The 4 Exercises that Your Shoulders Hate

It is common for a lifter to seek boulder shoulder status. While having protruding, rounded shoulders certainly looks nice, the shoulders are very vulnerable to injury. The demands of a sedentary, desk-ridden society already makes our shoulders unhappy, and if you translate this dysfunction into the gym, you're gonna have a bad time.

I have dealt with my own shoulder issues in the past, and I know just how aggravating it can be to have to modify workouts or avoid certain movements. Ultimately, I had to learn the hard way what exercises provoked my shoulder pain. Many common-place shoulder exercises can be effective for deltoid and pectoralis hypertrophy, but they also promote instability and compensation. For both myself and my clients, there are four main exercises that I avoid for the sake of sparing their shoulders:

1. Pec flies. Regardless of whether you're using cables, dumbbells, or even the pec-deck machine, you're most likely better off without them. With this movement, many lifters tend to go well beyond the necessary range of motion to isolate the pectoralis muscles in transverse shoulder flexion. You also run the risk of sufficiently irritating your biceps tendons. Instead, they end up stretching the hell out of their anterior deltoids and forcing their shoulders into a yucky internally rotated position that makes me cringe. For chest development, I prefer to have clients do reverse grip bench press, neutral grip dumbbell bench press (with a slow eccentric focus), and Spoon presses. If you're hell-bent on keeping pec flies in your workout routine, try to minimize the range of motion so that your arms only go slightly above parallel, and make sure you maintain a slight bend in your elbows.
2. Behind-the-neck lat pull-downs. I've addressed my feelings about behind-the-neck exercises previously, so to save you from a redundant rant, I'll give you the abridged version: these movements (especially in lat pull-downs) encourage you into flexed cervical spine and often reinforce poor shoulder movement. Very few people possess adequate shoulder and thoracic mobility to perform these. If you really want wings, stay away from these. Instead, try rowing variations, pull-ups (you add weight or go chest-to-bar if you want a greater challenge), straight arm pull-downs, and maybe the occasional Red Bull. (I couldn't resist...)

   

   Yikes!

3. Box dips. In a recent Instagram video, I mentioned that I stray away from programming dips on a bench or a box. Effectively, this variation places unnecessary stress on the anterior capsule and tendons of the shoulder. To perform these, a client must flare the elbows out excessively, while the shoulder again shifts into a precarious position. You will see this as well on bar dips, but to a lesser degree, because the athlete's shoulder and elbows are closer to his center of mass. The ideal way to do dips, in my opinion, though, is on the rings. The rings force the athlete to properly adduct his shoulder, and his arms are closest to his center of mass (thus resulting in a more mechanically advantageous position. If you're currently unable to do ring dips, stick to push-ups on the rings, and then slowly progress to a full ring dip.
4. Upright rows. I'm sure you've heard trainers shun this exercise before. While I think it can be helpful for developing the shoulders for the right client, there are always other options. I've found that they cause more harm than good for most people, as usually the anterior deltoids are the strongest part of the shoulder. Instead, many people would benefit from training the posterior or rear deltoids with back flies to balance out the omnipresent imbalance from front to back.

In general, gym goers can benefit from fewer pushing exercises and more pulling exercises. I usually propose a 2:1 ratio for upper body pulling:pushing days. By this, I mean that you should only spend about one day per week doing bench press, push press, etc. (or at least with those movements as your primary focus), and two days with a pulling/rowing focus. The anterior deltoids and pectoralis tend to run the show (especially in men), and, thus, can cause a lot of pathologies and mobility restrictions. Your rhomboids, rear deltoids, lats, and lower trapezius can always benefit from some more love and attention.

There are plenty of safe and effective exercises that will still give you strong shoulders, such as those that I've listed in this article. You can be smart about your upper body training and avoid nagging injuries that will keep you sidelined for weeks at-a-time. Make these changes to your routine, and your shoulders will be happier in the long run!

A Case Against Box Squats

The box squat is ubiquitous in both high level strength and conditioning facilities and Globo gyms. While a lot of coaches and trainers tout the box squat as being beneficial for "explosiveness" and overall strength, I am here to dispute its efficacy, and highlight some of their potential drawbacks.

I am guessing that some of you are already prepared to jump on me for questioning a movement that is so widely utilized, but before you do so, give this article a read. If you still vehemently disagree with my claims, then I'm always happy to hear other opinions.

One of the biggest underlying detriments to using the box squat, in my opinion, is the lack of "biomechanical transferability" to a traditional back squat (specifically high bar); by this, I mean that the movement is quite different in terms of joint angles. One cue you will often hear in the box squat is something to the effect of "push your butt back." Now, this may also be applicable to a powerlifting low bar squatting style, but it is contraindicated on a high bar, Olympic style squat. You'll notice that in this diagram, that the low bar back squatter (on the left) sits his hips back farther, and his shins are closer to vertical, whereas the high bar squatter on the right sits more upright, and the knees track in front of the toes.

The cue "sit back" leads to the athlete maintaining a shin that is almost completely vertical and ends up in a position that would not otherwise be sustainable. Try to do a high bar or low bar squat by pushing your hips back to an extreme degree like some coaches advocate on the box squat–you will likely fall over, because that is not the natural way to descend the hips. Take a look at this guy in the photo. Squatting this way sans box would be very difficult.

Aside from the altered mechanics of the box squat, this movement often decreases the standard range of motion. The only time I would ever prescribe box squats for a client is if he or she were having difficulty achieving or gaging depth on the movement. In this case, a box or a medicine ball can give the client a target or a standardization for depth. Over time, one should progress to a lower box, and eventually eliminate it altogether. If you're comfortable with the movement, then you should always aim to maximize your range of motion with great technique, rather than decrease it.

Similarly, a lot of people tend to get lazy on the box. By this, I mean that the lifter will fully relax and disengage in the middle of the movement. This is not only disadvantageous (as it would never happen in a normal back squat), but it is also dangerous. Now, the lifter has to recreate tension as they stand. There is a tremendous risk of back injury for this reason. If you do choose to use box squats in your training, you should simply tap the box and then quickly rebound, rather than sitting completely.

While some strength coaches praise the box squat for its ability to develop explosiveness out of the hole, I prefer two other squatting variants: paused squats and jumping barbell squats. Both of these movements are, in my experience, far superior. The paused back squat allows the lifter to achieve full depth and build concentric speed, and the jumping barbell squat teaches that rebounding, plyometric power that is desirable in most sports. I prefer to keep repetitions per set lower (<6-8) for both movements, because the lifter can focus on perfect technique. For the paused squats, it is ideal to use a weight that will be challenging, but will not slow down your ascent. For example, if you're grinding to stand up with the weight, you've gone too heavy. Speed trumps weight here. Weight should be between 20-30% of back squat 1 repetition maximum for the jumping barbell squats. Heavier weights won't allow for a quick rebound.

