Strength

How do you use Olympic Lifts in your training ?

Maximizing Training with Olympic Lifts: Dumbbells vs. Barbells

So, how do you use Olympic lifts in your training? Love them, but I'm a big dumbbell person just because of the strength curve with the barbell. I think Olympic lifts are a little bit easier to teach safety-wise with dumbbells. Try to... There are so many different ways to progress them, make them a little bit more fun than the regular Olympic lifts with barbell because the barbell restricts the range of motion. Dumbbells gives you a little bit more freedom. As a general rule, they're used at the beginning of the session when the athlete is fresh. You don't want to do them at the end. That's not to say if I have an athlete for a couple months and they're getting ready to go back into season that they may do them towards the end if it's a strength-speed-power cluster. But as a general rule, you want to do the most demanding things at the beginning of the session when they're fresh because it is a very demanding skill. I'm always a big believer in the dumbbells, like I said, over the barbells.

Olympic lifts are great for strength, speed and power exercises. They can be done with either dumbbells or barbells, but dumbbells allow for greater range of motion. They should generally be done at the beginning of a session when athletes are fresh.

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In my training, I love using Olympic lifts, but I tend to prefer dumbbells due to the strength curve with barbells. I find that Olympic lifts can be taught safely and effectively with dumbbells. There are various ways to progress and make them more engaging compared to traditional barbell lifts, as dumbbells offer more freedom of movement. Generally, Olympic lifts are incorporated at the beginning of a training session when the athlete is fresh. It's important not to perform them at the end of a session. However, there may be exceptions for athletes who have been training for a few months and are preparing for their upcoming season, where they may do them towards the end as part of a strength-speed-power cluster. As a general rule, it's best to prioritize the most demanding exercises when athletes are fresh. Personally, I always lean towards using dumbbells over barbells in my training approach.

How do you start an athlete with power development progressions ?

Unlocking Athletic Power: Progressions for Maximum Performance

How do you start an athlete with power development progressions? What I like to call is functional power stuff, so bodyweight type stuff. So athletic stance, a very simple one is you just start, I guess they call them squat drops, I call them athletic stance, where you start with your feet together and then drop into a 90-degree squat, see if you can hold that. You can do tempos, you can go up-down quick, you can do frontal plane, side to side, forward-backward, transverse, twist and come back, and just work on trying to keep that pillar or that base as tight as you can and then progress that to single leg. And the athletic stance drops on single leg are pretty demanding, you know, for the moderate average athlete. So you just stand on one leg, your knees locked out, and drop down as fast as you can, keeping trying to get to that 90-degree angles, keeping the knee in the middle, not letting it come in and get down to that squat position, but on one leg, hold it for maybe two or three seconds, come up, and then repeat it again. And you can add tempo to that, you can add holds, you can add shifts. So you would shift from one leg to the other if you're on two legs, so you drop down on two legs, shift to the left, hold for a second, stand up only through your left, go back down, shift to your right, stand back up through your right. Just a lot of different progressions that you can do, but start with what you know they can do and then progress them from that. So that's where I start with my power progressions. They're fun, you can make games out of them and whatnot, and it helps the athlete with body awareness too. So hope that helps!

To start an athlete with power development progressions, begin by having them do functional body-weight exercises such as squat drops. These involve dropping into a 90 degree squat and holding the position for a few seconds. Progress from there to single leg squats, adding tempos, holds, and shifts to increase intensity. This helps the athlete with body awareness as well.

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To start an athlete with power development progressions, I focus on functional bodyweight exercises. One exercise I like to begin with is the athletic stance, also known as squat drops. The athlete starts with feet together and drops into a 90-degree squat position, focusing on maintaining a tight base. Variations can be introduced, such as quick up-down movements or shifting in different planes (frontal, side-to-side, forward-backward, and transverse). Progressions can then be made to single-leg movements, which are more demanding. For example, standing on one leg with the knee locked out and dropping down as fast as possible into a 90-degree angle squat position. Hold for a few seconds before standing up and repeating. Tempo changes, holds, and shifts from one leg to the other can be added for further progression. It's important to start with exercises the athlete is capable of performing and then gradually progress from there. These power progressions can be enjoyable and even turned into games while enhancing body awareness for the athlete.

