Brendan Chaplin

Ask Brendan #1 Time Management, Bananas, and Ice!

Brendan Chaplin — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:56:58 +0000

I have been getting quite a lot of questions sent to me either through twitter, facebook or my website lately, or even people in the gym asking me stuff. So i’ve decided to answer a few of them here, on my website. If you like this, leave me a comment and let me know. If you have a question that you want answering about anything fitness, strength and health related either leave it in a comment below or send me an email.

Here we go with the post!

WORKING ALL THE TIME

Hi Brendan

I read in all these fitness magazines that you should leave at least 48 hours between workouts. Yet all my mates who are really buffed up seem to be in the gym every day, all the time. Am I missing something? Can you work out every day?

Brendan: It all depends on what type of training you’re doing. You can’t be doing max effort deadlifts and squats every day, as you’re going to need more time to recover from this type of session. But you can do workout splits like upper/lower body on alternate days without any problems as you are stressing different muscle groups and while one is being trained the other is recovering.
Across the week I would suggest you give yourself at least a couple of days off from weight training however as your muscles need to rest to get stronger and grow. Training all the time doesn’t give them much time to recover. A good rule of thumb is follow the 3:1 rule: three days on, one day off, and three weeks on, one week off. Your day or week off doesn’t have to be complete rest, just do something a little different. So for example you could do light sprints or swimming instead of heavy weights. Hope that gives you something go go with!

NOT BANANAS ABOUT BANANAS

Brendan

All my mates tell me I should eat a banana half an hour before a workout for energy, but I hate them. Can you suggest something else?

Brendan: Bananas are a great source of slow releasing energy which is good to have pre-workout. If you don’t like them you could try other fruit sources such as apples or pears, or even go for something like porridge with some protein powder mixed in, but this would probably need to be around an hour or longer from your workout.
If food doesn’t work for you in general go for a carbohydrate drink such as lucozade or an energy gel such as Science in Sport Go Gel. If you need that extra kick you could go for a pre-workout shake containing some taurine, BCAAs and even beta alanine. This will give you a real push through the session.

KEEP IT COOL

Hi Brendan

I badly sprained my ankle playing Sunday league footie last weekend. How long should I wait before doing leg workouts again, and what should I do to start with?

Brendan: The key for you is to hit the ice hard and start taking anti-inflammatory tablets such as Ibuprofen straight away. Ice the leg for 15 minutes every hour, take the tablets four times a day in line with the recommendations on the box, and keep the ankle elevated following the old RICE principles of rest, ice, compression and elevation.
In terms of going back to training you need to make sure you stay away from pain in your sessions. So without question single leg work is going to be tough. I would suggest you start with some movements like stiff leg deadlifts starting with the weight at your waist. If this is okay then go for some light squats with dumbbells but don’t squat too deep initially.
I would go for higher reps of around 12-15 reps for a few sessions just to ease yourself back into it and around 2-3 sets of each movement. While you’re doing this you can hammer your upper body and core so use the injury as an opportunity to train other areas.
Once you are moving pain-free on the ankle you can introduce some balance and propriceptive work on an unstable surface to really stress those stabiliser muscles around the joint.
Finally, introduce more weight and progressively increase the range of movement over the next few weeks. This will help you get back promptly and with restored strength and movement.

Okay thats enough for this week, get your questions answered by yours truly by leaving me a comment below or sending me an email.

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Core Training, Glycemic Index and Olympic Weightlifting

Brendan Chaplin — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:52:36 +0000

So it’s been a while since my last post, been crazy busy with coaching, my own training, doing S&C workshops and the Lean Body Challenge so i’ve struggled to get content out to you.

But thats it, i’m back now, and as a little thanks for being patient with me and reading my work i’ve got 3 videos from the last 3 S&C workshops for you.

They’re all short and sweet and I think you’ll find them well worth a watch.

The first is Duncan French talking about vertical core training in his practical workshop. This was a great workshop covering current trends in S&C including an evidence base examination of literally every strength and power training method you’ve ever heard of! Duncan will be doing another day later in the year so stay tuned for that. You can check out the slides from Duncan’s latest workshop HERE.

The second is elite nutritionalist Matt Lovell giving his perspective on the glycemic index. It’s a really interesting little video you should definitely check out.

