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Innovative Knee Rehab Techniques

Jedd Johnson — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:36:46 +0000

Innovative Knee Rehab

Many, many years ago in a galaxy far away I was in high school. While I was there, I was not only the most handsome, smart, cool young man, I was also on the wrestling team.

During my senior year, wrestling at a thick 125lbs and about 5’11″, I injured my knee. How bad? Who knows? I grew up on a farm and never had been to the doctor. And after the knee injury, I didn’t go either. All I know is that it swelled up light a balloon and hurt like hell. From that point on it started a downward spiral of compensations and avoidance that I am still paying for today.

HURRY UP AND READ THE REST OF THIS POST

Injuries Will Knock You Out of the Game

Maybe that is why I have been so deep into studying shoulder (injured that too wrestling), knee, back, elbow, ankle and hip injuries. And it is also the reason, most recently over the past 2 years, that warming up, activation and foam rolling has become part of the system I use to train my clients.

Today I am going to show you an underground technique that I’ve used with many athletes who are recovering from knee injuries and surgeries of the knee.

Terminal Knee Extensions (TKE)

Terminal Knee Extensions or TKE’s are an exercise used to rehab knee injuries and make them strong again. Of course they are only one part of a comprehensive rehab protocol for the knee which should also include hip and ankle mobility, glute activation, SMR work and many others.

Benefits of TKE’s:

quad activation
re-establish full knee extension (something you lose from compensating and “staying off” or “taking it easy” on the injured knee
knee stability and tracking

How to Perform TKE’s:

You fix a band to a stationary object and the other end around the back of your knee. From there you step backwards creating tension in the band and letting your knee translate forward. Now, flex your quad hard and drive your heel downward straightening your leg. We like to do them with no shoes on of course.

There are also several variations you can do. You can do them:

on an elevated platform with no band (also considered a one leg squat)
on an elevated platform with a band

Here is a simple diagram depicting an extended ROM TKE:

So, let’s get to the good stuff. The underground technique. But first let me tell you, yes it is weird. Yes, you will get stares. But you know what? Who cares.

Strength coaches and fitness professional; use this for your clients. Use it often because it works. Trust me.

3D Terminal Knee Extensions

Why do I call them 3D if the knee is a hinge joint?

Because the bands create non-uniform tension across the hips, knees and ankles and forces the quads to activate, contract and stabilize in a multi-planar fashion. Plus, as you move, your kinetic chain needs to stabilize, absorb and generate power in a 3D fashion. Remember that strength training movement patterns are GPP and develop the foundation for real-world movement.

Here is the setup. Put on your weightlifting belt with two Elite bands looped through the belt itself on each side of the body. Do NOT tighten the belt really tight. Keep it on loose but not too loose. Now take the ends of the hanging bands and stretch them down under your feet.

Now, wear this setup throughout your workout taking the bands off when you are performing exercises and putting them back on the whole time you are not. At the end of the workout, you actually forget you have them on!

What is the training effect? How about 100′s of terminal knee extensions by the time you are done with your workout! In fact, these terminal knee extensions (TKE’s) are better than the stationary, basic version because you are moving. As you move, you are actively flexing your quad and emphasizing the tracking of the knee in real-time.

I would also recommend changing the tension and angle of tension on the bands throughout the workout. All you have to do is move the bands on the belt to a different location and then anchor them back under the athlete’s feet.

If you want to know how to setup rehab and activation exercises into your program, check out the Net’s ONLY complete muscle building, strength training system – AMD

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Top 5 Bodyweight Training Exercises

Jedd Johnson — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:17:25 +0000

I wanted to put together a solid post about bodyweight training.

Many people don’t realize the benefits of bodyweight training because every magazine you see, there are dudes in the gym hitting weights.

But

With all training, there is a regression and progression to every exercise. For example a regression for hanging leg lifts is performing a plank. The progression would performing the movement with a med ball between your feet.

Another example would be a bench press. Many people can’t do a conventional bench press because of existing shoulder issues, their form is bad or they just don’t have access to the equipment.

Push-ups are a great alternative. Not only can you perform push-ups with various hand positions but you can also do them from an elevated surface extending the range of motion for the shoulders and engage more muscle fibers.

Bodyweight Training Benefits:

free
versatile, many different variations
can be done anywhere
improves movement
improves relative strength
can improve reactive strength

Here Are My Top 5 Bodyweight Movements

Which ones did I miss? Leave a comments with your favorites!

Push-ups

Not only builds up the chest, shoulders and triceps, but is a great stabilizer of the torso and lower back.

Can be done with various hand, feet and elevated positions. Push-ups variations such as EQI’s, hindus and push-up plus are incredible rehabilitative exercises.

Bodyweight Squats

This basic movement has huge benefits! It can be an indicator for ankle, hip and thoracic mobility or it can be an incredible conditioning tool.

Perform them against the wall to drill proficiency and technique or perform linked in a bodyweight circuit.

You can also create a complex linking with a plyometric movement like sprints, jumping or zig zag hops.

Pull-ups

One of the biggest mass builders for the back, pull-ups are also one of the most versatile.

How to Modify the Pull-up:

varying grip element (towel, thick rope, offset grip)
modifying linear movement; you can perform side to side movement, you can perform a leg lift or l-sit with each rep
overload the movement with a bookbag between your feet.

Remember if you can’t do a pull-up, inverted rows are an excellent choice!

