Top Kettlebell Exercises You Should Add Today! 83/84

In the eyes of most hardcore lifters the barbell is the king of equipment. Since it generally allows you to use the most load through a variety of exercises, it's no wonder that it's become so popular. You can argue pros and cons forever but there's no doubting that barbells will make you big and strong. But there is another option that often times gets overlooked. Although kettlebells have become increasingly popular in recent years through the help of CrossFit and Kettlebell only gyms, they still don't get the attention the deserve in my opinion. I love them and I use them every day with damn near every one of my clients. On my long list of certifications I plan to get, the RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge, considered by many to be the top notch cert for kettlebells on the planet) is definitely towards the top of the list.

Basically, you can do just about everything with a Kettlebell that you  can with a dumbbell but there are a few exercises where the Kettlebell has a slight advantage. Here are a few of my favorites.

- Swing

Duh. Obviously on top of the list. I primarily use a traditional swing and haven't messed the the American swing (all the way overhead) much since I left the CF world. It's an amazing exercise for working hip hinge and developing fast and explosive glutes and hamstring as well as core and grip strength. It also burns a ton of calories and jacks up your heart rate. You can even build some high level strength with swings if the bells get heavy enough. Just remember, the swing is a hinge, not a squat. There isn't a ton of knee flexion involved and most of the movement comes from hip flexion and extension.

- Goblet Squat

If you've read my post about squat progressions then this shouldn't be a surprise. The goblet squat is where you hold the Kettlebell by the horns up at your chest and use it to add load to your squat. It's the first weighted squat I do with people because it allows them to get into a better squat position then back loading like a back squat.

- Front Rack Carry

If you have been following for a bit (or are a client) you know that I love weighted carries. The front rack carry is unique to the Kettlebell and it is when you're holding a bell in each hand up and your chest. Your hands are together in a prayer-type position and the bell sits in a little space created by your pec, forearm, and upper arm. Once in this front rack you simply walk and try to stay upright. Your shoulders and upper back will be on fire and your core muscle will light up.

- Snatch

The swing is the basis for many Kettlebell exercises and the snatch is one of those for sure, along with the clean. To do a Kettlebell snatch, you start with a basic single hand swing but then drive the weight vertically overhead until it's locked out with a straight arm. One huge mistake people make with these is that they flip the bell over their hand at the top, effectively smashing their forearm with a canon ball. Instead, learn to drive the elbow back and rotate the bell around your arm so that you make contact early. This is one that definitely requires a visual and most likely someone to coach you through.

- Turkish Get-Up

Do you want healthy, stable shoulders, a strong core, and overall great mobility? Then you should do get-ups. I'm definitely not going to attempt the explain a Turkish Get-Up in detail here but basically you start lying on your back with a Kettlebell in your hand and proceed through a series of steps the stand straight up, then get back down to the starting position. They're super fun and extremely beneficially. They can also be pretty scary when you get heavy so be careful. I clearly remember the first time I did a 100# bell and thinking that I could very easily crush my skull.

- Bottoms-Up Press

Shoulder health awesomeness part 2. The bottoms-up press is when you hold the bell upside down so that the main weight is "floating" over your hand. This creates an amazingly unstable exercise that forces your shoulder to work overtime. This is usually done standing with an overhead press but can be done as a floor press or bench press variation as well. Again, just be sure not to crack your skull open.

If your gym offers kettlebells then try adding some of these to your program, if not then find a new gym! Barbells are great and dumbbells obviously have their place but the are certain exercises where the kettlebell is definitely king.

Flexibility vs Mobility 70/84

Mobility is a topic that has come into the spotlight a ton in the last 5-6 years or so. I believe CrossFit has played a huge roll in that with the popularity of guys like Kelly Starrett and his Supple Leopard book. For hundreds of years before that, people had been talking about things like yoga and the benefits they can have on flexibility. This is obviously still hugely popular today and you can't walk into a gym without seeing someone on a mat stretching out before a workout (which is a terrible idea, don't do that). Things brings up the question in people's mind about what the difference between flexibility and mobility is. Are they same? Are they different? What is the difference if they are?

If you would have asked me 5 years ago I would have told you that flexibility refers to a muscle and mobility refers to a joint. You've never heard someone say "that's one mobile hamstring you've got there" but they would say "your ankles are very mobile". While I think this is still true I've heard another definition as well. Julien Pineau is the founder of Strongfit and one of the smartest people I've ever come across in this field. He defines mobility as "flexibility under tension" which I like more the more think about it. I can't tell you how often I take someone through an assessment who is super flexible but still can squat below parallel. They may do yoga all the time or stretch every day but that doesn't mean they can get into the right positions and use all of that flexibility when muscular tension is added.

