The StrengthCast Power Show 8 Shirt Busting Back Exercises and The Trap Bar Deadlift

 

Trap Bar Deadlift

• Author Chris Adams

The trap bar deadlift (especially with low handles) is a great exercise to add to your routine. It’s a compound movement that works the glutes, the lower back, the quadriceps, the hamstrings, the trapezius, the abdominal muscles, and the forearms.

While it’s more common to see someone do a deadlift with a barbell, the trap bar deadlift has gained in popularity in recent years, and most gyms now have a trap bar.

There are more similarities between the barbell deadlift and trap bar deadlift than there are differences. Both are lifted from the floor. Both involve hinging at the hips. The weight people can lift is similar for both. People tend to be able to lift a bit more weight with the trap bar, but people lifting a huge amount more with the trap bar you'll often read about on the internet are people using the high handles which reduces the range of motions. If you use the low handles, which are the same height as the barbell deadlift, the difference is much smaller. The trap bar uses a little more quads, and a little less hamstring and back compared to the barbell deadlift.

Benefits of the Trap Bar Deadlift Over the Barbell Deadlift

The barbell deadlift is also a great exercise. This article isn't about one being better than the other, they are just different. I’m going to discuss some of the benefits of using a trap bar.

Easier to Learn: The trap bar deadlift is easier for most beginners to learn. The main reason being that with the barbell the weight is in front of you with makes it easier to lose your balance and round forward. While with the trap bar your hands are by your side. I don’t think the potential problems with the barbell deadlift are hard to avoid if you're coached properly, and doing deadlifts with a barbell isn’t that technical, or even hard to learn, but beginners do tend to pick up the trap bar deadlift and able to do them safely quicker than with a barbell, especially when they aren't receiving coaching.

Easier on the Lower Back: Trap bar deadlifts can be easier on the back, assuming your bracing and using good technique. The trap bar was invented in the 1980s by a powerlifter called Al Gerard. Al Gerard had many back problems, and he wanted to find a way to lift heavy weights with his bad back. The barbell deadlift is also good for your back if you're healthy, but some people who have back issues find that they can trap bar deadlift without pain while they can't with the barbell. There is less chance of being pulled forward and having spinal flexion with a trap bar. if you’re finding using a barbell is giving you back problems then using a trap bar could be a good option. This also makes the trap bar easier to use safely while doing high reps.

Low Handles and High Handles: Most trap bars have low and high handles. The vast majority of people only use the high handles. In fact, I've never seen anyone use the low handles apart from myself and my clients. If you search for #lowhandletrapbardeadlift on Instagram, you'll find only twenty videos, and three of them are me. Why do people mostly use high handles? Mainly because of ego and they can lift more weight with it.

However, there are some good reasons to use the high handles. A lot of people don’t have the mobility in the hips to get into the correct starting position with the barbell deadlift or the low handle trap bar deadlift because of previous injuries, or being active for a long time. However, most people can comfortably do a trap bar deadlift with high handles as it requires less mobility. I even have a 72-year-old client who can trap bar with high handles without a problem, but he wouldn't be able to use a barbell.

For everyone else, I use the low handles as it has a larger range of motion and carries over to the conventional deadlift better.

Grip: The trap bar allows you to use a neutral grip. Using a barbell gripping the bar with a double overhand grip will limit the weight you can lift as your hands can’t hold enough weight. That leaves hook grip, straps and mixed grip (one hand pronated, and one hand supinated). Hook grip is a strong grip but can be very painful on the thumb. Using straps take away the grip strength benefits. A mixed grip is a very strong grip but can lead to small muscle imbalances. It also increases the chance of tearing a bicep on the arm that’s supinated if bad technique is used. The trap bar is easy to grip and avoids these potential negatives.

Carryover to the Barbell Deadlift: I’ve personally found it to have a good carryover when using the low handle trap bar to the barbell deadlift. Three years ago, I pulled 230kg with a barbell with the vast majority of my training on the trap bar. I did deadlifts with a barbell around 5-8 times in my life before I did that. This was back when my one rep max on my squat was only 155kg, so the trap bar deadlift was the main reason I managed to deadlift 230kg.

