One killer exercise that's really great is pull-ups with your legs out level. That's my favourite. It's such functional core strength, and that's why I can climb up trees and down vines.
You don't have to be built like Karl Malone to be strong. There are thinner guys who are really strong. Kevin Durant, who I used to work with, has real strength to his body.
Physical fitness is a three-legged stool: strength, aerobic capacity, and flexibility.
I don't lift weights at all. Every muscle on my body is for an actual task; there is no muscle that I train for show. If I want to be able to do a certain move or action, I train really hard until I can. And with all of that training comes muscle definition, so it's really an afterthought.
I don't want to be bulky and stiff.
At 285 pounds, I was extremely strong, and it was all usable strength that I could direct against opponents, not like that of a weightlifter, whose feats of power are all restricted.
I work barefooted on balance plates. I do explosive squats on balance surfaces that your body has to use muscles it's not used to. It's all kinds of exercises that your body isn't really used to, and it tricks your body into getting stronger every time.
We train six days a week, and each day includes some type of running or strength workout. It's all about getting functionally stronger in the positions that matter for racing, which means balancing the strength between my quads and hamstrings.
I've upped my size tremendously. Forearms strength, shoulder strength has gotten crazy strong. I've been working hard on that.
I don't want to do all weights. I want to get strong using my core and my natural power.
Being resourceful and creating is a big part of my Lithuanian culture. My grandfather is part of who I am, too. He was a professional wrestler. He had a very functional, very slick, long frame.
The weight room prevents you from getting injuries, keeps your body durable and, working out even during the season, it helps a lot. It keeps your body loose, it keeps strengthening your body, especially the functional stuff.
