Dynamic Sports Performance

08/10/2021

shirts have been proven to increase your Deadlift by at least 30%, it’s simple science. .krajc making 275lbs look far too easy!👏🦾🦿

03/07/2021

Fight night and the fists are a flyin’. Heart going with Izzy but Jan is a scaaary man. Nunes by whatever she wants. Yan/Sterling is a coin flip to me. What ya’ll think?
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03/06/2021

⚡️COUNTERMOVEMENT VS. NON-COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMPS⚡️
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COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMPS are the most useful tool for learning how to use the Stretch-Shortening Cycle and Increasing Power. These closely mimic the velocity most sports are played at. Ultimately, you’re going to get to a point where progressions like Loaded Plyos, Depth/Drop Jumps, Overspeed, Contrast Training etc. become necessary for further development. NON-COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMPS are usually reserved for testing protocols to assess true power from the lower extremities, but can also be implemented in your daily training. Eliminating the rapid lengthening phase and ultimately momentum, can help athletes improve Motor Control and Jump Coordination. Programming the Central Nervous System + Musculature to fire rapidly and work in a synergistic fashion which will conserve energy while producing Maximal Force. If you’re an athlete with high end top speed and elasticity, but feel you could improve early force expression and acceleration these can be a great tool.
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Here are two of the more technical variations I like to use in my programming, regressing them into their individual parts would be a good starting point for many to maintain technical proficiency. Both start from a further deficit than our usual squat/lunge patterns to challenge greater joint angles and increase strength in compromised positions athletes can sometimes find themselves in. The first Half Kneel variation(that .cull makes look far too easy) is a great exercise for increased lateral drive, rotational force transfer and unilateral stability. The second bilateral exercise i’m performing is chaining together multiple jumps through vertical and horizontal force vectors, on the basis of improving overall power and coordination under changing demands.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CMDpLxMDJK4/?igshid=rtq2b8v57qhz

02/21/2021

🪓Staying Sharp/Adding Tools🪓
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Kickboxing has been a huge passion of mine for years now, and nothing irritates me more than feeling like my timing or conditioning is off. The perfectionist in me constantly battles my coach side for control of my training/programming. Everytime i’ve let the former take over my overall progress has suffered. Sacrificing intelligent, structured training for short-term gratification will ultimately stunt your long-term development. Having the discipline to see the bigger picture and stick to the plan knowing there will be growing pains along with bumps in the road will ultimately get you to your end goals in the long run. Right now i’m focused on chaining together specific setups with full power and technical control. Trying out a few new toys at the same time 🤠🧨
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With limited practice and competition, there is no better time to set the framework to be your best athlete possible. You should be asking the question “Is my training plan supplementing my skillset or keeping me stagnant?” Identifying where you need to improve is the first step. That could be improving overall strength or increasing speed, all things I diagnose with each individual athlete depending on their training level/experience, sport, position etc. Organizing then implementing an intelligent plan while fine-tuning individual skills will give you the ability to handle the rigors of hard practices, stay healthy and excel when things get closer to normal. This may mean allowing yourself to feel out of “game shape” temporarily but conditioning will always be the quickest attribute to rebuild, and best done by doing your actual sport, especially with an increased power reserve from proper programming. 🔌
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Using this time wisely to set up the building blocks for success will have you coming out of this a step ahead of the competition. 📈
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02/16/2021

Whether you’re training for sport, logging miles or your job requires you to be sitting for extended periods, you’ve most likely been hit with nagging Hip/Groin pain at some point. Many athletes especially hockey players and runners, run into(pun intended) overuse injuries due to the repeated bouts of hip flexion/extension in their sport. There is a very fine line trainers’ must walk to not overload these movement patterns and exacerbate the problem. In my experience these 2 exercises are the most effective/accessible to get ahead of the game and strengthen the muscles of the hip flexors, groin and glutes. While teaching them to contract/relax in synchronicity, simultaneously preventing future issues and improving performance.
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The first video is a BANDED HIP DRIVE agonist/antagonist set, dynamically working through Flexion + Extension at the joint. It can be used as a primer for lower body workouts, runs, practice etc. or programmed as an accessory exercise at the end of workouts with the following video. I prefer to use the heavy band rather than a mini band. The higher tension of the band forces the athlete to create greater core tension and forcefully drive at the hip joint improving explosiveness, while allowing you to manually adjust the resistance as your strength increases.
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The ability to resist forces and rotation is also vital to hip joint health. The COPENHAGEN PLANK shown in the second video is a phenomenal exercise to isometrically strengthen the adductors. As well as building structural stability and resiliency in the aforementioned joint.
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02/16/2021

