Today's guest blog comes from Jedd Johnson of DieselCrew.com. Here are seven tips for successful and safe farmer's walk training:Farmers Walk Tips1. Equipment Set-up: When you add plates, make sure they are tight. Loose plates shift around and can throw your technique off. Tighten them with collars, Pony Clamps, Wrist Wraps, or something else that will keep them tight.
2. Stance: Make sure you take not of how you set up your feet. Have the handles right by the legs and place the feet equidistant from the handles. Stand near the center of the handle, or maybe even slightly forward of center, whichever feels best for you.
3. Grip Position: Depending on how you pull and how strong your grip is, you will either want to grip the handles right in the center or shifted slightly back. It is better to have the handles leaning down in front than down in back. Slightly down in front shifts the emphasis to the first two fingers. Down in back shifts it to the last two (and weakest two) fingers.
4. Chalk: Chalk up well. Chalk the inside of your palm and fingers as well as the thumb and the back of the fingers.
5. Thumb: Wrap your thumb up over your index finger, middle finger, or both, depending on what is comfortable. This contact will secure your grip and it is also why you want to chalk on the back of your fingers. If they are wet, your thumb will slip and that is no good.
6. Heels and Glutes: Push the heels into the ground when you pull the handles up, just like you would a narrow stance deadlift. When you near lockout, fire the glutes instead of the lower back. You'll last longer this way and be able to do more sets.
7. Short Choppy Steps: Take short, choppy steps when walking, especially the first few. This allows you to conserve energy and stay balanced during your stride. Once you pick up momentum, you can take longer strides, but it is almost always easier to maintain control with short choppy steps.
Farmer's Walks are great for building Grip Strength, and that is something that is important for all sports, as well as many other lifts in the gym.
Interested in learning more about Jedd's unique grip training ideas? Check out his new e-book, Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball.
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As many of you probably already know, I'll be getting married this October. And, as part of wedding preparations, my fiancee, Anna, and I (well, mostly her) are pulling together our wedding registry. In fact, as part of our 4th of July trip, we'll be spending some quality time at Macy's picking out a bunch of random stuff that will likely collect dust in the back of cabinets until the day arrives that we opt to use them at my "I got my AARP card today" celebration banquet. We're also registered at Crate & Barrel, Chuck 'E Cheese, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond (I'm hoping to get some of the Beyond - as you'll see here).
To be very honest, June was a super busy month at Cressey Performance, and July will undoubtedly be our busiest ever. So, the other night, when Anna started peppering me with questions about what I wanted to add to the registry, I really didn't have the brain power in reserves to make a valid contribution to the discussion. As such, I'll probably just be getting wooden spoons and this framed, inspirational piece for the entryway to greet all our visitors and make them feel special.
Noticing my not-so-unintentional apathy, Anna joked that it'd be a piece of cake if there was a way to register at Perform Better (or anywhere else) and just ask for training goodies for the gym - and that's when the wheels started turning. At the very least, I figured it'd give us some blog content and reader-writer interaction as we head into the weekend. I know I'd get myself some heavier dumbbells - maybe a pair of 110- and 120-pounders - and a Buffalo bar.
If you had a "lifting heavy stuff registry," what would you add to it? Bands and chains? A sled? Books/DVDs? A Diamond Dave's Ninja School instructional video?
Tupperware and spice racks? "No says I!"
Let's hear some suggestions in the comments section below. And, until next time, have a great holiday weekend and "don't go ninja-ing nobody that don't need ninja-ing!"
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...turn to Coach Dos! What do I mean? Read on.
The last week was the final week of my fiancee's residency (ended yesterday), and needless to say, she was REALLY ready for it to be over. The days were getting longer for her, and it was sapping her energy before she came in to exercise at night after the workday. Even with all of Cressey Performance's specialty training implements - slideboards, medicine balls, sleds, turf for sprinting/movement, farmer's walks, TRX, kettlebells, cows for tipping, an Airdyne bike, speed chains, and tires/sledgehammers - and her choice of music on the stereo, she still was looking for some variety for her interval training session that night.
So, I delved into the trusty Cressey Performance office library, and pulled out a copy of Robert dos Remedios' book, Cardio Strength Training.
I was honored to have contributed a bit to this book, and it came out really well. Sure enough, it got the job done for us last week, as we used a few new exercises to shake things up using a kettlebell and TRX. It's a really solid book at a great price; I'd highly recommend you check it out.
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