Fall Strength Challenge – Chapter 3

Hey guys, it’s week 3 of the Fall Strength Challenge. If you haven’t been doing your assistance work, there is still plenty of time. Use your coaches and time before and after class to work on your weak points. Today we will talk about the deadlift. While the deadlift is a tremendous posterior chain building exercise, sometimes it doesn’t get credit for what it is best at, which is building the trunk. We will go over some assistance exercises for both the posterior chain and the trunk.

Sumo Deadlift
Take a wide stance, while still having the ability to externally rotate your femur (Knees out). Grip stays the same as a conventional deadlift. Wedge hip down, while driving knees out looking for vertical shin. Take a big breathe, squeeze your belly. Drive your feet out against the ground, and drive your hips fwd. Finishing with squeezed glutes and quads. Great exercise for improving hip mobility. See Video Here: Sumo Deadlift

Barbell Good Morning
Barbell on back, unlock knee, hinge at hip keeping neutral spine until hamstrings pull tight. Then back to the top. Great for posterior chain, and trunk strength. Move slowly to challenge upper back. See Video Here: Barbell Good AM

Sandbag Front Squat
Deadlift Sandbag to lap, regrip squeezing sandbag into sternum, stand up, and then squat. Try to remain vertical with whole foot on the ground throughout squat. Great exercise for hip mobility and trunk strength. See Video Here: SANDBAG FRONT SQUAT

Glute Ham Raise
Position leg through roller pad with toes down, knee should be at edge of pad. Body is erect as if kneeling on floor. The further your knee moves onto the pad the more difficult the exercise becomes. Start movement by squeezing glutes and hamstrings and pushing hip forward. Body should move as one solid piece till legs extend. Then body should come back up to starting position with no break in the hip. Use a band tethered around footboard for assistance. Band Assist is shown in the video. See Video Here: Glute Ham Raise Band Assist

Deadlift From Pins (Below knee) 

Using arms on racks, adjust height to place the bar just below your knee. Set up just as you would for a normal deadlift with the bar against your shins. Using the arms/pins you can adjust the height to work on your weak points in the lift. This can be a great training tool. See Video Here: Deadlift from Pins (Below Knee)

Banded Good AM
Band goes around base of neck and under arches of your foot. Unlock knees, hinging at your hip with a neutral spine. Continue until hamstrings are tight and return to top. A good finisher to any workout, 1x 100 reps. Shoot for 100 in a row without stopping. See Video Here: Banded Good AM

Hanging Leg Raise
While hanging from bar, find hollow, then raise straight legs as high as possible. Try to avoid momentum. Important to find hollow then raise, not just swing legs. See Video Here: Hanging Leg Raise

V-Ups
Make body long, hands together and feet together. Hinge at hip, balancing on tailbone. Touch hands to toes. If too difficult bend at knee, and bring your knees to chest. See Video Here: V-Ups

Reverse Hyper
Great exercise for building up strength of low back/spinal erectors. It is very important to have a tight belly while doing this. Your belly gives your spine the support it needs, so you are able to work your spinal erectors. See Video Here: REVERSE HYPER

Russian Twist 
While in a seated postion balancing on your tail bone, tap medicine ball on right side of your body, then moving torso with ball tap on left side of your body, continue for a set of 20, must do both sides for one rep. For a harder version, toss med ball to partner, or off wall/tire. See Video Here: Russian Twist

GHD Thoracic Rollout
Put legs into GHD, toes down. Pad should be in the middle of your quad. Start with body extended straight out. Then tuck chin to chest and roll up your spine vertebra by vertebra till you are balled up an curled under the GHD. From there begin to unroll your spine from your tailbone to your head. Finish extended with eyes to sky. See Video Here: GHD Thoracic Rollout

Keep after it guys. If you are not sure about one of these or any other moves, use your coaches. Week 3 is going fast.

 

Danny Lesslie

@dannylesslie