Hip mobility

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10 Walk outs or Inch Worms

10 Burpees

1 hand high pull (dumbbell or kettlebell)  3 x 8-12 reps w/ each arm

1 hand overhead squat (dumbbell or kettlebell)  3 x 8-12 reps w/ each arm

1 leg  2 hand dumbbell or kettlebell over head press. 3 x 8-12 reps w/ each leg

3 X 20 walking lunges

80 pushups in as many rounds as it takes.

The R.I.C.E. principle is one of the first things you learn in the athletic training room.  Limit your down time with these principles and aggressively treat your injury, and get back in the game sooner.  I recently rolled an ankle and got to put this into practice once again.  Within an hour, I was able to get the ankle iced, wrapped, and elevated.  I was able to reduce my down time, embarrassment, and pain.

The severity of injury and your commitment to following these principles w/ heavy emphasis on rest and ice will determine the success of the healing process.  Treatment is the first step and rehab is next.  This treatment strategy will be the first step in the healing process, followed by rehab that will get you back to full speed sooner.

Rest- sleep and staying off injured bodypart

Ice- Reduces swelling and pain by constricting blood vessels and helps the healing begin by pushing damaged blood out of the injured area.

Compression- bandage or compression sleeve helps reduce swelling.

Elevation- when possible keep the injured body part above the heart to reduce swelling and pain.

One-arm Front Squat

From a question the other day on how to perform a proper one-arm kettlebell front squat.  The video above is a good example of the proper technique.

In any squat movement hip and hamstring flexibility along with trunk strength are important and weaknesses will be exposed.

The technique for a one armed kettlebell squat begins with the above and moves to the rack of the kettlebell.  The grip is like an ok sign w/ the thumb against the sternum.  Elbow will be resting on the iliac crest of the hip.  Next, unlock hips and proceed through a proper squat.

Lack of depth and an inability to squat properly is often the result of any one or more of the following: improper technique, lack of hip flexibility, and or lack of core stability.  In some cases there maybe be some structural imbalances, but in most cases practice and time will improve.  Hip mobility, foam rolling, and dynamic flexibility exercises are great places to start.  Variations of the squat (front, single leg, bulgarian, and overhead squats) will expose and develop weakness and imbalances in technique.  Take the time to squat at a proper depth with little or no weight.  Put the misinformation you’ve been told aside and stop worrying about how much weight is on the bar.  In a short amount of time you’ll feel better, be stronger, more mobile/flexible, and more fit.

Make sure your approach to training and exercise are aligned w/ your goals.  What are your goals?  Do you want to improve your health and fitness, or are you training for a specific sport/ competition?  How long has it been since you set goals?  Do you have a clear picture of what you are trying to achieve?

Assess your priorities regularly.  Through a lifetime your goals change, and so should your exercise and nutrition plan.  Take a step back, look at what you are trying to accomplish.  Make sure that how you are training and eating is going to get you there.  If what you are doing isn’t helping you achieve your goal, it’s time to make a change.

Thanks to Tee Ball Coaching Clinic for the below excerpt:

1. Grip on the Ball: Remember that the child’s hand will be small when in Tee-Ball. So all we can do with the grip is to make sure the fingers are on top and the hand is behind the ball. Also, watch to make sure that when the ball is released, the hand and fingers stay behind the ball.
We will discuss this further in the “Release” section below.

2. Front Shoulder & Elbow: Make sure the front shoulder closes down and points directly at the intended target. As this is done, the front arm comes up and points the elbow directly at the target also. If the player does not do this step correctly, there is ZERO power or accuracy on the throw.

3. Make the Circle: The actual throwing motion should be a circle. The throwing hand should be brought down by the hip (we actually teach players to brush the hip as they start the circle) and travel to the power position, which is at the top of the circle. (see photo below) As the hand is traveling towards the top of the circle, the ball and palm should be pointed AWAY from your body as seen in photo. The circle is completed by bringing the ball forward while keeping the arm at 90 degrees. Make sure the elbow is above the shoulder during the actual throwing motion. This will help avoid elbow and shoulder injury in years to come.

4. Step & Throw: Make sure that the player steps directly at the target. This step is just a comfortable step. Nothing big that will make a player become off-balance. Just a smooth comfortable step towards the target.

5. Release: The release of the ball should be out in front and the hand and fingers should be on top and behind the ball as mentioned in the “Grip” section above. Make sure the throw has backspin on it. As players get older, that backspin should get tighter and tighter. If the throw has sidespin of some sort on it, the player does not have their hand behind the ball upon release.
Also, make sure that upon release, the players arm is fully extended out front. A “long arm” circle with good extension is ESSENTIAL to proper throwing mechanics.

6. Follow Through: As I mentioned, make sure the arm is fully extended at the release point. As you release the ball, let the back leg and back side come through to create a good follow through. The back leg and foot should end up in front of the stride foot when the whole throwing motion is complete. Without a good follow through, there will be no power on the throw.

The overhead press – begin with the bar at the clavicle or collar bone and press the bar directly overhead. Grip is close to shoulder width with feet in an athletic stance (feet around shoulder width).

