Here is an old video of us hitting heavy support grip holds for time on the GRex.
Support grip is one component of grip strength. The others are crush, pinch, wrist postures and hand health.
Grip strength is the forgotten element of functional training and is essential since the hands are involved in all athletic and strength training endeavor (including building muscle or losing fat).
In fact the hands are the end point of the kinetic chain, so they must be developed if we hope to transfer the power created and accumulated from our bodies and express it through our hands.
You’ve probably heard of using foam in the weightroom. Previously, you might have only thought of using it for resting your knee on, while your stretching your hip flexors.
Well, a recent talk with Mike Hanley of HanleyStrength.com changed that.
He told me that he had his clients marching on thick foam to help with their knee and hip problems. He said Louie Simmons had told him about it. How he has been using it for activation and rehab purposes.
It is also well recognized in the powerlifting community that foam can also be used on the box squat, and we will talk about this too, later in this article.
Now, this of course got me thinking about other uses of foam. I ordered a few blocks and started incorporating it into my program and the program of my clients.
Let’s look at a few different ways that you can incorporate foam into the weightroom.
Unstable foam surface = not good for power development
Studies from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) confirm my publication:
“Instability resistance exercises induce high muscle activation of postural limb and trunk muscles. The increased activation has been attributed to the increased stabilization functions. Instability resistance training with its high muscle activation and lower external stress on joints could also be beneficial for general musculoskeletal health and certain types of rehabilitation.”
“Unstable conditions can lead to decreased force and power output, decreased range of motion and velocity. Furthermore ground based weight training exercises such as squats and dead lifts can provide equal or greater trunk activation than using instability devices. Another study has also reported that highly trained individuals do not experience greater trunk activation when performing exercises under light or moderately unstable conditions.”
“Since many of the benefits of instability devices can be achieved with high resistance involving ground based free weights, advanced resistance trained individuals may not need to emphasize this type of training in their strength and power training programs.”
“The benefits of instability resistance training may be more pronounced for those individuals pursuing primarily general health and rehabilitation benefits and not participating in training with free weights involving high loads.”
This video demonstrates a tornado ball rotation while bridging on a swiss ball. Dynamic stabilization of the entire torso; the abdominals AND posterior chain. The lifter has to bridge and remain parallel to the floor throughout the movement and remain fixed while the tornado ball is rotating.
If you do not have a tornado ball, a med ball in a sandbag/dufflebag/pillow case can be used.
The great thing about this exercise is that the lifter is isometrically contracting the anterior and posterior chains against a dynamic, ever changing tension. This increases the frequency AND intensity of the motor unit recruitment which is exponentially more beneficial than a static, long duration contraction. Not only that, there is also a deceleration and acceleration component to the lift as well.
Think interval training rather than slow, low intensity treadmill.
Also, this version is easier on the shoulders than the standard swinging overhead version of the tornado ball.
Oh yeah, the video is a LITTLE FOGGY . We were in the middle of a conditioning circuit and the camera guy was heated!
The core is not only about building strength in fixed movement patterns, it is also defined as developing the required torso rigidity (isometric contraction of the anterior and posterior chains) to prevent injury and express power.
Lats are part of the core too!
In this new video, you’ll see another Diesel Crew original, Kettlebell Rocks. They are named rocks because you have to remain rigid and unwavering during the partner engagement.
The partner will throw the kb side to side at the peak of the swing. This is the exact moment that the lifter will brace, flex their lats, contract their abdominals and entire posterior chain to keep the kb path in line with a conventional swing.
The partner should be forceful and not tentative with their part of the movement. This movement is very CNS intensive and because of this, I would recommend anywhere from 8-12 reps to ensure quality.
Embed this video on your blog or point to it in your newsletter, let’s get the word out.
Oh yeah, check out the side bar. Make sure you follow us AND send me an email to let me know what your favorite Diesel articles and videos are and we’ll get them up in our new Popular section!
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. We were in the middle of a conditioning circuit and the camera guy was heated!
