1. Hex Deadlift Bars
First and foremost, I like the bars to teach a proper stance while pulling from the floor. The neutral grip assists the athletes in establishing a proper flat back posture. The coaching cues of chest over knees and knees over toes is really easy to establish. Hex (Trap) bars also allow us to get the athletes head up and into an aligned stance. This is vital for not only deadlifts, but also front squat, back squat, the first pull of the clean, as well as the catch phase of the clean. This is a functional lift but it is great at teaching the posture we need in several other lifts. By using Trap Bars, it allows for a neutral grip that alleviates tension and pain for some of our athletes. In conclusion, the HexCel Bar offers two different handles for more versatility and to help those with limited mobility.
2. Landmine Attachments
These seemingly small additions have paid off tremendously for our facility and programs. The landmine attachment use is growing by the day in our program and has now in fact become one of our progressions while teaching the squat and serves as a great tool for teaching. First, we graduate athletes from gobblet squats to landmine squats. There are several progressions and variations of landmine use alone. Not only are these great but it is also a wonderful way to advance athletes from relative strength and lighter med balls to “weight training.” Several of the technique coaching cues of the Trap Bars are the same for using the landmine attachments as well.
I have even found examples of combining Trap Bar and Landmines together.
3. Fitness Sliders
Fitness sliders give you a low-impact, total body workout and can be used to enhance a variety of body weight exercises. Use them with your hands or feet for ultimate versatility. Similarly, my program has use lunch trays and I’ve even heard some places use paper plates.
