Indestructible Hamstrings!

Strength Training

Q: Joe,
I'm a high school and future college football player. Over the past two years I've pulled both of my hamstrings a couple of times. They're all healed except one of them kind of lingers. I've done PT and other kinds of stretches and exercises that I have found but it doesn't seem to go away for some reason. The hammy that I'm having trouble with was injured about two months ago and I don't want to have this going into college... I was hoping that you might have some additional tips or video recommendations that might help me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Cody McGuffie

A: Cody,

If you want to build indestructible hamstrings, there's only one thing you gotta do!! Check out the video below and all your problems will be solved...

Hopefully you sense my sarcasm!!!

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is most high school kids' idea of hamstring training is to perform a couple sets of hamstring curls at the end of their workout. This is why hamstring pulls are such an epidemic; athletes do not properly prepare their hammy's for the demands of the athletic field! The bottom line is - if you're a serious athlete that's after health & performance - don't model your training after the above video -- and NEVER take training advice from a man whose neck and upper arms are the same size as his wrists!

OK, enough ball-busting...help is on the way. Here is my Fantastic Five list of extremely simple - yet valuable - tips for developing indestructible hamstrings! I have utilized these five tips for over a decade with my athletes with incredible success.

The suggestions listed below are guaranteed to make you feel like you've got a brand new pair of hamstrings! Incorporate them into your training ASAP!!!

Favor hip extension exercises over knee flexion exercises

I never figured out why knee flexion exercises are more popular - especially with athletes - when training the hamstrings?? After all, at what point is knee flexion a prime movement in any sporting activity??? Think about it; sprinting, jumping, throwing, tackling, etc., all involve extension at the hip! Bending your knee so your heel touches your ass isn't required for too many sports. Hopefully you get my point. The bottom line is that your hamstring training should revolve around hip extension movments. Period.

Staples in our program include box squats, deadlifts, reverse hyperextensions, hyperextensions, pull-throughs, band good-mornings, dumbell & kettlebell swings, supine hip thrusts, single leg dumbell deadlifts, etc. I can go on and on, but my point is to show everyone that that are tons of hamstring exercises besides leg curls!

Perform 'Upright' Sled Walks regularly...whether you're "injured" or not...

The 'Upright' sled walk is a hip extension "all-star" because it strengthens your hamstrings without making you that sore or tight. The reason they don't make your hamstrings that sore is because there is no eccentric component to the exercise. Simply put, this exercise will strengthen your hamstrings without “tearing them apart”; this makes this exercise a great choice during the competitive season.

And if you do ever injure your hamstring, this should be the first exercise you do to strengthen it once you start the rehab process! I have had athlete's come to me with pulled hamstrings and this is the first exercise I usually prescribe. It has gotten many athletes back on the field way before their doctors thought it would be possible! Do them year-round and you probably won't have to use them as a "rehab" exercise.

Focus on lengthening the "surrounding" muscles!

Everyone stretches their hamstrings, yet the hamstrings are the most commonly pulled muscle group!? So, logic would tell us that this isn't the way to go. In my humble opinion, athletes should focus more on lengthening their hip flexors and glutes, instead of spending so much time directly stretching their hamstrings. Once you start focusing on these very important "surrounding muscles", you will have much less hamstring tightness and pulls (as well as low back pain). Trust me on this one!

Tight hip flexors create constant tension and "pull" on your hamstrings due to the anterior pelvic tilt that's created when this muscle group is tight. Whenever I see an athlete walking around with their ass out and a huge arch in their lower back (anterior pelvic tilt / hyperlordosis), I see an athlete that's prone to a hamstring pull! These athletes need to make hip flexor and glute/hip rotator stretching (and soft tissue work) a priority in their training ASAP!

While I'm on the topic of "surrounding muscles"; if an athlete does pull his/her hamstring, the worst thing to do is stretch the hamstring!! (Why the hell do so many people do this?? Think about it; "pulling" a muscle means you over-stretched it...so why on earth would you re-stretch it once the fibers start to heal?) Anyway, for the first couple days (or weeks), it's a better idea to stretch the hip flexors and surrounding muscles. Stretching the surrounding muscles will help alleviate the tension and constant "pull" that is placed on your hamstrings due to an anterior pelvic tilt.

In the off-season, perform natural (eccentric) glute-ham raises

The ability to perform this exercise will virtually bullet-proof your hamstrings!! Don't get me wrong, these are not easy and they take a lot of work; but, once you develop the strength to perform this exercise, you can sleep easy knowing that your hamstrings probably won't "let you down" on the athletic field!