CORE SERIES PT. 1 with a 💦 of CARDIO
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Everyone’s heard the term “abs are made in the kitchen” which couldn’t be further from the truth. Abs are definitely REVEALED by your habits in the kitchen, but they are undeniably BUILT in the gym.
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This will be the first in a series of CORE related posts focusing on strategically laying the framework for a BULLETPROOF midsection. That will not only look good, but be FUNCTIONAL in all aspects of life and sport. This initial circuit is easily accessible with the only equipment needed being a skipping rope and pull-up bar(these can be done from the floor if unavailable). Combining core and cardio at the end of workouts has been a successful staple of mine for years now. This circuit is designed to be an effective tool for building STRENGTH/STABILITY/ENDURANCE as well stimulating FAT LOSS after energy and glycogen stores have been depleted, but can also be done on standalone cardio days. The idea is to build up a work capacity or tolerance for more aggressive loading patterns in the future. Try doing all of the exercises consecutively with minimal rest to challenge your muscular endurance, while maintaining an elevated heart rate for optimal results.
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1️⃣ Hanging Leg/Oblique/Knee Raises x 8/8/8
2️⃣ 1 Minute Speed Skipping Variation
3️⃣ Hanging Bicycles/Single Leg/Knee Raises x 3/8/Max(that your grip will allow😅)
4️⃣ 2-3 Minute Light/Moderate Tempo Skipping
5️⃣ 1 Minute Rest — 3-5 Rounds
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Not only will this torch your abs and lungs, but the combination of hanging and skipping will increase upper body/grip strength and your body’s ability to stabilize/brace certain regions while working dynamically elsewhere.
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02/16/2021

🧨BANG for your BUCK💰
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Whether you’re pressed for time, not feeling like lifting heavy or just searching for a different stimulus, this is one of my go to exercises for torching the entire musculature with a side of cardio.
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Set up in an ISO BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT, then perform a NEUTRAL SHOULDER PRESS while maintaining your position, re-set the weight on your shoulder and bang out regular reps of the BSS to finish. You can offset the weight to make it even more brutal on the front side leg. SIMPLE but SAVAGE. I have Heather doing 6 reps of each exercise per side, which should equate to roughly ~1:20 of sustained effort.
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S/O to my wonderful client Heather who always comes with the cleanest form and even cleaner fits!
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Credit to for putting me on to the Iso Press.
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02/16/2021

💥BALANCE and STABILITY are key requirements for not only sport, but everyday movements in life. STRENGTH, motor control and range of motion are paramount for both athletic performance and pain reduction/injury prevention as we age. Traditional weightlifting methods don’t always agree with everyone, especially those training meticulously for their sport or have a history of back pain/injury.

💥That’s where the SINGLE LEG ROMANIAN DEADLIFT comes in. Not only does this exercise maximally recruit the muscles of the posterior chain in a unilateral fashion, there is also a tremendous task placed on your CORE/HIP/LUMBO-PELVIC COMPLEX to maintain balance while producing force. Training unilaterally(Single Leg) can shore up asymmetries and increase force transfer through the ankle/knee/hip joints. Barbells will allow you to load maximally, but I love using dumbbells for this exercise. This allows you to keep the weight closer to your body, which will help with neutral spine positioning and increase eccentric control to really hammer the hamstrings. Working from the top down without deloading the weight will also increase upper body strength and posture, while allowing constant bracing to protect the spine.
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02/16/2021

02/16/2021

🚀 Learning Through Exploration 🚀

🏎 The challenge of training youth athletes is harnessing their power without limiting their movement and potential. The younger we are the more durable our body is, but with that durability usually comes a sacrifice of motor control. I like to use the analogy that the athlete has potential to become a Ferrari, and as a trainer it’s our duty to give them not only the body and motor, but also the steering wheel and brakes. There’s no point in going 200km/h if you’re out of control heading straight into a wall.

🏎 At the same time, we need to let these athletes express force freely without feeling limited. Although some of their movement patterns may not be fully established or “perfect” , if deemed safe, I believe it’s paramount to let them explore complex patterns early in the learning stage. It will not always look the prettiest, but will leave clues for improvement if you know what you’re looking for.

🏎 Here we have a rugby player in Alex who is very early in his strength training career. In the first video he is synchronizing his upper and lower extremities, getting great hip extension, and loading his angles extremely well. Unfortunately his torso leans too far forward on the final jump and he is unable to stick the position. In the second video, he loses quite a bit of hip extension on his last vertical jump, which causes the subsequent horizontal jumps to be rushed. Impressively, he manages to stick his final jump in beautiful fashion. Both videos exposed different strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately allowed him to learn from his initial mistake.

🏎 The final video is a brilliant example of the unlimited strength potential of dedicated young athletes. Alex is deadlifting 295 with ease 2 months into our training, showing tremendous form for someone his age/experience level. 👏
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02/16/2021

🥊 One of my fave drills for building Coordination and Kinetic Linking...with a lil training edit as I count down the days till i’m back with , miss you boo. 🥊