Knee Pain – The final part of a great series by Mike Robertson about knee pain and how you should perform certain exercises to help with it.

Building a Death Grip – A great article by about grip strength, how it carries over to training and daily activities, and what you can do daily to get even stronger.

New Ab and Core Exercises – A brief article by Tony Gentilcore talking about a new ab/core exercise that you should put in your training program.

Training for Coordination – Coordination training for younger (age 6-18) athletes.

Workouts for People With Limited Time – Another great Diesel Crew post about fitting in a workout even when you are pinched for time.

Squat, Deadlift, and Hip Thrust Form – Bret Contreras provides an awesome breakdown and video showing you how to squat, deadlift, and hip thrust properly.

Training Top 10 Checklist – Answer these 10 questions to see if you are really training or just working out.

How to Become a Gladiatior – 7 steps from Zach Even-Esh to make sure you don’t lose your edge training and overall

The Secrets to Usain Bolt’s Success – Usain Bolt and some of his secrets to his success.

How to Eat to Build Muscle – Chad Waterbury talks about how to eat to build muscle.

Motivational Albert Einstein Quotes – Some great Albert Einstein quotes about motivation.

Random Strength Training Tips – Some quick random strength training tips that if actually put into effect would help your gains 10x.

MMA Inside NFL Training – Famed MMA Strength Coach Martin Rooney has taken his training to the New York Jets.  This video shows how he implements MMA into NFL training.

5 Pieces of Advice Football Players Should Know – The man, the myth, the legend Jim Wendler talks about 5 things he wish he knew as a football player when younger.  It applies to every sport and ever athlete in the junior high, high school, and collegiate level.

Barefoot Training – Eric Cressey talks about barefoot training, why and how it should be done, and who would benefit the most from it.  It basically goes along exactly with how the athletes train barefoot at the facility.

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With the football season finally starting back up, you want to make sure that at you at least maintain all the size, speed, strength, and power gains you worked so hard in the off-season to attain.  Unfortunately for most coaches, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to be able to coach football, watch film, game plan, and spend time in the weight room making sure the football players are still working out in a way that will help them while in season.

The majority of football players from high school and up (no matter what position), lose an average of over 10 pounds of muscle as the season progresses.  This not only hurts a football team and the athlete in terms of their on field ability, but also increases their risk for injury as they become weaker, slower, and smaller.

A good in-season program should consist of 1 to 2 strength training sessions a week (1 strength and power session and 1 recovery session) and needs to be constantly adjusted depending on how the athlete is feeling, performing, and any injuries they might be recovering from.

For most football players who follow a good in-season training program, they won’t just maintain everything they worked in the off-season and summer to achieve, but continue to get stronger, faster, and more powerful each week.  What does this mean?  Let’s say you and your competition (either an opponent, or even someone you are competiting against for that starting spot) start off the season at the same skill level.  If you put in the extra work during the season and continue to get better as the season progresses and your competition is just concentrating on practice and games, by the time playoffs roll around you will be so far ahead of them that they won’t stand a chance.

By following a good individualized in-season program, you will finish the season dominating all the competition and be just as good on the field in your last game as you were that first practice.

Contact Genesis Athletic Performance today to make sure you don’t get left behind this season.  Email us at Info@Genesis-AP.com, or call (832) 380-5436.

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The recipe below I created back in college, and was one of the main meals I ate consistently when putting on muscle. It has everything you need. Protein, multiple sources of healthy dense carbs, natural fats, and multiple vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

The dish is called “Mush”, but tastes shockingly well.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef – grass fed preferable and at least 90% lean.
• One entire box of Uncle Ben’s Minute Rice (roughly 4 bags in a box)
• 2 cans Ranch Style Beans (or if you don’t live in the south/Texas any type of beans work)
• Your favorite hot sauce/salsa

Preparation:

1. In a non stick skillet brown lean ground beef.
2. While meat is browning, in a pot bring water to a boil. Use enough to cook every bag of rice (follow instructions on box for prep)
3. Once water is boiling cook rice in pot according to instructions.
4. After rice has finished cooking drain pot, open bags of rice, and put back into empty pot.
5. Add browned ground beef.
6. Open cans of beans and pour into pot.
7. Stir thoroughly adding hot sauce/salsa to taste.
8. Split up the pot into either 4 servings to get 50 grams of protein for each meal, or 6 servings to get roughly 30 grams of protein in each meal.

