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Moderate Recovery Workout

- Full Body Emphasis -

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Single Leg 3-Step March and Hold	#1,#2,#3,#4	2	3-5 stops per leg	60"	6-7	N/A

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This drill is much more difficult than it looks. It's great for strengthening the stabilizers of the feet, ankles, and toes as well as correcting gait mechanics. Eyes closed is an exceptionally challenging movement. Keep your core tight throughout and concentrate on keeping every part of your body as aligned and straight as possible.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Bridge the Gap Goblet Squat	#1,#2,#3,#4	2	4-6	60"	5-6	2-3"

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OPTION #1

Although the single leg BTG variations provide numerous benefits, applying the “bridge the gap” protocol to bilateral movements has a surprisingly positive impact on exercises such as squats, hinges, bent over rows, deadlifts, standing overhead presses, and other standing exercises. One reason for this is that the athlete is requires to activate the daylights out of their entire foot and ankle complex which in turn has a tremendous impact on squats and hinges. The video highlights several variations. Read more about this technique at the following link: https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/feet-ankles-bridge-the-gap

To highlight, foot and ankle training is perhaps the single most neglected component of strength and performance as well as health and wellness. If the feet and ankles aren’t functioning properly (which most individual’s are not) then all components of movement performance, strength, and fitness, are compromised as activation begins with the feet and ankles. Simply put if the feet and ankles are out of synch it will be impossible to perform any lower body exercise correctly. In other words you’ll be squatting, hinging, lunging, jumping, running, and even walking with faulty mechanics which leads to a number of dysfunctional movements and potential injuries throughout the kinetic chain.

Although there are a number of drills, protocols, exercises, and techniques I use to correct these issues (all of which are laid out in my Ultimate Foot and Ankle Manual), one technique I’ve recently been using more and more on my athletes is something I refer to as “Bridge The Gap” or “BTG” technique. Simply place two boxes or steps 4-8 inches from each other (depending on foot size), stand on them so your arches are unsupported and perform any number of single leg drills and lower body movements.

Originally I saw the basic single leg stand applied to this concept by the Foot Collective company. However after experimenting and tinkering with it I soon realized that this was an invaluable technique that could be applied to literally any and all lower body exercises. Additionally, this protocol has numerous benefits for improving lower body mechanics, foot and ankle function, and overall muscle function.

OPTION #2

This next exericse is a goblet squat. Notice how my client keeps her feet perfectly straight as well as keeping the, hips, kinees, & ankles, aligned which is ideal. The band helps to ensure the lifter is firing their outer hips/abductors & glutes while avoiding valgus collapse. Also notice how she squats to 90 deg joint angles as this represents optimal ROM for humans in high force scenarios.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Bridge the Gap Bent Over Dumbbell Rows	#1,#2,#3,#4	2	5-6	60-90"	5-6	2"

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Here we are employing the bridge the gap protocol with traditional bent over dumbbell rows. Foot and Ankle Training is perhaps the single most neglected component of strength and performance as well as health and wellness. If the feet and ankles aren’t functioning properly (which most individual’s are not) then all components of movement performance, strength, and fitness, are compromised as activation begins with the feet and ankles. Simply put if the feet and ankles are out of synch it will be impossible to perform any lower body exercise correctly. In other words you’ll be squatting, hinging, lunging, jumping, running, and even walking with faulty mechanics which leads to a number of dysfunctional movements and potential injuries throughout the kinetic chain.

Although there are a number of drills, protocols, exercises, and techniques I use to correct these issues (all of which are laid out in my Ultimate Foot and Ankle Manual), one technique I’ve recently been using more and more on my athletes is something I refer to as “Bridge The Gap” or “BTG” technique. Simply place two boxes or steps 4-8 inches from each other (depending on foot size), stand on them so your arches are unsupported and perform any number of single leg drills and lower body movements.

Originally I saw the basic single leg stand applied to this concept by the Foot Collective company. However after experimenting and tinkering with it I soon realized that this was an invaluable technique that could be applied to literally any and all lower body exercises. Additionally, this protocol has numerous benefits for improving lower body mechanics, foot and ankle function, and overall muscle function. Here’s what I mean

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Standing Cable Chest Press	#1,#2,#3,#4	2	5 per side	2-3 minutes	5-6	2"

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The standing cable chest press is one of the most functional horizontal pressing exercises there is. Unfortunately, it’s oftentimes an overlooked and undervalued gem of a movement. Besides providing high levels of tension to the chest, shoulders, and triceps they also hammer the core, hips, and spinal stabilizers. Additionally, they’re quite versatile and adaptable as they can easily be modified in a number of ways. With that said there are 10 reasons why these standing and kneeling chest presses are so effective.

