life.

This video changed me and I know it will change you.

Please watch this video and SHARE IT with as many of your friends and family as you can.

If you want to squat deeper, you not only have strengthen your core, you need to work on your hips. Specifically, you need to ‘loosen’ up your hips and create more mobility so you can squat through a fuller range of motion.

As there are proven squat progressions, there are also proven movements that will help you move better and typically alleviate any back pain you’re having.  And the cool thing is that when you ‘fix’ your hips, a lot of other great things happen.

Creating more mobility in your hips – along with more core stability – will allow you to get AND stay in better positions for all other full body strength exercises.  You will deadlift better, lunge better, jump better, run better, power clean better,

Fix Your Hips Circuit

This Fix Your Hips circuit contains the following:

1) Bodyweight Squats

2) Cossack Squats

3) Deep Lunge (with Hip Flexor Stretch)

4) External Rotation on Bench

You want to move smoothly and transition between exercises with purpose.  Spend some time at each position until you feel comfortable.

The great thing about this ’4 punch combo’ is that it is not reserved just for the warm-up.  It can and should be performed in between your primary exercises.  For example, if you are squatting, do this:

Set 1) Squat with Barbell Only x 20 reps (warm-up)

Bodyweight Squat => Cossack Squat => Deep Lunge => External Rotation on Bench

Set 2) Squat x 135lbs x 10 reps

Bodyweight Squat => Cossack Squat => Deep Lunge => External Rotation on Bench

and so on… until you are hitting depth and are ready to move into your heavier sets.

Try out this new quick circuit and let me know in the comments how it worked for you.

In today’s Ask Joe, Joe D. talks about how to incorporate jump training into your program and what are the key factors for more power. He also talks about how to remain safe and why good form and attention to volume is important.

People love and hate the bench press.  The love it because they want a big chest and they think the bench is the end-all-be-all for helping them achieve it.  And they hate the bench because their shoulders are typically wrecked for days after a heavy benching session.

Straining your shoulders and putting them in a bad position with bad form – while under heavy weights – can be doing damage that you can’t imagine.  Yes, the ‘flared arm’ bench technique that most people use will allow you to use more weight when benching – at least initially – but the strain and stress on your shoulders adds up over time.

A better bench setup and ‘tucked’ elbow position is a much safer technique and will be the answer to benching without pain and it will save your shoulders in the process.

Establishing a Better Foundation

The foundation for benching is all about strengthening the chest, shoulders, triceps and upper back.  The problem is, when you bring the arms in closer to your sides – as in a ‘tucked arm’ position around 45 degrees out from your sides – your weights drop big time.  That’s because your triceps are crazy weak.

But, after you bring up your triceps, your weights will be right back on track.  And, yes, this tucked position also works when benching with a barbell.  Check out the How to Bench Press page – CLICK HERE.

As a side note, don’t forget your push-ups when you’re trying to build your chest up!  There are a TON of push-ups variations that will challenge you and build a more massive chest.  Also, push-ups are a more natural movement.  They will develop your core and allow your shoulder blades to move freely, instead of being locked down on the bench.  Push-ups are a fundamental movement in our program.  All of our athletes must master the push-up before they ever touch a barbell.

Try this new technique when you bench and post in the comments how your shoulders feel the next day.  I’d love to hear your feedback.

Great Bench Pressing Articles You Have to Read:

How to Bench Press – Schwarzenegger.com – CLICK HERE

How to Bench Press – Comprehensive Guide – CLICK HERE

How to Spot Dumbbells Up for Dumbbell Benching – CLICK HERE

Why Do My Shoulders Hurt After Benching? – CLICK HERE