If you can't perform the exercise like 'The Asshole' in the video above, just lower yourself as slowly as possible, then push yourself back up. (This is actually the more common way this exercise is performed...there aren't many athletes that can perform the concentric portion of this exercise like it's demonstrated in the above video.) I feel the eccentric portion of this exercise is actually the more "important" portion anyway; this is because it strengthens the hell out of your hamstrings while they're lengthening. This is great for preventing hamstring pulls that occur during the foot strike when an athlete is sprinting. This exercise is also an all-star in its ability to improve your sprinting speed!

The "natural" glute-ham raise, as well as glute-ham raises performed with a special glute-ham bench, are the only 2 knee flexion exercises I have my athletes perform.

Don't perform knee flexion exercises during the competitive season

I've never liked the idea of perform leg curls, glute-ham raises, or any knee flexion exercise for that matter, during the competitive season. I know many strength coaches will disagree with me on this; but the fact of the matter is I've had tremendous success for over a decade following this rule. Besides my personal experiences, I've also had the good fortune of meeting and speaking with thousands of high-level athletes that don't train at my facility. Whenever I meet athletes that have pulled their hamstrings, I always inquire about their training. Granted, I realize there are many other factors (warm-up, hydration, nutrition, etc.) involved, but the one trend I've noticed the most is that athletes that perform a lot of leg curls seem to pull their hammy's the most. My conversation with these athletes usually goes like this:

Me: "Before you pulled your hamstring, were you incorporating leg curls into your program?"

Athlete with pulled hammy: "Yeah! That's the thing, yo...my hamstrings are strong as hell. I make sure to do leg curls every time I train lower body! I can do the whole stack on the leg curl machine yo...that's why I can't believe this happened and shit!"

Timing is everything when it comes to knee flexion exercises. In my opinion - if you're going to do them - save them for the off-season. I just feel like they have a tendency to "tighten" your hamstrings and increase your chances for a pull when coupled with the demands of your sport.

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One final award for Cush to conquer!!!

Brian called me today from L.A. and personally asked me to post a "thank you" to our website readers for your support of him throughout the season. You guys obviously supported him with regards to the Defensive Rookie of the Year & Pro Bowl voting...both Brian and I appreciate your time and support!

Well, it turns out that Cush has one more award to conquer in order to score the "hat trick" for this storybook rookie year. He's going to the Pro Bowl and he's earned the Defensive Rookie of the Year...but now he is nominated for the "overall" Rookie of the Year. He is currently one of five rookies nominated for the 2009 Pepsi Rookie of the Year!

So - one last time - I'm going to ask you guys to help one of the hardest-working, blue-collar athletes in the NFL, get what he deserves! It will literally take 5 seconds...just click on the picture below and then vote for Cush one last time!

Thanks again for the help!

-Joe D.

8 Comments

The best lower body exercise you're probably NOT doing!

Strength Training

THE "COSSACK SQUAT"

I wanted to write a quick blog post about an invaluable exercise that very few coaches and trainers use; yet I feel it should be a staple in all gyms - especially if you're working with athletes!

The exercise that I'm referring to is the "Cossack Squat". This lateral squat movement is an "all-star" when it comes to developing dynamic flexibility in the hips, groin and hamstrings, as well as ankle mobility. It also develops specific strength in the quads, glutes and hamstrings, as well as core strength and stability.

Check out the video below of my friend and colleague, Jim "Smitty" Smith of the Diesel Crew, performing this movement with chains. (I suggest performing this exercise with just your bodyweight in the beginning. As your strength and flexiblity improve, you can add weight by draping chains around your neck, or holding a dumbell or medicine ball at chest height.)

Here are some bullet points to help you perform this exercise properly:

• Start by taking a wide, "sumo" stance with your toes pointing out
• Squat down and then start the motion by shifting your weight to one side
• Make sure your knee tracks over your toes and the foot on the "working side" stays flat on the ground. The opposite leg should be straight and you want to lift your toes off the ground and point them to the ceiling as the heel remains on the ground. (This provides an incredible stretch on your adductors!!)
• I prefer the "slide" technique, as opposed to standing up, as you go from side to side. "Sliding" basically means staying down and level, insteading of coming up and down with each rep. Sliding keeps constant tension on the legs and provides an insane stretch on the adductors (where most athletes are horribly tight)! You will literally feel this stretch from high up in your groin, all the way down to the inside of your knee!

Remember that all sports are played in "three dimensions". If you only have your athletes perform traditional "up & down" squats, you are doing them a disservice and increasing their chances of injury on the athletic field - especially groin pulls (which are very common...and also a pain in the ass to heal)!

Need more convincing?

Check out the photos below and tell me if you think they look like a familiar position???