What is a good strength test for endurance athletes?

Boost Endurance with This Simple Strength Test

So the question is, what is a good strength test for endurance athletes? Lots of them. You can do upper, you can do lower. Let's just use the frontal plane. So let's use glutes and spine, which everybody trains in this linear fashion, and just do a side plank and see if you can hold that for a minute and then add resistance to that. I'm not a big believer in hold something for, you know, longer than that 45 to 60 seconds because we're thinking more life specific, sport specific, task specific, where you want to create stiffness when you need it. So add weight gradually after you master that 60 seconds and try that. There's lots of others, but that's a very simple one to do. It goes a long way and work on, you know, seeing if you can get up to a plate on the side. So 45 pounds, you can add a weight vest. Then you can also do it with the weight and if you can't finish that 60 seconds, just lose the plate and see if you can finish it. So that's a great one. Got lots more? Happy, shoot me a message and I'll shoot you some more for upper and lower, but that's a very simple one that goes a long way. Big bang for your buck. Enjoy that one.

A good strength test for endurance athletes is to do a side plank with resistance. Start with no weight and gradually add weight until you can hold the position for 60 seconds. Other exercises can also be used.

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A good strength test for endurance athletes, particularly focusing on the frontal plane, is the side plank. Start by attempting to hold a side plank for a minute and gradually add resistance to challenge yourself. It's not necessary to hold the position for longer than 45 to 60 seconds, as the goal is to create stiffness when needed in specific tasks and sports. Once you can comfortably hold the side plank with additional weight, such as a plate or a weight vest, try progressing further. If you struggle to complete the full 60 seconds, remove the added weight and see if you can complete the exercise without it. This simple yet effective test offers great results. If you'd like more strength test ideas for upper and lower body, feel free to reach out to me. Enjoy this one!

Does riding a bike helps build more resistance in the kick?

Does riding a bike build resistance in the kick?

Alright, so the question is, does riding a bike, does riding a bike helps help build more resistance in the kick? So I'm thinking kick for a sport, football, American football, soccer. Most cyclists are going to be quad dominant, so meaning that their ratio from hamstring to quad, they're going to be more dominant, especially in their medialis and in their quads. So the bike, eh, I don't think it's the best choice if we're talking about the kick, but it can be, because think about it too that if you're a runner and you get tested or you do a test on a watt bike or a bike, your motor programming, your, the function of your muscles are, aren't going to be as good as if somebody was a cyclist and they were tested in cycling. Same thing if you're a cyclist and you test on the treadmill, you are not going to be as efficient as say a runner who was tested on the treadmill or the woodway. So think about that. But it can't hurt. It's definitely a good recovery, it's definitely a good strength protocol to add in. It's less load, meaning wear and tear on your knees. So I think it can benefit. You can also do heavy resistance, standing or sitting to work on the quads to put it simply. So yes, I think it does help, but you got to think task specific too, and it's great for cross training, has a lot of benefits. So hopefully that helps. And I'm a big cyclist and biking, so I love stuff on the bike.

Biking can help build resistance in a kick, but it's not the best choice if you're talking about sport specific kicking. You can also use heavy resistance exercises standing or sitting to work on your quads. Biking is great for cross-training and has many other benefits.

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The question is, does riding a bike help build more resistance in the kick? When it comes to sports like football or soccer, where kicking is involved, most cyclists tend to have stronger quadriceps compared to their hamstrings. While riding a bike may not be the optimal choice for specifically targeting the muscles used in kicking, it can still be beneficial. It's important to consider that if a runner were to be tested on a bike, their motor programming and muscle function wouldn't be as efficient as that of a cyclist being tested on a bike. Similarly, if a cyclist were tested on a treadmill, they wouldn't perform as well as a runner on that specific task. However, incorporating biking into your routine can still aid in recovery and serve as part of a strength protocol with less impact on the knees. You can also add heavy resistance while cycling, both standing and sitting, to target the quadriceps. So yes, biking can help build resistance in the kick, but it's essential to consider task specificity. Biking is also great for cross-training and offers numerous benefits. As someone who loves cycling myself, I find it to be an enjoyable addition to training.

Can you explain how line drills can be modified to make them more challenging or reactive for athletes?

