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Speed & Power Workout

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Eyes Closed Single Leg Hop	#1,#2,#3,#4	3	2 per side	30-60"	4-6	N/A

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Here are some of the collegiate and professional athletes (mainly football players) that I work with performing a very difficult variation of the single leg stand. A majority of the athletes I see have significant weaknesses and imbalances in their feet, ankles, and toes, therefore a good amount of time is devoted to correcting these issues.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Landmine Single Arm Jump Squat	#1,#2,#3,#4	3	3 per side	60"	5-6	2"

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OPTION #1

Here's a simple yet effective landmine jump squat exercise that not only taxes the lower body and improves power output but also targets grip strength and core strength. That's because the bar will want to slip out of the lifters hands not to mention the load and landing wanting to laterally shift your body. To stick the landmine you'll have to create full body tension from head to toe.

OPTION #2

A proper squat will look almost identical from athlete to athlete regardless of their individual differences & anthropometric differences. That squat will involve approximately 90 deg joint angles at the knees & hips. Going deeper than this not only places undue stress on the joint & connective tissue but it also compromises muscle activation, power, force production, proprioception, kinesthetic awareness, & hypertrophy. Eccentric isometrics help the athlete find these optimal 90 deg joint angles due to improved body awareness & sensory feedback.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Feet Elevated Pushups on Trap Bar or Barbell	#1,#2,#3,#4	3	4	45-60"	5-6	2"

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OPTION #1

NOTE: If no access to a trap bar simply use a standard barbell.

There are 5 reasons why the trap bar pushup is so effective.

The lifter can employ a neutral grip on pushups (similar to pushup handles) rather than a pronated or overhand grip. The neutral grip is more conducive for centrating the glenohumeral joint and packing the shoulders into their optimal position as it’s much easier to externally rotate the shoulders on the eccentric phase.
The trap bar provides a significantly wider grip position than most lifters would instinctively employ for performing pushups. Although a wider hand position stresses the pectorals to a greater degree than moderate or closer hand placements, wider hand positions tend to be somewhat stressful on the shoulders. Fortunately when employed with the neutral grip, the wide hand placement maintains a shoulder friendly position for the lifter, eliminating the common pitfalls associated with wide grip horizontal pressing movements and wide-grip pushups, all while maximizing pectoral stimulation. In other words it’s a win-win.
Similar to the barbell variation the anti-rolling trap bar pushup eliminates the sagging hip syndrome (a common problem with pushup form) as it reinforces a tall hip and hollowed core position. If you’re hips sag or drop or you lose core tightness the trap bar will immediately begin to roll away from you. In other words you’re required to resist extension forces as even the slightest lapse in core activation will result in extension particularly in the lumbar region.
Another feature that makes the anti-rolling barbell pushup so effective is that the extension forces produced by the barbell attempting to rollout away from you are not only acting on the core musculature but also acting directly on the scapula, lats, and shoulder stabilizers. If you don’t fully depress and retract your shoulder blades by aggressively firing your lats, the trap bar will literally pull out and away from you leaving you plastered to the floor. In other words you’re resisting overhead shoulder flexion.
Besides having to resist rolling forces, the trap bar is very unstable and wants to rotate and twist throughout the movement. Not only does this force the lifter to perfectly dial in their body mechanics and pushup form but the tension produced in the chest, shoulders, and triceps is incredibly high making it very effective for stimulating functional strength and hypertrophy. If you use excessive momentum, cheat, shift, press asymmetrically or lose even the slightest degree of tightness, the trap bar will begin to move and tilt uncontrollably in a very unpredictable fashion, often times with one side shifting more than the other. As a result this also makes the trap bar pushup very effective as a means of eliminating asymmetries and imbalances.

OPTION #2

Let’s face it focusing on the smaller muscles of the hips, such as the abductors & adductors, really isn’t as sexy as focusing on the larger muscles of the body such as the quads, glutes, chest, shoulders, & back. However, proportional strength on both sides of a joint is critical not only for overall muscle function and athletic performance but also for joint health.

While I highlighted over 30 different exercises for the adductor muscles in last months article (at LINK IN BIO), it’s important to note that the adductors can be worked in conjunction with other traditional movements to essentially kill 2 birds with 1 stone. In other words, the inner thigh muscles can easily be targeted on a number of upper body & core movements simply by placing a stability ball between the legs & using that for your base of support.

Besides blasting the inner thighs, this also has a tremendous impact on keeping the core musculature tight particularly throughout the lumbopelvic hip complex which does wonders for enhancing full body tension not to mention alignment throughout the hips & kinetic chain.

These can be particularly useful on bodyweight movements such as planks, pushups, inverted rows, and pullups where increased core activation & full body tension translates to improved alignment throughout the kinetic chain.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Single Leg Bent Leg Inverted Rows	#1,#2,#3,#4	3	4 per side	60-90"	5-6	2-3"

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Here's another variation of the inverted row that also requires hip and core stability. Inverted rows are a great exercise for building strength and size in the upper back as well as improving posture and spinal alignment. Unfortunately many individuals perform them improperly often with subtle form mistakes. Most importantly there needs to be a significant degree of t-spine extension just like there would be on any row. As I tell my athletes and clients try to tilt the chest up to the point where it feels like your body and head are are about to lean back into the floor while simultaneously keeping the core tight and stomach. In other words focus on military style posture with an elongated and tall spine including a big chest and tall head. Technically you should be able to take a snap shot of your inverted row and tilt it up 90 degrees and it should resemble perfect standing military-like posture.

