Athletic Performance Toolbox

Super Set Your Bench Press

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Here are three exercises that can really help to accelerate your bench press. These can be utilized to super set a heavy bench press set.

In the clip below Michael Cano, from ONEighty Athletics, demonstrates three explosive  exercises that he uses to super set a bench workout.

Here are the three exercises demonstrated in the video clip.

  1. Plyo Push-ups
  2. Med Ball Drops
  3. Plate Punches

 

The YouTube video has audio so please make sure that your sound is turned up and that you have access to YouTube. Note that some schools block access to YouTube. Click the arrow to play.

Exercises to Increase Vertical Leap and Power

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Increasing vertical leap and power will improve the athletic performance of most athletes. Here is a quick routine that can help improve power and vertical leap.

In this clip Michael Cano, from ONEighty Athletics, shares a sequence of exercises that he uses when training his athletes.

He begins the workout with an explosive movement. In this clip he uses High Pulls, however, you could easily use a clean or snatch instead.

Coach Cano offers  the following coaching tips for executing the High Pull:

  • Legs hip width
  • Hands thumb width from the groove
  • Roll the wrist
  • Set the back
  • Engage the core
  • Load the hips
  • Butt back
  • Shoulders should cover the bar
  • Take a big aggressive jump shrug movement.

To begin this workout he has his athletes do 5 reps of the High Pull. Upon completion of the High Pulls, they immediately do 5 reps of box jumps, followed by another set of 5 High Pulls.

Next he as the athlete do 5 reps of depth jumps.  Here the athlete will drop from one box and the immediately accelerate up on to a second box. Then just as before, the athlete will do another set of 5 high Pulls.

The final exercise is Hurdle Hops (he uses benches in the video). In this exercise, the athlete will begin in a power position and essentially do a tuck jump up over the hurdle while being sure to bring their knees up towards his chest. The athlete should land softly in the power position and pause. Next they should stand up and then return to the power position before executing another hop over the next hurdle. Upon completion of the Hurdle Hops, the athlete will complete 5 reps of High Pulls.

Coach Cano has a ton of resources for coaches and one of those is absolutely FREE. Click the link The Ultimate Speed Training Blueprint to get your copy of the free eBook.

The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your volume is turned up and that you have access to the site. Note some schools block access to YouTube.

 

Don’t forget to get your free copy of The Ultimate Speed Training Blueprint

Cossack Squats

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This article was provided by Training-Conditioning

Did you know there is a type of squat that can better prepare your athletes for competition? It’s called the Cossack squat, and it can help increase athletes’ strength and flexibility through a full range of motion.

In a blog for DeFranco’s Training, Joe DeFranco, CSCS, NASM-CPT, explains why going beyond the “regular” squat is important for athletes. He writes that sports are played in three dimensions—think about the volleyball player who lunges to the left for a dig or the baseball player who stretches off the plate to snag an out. While still useful, DeFranco points out that traditional squats don’t completely prepare athletes for these types of motions, increasing their chances of injury, especially groin pulls.

The Cossack squat adds this third dimension. In a blog for TrainHeroic, Mike Dewar, CSCS, NSCAS, USAWL2, explains that this exercise enhances hip, knee, and ankle mobility while also strengthening the glutes. This will not only help athletes move properly during competition, but will also allow for better movement in other squatting exercises as well.

“Unlike the side lunge, this squat variation really forces an athlete to work the hip throughout the entirety of the end range, which is important for runners, wrestlers, and other full range of motion athletes,” writes Dewar.

But the benefits of the Cossack squat extend even further. According to a blog by Strength and Flexibility Coach Angie Fliehser, this squat not only stretches the hamstrings and hips, but it also helps to strengthen the core and improve balance—all of which are important to help athletes play their best.

As with any exercise, it is important that your athletes learn the correct technique in order to decrease the chances of injury and to gain every benefit. Here are the steps to correctly carrying out the Cossack squat, laid out by Fliehser:

  1. Begin with a wide stance.
  2. Keep the leg you are squatting over aligned from hip to knee and down to the foot.
  3. Keep the foot on this side flat on the ground.
  4. Point your other toe upward with the heel down, rotate at the hip so your knee is pointing straight up.
  5. Sit down into your hips, keeping your back flat.
  6. Push up to standing through the planted foot, distributing the weight evenly.