Due to the upright or standing posture involved, cable chest presses are arguably one if not the single most functional horizontal pressing variation there is particularly when it comes to transferability to athletic performance. Most if not all other chest presses involve a supine (laying on your back) or pushup position. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with these as in fact a majority of the chest presses I program actually fall into such categories, periodically implementing standing presses into your routine is great for transferring the strength and hypertrophy benefits of traditional chest presses into more functional standing positions. In fact, world-renowned strength coach Nick Tumminello makes it a point of consistently using standing cable presses for many of his athletes noting the functional benefits of such movements.
Standing and kneeling cable chest & band presses require greater core strength and rotary stability than most chest pressing variations simply because the lifter is unable to rely on a bench or rigid structure to help lock them into position.
Cable chest presses are surprisingly joint friendly particularly on the shoulders, elbows, and wrists as well as the pectoral tendons. If you’re looking for a way to crush your upper body pressing muscles while saving your joints these are just what the doctor ordered.
The level of constant tension involved with cable chest presses is much greater than most traditional free weight chest presses simply because the strength curve of the cable pulleys more closely matches that of the movement/muscles. Instead of having excessive levels in the stretched position with little tension in the contracted top position, the tension is fairly equal from top to bottom. Although a similar result can be produced from properly crafted variable resistance machines, the lifter would miss out on the stabilization component. Fortunately, cable chest presses provide similar if not greater instability as dumbbells and kettlebells.
Besides the greater transferability to functional tasks and athletic performance, standing and kneeling chest presses also expose and address many imbalances throughout the body. That’s because they’re essentially full body movements that require every muscle from head to toe to work in unison. If there are any energy leaks, imbalances, or weaknesses anywhere in the body, you’ll likely notice them.
Similar to the above point, standing and kneeling chest presses require high levels of full body tension and spinal rigidity. Besides the associated strength benefits this also has greater transfer to larger compound movements where the lifter must learn to stay incredibly tight and maintain full body tension.
Most traditional free weight chest presses involve the lifter laying on a bench or floor with their scapula pinned to a rigid structure. Standing and kneeling cable presses on the other hand allow the scapula to move freely through its natural scapulohumeral rhythm thereby optimizing centration and packing of the glenohumeral joint. This also has a significant impact on improving posture as well as shoulder mechanics and horizontal pressing technique.
Similar to the above point, I’ve found cable presses to be highly conducive for reinforcing the all-important elbow tuck while also ensuring the shoulders aren’t over crowded (i.e. over tucking). This is particularly true when the lifter places the handle/cable under the arm (near the arm pit) rather than over/on top of the arm. That is my recommended setup for these exercises although some individuals may find the latter method more comfortable.
Cable chest presses are very safe with little room for injury (provided sound form is employed). With this in mind they’re actually quite conducive for taking to failure as there’s really no safety ramifications unlike dumbbells or barbells where the load could fall on the lifter if he or she fails and looses control. With that said, the high degree of mechanical tension, metabolic stress (from constant tension), and ability to reach muscular fatigue/failure (which further enhances the aforementioned hypertrophy mechanisms) makes cable chest presses a legitimate choice for triggering significant strength and hypertrophy. Additionally, the lack of safety issues make them suitable for beginners and advanced lifters alike.
Few if any gyms carry dumbbells that go past 100 pounds. For seasoned lifters and larger athletes this can create difficulty when it comes to fully challenging their pressing muscles. While it’s difficult to give an exact ratio, I’ve found that a standard full cable stack is roughly equivalent to a 120-130 pound dumbbell. Thus, cable chest presses provide ample overload even for the strongest iron game warriors, allowing them to use heavier loads than what they might typically be limited to with traditional unilateral and isolateral loading modalities (i.e. dumbbells and kettlebells).

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Eyes Closed Overhead Barbell Press	#5 & #6	2	5	60"	5-6	2-3"

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Here's one of my athletes performing the overhead military press with eyes closed. This increases proprioception and enhances feedback from muscle spindles as a means of improving and perfecting movement mechanics and muscle function

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Eyes Closed Underhand Bodyweight Chinups	#5 & #6	2	5-7	2-3 minutes	5-6	2-3"

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Here's one of my bodybuilding athletes Ben performing an intense finisher set of weight pull-ups using the drop set method. The dorsiflex loading allows quick and seamless transitioning to lighter loads without having to stop the set midway through. This makes it highly conducive for drop sets and strips sets ultimately producing incredible increases in functional strength and size throughout the upper body especially the upper back, lats, and biceps.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Bridge The Gap Lunge	#7 & #8	2	5 per side	60-90"	5-6	2"

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As a strength coach and trainer, a majority of the foot and ankle issues I witness particularly among higher level athletes falls into the category of flat feet, fallen arches, ankle pronation, valgus ankle collapse, and poor toe gripping mechanics. The “bridge the gap” protocol addresses this head. Read more in my full length article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/feet-ankles-bridge-the-gap

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Single Leg RDL with Plates	#7 & #8	2	3-4 per side	2 minutes	5-6	2"

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The best exercise I’ve found for perfecting the single leg hip hinge is the eccentric isometric single leg RDL. In this video I’m coaching my new group of NFL combine athletes on the proper execution as we prepare their bodies for the upcoming February and March testing dates. Notice the soft knee position of the support leg and 90 degree bend of the back elevated leg. This represents optimal mechanics for the single leg RDL.