Got a great guest article here today from Coach Coach Chris from CriticalBench.com, about how he saw an immediate increase in deadlift and squat strength not by changing technique or using some special pre-workout supplement...it was just by unlocking his hips with specialized mobility training.

Add 35 lbs To Your Deadlift in 15 Minutes
by Coach Chris Wilson, CriticalBench.com

Listen, it’s not what you think.  I’m not going to tell you about a new technique to try or costly special equipment or even some underground secret training program. 

It really has to do with one simple but life-changing thing: UNLOCKING your tight hips.
I was blown away by what I’m about to share with you and so let me explain.

The ‘power zone’ as I like to call it lies at the center of the human body.  Sure, the arms and legs are super important for any person or elite athlete, but the source of true power resides within the hips.

Talk to any coach or trainer the world over and they will agree with this simple assessment:  All athletes from hockey to football, baseball to tennis, soccer to powerlifting rely on the explosiveness that their hips and glutes possess. 

Without the ability to bend, jump, twist, dive, run or move effectively, an athlete is dead in their tracks, literally.

So what is the common thread that ties most athletes together? 

Some might say speed, power or even strength, but the answer is actually much simpler than that.  I’m talking about the athletic position or ready position found in most sports.

Imagine for a moment the linebacker in football, the shortstop in baseball, the goalie in hockey or the powerlifter on the platform and how their body looks.  They all stand ready in a position of strength to either tackle someone, catch a ground ball, stop a puck or lift maximum weight.

For example, what does the powerlifter do just before the squat or deadlift?  They move into a strong, athletic position as they mentally connect to every muscle in their body so that they can create as much power and force on the bar as possible. 

None of them would ever stand casually in an upright position seconds before having to perform. 

Why is that?  Because they would not be able to generate ANY power from that position. 

An athlete in almost any sport will stand with feet shoulder width (or wider) apart, knees flexed, butt back and torso tilted forward.  They are balanced, grounded, strong and ready for anything that comes towards them.

From this position, anyone can react quickly, explosively and with tremendous power.  If at any time the muscles in the hip area are compromised, athletic performance is undoubtedly affected and not in a good way.

When it comes to acceleration and speed, the hips are at the epicenter of power.  Even though the squat or deadlift with maximum weight may not look very fast, the lifter is telling their body to move as fast as they can to move the load.

So when I assessed how much I sat every day on the computer and realized even though I train hard 5 days per week in the gym, my hips were in terrible condition.  And knowing how critical the hips are when it comes to generating ultimate power, it was time to seek out a professional who could help me out.

After discussing this issue with Injury Specialist Rick Kaselj, I knew that if I could lengthen my hip flexors and undo all of that damage from sitting so much over the years, I could become more explosive and lift more weight.

Rick came to our facility and put me through a series of movement patterns and exercises.  In only 15 minutes I had done not just static stretching (like most warm-up programs) but proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), dynamic stretching, 3-dimensional core stability exercises, mobility exercises, fascia stretching and even some muscle activation movements.

Immediately after performing all of these exercises, I felt READY.  Ready to move.  Ready to lift.  I truly felt more powerful and energized than I had in years.

So what did I do?  I went ahead and did some deadlifting.  I literally added 35 lbs to my max lift after only doing this routine once.  My hips were awake.  The circulation through my ‘power zone’ was flowing and I felt incredible.

I know this sounds too good to be true but it is absolutely a night and day difference.  Granted, this routine would need to be practiced daily for the results to continue but I couldn’t argue with the immediate results of this 15 minute routine.

By UNLOCKING my tight hips, I was able to perform at my best and instantly gain strength in my lifts.

Rick's program is called Unlock Your Hip Flexors and if you do any kind of explosive lifting it can definitely add pounds to your max without changing anything else.

Add 35 lbs to Your Deadlift Max in 15-Minutes

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Side note from Nick...I have a copy of this program and it's excellent stuff. Very thorough and easy to understand and put to work.

I'm going to be doing Time-Volume sumo deadlift training tonight and I'm going to start off with some of Rick's "hip unlocking" methods. I'll let you know how it works for me.