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OPTION #1

Horizontal presses including barbell and dumbbell chest presses are foundational movements. Unfortunately many individuals perform chest presses with a number of aberrations including excessive elbow flare, shoulder instability, excessive scapular protraction, lack of lat activation, excessive elevation of the shoulders, collapsing in the bottom position, and excessive lumbar arch.

While it’s important to maintain a “big chest” while keeping the shoulders depressed and retracted during chest presses, many individuals compensate by producing much of their extension through their lumbar spine. A majority of the extension should be occurring through their upper back and t-spine while keeping the lumbar spine relatively neutral. Although I use of number of cues and exercises to resolve this, one highly effective variation that literally eliminates excessive lumbar arch almost immediately is performing chest presses while holding a 90-degree knee raise position.

Not only does this leg raise position contract the muscles of the core but it helps minimize the degree of extension the low spine can move into. Think of this is a chest press while holding a knee raise or reverse crunch as it’s teaching you how to hollow your core while maintaining full body tension. As a result, the upper back and lats must work overtime to help pull the shoulders into the appropriate position as it’s nearly impossible to compensate with the low back.

OPTION #2

The low incline chest press from an eccentric isometric glute bridge is great for eliminating excessive low back arch while reinforcing hip drive when pressing.

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OPTION #1

NOTE: Use 50% of your typical 1RM with 5-20 lbs more on one side.

Performing bent over rows using offset loading as my awesome client Ben Lai shows here not only blasts the upper back, lats, and core but it also helps clean up rowing mechanics and hip hinge technique. Here are 11 reasons why offset loading is so effective.

1. Offset loading may be the single most effective strategy I’ve used not only for immediately exposing asymmetries and imbalances but also for eliminating them. That’s because it forces the weaker side to catch up to the stronger side particularly when it comes to neural drive, muscle activation patterns, motor control, intramuscular tension, and motor unit synchronization.

2. If you’re looking for a method that not only works the primary muscles for that movement but also crushes the core, look no further than offset training. In fact, you’re essentially resisting rotation and lateral flexion throughout each movement making it incredibly effective for hitting all of the spinal stabilizers and core musculature. Think of it as a combination Pallof press performed in conjunction with any movement you’re doing.

3. Offset loading is highly effective for eliminating momentum and jerky mechanics as it requires the lifter to lift the weights smoothly and in a very controlled manner without wiggling or shifting. That’s because it forces the lifter to synchronize the movement so that both sides (the heavy and light sides) move in unison rather than out of sync with each other. Besides improving mechanics this also places more tension on the targeted muscles making it highly effective for hypertrophy training.

4. One of my favorite features of the offset method is that it teaches the lifter to stay tight by increasing intramuscular tension throughout the entire body. In fact, this method helps promote concurrent activation and irradiation (increased neural drive from staying tight) which helps eliminate energy leaks and clean up form. Once you go back to standard loading don’t be surprised if your strength goes up.

5. Offset loading helps to eliminate collapsing and excessive range of motion as the increased full body tension helps promote strong 90-degree angles rather than excessive ROM commonly seen in lifters. Even the slightest collapse on any movement will cause the lifter to lose control of the movement typically causing the body to twist or laterally flex.

6. If you’re looking for a technique that literally helps clean up form almost immediately offset loading is it. The combination of core stabilization, full body tension, and greater motor control causes the lifter to clean up their body mechanics within seconds in order to successfully complete the lift.

7. Offset loading is incredibly physically and mentally demanding to the point that most clients will feel their lungs and conditioning as much as their muscles. If you’re looking for a strength training method that improves conditioning and strength as well as mental toughness and concentration, these fit the bill perfectly.

8. Another important feature I appreciate regarding dumbbell offset loading is how much it improves coordination and motor control. Because one side will have a tendency to lag behind the other it almost feels as though each dumbbell has a mind of its own. The degree of mental concentration and motor control required to keep the movement smooth and moving in one seamless motion is significant to say the least.

9. If you’re in need of a training method that crushes the muscles while minimizing total loading, joint tension, and muscle damage the offset method is it. Because you won’t be able to handle quite as heavy a loading as you typically would it allows increased training intensity and activation but with decreased soreness and less demands on recovery. This also allows the individual to train more frequently yet still with a relatively high intensity.

10. Besides addressing a number of activation issues and dysfunctional movement patterns offset loading is very practical and functional as few forces we encounter in everyday life, as well as in athletic performance, involve symmetrical loads and forces. As a result the impact offset loading has on functional performance is noteworthy.

11. Offset loading is highly versatile and can be performed on any free weight movement, cable exercise, dumbbell, barbell, kettlebell, or specialty bar variation as well as any movement pattern including chest presses, squats, lunges, hinges, overhead presses, pullups, rows, pullovers, curls, skull crushers, shoulder raises, and more.