Possible Negatives of the Trap Bar Deadlift

The handles might be too wide, or too narrow for some people depending on the trap bar being used. You might occasionally not grab the trap bar in the middle of the handle. This is simple to sort out as you can readjust before the next rep.

How to do a Trap Bar Deadlift

Step 1: Stand in the centre of a trap bar with your feet roughly hip-width apart and toes slightly out. This is a good starting point. Try a slightly narrower and wider stance to see what works best for you.

Step 2: Bending at the hip and letting the knees slightly bend, grab the middle of the handles of the trap bar.

Sit your hips back so you feel the tension in your hamstrings. Lift your chest up and flatten your back. Look straight ahead, or slightly down. While keeping your arms straight, rotate your elbows so they facing the wall behind you and pull your shoulders down. This will help engage your lats.

Step 3: From this position you need to get tight and brace. Getting tight and bracing will allow you to lift the most weight you can and reduce the chance of injury.

You now need to pull the slack out of the bar. Pulling the slack out of the bar is very simply lightly pulling on the bar and creating as much tension as possible throughout the body. You should be tense enough so that if I was to lightly push you, you wouldn't move.

Before lifting you want to take a deep breath from your diaphragm. When breathing into your diaphragm, your stomach should inflate out. If you’re chest and shoulders raise while you take your breath you’re not breathing into your diaphragm. You'll need to hold this breath until you've completed the rep. Contract your abs like you’re about to get punched in the stomach, and again hold it for the whole rep.

Step 4: Lift the bar driving your feet into the ground, straightening your legs, and thrusting your hips forward. As you approach the top of the movement to squeeze your glutes and push the hips forward to lock out the rep. When you lift it you shouldn't be jerking the bar off the ground. If you do end up jerking it off the ground it suggests that you didn't get tight enough during the setup.

Bracing, getting tight and pulling the slack out of the bar

Getting tight, bracing and creating full-body tension is important as it reduces the chance of injuring yourself and it allows you to lift the most weight. You need to be able to transfer the force into the bar through the torso. Make bracing and getting tight a priority when you're doing deadlifts.

Before every rep, you need to take a big diaphragmatic breath (breathing into your stomach/obliques) instead of breathing into your chest to create Intra-abdominal pressure. This helps protect your lower back. Your stomach should inflate out when doing this. If your chest and shoulders raise while you take your breath, you’re not doing it correctly.

You will hold this breath during the rep. If you need to exhale, do it at the top of the lift or with the bar resting on the ground between reps.

Contract your abs like you’re about to get punched in the stomach. This combined with taking a big breath will ensure you’re core is braced.

Pulling the slack out of the bar simply means that you have already put upward pressure on the barbell before you to lift the weight to create tension throughout the body. You should already be pulling the bar so when it’s still on the floor that adding that anymore force ill lift it off the floor. You shouldn't be jerking the bar off the floor. If you are, it means you're not pulling the slack out of the bar.

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Touch and Go vs Resetting Between Reps

People have become big and strong using both methods. Some people argue that it’s better to reset between every rep because when you're doing a one rep max you're starting dead start so you should practice that with every rep. If you're a powerlifter, I would reset between every set so you can practice it.

There's nothing wrong with touch and go. Touch and go is a way of overloading the muscles as you'll be able to do more reps with the same weight. I've personally made my best progress doing touch d go deadlifts. Touch and go forces you to do the eccentric part of the exercise which is useful for building muscle. The main problem with touch and go is that most people will do it wrong. They will cheat and bounce the weight up. I wouldn't recommend touch and go to someone who hasn't been deadlifting for a long time.

Some benefits touch deadlifts are it will build you grip strength better as you'll be holding the bar for the whole rep. You'll have more time under tension which is good for building muscle

I like to get my clients to control the eccentric part of the deadlift and briefly pause at the bottom before doing another rep. By controlling the eccentric part of the lift you'll return the bar to the correct starting position every time which will limit the time spent between reps.