When implementing the Cossack squat, Dewar suggests starting with 10 sets per leg. To further increase strength and hypertrophy, he also recommends adding weight for 3-5 reps, such as a kettlebell. Other variations include using straps for assistance or using a barbell to add weight. However, this exercise can also be done with just bodyweight, which according to Dewar, makes it perfect for warm-ups or even as an active recovery movement.

To see the Cossack squat in motion, check out this video from Onnit Academy.

The YouTube video has sound, so please make sure that your volume is turned up and that you have access to the site. Note some schools block access to YouTube.

Olympic Lifts: Teaching the First Pull

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Do you utilize Olympic movements in your strength and conditioning program. There is no doubt these exercises are beneficial, but are the worth the risk. In this post learn how to teach an efficient first pull.

This article was provided by Coaches  Network

By Doug Bull

Many high school programs are using the Olympic movements in their daily programming. The debate on whether it is the best way to train high school athletes–is the risk worth the reward–will probably go on for the rest of time. I won’t go into the debate here because I believe that utilizing these movements is beneficial. However, if you do not have the knowledge base to teach proper positions and progressions or spot technique flaws (or if you don’t have the time, space, or equipment), there are other options.

If you chose to utilize the Olympic lifts as part of the training program, at some point you will witness a poor set up and an inefficient first pull. This will happen regardless of their training level. As a coach, it’s important to remember when teaching these lifts that, just like with so many movements in sport, the devil is in the details.

The most common mistakes I have witnessed in my athletes in their set up is that they are either too far off the bar at the start or too far back on the bar. In both instances they have improper weight distribution in the feet at the beginning of the first pull, which will cause the athlete to move the bar around the body, and not the body around the bar.

If the feet are set too far back from the bar they will be unable to shift the weight to the heel as they initiate the pull. See the photo below:

The same holds true if they are too far back on the bar, which means they are behind the bar and on their heels so they have nowhere to shift their weight to. See photo below:

Both of these set up mistakes will force the bar to move around their body (knee), instead of moving vertically next to the body.

I start all athletes that are new to our program with a simple pull from the floor to the knee. They will perform this exercise using a slow concentric contraction taking four seconds to raise the bar from the technique box to the knee. This places emphasis on teaching the athlete to feel the movement. I do not want them jerking the bar off the floor. Here is a quick look at how the movement should be performed:

Doug Bull, MS, CSCS, is starting his 11th year as Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for the Deer Park (Texas) School District. He has more than 20 years of strength and conditioning experience ranging from junior high school to NCAA Division I athletics, including coaching stops at Northern State, Fort Hays State, Illinois State, and The United States Naval Academy. He is nationally recognized for the work he has done to promote training secondary athletes and has served as a consultant in the creation of over a dozen full time strength positions nationwide. His web site is: www.dpstrength.com.

Phases of Off Season Training

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Young athletes need to spend a portion of their year focusing on their body. The off season is critical to the overall success of the athlete. In this post you will see how to divide off season training into distinct phases.

In the video clip below  Angleo Gingerelli, Seton Hall Strength and Conditioning Coach, discusses the need for off season training as well as how he divides the off season into three phases. The clip is from a Glazier Athletic Performance Clinic.

Coach Gingerelli begins by stating how important training is for young athletes. He believes that athletes must continue to train through certain events/competitions. He also believes that it is important to declare an off season or a time of the year where their focus is on improving their bodies. He points out that not every “Body” is suited for year around competition and that while skill development is important, there is no substitute for bigger, faster stronger.

Here is a summary of Coach Gingerelli’s 3 Phases of Off Season Training and the emphasis in each phase:

Phase 1 – Basics

  • Flexibility and Range of motion
  • Body Weight Control (push-up, pull-ups, body weight squats etc..)
  • Balance, Posture and Biomechanics of basic body movements
  • Core Development
  • Work Capacity
  • Being comfortable being uncomfortable

Phase 2 Weight Room Basics

  • Squats
  • Bench
  • Deadlift (variations)
  • Shrugs
  • Overhead Press (limited and must be done properly)

Phase 3

  • Plyometrics
  • Olympic Lifts
  • Single Leg and Single Arm Movements
  • Maximum Effort Sets
  • Complexes, Supersets, Circuits

This clip is just a portion of Coach Gingerelli’s presentation. For information about how to gain access to the rest of his presentation as well as hundreds of other clinic presentation click the link Glazier Athletic Performance Clinic

The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your volume is turned up and that you have access to the site. Note that some schools block access to YouTube.