This is not to say that flexibility is not important, you still need to be able to take a joint through a full range of motion (ROM) and proper stretching can help with this. But, what I like to do more often is to build people's flexibility while doing the exercises they need to be better at. RDLs (Romanian Deadlifts) are a great example of this. RDLs are what's called a "stretch position exercise" which is exactly what I sounds like and it takes the hamstring through a great stretch when you do it. This means it's a great tool for teaching flexibility under tension (mobility) in the hamstrings. Other examples of exercises like this are chest flyes, Incline curls, Jefferson Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, and overhead Tricep extensions. Each on of these exercises takes the muscle through its largest range of motion and give you a chance to work on mobility.

So basically, instead of spending time in a forward bend to stretch the hamstring, we practice a perfect RDL to increase mobility. Or instead of a side split we do a Jefferson Squat to increase hip mobility. This allows us to increase the length a muscle is allowed to go while also getting us into better positions that will translate to exercise. If you want more examples of those or videos on how to do them, Julien has a great set of videos he calls "openers" that help you work on flexibility under tension in different muscle groups.

This also brings up a good point about how much range of motion you need to use in exercises. Often times exercise have a prescribed ROM  that you're expected to hit like squatting below parallel or touching your chest on a bench. But most exercises really don't have one, so what do you do? I tell people to take a exercise through the largest ROM they can while still keeping tension in the muscle. So say I'm doing a dumbbell bench press, sure I can bring weight down and touch my shoulder each time but what if I lose tension in my pec 4 inches before that? I say it's better to stop when you lose tension on that prime mover instead of going through a full ROM just to do it. You end up dumping tension into connective tissue, which can put you at risk, and you're probably not even getting extra benefit from it. Instead, work through the range you can under tension and try to increase that range as much as you can. If you can't keep pec tension on through the full ROM now, eventually you'll be able to and you'll get the full benefit from the lift. Obviously then, when you go do this, you know that you mobility in that area has increased.

Give this a try next time your at the gym and see what kind of ROM  you can get you body through while still maintaining that tension!

Kicking Ass in the Real World: Why Barbells are Not That Functional 68/84

I'm going to be honest, CrossFit got this one wrong. Generally considered the king of functional training, CrossFit relies way too much on a training tool that barely relates daily life in the least. Very rarely are you going to find an object in nature that has been perfectly proportioned for you to lift it. No, usually it's going to be some weird, unbalanced shape that's going to need to crazy maneuver to pick up. For example, my in-laws live on a small pig farm and one day we were having trouble getting a young pig from the barn to and outdoor pen. I decided the easiest thing to do was for me to lift it into a wheelbarrow and wheel it over. They informed me that the pig weighed about 175 pounds, not much considering I've deadlifted well over 500 before. But you know what? That was damn near one of the heaviest things I've ever needed to lift. The pig was moving, the balance point was weird, I could not lift with a perfectly flat back, and I need to do some crazy one-arm-over-one-arm-under thing to lift it. Plus, something like that is way further from your body and center of gravity than a barbell is, making it feel much heavier. If you have ever done Strongman stone loading then you know exactly what I mean. The bottom line is that you need to focus on way more than barbell training if you really want to be functional.

While CrossFit and other functional training methods spend s lot of time with barbells, they obviously use other tools as well. Kettlebells, medicine balls, body weight, and sometimes Dumbbells (much more now than they used to) are all seen on a daily basis. And while these things are all great, they still may not accomplish the goal of helping with every day living. There are some other great tools that I love and I wish were used more often then you see.

The biggest one of these is sandbags, and I don't mean the ones with convenient handles. These can be a great tool for functional training. They're big, heavy, awkward, and their weight shifts as you lift. This makes them great for learning to move real world object. Lift them, squat then, press them, carry them, just move them in some way. Another great option is atlas stone or any odd shaped stones. Just find a big rock, pick it up, and carry it. This will do wonders for your leg, core, back, and arm strength as well. To be honest, anything you can pick up and carry can be functional to an extent. Yes, this includes barbells (think farmers carry) and pretty much anything else. When we're looking at exercises that are "functional" in terms of relating to every day lifeit's hard to beat pickup something up and carrying it.

The other problem with barbells is the fact that 90+% of exercises are done bilaterally, meaning with both arms or legs at the same time. While this allows you to move the most weight, it limits you in your options. If you want to be truly functional then single arm and single leg exercises are a must for your program. This can show you imbalances, potentials for injury, as well as helping a ton with balance and stability. If this sounds like most of your training, then try adding in some unilateral work and you might be surprised how much stronger one arm or leg is than the other.