Overall, while some prefer to program the box squat, I think it is limited in its practical application for most people. Not only does it reinforce improper mechanics, but it also could result in injury. Try different squatting variations to stimulate the same effect.

Practical Uses of Variety in Training

A lot of my readers have been asking me about programming. This week, I was luck enough to have my friend Steve write a guest post for me. Steve Bare is a professional strength coach (CSCS, USAW) and competitive weightlifter. His experience includes work in the private industry and an internship at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. He now coaches at a high school, where he is thankful to work with a huge number of adolescent athletes, and give them all a great start in strength training. You can occasionally catch him writing on his coaching blog, BareStrength.

Contrast Training: How it Works, and How to Use It for Impressive Gains

I'm gonna let you in on a little training secret: it's called contrast training. It's used by elite athletes to improve power output, and the results are pretty impressive. Contrast training, also known as PAP (post activation potentiation), is the pairing of heavy strength exercises and explosive or plyometric exercises. If you want to get the most out of your training, PAP is the way to go.

Try contrast training, and you'll learn to levitate like this dude.

PAP is especially useful for athletes looking to enhance power output. Jumpers, weightlifters, sprinters, and shot putters are a few such athletes who can reap big benefits from this type of training. The benefits are not just limited to elite athletes, however, and can be used safely for intermediate lifters (with 2+ years of training experience).

In essence, contrast training is exciting the nervous system, and improving motor unit recruitment acutely. The more fibers activated on any given movement, the greater the benefit. To quote Roxanne Horwath and Len Kravitz (and no, not the "Fly Away" Lenny Kravitz), "The greater the muscle activation, the greater the duration of calcium ions in the muscle cell environment (referred to as sarcoplasm) and the greater the phosphorylation of the myosin light chain protein (Rixon, Lamont, Bemden, 2007). As a result, faster contraction rates and faster rates of tension develop."

One study done by Chatzopoulos Et. Al. found that heavy resistance training helped acutely improve 10 and 30 meter sprinting times. The sprints were performed after a 5 minute window of resistance training. The participants (young male athletes between the ages of 18-23) performed 10 single repetitions at 90% of their 1 repetition maximum back squat. After only 3 minutes of rest, however, the sprinting times did not increase. It is important to mention that adequate rest seems to be a very important factor here.

Here's a great list of the benefits of PAP, in the words of Bret Contreras:

1. Short-term enhancement – May increased neuromuscular performance in an actual competitive event through PAP
2. Chronic adaptation – May increase training effect using PAP in training which would result in increased Rate of Force Development (RFD)
3. Increased workout density – Combined training allows for more activity with less actual resting time which is critical if total workout time is limited
4. Increased dynamic transfer – By combining biomechanically similar activities athletes may groove more efficient neural patterns by learning to perform the lift in a manner more specific to the athletic activity
5. Increased work capacity – By increasing workout density athletes will increase their work capacity which is characterized by high levels of average power output over an interval (which I call power endurance)

Now that you get the gist for how it works, you may be wondering how you can use it and reap the benefits. Like I said, we want to pair heavy lifting with fast, explosive movements. You want to wait about 30 seconds after the strength movement to execute the explosive, plyometric movement. Rest for about 3 minutes or longer in between sets. The following list provides some pairing options for strength and power movements.

• Bench presses: Standing chest passes, supine chest passes, clapping push-ups, and push-ups to plates
• Strict/weighted pull-ups: Ball slams, clapping pull-ups (advanced), and overhead medicine ball passes
• Deadlifts: Broad jumps, 10-50 m sprints, explosive cable pull-throughs, banded kettlebell swings, and power kettlebell swings
• Squats: Jumping squats, depth jumps, hurdle jumps, jumping lunges

One thing to remember is that you want to keep total volume (reps per session) low. We're not trying to accumulate 100 reps, or anything crazy. This is about intensity, not volume. I'd suggest doing no more than 5 reps of each movement, and 5-6 sets should be enough!

If you're looking for a new way to spice up your strength training routine, contrast training may be just what you need!

Nate's FREE Beta Squat Program!

When you have more plates on the bar than you have fingers, you know you're strong.

My friend Nate is back for another guest post. You may remember his last post for me about proper breathing for the squat. Now that you know how to breathe on the lift, this program will help you get stupid strong squats. Nate is a competitive 198/220 Powerlifter and trainer under the NSCA who is currently pursuing his CSCS. Nate has been lifting for a little over 2 years and boasts an impressive 535 pounds recently in the gym. He is currently chasing 600+ pounds, weighing 198 himself.


FOREWORD: One of the things I want to accomplish as a trainer/coach is to give back and to help people improve themselves–that’s really it. I’ve tried to commit myself to the processes involved in learning and applying the things that I’ve learned to allow others to push their limits and achieve their goals: that’s the reasoning behind this program.

Over the past year-and-a-half I’ve done a lot of my own programming as well as writing things up for friends to get practice with writing programming for different people. I sat down with some of the things that did and did not work and tried to design a 9 to 11 week Squat Program for beginners or intermediate lifters. I call it a “Beta” program because, let's face it, it’s a first attempt at writing something more serious and distributing it out to a lot of people to see how it works. With a large enough sample size, it gives me an idea of what things will generally work and what things generally won’t.

The added benefit is, I’m hoping, to help lifters hit PRs.

It should be noted that this is a very abridged cycle. I have not included accessories or recommended frequency for the bench press and deadlift. This is 100% squat focused.

THE PROGRAM

PREFACE: As you’ll see, I have days listed as Day 1/2/3 and later as Day 1 and 2. This is because not everyone can run a Mon/Weds/Fri split even though, in my opinion, that’s ideal. I know some people are in school, have work, have lives.

You’ll want at least one day of recovery in between squat sessions, especially for those who add accessories or who have other lifts or training to do other than purely squatting. For Phase 3, the ideal would be Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday as long as 3 days of rest are taken between the days.

PHASE 1: Conditioning Phase 
The reasoning for the conditioning phase is simple: Conditioning. At percentages under 80%, the goal is to condition, practice, and build confidence as stepping stones for later cycles. If your goal is maximum weight, then spending some time to bring up your work capacity is not a bad idea. This will also be beneficial for people who have run extremely long, demanding programs or just need a good starting point instead of jumping into weight over 80%. As with the other phases, I’ve given you ranges on some days (example: 63-65%) because some lifters recover faster than others. You’ll see it in later cycles too. Always err on the side of training hard. However, the goal is to avoid missed reps and to aim for weight that you’ll be able to squat with the best technique.

