Adarq.org
Performance Area => Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion => Topic started by: RJ Nelsen on June 02, 2009, 06:25:06 pm
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Well, the site is only a few hours old, but already we've got quite the membership. To ease everyone into posting, I thought I'd start us out with something fairly simple.
Now, I know it would be dumb to limit yourself, but if you could only use 5 exercises to train an athlete (regardless of sport, but assume it's anaerobic and land-based), what would they be?
Mine would be (in no specific order)
-ISO Bulgarian Split Squats
-ISO and OI Weighted Ab Work
-Short Sprints (<60M @ full speed)
-Depth Jumps
-Overhead Weight/DB/KB/Med Ball Throws
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Well, the site is only a few hours old, but already we've got quite the membership. To ease everyone into posting, I thought I'd start us out with something fairly simple.
Now, I know it would be dumb to limit yourself, but if you could only use 5 exercises to train an athlete (regardless of sport, but assume it's anaerobic and land-based), what would they be?
Mine would be (in no specific order)
-ISO Bulgarian Split Squats
-ISO and OI Weighted Ab Work
-Short Sprints (<60M @ full speed)
-Depth Jumps
-Overhead Weight/DB/KB/Med Ball Throws
in no specific order as well:
- squat
- depth jump
- barbell lunge
- heavy weighted pillars for core (30-45s)
- controlled barbell calf raises (ya im becoming a fan...)
i'll assume sprinting/jumping is apart of this sport so that i don't have to waste an exercise ;)
only problem with heavy weighted pillars is that, since I train alone, i simply cannot do them.
i notice excellent ankle stiffness with the incorporation of depth jumps.. these improvements don't last too long unless i keep performing them.. i've noticed alot more pop out of my calfs as of late, by simply introducing heavy barbell calf raise singles..
i love kellyb's horsepower analogies.. unfortunately, alot of people assume horsepower is only important in the glutes/hamstrings.. the body has a few engines that are vital to performance;
- calfs/ankles/feet
- hamstrings/quads/adductors
- glutes/core
- powerful arm swing
unfortunately my list of exercises doesn't include med ball work.. i have not used it in my training, but in the training of Jamie McOwen & the other pro guys i definitely have seen its effectiveness... you can tell it works just by how fast you see improvements in broad jump/vert.
the "ankle engine" to me seems so damn important.. I have yet to make significant permanent gains in this department.. jump sessions following moderate-high volume depth jumps from 18" are much more efficient.. stiff leg ankle hops also work the same way for me.. in my dunk videos, you will see my plants alternate from mushy to stiffer, throughout the last 1.5 years.. they are stiffer following depth jumps/stiff leg hops, and thus higher.. i need to be more consistent with my depth jumps/stiff leg ankle hops from now on, and add in the heavy weighted stimulus of barbell calf raises.. after my deload, my new high frequency program will try and achieve some permanent gains in this department.. it's also much more glute/hamstring dominant.
edit #233523523: if you look at the intro pure-dedication video, i definitely was staying off my heel in my plants.. i had alot more spring than normal.. i did ramp up stiff leg ankle hops (submax) and hit some heavy barbell calf raises singles 2 days prior to this session.. it could also have been some crazy supercompensation though, because i maxed out on squat 2d in a row, rested a day, then dunked.
peace
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Hi Guys
I love your writings and insights so thought I would get on board.
Top 5 favorite exercises
For Strength
Safety Bar Squats - regular and lightened method
Trap Bar Deadlift
Travelling Lunges - uphill is always fun in a brutal masochistic kind of way
For Jumping
123 Drill
Box jumps with a weight vest - simple but effective
Using a combination of these exercises I have seen great results both in my own training and with my clients.
Cheers
Jack
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Hi Guys
I love your writings and insights so thought I would get on board.
Top 5 favorite exercises
For Strength
Safety Bar Squats - regular and lightened method
Trap Bar Deadlift
Travelling Lunges - uphill is always fun in a brutal masochistic kind of way
For Jumping
123 Drill
Box jumps with a weight vest - simple but effective
Using a combination of these exercises I have seen great results both in my own training and with my clients.
Cheers
Jack
sup jack ;)
never done lunges up hill, but it definitely has to be good... how heavy do you go on them? is this a lighter variation or do you bring the big db's out?
peace
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i would say top 5 weight lifts would be
1.Deep Squat
2.Powerclean
3.Power Snatch
4.Stiff Leg Dead
5.Step Up
Top 5 speed/plyo
1.Sprints
2.depth jumps
3.Weighted Jump squat
4.Hurle hops
5.One leg Bounds
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My 5 favorite lifts would probably be these:
1.Romanian Deadlift
2.Powerclean
3.Push Press
4.Bench Press
5.Inverted Rows
My track coach had us do kippings to work the upper back and they might be more effective than inverted rows; however, I just hate anything related to pull ups.
