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Here’s one of my awesome athletes and Wisconsin Badgers soccer player Claire Shea performing a very all-encompassing movement as she nails a contralateral arm drive, eccentric isometric lunge jump. This drill literally exposes & addresses numerous biomotor capabilities including, explosive power, deceleration, force absorption, contralateral arm-knee drive mechanics (i.e. sprinting), balance, stability, symmetry, mobility, and overall kinesthetic awareness. Adding a softer unstable surface under the front foot as Claire shows in this video with the Theraband pad (similar to an Airex pad) increases the stabilization and proprioceptive components particularly in the foot and ankle complex.

I probably sound like a broken record but I really cannot overemphasize the importance of foot and ankle mechanics not only for athletic performance but for everyday life and overall health. When the feet and ankles are functioning properly it improves activation and signaling up the kinetic chain thereby enhancing body mechanics from head to toe. On the flipside, poor foot and ankle activation compromises nearly all components of athletic performance and strength as well as fitness & health. For instance when I first began working with Claire, she had significant knee issues however after consistent implementation of eccentric isometrics combined with a heavy dose of foot and ankle exercises not only did it improve her overall performance but greatly helped her knees.

Some of you may be thinking that this particular exercises isn’t ideal for power training due to the unstable conditions. So here’s the deal. A majority of movements I program involve separating power exercises from foot & ankle stabilization drills. However, periodically it’s good to combine these elements to insure the athlete knows how to control their explosiveness, as unharnessed power does nothing except increase risk of injury.

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OPTION #1

Here's a simple but effective plyometric jump series to work on explosive power output. To regress this, simply focus on jumping over one hurdle at a time. (use smaller object if needed like small plate or cone).

OPTION #2

If you’re looking for a lower body variation that both improves squat mechanics while also enhances power and jump performance try this eccentric isometric barbell squat as demonstrated by a few of my football athletes including NFL defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil. Most athletes struggle locking in their squat form. As a result not only does it directly impact their lower body mechanics but it also minimizes jump performance, speed, and power output.

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 they athlete cleans up their mechanics they often find they can actually jump higher on eccentric isometric barbell jump squats (compared to standard barbell jump squats) 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.

Try incorporating 3-5 sets of 2-4 reps during your next lower body workout or speed and power day.

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OPTION #1

The medicine ball rotational slam is one of the most simple yet effective full body power exercises as it focuses on using rotational coiling to produce high levels of explosive power and torque. Focus on rotating from low to high while reaching as tall as possible and holding just briefly at the top before unloading into the floor.

OPTION #2

The overhead medicine ball slam is a simple yet very effective explosive power movement. Once athletes become efficient with it I like to progress them to more advanced variations that challenge additional biomotor capabilities. And yes you’ll need to master your single leg hip hinge before attempting these. Although Austin is making this look quite easy, this is one of the most challenging medicine ball variations you’ll ever attempt as it requires several key components.

First and as the name implies you’ll be deconstructing or breaking down the movement into individual segments all while holding your balance on one leg. This component in and of itself is quite challenging. As you drive the ball overhead the opposite leg will move into hip flexion while also maintain dorsiflexion in that foot and ankle. The concentric explosive phase requires high power output yet also significant control and stability. In other words it’s teaches athletes to control and harness their power - a very critical yet oftentimes undervalued aspect of athletic performance.

As you explode into the floor and reach the bottom position you’ll be required to brace your entire body and fire your core in order to stabilize your position while catching the ball. In addition, this bottom position should terminate in a perfect single leg hip hinge/RDL position. This is actually the most challenging portion for most athletes as a majority of folks erroneously perform single leg RDL’s without maintaining a 90-degree angle in their back leg. To read more about proper single leg hip hinge mechanics check out my full length in depth article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/master-the-single-leg-rdl-hip-hinge

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OPTION #1

Great rowing variation for reinforcing proper positioning from head to toe. Keep your stomach in, chest out, head packed, feet dorsiflexed (pulled towards head), and body completely straight. Focus on keeping the shoulders pulled, back, down, and in by keeping elbows tucked.

OPTION #2

NOTE: The mini band is option and you can use either rings or a barbell for this movement (e.g., Smith Machine or barbell in rack).

These upper body sprinter moves not only light up the entire upper body but also blast the core & hips via contralateral hip activation. This is further enhanced by using the bands as the contralateral hip extensors & hip flexors on opposite limbs are working overtime to pull against the band.

Additionally by nature of the oblique slings, the harder the hips fire, these forces transfer across the core & into the upper body ultimately producing even greater activation in the upper extremities. Additionally it locks the posture & body alignment into another level as oblique slings activation patterns essentially fire your whole body from head to toe while eliminating energy leaks & compensation patterns (if done properly). These sprinter movements are insanely tough.

