Having strong abs is important but a lot of the time we forget about those also important obliques that flank your six pack! This exercise is one you will be challenged by at the time.. and they will certainly let you know about it for days after!
Angry and want to smoosh someone’s face for being horrible and painful? Medicine Ball Slams are a healthy and legal alternative! By combining the squat movement and a shoulder press into a slam using your lats and triceps.. this is a great all body exercise!
Sissy Squats are an excellent exercise to help develop the quadricep muscles of your legs. The sissy squat equipment allows you to get into a position that your centre of balance and gravity would not normally allow.
Sometimes it’s good to mix it up and use machine based weights. There is added stability and the movement is effectively dictated by how the machine is set up. The Machine Chest Press can also help hit some chest muscle fibres that sometimes like to be a bit stubborn!
Devil’s Press is just a fancy name for a Military Press where you do 3 grip variations for 6 reps one after another. By that last set of six.. it will indeed feel evil.
To set up for each set, you are simply adjusting your hand positioning on the bar. For the first set. Stand up against the bar and see where your shoulders are on the bar – your hands will be just next to your shoulders. For the second set, you move your hands outwards the distance of one hand width which should be around 12 cm. The third and final set you do exactly the same thing. All up you are looking for 18 reps. 6 + 6 + 6
A staple of any gym. The shoulder press is all about building strong and functional shoulders! By using dumbbells we are encouraging the stabilisers of the shoulder to be more active in the movement plus we can maneuver the dumbbell and elbows into a more aligned position beside the head which is not possible with a bar.
In this demonstration, the grip type is a prone one.
TIP: If training alone and without a spotter, while seated start by placing the dumbells in an upright position on your knees. In two quick movements, raise your knees one after another to get those dumbbells up with minimal fuss.
A rack pull is actually a variation and partial movement of a deadlift. It is great for strengthening the back and also you can get a bit of glute work in there too which is no bad thing!
Neutral spine, shoulders in depression and flex your lats, pull bar into your knee, leg press the floor away. Keep your shins vertical and your butt poked back. Before your pull each rep insure you feel your lats tight and innervated to ensure they take the load.
Using a long rope for triceps means you have more mobility and room to position your arms. In this case, to get your arms around and behind you.
This variation of the barbell bicep curl helps engage the extensors in the forearms which often can be the weak link for people when it comes to training!
This exercise is possible using a back extension machine or even over the edge of a leg press seat. The addition of the olympic bar provides further resistance.
The Low Overhead Tricep Extension is a nice finisher for your arms! Feel the burn indeed. In this variation, the cable pulley is in a low position. This changes the degree of stimulus at the bottom of the exercise range of motion.
This exercise can also be done with a straight bar
The High Overhead Tricep Extension is a nice finisher for your arms! Feel the burn indeed. In this variation, the cable pulley is in a high position. This changes the degree of stimulus at the top of the exercise range of motion.
This exercise can also be done with a straight bar
Like with most exercises, there is always a slight variation to refresh an exercise. Hammer curls are just that – making what was old – new again!
There are many possible variations for this movement. For instance, you can perform the exercise sitting down on a bench with or without back support and you can also perform it by alternating arms; first lift the right arm for one repetition, then the left, then the right, etc.
Machines do indeed have a place and function in developing a great body. The Machine Shoulder or ‘Military’ Press is no exception. For those new to exercising their shoulders and needing some additional guidance and support in learning the movement, the machine shoulder press can be a fantastic way to get those shoulders started!
This stretch will increase the flexibility in our hamstrings and lower back. It’s also a good stretch to continue doing over time to see whether your flexibility has increased!
To up the ante and intensity of the leg press – evolving to the single leg press makes for a great and challenging variation. You will lift drastically less weight due to halving the amount of muscles doing the exercise but it will feel like your single leg is doing twice as much! This exercise can be evolved further by the positioning of the foot on the plate. Lower will have more quad engagement and higher will be more glute and hamstring.
This exercise isn’t always going to be available to you in terms of equipment type and variations. Not all leg presses have space at the bottom of the foot plate where you can safely or functionally have your heels ro flex and extend the ankle. If you have access to a leg press that does have this – awesome! You’re in the right place!
This slow and controlled exercise will help strengthen all of the muscles in your upper back.