Upper Body Powerhouse Training

World-class athletes supplement their training
with bodyweight training,
 why aren't you?

Gotta love the number of people getting excited to train hard right now!  Had another big group join us in the gym today to crank out an upper body session.  Rizz, Christian Mattera, Brian Pisano, Brent Hasko, and Mike Mancino all joined in and worked their asses off today.  One of the great things about lifting with a group like this is that everyone pushes each other to get stronger and work harder, and with a few exceptions (Mattera slipping off a resistance band and it going through the ceiling) we cranked out one helluva workout!

Resistance bands were an integral part of this dynamic effort session.  Bands are a great tool to perform Compensatory Acceleration Training.  CAT is training technique where submaximal weight is used, but maximum force is applied to the movement in order to improve power and efficiency.  For example, you may use only 70% of your 1RM, but you move the bar as if you were trying to move 100%.  The idea is to teach the central nervous system to function explosively, activating muscle groups as fast as possible to improve rate of force production.  

Where bands come into this equation, is that when using resistance bands, which provide variable resistance (less tension at the beginning of the movement, increasing to most tension at the end), the athlete is forced to accelerate through the entire movement in order to complete the lift.  However, it's important to understand how to implement bands into a training program, and when to use them.  Throwing bands on a bar halfway through a workout just because you've seen it done before isn't going to give you the benefits you want.  Additionally, if you don't already have a base of strength built up, you shouldn't be worried about an advanced technique like CAT.  Your focus should be on building strength and muscle first before you worry about training for power and explosiveness.  

This was an interesting workout.  It was an upper-body centric workout, and I implemented a few exercises that I had never utilized before, with mixed results. 

General Warmup

Dynamic Warmup

Shoulder Rehab/Activation

Groiners--2x20

Band Rows--2x20

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns--2x20

Offset Band Pull Aparts--2x20

Band Triceps Extensions--2x20

Power

Full-Body Plyometric Pushups--4x5

Band-resisted dumbbell bench

Dynamic Repetition Method

Band-Resisted Neutral Grip Dumbbell Bench--4x8-12

Assistance Work

Offset Band Resisted Barbell Rows--4x8

Bodyweight Ladders

Weighted Pushups--12,10,8,6,4,2

Pull Ups (Weighted/unweighted/band-aided--depending on athlete)--12,10,8,6,4,2

Gun Show/Abs--3 Rounds

Band Triceps Extensions--35

Dumbbell Hammer Curls--10 each arm

Sprinter Sit-Ups--15 each side

Finisher--3 Rounds

Dumbbell Farmers Carries--120 lbs, half the gym and back

I had never utilized bands to do dumbbell presses before, and the offset band resisted rows were new as well.  The goal of the band resisted rows is to teach the body to keep the bar pulled in close to the body by keeping tension in the lats throughout the movement.  However, there are other ways to accomplish this so moving forward I will have to assess whether this movement is helping to achieve optimal results.  That's part of improving both my own training and my training of other athletes.  I had seen these performed by James Smith of the Diesel Crew and wanted to give them a shot.  Some new concepts work great, others don't, the only way to truly learn is to try new things.  That being said, this was a sick workout.  The arms were pumping and by the time i dropped the 120 pound dumbbells on my last set of carries, the entire upper body was shot.  A major goal for a lot of the guys I was training with is improving posterior chain strength.  I am trying to put an emphasis on improving upper back strength, because many athletes focus far too much on pushing because they want to develop a powerful chest, which leads them to neglect the all important upper and lower back musculature.  

Kettlebell and Sandbag Offset Carries--Carry Heavy Shit

The farmer's carries were absolutely brutal.  By the end the grip was failing and the upper back was struggling to keep me upright.  Farmer's carries are one of the best upper body exercises you can do.  One of the simplest exercises to learn and teach, it doesn't matter what you carry.  Just pick up a heavy object and carry it, whether it be a kettlebell, dumbbell, rock, trap bar, sandbag, farmer's handle, weighted wheelbarrow...don't worry about what the object is.  The forearms, upper and lower back, abs, legs, and shoulders all come into play when doing heavy carries.  If you want to develop a strong and powerful physique, you need to include carries into your training.  Give this workout a try and let me know what you think.  

Embrace the grind.

skij333@comcast.net

Ain't Nothin' but a Deadlift Party!

CJ Vines Killing the Deadlift!