Try starting your lower body strength (or speed) workouts with 2-3 sets of 10 reps of this exercise. You will be amazed at how much better you feel after you complete your sets/reps. You will be able to squat deeper (with less pain), improve stride length when sprinting and be in less overall "pain" when training due to the added flexibility and range of motion surrounding your hips!

BOTTOM LINE: Add this exercise to the list of "staples" in your program...NOW!!!

-Joe D.

2 Comments

Fight training, gym music and future products!

Strength Training

Q: Joe i've been checking out the youtube videos of Rob Leibrock you have been posting lately - the dude looks like a animal! I have two quick questions for you - do you have rob on a hybrid of WS4SB or is he on a completely different program? Also what weight class does he fight in, he looks huge!! Any insight on what you do with fighters would be greatly appreciated coach.

Pete M. from Delaware

PS - I'm a follower of your website since 2003. Watching your success as both a performance coach and entrepreneur has been a huge inspiration for someone like me who is in the process of switching careers and opening my very own warehouse gym. Thanks for setting the standard.

A: Thanks for the feedback Pete...I'm glad my website and gym has been an inspiration to you. That type of feedback always means a lot to me.

As far as Rob's training is concerned; we are not using any variation of the WS4SB template at this time due to his specific goals, genetics and his large volume of grappling training. Anyway, when Rob came to our gym, his main goals were to improve his grip strength and what I like to refer to as "power endurance" - without gaining too much weight. FYI, Rob's one of those lucky bastards that adds muscle very easily when he lifts. (Isn't it crazy how all the guys that DON'T want to get "too big" are usually the ones with the freaky genetics?? Life isn't fair LOL!) Rob's competing in the 202 lb. division at the Pan Jiu-Jitsu No Gi Championship in NYC on October 3rd. On average, he grapples twice a day, everyday and his grappling style is fast-paced and very aggressive!

After our initial "sit down", we decided that two sessions a week at my gym would be plenty for Rob. For the past couple of weeks, these two sessions have consisted of 3-6 "rounds" of various "non-traditional" strength movements, performed repeatedly, with minimal rest between "rounds". This is because Rob's next tournament will consist of 3-6 matches (each match has a 6-minute time limit if it goes the distance) performed back to back to back, etc. In other words, if you win a match and progress to the next round; you literally get back on the mat within minutes. The nature of this tournament, coupled with Rob's relentless grappling style, has dictated the type of training we're doing. Without getting into specifics regarding all of our "indicators", I can tell you that Rob's ability to perform explosive activities repeatedly, without losing power, has gone through the roof!

I obviously won't give away Rob's entire program on this public forum, but I will provide our readers with one of Rob's actual workouts from last week (when we started tappering...FYI, "tappering" for Rob is much different than the average human.) This will give you an indication of the type of condition this dude is in. He performed the workout below after two hours of grappling an hour beforehand.

"ROUND 1"

"ROUND 3"

3. Prowler sprints - *10 "trips" with 45lb. plates on each side, 30 sec. "active rest" between each trip

*1 trip = sprint 20 yards holding low handles and then immediately grab the poles and sprint 20 yards back to the start line. "Active rest" consisted of jumping around, shooting, etc.

"Beast vs. Beast"

"ROUND 4"

4. Rickshaw Holds (thick handles) -We finished off this workout with some extra grip training. Rob performed 2 sets of max time with 220lbs. on the Rickshaw. He rested 60 seconds between each set.

I'll keep everyone posted on this beast's progress!

-Joe D.

Q: Can you list the 30 best motivation songs which can be heard in your gym?

Ivan

A: Ivan,

You are one of about fifty emails I've received over the past couple of months regarding the music we play at my gym. I had no idea that people were so interested in what our athletes listen to when they train! But, as I've stated time and time again, I believe that music is a powerful stimulant and motivator...so maybe supplying a "DeFranco's Training Playlist" will bring some 'DeFranco-esque' intensity to workouts all over the world! Adding this playlist to your ipod can be your way of becoming a part of our gym, without actually being in New Jersey!

Although it's difficult to narrow down our playlist to just 30 songs (because they're constantly changing), I'll give you 30 songs that have been "staples" at our gym during the past couple months. (I also thought you'd find it interesting to know who listens to what...so I provided a few of our popular athlete's/coach's favorite max-effort songs at the beginning of the list.)

Here's your 30-song, Team DeFranco Playlist...

