The glute ham roller lateral lunge is a frontal plane exercise that builds adductor strength, hip mobility, and single-leg stability all at once. Learn how to perform it, the key coaching cues, common mistakes, and how to program it for wrestlers, powerlifters, and any athlete who needs stronger, more mobile hips. A simple, scalable way to train lateral movement and change of direction.
The 45-degree back extension with medball rotation adds loaded thoracic rotation to a classic glute-ham hyper, building a stronger, more resilient posterior chain while priming your lower back for heavy deadlifts, squats, and hinge work. Learn how to perform it correctly, the common mistakes to avoid, and how to program it as a warm-up or finisher for wrestlers, powerlifters, older lifters, and general fitness clients. Strength coach Brandon Smitley breaks down the cues, muscles worked, and progressions in this complete exercise guide.
Does lifting weights make you slow? It’s one of the most damaging myths in sports. Strength training doesn’t kill speed — weakness does. Learn what the research says about strength and speed, the force-velocity curve, and how to build a program that makes athletes stronger and faster.
Learn how to perform the glute ham roller reverse lunge, a single-leg exercise that builds stronger quads and glutes while challenging hip stability. This joint-friendly reverse lunge variation uses a glute ham roller to support your back foot, making it accessible for athletes, powerlifters, and general fitness clients alike. Get step-by-step technique, common mistakes to avoid, and programming guidance from strength coach Brandon Smitley.
Master the single-leg glute ham roller leg curl, a brutal unilateral hamstring exercise that builds serious posterior-chain strength using only your bodyweight. Learn proper technique, the muscles it works, common mistakes to avoid, and how to program it to fix side-to-side imbalances and protect your knees. A must-have hamstring builder for wrestlers, combat athletes, and anyone who has outgrown the standard glute ham roller leg curl.
Velocity based training (VBT) replaces guesswork-heavy percentages with real-time bar speed data, letting the load-velocity relationship tell you exactly how hard to train on any given day. In this complete guide, strength coach Brandon Smitley of THIRST Gym breaks down autoregulation, velocity loss thresholds, and rate of force development—and shows how athletes, powerlifters, and everyday lifters can use VBT to train smarter and get genuinely stronger.
The offset kettlebell front rack carry with waiter carry is a full-body loaded carry that builds abdominal strength, shoulder stability, and hip health all at once. In this complete guide, strength coach Brandon Smitley of THIRST Gym breaks down the biomechanics, coaching cues, and programming for using this offset kettlebell carry as a finisher, conditioning tool, or warm-up. Learn how to load, position, and program it for wrestlers, powerlifters, combat athletes, and everyday lifters alike.
The seated vertical jump is a simple, equipment-light plyometric exercise that builds explosive power and rate of force development by teaching athletes to produce force from a dead stop. In this guide, Brandon Smitley of THIRST Gym breaks down proper box height, jump stance, landing mechanics, and programming so you can jump higher and get off the ground faster. It’s the perfect power drill whether you’re in a fully equipped facility or training at home with just a chair.
The single leg lateral box jump is one of the best drills for building frontal plane power, single-leg explosiveness, and the hip stability that protects your knees during cutting and change of direction. In this guide, Brandon Smitley of THIRST Gym breaks down how to perform the exercise in both lateral and medial directions, how to program it for in-season athletes, and why it’s a powerful tool for wrestlers and combat sport athletes. Learn the coaching cues, landing mechanics, and progressions that make this single-leg plyometric drill so effective.
The front rack barbell front foot elevated split squat is one of the most complete single leg exercises you can program — combining deficit range of motion, heavy barbell loading, and a serious trunk and upper back demand. Learn the full setup, front rack options, step-by-step technique, common mistakes, and exactly how to program it for strength or hypertrophy. Whether you’re a powerlifter, a combat sports athlete, or just want stronger legs, this is the split squat variation worth mastering.