Woke up and looked out the window today to a couple of inches of snow on the ground and more to come!  Love it, ski season is just around the corner.  Even better was today was a deadlift today.  I was pleasantly surprised that despite the snow, we got quite a gathering to hit some heavy deads and kill a lower body workout.  Brent Hasko, a junior soccer player at FDU, Mike Mancino, an honorable mention All-Conference Linebacker (who lead the conference in tackles), and of course big Jim Rizz and CJ Vines all came out today to hit the king of all lifts:  The deadlift.  While the squat may be the king of all lower body lifts, nothing matches the deadlift in terms of building and displaying full-body strength and power.  If anyone would like to join us for some hardcore heavy lifting feel free.  The more the merrier!

Lower Body Training--11/27/12

General Warmup

Dynamic Warmup

Power

Backwards Underhand Med Ball Throws--5x3 Full Recovery

Strength

Deadlift (Conventional or Sumo)

3x3 at RPE 8 (Using Joe Meglio's Deadlift Like a Man RPE system)

--Worked up to 410 lbs for 3x3 (Sumo)

Assistance Work

Deficit Deadlifts--8 Singles at 70% estimated 1RM w/ 60 seconds rest in between

--310 for 8 singles (Conventional off a 3 inch plate)

Pull Ups

--2 sets submax, 1 set max reps

Deficit Deadlifts with 70% of 1RM

Muscle Building/Conditioning Circuits--3 Rounds
1) Dumbbell and Chain Weighted Bulgarian Split Squats--8 each leg
2) Glute/Ham Raises--10-12
3) Band Resisted Knee Tucks--15

Active Stretching/Finisher
Cossack Squats--3x10 each leg (30 lbs of chains)

Rizz performing Cossack Squats to finish the workout

Maybe I'm biased because it's my favorite lift but there really is nothin' like deadlifting.  This workout was brutal and I know I'm gonna be feeling it tomorrow but I loved it.  For those of you who read this blog, share it with friends, leave me comments and feedback, and give me suggestions about what YOU want to see on here or any questions you want answered.  Nothing is more important to me than your feedback because I'm always looking for ways to improve my training and help other improve there's.  Love the iron and embrace the grind baby!

One last thing, this video really got me hyped to deadlift this week.  Nothin' like watching the best in the world pull to motivate you to go out there and get after it.  Enjoy, courtesy of Supertraining.tv!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_uPPqpy1L4

Boost Your Bench and Upper Body Power

Warning:  This is going to offend some people!

I've been holding this post in for a long time but I really can't deal with the sad state of society today, especially as it pertains to personal fitness and taking pride in one's body.  Everyday I see and hear more and more examples of people making excuses and trying to find shortcuts around the truth.  That truth is that training your body and mind by working out is HARD WORK.  As a matter of fact, life is hard work.  There's a great line in the movie "Friday Night Lights:"  "The only curses are the ones that are self-imposed, we all dig our own holes."

If you don't like something in your life, then get off your ass and change it.  As an athlete my whole life I've had to hear bitching and moaning from players the entire time about how the coach doesn't like them, or they're better then everyone else on the team but they're not starting because the coach just really likes another player...Yeah, you know why he likes that other player?  Because that other player is talented, or that other player works hard, or that other player spends more time studying film and lifting weights then they do bitching and complaining.  Pointing fingers at everyone else and saying they're the reason that you haven't achieved your goals is the biggest cop out you can possibly make.  Simply put:  If you want something, then go get.  Let nothing stand in your way.  If it's a priority in your life, you'll make it happen.

Arnold ripping heavy T Bar Rows
during the golden era

Secondly, I came onto Facebook the other day and the very first thing that pops up on my news feed is a picture of about 30 different supplements stacked on top of each other.  Every possible name brand form of creatine, protein, BCAAs, pre-workouts, post-workouts, you name it, it was on there.  The caption that the kid put read "Yeah we go hard."  I almost fell off my chair laughing.  THE FACT THAT YOU TAKE MORE SUPPLEMENTS THAN ANY HUMAN BODY CAN HANDLE DOESN'T MAKE YOU BIG OR STRONG OR MEAN THAT YOU "GO HARD."  If anything, it means that you have just been lazy and stupid enough to believe that something that's mass manufactured by a company that, surprise surprise, is trying to make money, is the key to you getting big and strong.  No shock, the kid who posted it is about 160 pounds soaking wet and pretty much all fat.  The key to building strength, size and power is hard work, blood, sweat, and tears and heavy motherfuckin' weights!  It's time to man up, to stop looking for the easiest and simplest way out.  Make training, whatever kind it is you do, a priority in your life.  No excuses, no bullshit.  Put in the time and effort and you will see the kind of rewards you've always wanted.

