The ’70s and ’80s saw the birth of the globo-gym era and with it a limited, narrow conception of what training looked like. Most people who exercised chose either bodybuilding or “aerobics.”

Despite all the headbands and flashy colors, aerobics was not much different than a lot of the popular weight loss programs of the modern world. The basic concept was to move a lot and you’d lose weight. It works. There doesn’t need to be a lot of rhyme or reason. More movement tends to have that effect.

Where aerobics focused on shrinking the body, bodybuilding was all about isolating muscle groups to make them as large as possible. Thus, the majority of weightlifters flocked to machines where they would individually work their biceps, triceps, pecs, shoulders, quads, hamstrings, abductors, and calves.

Knee extensions and lat pull-downs replaced squats and pull-ups. When weightlifters used free-weights they, likewise, isolated individual muscles, doing preacher curls, and skull crushers. Of course, there is an obvious exception—the bench press.

Like the monks of the dark ages who copied the works of Plato and Aristotle, only a rare few kept alive the compound movements. Typically these were athletes who, driven by a need to perform, remained committed to finding the best way to train the human body. This is to train movement patterns, not isolated muscles.

All humans are athletes, at least in how they are meant to move. We must maintain the fundamental human movement patterns: the push (vertical and horizontal), the pull (vertical and horizontal), the hip hinge and hip dominant movement family, the squat and knee dominant movement family, and locomotion.

Compound Movements Are Effective

Today, compound movements have been restored to their rightful place atop the exercise hierarchy. Whether you are trying to lose weight, tone, or add muscle, your program almost certainly involves squats, lunges, hinges, hip thrusts, rows, and presses.

But does it combine these movements? You probably do RDL’s and maybe you’ve even worked up to one of my favorites, the single leg RDL. But have you done a single leg RDL row? By adding a rowing motion at the bottom of the hinge your glutes, core, and balance are worked even harder.

There are tons of these double compound movements that can be combined to create a fast, extremely powerful training effect. Because they combine multiple movements at once they get more work done in less time.

Try the following circuits, where I pick six of my favorite double compound movements and combine them for a fast, extremely metabolic training dose.

Double Compound Circuit 1

3 Rounds of:

1. Thruster – x10
2. RDL Rows – x5 per side
3. Alternating Glute Bridge Crunch – x5 per side

Double Compound Circuit 2

3 Rounds of:

1. Sumo Deadlift High-Pull – x10
2. Atomic Push-Ups – x10
3. Renegade Row – x10 per side
4. Split Squat Chop – x5 per side

Variation of deadlift high pull courtesy of Greg Walsh of Wolf Brigade.

Fitness For Busy Schedules

That is it—both circuits hit every muscle in your body. You’ll be soaked in sweat in no time at all. These circuits are perfect for fitting in a lot of fitness on a busy day, or for those days where you want to start with a lot of skill work and end with a bang.

For more unique exercise combinations check out my Push, Pull, and Thrive program.

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For a number of years, when I lived in an apartment in Arizona, I trained with a barbell and some weight plates out in the desert. I’d fit the barbell and plates into my vehicle any way I could. Training with a large variety of implements has always been my forte, but it doesn’t mean I can’t hang with a barbell.

The problem with only training with a barbell is that it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. That’s okay if you are into Olympic weightlifting (the true power sport) or powerlifting (the true strength sport). You’ve got to focus on what you will compete in if you are going to compete in it.

But that has never been me. I’ve always preferred some diversity with my constancy. So I’d take my metal pole and plates, head out to the desert, and find a flat spot to train. No rack, no bench, no spotters, no fans, no mirrors, and no music.

It was just me and the metal, enduring dry-dusty-wind coupled with convection-oven-strength sunshine. Sometimes a coyote or two would meander by, or perhaps some javelina. I always had a good-sized water jug and perhaps some watered-down Gatorade with me. Gatorade was just too sweet, so I’d cut it with water so I wouldn’t consume so much sugar. Boom, baby! You’ve got G2. I like to think I invented it.

So there I was, doing my thing with the metal. What would you do?

When it’s just you, a barbell, and the desert sun, you get creative.

The Sonoran Routine

Most people would probably deadlift. Not too much thought to figure that one out. Many would probably do some rows, curls, or maybe some overhead presses. I did all that on some days.

Often I would do something more like this:

• Hang power clean and press 3×3
• Power clean and push press 3×3
• Clean and jerk 3×1-3 reps
• A few sets of overhead squats

On a different day:

• Hang snatch 3×5
• Power snatch, lower to shoulders and then drop snatch 3×3
• Snatch 3-5×1-3 reps
• Several sets of front squats

Sprinkle In Some Diversity

Keep in mind, I wasn’t training to compete in a weightlifting contest. I was training because I loved it and wanted to get stronger, faster, and tougher. I wanted athletic ability. And to develop that, you need two things I mentioned earlier: constancy and diversity. Constancy is measurable, programmable, and easily tested. You know right where you are at all times. It’s a must for making progressive gains in gym performance.

