Think about this for a moment; a wrestler has to shoot in for that take down or a water polo player needs to elevate themselves high out of the water for a shot.  These are both extremely explosive movements that we want to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible to get a maximal result.  Sprinting, especially the first couple of steps, is all out power and explosion which propels the weight of the body forward.  I think it is easy to see a correlation and benefit as to why these athletes should supplement sprinting types of workouts.

This is the last installment of a three part series that was filmed at 6am with a variety of Bucknell athletes, including wrestlers and water polo players, who all participated in the same workout.  Per NCAA rules, all summer workouts are voluntary.  This shows great dedication that these athletes have given up some of their summer, not only to stay and train for their upcoming seasons; but to do it at 6am 5 days a week!

The sprinting sequence for this day was a 1:3 work to rest ratio.  Basically that means what ever the average time was for the group, for the distance they sprinted; they would get three times that time for their rest period before they would sprint again.   For example, if they sprinted 10 yards in 2 seconds, they would get 6 seconds rest before the next sprint.

I ran this days sprint workout on the football field and used the yard lines as markers.  They started on the goal line and was instructed to sprint out 10 yards, through the line and then walk back to the 10 yards line and be ready to sprint back 10 yards to the goal line.  They then would get there, rest and I moved to the 20 yard line.  I ran this sequence in 10 yard increments back and forth until I reached the full 100 yards.  The rest times got longer each time as the distance increased.

As you can see, there is nothing fancy or overly complex about this workout.  Good attitudes and a will to improve with a high work ethic, made this workout successful.  Exactly what every athlete should strive for no matter what the workout or challenge is for each training session.

We then did a cool-down with a light jog and walk followed by a old school static stretching session.  Some days we will use jump stretch bands to stretch with as well.

I always pull the athletes in before they leave and tell them my thoughts of that workout and give them information of what the next days workout will consist of.  I want them to be mentally prepared in advance so they can perform to the best of their abilities.  Just like they should mentally prepare for a game or match.

Hope that helps!

To your health,

Jerry

On this day, we ran the basketball team through a seven station circuit.  Each station was 30 seconds long with 20 seconds of rest between each.  They went through the circuit three times with 2 minute rest and water breaks between circuits.
“BLUE COLLAR” Circuit:

• Punching Bag:  Open hand, Forearm,and kneeing
• Rope Climb:  Hand over hand climb
• Land Mine Alternating speed press
• Bonnies: Alternating lateral bounding with pause
• Tire Sled Drag with Power Row:  Full squat to power row
• Bosu Trainer Toe Touch:  Balance on one foot, touch toe with opposite hand
• Tire Flip:  Drive tire up and over with two foot hop through

Although this is not a long day in the weight room; I believe these types of workouts accomplish more than just conditioning, strength, and power.  They help to create an atmosphere and attitude.  I preach this to the team to make them believe in themselves and in each other.  Confidence must be high on a college basketball team.  They must have fun also.  When you have this combination on a basketball court during a game; plays are made and not forced which results in lower turnovers and better scoring opportunities.

As a strength coach, it is not always about how strong can you get that athlete.  You have to look at the total package and what you are trying to produce to walk out on that court so they can be in the best position to play to their abilities!  Establish a “work ethic” relationship with your athletes and they will give you the effort you desire.

To your health,

Jerry

The Plate Push has the ability to do all this based off how the exercise is applied.  Before we get to all that; lets discuss the basic set up for the hands and body.

• First, make sure the plate is set down with the smooth side down on the ground or floor.
• Your hands will be places just slightly behind the mid line of the plate.
• You will get down low just like a sprinter would who is ready to explode out of the starting blocks.
• Position yourself behind the plate so that your shoulders are not over the plate but behind it.
• Contract your core by pulling in your belly button towards your spine.  This is a draw-in technique and you should still be able to breath.
• Lift your knees off the floor and you are ready to start pushing!

There are factors to be considered here which will determine the level of resistance.

• How much of your body weight will you be pushing downward onto the plate.
• Your surface area.  The plate will push much easier on a smooth surface and much harder on a surface like a rubber floor, carpet, or grass.
• How much paint is on the smooth side of the plate.  A plate with a lot of paint will tend to feel tacky when pushing on a rubber floor verses a plate with very little paint on it.

If you are looking to use this exercise for conditioning purposes; I would suggest you know the distance you want to accomplish or set a time frame and see what distance you actually did accomplish.  You may find this is be much harder than you think depending on your level of muscular and cardiovascular endurance.

If you are looking for the exercise to produce power and explosion; you would want to define your distance such as 10-20 yards.  Then perform the plate push with as much intensity and power as possible for the set yardage, followed by a good rest period before going again.

Both of these techniques work great but I do want to point out that this is much harder than it looks and should be practiced before jumping right into a solid workout with it.

To your health,

Jerry

This is a great exercise for developing strength and power through the torso, but more importantly it trains you to load the back hip and extend through the glutes, down through the ground, while firing your torso muscles in a rotating motion.  This is the same neurological firing sequence you find in most athletic movements.  As a strength coach I find this a very desirable exercise to use with my athletes.

One of the biggest mistakes my athletes make with this exercise is not stepping far enough away from the sled to take up the slack in the strap.  You want the strap with no slack in it to start as seen in the picture.  From there you want to engage your torso musculature; particularly your abdominals as you start to load the back hip area.  Extend through the hip and knee to generate force through the ground as the torso begins it’s rotation.  Then follow through the full range of motion.

This is a training method I use to achieve rotational force and power.  It has proven itself to be a highly effect exercise over the years and I would encourage you to give it a try.  Try it even if you are no longer a participating athlete. You can slow down the power element and it will become more of a rotational strength exercise for your core.

To your health,

Jerry

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

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

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.

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

The second product I’d like you to know about is: The Bull Strength Conditioining Manual. This totally blew me away.  I do a lot of this type of training with my athletes but Joe totally took it to the next level.  These programs kick major ass and they will produce results.  This is for the coach who wants their team to excel or the fitness person who wants faster return from their workouts.  Check it out: Click Here!

Joe Hashey is the owner of Synergy Athletics LLC, a certified strength and conditioining specialist, and recently opened up a new training center in New York.  He trains athletes for peak performance and injury prevention using proven methods of variety training.  I would like to thank Joe for putting together quality training programs and sharing his knowledge and experience.