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(Use as small or large of object as needed to jump over in order to regress or progress this movement to your desired intensity). Here I have NFL athlete Kevin Minter performing a deconstructed single leg RDL and bench jump over using an eccentric isometric protocol as we prep him for the upcoming season. By breaking the movement down into individual segments and using the eccentric isometric sequence, this helps the athlete to hone in on their form and fine-tune their body mechanics before jumping. It also allows them to use their arms to drive their hips into the optimal position without feeling rushed or sloppy. In addition this protocol eliminates momentum and teaches the athlete how to produce power from a dead stop position, which can be invaluable for speed and power training. Once you return to traditional jumps using the stretch reflex you’ll notice a massive improvement in jump height and power output.

These are also an incredibly effective foot and ankle exercise particularly when done barefoot. And yes, the harsh surface under barefoot conditions requires even greater foot and ankle activation to absorb the intense impact.

With that said, most exercises for foot and ankle training are great for recruiting a high number of muscle fibers surrounding the feet and ankles. However, there's one element missing: rate of stabilization development (RSD). Similar to explosive exercises that require a significant rate of force development (RFD), this single leg jump with a catch and hold protocol not only requires a high number of muscles around the feet and ankles to fire, but it will also force them to turn on quickly and rapidly in order to avoid sudden instability. Although this may not necessarily be the most challenging movement, it's a very advanced one due to the high degree of impact. In other words this drill is addressing 3 key factors, (1) rate of force development, (2) rate of deceleration, and (3) rate of stabilization development, all three of which are vital for performance.

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A few weeks ago I posted an article about the benefits of the front curled squat protocol for enhancing squat form & functional strength. The same benefits apply to jumps. In fact because of the intense full body tension, core activation, & spinal rigidity produced from the front curled protocol this has a tremendous benefit for both jumping & landing mechanics. Essentially it reinforces the idea of staying tight, eliminating energy leaks, & optimizing motor control all of which are critical for knowing how to control power production & force absorption.

The single leg squat protocol as shown here also helps address imbalances & asymmetries between sides while simultaneously working on foot & ankle mechanics (one of the most neglected components of training). You’ll also notice how few if any of my athletes ever wear normal athletic shoes. That’s because barefoot conditions help optimize foot & ankle mechanics thereby improving activation up the kinetic chain.

Lastly the eccentric isometric protocol is something I use for 90% of more of all exercises with every one of my athletes and clients as it’s the single most effective training protocol I’ve ever used for improving athletic performance, functional strength, size, joint health, & body mechanics. That’s because the emphasis on the eccentric phase helps wake up proprioceptive mechanisms of the body which in turn helps the lifter fine-tune their body mechanics & master their movement.

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Band resisted squat jumps can easily be performed using the hanging kettlebell or dumbbell setup as I have 2 of my NFL athletes (Julian Williams and Marquell Beckwith) showing here. Besides providing similar benefits as the barbell jump squats these tend to be a bit more low back and shoulder friendly than the barbell variations. Read more HERE.

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This is an excellent power variation of the Olympic Clean. Keep the chest up throughout and be sure the hips and chest come up at the same rate. Build up speed gradually then explode at the top position.

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The high pull is a great Olympic lifting variation/accessory movement as well as a solid speed and power movement for the hips and lower body. As an added benefit it crushes the upper back, traps, and deltoids as the entire upper back and shoulder region has to assist the legs to drive the weight up. The catch at the bottom also provides a strong and rapid eccentric jolt to the upper body musculature as you're forced to quickly decelerate the weight.

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Here's a great renegade row variation for targeting both the anterior and posterior oblique slings of the body essentially turning this into a full body exercise.

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NOTE: If using a kettlebell is too challenging simply use a dumbbell.

If you really want to get crazy with oblique sling activation pattern you can actually combine the single arm and single leg contralateral T-bench variations as well as the half-body off protocol into one incredibly challenging chest press variation as shown by NPC figure competitor Leslie Petch.

This is literally one of the most challenging full body pressing movements there is as you’ll be forced to activate nearly every muscle in your body from head to toe as you resist enormous amounts of rotational forces. In addition this is one of the more physically exhausting chest presses you’ll ever attempt due to the high levels of continuous intramuscular tension throughout each set. Besides devastating your glutes (maximus and medius), it’s also one of the most brutal core exercises you’ll ever perform as it absolutely crushes your obliques and transverse abs as well as your rectus abdominals.

Lastly, if you have poor foot and ankle activation you’ll be notified almost immediately as you’ll find it quite difficult to maintain your balance for more than a few seconds. In fact the only way you can reach equilibrium with your body on this movement and find a stable position is by producing perfect foot and ankle alignment. With that in mind this is an incredible foot and ankle exercise provided you’re able to lock your position in and stabilize your body. Oh and if you really want to increase the instability try throwing in a bottoms-up variation as shown in the video.

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If you’re looking to further emphasize the hip activation component of ab rollouts, you can also do single leg knee drive rollouts. Focus on nailing the 90 degree hip flexion in each contracted position while simultaneously keeping the hips elevated as you extend that leg back into the straight position. Performed correctly this is one of the most brutal core and hip exercises there is that also has tremendous transfer into sprinting mechanics and athletic performance.

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Here’s a Bulgarian squat with a few small modifications to help improve body mechanics. This includes the use of a longitudinal bench position and bottom position eccentric .

The Bulgarian squat is an incredible lower body exercise that literally targets every muscle in the legs. Unfortunately there are 2 common issues I often witness when watching individuals perform them. First, they tend to have an overly staggered stance position rather than a semi-inline stride position. Ideally, individuals should assume a semi-inline or semi-overlapping stride position during Bulgarian squats, lunges, or split squats. This means that the back and front foot should either intersect (when looking at the person from the front) or both feet should line up right next to each other with no space between them.

Unfortunately most individuals perform Bulgarian squats, lunges, and split squats with something I refer to as a straddled or staggered stance where there’s several inches of space or more between each foot. This ingrains faulty hip activation and dysfunctional stride mechanics that translates to groin pulls and inflammation to the hip joints. This also promotes energy leaks throughout the lower body that results in loss of torque, power, and stability, not only for the lunge itself but also during other related lower body movements such as sprinting.

Placing the back leg on a bench in a longitudinal fashion as shown in the video, rather than using the traditional width wise approach, teaches the athlete how to perform the Bulgarian squat with a more in-line position as they have little room to let their feet become overly staggered. Simply line up your body with the bench and keep the back foot from falling off. If you can maintain this while performing Bulgarian squats then you know your positioning is semi-inline.

Placing the back leg on a bench in a longitudinal fashion as shown in the video, rather than using the traditional width wise approach, teaches the athlete how to perform the Bulgarian squat with a more in-line position as they have little room to let their feet become overly staggered. Simply line up your body with the bench and keep the back foot from falling off. If you can maintain this while performing Bulgarian squats then you know your positioning is semi-inline.

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NOTE: If one leg up is too challenging simply keep both feet on the ground.

Looking to crush your abs while also working the vertical pulling (overhead pulling) pattern similar to a lat pulldown or pullup? Try this unique renegade row lat pulldown. To further increase the difficulty try employing a quadruped bird dog position to crush the core and spinal stabilizers.

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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.

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My client and national figure competitor Leslie performing iso-lateral bottoms up presses with 30-pound kettlebells. Weighing just over 120 pounds this is very impressive for her size.