This is the only phase with variations.

Week 4 in this phase is for lifters who feel they need a sort of break, usually the ones who are not used to conditioning and volume work or those who are just deconditioned to begin with. It is recommended to not take the taper for more experienced lifters.

**FOR LOW BAR SQUATTERS, DAY 2 IS A PAUSED HIGH BAR DAY. FOR HIGH BAR SQUATTERS DAY 2 IS A PAUSED FRONT SQUAT DAY.

PHASE 2: Accumulation/Volume
The point of this phase is to accumulate volume between about 70-85% of a persons 1RM. This will be the meat and potatoes. The goal of this phase is to build, build, build. Build strength, fearlessness under increasing load, and for the lifter to practice their competition (or stronger) squat. Day 2 in this cycle is built in to work on technique, power, and to have a day that is less demanding as the cycle increases without going into ridiculously low intensities that won’t benefit the lifter.

PHASE 3: Intensity
Plain and simple this phase is about putting some weight on your back with the confidence to push your comfort zone and create the confidence to break old PRs! For most lifters, they’ll likely be hitting weight/rep PRs weekly before the big max out. I recommend that the lifter have at least 3 days of rest on their squat between either day, and minimize deadlifting, to maximize recovery. Week 4 can be the taper from Week 4 of the Conditioning phase or for more experienced lifters, can max on the next week.

I hope those of you running this enjoy the program and see some gain from it! Thanks for reading and putting confidence in both myself and Arianna. I’d like to thank her too for allowing me to share on her page and for putting out all the information she does.

Now go crush some heavy squats!

How Often Should You PR?

Adding more weight to your lifts is always exciting. Getting a personal record is tangible evidence that all of your hours of hard work have been effective. One thing that I've noticed, though, is that getting PRs can be addictive. By this, I mean that many lifters (especially beginners) get so caught up with testing their 1 repetition maximum, that they make it a regular ritual, constantly seeking to add extra plates on the barbell. While it can be tempting to constantly push your lifts to your physical limitations, it's not realistic to get a PR all of the time.

If you've ever followed a general or customized program, you've noticed that the majority of your training sessions included percentage work: some days were a bit easier, and other days were exceptionally grueling and torturous. Generally, the recommendation to increase your strength is to work at around 80% or higher several sets of 5 repetitions or fewer. Lighter days will allow you to practice movement repetition, while the heavy days are going to help you gradually build strength. Following a program allows you to lay down the foundation of strength, which will eventually increase your 1 repetition maximum.

Easy there, big guy.

Now, let's get into the basis of programming. A program is divided up into microcycles (usually 1-2 weeks), mesocycles (around 1-6 months), and macrocycles (which can be a year or longer). Ideally, the microcycles are planned with the bigger picture (mesocycle) in mind. For a competitive athlete, the amount of repetitions and intensity (weight used) per week and month is closely monitored to prepare for competition and hit target numbers.

There is no such thing as a "perfect" program. Rather, there are a million and one different modes of progression that will be equally effective for increasing strength levels. Two basic principles of programming are the linear and the daily undulating periodization methods:

• Linear Periodization basically uses the same repetition scheme. For example you might do 4 sets of 5 repetitions for several weeks, then 6 sets of 4 repetitions for a few weeks.
• Daily Undulating Periodization utilizes a different amount of sets and repetitions in each workout. An example would be to do 4 sets of 5 repetitions one workout, then the next workout you could do 2 sets of 8 repetitions at the same weight. The idea here is that you're constantly changing the rep scheme and the amount of weight used.

Both types of periodization provide results (although many studies have found that DUP is more effective).

Now, if you're following a specific program, you would most likely max out at the end of a mesocycle, once you've accumulated a decent amount of heavy training sessions. Allowing for several weeks in between 1 rep max attempts will ensure that you see the most amount of improvement.

In the meantime, you can get "rep PRs." This means that you will use a specific weight and you'll be able to perform more reps with it than you previously have. Let's say, for instance, that your best deadlift is 210 pounds. During a training cycle, you may be asked to use that weight for 3 repetitions. Now, the weight that you could only lift for 1 repetition is an easy triple. These "PRs" will still give you the same satisfaction, but can help you continue to make progress.

Ultimately, whether you're competing in a sport or not, planning your workouts is essential. If you want to continue to evade a potential plateau in strength, then you can't just walk into the gym and "wing it." Just going for PRs all of the time isn't going to get you stronger, and you mind end up disappointed.

There are a ton of free strength programs available on the internet, if you can't afford to pay a coach. For optimal progress, find a steady program to follow, rather than just making up your workouts on a whim. Be patient with adding weight onto the bar, and the numbers will come, in time.

3 Reasons Why Your Poor Mobility is Holding You Back

So many lifters are willing to complain ad nauseam about their lack of mobility, but very few of those people are willing to get up and fix it. Most individuals would prefer to deadlift heavy and get their heart rates up than spend about 10-15 minutes addressing their muscular imbalances and chronically tight areas.

What those people might not realize, is that their lack of mobility is actually sabotaging their progress. Instead, they'd rather just cut to the chase and dive face first into their workouts. They see the value in heavy lifting and pushing hard, but they neglect the accessory mobility work. It's easy to ignore, because the immediate pay-off might be minimal. They release a tight muscle once or twice, and don't make any lasting changes. Like strength training, though, consistency is the key. Doing a handful of stretches, some self-massage, and corrective exercises every few days will go a long way. Not only will you feel more loosey-goosey, but you may even PR your lifts just from adding some more range of motion to your joints!

If your overhead squat looks like that of the guy on the right, this article is about you.