The final clip is GB Weightlifting Head Coach Tamas Feher talking about the start position in the clean. Tamas has some great coaching cues to improve your weightlifting.

Although the quality of the filming isn’t world class you can still get some good info from these clips. Some quality bedtime viewing for you!

The next workshop is with RFU head of fitness for U-20′s Simon Worsnop on the 19th May. This is selling fast and the workshop will cover all aspects of training camp planning and delivery including monitoring and key sessions.
Check out the workshop at the link below:

Life in the Camp

If you’re looking to get into strength and conditioning make sure you check out my 3 day accelerated development programme on the 7th-9th September. This is a top course featuring Tamas Feher, Jared Deacon and myself and is selling fast. The first course in June sold out in less than 2 months. You can save £100 if you book before the first of July so act quickly if you’re interested.

Anyway happy learning and don’t forget to leave me a comment with your thoughts.

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Power for MMA: Some factors to consider

Brendan Chaplin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:44:42 +0000

Here are my key factors for power training for MMA: (those of you interested in reading more about power training should check out Danbakerstrength.com, Zatsiorsky’s Science and practice of strength training, supertraining as well as EliteFTS.com. Loads of good info in these resources

1. Train Max Strength: This will help with all the other qualities and gives you that power to move you’re opponent that you need for MMA. Loads in excess of 85% 1RM will help to develop max strength. Read my previous article for more info on strength development.

2. Train for power with loads in excess of your fighting weight. This will help you develop explosive strength/power which will transfer to the cage and give you that physical and mental edge. Loads between 60 and 80% 1RM are suitable for this and exercises such as cleans, jump squats, high pulls, etc are all good choices.

3. Train for maximal power. Max power tends to occur with loads around the 40-60% 1RM range and varies according to how strong you are. It is a very important quality to develop. All the exercises above are excellent for developing maximal power as well as many other movements.

4. Train for full body explosiveness from the ground up! This includes pushing, pulling, rotating, unilateral, split stances, and from deeply flexed to extended positions. Just like when your technical coaches tell you to use your hips more to get that into those positions better, or escape from side control etc etc, the same goes for producing power. It is very rare that a single limb works in isolation. Explosive movement occurs through a contribution of several joints and generally includes your hips, knees and ankles. Phil Taylor might argue with me on that point and hey he is an athlete after all!!

5. Train for power horizontally, vertically and specifically. MMA is not a sport where your feet are in a parallel squat stance or you use both your arms in a bench press style pressing movement. You need to develop power in a sport specific way. Most programmes focus on vertical power such as jump squats and cleans but MMA requires power to be produced in the horizontal plane, as well as everything in between. Use sled spints, horizontal power presses, barbell explosive rotations, and other such movements to make your power programme even more applicable to the sport. You also need to make sure you are training for power in positions that you specifically need for your game. Look at your previous fights, your future opponent, and get feedback from your coaches. Try to include specific movements closer to fight time to help improve these qualities.

6. Train Speed power. This is training with very light loads including bodyweight, plyometrics, and medicine ball throws. This quality is particularly applicable to stand-up fighting and helps to develop explosive striking, agility and footwork around the cage.

7. Train Power endurance: This includes both power and strength endurance: This is essentially producing power/strength over a sustained period of time and is key to successful MMA performance. It is however a topic for another article along with strength endurance.

8. Recover! Don’t neglect this aspect of power training. In fact, it’s probably the most important. Make sure you’re giving yourself enough time to recover between sets and reps. Power is all about speed, not fatigue. Make sure you’re fresh with every effort. 2-4 minutes is generally okay, or use a heart rate monitor and wait for your heart rate to return to below 130bpm.

All these key points help to make up what is referred to as the Load Power Training Spectrum, shown below (Baker, 2010).

Different athletes will need to place emphasis on different elements of the load performance spectrum and at different times during the preparation cycle.

How do you train for power? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
If you want to learn more about power training there are two workshops that are coming up that you might be interested in.
on 21st April, Chairman of the UKSCA and head of S&C for Newcastle United Duncan French is doing a 1 day course on strength and power training methods at Leeds Met. This is going to be a great event as Duncan is right at the top of his game.

