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This is a living document! Send an email to CoachingRules@gmail.com with you favorite cues and if they’re organic and appropriate we’ll add them below and list you as the contributor!
Thank you for reading “Coaching Rules”. Learn more about Brendon and his mission to “Make exercise the number one prescribed drug in the world” at BrendonRearick.com
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Jumping
Sprinting Sled
Pushing Hip
Extension
EXTERNAL CUE
“Try to touch the top of your head to the ceiling.”
“Reach for the rim.”
“Catch the ball at its highest peak.”
“Hips to the bar/mirror/wall.”
“Jump, shrug, sit.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Jumping
Triple Extension
Cleans
EXTERNAL CUE
“Try to touch the top of your head to the ceiling.”
“Reach for the rim.”
“Catch the ball at its highest peak.”
“Hips to the bar/mirror/wall.”
“Jump, shrug, sit.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Knees Up in Sprinting and Sled Pushing
Marching and Skipping Drills
EXTERNAL CUE
“Punch your knees through the glass.”
“Knees up like you’re marching.”
“Big Splits. Like your legs are big powerful scissors.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
A Full Exhalation
Rib Cage Down
Anti-extension
EXTERNAL CUE
“Blow out your birthday candles.”
“Give me a big sigh.”
“Get out all of your air like you’re blowing up a balloon.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Lat Activation
Set the Shoulders
Depress the Scapula
EXTERNAL CUE
“Try to break or bend the barbell/kettlebell.”
“Pull your shoulder blades down into your back pockets.”
“Squeeze like you’re holding a newspaper in each armpit.”
“Squash grapes in your armpits.”
“Get your elbow pits forward so I can see them.”
“Keep your wings in your back pockets”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Kettlebell Deadlift
Tall and Half Kneeling Positions
EXTERNAL CUE
“Stand up like you’re going to be measured.”
“Don’t lean back like you’re reeling in a big fish.”
“Get/stay tall.”
“I want to see the logo on your shirt.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Snatches
EXTERNAL CUE
“Throw the bar to the sky.”
“Punch the bar to the ceiling.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Inline Chop and Lift
Balance Drills
Carries
EXTERNAL CUE
“Line up like you’re on a balance beam.”
“Walk the line.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Single-leg Exercises and Holds
Balance Drills
EXTERNAL CUE
“Plug your foot into the ground.”
“Root your foot/leg into the ground like you’re a tree.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Pushups
Deadlifts
Squats
Planks
EXTERNAL CUE
“Screw your feet/hands into the floor.”
“Dial into the floor.”
“Rip the turf/carpet apart.”
“Drive the knees out like you have a band around them that you’re trying to break.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Bird Dog
Single-Leg Deadlift
Dead Bugs
Anything that Involves Reaching
EXTERNAL CUE
“Reach your hands/heel for the wall/door/cone/window.”
“Make yourself as longggg as possible from hand to heel.”
“Try to look like Superman or Supergirl on one leg.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Planks
Pushups
Ring Rows
EXTERNAL CUE
“Stay straight as a board.”
“Look like you were shot out of a cannon.”
“It should look like your standing posture.”
“Head to heel is steel.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Bracing
Anti-Rotation
EXTERNAL CUE
“Don’t let me move you.”
“Squeeze everything you got. Like you’re trying to crush an apple in each hand.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Diaphragmatic Breath
Full Expansion
EXTERNAL CUE
“Breathe into your belt buckle.” “Breathe into your waistband.”
“Breathe into your inner tube like you’re filling up a bike tire.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Core Engagement
Planks
Chinups
Pullups
EXTERNAL CUE
“Zip it up, like you’re wearing body armor.”
“Drive your elbows to your toes.”
“Pull yourself up like you’re try- ing to pull yourself over a fence.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Half Kneeling
Split Squat
Lunge
EXTERNAL CUE
“Set up like you’re on railroad tracks.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Arm Action for:
Sprinting Warmup
Speed Drills
EXTERNAL CUE
“Hammer the nail into the wall behind you.”
“(Face) Cheek to (Butt) cheek.”
“Eye socket to hip pocket.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Tall and Half Kneeling Positions
EXTERNAL CUE
“Pretend you’re in cement from the waist down.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Kettlebell Deadlift
Swing
EXTERNAL CUE
“Keep your hands by your zipper.”
“Your forearms should hit your hip creases.”
“Pull your knee caps up at the top.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Dorsiflexion
Sprinting
Hurdle Step
EXTERNAL CUE
“No dead ankles.”
“Toes to knees.”
“Hold a bucket with your toes.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Posterior Pelvic Tilt
Anti-Core
Pushups
Planks
EXTERNAL CUE
“Tuck your tail between your legs.”
“Squeeze your heels together.”
“Break a walnut with your cheeks.”
“Your pelvis is a bowl of water. Don’t tip the bowl and spill the water.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Keeping the Bar Close on Snatches and Cleans
EXTERNAL CUE
“Drag your thumbs up your shirt.”