Hopefully, this post will help knock some common sense into you and remind you to pay more attention to the corrective exercises. Here are three major reasons why your limited range of motion is holding you back from getting stronger:

1. You can't get into the right positions. Movements like the front squat require a considerable range of motion. If your latissimus dorsi and pectoralis minors are tight, you won't be able to achieve an ideal position in the lift. No matter how many times a coach may say "elbows up," you just can't get them any higher. Your mobility is going to hinder your progress, because if you cannot keep your torso upright, then you won't be able to support a significant amount of weight in that position. I have met plenty of people who have ample strength, but stagnate on the clean, because their chest drops every time they catch the barbell. Their legs can support the weight without a problem, but their shoulders aren't having it. If these people did some work on the areas in question (pecs and lats), they would, undoubtedly, get an immediate PR on their cleans.
2. Your potential for force production is limited. A muscle has to lengthen before a contraction. A length-tension of a relationship of a muscle explains that a muscle can produce an optimal amount of force at a certain length. For example, if you were to pick up a heavy book, you wouldn't do so with a fully extended elbow. Instead, you would probably bend your elbows a bit. Now, this continuum of ideal length is a balance. If someone is too flexible, force production will be limited, and the opposite is also true. If you are inflexible, the muscles are constantly partially contracted. Take a look at the diagram below of a muscle cross-section. The top model (a) cannot produce enough force because there is too much of an overlap, whereas option (c) can't produce optimal force because there's no overlap at all. Option (b) is just right: a little bit of overlap so that the muscles are at their ideal length for force production. So, if your hamstrings are "tight" you won't be able to produce true power on a sprint or a vertical jump, for example.
   
3. Muscles are not firing in the proper sequence. If you're tight, you're more than likely compensating in ways you don't even realize. For example, if your ankle mobility needs some help, chances are, you're using the muscles on the medial portion of your leg (hip adductors) way too much, while the lateral muscles (abductors, gluteus medius, tensor fascia latae) aren't working enough. Every time you squat, lunge, or sprint, your mechanics are altered. Because your muscles are not in symbioses, this could mean a slower 400 meter time or a weaker back squat. Once the kinetic chain works as it is supposed to, your mechanics are more efficient and you might find that previously challenging movements are a bit easier!

Bodyworker Thomas Myers notes, "organismic movement and stretching – yoga‬, pilates, training‬, manual therapy – can help cells to their proper tension environment by relieving pressure or strain, and this results in better functioning all over." It's great to work hard and get stronger, but it's also important to give your muscles some love and alleviate tension in the body.

Ultimately, if you find that your performance has plateaued, perhaps it is time to finally work on improving your tin man status of mobility and join the supple side.

You Are More than Your Numbers

Fitness is a numbers game. Weather it's your bodyweight, inches around your waist, the weight on the bar, your mile time, you're continually looking for those numbers to budge. Active people are constantly weighing, measuring, and comparing. That's how we track our progress.

To a degree, keeping track of numbers is important and necessary, but it can also be counter-productive, when done in excess.

With social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, we are bombarded with status updates, videos, and pictures of people rejoicing over their fitness-related victories. I think this is excellent, but it's also a double edged sword.

We have this tendency, as competitive beings, to compare ourselves to others. We want to be stronger or faster than someone, or we want to look like a cover model in a bikini. It's easy to look at someone who's at a different level than you are and feel as though your accomplishments are, somehow, insignificant.

I, myself have been guilty of this. I've watched more competitive athletes in action and felt frustrated that I was not yet at that level.

I regularly hear my friends or clients say comments to the effect of "I'm not strong. I can't lift that." They look at others in awe, but refuse to entertain the idea that they, too, could reach the same level of athleticism.

The truth is, we get so fixated on a specific number, that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Yes, it's great to quantify your goals, but that's not the only important factor. You want to focus on how you feel, and how you've changed in the long run!

Remember this: the triumphs of others does not take away from your own achievements. Just because someone can run a mile 2:30 minutes faster than you can, does not mean you're slow. If someone's best deadlift is 75 pounds above yours, that does not mean you are weak. If you do not look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, you aren't scrawny.

Our fitness journeys are our own. Celebrate your own successes. A PR is a PR, regardless of whether or not you're going to set a national record. Compare yourself to...yourself, only! The numbers aren't as important in the bigger picture. Consider all of the sacrifices you have made to get to the gym when your schedule was hectic, or when you pushed through a really tough workout. The days you wanted to give up and you chose not to are feats of mental strength. Perseverance is an admirable trait, and every step you make in the right direction is still pushing your forward, in the long run.

Yes, other people are making progress, but so are you! Revel in even the smallest of improvements. Don't tear yourself down just because someone is ahead of you at this time. Instead, use that for motivation to work harder and keep pushing towards accomplishing your goals!

4 Big Benefits of Eccentric Training

You know the old saying "slow and steady wins the race?" Well, in strength training, I believe slow and steady reps win the gainz. Eccentric training is, in my opinion, the Unsung Hero for improving athleticism. If you want to maximize strength, build muscle, and increase flexibility, stressing the eccentric portion of your lifts is a priority.

If you're asking "what the heck eccentric training," well, keep reading! There are three main types of skeletal muscle actions:

• An isometric action is when a contraction is maintained for an extended period of time. Planks and wall-sits are two well known isometric exercises.
• The concentric phase is aptly named, because it involves the contraction of the muscle. When you are standing up from the bottom of a squat, your quadriceps complex is concentrically contracting.
• The eccentric phase allows your muscles to lengthen under load. An example of this is when you are lowering yourself down from the top of a pull-up bar.

Most exercises emphasize the concentric portion of the movement. A standard push-up, pull-up or squat are traditionally used to improve the contraction of the agonist (initiating) muscles. Think about it this way: when you set up for a bench press, usually you lower the bar down relatively steadily and then accelerate the bar on the way up, as you extend your elbows. This is the traditional way to perform the movement, and the way it is performed in competition.

Now, what if I told you that, by training the lowering phase of a bench press, you could actually improve your strength and acceleration on the press? Do you ever find that with heavier weights you just tend to let the bar drop right to your chest, with absolutely no control? In that case, you are weak eccentrically.

This is just but one example of how eccentric training can help boost your performance. Here are some of the best benefits you can reap from utilizing the lengthening phase of an exercise:

1. Heavier loads. Research suggests that you can manage about 1.75 times as much weight in the eccentric phase than you can in the concentric phase. With a partner, load a heavy weight on the bar for bench. Try to control the weight down slowly and let your partner assist you in lifting the weight back up to the rack. This will help you increase your lifts at a rapid rate. I would recommend only doing only 3 sets of 4-5 repetitions the first few times you try these, as it is going to place a lot of stress on your muscles and your central nervous system.
2. Increased muscle size (hypertrophy)! Strength coach Charles Poliquin frequently writes about the effects of eccentric work for maximum hypertrophy. He says "The eccentric phase causes more muscle damage and leads to greater rates of protein synthesis post-workout. Training that includes a concentric phase as well as an eccentric phase will cause the most muscle damage." This is a great way to get massive quickly. Here's an example: for a biceps curl, you could do tempo sets. Count 5 seconds on the way up, and 10 seconds on the way down. Try this for 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions.
3. Injury prevention. Several studies have used eccentric training of the hamstrings to prevent ACL tears and hamstring strains. One such study was performed on competitive soccer players. Askling et. al. concluded "[the] results indicate that addition of specific preseason strength training for the hamstrings – including eccentric overloading – would be beneficial for elite soccer players, both from an injury prevention and from performance enhancement point of view." Russian leg curls are an excellent example of an eccentric movement for the hamstrings complex. These can be pretty tough initially, so 3-4 repetitions for a couple sets will be enough to light that posterior chain on fiya.
4. Improved flexibility. As you may or may not have deduced from my previous articles, I'm not a huge fan of static stretching. Eccentric training is a fantastic alternative to static stretching that will promote lasting changes on your level of flexibility. Dr. Yessis noted that "Good mornings are excellent. Here you're gonna get some stretching on the way down, and some strengthening on the way up ... You'll find the hamstrings kick in almost immediately." You can do this instead of a traditionally prescribed standing or seated hamstring stretch. Romanian deadlifts are another movement that can do wonders for your posterior chain.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that slow eccentric movements can have an exceptional effect on the central nervous system. With that in mind, it's not necessary to perform them for very many reps or sets, and you'll only need to do them once or twice per week to reap the benefits. Performing heavy eccentric exercises on a regular basis can be counter productive, so use them sparingly! Using these concepts appropriately, however, you will see tremendous improvements in strength, power, and many other facets of athleticism.

Training for Symmetry: Using Bodybuilding Exercises to Improve your Lifts

Biceps curls, lateral shoulder raises, and shrugs, oh my. These are just a few staple exercises of the bodybuilding community. Although individuals who belong to the more "functional" end of the spectrum can write these exercises off as being useless and purely vain, isolation exercises for the sheer purpose of hypertrophy (muscle growth) certainly have their place in a well-constructed strength training routine.

Bodybuilders aim to achieve symmetry and balance. They use open chain exercises (isolations) to attack specific muscle groups.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the strength athletes (in sports like weightlifting or powerlifting). While movements like squats, presses and pulls are excellent for building power and brute strength, the big lifts can sometimes fail to target certain groups of muscles.

Let's use a powerlifter, for example. A squat, bench press and deadlift will, yes, activate nearly every muscle in the body. In each of these lifts, however, big prime movers will be responsible for generating the majority of the force required to move the weight. The smaller muscles may not get the attention they require or deserve.

There are three major reasons why I believe bodybuilding exercises can help take your strength to the next level.

1. They target lagging muscles. Now, as I alluded to above, while movements like a deadlift do require nearly every muscle in the body to work in unison, the synergistic (assistant) muscles may not fire to a very high degree. It is quite common that powerlifters need to add some assistance work to focus on weaker areas. Barbell hip thrusters could help you improve glute activation and take some stress off of your lower back. Cable triceps extensions could be just the exercise you need to strengthen your triceps. Now, your triceps can work in conjunction with the latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major and minor muscles, and deltoids to create a stronger drive in your bench press. Depending on your technique, you may not be strengthening all of the necessary muscles from the big lifts alone.
2. They improve muscular balance. When there is a lack of balance between the right and left sides of the body, or even between the anterior chain and the posterior chain, problems can arise. If your left side is significantly stronger than your right (as you might find in a pitcher or a tennis player), it is extremely important to give your weaker side some extra love. Similarly, issues like knee pain can arise when a lifter is quadriceps dominant with comparatively weak hamstrings. Similarly, if I hear someone complain of shoulder pain, I look for a lack of balance in the upper body. I will have them strengthen the posterior deltoids, the middle and lower trapezius, and the external rotators. An ideal physique in bodybuilding is one in which all areas of the body are equally developed. "[A] symmetrical body is also less prone to injury. A particular muscle group will be less likely to compensate for a weaker muscle group, thus overburdening that muscle group while further weakening, and potentially injuring, the under-developed muscle group, if the weaker muscle group is balanced with the stronger grouping," says David Robinson, CPT. Some isolation work will go a long way to build a more symmetrical physique.
3. Bigger muscles are stronger muscles. Pretty straight forward. Greg Nuckols, a powerlifting coach, said it well, "Think of muscle mass as potential strength. If you gain mass, you may not necessarily be stronger right away (i.e. if you trained with lower weights and lost a bit of technical efficiency with max weights), but you have the potential to be stronger. If you stay the same size, you have a cap on how strong you can possibly get. When comparing two individuals, the one with more muscle may not necessarily be the stronger one (for all the factors listed above – muscle attachments, segment lengths, technique, etc.), though he probably will be. However, when comparing small you to jacked you, all other things being equal, jacked you will be stronger." Basically, the bigger your muscles are, the more force they can produce! Weightlifters fixate on training for strength, but sometimes they forget to include hypertrophy work into their accessory sessions. This small change can have a big influence on your performance.

Doing "curls for the girls" is fantastic, but isolation movements can also provide a multitude of other benefits. In fact, building bigger muscles overall can potentially improve your main lifts and simultaneously make your body more resilient to injury! Improve aesthetics and get stronger. Channel your inner Ahhhhnold and add some more bodybuilding exercises into your workout routine.

Your Grip Strength is Limiting Your Other Lifts

Have you ever played that game at an arcade where you squeeze these metal handles as hard as you can and it determines how strong your grip is?

One of the most understated elements of training is, in my opinion, grip strength.

Whether you're gripping a baseball bat, holding onto the pull-up bar, or picking up a heavy deadlift, you need to have strong forearms.

I find it so unfortunate that many people use and abuse straps for their lifts. Yes, straps have their time and place, but as I've said before, I'm a minimalist when it comes to lifting. I believe the more you are able to learn to create tension, and the stronger you get, the better off you will be. You can deadlift more weight with straps, but you are using a crutch. If your forearms are the limiting factor in a deadlift, then maybe you just need to strengthen them!

The muscles in the forearms connect all the
way up to the neck and shoulders.

According to Thomas Myers's Anatomy Trains, the whole arm and shoulder functions under one fascial web. The fascia is a thin, protective layer of connective tissue that surrounds the muscles. When one part of this fascial web is activated, so too, is the rest of it. With this, we can deduce that a better grip on the bar will allow for a stronger press.

Let's take, for example, a strict press. This is a shoulder exercise, right? Well, yes, but that doesn't mean we don't need to recruit other muscles in the body! Creating tension from the feet, all the way up through the hands, will activate more muscle fibers, and thus, make the weight fly up faster! One cue in particular that helped me was to think about actively squeezing the barbell as hard as possible.

Charles Poliquin notes,

"when your grip strength improves, less neural drive is needed for the forearm and hand muscles to perform other exercises. That is why many trainees report breaking training plateaus in a host of lifts, ranging from dead lifts to curls, after doing a grip specialization routine."

