Excerpted from Blunt Force Trauma (Jim Smith, CSCS – that’s me!)

Let me ask you a question? During the day, what is the longest anyone goes without activity? While they’re sleeping, right? Of course, hopefully they get 8+ hours of rest and recovery each day.

Now, during this time, imagine if you could provide your hands with a means of recovery throughout the duration of your sleep time.

Well, you can.

At night, have your athletes (or YOURSELF) wear winter gloves. If you can find the ones with protective wrists covering, get those! You will not be sorry. This trick has been used by grip athletes for a long time.

You will get 8+ hours of direct recovery for your hands and wrists and you’ll wake up with your hands feeling recharged.

I have used this technique for years with not only my grapplers, combat athletes and fighters but ALL my athletes.

Do this today!

Jim Smith “Smitty”

password:  amd-squat

——————————————————————-

Lower Body Flow

How to Progress Your Warm-up

As you start incorporating more warm-up and making it a priority, you might have problems performing some basic exercises.

Remember, there is always a progression and regression to all movements.

For your warm-up, a simple lunge into a bodyweight squat is an amazing sequence for preparing for the demands of squats, deadlifts, jumps, etc.

To progress, you can use a barbell (or stationary object) to brace yourself as you move between the exercises.  Start slow and speed up as you warm-up and as your mobility increases over the upcoming workouts.

Consistency is the key.
Smitty

password:   amd-bench

——————————————————————-

Technique 1:  Pause Reps

This can be done with a barbell or dumbbells.  Hold each rep for a 2-3 second pause on the chest WITHOUT releasing the tension in the legs, hips and upper back.

Benefits:

• Improve strength off the chest
• Improve deceleration
• Improve stability

Technique 2:  1 1/2 Reps

This movement is done by performing a 1/2 rep into a full rep.  This is amazing for increasing the time under tension (TUT) of each set.  Also, the pace of the movement and duration helps to stabilize the shoulder and increase the foundation for heavier pressing movements, ie. max effort bench press or military press.

Benefits:

• Improve strength off the chest
• Improve deceleration
• Improve stability
• Increased time under tension (TUT)

Murder Leg Matrix

Here is a murderous leg matrix that you can do during your lower body workout or during a conditioning session.  We show you the matrix with 5 reps and 2x50lb kettlebells.  You can adjust the weight or even adjust the reps by going with a higher volume.

What makes this movement tough is that you engage a bilateral movement into a unilateral movement in a fluid motion.  You are constantly moving under tension and you have to stabilize not only your torso but your knees as well.

Because you’re constantly bracing to remain stable, your breathing quickly becomes labored.  You are also building up a ton of lactic acid with makes the movement even more intense.

Stay focused and shoot for higher than 5 reps!

Password:  legmurder

Hanging Leg Lifts

One tip you must do when performing hanging leg lifts is to engage the lats.  The lats are an essential component of the “core” musculature because they are the biggest back muscle.

By engaging the back, you further stabilize the core and create tension.  This tension is used to engage the abdominals and stabilize the lower back.  This will allow us to create strength and power and prevent injuries.

Watch this video and you’ll see me and Brad engaging our back prior to the movement.

Password: getcoreright

Password: powerdiesel

_____________________________

AMD Workout of the Month – June 2010

Download Printable Workout Sheet

Beast Workout for Upper Body Mass

When you talk about mass and power, you always have to have a pic of Jim Wendler. He is the true definition of a beast.

With this workout, our volume is going to be low and our weights higher, ie. closer to our 1RM (one rep max).

That is what builds functional mass.

Make sure that you are rested and ready to go once you get into the gym because there should be no mistake, this workout is brutal.

As you know with AMD we include not only the workout, but the warm-up. The warm-up is an essential piece and is missed by most programs.

