Gaining That Valuable Experience

The best learning I have ever received hasbeen  from interacting with other strength coaches and training in some pretty crazy places!  Without a doubt, hands down.

I’m really excited about a chance to speak at Strength Coach 101.  I promise I can actually speak better than I do in my YouTube videos!

For anyone that is on the East Coast, this is worth checking out.  Elliott Hulse, myself, and others will be speaking during the seminar portion, but that’s not the best part.  The best part is we will all be hanging out, training, and talking in small groups about everything training. 

Strength Coach 101 Topics

• “Strongman”  Hybrid Training
• Speed Training,
• Creative Bodyeight Exercises
• Proper Progressions and Age
• Homemade Equipment
• And much more!

25 spots in the seminar, many already filled. Tim from Think Fast Athletics wants to keep it small and personal.  This is a really cool opportunity and I look forward to meeting some of you later this month!

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -

Body Destroyed? Innovative Muscle Recovery Plan

After Saturday night’s football game, it feels like I was hit by a car.  Actually, years ago I was in a head on car accident at a high speed (van couldn’t keep it in their lane during some snow on route 12), and I am far more sore the last two days than after that impact. 

A little background.  Saturday night I played in a semi pro football game against a nationally ranked 6-1 team with a good offensive line.  Out team WAS 3-3 (more on that later). The guy I was banging heads with all night just finished playing football from St. Lawrence and he was ready to go.  Play after play, down after down, there was big impacts and battles going on. 

And I feel every one of those hits today! 

Impact Muscle Recovery Plan

I won’t be foam rolling that much, because I have a lot of impact soreness (bruises, etc) and it is typically better to foam roll muscle soreness and not impact pain.

Other than staying hydrated, icing, and eating cleanly, I will be doing some water recovery and sled dragging (yes, actual sled dragging to feel better!)

Water Recovery

We went out to a local lake and I hit the cold water.  Water provides varying multi-directional resistance that is altered based on how fast you try to move through it.  Here’s the movements I performed.

• Hanging from a floating dock, moving my legs in every direction
• Standing arm circles, flies, rear delt flies, shoulder raises (against water resistance only)
• Laying in the shallow area – seal crawls to stretch out the shoulders and abdomin. 
• Swim quickly away from the fish that bit me

I didn’t know fish bite that often.  Right in the leg!  That was the end of the session, roughly 30 minutes.

Visual Approximation of the Fish

Sled Dragging Recovery

Its good to get blood moving in and out of sore muscles and keep them moving to help “pump out the soreness” (a term a local PT likes to use). 

Many of these movements can be seen in the FREE BONUS VIDEO that comes with the Synergy Athletics Newsletter sign up, and here is a run down and a short clip I pulled out of that video.

• Chest press and flies 2 x 30 yards
• Rear delt flies and rows 2 x 30 yards
• Overhead shoulder iso walks 2 x 30 yards
• Curls and tricep extensions 2 x 30 yards
• Reverse overhead iso holds 2 x 30 yards

Each of these exercises works the legs and the body parts specified.  Each was performed with LIGHT WEIGHT.  I used a homemade tire sled with a 44 lb plate on it.  The tire sled is just a car tire and a bolt, and 44’s happen to fit perfectly on top.  (Source: Picked up some of these exercise from The Diesel Crew)

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -

PS.  Still need a 3 more comments for the Rocket Pull Ups Video!

Sticking My Hand In Mud Never Felt So Good

Tonight, I’ve decided to suit up for ONE last football game on a local semi pro team…

Left to Right:  Older bro, mother, me.  Shout out to my mother in the middle that has lost over 50 lbs since this picture

A little background. I played football at Colgate my freshman and sophmore years, and then was injured and had 4 knee operations (2 on each, I like to spread it out!). Essentially I was told that the playing days was over.

Pissed off about my career being cut short, I cut 60 lbs from 310 to 250 in order to save my knees and started serious training. 2 years later I suited up for a different local semiprofessional team and was able to make the all star team.

Last time I played my wife was just my girlfriend

I hung it up when I went back to graduate school for my masters…until I received a phone call last night.

Continue reading Sticking My Hand In Mud Never Felt So Good…

Intense Training – Rocket Pull Ups

Rocket pull ups are an exercise from the Bull Strength Manual that really build muscle in the back and hit the hamstrings. 

There are two variations:  Slow and Fast. 

Fast requires a great deal of muscle control.  Perform a pull up and have a partner place a sandbag or dumbbell between or on your legs.  Drop down fast, release the weight at the bottom in one motion, and “rocket” back to the top.  The added weight works just like a “weight releaser” does on a bench press.  The weight accelerates the eccentric portion of the movement, and if released at the right time will do the same to the concentric portion.

Keep in mind, muscles to have an elastic quality that can be used or negated when training.  I’ll use a body weight example.  If you start from a standing position and perform a complete vertical leap (drop down fast and explode up), you will be able to jump higher than if you started in a half squat.   What happens is the pause causes the muscles elastic quality to dissipate through heat. 

Enough science, it works if utilized properly.  Before you perform Fast Rocket Pull Ups you should be able to do pull ups to start with!  I would recommend being able to do at least 10 before using this variation. 

After testing this movement with my athletes, they could actually perform 2-3 MORE pull ups fast rocket style than they could regularly (due to the utilization of the elastic nature of muscles).  Two things will slow this down though, a poor sandbag or DB placement and a very slow sandbag placement.  Keep this in mind when you first try it out!

	ACTION NEEDED!  I shot a video of the slow rocket pull ups, but I want to make sure you guys like this kind of training first.  If you would like for me to post that video on YouTube, please answer this question in the comments:

What is your favorite bodyweight exercise VARIATION?  It could be from Bull Strength or from your own experiences!

If 15 people find this post interesting enough to comment on, then I will post up the second one. 

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -

PS.  There will be a big announcement regarding Bull Strength in the next few months!  Thank you to everyone that has the manual and has sent feedback and photos!  Keep them coming!!!!

Simple “Get Strong” Lower Body Workout

I see a lot of overcomplicated lower body workouts.  Often its best to K.I.S.S.  I’ll keep this strength training workout simple, as well as this post!

Here is a sample muscle building workout that is extremely effective!  Start to finish this should only take 1 hour AT MOST.  Get it done and get out.

Get Strong!  Lower Body  Workout.

Warm Up

• Dynamic Stretching – 5 minutes
• Foam  Rolling – 5 minutes

1. Full Free Squat (get low!) – 4 x 3, 2 x 2 – Drop off set of 15 (approx 40-50% 1RM)
2.  Bulgarian Split Squats w/ added ROM – 4 x 10 – Put your front foot up on a few plates.  Also, just because it is 10 reps, don’t be a sissy!
3.  Glute Ham Raises - 3 x 12, 10, 8 - If you have no GHR, replace it with another posterior chain exercise.
4.  Shovel Deadlifts – 4 x 5 each side.   Great way to finish off with some core bracing and incorporating the lower body.

Work on your bracing and breathing with every rep.  Make sure to maintain proper form and enjoy getting strong! 

Remember, you can have the best program in the world, but its worthless unless you execute it and work hard!

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -