If you play a sport that doesn’t require you to spend significant time on one leg, you’re not playing a real sport. Running, jumping, cutting, kicking and throwing all require the legs to act independently of one another to create speed and power. So if you’re not performing single leg exercises in the weight room, you’re …
Stack.com – 7 Tips to Master Single Leg Exercises Read More »
The body is a fascinating machine. No matter what stressors you throw its way, it finds a way to adapt, however big or small the change. But when those changes aren’t as positive as you’d like or don’t come about as quickly as you want, you have to change your approach. Deloading is not a new …
Stack.com – Deloading: The Secret to Better Workout Recovery Read More »
Since starting my internship at Cressey Sports Performance, my knowledge of shoulder anatomy and function has grown by leaps and bounds. Which is great, because we work with dozens of professional baseball players on a daily basis. But we also see tons of non-athletes who have shoulder issues from overuse, poor posture or less-than-great lifting technique. …
Stack.com – Are You Making These 3 Shoulder Press Mistakes? Read More »
When it comes to warming up, most people fall into one of two groups: the group that spends 45 minutes rolling and stretching everything, or the group that does a couple arm circles and says “let’s go!” Neither group is making the best use of their time. I used to belong to the first group, but …
Stack.com – Flexibility Fillers: 3 Exercises to Make the Most of Your Rest Periods Read More »
If you’ve read my blog before, you know I’ve struggled with the deadlift. It’s taken a lot of time and focus to get better, and I’ve run into lots of snags along the way. Perhaps my biggest challenge has been finding the right blend of volume, intensity and frequency. To get better at something, you …
Stack.com – Deadlift Complexes: The Secret Exercise for Insane Strength Read More »
I’m not an expert on many things. But if I had to list the top three things I’m most knowledgable about, it’s: Metallica history One-liners from Jaws and Jurassic Park The bench press And since my target audience doesn’t read any websites regarding the first two topics, I prefer to write about the bench press. And most …
Nothing is more frustrating for a lifter than a stubborn sticking point. And for the bench press, that’s almost always two to three inches off the chest. You bring the bar down and press it back up, only to hit an invisible brick wall and miss the lift. Before you throw a temper tantrum or abandon …
Get It Off Your Chest: 3 Tips to Shatter Your Bench Press Sticking Point Read More »
All human beings should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves – Kelly Starrett These are wise words from Dr. Starrett, owner of CrossFit San Francisco, founder of MobilityWod.com and author of the revolutionary book, Becoming A Supple Leopard. With great strength comes great responsibility – that is, for keeping your body in top …
Stack.com – Advanced Foam Rolling: 2 Techniques for Better Mobility Read More »
A few weeks ago, I was training a client and had a funny interaction with my co-worker Steve. I was explaining to the client the difference in rep ranges for building strength and building muscle. “To build muscle,” I said, “you want to stick with high reps, like 8 to 12 per set.” Steve guffawed …
My 3 Favorite Set and Rep Schemes for Fast Muscle Gains Read More »
Baseball players undoubtedly need tons of core strength. But what does “core strength” even mean? The term has been bastardized to the point that Fred DiMenna, my grad school professor and former WNBF pro bodybuilder, would say “I don’t know what a ‘core’ is” when people would ask him about core training. Most people think …
Stack.com: 3 Worst Core Exercises for Baseball (and What to Do Instead) Read More »
