However, things weren’t always this way. Rewind to 2007 and I was training clients out of a small martial arts studio (Thanks to one of my first coaches and future client UFC veteran Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman) as well as on a local running track using homemade sleds, farmers walks, sand bags and kegs (Damn straight I was influenced by Brooks Kubik’s Dinosaur Training, which is still one of my all time favourite books on strength training).

Even when I finally realised my dream of a warehouse facility it was less than half the size of present premises and I was doubly broke. Thus when I opened the doors in January 2009 I only offered the essentials. This consisted of power racks, speciality barbells, some dumbbells (It took me almost 6 months to afford a full set)  and kettlebells, 45 Raise and a Glute Ham Raise. In fact such was my austerity I could only afford 12 gym mats to protect the floor. Thus 80% of the facility was unmated.Yet I got the job done.

Many times we are visited by individuals wanting to set up their own ‘Spartan’ and right from the start they want 10,000sq ft filled with everything we have and more. My advice is always the same – start small, buy only what you truly need and can afford. Work your ass off to deliver effective programmes on the basics of equipment. Invest and grow over time. Some listen, some don’t. Some are still in business, some aren’t.

Despite my sob story above I actually believe I started with too much equipment, not too little. If I had my time again I would focus heavily upon what would most likely have Mark Rippetoe and Jim Wendler’s approval – barbell lifts. They provide the biggest return on investment and all clients irrespective of goal/ability will benefit from learning their use.

Below are some of my favourite ways to use barbells with my clients.

1. Front Squat – I personally prefer these to back squats due to the demands placed upon an individuals quads, core and upper back musculature. The bar position requires a more upright vertical torso than back squats, giving a quad dominant movement which promotes greater mobility in the ankle, knee and hips. Increased core stability is required as standard along with upper back recruitment in order to maintain optimal position throughout the movement.

2. Buffalo Bar Bench Press – The cornerstone of international chest day, the bench press is a great exercise to develop strength and mass in the chest, shoulders and triceps. Whilst a straight barbell is the standard here, I personally get a lot out of using a slightly cambered bar such as the Ironmind Buffalo Bar or Duffalo Bar from Chris Duffin. I find the thicker barbell far more comfortable on the hands and wrists. The slight camber also leads to a greater range of motion which can be useful in developing low end strength. I initially assumed that the extra stretch from the greater range of motion would pose an injury risk, yet I have had zero issues over the last 8 years either with myself or clients. On the contrary we have found these to be our preferred bar.

3. Trap Deadlift / Loaded Carry

Unless my client is a competitive powerlifter, where conventional deadlifting is a prerequisite, I actually prefer using Trap Bars in their programming, especially with athletes. The neutral hand grip and central positioning of the load facilitates a more optimal starting position.

Whilst my preference, that does not mean we exclude conventional deadlift from my programmes. In fact due to the quad dominated nature of the trap bar lift, I recommend you ensure you emphasise the posterior chain during accessory lifts, such as RDL’s, 45 Raise, GHR and Swings.

I also value the versatility of the trap bar. I use it for many pressing and rowing variations too. However, I find it invaluable to develop loaded carry ability. Loaded carries are a staple in my programming with all populations such is their value which includes:

BENEFIT OF LOADED CARRIES

* They demand a strong core brace, which ensures the spine remains neutral by protecting against both shear and compressive forces. This is supported by Stuart Mcgill and colleagues’ recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

* Enhanced proprioception as the individual must move with the load whilst maintaining the above core brace.

* Mentally challenging. In my experience along with heavy prowler work, loaded carries easily identify those with strength in the most important yet often overlooked muscle in the body – the mind.

* Encourage increased muscle growth due to extended muscular tension. A sustained high level of force output from all musculature is required to complete any appropriately weighted loaded carry. In particular the upper back, forearms and knee musculature benefit from this prolonged stimulus.

* Provide a unique conditioning effect, especially when different carries are combined e.g. Overhead walks into farmer’s walk.

All the above benefits from a single exercise alone. Talk about training efficiency! In terms of simple impact, Dan John rates loaded carries as the number one ‘game changer’ for athletes. I couldn’t agree more and they will work just as well for the non-athlete too.

The farmer’s walk is particularly useful at developing Vastus Medialis (VM) strength. Many individuals display insufficient VM development and strength levels. A stronger VM will help prevent many common knee injuries such as ACL tears.

4. Overhead Barbell Walk

A regularly utilized tool in renowned champion weightlifter Vasily Alexeyev’s routine, the overhead carry is tremendous at developing the shoulders, serratus and the oblique’s. I have also experienced great success with these whilst rehabbing shoulder injuries.

This can be made more challenging for the advanced individual by incorporating bands or chains to overload the core musculature and increase the need for balance. Caution must be taken with these additions. Along with the greater stabilization requirement and training effect comes an increased risk of injury.

5. Axle Zercher Squat

This provides a tremendous stimulus for the entire core musculature whilst stressing the upper back and arms to a high degree. I also find it a smarter choice for individuals who can’t get overhead safely due to flexibility or injury issues.

If possible use a thick barbell (2”+) over a standard Olympic barbell. There will always be an element of pain holding the bar in the elbow joint between the bicep and forearm, but this is far less severe with a thicker bar, which helps distribute the weight more evenly than a thin bar.

SHOULD YOU WEAR A BELT?

When performing the above lifts I prefer my clients master their use without the aid of a lifting belt. This is to ensure their core is strengthened whilst we teach them how to brace effectively and not lose position under load. When belts are incorporated I prefer to reserve their use for lifts greater than 80% of 1RM. Even then, the belts must be used correctly.

For great information on The Best Lifting Belts check out this article from BarBend.com: https://barbend.com/best-lifting-belts/.

