Jonathan Neal Fitness

Hip extension is one of the most important moves to train, and while most programs include hip extension exercises, few include serious explosive hip extension.

Using the bands like this creates variable resistance which allows rapid acceleration from the bottom of the movement followed by maximal tension at the top of the movement.

This is good.

Be sure to build some strength and good form with bodyweight extensions before moving onto the band.

Only once you feel comfortable doing slow reps with the band do you want to start dabbling into explosive reps.

It's a powerful exercise that can yield great results for your posterior chain, but it demands respect and proper preparation if you want to strengthen your back rather than injure it.

💪😎✌️

One of my favorite leg exercises: the Curtsy Squat

I really like this one because it is a relatively accessible exercise to work your legs in all 3 planes of motion without being too complicated.

Although it is important to train all 3 planes of motion, many fitness programs include very little or sometimes even none of the frontal and transverse planes.

Definitely one to include if you care about getting strong in all the ways your body can move..

💪😎✌️

Really been loving the Zercher style barbell hold for squats and lunges lately.

Building some real trunk and core strength along with sturdy, stable legs.

Nothing like good old hard work.

💪😎✌️

The Oblique Slings are trains of fascia that run through our bodies in a spiral fashion.

They are responsible for our ability to create fluid, rotational movements, so it is crucial that we train them if we want to have good performance and healthy movement.

When I train the Oblique Slings I like to use rhythmic movements like this one, which can be done at a steady pace for reps.

Make sure you are "slinging" the ball using primarily rib cage rotation rather than just using your arms to move the ball across your body.

💪😎✌️

Lateral Step-up

This is one of my favorite leg exercises because if you do it right you really hit the adductors (inner thigh muscles) which often go underused in most workout programs.

It's important to squat deep and really concentrate on "pulling" yourself up with the leg on the box rather than springing off the leg on the floor.

Strengthening your adductors gives you greater stability, and it also adds width and thickness to your thighs.

And as we all know, it is only thick thighs which save lives.

💪😎✌️

In hip hinge exercises, like the glorious Bulgarian Split RDL here, it is better to think about moving your hips back and forward, rather than pulling the weight up and down.

Remember, what you are thinking about during a lift is as important as the exercise selection itself.

💪😎✌️

I used to think of core training as laying on the ground and flopping around like a fish on the deck of a boat, but...

I started paying attention to how people with really strong cores actually get them, and...

I realized that athletes, especially wrestlers, have the strongest cores pound for pound, so...

Now I model my core training around what they do, and I'll tell you...

It works.

💪😎✌️

Lateral, explosive movement with rotation?

Yes, please!

Fitness is NOT just strength and muscles.

Fitness includes many other attributes such as power, mobility, connectivity, etc.

Don't get pigeonholed into just linear lifts. Let yourself move and improve across the board in all attributes.

Have a great day, fam!

💪😎✌️