Excellent Sportband Conditioning Drill!! (video)
Hey Everyone:
Here’s a great sportband conditioning drill for you to try - resisted runs.These are very challenging, but you can vary the intensity simply by using a heavier or lighter resistance band.
You can use this drill as a warm-up or as a core element to your leg and cardiovascular training. It works perfectly as a circuit training element or stand alone exercise. Once you try it, you’ll see just how effective it can be. Trust me and go try it!
Give it a shot and tell us what you think. We’ll be posting another one very shortly, so make sure you check back for the next installment.
Keep training hard!
Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv
P.S.: It’s very important that you use top quality bands for this drill and others like it. The Free E-Book posted earlier talks about the importance of good bands. I can’t emphasise this enough. If you want good bands and don’t have them, we recommend you get them here.
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.
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:
For a list of Brzycki’s books, go here:
Interview at Maxcondition.com
Hey Everyone:
I recently did an interview with Coach Hale at www.maxcondition.com. Please take a moment to check it out.
http://www.maxcondition.com/page.php?120
That’s all for now. Thanks and please feel free to post any comments on the article.
Pau for now.
Taku
www.hybridfitness.tv
Exercise of the Week: 3 Great Push-up Variations
Looking for a little variety in your training? Give these push-up variations a shot. Push-ups are one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do. Mixing up how the movement is performed can have a profound impact on the intensity of the exercise.
These variations may look simple, but they get challenging very quickly.
http://www.hybridfitnessvideos.com/showPlaylist.php?1230768490
Post any thoughts / questions to the comments section.
Good luck & keep training hard!
Jason
By the way, we have dozens more push-up variations available as well as hundreds of other exercises in the video database at www.hybridfitness.tv Access to the database and the ability to export custom video playlists are available to all Hybrid Fitness members.
Exercise of the Week: Divebomber Push-Up (with VIDEO)
Hi Everyone:
This is a follow up to an earlier post on the divebomber pushup. The post got a lot of traffic and some great feedback, so I decided to post it again, this time with a video.
Click the link below to watch the video. There is a feature on the video player that gives a description of every exercise in a particular playlist. When watching the video, just click on the area titled “Exercise Description” and a it’ll appear immediately.
Feel Free to link to this post or copy the link and send it out. If you want to make your own video playlists, custom workouts or just see and read how hundreds of exercises are performed, come over to Hybrid Fitness and check it out for yourself. See you there.
Keep training hard!
Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv
www.HybridFitness.tv has launched!
It’s been a long time coming, but Hybridfitness.tv is finally live. If you haven’t already, please visit the site and see what’s available. We’ve put together hundreds of articles, audio clips and video presentations. We’ve also added a few other cool custom features. If you’re not on our mailing list, please sign into the box on the top/right of the page. We’ll send out free training info and programs and keep you informed of new things we’re working on. It’s 100% spam free - don’t worry.
One of these features can be found on the right-side navigation bar and it’s titled “Exercise Video Database”. This database contains nearly 500 videos which can be selected by exercises type, equipment type or zone of the body. You can select individual videos and see how a particular exercise is performed, then click for a detailed description of each exercise.
Additionally, you can create custom video playlists for yourself or others. Begin by selecting your desired videos, then arrange them in the order you want. You can add notes for repetition count, set count, time, etc., then export the playlist to a weblink or embed it directly in your own blog. We’re adding more videos to the library all the time and of course, we’ll be posting our own custom workouts on an ongoing basis. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this.
We’ve also got a new blog site established to take the place of this one. It’s still free, just new and improved. Please visit the new location at www.hybridfitness.tv/blog
Thanks for your continued support.
Keep training hard.
Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv
“Functional”
What’s in a word?
The term functional training has been around for years. When I first started working in the fitness industry “Functional Training” meant working with compound movements like Squats, Presses, and Rows.
In the recent past it has become an industry buzz-word. Some trainers have built their careers around this term while other greedy equipment manufacturers, eager to make a quick buck, have created scores of mediocre products that are somehow supposed to enhance ones ability to train “functionally” more so then another modality.
When I train myself or my clients, I am all about simplicity. I want to get my job done in the most efficient way possible, when it comes to time. Ask anyone who trains with me and they will tell you the training is always challenging but little if any time is ever wasted. If I am working with an athlete whose sport requires lifting weights with specific technique such as a power lifter or an Olympic style weightlifter then you better believe we will focus some time on lifting technique. But if my client just wants to be in better shape, then outside of safety considerations and proper form how or what we lift is not that important.
The tools we use and the exercises we perform with those tools are not functional merely because they exist. To quote my Friend, Tom Kelso, one of the brightest and best strength coaches I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with: “A functional’ exercise is any exercise you do that makes you stronger. Read: any exercise that creates overload on a muscle and is done progressively is functional. Last time I checked, ALL muscle groups were important at some point for proper athletic skill execution and injury prevention.”
So don’t get too bogged down by what is functional and what is not. If you are training hard and safe and all of your major muscle groups are being challenged progressively, you are on the right track. Remember to design conditioning drills that match the energy system demands of your sport and you can’t go wrong.
PAU for NOW
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]
Kettlebell Workshop
We’re heading to a kettlebell workshop today, coached by John Wild of Orange Kettlebell Club. John is a good friend and an exceptional coach. He recently launched his website and has established a great community of kettlebell (and non-kettlebell) followers.
Check out his site at www.orangekettlebellclub.com. Feel free to drop him an email and be sure to tell him the Hybrid Fitness guys sent you.
Keep training hard and feel free to post any questions to the comments section. We’ll answer them right away.
Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv
