Check It Out!

You can check a pic of my home gym and where I train over at John Wood's great site Functional Hand Strength! http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/garage_gyms.html Mine is the first pic. - Max

Vertical Jump Advice from Dave Lemanczyk

Here's some solid advice from a guy who knows what's what when it comes to basketball and overall athletic development (he played professionally overseas and can still get up now at a solid 240 lbs. - see above): What I am going to tell you today will change the way you look at vertical leap training. In itself, vertical leap training is a complete fad. Plyometrics in itself simply means jump training and nothing more. Sports science can determine the stretch shortening and lengthening cycle but it's still jump training. Many people are all caught up in how high they can jump off of the ground. This measurement is the be all end all for some folks. Honestly, it doesn't mean that much. How doesn't vertical leap mean that much? Well, for starters the game of basketball is played above the rim, especially at the higher levels. At the lower levels it is still played above the ground. When the game is played in the air, the only thing that really matters is how high you can reach. Think about that... Does the measurement of your jumping ability off of the ground matter as much as how high you reach? What do you think? Being able to stretch your body to reach higher will help you a lot more than destroying your knees with silly nonsense and not to mention way overpriced jump specialty programs. This comes from a guy who can hop a little bit too as you know! I personally didn't care how high I jumped off the ground as long as my hands we above the rim when I was taking a shot. Every time I took a jump shot, I was above the rim. Every hook shot, above the rim. Every single strong to the hoop move, you guessed it, above the rim. I practiced my swamp lunges over and over until they were perfect. In time, I got the results I earned and was extremely patient in recieving them. I knew anything gained quickly was lost just as quickly. Common sense isn't always common! Next time someone tries to sell you some nonsense vertical jump training, you'll have ammunition to protect yourself against a rip off. http://www.basketballstrength.com

Not what you were expecting to hear? Dave's advice can have that effect on people....and that's what makes it good.


- Max

New Updates!

As you can tell, I've changed things up a bit. Here's what has changed: 1) I changed the title of my blog (originally called Max's Guide to Higher Hops). My posts were becoming less and less concerned with vertical jumping and more with overall athletic development, health, etc. I'm also less obsessed with attaining a high vertical jump than I was when I started this blog (although I'm still striving to improve). I'm now focusing more on ALL athletic traits (conditioning, flexibilty, strength, stability, etc.) in my training. Thus, I figured it was time to change things up. 2) You can now subscribe to this blog. Look underneath the title where it says 'Subscibe'. You would receive an email whenever I update with a new post. 3) Go ahead and leave me any comments you would like by clicking 'comments' at the bottom of each post. Any input would be greatly appreciated. 4) I've added a bunch of new links on the right under 'Helpful Links'. Check 'em out! Thanks for reading! - Max

