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 I train. They made a smart decision to purchase the equipment back in April, right after their gym shut down. Granted, it took a while for all the pieces to arrive, but now they’re fully set up. With the recent wave of gym closures, more and…
The Single-Leg Cable Romanian Deadlift is a deceptive exercise. Judy makes it look easy in the video, but don’t be fooled—it’s much more challenging than it appears. This variation fires up your stabilizers from the foot all the way up to the hip and beyond. It doesn’t take much weight to get a solid training…
Triceps extensions typically provide maximum overload when your forearms are parallel to the floor. However, performing them on a slight incline with cable resistance keeps constant tension on the triceps throughout the entire range of motion. This setup is especially effective because the cable increases resistance in the contracted position—something most free-weight variations lack. Be…
If you tend to lean too far forward during step-ups, this variation might be just what you need. The heel-elevated side step-up encourages a more upright torso and places greater emphasis on the teardrop-shaped muscle above the knee—the vastus medialis oblique (VMO). It’s an excellent option for anyone looking to strengthen their quads while improving…
The California press is a cross between a close-grip bench press and a lying triceps extension. It targets the triceps in a unique and highly effective way. I prefer to use a reverse-band setup for this exercise. The bands offload tension at the bottom of the movement, reducing stress on the triceps tendons. As you…
Try negative-accentuated lateral raises in your next shoulder workout. Raise the dumbbells with bent arms, then lower them slowly with your arms straight. This variation emphasizes the eccentric phase of the movement and puts your delts under serious tension. A few controlled reps can go a long way. To explore more negative-accentuated training methods, check…
Looking to bring up your rear delts? Here are two effective exercises that target the back of the shoulders—one focuses on the contracted position, while the other emphasizes the stretched position: Try incorporating these into your next training program to round out your shoulder development. For more great rear delt movements, check out Lateral Thinking…