The point is to make sure that your training stays carried and doesn't lock you into only a few pieces of equipment. The more variety you're going to do, the better and healthier you're going to be.

Working Around Injuries 62/84

So picture this; you're out at the lake on the weekend, enjoying the outdoor activities when you crash off of your jetski and sprain your wrist. It doesn't hurt too bad but I kind of ruins your weekend. You get to the gym on Monday and realize that the injury is way worse than you thought and you can barely use that hand at all. You've been putting in great time at the gym and you don't want to lose everything you've been working on. So what do you do? Take a break? Work around it? Work through it? Let's talk about it.

Depending on the severity of the injury, there's almost always a way for you to continue hitting the gym and making gains without having to lay on the couch and get fat. Pretty much any extremity injury can be worked around, that is most any injury to an arm or a leg. If that's what you're dealing with then, to be frank, it's not an excuse to skip the gym. You may not be able to do some of your favorite exercises but you can still work on other things. The basic rule for this is "if it hurts, don't do it". Avoid things that hurt and do pretty much anything that doesn't. We'll take my recent hamstring injury as an example. A couple Tuesday's ago a had a pretty minor high hamstring pull while playing sand volleyball. I finished the match but knew that it was going to be a bit sore. I also knew that a lot of my normal leg day activities would have to be put on hold. Did I use this as an excuse to skip the gym? Hell no! I just did what I could. I already do two upper body days so those stayed almost exactly the same, then when leg day came I just did things that didn't hurt. The only real pain I got was from hip hinge exercises like deadlifts and RDL's. This left light squatting, and things for my calves, adductors, and abductors, as well as isolation exercises like leg extensions. Was it ideal? No. Is it better than nothing? Of course. Moral is, don't use an extremity injury as an excuse to be lazy.

Now, obviously, there are some exceptions. Back injuries are nothing to mess with. Neither are neck injuries. If it hurts to move, probably don't go exercise. Just follow the same rule "if it hurts, don't do it". In these cases, do whatever you need to do to get well as fast as you can so you can get back to being healthy and getting exercise. Don't do anything stupid to make things worse.

On the topic of injuries, I am not a fan of ice. This is a completely different conversation but I just want to get this out there. Kelly Starett has a couple great videos that can probably explain this a bit better then I can but the basics are that our bodies have developed, over thousands of years, a way to heal ourselves and we're silly to think we can make much of a difference. Also, ice may actually increase the amount time to takes to heal from an injury due to backflow of some of the "garbage" you're body is trying to remove.

Along the same lines, I am a fan of ice baths and, obviously, chryotherapy but that is a much different story than simply putting an ice bag on a sprained ankle in a futile attempt to heal.

Everything here comes down to this; unless your injury prevents you from moving without a ton of pain, you should still be doing whatever you can, without pain, to continue making progress in the gym and keeping your health up as high as you can.

The Herceg Strength Cycle 60/84

Do you want a really simple plan to help you get stronger? This is a time tested program that I have used over and over to PR on basically all of my lifts, as well as the members at the CrossFit gym I worked at. It's simple, to the point, and it works.

When I first started working at The Arsenal in 2013, I told the owner that I would write us a strength program to supplement our conditioning we were doing. I was very adamant that we needed this and pushed hard. He gave the OK and a deadline to get it done. So in typical fashion, an hour before the meeting I had forgotten to do it  and still had nothing. I had an idea for what I wanted to do, just no concrete plan. I wanted to do something basic and progressive that made logical sense and followed a certain pattern. I scrapped this together super quick and took it to him. We tried it with the entire gym and 12 weeks later the amount of PR's was unbelievable. Everyone, left and right, just smashing new personal bests. It worked even better than I had expected, well enough that we did it again a few weeks later. And we'll enough that I did it again, two more times, in my own and hit new bests on every lift involved.

