The pectoralis major muscle functions not only to flex and adduct the humerus, but also to rotate the humerus medially like during an arm wrestle. In fact, this muscle really comes into play during resisted internal rotation as Dr. John Basmajian noted in his classic text Muscles Alive. Try this cable crossover variation for a…
Here’s a tip that may get those stubborn calves to start growing again. Consider it more of a machine modification than an exercise modification. Performing calf raises on a rounded platform will increase the range of motion and give you a greater stretch at the bottom and a greater contraction at the top, and ultimately…
To take wrist curls a step further so to speak, try doing them seated on a platform. An adjustable step unit such as the Atlantis Leg Platform is great for this. Adjusting the height of the platform can influence the overload: a high-platform position where the hips are higher than the knees will overload the…
Doing sit-ups on the floor or on a slant board is not a problem for most experienced lifters, but try doing them hanging upside down. You may be humbled! Another cool exercise with these gravity boots involves inverted squats. Instead of just bending at the hips as you would with sit-ups, try bending at the…
You know you’re supposed to vary the grip with chin-ups to avoid stagnation, promote balanced strength and size development, and possibly avoid recurring injuries. The problem is that you only have a straight chin-up bar. Supinated, pronated, and even mixed-grip chin-ups are not an issue, but what about neutral-grip chin-ups? Here are 3 options: a)…
A few weeks ago I gave you a taste of 7 advanced exercise variations. Well, I’m back with 7 more that you can use immediately in the gym to boost your training progress. No time for foreplay. Let’s get straight to it. 1. Accommodating Assistance Back in the mid-1950s, Dr. Arthur Steindler introduced the concept…
Prescribing a rep number is not always beneficial in strength training. Take the wrist roller exercise, for example. I have people perform this on a high step to maximize the distance and we go for time — 60 seconds is a good number to achieve on this one. It doesn’t matter how many reps you’ve…
If your goal is to build “barn door” wide shoulders, try tube laterals where you overload the top range. Here’s an example of elastic resistance providing a greater overload where you want it. For fun, combine them with dumbbells and use a jettison technique where you release the tube once you reach failure and continue…
This exercise is named after Jerry Telle, an exercise scientist out of Colorado. Think of the regular side-lying dumbbell external rotation, but instead of moving the weight around your body, you move your body around the weight! By keeping the forearm parallel to the ground and rolling your body forward and backward, maximum overload can…
We know that a greater contribution of the supraspinatus is required during the first 15-30 degrees of humeral abduction (which is a technical way of saying “a lateral raise”), and medial deltoid activity peaks at 90-120 degrees. So how do we use this information to our advantage? Well, if you want to stress the supraspinatus…