Sandbag Cleans

I recently posted a different “Exercise of the Week” just a few days ago….but hopefully none of you will mind another one.

Sandbag training has really gained in popularity over the last couple of years.  I hesistate to call it a trend, because I think sandbag training has the potential for much more longevity.  I think this for a few different reasons.  Among other things, sandbags are durable, portable, extremely versatile and there is a bag to literally accommodate any strength range.  Yes, I said ANY strength range.  You can literally push, pull, toss and drag them in limitless movement variations.  Use them for developing strength, conditioning, power, endurance, agility and coordination.  What can I say….we’re big fans of sandbag training at Hybrid Fitness.

One of the exercises I like to impose on my unsuspecting clientele is the Sandbag Clean.  It requires the perfect balance of strength, power, coordination and focus.  It works multiple joints and muscles simultaneously and really gets the heart pumping.  Are you convinced yet?  If not, you’ll have to try it for yourself and see what I mean.

• Stand in front of a sandbag with your weight evenly distributed on both feet and knees slightly bent.

• Keeping your back flat, bend at the hips and knees and reach down to grab the sandbag.

• Keeping head up and back flat, explosively stand erect by pushing the ground away with your legs as you simultaneously pull / clean the sandbag up in front of your body and catch it at shoulder height.

• Your knees should be bent to approximately a 1/4 squat position during the catch phase.

• Lower the sandbag to the starting position.

Here’s the breakdown of what the sandbag clean looks like:

Sandbag Clean "start"

Sandbag Clean "middle"

Sandbag Clean "finish"

Sometimes, pictures just aren’t enough..so here’s a video showing the clean in real time.  It also comes with a pulldown exercise description, too. (click the link or the graphic to view the video)

We don’t sell our own sandbags so if you’re looking to pick some up, we suggest you go here.

Got questions?  Post them to the comments section and we’ll answer them ASAP.

Keep training hard!

Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv

P.S: You can view and create videos like the one above by utilizing the video exercise library and workout builder from Hybrid Fitness.  Join the community and see what the buzz is about.

New e-book download

HFL’s WEIGHTLESS LEG WORKOUT:

Back in the 1980’s there was a fitness company called Health for Life. The company was started by Jerry Robinson who graduated from Stanford with a degree in Biomechanics. Health for Life or HFL as it came to be known; was a company ahead of it’s time. They produced many books and videos which applied current science to strength training and conditioning. Some of their most well know programs include the titles “Legendary Abs”, “Power Forearms” and “Synerstretch”.

I was always a fan of the HFL courses and still own every book they ever produced. Below is an excellent bodyweight leg training program which comes from one of the lesser known HFL titles, “The Weightless Workout”. I have used this program extensively both personally and with my clients. Give it a try, I am sure you will find it very effective.

1. One-Legged Squats                                  @ 8-10 reps each leg
2. One-Legged Hamstring Bridges                @ 8-10 reps each leg
3. Sustained Tension Side Leg Raises           @ 8-10 reps each leg
4. Modified Russian Lunges                          @ 6-8   reps each leg
5. Running Stairs                                           @ 10-20 Floors

The Basic introductory level is: one set each of the first three movements only.

Level (1) is: 2 sets of the first three movements and 1 set of the fourth.

Level (2) is: 4 sets of movement 1, 3 sets of movement 2, 2 sets of movement 3, 3 sets of movement 4, plus the stair running.

Each series should be done with no rest between exercises.

Stay on a level as long as it is challenging. You can do all the sets of one exercise and then move on to the next or do one leg all the way through the series before returning to do the other side.

Exercise descriptions:

1. ONE-LEGGED SQUATS: Stand perpendicular to a wall, about arms length away from it. Extend your arm out to the side and place your palm against the wall at just under shoulder height. Angle the foot farthest from the wall out ward 45 degrees. Bend the other leg (non-weight-bearing) back. Keeping your body upright, lower yourself until the non-weight-bearing knee is close to (but not touching) the ground. Support yourself by leaning against the wall. Press yourself back up to starting position. Repeat for desired number of reps, and then repeat with other leg.

2. ONE-LEGGED HAMSTRING BRIDGE: These are killers if you have never tried them look out! Lie on your back with one leg extended, heel on the ground. Hold the other leg up off the floor (as if you just threw a knee). Pushing through your heel, flex your hamstrings to lift your body (imagine you are pulling your heel in to your butt but it doesn’t move so your hips lift up instead). Lower and repeat for desired number of reps. Repeat on other leg. You can control the resistance and the degree to which the Glutes contribute by changing the distance you place your heel relative to your buttocks. The greater the distance, the greater the stress on the hamstrings. The lesser the distance, the greater the Glutes contribute to the movement. For most, only the position with the legs almost fully extended will offer sufficient resistance to make the exercise effective.

3. SUSTAINED TENSION SIDE LEG RAISES: support your self by holding onto a fixed vertical pole. A fence post or lamp will do, as will the edge of an open door. Position your self, sideways to the pole. Angle the foot closest to the pole as if you were doing a classic side-kick. Raise your leg straight out to the side as high as it will go. Don’t worry if it won’t go up very high. Your foot should be parallel to the floor. You should be able to draw a straight line through your shoulder, hip, and ankle. If you bend forward at the waist, or twist over so you are facing down, rather then sideways, you decrease the stress on the target muscles. Slowly lower your leg from the raised position, but only by a foot or so. Then reverse direction and go back up. (Don’t bounce as you change direction.) Repeat up and down never touching your foot to the ground, for the desired number of reps. Repeat on other leg. Add ankle weights when it gets to easy in the standard version.

4. MODIFIED RUSSIAN LUNGES: Begin in lunge position, bent at the waist, with your weight over your toes of the front foot and your rear leg extended behind you, slightly to the outside. Your chest should nearly rest on your forward thigh. Slowly push yourself up about 6-8 inches; you should also travel slightly forward. Lift your rear foot off the ground as you push your self up. The angles at your hip and waist must not change during the exercise-in other words; your chest should remain in the same relation to your thigh throughout the movement. Lower and repeat for the desired number of reps. Repeat on the other leg. When done right these are felt in the Glutes a great deal. Tweak until you know you are hitting the right position.

5. RUNNING STAIRS: Try doing 10-20 one-story sprints, preferably two stairs at a time. Work up to that number slowly! Also be careful to keep one hand on the stair rail to catch yourself if you lose your balance. To limit the aerobic component run up and walk back down in between sprints. To increase resistance add a weighted vest or a backpack full of heavy books or sandbags.

This workout is excellent for soccer players or any athlete looking to maximize performance using no extra equipment. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

PAU for Now

TAKU
www.hybridfitness.tv

The 3X3 Routine: (The hardest nine sets you will ever do)

This style of workout has probably been around in one form or another for quite some time. I first heard about it when doing some research on the work of Matt Brzycki, Coordinator of Health Fitness, Strength and Conditioning at Princeton University.  Along with his duties at Princeton, Brzycki is a prolific author whose many works are focused on safe, rational and efficient training methods.

A 3×3 Workout is basically a multiple-joint hip movement followed by a multiple-joint chest movement followed by a multiple-joint upper back movement and repeated two more times with as little rest between exercises as possible.

Sequence one: You should reach muscle failure at about 20 reps for the hip exercise, 12 for the chest exercise and 12 for the upper back exercise.

Sequence two: Repetition goals would be 15 for the hip exercise, 10 for the chest exercise and 10 for the upper back exercise.

Sequence Three: Repetition goals of 12 for the hip exercise, 8 for the chest exercise and 8 for the upper back exercise.

A typical exercise selection for a 3X3 workout might be:

1. Squat - Bench Press - Barbell Row
2. Leg Press - Dip - Chin
3. Deadlift - Standing Press - Pull-down (palms in)

When doing the 3X3 routine it’s critical that you perform every set to muscle failure. It’s also important that you move quickly between exercises with as little rest as possible. The length of the recovery between exercises will depend upon your present level of metabolic conditioning.

If done properly you should be able to finish an entire 3X3 workout in about 10-15 minutes. Doing these types of workouts gives you the total package: strength, endurance and mental toughness.

WARNING: these workouts are much harder then they may appear. Only attempt them if you have a great fitness base and are used to workouts with a high anaerobic output and minimal rest periods.

PAU for NOW

TAKU
www.hybridfitness.tv

For Brzycki’s Ideas on H.I.T., go here:

http://tinyurl.com/9l2uhy

For a list of Brzycki’s books, go here:

http://tinyurl.com/9d7vvl

4 X 4

The Four by Four, circuit was inspired by basic military physical training. It combines a few bodyweight exercises with brief, high intensity sprints. This workout is ideally performed on an outdoor track which has easy access to dipping and chinning bars. It can also be performed at home, if one has a treadmill as well as some sort of chinning and dipping station at their disposal.

