3. Spread the Chest/Lock in the Lower Back

2011 Spring Final

6 BFS Absolutes

1.  Athletic or Jump Stance

2.  Be Tall

3.  Spread the Chest/Lock in the Lower Back

4.  Toes Aligned

5.  Knees Aligned

6.  Eyes on the Target

Athletic Stance

·  Feet shoulder width apart

·  Core lifts-Parallel Squat, Box Squat, Front Squat

·  Aux. Lifts-T-Bar, Calf Raises

Jump Stance

·  More narrow than athletic stance

·  In “jumping” position

·  Core Lifts-Power Clean, Hang Clean, Deadlift (Hex Bar)

·  Aux. Lifts-Jerk Press, Hex Bar Jumps, Box Jumps

Be Tall

·  Always keep shoulders back and don’t “hunch” over while performing any lifts.

·  Keep upper body in a semi upright position

Spread the Chest/Lock in the Lower Back

·  Be sure to “stick the chest out” and pull the shoulders back.

·  This will help ensure that the lower back is locked in

·  Will also help ensure that no injury will occur

Toes Aligned

·  Essential part in injury prevention of the lower leg

·  Toes must be “in line” with the knees

·  Toes must also be pointing straight ahead

·  Pretend you are to draw a line from the toes to the knees, line should be straight

Knees Aligned

·  Knees must also be “in line” with the toes to further prevent knee/hip injury

·  Knees must not “fall” in or hips/knees/toes become “out of line” and further injury risk occurs

Eyes on Target

·  When performing any exercise, always keep eyes looking straight ahead

·  Do not look down

Weight Room Techniques

Parallel Squat

·  Athletic Stance

·  Bar resting on shoulders, not neck

·  Two step drop

·  Two step return

·  Parallel means that the upper (top) of the thigh is parallel to the ground at the bottom of the squat (90 degrees with the lower leg)

·  Always use three spotters

·  Back spotter is the “captain” of the group

·  Back spotter is the ONLY one who talks

·  Side spotters never touch the bar unless told to do so by the back spotter

·  Side spotters must be in 6 absolutes

·  Side spotters must have proper hand technique

Power Clean

·  Jump Stance

·  Close grip

·  Lock in back/spread chest prior to lift

·  “Get the slack out” means to snug up the bar before lifting it from the ground

·  Don’t jerk the bar from the floor

·  Keep bar in the “power line”

·  “Power Line” means straight up and through from the ankles to the knees to the hips

·  Finish in athletic stance

·  Finish with elbows out (see the forearms)

·  Always have a back spotter

Hex Bar

·  Jump Stance

·  Side grip

·  Lock in back/spread chest prior to lift

·  “Get the slack out” means to snug up the bar before lifting it from the ground

·  Don’t jerk the bar from the floor

·  Finish by slightly moving hips forward

·  Put bar down slowly

·  Finish just like you started

Bench Press

·  Lie flat on back

·  Eyes up

·  Grip shoulder width apart

·  4 second negative rep under control

·  2 second positive rep under control

·  Use one rear spotter only

·  Feet flat on floor

Proper Running Stance/Form

·  Lead foot must be one foot length away from start line

·  Toe of the back foot should be even with the heel of the front foot

·  Both feet should be about a “jump stance” width apart

·  Head should be in line with the back (neck should not be bent)

·  If right leg is forward, right hand will go up at set position

·  If left leg is forward, left hand will go up at set position

·  Push with front foot and step first with the back foot

·  Keep hands and arms close to the side of the body

·  Eyes focused forward, not up

·  Run on toes

Flexibility

·  Best to hold each stretch for 30 seconds each keeping constant tension on the muscle

·  Don’t bounce

·  On leg stretches while seated, keep toes pointing up and legs flat on the ground

·  Always stretch muscles both before and after a workout

·  Becoming more flexible can aid in injury prevention, increased speed, and increased performance

Box Jumping

·  Must jump and land in 6 absolutes

·  Don’t spend time on the floor, as feet touch ground, jump immediately for maximum benefit

·  Always remain under control while jumping through a series of boxes

·  Do not go too fast

·  Do not “drag” feet

Spotting Form

·  On Bench, always spot from the rear of the lifter

·  On Bench, It is best to use a underhand/overhand concept while spotting

·  On Bench, As soon as it is evident that the lifter can not lift the bar, begin to help with the completion of the lift

·  On Bench, If it is evident that the lifter has COMPLETELY failed, grab bar and totally assist

·  On Hex Bar, spotter and/or partners, are responsible for judging technique of the lifter, which is done so from the side of the lifter, NOT the back

Miscellaneous

·  It is recommended that an “in season” not lift to gain strength, but to lift to maintain strength

·  The benefit of lifting weights “in season” is injury prevention

·  It is NOT recommended that any athletes take ANY form of nutritional supplements

·  A warm up set is recommended prior to performing any weight lifting exercise

·  Spotters are recommended on auxiliary lifts as well as core lifts

·  In regards to breathing while lifting weights, always “load your air” on the negative repetition, and exhale slowly on the positive repetition

o  i.e. While performing the bench press, load air on way down, exhale while pushing bar back up.

Bicep Exercises

·  Dumbbell Curl

·  Barbell Curl

·  Static Arm Curl

·  Concentration Curl

·  Hammer Curl

·  In/Out Curl

·  Walk the Rack

·  21’s

Tricep Exercises

·  Tri-Extension

·  Kickbacks

·  Tri-Pushdowns

·  Close Grip Bench

·  Chair Dips

·  Side-Tri-Rise