Common Mistake

Not setting up correctly: The trap bar deadlift is a very simple movement once you're set up correctly. It's The problem is a lot of people don't set up correctly. If something doesn't feel right, or doesn't look good when you record it, look at your set up and check you're doing everything you should be. Good chance that's where your problem is.

Jerking the bar off the floor: This is a common mistake, and again it's caused by not getting tight and pulling the slack out of the bar. Jerking the bar off the floor should be avoided as it greatly increases the chance of you hurting your lower back, and it will limit how much weight you're able to lift. Make sure you pull the slack out of the bar and brace correctly.

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https://www.chrisadamspersonaltraining.com/

How to Slow Aging (and even reverse it) The Truth About Cancer Presents: Health Nuggets - What Is Leaky Gut?

 How to Slow Aging (and even reverse it)

• Author Nihon Takanawa

If you want to reduce those wrinkles on your face, you can adopt some lifestyle choices. In other words, if you follow the 7 lifestyle choices we are going to talk about, you can slow down your aging. Read on to find out more.

1. Get omega-3 fatty acids

Some good sources of omega 3 fatty acid include flax seeds and fish. Omega 3 fatty acids are important for your brain function. They reduce inflammation and stress in addition to repair your cell membranes. Therefore, you may want to have different types of fish, such as herring, tuna, mackerel, and salmon, just to name a few.

As an alternative, you can eat seeds and nuts, such as walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds. The oils of these seeds and nuts may also work.

2. Drink plenty of water

You may want to keep yourself hydrated by drinking at least 8 glasses of water on a daily basis. According to experts, the minimum daily amount is 3.7 liters for men, and 2.7 liters for women. The reason is that hydration may cause constipation, headaches, brain fog, and fatigue, to name a few.

Apart from this, keeping hydrated is important if you want to maintain your brain health. As you get older, it becomes harder for your body to absorb nutrients. So, your gut should remain healthy.

3. Get your B-vitamins

B-vitamins are important for your cognitive function. The good news is that you can get your required amount of vitamin B12 from your regular diet. But the problem is that people over the age of 50 struggle to maintain their B12 levels.

If you are looking for some good sources of these vitamins, you may want to check out grain products, fortified grains, breakfast cereals, beans, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Animal sources include dairy, eggs, meat, poultry, and fish.

4. Maintain the volume of your brain

According to medical science, your brain shrinks by 5% every 10 years after the age of 40. However, if you want to maintain this volume, you may want to go for aerobic exercises. What happens is that your body produces a specific chemical that helps slow down the deterioration of the brain.

So, if you are over the age of 40, you may want to perform exercises, such as walking, running, cycling, and running on a treadmill.

5. Keep your brain active

According to researchers, you want to follow some brainy activities. With these activities, you can boost the generation of new cells in your brain. Apart from this, it will also slow down the process of cell loss in your brain.

So, what you need to do is keep your mind active by solving math problems and playing word puzzle games. Apart from this, you can engage yourself by adopting a hobby, such as painting and drawing.

6. Keep your gut healthy

The strength of your immune system depends on the lining of your gut. Therefore, you may want to try your level best to maintain the health of your intestines. For this purpose, you can have bone broth, as it is easier for your gut to absorb. Apart from this, it is full of minerals, protein, and collagen.

Long story short, if you want to slow down your aging, you can adopt the lifestyle choices described in this article.

Ready to start experiencing the anti-aging benefits of increased HGH levels yourself?

Police Officers Save OSU Student From Top of Parking Garage and The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Offers Much-Needed Assistance

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Offers Much-Needed Assistance

• Author Linda Rosenberg

The establishment of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention needs to continue to be commended, as there has been no better time than now to see such a project take shape.

When announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, it brought a major step towards developing the most effective solutions for preventing such tragedies.

I have increasing respect for the brave men and women in blue warriors.

Another case-in-point here as the quick thinking and cool heads of these two help save a young man from making a fatal mistake.

You train to expect the unexpected and even though you never know where that can take our tactical athletes, it pays to prepare.