Serve with a side of spinach or broccoli and you have one of the best muscle building meals you could prepare.

Give it a shot and be sure to let me know how it tastes and what you think.

D

The Strong Always Dominate The Weak

Far too early do athletes worry about “sport specific training”.  Because of that their overall athletic development suffers.  Unfortunately it’s not the parents, athletes, or coaches fault, as they just want the best for themselves and feel that these types of programs do that.

But what most athletes and parents fail to realize, is that they don’t need “sport specific training” especially at the junior high, high school, and for the most part collegiate level.  They need to become better athletes.  I know baseball kids who spend hours after hours working with hitting, fielding, and pitching coaches when if they added another 75lbs to their squat instead they would become a way better athlete/baseball player.  You can’t perfect weakness.  It is only after an athlete has a great base strength level should they worry about utilizing workouts and exercises that are geared to their sport.  After all, I have yet to find a sport where being powerful, strong, explosive, and fast doesn’t automatically make you better in it.  If you have please let me know.

The same goes for football athletes who only worry about their 40 times when they can barely jump off the ground or squat more than 135.

You have to be strong and learn how to use that strength in order to be a good athlete. period…  There is no other way around this.

What defines strong especially at the junior high, high school, and collegiate levels?  This is where it gets tricky.  If you have an entire baseball team who can only squat 185lbs, then of course the athlete who can squat over 200 is going to seem strong.  But are they really?

Dave Tate from EliteFTS has put together a great table showing actual numbers regarding the bench press and squat that can be used to find out where you are on an athletic scale compared to other athletes across the world.

This is the bench table that takes strength levels one step further and shows what any male athlete (no matter the sport) should be bench pressing based off their body weight and the level they want to achieve athletically.

The squat table that breaks up strength levels by skill and body weight levels.

Look over these tables and see where you fit in.  Are you putting up numbers that a star would put up?  Or are you failing to even hit the numbers that any varsity letter athlete should achieve.

Now that you have numbers to strive for get back in the gym and get after it or you will get dominated.

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A slosh pipe is basically a 9 or 10 foot PVC pipe filled 2/3 of the way with water and only weighs 30-40 lbs, but makes any exercise harder as athletes now have to stabilize their entire body to keep the pipe balanced while still performing the exercise.

Holding a slosh pipe in a Zercher postion (as  seen in the picture), or an even bigger challenge overhead, turns any exercise into a full body exercise forcing the arms, shoulders, core, upper back and lower back to resist tipping while the water shifts while trying to produce power into the ground off a single leg (especially during lunges).

They can be used instead of barbells or dumbbells for nearly any exercise and by swapping them out you will achieve a different type of strength that works in any situation.

Give a slosh pipe a try if you really want to add another dimension to your sports training and let me know how it goes.

D

Next time you watch a professional baseball game have a look at the physiques of the players. Take special note of how muscular and strong nearly every single one of them appears. That’s because they are. Compare this to the physiques of players in high school and college. You’ll notice a similar trend: those in the greatest shape (strongest) are the ones that make All-Star games and get drafted. Being muscular and bigger makes you a better baseball player.

So if that is the case, then why are most high school baseball players 150lbs dripping wet with zero muscle?  Likely somewhere in their lifetime they have been told that they don’t want to build too much muscle because it will affect their swings and/or their throwing. They’ve been taught by “traditional” coaches that baseball is a game of speed, grace, and especially hand-eye coordination, and performing only exercises training these traits should be used. It was assumed that traditional strength training would somehow interfere with those coveted traits.

Unfortunately this could not be further from the truth.

Not having any muscle at all and worrying only about “baseball skills” falls on the total opposite end of the spectrum.  If baseball is all about how far you can hit a ball and how hard you can throw one, then wouldn’t power and strength be a big component to the baseball player?  For the high school baseball athlete, this seems to be totally forgotten. This affects not only the player’s game, but their overall health as well. If you don’t have the muscle strength to continually throw a ball as hard as you possibly can, but still attempt to (like 99% of pitchers at the high school level) then something has to give.  Unfortunately the thing that gives is often the athlete’s body. They end up with shoulder or elbow problems, tendonitis or worse – a muscle tear or other serious injury that requires surgery and down time (if they are ever able to bounce back from it anyways).

