Sunday, December 30, 2012

Jump Into the New Year

The Christmas Season has calmed down and now its time to buckle down and get ready for the New Year.  You need to have some goals lined up for the New Year to make this one the best one ever. Hopefully you received all the gifts you wanted and if not here is a cheap addition to buy with your leftover gift $.

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Now keep in mind most of my suggestions are entry-level equipment that won't dent your wallet.  This is a small price to pay for a powerful, portable conditioning tool that blends easily with other movements.  I like to use Jump Rope as a warm-up, coupled with a basic movement or a conditioning complex.

*Warm-Up

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After Foam Rolling and mobility, I add jump rope in a Tabata Format
20 Seconds On (Work), 10 Seconds Off (Rest)-8 Rounds.

*While Lifting

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Add a certain amount of Jumps in between the working sets of any lift.
Dead Lift x 5,5,3,,5,5,5
Jump Rope x 50 reps
Do the jump rope as your rest.

*Conditioning

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After the main lift you can have a conditioning session.  Mix and match as many different exercises as you want.  Be careful too many and the focus is on remembering what to do.  
Sled Drag-Forward, Backward, Side x30 seconds
Tabata KB Swing & Jump Rope-20 Seconds of Swing or Rope, 10 second rest and change.

3 quick ways to add Jump Rope to your workouts for less than 3$ in 2013.  Add it in and give me some feedback at NB Strength Coach Facebook
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Saturday, December 22, 2012

Knee Slapping Myths

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Do anything for a while and you are bound to come across some nonsense being spewed.  If you sit and actually listen to some it gets pretty comical.  This happens daily in regards to Strength and Conditioning.  Do this.  Don't do that.  Try this.  Take that.  There is so much to take in one can get lost with all the information.  Today we'll tackle some of the most common myths that paralyze beginners from making any gains.

1.  Females Should Train Differently.

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Like how?  Sorry guys, but females endure one of the toughest times possible in giving birth.  Not everyone has had a baby but its safe to say they are better equipped.  I get asked all the time "How do you train females."  Easy.  The same way I train everyone else.  The weights might be lighters for some things but the intensity is still there.  I would focus on Lower Body and Full Body sessions paying close attention to unilateral leg strength due to the abundance of knee injuries.  Girls, take it to the limit you weren't made to gain freaky mass so not to worry.

Joy Byxbee is ridiculous and doesn't think being strong is wrong.

2.  I Don't Train Lower Body.

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Because...  I hurt my back...  Because they get enough work when I run...  Because I don't know what to do...  Training the Lower Body can be a painful and rewarding experience.  When I train people the greatest gains I see are increases in strength, power, and size in their lower body.  Not only because its a larger muscle group but most haven't done what is necessary to make progress.  Attack your lower body with explosive movement, basic strength exercises, challenging auxiliary work and see growth you never thought possible.  A bare bones outline would be a form of jump, squat or dead lift variation and finish with some high rep unilateral or hypertrophy leg work.
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3.  I Need To Max Out All The Time To Get Stronger.

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This belief comes from beginners who achieve some success and the attitude of "more is better."  I've done it too.  When I first got into the weight room I started with arms EVERYDAY.  I figured it was important to so I'll start off with it.  Things were good until overuse injuries crept up.  In that instance I wasn't max weight but max overuse.  A well thought out training regimen revolving around Press, Dead, Bench, Squat based on a "Training Max" not a true balls to the wall max.  I'd stay away from 1-Rep maxes until you get proficient around a weight room.  Too much too soon and you'll be down before you even got started.  My first suggestions is to learn how to take a sub-max weight past what is normally comfortable.  10, 15, 20 reps?  As long as they are clean and under control.  Leave a couple reps undone.  When a lifter learns to get uncomfortable and still be under control, doors start opening.  
6 weeks later...
Any other myths stopping you?  Make sure to share them at the NB Strength Coach Fan Page.
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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Try this...


Day in and day out income across people who are very critical.  Criticism has its place but the "critic" better have experienced some things first.  As a teacher and a coach, I make sure I've done everything I ask of them. Projects, homework, tests? Did them. Football practice, animals walks, heavy weights. Check.  It is hard to ask someone to do something you can't do or haven't done. 
To me, nothing is more annoying then when someone criticizes another without experiencing. As a coach, this happens all the time. That kicker sucks, the offense line needs to block, run the ball harder, he should've caught that and on and on.  Few people have actually done what they are so quick to judge others on. 