The Action Alliance - created as a result of efforts by The Suicide Prevention Resource Center with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - will accelerate our nation's efforts to prevent suicide. In the United States, suicide claims over 34,000 lives annually. National concern continues to mount as we witness rise in suicides among members of the military, working aged adults, and young American Indians and Alaska Natives.

We have certainly lost too many to suicide, a preventable public health crisis. The strong federal support for suicide prevention through the formation of the Action Alliance is commendable and community-based mental health and addictions treatment providers are committed to supporting the mission of the Action Alliance in their communities through public education efforts such as Mental Health First Aid, and the provision of quality treatment and supports to high-risk groups.

The Action Alliance, a public-private partnership, will build on noteworthy achievements to date in national suicide prevention - federal and state legislation that has advanced suicide prevention planning and programming; programs to improve detection of suicide risk and access to care; the establishment of the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center, a national Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK); and development of the National Violent Death Reporting System.

As the Action Alliance moves forward its focus will include:

• Updating and advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.

• Development of effective public awareness and social marketing campaigns, including targeted messages for specific segments of the population that can change attitudes and norms and reduce suicidal behaviors.

• Advancing suicide prevention among high-risk groups.

Out of this alliance will grow advancements for practitioners, policymakers, service providers, communities, families, agencies and other partners that play a vital role in reducing the burden of suicide in America.

We can all do something to help reduce suicide in this country, and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention is a step in the right direction. Thanks to the establishment of this organization, we are now given the resources to reduce these tragedies and provide help to those who need it.

Linda Rosenberg is the president and CEO of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. TNC is the unifying voice of America's community-based mental and behavioral health organizations, lobbying for mental and behavioral healthcare reform and integration.Lean more at www.thenationalcouncil.org.

The Rock Almighty Devotional, Praise, and Worship with Sun Bomb and The Way to Finding Purpose in Life

The Way to Finding Purpose in Life

• Author Jimi Akanbi

Almost every human on the earth does not grasp that he or she has a unique God-given purpose in life given to them while in their mother’s womb, including believers. Hence the convenient action they exercise is to either get a university education, or copy what profession a successful friend is doing in life or both.

It follows suit that if you are unaware that I gave you a gift, you are unlikely to unwrap it and start using it. In the same manner, if you do not know that there is a unique destiny deposited in you by God, you will unlikely search for it, let alone fulfill it. (Continued below.....)

 

(....Continued.....) The destiny of individuals is not ordained by chance but by divine arrangement. Many people live as such that, what will be, will be, or if it is mine, then it is mine. The latter is a key form of living by chance and not by destiny. Anyone operating outside of his or her God-given destiny may experience some measure of success but will not live a fulfilled life; but when he or she finds destiny, a sense of overflowing joy, peace, favor, victory and much success becomes the person’s portion.

Oftentimes, someone’s purpose in life is not realized through a formal education, but through a divine revelation. There are many humans who replace destiny with a formal education, and end up unhappy and dissatisfied after graduating from college, and working a job which they really hate and dread going to every morning. For example, statistics shows that more than eighty-five percent of employees on the United States of America hate their jobs. Note: It is only confirms that more than eighty-five percent of employees in the USA have not discovered their God-given destiny, because our Lord will not give you a destiny that will allow you to struggle and become miserable.

Some of the few people who understand that they have a high calling or destiny given by God, go about looking for it in the wrong places, and end up quitting and settling for the next best profession. In the discovery of a God-given destiny, the Holy Spirit is the best helper. You need to go to a quiet place, be conscious of His indwelling presence in you, and continually praise and worship God for an hour each day to activate the Holy Spirit, ask Him to reveal your destiny to you, listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit or the voice of your spirit, and act accordingly.

There are times an individual’s destiny may seem menial, but at the end of the day, he or she will be elevated and begin to dine with Kings, princes and rulers of nations. This is a key reason our Lord mentioned in His Word: "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand". Also, when athletes run a sprint race, no one cares about how fast they take off, but how fast they finish the race.