The Future of Fitness and Four Great Workouts by Josh Henkin

Here's a great article by Strength and Conditioning Coach, Josh Henkin. He's known making sandbags popular again, but clearly uses many tools to get the job done. These workouts are money. The Future of Fitness And Four Great Workouts By Josh Henkin Those that read this are already ahead of so many people trying to improve their fitness, health, and sporting performance. Why? You have already filtered through the garbage information that so many of us are fed through mainstream media. The marketing of unrealistic physiques, unsafe reality programs, and drugged up celebrities has led most people down a path of confusion to how to be fit and healthy. Before the internet, Youtube, cell phones, and mass media, the greatest exposure of fitness and health was through magazines. Yes, before they were “Flex”, “Men’s Health”, and others, there were classics such as “Strength & Health” and “Ironman”. These magazines were written by true strength athletes that were covering strength, wellness, and physique development that were never thought of separately. Our modern version of the old time was truly resurrected by the reintroduction of kettlebell training. Since then people have begun to see what was missing since the classic days of true strength training. Often I explain my form of training to be “athletic based fitness training”, that is to develop all the physical attributes of sport. Of course, some may say they don’t play a sport and just want to be fit. These principles are the same, as the most fit people are generally those that regularly participate in athletics. This is true even if you just want to be a more fit parent! My L.I.F.T. (loaded integrated functional training) system is based around four implements that are truly unique and fit the criteria that I just explained above. These four implements are kettlebells, sandbags, suspension training (typically using the Jungle Gym) and bands (most often we use the versatile TNT cables). Using these four implements in a systemized manner can deliver very powerful results in fitness and sports performance training. These implements are unique in their feel and versatility. They are perfect for individual or team training, beginner or advanced, integrated with existing programs or used as a stand alone system. These four implements can not be replicated by other tools either. I selected them just because of these reasons. Below I am going to list a few of my favorite routines that work the body from head to toe, strength to cardiovascular training, fat burning to increasing functional muscle mass. Workout 1: A1. Kettlebell Clean and Jerk x 5 A2. Sandbag Zercher Squats x 10 Repeat series 4-5 times with a 60 second rest interval between sets. B1. Band Rows for 30 seconds B2. Suspended Leg Curls x 15 Repeat series 3-4 times with 30 second rest interval. C1. Sandbag Shoulder Get-ups x 3 each side C2. Suspended Fall Outs x 10 Repeat series 2-3 times with 30 second rest intervals. Workout 2: A1. Sandbag Snatch to Overhead Lunge x 3 each leg A2. Jungle Gym Chin-ups x 5 Repeat 4-5 times with 90 second rest interval B1. Kettlebell Floor Press x 8 B2. Sandbag Half Moon Snatch x 10 each side Repeat 3-4 times with 60 second rest interval C1. Band Resisted Runs x 30 seconds C2. KB Janda Sit-ups x 6 Repeat 3-4 times with 30 second rest intervals Workout 3: A1. Kettlebell Snatch Left x 10 A2. Kettlebell Snatch Right x 10 A3. Suspended Body Rows x 12 Repeat 3-4 times with 30 second rest intervals B1. Band Push Press x 30 seconds B2. Sandbag Shoulder Lunge Left x 10 B3. Sandbag Shoulder Lunge Right x 10 Repeat 2-3 times with 45 second rest intervals C1. Suspended Side Plank Right x 15 C2. Suspended Side Plank Left x 15 Repeat 2-3 times with 30 second rest intervals Workout 4: A1. Sandbag Squat Clean x 6 A2. Kettlebell Clean and Press x 5 Repeat 3-4 times with 60 second rest interval B1. Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift Right x 8 B2. Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift Left x 8 B3. Suspended Push-ups x 15 Repeat 3-4 times with 45 second rest interval C1. Band Twists Right x 10 C2. Band Twists Left x 10 C3. Sandbag Around the World x 30 seconds each side Repeat 3-4 times with 30 second rest intervals As you can quickly see these workouts have great variety, training methods, and are very powerful with their effectiveness. I recommend doing the above four days a week. To see more of these workouts sign-up for our free newsletter at http://www.sandbagexercises.com/ I'm definitely drawn to these type of workouts more than I used to be. I used to have the "go heavy or go home" attitude. I know barbells are useful (depending on your goals), bit lately I've been rethinking my views on this after reading Dave Lemanczyk's work. Especially for basketball players. Something to think about.... - Max

Self Improvement-10 point plan

A simple plan from the infamous Jack Lalanne:

1.Exercise

2.Nutrition

3.Positive thinking

4.Good habits

5.Grooming

6.Smile

7.Posture

8.Help others

9.Relaxation

10.Faith

There's a few I could improve on....How about you? - Max

Today's Quote

"Success means doing things that others don't." - Motivational Speaker Rory Vaden Are you? - Max

Check Out This Blog and Websites

Check out Dave Lemanczyk's blog when you get a chance. He hasn't updated it in a while, but go back through the archives and read his previous posts. He's a guy who knows what he's talking about. He played profressional ball overseas, so yeah I'd take his advice pretty seriously. How many other former professional athletes have websites where they give out fee advice on how to make it? WARNING: Dave tells it like it is and doesn't make up fancy crap to try and attract more people. He did VERY basic stuff (which works, it's just that everyone thinks you need something 'special') and just busted his tail. Here's his other websites: Basketball Strength (I don't often promote products from the internet, and believe me I own quite a few - most are crap, but this is probably the best product I've ever seen. Don't expect anything flashy or fancy from this guy. If you have $50 I'd HIGHLY recommend it) Keg Conditioning (If this product is up to the level of his other one, it's probably pretty dang good as well. Both are excellent if you're sick of the typical gym scene and want something better) Even if you don't want to buy these (which is fine, I'm not getting anything for promoting them), sign up for his "newsletter/tips" on each website. He sends them out almost daily and I've learned A TON from him so far. Great stuff. Train hard. Don't let your lack of equipment or money be an excuse. All you need is yourself. - Max