Recently, I've noticed a change of critics tune to question people's heart. Wussification of America as they call it.  But when you get down to it, most have never attempted it. "That kid on the football field has no heart. He's a wuss.  What happened to the good ole days?"  Has this person experienced that level of competition? Played that position? Understood the preparation? In my research, they have no room to talk.  Don't be one of those guys.

1.  Experience as much as you can.

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Not so you can criticize others, but you can appreciate their struggles.  What have you always wanted to try?  What has been holding you back?  I know you can't try everything but let's broaden our horizons

2.  "Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand."  

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Take a step back.  Are you overweight and out of shape talking trash about those who are moving in the right direction.  Been stuck in the same job and not moving up the ranks, but ripping those on top?  C'mon man...

3.  Can you give some solid advise?

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One of the best ways to help a person is give them some advise from your experiences.  When they ask for it.  Do you have some tips on a certain exercise or lift?  Nutrition tricks they might not heard of?  Sometimes hearing one things can lead to changes that make all the difference in the world.  

Now that you have done more, try helping more.  No one has ever done much complaining from the sidelines.  Help one person do something they thought was impossible and see how it goes.

    Wednesday, November 14, 2012

    When in Doubt, Do Less?

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    As with every person there are seasons in which things slow for me and more gets accomplished. As a teacher and a coach I get the most done during summer break.  During this time, I am able to train people, look further into my own progress and also rest and restore like no other time.


    Once school rolls around, football season starts, HxC Strength is rolling my training gets put on the back burner.  Should I stop training all together?  Damn.  That's a terrible idea.  The best plan is to reduce.

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    Less time training and less exercises.  When you first hear this idea, questions immediately come to mind.  How much do I need?  Will my muscles waste away?  Can I get stronger?  All valid questions, but stay focused.  To start, think of a full body warm-up that does not take long to complete.  I like lower body PVC rolling, 100 push ups, 100 band pull-aparts.  Next, I add Tabata Jump Rope to get the blood flowing.  Now pick a main lift of Overhead Press, Dead Lift, Bench Press, Squat.  Each week will have a different percentage of your training max for sets of 10.

    • Week 1-5x10x60%
    • Week 2-1x10x55%, 1x10x60%, 3x10x65%
    • Week 3-1x10x50%, 1x10x60%, 1x10x65%, 1x10x70%, 1x10x75%
    After the cycle is completed, 5 pounds is added to the training max and the cycle is restarted.  I always like to superset the main lift with an exercises that complements.  Finally, my assistance work is 2 exercises designed to increase muscle size and efficiency.  

    Example: Overhead Press

    • 1A Pushup 3x33
    • 1B Pullapart 3x33
    • 1C Jump Rope 20:10x8
    • 2A OH Press Bar x 20 x 2, 135x5x10
    • 2B 5 Pullups between each OH set
    • 3A Dips 3x10-15
    • 3B Blast Strap Curls 3x10-15
    Now might look like there is a drastic change, but if you ever lifted with me or attended HxC Strength, you know this is not close to the normal workload.  I have also been battling a strained oblique and some sciatica, so too much variety would aggravate the symptoms.  To train or not to train, is not a legitimate question.  You should devise a plan on how you can work with your schedule.  A total reduction in stimulus can turn into some solid gains because of increased focus.

    Tuesday, July 31, 2012

    TK Knee Bands Review


    "You're Getting Old"!  No one wants to hear this inevitable truth.  Fact is the body will begin to break down in some places faster than others.  There are some things you can do to help get you over the hump and make training bearable. Knee sleeves during lower body lifting was shown to me by my graduate assistant mentor Coach Leo Seitz.  He explained the benefits of having the knee sleeves to keep everything tight and warm though out the movements.  

    As a Twenty-Something, I felt like I might as well start wrapping the barbell with a pad during squats.  But after giving it some thought, I'd like to keep my knees healthy and sleeves don't add much weight in relation to maximal weights so, so why not?  
    I started with cheap knee sleeves and ended with Tommy Kono's.  These got good reviews and priced at about $50 for the pair.  The TK Bands are well made neoprene sleeves that slip over the knee.  The TK emblem should be over the knee to give you a guide as to how high they need to go.

