There are two strength coaches out there that talk about something that is called irradiation or radiant tension. Pavel Tsatsouline has been talking about irradiation for many years and the boys from the Diesel Crew, Jedd and Smitty have been the leading authority on grip strength for years.  I remember years ago first discovering them and watching there garage videos thinking these guys were nuts but they were on to something that is invaluable to anyone looking to get in great shape.  Your grip strength is a extremely important component to a solid program.  Jedd talks about radiant tension which in simple terms means utilizing your grip strength and musculature to create tension throughout your arm and into your shoulder making the entire area a stronger unit working as one.  While you are sitting there reading this do me a favor and squeeze your fist as hard as you can for 30 seconds.  When you do this you will feel your entire arm up into your shoulder get tense.  This tension is what can save your shoulder.

Many times when performing exercises we think about specific muscles however we do not think about using them as one unit to create a stronger unit of muscles.  When doing a military press we think of pressing with our shoulders and triceps yet we forget that we are or at least should be grounding our heels to the floor, contracting our glutes and core and flexing our lats to stabilize the weight at our start and finish position.  We should be thinking of using the body together as a unit and allowing muscles to help each other in achieving the lift.

When we take about creating tension in our grip we are creating tension in our entire arm and shoulder which in turn enhances strength of the shoulder.  Now we should always strive to have mobility in the shoulder joint however when performing exercises such as a overhead press or anything that has to do with the shoulder joint we must learn how to create tension and stabilize it to keep it safe and out of harms way.  The bottoms up kettlebell exercises below will do just that.

Below you will find some really basic exercises that you can turn into some invaluable tools to increase your grip strength, shoulder strength along with the exercises working the heck out of your core and teaching you how to engage your lat muscles during a overhead press.  This last one is really something that many don’t realize but is a tremendous tool to increase your overhead pressing strength.  If you learn how to engage your lat to pull the weight down from overhead you will find your strength skyrocket.  It is basically all about creating that tension throughout your body and learning how to make your muscles work like a unit of one.

Check out the video below and leave me a comment letting me know what you think……..if you have any questions pertaining to the exercises let me know.

Here is a list of the reason the kettlebell windmill is such a great exercise.

1. Decrease Back Pain
When we have lower back pain it is usually a sign of a couple of things taking place or rather not taking place in the body. Lower back pain can be caused by limited range of motion of our hamstrings. Improper function of our glutes muscle and weak core muscles. By increasing the range of motion and increasing flexibility in your posterior chain muscles like the hamstrings and glutes the lower back is alleviated from pain. The windmill position causes us to put a great stretch on our hamstrings which will usually take some stress off of the low back. What it also does is require us to brace our core in order to perform the movement and when we strengthen the core we are decreasing the amount of load gets displaced in the low back causing our pain.

2. Increased Range of Motion in the Hamstrings
The kettlebell windmill will primarily work on increasing the range of motion in your hamstrings. You cannot perform this exercise without it doing so. What I really like about the windmill is it stretches each leg individually instead of together. This allows for greater increases in each hamstring muscle because one leg is not compensating and doing the work for the other. The other nice thing about this movement is it teaches us how to fire our hamstring and glute muscles from a stretched position. In order to get up from the bottom position of the windmill you must ground your heel into the ground and fire the hamstring and glute muscles of the single leg.

3. Glute Activation
Much like the hamstring each glute muscle is being worked individually teaches us how to contract the glute muscle from the bottom position in order to get back up. This is extremely important for pretty much anyone. Without glutes being fired, you can forget about jumping, running, hitting, getting out of a chair or enjoying the midnight move:) O yeah and that back pain we talked about, that will still be present without working glute muscles.

4. Core Strengthening

The windmill is what we consider a Dynamic Integrated Stabilization exercise. While the main focus of the core is to protect your spine and back by bracing the core muscles, we are doing this in a dynamic way. Our hips are moving while our shoulders are stabilizing causing our core to work even harder to maintain it’s control of the movement being done.  This is a much more effective way of taking a basic core strengthening exercise and progressing it to increase the strength of the core musculature.

5. Shoulder Stabilization

Another awesome component of the windmill is the shoulder stability practice you get.  In order to hold a kettlebell in an over head position you are working all the stabilizers of the shoulder joint.   The windmill teaches one to pack the shoulder into it’s proper position and hold that position for a period of time while moving your body into different positions.  This will greatly decrease the risk of injury to the shoulder and give you a much healthy shoulder.

Here is a video of 3 progressions of the Kettlebell Windmill:

Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Here is a few tips that I think can help anyone out with their conventional deadlift.

1. Foot Position

There are two ways to figure out where to place your feet for a conventional deadlift. One way is to hang from a pull up bar and let go and land on the ground. When you land freeze and take not of where your feet landed. This is usually a good position for you to use in the conventional deadlift.

Another way which is shown in the video below is to squeeze your glute muscles and rock back and forth from foot to foot continuing to contract your glutes as hard as possible. Once you have contracted your glutes as much as possible stop rocking and take not of your feet. This is a great stance for the conventional deadlift because it allows you to be in a position to allow for full contraction of the glutes in the lift itself.

2. Bar Placement

Many times I see people place the bar extremely too close to there shins. This doesn’t allow the lifter to pull the bar at an angle toward his body. Many times if the bar is too close to our shins when we pull our hips will shoot out the back and raise up instead of contracting forward and under the bar.

Place the bar an inch or so away from the shin to start the lift. A good recommendation is to place the bar just across the back of the toes. This gives just enough space for a lifter to have a better angle of pull with the bar.

3. Tighten up the bar

The texas deadlift bar has a good amount of flex to it as do many bars made specifically to deadlift. This can cause a whip in the bar when pulled improperly and the whip can end a heavy rep real quick as well as potentially be dangerous. Most bars will bend given a certain amount of weight on them. A good tip for this is to get rid of the slack in the bar before leaving the ground. Once we set our feet, get in position and ready to pull I will tighten up my body and pull the slack out of the bar before I get the bar off the floor. I feel this creates tension in your entire body and through the bar.

4. Press Away from the Floor

Many times we are so caught up in the posterior chain and how we need to get the back of our leg muscles doing most of the work for a deadlift that we forget that we are still in somewhat of a squat position. What I try to teach and think about when I am deadlifting is pressing my heels into the ground at the start of the lift and pushing myself away form the ground. Your hamstrings and glutes will absolutely be working during this but if you can think about pushing yourself away from the ground through your quads the start of your lift will be much stronger and your posterior chain will finish the lift with much more in the tank. It can almost be taught like a leg press machine. If you have ever used a leg press and can think about when your legs are bent and the weight is close to the chest you have to push your feet into the platform of the machine and press that weight away from your body. When down in the start position of the conventional deadlift if you can think about the ground being the platform of a leg press machine and you have to push yourself away from the ground you will start the lift much stronger with more muscles involved.

Here is a video demonstrating these tips I have discussed. Leave a comment or if you have any questions just put it below in the comment section and I will be glad to help further.

Try practicing these 4 tips next time you deadlift and I think you will find that it will help a great deal. They have helped me close in on a 600 lbs pull which is more than 3x my bodyweight. Here is my latest pull of 580.

Today I did my intervals on the beach.  It felt great.  It was a beautiful day and it felt great to get some exercise in outside.  What better place to run than alongside the ocean.  This is just one of many ways to get your workout outside during the nicer whether.

Below is a video clip of a conditioning workout I did the other day in my backyard.  It was beautiful out and I had limited time to get a workout in so I hit a 25 minute metabolic session in at home.  Not much equipment needed and it was a GREAT workout.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Monday 4/12/10
1a. Incline DB Bench: 65x10x2, 75x10x2
1b. Bulgarian Split Squat: BWx15ea, 15x15ea, 15x12eax2

2a. CG Pulldowns: 105×15, 120x15x2, 120×10
2b. DB Forward Reaching Lunge w/ Side Lateral Raise: 15x12eax2, 20x12eax2

3a. Seated DB Alternating Shoulder Press: 25x12ea,30x12eax2,35x12ea
3b. Spidermans: BWx10 eax4

4a. Standing Barbell Curls: 55x15x4
4b. Elevated Push-ups b/t 2 Med Balls: BWx20,20,15,15

5a. Triceps Pressdown: 95x15x4
5b. MB Vertical Chop: 7kgx15x4

6a. Reverse Hyperextensions: 120x12x4
6b. Standing Chest Press w/ Bands: Yellow x 20×4

Tuesday 4/13/10
1a. DB Squat w/Shrug: 40x15x4
1b. 1 Arm Push-up w/ Arm Roll-out: BWx8eax4

2a. Bent Over BB Row: 140x12x4
2b. Seated Alternating DB Side Laterals: 25x12eax4

3a. DB Standing 1 Arm Overhead Press: 40x10eax4
3b. High2Lo Cable Chops: 50x12eax4

4a. Chest Supported Seated Rows (Elbows Out): 30x15x4
4b. Alternating Forward DB Lunge: 20×15,15,12,12ea

5a. Seated DB Alternating Curls: 35x10x4
5b. CG Push-ups off MB: BWx15x4

6a. Alternating Hand to Toe Touch from Plank: BWx12eax4
6b. DB Alternating Upright Rows: 35x12eax4

Surprisingly not that sore from mondays workout with the new plan.  I actually feel refreshed and am working up really good sweat so I feel good about that.