All of the big lifts require you to create a tremendous amount of tension in your body. The "tighter" you get, the better. Any areas of weakness will make a lift that much more difficult. Strengthen your forearms, and you will be able to get a better grip on the bar, which can result in more weight. A+!

Aside from improving total body strength and motor control, training the forearms may prevent pain in the wrists and forearms.

"There are 35 muscles involved in movement of the forearm and hand, with many of these
involved in gripping activities," notes Jason Shea, CSCS. He then continues on to talk about how inadequate grip strength may result in injuries like tennis elbow, UCL tears, and other elbow and wrist-related issues. If the forearms are weak, you will place an unnecessary amount of stress on your tendons and ligaments around the elbow and wrist joints. Charles Poliquin also mentions that

"these ailments are often caused by improper strength ratios between the elbow muscles and the forearm muscles. If the elbow flexors, like the biceps and brachialis, are too strong for the forearm flexors, uneven tension accumulates in the soft tissue and results in elbow pain"

Therefore, if you're spending a ton of time strengthening the muscles in your upper arm (biceps, triceps, etc.), but minimal to no time strengthening the muscles downstream, you're setting yourself up for injury.

Additionally, some studies have linked rotator cuff health to the integrity of the forearm muscles. When your grip is activated, so too are the muscles of the rotator cuff (teres minor, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, and subscapularis).

You need to have some strong freaking forearms to pull that kind of weight!

Now, for the exercise portion! Here are eight of my favorite ways to make you a pro at grabbing things:

1. Plate pinches
2. Farmer carries (unilateral and bilateral)
3. Plate flips
4. Hangs from the pull-up bar (for an extra challenge, try unilateral)
5. Rock climbing (no video necessary)
6. Fat bar deadlifts or pull-ups
7. Heavy kettlebell swings
8. Finger board (used for climbers)

Note that grip strength is going to be positional, meaning that your forearms may be very strong holding a very small or narrow object, and weak holding thicker objects. It's important to vary the width of the equipment you use every once-in-a-while.

You may have noticed that wrist curls and extensions are absent from this list. I'm not much of a fan of training the grip in this way, because it has less of a carry-over to other activities. We want to train for function, not necessarily for size!

Now go find some heavy objects and grip them! Open pickle jars for your friends, or swing from branches like Tarzan. Build your forearms and reap the tremendous benefits from all of this newfound strength.

Breathe Your Way to Bigger Lifts (Part 2)

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on breathing properly for your lifts. This week, my friend Nate Henry, a competitive powerlifter, wrote a wonderful follow-up article. His strongest lifts include a 523.5 pound squat in competition, and a 535 pound squat in the gym, weighing 206 pounds. His best meet total is 1,372 pounds! He is also currently pursuing a bachelors degree in Kinesiology and an NSCA CPT. If you want to move big weights like this guy, follow his advice.

I mean...look at this guy.

Brief Squat Overview (Kinesiology)

Before I get into anything, let's review all of the primary muscles that are used within the squat because a lot of people overlook them.

When you’re lifting or doing anything and figuring out what muscles are being utilized, you have to analyze the dynamic (moving) joint to be able to identify the muscles worked. The muscles being worked are the ones that are fighting against the load.

As you squat there is movement in these joints:

• Hip (femoral acetabular joint, femur connects in the acetabulum in the coxal bone) 
• Knee (tibio-femoral joint, where the femur connects to the tibia)
• Ankle (taleo-tibula joint, where the tibia meets the talus)
• Spinal column (vertebral column)
•  Sacroilliac (SI, or lumbo-sacral) joint which is where the column connects to the illiac.

Analyzing the movement against resistance, standing up when you squat, we can identify the action of the muscle taken. In this case:

• Hip extension
• Knee extension
• Plantar flexion (ankle)
• Spinal extension (and depending on the lifter, there can be a posterior or anterior pelvic tilt in the SI.)

Rather than listing out all of the muscles involved, here are some nifty graphs I made to show what muscles are responsible for what movement:

Keep in mind these are only the primary muscles and these do not include the statically loaded muscles or the secondary muscles involved in the movements.

Now what?

Now that we’ve identified all the muscles we can get into this cueing business, the muscles will come into play a little later. Outside of reminding everyone reading this that their set up is the most important part of the squat (don't rush it, set up every set the same, etc.). I’m going to assume you’ve squatted before in your life, and I'll get right to it.

One of the biggest things that helped me advance my own squat was learning to properly brace and learning to “breathe into my lower back.”

A lot of lifters rant about “getting tight” and “getting your breath,” but what the heck does that even mean? It’s one of those things that if you know it, you get it. If you don’t, it’s hard to explain fully.

The whole point of getting “tight” or bracing is to prepare your body to handle load. Usually in the form of the Valsava Maneuver (holding your breath). However, a lot of people can’t even breathe correctly without load, so getting your breath and bracing properly is hard to do if you’re just starting out.

Rather than explaining it further, Arianna has written an awesome article already!

That breath and bracing is the most important and overlooked aspect of the squat next to having a proper unrack/walkout.

The reason this is so important is because if you’re not bracing completely you’ll put a lot of pressure on different muscles. We talked about spinal extension as one of the movements in a squat right? Well, when you’re just bracing the frontal core (the rectus abdominis plays a huge role in stabilizing the muscles responsible for spinal extension), you’re leaving your back completely unprotected, even with a belt! When you’ve got something heavy on you, that weight will zero right in on your weakest part of the back and that’s how back injuries happen and why.

This cue is especially important for low bar squatters who tend to use more extension in the back to leverage heavier weight on the way up.

To add to that, a lot of lifters might get the back tight (flexing it rather than creating the tension through the diaphragmatic breathing) and then tip forward because there is no brace on the front. This can also create some havoc within the muscles being worked. The quads may try to take proportionally more load than needed and the hip extensors try to pick up the slack. Things can get weird.

The point is, you need to brace and create that pressure. This is how I learned to do that.

Why breathe into my lower back?

Your core musculature wraps all the way around. A lot of lifters just breathe into their stomachs, creating little pressure, and not getting 360 degrees of tightness throughout all the musculature, extrinsically, nor intrinsically. They lack the understanding of what full abdominal expansion feels like; that’s where this cue comes in handy.

Put your hand on your lower back. Breathe into your stomach with a proper breath (fill it like a balloon). Not much going on in the lower back right? Or the sides, really, correct?