I Walk the Line

There is no ONE best way to achieve results. Get that in your head. Every method, program, system, etc. has it's drawbacks. The truth, is usually somewhere in the middle, not on the EXTREME right or EXTREME left side of the road. Sure, some are better than others, but even the "perfect" workout program you stumbled upon DEFINETLY has it's pro's and con's. In the training world, it seems everyone has to pick one side of the road. Whether it's plyometrics, HIT, powerlifting, bodyweight training, kettlebells, exercise bands, explosive lifting, olympic lifts, machines, strongman equipment, etc., there is NO ONE WAY. All of these things can be useful at times, but none of them are perfect and depending on your goal, should probably not be use exclusively. There's a saying that goes, "It's not WHAT you do, it's HOW you do it." Read that again. Guess what? People have have increased their vertical leap, athleticism, and speed with all of those things. Would some of them have been better off taking a more balanced approach, considering over-use injuries, training their weaknesses, blah, blah, blah? Maybe, but I guarantee they had two things going for them: 1) Hard work. Anyone who's achieved a respectable goal will tell you that they busted their butt everyday. 2) Consistency. They stuck with it. They kept improving no matter what. No excuses. Stop worrying if your doing the right thing, get off the couch and actually DO. Stop thinking, planning, resting, and whattever else and TAKE ACTION. As Nike says, "just do it". If you actaully have common sense, this isn't a bad motto. You can have the best program in the world, written bt the top trainer in the world, SPECIFICALLY for your needs....and if you don't WORK at it CONSISTENTLY, you'll get crap results. Take that same person and have them just do push-ups and bodyweight squats, but have them do it like THEIR LIFE DEPENDED on it and they will become a stud. There's nothing magical about kettlebells, box jumps, squattin' heavy, olympic lifts, weighted vests, etc. They are just TOOLS. Really, all you need is your body and desire....and you can get AMAZING results with anything fitness related. Ok, to recap: 1) Effort - Work your butt off. Recover. Repeat. 2) Consistency - Work your butt off. Recover. Repeat. Your body can't adapt to whatever it is you're trying to achieve if you train once every three weeks. Pretty simple, eh? Stop wondering, worrying, complaining, thinking, and just DO. And don't think this just applies to fitness, either. "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU DO, IT'S HOW YOU DO IT." - Max

Fun in the Sun

So far, I've been lovin' summer and about 95% of my training has been outdoors. I've been doing mostly kettlebell stuff for a quite a few weeks now, and I can definitely tell my body is ready for some heavy iron again. Since I've been enjoying working out in the sunshine and fresh air so much, I decided to bring my crappy, home barbell set outside and do some damage. I don't own enough plates for me to max out on squat or deadlifts, so I decided to go with some High Pulls. I used density training (setting a time limit & seeing how much you can get done in that amount of time) for the high pulls and then finished normal. The time limit was 15 minutes. I started with 3 reps and kept going until fatigue set in, and then obviously lowered the reps until the time was up. This is a backward approach to how most people train (which is why I like it), similar to Charles Staley's EDT method of training or Wake Forest's Strength Coach, Ethan Reeve's take on density training.

Here's what it looked like:


- 10 min. Joint Mobility warm-up w/ some tumbling drills

A1. (EDT - 15 min.) Barbell High Pulls x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1
B1. Heavy Sandbag Squat x 4, 3, 3
C1. Light Sandbag Lunge Matrix (forward/side/reverse) x 2 ea. leg ea. direction x 2
rest: 30 sec.
C2. Kettlebell Swing w/ band 2 x 8
rest: 60 sec.
D1. Barbell RDL's 2 x 10
D2. Sandbag Pistol Squat 2 x 2 ea. leg
rest: 45 sec.
E1. KB Windmill 3 x 3 ea. side
E2. Sandbag Rotational Throw 3 x 2 ea. side
rest: 45 sec.