Bulgarian Split Squats

I really like this movement because it not only builds muscle and leg strength, but it also improves hip mobility and knee stability. If you have a bookbag with some books in it, you can hold it during this movement overhead, in a zercher or bear hug at the chest or out in front of you.

Don’t forget, elevating your front leg on a box will extend the range of motion for this exercise. Also, an EQI in this position is amazing for rehabbing hip and knee issues.

Ab Roll Outs

A more advanced modification to a plank, this movement forces torso rigidity for better movement and increased strength potential for compound, ground-based exercises.

The difference between this movement and a plank is that movement of the upper body is engaged while the torso remain rigid (resisting extension). Many of you know that there are some pretty innovative modifications to this exercise in Combat Core.

I have an image of an ab roller but you can also use blast straps or gymnastic rings to mimic the movement.

I need your opinion! Leave a comment with your favorite bodyweight exercises!

My buddy Ryan Magin actually just came out with his cool bodyweight at home training system.

Foam Training – Innovative Training Solutions – Article and Video

Jedd Johnson — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:11:45 +0000

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.

_________________________________________________________

Quick Studies:

As you learned in the Chaos Manual:

Unstable foam surface = good rehab

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.”

_________________________________________________________

1. Hand Walking

Taking the concept of activating the lower body with the foam, we can also activate the upper body.

Benefits of Hand Walking on Foam:

Activate the traps, rhomboids, serratus anterior, pectorals, shoulders
Vibrational training – reflexive/reactive motor unit activation, contraction and recruitment
Stability of the shoulder
Wrist, finger mobility

2. Marching

By marching on the foam, you will be activating and rehabbing the musculature of the lower body.

Benefits of Marching on Foam:

Activate the quads, gastrocs, soleus
Vibrational training – reflexive/reactive motor unit activation, contraction and recruitment
Stability of the knee
Mobility of the ankles and toes

3. Box Squat

Foam can be inserted on top of a conventional box squat box or platform.

Benefits of Foam on a Box Squat:

Breaks the eccentric / concentric chain
Enforces the need to contract harder and dynamically accelerate off the box and out of the hole
Helps novice lifters progress as they learn how to utilize box appropriately and not collapse onto the box

4. Ab Rolling on Foam

Foam can be placed under the support base for ab rolling.

Benefits of Ab Rolling on Foam:

Activate the rectus abdominus, hip flexors, internal / external obliques
Vibrational training – reflexive/reactive motor unit activation, contraction and recruitment

5. Bulgarian Split Squats on Foam

Foam can be placed under the lead leg while performing Bulgarian split squats.

Benefits of Bulgarian Split Squats on Foam:

Activate the quads, glutes, hamstrings
Stability of the knee
Mobility of the hips, ankles and toes
Vibrational training – reflexive/reactive motor unit activation, contraction and recruitment

VIDEO

Too Fat to Fish

Jedd Johnson — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:28:41 +0000

When you immerse yourself in the world of Stern, many things will immediately become clear:

Robin does coffee enemas…a lot and is a 34 on the narcissism scale
Benji is bipolar
Fred is from Mars
Howard hates blogging, Facebook, twitter and all other forms of social media (even though his whole career is based on providing his listeners with minute by minute details of his life everyday, thanks Gary Vaynerchuk for that observation)
Artie snorted coke while wearing a pig costume for Mad Tv and he wrote a #1 best selling book, Too Fat to Fish

The book is named Too Fat to Fish because that is what Artie’s mom said to him when he told her he was going fishing.

Now even though Artie is a recovering heroine addict, has a passion for the Boss and throws CD’s when he is mad – you can’t help but love the guy.

His whole persona is that he is “every guy”. Worked manual labor jobs while he was struggling as a comedian, and never had a silver spoon in his mouth.

He is also a brilliant comic.

But Artie has a problem.

He is obese. He overeats. Either from emotional baggage, because he is bored or he just loves food and always has.

If you don’t listen to the show, you might not know it, but Artie was an athlete growing up. Always participating in sports and has even won challenges on the show for softball and basketball.

So why am I telling you this?

You will never get Artie in the gym, never. He won’t even consider it, BUT if you understand him and his background, there are alternatives.

As with all your clients.

If Artie was your client, what would you do to get him active again? Take him to the park and throw baseball with him, get him on the basketball court just playing a few simple games of H.O.R.S.E.

EXACTLY!

Get to know your clients and you’ll understand what works for them and will get them excited about getting fit.

There are TONS of tools out there; thick ropes, kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, pick up game of basketball and everything else. Try different ones out and look for that spark.

Check out my new muscle building system that you can implement immediately to help you and your clients reach your goals.

Ready for sports this summer? Need to improve your power? Check out Combat Core.

LIVE BROADCAST – Did you miss our live broadcast this weekend? Check it out HERE

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Diesel TV – Watch a Live Workout!

Jedd Johnson — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:26:57 +0000

Watch a live workout tomorrow during your lunch.

Saturday, 3/27/09, High Noon 12pm (EST)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

I will update this post with the live broadcast link tomorrow. I will also twitter and send out a newsletter for everyone.

Something else, I need your help. Pick our conditioning for after the workout. Email me at smitty [dot] diesel [at] gmail.com with your pick:

1. DB Circuit; DB Press + DB Snatch, or
2. Spin Bike, Heavy Bag Getups, Ab Roller, or
3. Modified Treadsled

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Smitty

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