Now, do the same thing but try to breathe into the back while still trying to fill in the balloon (if that’s not helping, try to breathe into the lower back lying on your back and try to focus on pushing against the ground). If you’re doing this correctly, you should feel your back, stomach, and sides fill with air. Put your hands on your sides as well, you’ll feel it.

This is what I mean by breathing into your lower back. Proper inhalation helps your muscles in the core/lower back get tight/brace. Think of your core musculature as your body's own belt.

Using this, let's go over a quick squat without getting too much into the whole process:

1. Approach the bar, get your hand placement. 
2. Without rushing, get under the bar and get your placement down (high/low/hybrid). Dig into the bar, get the hands set, get everything nice and stable. 
3. Get your hips under you (both feet, not split stance this will prevent injuries in the back as well)
4. Breathing into your lower back, and getting the full breath first, unrack the bar.
5. Take your first step back, settle. 
6. Bring your other leg back, settle. Adjust this foot if need. 
7. If you’re squatting really heavy and the bar is whipping, let it settle. Good walks, make good lifts.
8. If you let out some air during the walk, retake the breath but make sure you create pressure during the walkout phase because even though you’re not squatting, you’re still having to move around that weight. 
9. Squat
10. Stand up
11. Retake the breath (don't descend without completing the breath!)
12. Repeat

I like using Chad Wesley Smith as an example, since he’s the one who introduced me to this cue. Here he is squatting 825 for a double.

Notice the control, the time put into the set up, and how he breathes. Now, Chad is an Elite Squatter. He’s quick about it. Take your time.

The cool thing is this applies to all disciplines: CrossFit, Powerlifting, Strongman, Weightlifting, Bodybuilding.

Try these tips, and add serious weight onto your lifts.

To Belt or Not to Belt?

Part of assimilating into the "lifting culture" means geeking out over new purchases like shoes, wrist wraps, straps, and belts. It's easy to fill up your shopping cart pretty quickly on Amazon.com or other similar websites. The question is, how much of these items are necessary, and what is extraneous and perhaps counter-productive?

I've been hesitant to write this post, because I know many people hold very strong opinions on this issue. There are plenty of people at an elite level who are using lifting belts to deadlift 800+ pounds, so it's natural to want to copy what those guys are doing and hope that all of this gear will lead to similar gains for you. If only that were the case...

Personally, I am not an advocate of belts (and most other "accessories" for that matter, but I'll save that for another post) in many circumstances.

First of all, it's important to understand why you're using a belt in the first place, because I believe a lot people have a great misunderstanding of the purpose of a belt. Some people are under the illusion that the belt will magically prevent back injuries. At the moment, there isn't a lot of evidence to support that belts reduce injury rates or lower back pain in any way. According to the CDC, "although back belts are being bought and sold under the premise that they reduce the risk of back injury, there is insufficient scientific evidence that they actually deliver what is promised."

Stuart McGill also notes that "[individuals] who have never had a previous back injury appear to have no additional protective benefit from wearing a belt," and "those who are injured while wearing a belt seem to risk a more severe injury."

A belt is meant to provide additional support and stability for the muscles of the trunk. Basically, the tension of the belt increases intra-abdominal pressure, activation of the spinal erectors and rectus abdominis. All of these things are clearly important in lifting heavy weight. So why do I have such a conceptual problem with using a belt?

A lifter needs to learn to create intra-abdominal pressure sans belt. When one becomes too reliant on a belt to stabilize his core, the risk of injury without one may increase. Essentially, a belt becomes a crutch for poor bodily awareness and motor learning. If you constantly step under a loaded barbell with your belt on, it's going to be much more difficult to move without it!

A belt will create a false sense of security in a lifter, and thus potentially stunt the growth of postural muscles like the erector spinae, multifidi, external obliques and rectus abdominis, as their roles become more limited with equipment.

In my opinion, a belt is most useful upwards of about 85% of your 1 rep maximum on a squat or a deadlift. That's it. Heavy weights require a greater degree of tension in the body, and that's where the belt will come in handy. You should not be warming up with your belt, and you should not wear it all of the time. When you are working up to a heavy single, or doing a ton of high volume work at high intensity, the use of a belt may be warranted and helpful. If you are not, however, training for a sport that requires you to be stronger than your competitors (such as Strongman, CrossFit, powerlifting or weightlifting), then I don't think using a belt is necessary at all. Instead, you could stand to benefit from a ton of practice in maintaining intra-abdominal pressure without the aid of equipment. Both your intrinsic and external muscles will get stronger in the process.

Again, this is my personal philosophy. Obviously for sports like powerlifting, a belt is going to be necessary after a certain point, but make sure you're strong without it as well. I rarely use belts unless I'm approaching 100% on my lifts. I prefer to train organically, when I can. I feel more accomplished knowing I was able to move a certain amount of weight without the aid of a belt around my waist. Some people like the security of having a belt, but I think it's always better to teach your body how to create that strength on its own.

A Guide to Better Oblique Training: The Transverse Plane

Humans have the capacity to move freely and seamlessly through three different planes of motion: the sagittal plane, the frontal plane, and the transverse plane. Many strength programs utilize several different exercises in the first two (sagittal and frontal) planes, but neglect the transverse plane altogether. In order to perform well across a broad range of tasks, we must prepare our bodies for movements in all three planes. The transverse plane employs the smaller, stabilizer muscles, rather than the big prime movers. It is is equally important (if not more important) to focus on the development of these stabilizer muscles as that of the bigger muscle groups.

Chill with the side raises and try some new exercises.

CrossFitters, bodybuilders, Strongmen weightlifters and powerlifters become tremendously strong in the sagittal and frontal planes as the result of their training, but movements like burpees or barbell curls will do virtually nothing to strengthen rotational movements. The obliques, and their synergists, work to laterally flex the spine. The prime action of the internal and external obliques, however, is spinal rotation. A thrower of any sort will have extremely powerful obliques (on one side, at least). An athlete who predominantly participates in one of the aforementioned sports should incorporate more exercises in the transverse plane into his routine.

Enter the transverse plane. Rotational movements are very common in everyday life and in sport. Anytime we stop short and turn around, or any time we have to stabilize ourselves on one side (e.g. single leg Romanian deadlift) we are moving in the transverse plane. For athletes who participate in sports like tennis, soccer, baseball or tennis, adequate training in the transverse plane is crucial in order to perform well and prevent injury.

A study in 2008 published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Sports Physical Therapy found that individuals who had decreased function in the muscles responsible for movement in the transverse plane experienced a greater strain on their achilles tendons while running.