Time (not including warm-up): 43 min.

After I finished I cooled down with some advice from Eric Cressey I read. He says sometimes, instead of static stretching at the end of his athlete's workouts, he'll just have them run through some more mobility/dynamic flexibility drill and just have them hold each position longer than usual. I liked it a lot...nice way to cool down.









- Max

The Step-up : a real squat alternative?

I'm a big fan of squats, especially box squats, but very few people (at least at my gym) squat correctly. No wonder everyone thinks they're dangerous and hurt your knees. To quote Dan John, "Squats don't hurt your knees. The way YOU squat hurts your knees."

Heavy Step-Ups might be a great alternative to squats. Read this great article on them over at Straight to the Bar. Not saying you should give up squatting all together. Keep working on your form with bodyweight squats or try box squats. You could also do some heavy squat variation once a week and some heavy step-ups on another day or do a three week cycle of squats followed by a three week cycle of step-ups. This would be a nice way to keep punishing those legs while taking stress off your back and letting your CNS recover.

I think heavy unilateral work (one limb) is HIGHLY underated. Everyone's in love with heavy squats and deadlifts (me included), but have you ever tried HEAVY step-ups, split squats, bulgarian split squats, lunges, and pistols??? Not easy at all.......

Don't give up the basics. They work. Always have, always will. Just don't be afraid to substitue heavy unilateral work for a few weeks to give your body a break once in a while.

The Top 10 Mistakes When Training For Vertical Jump

Kelly Baggett gives us another great article...




Where do you fall in the list?













- Max

A Primal Blueprint

Mark Sisson wrote a great post on his blog Mark Sisson's Daily Apple.

He discusses how our ancestor's lived thousands of years ago and how we should be living today......think the blueprint is much different?

If you're interested in how to eat better, feel better, perform better, and become just plain healthier, I highly recommend you check out his blog.

It's Time to Try Something New

This guy knows how to stay low.....


Here's a great read from Eric Cressey on why kids get injured so much these days....

Newsletter 113


I have to say, I totally agree. I played several different sports throughout the year up until I was in 5th grade. From then on, I concentrated only on basketball. I played roughly 100 games per year from then until my senior season was over. Throw in some open gyms, pick-up games at random places, and just practicing on my own most days out of the week and that's A TON of basketball!! Looking back, I would have been much better going out for track and field in the spring, playing football in the fall, and just focusing on the weights in the summer, and not on playing so much. Were those extra 50 to 60 games in the spring, summer, and fall (yes, there are fall AAU leagues) really helping that much?? I would have moved much better/efficiently, experienced less injuries/pain, had much more desire to play/practice HARD, and just been a better all-around athlete. You could make the argument that someone wouldn't be as good at their sport, but are all those hours of just light practicing because your knees are killing you really doing anything? Playing one sport year round obviously leads to overuse injuries and a limiting range of motion. I don't care if you've practiced 10x more than your oppenent. If he is able to stay lower than you (there obviously will be exceptions, but if you're on the same playing level), he is a) going to be quicker and b) going to drive past you and score. He probably will have less joint pain throughout the season. Like I said, there are exceptions, but don't under appreciate the value of staying low.




I'm not saying playing your sport isn't valuable...but would you be better off being a better all-around athlete. Yes, even if you don't want to go out for other sports, spend less time playing competetively and more time learning a new skill that will help you in your given sport (lifting weights through a full range of motion, learing some gymnastics/bodyweight movements, wall climbing, flag football, etc.). Anything that has you moving in a different way and developing other athletic qualities will help you become more aware of your body and reduce your chance of injury.

So, how can you improve in this area?

Helpful Videos:

Wall Hip Mobility 1

Wall Hip Mobility 2

Hip Mobility 3

Ankle Mobility

don't forget to do a: Dynamic Warm-up

Helpful articles:

The 3rd World Squat (a great article!)

