Overtraining 101

Not sure if you're overtraining? In this Meathead Hippie episode, Em talks about 3 signs your adrenals need some love, and 3 steps to take care of them ASAP.

#meathead hippie podcast #training #strength

Stabilize Your Core with Shalisa: Sliders

Shalisa Pouw brings her extensive background in pilates, barre, and dance into a class to help you engage, flow, and get STRONG.

Get some sliders, a towel, or paper plates if on carpet! This class is be all about form and challenging your deep core muscles.

#core #strength

Meathead Hippie: Coach George

Join Em and George for a conversation on training athletes of all ages and how to “fill the sleeves”.

#meathead hippie podcast #training #strength

Single Leg Good Morning

April is showing us how to get even more bang for your buck with this variation of a good morning that emphasizes one leg at a time!

#strength #strength training #hamstrings

Accommodating Resistance: Muscles Under Tension

Accommodating resistance (AR) is utilized by adding bands or chains to your main barbell movement, which increases the resistance of the load throughout the range of motion. By incorporating AR, you can actually increase the amount of time the bar acceleration occurs, as the bands or chains increase in tension as lifted. This means that as you accelerate the bar to lockout, the tension will prolong the acceleration phase. As that tension grows, it will allow for greater average velocities to be achieved and therefore greater average power output. During a normal barbell movement, you would accelerate the bar from the bottom to the top. As you reach the top, the barbell will naturally decelerate, but AR requires that you continue accelerating to finish and lock out the move, thus helping you to develop and build more power.

As it teaches you to tap into your maximal force production, it helps you to address any sticking points you might have during your barbell movement and even break through plateaus. It is a great tool for power development, especially speed-strength and strength-speed as it calls for more muscle activation. Accommodating resistance also benefits technique development as it requires more control. This will help to ingrain proper form and teach you to stay tight throughout the entire movement.

Additionally, AR can be used for your supplemental movements or added to various dumbbell or bodyweight movements as it adds extra resistance and calls for increased muscle recruitment/activation. Our muscles experience the greatest amount of tension where the resistance curve is at its peak in the concentric point of a movement. Given that tension is the catalyst for muscle growth, the added tension of AR will place our muscles under more tension, which will provide stimulus for them to adapt and grow.

Big love,
Jennifer Knutson

#strength #strength training

Deadbug with Band

This is a great move for improving core strength but is often done incorrectly. Wade explains how to make the most of this move!

#core #strength

Chest Press Mechanics

Want to improve your chest pressing mechanics and learn how to generate more power in your lift? Add a mini band looped at your wrist during dumbbell presses to utilize an eccentric induced co-contraction. This will help you to achieve maximal reciprocal inhibition during the concentric or lifting phase of presses.

Reciprocal inhibition is the process by which, when one muscle contracts, the opposing muscle relaxes to accommodate its movement. During a chest press, while the chest muscles contract to move the weight, the back muscles relax for greater mobility. In doing this variation, however, you will be activating your upper back and lats to produce a maximal co-contraction of agonist (prime movers) and antagonist (muscles that perform the opposite action of the prime mover) muscle groups during the eccentric or lowering phase.

This pulling the weight or rowing it into position via the upper back and lats helps elongate the pectoral fibers and opens the chest. It promotes optimal reciprocal inhibition during the concentric or lifting phase when those antagonists (upper back and lats) release and allow the agonists (chest, shoulders, and triceps) to contract.

This slingshot type effect will teach you the mechanics necessary to produce the highest levels of power output, force, and torque during the press. This variation also helps to teach the optimal elbow positioning. Once you have a handle on the sensations of back muscle engagement during pressing, you will see a carryover into your bench press as well.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

By Jennifer Knutson

#irongreenhouse #chest press #strength #strength training #jennifer knutson

EmPack SA Chest Fly

Wade explains this move which you can find in our Platform PRO program!

#strength #strength training

Standing Banded Rows

Don't have a cable machine? No worries! Grab a resistance band and try this row variation out from April.

You'll see this move in our FLAGSHIP program this cycle!

#strength #strength training #upper body

Platform PRO with April: Upper Body

Try out our Platform PRO Program with this class with April!

STRENGTH x 4
8ex DB SA Floor Chest Press
8ex DB SA Row on Bench
10ex EmPack Side Bends

ACCESSORY WORK x 4
8ex SA empack curl to press
6ex EmPack Plank Row
12x Kneeling Reverse Curls
12x EmPack Skull Crushers

#strength #strength training #upper body