To learn how to master the barbell lifts, join us at Spartan for our hugely popular Spartan Barbell Club courses.

The post A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPARTAN + MY TOP 5 BARBELL MOVEMENTS appeared first on Spartan Performance.

I was first exposed to these through one of my biggest influences – Louie Simmons. There were no UK suppliers back in 2002 so I had a fabricator make me a sled. This was 5 years before Spartan started to become a reality. Xmas Day 2003 I was pulling it uphill on grass ankle deep in snow (Shout out to my training partner Colin who was mad enough to join me). Since then I have used them on all surfaces in all conditions.

Much to my client’s delight we have switched a local field to indoor turf and upgraded our equipment from homemade to the very best in Watson Gym Equipment and A-Unit.

More importantly I have learnt from past mistakes that saw me use these invaluable tools to simply bury people. Those of you that have used these know how easily it is to induce what my mentor Joe Defranco called ‘prowler flu‘.  Whilst that may serve a purpose on the odd occasion, there are far more effective ways to incorporate these into your own training as well as that of your clients. Check out my article at IronLife magazine where I discuss in detail.

The post PROWLER & SLED TRAINING – THE SPARTAN WAY appeared first on Spartan Performance.

Within human movement, various patterns of compensation and the associated movement dysfunction limit an individual’s capability in performance and also dramatically increases the risk of, if not guarantees, a future injury.

Conversely, trainers, coaches, and athletes that can identify common patterns of compensation in human movement have an opportunity to correct the associative movement dysfunctions, restore biomechanical integrity, improve movement quality, and limit the risk of injury as well as contribute positively to both training and performance.

Patterns of compensation develop in human movement for many reasons. From injuries to daily life activities, the human body is constantly being shaped and re-modeled through ‘mechanotransduction,’ which is the process in which biomechanical forces in combination with biochemical reactions and energy flows literally ‘deform’ (or change the form of) each and every cell.

What’s most alarming about this relationship between movement and the body is that movement can re-shape the body for the worst, and will at times lessen the body’s capability to function as it could or as it is designed to function. Thus, the scope of human movement can have a ‘negative’ influence on the evolution of the human body and in turn have a negative effect on one’s overall sports performance and progress.

Having the ability to recognize patterns of compensation and movement dysfunction provides the individual with the opportunity to correct and neutralize the risks and damage associated with patterns, as well as allows the individual to develop more efficiency and integrity in regard to biomechanical functions and movement quality.

Unfortunately, if uncorrected or undetected, the patterns of compensation and associated movement dysfunctions can and will disrupt human movement, increasing the risk of injury and damage to the body, even if the individual is unaware of these risks.

Learning to recognize some of the common patterns of compensation is a reliable tool an individual should use in the effort to minimize risk of injury and damage associated with movement dysfunctions.

An effective goal for an individual, especially for trainers, coaches and athletes, is to identify common patterns of compensation in human movement to address and correct the associated movement dysfunctions, limit the risk of injury, and improve movement quality.

CASE STUDY: UNEVEN SHOULDERS.

One of the most difficult patterns of compensation to assess, ‘uneven shoulders’ is a complicated strength or muscle imbalance occurring in many people without their knowledge. This pattern of compensation usually develops in an individual due to a previous injury and/or lifestyle factors, including simple habits such as carrying a bag on only one shoulder.

Uneven shoulders are easily observed in a static posture assessment, as seen in the photos. However, the causes or the nature of the Strength/Muscle Imbalance involved in this compensation pattern is not as easily noticeable due to the complex nature of the movement of the Hips, Torso/Core, and Shoulders. In some individuals, the Upper Trapezius (Neck/Shoulder) Muscle may be tight and overactive, while in others it may be the Latissimus Dorsi (Back) or Pectoralis (Chest) or even the Quadratus Lumborum (Low Back) Muscles that are tight and overactive. It may aslo be a comboination of all of the above.

In the first back photo we can see the pelvis is tilted to the right due to a short right leg. This has resulted in a compensatory left bend of the spine, left tilt of the shoulder girdle and right shift of the rib cage relative to the pelvis.

TREATMENT PROCEDURE

In order to establish fascial tensegrity, which simply implies evenness of tone, the left lateral side was released (Internal/External Oblique’s, Latissimus Dorsi and Quadratus Lumborum) followed by releasing the right Upper Trapezius & Gluteal complex which significantly lowered the elevated shoulder and reestablished a more leveled hip alignment as can be seen in the final back picture.

Following the treatment specific activation exercises were incorporated to help maintain the new postural position (shown below), but in order to make these changes permanent regular treatment sessions are required with continual persistent execution of activation and integration movements.

If you suffer from movement dysfunctions or compensations patterns book in with Activate Physio @ Spartan Performance to begin your journey on reestablish fascial tensegrity and thus overall sporting performance.

24 Hour Online Booking –

http://spartanperformance.co.uk/physiotherapy/

The post CASE STUDY – UNEVEN SHOULDERS appeared first on Spartan Performance.

They’re forced to work on a whole array of athletic qualities, which means that the good ones learn to be smart with their training and efficient with their time. If this all works for them – it can work for you too in the gym.

Check out my thoughts on the subject in Ironlife magazine by clicking here.

The post What Can Lifters Learn From Fighters? appeared first on Spartan Performance.

In the podcast we discuss the 5 biggest mistakes people make when it comes to strongman training, talking shop on a wide range of topics, including:

• Brute Strength/Ignorance
• Training shy of failure
• Maximising Recovery
• Warm Up/Cool Down work
• Perfecting technique
• Ego lifting
• All the gear no idea!
• Compensation
• Injury prevention
• and much more!

Check it out and give Phil a follow!

The post My Interview with Phil Graham appeared first on Spartan Performance.