So what makes this plan work so well? Probably the simplicity of it. All I did was take the rep max percentage for a given rep and reduce it by 5%. I know that sounds confusing so I'll explain. Typically a 5 rep max (the most weight you can do for 5 reps) is about 85% of your 1 rep max. So I started the program with working up to 5 reps at 80%, 5% less than the estimated max. I did this week by week, reducing the reps and increasing the percent, and it worked like a dream. Here's what the percentages looked like

5,5,5,5,5 - 60,65,70,75,80%
5,5,4,4,4 - 65,70,75,80,85%
5,4,4,3,3 - 70,75,80,85,90%
4,3,2,2,2 - 75,80,85,90,95%
4,3,2,1,1 - 80,85,90,95,100%

Obviously the left side is the reps and the right side is the perfect of 1RM  for each set. Like I said. The first week works up to 5 reps at 80%. You'll also notice that this is only 5 weeks, but my program took 12 to complete. That's because each week was repeated twice in a row with different exercises before moving onto the next percentages. That gets you 10 weeks plus 2 deload weeks for a total of 12. That looks like this

Wk 1: 5,5,5,5,5 - 60,65,70,75,80%
Wk 2: 5,5,5,5,5 - 60,65,70,75,80%
Wk 3: 5,5,4,4,4 - 65,70,75,80,85%
Wk 4: 5,5,4,4,4 - 65,70,75,80,85%
Wk 5: 5,4,4,3,3 - 70,75,80,85,90%
Wk 6: 5,4,4,3,3 - 70,75,80,85,90%
Wk 7: 4,3,2,2,2 - 75,80,85,90,95%
Wk 8: 4,3,2,2,2 - 75,80,85,90,95%
Wk 9: 4,3,2,1,1 - 80,85,90,95,100%
Wk 10: Testing week

2 deload weeks as needed: 5,5,4,4,4 - 50,55,60,65,70

Now, I don't want to give away all of my secrets here but you can pick any exercises you want and they will fit into this program, and you will get stronger at them. I would pick 3-4 exercises one week and another 3-4 for the second week. You can use whatever you want for powerlifting, weightlifting, CrossFit, or just general strength training but I would stick to the main compound lifts. Accessory work will follow a different plan.

Give this program a try (I would recommend two upper and two lower body days) if you want to get strong. From my last time doing this, I still have my PRs in back squat, bench press, front squat, and sumo deadlift. Also, if you want me to do the work for you, I'll write you a personalized program with this setup guaranteed to get you stronger. Just shoot me a message and we'll get to work

8 Tips For Bigger and Better Arms 53/84

Let's be honest here, if you lift weights, you care what your arms look like. I don't care if you're a guy or a girl, trying to lose fat or gain muscle, everyone wants nice arms. To many, this can be too big of a focus and you end up looking super silly with big arms but no upper back or lats. But if you're like most people and want to get a respectable set of pipes then check out these tips to help you out.

- Still focus on compound movements

Big compound movements like rows, pullups, dips and presses are still going to activate that most muscle fibers and cause the most overall stimulus. These should generally take place towards the beginning of your workout so that you can use tons of energy on them. 4-6 sets of 5-10 reps is great for compound movements

- Use a supinated grip

If bigger biceps is the goal, try using a palms up grip for most of your pulling exercises. It's important to incorporate lots of different grips but supinated works the biceps the most. It will give you the best stimulus for compound movements.

- Use a close grip

Now for triceps, try doing most of your pressing with a close grip. This includes bench, incline bench, and overhead pressing. This will give you slightly more triceps involvement resulting in more growth. If you're using dumbbells, keep your elbows in close to your body to simulate a barbell close grip.

- Focus on TUT

Time Under Tension (TUT) is now being considered one of the most important factors in muscle growth. TUT refers to how long the muscle is actually doing work. Ways to increase TUT include higher rep sets, shorter rest periods, and (most importantly) increase the concentric and eccentric time of each rep. Try 2 seconds on the concentric (up) and 2 seconds on the eccentric (down) for each rep. Add a big squeeze and pause for even more growth.

- Utilize the Mind-Muscle Connection

The Mind-Muscle Connection refers to focusing your attention on the muscles you're intending to work. If you're doing a bicep curl, look at your bicep the whole set and focus on squeezing that muscle as hard as you can. This has just recently been proven by research (even though people have unofficially known for years) to increase muscle hypertrophy when compared to not utilizing it.

- Vary your reps

As mentioned, as long as TUT is high, various rep ranges can all cause muscle growth and you should use many of them. I like to do one heavy day (5-8 reps) and one high rep day (10-20 reps) for each group to get a nice mix of both.

- Don't train to failure

If you're on drugs then by all means do that, but if you're natural like 99% of us then training to failure has no real benefits. Outside of certain times (see yesterday's post) all it's going to do is make it harder to recover from you session. Always try to leave 1-2 reps in the tank on each set. This will allow you to recovery better, build more muscle, and save your joints from some pain.

