The Formulator is a great weapon to have in your arsenal, but it’s hard to get your “hands” on one these days. It was off the market for a while, then it was back on, and now it’s off again! If you wish to “formulate” your own knockoff in the gym, check out The Jon…
The Sicilian Crunch put me on the map many moons ago. Consider this as the reverse action. It’s a negative-accentuated glute-ham raise emphasizing the knee flexion component. If you have access to this machine in your gym, give it a shot. Do 4 sets of 2-4 reps with an 8-second lowering. Expect your hamstrings to…
Frankie Valli’s Grease is certainly a blast from the past and it’s a fitting song for the reverse hyper. You see, most people that do this exercise “blast” out of the bottom and send the lever arm into orbit. Don’t do that! Control the movement. Maintain constant contact with the ankle pad for optimal performance….
Check out this home gym. It belongs to a couple that I train. They made a smart decision to purchase the equipment back in April just after their gym shut down. Granted, it took a while before all the pieces came in, but now they’re set. With the recent gym closures, more and more people…
The Single-Leg Cable Romanian Deadlift is a deceptive exercise. Judy is able to do it with ease, but it’s far more challenging than it looks. Your stabilizers will be highly active, from the foot right up to the hip and beyond. You’ll definitely feel this one and it doesn’t take much weight to get a…
The maximum overload with triceps extensions typically occurs when the forearms are parallel to the floor. Doing them, however, on a slight incline with cable resistance helps to maintain constant tension throughout the entire movement. In particular, the cable provides a greater amount of tension in the contracted position compared to other versions, so make…
If you tend to lean forward when performing step-ups, try this version. The heel-elevated side step-up helps keep you upright and really targets the teardrop muscle above the knee known as the vastus medialis oblique (VMO). A wedge board is often used for this exercise, but a Health Bridges arch works just as well. Give…
I tend to favour a reverse-band setup when performing the California Press, which is a cross between a close-grip bench press and a lying triceps extension. The band reduces stress on the triceps tendon in the bottom position and promotes accommodating resistance (i.e., less weight at the bottom and more at the top). Give it…
Try negative-accentuated lateral raises in your next workout. Simply raise the dumbbells with bent arms and lower them slowly with your arms straight. Make sure to have a fire extinguisher nearby! Learn more negative-accentuated methods in Eccentric Training: How to Obtain Positive Results From a Negative Action.
Here are two exercises that target the back of the shoulders – one emphasizes the contracted position and the other the stretched position: Give them a shot in your next program! For more rear delt exercises, check out Lateral Thinking for Wide Shoulders.