Kettlebell Oblique Raise (Windmill) 3-5 reps on each side

Kettlebell 2 Hand Swing 10-12 reps

TRX Push-up 10-12 reps

TRX Mountain Climbers 30 reps

Gym Rings Lying Pull-up 10-12 reps

5 Complete Rounds with little rest

This form of training is called circuit training or going from one exercise to another with little to no rest between each exercise.  I have been doing much more of this type of training recently because I can get more done in a shorter period of time.  Hey, the life of a strength coach is crazy and I really do not have much “free” time for myself.  I love it when people tell me they just don’t have enough time to workout.  When I ask them how many hours a day they work and they say 8 hours a day; I just can’t help it when I laugh at them since I average 12 hours a day.  Managing their time wisely is usually the problem as they sit there and watch a rerun of their favorite TV show.  EVERYONE needs some type of physical activity so as the Nike ads say-”just do it”.

If you feel that filming and sharing some of my personal workouts with you is helping you to come up with some training ideas for exercises and developing yourself a program; then just let me know and I will continue these clips a few times a month.  This website was originally put together to get training information out to people who seek it and will apply it.  All YOU have to do is request what you want to learn and/or see and I will do my best to fulfill those requests.

To your health,

Jerry

Mondays:  Total Body Weight Room Workout

Tuesdays: Speed Work, Acceleration/Deceleration Work, Agilities

Wednesdays: Total Body Circuit Training

Thursdays:  High Intensity Conditioning (Stadiums, Hill Sprints, etc)

BS Fridays: Total Body Weight Room Workout

Saturdays: Timed Mileage Run

Sundays: Rest, Recovery, Flexibility

My summer athletes are very dedicated and work really hard to prepare their bodies for their upcoming sport season.  Workouts are held at 6am and the most impressive part is that they all show up voluntarily to train.  In the video you will see athletes from field hockey, volleyball, wrestling, men’s basketball, women’s soccer, women’s water polo, and the diving team all participating in a Wednesday circuit training workout.  This is the workout they did:

A-1: TRX or Ring Suspended Push-up

A-2: Band Speed Row w/Scapular Retraction

A-3: Dumbbell Farmers Walk

A-4: 45 degree Back Extension w/plate

A-5: Kettle Bell Swing w/Alternating Lateral Step

A-6: Sit-up w/Plate

A-7: Bucket High Box Hop

A-8: Rope Climb

A-9: Light Weight Barbell Hang Clean

A-10: Speed Obstacle Hop

A-11: Tire Flip

Athletes will work at each station for 30 seconds and then rotate to the next station.  They will have 10 seconds to rest and get ready to start the next drill.  After all the stations have been completed they will get approximately 2 minutes rest and then repeat.  We ran four complete circuits.  These type of circuits not only get you stronger, more powerful, and conditioned; but it pushes you out of your comfort zone.  This is a desirable outcome for an athlete to become not only physically fit but mentally strong.

Try it-you may find it harder than it looks!

To your health,

Jerry

So let’s talk about hill sprints.  First look for a hill that is a gradual incline.  It does not have to be steep but it should be about 50 yards or more.  The steeper the incline the less yardage typically needed.  I also think it is best to find a hill that is grass and not rocky.  Obviously, if you live in a city this might challenge you some.

Now that you have found your hill and established your yardage; it is time for the workout.  Start at the base of the hill and sprint as hard as you can, driving yourself forward with each powerful step, while swinging your arms loosely from your shoulders.  When you reach the top, turn and jog back to the starting position.  As you are jogging back down you should focus on your breathing and try to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.  It has been proven you recover much faster with this breathing pattern than breathing forcefully in and out of your mouth.  When you reach your starting position repeat your sprint aggressively back to the top.  Do this for 5 trips to the top and then rest for 2 minutes or until you have gotten your breathing and heart rate back to near normal resting rates.  We desire this to ensure you are able to go ALL OUT when you sprint up.  We typically do 4-5 total sets.