- Don't focus just on getting a pump, except sometimes do

Some people focus too much on the pump, others don't focus enough. It has a time and place and should be used strategically. Getting a huge pump at the beginning of your workout is just going to make all of your other lifts suck, so save it till the end. At the end of your workout, refer again to yesterday's post for some different techniques

Give these a try and let me know how your progress goes! Training smarter can make all the difference in the world. If you feel like you're lost and need a little extra help then I'd love to get on a free 30 minute consultation call with you to start to put a plan together. To do that, simply click on the link below and reserve a time. All I'll need is some basic info and we can really get you moving towards your goals!

Click here to reserve a time!  calendly.com/gsherceg

Injury Free Training 44/84

Let's be honest here. Most people's goals should be long term. Unless you're competing in a sport, part of your goals should include building healthy habits and a sustainable lifestyle. Usually this means the goal is to not get hurt, and make consistent progress over years. Getting injured can put a huge damper on any progress and make a lot of people give up entirely. Even though there's usually way more you can do when hurt than people think, it's always just better to not get hurt in the first place. Here a few tips you can take and use to help make sure that you're preventing injury while still making gains.

-Work in your mobility/ flexibility

Although being more flexible doesn't automatically make you less likely to get injured, it's still important to be flexible enough and mobile enough to be able to get in the proper positions for exercises. Take the deadlift as an example. Although an extremely important and effective exercise, if your hamstrings don't allow you to get your back flat when the bar is on the floor then it becomes rather dangerous and not worth it. I'm situations like this, decrease the range of motion to a point where you can do the exercise perfectly.

-Barbells are not all that functional

Should you train with barbells? Probably. Do you have to? Not necessarily. Are they really all that functional? Not really. During every day life you're more than likely not going to be lifting a perfectly balanced bar with a grip width that fits your hand perfectly. Although I do include them in all of my programs, you need to train with other implements such as dumbbells, kettlebells, sand bags, medicine balls, and bodyweight exercises. Getting a good mix of all of those and making sure you're moving them properly is going to help ensure longevity.

-Use single arm/leg for muscular imbalances

Have you ever watched someone do a back squat and it just looks like absolutely crooked garbage? I have, and that's part of the reason most of my clients don't do barbell back squats until a while into our programs. When I do have a person like this, I often take them away from two leg squats for a while all together and work on single leg squats, step ups, and lunges. Things like this can help identify  and fix imbalances that can cause issues. If you just try to power through bad technique you could end up hurting yourself.

-Don't train to failure

Training to failure is a great way to burn yourself out and kill progress. You should be pushing yourself but alway leave 1-2 reps in the tank. Not only can this help you stay in the game longer, but there's not even any real research to prove training to failure results in more muscle gain.

-Don't get overhyped

Again, a great way to fry yourself out and kill progress. Things that fall into this include tons of preworkout, smelling salts, getting slapped up, and yelling/ grunting through reps. If you're going for a big deadlift PR then these things can help you smash weights, but they are definitely not things you should do every day or even every week.

-Don't to hard every day

This is kind of a culmination of the last two. You don't need to go hard and give 100% every single time you go to the gym. Killing yourself on every metcon, hitting rep PRs on every lift, and crushing yourself every day is going to lead to over training, burn out, and potentially injury. Work hard and try and do a little more every week but don't kill yourself. You'll be better off for it in the long run.

Top Body Weight Exercises For Each Muscle Group 34/84

A couple weeks ago,  I did a post on the top exercise that I like to use for each muscle group. Today, I'm going to expand on that and  do one specifically for body weight only exercises. There will still be some equipment necessary for some of them but that really just comes down to a pull-up bar and some kind of suspension strap like a TRX or rings. Sine it's friday night we'll just get right into it!

Neck

Neck bridges will be your best bet for this one from a body weight perspective. Note that that these are more advanced exercises and you should have some prior neck training under your belt before you try these. They can be pretty dangerous and there are better neck training options, but for a body weight exercise it's an option. I do these from the front and from the back and never, ever go to failure.

Shoulders

Handstand holds and handstand pushups are the best bodyweight shoulder builders. Start with isometric handstand holds against a wall before you try to do pushups and just working on holding it for an extended time. Unless you are a competitive CrossFit athlete, you have absolutely no use for kipping handstand pushups so don't even worry about those. That even goes for people who workout at CrossFit gyms but don't plan on competing. Build up you strength and don't try to progress too fast.

Chest

The ring pushup is still my pick for this one. The rings adds an extra stability factor which lights your pecs up and the rings also increase the potential range of motion to get a huge stretch in the pec. Just be careful not to go too low and put too much stress on the shoulder joint. Just like any exercise, focus in squeezing the muscles that you're trying to work the whole time. If you want to add even more tension, turn your palms forward at the top of the pushup.

