Hope everyone enjoyed the game last night. Congrats to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on the win. But enough about the game—did you see the new Jason Bourne teaser trailer? It took all the willpower I could muster not to lose it over how awesome it looked. I’d heard a Bourne movie was in the works because I read Entertainment Weekly and spend time on IMDb, and I was hoping for something epic with Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass back in the fold. I wasn’t expecting a sneak peek last night, and it caught me off guard. The teaser was so intense that only a bigger moment would have topped it—like Bourne going bare-knuckle against a grizzly.
Separately, I recently recorded a video chat with Ryan Ketchum for the Elite Training Mentorship titled Behind the Scenes: Tony Gentilcore on Program Design Made Simple.
The Elite Training Mentorship offers monthly insider content from coaches such as Eric Cressey (Cressey Sports Performance), Mike Robertson (IFAST), Tyler English, Dave “the Band Man” Schmitz, and Steve Long and Jared Woolever of Smart Group Training. For $29.95 per month or $299.95 per year, you get access to the full library of past and current content. Since this is my first solo post for the service, you can grab a 30-day trial for $4.95. It’s a solid deal.
EXERCISES YOU SHOULD BE DOING: STATIONARY BEAR CRAWL
Who I learned it from: I picked this up from Dr. Mark Cheng after watching his DVD Prehab=Rehab 101. The exercise comes from his discussion of ground-based training, moving from basic patterns like rolling and the sphinx pose to crawling patterns.
What it does: Bear crawls have grown popular in group training like boot camps and CrossFit. But the real benefits go beyond simply making people tired; when done correctly, they improve movement quality and core control.
Key benefits:
1) When performed with hips level with shoulders and no extra arching or rounding, they train lumbo-pelvic stability and help separate hip movement from the lower back. Think of keeping a glass of water on your back and not spilling a drop.
2) Motor learning: there’s a lot of learning involved. I’ll show the movement, then say, “your turn.” It can be funny watching people figure it out, but with practice they progress. You can make it tougher by reversing the direction or going sideways.
3) Bear crawls are a strong anterior core exercise due to the focus on lumbo-pelvic control. Many clients report their abs feeling worked the day after.
4) They engage the serratus muscles, which helps those with shoulder blade issues. A common mistake is letting the shoulder blades hang and touch the floor the whole time, which can cause shoulder problems. The shoulder blades should move around the rib cage.
5) They also offer solid conditioning. There are countless ways to make them tough—timed, distance, or adding load.
If you don’t have turf or open space, you can do bear crawls in place. Coaching cues: hands under shoulders, knees under hips. Base of support varies with ability. Brace the abs and tuck the chin. Then lift opposite limbs a few inches off the ground while keeping the torso from teetering. The water/wine analogy still helps here. Another cue is to push away from the floor and move around the rib cage. Typical work spans 5–8 reps per side or 15–30 seconds. This exercise works for many people, including those with chronic low back issues or anyone who needs a challenge. You can regress by focusing on one limb at a time, or do clockwise and counterclockwise movements. Give it a try and tell me what you think.