It is said that the greater an individual’s destiny, the greater his or her challenges. This is a major reason the Generals of God such as; Jesus, Moses, David, Joseph, Job, Daniel, Abraham went through the great storms of life, after which they began to enjoy life to the fullest.

Everyone has at least one gift or talent, which should be used to fulfill his or her purpose in life; put it to use and not waste it. Note: God does not like wastage of any benefits He endows to man. Begin to seek after and find your God-given destiny, and not a duplicate of another human’s destiny.

Learn more here. 

My name is Jimi Akanbi. I am a Christian Author based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I obtained an MBA in Finance in year 2004. I have been through the greatest storms of life. That is any and everything that can make a man commit suicide. Upon all, I am still standing. Perhaps this is the major reason God gave me the gift of writing for His Kingdom. Who better to counsel His people, than one who has experienced challenges and victory?

Problems In Life Come From The Tree Of Knowledge (the Forbidden Tree) Vs. The Tree Of Life and The Humble Coronation of King Jesus

 -Author Roger Himes

Someone has said, "If you can't understand something, go back to the beginning, and you will start receiving revelation and finding answers."

There Were Two Trees In the Garden

Our beginning was The Garden of Eden, where there were lots of trees, but only two of them were special enough to be named:

(1) The Tree of Life, which was free and available,

(2) The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which was forbidden.

Soon after he ate, Adam feared God, with whom he had been in constant fellowship before, because he discovered he was naked. He immediately assumed that the problem was him " his flesh " his humanity. (Continued below......)

(....Continued.....)The Lord asked him why he was fearful and hiding. He said it was because he was naked. Ask yourself: wasn't he naked yesterday too? Sure he was. So what was the difference? The difference was Adam's perception of who he was. Yesterday he saw himself through God's eyes: he was the image of God. Today he saw himself through his own human eyes, and he saw he was naked.

Yesterday he saw what was right about him. Today he saw what was wrong about him. They approached the forbidden tree believing the lie of Satan, and they had a self-focused, narcissistic attitude: "I shall be . . ." (Gen 3:5). Yesterday their mindset was humility, today it was pride.

For 4,000 years man lived by The Tree of Knowledge. The law was later given to Moses, and it defined The Tree of Knowledge in every way " it defined everything that was good, and everything that was bad. Before the law was given, man was allowed to decide between what was good and bad " right and wrong. But this only led to a tremendous increase in sin, and sin focus. The last verse in Judges defines the thinking of man: "Everyone did what seemed right in his own eyes."

The law was then established to define sin, and it defined it ad-infinitum. And Paul said the result was, "No one is righteous " no not one."

We Are No Different Today

The fact is that today, we do exactly what Adam and Eve did in the Garden. We eat from (or today we might say that we consult) The Tree of Knowledge of Good vs. Bad in everything we do. Especially Christians live by an almost constant stream of thoughts about what is good or bad, or right or wrong. We live under thoughts of reward and punishment, and even the judgment of God.

Today we approach God with the same attitude Adam and Eve did. When we eat and live life by the wrong perception and false belief of the forbidden Tree of Knowledge, we think everything has to do with us. We may not be naked, but we think our flesh is our problem.

God does not mean for us to live this way. The Tree of Knowledge was forbidden for mankind to eat from in the Garden, and it is still forbidden today. I can't prove it in scripture, but I suspect that the 'tree' Jesus was crucified on, mentioned in Galatians 3, was The Tree of Knowledge. Jesus says he is the way, the truth and the life. The Tree of Life was made forbidden to mankind after the fall of man, when Adam and Eve left the Garden. But I believe it was re-instituted at the cross of Jesus.

The Tree of Knowledge and the Old Covenant

The Tree of Knowledge represents the Old Testament, and the old covenant of God. But the Tree of Life represents the New Testament, and the better, new covenant we have been given (Heb 11:39-40). The old covenant demanded from us, and could not produce what it demanded. The new covenant gives to us, and produces in us what it does not demand. The two are diametrically opposite.

The old covenant was founded on law that pointed out sin and made everyone guilty before God (Rom 3:19-20). The new covenant is founded upon justification by means of faith that allows access to all the grace of God and results in our righteousness (Rom 5:1-2, 5:17, II Cor 5:21).