Back

I'm gonna go with 2 here; pull-ups for vertical pulling and an inverted row for horizontal pulling. Obviously, the inverted row will be much easier for most people and it is important to build up proficiency in those before you attempt pullups. The rows can be done on a bar, smith machine, rings, or TRX Straps. If you want a good progression to help you get your first pullup you can look HERE

Biceps

We're limited here but my favorite is the TRX curl. Stand facing the TRX with your arms out in front of you. Keep your elbows high as you curl your hands up towards your face. Having your arms out in front of you will give you a great contraction in the bicep and you'll really feel these if you do them right, Be sure not to let your elbows drop as you go through the motion.

Triceps

You can get a ton of stimulus in your triceps withthe HSPUs and Ring Pushups but if you want more isolation then a TRX tricep extension is a good one to try. Start face down with the handles in front of you like a pushup position. Instead of bringing your hands down to your chest, let your arms come over your head and bend at the elbow. Use you triceps to pull you back up into the starting position.

Abs

I love leg raises! They allow you to work the abs and obliques like situp and other trunk flexion exercises but I like them better because you spine doesn't actually move. You can do these lying flat, in an ab tower, or hanging from a bar. I'll also add side planks to the mix here because I think they're an amazing exercise to build everything on your lateral chains like shoulders, lats, obliques, and hips.

Quads

My go-to lately has been the front foot elevated split squat. It give you all of the benefits of a rear foot elevated one but people seem to have an easier time with the balance here. You only need to raise your front foot up about six inches to really feel the stretch and work. Make sure you touch your back knee all the way to the ground each rep

Hamstrings

Two here as well; the TRX hamstring curl and the single leg RDL. I did one for knee flexion and one for hip extension to give you a couple options. You can also substitute the TRX for an exercise ball and get just as good of a stimulus. There is a good progression here that you can learn and I'll do a video on it pretty soon that will take you from the easiest to the hardest versions of this exercise.

When doing the single leg RDL, make sure not to let you back hip raise (that would be the leg that is going back). Keep your hips square and you'll really feel your glutes light up as well. The motion is the same as a regular RDL where you keep your knees soft and focus on pushing your hips backwards

Glutes

Glute bridges are where it's at here. For bodyweight you'll want to do higher reps to still get a good burn but these are a great butt builder when you add a barbell or band. Do them on one leg to increase difficulty. You can also raise your shoulders up onto a box to increase the range of motion.

Calves

Sprinting wins here. Calves raises aren't my favorite but have their place. If you really want to light you calves up with no added weight then sprint you butt up a hill and I guarantee you feel it tomorrow!

I'm planning on writing up a bodyweight only program to give to you guys but this one is only for subscribers. Follow the pop-up prompt and join the Facebook group to get access to this program! Finally, My Free Fat Loss and Free Muscle Gaining Tips are done! And I have to say that they're looking pretty awesome. Those will be free to anyone who subscribes here. Subscribing will also let you join the private Facebook group that will give you the ability to see this new program. This group will allow for much more engagement with each other than my Facebook page so I can make sure you guys are getting all of the info you need.

See you tomorrow!

Facebook: Greg Herceg - Personal Trainer
Instagram: @Greg.the.Trainer
Email: gsherceg@gmail.com

My Go-To Squat Progression 32/84

This is kind of a part 2 from yesterday's post about squat variations and progressions for people with knee problems. I wanted to go more in depth about the actually progression that I use when I start with new people to get them from 0 to squatting like a pro.

For most people, this will begin with the progression that I outlined yesterday of squatting onto a box, tapping the box, then squatting without the box. This brings us to a point where I feel that someone can sit down into a squat with enough competency to start to add some weight. Once I feel they are ready, I always start with a Goblet Squat, which is where you squat while holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest height. I do this for a number of reason; the weight can start super low if i need it to, there are easy increases and decreases with  5 pound dumbbell jumps, and more importantly this squat is a front-loaded squat. That means that the extra weight is on the front of the body, which allows the person to sit slightly deeper into the squat than if it is back-loaded like a barbell back squat. This promotes better squat technique and allows for a greater range of motion. We stick with a goblet squat for a long time with a lot of my clients. We have dumbbells up to 125 pounds so theoretically I could keep them there until they are strong enough to handle that, but I usually go more off of how good their squat looks.