The Essential 8 Mobility Drills

The Mobility Complex

It takes discipline to do this stuff. Make it a habit. I think that you'll find that you perform much better both on the court and in the weight room.


- Max

Searching for Deadlifts.....*sigh*

This weekend I was away from home for a few days. Naturally, today I got a bad hankering to do some deadlifting. My freind gave me a pass to a new commercial gym that had recently opened in their town. I thought I'd try it out. I went in the gym and immediately they had me fill out an information packet. Next, one of the employees had me go over to her desk and sit down for a questionare. The conversation went something like this:

Employee: So, what are you hoping to get out "___ Gym"?

Me: Uh, just looking for a place to deadlift.

Employee: Oh, what is that?

Me: (with puzzled look on my face) Where you lift weights off the floor....

Employee: Oh, sure..... So, would you describe your current fitness training?

Me: Well, basically I deadlift, squat, press, and row. I do bodyweight stuff, sled dragging, sandbag work, jumping, climbing rope, hill sprints, car pushing, and jump rope. Um, let's see..yeah I've done all that in the past few months.

Employee: (staring at me)

Me: Oh, yeah. I forgot, I love kettlebells, too. Swings, snatches, turkish get-ups, you know....the usual.

Employee: (not sure what to write)

(awkward silence)

Employee: ....... Well, ok..... On a scale of 1 - 5 how would you rate your knowledge on our new, state of the art cardio machines ?

Me: .......1?

Employee: Really?

Me: Well, I'm sure I could get them to work....if I had to.

Employee: Would you like me take you over and show you how to use all of them?

Me: (shifting uncomfortably in chair) ...No, thanks.

Employee: (puzzled look on face) Uh, ok. How would you rate your knowledge on resistance training from 1-5?

Me: 5, I guess.

Employee: Ha, all of the men always say "5" on that one. So, you know how to use all our resistance machines?

Me: (getting annoyed) No, I know how to deadlift and squat.

Employee: (awkward smile)

Me: (silence)

Employee: Well, uh, let's go to the next question. How would you describe your current eating habits?

Me: In one sentence?

Employee: Well, what foods do you normally eat?

Me: Meats, fruit, vegetables....and water. Sometimes I have cake.

Employee: Ooook....What goals are you hoping to achieve at "____ Gym"?

Me: I'm just looking for a place to deadlift.

(silence)

Employee: And what would say are your main fitness goals? Toning up, getting a good pump, losing weight?.....

Me: To get as strong as humanly possible.......And to touch the top of the backboard.

Employee: (writes "strength?")

Employee: Alright, well let me just bring this over to my manager.

Me: (looking around) Do you guys even have a squat rack?

Employee: (walking away and yells) Yeah, we have 7 smith machines!

Me: (vomits in mouth)




Long story short, I ended up training outside and relying on my trusty one-stop-gym-in-a-trunk. In my car's trunk I currently have:

2 kettlebells
a 20 ft. thick rope
70 lbs. sandbag
20 lbs. weighted vest
tire sled w/ weights

The moral of the story is: DON'T LET ANYONE OR ANYTHING GET IN THE WAY OF YOU HAVING A PRODUCTIVE TRAINING SESSION. It's just not worth it, in my opinion. You only have so many hours in a week and so much physical/mental stress your body can handle. If your not having fun and getting results from your current training, then what are you doing? Life's too short. Don't let negativity in any form stand in the way of your goals. If your gym doesn't allow you to do the things you know you need to do to achieve your athletic goals, then get out! Work at at home, at a playground, find a new hardcore gym, buy some weights for your own, or whatever it takes! Don't pussyfoot around and waste your valuable time. Figure out how to get the most "bang for your buck".

After I left the gym I found a nice spot outside and did the following:
practice dunking with weighted vest (15 lbs) until noticeable power decrease
box jumps 2 x 5
kettlebell snatches 5 x 5
kettlebell swings 4 x 20

When I finished I was a happy camper. Although I was pissed off about they gym's sassy attitude and lack of power racks, I didn't let that stop me from getting in a short, solid workout.