Before we are ready to workout we must first do a pre-test for both the running and callisthenic portions of the circuit. For the run we need to know your fastest time for a one mile run. The calisthenics in this circuit are Push-ups, Chin-ups, Dips, and sit-ups. Perform a max rep test for each of these movements as follows:

1. Push-ups: Maximum repetitions completed from a fully extended, top position, with a one second pause at the top and bottom of each repetition.

2. Chin-ups: Maximum repetitions completed from a fully extended, hang position, with a one second pause at the top and bottom of each repetition.

3. Dips: Maximum repetitions completed from a fully extended, top position, with a one second pause at the top and bottom of each repetition.

4. Sit-ups: Knees bent at 90 degrees with feet flat on floor. Cross arms in front of chest and place the fingertips of the hands on top of the opposite side shoulder. Curl up and raise the torso to a point where the tips of the elbows contact the knees. Maximum repetitions completed from a fully extended, bottom position, with a one second pause at the top and bottom of each repetition.

Once we have recorded the pre-test data for each of the five exercises we are ready to begin. The circuit is completed as follows. Perform one set @ 50% of your max repetitions for each of the four upper body strength movements, resting 30 seconds between exercises. Then run ¼ mile (440 yards) at 100% of your best mile speed – 10 seconds. Rest 3-5 minutes and then repeat the circuit three more times for a total of four repetitions.

This circuit is just one example of hundreds that could be created using these same five exercises. For instance you could increase the running distance to more accurately reflect the types of runs you prefer. If you currently run 3-5 miles at a time you might increase the run to one mile aiming for a goal time of 85-95% of your fastest mile time as a starting goal. If you prefer more of a sprinting challenge you may run shorter or longer sprint distances or you can increase the speed of your 440s and aim to max out on each one. The between exercise and between repetition rest intervals may also be manipulated to reflect your existing fitness level, your training goals, or both.

PAU for NOW

TAKU

Kettlebell Juggling

Hey Everyone:

On Friday we participated in an afternoon kettlebell workshop with our resident kettlebell specialist, John Wild of Orange Kettlebell Club (www.orangekettlebellclub.com)  We covered a bunch of great material.

During one of our intermissions, John demonstrated a little kettlebell juggling.  This is just a sample of his skill.  John’s a great coach, a great athlete and we’re lucky to have him as part of the team.

Visit his site, drop him a line and check out his videos on YouTube.  In the meantime, keep training hard and enjoy this video.

Jason K.
www.hybridfitness.tv

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpouSbCjtEE&hl=en&fs=1]

TRAINING LIKE A CHAMP

Training like a champ

Remember most outstanding athletes are more a product of their personal mental and physical attributes then the actual training methods they utilize. These natural talents are then further enhanced through dedicated practice of specific sport skills and adherence to the proper physical preparedness protocols. Combine these with tactical motivational and philosophical support by the right coaches and mentors and we are witness to a sort of synergistic alchemy. This is the beauty of seeing the truly exceptional athlete in action. When seen at their peak you are witnessing the product of years of dedication and hard work.

So remember, there is no secret pill, powder, potion or routine that will guarantee athletic success. Be passionate about your sport. Combine that passion with a solid foundation of proper sports  nutrition, strength training and conditioning. Experiment to find what works best for you. Make a plan and keep accurate records. Seek out the guidance of the best coaches you can find and or afford. Train hard. Recover fully. Repeat.

Finally stop trying to be like anyone else. Be the best you, that you can be. And have fun while you are at it.

PAU for NOW

TAKU
www.hybridfitness.tv

Leg Conditioning Circuit

I gave this circuit a test run with a client on Tuesday morning.  We started off the workout with a series of sprint intervals up a shallow hill, so she was a little fatigued going into it, but regardless, the circuit is pretty effective.

Start with one time through the circuit, taking little to no rest time between exercises.  Rest a couple minutes, then go through a second time.  Although you’re not trying to necessarily fly through the exercises as fast as possible, you should keep a brisk pace and be able to complete everything in under 3 minutes.