“Zip up your jacket.”
“Imagine a pencil on the end of the barbell. Draw a straight line as you move the bar.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Emphasizing the Glutes
Split Squat
Hinge Pattern
EXTERNAL CUE
“Push through the heel(s) like you’re squishing a bug.”
“There’s a 100-dollar bill under your heel that you don’t want to blow away.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Throwing Medicine Balls
EXTERNAL CUE
“Smash/break the wall.”
“Make the loudest sound you can.”
“Med balls are the loud station, jumping is the quiet station.”
“Throw it like you’re going to throw a bucket of water on someone.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Landing a Jump, Bound or Hop
EXTERNAL CUE
“Land soft like a Ninja. I don’t want to hear you.”
“Land like you would catch a water balloon or egg that you didn’t want to break.”
“Pretend you’re jumping on ice. Don’t break the ice!”
“Stick it like you’re Velcro.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Bench Press
Pushups
Chinups
Pullups
EXTERNAL CUE
“Touch your sternum with/to the bar/pad.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Accelerating
Two-Point Start
EXTERNAL CUE
“Like a jet taking off, not a helicopter lifting up.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Packing the Neck
EXTERNAL CUE
“Make a double chin.”
“Like you’re pushing your head into the headrest of your car.”
“Don’t use your neck abs or neck glutes!”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Cleans Front Squats Rack Position
EXTERNAL CUE
“Punch the elbows up to the mirror/wall.”
“Get your elbows as far away from your knees as you can.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Planks
Chinups
Pullups
Approximating Rib Cage to Pelvis
On All Fours
EXTERNAL CUE
“Drive the elbows to the toes.”
“Bring your belt buckle to your chin.”
“I should be able to balance a glass of water on your back. Don’t spill it!”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Foam Rolling Stretching Soft Tissue Work
EXTERNAL CUE
“Rolling should be a “hurt so good” type of feeling. Not a “hurt so bad” feeling.”
“Like adding water to Play Doh.”
“Pretend you’re kneading pizza dough.”
“Your muscles are sponges. Don’t let them dry out. You’re squeezing out the old water to get fresh water into the sponge.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Keeping the Spine Straight During Stretches
EXTERNAL CUE
“Look out over the cliff.”
“Get tall, and bow from the hips.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Rotating the Foot and Hips in a Throw
Hip Turn
EXTERNAL CUE
“Rotate the hips like you’re try- ing to throw a knockout punch.”
“You need a home run to tie the game. Swing for the fences.”
“Like you’re trying to drive a golf ball 300 yards.”
“Turn your foot like you’re putting out a cigarette and get your hips square to the wall.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Supine Anti-extension Drills
FloorSlides
Dead Bugs
EXTERNAL CUE
“Gently press/glue your low back into the ground.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Jumps
Bounds
Hops
Skips
Sprints
Jump Rope
Elasticity
EXTERNAL CUE
“Pop/bounce/spring/snap.”
“Bounce like a basketball, not like a bag of sand.”
“Like you’re a pogo stick.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Bottom of a Pushup
EXTERNAL CUE
“You should be in the shape of an arrow. Not a T and not an I.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Rowing
EXTERNAL CUE
“Bring your wrist to your ribs.”
“Thumbs in pits.”
“Show off your bat/chicken wings.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Goblet Squats
Single-leg Squats
EXTERNAL CUE
“Kiss/tap the box, do not sit down.”
“Touch the box as if there were sharp tacks or an egg you didn’t want to crack on top of it.”
“Bring your back pockets to the heels of your shoes.”
“Knees to the wall in front of you, then squat down like you’re a folding accordion.”
“Touch the box or bench like it’s a hot stove”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Pressing
Overhead Getups
EXTERNAL CUE
“Bicep/Elbow pit to ear.”
“Fist/knuckles to the sky.”
“Punch the ceiling/sky”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Rear-foot-elevated Split Squat
Two-point Stance
Lateral Speed Work
EXTERNAL CUE
“Try to make your body and shin angles the same.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Single-leg Deadlift
Hip Turn
Medicine Ball Throw
EXTERNAL CUE
“Pretend you have laser pointers on your hips. Point the lasers to the ground/wall.”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Athletic Position Slideboard Shuffle Deadlift Dumbbell Row Hinge
EXTERNAL CUE
“Stay low like a ski jumper about to take off.”
“Look like a shortstop in baseball.”
“Imagine someone has a rope around your hips and they’re pulling you back.”
“Bring your back pockets to the wall behind you.”
“Bow from the hips then softly bend the knees”
ACTION OR EXERCISE
Joint Circles Mobility Work
EXTERNAL CUE
“Pretend your foot/hand/knee is a pencil and you want to draw the biggest circle you can.”
“Paint a circle with your toes or fingers on the canvas.”
“Explore your end ranges of motion.”
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