But the outside world is different. Sports are different. You face diversity all the time – or at least, I hope you do, otherwise life gets pretty boring. This is where adding some diversity in your training comes in. A little sprinkled here and there can open up worlds of ability and competence.

Thus, the articles on bear-hug squats, one shoulder squats, impact training, and other fun little things. These are forms of diversification in your training. You are forced to adapt and overcome in order to perform. Each little bit of diversity gives you something in return. Rotating these around adds to your ability to adapt. Diversification keeps the brain-body connection engaged.

Trade Your Shovel for a Fishin’ Pole

So let’s go back to the desert. Naturally, me being me, I started to get creative. Now, if I showed you everything I did, you might go off and try it all yourself, then end up such a huge hurtin’ unit you might swear off lifting ever again. So with that in mind, I’ll give you one thing I played around with at that time. Some might call it a shovel lift. With a shovel lift people try to imitate lifting a shovel full of dirt and do all sorts of odd movements, twisting and rotating. Also, with the shovel lift people choke way up the handle near the weight. Why? Because it’s easier to lift as you have better leverage.

The lift I’m going to show you is a bit different, so I call it “fishin’ pole and carry.” You will be lifting nearly straight up with very poor leverage. I doubt you know anyone who can do this with a 45lb plate. So, start with just a bar to get used to it. I purposely limited myself to 10lb for the pics. I didn’t want to influence anyone into trying too much too soon. These are brutal. You’ll soon find out why.

The 4-Week Fishin’ Pole and Carry Challenge

Go somewhere by yourself. You don’t want to have to explain what you’re doing to the gym-bros.

So, here’s this month’s challenge:

1. Go somewhere so no one will see you. First off, you don’t want to have to explain what you are doing. Secondly, you will probably be embarrassed about how little weight, if any, you can handle. This is okay, since it’s not about the weight. It’s about how you use your body and leverage your strength.
2. Grab a bar. Get on one end in a staggered stance and with your left hand grab the bar right up near the inside of the collar. Place the right hand right on the end of the bar. You will not change hand positions. Keep your hands welded right where I have them in the picture. You can change hand position once you get vertical only if you are going to do a vertical carry.
3. Lift the end up that you are grabbing and keep your right arm near your groin. Now brace yourself and press down with the right arm as you lift with the left arm. It’s like a giant fishing pole. You are pushing and pulling and leaning at the same time. Keep your arms straight until you get the bar a ways above the horizontal.
4. Keep pressing and pulling and lift that bar to the point where the weight transfers back into your body and it’s fairly easy to hold there. Lower the bar carefully back to the ground, reset yourself, brace and press/pull it up again. Perform 3-5 reps. This is not a high-rep movement. A little goes a long way.
5. On the last rep, pull the bar up to vertical and let it lay back against your shoulder area. Adjust your grip and hand spacing and take the bar for a walk of 60 feet or so.
6. Set the bar down, but remember – if you try to tilt the bar back down from vertical and set it on the ground, you will find it very difficult. I don’t recommend that. Instead, simply lower the end in your hands straight down to the ground. Squat down to put the vertical bar down gently or you can let the bar slide down through your hands until the end hits the dirt. From there simply walk the bar back down to the ground.
7. Now switch everything around and work the other side. Keep working back and forth on each side including the carries, resting as you feel the need. When you’re able to work for about ten minutes with that weight, add a small amount to the opposite end of the bar for the next session. You can simply do 3-5 sets each side if you want.

Once the bar is against your shoulder, you can squat it to the ground (left) or let it slide through your hands (right).

You can also eliminate the carries and just work on the lifts. However, doing the carries in this position with the light weight is a nice recovery effort that hits the body a bit different. Practicing this lift 2-3 times per week is plenty.

Take your time before adding any weight to the end of the bar, and only jump up by a kilogram (2.2lb) or 2.5lb per weight increase. Be sure to get real tight and brace yourself to receive the leverage this will apply to your body. It is totally unlike most lifts you will ever do. Don’t attempt to see how much you can lift or you might pull something. Really, if you push too hard too soon this lift can tear you up. Get tight and stay tight throughout this lift.

Stay focused, and control the lift from start to finish. Don’t relax until you have set the bar back on the ground and are standing fully upright. Gradually build up your leveraging strength and give your body and tendons time to adapt to this strange lift or it will bite you. Remember, “Festina lente”—“Make haste slowly.”

Torque, Leverage, and Unexpected Strength

This lift has teeth, so be careful. It will hammer you and teach you that the body has many ways of using its strength and leverage. Your body will be dealing with torque from various angles. It will develop that odd-ball strength many laborers and multi-sport players have, what I like to call “unexpected strength.”

So there you go. Have at it and let me know what you think. If constancy is the progression, diversity is the application. Improvise, adapt, overcome. Unexpected strength is coming at you!