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Hi Guys
I love your writings and insights so thought I would get on board.
Top 5 favorite exercises
For Strength
Safety Bar Squats - regular and lightened method
Trap Bar Deadlift
Travelling Lunges - uphill is always fun in a brutal masochistic kind of way
For Jumping
123 Drill
Box jumps with a weight vest - simple but effective
Using a combination of these exercises I have seen great results both in my own training and with my clients.
Cheers
Jack
sup jack ;)
never done lunges up hill, but it definitely has to be good... how heavy do you go on them? is this a lighter variation or do you bring the big db's out?
peace
Actually I use a combination of sandbags and weight vests. I try and use a weight I can handle for between 5-10 strides per leg. This exercise never ceases to leave people sore the next day no matter how many times they have done it before. I like using it for some of my younger Aussie rules players if they turn up late.
JW
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1) Squats
2) Lunges/BSS Iso and traditional
3) Sprints, varying distances
4) Pullups
5) Heavy ab work
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Actually I find picking a sample of five exercises which must fulfill the needs of all sports not "fairly simple" but I'll give it a try.
- Front Squat: Judging from my experience it is the exercise with most carry over to a broad variety of athletic movements. I also prefer it to other leg exercises like deadlift variations or the squat due to the fact that it goes much easier with the lower back and CNS.
- Leg Curls or GHR: For optimal developement of the legs direct work for the short head of the biceps femoris is inevitable.
- Ab and Back circuit: I regard this as one exercise, since picking only one exercise for the core wouldn't be very beneficial. Just throw in some crunch variation, russian twists, back raise, side raise, etc and perform them in a circuit fashion.
- Chin Ups: Probably my favorite upper body exercise. It's a great general strength exercise which involves many muscle groups. I've seen many people who have built beasty backs with chin ups being their only back exercise.
- Overhead Press: My second favorite upper body exercise with great carryover to many sports.
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Actually I find picking a sample of five exercises which must fulfill the needs of all sports not "fairly simple" but I'll give it a try.
- Front Squat: Judging from my experience it is the exercise with most carry over to a broad variety of athletic movements. I also prefer it to other leg exercises like deadlift variations or the squat due to the fact that it goes much easier with the lower back and CNS.
- Leg Curls or GHR: For optimal developement of the legs direct work for the short head of the biceps femoris is inevitable.
- Ab and Back circuit: I regard this as one exercise, since picking only one exercise for the core wouldn't be very beneficial. Just throw in some crunch variation, russian twists, back raise, side raise, etc and perform them in a circuit fashion.
- Chin Ups: Probably my favorite upper body exercise. It's a great general strength exercise which involves many muscle groups. I've seen many people who have built beasty backs with chin ups being their only back exercise.
- Overhead Press: My second favorite upper body exercise with great carryover to many sports.
i personally have found front squat to be more effective than back squat in my own training.. only problem is, every time i start front squatting i get this problem in my upper spine.. something gets tweaked, it effects my breathing and it's just annoying.
dno just thought i'd share... but i'd be using front squat primarily if it didn't aggravate that issue.
peace
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My only issue with front squats is that they leave out to glutes, at least for me they do. With back squats usually that's not an issue.
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Actually I find picking a sample of five exercises which must fulfill the needs of all sports not "fairly simple" but I'll give it a try.
- Front Squat: Judging from my experience it is the exercise with most carry over to a broad variety of athletic movements. I also prefer it to other leg exercises like deadlift variations or the squat due to the fact that it goes much easier with the lower back and CNS.
- Leg Curls or GHR: For optimal developement of the legs direct work for the short head of the biceps femoris is inevitable.
- Ab and Back circuit: I regard this as one exercise, since picking only one exercise for the core wouldn't be very beneficial. Just throw in some crunch variation, russian twists, back raise, side raise, etc and perform them in a circuit fashion.
- Chin Ups: Probably my favorite upper body exercise. It's a great general strength exercise which involves many muscle groups. I've seen many people who have built beasty backs with chin ups being their only back exercise.
- Overhead Press: My second favorite upper body exercise with great carryover to many sports.
i personally have found front squat to be more effective than back squat in my own training.. only problem is, every time i start front squatting i get this problem in my upper spine.. something gets tweaked, it effects my breathing and it's just annoying.
dno just thought i'd share... but i'd be using front squat primarily if it didn't aggravate that issue.
peace
maybe you need to work on t-mobility
top 5 exercises:
Squat
Lunge
GHR
RDL
Push Up
Pull Up
I know it's 6 but...