The Tree of Life and the New Covenant

The new covenant is founded upon belief. The very first words out of Jesus' mouth after 40 days in the wilderness with Satan were that we should repent " of all other beliefs " and believe the gospel (Mk 1:15). It was the most important thing on our Lord's heart and mind. He couldn't wait to start telling us about this new gospel covenant he was giving us. He said it must be preached in all the world before the end will come (Mk 24:14). It is so important that even angels will preach it from heaven to people on the earth during the end times (Rev 14:6).

The Tree of Knowledge, and the law coming from it, makes us look at ourselves " at our flesh " at what we do either right or wrong, good or bad.

The Tree of life causes us to look at God, and his Son and his finished work. This is what produces intimacy with God, whereby we live in his love and grace. All our flesh does is produces alienation from God, as Adam's did, which causes us to live in doubt, unbelief and condemnation " and fear of judgment.

There were two trees in the Garden of Eden, and there are still two trees alive and well on the earth today. It's our choice which one we eat from " or consult and live by each and every day.

To see the results of a study as to how most Christians live, click through on the link to my website below. Run your cursor over 'Gospel Tips' in the navigation bar. It appears under 'God's Grace.'

Receive a lot more!!! Receive regular GOSPEL TWEETS on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/TheGospelCoach

GCU Baseball vs Pepperdine Presented on US Sports Net By: Ultimate Forearm Training For Baseball

 Do you want to hit more line drive shots?

Do you want to drive more balls out of the park?

Do you want to throw the ball with more power?

Do you want tougher hands, wrists and forearms so you can play harder than ever before? (Continued below.....)

Hitting

The hands hold and control the bat. While the legs generate power and the core initiates movement, the hands are what actually takes the bat to where it is supposed to go and what transfer all the leg and core power through the bat and into the ball.

Pitching

Pitching involves transferring the power generated by the legs and core throughout the wind-up into the ball by snapping the wrist like the end of a bull whip. Pitching also involves the ability to angle the wrist through varying degrees of rotation and deviation for pitches such as curveballs, sliders, sinkers, and screwballs. Learn more.......

Catching

Catchers themselves have to play about 1/2 of the game with their mitt held wide open for the pitcher to use as a target. How worn out is your forearm at the end of a game? Preparing the forearms for catching requires a completely different approach, shown in this manual.

Tagging

How many times have we experienced or seen on TV a player applying a tag only to see the ball pop out at the last second and no out is recorded? What if you don't have time to cover up the glove with your off hand? This movement pattern is called pinching and requires specific strategies to train, and the equipment you need is already in your weight room or garage. Get started today!

Diving

How many times have we seen outfielders dive for a ball only to roll their wrist underneath them and miss half the season or more? With correct lower arm strengthening protocols, we can strengthen everything from the elbow down in order to make it more resilient against injury and allow us to bounce back quicker if we do experience an injury of this kind.

Sliding

When you slide there is always a chance for us to bend a wrist too far back, jam a finger on a bag or shoe, or get stepped on by a cleat. We have to do everything we can to make our hands bullet proof, and this can be done with the short and concise workouts I have already planned for you. Don't have much equipment? No problem. I have given you hundreds of movements to choose from with many alternatives for the equipment you use.

Unilateral Imbalance

Baseball is loaded with unilateral movement and imbalance. Throwing, Pitching, Non-Switch Hitting, and Catching are all examples of things we do with one side of the body but not the other. This leads to cumulative trauma throughout various parts of our bodies and eventually injury and downtime. This problem is compounded by improper grip training practices. I will show you how to maintain balance in your training with proper exercise selection. Book this course.......
Your hands are involved in almost every facet of the game.

Finally, thanks to the Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball Manual, you will be able to MAXIMIZE all of the benefits of a strong grip!

US High School Football Presented by Game Planner Pro Featuring: Top Players from the Class of 2022

 A look at where the Top 247 players are from in the Class of 2022. This is based off 247sports initial ranking of the 2022 class.