A strong leg drive to start is used in both push press and push jerk.

Push Press- after the leg drive, you finish with a pressing of the shoulders. Your feet don’t leave the start position and your legs are straight.

Push Jerk - after the leg drive, you have to catch the bar with the arms locked. There is no pressing of the shoulders. In order to meet the bar with locked arms, you will have to dip your legs a bit. If you have to dip deep to catch or ride the weight into a squat, it is a squat jerk.

A split jerk is after the leg drive, you split your legs to catch the bar in the overhead position with straight arms. No pressing out of the bar is allowed.

Practice, practice, practice to hone in technique and to become more explosive.

Seems like Albert Haynesworth is catching a lot of flack for not passing the conditioning test required by most NFL teams.  If you are one of the brave souls who wants to attempt the conditioning test for yourself, you need to keep in mind that the requirements are determined by position: “skill guys” (running backs, receivers, def. backs) have less time to complete the test. The other factor is some coaches require you touch the line with your hand on the turn.

From my own experience in passing the 300 yard shuttle in college, I’ll pass on a few coaching points that helped me.  Our test was 3X 300 yard shuttles  (6X 50 yard sprints) in under 60 seconds (lineman time). I was so slow that coaches used to time me with a sun dial, so I had to pretty much sprint the whole thing.  Some guys are just good athletes and could strap up and go, but I on the other hand had to train in order to pass. Here are some tips:

• Run in a straight line. No wasted motion- pick a spot on each end and stick to it.

• Sprint into and out of the turn. The turns are where you lose the most time.  I found that if I exploded into the touch and turn and jumped out of it, I could save some valuable time.

• Train for the test. Practice will improve conditioning and will build your confidence going into the test.  A confident competitor is a less anxious one. Being well prepared for this or any test is always a great idea.

• Don’t eat like an idiot before your test. As a returning sophomore in college I ate 6 chocolate doughnuts a couple of hours before the conditioning test. I was so hungry and needed my strength. I passed the test but lost the doughnuts…all over the field.  Not a good idea.  So Albert, if you need some training I know somebody that can help.

Could you pass an NFL conditioning test?  A  D.C. reporter comes close to passing the Redskin’s conditioning test that Albert Haynesworth failed twice.  Pretty embarrassing if you ask me, that a professional athlete can’t show up to camp in proper condition.

The test: 6 X 60 yard sprints in under 70 seconds.  Rest 3.5 minutes, and another 6x 60′s at 73 seconds or less. The reporter missed the second round by 8 seconds.

This is pretty close to the last test we had in college.  Ours was  3 rounds of 6 x 50′s in 60 seconds or under for lineman with a 3.5 minute rest in between. It was brutal at 100 plus degrees in the August Texas heat, at 300 lbs. Easily one of the most miserable experiences of my life.  But I passed the test and crossed the finish line at just under the mandatory time, needing about 30 minutes to recover and see straight.  I remember landing in a pile of my teammates whi had finished the test and saying to them, “I can’t see! My eyes are open but I can’t see anything!”  My teammate responded, “Me either!”

So Albert, I feel your pain. Nobody had more anxiety about Fall camp or conditioning tests than me, but I didn’t have millions of dollars to soften my landing after I collapsed across the finish line.

If you are looking for a challenge, or just need a quick conditioning workout give one of these a try.  Hopefully you won’t lose your vision like I did.  Send us your times and see if you can beat this reporter and Albert Haynesworth.  Who knows, maybe the ‘Skins will sign you instead.

I have been working with a 14 year old young man for the past several months with no strength training experience or athletic background.  We have been training with kettlebells, bodyweight exercises, heavy ropes, as well as, more traditional strength training implements (dumbbells and barbells). From an early evaluation we began and focused on addressing inflexibility in the hips, balance/body control, and core strength.

Most teens are prone to (especially bigger boys) challenges stemming from tight hips.  We started with bodyweight squats and stopped shy of  1/4 depth without losing balance.  Right away our mission was clear, and a steady dose of  hip mobility drills, stretching, dynamic warm ups, foam rolling, and practice was going to be the prescription.  With patience, reps, and a few weeks the hips began to unlock, he had more balance and control, and we were seeing some strength gains.  I worked with many young men with this body type and age range.  This would be the first opportunity to work with someone this age with kettlebells.   This week he performed a beautiful kettlebell snatch w/ 20kg for the first time.  A month ago I wouldn’t have believed it, but he has come so far and continues to progress.  I am sold on the kettlebell and believe it is truly a tool for everyone.  The kettlebell is unmatched in teaching beginners how to use their body, and teaches transfer of power from feet to hands better than just about anything.

We began with: bodyweight squats, single leg hip sled, kettlebell swing, high pull, one hand kb overhead squat.  Eventually we have been able to clean+jerk, front squat, barbell overhead squat, and even kettlebell snatch. I am really encouraged by this young man’s progress and how he continues to improve his body control, explosiveness, technique, and strength.

Everyone is built a little different, and has varying athletic potential.  I enjoy the challenge and reward of partnering with individuals to unlock that potential and helping them reach their personal goals, improve their performance, fitness level, and quality of life.