Baseball is a sport that requires the whole body to be fit and strong. Everything is used to throw, hit, and run. Some areas are especially important for success (both in the activity and in staying injury-free).  Let’s take each spot on the athlete that needs to be powerful and healthy and break down the best way to achieve those results.

Posterior Chain

The glutes (your butt cheeks) are the biggest muscle group in the body and are a part of every athletic movement you perform.  Because of this they not only have to be strong, but everything connected to them must be strong as well.  This is accomplished by performing whole body movements that strengthen the entire posterior chain.  Exercises like Box Squats, Trap Bar Deadlifts, Glute Ham Raises, KB Swings, Good Mornings, Straight Leg Pull-Thru’s, 45 Degree Hypers, Super Mans, and Hip Bridges are the best exercises any athlete can do to strengthen this portion of their body. These exercises will also train athletes on how to correctly utilize these large muscle groups.

If you have strong glutes but weak hamstrings and lower back, then the power that is generated from the glutes unfortunately doesn’t transfer very well to where it needs to go ( For example:  through the hamstrings into the ground during things like  running and jumping; pushing off the rubber/ground to throw; or up through the lower back into your arms to swing a bat or throw a ball).

Some Serious Power Going on Back There

Back

The exercise that every athlete (at any level) loves to do the most is bench press.  Although this is a great exercise for shoulder, tricep, and chest strength, athletes tend to ignore balancing it out by performing any back work. This causes a forward rotation and poor posture of the shoulders.  This becomes a problem especially with pitchers who start losing their range of motion because of a weak upper back (when compared to their chest). They start altering their mechanics to continue to throw as hard as possible, posing a significant risk for serious injury.

Band Pull-Aparts, Pull-Ups, Rows, Shrugs, and Deadlifts are the best exercises to not only make the upper back stronger, but also provide the balance between the chest and back.  Thus causing the shoulders to return back to a more neutral position and providing better range of motion and posture.

Shoulders & Arms

These can be grouped together because so many exercises you perform for one of these muscle groups involves the other.  The best exercises that can be done to not only develop strong shoulders and arms, but also keep them healthy are Push-Ups (weighted, un-weighted, feet elevated, close grip, neutral grip, plus any other variation), Incline DB Press, DB Seated Power Clean & Presses, and DB Hammer Curls.  These exercises not only provide the strength needed to make the shoulders and arms powerful, but they work each muscle group from multiple angles providing muscle balance and stability.

Healthy and Balanced Shoulders are a Must

Grip Strength

Luckily most baseball players have this step down.  They see these professional ball players with big forearms and realize that grip strength plays a huge part in being able to control and power a bat and ball.  So they spend all their time performing wrist rollers or forearm curls. However what they fail to realize is there are three different types of grip strength they need to be working on – crush grip, pinch grip, and support grip.

A crush grip is the form of grip strength most people think of when you talk grip strength.  It is the kind that is attributed to crushing something between your fingers and palm (like a hand shake or squeezing something as hard as possible).  To work this type of strength, athletes need to perform clamp squeezes or use something like Captains of Crush grips to not only provide increased resistance, but also make sure they are performing a full range of motion.

Pinch grip is the grip used when trying to hold something between your fingers for an extended period of time.  When throwing a pitch, this type of grip is most utilized as the ball sits between the fingers and not up in the palm.  So by making this type of grip stronger, you are increasing the power and movement on your pitches and throws in general.  You also utilize this type of grip strength when making a play in the field by catching a ball and squeezing the glove shut.  Common sense says that the quicker you close the glove, the better chance the ball has of staying in there.  You can work on this type of grip strength by performing Plate Pinches.

Support grip is what is used when you are holding onto something.  A combination of this and the crush grip are the main types used when holding and swinging a bat.  The best way to work on this type of grip is Farmers Walks. (Not incidentally, Farmers Walks are also fantastic for working the rest of the body as well).  Grab something heavy in each hand and take off walking for as long as possible.  At Genesis we use heavy kettlebells, sandbags, kegs, dumbbells, and even specially designed farmer walk handles that allow you to add weight as needed.