Get the MaxPreps app for iPhone & iPad! Click HERE

 

Presented on US Sports Net by Game Planner Pro!
Enter Code USSports to save 10% off the annual subscription.  For Football Coaches, By Football Coaches Learn More...

Evolve your Defense with Quarter, Quarter Half to Stop RPO

• By Coach Grabowski
 

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Good defenses and defensive coaches evolve, and that’s exactly what has happened for Jason Makrinos and the University of Findlay defense. Having lived in a quarters world for a long time, Coach Makrinos felt that his defense was constantly in conflict. That’s not a good thing in an RPO era where placing players in conflict is a key for offensive success. 

That led him on a search for something better and allowed him to evolve his defense. He found it with quarter-quarter-half coverage. It gave him a run fit of a Cover 3, which allows a plus one in the box, but still allows him to be in a split safety coverage that allows him to play the field and the boundary how he would like it.

In 2019, it helped the Oiler defense to a #5 ranking nationally in turnovers. Everyone knows the importance of turnover margin as a key factor in winning.  

Prior to coming to Findlay, Makrinos  was the co-defensive coordinator at FCS Duquesne University. Makrinos coached a defense that statistically improved in multiple important measurables including: points allowed, pass defense, interceptions, and third down defense. In that season, the Dukes' red zone defense was seventh in the country in the FCS. He has the Oilers on that trajectory as well.

For Makrinos, quarter-quarter-half, or Cover 9, was an answer that helped take his defenders out of conflict.  Playing coverages that allow for multiple forms of run support from a two-high look can allow for numbers advantages over offensive alignments.

A key to stopping RPO is determining where you want the ball to go. It’s something that you want to be able to dictate differently from week to week. The offense is always trying to manipulate the defense, but Makrinos takes that same approach to his game plan and what he is going to allow the offense to do, and what he will absolutely have the defense take away. 

Why is this important? Maybe one week you face a top talent receiver who is dangerous with the ball in space. You probably want to take that option away and put it in the hands of someone different. Maybe the next week the running back is a difference maker that can pick up big chunks when there’s not an extra hat to stop him, but the receivers are average.  Committing your numbers to stop the run would be the move that week. Considering what your defenders do best is also a factor. Strategic flexibility is a key to defensive success.

Consideration also becomes where on the field you want the ball.  Do you want it on the field or the boundary?  Where do you want your extra run support? These are all important considerations in game planning, and in designing your defenses for multiple answers.

This is an approach that is effective for the Oilers and Makrinos shares their Evolution, Communication and Structure, as well as their base Cover 9 Trick in free these videos:

The idea of having strategic flexibility on defense really allows you to put your players in the best situations. That’s alway been a number one priority for every staff I have coached on, and I am sure it is true for you. The way Coach Makrinos explains and illustrates this in his course gives you a powerful weapon in taking away the offense does best as well as highlighting your own strengths.

Get his course “Defending RPO’s with Quarter-Quarter-Half” and have better answers for your defense!

He shares his Cover 6 & Cover 9 as well as the various techniques and adjustments he uses, and illustrates all of it with game film. This offseason is a chance to evolve your defense, and like it was for Coach Makrinos, quarter-quarter half may be the answer.

Want to hear more Makrinos strategy and philosophy? Listen to him take a Deep Dive on Defense “Creating Turnovers” on Coach and Coordinator.

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More football articles 

GCU Baseball vs Seattle U (DH) Presented on US Sports Net By Prolong

 Grand Canyon University, Arizona’s premier, private Christian university, helps students find their purpose with next- generation education, including over 200 academic programs with over 150 online programs. GCU offers new residence halls, amenities, academic buildings and state-of-the-art athletic facilities on campus, student support resources, dynamic online classrooms, innovative learning experiences and more. Visit gcu.edu

The StrengthCast PowerShow Another Home Gym Revolution Workout and A Beginners Guide To Kettlebells

 A Beginners Guide To Kettlebells

• Author Ken Liu

We've written a small article about Kettlebell training and a brief FAQ on what to buy.

