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.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/yw9y97dhq8fkjbidr0sw.vtt

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.

To up my workouts, should I start by increasing my weights or do faster or more reps?

Maximize Workouts: Exploring Holds, Stances, and Direction of Force

So the question is, to up my workouts, should I start by increasing my weights or do faster or more reps? Well, first let's work on control and adding holds at different places in the range. So halfway down you can hold three seconds, lower it down to that point, hold three seconds, go all the way down another three seconds, and then try to come up for three seconds. So crazy threes, crazy fives, hold 10 seconds, come up, make it reactive. So you have to stop on command. The last thing that I like to do is add weight. And then the other thing is your stance. So worry about if you're doing something standing up, change where you're standing, change your foot position. The last thing that you should change is the weight, change the direction of force that's coming at you. So hopefully that helps, and reps are one thing, but how fast are you doing the reps? How slow are you doing the reps? So try the holds, try the stances, try the direction of where the force, where the machine, where the cable is pulling you, your grip in and out, wider, narrower, and it's a completely different animal, completely different workout. So hopefully that helps, and look forward to hearing more.

To increase your workout, focus on control and adding holds at different points in the range of motion. Utilize different stances, directions of force, and grips to make the workout more challenging. Finally, add weight when you are comfortable with the movements to further increase difficulty.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/v32g82fhzpvnko19n7tx.vtt

To enhance your workouts, whether to increase weights or focus on faster or more reps, there are a few strategies to consider. First, prioritize control and add holds at different points in the range of motion. For example, you can hold for three seconds halfway down, three seconds at the lowest point, and three seconds on the way up. You can also experiment with longer holds, such as ten seconds, and make the movement reactive by stopping on command.

Another aspect to explore is your stance or foot position. If you're performing exercises while standing, try changing where you stand and altering your foot position. This can provide a different challenge and engage different muscle groups.

Lastly, consider adding weight or changing the direction of force. Changing the weight load or the direction from which the force is applied can create a new stimulus for your muscles.

Remember, it's not just about the number of reps, but also the speed at which you perform them. Experiment with different holds, stances, and force directions to create a varied and effective workout routine.

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.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/stdjqbbhj9mxjloikesd.vtt

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.

How often do you incorporate barefoot training into your programming and why?

Unlock the Benefits of Barefoot Training in Your Workout

All right, how often do you incorporate barefoot training into your program and why? So I think barefoot training, if you are wearing shoes, you're wearing, you know, your lace-up J's and stuff all the time and then you go to barefoot activity, you're going to be sore. You might have some issues up the chain and obviously in the foot and in the toe complex. So gradually, slowly implement those. It's kind of like if you just did, you know, two sets of 12 pull-ups and you've never done pull-ups before, you're probably going to be pretty sore the next day. So slowly integrating that and I think for almost everybody, some sort of warm-up with your shoes off, even if it's just five or ten minutes. So think about it like if you're wearing a glove all day, a mitten all day and your feet end up like that, it's going to be very hard for them to open up and being able, hard to utilize all those muscles in the foot. So slowly, even if it's just five, ten minutes of doing some sort of dynamic exercises and mobility type stuff with your feet off, just walking in grass before your workout and then come back in and put your shoes on. But I think every time you're in a session, no matter what the focus is, you should do something with your shoes off and the socks can also restrict you too. So thinking about those weird socks that have the toes in them or just take your stinky socks off and obviously just make sure that hygiene and it's okay to do in the gym, but just walking on your grass forward and backwards and to the side and getting those feet to move really helps. So every day, no matter the session, even if it's just five minutes and then you can dig into more exercises if you're lacking some strength or range of motion in certain toes and ankle stuff.

I recommend incorporating some barefoot training into your program, even if it's just 5-10 minutes of dynamic exercises and mobility work. This will help to open up the muscles in the foot and prevent soreness from wearing shoes all the time. It's also important to make sure hygiene is kept in mind when doing barefoot activities in the gym or elsewhere.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/vz6rl3dj3u1ov1imzqwq.vtt

I incorporate barefoot training into my programming gradually and slowly to avoid potential soreness or issues in the foot and toe complex. If someone is used to wearing shoes all the time and suddenly transitions to barefoot activity, it can cause discomfort. It's similar to doing a new exercise like pull-ups for the first time and experiencing soreness afterward. To address this, I recommend starting with a warm-up without shoes for about five or ten minutes. This allows the feet to open up and engage the muscles effectively. Walking on grass before a workout is a simple way to incorporate barefoot activity. Even during focused training sessions, I believe it's important to do something without shoes on. Socks can also restrict movement, so opting for socks with individual toe compartments or going completely barefoot can be beneficial. It's crucial to maintain proper hygiene and ensure that barefoot training is acceptable in the gym environment. Incorporating a few minutes of barefoot exercises every day, regardless of the session, helps improve foot strength and range of motion in toes and ankles if there are any limitations present.