    Pros
    1. Materials-The sleeves are made with good materials but a little suspect at the seams.  My current TK's have lasted about 2 years so they are showing some wear and tear.  The inside material is excellent for keeping your knees warm and the tightness keeps everything together without impeding knee bend.
    2. Effectiveness-I purchased the knee bands to keep my knees healthy during heavy lifting and they met my expectations.  For about $50 you can step it up from some cheap things that will tear within a couple of weeks.  After heavy lifting my knees felt great and the real test was the next day.  No soreness or discomfort at all.
    3. Portability-  Before having my own garage gym I would lug all my stuff to a commercial location.  Carrying a bunch of extra equipment was a pain in the ass so most stuff never made it.  Ever try to show up with a foam roller.  I did.  The TK's can be thrown in your bag or even worn to the gym.  No excuse for not having a little extra support.  
    Cons
    1. Slippage-As tight as the sleeves fit and hold with the neoprene grabbing the knee, they fall more than I like.  In my opinion adjusting them became annoying.  After every set I'd have to pull them back up.  If you ask my brother Big Lou a big thumbs down just because of them slipping and his TK's received a fatal tear from picking them up.  Maybe a different material on the inside at the top and bottom could keep them in place.  
    2. Construction-The material were well made but pulling them all fell short. The two places that went first were the back seam that runs back of the knee and the front near the knee bend.  Some extra sewing and reinforcing near these spots would help tremendously.  
    3. Putting them on-The part of the bands that helps the most also makes it pretty hard to put them on.  The inside of the sleeve grabs on the skin so just pulling them straight up is not an option.  You must fold it down in half cutting the surface area of the neoprene pull up and unfold.  I had to search around the internet on forums for some tips and this technique helped the most.  
     

    Final Say-
    I got the most out of my Kono's and would recommend them as the next step from basic sleeves. You will get your money's worth but be prepared for the inconvenience of adjusting them regularly.  Mine lasted for a long time and got the job done.  Also I think the only way to order them is online so try and get the size right the first time to save the hassle or exchanging.  I weigh about 205-210 and the mediums fit perfect.  

    Monday, July 9, 2012

    Top 3 Ways To Cure Sore Muscles


    For many, hard training has its intended benefits which include muscles size, strength, endurance. But sometimes we experience the unpleasant side effects of strains, pull, and the most common muscles soreness.  Train hard using compound movements with explosive exercises like I talk about here, then soreness is bound to happen.  After intense training a couple of days pass and you resemble the Tin Man needing some oil just to move around.  I got the hookup to help you move better in a shorter time.

    1.  Foam Roll


    I enjoy foam rolling.  For me and my athletes, I find there is benefit from rolling before every training sessions.  It loosens up any knots, prepares the muscles for hard training, and gets more blood flowing through out the body.  When soreness has crept in to the body a foam or PVC roller can be the best tool to decrease the amount of time you feel uncomfortable.  Go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy 3-4 inch diameter precut PVC pipe.  There is no excuse as to why you don't have one or why you shouldn't roll every day.  For us, let's put it to use because I can't think of a cheaper self-massage tool.  Focus on major body parts keep away from joins and pick and easy amount of reps or passes.  During the first couple of reps you will experience some discomfort depending on how banged up you are.  But like Kramer said, "From pain, will come pleasure."


    2.  Do The Same Things That Made You Sore


    I know, I know when I suggest this to people give me more sideways looks than any other recommendation.  It's OK, I get it.  In order to help relieve some of the discomfort from hard training a very light weight is an excellent option.  This will ensure that the same muscles affected from hard training will be moved in their normal capacity and blood will start flowing out of the area taking lactic acid with it.  Stay super light, nothing crazy just nice and easy.  As with all movements complete a full range of motion.  Do this between foam rolling and there is no doubt you will feel better sooner.


    3.  Find Something Active to Do
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    This one is my favorite suggestion because it helps with your soreness but you don't realize it.  To take it a step further pick an activity that you have to use the muscles without thinking about it.  For example, after completing a brutal full body session of heavy squats and overhead presses you won't feel it until a couple of days later.  So what's a fun activity where you must use your arms and legs?  There are many but swimming is a heck of an idea.  Just think about complaining about aching muscles could result in you sinking to the bottom.  The act of swimming is also similar to completing countless reps in a weightless state which is great for the joints.  The temperature of the water can also have some therapeutic effects.  Obviously, do not try this if you can't swim or you are so deathly sore you can move at all.

    What are some of your best ways to get rid of soreness?  Everyone is always looking for something new, so let me know at the NB Strength Coach Fan Page I'd love to hear some other things that work!

