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What’s up Diesels?

I bet you are all kicking some serious butt in the gym and setting some huge PR’s – that is freakin’ awesome. Keep it up!

As I did last year, I went through all of the videos I uploaded to my YouTube Channel this year and picked out the top 10 most watched videos. They all appear below along with a little description and a link to their related article, in case you’d like to read more about the feat, drill, or Q & A.

Before you drop down and start watching and reading, I also want to say THANK YOU to all of you for helping me reach a goal of mine some time in November, of reach 1 MILLION views on YouTube.

In the Fall, maybe September, I noticed my views were up there pretty high and that 1 MILLION by the end of 2012 was a possibility, so I set that as a goal of mine. However, I never looked back to check my progress until just last week. To my surprise, I had reached and surpassed that goal, and I am now at 1,032,000+ views.

Also, one of my goals this year was to reach the mark of 2,000 subscribers. I was able to attain this in late Spring/early June, and I am not currently at 2500+ subscribers.

While you don’t get a prize for 1 Million view or 2500 subscribers, hitting these numbers does mean that I have been able to reach more people. I feel I bring very high quality information through my YouTube channel, plus it helps me spread the word about Grip Training and Grip Sport, two things I just love to do.

Going forward, I want you to know that I welcome you to share my videos with your friends, colleagues, and on-line contacts, whether you post them on your Blog or put them up on forums, Facebook, etc. In fact, when you do share or post one of my videos, send me a note and I will do my best to promote it as well, and bring more viewers to your site, blog, or other on-line place of interest.

The only thing I ask you not to do is to copy whole entire articles off my site and paste them on yours – that’s just not cool.

I will be setting some goals for next year very soon, and I will be sure to share them with you. Any help you can provide me, I appreciate it. If you have a YouTube channel and you would like to work together on a cross-promotion, or some other idea, please let me know.

Alright, Diesels – here are the Top 10 videos I posted to my channel this year, from 10th to 1st. First, I will post #10 through #6, and then tomorrow I will post #5 through #1.

I hope you enjoy them. All the best in your training, and Happy New Year to you all.

Jedd

#10 – Hardest Pull-ups Ever – 1369 Views

Rogue Fitness sent me a bunch of their equipment to use at my seminars, so I also took the opportunity to review each piece and put the video up on YouTube for everyone to see. Their equipment is all high quality, but the gear I have used the most this year has been the Pull-up Gear, especially the Globe and Dog Bone. Really cool stuff, and I especially like the ability to train a Pull-up style exercise and the Grip at the same time.

Related Article: Rogue Fitness Equipment Review Videos

#9 – Instant Relief from Back Pain – 1388 Views

Earlier this year, I was experiencing some nagging back and glute pain. I tried a lot of things to get rid of it and was unsuccessful, but to my surprise, when I did a few sets of Dips, something adjusted in my SI Joint area which gave me instant relief. This is something I used to do from time to time years ago, but got away from it. Be sure to give this a try if you have lower back or SI Joint Pain as well.

Related Article: Relief from SI Joint Pain with a Simple Exercise

#8 – Build Big Shoulders – 1504 Views

Earlier this year, I came to grips with the fact that the tightness in my torso, especially my pecs, was hindering my performance in various lifts. I did some research and tested out some nice stretches and mobility drills and found a few things that really benefited me. I am continuing drills such as these to this day and have been feeling much better, especially since reviewing Fix My Shoulder Pain.

Related Article: How Stretching and Mobility Work Helped My Overhead Pressing

#7 – Number 1 Tip for a Safe Deadlift – 1509 Views

I have worked with several people this year on various forms of the deadlift, and from this experience I have seen that you can have a perfect set-up for your back and core and then screw everything up BIG TIME by pulling the bar from the floor incorrectly. I call this incorrect “yanking” of the bar off the floor “shot-gunning” with my guys. The video above will explain this, and the post below will give you even more detail.

I reviewed an outstanding product on Deadlifting this year called Deadlift Dynamite from Pavel and Dragondoor. For many people, the thing holding them back the most on their deadlift is their Grip Strength, so I put together a special bonus called “Never Drop Another Deadlift.” This is currently available, ONLY to those who pick up Deadlift Dynamite through my affiliate links.

Related Article: You MUST Do This When You Deadlift

#6 – 1st Lift of Blobzilla – 1509 Views

Blobzilla was named by my friend Daniel Reinard, an excellent up-and-comer in Grip Sport. Earlier this year, we organized a group purchase of Blobzillas from the York Barbell Company and several of us lifted them. I was extremely excited to lift this Block Weight, as pinching is my favorite style of Grip Strength training.

Related Article: Blobzilla – Biggest York Block Weight Ever Lifted

#5 – First 400+ Axle Deadlift – 1804 Views

Finally this year I was able to attain several lifts at or above 400-lbs on the IronMind Axle. Despite these lifts, I still failed to pull 400-lbs in competition, but I am happy to have seen some progress on this lift, both at the beginning and towards the end of this year.