More Unusual Protocols for Unexpected Strength:

• Rev Up Your Horsepower: An Interval Weight Training Plan
• Build Bulletproof Strength: Rotational Exercises for Athletes
• Take Your Strength to the Next Level With Ipsilateral Crawling

The post A 4-Week Challenge to Develop Unexpected Strength appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

For sports like baseball, discus, hammer, and shotput throwing, rotational training is a no-brainer, as it closely mimics the actions of competition. But postural strength is an important factor in all sports performance. Not only does a strong core protect our internal organs from injury, but it also allows us to maintain a stiff torso whilst being under external forces. This prevents the spine from moving in ways it’s not supposed to move. Just think of a football player getting tackled, or a strongman under a yoke.

A Three-Tiered Approach

Training rotational force strengthens anti-rotational properties, or our ability to stay facing forward and upright under external force. Using this training for anti-rotational purposes can be key to success even in events like sprinting, where minimising torso spin is critical to creating maximal downward force.

Rotational work often gets negative reviews because it can place a high amount of stress on the spine if done poorly. However, when done correctly in a way that allows for hip movement, it can be highly effective for sport performance and transfer of power.

I like to take a three-tiered approach:

• Rotational exercises: Working with trunk rotation
• Anti-rotational exercises: Not allowing rotation during the movement
• Offset exercises: Creating stress through imbalance.

Let’s have a look at a few fantastic exercises for each approach.

Rotational Exercises: 1. Russian Twist

This can be done either seated on the floor or using a decline bench. To increase the intensity on the lower abdominals, hold a dumbbell or weight plate in your hands, and rotate side to side under control. If you are seated on the floor, keep your feet elevated. However you do it, make sure to maintain good posture.

Rotational Exercises: 2. Medicine Ball Rotation Throw

Holding a medicine ball or slam ball, stand perpendicular to a solid wall (or you can throw to a partner). Throw the ball as hard as possible against the wall, rotating at the hips. You can also use the rebound (or throw back from your partner) to gain anti-rotational strength by absorbing the impact.

Rotational Exercises: 3. Woodchop

Can be done with a cable machine, resistance band, or even a weight plate. If using a cable or band, stand perpendicular to the fixture and turn at the torso, allowing hip rotation, then push away. Control the movement on the eccentric until complete.

Anti-Rotational Exercises: 1. Pallof Press

Using a cable machine or resistance band, start similarly to a woodchop, but hold the attachment at the torso. Maintaining upright posture, press the attachment away from your body until your arms are locked out in front of you, then return. This completes 1 rep. Ensure you maintain an upright posture throughout. Do not allow the resistance to turn your body.

Anti-Rotational Exercises: 2. Plank Variations

Hold yourself off the floor using your forearms and toes, creating a straight line from your shoulders down to your feet. Do not allow your hips to sag or lift too high. Create constant tension in the abdominals and glutes to maintain posture. Variations include side planks and changing the amount of points of contact with the floor (i.e. 2 feet + 1 hand, 2 hands + 1 foot etc.)

Anti-Rotational Exercises: 3. Rollouts

Using an ab wheel or loaded barbell (light to begin with), kneel on the floor and roll forward while maintaining a strong posture. Do not allow your hips to break the line by sagging or lifting. Continue forward until you feel you cannot hold position, then return to the start. To increase the intensity you can progress to starting on your toes.

Offset Exercises: 1. Briefcase Carries

This is a one-handed farmer’s carry, so grab a heavy dumbbell, kettlebell, or farmer’s handle and walk for a set distance. The difficulty here is maintaining an upright posture under an uneven load. Focus on staying upright and creating tension through the mid-section.

Offset Exercises: 2. Uneven Farmers Walks

Use farmers handles or dumbbells, but hold different weights in each hand. This places a higher stress on one side of the body, so it is important to create tension and maintain posture.

Offset Exercises: 3. Overhead Walks

Holding dumbbells, a loaded barbell, or a yoke frame above your head at lockout, walk forward for a set distance. The yoke frame will be the most difficult of these, as it will sway forward and back, challenging the integrity of your posture. It is essential to brace throughout and focus on maintaining correct form.

A 360-Degree View of Strength

There are many more exercises you could add, but I suggest starting with these and branching out from there. Focus on technique, and remember not to twist too far or too fast with the rotational work. When applicable, always turn the hips with the torso.

Hours upon hours of crunches are a thing of the past for athletes. Take a 360-degree view of strength by including rotational and anti-rotational exercise in your programming. You’ll get stronger and look pretty good – always a bonus, right?

More on Core Stability:

• Unleash Hellacious Power With the Tall Kneeling Unilateral Pull
• Spine Stabilization: How Your Core Should Be Working
• Do You Know What Your Core Really Is and What It Does?
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photo 1 courtesy of Shutterstock.

All other photos courtesy of Rob Nitman.

The post Build Bulletproof Strength: Rotational Exercises for Athletes appeared first on Breaking Muscle.