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    Monday, July 2, 2012

    It's Not 1 Thing, It's Everything


    Training is a combination of many factors that include exercise selection, rest, nutrition and mindset.  Knowing where your head is at is one of the most overlooked aspects related to reaching goals in the gym.


    Exercise selection, rest, and nutrition information can literally be found anywhere.  Picking exercises is not as important as finding some type of program you will stick with.  I talk about that here.  Stick to the basics and be consistent.  Don't change everything as soon as you hit a bump in the road.  Gains will come.  The subject of rest is a little tougher to tackle.  With the pursuit of everyone trying to become an elite athlete, rest has gotten a raw deal.  To begin there should be a programmed Deload every 3-4 weeks depending on how many days you train.  Set a base (Week 1), increase the weight and break record (Week 2), and finally go for broke (Week 3).  The Deload is very important and a good rule of thumb is to cut working volume in half.  Rest as serious as you train and recovery shouldn't be an issue.  


    Nutrition is one of the most misunderstood aspects related to physical goals.  There's low carb, low fat, Atkins, Zone, Paleo, Eat Everything In Sight no wonder everyone eats like crap.  Do research and don't always listen to the guy that got ripped from eating nothing but tuna and water.  A modified Paleo with the occasional carb or dairy is what I usually follow.  Although I have messed around with meal timing don't worry about that until you are eating consistently clean.  


    The final piece to the overall approach to strength training is mindset.  I'm sorry but if you think you can just buy some guys Ebook or get a membership to some gym and everything will take car of itself you are in for some trouble.  There will be bumps in the road, setbacks, and challenges.  Making sure everything is right between your ears will help prevent frustration.  It's simple no one can make things happen for you.  Work to find that place deep inside where everything is blocked out and total focus is the only option.

    Saturday, May 5, 2012

    Elite Training Workshop Review

    Recently I had the opportunity to attend a workshop help in Frisco, Texas.  The lineup had some heavy hitters of the fitness industry including Dave Schmitz, BJ Gaddour, Mike Robertson, and Eric Cressey.  Each brought their own unique style, expertise and energy.  I knew I wanted to attend the Elite Training Workshop because it was held in Texas, I just didn't know if I could make it because of other work responsibilities.  I missed out on the business seminar, but things worked out to attend the training portion.  The seminar was at 9 a.m., so I woke up at 3 a.m. kissed my wife, drove the 5 hours, got blasted by the presenters and drove 5 hours back home.  

    First up was Dave Schmitz.  He was older than every other presenter, but that didn't mean sh** because he had that look in his eyes that "it's about to go down!"  For those who don't know Dave is The Band Man.  His performance strength training relies heavily on resistance bands.  Truthfully, I had only used bands for prehab, rehab, warmup and occasional accommodating resistance.  Dave did and excellent job of showing some basic movements that were cranked up when the bands were added.  The workout was bootcamp style that used intervals of work and rest.  Perform an exercise for a specific time and rest for time as well.  The benefit of this type of training is it can be done anywhere and can be progressed or regressed with different band strengths.  Make sure to look at any of the band resources because you can implement this stuff today.


    Next up was B.J. Gaddour and although I have not studies him as much I knew he is part of innovative training systems of Workout Muse and Streamfit.  B.J. is a guy on a mission to bring fitness to as many people as possible.  B.J.'s training consisted of body weight and band intervals.  If you would like to see the exact exercise, rep, set, interval protocol visit this website.  Most of the exercises were basic movements including push ups, band exercises, jumps, animal movements.  This type of training is awesome because it doesn't require a lot of space or equipment and it gets bodies moving.  Training expertise aside, B.J. is a very intense person as he was able to lead, train, coach and motivate all at the same time.  He will be himself no matter what!

    After lunch most of the training was done and lecture became the focus.  Mike Robertson, owner of IFAST, spoke on corrective exercises.  Now there are many ways to define corrective exercises, but remember they focus on injury prevention and improving performance.  To attack these weak areas you need to focus on strength, stability and mobility.  Most joints will need to increase stability or strength at that joint or range of motion.  Knowing that these areas need extra attentions puts you ahead most people.  Strive for no weak sports in  the kinetic chain of a exercise.  