The way i see it:
Most every other exercise is a variation of these core lifts. Think about say a kettlebell swing or prime time. They are essentially the same movement pattern as an RDL. So you master proper activation through the RDL, then transfer the skill to more rapid fire movements. The goal of each is the same, get the glute to extend your hip. If you cant do that in a slow movement like an RDL you won't be able to get the glute to fire during a prime time.
It's kinda like the WGF Skill, strength, endurance, power progression.
Squats eventually turn into REA squats, ADA squat, RA Squat (depth jump). But you master the movement first. Same with lunges.
So then the progression looks kinda like
iso, iso mio, pim, fda, ada, rea, ra, rfi/rate work
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Actually I find picking a sample of five exercises which must fulfill the needs of all sports not "fairly simple" but I'll give it a try.
- Front Squat: Judging from my experience it is the exercise with most carry over to a broad variety of athletic movements. I also prefer it to other leg exercises like deadlift variations or the squat due to the fact that it goes much easier with the lower back and CNS.
- Leg Curls or GHR: For optimal developement of the legs direct work for the short head of the biceps femoris is inevitable.
- Ab and Back circuit: I regard this as one exercise, since picking only one exercise for the core wouldn't be very beneficial. Just throw in some crunch variation, russian twists, back raise, side raise, etc and perform them in a circuit fashion.
- Chin Ups: Probably my favorite upper body exercise. It's a great general strength exercise which involves many muscle groups. I've seen many people who have built beasty backs with chin ups being their only back exercise.
- Overhead Press: My second favorite upper body exercise with great carryover to many sports.
i personally have found front squat to be more effective than back squat in my own training.. only problem is, every time i start front squatting i get this problem in my upper spine.. something gets tweaked, it effects my breathing and it's just annoying.
dno just thought i'd share... but i'd be using front squat primarily if it didn't aggravate that issue.
peace
maybe you need to work on t-mobility
top 5 exercises:
Squat
Lunge
GHR
RDL
Push Up
Pull Up
I know it's 6 but...
The way i see it:
Most every other exercise is a variation of these core lifts. Think about say a kettlebell swing or prime time. They are essentially the same movement pattern as an RDL. So you master proper activation through the RDL, then transfer the skill to more rapid fire movements. The goal of each is the same, get the glute to extend your hip. If you cant do that in a slow movement like an RDL you won't be able to get the glute to fire during a prime time.
It's kinda like the WGF Skill, strength, endurance, power progression.
Squats eventually turn into REA squats, ADA squat, RA Squat (depth jump). But you master the movement first. Same with lunges.
So then the progression looks kinda like
iso, iso mio, pim, fda, ada, rea, ra, rfi/rate work
very nice post..
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Actually I find picking a sample of five exercises which must fulfill the needs of all sports not "fairly simple" but I'll give it a try.
- Front Squat: Judging from my experience it is the exercise with most carry over to a broad variety of athletic movements. I also prefer it to other leg exercises like deadlift variations or the squat due to the fact that it goes much easier with the lower back and CNS.
- Leg Curls or GHR: For optimal developement of the legs direct work for the short head of the biceps femoris is inevitable.
- Ab and Back circuit: I regard this as one exercise, since picking only one exercise for the core wouldn't be very beneficial. Just throw in some crunch variation, russian twists, back raise, side raise, etc and perform them in a circuit fashion.
- Chin Ups: Probably my favorite upper body exercise. It's a great general strength exercise which involves many muscle groups. I've seen many people who have built beasty backs with chin ups being their only back exercise.
- Overhead Press: My second favorite upper body exercise with great carryover to many sports.
i personally have found front squat to be more effective than back squat in my own training.. only problem is, every time i start front squatting i get this problem in my upper spine.. something gets tweaked, it effects my breathing and it's just annoying.
dno just thought i'd share... but i'd be using front squat primarily if it didn't aggravate that issue.
peace
maybe you need to work on t-mobility
top 5 exercises:
Squat
Lunge
GHR
RDL
Push Up
Pull Up
I know it's 6 but...
The way i see it:
Most every other exercise is a variation of these core lifts. Think about say a kettlebell swing or prime time. They are essentially the same movement pattern as an RDL. So you master proper activation through the RDL, then transfer the skill to more rapid fire movements. The goal of each is the same, get the glute to extend your hip. If you cant do that in a slow movement like an RDL you won't be able to get the glute to fire during a prime time.
It's kinda like the WGF Skill, strength, endurance, power progression.
Squats eventually turn into REA squats, ADA squat, RA Squat (depth jump). But you master the movement first. Same with lunges.
So then the progression looks kinda like
iso, iso mio, pim, fda, ada, rea, ra, rfi/rate work
very nice post..
I totally agree Andrew. Great post Alex!
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squat
box jump
prowler :P
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I think choosing 5 is tough for a generic athlete. I'd have to go with:
Back squat
Barbell Step-Ups
Dips
Pull/Chin ups
Military Press
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lets add another level of complexity...