He Attributes His Longevity to His Time Spent with the Weights

Every baseball player needs muscle to make them a better player. Hopefully by adding in a few of these exercises to your current training regimen you will notice a difference not only in your game, but also how you are feeling between games and as the season progresses.

If you have any questions or are in the Houston area and want to play at that next level, then contact Genesis Athletic Performance today.  You can email us at Info@Genesis-AP.com or call the facility directly at (832) 380-5GEN.

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This Is Not Specific To Any Sport I Have Ever Seen

“Sport Specific Training” is the biggest buzz word in athlete performance today, but no one really knows exactly what it means.  What is Sport Specific Training?

If you Google it or ask any strength coach who is trying to sell you something, they will show you a ton of whacky exercises consisting of big bouncy balls, cones, hurdles, vibrating plates (seriously?), and whatever else they just dropped thousands of dollars on.  The problem though is this type of training has minimal (if any) carry over to the actual sport and actually hurts the athletes performance in the long run from over use and lack of absolute strength.

This is a business or trainer trying to sell you on something that looks difficult, not many people can do, seems cutting edge, but in reality provides no sort of performance enhancement to any athletes.

I See MLB And NFL Athletes In This Pose At Least Once A Game

To actually figure out what exactly “sport specific training” (SST from now on) should consist of, lets take a look at what actually makes someone a better athlete in general.

• Power
• Quickness
• Strength
• Muscular Balance
• Remaining Injury Free

These are what is going to make you better at any sport.  These are also the things that are basic, not flashy, and hard to learn, perform, and teach.  This is why most coaches try to skip this phase and/or the athlete thinks they are above it and need something more specialized.

No matter how long you can balance on a stability ball to “activate your core” while pressing, that has zero carry over to any sport that I have ever played or coached.  When was the last time you saw someone who didn’t have a foot on the ground in a static position trying to work their core in the middle of a game?

Only Ninjas Should Be Allowed To Do This Type Of Training

So what is SST and how do you do it correctly?  First you must go back to the basics.  I have many parents and athletes come to me and ask about position specific programs when the athlete doesn’t even have the strength to squat correctly, perform over 10 good push-ups, or do even a single pull-up.  You can train for your position all you want, but if you don’t get stronger and learn how to apply power to the ground or the object you are trying to move, then no amount of ladder drills, running exercises, or one arm bench presses off a stability ball will make you better.
The only position that type of athlete is training for is either in the training room due to muscle weakness, imbalance, and overuse injuries, or on the bench because they don’t have the power to actually utilize their talents at the top level.

So what is the best way to become a better athlete and make sure you are always progressing?

Take a look at this pyramid.

It seems that most coaches, parents, and athletes although they mean well and just want the most for the player have it upside down.  This isn’t their fault, it is just what is thrown at them when it comes to sports training and the marketing associated with it.

The bottom rung is called General Physical Preparedness (GPP).  This means preparing yourself to do anything to the best of your ability (aka become a better athlete).  This is the training that builds the foundation that every athlete needs to make sure they are fast, powerful, explosive, and healthy.  This type of training corrects muscle imbalances, teaches the entire body how to be powerful, and provides the level of strength that helps an athlete succeed even in a crappy situation. Oops mis-hit a curve-ball and dribbled it to the 2nd baseman?  If you were stronger that mis-hit would have dropped in for a base hit just from the extra strength.

Next is Specific Physical Preparedness (SPP).  This is the explosion, speed, and quickness work that actually has a beneficial effect only after the athlete has a great level of base strength and muscular balances.  This is when we start getting a little more specific towards each sport.  Short sprints for football and baseball players, or explosive jumps for a basketball player etc.  This is where most “Sports Performance Centers” start and unfortunately because of that the athletes never develop that base level of strength and balance that carries over directly to their sports.

Once these two levels are covered and maximized, then and only then do you start worrying about specific drills that relate directly over to an athletes specific role or position in their sport.

