Nicolas Biniek:
“NEVER TO HIGH, NEVER TO LOW.”
Prior to becoming the founder and owner of Biner Training, Nicolas had a career as a professional field hockey player. Thanks to his passion for fitness and his expertise in training, his growing community benefits from highly effective programming. With an extensive background in group training, semi-private training, and through his work with field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer athletes, Nicolas has developed a unique training method that can be adapted to beginners and experienced athletes.
INTERVIEW WITH NICOLAS BINIEK
Nicolas, What’s your go-to playlist?
For circuit training, I listen to some big sounds that motivate and move you.
What’s your training philosophy?
My principles are simple, I have an MMA-like (fighting) mentality. Like a martial arts athlete who trains in multiple disciplines to dominate his opponent in the octagon, I take a comprehensive approach to my training by combining strength training – to build my foundation and avoid injuries, circuit training – to build my muscular endurance, etc….
From this basic principle, it’s easy to develop programs adapted to each individual. Many factors come into play when determining what is optimal for us: weather, physiognomy, sleep, and nutrition, to name a few. Understanding these factors to better guide and advise is at the core of my approach.
Tell us about your future projects.
I plan to continue pursuing my professional development as a coach to keep progressing and expanding the quality of service offered to my clients. I believe that being a student of your discipline makes you a better coach. My goal is to continue to create and innovate at Biner Training with the intention of opening a second training studio in the near future.
Tell us about your Total Body workout.
It’s a full-body killer workout with minimal equipment. You can expect to work the whole body using bilateral and unilateral exercises. The goal is to link the exercises using moderate weight while maintaining control of your movements. Quality over quantity. By training this way you maximize your time, gains, and post-workout endorphins. You can count on this full-body workout to get the heart pumping and fire up the abs.
Lateral Lunge w/ Horizontal Chest Press
Full Body Workout
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW-W-yEJy10
Starting position
Stand with your feet parallel, holding a kettlebell with both hands against your upper chest. The torso is curved.
Execution
The movement is executed in 2 phases; the first is a front squat:
– Start the movement by bending your knees and hinging at the hips.
– Lower the body while keeping the chest upright, keeping your heels planted firmly on the ground at all times.
– Pushing through the heels, return to standing position.
The second part of the movement is the good morning:
– From the same starting position, flex the hips keeping the torso straight and the back slightly arched.
– Move the hips back and allow the torso to begin lowering. The goal is to finish with the chest parallel to the ground.
– Keeping the feet firmly planted on the ground, begin bringing the hips forward and raising the chest until you’re back to a standing position.
These two movements combined form a single repetition of the exercise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jfi5rAeV94
Starting position
Stand with the kettlebell in your hand, arms at your side.
Execution
The movement is executed in 2 phases; the first is a row:
– Step back with the same leg as the hand holding the kettlebell. Lean the chest forward by hinging at the hips. The load is held at arm’s length.
– Perform a row by bringing the elbow back as far as possible.
– In the contracted position, the elbow should be bent and the kettlebell should be between the ribs and the pelvis.
– Lower the weight by reversing the movement in a controlled manner.
-Carefully bring the chest upright and step back to a standing position with feet parallel to each other.
The second phase of the movement is the overhead press:
– Bend the elbow bringing the kettlebell to your shoulder. Ensure that the kettlebell is resting on the outside of the forearm and not on the inside.
– Press the kettlebell overhead until the elbow is straight. Make sure your hand stays under the kettlebell for optimal stability.
– Lower the kettlebell back down to the shoulder, then release the elbow to bring the kettlebell back down to the side of the body.
– Transfer the load to the other hand and perform the same movement on the opposite side.
These two movements combined form a single repetition of the exercise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6xKD58n18k
Starting position
Begin in a plank position, with arms in full extension and legs slightly wider than hip-width apart to avoid rocking the hips during the movement.
Execution
Variation A:
Place the kettlebell on the right side of the body at about chest height. In a plank position, reach your left arm under to grab the kettlebell and pull it through to the outside of the left side of your body. Place the left hand down and repeat the action with your right hand. Continue alternating from side to side. Keep your core activated and avoid rocking your hips side to side.
Variation B:
Repeat the sequence from Variation A with the addition of a crossbody “knee-to-elbow” following each kettlebell pull-through. This option will further challenge your core and add another level of intensity to the movement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08lmAMfaDGU
Starting Position
Stand tall with feet hip-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand in a suitcase position.
Execution
The movement is carried out in 2 phases; the first is a suitcase squat:
- Keeping your arms extended at each side of your body, begin your descent into a squat by hinging at the hips and bending your knees.
– Get as low as you can while keeping your heels planted on the ground and your chest upright.