As with most circuits, you can increase the intensity by:

• Increasing the external resistance
• Increasing the speed
• Decreasing the rest time
• Any combination of the above

Give it a shot and see what happens.  The Good Mornings can be completed using a dumbbell, barbell or a number of other implements.  Sandbags are nice because they’re versatile and portable.  I like to incorporate them whenever I can.  If you’re interested in picking some up, this is the place to do it:

Keep training hard!

Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv

The Toughest Workout You’ve NEVER Tried

One of my mantras in life is to always look for and try something new.  A particular kind of food…a new sport…a new destination…whatever it may be.

Well recently, I had the opportunity to try something new.  My wife tried to get me to take a water running class.  Who am I kidding…it was Water Aerobics.  Unfortunately for me, I had a number of business issues to take care of, so I let her have at it.  Now, you might think a class like water aerobics is full of older ladies who like to talk about the last few episodes of Oprah.  And if that was your impression…you’d be right.  But, the class also had it’s fair share of 30-somethings as well as a couple of fire fighters. Quite a varied mix of participants.

Like most activities, water aerobics can be as hard as you want to make it.  In this particular class, they give you a flotation belt, then have you “run” laps in the pool, do various strength training techniques on the side, etc.  Basically, they keep you moving for a good 45-50 minutes.  Well my wife, being the hardest working woman I know, opted to not use the flotation belt.  This took the intensity of the activity and immediately shot it through the roof!   I’ll point out that she was the only one in the class who did so.  Not to make you other fire fighters in the class look bad, but….I’m just sayin’.  To her credit, she’s a former water polo player, competitive swimmer, etc. so she was up for the challenge.

To make a long story short, she came back raving about the class and talking about how challenging it was.  Having done my fair share of water-based sports, I can attest to the difficulty involved.  Moving through water is far different and infinitely more challenging than moving on land.   Needless to say, she sold me on the class.  The next chance I get, I’m jumping in the pool and doing some water aerobics.  I guarantee my wife will make me look like a beginner, but I’ll check my pride at the door and give it my best effort.

My point with this post is to try to get all of you to try something new and always challenge yourself.  Take the next opportunity to sign up for a class or sport that you’ve always been interested in, but never had the guts to try.  Remember, too, that no matter how easy it sounds (*ahem*…water aerobics) there are always things you can do to make it more challenging and certainly worth your while.

So stop reading, get out there and try something new.

Until next time,

Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv

The Toughest Workout You’ve NEVER Tried

One of my mantras in life is to always look for and try something new.  A particular kind of food…a new sport…a new destination…whatever it may be.

Well recently, I had the opportunity to try something new.  My wife tried to get me to take a water running class.  Who am I kidding…it was Water Aerobics.  Unfortunately for me, I had a number of business issues to take care of, so I let her have at it.  Now, you might think a class like water aerobics is full of older ladies who like to talk about the last few episodes of Oprah.  And if that was your impression…you’d be right.  But, the class also had it’s fair share of 30-somethings as well as a couple of fire fighters. Quite a varied mix of participants.

Like most activities, water aerobics can be as hard as you want to make it.  In this particular class, they give you a flotation belt, then have you “run” laps in the pool, do various strength training techniques on the side, etc.  Basically, they keep you moving for a good 45-50 minutes.  Well my wife, being the hardest working woman I know, opted to not use the flotation belt.  This took the intensity of the activity and immediately shot it through the roof!   I’ll point out that she was the only one in the class who did so.  Not to make you other fire fighters in the class look bad, but….I’m just sayin’.  To her credit, she’s a former water polo player, competitive swimmer, etc. so she was up for the challenge.

To make a long story short, she came back raving about the class and talking about how challenging it was.  Having done my fair share of water-based sports, I can attest to the difficulty involved.  Moving through water is far different and infinitely more challenging than moving on land.   Needless to say, she sold me on the class.  The next chance I get, I’m jumping in the pool and doing some water aerobics.  I guarantee my wife will make me look like a beginner, but I’ll check my pride at the door and give it my best effort.

My point with this post is to try to get all of you to try something new and always challenge yourself.  Take the next opportunity to sign up for a class or sport that you’ve always been interested in, but never had the guts to try.  Remember, too, that no matter how easy it sounds (*ahem*…water aerobics) there are always things you can do to make it more challenging and certainly worth your while.

So stop reading, get out there and try something new.

Until next time,

Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv