Fight training, gym music and future products!

Tuesday, 22 September 2009 21:22

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

Quick Q&A with Joe D.

Sunday, 13 September 2009 19:46

Q: Hi there,

I currently suffer from Patella tendinitis which stops me from heavy deadlifting and squating. Have you had anyone with Patella tendinitis at your gym before? If so what can I do to speed-up recovery and get it sorted. The British health care is pretty poor and just shrug me off with taking 3 Ibuprofen a day. I stretch in the morning and evening as well as putting ice on my knee's but it's not got any better. As it's quite common I thought there'd be alot of it in the NFL.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers Loz

A: Loz,

You are correct, patella tendonitis is probably the most common “injury” you will find with NFL athletes. Dealing with this issue basically becomes a way of life for these guys. Of all the exercises and treatments we’ve experimented with for patella tendonitis, I gotta say that TKE’s are hands down the best exercise for alleviating pain. It still amazes me that TKE’s (Terminal Knee Extensions) aren’t more of a “mainstream” exercise in the rehab setting, or with athletes in general! This closed-chain exercise almost magically reduces knee pain during squatting and deadlifting when you perform it during your warm-up. Every single one of our NFL guys performs 3 sets of 15-20 TKE’s before every single workout…you should start doing the same!

Below I have provided you with an old video of Buddy Morris explaining the TKE to Dave Tate and Jim Wendler. At 4:45 into the video, you will also see a more advanced version of the exercise…

Continue to stretch before and after training…and ice your knees after physical activity, regardless if they’re sore or not!

Joe D.

Q: Joe,

Congrats on being one of the top 10 gyms in the country. One question though, I've looked at that list and it seems that most on that list have a connection to Perform Better, Ryan Lee or both. I'm quite sure your gym is awesome from what I've seen in pictures and video, but it's awfully coincidental that these gym and gym owners are connected in one way or another.

Sincerely,
Joe (from the West Coast)

A: Thanks Joe. Although, I gotta tell you, the reason why we were so proud of our Men's Health “Top 10” status was because we have absolutely no connection to Men’s Health Magazine, or their advisory board. I also have no connection to Perform Better, besides buying a couple plyo boxes from them about 6 years ago…and I’ve never met or spoken to Ryan Lee in my life (although I know who he is). So I’m not quite sure what “connection” you’re referring to or what you're trying to say???

Q: Joe,

When incorporating 5/3/1 into your program, do you have a deload every 4th week? How often do you rotate exercises when doing this?

Thanks.

John

A: John,

Yes, I recommend deloading every 4th week if you're going to incorporate Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 with our template. I suggest rotating accessory lifts every 4 weeks (after the deload), but stick with the main lift for at least three or four 4-week cycles of 5/3/1.

Q: Joe, I just wanted to thank you for FINALLY providing us females with Defranco workout wear! I’ve been waiting for you to show us ladies sum love lol. I’ll be promoting you on the west coast :) Thanks for providing your readers with the truth about training.

Megan

A: Thanks for the support Megan. And don’t worry; I won’t be ignoring the ladies anymore! Trust me, I know how you chicks can get when us guys don’t pay enough attention to you…I hear it everyday from the girl below

GET YOUR RINGER TEE HERE!

Q: Coach D - I’m a washed up meathead I guess, looking to gain muscle, lose some fat and just get back to feeling healthy and athletic even though i dont participate in competitive sports anymore. My main problem is I workout in a gym that you and your camp would dispise - no prowlers, sleds, chains, dumbells only go up to 90 and britney spears plays on a loop all day. As much as I would love to train in a gym like yours my work schedule along with the fact that i live in PA doesn't make this possible. My question to you is do you have any specific advice or even just a general template that you guys recommend to poor bastards in my situation?? I know you specialize in athletic performance but I'm sure there are thousands of washed up meatheads out there that would die to hear from you regarding this topic. Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this coach.

Jordan

A: Jordan,

First of all, you are definitely NOT alone with your "dilema". Saying that you're sure there are "thousands of washed-up meatheads" in the same situation as you is actually a HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT! During the course of this past year, I have received more questions similar to yours than any other topic. Basically, what I've realized is that there are a hell of a lot of "washed-up meatheads" out there that want to be strong and athletic, even though they may not be a competitive athlete anymore. The problem for most "washed-up meatheads" is that they train at "regular" gyms that aren't equiped with all the "bells and whistles" that we have at my facility; and because of work and family obligations, many guys don't have all day/everyday to train. Well, I have good news and bad news for all you frustrated "washed-up meatheads"...

The bad news is that I'm not giving you a workout or template right now...sorry.

The good news is that the reason I'm not going to slap together some quick template for this Q&A is because for the past 6 months, we've been creating and testing an extremely simple, practical and EFFECTIVE system of training for people just like YOU! The masses have spoken and we have listened! Basically, I think we've created a system of training that will do for washed-up meatheads what Westside for Skinny Bastards did for athletes! I know that's a bold statement, but trust me, the dudes that have been on this program have transformed their physiques. Without giving away too much, this system entails training only 3 days a week, it builds muscle while melting fat, and the main template does NOT require ANY "special" equipment! As long as you have access to the "basics" at your gym, you can do this program!

OK, so there you have it. I have "dangled the carrott stick" in front of you. I didn't do this to tease you or piss you off...I gave you this little "teaser" to let you know that there is help on the way...and it's coming SOON! I finally feel comfortable talking about this project because we are now only 30-60 days away from having a completed program.

Anyone looking to gain muscle, lose fat and feel like an athlete again (without living in the gym) is going to love our "Built like a Badass" program!

Stay tuned!

Joe D.

6 Comments

Maybe he's not such an Asshole, after all!?

Sunday, 30 August 2009 19:46

Anyone who reads this website, or who saw our STRONG documentary, knows about the "love-hate" relationship that I - along with everyone else in the gym - have with Mike "The Asshole" Guadango. You see, Mike is a hard-working, great kid...and he's also one of the most loyal people you will ever meet. BUT, he can also be a royal pain in the ass! You see, six years ago Mike signed up for 24 sessions...and...well...he NEVER left! He LITERALLY never left! Whether you come by our gym in the morning, afternoon, evening, weekends or holidays; it doesn't matter...Guadango will be there! And he doesn't just "mind his own business" and "blend" with the crowd, either. When he's there, he's there. For the past six years, he's been in my ear asking question, after question, after question...after question. He has asked me every training, nutrition and supplementation question known to mankind. Besides asking me, he'll ask every other trainer in the gym the same question...then he'll ask my dad...then he'll ask our nutritionist...over and over and over. You get my point.

You see, Guadango isn't just an athlete who comes to our gym to improve his performance. He is also studying Exercise Science and Nutrition in college; that is why he has always been so interested in the "why's" and "how's" of what we do. Because of his interest in the "why's" and "how's" of our program, we have made him our gym "lab rat" on many occasions. From box jumps to dextrose supplementation, Guadango has about as much "real world" experience as you can get for someone his age. The "human experiment" has definetly worked. Mike went from getting cut from the baseball team his freshman year to becoming an All-American a few short years later. This is even more impressive when you consider the fact that Mike has below-average genetics! And I'm not calling his genetics "below average" just to bust his balls, either. At my gym, we tell it like it is; and the fact of the matter is that Mike's genetics kinda suck (athletically speaking). In fact, our brutally-honest nutritionist, Tom Bilella, once asked Mike if his "ancestors were pygmies" LOL! (True story.)

Not bad for a decendant of pygmies!

Ok, you're now probably wondering what's the point to this blog post, aren't you? Well here's the deal...

The point of giving everyone a little background on Guadango was because I'm proud to announce that all of the countless hours that Mike has spent at our gym may now benefit YOU!

I kind of feel like a "proud dad" when I tell you that Mike has taken all of his nutrition/supplementation knowledge & experimentation and he partnered with two business-savy guys to form "Grecian Ideal Nutrition" - a supplement company dedicated to providing athletes (and "regular" people) with supplements that WORK, without the addition of fillers or any of the other fake crap that lines the shelves of most "Health Food" stores. The reason why I'm "endorsing" their supplement line is because I have tried their products - they work - and I was extremely impressed with their business model and professionalism; especially for a start-up company. After "dabbling" in the supplement industry myself; I know how hard it is and I know how much time, effort and money must be spent in order to make it work. This was one of my concerns when Mike told me that his friends were starting a supplement company; I wanted to make sure he knew that a supplement company isn't something that you can "do on the side". This was a mistake that I made and I didn't want them to make the same mistake. But, Mike's partners are in this thing FULL-TIME, they have solid business backgrounds and money behind them for research and development. This enables Mike to continue to be a "lab rat" at our gym and focus 100% of his attention on providing his partners with information on how athletes are responding to their products, as well as what we are looking for in future products. To me, this is a perfect combination for a business partnership; let the "business guys" focus on the "business" side of things and let the "technician" continue to test and research the products. As a reader of our website, YOU benefit because you will be able to purchase supplements from a company that has been influenced by our gym and is "DeFranco-approved", without having to spend endless hours talking to "The Asshole"!

GI Nutrition unveiled their product line at our 'World's Strongest Athlete' Contest

Some people may be thinking that I'm endorsing these guys because I am a partner or I have some kind of stake in this company. The fact of the matter is that I am in no way, shape, or form a partner in this company. I'm endorsing these guys because, as I stated above, I believe in the quality of their products because I'm able to see (first-hand) what's going into them. It's also a "win-win" relationship for my company if I can provide first-hand feedback to these guys and "have a say" in what I feel needs to be improved with their existing products; or what I would like to see in future products. To me, this is almost like having our own supplement company, without having to deal with all the BS! Who knows, if GI Nutrition continues to grow, maybe they can bring the "DeFranco Energy Bar" back to life??

As of right now, the GI Nutrition product line consists of 3 products - Ideal Whey, Ideal Pump and Ideal Recovery. You can learn all about the specifics of these products at www.GINutrition.net, so I won't repeat the info here. What I will do is provide you with a quick story of my very first "experience" with each of the three products...

Ideal Pump Pre-workout supplement

If you follow this website, as well as the athletes that train here, you may know the name, Adam Triglia. Adam is a long-time client of ours and he was the winner of our Strongman Contest two years ago with his epic prowler push in overtime! His strongman performance was so gutsy, we had a banner made of him that still hangs in our gym to this day.

The one thing that Adam hasn't been able to accomplish is the elusive 405 bench! The 405 bench has been Adam's nemesis for a year now. Then, Adam tried Ideal Pump before a max-effort upper body workout and this is what happened...

I don't know if that was a coincidence or not, but it was impressive!

Ideal Recovery Post-workout drink

Anyone who trains at our gym knows that Brian Markowski loves to bust Mike Guadango's balls! Anyway, I was talking with Markowski in the office a couple days after he broke our bench press record in the 'Washed-Up Meathead Division' with this 475-pound press...

Here's how the conversation went:

Markowski: "Have you tried that recovery shit Guadango is giving to everyone?"

Joe D.: "Yeah. It's actually really good, man. Although I know you'll never take it because it's Guadango's LOL!"

Markowski: "That's the thing...I DID take it...it's awesome! I took it after my max-effort workout the day I benched 475. I wasn't sore at all the next day."

Joe D.: "See, I'm telling you...it's legit."

Markowski: "Man, I wanted it to suck so bad because I hate giving Guadango credit for anything! But I'm definetly getting more of that stuff."

Ideal Whey Protein Powder

The day that Ideal Whey came out, Guadango brought a container to the gym and asked me to give it to my dad. I stopped by my dad's condo after work and gave him the protein. Before he even looked at the container he said, "Why the hell would you let him waste a container on me? You know I don't drink any of this shit anymore! Bring this back to him."

You see, my dad will not eat or drink anything with any artificial colors or flavors anymore. The only protein powders he has used over the past couple of years have been Jay Robb's products and Sun Warrior Protein. My dad knows that 99% of the protein powders out there add artificial colors and flavors to them so he just assumed this product was no different.

You don't look like this at 62 by putting just anything in your body

Before my dad handed the container back to me, I asked him to read the ingredients: Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate), Cocoa, Dextrose, Natural Chocolate Cream Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Stevia, Natural Vanilla Flavor. He read the ingredients and then looked at me and said, "DAMN! They did good!" That brief statement is a HUGE compliment coming from my dad...he is the toughest critic there is. He now drinks it every day.

So there you have it; a new supplement company is born. In a very sleazy, deceptive business; it's refreshing to see some young talent take the stage!

Please note that the point of this blog post wasn't to "sell" you supplements. The point was to inform everyone of a new company with a quality line of products that now provides you with another option when you do your supplement shopping. If you do decide to shop at www.GINutrition.net, the boys at GI Nutrition have been kind enough to give 10% off to all of our readers. All you have to do is write DEFRANCO (all caps) in the promo code section of the checkout process to receive your discount.

And to think it all started by jumping on a box...

P.S. If you have any specific questions that you would like to ask Guadango regarding the GI NUTRITION product line, leave your questions/comments below and I will tell him to check and respond here daily.

-Joe D.

8 Comments

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

Tuesday, 25 August 2009 22:30

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