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OPTION #1

Single Leg goblet squats with eccentric isometrics is one of the best lower body drills period and incredibly effective for knee and ACL rehab.

OPTION #2

The dumbbell squat jump is my go-to explosive lower body movement as it not only works power and speed but also improved biomechanics when using the eccentric isometric protocol before the jump.

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Want to fix your plank or pushup position?? Try elevated your feet on a foam roller. Here’s why this is so effective.

Foot positioning during planks & pushups is oftentimes an overlooked technique issue. However it’s one of the most important facets that truly determines whether or not your technique on planks & pushups is correct.

When performing these movements, the individual needs to be as tall on their toes as possible. This helps to produce the “hollowed core position” that’s absolutely critical for completing a correct plank or pushup position. Sitting back towards the heels with a more passive & collapsed foot position promotes overextension of the hips, lack of anterior core recruitment, & lethargic activation of the hip flexors. One cue that’s very helpful for this is to focus on getting tall as you can while keeping your body on top & over your hands/elbows rather than behind them.

In addition, the ankle & toes should be stacked vertically & perpendicular to the floor. This perpendicular positioning is critical. If the toes are positioned too far in front of the heels this tends to facilitate a “sagging hips” position where the body is collapsed behind the upper extremities. This also leads to faulty shoulder mechanics as the scapula cannot fully depress as they should. In contrast, having the toes positioned too far behind the heels typically indicates that the hands are too far in front of the torso, which can promote excessive protraction, elevation, & outward rotation of the scapula. Simply put we want the toes & heels to be stacked as much as possible on top of each other when performing planks & pushups.

Fortunately all of these cues are automatically corrected when placing your feet on top of a foam roller as anything but perfect foot & ankle positions (which usually results in a nearly perfect plank) results in the lifter sliding off the roller. Read more in full article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/fix-your-pushups-and-planks-with-the-foam-roller

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OPTION #1

Here’s a unique single leg box jump. This exercise addresses lower body power, hip drive, unilateral explosiveness, rotational power, stabilization, and motor control. Essentially you’re performing a deconstructed single leg RDL box jump while simultaneously focusing on contralateral knee drive. This drill has significant transfer to a variety of sports and athletic endeavors as it targets multiple biomotor capabilities in one complete dynamic movement. Before you attempt these you’ll need to master your single leg hip hinge first. Read more about mastering the single leg hip hinge HERE.

OPTION #2

This next exercise is a Shin Raise. Poor activation in the anterior tibialis is another reason for ankle mobility restrictions.

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Roughly 4 years ago I introduced the Chinese Plank Chest Press in an article on my website. Since then I’ve seen numerous coaches & athletes implement them. Unfortunately I often see most folks using very light loads & simply doing the basic variation as a small auxiliary exercise without any significant overload or intensity.

One of the reasons I wanted to post these was not only to show how versatile the Chinese Plank is but also to show that you can push the weight & overload the movement with high intensity effort just like any movement.

With that said, here’s why the Chinese Plank Chest Press is so effective.

Performing chest presses in conjunction with the Chinese plank does wonders not only for recruiting the entire posterior chain, but it literally forces the lifter to assume optimal postural alignment throughout their entire spine. In fact if you have difficulty producing enough retraction and t-spine extension on chest presses or engaging your upper back you’ll want to incorporate these Chinese plank chest presses into your routine. You can also perform them in a head-off position as shown here which further instills proper postural alignment by allowing the cervical spine to elongate rather than being compressed against the bench. This produces ideal mechanics in the glenohumeral joint as the lifter can more easily pack and centrate the shoulders into their appropriate position due to a lengthened and rigid spinal alignment.

The ability to dorsiflex the feet and ankles during a chest press also promotes enhanced spinal rigidity and improved shoulder mechanics. There are several reasons for this. First, aggressive dorsiflexion of the ankles and feet helps to produce greater concurrent activation potentiation and irradiation and ultimately increased neural drive up the kinetic chain (greater activation to all muscles including the working extremities). The dorsiflexed ankle position also helps place a slight stretch (while simultaneously under tension) to the hamstrings and glutes thereby promoting improved spinal rigidity, which contributes to better thoracic positioning. Simply put it facilitates a more lengthened spinal position, improved postural alignment, and greater upper back activation. This helps to reinforce proper shoulder mechanics as the lifter will find it more natural to fire the lats and centrate the glenohumeral joint. So yes, dorsiflexing the ankles actually translates to improved shoulder function and upper body mechanics. To ensure excessive lumbar extension does not occur focus on keeping your stomach pulled in as you contract your posterior chain and extend your hips.

