Lifting Technique Archives - Page 2 of 9 - Robertson Training Systems

RTS Coaching: Reaching vs. Rounding

on October 5, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

In my opinion, reaching is one of the most important things we can incorporate into our programming. Whether it’s driving the rib cage back, opening up the back side of the body, or repositioning the abs and getting them into a more ideal position, every client I train is going to work on reaching. But […]

RTS Coaching: Low Box Reverse Lunge

on September 28, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Split-squats and lunges are two one of my go-to moves when it comes to training my athletes. Don’t believe me? Just check out all of these articles I’ve written on the split-squat alone! But just because I love an exercise doesn’t mean I’m not willing to change things up – especially if it makes it […]

5 Mistakes You Are Making with Olympic Lifts

on September 26, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Note from MR: So needless to say, I’ve got quite a few irons in the fire right now. Yesterday I had a 7-hour video shoot with STACK.com. This week is nutty as I’ve got approximately 1,087 things going on. And oh yeah – our Physical Preparation Summit is coming up fast. So when Wil Fleming […]

RTS Coaching: Hip Postion on 2-KB Front Squats

on September 14, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

I’m a huge fan of 2-kettlebell front squats. In fact, with a lot of my athletes that I may only have in for a short period of time, it’s my go-to squatting progression. Not only can you load it up fairly quickly, but it’s almost impossible to screw up. Almost. As with most lifts, the […]

RTS Coaching: Floor Coming UP on Squats

on September 7, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

If you’ve followed my site for any extended period of time, you know that my thoughts on the squat have changed pretty drastically over the years. As a powerlifter, my goal was to hoist as much weight as possible, by any means possible. So low bar, wide stance, bent-over torso squattin’ was all fine and […]

Physical Preparation with Tony Gentilcore

on September 2, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Tony Gentilcore is one of the co-founders of Cressey Sports Performance and worked there as a coach from 2007-2015. He now runs his own studio in Boston called CORE where he still trains athletes and general population clients from all walks of life. I originally met Tony all all the way back in 2006, and […]

RTS Coaching: The Plate Squat

on July 19, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Anyone who is serious about training likes to squat. Well, let’s be honest – it’s probably more of a love-hate relationship. Maybe a better way to put it is that everyone who is serious about training respects the squat. But this leads us to a big question: How do you teach someone to squat safely, […]

RTS Coaching: The Crossover Step-up

on July 13, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

If you’ve been training for any extended period of time, you’re familiar with the step-up. The step-up is a fantastic exercise for many reasons: It builds single-leg stability and control, It can help iron out side-to-side strength imbalances, and It’s a functional, real-world movement. Like most weight room lifts, however, the step-up is very sagittal […]

RTS Coaching: The Sprinter Step-up

on July 8, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Step-ups are one of my favorite single-leg exercises. (Well if we’re being transparent, I think of them as pseudo single-leg exercises. But I’ll discuss that more in the EADS 3.0 videos coming soon!) There are numerous benefits to the step-up over similar exercises: It leads with a concentric (versus eccentric) movement. You can easily adjust […]

RTS Coaching: Push-up to Downward Dog

on June 22, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

We’ve focused a lot on the push-up in recent weeks (and in case you missed it, you see what I mean here, here, here, and the big push-up article here). With all of this focus on coaching and cuing, something I wanted to throw in this week was one of my favorite push-up variations of […]

RTS Coaching: What Torso Position is Best on Split-Squats?

on June 15, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Split-squats are one of my all-time favorite exercises. When you think about it, they can do numerous things for you: Build single-leg strength, Improve flexibility in the trailing leg, Improve stability and control through the hip, knee and ankle, etc. Yet, when it comes to the split-squat, a common question comes up time and again: […]

My 5 LEAST FAVORITE Coaching Cues

on June 14, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

(Lead Photo Courtesy of Flickr) After last week’s article, I was perusing the Twitterverse and came across the following comment: @RobTrainSystems can you write one with your least favorite cues? — Jared Rosenberg (@JRStrengthFit) June 8, 2016 Thanks Jared for the great idea! Normally I like to keep my articles positive. Yet in this case, […]

RTS Coaching: Knees First on Squats?

on June 9, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

The other day I was perusing the Interwebz, and I came across this awesome tweet from my guy Mike Roncarati: Vertical tibia during a squat means anterior head and trunk displacement as the first move for most. Or a very wide BOS #letquadswork — Mike Roncarati (@RoncMike) June 8, 2016 The timing was impeccable, because […]

RTS Coaching: Make the Arrow on Push-ups

on June 1, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Lots of talk on push-ups lately, and for good reason. Great exercise. FANTASTIC exercise. But again, not always executed the way we would like. One of the most common questions has to do with arm and shoulder position. Quite simply, where should your elbows be relative to your torso? Should they be tucked in tight? […]

RTS Coaching: Finishing the Push-up

on May 25, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

When it comes to training, virtually anyone and everyone includes push-ups in their programming. Whether your goal is to build muscle, lose body fat, or become a better athlete, well-performed push-ups can help you get there. I’m a huge fan of the push-up for obvious reasons – and if it’s not obvious, grab a cup […]