My friend Jim Smith looks at things from all angles…literally.  His brain never stops and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t sleep.

Last time he was in town, dinner was like the ultimate roundtable discussion on every training method imaginable.

As one of the masterminds behind the Diesel Crew, he’s also got a reputation for being one of the great brains in strength and conditioning

His Building the Ultimate MMA Athlete book is one of the most thorough resources on the subject.

His Chaos Manual is literally the bible of supplementary training.  At over 600 pages of “no fluff” information, it’s a go-to book for solving the “what to do in this case” training issues.

As much as I enjoy and reference these books, I think Smitty has outdone himself and just about everyone else.

He’s just released his new book, Combat Core:  Advance Torso Training for Explosive Strength and Power. 

There are many “must haves” in the strength and conditioning field, but this beats them all in the core conditioning category.  Like I mentioned in the title, this is real core training.

By the way, Smitty is known to overdeliver in the information department, so if you’re on the fence, here’s what you get in addition to Combat Core:

The Combat Core Basic Package includes:

Combat Core
BoxingPerformance.com Interview
BoxingPerformance.com $1 Trial Membership
The Deadlift 101 Video
The Deadlift 101 Manual
The Underground Combat Files
The S&C Interrogation Files
Lifetime Updates

The Combat Core Deluxe Package includes:

Combat Core
BoxingPerformance.com Interview
BoxingPerformance.com $1 Trial Membership
The Deadlift 101 Video
The Deadlift 101 Manual
The Underground Combat Files
The S&C Interrogation Files
The Complete Abdominal Index
Advanced Kettlebell Training
Sledgehammer Essentials
The Summer Shredder Program
The MMA Power Program
Lifetime Updates

Get it while it’s on sale.

Bill

You don’t typically think of the lats as being shoulder stabilizers, but the latissimus dorsi tendon has fibers that attach directly to the posterior shoulder capsule which keep the capsule taught during shoulder rotation.

The biceps long head also provides an important stabilizing function during the first 50 degrees of arm elevation and external rotation by keeping the humeral head pushed back into the glenoid.

While these “uncommon” shoulder stabilizers play important roles, the subscapularis is well known in its role as the primary dynamic stabilizer to prevent anterior/superior migration of the humeral head that can result in impingement or worse a rotator cuff tear.

My friend Eric Cressey recently touched on another important aspect of the role of the subscapularis in his blog not to long ago that may of interest to strength athletes and powerlifters.

Bill

P.S.  If you already own Inside-Out expect a special bonus offer coming in your email very soon!

I have to admit.  I’ve been getting the urge to put
on some muscle after may recent 20 pound
drop in body fat.  I guess it’s unresolved issues
from my bodybuilding days back in the 80’s and 90’s.

Coincidently, I was contacted recently by a new
friend Vince DelMonte to participate in what
may be the biggest conglomeration of muscle
building experts you’ve ever seen, so I
jumped at the chance.

It’s called the Ultimate Muscle Advantage.

For the past few months, personal trainer and
muscle building author, Vince DelMonte has
rounded up the world’s biggest muscle building
experts all in one place.  These are ”REAL WORLD MUSCLE
AUTHORITIES” ready to reveal their their most jealously-
guarded secrets, tricks, tactics, formulas,
shortcuts and strategies to build pounds of lean
muscle.

Over the next 6 weeks, this elite team of 12
bodybuilding experts will finally cut through
all the B.S. that has been preventing you from
having a world class physique. These guys
will not be blowing any smoke.

Vinny (that’s what I actually call him) is
giving you an ALL EXPENSES PAID ACCESS PASS at
absolutely no cost. To get access to his
Ultimate Muscle Advantage program, you don’t
have to pay a single penny.

I wonder if you’re going to get as amped up as
I did when I saw the line up experts Vince
rounded up…

I personally believe this program will slap
on AT LEAST 5 pounds of muscle onto your frame
in the next 2 months.

Now don’t misunderstand me, this program IS
going to require you to take the information
you learn, apply it and TRAIN HARD.

So if you’re ready to check out the “Ultimate
Muscle Advantage” program featuring 12 of the
biggest bodybuilding experts on the planet
get signed up now.

Bill

Just wanted to let you know that this is the last day to take advantage of Jason Ferruggia’s Muscle Gaining Secrets upgrade.  I was going through some of the new additions to the program and spent some time on the Muscle Gaining Secrets forum.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the big names and great info on there.

Get it while you can.

Bill

Question:  What’s a power exercise?  Is it an Olympic lift?  Is a squat or bench press a power exercise?

Answer:  Because power = Force x Distance/Time (AKA force x velocity), as long as dynamic movement takes place (distance), any exercise generates power.  Some forms of exercise are inherently more power generating than others.  For instance, Olympic weightlifting movements are considered some of the most powerful exercises because of the speed of execution combined with the loads utilized.

A squat or bench press can be made more powerful by reducing the load to somewhere between 55-70% of the one repetition maximum and executing the movement explosively.

Medicine ball throws and jumps are also effective at improving power.

The key is to select the appropriate exercise at the appropriate load to transfer the training to the sporting event.

For instance, speed (low force, high velocity) and maximal strength (high force, lower velocity) represent the opposite ends of the strength curve, so there is typically a limited amount of transfer from maximal strength training to speed-oriented activities.  In other words, if you can throw a baseball at 100 miles an hour, that doesn’t mean you’ll also have the shoulder strength equivalent to that of a world record powerlifter.

Bill