The second workshop is a 1 day fully practical course with GB Olympic Weightlifting Head Coach Tamas Feher This is on the 12th May at Leeds Met. If you want to learn from literally 2 of the worlds best you should certainly attend both these events!

See you there!
BC

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Lean Body Challenge starts MONDAY 12th MARCH!!

Brendan Chaplin — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:18:29 +0000

So monday 12th is fast approaching and that marks the start of the next Lean Body Charity Challenge. We are raising money for the British Heart Foundation and the National Obesity Forum.
So you’ll not only raise some money for a great cause, but also lose some body fat and get healthy in the process.
Not bad eh!
If you want to be a part of it click on the link below.

LEAN BODY CHALLENGE

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Getting Mobile…..one joint at a time!

Brendan Chaplin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:00:45 +0000

When it comes to strength and conditioning, most people associate it with improving physical attributes such as strength, power, endurance etc through physical training. Largely, they are correct, however this is only one of the goals. Equally important (and in my opinion actually more important), is the goal of keeping people injury free! How can you get faster and stronger for longer if your laid up with a dodgy back or a strained hamstring? Its just not going to happen. And any athlete who doesn’t take this area of their preparation seriously is asking to come a cropper in the future, its just a matter of when rather than if!

But how do you stay injury free with all the training that needs to be done for your sport whether it’s sprinting, rugby, MMA etc? Well clearly you can’t control the contact based injuries that you will undoubtedly encounter although training smart always helps! However there are some controllable injuries such as muscle tears, sprains etc that can be reduced through sensible and intelligent training.

In terms of training goals, Injury prevention and performance enhancement are on the same spectrum, with a great deal of crossover, and at the risk of contradicting myself here, I would say that by far the best form of injury prevention is increased strength in the key muscles and movements that the sport requires. Many injuries occur due to the body being unable to handle the forces imposed on it during sporting activities therefore if you increase the forces that the body can both produce and absorb, your reducing your likelihood of injury and your well on your way to transforming yourself into a more bulletproof athlete. With that being said, there are some other considerations that need to be addressed if you are to fully prepare yourself for training and competition.

These include:

Mobility Training- Exercises to develop the range of movement of the joint in question.
Flexibility- Working on the muscle and its ability to move the joint through the required range.
Stability- the ability to resist movement and maintain the required body position.

Mobility, Stability and Flexibility work together like the three tenors….they can work in harmony, but if one of them is off their game the whole thing goes to pot so to speak!!

So it’s not as simple as stretching to gain increased range. It doesn’t matter how flexible your hamstrings are, if your hips don’t have the required mobility they are not going anywhere? And what about if you actually don’t want your body to have mobility in a key area? For example if your an MMA fighter going for a takedown you need to be stable and stiff through your core on the point of contact for a more explosive shot. If your a sprinter driving down the home straight you need a stiff and stable core to help you produce force through your arms and legs. So stability training also plays a very important role in the process too!

So how do you apply all this and how does it really work?

Lets get Mobile…..One joint at a time!

A relatively recent contribution to the strength and conditioning field from Gray Cook and popularised more so by Mike Boyle is the concept of the Joint-by-Joint approach to training. Essentially what Cook and Boyle are saying is that each joint of the body has different needs and requirements according to the functional make-up of the human body. The requirements of each joint are shown below: (there’s a video of each of these at the end of the article)

Joint	Main Requirement	Exercise to Develop
Ankle	Mobility	Knee to Wall Touches
Knee	Stability	Hop and Holds
Hip	Mobility	Fire Hydrants
Lumbar Spine	Stability	Plank Rows
Thoracic Spine	Mobility	Foam Roller Crunches
Shoulder- Scapular	Stability	Bosu Push-Ups
Shoulder- Glenohumeral	Mobility	Wall Slides

I am a firm believer in this approach and adopt these principles in my programmes. What does it mean? Well it means that if you are including exercises emphasising lumbar spine mobility your probably not training your body in the optimal and the way it was designed to function, and possibly worse than this, you could be training your body for an injury down the line! When your looking to develop mobility you need to be targeting the ankles, hips and thoracic spine and actually staying away from the knees, lower back and scapular as these joints need to be trained to be stable. Some exercises are shown in the table above. There is the odd exception to this rule and Ill go into this later, but generally speaking this is the approach I take.

