In case you missed Part 1 of this series, check out Speed Training.
In this installment, we’re going to discuss my 3 biggest tips to INSTANTLY increase your rate of force development.
[media url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uWpp8VkWsM” width=”600″ height=”400″]Tension
Often referred to as bracing, total body tension, or “getting tight”, this describes act of making the body as rigid and powerful as possible in order to channel as much force as humanly possible.
Let’s use 2 examples to explain this: a wet noodle and nun chucks.
Imagine holding a dry, raw noodle at one end. Hold it horizontally (parallel to the floor) – it stay where you want it, right? Now do the same thing with a wet, cooked noodle. Not so much.
Now imagine a metal pole held the same way. And nun chuks. Nun chuks will droop in the middle at the chain just like a wet noodle.
There is ZERO force being transfered from one end to the other in the wet noodle or the nun chucks.
Squatting, for example, is all about expressing force through the floor and into the bar. If you lose tension and tightness ANYWHERE in your body between the floor and the bar, you become a wet noodle. Good luck being explosive, strong, powerful, or even safe.
Want to master tension?
Strong “Core”
To be honest I hate the “C-word”. I’m as far from “functional training” as one can be in terms of philosophy. But in reality, EVERYTHING we do at House Of Strength is functional. No machines, no fluff, and no BS. But I digress. Back to your core and making you stronger and quicker.
The midsection is like a black hole for power and force production. Somehow, people’s force seems to disappear in this area. Probably because most people just want their abs to look like a cover model’s 6-pack instead of making them strong and functional (there’s that word again!)
If you’re an athlete or performance based lifter, do not train your abs to look a certain way. That all comes down to diet anyway. You should train your abs as you would any other assistance movement – to make your main lifts improve.
Heavy squats and deadlifts try to crush us. Strong abs that can resist caving (aka spinal flexion) are your best friend here. Train this capacity to resist flexion with anti-flexion moves like rollouts and planks.
Fore tons of variations of rollouts and planks, as well as a COMPLETE ab training education, check out Abs For Athletes ($10).
Technique
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. And the fastest way to accomplish any task is to be as efficient as possible in it’s execution. Squatting, deadlifting and bench pressing have been studied and scrutinized by lifter for over 100 years.
The most efficient, safest, and strongest techniques have all been discovered…don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Stand on the shoulders of those who have come before you. They have paved the way. All you have to do is listen and learn! Again, check out 7 Squat Secrets to discover how I’ve helped guys like James Pak add 90 pounds to his squat in 3 months.
Eliminate wasted motion, be efficient, and improve technique. Guaranteed to improve your speed!
RECAP: 3 Ways To Move The Bar Faster Today
- Tension
- Strong “Core”
- Technique
Part 3 will run next week. In the meantime, drop your comments and questions below!