In addition, the feet and ankles should be dorsiflexed throughout as this helps to create lengthening of the calves, glutes, and hamstrings thereby allowing better spinal alignment up the kinetic as it's more conducive for maintaining a neutral arch and t-spine extension. It also helps to promote irradiation and concurrent activation potentiation thereby eliminating energy leaks throughout the body. In fact the dorsiflexed foot position is perhaps the most subtle but also the most important cue for locking in the inverted row. The range of motion should be natural without over-pulling at the top or overstitching at the bottom. When the shoulders and spine have to lose position you know you've stretched to far or pulled to high.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Landmine Hang Clean Eccentric Isometrics	#5 & #6	3	4	60"	5-6	N/A

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OPTION #1

This next exercise is a wide stance landmine clean. Think of this as a combination heavy med ball toss, kettlebell swing, & Olympic lifting variation. The landmine clean is a surprisingly simple yet brutally effective power exercise that truly targets hip extension and leg drive. Simply grip the end of a landmine station (barbell collar) perform an eccentric isometric hinge, launch the barbell up, then catch it at the chest. Like I said it’s quite similar to an underhand med ball hip toss only the lifter can overload the movement to work on maximizing power & strength simultaneously.

It also feels quite similar to a kettlebell swing as the weight fits between the legs directly under the center of mass rather than in front of it unlike traditional barbell versions. As a result the force vectors of the movement match the hips better than most axial loaded movements as there is a slight anteroposterior force vector involved (back & forward motion). Additionally having the load directly under the center of mass rather than in front makes it much more low back friendly than traditional Olympic lifts.

The learning curve is surprisingly quick allowing you to focus more on hip drive & power than on technical efficiency which is something that can be more difficult to accomplish with traditional Olympic lifts.

OPTION #2

High pulls are one of my favorite explosive power exercises & Olympic lifting modifications.

With that said, strategic use of Olympic lifts can be great for improving athletic performance particularly components dealing with power & speed. However, balance & stability, particularly unilateral aspects, are equally important attributes typically not addressed during Olympic lifts.

Additionally, aspects of symmetry & motor control when comparing sides of the body (left vs. right) are critical. Unfortunately most lifters have one side of the body they tend to favor oftentimes producing & contributing to greater imbalances & deficits in strength, power, mobility, stability, & motor control, ultimately leading to greater risk of injury.

These can be further ingrained during traditional bilateral movements including double leg jumps & Olympic lifts.

Performing Olympic lifts from a single leg position particularly when using an eccentric isometric RDL helps to resolve many of these issues. Read more about eccentric isometrics in my book MOVEMENT REDEFINED link in bio.

Side note: The goal when using Olympic lifting variations is not to turn our athlete into Olympic weightlifters “unless of course that’s their sport”. Instead, the goal is to use elements of Olympic lifting to enhance athletic performance. This is a distinction many lifters & coaches fail to make.

Here are 10 reasons why single leg Olympic lifts are so effective.

Allow athletes to target each hip & glute more intensely.
Provide more low back friendly variations of Olympic lifts.
Provide more shoulder, elbow, & wrist friendly options.
Teach athletes to control their power.
Address & expose asymmetries, mobility, issues, & instability issues.
Provide Olympic lifting options that are more transferable to running & sprinting.
Ingrain proper bar path.
Require the use of eccentric isometrics particularly from a full hang. position.
Eliminates grip failure issues.
Create a strong muscle mind connection with hips.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Dumbbell Lunge Jumps	#5 & #6	3	3 per side	60-90"	5-6	2-3"

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OPTION #1

If you’re looking for a movement protocol that simultaneously enhances jumping performance, running mechanics, mobility, stability, symmetry, balance, motor control, speed and power, and more then you’ll want to incorporate eccentric isometric lunge jumps as shown here by Detroit Tigers pro baseball player Parker Meadows.

Notice how he maintains a forward lean and hip hinge on the lunge phase which represents ideal lunging mechanics for any lunge variation. Once he locks the eccentric isometric into position and feels for the most stable and strongest mechanics (a critical element of eccentric isometric training) he then explodes out of the lunge. In addition notice how Parker focuses on landing mechanics by sticking the landing with high levels of force absorption - a critical aspect of speed, power, and performance.

If I just had to choose one method to master jumping mechanics it would be eccentric isometric jump variations. That’s because the eccentric isometric protocol helps maximize proprioception and sensory feedback by activating muscle spindles. As a result this helps the athlete dial in their lower body mechanics as they can more easily tune into their “sense of feel” and fine-tune their body positioning. Ironically, once the athlete cleans up their mechanics they often find they can actually jump higher on eccentric isometric weighted jumps, compared to standard weighted jumps, due to the enhanced sensory feedback, improved body mechanics, and increased motor unit recruitment associated with eccentric isometric protocols. These are also amazing for producing post activation potentiation and can easily be paired with other explosive movements for an acute spike in power output. Lastly, notice the various 90 degree joint angles (approximately) which is another critical element not just of lunges or jumps but most foundational movements.

OPTION #2

The double rebound broad jump is a great explosive plyometric power exercise that not only works force and power production but also impact training, force absorption, deceleration, and hip drive.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Eyes Closed L Sit Lat Pulldown	#7 & #8	2	5	60"	5	3"

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The L-Sit Lat pulldown is another great vertical pulling or pulldown motion that not only targets the lats and upper back but helps to minimize excessive lumbar extension which is all too-common in many lifters. See second video for a detailed overview of common mistakes and technique fixes for lat pulldowns.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Single Leg Overhead Press with Band Resistance (Band Optional)	#7 & #8	2-3	4 per side	60-90"	5	3"

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Here's a great way to minimize lumbar extension and low back arch during overhead presses as demonstrated by NFL athlete Julian Williams. Focus on bracing the core when driving with the hip. As an added bonus it also does wonders for balance and stability.