Here’s some videos of the exercises shown above:

Knee to wall touches (Ankle Mobility):

Hop and Holds (knee Stability):

Fire Hydrants (Hip Mobility):

Pain Site Vs Pain Source

Very often injuries occur and are diagnosed and then treated. The injury seems to disappear and then as if from nowhere 2 months later it comes back to haunt you again. Sound familiar? This is often caused by a lack of mobility or stability in a key area. So for example knee pain is often caused by a lack of mobility in the ankle or the hips and the knee then seeks the mobility that the other joints should be providing for the movement in question. Over time this results in pain either in the joint or the muscles around the joint. Shoulder injuries can often be caused by a lack of thoracic mobility causing the muscles around the shoulder to have to seek extra range under load which they are not meant to do and simply cannot cope! So always look up and down the kinetic chain for issues that may have caused the pain.

I initially came across this concept again through by veteran strength coach Mike Boyle and through my experience and having spoken with many physiotherapists working in high performance sport I believe it applies across sports. If you can get yourself screened by a qualified professional you’ll give yourself a better chance of avoiding injury, although the exercises in this article will help you along the way.

Here’s the last few exercises for you:

Plank Rows (Lumbar Stability):

Foam Roller Crunches (T-Spine Mobility):

Bosu Ball Push-Ups (Scapular Stability):

Wall Slides (Glenohumeral Mobility/Scapular Activation):

Of course there are many other movements you can use in your programmes this is just some of the ones I use with my athletes.

Now go get mobile!!

PS if you’re looking to learn more about mobility, strength and conditioning you should check my MMA S&C workshop on the 17th March and my 3 day accelerated development coaching course on the 8-10 June they will both be great events along with the other workshops on the site too.

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Top of the Tree for Fat Loss?

Brendan Chaplin — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 07:00:12 +0000

Check out this article by S&C coach and trainer Ian Fisher on Metabolic Resistance Training: The Trainers best friend

I’m going to get straight to the point here, metabolic resistance training is the daddy when comes to fat loss, staying lean, and maintaining lean muscle. For that reason it is jewel in a trainer’s tool box.

The main reasons for people exercising are to lose fat, build lean muscle, or to maintain their lean body composition, and MRT sessions do it all.

MRT is basically circuit training, or using weights in grouped sets of exercises with short rest periods generating a high metabolic effect during and after your exercise session. This can have a strength focus or a more conditioning focus depending on reps and exercises selection, and both methods will increase your metabolic rate at rest helping you to swing the energy in, energy out balance in your favour.

The Hierarchy for burning calories during exercise goes as follows.

Metabolic Resistance training (circuits with weights)
High Intensity interval training (sprint training, flat out bursts with short or equal rest)
Aerobic Interval training (longer duration work to rest periods)
Steady state cardio (your average treadmill jog or bike)
Incidental exercise (walking to work, up the stairs etc)

This means if you need to get the most out the 3 to 4 hours you dedicate each week to exercise, that MRT will get you the best results in stripping fat and staying lean. Your metabolic rate will be ramped up during your workout, and then the lean muscle mass you build or maintain will keep your metabolism high long after, leaving a little a bit of space for an odd indulgence…. win win in my eyes.

It must also be said that having a lean physique is as dependant on good nutrition as it is smart training, so once you commit to training in this manner follow some sound nutritional principles to get some seriously good results.

For athletes how they train is a reflection of their sport so footballers will do more high intensity interval sessions and a rugby player would do a lot more strength focused MRT sessions but a good plan for your rego guy is to do a variety of sessions, which is what I try and do myself. This is not to say MRT will make you like a rugby player…. Women in particular tend to shy away from MRT training thinking they are going to get big. The fact is that women simply do not biologically produce the testosterone to build big bulky muscles, and MRT is the best way for them to train too to create those long lean arms and legs most crave. If women do not do resistance exercise at all over time they lose lean muscle mass thus lowering their metabolism making staying lean very difficult without significantly restricting calories.

Please don’t just take my word for it! Here are a couple of links to articles endorsing MRT and High intensity interval training by some world renowned sources.

http://alwyncosgrove.com/tag/metabolic-training/

http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1766.cfm

http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/whats-best-workout-burn-fat-fast/

I use MRT sessions to train many clients and the results simply speak for themselves. We are currently running sessions that use these principles so if you want to make some significant changes to your body composition you need to sign up for a screening and free trial now. The only thing you have to lose is unwanted bodyfat!