Once a client can go a picture perfect Goblet Squat with at least 45 pounds then I start to work them into doing front squats. I go to the front squat next because it too is a front loaded exercise (duh) meaning that we can still sit lower and be more upright. For most, this means we start front squats with an  arms crossed grip. The reason I do this is because a traditional front rack grip requires upper body mobility that most people don't have. Obviously, up until this point I have been drilling front rack mobility with them, but some people will still look better with a arms crossed grip. I will maintain this grip for as long as we need to until the mobility in the front rack is good enough that we can switch over. I prefer the traditional front rack because it allows you to move more weight and can lead us into cleans if the client wants to.

It's not until the person can do a near perfect front squat that we even start to work on back squats. Because back squats are a back loaded exercise, it requires more lower body mobility to be able to sit all the way down into the bottom of a squat. I want to make sure that we can build up the mobility for a long time so we don't have to worry about squat depth. Think about it this way, most people can take a dumbbell and squat down into a nice deep squat, but as soon as you put the bar on their back, their form goes to crap and they can't hit depth nearly as well. Don't get me wrong, I love back squats, but I just don't think they are something we need to jump right into and there are better exercises we can do with people who are just starting out.

At this point, I may start to introduce Overhead Squats into the equation because they require (more so than any other exercise) a tremendous amount of full body mobility. It's a long process but now that I am no longer coaching CrossFit athletes there's not a ton of need for my clients to be able to overhead squat.

In tomorrows post, I'll go into more detail on the progression of exercises I take once squatting without a box has been achieved. Finally, My Free Fat Loss and Free Muscle Gaining Tips are done! And I have to say that they're looking pretty awesome and I'll be emailing the to all of my subscribers soon. Those will be free to anyone who subscribes here. Right now you'll also get a free copy of the Nutrition Template that I use for myself and my clients. Subscribing will also let you join the private Facebook group that I just opened (I fixed the link). This group will allow for much more engagement with each other than my Facebook page so I can make sure you guys are getting all of the info you need.

See you tomorrow!

Facebook: Greg Herceg - Personal Trainer
Instagram: @Greg.the.Trainer
Email: gsherceg@gmail.com

Squats Don't Hurt Your Knees, The Way You Squat Does 31/84

I see it all the time, I'm sitting down with a new member and they tell me that they have knee problems. This inevitably leads to them telling me that they can't do squats because of this fact. Although I don't automatically disagree with them, the first question I ask if if they can stand up from the chair they're sitting in. 95% of the time they do it just fine, they may not stand up with perfect squat form, but they do it and it doesn't hurt. Once I make them aware of this, they are much more open to listening to what I have to say about it. There are other times that, once we go to the workout floor, I ask them to squat and it is just atrocious. I watch them do one and I'm like "No wonder that hurts!" I give them a few basic ques and the pain seem to disappear.

No, not everyone can do a perfect body weight squat without assistance, but just about everyone can do a squat of some sort. This could be one of many different variations but I can almost guarantee that one of them will feel just fine. The basic, perfect, air squat should be a goal for anyone, but how do you get there? Let's talk quick about a few different variations that I work on people with.

Outside of a rare judgment call, I make every person show me how to squat on to a box before we ever try to do one without. This goes back to my original point that just about anyone can stand up from a chair. The first variation of a box squat is exactly that; you sit down, let your weight go onto the box with a slight rock back, then move your weight back forward and stand back up. Simple. This is a variation that pretty much every person can do. The only thing you need to mess with is the height on the box. If someone has knee pain, start the box super high then lower it as little as possible. Once you get to the point of pain, go slightly higher and do reps there. Stick here until these reps get pretty easy then try to lower the box over time. You'll be surprised how knee pain starts to go away once leg strength is increased. You also need to make sure basic squat technique is maintained. I don't need to go into super detail in this post but the basics are to keep your chest up, whole foot on the ground, and knees tracking over the toes through the movement, going as low as you can while maintaining a neutral spine.

The other adjustment you can make to this squat is to widen the feet out into a sumo stance. This decreases the total amount of flexion that the knee actually goes through. Less flexion in the joint usually means less pain. It's another option you can use to build up strength while you try to increase range of motion. As you progress, try to start bringing the feet slightly closer until your at the basic shoulder-width stance, or whatever is most comfortable with you.

Once you have that down, we remove the "rocking back" portion and maintain tension on the legs the whole time. Now, you sit back, tap the box with your butt, then stand back up. Do this at a height that you can maintain pain free and try to lower the box height over time. Once you can do this onto a box that lets you squat to parallel, you can being working without the box. At this point, training with squat without the box (most of the time), is going to be the best thing to try and increase whole body strength.