It isn’t pretty, flashy or fancy, but if you are an athlete and you don’t have that base level of GPP then no matter what type of SST you do, you will never be the best possible athlete on the field or court.

This is why it is so important in developing as an athlete, to get in a program that places you not based on your age, but on what you need to work on to become the best and makes sure every athlete starts exactly where they need to be in order to maximize their athletic potential while remaining healthy.

If you are in the Houston area and want to maximize your athletic potential and are willing to work to become the best then Genesis Athletic Performance is for you.  Contact us today to set up your FREE trial and start getting ahead of the competition.

If you are stuck in a plateau no matter what your physique or athletic goals are, then you need to do something different. You need to fix your diet, change your routine, or just change your entire workout location.

Spend a month training in your backyard, driveway, track, or nearest park, and you will blow past that plateau like it wasn’t ever there.

I can hear it now, “But I don’t have the $$$ to spend on equipment at home” or “It’s hot and humid” or better yet “I am way too strong to just lift outside… I need big heavy weights to keep progressing”. All of these are crap and are saved for the people who really don’t care about their results and instead just want to say they “work out”.

Yes it is going to be hot, but when has a little heat ever been a bad thing? Yes you always need to progress on your weights to keep getting results, and yes purchasing home equipment is expensive… Unless you think outside the box.

You want a good summer workout that will smash every plateau, turn you into a beast, and maybe even give you a great tan? Then read on and I’ll lay out a month’s routine that won’t just get results, but also be designed around equipment that will cost under $100.

First up you need some equipment.

#1 – a tire. One tire is all you need and it doesn’t even have to be a big tire. It can be any crappy one you can find from your local junk yard, tire shop (they will give them for free so they don’t have to pay to dispose of them), or even take the spare off your car. If you google your city and the words “used tire”, you will find an assortment of places willing to give you as many tires you want. COST = $0.00

#2 – a sledgehammer. You want to get any where from a 6-10lb sledgehammer depending on your strength, but for the most part an 8lb is perfect. I recommend a fiberglass handle as the wood ones really wear down. You can pick this up at any local hardware store or if you aren’t by a hardware store you can order one from here. COST = $35.00

#3 – a keg. There are a few ways you can go about this, but by far the easiest, cheapest, and most fun is to just go purchase one, split the cost with some friends, throw a party, float it, and never return it. For most places, the deposit put on a keg is $50, or if you live in a bigger city, there are always people selling empty shells on craigslist for $30-$50.

Now comes the fun part. Filling up your keg to a weight that lets you do plenty of exercises, but isn’t too light or heavy. For the most part, shoot to fill up your keg with water or sand so it roughly weighs anywhere from 60-80lbs (again depending on how strong you are). For instructions on how to open and fill up your keg, check out these videos

COST = $50.00 – MAX

#4 – a place to do pull-ups. Go find a place that has a low hanging tree-branch, swing set, monkey bars, or anything else that can support you to do a pull-up. I have even see people do pull-ups on the doors at their houses without any problems, so no excuses. COST = $0.00

That is it. The only other thing you need for this workout besides the will to sweat and succeed, is your body weight, so this brings the total cost to roughly $85.00 and lets get after it.

The split is a 3x a week split with conditioning thrown in at the end of each workout. Feel free to move the conditioning to your off days or if you are worried about packing on size then only performing it once a week.

Workout #1:

Overhead Tire Slams: 5 x 5 – 60 Seconds Rest Between Each Set – Grab your tire with both hands and put it directly over your head. Then as fast and explosively as you can, slam it into the ground and try not to let it bounce back up.

2A) Keg Press – 3 x 8 – 10 – Clean the keg up into the pressing position, and then press it for the recommended rep range. You don’t need to clean the keg up for each rep in this exercise.

2B) Pull-Ups – 3 x MAX – Perform some sort of pull-up for max reps but not failure. The way to determine this is by stopping your pull-ups once the speed of each one slows down. If you are starting to struggle to get the rep then the set is done.

Rest 0 seconds between 2A and 2B and 60 seconds before repeating.

3A) Zercher Keg Lunges – 3 x 10 Each Leg – Hold the keg in the Zercher position and lunge for 10 reps each leg. Doing these walking is preferred.

