Which Sport Trains The Best? Round 2 – NFL.

Last month, I posted round one of “Who Trains The Best – MMA.”  Here’s how it works.  I find athlete training clips and post them here.  In the comments vote on which one you think trains the best (you may also link to another video that you think deserves consideration).  I will take the winners of each round, pit them against each other, and in the end we will have one person that “trains the best.”  Your input is key in this process!  You may still go back and post on round one, right now it is a toss up between Jeff Monson and the write in – George St. Pierre. 

This round focuses on NFL training.  Again, this videos are obviously just a glimpse at their training.  There are a LOT of videos for NFL workouts, but I choose these due to how different each one is.  POST YOUR WINNER IN THE COMMENTS!

Randy Moss

Troy Polamalu (This one is interesting)

Julius Peppers

Chad Johnson Workout

Terrell Owens
 

Ronnie Brown

My Thoughts:  I am partial to the training style of Randy Moss.  That’s the workouts I enjoy!  I am a proponent of competition in workouts.  On the bad side, I don’t like the parachute running (just a quick clip).  You can see how the chute is blowing around, which effects running form.  I have tried it, and don’t like it.  I much prefer the sleds.  They also do a lot of talking, I would like to have seen more training!

Many top level pro athletes use their training to prevent injuries, not always to get bigger and stronger. For example, I doubt the bands are actually how Owens got strong. I also have no idea how Olympic lifting is slow, as Troy Polamalu suggests.

POST YOUR WINNER IN THE COMMENTS!  Upcoming weeks will have track and field, NBA, gymnastics (if I can find the clips!) and many more sports!

TFW Inverted Muscle Up

I have been watching Martin Rooney’s videos ever since I purchased the first Parisi speed dvd.  Martin has some creative exercises, especially this partner muscle up variation.  I like the added core bracing effect.

Training For Warriors – Muscle Up

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -

Creative Recovery – Heated Foam Roller

While training ourselves, clients, and especially athletes, every small advantage helps.  One tool that has helped over the last few years is the foam roller.  They are relatively inexpensive and effective (especially if you can’t get in for a massage every week)!  I have made a few posts about foam rollers before:

• Low Back Issues - Includes foam rolling and lax ball glute work.
• Fixing Sore Muscles- Definitely worth a look at the foam rolling video linked to in this post.
• Rehab and Prehab Part I - Foam rolling, contrast bath, and static stretching.

I took my foam rolling a step further a few months back.  I discussed the possibility of a heated foam roller with some of my colleagues in the fitness industry.  Many people were curious, but it was tough to come up with something effective.  Suggestions ranged from putting the foam in the oven at a low temp to capping a PVC or metal pipe and filling it up with hot water. 

I have started to use a simpler solution – a heating pad.  The picture below is my “travel” foam roller, a shorter version.  It fits best with our heating pad.  I crank the heating pad up for about 10 minutes then foam roll.  So far it has worked great for myself and I will begin using it with my athletes.

Heated Foam Rolling Benefits:

• Increased muscle relaxation to allow the roller to get deeper into the musculature.
• Increased blood flow to the muscle for recovery or pre lift warm-up (if performed for time).
• Loosening muscles properly before a workout will decrease soreness.
• Improved muscle elasticity.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -

Want more creativity and a bigger edge over your competition?  Check out the exercises in Bull Strength – http://www.bullstrength.com

Westside Shoulder Rehab

If you watched yesterday’s video of Jim Smity, Eli, and myself trying the bamboo bench press. We made it look VERY HARD (and it was)! Check out how easy Louie Simmons makes this shoulder rehab exercise look. Also, there is some clips of his mace swinging routine. Louie has had serious shoulder surgery, and these exercises have helped him get back under the bar.

Westside Shoulder Rehab

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -

Bamboo Bar Bench Press at Westside

I had a chance to get up a short video from last week’s trip to Westside and Elite.  This is Louie Simmons’ bamboo bench press for shoulder rehabilitation.  Louie mentioned that some of his powerlifters have had shoulder issues, and training the stabilizers has gone a long way towards correcting it.

The bamboo bar is very light and almost flimsy feeling.  It is not like a rigid straight bar!  I have performed the suspended kettlebell bench on a regular bar and it was a piece of cake compared to the bamboo bar!  If you wanted to replicate the movement of the bar, it could be made out of PVC pipe.  Louie had a custom PVC bar which I can get a picture up of shortly.

Bamboo Bar Bench Press at Westside Barbell

-JOE HASHEY, CSCS-