Training in the transverse plane may also be beneficial in preventing ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries. According to orthopedist Dr. Boden, "young women are two to eight times more likely than their male counterparts to injure [the ACL]." A study in 2003 attempted to find out why this is the case. Researchers carefully analyzed the gaits and knee angles 20 female recreational runners. They found that the female group's hip and knee mechanics in the transverse plane were vastly different from those of the male group. The necessary protocol, researchers concluded, was a training program to develop strength of the lower extremities, with particular focus on strengthening external rotation.

Image of the Functional Line from Thomas Myers's "Anatomy Trains"

While squats, deadlifts, and shoulder presses are all fabulous exercises for increasing strength, those will only get you so far. If you're serious about improving your athletic performance and you want to avoid injury (which I would imagine you do), then add some exercises in the transverse plane into your routine. So what type of exercise can you do in the transverse plane? Any single limb exercise will work wonders: single arm shoulder presses, single leg Romanian deadlifts, single leg squats, single arm push-ups, and so on. In all of these exercises, your stabilizer muscles are working hard to prevent you from rotating or falling over. Jumps in which the athlete much change direction in the air are also beneficial, as this directly mirrors the demands of many sports. Last, but not least, are the "chopping" movements. Get creative here! You can use cables to resemble chopping wood, or you can actually chop some wood! Use a sledgehammer and hit a tire or stand sideways and throw a medicine ball at a wall. All of these exercises will make your stabilizer muscles (your obliques, your gluteus medius, your piriformis, and so on) fire like crazy.

Now, you might be wondering what type of movements you can do in this plane. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Single leg Romanian deadlifts (preferably barefoot)
2. Turkish get-ups
3. Cable chop (upper to lower)
4. Cable chop (lower to upper)
5. Sledge hammer chops
6. Lateral medicine ball throws
7. Single arm overhead squats
8. Punches or kicks on a punching bag
9. Zig zag sprints
10. Single leg 180 degree jumps

A good training program is one that is all inclusive, and machines can only get you so far. If you utilize exercises in the transverse plane at least 1-2 times you week will you take your training to the next level and simultaneously prevent injury. Remember: just because you can't see a muscle in the mirror doesn't mean you don't need to activate it and strengthen it!

Breathe Your Way to Bigger Lifts

Check yourself: as you read this, are you taking deep, full breaths, or is your breath shallow and inconsistent?

I've found that my clients have the tendency to forget to breathe as the they lift. They're getting ready for a max back squat and they step under the bar with a completely unstable abdomen.

You take, on average, over 20,000 breaths per day, yet somehow, in today's stressful society, breathing is not always automatic. When people are anxious or preoccupied, they may forget to breathe, or their breathing may not be of adequate depth.

The respiratory system, courtesy of www.philschatz.com.

Now, above I've placed a photo of the respiratory system. As you can see, there is a lot going on there. Many people who are stressed or are in the sympathetic nervous system response (fight or flight), will breather primarily through the neck and chest--this is usually easily visible. Someone who is calm and in the parasympathetic nervous system should breathe through the diaphragm, and you will note that their bellies and lower ribcages will expand as they inhale.

The respiratory system obviously provides our brains with oxygen, but it also helps to stabilize our abdomens. When we inhale, the diaphragm contracts and presses up against the lungs, and as we exhale, the diaphragm relaxes.

A proper diaphragmatic breath helps us create intra-abdominal pressure. On a compound movement like a squat, deadlift or bench press, maintaining that intra-abdominal pressure is imperative for safety of the spine and maximal power output.

He may be cute, but we certainly don't want to emulate his physique!

My friend Wileen, a Licensed Massage Therapist and practitioner of NeuroKinetic therapy, gave me this wonderful example--she said that without sufficient intra-abdominal pressure, the body is much like the Slinky Dog in "Toy Story." Essentially, the abdomen will be soft and unprepared to handle a sufficient load.

Would you rather lift with a body like that of Slinky Dog or that of Buzz Lightyear? I have my money on Buzz Lightyear any day of the week.

A heavy lift requires a substantial amount of tension in the body, from the feet, all of the way up to the torso. Without that necessary rigidity, the risk of injury is exponentially higher, and the amount of energy we are wasting comes in droves.

A strong core creates bigger lifts. We can't optimize the strength of the thorax without proper spinal bracing via the breath, so therefore, a stronger breath means more weight on the bar! You follow me?

Now, down to the nitty gritty. You may be wondering how you should breathe on these big lifts. There is a technique that many lifters employ called the Valsalva maneuver. This is just one way to breathe to take advantage of the intra-abdominal pressure. I will warn, though, that anyone who has a history of high blood pressure should not breathe this way, as it does raise the blood pressure even more. Ideally, we want to inhale through the nose, which facilitates a full contraction of the diaphragm. Then, we should engage the abdominals. I tell my clients to imagine like I'm going to punch them in their stomachs. Once they have that down, they may begin the movement. During the hardest part of the movement, or the end of the concentric phase (think of standing up on a deadlift or squat or locking out an overhead press), they should forcefully exhale through the mouth. If they are doing a set with multiple reps, they should repeat this before each repetition.

This photo of the Valsalva maneuver in action demonstrates an iron clad core. As you can see, the airway is cut off and the diaphragm is contracted abdominal cavity expands. This individual is ready to move big weight.

Many people use lifting belts to enhance this effect. The belt acts as somewhat of a tactile cue to improve that core stabilization. I won't get into that too much today, though, as that is enough material for an entirely new post.

As you can see, the way you breathe has a profound impact on your performance, both in and out of the gym. It's is extremely important to learn how to maintain intra-abdominal pressure throughout a heavy lift for both efficacy and safety.

"Neutral Neck:" How to Avoid Straining the Neck While Lifting

It's relatively common knowledge that during the big lifts, you should keep your back flat--some refer to this as a "neutral spine." Despite this, many people forget about the cervical part of the spine, or the neck.

Ideally, on a clean, snatch, deadlift or squat, the neck should stay in line with the rest of the spine. Once the weight gets heavy, however, one may start to compensate by hyperextending his neck as a lifeline. Instead of engaging larger muscles like the latissimus dorsi and the erector spinae, his cervical extensors are now taking the brunt of the work; compensatory patterns like these can lead to big problems over time.

Do not deadlift like this guy. 

To rectify this, I will have my clients find a spot about 3-4 inches in front of them. I will tell them to focus on this point throughout the entire lift. I will also place a PVC pipe behind their backs to help them find a more neutral position: this cue gives them tactile feedback of where their heads should rest.

Maintaining a neutral position of the head will allow you to properly engage your posterior chain while keeping your neck free from overexertion. Stop cheating yourself and find true strength. Movement efficiency is the key to longevity.