3B) Overhead Tire Hops – 3 x 10 Yards – Hold the tire over your head and from a squatted position, hop for minimum 10 yards.

0 Seconds Rest Between 3A & 3B, and 90 seconds rest before repeating.

4)Keg Carries – 4 x Max Distance – 60 seconds rest between rounds. Grab the keg and carry it for as far as you can turning if needed. Hold the keg a different way each set and every week try to either reach that distance faster, or take it further.

Different Ways You Can Carry The Keg:

* Zercher Style

*Shouldered – Alternating Shoulders Each Set

* Bear Hug – Don’t/Try Not to Hold Hands.

* Or any other creative way you can come up with.

5) Conditioning (Optional) – Sledgehammer Swings into the tire- 3 x 10 Each Side. 30 Seconds Rest Between Each Set, and Switch Starting Sides Each Set

Workout 2:

1) Keg Cleans – 5 x 5 – 60 Seconds Rest. From the ground, clean the keg and lower it back down. Be as explosive as possible with a flat back and try to jump and throw the keg straight up in the air.

2A) Keg Push-Ups – 4 x MAX – There are two variations depending on how many push-ups you can do.

*Variation 1 – Perform the push-ups while holding onto the keg trying to stabilize and rep it out.

*Variation 2 – Perform the push-ups while on the ground and your feet up on the keg (upright or on it’s side) and rep it out.

2B) Keg Bent Over Rows – 4 x MAX – Perform a normal bent over row, while allowing yourself enough space for the keg to sit between your legs.

For both 2A & 2B stop the set when the speed of the lift decreases and you start to struggle. Rest 0 seconds between 2A & 2B and 90 seconds between sets.

Conditioning:

3A) Tire Throw & Sprint – 3 sets 50 yards – Get your tire below your legs and as forceful as possible, try to throw the tire up over your head backwards as far as you can. Turn around and sprint to the tire and repeat. You can go longer than 50 yards, just make sure you are some place open with not a ton of traffic.

3B) Plank – 3 x MAX Time – After you cross your determined finish line with the Tire Throws, drop down into a plank and hold for as long as possible. If you have a partner, have them place the tire on your back for added weight.

0 Seconds rest between 3A and 3B with 60 seconds rest between sets.

Workout 3:

1) Overhead Sledgehammer Swings – 4 x 10 – 60 seconds rest between sets. Come to a complete stop once the sledgehammer is back in the starting position, and forcefully slam it into the tire. Try to pull the sledgehammer with your hips and elbows instead of trying to swing it into the tire. Alternate grips for every set.

2A) Keg Press – 4 x MAX Reps – Just like you would be performing a floor press with a BB or DB, lay on the ground and press the Keg.

2B) Pull-Ups – 4 x 5 – We are only going for 5 reps, so if you can get 5 easily then put the tire around your waist before getting into pull-up position.

0 seconds rest between 2A & 2B and 90 seconds rest between sets.

3A) Keg Squats – 4 x 10 – 12 – Shoulder the keg and perform 10 – 12 reps of deep squats, then perform 3B. You should do 2 sets on the right shoulder and 2 sets on the left shoulder.

3B) Hanging Leg Raises – 4 x MAX – Jump up to your pull-up position and perform hanging leg raises with no momentum. If you can’t perform them with your legs going straight out parallel to the ground, then start off just pulling your knees explosively to your chest.

0 seconds rest between 3A & 3B and 90 seconds rest between sets.

Conditioning:

4) Sprints: 4 x 40 – 60 Yards – Rest equals your walk back to the start + 10 seconds.

That is it. There is your summer blast workout that you can perform anywhere, get excellent results, for less than $100.

Be sure to drop a comment if you have any questions or anything else to say and make sure you subscribe to check out more ways to reach your physique and athletic goals as fast as possible.

