Every once in a while you find or come up with a drill that works well for just about everyone. Today I’m going to share with you one of my favorite squat variations, the double kettlebell concentric box squat…one of the rare drills that works well for {nearly} all people! The double kettlebell concentric box … Read More
Strongfirst
Let’s Have Some Standards
Before I start, keep in mind I’m not saying you need to call the exercise police and demand perfection on every set and rep, but rather that you (and your clients) should have some standards on how to perform basic exercises. Sure, technique will vary from person-to-person, but here’s the way I look at it: If you were … Read More
Weighted Pullup Program
Pull-ups are one of my favorite exercises. I’ve been performing weighted pull-ups for ten years now. I’ve learned that in order to reach your goals you must follow a smart program and be careful not to overtrain. From my experience, you should never perform more than 15 reps in a training session and you need to make … Read More
Mobility Monday: Improve Your Pistol Squat
We’re bringing back an oldie, but goodie today! If you’re trying to improve your pistol squat, this mobility drill is for you! The pistol is one of those exercises that people often attempt, but few get right. I’ve seen coaches attempt copious amounts of ankle mobility drills with no avail. I’ve also seen experienced coaches performing various … Read More
Get a Stronger Deadlift
Over the last few years I’ve spent a ton of time writing programs for athletes who play various sports. I’ve worked with high school and collegiate athletes, professional fighters and some incredibly strong people at my gym, Skill of Strength. Twice a year we host an event called the tactical strength challenge or TSC. I love preparing … Read More
Skill of Strength Kettlebell Workshop at Puma
Last week, we were able to host a kettlebell swing workshop at Puma North America in Westford, Massachusetts. We worked with our awesome HR contact over at Puma to set up a 45-minute kettlebell swing workshop for any interested Puma employees. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day so we got to have the workshop outside which … Read More
Use Kettlebells to Increase Your Vertical Leap
Did you know you can train with kettlebells to increase your vertical leap? The kettlebell swing, in particular, is a great exercise for many reasons, but today we’ll discuss how practicing and nailing this exercise can help you improve your vertical leap. The vertical leap is used as a measure for athleticism among high school, collegiate … Read More
10 Kettlebell Training Tips
Today we’re sharing 10 tips to help you improve your kettlebell training technique. Remember, when performed correctly, kettlebell training can do wonders for your health, fitness and fat loss! When performed improperly, you might be setting yourselves up for an injury! 1. The hips drive and the arms guide! If you are using your arms to … Read More
5 Strength and Conditioning Mistakes in MMA
MMA might be the most physically demanding sport in the world. The best athletes are explosive, strong, agile, resilient, consistent and incredibly dedicated. Even if a fighter has all of these qualities, it’s still easy for him to obtain poor information when prepping for a fight. It might not be the fighter’s fault; often times, … Read More
Front Squat Your Way To a Better Kettlebell Jerk
I wrote this article for StrongFirst and wanted to re-post it here… There is no denying the benefits of the hardstyle kettlebell jerk. Whether your goal is power, strength, hypertrophy or endurance, these can all be accomplished by training the hardstyle jerk. There are various drills and exercises to improve the hardstyle clean and jerk, … Read More