Glute Ham Raise

Google Magic

The GHR. One of the best tools in a gym, not enough posterior chain work gets done in our lives or workouts and everyone should invest some time working on the GHR. Among those that do utilize this fantastic machine so many people insist on performing the movement so rapidly and poorly that I am not sure if it is GHR or a dolphin being electrocuted as it leaves the water. We are going to breakdown the GHR into the important cues/ movements. We will start at the top and work our way down the body.


1.) Head /Neck
Pack your neck! Please. I asked politely when you are performing this movement, and all others, pack your neck. This means placing your head in a neutral position. Try this out: Stand up facing a wall and stare straight ahead. You should be looking at the wall at eye level. Now, look at the corner where the wall and ceiling intersect by moving your head not eyes. This will force you to tilt your head and is where most people lift from. The first is a packed neck (or closer to one) and it is the position that you should be working from. The second is the cervical spine in hyperextension, which is where most people do work from. The spine in neutral alignment creates core stability and strength. The same concepts that apply to the lumbar spine when lifting apply to the cervical spine. Not only for safety but also for maximal strength production.

This video shows the neck position I am talking about, although he is obviously deadlifting versus a GHR, but packing the neck is important.


2.) Shoulder /Upper Back

 
Squeeze the shoulder blades and put them into your back pockets. This point doesn't need much explanation, create a nice big chest with good upright posture. No Quasimodo movements folks.


3.) LB / Butt / Core


Low back is straight (following its natural curve) not moving from excessive flexion to extension. The movement comes from the hips. Squeeze the rear to get in a parallel position to the floor and brace the core. These actions will pull the pelvis into the proper alignment. Once you are in this position lock it in and don't let it move. This is the most important section of the movement and if you break here the rest will be ugly.** DO NOT** bounce out of the bottom and turn the lower back into a bow just to get up to the top. If you have to do that you are not stronger enough yet, sorry. 

This is bad posture

 

If that was bad <--- How can this be good?

4.) Knees / Toes

The placement of the knees will vary depending on your body type but find a comfortable angle that is challenging but you can perform the reps. The closer your knees are the longer the lever. An increase in lever length will cause an increase in difficulty. Also have your toes engaged versus a flat foot, it helps with stability and activation, try and "grip" the foot plate.


So the basic cues become: Chin Down, Shoulders Back, Back Straight, Butt and Tummy Tight, Active Toes, Movement from the knees.


If you are hitting up the gym later today rep a few GHR with proper form, I am willing to bet you get more out of it in fewer reps and your back won't hurt later.

Stuff to pass the time

Thought I would toss out a post about cool stuff to read/ watch while you are not doing your homework or real work or don't know how to fill your day without BBM.
The first one is a Jay Z short documentary from Oprah that is pretty inspirational as he talks about his life and success.

The second article is about Dan John, if you don't know who Dan John is look him up he is worth your time.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/40_years_of_insight_part_1

The last is a nutrition article that I was pointed to through Tony Gentilcore. Sadly, I know very little about optimal nutrition so I have been trying to read more. Plus my girlfriend is becoming an RD and I want to be able to have a conversation about the field with her.


http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/5-surprising-health-myths/

A.

23 Hour Rule

Make use of your 23 hours or else... A Twilight Character will get you.

I consistently find myself writing these during the times I should be studying but I guess some type of productivity is better than none. I was talking with a peer about one of his clients and how it can be frustrating to constantly have to correct the same issues because they seem to regress between the end of the last session to the start of the next. It got me thinking about the 23 Hour Rule. The 23 Hour Rule states that you are working with someone in a specific discipline you probably see them for 1 hour out of 24. You have one hour to try and correct or alter what they do in the other 23 that is causing the issue. I will use fitness as an example because it is relevant to what I do. If your client has shoulder issues and  spends the majority of their day in excessive internal rotation you have only 1 hour to try and promote the correct posture and retraction (pulling back) of the shoulder blades. If this client spends the next 23 hours in that poor position and does not try and make an effort to alter actions in their everyday life (alter desk height, do some mobility work during a commercial, etc.) chances are when they come see you again in a day the issue will not have improved. You are bailing the boat without patching the hole, if you move your arms really fast you may get all the water out but only for a short time before it floods back in. My challenge here is to utilize the other 23 hours, don't just address the issue in that isolated time block. It doesn't matter if your goal is to overhead squat better or learn Spanish.

Personally, when I need to grab something off the bottom shelf in the kitchen I drop into a deep squat and work from there to practice the movement pattern. If I go up an escalator I will  put my one leg up two steps and give the hamstrings a little loving. I try not to sit for an extended period of time without getting up for a stroll and stretch out. Is this enough to make a big noticeable difference? Probably not but it doesn't hurt and is certainly better than doing nothing.