D

1. To see how dedicated they really are. Just because they are the beginner workouts, doesn’t mean they are easy. There are multiple athletes that for the first week, can’t even make it through the warm-up… not even the beginner program without dying… Do they come back? Are they mentally tough? Do they have the dedication to be the best? That is what we want to find out.
2. We want to see how an athlete can move, what his weaknesses are, and if he has any muscle imbalances. These workouts are designed to not only make a better athlete, but also as an assessment so we know what the main things are we need to strengthen to make him better. There is no reason to stick an athlete under a bar to squat, bench, clean, or do any other type of strength or power movement if they can’t even move their body weight correctly.
3. They still kick ass, and work fast. Our first phase has been known to increase an athletes bench 25+ lbs, squat 50+ lbs, vertical 2+ inches, and drop their 40 time at least .1 – .2 seconds, and for the most part they won’t even touch a weight. The weights they will touch will be things like sleds, prowlers, and weighted vests.

After an athlete demonstrates the dedication and progression needed to advance, they are able to move onto our programs designed specifically to make them the best at whatever they do.

BUT…

Every athlete who comes 3x a week no matter what phase they are in, follows the same workout on that third day at least once a month. This is called the “C” Workout. The “C” stands for Champion or Casualty and depending on if you let the workout break you or not determines which one you are. There is no time limit on this workout, but there are recommended rest times to get the most out of it (because when performed correctly will turn a normal athlete into an absolute jacked beast), and the goal of this workout is two-fold.

1. Finish… plain and simple. I don’t care how many breaks you have to take, how many trips outside you need to make, or if we have to add another number to the Puke Wall, but these workouts can be finished if you are mentally tough enough.
2. To beat your score for a portion of the workout every week. The workout is only run 3-4 times a month (the 4th being based off of how the athlete feels during the deload week), and because of that they must progress each time.

Why do I stick it as the last workout of the week? Easy… Because every athlete who just does two sessions a week is missing something that takes true dedication to complete especially on a Friday or Saturday when all of their teammates and competition are sitting at home watching TV or in bed. Sure they will still become 10x better at their sport training at the facility twice a week, but that extra toughness, competition, and feeling of accomplishment is not there. They see and hear how proud the other athletes are after completing the “C” workout and/or beating their score from the previous week, but they can’t do it. It is a right to be allowed to participate and you have to earn it.

So do you have a “C” workout to push you past your limits physically and mentally so you achieve the results you want? If not and you want to push yourself even harder to succeed, then I have provided a modified one below that you can perform at any gym (just as long as a few crazy stares don’t bother you), so check it out and give it a go. But be ready… you have been warned.

May 2010 – Globo Gym “C” Workout

90-120 Seconds Rest Between Each Number Below (Not A&B)

1) Warm-Up

2) Vertical Jumps – 6 x 3 (30 seconds rest)

3A) Squat Variation (Pick One – Back Squat or Zercher Squat) – 4 x 6 (Same weight all 4 sets – don’t include warm-ups)

3B) Mountain Climbers – 4 x 60 Reps Total (Each leg counts as 1 rep) – 30 Seconds Rest Before Repeating 3A & No Rest Between 3A & 3B

4) 4 Rounds counting total reps between both exercises with no rest between any exercises or rounds.

A) Press Exercise (Bench press using 95, 135, 185, or 225 – or Push-Ups) – Max Reps (Leaving 1 or 2 in the tank except for last round)

B) Row Exercise (Inverted Row or Blast Strap Rows If Available) – Max Reps (Leaving 1 or 2 in the tank except for last round)

Count your total # of reps between the exercises and write it down. Your goal the next week is to beat that #.

5A) Burpees (As many as possible, only count lowest round as score to beat) – 3 x 60 Seconds

5B) Planks 3 x 30 Seconds Each – 90 seconds rest is optimal between sets with no rest between burpees and planks.

6) Plate Pinches – 3 x Max Time w/ 3 10lb plates each hand – 30 second rest between sets

That is it. Every week try to beat your previous score in the Push-Up/Row Total and Burpee Round Score.

Give it a shot if you want that extra edge in your training, and be sure to subscribe, comment, and check out the Genesis YouTube Page found here for more videos of my athlete’s striving to become Champions.

D

The biggest challenge with these is re-designing them to become “globo-gym” friendly, so you can do them at your local place instead of needing the equipment and space we use at our facility.

If there is a different in the workouts depending on the athlete’s goals or how close they are to their season, I will specify which day to follow and why below.

