Believe it or not, many lifters get injured just getting in and out of position before an exercise begins or right after it’s done! The lying dumbbell press is a classic example. It can be a real challenge, especially when using heavy weights. Unless you have two strong, experienced spotters handing you the dumbbells at…
Some people think that the Standing Rope French Press is some kind of specialty coffee. It’s not… it’s a great “elbow-friendly” exercise that emphasizes the long head of the triceps. Make sure to keep your glutes tensed and core braced throughout the set, get your biceps as close to your ears as possible, and lower…
Favor higher reps when doing seated leg extensions. The key is constant tension: Don’t use too heavy of a weight, go up to a “soft lock” position, and don’t let the plates touch at the bottom. Keep the movement smooth and fluid, and fight through the burn as much as possible. On the last rep,…
Most gym rats are “pushers” not “pullers”, and most do too much “horizontal” pushing and not enough “vertical” pushing. If you’re able to press 100-pound dumbbells lying flat on your back, then you should be able to press 70-pound dumbbells overhead for the same number of reps. And for every pushing pattern you do, you…
Here’s an exercise you may not have seen before. It’s a seated one-arm thick-bar javelin press. I’m using an Apollon’s Axle in the video. I picked up the movement from Stephane Cazeault of KILO Strength Society. Stephane does it standing in a staggered stance, but if you don’t have enough height in your power cage,…
Next time you do wrist curls, try doing them behind the back. You can also try high- and low-platform wrist curls or reciprocity training.
Have you ever tried push-ups with Neuro-Grips? It’s like doing them on stilettos! Learn more about this neat tool at https://tinyurl.com/neuro-grip
Chin-ups are difficult for most people to do, especially for females. The average number of chin-ups a female can do is zero. A lack of strength and poor body composition are two of the main reasons, but the one that tops the list is perception. Most females perceive that they can’t perform a chin-up and…
When performing back barbell step-ups, find the proper step height first before playing with the load. Start with an empty bar and a low step position, and gradually raise the height until you find a position that is appropriate for you. Once you find the right height, you can gradually increase the load staying within…
Using elastic resistance during a lateral raise is a great way to overload the top range and thus place more emphasis on the medial deltoid. Positioning your feet wider apart on the tube increases the challenge, but eventually one tube may not provide enough resistance. If that’s the case, use two!