Here’s a great triceps exercise that I’m doing right now. It’s called the High-Pulley Overhead Triceps Extension. It’s done bent-over in a lunge position using a rope. As you extend the elbows, flare the hands out and pause in the contracted position. When you return back to the start, make sure that the forearms make…
The walking dumbbell lunge is a great exercise to do during a body composition phase, but as the weights go up, your grip will fatigue before your legs do. One way around it is to use a heavy weighted vest with lighter dumbbells. For more tips like this, check out 5 Exercise Problems and Solutions.
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…
In this interview, I reveal how I became a personal trainer and a fan of the San Francisco 49ers. I’ve been in the business of personal training for well over 20 years and I’m busier today than ever. Learn the secrets to my success at the 2020 CPTN Personal Trainer Summit. The event is on…
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,…
That’s 15-year-old Joseph struggling with chin-ups in the first part of the video. The second part shows the results of 5 sessions of eccentric training. How did we improve his performance? First take a look at his program: A1. Mid-Grip Barbell Bench Press: 5 x 5 @ 5-0-X-0, 90sA2. Standing Rope Face Pull: 4 x…
The concept of accommodating resistance using chains has become popular over the past two decades and for good reason. Since an ascending strength curve exists on an exercise like the front squat, chains can “accommodate” strength by offering more resistance at the top of the movement where you’re stronger than at the bottom where you’re…