Innovative way to strengthen the "chain"

Strength Training

One of the most common questions I've gotten over the years is, "How can I strengthen my posterior chain if I don't have a glute-ham bench, reverse hyper or sled"? People that train at "regular" gyms with no specialized equipment seem obsessed with this topic. After they squat or deadlift, their options are limited as far as "posterior chain" exercises are concerned.

Today I'm going to show you a very simple, yet extremely effective way to strengthen almost every muscle that you can't see when you look in the mirror! It's called the banded "iron cross" good morning. Smitty from the Diesel Crew showed me this innovative exercise a couple of months ago at our original Lost Secrets of Strength Seminar and we've been using it ever since!

Below you will see an athlete performing a good-morning with a STRONG BAND around his neck; the "catch" is to simultaneously hold a MINI BAND in the end range of a band pull-apart. This activates the lats, rhomboids, traps and rear delts; this drastically improves the athlete's ability to keep a neutral spine throughout the movement. Almost every single muscle from the base of your neck to the back of your knees will be strengthened! And if you train at a "regular" gym, it is very easy to carry the bands in your gym bag without causing a "scene". Give these a try and let us know what you think!

*NOTE: I just got off the phone with my friend, Zach Even-Esh. He informed me that there are 3 SPOTS REMAINING for our LOST SECRETS OF STRENGTH SEMINAR on May 9th! If you haven't already signed up, you have been given a rare 2nd chance! Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity! To learn more about this seminar, or to sign up, CLICK HERE!

Joe D.

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Joe DeFranco interview w/ DG IRON

Strength Training

Below you will find an interview I did for DG IRON a couple of days ago. Before you watch the interview, I want to give you a little info on the man behind the camera. His name is Gerrit Keferstein and he is a 22-year-old from Germany who plays American football, trains young athletes...and he's in medical school!

Gerrit came to New Jersey to train with us for two weeks before he had to report to football camp. Not only did he travel to a foreign country on his own; we "threw him to the wolves" and had him train with our NFL crew! Gerrit didn't only "make it through" the workouts; he stood out and excelled during his two weeks here! He earned all of our respect and we know he's going to kick ass this football season...and he will kick ass in whatever he decides to do in life!

Before Gerrit headed back to Germany, he asked me if I could sit down and answer some basic (yet valuable) questions for some aspiring strength coaches. In this two-part interview, I discuss the following...

1. My TOP 3 PRINCIPLES for running a successful program
2. The importance of strength for all athletes
3. How we train young athletes and beginners
4. My thoughts on Olympic lifting for athletes
5. How to manage large groups of young athletes

PART 1...

PART 2...

Joe D.

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STRENGTH - The "Universal" language

Strength Training

The premise of Dhani’s show is simple; he travels to different countries, studies their national sport, and then competes in that sport after only one week of preparation. Obviously, there is only so much Dhani can learn (from a technical standpoint) about each foreign sport in such a short amount of time. But, if you’ve seen the first two episodes, you know that Dhani did an incredible job of holding his own in both sports! (So far he has traveled to Thailand and competed in Muay Thai and Switzerland to compete in the Swiss version of wrestling called Schwingen.)

O.K., you’re probably wondering what the hell the point is of this blog post, aren’t you? My point is, although there are many qualities an athlete must posses, strength truly does build the foundation for almost every sport! Literally every athlete, from every sport, from every country, knows and respects strength. Using Dhani as an example; if he was a skinny, weak, “athletic” type of guy; he would have gotten his ass kicked in both Muay Thai and Schwingen! His strength undoubtedly made up for his lack of technical skill and experience the past two weeks and you will see how it continues to help him throughout the season. No other single athletic quality carries over to so many different sports!

Please don’t think I’m trying to say that strength is the “be-all, end-all” of every sport. If you want to truly be the best, there are many aspects of training that must be addressed - technical training, specific energy system training, etc., etc. But, when an athlete is strong (in relation to his bodyweight), every other aspect of training will come easier! Remember that your muscles are what create movement in your body! Stronger, more powerful muscles will help you run faster, jump higher, change direction quicker, punch & kick harder, etc., etc.This is why I feel that a proper strength training program should be the foundation for all athletes – especially early in their careers when their athletic “foundation” is being built. As the old saying goes, 'The bigger the foundation; the higher the peak'!

Joe D.

To learn how we build "Super Strength" in our athletes, check out this DVD!!

And don’t forget to check out “Dhani Tackles the Globe” every Monday at 9:00pm EST on the Travel Channel!

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2 simple tips for gettin' SHREDDED!

Strength Training

Q: Hey Joe,
Im an ex-football player who continues to follow your WS4SB template even though my playing days are now over. I love the feeling of being strong and your program is the best I’ve ever been on. But now with the summer coming up I wanted to ask you if there was any way I can tweak your program which would help me cut the fat without losing too much strength? I know your main focus is on improving athletic performance but can you find it in your heart to help a new member of the washed up meathead group?

Thanks coach. Your dedication to the field is truly inspiring.

Mike

A: Mike,

The two best ways I’ve found to “cut the fat” during your strength training sessions are:

#2 – Conclude your strength training sessions with SPRINTS!

If you want to follow my WS4SB template (or a similar type of program), yet increase the fat-burning effects of the actual training session; here’s what I suggest…

Take your time during your “main lift”, especially on Max-Effort Days. This will ensure full recovery so you’re able to lift the heaviest weights possible and maintain - or even increase - your strength while on your fat-burning program. But, after you’re done with your main lift, make sure you “pick up the pace” while performing your accessory exercises during the remainder of your workout. I suggest supersetting most of your accessory exercises and don’t rest for longer than 60 seconds between sets/exercises. Work at a fast pace and get in as much volume as possible in the shortest amount of time. Make sure your workout doesn’t go any longer than an hour, though! If your session starts going way over the one-hour mark, it will have a negative effect on the hormone response in your body!

Along with your faster-paced workout, I recommend sprinting. More “weekend warriors” and “washed-up meatheads" should incorporate sprints into their training! Sprints are a tried-and-true method to get lean, muscular and healthy…while drastically cutting down on the amount of time you need to spend in the gym! And this doesn’t mean that you need to try and run a 4.4-second forty yard dash, either. You just need to run a couple short sprints after your strength sessions and trust me; you will see a drastic difference in your physique! If you’re able to run outside, I suggest performing six to ten 40-100 yard sprints (depending on your conditioning level). Simply run your sprint and then slowly walk back to the start line (as your rest period) before performing another sprint. If you’re training at a “regular” gym and using a treadmill is more practical, I suggest running as fast as you can for 20-30 seconds and then “jumping” off the treadmill and resting for 60 seconds. Perform 6-10 of these sprints (depending on your conditioning level).

Here is a video of some of our current and future NFL players using the resisted TredSled as a “fat-burning finisher” during one of their recent strength training sessions. (NOTE: The sprints are much shorter in duration on this special treadmill because it is MUCH more intense than a “regular” treadmill.)

Incorporating these two very simple suggestions into the WS4SB template will melt fat off your body quicker than you can say “Asshole” J

 

Joe D.

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