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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.”

Other great cueing resources…

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Learn more about the course at Coaching-Rules.com.

Contact Us

I would love to hear from you! Whether it’s an external cue you love to use that you don’t see listed or a question you have about the book or how to find other resources, I can be contacted or found using the links and buttons below.

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