I forgot to mention that you  should always do a good warm-up prior to and a good cool down after.  I will have my athletes perform a series of dynamic movements, followed by some low grade plyometrics, then complete a series of short progressive sprints for our warm-up.  For the cool down we typically will go for a short jog and focus on breathing, then we will walk and shake out our arms and legs.  We will finish with total body static stretching.  Sometimes we will also stretch with jump stretch bands.

Make sure you are getting outside and making the best of your surroundings.  You may be surprised how many training possibilities there might be if you just start looking to add a little variety into your program.

To your health,

Jerry

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Hey everyone, you heard about it and it is finally here and completed-Jedd Johnson’s Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball guide.   I am aware that some of you may not be familiar with who Mr. Johnson is so I caught up with him and did a little interview.  I think it is important to have some information about a coach who shares his or her most vital training information to help athletes and coaches get all they can out of their training to reach their goals.  Enjoy reading the brief interview and then I will share with you some bonuses that I put together for you.

Jedd, Can you give my readers some quick back ground information about yourself leading up to why you created the Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball program?

Sure thing Jerry – anything for you buddy.  By the way guys, Jerry is a great coach and very innovative thinker.  He has shown me a lot of impressive things over the years.

Here’s a little bit about me.  The first part of my life, I loved playing baseball.  It was pretty much all I really cared about spending my time doing all the way to college.  I ended up playing two years at Division II Mansfield University of PA.  Unfortunately, a couple of injuries left my arm in some pretty bad shape, so I decided I would no longer play.

By leaving baseball, this led me to the second love of my life, strength training.  I started serious work with weights in 1999 and have never stopped.  Unfortunately, after a few years away from baseball, my competitive fire started burning again and I looked for something to compete in.  I found Strongman and Grip Strength competitions.

I did my first Grip comp in 2003 and loved it right away.  I began traveling all over the nation to compete and along the way I won the US National Championship in 2005 and set a World Record in one of the main lifts in 2009.

However, after all these years I have always loved baseball.  Each year I attend pro games, high school games, Little League games.  I work with some baseball youngsters on strength training – I just love being around the game and I always wanted to put together something for baseball.  Finally in early 2010, I decided I was going to put something together that combined the two sports I have been the most successful in over the years – baseball and grip strength, and just recently finished Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball, an ebook on training for forearm and grip strength, endurance, and safety.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE PROGRAM

How can the program elevate a proven baseball players game or skills?

Baseball players have known for years that leg strength, core strength, arm and shoulder strength and hand strength are important for high performance and longevity in the game.  If any of those elements are weak, your performance will go down.  If an injury takes place in any of those parts of the body, your performance will go down.  So, it is important to make these parts of the body as strong, flexible and healthy as possible for top performance.

Over the years, there has been a tremendous amount of information developed around building strength in the legs, core, and arm for baseball.  Players understand they have to do work on the legs and run to stay fast and in shape.  They know they have to do ab work and rotational activities in order to be able to throw and hit the ball hard, and they know they have to keep their rotator cuff and the rest of the shoulder strong and healthy in order to have optimal arm speed, strength, and velocity.

Unfortunately, there is very little information out there about how to train the hands and forearms the right way to perform at a high level in baseball.  Most of the information that players get is hand-me-down information with very little carryover to baseball performance.

My manual is the definitive resource for building hand strength and forearm strength for baseball players.  The information inside will help batters, fielders, pitchers and catchers to be better players, while also keeping them healthy and in the game longer.  I include in it multiple ways to keep the lower arms healthy through stretching and other therapeutic means that most players, coaches, and trainers are not aware of.

Can your system be easily added into an athlete’s existing training program?

No doubt about it.  Including Grip training in the routine can be done several different ways and I go over this in the manual.  To make things easier, I include 20 full-scale Grip workouts that can be done either in their entirety or can be broken up into segments.  If time is limited, like I know it is for many teams, all the player or strength coach has to do is break my workout templates up into sections.  Each workout can be broken up into three separate smaller workouts.

Approximately how long will each workout take and how many days a week is recommended?

