The Rocky Lift

The Rocky Lift-DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training

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I think it is pretty well documented on this blog. Rocky IV is in my top 10, maybe top 5 favorite movies of all time. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it over and over again, it has one of the best training scenes ever!

C’mon, isolated in nowhere Russia, training to compete against an unbeatable opponent, can it get any better?

Any time I can catch it on TBS or such channels (which guarantees me at least probably 5 times a year), I have to watch. Well, at least the training scene.

Just the other day and saw something I never really caught before. Rocky may have been WAY head of his time!

It is the climax of the montage where Rocky has gotten a giant push with Adrianne to come be with him. You see Drago working on the barbell clean and press, while Rocky is using a large framed farm cart to lift all of his friends (interesting that Rocky isn’t using the stable and predictable barbell) and you see it!

Maybe completely unintentional, maybe not! Rocky uses a staggered stance lift!

My guess this wasn’t really deliberate, but cool to see him use this position.

Why is this staggered position so important?

A elevated rear heel is the only thing that would have made this scene better;)

It gives us this beautiful combination of being just a bit unstable and still stable enough to be load the body. Since the body needs both, not some crazy balance trick, the staggered position is one of my favorite lifting positions.

It is like your favorite food was actually healthy for you! (oooh, wish pizza really was a vegetable!)

For some it actually makes their lifting better, like the staggered stance squat. Since most people have issues in the hips, the staggered stance can be a wonderful way of building some strength, flexibility, and help work on these imbalances.

The best part is that such a simple change in our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training system gives you a whole new exercise and gives you more use out of your Ultimate Sandbag itself. Using the staggered stance your deadlifts, cleans and presses, squats, and rows all feel like something new.

For those of you that coach groups or teams it is one of the best means in helping people make progress without having to deal with actually changing the weight. You can balance ability levels amongst clients and do more with less equipment. 

If it does all these things why don’t more people use the staggered stance?

Trust me, they are! People when they see the staggered stance almost slap themselves upside the head. It makes so much sense, it is so easy to learn, make the staggered stance a part of your programs!