Why did you choose the exercises you did?
Remember in all good programs you should look for similarities and principles not differences. So Why?
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lets add another level of complexity...
Why did you choose the exercises you did?
Remember in all good programs you should look for similarities and principles not differences. So Why?
in my response i was thinking about jumping/sprinting:
in no specific order as well:
- squat
- depth jump
- barbell lunge
- heavy weighted pillars for core (30-45s)
- controlled barbell calf raises (ya im becoming a fan...)
squat - develop the ability to turn on a maximal amount of motor units, increase neural arousal, develop the musculature needed in jumping/sprinting, great potentiation tool, for double leg jumpers: specificity
depth jump - low box depth jumps have a great effect on PF's, higher box depth jumps improve RFD/explosive strength, develops eccentric rfd, develops tendon strength, overloads greatly the CNS
barbell lunge - develops coordination / core strength, develops the musculature needed in sprinting/jumping, hits the glutes harder than in a squat IMO, improving unilateral strength will yield gains in bilateral exercises, for single leg jumpers/sprinters: specificity of unilateral hip extension
heavy weighted pillars - i've seen the best results with these
controlled barbell calf raises - i just threw this one in there, it's my current fad, but none of the above exercises develop PF maximal strength like this would, getting alot more raw power out of the calfs should improve performance
didn't list any upper body stuff, if i did i'd throw in pullups.
peace
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Safety Bar Squats - All squats are big bang for your buck. The way the safety bar moves the load foward slightly places extra emphasis on the quads in a similar manner to a front squat. The pads feel nice and therefore younger athletes are more happy about doing them - pussies.
Trap Bar Deadlift - easier on the lower back, better balance between quads and PC, easier to maintain good form even with heavier laods.
Travelling Lunges - Excellent unilateral exercise in terms of bang for your buck. It is nice to try and get outside and do these - particularly the outdoors/uphill variety (Adarqui I love your outdoor power rack set up. I love weight training outdoors generally. It is nice)
For Jumping
123 Drill - I like this because it mimics the way many athletes actually run and jump. It is a like a serioes of short approach jumps. Highly specific and great for single leg jumpers.
Box jumps with a weight vest - simple but effective. IT flat out works great for damn near everyone wanting to improve their jump.
Regards
Jack
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Good question, Alex. I like where you took this.
Mine were:
-ISO Bulgarian Split Squats
-ISO and OI Weighted Ab Work
-Short Sprints (<60M @ full speed)
-Depth Jumps
-Overhead Weight/DB/KB/Med Ball Throws
I chose ISO Bulgarian Split Squats because IMO, it's the best exercise for inducing hypertrophy in the hips and legs and it teaches the right muscle activation patterns if done correctly.
I chose ISO and OI Weighted Ab Work because the way I do it, it's a great tool to teach ab strength and stability while simultaneously developing the hip flexors at a length that will make them more flexible.
Short sprints are fairly self explanatory. Early acceleration will help teach ballistic movement on one leg while running at top speed is perhaps the best exercise to teach relaxation and power output at high speeds.
Depth Jumps provide a very strong neural stimulus that can be used to potentiate other movements and are great for building calf strength and stiffness.
And overhead weight tosses are a great way to teach explosion through the hips and whole-body coordination.
Of course, all of those explanations have been seriously abbreviated, but I think I got my general points across. At least I hope I did. I'm kind of tired.
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my "core" exercises
squat
BSS
short sprints
rebound jumps(depth jump to over box jumps)
bench
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(Box)squat
Deadlift
Powerclean
Pushpress
Dumbell Row
If I get stronger on these, I know I'm doing something right. That, and if I get stronger on these, I get stronger on other stuff. A bigger pushpress gives me a bigger bench, vice versa does not work per se. Same for squats and deadlifts, they increase pretty much everything else I do. And for some reason, my triceps kickbacks do not increase my squat.
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(Box)squat
Deadlift
Powerclean
Pushpress
Dumbell Row
If I get stronger on these, I know I'm doing something right. That, and if I get stronger on these, I get stronger on other stuff. A bigger pushpress gives me a bigger bench, vice versa does not work per se. Same for squats and deadlifts, they increase pretty much everything else I do. And for some reason, my triceps kickbacks do not increase my squat.
tricep kickback EXTREEEEEEEMEEEEEEEZZZ!!!! might increase your squat.
peace
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Deadlif
BSS
and deadlift again. :)
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Deadlif
BSS
and deadlift again. :)
haha.. Esav is proof that you don't need much exercise variety when it comes to heavy lifting.. two lifts, thats it, good progress..
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I got decent gains with these exercises
Going out there and have a dunk session from time to time has helped too