Related Article: IronMind Axle – 400 Pound Deadlift

#4 – Manus Grip Gear – 1997 Views

Some of my most popular videos on YouTube have been my equipment reviews. I always give my honest opinion on the equipment I review, and the Manus Equipment is no difference. I was very impressed with the Manus Equipment I got, especially the way it was all packaged, which far exceeds many other competitors’ products. I also liked the smoothness of their instant thick grip handles very much.

Related Article: Manus Grip Product Review

#3 – Fat Gripz Extreme Review – 2020 Views

Fat Gripz Extreme took the number 1 spot of all the instant thick grip handles I have reviewed this year. The handles are very large. In fact, they are larger in diameter than a soda can, making them a great addition to your training arsenal if you are a Grip Strength enthusiast. My favorite drill to use them on has been 20-rep Shrugs with 100-lb Dumbbells. This exercise is so freaking tough, I generally have to perform rest-pause sets in order to hit my goal of 20-reps per set. If you want to get these, check out the Fat Gripz website.

Related Article: Fat Gripz Extreme, Wrist Developer, Manus Hand Yoga

#2 – Fixing Elbow and Forearm Pain – 2905 Views

Many people have trouble with forearm and elbow pain like Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow. These are not just Grip Enthusiasts either. Everyone from Powerlifters to Strongmen, Office Workers to Manual Laborers, Athletes to Coaches. Rick Kaselj and I put together a program to help all of them out, called Fixing Elbow Pain, but I also wanted to put out this video showing one of the things I do to prevent Tennis Elbow, which combines the benefits of increased circulation and self myofascial release (SMR).

Related Article: Fixing and Preventing Forearm & Elbow Pain

#1 – The Knee Driver – Innovative Glute Activation Exercise – 4282 Views

The biggest video of the year was something I stumbled upon while working with my buddy, Mike Rinderle, on our DVD called Braced Bending: How to Destroy Everything in Your Path. I was looking for a way to replicate the way you kink a steel bar over your knee, and I grabbed a heavy resistance band and could not believe the activation I was getting in my glutes.

Related Article: Simple But Effective Glute Activation Exercise

And there you have it, DIESELS! The 10 videos that you made the most popular over the course of last year. Thanks for watching and subscribing. And remember, always feel free to share my videos around with your friends, colleagues, and contacts.

To sign up for email updates on new Blog posts, add your info to the block below.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

You Could Win a FREE DVD If You Can Beat This Time!

——————————–
Rules for the Contest
——————————–
TIME TO BEAT: 1:53  min:sec

1. Film yourself lunging with 50 lbs for 100 yards. You could hold 2 – 25lb dumbbells in your hand, or put a 50 lb sandbag on your shoulder, or a weighted back pack, it doesn’t matter.
2. Load video into Youtube with the title: Lunges of Death Contest Entry – www.DieselCrew.com
3. Email me at smitty [dot] diesel [at] gmail.com with the video link
4. Lunges must be legitimate, judged by me.

Entries are put into drawing to win renowned 2-Disc Combat Core DVD set HERE:

http://www.combatcorestrength.com/combat-core-DVD.htm

Here is some more footage of us training at John Alvino’s after the first day of the Fast Track event.

In this video, you’ll see plenty of axle deadlifting, both double overhand and reverse, some Rolling Thunder, working over the heavy bag, sumo deadlifts, and more.

Nothing like meeting new dudes and within a half an hour busting on each other and having fun at a workout. Lots of sh*t talking and plenty of new friends made that weekend!

Combat Core baby!

All the best in your training,

-Jedd-

Check out the last Alvino workout here ===>

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

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs | Build Muscle, Muscle Gaining Workouts | Build Muscle Membership Site

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!

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs | Build Muscle, Muscle Gaining Workouts | Build Muscle Membership Site

Got Torso Strength?

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!

If you want to learn more about strengthening the core, pick up the product that Eric Cressey called “the best product of 2008!”

Thanks everyone,

Smitty

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs | Build Muscle, Muscle Gaining Workouts | Build Muscle Membership Site

You might be wondering to yourself why is Konstantinov, arguably one of the best deadlifters in the world, wearing his belt so high in this deadlift video.

Well, to the untrained eye, his belt is WAY TOO high and he is going to get injured.

BUT,

Upon further inspection, you can see that through the years, Konstantinov has:

– perfected his deadlift form

– isolated and created strength and rigidity in the segments (lower lumbar L2-S1) of his spine that REQUIRE stability

– built up strength, thickness and muscle hypertrophy in the musculature surrounding* the spine in the area that resists anterior SHEAR forces under load.

* Most notably the longissimus thoracis.

