Foam rolling for the lower body

Here is a quick video I put together demonstrating some foam rolling techniques for the lower body.

Enjoy!

If it's important, do it every day.

I have a man crush on Dan John, yup I admit it. I have yet to find a strength coach who simplifies complex things so well. He always say " If it's important, do it every day." This holds true to so many things, here are some thoughts:

Training

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat more protein.

3. Learn something new about YOUR body.

4. Sleep.

5. Stretch-it feels good. I don't care about the studies on static stretching, it feels good so I do it.

6. Foam roll- again, some say it works and others don't. It works for me so I will roll with that.

7. Hip band work- yup, these prep drills look like something out of a Jane Fonda video. I don't care, my hips and back always feel better after.

8. Stretch my hip flexors- man I can't get enough of this. We sit all day in a flexed position. Do yourself a favor, stretch those puppies out.

9. Side- lying-Tspine rotations- aka rib pulls...these always feel great. Sometimes I get a few cracks too. Who needs a chiro?

10. Turkish get ups- do I have to explain

http://skillofstrength.blogspot.com/2010/08/veggies-and-get-ups.html

Life

1. Tell your loved ones you love them.

2. Learn from someone younger and less experienced than you.

3. Open doors for people.

4. Teach at least once a day.

5. Give more than you get.

6. Buy a cup of coffee for someone in the military. They give it all so we don't have to. Spend a few bucks and say thanks

7. Say "Your welcome" and "Thank you"

8. Leave a good tip for a waiter/waitress during the holidays. If they do a good job, spread the cheer

9. Listen more, talk less.

10. Be patient.-Good things come to those who wait. If you don't get it when you want it, you weren't ready for it.

11. Breathe- never underestimate the power of breathing.

The Hardest Workout EVER!!

I always here people say " Man, that was the toughest workout ever." Hard workouts are easy to formulate, and here is the secret.

Stupidity+Tons of Reps+ limited recovery+poor choice of weight+ highly technical lifts performed while fatigued = a dumb/hard workout

One more thing, a high powered stimulant always helps

So if you want a hard workout, here you go. Oh, and by the way these are very dumb workouts and if you try them you may be a bit soft upstairs.

10 dumb/hard workouts

1. 45 minutes of jumping jacks

2. 1 mile 200lb sled push

3. Deadlift your bodyweight in reps with no rest. Here is an example.

You weigh 175lbs, you must deadlift 175lbs for the 175 reps with no rest

4. 1/4 mile farmers walk with 125lb dumbells, if you drop the weight you must do 25 burpees as a penalty. Burpees are done every time the weight is put down.

5. Step into the ring with a pro MMA fighter, if you lose you must run a full marathon.

6. Unrack all the dumbells in your gym, load them into your car, Push the car for a 1/4 mile then load the dumbells back into the gym. Repeat twice

7. 20 weighted vest triple clap push-ups. If you fail you must perform an opposing limb bear crawl for 1/2 a mile. Remember, you have to use opposing limbs. I.E...only your right leg and left arm can touch the ground, or vice versa.

8. Perform the Tabata protocol with a 300 lb sled while hungover. If you are not hungover, drink a gallon of milk before the workout.

9. Perform 100 push-ups, then 99, 98, 97....all the way down to 0. Once finished do the same with pull-ups.

10. Swim a mile with your right arm only, but you can only swim the mile in a clockwise fashion.

This was fun, if you need more workouts please ask :)

DISCLAIMER- if you do any of these you are foolish.

Earning the deadlift

The deadlift or health lift has been around for a couple hundred years. Most strength professionals comprehend the benefits of this amazing lift but few know how to utilize it. Here are the most common mistakes with the deadlift.

1. Pulling in lumbar flexion- Unless you are competing in Powerlifting, their is no reason to pull in flexion. To be honest, it's really dumb

2. Lack of tension- In order to execute the deadlift, tension must be created. I see way too many people jerking the bar of the ground. The deadlift is a grind and not a ballistic movement.

3. It looks like a squat/deadlift/weird way of picking up weight thing- I see this alot, it's not a squat, it's not deadlift, it's a mix of these but both are done poorly. It looks as if someone is picking up a giant load of crap. Yup, let's call this the CRAPLIFT. Google deadlift on youtube, you may even see the infamous craplift.

4. Disconnecting the shoulders- most people don't understand how to connect the arms via lats. If you see rounded shoulders and a flailing torso, I am pretty sure the shoulders aren't connected. If you find a strength coach and they haven't mentioned the shoulders connecting at all, run the other way. While running the other way,throw in a tabata, its great fitness :)

Ok, back to the article. The deadlift must be earned. Several things must happen before one earns the deadlift. Here are a few recomendations before you starting deadlifting.

1. Get screened- get an FMS from a certified screener. He/she will let you know about any imbalances that may create problems for you and your training regimen. Fix the issues then progress

2. Find a strength coach that teaches and practices deadlifts a lot- Find a coach that can teach a deadlift to anyone. Their are many types of deadlifts, a good coach may teach you a different variation depending on your body type, injury history, training age etc. I also prefer strength coaches that practice what they preach. To me, this goes a long way.

3. Master the hip hinge- A symmetrical hip hinge it vital to a good deadlift. Master the hip hinge before you pull from the floor. This will ensure low back health and well as proper posterior chain development. The Active Straight Leg Raise or ASLR from the FMS is a great screen for the deadlift. If your hips are off, so is your deadlift.

4. Bring the floor to you- If you do not have the mobility to pull the bar of the floor with a neutral spine and good hip hinge then elevate the weight. Place the weight on a bumper plate, small box, or something stable. The will allow you to load the deadlift without compromising your low back. Remember safety first

5. Get your reps in- Practice the deadlift. It sound simple, but practice your technique as much as possible. You can practice every day, just make sure that you vary your loads and not fry your CNS. I love practicing 4x8 and 5x10 with newbie deadlifters. With proper weight and tempo, this will develop work capacity as well a create a healthy neurological pattern for the deadlift. Most athletes aren't ready for a true 5x5 deadlift routine day unless they have earned the pattern with thousands of good reps. Remember, Skill is a Strength :)

The deadlift is awesome, it's actually better than you

Here is some motivation :)