    Finally to wrap things up Eric Cressey brought immense knowledge regard baseball training.  The demands of baseball are incredible with running, jumping, sliding, catching, throwing and hitting.  Med Ball work is perfect for this activity sin it is so difficult to load those movement patterns with traditional resistance.  Using a med ball allows the coach to safely and effectively load certain aspects of a given sport.  MB's can also be used to train volleyball players.  I used a chest pass to simulate explosion of blocking and scoop throws to resemble setting.  As with any explosive exercise make sure they have an adequate strength base.  Also be aware of the reactive for of a throw and it's okay if they aren't ready to use MB's.


    I am grateful that a seminar with some extremely talented fitness professionals was in Texas.  Attending the workshop was well worth the 10 hours in a car and getting put through the ringer physically.  Give your training a leg up and go to an Elite Training Workshop if you are able to make it.  

    Thursday, April 5, 2012

    Zach Even-Esh Movement Lecture Review

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    Strength and Conditioning is a rapidly changing field of study.  There are tons of people that know about training and achieving results.  Something new that I have come across is Movement lectures.  

    I rarely listen to music while I drive so audio books or podcasts are usually playing on my iPhone.  Movement lectures is a great idea because for a small fee you can purchase audio of a topic of interest related to strength and conditioning.  The first one I listened to was Zach Even-Esh Training the High School Athlete.  In this 44 minute lecture, Zach does a great job of explaining why and how he trains his athletes.  
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    Why
    Zach goes into detail about his experiences that led him to develop the Underground Method.  Through out most of his competitive career he believed you could outwork the opponent.  Not true.  This type of training philosophy let to many injuries and not be able to compete.  I enjoy this part of the audio because I am curious about how people come up with their ideas.  Past experiences shape our training and something happened along the way that made you do things a certain way.  Look at how things are going is something missing?  Do you need to take one thing out?  

    How
    The simplicity of Zach's methods can be misleading.  More and more strength coaches are popping up trying to confuse people with wild methods and claims.  The underground method has evolved to an athletic warm up followed by Power/Strength Movement, strength endurance, muscle building and conditioning.  Listening to this part is worth the cost of the MP3.  When you have a template, it is easier to choose the exercises to fill in for specific needs.  Don't know the exercises to pick?  He helps detail some compound movements everyone should be doing.

    The last part of the lectures is very fascinating because it gives you insight into the mind of a successful strength coach.  Many different factors contribute to training an athlete so get out paper and close attention.  I don't want to give away too much, so download it!

    To wrap things up, I think Movement lectures is a great idea and should gain popularity fairly quickly.  For less $5,  I was able to listen to quality audio on a subject of my choice from a knowledgeable strength and conditioning professional.  If you like to read and listen, a transcript is also available to download WITH purchase.  I recommend stopping by to see what subject interests you.

    Fellas help me out and share this on Facebook by clicking on the left tool bar. Have any questions write me at nbstrengthcoach@gmail.com and don't forget to join us at the NB Strength Coach Fan Page.
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    Monday, March 26, 2012

    Power To The Partner

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    Having someone to train with can be one of the best tools in your quest to get bigger, faster, stronger. Think about when you do stuff by yourself. Go to the movies, dinner, sporting event. Don't get me wrong there are some of us who would rather go about those activities solo. I get that. However, when pursuing physical goals it can be beneficial to have a partner.

    1. They Can Spot

    Depending on the type of training you focus on there will be a struggle to complete an exercise. In my situation, final sets on the last training cycle consist of a PR attempt. I have a given weight in Bench, Squat, Deadlift, Overhead Press and have a number of reps that must be completed. When there are close to max weights on the bar and meeting a goal is a grinder a spotter can be invaluable.

    Another mental aspect is when I have a spotter I don't want one. Sounds weird right? Stay with me on this. At NB Strength Coach we don't count reps that the spot has to bail you out. None of this "It's all you" crap. So I challenge myself to not need a person to help me. Also if you are training alone you have to walk around the gym like a lost animal looking for some one competent. Not fun.

    2. Motivation is the KEY

    Doing things solo is a good thing. Sometimes. I have trained by myself and have had awesome results. But, trust me having headphones in and laser focus doesn't make many friends. I know, I know we're not having tea parties we're training but most of us are social animals that need some interaction with like minded individuals. Having a training partner gives you the chance to vent about job, school, girls, boys, kids or whatever can distract training. Obviously don't talk the whole time, there should be a definite switch.

    Allow yourself to take a "mind dump". Get rid of all the crap clogging your mind that is preventing total focus on the training for the day. Thinking about paying rent before a squat can lead to "throwing your back out".