- Max

The Plague of The Mediocre Athlete: No Glutes = No Results

Here's a great article by Kelly Baggett, No Glutes = No Results. I think this is a big problem with athletes, especially skinny basketball players like myself. While going to this extent may not be neccesary for some of you, for others it might be your missing ingredient.

Evem if you don't need/want to follow this program, I hope you realize the importance of not only having strong, but properly functioning glutes. At the very least, I hope you start including glute activation drills in your warm-ups. Doing this along with some good joint mobility drills will only take you an extra 10 minutes and will go a long way in helping you stay injury free and get more out of your training. If you can't achieve proper form when lifting do to inactive muscles and lack of mobility/flexibility, how do you expect to get anything out of them?

On a seperate note, if you haven't already read all of Kelly's articles that pertain to you and your sport, DO SO NOW. This guy really knows his stuff and gives out a lot of great FREE info on his site.




- Max

Let's talk feet.....

Well, I haven't posted in quite a while. Don't worry though, I'm back. I have a lot on my mind so I'll be trying to post quite often so be sure to check back every couple of days.

Now, let's talk feet. If you haven't read either of these articles, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

Feet Hurt? Stop Wearing Shoes.

You Walk Wrong.

Hopefully, after you look those articles over, you'll understand why I hate most shoes and think people should stop wearing them. You'll also understand why I spent $80 to buy a pair Vibram Five Fingers.


Yesterday was the first day I wore them. Here's a few things I noticed:
1) Walking without shoes all day is hardwork. Today my feet and lower legs are sore. This is no surprise seeing how feet are probably the weakest part of most people's body.
2) My heels became very sore if I didn't make sure to walk correctly. Most of us bang our heels on the ground because of years of conventional shoe wearing.
3) I felt more energetic. I know it sounds weird, but being in contact with the ground of the earth gives you a sort of an energy. Some people might call this "chi". I don't. It's hard to explain, so I guess the only way to understand is to go barefoot all day outside or start wearing Five Fingers.
4) My joints felt much better throughout the day. It's very rare that I go the entire day without some discomfort.
5) I felt loose and relaxed. I was sitting down for much of the day, but I never felt tight or stiff as I normally do when sitting for long periods. This doesn't mean you should sit around all day. Get up and move.

Wow, that's a lot to notice after just one day of use. Besides the benefits of going barefoot or wearing Five Fingers listed in those articles, you might be wondering, "Max, what do you specifically hope to accomplish by wearing those weird slipper things?" Good question. Here's what I hope to accomplish:

a) I have weird, nasty feet. There I said it. I attribute this to years of wearing shoes that were too big for me. Some of it might be genetic, too. My toes clawed at the sole of the shoe to try and stay balanced. Now, well for some time now, I have what's known as Hammer Toes. It's not a pretty sight. Add on to that the fact that I have EXTREMELY high arches and that I'm also a supinator, and you have a recipe for disaster. It's no wonder that I have a history of ankle sprains and foot problems. I hope to correct these problems and return to the state of how God made us: barefoot.

b) I also have some other physical ailments that I hope going barefoot will correct. These are moslty lack of mobility in the ankles and hips. This doesn't mean I still won't be working directly on my mobility in these areas. I'm probably better than most, but still not at the level I want to be at. If you didn't already know, having optimum mobility paired with being strong leads to being able to stay low, jump high, run fast, and be explosive. Just in case any of those things are important to you.

So, there you have it. Even if you don't decide to wear Five Fingers, try going barefoot whenever you can. Around the house, when you work out, mowing the lawn (watch those toes), etc. I hope you've changed your mind on the facny new shoes with shocks and pumps you just got. We were made to be barefoot, just like we were made to eat earth-grown foods, lift heavy stuff, and move everyday. Something to think about. Well, I'm off to go deadlift at my gym while wearing my Five Fingers. I expect to get some looks.



- Max

Jump Training Blog

Here's a link to another cool blog dedicated to jump training and improving overall athleticism. This guy is more of a track person, but he still knows his stuff.


Enjoy.





