Box Squat

Box Squat

 

Box Squat Guide

Main Muscle: Quadriceps

1. The box squat allows you to squat to desired depth and develop explosive strength in the squat movement. Begin in a power rack with a box at the appropriate height behind you. Typically, you would aim for a box height that brings you to a parallel squat, but you can train higher or lower if desired.
2. Begin by stepping under the bar and placing it across the back of the shoulders. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and rotate your elbows forward, attempting to bend the bar across your shoulders. Remove the bar from the rack, creating a tight arch in your lower back, and step back into position. Place your feet wider for more emphasis on the back, glutes, adductors, and hamstrings, or closer together for more quad development. Keep your head facing forward.
3. With your back, shoulders, and core tight, push your knees and butt out and you begin your descent. Sit back with your hips until you are seated on the box. Ideally, your shins should be perpendicular to the ground. Pause when you reach the box, and relax the hip flexors. Never bounce off of a box.
4. Keeping the weight on your heels and pushing your feet and knees out, drive upward off of the box as you lead the movement with your head. Continue upward, maintaining tightness head to toe.

Bent Over Low-Pulley Side Lateral

Bent Over Low-Pulley Side Lateral

 

Bent Over Low-Pulley Side Lateral Guide

Main Muscle: Shoulders

1. Select a weight and hold the handle of the low pulley with your right hand.
2. Bend at the waist until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Your legs should be slightly bent with your left hand placed on your lower left thigh. Your right arm should be hanging from your shoulder in front of you and with a slight bend at the elbow. This will be your starting position.
3. Raise your right arm, elbow slightly bent, to the side until the arm is parallel to the floor and in line with your right ear. Breathe out as you perform this step.
4. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position as you breathe in.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions and repeat the movement with the other arm.

Variations: You can perform this exercise with dumbbells or exercise bands.

Leverage Shrug

Leverage Shrug

 

Leverage Shrug Guide

Main Muscle: Traps

1. Load the pins to an appropriate weight. Position yourself directly between the handles.
2. Grasp the top handles with a comfortable grip, and then lower your hips as you take a breath. Look forward with your head and keep your chest up.
3. Drive through the floor with your heels, extending your hips and knees as you rise to a standing position. Keep your arms straight throughout the movement, finishing with your shoulders back. This will be your starting position.
4. Raise the weight by shrugging the shoulders towards your ears, moving straight up and down.
5. Pause at the top of the motion, and then return the weight to the starting position.

Decline EZ Bar Triceps Extension

Decline EZ Bar Triceps Extension

 

Decline EZ Bar Triceps Extension Guide

Main Muscle: Triceps

1. Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and slowly lay down on the bench.
2. Using a close grip (a grip that is slightly less than shoulder width), lift the EZ bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked and elbows in. The arms should be perpendicular to the floor. This will be your starting position. Tip: In order to protect your rotator cuff, it is best if you have a spotter help you lift the barbell off the rack.
3. As you breathe in and you keep the upper arms stationary, bring the bar down slowly by moving your forearms in a semicircular motion towards you until you feel the bar slightly touch your forehead. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement.
4. Lift the bar back to the starting position by contracting the triceps and exhaling.
5. Repeat until the recommended amount of repetitions is performed.

Variations: You can use a straight bar or dumbbells to perform this movement. You can also perform it on a flat bench as well.

Chin-Up

Chin-Up

 

 Chin-Up Guide

Main Muscle: Lats

1. Grab the pull-up bar with the palms facing your torso and a grip closer than the shoulder width.
2. As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar at the chosen grip width, keep your torso as straight as possible while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position. Tip: Keeping the torso as straight as possible maximizes biceps stimulation while minimizing back involvement.
3. As you breathe out, pull your torso up until your head is around the level of the pull-up bar. Concentrate on using the biceps muscles in order to perform the movement. Keep the elbows close to your body. Tip: The upper torso should remain stationary as it moves through space and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
4. After a second of squeezing the biceps in the contracted position, slowly lower your torso back to the starting position; when your arms are fully extended. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement.
5. Repeat this motion for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

Variations:

• If you are new at this exercise and do not have the strength to perform it, use a pull-up assist machine if available. These machines use weight to help you push your bodyweight.
• Otherwise, a spotter holding your legs can help.
• On the other hand, more advanced lifters can add weight to the exercise by using a weight belt that allows the addition of weighted plates.

Concentration Curls

Concentration Curls

 

 Concentration Curls Guide

Main Muscle: Biceps

1. Sit down on a flat bench with one dumbbell in front of you between your legs. Your legs should be spread with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
2. Use your right arm to pick the dumbbell up. Place the back of your right upper arm on the top of your inner right thigh. Rotate the palm of your hand until it is facing forward away from your thigh. Tip: Your arm should be extended and the dumbbell should be above the floor. This will be your starting position.
3. While holding the upper arm stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearms should move. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Tip: At the top of the movement make sure that the little finger of your arm is higher than your thumb. This guarantees a good contraction. Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the biceps.
4. Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back to starting position as your breathe in. Caution: Avoid swinging motions at any time.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions. Then repeat the movement with the left arm.

Variations: This exercise can be performed standing with the torso bent forward and the arm in front of you. In this case, no leg support is used for the back of your arm so you will need to make extra effort to ensure no movement of the upper arm. This is a more challenging version of the exercise and is not recommended for people with lower back issues.