Email us or fill out the contact form below if you’re interested in a FREE consultation.

Strength for MMA

Brendan Chaplin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:00:54 +0000

The importance of strength for MMA athletes is pretty well documented and most fighters understand and implement strength programmes within their overall MMA programme and see great results. However I still feel that there is an under appreciation of just how important it is to your overall performance. For example the relationship between strength and endurance training is huge.

If you think of the energy required to perform a double leg takedown in sparring or competition. Let’s say for example that to perform it requires 15% of your maximum effort. If you can then increase your maximum effort (or maximal strength) from 100% to say 120%, that 15% required is then actually reduced to around 10%, meaning that you can then perform the movement whilst using far less energy and you’ve not even considered conditioning!

This makes you a more explosive and more efficient athlete….its a no-brainer!!

The same applies to all movements in the sport, clinching, kicking, and general movement around the cage. So giving yourself a solid base of strength will add to your game in many ways.

Which type of strength?

There are many different types of strength utilized within MMA. All of which can be developed and should be emphasized according to your individual needs and existing strength profile.

Here are some of the different types of strength that need to be factored in:

general strength
maximal strength
eccentric strength
starting strength
reactive strength
ballistic or explosive strength
specific strength and
strength endurance

Yes there is more to it than just being able to move a heavy weight off your chest.

When preparing for a fight the strength and conditioning coach should be able to monitor and track the fighters progress so that the focus on the specific strength quality being chosen will change over the course of a training camp. That being said most programs will start with an initial focus on general and maximal strength through to a focus on strength and power endurance as well as specific strength.

When the athlete comes back after competing, the focus should be on building general strength and preparation levels for a period of around 2-4 weeks, then quickly switching to maximal strength with the goal of building up to the strength levels shown below. The targets for strength are all based on your 1 repetition max (1RM) in relation to your bodyweight, which results in your relative strength, which for a weight controlled sport like MMA, is by far the most important quality!

How strong is strong??

You need to be realistic in your goals but still look to set the bar high. Of course you need to consider what your starting point is. If you have not done much strength training or working with weights the progress that you make in the first few weeks will probably surprise you. This is due more to a ‘neural’ learning process. i.e. your body is learning how to move the weights after the initial increase progress becomes more gradual. There is no reason why you cannot continue to increase your strength as you age. You can continue to get stronger well into your 50’s.

So with that being said here are the strength standards in 4 fundamental exercises that I work towards with my athletes: If you get used to weighing yourself in Kg it will be easier when it comes to loading up the bar to assess what you are lifting. There’s also a quick tutorial showing HOW you do the movements properly.

If you want to learn more about S&C for MMA you should come to the workshop i’m doing on the 17th March in Leeds

For most of the exercises I have indicated a range e.g. for deadlift it is 2-2.5 your body weight in KG. The lighter you are the higher you should set your target e.g. a 50Kg fighter would be looking towards the higher end 2.5x BW which would be a deadlift of 125Kg whereas a heavy 120Kg fighter would be looking more at a target of around 2 x BW or 240 Kg.

It’s more achievable for a lightweight to deadlift 2.5x bodyweight than it is for a heavyweight. All the other weight categories fit in between this range so it is fairly straightforward to interpret where you need to be according to your weight class. This applies to all the ranges for all the exercises.

Deadlift 2-2.5 x BW (Bodyweight):

The deadlift is one of the best full body movements around and features in pretty much all of the programmes I produce for my athletes. It’s important for it to be technically proficient, (e.g. using your hips and legs as well as your back) lift with a straight bar from the floor. You’ll notice that there is a range of strength that is acceptable for me.

Back Squat 1.8-2.5 x BW:

Depending on body shape the squat or the deadlift will be the lift I look to develop maximal strength. Taller leaner individuals sometimes struggle to get into the deep squat position. This doesn’t mean that we don’t squat, on the contrary it is an important lift for all athletes in some way, however the deadlift may be a better choice for those who have limited mobility as the knee and hip flexion required is less than the deadlift. The squat is excellent for developing total body strength with a greater focus on quad and hip strength versus the deadlift which focuses more on hip and lower back. When I talk about squatting I mean getting your hips down to at least in line with your knees, and nothing in between!

