Load-to-explode box jumps are not only extremely effective for increasing your vertical jump and leg power, but also for transforming and/or developing fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are needed in order to maximize muscle mass. Ladies, if you’re looking for some top secret bootybuilding shizzle then like and follow. No questions assed.
Up until the late 20th century, the vast majority of documented research into muscles and movement was done in a static environment using cadavers. Apparently, people had no common sense back then lol. Nowadays, we have a much better understanding of how the body works. Before any contraction there is an eccentric loading of the muscle that can be seen when bending your knees to jump, or when twisting your body left to swing a tending racket to your right.
Dropping from an elevated surface and then jumping, increases the load on the muscles in comparison to jumping straight up from the floor. The increased eccentric load will cause the muscles to explode with a bigger bang, which will increase your vertical jump.
Personally, I train legs for power (not strength), mass, functional ability and mobility. Power has helped increase mass, but never the other way around. On the flip side, power DOES increase strength and speed. However you can easily reverse the effects by not performing the exercises properly.
To prevent LOSING power, (1) NEVER use a weight heavy enough to turn the movement into a static one instead of an explosive one (keep it light); (2) NEVER do more than 8 repetitions per set, or continue a set once the explosiveness of your muscles has died out (whichever comes first); (3) rest for at least 90 seconds; and (4) only work power exercises into the very end of your program (the last one, or two exercises).
If you love red meat, but could do without the saturated fat and cholesterol then ostrich is the way forward!
Nutrition experts and dietitians all over the world are highly in favor of ostrich over red meat. The taste and texture is similar, but I, myself, find ostrich to be more succulent than beef. Because the fat is stored outside of the muscle, it is easier to process, making it leaner than chicken and other meats.
Considering how processed chicken, and even beef, is becoming nowadays, making the switch to ostrich seems to be a great choice. It is extremely easy to cook. It’s best when shallow fried rare – medium-rare. Be very careful not to overcook it as it will go rubbery! If you want a more elegant taste and have more time on your hands, cook on 100C/215F for 5-6 hours in a casserole dish of gravy, in the oven. Perfecto!
Ostrich is also high in iron – even more so than beef. This is great for those of us that lead an active lifestyle!
The photo above is a meal that I prepared. Aside from ostrich, it includes black kale, asparagus and red peppers.
All of this together makes for a great post workout meal. Here’s more of an in depth look at what’s inside:
Yes, my pants are saggin’, but if you can look past that (lol) this is a really good circuit for rear shoulders/upper back. The emphasis is on posture.
When performing the kick backs your palms should be facing backwards throughout and you should be lifting your entire chest off of the bench while squeezing your shoulder blades in towards your spine. Elbows should be slightly bent, but stiff and not contributing to the movement in any way.
Go straight into lying reverse flyes. Turning your thumbs out as you raise will cause your shoulder to externally rotate. This will force the inferior angle (bottom corner) of the scapulae down – great for stabilisation.
The last move is what I like to call a prone shrug. Focus on squeezing the shoulder blades together while lifting your chest off of the bench. You should feel it in rhomboids.
Poor genetics is not the major cause of a “flat bottom”. It is MOSTLY (believe it, or not) the result of an unfavorable position of the pelvis and spine. I have yet to find a human being that hasn’t been crippled by an irreversible accident that has not been capable of building a nice, round ass.
The above video will quickly take you through a squat test, so that you can find out if your glutes are working properly and to get you on your way to building a nice bum.
Please note that we are using the squat test to observe the glutes – not to perfect your squat. Issues such as dorsiflexion, length of the bones in the lower body, etc. are not being taken into account here. However I will say that strengthening glutes fixes most problems with squats across the board. The only objective here is only to observe the gluteus muscle group.
Quick Breakdown About the Anatomy of the Gluteus Muscles:
If you don’t use your glutes on a regular basis then they are likely to be asleep. If you sit down for most of the day this is more than likely to be the case.
Nonactivated glutes can cause hip & knee problems, foot problems, upper & lower back pain, migraines, kyphosis, misalignment of the pelvis, a “flat bottom,” etc., so don’t think of this as something that is only for people that train. If you have any of the aforementioned problems it is probably because you DON’T train.
If you DO train and have wondered why you can’t squat properly then sorting your glutes out will improve everything from squats to bench presses, so it is definitely worth some attention!
What to do Next!
Once you have an idea of which gluteus muscles are causing a problem for you by viewing the video above, you will know whether to go.
Looking to put some “junk in your trunk”, or blast past your personal best in squats? You’ve come to the right place!
HOWEVER YOU SHOULD WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW BEFORE KNOWING IF THE ONE ABOVE IS RIGHT FOR YOU!
Poor genetics is not the major cause of a “flat bottom”. It is MOSTLY (believe it, or not) the result of an unfavorable position of the pelvis and spine. I have yet to find a human being that hasn’t been crippled by an irreversible accident that has not been capable of building a nice, round ass.
Please refer to my previous video where we use a simple squat test in order to observe the glutes:
If dominant quadriceps is a problem for you then this will give you a push in the right direction.
Just to reiterate my previous post…
If you don’t use your glutes on a regular basis then they are likely to be asleep. If you sit down for most of the day this is more than likely to be the case.
Nonactivated glutes can cause hip & knee problems, foot problems, upper & lower back pain, migraines, kyphosis, misalignment of the pelvis, a “flat bottom,” etc., so don’t think of this as something that is only for people that train. If you have any of the aforementioned problems it is probably because you DON’T train.
If you DO train and have wondered why you can’t squat properly then sorting your glutes out will improve everything from squats to bench presses, so it is definitely worth some attention!
If you have any further questions feel free to comment, or inbox me for more confidentiality, and I’ll do my best to answer them!
Tay Gabbidon
Personal Trainer & Nutrition Therapist
Oxford, England
Looking to strengthen your glutes, put some “junk in your trunk”, or blast past your personal best in squats? You’ve come to the right place!
HOWEVER YOU SHOULD WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW BEFORE KNOWING IF THE ONE ABOVE IS RIGHT FOR YOU!
Poor genetics is not the major cause of a “flat bottom”. It is MOSTLY (believe it, or not) the result of an unfavorable position of the pelvis and spine. I have yet to find a human being that hasn’t been crippled by an irreversible accident that has not been capable of building a nice, round ass.
Please refer to my previous video where we use a simple squat test in order to observe the glutes:
If gluteus medius is a problem for you then this will give you a push in the right direction.
If you don’t use your glutes on a regular basis then they are likely to be asleep. If you sit down for most of the day this is more than likely to be the case.
Nonactivated glutes can cause hip & knee problems, foot problems, upper & lower back pain, migraines, kyphosis, misalignment of the pelvis, a “flat bottom,” etc., so don’t think of this as something that is only for people that train. If you have any of the aforementioned problems it is probably because you DON’T train.
If you DO train and have wondered why you can’t squat properly then sorting your glutes out will improve everything from squats to bench presses, so it is definitely worth some attention!
If you have any further questions feel free to comment, or inbox me for more confidentiality, and I’ll do my best to answer them!
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