Now that I got that out of my system, I can finally get to what I really like to talk about, which is getting stronger.  My man Jimmy Rizz is certainly not one of those people looking for a way out.  Since our football season ended he has been training like never before and working his ass off in the gym because he's got a goal and he's not going to let anything get in his way.  Today, we hit a crazy upper body workout designed to build power and strength in the entire upper body.

Diesel Crew Chaos Bench (KB is more ideal
because it's weight distribution makes it even more difficult
to stabilize)
www.dieselsc.com

The exercise of the day was definitely chaos bench press as an assistance lift.  After power work and heavy benching we took a 50 and 15 pound dumbbell on each side of the bar, attached them to the bar with a resistance band for each.  This allows the weight to swing freely during the movement, as opposed to a weight plate where the weight is evenly distributed and in direct contact with the bar.  The result, an unbelievable workout for every muscle in the upper body in an effort to stabilize the bar throughout the movement.  Working the often neglected stabilizer muscles up the upper back and shoulder girdle through chaos benching can boost your max effort presses like never before.  If you want to press like a beast, start incorporating chaos bench into your upper body training.  Below is the entire workout from today.


Warmup
Shoulder rehab/back activation
Banded Face Pulls--2x10
Banded Lat Pull Down--2x10
Shoulder Traction/Row--2x10

Rizz as a big ass banana 

Power
1) Kneeling Medicine Ball Chest Past--5x3

Strength
2) Bench Press--3x3 at 8 RPE (worked up to 300 lbs for 3x3)
(Work up to a weight that you would fail at 5 reps on, and do it for 3x3)
(RPE is on a scale of 10, 10 being the most difficult, 8/10=3/5)

Assistance
3) Chaos Bench--3x8-12
(50 and 15 lb dumbbells on each side attached by resistance bands)

4) T Bar Row Drop Sets--3x4 each weight (total of 12 reps per set)
--Started with 4 45 lb plates for 4, then 3 plates for 4, then 2 plates for 4

5a) Renegade Rows--3x10 each arm (20 lb dumbbells)
5b) Banded Face Pulls--3x12

Finisher--2 sets
6) Triceps Death--50% of 1RM (170 lbs)
--5 reps, 5 reps on 2 boards, 5 reps on 4 boards, 5 reps on 2 boards, 5 reps (25 total reps per set)


EMBRACE THE GRIND

skij333@comcast.net

Thanksgiving Day Bodyweight Workout

Well it's Thanksgiving Day.  Might as well just kick back on the couch and eat a ton of food, drink a ton of beer, hang out with the family and watch football...

Fuck that!  There is plenty of time in the day to spend time with the family enjoying the holidays and still get huge!  Since the gym is closed and the ankle is still healing I figured today would be a perfect day to get in a quick bodyweight workout with my brother.  I have an awesome pair of gymnastics rings hanging from a pull up bar in my bedroom doorway that kick my ass every single time I get on them.  Here's the 30 minute workout we cranked about an hour before dinner.

Ring Dips

Band Pull-Aparts

2x20 

Superset #1

Ring Pushups--25, 20, 15, 10, 5

Pull Ups (Mixed Grip)--15, 12, 9, 6, 3

Superset #2--3 Rounds

Ring Face Pulls--12

Ring Dips w/ L Sit--6

Short, sweet, and killed us!  I'll be the first one to say you need to lift heavy weight, but relative bodyweight strength is just as important and can help build up strength in other lifts, athleticism, and provide incredible variety to your workouts.  There was not a single muscle in the upper body and abdominal musculature that wasn't cranked here.  By the end, I was struggling to finish and had an incredible pump going.  I tell people all the time, if you want to get a great "pump" and you want to build powerful arms and muscle in the entire upper body...TRAIN WITH BODYWEIGHT MOVEMENTS.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Time to go eat my body weight in turkey, potatoes, veggies, and pie! 

Grown Ass Man Strength Training!

Now that the football season is finally over it's time to start throwin' around some heavy ass weights!  Suffered a high ankle sprain in the last game of the year against William Patterson (didn't miss a snap) but fuck it, gotta walk the walk and live the code.  I promised my buddy Jim Rizzolo that after the season ended we'd hit the weights hard and I had to live up to it ankle or no ankle.  Even big CJ Vines joined us, as we cranked out an awesome strength and power-building workout.

Me, Rizz, and CJ on the "All MAC" punt
shield--going to miss playing with these guys

Everyone was sore.  Everyone had injuries coming out of the season.  Didn't matter.  Sitting on our asses and making excuses why we couldn't get in the gym is only cheating ourselves.  I can tell it's going to be a great offseason lifting with these two guys.  They're willing to do whatever it takes to pack on muscle and get stronger just like they were willing to do whatever it took to get it done on the football field.  They were great teammates and players and now they're going to be two strong dudes moving forward.