Chin BW + 50-75%:

Yes that’s right, 50-70% again in bodyweight for 1 rep. So if you weigh 100Kg I am looking for an extra 50Kg as a minimum. The chin-up is in my opinion the best exercise for upper body strength. It’s very important that you can chin significantly more than your own bodyweight. When you are clinching and grappling you need to move yourself and that other lump opposite you around the cage therefore you need some serious pulling strength to do this repeatedly. When you are training chins make sure you fully lock your arms out and pull until your shoulders touch the bar.

Press- Dumbbell Press / Bench Press 1.5-1.8 x BW:

Upper body pushing strength is very important for the same reasons as pulling strength and it’s also important to be balanced in terms of pushing and pulling. If you put the time into developing maximal pulling and pushing strength to these levels, I can assure you that the number of bodyweight chin-ups and push-ups you can perform will be pretty high too, so don’t worry about your strength endurance on this one. Most people will be better at pushing and than pulling initially because everyone trains the bench press! If this is the case for you, put more time into pulling movements to get your strength up.

Are all of my athletes this strong?

Absolutely not, it’s a target that we are working towards which may take some time to achieve. Is it realistic to be this strong all of the time? If your working on anaerobic endurance it will be very tough perform a double bodyweight lift in this phase of training.

That being said, Danny Mitchell achieved his 2x bodyweight deadlift in the penultimate week of his last camp, so you can constantly makes gains in strength even though the focus is on conditioning with certain athletes. Will this happen with every camp? Possibly not but it is possible in some athletes.

Don’t forget that the BW goals reflect your weight that you will be fighting at in the cage not your weight at the weigh in, so make sure you allow for this in your training goals.

A note on technique!

Don’t sacrifice your technique for extra load on the bar. It is key that you train yourself to produce force in the correct movement patterns, and train safely. This is going to benefit your performance on the mat or in the cage.

And don’t forget, you don’t get better when you’re injured do you!

If you enjoyed this article leave me a comment, and if you want to further your knowledge on strength and conditioning for MMA check out my 1 day workshop on the 17th March on the subject!

If you’re looking to train to become an S&C coach you should check out my 3 day accelerated development workshop in June too.

To your success,

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Next Lean Body Challenge Starts on the 12th March

Brendan Chaplin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:33:37 +0000

After the success of the last Lean Body Challenge I have decided to run one starting the 12th March. This time it’s all being done for charity with all proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation and the National Obesity Forum.

It’s going to be quality.

You can check out the Lean Body Challenge Website HERE

See you on the 12th!!

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Hear what Corry’s very own Chris Fountain has to say about the Lean Body Challenge!!

Brendan Chaplin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:56:05 +0000

The Lean Body Challenge Continues on 12th March- ALL proceeds go to charity!

I’ve finally managed to get the website for the challenge up and running. You can check it out at LEAN BODY CHALLENGE.

In a nutshell, this is going to be an awesome event! It starts on the 12th March and runs for 28 days. In that time people will learn a hell of a lot about training and nutrition, and will literally strip fat from their body for the course of the programme.

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION AND THE NATIONAL OBESITY FORUM

Head over the the website and register your interest NOW, you can also read all about the event itself there too.

If you need any more convincing you can listen to Coronation Streets very own Tommy Duckworth (AKA Chris Fountain) talking about his experience on the challenge.

Here’s a picture of myself and Chris after his last training session (just before he was on celebrity juice too! (He was pretty exhausted in this shot it was a tough old session!)

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21st Century Core Training Part 2: 5 Key Core Movements you should be doing!

Brendan Chaplin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:00:27 +0000

Here’s the second part of Danny Hagues’ series on core training. This is the HOW, enjoy it!

In part 1 of this post I explained the main function of the core and how to best train this area for optimal health and performance. These methods are based on current research in the field from spine biomechanics experts such as Dr Stu McGill, as well as practical experience and following the methods of leaders in the Strength and Conditioning field.

So with following the principle of the cores role as a stabilizer and the prevention of movement at the lumbar spine, here are 5 movements that require high levels of core stability and rigidity of the torso to ensure efficient movement and force transfer. These movements are multi-planar, integrated anti-movement patterns that will increase your body’s strength and power potential.