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This is a unique combination exercises that involves upper body power and strength along with incredible levels of full body stability, motor control, rotary stability, anti-rotation, contralateral hip and shoulder activation, core stability, reactive stabilization, and rate of stabilization development. It's one thing to have strong levels of rotary stability but many athletes have to be able to produce this type of stability rapidly in order to avoid injury particularly when aggressive contact is involved. This hand clap pushup into a single arm plank addresses that very issue as it works two unique yet often overlooked biomotor capabilities namely reactive stabilization and rate of stabilization development. The key is maintaining proper spinal alignment throughout and not loosing postural positioning. It's also important to to avoid hyperextending the elbow joint when landing.

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OPTION #1

Here's a great explosive box jump drill using a loaded goblet squat with's excellent for improving vertical jump height and explosive power. Because of the anterior loading in the goblet squat position, this box jump variation taxes the quads and anterior core muscles to a greater degree than traditional box jumps.

OPTION #2

If you’re looking for a way to amp up the difficult of traditional goblet squats you’ll want to try goblet squat jumps. In fact if you can successfully perform several repetitions of this movement with half of your bodyweight, chances are you’re strong from had to toe. Besides being one of the most challenging lower body exercises you’ll ever attempt there are several reasons why the goblet squat jump exercise is so effective. Read more at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/goblet-squat-jump-for-strength-performance

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OPTION #1

Kettlebell cleans are a great hip-dominant power movement that also require a high level of upper body strength and core stability.

OPTION #2

There are additional perks to performing double plate swings over kettlebell swings. First, they allow you to use anywhere from a total of 50 pounds (using two 25-pound plates) to as high as 90 pounds (using two 45-pound plates). For many lifters, swinging 90 pounds is more than sufficient to elicit the appropriate training stimulus, not to mention the fact that 90 pounds in the form of plates will feel heavier and more intense than the same load applied with kettlebells.

The double plate swing is also an incredible forearm and grip workout. With kettlebells, the hands tend to move naturally and rhythmically, whereas plates have to be essentially manhandled in order to control them properly.

Also, supinating the hands into a more neutral position helps teach the neuromuscular system to pull the scapula medially, as well as reinforcing proper scapular retraction and depression. Simply put, the neutral grip ingrains the idea of pulling the shoulder blades down, back, and medially towards the spine, a maneuver that all lifters should be emphasizing in their training programs.

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If you’re looking for a unique but very effective method for targeting your lats try this rotational strap method. Here's one of my awesome clients Matt Jordan applying it to the lat pulldown using standard wrist straps attached to the barbell. Although this isn’t one that you’ll load up with incredibly heavy loads there are several unique benefits not only for improving movement mechanics but also for stimulating functional strength and size in the upper torso. Here’s why you would use this variation.

1. The straps create a more unstable and vulnerable bar attachment. Because you’ll be gripping the hanging straps several inches or more below the height of the anchor point on the bar, this causes the bar to be more susceptible to tilting, swaying, shifting or rotating. If you begin to pull more from one arm or allow one shoulder to elevate higher than the other, or you use excessive momentum, these deviations will be magnified as you’ll begin to loose control of the bar attachment. In essence you’ll be forced to use smooth, crisp, symmetrical, and precise vertical pulling mechanics to keep this locked in.

2. This rotating strap lat pulldown variation absolutely crushes the grip as you’ll have to pinch the daylights out of the wrist straps to keep the handles from slipping out of your hands. If you’re in need of a lat pulldown variation to crush your hands, grip, and forearms, this one’s tough to beat. You can also use towels to crush the grip even further but unfortunately it can take away slightly form the rotational movement which leads me to my next point.

3. This specific set up allows a very natural rotational pulling motion to occur rather than the overly rigid grip attachment you would typically find with a standard lat bar setup. In essence you’ll be using a fully pronated grip at the top position and gradually rotating to a fully supinated grip as you reach the fully contracted bottom position. Besides being very conducive for reinforcing proper and smooth scapulohumeral rhythm and centrated glenohumeral joint mechanics (locked in shoulder joint), the rotational movement is also very effective for stimulating significant lat activation and growth

   The reason for this is that the overhand or pronated position allows a greater lat stretch while the underhand or supinated position produces a more forceful contraction in the lats at the end of the concentric pull. This produces both mechanical tension and muscle damage (to a moderate degree) as well as a degree of metabolic stress and local occlusion. As a result the stimulation and muscle mind connection you’ll receive to the lat muscles will be significant to say the least even though the load will be relatively light. However, for those suffering with joint issues and overuse injuries, having access to a lat exercise that allows you to use lighter therapeutic loads while simultaneously crushing the lats is always a welcome bonus

   If you feel like grip strength is more of a limiting factor during these, try pre-exhausting your lats immediately prior to the pulldown using some form of kettlebell, dumbbell, or barbell pullover. You can also use straight arm pulldowns with bands or a cable system for more constant tension on the lats. In fact this is exactly what I had Matt do during this workout and his lats were pummeled for several days.

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This is a very tricky overhead press variation requiring incredible core activation and stabilization throughout the body