    Finding a good training partner is tough because a lot of things have to fall into place. Schedule, goals, training location, interaction. Take your time and really decide if it will work. If not, you can always go back to training by yourself that never hurt anyone.

    Sunday, February 26, 2012

    Neck Training For The Masses

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    An easy to add some show and go to your physique is to focus on the neck. There are few body parts that let people know you don't eff around like the neck. Most people skip training neck because they don't know where to start. Like my boy Zach Even-Esh says "quit nerding everything out in the weight room." The 3 easiest ways to attack the yoke are flexion, extension and rotation. Depending on how often you train, it is easy to add it to any session.

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    A neck harness is a valuable tool that is too cheap to pass up. This is also one of the best ways to work neck extension. Visit Amazon.com to pick one up and I would stick with the old school leather one because you won't want anything fancy. Try and test them out my brother bough a different nylon type and the sides would rub on his ears. Self-explanatory here. Strap some weight to the chain and bring the chin up and down. Be careful to keep tension on the neck and not totally drop the weight. To set it up sit on the edge of a bench or stand with hands on knees. The best rep scheme I have used is to hit a total of 100 reps with a light weight. Keep track of the weight, reps, and number of sets to reach 100 total reps. Let's say you start off with 15 lbs. but it takes 10 sets of 10 reps to get your 100. Weight shouldn't increase until 3 sets of 33 is easy then increase by 5 lbs. and repeat. There is a partner assisted option in which the partner holds a towel on the back of the head and applies pressure.

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    Neck flexion starts by lying on a bench with the head hanging off the edge. Weight is placed on the forehead and held by the hands. Fold a small towel to cushion the head. Extend the neck until a comfortable range of motion not too far. After the chin opens your neck you must flex to tuck the chin to the chest. Same here on rep scheme go for a total of 100 reps with small increases in weight. The partner assist option involves a towel across the forehead with applied pressure.
    Rotation is my favorite just for the looks I get when I pull this one out of the bag. Attach a band to the rack. The band will be held in your teeth so have a towel no one likes the taste of rubber. Walk away from the rack with band in mouth until desired band tension. This is easy to adjust. Turn the head away from rack and return to start. Hold the contraction for a count and repeat. Still aim for 100 reps but smaller sets.

    Not training your neck sounds like a dumb idea. Train 3x a week and add a day of flexion, extension and rotation between sets is easy. Following this routine has put a solid 1.5 inches on my neck with no significant extra time added to my workouts. To see progress treat the neck like a lady, not some girl on Prom Nite. Slow and steady.

    Wednesday, January 11, 2012

    How To Make A Sandbag

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    Dollar per pound one of the cheapest tools of any strength and conditioning program is a sandbag. There is no excuses why you wouldn't have one. We talked HERE that if you didn't get one for Christmas it's time to treat yourself. Now I know there are some top quality sandbags you can buy but for some of us we like to make our own stuff.

    You can do an S-Load of exercises with a sandbag like Front Squat, Front Lunge, Back Lunge, Shoulder Squat, Shoulder Lunge, Ground to Shoulder, Good Morning, Power Clean, Clean to Squat, Clean to Press, Squat to Press, Bent Row, Back Squat, Bear Hug Carry, and a bunch of others.
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    To start off my bags are made of gravel. I have used sand but the smallest hole will allow it to leak through and if you're pressing overhead that can get ugly.

    • Gravel Bag (50 lb.)
    • Contractor Bags
    • Zip Ties
    • Duct Tape
    • Scissors
    • Scale
    If you are not going to drop or throw the bag you can get away with putting the gravel bag in a contractor bag and that's it. What if you want a smaller bag or don't want it to bust?

    During the summer, I used a couple of 25 lbs. bags made from 1 bag from Lowe's.

    First find a stable surface to work on . I like to use my tailgate of my truck.
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    Carefully cut the gravel bag on top. Get a contractor bag and cut it in half.
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    Use a cup to scoop gravel into the half contractor bag until the desired weight. Center the gravel in the contractor bag.
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    Tape a seam along the length of the bag.
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    Zip tie the end to make sure nothing leaks out the sides or the seam.
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    Fold each zip to end to the middle and tape them down.
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    Bonus-Go to a local feed store and buy a heavy duty mesh bag for extra protection.
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    Easy enough, huh? Take your time and do it right the first time. Do me a favor and share this on Facebook by clicking on the left tool bar. Have any questions write me at nbstrengthcoach@gmail.com and don't forget to join us at the NB Strength Coach Fan Page.
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