Wednesday 4/14/10
1a. One Arm DB Snatch: 40x8x2, 50x8x2
1b. DB Concentration Curls: 2x10eax2, 30x10eax2

2a. Flat DB Bench Press: 65×8,75×8,90x6x2
2b. DB Lateral Reaching Lunge w/ Fwd Push: 25x10eax4

3a. Seated DB Shoulder Press: 25×12,35×12, 45x12x2
3b. Reverse Lunge from a 4″box: BWx15eax4

4a. Conventional Deadlifts: 135×10, 185x10x3
4b. Triceps Pushdown w/band: Purplex20,15,15,15

5a. Alternating DB Clean & Press: 25x10eax4
5b. Push-ups off 2 Swiss Balls: BWx10x4

6a. Low2High Chops w/band: Double Yellowx12eax4
6b. Skater Lunges: BWx10eax4

Thursday 4/15/10

Off Day…….Just a long walk with Harley and Jules near the ocean today is about all I have planned.

Friday 4/16/10
1a.Barbell Hack Squat: 135x15x4
1b.Elevated Push-Ups on Swiss Ball: BWx20x4

2a.CG Chins:BWx10,8,8,8
2b.Elevated Push-Ups on 2 Swiss Balls: Bwx10x4

3a. Dips: BWx12,12,15,15
3b. Horizontal Chops w/ Band: Dbl Yellowx12eax4

4a. Cable Preacher Curls over Swiss Ball: 75x10x4
4b. KB Skulls: 12kgx12,16kgx12x3

5a. Cable Crossovers: 45x15x4
5b. TRX Inverted Row: BWx15x4

6a. Db Posterior Reaching Lunge w/ Press:20x8eax4
6b. Bicycle Abs: BWx15eax4

I am finishing my workouts within a 60 minute time period which is good for this week.  I would like to push that for the following week to 50 minutes to push my heart-rate up a bit higher.  So far I feel real good with my workouts and depending how I feel I am thinking of sprinting the prowler later tonight since I will be unable to train tomorrow.  Two of our girls are competing in a figure competition so it will be a long day and I will not be able to get a workout in.

Feel free to post any question you may have about the workouts below

This week I start a new phase of training which is much more metabolic as opposed to more strength based.  I have switched from a 2 day upper body and 2 day lower body split to a full body routine.  I have been feeling the need for a change in my workouts for a few reasons.  First reason is to create more oxygen debt in my workout.  I want to add more conditioning into my training and performing full body workouts will do the trick. Second is that I have been feeling beat up from the long term powerlifting program and  I feel the need to add more unilateral work into my routine.  Unilateral work will do two things for me.  It will help me correct any imbalances I have going on in my hips, core, and shoulders and it will also will increase the amount of time under tension my body will get.  Instead of doing 10 reps of squats which will take anywhere from 20-60 seconds,  I will do lunges which will double that amount of time since I have to do both sides.  This requires more work from the body metabolically and will cause a better environment to burn fat during my workouts.

I will be performing a rotation with my full body workouts which will look something like this:

Week 1: 5 Full Body Workouts in 7 Days
Week 2: 4 Full Body Workouts in 7 Days
Week 3: 3 Full Body Workouts in 7 Days
Repeat 3 times

This will give me a 9 week plan which will bring me about 3 weeks from my wedding.  I will add sprint training into this phase as the weeks go on.

My Sprint Training will consist of a few different variations.  They will be performed on the beach, up hills, and with the prowler as my body gets capable of handling more work.  I will also do sprints in the form of yards.  The 2 sprint workouts I like are 6x40yd sprints followed by 4x20yd on one day and the other day will consist of 4-8x100yd sprints.  I will vary the rest interval but for the first day it will be kept to 2-4 minutes between each sprint and around 8 minutes between the 100yd sprints.

My calories are pretty steady at 2250 with a 40-30-30 split.  This has been working well for me since I have been back from my vacation.  So I will keep my calories the same as I increase my workouts during the next few weeks.  I will adjust according to my results.

Stay Tuned for Updated Photos as well as my Training Log!