- Max

Switching to a Full Body Training Split

For some time now (at least a year) I've been usually following a 4 x week training template with an upper/lower blody split. For most of that time I was using Joe DeFranco's Westside for Skinny Bastards program (or least something pretty similar) and it definitely has worked. Lately, I've been a little frustrated with my lack of improvement (especially with gaining size) and I've just been a little bored in general with my training. The more I read about ectomorphs (those with thin bone structure and long limbs), which I am, the more I'm starting to think I might do better with a 3x a week full body split. I've noticed that I tend to gain more mass with more frequent training, as opposed to going 3-4 days before I work the same muscles again. I 'm still going to have a specific emphasis on each day (max effort, dynamic effort, repitition effort) like WSFSB did. Here's what the basic layout for each day would look like:

1. Explosive Movement
2. Squating Movement (inculdes single leg variations like step-ups, lunges, etc.)
3. Horizontal Press/Pull or Vertical Press/Pull superset
4. Posterior Chain/Hamstring Movement
5. Abs/Grip Circuit

And here's what a typical week of training might look like:

Day 1 - Max Effort:
Dynamic warm-up/Joint Mobility drills
1. 1 arm DB Snatch 8 x 2
2. Box Squat (heavy) 6 x 3-5
3A. DB Bench Press (heavy) 5 x 5
3B. 1 arm DB Row (heavy) 5 x 5
4. Barbell Goodmorning 3 x 10
5A. DB Farmer's Walk 3 x distance
5B. Back XT 3 x 10-12
5C. Ground Ab Circuit 3 rounds

Day 2 - Repetition Effort/Accesory
Dynamic warm-up/Joint Mobility drills
1. Barbell Hang Clean 5 x 2
2. DB Bulgarian Split Squat 2 x 10
3A. Chin-up (medium) 4 x 8
3B. 1 arm DB Military Press (medium) 4 x 8
4. 1 leg DB RDL's 2 x 10
5A. DB Hex Holds 3 x 10 sec.
5B. Woodchoppers 3 x 10

Day 3 - Dynamic Effort and Rep. Effort
Dynamic warm-up/Joint Mobility drills
1. Box Squats w/ Bands (speed squats w/ heavy band tension, light weight) 10 x 2
2A. Push-up Variation (light) 3 x 10
2B. Inverted Row (light) 3 x 10
3A. Rack Pulls 6 x 2, 1 x 15
3B. Deadlifts w/ added ROM 2 x 3
4A. Farmer's Walk 2 x distance
4B. Back XT 2 x 8
4C. Ab Plank Variations 1 x each variation as long as possible

I'll try this for 3-4 weeks and let you know how it goes. My diet will stay the same so I know how well I respond to this type of training. Everyone needs to switch it up every so often... Remember that your body adapts to anything in a few or even a couple of weeks. With WSFSB, I was switching up the volume every week and changing exercises every 2-3 weeks depending on how I was feeling. I never though of changing the number of days I lift a week.

Always try to improve. Never become satisfied.



- Max

Playgrounds, Kettlebells, and Stones...Oh My!

Since the weather was nice today, I hit up the local playground to get some work done. Here's what my training looked like:

Upper Body Rep. Effort - I hit all these in circuit style fashion, resting about a min. between rounds

1A. Pull-up variations x 6, 5, 4
1B. Push-up w/ feet elevated x 18, 15, 12
1C. Kettlebell Snatch x 6 l/r, 7 l/r, 8 l/r
1D. Stone Military Press x 10, 10, 10 (I found a nice heavy one @ my house and brought it with)
1E. 1 arm Recline Body Rows x 8, 6, 6

Conditioning - 3 rounds

2A. Bear Crawl x 100 ft.
2B. Jump Rope x 100
2C. KB Swing x 25

And for good measure:

3. KB Swings x 100







Train outside when you can. Just be resourceful and use your imagination. Bodyweight training can be brutal and there are thousands of variations of basics...










Train hard. Be creative.

- Max

Contrast Showers

If you've read my past posts, you know that I'm a big fan of Contrast Showers (Hot/Cold Showers) or baths. As far as I know, scientific research isn't conclusive on these as far as how much they help with recovery. All I know is that when I utilize them, I feel great.

This guy is also a fan.










Train Hard. Recover Hard.


- Max