Finally, the Chinese plank chest press may look vaguely familiar to many reading this as it holds many similarities to the T-bench chest press I frequently advocate. The main difference is the lifter is holding a straight leg glute bridge rather than a 90 degree bent leg bridge. The T-bench chest press with the bent leg bridge (although one of my favorite variations) can periodically promote excessive lumbar extension as the hips can over-extend. This Chinese plank chest press variation with the legs kept straight makes it nearly impossible to overextend the body particularly when the ankle dorsiflexion and straight leg position cues are employed together.

Oh and in case you were wondering, yes you can do these single leg, but just be ready for some serious cramping in your backside.

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The seated row using a rope and rotational movement allows greater activation of the lats as the pronated grip allows greater stretch and elongation of the lats while the supinated position promotes a stronger contraction throughout the back in the contracted position. You'll have to drop the weight a bit but the stimulus to the upper back and lats is well worth it. It's also incredibly joint friendly and excellent for anyone struggle with shoulder or neck pain. Make sure you fully extend on the eccentric phase without allowing the shoulders to round as this would represent excessive protraction, a common rowing mistake.

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Place the bar slightly lower on your shoulders, right above or on top of the rear deltoids. This placement targets the glutes to a slightly greater degree than the high bar variation. When performed as an eccentric isometric it provides an intense training stimulus the entire lower body.

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OPTION #1

The underhand grip lat pulldown is a great vertical pulling exercise for crushing the lats while also blasting the biceps as it places the arms into a biomechanically stronger position to handle greater loads. Focus on using eccentric isometrics to find your technique and use the optimal 90 degree joint angles.

OPTION #2

There have 4 unique benefits to this exercise.

1. Besides working the core musculature & rotational muscles of the trunk, pelvis, & hips in a sport specific manner, these also help to complete the oblique slings activation patterns which involves contralateral activation patterns of reciprocal muscle groups on opposing sides of the body.

2. Furthermore these movements require the lifter to slow everything down & use very smooth controlled mechanics while eliminating momentum in order to synchronize the rotational elements with the pushing or pulling motion of the press or pulldown so they occur in unison.

3. Additionally the smaller intrinsic muscles of the foot & ankle complex get worked overtime particularly on the overhead press variations as the balance is quite tricky.

4. Both exercises not only provide intense activation of the entire kinetic chain but they also provide a functional therapeutic stretch to the hips particularly the hip flexors as holding an overhead position in a split squat elongates most of the muscles & fascia line that runs through the body from head to toe. Simply these are great for mobility & stability as well as posture & alignment.

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OPTION #1

This is a very difficult variation of the bottoms up overhead press. Be sure to get good thoracic extension and lat activation.

Bottoms-up exercises are some of the most difficult strength training movements there are. Besides requiring full body tightness, all bottoms-up movements force the lifter to stabilize every muscle throughout the body especially in the core and upper torso. When performing bottoms up movement be sure to get good thoracic extension.

OPTION #2

There are 5 reasons why this move is so effective.

1. Provides a push press that emphasizes posterior chain (glutes). Traditional push press involves predominantly quads & calves when it comes to lower body contribution as the posterior chain (glutes & hamstrings) does very little. The angular force vectors involved with the landmine allows the lifter to sit into their hips & use their posterior chain to launch the weight up. This is further emphasized with the band although the band is not necessary.

2. Emphasizes greater spinal rigidity & core activation. The kneeling position helps to engage the core & maintain greater full body tension. Standing variations tend to allow athletes to get away with more deviations & weaker core activation.

3. Provides a very low back & knee friendly push press that emphasizes full body explosive power.

4. Blasts the shoulders, triceps, glutes, chest, upper back, & core, especially when performed using a controlled eccentric both on the pre-launch with the hips as well as the upper body eccentric overhead press.

5. Requires the athlete to rely on their posterior chain & create a strong muscle mind connection with their glutes in order to launch the weight up. It happens almost automatically since the movement is so user friendly & feels so natural.