1. Band Anti Rotation with Lateral Shuffle

This is an integrated anti-rotation exercise, with lateral movement of the lower body. The exercise is great for core strength and torso rigidity as well as hip stability. It also teaches the athlete to diaphragmatically breathe to ensure core stiffness throughout the movement.

Grab a super band with an overhand grip. Maintain upright posture.
Adopt an athletic stance, with chest out shoulder blades back and down.
While maintaining a rigid co contraction of the surrounding core musculature, move laterally through the hips, ensuring good posture throughout.
The key here is to avoid rotating of the core, and level hips.
3 sets of 4 steps 3 times each side will be enough to fry the core and hips.

2. TRX Anti-Rotation/Lateral Flexion Press

This exercise requires high levels of hip and core stability to resist the rotation and lateral bending of the torso, due to the angle of the body and positioning of the arms. The exercise is great for core strength and shoulder flexibility.

Hold a TRX or any suspension trainer and set up so your body is leaning away from the fixed point. Set your feet in a staggered stance with front foot forward and back foot directly behind front foot, this will challenge your balance/stability.
Under control slowly press out from sternum height and flex both arms until your biceps finish by your ears. Maintain torso rigidity and breathing control.
Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position that is one repetition.
You will feel this in your hips as well.
Do 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions each side.

3. Dumbbell Rack Walks

This exercise is an integrated anti movement exercise. The movement is initiated with the lower body while the core has to co-contract to ensure torso rigidity in all planes of motion. With the position of the arms resting on the rib cage the athlete is forced to diaphragmatically breathe to maintain core stiffness while breathing under duress, which is very true to certain sporting situations. This is a great all round exercise especially for rugby players, and combat athletes. It also targets upper body endurance while improving work capacity.

Holding two dumbbell out in front of the body with upper arms resting on rib cage, walk for a set distance maintaining upright posture throughout.
Keep torso braced and focus on breathing and control.
Minimize any hip hiking or lateral sway.
Walking distance can be anything from 30-50m + and for 2-3 sets depending on application.

4. Single Arm Dumbbell Farmer Walks

This is an integrated anti lateral flexion exercise. The movement is initiated through locomotion of the lower body while resisting motion of the torso. The athlete must remain braced throughout to ensure no movement occurs at the torso, while maintaining stable hips. This exercise is great for developing the strength of the quadratus lumborum, a muscle which ensures lumbar spine and hip stability, which is key for athletes who have to change direction rapidly. This exercise also stresses grip and upper back strength.

Hold a dumbbell at the side of the body with chest out and shoulders back and down.
Maintain upright posture and brace the core musculature to ensure spinal stability.
Make sure to keep hips level avoiding any hiking or lateral sway.
Walking distance can be anything from 30-50m + and for 2-3 sets depending on application.

5. Barbell Rotations without/with pivot

This is a great ground based integrated core movement that replicates how the muscles work in all real world movements, from sprinting, kicking throwing and striking. This exercise works the serape muscles on the anterior and posterior sides of the body as discussed in part 1. If performing the anti-rotary version no movement must occur at the torso or hips and the athlete must brace while moving the arms. If performing the more dynamic version with pivot, the athlete must remain braced to ensure torso rigidity while movement occurs at the hip and upper back. This is great for working on hip and thoracic spine mobility simultaneously while is optimal for efficient movement.

Using a landmine unit or barbell wedged into the corner of the room, hold the barbell with both hands above your hand, don’t stand to close though.
Adopt an athletic stance. Keep torso braced, chest out shoulders back while the arms draw an arc from hip to hip on either side of the body. Minimise movement of the torso and hips if performing the anti-rotation version.
Movement should be slow and controlled eccentric with a controlled faster concentric motion.
If performing the dynamic version, make sure rotation comes from the hips, and upper back while the torso remains rigid, to ensure power transfer.
2-3 sets of 6-10 repetitions each side should work well.

The movements above are no exhaustive list by any means, and there are many regressions, progressions of the above movements. I have hopefully helped you take the concept of the core as a resister of motion, to ensure force is transferred through the body efficiently, thus improving your strength and power potential on the field. Give these movements a try, and let me know how you get on.

Danny Hague ASCC, MMA-CSCC

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