Jonathan Williams:
“MAKE YOU BODY YOUR MACHINE”
Jonathan Williams has spent much of his professional career catering to athletic fitness. With 12 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach for football, his ultimate passion for fitness has led him to work with various groups in the Montreal community from the general public to varsity athletes. His expertise in athletic training has gained him the position of strength and conditioning coach for the Tundra, Montreal’s professional men’s basketball team.
When he’s not putting his athletes through drills and sweat sessions, Jonathan is hard at work keeping his own fitness game strong. You’ll always find him sharing new workouts and encouraging the fitness community to stay motivated with his uplifting spirit.
INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN WILLIAMS
What is your go-to workout playlist?
I can really catch a vibe when I’m listening to 90’s and ‘00s hip-hop. Something about those old school beats always gets me motivated while I’m working out.
What’s your training philosophy?
The idea behind this workout and training philosophy is to improve your overall health and performance by using methods that have been scientifically proven to work. Basically, you gotta mix things up and have a well-rounded fitness routine that includes cardio, strength training, and stretching.
Doing cardio helps your heart and lungs get healthier, while strength training builds muscle and bone density, and stretching helps prevent injuries and improves your flexibility. If you combine all these things, you can get some pretty awesome results in terms of your overall health and performance. So get out there, mix it up, and enjoy a more fulfilling and active lifestyle!
Tell us about your future projects.
I feel that’s really important to stay up to date with relevant trends and training techniques, so I plan to attend seminars to expand my knowledge. I also love sharing the expertise and experience I’ve accumulated over the years so I look forward to participating in various podcasts. Much of my time will equally be spent working with pro athletes and preparing them for the upcoming season.
Tell us about your strength and agility workout for football players.
Although this workout was designed for football players, it can really be tailored to anyone looking to give something new a try. It combines complex movements that target multiple muscle groups as well as agility work.
Fente Latérale en Prise Gobelet
Lawnmower row unilatéral
Planche latérale
Strength Training
Link
Begin the exercise standing tall, feet hip-width apart, with your barbell in a back rack position. Lunge forward with your right leg, lowering your body until your right quad is parallel to the ground. Driving your force through your right heel, raise back up returning the right foot back to your standing position. Repeat the movement alternating from one leg to the other.
Begin this exercise from a kneeling position with your loaded barbell in front of you. Position your hand on the bar roughly shoulder-width apart. If your shoulder mobility is limited, you can position your grip slightly wider. Keeping your core activated start rolling the bar away from you maintaining a strong “plank” position as the arms begin to extend in front of you. Before you reach the point of giving in to gravity, reverse the movement by rolling the barbell back toward your body and returning to the upright kneeling position from which you started. Remember to avoid arching your back as you lower down by keeping the core activated.
Begin the exercise standing with your feet hip-width apart and your barbell in a front rack position. Drive the barbell overhead, bringing your arms into full extension. Ensure that your head remains in a neutral position and avoid tilting it backward. A good rule of thumb is to try keeping your ears in line with your arms. Lower the barbell back to your starting front rack position with control and repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.
Begin the exercise in a standing position with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, holding your kettlebell in your right hand. Keeping your feet parallel to each other, angle both feet about 45 degrees to the left. Proceed to clean the kettlebell overhead by getting your right arm into full extension. With your left arm resting at your side, being to reach down toward your left toes by slowly hinging laterally at the hips. As you descend, remember to keep the right leg straight and the arm supporting the kettlebell strong and locked. You can bend the left leg to increase mobility. Reverse the movement by returning to an upright standing position keeping the kettlebell overhead until all reps have been completed on that side. Once complete, hand the kettlebell over to the other hand, angle the feet in the opposite direction, and proceed to complete the prescribed number of repetitions on the alternate side.
Begin by placing the kettlebell on the floor in front of you. Assume the split squat stance by taking a step forward with one foot, and positioning it about 2-3 feet in front of the kettlebell. This will be your front foot. Your back foot should be positioned behind you, with the toes pointing slightly outward. Hinge your upper body forward at your hips and bend the knees, keeping your back straight, and grip the kettlebell handle with your hand that is opposite to your front foot. This will be your working arm. Engage your core, and keep your back straight. Allow the kettlebell to hang down towards the ground with your arm fully extended, perpendicular to the floor. Pull the kettlebell towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blade towards your spine as you perform the row. Pause briefly at the top of the movement. Slowly lower the kettlebell back down towards the starting position, fully extending your arm. Complete the prescribed number of repetitions on one side, and then switch sides to perform the exercise with the opposite arm.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with the kettlebell in a goblet hold position. Take a step to the side with your right foot, keeping your toes pointing forward and your core engaged. Shift your body weight towards your right foot, and hinge at your hips, pushing your hips back and lowering your body into a lunge position on your right side. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground or as low as you can comfortably go while maintaining good form and keeping your heels planted on the ground. Keep your back straight, and avoid rounding or arching your spine. Pause for a moment in the bottom position, and then push through your right heel to return to the starting position, standing tall. Complete the prescribed number of repetitions on the right side before switching the to left side.
Begin in a forearm side-plank position. Once you are stable, with a dumbbell in hand, extend the arm overhead perpendicular to the ground. Keeping your eye gaze focused on the dumbbell, release the lower leg by bringing the knee into your chest hovering it over the ground. This will require you to be supported by your upper leg. Pause in this position and avoid dipping the hips by keeping your core activated and engaged. Hold until failure and then switch to perform the hold on the alternate side.
Begin the exercise in a plank position with one hand on the ground and the other on your dumbbell. Shift your weight to one arm while keeping the other hand on the dumbbell. Activate your core to stabilize your body and prevent the hips from rocking back and forth. Lift the dumbbell off the ground by pulling your elbow towards the ceiling, keeping it close to your body. Keep your shoulder down and your body in a straight line as you perform the row. Lower the dumbbell back to the ground with control. Return the dumbbell to the starting position, and repeat the row on the other side by shifting your weight to the opposite arm.
Anchor the super band to a solid fixture that can support the minimum resistance equivalent to your body weight. The band should be placed at height of your waist/hips. Place the resistance band around your waist and adjust it comfortably at the crease of your hips. Increase the resistance on the band by moving away from the anchor point. As soon as you’ve reached a desired resistance, lean the chest forward and begin driving your knees into your chest in a sprinter’s movement. Your arms should be bent at 90 degrees by your sides moving alternately to the knee that is driving up toward the chest.
Super Bands + Medball Video & instructions
Increase the intensity of your resisted sprinter high-knees by holding a medicine ball (or other weight) overhead. Set yourself up with the super band as described for the sprinter high-knees. Raising your medicine ball over your head with both arms in extension, begin to drive your knees into your chest as you did in the previous version.
Maintaining the same anchored set-up with the super band, position yourself laterally with the anchor point at your right or left side. With your feet wider than hip-width apart, bend at the knees lowering into a half-squat, and begin to shuffle in the direction opposite the anchor. You’ll feel the resistance increase exponentially as you shuffle further away. Maintaining the half-squat position, shuffle your way back toward the anchor and try to resist the pull of the band. Shuffle back and forth for the prescribed number of repetitions before turning to the opposite direction and repeating the movement on the other side.