If doing a full-scale grip training workout, the workout can be done in 20 minutes, twice a week.  If broken up into segments, then the workouts can take as short as 5 minutes and can be done throughout the week.  This is all covered in the manual and you can pretty much sculpt the workouts however you would like to.  Plus, my exercise index in the manual includes over 200 movements, so if the template indicates a movement or lift for which you do not have the implement, you can go to that section of the manual and look for other similar movements that you can do that work the same movement patterns so you can get the most out of the time you put into your grip training.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE PROGRAM

What types of strength equipment or training tools will be needed to utilize the program?

I have covered an immense amount of equipment that can be used for training grip, but the great thing about it is about half of what I cover requires no special equipment.  You either already have it at your normal strength training facility, or it might be in your garage, or even your baseball equipment bag.  Specialized grip training equipment is available on the market and it is very good for developing hand and forearm strength, but with this manual I will show you ways how to build your own equipment or how to use hardware that is already at your home to build lower arm strength that will get you bigger numbers on the field.

I know this system was specifically created for baseball; but could other athletes and coaches use the training principles for their sports?

No question.  Hand strength is important for many sports, especially football, rugby, MMA, wrestling, and many others, and the movements in this manual can be used to assist those athletes as well.  The therapy section still applies to all those sports because injuries take place in them as well, and if you currently have a lower arm injury, I will show you in the manual some of the ways that I have overcome injuries in the past as well.

Jedd, I would like to thank you for your time and answering these questions.  Is there anything else you would like to add about the Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball program?

Yes, Jerry … Thousands of athletes are going to be picking this up and the ones that get this and start implementing the program are going to have a decided advantage over other players who do not.  So, strike while the iron is hot and get Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball now.

Awesome Jedd, I can’t wait to share this with my readers of variety trainer.  Thank you!

CLICK HERE TO GET THE PROGRAM

I really want everyone to know that Jedd is a first class coach and this 400+ page manual is NO JOKE.  Pure content and tons of extra bonuses.  Now let’s talk MORE bonuses!  When you get the manual here at VarietyTrainer.com, I’ll send you my Nutritional Guide For Serious Athletes.  This is full of valuable nutritional information that any serious athlete needs to understand how to maximize their training results.  THERE’S MORE: I am also giving away a 15 Week Baseball Strength Training Program to be used directly with Jedd’s Ultimate Forearm Training System.  I hope you truly take advantage of what is being offered to you.  To pick up these additional bonuses email me your receipt showing that you picked up the manual and I will forward you the link to the bonuses.  Click over now and you won’t believe what all is included!

To your health,

Jerry

DON’T WASTE ANYMORE TIME:  GET THE PROGRAM

The majority of strength coaches use bands in some form or another and for good reason.  One band alone can provide you with a vast variety of different exercises and applications for use.  In this video post, I demonstrate how to do seven different exercises for the upper back and core without really moving anywhere or changing any weights.  In reality, I probably could have stayed there and shown you about forty more exercise with just that one band set-up.

So as you can see, bands can be a very valuable and cost effective training tool to have and implement into any training program.  I have used bands for years and encourage individuals to learn how to work with them if you never have.  They are great to travel with and can be set up and used just about anywhere.  Just like any other training tool; you need to respect it and know your limits and the limits of the band to avoid injury.

If you have any questions or comments about band training; please just ask.  Also, be sure to check out the other band training videos that I have posted.

Keep adding Variety to those workouts!!

To your health,

Jerry

This video was put together to show the Legend Fitness Pro Series Glute Ham Developer.  I totally endorse this piece of strength equipment as a solid training tool that is built like a tank.  We have three of them and have put them through the ringer with a lot of athletes for the last four years and they still are just as nice and functional as the first day we got them.  The entire frame is welded together; no bolts and the steel is all American so you know it is sturdy.

I have Legend Fitness Equipment in our facilities and I will say this company is legit.  They stand by their strength products and  emphasize quality by not cutting corners.  If you have any questions about the Glute Ham Developer or any other Legend Fitness Product; please do not hesitate to contact me and ask.

To your health,

Jerry

Circuit training for conditioning and fat loss is huge and doing it with weight just makes it that more productive.  What I mean when saying circuit training is doing one exercise and then follow it up with another exercise with little to no rest.  That does not mean a circuit could not be defined by a set rest period between exercises; it can.  The point is that you are changing the exercises.  The less rest or heavier weight between exercises typically equals higher intensity.

