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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

The single arm barbell suitcase jumps is a great power exercise that also works core stability due to offset loading.

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Want to improve your rotational movement while simultaneously addressing rotational mobility, power, motor control, and full body stability using the oblique slings? Try using this eccentric isometric rotational chop as I show here.

Most rotational drills we see only reinforce pre-exiting levels of rotational movement and do very little to enhance it particularly those that occur rapidly. For instance if there’s a weak link in the kinetic chain or a small compensation pattern it’s almost impossible to diagnose or correct during more traditional rotational movements. This is where the eccentric isometric comes in.

Like all other eccentric isometrics I’ve highlighted over the years, the rotational EI allows the lifter to hone in on their movement, self-assess where various issues may be occurring (via sense of feel), and then fine-tune their body mechanics based on the enhanced sensory feedback produced from the eccentric isometric. In reality it’s fulfilling the same purpose as all other eccentric isometrics I post such as squats, hinge, lunges, and press, and pulls, only it’s applied to rotational movement or movement occurring in the transverse plane rather than the sagittal or frontal planes.

And just like any other eccentric isometric, the goal is never maximal or extreme range of motion but instead natural range of motion which end up being slightly more compact than what most coaches and trainers typically teach. Yes we you can go further on the ROM but you’ll be sacrificing activation, stability, motor control, and proprioception not to mention engraining faulty body mechanics as rotational movements that we see in sports don’t involve inordinately large rotational ROM but rather natural or optimal ROM in the transverse plane.

Excessive ROM during rotational movements tends to compromise hip drive and lower body recruitment often resulting in over-rotating rather than relying on hip drive. Remember the functional purpose of most rotational movements is to allow the hips to fully coil, not to simply rotate to the point where you feel like your spine is going to snap.

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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

The sprinter lunge jump as I show here is one of the best if not the single best explosive bodyweight exercise that transfers to sprinting and running while also working balance and stability as well as acceleration and deceleration.

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Here’s one of my clients Todd Weiland performing 100 lb dumbbell presses using a t-bench set up which is not too shabby for a dude in his mid 50’s. I have many of my athletes and clients use the T bench position (laying widthwise rather than lengthwise on the bench) as this allows the hips to be off the pad as well as the head and neck to be unsupported. As a result you're forced to support more of your body and contract your posterior chain from head to toe to a much greater degree.

In essence you’re holding an isometric glute bridge throughout. For individuals who lack the ability to drive with their legs and hips on bench press, here’s your fix as the athlete is forced to fully contract the glutes and drive with their legs.

In addition, the elbows and triceps end up touching the bench just at the right stopping point similar to a floor press. This keeps the athlete from collapsing and overstitching in the bottom position and help to reinforce where their optimal stopping point is for horizontal chest pressing mechanics

The head off position promotes heightened spinal rigidity and optimal levels of t-spine extension as the head is not fighting against the pad as is typically the case when the base of the skull is pressed into another apparatus. As a result optimal spinal alignment can be achieved without being forced into slight cervical and thoracic flexion as is commonly seen with individuals when performing horizontal chest pressing variations. The benefits this has on posture, spinal positioning, and shoulder mechanics (much easier to retract, depress and medially rotate the scapula on this) is incredible.

Oddly enough, many of my athletes end up preferring head off presses once they become accustomed to the unique stimulus as head on variations tend to feel very constricting and unnatural compared to the head off variations. As an added bonus it's one of the best neck strengthening exercises there is which is a very underrated and oftentimes overlooked component of fitness. For individuals who sit at a desk and spend excessive time in cervical flexion this is of huge value.

The key is to maintain a neutral cervical position while producing extension through the t-spine. I use this technique frequently with my athletes (over 50% of your chest presses involve a head off position) and I've seen it do wonders for shoulder injuries as well as upper body movement mechanics. In addition it often times helps lifters improve their upper body pressing power and strength as it promotes more ideal shoulder mechanics and postural alignment.

And as I’ve said before, this is not excessive extension as many coaches would suggest. This represents optimal postural positioning on horizontal pressing exercises. Unfortunately what many trainers and coaches consider to be ideal postural alignment does not involve enough t-spine extension. As a result the positioning they recommend ultimately destroys shoulder health and deteriorates optimal postural alignment not to mention impairing natural breathing patterns.

Proper posture on upper body movements involves significant t-spine extension and a tall head position (not compressed head). To avoid excessive low back extension the lifter needs to focus on creating the extension through their upper torso by firing the lats and keeping the core braced. This eliminates excessive lumbar curvature which is a common compensation pattern or weak lats and inability to create optimal thoracic extension.

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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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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.

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OPTION #1

The half kneeling press (the back exercise - to the right of the pullup) is one of my favorite ways to challenge the core during the overhead press while also providing a nice functional stretch to the hips. Austin could improve this as he needs to be on the ball of the foot of the back foot while also spreading his feet farther apart to create double 90 deg position. This was his first time doing this drill so a bit rough.

OPTION #2

The single leg RDL and snatch with dumbbells is one of the best Olympic lifting substitutes that's also more sport specific and joint friendly.