Cable Chest Press

Cable Chest Press

 

Cable Chest Press Guide

Main Muscle: Chest

1. Adjust the weight to an appropriate amount and be seated, grasping the handles. Your upper arms should be about 45 degrees to the body, with your head and chest up. The elbows should be bent to about 90 degrees. This will be your starting position.
2. Begin by extending through the elbow, pressing the handles together straight in front of you. Keep your shoulder blades retracted as you execute the movement.
3. After pausing at full extension, return to th starting position, keeping tension on the cables.
4. You can also execute this movement with your back off the pad, at an incline or decline, or alternate hands.

Barbell Full Squat

Barbell Full Squat

 

Barbell Full Squat Guide

Main Muscle: Quadriceps

1. This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack for safety purposes. To begin, first set the bar on a rack just above shoulder level. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it.
2. Hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.
3. Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder-width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up at all times and maintain a straight back. This will be your starting position.
4. Begin to slowly lower the bar by bending the knees and sitting back with your hips as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. Continue down until your hamstrings are on your calves. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
5. Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by pushing the floor with the heel or middle of your foot as you straighten the legs and extend the hips to go back to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

This type of squat allows a greater range of motion, and allows the trunk to maintain a more vertical position than other types of squats, due to foot position and the higher bar position.

Arnold Dumbbell Press

Arnold Dumbbell Press

 

Arnold Dumbbell Press Guide

Main Muscle: Shoulders

1. Sit on an exercise bench with back support and hold two dumbbells in front of you at about upper chest level with your palms facing your body and your elbows bent. Tip: Your arms should be next to your torso. The starting position should look like the contracted portion of a dumbbell curl.
2. Now to perform the movement, raise the dumbbells as you rotate the palms of your hands until they are facing forward.
3. Continue lifting the dumbbells until your arms are extended above you in straight arm position. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement.
4. After a second pause at the top, begin to lower the dumbbells to the original position by rotating the palms of your hands towards you. Tip: The left arm will be rotated in a counter clockwise manner while the right one will be rotated clockwise. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can perform the exercise standing up but that is not recommended for people with lower back issues.

Barbell Shrug Behind The Back

Barbell Shrug Behind The Back

 

 

Barbell Shrug Behind The Back Guide

Main Muscle: Traps

1. Stand up straight with your feet at shoulder width as you hold a barbell with both hands behind your back using a pronated grip (palms facing back). Tip: Your hands should be a little wider than shoulder width apart. You can use wrist wraps for this exercise for better grip. This will be your starting position.
2. Raise your shoulders up as far as you can go as you breathe out and hold the contraction for a second. Tip: Refrain from trying to lift the barbell by using your biceps. The arms should remain stretched out at all times.
3. Slowly return to the starting position as you breathe in.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can also rotate your shoulders as you go up, going in a semicircular motion from rear to front. However this version is not good for people with shoulder problems. In addition, this exercise can be performed with the barbell in front of your thighs, with dumbbells by the side, a smith machine or with a shrug machine.

Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension

Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension

Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension Guide

Main Muscle: Triceps

1. Attach a rope to the bottom pulley of the pulley machine.
2. Grasping the rope with both hands, extend your arms with your hands directly above your head using a neutral grip (palms facing each other). Your elbows should be in close to your head and the arms should be perpendicular to the floor with the knuckles aimed at the ceiling. This will be your starting position.
3. Slowly lower the rope behind your head as you hold the upper arms stationary. Inhale as you perform this movement and pause when your triceps are fully stretched.
4. Return to the starting position by flexing your triceps as you breathe out.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can also do this seated with a bench that has back support, or you can use a dumbbell instead of the rope.

Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover

Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover

 

Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover Guide

Main Muscle: Lats

1. Lie on a flat bench with a barbell using a shoulder grip width.
2. Hold the bar straight over your chest with a bend in your arms. This will be your starting position.
3. While keeping your arms in the bent arm position, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head while breathing in until you feel a stretch on the chest.
4. At that point, bring the barbell back to the starting position using the arc through which the weight was lowered and exhale as you perform this movement.
5. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Variations:

• You can perform this exercise using a dumbbell or an E-Z bar instead of dumbbells.

Barbell Guillotine Bench Press

Barbell Guillotine Bench Press

 

Barbell Guillotine Bench Press Guide

Main Muscle: Chest

1. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over your neck with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
2. As you breathe in, bring the bar down slowly until it is about 1 inch from your neck.
3. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Caution:

• It is advised that you use a spotter for this exercise. If no spotter is available, then be very conservative with the amount of weight used.
• Also, beware of letting the bar drift too far forward. You want the bar to be about 1 inch from your neck and nowhere else.
• You should be in full control of the barbell at all times.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed with the smith machine.

Barbell Curl

Barbell Curl

 

Barbell Curl Guide

Main Muscle: Biceps

1. Stand up with your torso upright while holding a barbell at a shoulder-width grip. The palm of your hands should be facing forward and the elbows should be close to the torso. This will be your starting position.
2. While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Tip: Only the forearms should move.
3. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second and squeeze the biceps hard.
4. Slowly begin to bring the bar back to starting position as your breathe in.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations:

• You can also perform this movement using a straight bar attachment hooked to a low pulley. This variation seems to really provide a good contraction at the top of the movement.
• You may also use the closer grip for variety purposes.