In tomorrows post, I'll go into more detail on the progression of exercises I take once squatting without a box has been achieved. Finally, My Free Fat Loss and Free Muscle Gaining Tips are done! And I have to say that they're looking pretty awesome and I'll be emailing the to all of my subscribers soon. Those will be free to anyone who subscribes here. Right now you'll also get a free copy of the Nutrition Template that I use for myself and my clients. Subscribing will also let you join the private Facebook group that I just opened (I fixed the link). This group will allow for much more engagement with each other than my Facebook page so I can make sure you guys are getting all of the info you need.

See you tomorrow!

Facebook: Greg Herceg - Personal Trainer
Instagram: @Greg.the.Trainer
Email: gsherceg@gmail.com

High Bar vs Low Bar Squatting: Guest Post from Ryan 16/84

                                                

Today’s post is going to be a guest post from my friend Ryan LaCount. Ryan is a fellow trainer at Xperience Fitness and has been working there for year, establishing himself as one of the most knowledgeable trainers at the club. Ryan has a B.S. from UW-River Falls where he majored in Biology with a Biomedical Science emphasis.  He also holds a CrossFit Level 1 Certification, is a Certified Personal Trainer, and is currently working toward his CSCS and CES through NASM. Ryan also back squatted 502 pounds at a body weight of 197 and has one of the coolest tattoos ever.

Ryan was nice enough to write a post for me and he will be discussing high bar vs. low bar back squats, the difference between the two, the mechanical advantages/disadvantages, and some corrections you can make to improve your back squat.

”Let me start by stating, when it comes to weight training, always keep an open mind, but do what feels and works best for you.  Everyone is different, but the mechanical advantages of different form can affect your ability to move weight.  There are many great videos covering the topics of form, positioning, and the effect on weight training.  One I recommend watching is “Squats part 1: Fold-ability and proportions” by Tom Purvis.  This video does a great job showing different variations of the human body and how it can affect weight and movement patterns.

The difference between High bar and Low bar is this: High bar places the load/bar on the top of the traps while low bar placement is generally resting on the rear delts.  High bar squatting puts you in a more vertical position as the bar is over the center of your foot while low bar puts the weight behind the center of your foot, forcing you to lean slightly forward to balance.  I can get into the mechanics of foot placement and movement in a later discussion where I can touch on the topics of ankle, hip, and knee mobility and how to correct any movement issues.

Some of the deciding factors when it comes to a squat are; dorsiflexion of the feet, length of your tibia (or floor to knee length), length of your femur, torso length, and overall mobility.  If you have mobility issues with your ankles, hips, or knees squatting will be difficult.  If this is the case I would recommend adding squat therapy, wall squats, banded hip distraction, and banded ankle work to your regiment.  No bar placement in the world will help if you are too tight to hit depth and activate the musculature needed. 

So which is better?  It depends on what you want to do, but I would lean toward low bar.  The type of weight training you pursue is going to be based on your overall goal, whether that is muscular development, strength, or endurance training.   So why low bar?

With low bar the load is further down the back, which generally means that your knees won’t track as far forward.  Low bar is also better for individuals with longer torso length compared to lower body length and allows more of the bar to contact the back thus giving some individuals more control.  This can also be a great variation on squat to help you lift more weight.  Generally people can lift 5-10% more with low bar vs. high bar.  This is due to the lever being reduced between the weight, your hips, and knees and causes reduced torque needed to overcome the resistance.  Think about torque like this; take a 5lb weight and hold it at arm’s length away from your body.  The torque in this instance is the rotational stress on the shoulder.  Now take that same weight and put it on your forearm or elbow.  Which would you be able to hold longer?  Which instance would cause less torque on your shoulder?  In this case moving the weight closer to your shoulder is like doing a low bar squat.  You are decreasing the lever and torque needed to move the weight which will potentially give you the option to lift more. So, if your goal is to move more weight, then Low Bar back squat is a tool you should definitely utilize in your training.”

If you guys have further questions or what to get in contact with Ryan you can find him in these different ways

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.lacount

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanla_count/?hl=en

Email: RyanL@MyXperienceFitness.com

Also, thanks for sticking with me for so long. I realize posting every day is a bit obnoxious but I promise that there is a point. Hopefully you guys are getting some good information out of this and I appreciate everyone who’s been tuning in! Don't forget, if you want to be the first to hear about new posts, new programs, and get discounts on paid services, make sure to leave your email in the space above and join my Newsletter list! The list is growing rapidly so don't miss out!You'll also receive a free PDF cheat sheet of my Top Muscle Building and Top Fat Loss Tips when you join!

See you tomorrow!

Facebook: Greg Herceg - Personal Trainer
Instagram: @Greg.the.Trainer
Email: gsherceg@gmail.com