The box squat makes its way into a lot of programs that I write for athletes. It’s a decent way to learn how to squat, and it can help athletes train a squat pattern if they struggle with keeping a good position at full depth. But I’ve learned that athletes will use and abuse the …
Technique Tuesday: Breaking Bad Box Squat Habits Read More »
We have almost all our athletes deadlift barefoot at Cressey Sports Performance. Barring some sort of foot/ankle injury, we lose our shoes in lieu of stocking feet so we can achieve better overall deadlift mechanics. This week’s Technique Tuesday gives my top three reasons to deadlift barefoot. Check it out: Was this video helpful? …
Technique Tuesday: 3 Reasons to Deadlift Barefoot Read More »
Box jumps are a staple in many of my programs for all kinds of athletes. They develop sagittal plane power, teach rapid force application AND absorption, and require minimal equipment. But if there’s one thing that stresses me out like crazy, it’s athletes trying to jump on a box that’s too high. That’s an injury waiting …
Technique Tuesday: 3 Ways to Make Box Jumps Harder Read More »
Rotator cuff work is for more than just baseball players. Whether you’re a powerlifter, CrossFitter, football player, whoever, you need healthy shoulders to stay in the game. I’m not so sure I can say anything about the rotator cuff that Eric Cressey hasn’t said already, but this week’s Technique Tuesday shows you two tips that …
Technique Tuesday: 2 Tips for More Effective Rotator Cuff Exercises Read More »
“Push yourself away from the bar” is a common bench press cue that works great in theory, but gets butchered by many lifters. When done improperly, it not only saps you of strength but puts your shoulders in a potentially dangerous position. This week’s Technique Tuesday explains the right and wrong way to implement this …
Technique Tuesday: Push Yourself Away from the Bar Read More »
Most people foam roll by simply rolling back and forth over a muscle to try to loosen it up. Sometimes this just doesn’t cut it, especially the bigger and stronger you get. Big muscles are often tight muscles and they need something a little more intense. If you’re serious about improving range of motion during …
The Squat to Stand drill is one of my favorite warm-up exercises to help groove a nice squat pattern. However, some people have a hard time getting into the bottom position. Either they can’t keep their chest up or they can’t reach down and grab under their toes. This week’s Technique Tuesday shows you two …
We got a question on Twitter asking how to progress from bilateral to unilateral hip-dominant exercises, so this week’s Technique Tuesday covers some of my favorite cues for 1-leg Barbell RDLs. This is a natural progression from a 1-arm, 1-leg RDL with a dumbbell or kettlebell and lets you load it heavier. If you struggle …
Technique Tuesday: 2 Cues for 1-leg Barbell RDLs Read More »
As far as warm-up drills go, Bird Dogs hit a little bit of everything: core stability, hip extension and shoulder flexion primarily. For that reason, it’s one of my favorite exercises to get the body ready to move heavy weight. But Bird Dogs are hard to master and end up looking more like Flopping Fish …
“Elbows up! Elbows up!” You hear this yelled in every weight room on the planet when someone is doing front squats. The intent is to keep the lifter from falling forward, but does it really accomplish that? The answer is yes and no, but in my experience, mostly no. This week’s Technique Tuesday explains why …
Technique Tuesday: Cueing Thoracic Extension during Front Squats Read More »