Warm-up

Push-ups

Jumping Rope

Face Pulls

Plate Front Raises

Side to Side Chest Stretch

Workout

1) Strict Military Press, 4×6

2A) High Rep DB Bench, 3×8 each leg

2B) Seated Cable Rows, 3×12

2C)  Band Pull Aparts (or Face Pulls if you don’t have bands), 3×20

3A) Chin-ups + Weight, 3×6

3B)  High Rep Tricep Cable or DB Extensions, 4xAMAP*

4) Hanging Leg Lifts, 4×10

Cool Down

Two Minute Rotator Cuff Recovery

Static Stretching

NOTE: 1A) and 1B) mean you do the exercises back to back with minimal rest

*AMAP – As Many Reps As Possible

Beast Workout for Mass

When you talk about mass and power, you always have to have a pic of Jim Wendler.  He is the true definition of a beast.

With this workout, our volume is going to be low and our weights higher, ie. closer to our 1RM (one rep max).

That is what builds functional mass.

Make sure that you are rested and ready to go once you get into the gym because there should be no mistake, this workout is brutal.

As you know with AMD we include not only the workout, but the warm-up.  The warm-up is an essential piece and is missed by most programs.

Warm-up

Frankensteins

Glute Stretches

Birddogs

Push-ups

Jumping Rope

Bodyweight Squats

Workout

1)  Deadlifts – HEAVY, 5×5 with 1 rep set at 50% of your 1RM

2A)  DB Lunges, 3×8 each leg

2B)  DB Posterior Flyes, 3×12

3A)  DB Clean & Press, 3×8

3B)  Heavy DB Farmers Walks, 4x AFAP*

4)  Burpee into Pull-up, 4×10

Cool Down

Two Minute Rotator Cuff Recovery

Static Stretching

NOTE:  1A) and 1B) mean you do the exercises back to back with minimal rest

AFAP* – As Far As Possible

Password: getdiesel

_____________________________

AMD Workout of the Month – May 2010

Download Printable Workout Sheet

Real men don’t have time for bullshit.

Real men are busy and have a ton of stuff to do everyday.

Real men like to be strong.

Real men like to have power.

They need results fast.

I am going to be posting some serious workouts to give you power.

It is one thing to “look” strong, but it is another to actually be strong.  Two completely different things.

Power Training for Real Men

Nothing says power like weightlifting movements.  Unlike the traditional clean & jerk and snatch which are difficult to learn, real men can use other implements or use variations of the traditional movements.  When you do this, the lifts are not as technical and can be learned quickly AND you can still get the benefits of power and explosiveness.

Time to do work.

Movements like:

• db snatches from the hang
• one db clean & press
• two db clean & press
• sandbag clean & press
• barbell power clean & press
• sandband clean & press
• kb snatches
• sprinting
• jumping
• skipping

So basically many other implements can be used along with explosive weightlifting variations (variations = a component of the full lift). Or you can do movements like sprinting, jumping or skipping.

Explosive = turning on the maximum number of motor units and activating the most muscle groups

Power Training Workout

Warm-up

Treadmill Jogging, 3-5 min

Seal Jumps, 2×20 reps

Bodyweight Lunges, 10 reps each leg

Face Pulls, 2×20

Posterior Flyes, 2×12

Workout

1a)  2 Db Clean & Press, 4×6

1b) Jumps over the flat bench, 4×6-8 (depending upon fatigue, if explosiveness diminishes stop set)

Start in full squat position and explosiveness jump over a flat bench landing on the other side.  When you land, hips come back and land in a full squat position softly without making a sound.

2a)  Pull-ups, 3×12 reps

2b)  Clapping push-ups, 3×8-10 reps

3)  Treadmill sprints, 8-10  x 10 seconds sprint, 10-15 sec rest

Put treadmill on a speed greater than 8-9, stand on the sides of the belt, run onto the belt and sprint for 10 seconds, then jump off, rest 10-15 seconds and jump back on

Cool Down

Static Stretching – whole body

Note: 1a) and 1b) mean the exercises are done with minimal rest between

There it is.  A power workout down in minimal time.  Get in and get out, no messing around.

Smitty