Leaning over to me this fitness professional whispers, “Josh, so let me ask you, you still use the barbell anymore?” I responded, “honestly, not really.” I was more shocked to hear him reply, “me either!” There was some surprise to hear another coach admit to the fact that what is often revered as the tool to get “strong” wasn’t even something he used anymore.
I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised though, more and more fitness pros I speak to, the more I actually hear this being the case. Why would they make it such a priority in their writings and supposed programs, but not something they like to use too much themselves? There is a dirty little secret that some coaches feel if they don’t use certain exercises then they aren’t doing the “right”programs.
You know what the “right” program and exercises are? The ones that address your needs and goals. I know sounds obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I see programs where coaches write exercises and methods that don’t seem to have anything to do with the client’s goal, or is contradictory to the goal.
Of course you hear some excuses, such as “well you need to get people strong!” Unfortunately, most coaches train people to get strong in exercises that are meaningful to them! Recently I was interviewed by Anthony Renna of Strength Coach Podcast (listen to interview here) and was asked, “how strong is strong enough?” I thought of a statement my colleague, Troy Anderson, said, “strong enough is the ability to perform a task at a high level.” For a lot of people they won’t like that definition because it doesn’t put a number on a lift or tell you what implement or exercise to focus on. I know this sucks, we have to actually think about what we are trying to accomplish, we can’t just indiscriminately throw plates on a bar or throw a sandbag around and expect great results.
What should be our foundation? The truth is that strength training should help us move better and more efficiently, not make us feel stiff and rigid. Yet, those are the exercises that most coaches prioritize, the ones that make many people lock up and walk rigid! Which exercises are those? The one’s that make us stabilize in many planes of motion, those that challenge our mobility, such exercises that make us produce force in different ways and positions. When you break it down that is what our Ultimate Sandbag™ program is all about!
“Great Josh, but how do you do that?” Good question! Progression is key and something overly looked or poorly done in most programs. First we decide the movement we want to perform, then we select the level of stability we use, then we decide where the force and load will be coming from. Sound vague?
That is why I asked Strength Coach, Sarah Gwynn, to give awesome combination of movements that represent these concepts. Sarah is known for giving innovative workouts and more importantly, delivering great results with her clients.
Read what she says is the benefit of approaching fitness programs this way…
“The combination exercises demonstrated vary from other implement combos because in using the USB more demand is placed on the user. The Ultimate Sandbag is a superior implement on the market today and has personally facilitated the advancement of my fitness level, functional strength, and improved the quality of my workouts. Why? Because the USB offers an instable environment and added stimulus to the body other implements do not. The combination exercises shown in the video utilize a variety of training variables (body position, holding position, load placement, etc.) that stimulate the body in a different manner than traditional implements. Take the staggered stance bear hug squat shown in the squat complex for example. The bear hug position is only possible through use of the USB as the load is held along the midline. The positioning of the load alleviates the lower back of unwanted stress and/or spinal compression often caused by the use of other implements. The manner in which the USB loads also reinforces proper movement patterns creating an enhanced mind muscle connection. A bear hug squat correctly recruits the hamstrings and glutes forcing the user into their heels while maintaining an upright torso. Additionally, the bear hug supports proper thoracic engagement improving and strengthening postural muscles. For a client or user with glute activation that needs improvement, a staggered stance bear hug squat, as shown in the video, is a progression of the bear hug squat that targets the glutes more directly. “
The very cool part is you can create endless variety with such concepts or like Sarah did create whole new complexes to stimulate new results for yourself or clients.
“…these combination exercises are a great corrective means to muscular imbalances and offer coaches a more innovative way to continually assess their clients’ progress. Utilizing every muscle in the body, these combinations will enhance neuro-muscular activity, and improve balance, coordination, and stability. If you’re looking to enrich your fitness program, maximize calorie expenditure and decrease your workout time while still getting a quality workout, pick up your USB and try these complexes!”
Try these combinations and see how your results in not only strength skyrocket, but mobility, endurance, and how good you feel!
Shh, Dirty Fitness Secret is a post from: Sandbag Training
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