I Get Money - 50 Cent (Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts)

Intro - DMX (Deon Anderson, Dallas Cowboys)

Lord Give Me a Sign - DMX (Mike "The Asshole" Guadango)

Throw it Up - Lil John & Pastor Troy (Mike "The Asshole" Guadango)

Things Done Changed - The Notorious BIG (Brian Cushing, Houston Texans)

Hustlers Ambition - 50 Cent (Brian Cushing, Houston Texans)

This is War - Ill Nino (Joe DeFranco, Rob Leibrock)

Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue (David Diehl, NY Giants - You gotta love BIG Dave bustin' out the 80's hair bands!)

Can't Be Touched - Roy Jones, Jr. (Jeff Carr)

Ladies and Gentlemen - Saliva (Jeff Carr)

Tryna' Make a Jug - Gorilla Zoe (John "Jersey Jackal" Impallomeni)

Hate Me Now - Nas (Joe DeFranco)

All the Above - Maino

Be Me - Maino

I'll Whip Your Head Boy - 50 Cent & Young Buck

I'm an Animal - 50 Cent

Get Up - 50 Cent

Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine

Put On - Young Jeezy & Jay-Z

Bodies - Drowning Pool

La Liberation of our Awakening - Ill Nino

Points of Authority/99 Problems - Jay-Z & Linkin Park

Go to Sleep - Eminem

Lose Yourself - Eminem

Till I Collapse - Eminem

I Will Be Heard - Hatebreed

No Easy Way Out - Rocky IV

Thunderstruck - AC/DC

Pain & Torture - Jadakiss

Down with the Sickness - Disturbed

If those songs don't get you good and pissed off before a workout or event, nothing will! Now go load up that ipod!

-Joe D.

Q: Joe,

Can you please add some more of the camouflage shirts to the store? I am kicking myself for missing the first batch. Please put some more up, it's not like they wouldn't sell.

John E.

A: John,

I'm one step ahead of you bro! I actually got a brand new batch of camo tees in last week. Unfortunately, I've been engrossed in finishing our "Built Like a Badass" ebook. (We're working our asses off to get this program done. Every free second I get, I work on the ebook...so I haven't sent the camo t-shirt product info to my webmaster yet.) But I assure you; there are boxes of camo tees sitting in my home office closet that are ready to be shipped!

I changed things up a bit and got 3/4 length sleeves with this batch. I think they are cool as hell...they really accentuate the forearms!

They are not loaded up on our STORE page yet, but they will go up soon. Keep checkin' so you don't miss out again!

-Joe D.

Q: Cant wait for the new program...been doing ws4sb washed-up meatheads template for more then a year...Will it be similar or inspired from ws4sb or something totally new....Also are you going to include some stuff about nutrition??

ps please more of those quick q/a ..fun read!

Danny

A: Danny,

Our "Built like a Badass" Program is a completely different animal from our WS4SB Template. Don't get me wrong, there are definite similarities between the two programs, but I would categorize the "Badass" Program as a 'distant cousin' of WS4SB, not a 'twin brother'. The "Badass" Program is basically geared towards "washed-up meatheads" who want to look muscular and athletic, without living in the gym. The way we developed this program was inspired by the physiques of UFC fighters, NFL running backs/wide receivers and Olympic sprinters. All these athletes possess very lean, muscular physiques, without performing "bodybuilding-type" routines in the weightroom. The goal of our "Badass" Program is to bring the "athletic" look back to the washed-up meathead/Average Joe community!

I gotta tell you; I haven't been this excited about a program since I published the original "Westside for Skinny Bastards" article. When I decided to write that article, I knew it would be much more than just another article/training program. Although training programs and fitness fads come and go, I knew the WS4SB Program was going to stick around for a long time for three main reasons:

#1 - It was tested on thousands of REAL athletes for years before I decided to publish the article

#2 - It was simple to understand & PRACTICAL

#3 - The program WORKED!

Our "Badass" Program also fulfills the "Big 3" that I've listed above...with the exception that it is even more practical due to the fact that every single exercise in the program can be performed at even the most average of gyms!

Now you may be saying to yourself, "Aren't all articles and training programs tested before they're published? Don't all programs work? After all, why would someone publish a workout that he/she isn't sure if it works or not?"

Most people would be shocked if they knew how much bullshit there is out there! Trust me, I know first-hand about a bunch of "big names" in this industry who don't train anybody, yet every couple of weeks, they are coming out with new programs and articles that make outrageous claims! This is one (of many) things in the "fitness industry" that drives me nuts!!

I feel comfortable saying that we train more people per square inch than 99.9% of the gyms out there. With our volume of people comes a lot of experimentation and experience. Like our WS4SB Program, our "Badass" Program was tested and re-tested before we scratched our heads and said, "Damn, we have something here...this system is pretty damn effective for everyone who tries it!"