There has been a great deal written about kettlebell history so we won't go over it all again. What we'll do here is go over some of the benefits of kettlebell training cutting out the excessive and over the top claims that many websites espouse. (Continued below......)

Building muscle doesn't have to happen in a gym or under an iron bar loaded with plates. It can happen with almost no equipment, in your garage, back room, or right next to your bed.

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(....Continued......)What a kettlebell can do for you

Kettlebell swings, cleans and snatches work the posterior chain hard and your abs won't be getting an easy ride either. This type of compound movement is great for athletics training, forcing the body to work as an integrated unit. The combination of strength and cardio will be a shock to the system as a ten minute workout with a kettlebell will get your cardiovascular system working overtime and a monstrous strength workout simultaneously. You will develop a steel grip as your hands gets fried from the effort of holding onto a heavy weight that is thrown about at high speeds.

Finally, if you think that core training comprises of rolling about on a swiss ball you're in for a rude shock as your abs, obliques and lower back get tortured from exercises like windmills and Turkish get ups. Go scare the mullets in the gym and impress the fitness bunnies.

What a kettlebell won't do for you

It won't replace barbells, bodyweight or a multitude of other forms of training. Don't get me wrong. We love kettlebells, after all, we love them enough to name our company after them! However, unless you're training solely for kettlebell sport, they should only be part of your training regime. If you want to improve sports performance with kettlebells they should be a supplementary exercise. Your sports training should come first. If you want to pull a bar bending deadlift, work on your powerlifts. You get the idea.

It won't turn you into a superhuman. I'm sorry but that just won't happen. Bullets won't bounce off you, faster than a speeding bullet? Unlikely. Flying? Not unless you check your kettlebells in as hand luggage. Allergies to glowing green rocks? Anything that glows green should be avoided by everybody, not just the last son of Krypton!

Should I get a plate loader or a fixed weight bell?

We'll try to give you impartial advice on what type of kettlebell to buy. Plate loaded kettlebells invariably feel different to a fixed weight one but this only affects those that are used to one or the other. If you're new to KB training it shouldn't make a difference.

The advantages of fixed weight kettlebells

Rugged. Its a basic principle in life that the less moving parts something has the lower the risk that it will go wrong. You can't get more sturdy than a solid lump of metal! With the kettlebell handle there are a fair number of parts that can get lost or if abused, can get broken.

Progressive overload through more challenging exercises. Most people complain that kettlebells weight jumps are difficult to manage. The answer to this is to train with more difficult exercises. The 16kg is getting too light for you whilst shoulder pressing? No problems, work on a slow press, 2 up 1 down press, the Sots Press...there are many ways of making exercises more challenging.

Better for training in a group environment. One of the times where it is better to have fixed weight bells is in a group training environment. No need to find plates and confgure bells. Just grab the bells and train.

Less time consuming. A set of bells is better for drop sets. No time is taken up dismantling your bell and changing the weight.

Its more of a challenge. The argument that some use for plate loaded bells is that it allows for incremental progression. That's true but then the other side of the argument is that fixed bells develop a certain degree of courage. It takes bottle to go from the 16kg to the 24kg and it takes a lot of guts to go from the 24kg to the 32kg.

The advantages of plate loaded kettlebells

Progressive training. You can make a kettlebell at the weight you require. This is the main appeal of a plate loaded kettlebell. With the right weight plates you can create a kettlebell of the weight to suit you.

Cheaper. A kettlebell handle is a fair bit cheaper than a kettlebell. However, you will need a stack of weight plates!

Less space consuming. The handle when stripped down weighs about a kilo. Easy to hide when the better half starts complaining!

Portable. Take it to the gym with you, take it travelling, these handles are a lot easier on the go compared with fixed weight kettlebells.

The argument here is settled by your personality type. If you're more comfortable with steady progression then the plate loaders are for you. If you like to live life on the edge, then fixed weight training is for you. No temptation to take it step by step for you!

London Kettlebells, the UK's leading kettlebell

authority, for the ultimate in fitness, strength

and conditioning training. 

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