The overhead squat is a great tool for exposing and overcoming imbalances in your body. Inflexibility and weakness in the lower back, abdominals, hips, glutes, and shoulders, will be exposed and with practice/work can be improved.
Use shoulder dislocates to warm up shoulders. Begin the overhead squat with light or no weight. Your depth and balance will improve as you practice and increase flexibility. Overhead squats are tremendous for increased trunk strength and will improve your back squat.
Shoulder dislocations can be performed w/ a stick or 5 foot length of PVC. Start with an overhand grip and rotate all the way overhead to behind your back keeping arms straight throughout the movement. Vary width of grip to increase challenge and increase range of motion. This is a great warm up exercise for daily use and/or prep work for the overhead squat.
Joe Hashey from Synergy Athletics takes us through a couple of trunk/ core strength training exercises in his “chop series” with an old car tire. Rotational strength development will improve athleticism and add power to your clubs and bat. Functional exercises like the “chop” are an excellent alternative to crunches and other single plane single joint movements that don’t translate as directly to the ball field or golf course performance.
Additionally old tires provide another example of how to save money on fitness equipment. Tires are great for the exercises shown below and other throwing movements, jumping, and sledge hammer work.
More dynamic warm up and flexibility fun w/ the straight leg bear crawl. For an alternative warm up, to increase flexibility, improve agility and body control try a 10 yard bear crawl with a sprint back and repeat. Add more reps and or distance to improve conditioning. Mix in a crab crawl and back pedal for variation. Remember to keep hips high on both the crab and bear crawl. You’ll increase shoulder and hip mobility, as well as, improving trunk and core strength. These total body exercises are sure to provide some added stimulus to your training. Throw these old school moves in for an alternative to your tired old jog or treadmill routine.
To add resistance, partner up for a loaded bear crawl and let the fun begin.
The macebell is a long handle with a weighted ball on the end. Another old time strength tool that is a tremendous for improving grip strength, shoulder mobility, and core strength. Countless multi-plane and multi-joint exercises can be performed to train the entire body. When watching the sample exercises shown below one might ask, “why not use a sledgehammer?” Sure the sledgehammer would provide an inexpensive alternative to the macebell, but the length of the handle is the big difference. Try out some of these exercises with a sledge. Check out this link for pictures and instructions on how to make your own macebell w/ a long garden tool handle, bucket, and some sack crete.
I had someone ask me the other day, “What about some alternative abdominal exercises?” Well here you go… Towel Swings.
1. Grab a towel or rope, and a weight or object with a hole in a it. Kettlebells are ideal, but a 10 lb plate will work just fine.
2. Thread your towel/ rope through the handle of the kettlebell or the hole in the plate, some room, and you are in business.
Towel swings of all varieties between the legs and overhead can be performed with a towel/rope and a weight, all great alternatives to your tired old crunches. The low stance towel swing or towel swing from the squat position (shown below) is an advanced move that will be sure to challenge. Steve’s example (clip below) is nice with the added movement and change of direction. Other variations include standing, one leg, one arm, and stationary towel swings. The dynamic nature and multi plane aspect of these exercises goes above and beyond your traditional abdominal work. Additional benefits include improved stability, and shoulder mobility.
Note: Towel swings vs. kettlebell towel swings, the swing pictured below, is a completely different movement than the towel swing (or overhead swing).
Other exercises with the towel include kettlebell swings (below clip), arm curls, and tricep extensions. For other alternatives, see my post on The Bulgarian Training Bag and Exercises.
Add this to your figure 8, figure 8 to a hold, and/ or kettlebell swing progression. The Gunslinger is performed with bent knees and keeps the legs engaged and loaded throughout the multi- plane dynamic movement. Punch and dip hips as you continue through the exercise while you keep the bell moving.
I still get chills at the thought of 6 am Spring mat drills during college, it is a lineman’s nightmare. Trash barrels were placed all over the gym as to keep the mat and floor free of certain bodily fluids. A largely unpleasant memory I’m not likely to soon forget. Wrestlers and football players have been tumbling for years, with bear crawls, rolls, 3 man weaves, and whole bunch of belly floppin’ all over the place for conditioning, punishment or combination of both.
All the bad memories aside, the benefits of tumbling include increased flexibility, body control/ balance, core strength development, and conditioning. The body awareness and coordination benefits provide a fun challenge for all ages. By adding a few yards of bear crawls, and a handful of rolls you can effectively engage your core, shoulder and hip girdles into a terrific dynamic warm up that is a lot more fun now than it was with an earful of screaming coaches and chorus of up-down belly claps on a sweat puddled wrestling mat at 6 am.
Single Leg Burpee complex. With or without dumbbells this is sure to confuse those muscles out of a rut.
A burpee or squat thrust usually begins with hands flat on the ground just outside of feet with tucked kness, next kick leg(s) back to push up position with a quick return of feet to start position, finish with a jump, and repeat.
Start with both legs and work your way into the single leg version for a nice addition to your dynamic warm up. Add a few more rounds and some dummbells for a high intensity complex move that will boost your conditioning base and elevate your heart rate.
Wrinkles: single leg/ single dumbbell, replace dumbbells with single medicine ball, kettlebells, or add a jump to the overhead press for a heart pounding blood pumping experience. Have fun and give it a try.
Ryan Duncan from Speed takes you through a few dynamic drills to prime the central nervous system and develop proper technique. Knees to 90 degrees, elbows locked, striking the ground with ball of foot, and maintaining a square chest and shoulders are coaching points stressed throughout drills.
The A Skip and variations, backward knee outs, and high knee crossovers promote hip flexibility, good body posture, and correct foot strike position directly underneath hips. The mind to muscle connection improved through performing reps with proper technique will maximize efficiency, increase speed, and athletic performance.