When the spine is neutral the pennation of the longissimus aligns at approximately 45 degress to resist shear force, ie. protect your back and provide the stiffness to deadlift or squat without injury.

So, Konstantinov is using the belt correctly for his body type (antrhopometry).  He is bracing his abdominals outward via a powerful isometric contraction and utilizing intra-abdominal pressure to push out against the belt, which is aligned across the musculature taking the load, ie. the thoracic portion of the longissimus (one of the spinal erectors).

References:

Mcgill – Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance

Eric Cressey & Mike Robertson

Combat Core

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs

This video shows conventional cable tricep extensions with a twist. Adding a typical jumpstretch band (from EliteFTS.com) will turn this exercise into a killer workout. Do this after your primary work sets.

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs

This weekend was not only about building muscle and getting stronger, it was also about improving your business.

I just got back last night from the Passion into Profits seminar.  It was a great experience.  There was a TON of useful information and many great ideas on how to create systems, optimizing processes and standardizes what you do everyday.

Dave is making the seminar into a nice DVD that will be available soon.

We started the trip on Wednesday…
(more…)

AB(Duction) Band Squats

Benefits:
No More Knee Pain
Hit Your Squat Depth
Improve Hip Mobility
Activates Glutes
Activates / Strengthens Hip Abductors
Improves Patella Tracking

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs

Here is footage of Brad and Eli squatting.

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs

Here is a video of some unique step-up squat variations.

VERSIONS
1. Standard – Straight down with back leg, focusing on driving through lead leg
2. Extended Back Leg – Creating more of a hip dominant movements, increasing hip strength mobility
3. Extended Back Leg onto FOAM – Creating more of a hip dominant movements, increasing hip strength mobility, forcing all the focus on the lead leg, negating driving off back foot

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs

How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs

Here is a recent post directed to me on the Elite Q/A:

Jim what are your 5 favorite standing abdominal movements?

____________________________________________________

Cory,

In no particular order, here are some of the top abdominal exercises.

– zercher squat, bracing the torso, under tension, while engaging movements of the lower body

– explosive med ball rotational throws, no deceleration

– core statics – lateral shuffles with agitation and breathing regulation, anti-rotation

– pull-ups – upper back muscular is an essential component of core strength

– deadlifts – full body movement requiring bracing (rigidity) and is essential for developing posterior chain, the other half of the core

________________________________________________

Why are pull-ups and essential part of core strength?  What is torso rigidity?  How do you perform zercher squats correctly?  Check out Combat Core!

Tom won a unanimous decision over Kyle Kingsbury Saturday night!  Unfortunately, he injured his hand and he is working to get that healed up right now.  Tom was an animal with his training and completed some of the toughest conditioning circuits I’ve created during the lead up to the fight.

We here at Diesel are proud of Tom!

Tom is looking at his next fight in the UFC at 185, so he is going to be dropping down to a more natural weight.

Here is Tom giving a shout out on MMA Junkie – CLICK HERE FOR THE DIESEL MENTION

Utilizing an Elite Swiss Bar, grappler presses build isometric and decelerative strength in the biceps, shoulders and back.  Football players, grapplers, combat athletes, rugby players and many other sports will benefit from this movement.

Here is the video that I promised for this previous post located here:

http://www.dieselcrew.com/tire-flipping-modification/

It is not hard to incorporate strongman training techniques in your athletes programs, but you have to make sure the technique is right.

Otherwise, the benefit will not outweigh the risks.

Key points:

– Do not deadlift the tire
– Keep arms straight
– Hips back
– Drive through the tire
– Do not deadlift the tire

If you are TOO CLOSE TO THE TIRE when flipping (i.e. deadlifting the tire) when you STAND UP you are in a bad spot and have to wrestle with the tire with your biceps. Also, a more athletic position starts with your hips back (in about a 45deg angle) and driving forward.

The video also demonstrates a quick way to modify a tire to make it easier for younger athletes or for tires with bad tread and low profiles.

Smitty

Most strength coaches teach tire flipping all wrong!

Are you in this group?

Do you tell your athletes to get real close to the tire, setup in a deadlift stance and lift.

WRONG!

You are immediately in a mechanical disadvantage, especially with a larger tire. To improve leg drive and explosiveness you have to setup with your feet and hips back and assume a posture at about a 45 degree incline.  If you are too close, after the initial lift, you’ll be fighting with the tire on your knee and with your biceps in a bad position.  Watch the pros, their hips are back and they drive the tire with their chest, not lift straight up.

Do you tell your athlete to lift straight up?

WRONG!

You have to drive through the tire with your chest, not lift with your arms. That is the first step in tearing or irritating your biceps.  And this will not work with a larger tire.  Your arms should be straight and with no degree of flexion.  You will get away with it with a smaller (lighter) tire, but you should drill good form so that as you progress to larger tires, you don’t run into problems.

VIDEO COMING…

Smitty

Leave your comments – how does Dana’s form look?  Any technique adjustments?

Check out this video:

Smitty

Nick McKinless

Photo courtesy of beyondstrong.typepad.com

Tip #1 – Falling Forward in the Hole

– Keep elbows facing down

– Chest up, head up

– Keep weight on heels

– Force abdominals out, create intra-abdominal pressure with breathing

– Incorporate Anderson (bottoms-up) squats at various pin levels

– Incorporate RDL’s, back extensions, bent over rows, good mornings and pullthroughs

Tip #2 – Not Going Deep Enough

– Work on hip mobility

– Stretch and activate glutes / rectus femoris / psoas

– Work on ankle mobility

– Widen stance slightly, toes turned out, knees tracking over toes

– Incorporate more full range, single leg movements

– Just go lower!

Tip #3 – Upper Back Rounding / Shoulders & Elbows Hurting

– work on thoracic mobility

– develop upper back musculature

– technique, technique, technique

– improve scapular mobility and strength of serratus anterior

– utilize specialty barbells until improvement is seen from corrective exercises

– incorporate more rowing and external rotation movements

– check mobility of opposite hip and ankle

Smitty

If you’ve been visiting Diesel for a while or read any of our articles, you know we’ve been hyping grip strength training for years. It is the endpoint of the kinetic chain and power is expressed through the hands.

Training for his upcoming fight Jens Pulver hits us with a very innovative training tip for grip strength.

Check it out:

Smitty

Rumor has it that a Kimbo vs. Tyson bout is a possibility. Kimbo first has to get through James “The Colossus” Thompson on May 31st. I last pics I saw of Tyson, he was about 300 lbs. That much weight on a 5′ 10″ frame isn’t a good thing for the former champ.

Obviously the fight would be a publicity stunt and wouldn’t prove anything as far as Kimbo’s legitimacy, but I’m sure Tyson could use the money.

I’ve been a Tyson fan since the beginning and think he was one of the top 5 heavyweights of all time, but Kimbo is in his prime right now (even though he is in his mid-30’s) and Tyson is far from his fighting weight.

It wouldn’t make it out of the first round, Kimbo by KO.

Weigh in with your predictions…

Smitty

Check out the May issue of Men’s Fitness. They did a trainer spotlight on me and it appears in the back.
Here is the transcript:
Trainer spotlight: Jim Smith: the brains behind our brawn
CREDENTIALS: “Smitty”, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.), is an expert on old-school fitness methodologies, such as kettle-bell and strongman training, and is a strongman competitor. He is co-owner of the Diesel Crew, a strength and conditioning business.
PHILOSOPHY: “I like helping athletes of all skill levels and with all different goals achieve beyond their potential.”
TOP THREE TIPS:
1. Be comprehensive. “Your routines should always include a thorough warm-up prior to any activity, then engage a variety of movements during training, and ultimately pay attention to recovery afterward.” In other words, use foam rollers and free-weight exercises, and practice good nutrition.
2. Never do the same thing twice. If you’re lifting heavier weights or performing more reps each session, you’re making progress. If you aren’t, you’re wasting your time. “Every workout has to be more intense than the last one. You want to create a cycle of breakdown, recovery, and supercompensation to increase muscle size and strength levels.”
3. Reverse your training. “For every pushing move you do for your chest, you need to do a pulling one to keep your back in balance. So just by reversing the directions you lift, you’ll get stronger and avoid injury.”
Learn more about Smith’s training methods at dieselcrew.com.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
Smitty

Check out the May issue of Men’s Fitness. They did a trainer spotlight on me and it appears in the back.

Here is the transcript:

Trainer spotlight: Jim Smith: the brains behind our brawn

CREDENTIALS: “Smitty”, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.), is an expert on old-school fitness methodologies, such as kettle-bell and strongman training, and is a strongman competitor. He is co-owner of the Diesel Crew, a strength and conditioning business.

PHILOSOPHY: “I like helping athletes of all skill levels and with all different goals achieve beyond their potential.”

TOP THREE TIPS:

1. Be comprehensive. “Your routines should always include a thorough warm-up prior to any activity, then engage a variety of movements during training, and ultimately pay attention to recovery afterward.” In other words, use foam rollers and free-weight exercises, and practice good nutrition.

2. Never do the same thing twice. If you’re lifting heavier weights or performing more reps each session, you’re making progress. If you aren’t, you’re wasting your time. “Every workout has to be more intense than the last one. You want to create a cycle of breakdown, recovery, and supercompensation to increase muscle size and strength levels.”

3. Reverse your training. “For every pushing move you do for your chest, you need to do a pulling one to keep your back in balance. So just by reversing the directions you lift, you’ll get stronger and avoid injury.”

Learn more about Smith’s training methods at dieselcrew.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Smitty