– Pause in the squat position and release the dumbbells on the ground for a brief moment. Regain your grip, push through the heels, and return to the standing position.
The second phase of the movement is the reverse lunge:
- Following your return to a standing position, step backward into a lunge.
- Plant the toes of the back leg firmly on the ground so that you are on the ball of your foot.
– Lower the body, bending the front knee until the thigh is parallel to the ground.
– Make sure the knee of the front leg stays in line with the toes.
– Rise back up and step the back leg forward returning to a standing upright position.
These two movements combined form one repetition of the exercise. Alternate the leg with which you perform the reverse lunge on each repetition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7afUU0nW68
Starting position
Lying on your back with knees bent at 90º and heels planted firmly on the floor with a dumbbell in each hand.
Execution
The movement is executed in 2 phases; the first is a DB chest press in a hip bridge followed by an overhead sit-up:
- Tilt the pelvis in and push through the heels to raise the hips off the ground. Shoulders, hips, and knees should be in a straight line.
– Holding this position, press the dumbbells up into a chest press.
– With the arms extended overhead, drop your pelvis back to the ground and extend the legs.
– Contract the abdominals and begin to roll up to a tall seated position keeping the dumbbells pointed toward the ceiling throughout the movement.
– Reverse the movement and begin to lower the back into the lying position, while holding the dumbbells at arm’s length.
– Once you’ve returned to a lying position, lower the arms back to 90º and begin the sequence again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODF7tgrdC64
Note that this exercise can be executed in different ways by simply varying the position in which the dumbbell is held. The foundation of the movements, however, remains the same.
Starting Position
Begin standing tall, feet hip-width apart, holding 1 dumbbell with both hands close to your body just below chest height.
Execution
Initiate the movement by taking a step backward with your right leg into a reverse lunge.
As you step backward, simultaneously rotate your trunk to bring the dumbbell over the left thigh.
As you step the right leg forward, twist the torso back to a neutral position returning to your standing position.
Repeat the movement on the alternate side by stepping the left leg back into a reverse lunge and simultaneously twisting the trunk over the right thigh.
See the video for variations of dumbbell positioning that will increase the intensity of this compound movement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA2tspa0KD4
Starting Position
Begin in a tall kneeling position holding a weighted plate with both hands with arms in extension.
Execution
– Bend your elbows and curl the weighted plate to your chest.
– Press the weighted plate overhead until arms are in full extension and elbows are just about locked.
– Keeping the upper arm static, simply bend at the elbows allowing the weighted plate to descend behind the head with control. Elbows should now be pointing toward the ceiling.
– Reverse the sequence and return to the starting position. Begin by raising the disc back to the overhead position, then lowering it with control down to chin height. Finish by releasing the arms back down to the initial position.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtSFRFALXnw
Starting position
Standing tall with feet hip-width apart holding a weighted plate with both hands at chest height.
Execution
Keeping both feet facing forward at all times, take a large step to the right into a lateral lunge position.
Transfer your weight to the right leg and begin bending your knee and hinging slightly forward at the hips. Remember not to drop your chest to the ground. The general posture of this movement is upright.
As the right knee bends and your body lowers, simultaneously press the weighted plate away from your chest keeping it at chest height.
Increase the depth of the lunge by releasing the toes of the left leg and outwardly rotating the toes to the ceiling.
Reverse the movement by simultaneously returning the weighted plate back to your chest and pushing off the weight-bearing legs to step the feet back together and arrive back to your starting position.
Execute the same movement on the opposite side and continue to alternate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyY_k71tgxg
Starting position
Begin in a standing position with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart holding a weighted plate with both hands.
Execution
Begin your descent into a squat position by hinging at the hips slightly and bending the knees.
As you lower, simultaneously begin to raise the weighted plate from starting position to the overhead keeping the elbows locked creating an arc movement in front of the body.
Pause in the squat position for 2 seconds, ensuring that the weighted plate is held securely overhead.
Push through the heels to return to standing and descend the arms back to their starting position.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBjWtSKGUZI
Starting Position
Begin in a plank position with legs slightly wider than hip-width and hands-on dumbbells in a neutral grip lined up under your shoulders.
Execution (level 1)
From your starting position, begin the sequence with a single arm row on each side by pulling the elbow to the ceiling while gripping the dumbbell.
Once completed, jump the feet forward landing between the dumbbells in a squatting position.
With the dumbbells in your hands, push through the heels and rise to a standing position.
Reverse the movement by hinging at the hips and bending at the knees to return the dumbbells to the ground and jumping the feet back returning you to the initial plank position.
To increase the intensity of this compound movement, add a push-up to the sequence before the single-arm rows. To further elevate the difficulty, follow up your jump forward with a weighted jump squat (see video for variations).
