Taking advantage of the gorgeous weather at all opportunities, especially Saturdays.

We did lots of mobility and "feel good" work this morning. Then we had a half hour to let 'er rip and have some fun. I know of few things that are more fun than picking things up and putting them down. See what I did there? Funny right? I know. Throw some abs in for old times sake and a few jokes, you got yourself a jolly old time. Feel free to add your thoughts on how terribly stupid this is or if it fits in your boat of good ideas, let us know that, too. The able fellas who could pick the heavy and odd objects up to the shoulders, did so in a train like fashion. They then preceded with moderate push presses. This got a load from floor to overhead. The less strong of the crew did basic deadlifts, moving a load from floor to the hip, they then did sandbag shouldering which created some speed and dynamic movement getting a load from the hip to the shoulders. Then finally, they did barbell push presses which got the load from shoulder to overhead. All in all, it was dirty fun. Enjoy.

In the following video I discuss a few options we all have available to us to help our shoulders start feeling better right now. Please share your thoughts and perhaps any considerations you have for good shoulder mobility or simply good shoulder warm up, prehab or rehab exercises. There are many out there, what do you like?

Whenever the weather and time permits, and sometimes even when it doesn't, I get outside and enjoy the elements for some underground training. If you're not sure what that means, watch the video. Use the tools that are available to you and get stronger. Pick up rocks and throw them. Run and jump on and over various things. Get dirty and rage with no rules. Post a comment on your favorite way to beast out, let loose and blow off some steam while making yourself a stronger person.

Some good info on program design is presented here. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here.

Coach Ethan Reeve discusses the training of his football players just days prior to camp. He calls it "Game Day" and it is structured to get his players firing at maximal velocity on all cylinders. Take a look and see how its done. And post a comment on your thoughts of this type of training, its validity for football or your personal training.

Part 2 on learning to squat like a pro.

If your squat isn't perfect, that means all of us, then you should watch this video. I know the quality leaves a lot to be desired, but with the abundance of people in attendance at an EliteFTS seminar, (as you can imagine) it's the best I could do. I probably should not even be sharing this info, because lots of people pay good money for this, but here goes a few minutes anyway...

This is the final installment of the Donnie Presentation. I think you'll have some fun watching Zach and I lift The Beast While Donnie cracks some jokes.

The following video showcases a very fun exercise that was inspired by The Diesel Crew.  If you do not know who they are, find out, you'll be a better person for it. Their website is jam packed full of awesome training information. They have several products available to enhance your grip, get you stronger and feeling better, make you a beast, etc. This exercise is simple, effective, and efficient, you can work multiple athletes together which creates a fun challenge and instantly develops camaraderie, which is wonderful for any team sport. If you don't know why grip strength is important, then get a clue. There are several variables that changes the dynamic of this exercise. Did you ever have to help a friend move furniture around? Was he the punk who couldn't carry his weight and you were stuck doing all the real lifting? You always get stuck carrying "the heavy side" of the couch? Well, with this exercise, if you are the shorter athlete, you got "the heavy side". The exercise doesn't have to be evenly loaded either. You can change the weight between hands or sides of the bar, if the athletes are not evenly matched, to appropriately challenge the individual. You can wrap towels around the end of the bar as well for an additional challenge, which is easier than changing the weight if working multiple athletes at one time. Just have the stronger guys wrap some towels around the end of the bar, the more towels, the harder the exercise. But don't worry about towels and gimmicks until you're getting some decent weight for a good amount of time. What other ideas you have for this or any other grip exercise? Whats your favorite? Variety is a good thing.