For weight loss, would you recommend cardio or weights?

Cardio or Weights: The Key to Effective Weight Loss Revealed

So the question is for weight loss, would you recommend cardio or weights? Well, I'm going to shoot a question back to you. So if you go into any health club and you look at the people, and I'm going to stereotype the people that, actually you're going to stereotype the people that are on the treadmills, on the ellipticals. Look at them and then look at the people that are doing some sort of free weights, some sort of machines, and look at the body types. And you'll definitely see a difference of that person that's been on that rat race, on that treadmill, very dedicated, but doing that so-called cardio. So hopefully that answers your question, because you can definitely see a difference. And I'm not trying to be mean, but definitely, hopefully you've come to conclusion of what is the better way for weight loss. But now your aerobic fitness is super, super important, but if you don't have the muscular system to hold that, to hold your body together, your cardio is not going to be anything. So think about that. Hopefully that helps. And I think you just answered your own question.

Cardio and weight training are both important for weight loss. You can see the difference in body types of those who primarily do cardio vs those who incorporate strength training into their routine. Cardio is important for aerobic fitness, whereas strength training helps support your body and keep it together.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/xik6b1yabafcwfxpsmoz.vtt

Regarding weight loss, you asked whether I would recommend cardio or weights. I'll turn the question back to you. If you observe people in a health club, specifically those on treadmills or ellipticals versus those using free weights or machines, you'll notice differences in body types. This observation can provide insight into the effectiveness of different approaches. While aerobic fitness is important, having a strong muscular system is crucial for supporting and maintaining your body. Without muscle strength, cardio alone may not yield significant results. Consider this perspective as it may help you come to your own conclusion about the better approach for weight loss.

Maximize Your Cardio: Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck!

Alright, hopefully you can hear me, there's a plane going over. The question is, how much cardio do you recommend weekly? For me personally, zero. Hate it. Just kidding, I like to do more of anaerobic stuff, sprint type stuff and then recover. For General Pop, and again I've said this on a different question, is if you look at the people that do steady state cardio on a treadmill and then look at the people that do some sort of weight lifting, some sort of class, just look at the body types, look at their movement and look at the difference between those two. Now I'm not saying steady state cardio is terrible, but it kind of is if you're short on time and you want to get the biggest bang for your buck. So what I would say is for General Pop, anything that gets your heart rate up, two to three times a week, 20 plus minutes and use the old school talking test. So not for that entire 20 minutes, but say for maybe 30 seconds if you're going for a walk or a jog or doing anything and you can get to that point where you can't have a conversation like this, then you're not out of that comfort zone. You want to be to the point where, yes, and you can just barely catch your breath and spit a couple words out, but then you have to keep going. So you can do all the fancy heart rate stuff and all that stuff with the talking test and hopefully you laughed at my little example of that. But basically if you can only spit out a couple words and then you have to continue trying to catch your breath. So 20 to 30 minutes, see if you can go for maybe 20, 30 seconds of that failing the talking test and then go back down to a place where you can talk comfortably and then get it back up and try to get to a place where you can get to 20 to 30 minutes, two to three times a week. I hope that helps.

For general fitness, try to do 20-30 minutes of cardio two to three times a week. Challenge yourself by using the talking test - if you can only barely catch your breath and only spit out a few words, then you’re in the right zone.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/ak1et2ejbkrnqjntinmr.vtt

When it comes to recommending weekly cardio, I personally prefer more anaerobic exercises like sprints with recovery periods. However, for the general population, I would suggest engaging in any activity that raises your heart rate two to three times a week for at least 20 minutes.

To gauge the intensity, you can use the talking test. While exercising, try to have a conversation for about 30 seconds. If you reach a point where you can't comfortably talk, you're pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. You should be able to catch your breath and speak a few words, but then have to continue working to maintain that level of exertion.

You can incorporate intervals of pushing yourself to fail the talking test for 20 to 30 seconds, followed by a period where you can comfortably converse. Aim for a total of 20 to 30 minutes of cardio, two to three times a week.

While there are more complex methods to monitor heart rate, the talking test provides a simple and effective way to gauge your exertion level. I hope this guidance helps!

Neither AnyQuestion nor its Experts provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment or otherwise provide professional healthcare services.

Physician disclaimer

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

Follow me on AnyQuestion

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.