Mike

So what I get out of the clean up week is a average daily intake of calories that I am eating.  I started using fitday again which I haven’t done in years.  So after logging my food into fitday last week I came up with my daily caloric intake.  My average caloric intake was 2600 calories on average for 5 days of logging. With that number my first step is to maintain that amount of food for 1-2 weeks.  I do not want to drop my calories from the start because I want to give my metabolism a chance to get adjusted to maintaining a set number of calories for a small period of time before I create a deficit.  This caloric average can actually be maintain for 6-10 weeks before creating deficits from it.

At this point my goal for the next 2 weeks is to log 2600 calories EVERYDAY and keep my workouts exactly as is which I will get to later or in another blog.  I will follow this for 2 weeks in which point I will make a small adjustment to either my caloric intake or my exercise volume.  Notice I said I will make a change to one OR the other and not both.  This is key to determining what method actually works best at that time for you.  If I decrease my calories and add more exercise all at the same time I will never truly know what is causing the change in my physique.  So in two weeks I will make an adjustment to my plan.  For now the goal at hand is to get my workouts in 4 times per week with intensity,  and break my daily caloric intake down into how much is needed in each meal in regards to protein, carbs and fats and stay on a steady path for 2 weeks.

Tip of the Day: Remember to make yourself small attainable goals in order to not overwhelm yourself with the bigger picture.  I will prepare each days meals and have my workouts written out for the week in order to stay focused.

When it comes to the type of workout you should do, most people get it all backwards.  How bout this statement, “I heard I should lose some weight first before I start to workout with weights.”  What kind of crap is that?  I have never heard something more outrageously ridiculous as this one and yet I have heard this a thousand times from prospective clients at our facility.  People have   this fitness thing all backwards when it comes to losing bodyfat.  Weight training is THE #1 soultion for losing bodyfat.  Here are a few reasons why you should choose weight train as your first priority:

1. It increases your testosterone and growth-hormone levels better than any other form of training so you can quickly gain strength and muscle, even after a hiatus from exercise.

2. Weight training improves the strength of your ligaments and tendons, if the exercises are done in full range of motion.  This will decrease the chance of any overuse injuries as your training intensifies.

3. It boosts your metabolic rate because of the high caloric expenditure of multi-joint movements, as well as from the resulting increase in lean muscle you will experience after a few weeks to months of regular exercise.

So when you go to the gym tomorrow please do not jump on the treadmill or elliptical and do an hour of cardio as your first workout back.  Here is what I suggest you do:

1. Sign up for my newsletter and grab your gift which gives you the 10 Top Muscle Building Exercises

2. Head over to the dumbbells and grab a pair and get to work!

3. After your workout jump back over to this blog and post your workout for the day.  I will critic it for you and give you some feedback regarding your workouts.

Have a Great Workout!

Mike

DE Bench - 95 x 3 x 3, 115 x 3 x 6

*this was perform with a mini band doubled around the bar and band peg.  I use 3 different grips when doing speed bench.  Close grip, thumb from smooth and pinky on the ring are my grips and I do a set of each then repeat.

Accessory Work

1a. DB Bench Press – 50×6,65×3, 75×20, 75x 8,8,12 * couple extra reps this week.

2a. Fat Grip Pullups – BW x 8,8,8,8

2b. DB Power Cleans – 20×15,15,15

3a. Band Pushdowns – Monster mini x 25 x 3

3b. Iso-Hold DB Curls – 15 x 15ea. x 2

* This week I used the Tyler Grips which are fat rubber handles to put over the bar.

Cardio - I walked the treadmill for 30 minutes at an incline of 8 and a speed of 3.4,  I really do this to keep myself loose and get some recovery work for my hamstrings.

Post your Workout in the Comments Below!

1. Free Squat: barx10, 145×5, 195×5, 235×3, add briefs: 285×5, 325x5x2, 375×5

* this was performed to practice form more than anything else, I used the competition squat bar so the bar weighs 10lbs more therefore my numbers look a bit different. I also used my competition briefs which are metal ace briefs

2. SSB Reverse Lunge: bar x 10 each leg x 3 sets

* this was just to get some blood flow in my quads and some single leg work which I do less of during a competition cycle.

3a. GHR: BW x 10 x 3

3b. Fwd/Bwd Sled Drag: 3 Plates x 10 yds (2 laps) x 3

4a. Reverse Hypers: 200 x 12 x 3

4b. Pushups: BW x 20 x 3

4c. Seated Rev Grip Cable Row: 160 x 15 x 3

I did a little upper body to get some blood work in and break a little sweat.

Over all it was a really nice workout and I have been feeling really good. Looking forward to my meet in November.

Post your Workout in the Comments Below!