General Warmup
Dynamic Warmup

Shoulder Work--Banded face pulls x 12
--Band Pull-Aparts x 15
--Scapula Pushups x 10

Old School Deadlift

--Pushups x 10

Power 
1) Band Resisted Kettlebell Swings--3x5

Strength
2) Deadlift Variation--2x5 at 7 RPE (Weight that you would fail at 8 reps on)

3) Speed Deadlift Variation--3x3 at 60% of estimated 1RM

Assistance
4) Weighted Scapula-Contracted Back Extensions--3x12

Muscle-Building Complex--3 Rounds
5a) Feet-Elevated Inverted Rows--12-15
5b) Banded Good Morning--12
5c) Hanging Straight Leg/Knee Raise--Submax (Final set to failure)

Core/Conditioning--2 Rounds
6) Single Arm KB Farmer's Carries--70 lb kettlebell w/ 30 lbs of chains around neck--2 laps each arm

This workout was BRUTAL on the entire posterior chain.  By the end of the workout all of our grips, upper and lower back's especially were on fire!  This was an awesome workout for CJ and Rizz especially because they both want to improve their pull up numbers and their posterior chain strength, so heavy deadlifts, inverted rows, and carries are just what the doctor ordered!

Ever seen someone deadlift big weights without
carrying around a ton of muscle?

If you want to pack on muscle that looks good and can back it up with some serious strength you HAVE TO DEADLIFT in some way shape or form.  Don't back down just because deadlifts are tough.  Who knows, maybe they'll make a man out of you!

Hurricane Sandy Perspective and Training

First and foremost, I feel the need to say that I am damn lucky to be able to write this post about something I'm passionate about.  While a large portion of New Jersey and New York has spent the last week and a half without power, without gas, displaced from their homes, or without a home at all, I have been lucky enough to have a house with power and the time to concentrate on something like training which is a privilege.  Some of my friends weren't so lucky.  I have friends who have lost their homes and spent the last week trying to help friends and neighbors clean up from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.  I count myself lucky that my friends and family are healthy and that we have a roof over our heads.  I wish my friends and their families who weren't so fortunate the best of luck for a speedy recovery.  Stay strong and know that this too, will pass.  Jersey Strong.

Due to the fact that the hurricane has shut down school and therefore, football for the past week and a half, I've had plenty of time and energy to get back to high intensity strength training.  I don't just train for football, (we have one game left in the season) I train for life.  As many of you who have read my blog before know, Zach even Esh is a huge inspiration on me.  So here's a full body strength and power workout that I cranked out today.  Forget all the bodybuilding bullshit!  This is how you train if you want to put on serious muscle that's functional and will turn heads at the same time!

Zach Even Esh 530 lb Trap Bar DL

Foam Rolling
General Warmup
Dynamic Warmup

Light Sled Pull/Push Warmup

1) KB/DB Snatch--3x5 each arm

5 Rounds--Increase weight on deadlifts each round; 70 pound KB
2a) Deadlift Variation (Trap Bar Deadlift)--3 reps (worked up to 395 pounds)
2b) KB Swings--6 reps

3 Rounds--
3a) Single Arm Rack Position Reverse KB Lunge--8 each leg
3b) Hand over hand rope sled pull, low sled push x 2

Hand Over Hand Sled Pulls; gotta buy one 

3 Rounds
4a) Band Tricep Extensions--Failure
4b) Hand over hand rope sled pull, low sled push x 2

Between football and having my body beat up every single week this season I haven't been able to train like this in a long time, and it felt great to get back to it.  With over a week off, I finally feel healthy and able to lift heavy and train hard.  Don't forget though, training is just a part of life.  It falls well behind family, health, and friends.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I gained a great deal of perspective on how lucky I am and how much we take for granted.  Even when you're down, and nothing seems to be going right, we still have a great deal to be thankful for, and I won't forget that.

The Punt Shield From Left to Right--Me, Rizz, and our big grizzly bear CJ Vines

I'd also like to give a shout out to big Jim Rizz, who will be my first client this offseason.  I've played football with him for four years now and he's been FDU's starting right tackle for three seasons.  He asked me to help him cut some weight and pack on muscle and strength this offseason.  Lookin' forward to gettin after it when the season is over.  If ANYONE else is looking for someone to help them train or program their training regardless of their goal, hit me up at 856-669-8841 or email me at skij333@comcast.net.