Anytime you see an A & B together, you will be resting 30 seconds between each exercise and performing a set of A, resting no longer than 30 seconds, then a set of B, and then a full rest (60-90 seconds), before repeating.

May 2010 Workout:

Day 1 (Plyo Jumps & Upper Body Lifts):

1) Bulgarian Split Squat Jumps (Weaker Leg First): 5 x 3

2) Bench Press (Fat Grips Preferably): Work up to 1 x 3 – 5 RM

3A) Neutral Grip DB Floor Press: 3 x 6 – 10

3B) DB Shrugs: 3 x 8 – 12

4A) Reverse Grip Bent Over Row: 4 x 10 – 15

4B) Seated DB Power Clean & Press: 4 x 12

5A) Weighted/BW Ab or Power Wheel Roll-Outs: 3 x 10

or

Hanging Leg Raises: 3 x MAX

5B) DB Hammer Curls (Use Fat Grips if Possible): 3 x 6 – 8

Day 2 (Lower Body Lifts):

1) Safety Bar Squats or BB Squats off Pins: Work up to 1 x 3 – 5 RM

(For these you want to set the pins where if you get under the bar you are parallel or lower)

20 seconds into this video -

2A) BB Reverse Lunges (Alternating Legs): 3 x 16 – 20 Total

2B) KB/DB Swings: 3 x 8 – 10

3A) Towel Hangs: 3 x MAX Time

3B) Ab/Low Back Circuit: 3 Rounds

V-Ups x 10, Sprinter Sit-Ups x 20, Supermans x 20 – 30-45 seconds rest between rounds NOT exercises

Day 3 (Total Body Rep Day) Version A – For athletes who are more concerned with size and strength

1) Grappler Cleans: 5 x 5

I can’t find a video of this online, so I will get one fimed and stuck here ASAP. But it goes like this:

1. Load a barbell.

2. Grip in your normal clean grip.

3. Start on your knees in a kneeling position.

4. Without letting go of the bar, hop to your feet.

5. Execute your normal clean.

6. Return the bar to the floor with a flat back.

(The jump to your feet and clean should be one smooth motion).

Here is the first part demonstrated without a barbell (just cut out the broad jump portion)

2) Bodyweight or Weighted Dips: 3 x MAX w/ 60 seconds rest

3A) Standing Neutral Grip DB Military Press: 4 x 8 – 10

3B) Pull-Ups: 4 x MAX – 10 reps (If you consistently hit 10 reps start adding weight)

4A) Close Grip Push-Up (Elevate Feet or Add Weight if Needed): 3 x 6 – 10

4B) Face Pulls: 3 x 12 – 15

5) Heavy DB Farmers Walks/Holds: 3 x Max Time (Minimum 1 Minute)

If you don’t have room to walk, then vary the grip and placement up each set.

For example, one set hold one db down by your side, and the other up in the air like after a press, then flip for the next set. Hold both in the air, hold both by your sides, hold them in a rack position (up under your chin with palms facing each other). Be creative here and vary it up each time.

Day 3 (Total Body Rep Day) Version B – For athletes who need conditioning and/or fat loss

1) Grappler Cleans: 5 x 5

Refer to above for explanation

2A) BW Alternating Lunges: 1 Minute

2B) BW Push-Ups: 1 Minute

2C) BW Pull-Ups OR Inverted Row: 1 Minute

2D) Glute Bridges: 1 Minute

2E) Planks: 1 Minute

Rest 2 Minutes and repeat for a total of 3 rounds

No rest between 2A-2E

3) Heavy DB Farmers Walks/Holds: 3 x Max Time (Minimum 1 Minute)

If you don’t have room to walk, then vary the grip and placement up each set.

For example, one set hold one db down by your side, and the other up in the air like after a press, then flip for the next set. Hold both in the air, hold both by your sides, hold them in a rack position (up under your chin with palms facing each other). Be creative here and vary it up each time.

If you want to do more on your off days, then add in some sprints 6 – 10 from 60 – 100 yards depending on how in shape you are. Use the walk back + 10 seconds as your recovery period between sprints.

That is all. Next month I will have all the exercises filmed at the facility so I won’t have to hunt for YouTube videos showing exactly what I mean.

Be sure to comment or ask any questions and get after it.

D