I appologize for going on a tangent; but I wanted to share with everyone why I'm so pumped about this program. I also wanted to assure everyone that we are working our asses off in order to get this ebook done as quickly as possible. FYI, this is the main reason that I haven't updated the blog as often as i would like during the past couple of weeks; I've been spending my "free time" working on different aspects of the ebook. I can't give an exact date as to when the ebook will be for sale, but I will tell you that we are getting very close.

Oh yeah, as of right now, it looks like we will be providing some sample meal plans in the ebook.....and I DO plan on doing a lot more "quick" Q&A's on this blog once the "Badass" ebook is completed. I received a lot of positive feedback about my last (quick) Q&A.

OK, lemme go finish this ebook so I can get back to regular posting again!

Be back soon...

-Joe D.

1 Comment

REAL "Core" Strength for Athletes (Guest blog)!

Strength Training

A few hours ago, Jim "Smitty" Smith from the Diesel Crew emailed me a guest blog post for this website. As usual, Smitty didn't disappoint! Over the past couple of years, Smitty has become part of our gym's (shrinking) "inner circle" of coaches that we trust to provide training ideas and information that actually works in the REAL WORLD! Of particular interest to me has always been the Diesel Crew's innovative exercises and theories on grip and real "core" training! In this guest blog post, Smitty provides our readers with an advanced variation of the plank exercise that will undoubtedly turn your midsection into a suit of armour! (Rest assured, I will be having "The Asshole" give these a try tomorrow!)

Ok, I've spoken enough (as usual)...check out what Smitty has to say about the importance of planks and then see if you have what it takes to give his "2.0" version of this exercise a try!!!

-Joe D.

Advanced Athletic Application - A New Look at Planks
Jim Smith, CSCS

When a strength coach starts his assessment of an athlete, the primary goal is to identify a weakness, determine the extent of an injury and document their current state of preparedness.

The short list of this assessment could include:

*The athlete's baseline strength levels determined by key indicator exercises
*The training maturity (how long they’ve been training) of the athlete / lifter
*The sporting age (how long they’ve been playing their sport(s)) of the athlete / lifter
*The metabolic, physiological and neurological demands of the sport
*The movement patterns of the sport (their duration, their intensity, their direction, etc..)
*The athlete or lifter’s ability to adhere to the prescribed training and restorative modalities (sleep, massage, foam roller, good nutrition, etc.)
*The athlete / lifter’s current injuries and/or stage of recovery
*...and many others

One of the key indicator exercises should be a determination of the athlete's ability to express full body power.  A segment of this expression would be core strength as it is this proficiency that promotes realization of power.

This is where planks come in.  Planks are the most basic core exercise because they involve no movement and require a coordinated co-contraction of the entire torso musculature, ie., the core.

Planks are done on the ground with the athlete setting up on their elbows and toes.  This position is held for time. From this position various movements can be engaged. Lifting either arm and extending outward or either leg.  Even mountain climbers can be performed in this postion.

Planks demonstrate torso rigidity (or stiffness, Mcgill) which promote power transfer and protect the spine.  Unfortunately most uninformed trainers believe this musculature only involves the abdominals.  But this is incorrect.  The core includes not only the abdominals but the counterbalancing, antagonistic posterior muscles including the hamstrings, glutes, erectors and lats.  This intramuscular coordination creates this stiffness.  But most often, the upper body including the upper back, shoulders and biceps are not optimally engaged.  Remember, more tension equals more strength.

Our goal is to take a basic, primary exercise and create (and progress to) a more athletic-specific version.

This is "Planks 2.0"...

Here's a written recap of what you just saw...

Planks 2.0 involve the lats (and the entire upper body).  Not only that, it is a dynamic engagement.  This is true core strength.  If we can truly engage the core musculature completely, we can potentially generate and transfer more power.

How to execute Planks 2.0:

1.  Setup on a GHR bench
2.  Anchor a Jump Stretch band under the hooks or around a heavy DB
3.  When the athlete sets up on the bench (face down) they will grab the band
4.  Bracing outward and forcibly creating full body muscle tension, the athlete will begin hand over hand pulling on the band
5.  As the band stretches the tension must also increase to prevent hip flexion
6.  Reverse the hand over hand movement
7.  REPEAT

The movement can also be done for time, 30 sec - 1 min.  After the band is stretched to capacity, have the athlete hold it against their upper abdominal region.

Remember, there is a progression and regression to all exercises.  After the initial assessment and when proficiency is demonstrated with conventional planks, Planks 2.0 can be introduced - further bridging the gap between GPP and sporting execution.

Thanks for this opportunity Joe!

Jim Smith "Smitty"
Author, AMD
www.dieselcrew.com

2 Comments