Part 1 outlined the benefits of using a chest-width grip the bench press. Namely, the potential for higher bar speeds thanks to the biomechanical advantage of strong muscles coordinating long levers. Chest passes, jabs, blocking and shoving opponents are among the sports skills that rely on a horizontal pushing motion similar to the bench press. […]
Bench Press for Speed Part 2 Read More »
Optical timing gates are precise, accurate instruments. The design and manufacture of the technology is wonderful. They are simple, portable and reliable. They display results immediately. Researchers use them. Coaches use them. Teams, leagues and associations use them. But not everyone is using them as they should, and therein lies the problem with optical timing
The Problem With Optical Timing Gates Read More »
What is the best grip width for the bench press? The quick answer is chest-width. The long answer is it depends on your goals and anatomy… but will still probably be close to chest-width. Let’s look at why. The bench press is a basic exercise that has a place in most strength & conditioning programmes.
Bench Press for Speed Part 1 Read More »
If you answered to increase strength, that is a very good reason. Resistance training is the most effective way to increase strength. Strength improves performance1 and decreases injury risk.2 If you answered to increase lean muscle mass, that is also a good reason. Muscle mass is a pre-requisite for increasing strength in trained individuals. Muscle
Why Do You Even Lift, Bro? Read More »
Anders Ericsson (not pictured above… it’s some other guy) was a pioneer in the field of motor learning and produced some excellent research on the topic. In a study of classically trained musicians,1 he calculated that it took 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert. Those that surpassed that threshold landed gigs in prestigious
Some Rules are Made to be Broken Read More »
One of my earliest mentors passed away recently. Joe Glenn was a professor in the Kinesiology Faculty at the University of New Brunswick. He also served as the Athletic Therapist for the entire varsity sports system with particular care given to the (9-time national champions) men’s hockey team.1 I took all his classes and loved
In Memory of Joe Glenn: The Importance of Functional Anatomy Read More »
Considering the disparity in rankings, roster value1, international experience, and historical success, Belgium should have dominated Canada. Instead they considered themselves lucky to come out one point victors after being outplayed in nearly every statistical category. They then lost 2-0 to Morocco and failed to make it out of the group stage. Both Germany and Spain
FIFA 2022 Upsets, or Why European Teams Underperform Against Non-UEFA Nations Read More »
In competition players don’t run 10 metres straight ahead, make a 90 degree cut and run exactly 5 metres before reversing direction back to the starting point. Instead, they must react to the actions and positions of opponents, teammates, and the ball. Consequently, preplanned agility training has received a bit of a bad wrap lately.