Making Line Drills More Challenging and Reactive for Athletes

So the question is, can you explain how line drills can be modified to make them more challenging or reactive for athletes? Well same thing like in any sort of agility or movement drill, you want to make sure you have different levels to it. So for example, level one with a line drill, very simple, might be, I call them one two, so might be right left right left right left and do that for five seconds. Level one, left right left right left right, five seconds. So that would be a level one. That same one for a level two would be moving to your right right left right left and then moving to your left left right left right. Focus on doing your feet as quick as you can. I'll definitely have to put up a video so you guys can see, but I think that's pretty clear the explanation, or at least I hope it is. So you want to be stationary, then you want to be moving, then you want to make it more reactive, and then you want to change up right left right left and directional and cues and all that stuff. So start easy and then just add slow progressions to it and that's an easy way to make it more challenging and fun and hopefully that helps.

Line drills can be modified to make them more challenging and reactive by adding levels of difficulty such as changing direction, adding cues, and increasing speed.

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To make line drills more challenging and reactive for athletes, you can modify them by incorporating different levels and progressions. 

Level one of a line drill could involve simple movements like stepping right, left, right, left for five seconds. Level two would introduce lateral movement by stepping to the right and then the left while maintaining quick footwork. Adding variations in direction and cues further enhances the drill's complexity and reactivity. 

It's important to start with easy progressions and gradually increase the difficulty. By incorporating stationary and moving elements, reactivity, and directional changes, you can make line drills more challenging, engaging, and beneficial for athletes.

Do you have specific training suggestions for gaining upper body strength for high school baseball?

Maximize Upper Body Strength for High School Baseball: Key Training Tips

Do you have specific training suggestions for gaining upper body strength for high school baseball? Retraction, rows, scap stuff, the X's, the Y's, the T's. And I think pull-ups are great, but again, if you don't have the shoulder mechanics and the scapula to be able to come down, you're going to be shrugging up and end up doing a trap pull-up. So working on the ability to drive those shoulder blades down, get your lats involved, and probably a little bit more posterior stuff, meaning back stuff, rather than pushing stuff. For pushes for baseball players, I'm not a big one with the barbell bench press. I like to keep their shoulder in a range of motion that is a little bit freer and a little bit more joint friendly. So bench presses on the ground where they can stop at 90 and they can load it up so they're safe. And trying to make sure that they have the range of motion and they're not being forced into a range of motion. Those are some quick suggestions to help, but overall more pulling exercises. So back, rhomboids, lats. And I love pull-ups, but just make sure that we're not shrugging up. But yes, do the push exercises too, but try to do a little bit, two to three more sets of pulling type exercises.

For gaining upper body strength for high school baseball players, focus on pulling exercises like pull-ups, back rhomboids and lats. Also, avoid barbell bench press and opt for ground based bench presses to maintain a safe range of motion. Try doing two to three more sets of pulling exercises than pushing ones.

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For gaining upper body strength in high school baseball, I have some specific training suggestions. Focus on exercises like retractions, rows, and scapular work such as the X's, Y's, and T's. Pull-ups are great but ensure proper shoulder mechanics and scapular movement to avoid shrugging up and performing trap pull-ups. Emphasize driving the shoulder blades down, engaging the lats, and incorporating more posterior exercises for the back rather than excessive pushing exercises. Instead of barbell bench press, opt for bench presses on the ground where players can stop at 90 degrees and load up safely while maintaining a freer range of motion for the shoulders. It's important to prioritize range of motion without forcing it. Overall, focus on more pulling exercises targeting the back muscles including rhomboids and lats while also including push exercises in a balanced manner. Aim for two to three additional sets of pulling-type exercises.

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Bryan Meyer answers your Strength questions. See all the advice Bryan Meyer has and get answers to your own Strength questions.

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Bryan Meyer is a leading expert in athletic performance coaching and the founder of B Meyer Training in Orlando. His client list includes Olympic medalist and goes beyond just NBA all-stars. Meyer and his training methods have been featured in ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Men’s Health. Meyer was an instrumental in getting Dwight Howard back from a potential ending injury and this exercise was used in his rehab and strength program. His brand has spread to China and he has plans to continue to help educate Chinese athletes and coaches on better training.  His passion lies in education and not only helping build better athletes, but better people.