This type of training can be done many ways such as body weight, barbells, dumbbells, sandbags, machines, or as demonstrated in this video with kettlebells.  Combinations of of all these can make for unlimited possibilities.  The kettlebell is a tool I like to use because of the smooth transitions you can do going from exercise to exercise.

This circuit in the video is very demanding and might not be for a beginner to kettlebells.  I would suggest you learn each exercise first and then work on combinations.  These are challenging and fun.  You will be able to feel how productive this circuit is the first time you try it.  Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Double KB Swing 5-10 reps

Double KB Swing Clean-To-Front Squat-To-Push Press 5-10 reps

One Arm KB Snatch (hold onto the other kettlebell) Left/Right 5-10 reps

Alternating KB Cleans 6-10 reps

Finish with another set of Double KB Swing for 5-10 reps or for time 30sec-1minute

Rest for a set period of time typically 30sec-2minutes and repeat.

You could easily make modifications to the circuit if you wanted to do this whole circuit with just one kettlebell.

I hope you enjoyed this circuit and I will continue to post up more conditioning and fat loss type of workouts as I have been getting a lot of requests for them lately.

To your health,

Jerry

Fat loss is actually easy; getting a person out of their comfort level to achieve fat loss is the hard part.  Getting someone out of bad habits is the hard part.  Having them change their dietary intake is the hard part.  OK so I said it was easy and then gave three reasons why it is hard.  If you “really” want to make a change and loose some weight then do not try and do all of these at first because chances are you will be unsuccessful.  I would recommend you start with just exercise for two weeks, then start making gradual changes in your diet.  As you are progressively cleaning up your nutritional needs, try to drop a bad habit.  This might just be as easy as not staying up so late and going to bed a little earlier to give your body the rest it needs.  If you do things a little at a time you will be more likely to stick to a plan and change your ways of life to a better and more fit you.

In the video, I am giving you a fat loss circuit that can be done anywhere, does not need equipment, and can easily be modified according to your level of fitness.  First it is important to understand each exercise; so let me break them down for you:

Burpee: Start in a standing position.  Drop down and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet.  Explosively kick your feet straight back while placing your body weight on your hands and maintaining a tight contraction in your abdominal area (squeeze your belly in tight).  Then with no pause bring the feet back up to your hands and jump straight up as fast and as hard as you can.  Repeat for time or reps.  If you are overweight and this exercise is to advanced, start with just going through the motions.  Get down into a push-up position and then stand up and keep repeating in that fashion until it gets easier.

“T” Push-ups: Start in a push-up position.  Complete a push-up and then transfer your weight onto one hand and foot and rotate the body keeping your mid section tight until you make your body look like the letter “T”.  This is done in a controlled tempo.  Once you have achieved the “T” position return to the push-up and repeat on the other side.  Repeat for time or reps.  If you are unable to do a push-up or rotate just focus on maintaining a solid push-up position with your core tight.  After you have mastered that for the time, work on lowering yourself down slowly into the down position of the push-up.  Keep progressing until you complete your first push-up.  Another option would be to complete push-ups from your knees.

Mountain Climber: Start in a push-up position and bring one foot up (knee towards the chest).  In that position, tighten your mid section and then start alternating your feet driving the knees up towards the chest.  Do this as fast as you can while still maintaining good form and technique.  Repeat for time or reps.  If you can not maintain that position; stand up and do a standing march.  March in place and swing your arms.

Speed Jacks: This is just an old school jumping jack but done aggressively.  Bring your arms up above your head in a circular motion until they touch.  At the same time split your feet out wide away from the mid line of your body.  Explosively, bring your arms back down to your sides as you bring your legs back together.  Repeat for time or reps.  If jumping is to hard on your joints; bring your arms up above your head and step out to the side.  Step back as you bring your arms back down.  Then repeat stepping out in the opposite direction.

For my athletes and my clients; I always say there are NO EXCUSES!  This circuit can be done for all levels of fitness.  Just like most fitness routines; you may just have to modify it to meet your abilities.  So if you are reading this and you know you are very over weight then try doing the modification that I suggested.  If you are very advanced, try doing some of these exercises with light weight dumbbells in your hands.

In the video I supplied this workout:

Burpee 20 seconds

rest 10 seconds

“T” Push-ups 20 seconds

rest 10 seconds

Mountain Climbers 20 seconds

rest 10 seconds

Speed Jacks 20 seconds

rest 10 seconds and repeat for more sets

You can easily see how this circuit could be modified by increasing or decreasing the times, or doing each exercise for a set number of reps.  Either of these approaches can produce great results but you MUST push yourself out of your comfort level to see any of them.  I am a big believer that this type of conditioning will produce much better and faster results by raising your metabolism than running on a treadmill or elliptical.

If you are working on getting in shape and really like this approach to conditioning than I would recommend you look into Joe Hashey’s Bull Strength Conditioning Manual.  He mixes in body weight circuits with weights to accomplish some awesome and very challenging short but effective workouts.

Here is the direct link for more information on his system: Click Here!

Remember, you need to take the first step in getting into shape.  Give this circuit an honest try.  It does not take long.  Try doing it two days a week for two weeks then add a third day and make a small change in your diet.  Little steps turn into big steps over time.  Now take that first step to a better you!

To your health,

Jerry

PS-Here is a review that I did at www.bestfitnessproductreview.com on the Bull Strength Conditioning Manual.

Many strength coaches think the back squat is the “King” of all lifts.  I happen to agree with them.  There are so many great weighted exercises but you will always go right back to the basics with a traditional back squat.  This one exercise will train the entire body each and every rep; not to mention that it will build strength and power like no other.  Many believe squatting to be bad for the knees and it can be if done incorrectly.  Guess what, the bench press can be bad for the shoulders if done wrong also.  Heck just about any exercise can be bad for you in some way if done incorrectly.  This is why I think it is important to look at the basics of this very important lift.  You need to learn the basics before moving forward and advancing in anything you do.  This is exactly the reason I put together this video.  Ask anyone who has ever done any of my programs and you will find them telling you about squatting being a major foundation throughout the phases.

Always complete a great warm-up prior to starting any exercise routine and do no rush to try and squat tons of weight.  If anything, be more conservative and “really” learn the lift and you will accomplish much heavier weights in the long run without getting hurt along the way.

My set and rep schemes will be anything from eight sets of two reps, five sets of five reps, or even three sets of twenty reps.  That is the beauty of developing a training program based on producing a predetermined result.  Results come from hard work and you guessed it….Squatting!!

To your health,

Jerry

This is called 8 Count Body Builders because it is exactly eight distinct movements that are involved to execute this sequence of exercises.  In the video, I purposely paused at each position in the first two rounds and then went at speed in the third round.  Here are the eight movements:

1. Drop down and place hands on the floor
2. Put weight on your hands and kick your feet straight back
3. Maintain position and spread legs apart
4. Explosively bring legs back together
5. Lower body into down position of a push-up
6. Finish the push-up
7. Bring feet back up to the hands
8. Explode straight up into a jump

I learned this exercise from a strength coach who was once in the military and he told me they would do this exercise for conditioning when they could not go out and run.  I am not sure if the military still does this conditioning but it does work.  Learn the movements and then try to do them as fast as you can while still maintaining good form.  I will have my athletes and clients do 10 of them continuously as fast as they can with 1 minute rest periods.  I will run multiple sets depending on their level of conditioning.  If you are not in very good shape just try to complete 3-5 of them and rest for 1-2 minutes then repeat.

What I really love about these is that you can do them just about anywhere and you require no equipment.  This is a great sequence of body weight exercises to do if you are traveling.  You can do them right the privacy of your hotel room.  8 Count Body Builders are also great for accomplishing some of your challenging fat loss goals.  If done with a good demanding intensity, you will really boost up your metabolism and help burn off a large amount of calories post exercise and it won’t have to be a long drawn out workout.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.  You will thank me when you drop down a pants size!!

To your health,

Jerry