GameCoach

Sometimes you have to keep it simple! Load heavy, take your time, focus on quality over quantity. There are two components to physical readiness I consider when it comes to workout design: Musculoskeletal Readiness, CNS Readiness. Some days your musculoskeletal system will be fresh and ready to go but the nervous system isn’t. In this case, spend more time warming up, slower to scale weight, and increased rest time. Other days you’ll be musculoskeletally fatigued but CNS ready to grind. These days should require careful exercise selection to avoid strains due to altered movement mechanics from soreness. In this workout, I only had about 60 minutes, nursing an adductor strain, and bouncing back from a 40lb cut I did from Dec22-May23. That’s why we only got 3 things in. But at the time of me writing this, 09/22/23, I’m sore! How have you overcome CNS fatigue before? Let me know! - Coach Aylor

Advanced Strength Training requires you to know where EXACTLY you see form breakdowns in each of the lifts you’re working on. Deadlifts have always been one of my weaker lifts, but these 3 accessories have allowed me to accelerate my gainz a great deal: 1️⃣Banded Hip Thrusts (10sec pause for extra spice) 2️⃣Banded “No Touch” Deadlifts 3️⃣Zercher Goodmornings ‼️HERE’S WHAT THEY DO‼️ 1️⃣ = Strengthens Lock Out Position, Heightens CNS Output Potential 2️⃣ = Strengthens Bracing Technique, Increases Leg Drive, Improve Muscle Synchronization, Loads Eccentrically, Strengthens Lock Out Position 3️⃣ = Strengthens Lower Back, Strengthens Mid/Low Traps, Looks Bad A$$ Add these into your routine, and let me know your thoughts when you try them! - Coach Aylor

Lat Engagement is one of my most favorite things to teach people. This muscle group is often low in neuromuscular engagement for many people despite being tight from poor posture. One of the best ways to improve your neuromuscular (mind-muscle) connection to ANY muscle is to think about where the muscles originate and insert on the body (yes, you might need to do some Googling). From there, it’ll help you visualize how to maneuver your body to generate the most intense contraction ever. Contraction is maximized by bringing the origin and all instertion points of a muscle AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to each other. The lats connect in 3 general places on the body: 1️⃣Humerus Bone (upper arm) 2️⃣Mid Spine (multiple sites) 3️⃣Low Back (ilium crest) *there are a couple more* When your Lats contract they do the following: 1️⃣Externally Rotates Humerus Bone (bicep rotates up) 2️⃣Depress Shoulder Blades (pull down) 3️⃣Extends Humerus Bone (pull elbow behind body) 4️⃣Aids Spine Extension 5️⃣Aids Spine Rotation The cue to “Reach Far” in the video helps pre-stretch the lat, and reinforces scapular depression/relaxation in the mindset. Think through these things when doing your next back day. If you give this a try, let me know how it goes! - Coach Aylor

‼️DO NOT SKIP A WARM UP‼️ Elevating your lifting gains can be done simply through having an effective warm up. If you mobilize your joints properly, heighten your nervous system to match the workout intensity, and recruit more muscle fibers to awaken prior to lifting, just imagine how much more effective your workout will be! Here are the general phases a solid warm up should have: 🔥HR Elevation Phase (low intensity cardio) 🤸‍♂️Mobilization Phase (foam rolling, dynamic stretching) 💥Activation/Priming Phase (activation exercises, movement practice, weight scaling) These 4 Activation Drills are some of my go-tos for myself and my clients when we are not just Squatting, but other lower body compound movements. ▶️Here is what they do◀️ 90/90 HIP ROTATIONS: •Mobilizes hip joint •Activates transverse abdominals •Primes glutes KNEELING SIDE LUNGES: •Stretches adductors •Mobilizes ankles •Primes glutes STANDING CLAM SHELLS: •Static Activation of glutes in planted leg •Dynamic Activation of glutes in free leg •Primes hip external rotators •Activates foot stabilizers •Primes pelvic floor muscles HINGE-to-SQUATS •Activates glutes throughout varying degrees of hip flexion •Optimizes foot position in deep squat •Optimizes hip position in deep squat •Primes Squat movement pattern specifically ‼️NOTE‼️ These Activation Drills will be more effective if a proper HR Elevation and Mobility Phase are done prior. If you give these a try, let me know how they go! - Coach Aylor

Core training can be VERY boring…. If you don’t know how to train it right! Let’s consider all the movements our Spine can make: ▶️Flexion ▶️Extension ▶️Lateral Flexion ▶️Rotation ▶️Circumduction …and… ◀️Anti-Flexion ◀️Anti-Extension ◀️Anti-Lateral Flexion ◀️Anti-Rotation The BEST WAY to train the core is to train ALL of these movements and anti-movements. We have 3 layers of abdominal tissue: 1️⃣Rectus Abdominus (6 pack) 2️⃣Obliques (internal/external) 3️⃣Transverse Abdominus (natural weight belt) These 4 Core Exercises are my Go-To’s for building the toughest cores around. I use it with my “average Joe” type clients as well as my high competing athletes. Here’s what layers these 4 exercises strengthen: 🟢PALOF PRESS • Transverse Abs • Obliques 🟢WINDMILLS • Transverse Abs • Obliques 🟢AB WHEEL • Rectus Abdominus • Transverse Abs 🟢SUITCASE CARRY • Transverse Abs • Obliques Hopefully you’re picking up a pattern on why I chose each *cough*transverse*cough*abs*😉 There are more ways to modify each of these and I’d be happy to share if you reach out! If you gives these a try, let me know how it goes! - Coach Aylor

“No Touch Deadlifts” are one of my favorite variations. They challenge me to stay focused, intense, and intentional with every move due to the large amount of fatigue they create in such a short amount of time. So many of our compound movements have a dedicated Eccentric (negative), brief Amortization (transition phase), followed by Concentric (positive) phase of muscle contraction or vice versa (I.e. Squats, Bench, OH Press, Pull Ups etc). The Deadlift is one that is commonly trained predominantly Concentrically due to resting the bar on the floor between reps, or bouncing (to varying degrees) off the floor. ❗️Not that these rep styles are inherently bad or wrong if done for a reason with proper technique❗️ But nothing quite challenges your Musculoskeletal System and your CNS in the Deadlift like this “No Touch” variant. You’ll experience the full Eccentric load, the true extent of the Stretch-Shortening Cycle of your posterior chain, the mechanical challenge of the Amortization phase of muscle contraction, and your power potential in the Concentric phase of your lift. Very much like all other compound lifts. Variations of “No Touch Deadlifts”: • PAUSES (at bottom) • BAND/CHAINS • SUMO (need 1 plate/foot) Follow the main cues in the video, but here are a couple more: 💥 Powerfully PUSH through your feet when coming back up. 💥 Explosively thrust/extend/contract your glutes AS SOON AS that bar passes the knee cap. If you try it, let me know how it goes! - Coach Aylor