OPTION #2

Blast your entire posterior chain with the bent over rdl and kickstand rows which can be done with dumbbells, barbell, or even trap bar if you don't have this Purmotion attachment.

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While I’ve highlighted many squatting variations over the past several years that I utilize to create this technique-optimization effect, one that I’ve recently been using with great success is something I refer to as the longitudinal goblet squat.

Simply hold the dumbbell by the end of the weight and try to keep it as parallel to the floor as possible while performing squats. Here I’m performing the bilateral eccentric isometric version while my awesome client Leslie Petch is demonstrating the more advanced single leg variation.

Besides being deceptively difficult, this is without a doubt one of the most effective squat variations I’ve ever used to help clean up squat form and improve lower body mechanics. With that said here are 10 reasons why the longitudinal goblet squat is so effective.

1. Many athletes place too much load onto the front of their feet (towards their toes) when squatting. The longitudinal goblet squat forces the lifter to sit back onto their heels or else the forward weight shift will literally cause the front end of the dumbbell to tilt in which case they’ll dump the weight.

2. Many athletes tend to bend over excessively at the spine even when performing goblet squats. Any level of excessive forward torso lean or exaggerated hip flexion will result in the athletes dumping the weight as they’ll be unable to keep the dumbbell parallel to the floor.

3. Learning to brace the core and tense the abs can do more for squat mechanics and technique than just about any other cue. Fortunately the longitudinal goblet squat forces the core to be braced more intensely than just about any squat variation I’ve ever used. Just be prepared to feel as though you’re about to get punched in the stomach when performing these as the amount of core bracing is through the roof.

4. The longitudinal goblet squat also helps eliminate shoulder rounding which is another common problem particularly on anterior loaded squats such as goblet squats and front squats. Unless the athlete packs their shoulders and tenses their lats while bracing their core, they’ll be unable to hold the weight in the longitudinal position.

5. Similar to the core bracing cue, learning to create high levels of full body tension can do wonders for your squat by producing concurrent activation potentiation and irradiation. In other words it teaches you how to stay tight ultimately resulting in greater neural drive to the working extremities including the muscles of the quads, glutes, and hamstrings.

6. Few if any individuals will be able to use more than a 50 pound dumbbell when performing the longitudinal goblet squat. However, the amount of tension to both the lower and upper body is inordinately high. As a result this is perhaps the single most intense “lightly-loaded” squat variation you’ll ever perform. If you have low back issues, knee pain, or hip problems, this represents an ideal variation as it’s one of the most joint-friendly yet intense squat variations out there.

7. Because the longitudinal loading protocol creates a scenario where the dumbbell can easily tilt over and dump out of the lifters hands, it ends up eliminating any excessive momentum as it forces the lifter to squat in a slow and controlled fashion. In fact unless the athlete incorporates the eccentric isometric protocol they’ll find it quite difficult to perform these without losing control of the dumbbell.

8. While the amount of tension to the lower body is quite high especially considering how light of a load the lifter will be using, the amount of tension to the upper body particularly the upper back, biceps, shoulders, grip, and forearms is quite significant. In fact, some athletes will find that their upper body strength gives out before their legs do.

9. If in fact upper body strength is the limiting factor when performing these the longitudinal goblet squat is also very conducive for single leg squat variations ultimately resulting in the legs giving out before the upper body. Just be prepared to perform one of the most brutally challenging squat variations you’ll ever perform.

10. The longitudinal goblet squat is quite versatile. In fact it can be employed in a number of ways including as a warmup protocol to prep the body for heavier squat methods, as the main squat variation for a particular workout, or as a high intensity finisher. It’s also one that’s quite conducive for performing on days where you’re attempting to deload the spine yet create an intense full body training stimulus.

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Here's one of my football athletes Jake Banta showing a brutal chest exercise as he performs the 1 and 1/2 protocol on incline barbell press. This produces enormous levels of metabolic stress and muscle damage as well as mechanical tension thereby triggering signifiant functional strength and hypertrophy throughout the entire upper body.

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OPTION #1

Ring pull-ups especially when performed with full arm pronation and supination are a great exercise for increasing strength and size in the back, biceps, and forearms.

OPTION #2

The inch pullup is one of the most intense pullup and chinup variations that blasts the upper back and lats as you eliminate all the momentum.

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OPTION #1

Here I have NFL athletes Cordy Glenn and Fernando Velasco performing eccentric isometric Bulgarian squats as a finisher at the end of the tough leg workout. Besides promoting metabolic stress, muscle damage, and an occluded stretch (all of which are key components for muscle growth), this does wonders for improving body awareness and local muscle recovery. It's also a great way to work on mental toughness and psychological training and as the burn and and build up of hydrogen ions (lactic acid) is quite intense.

OPTION #2

Here's a very effective ricochet projectile sprinter lunge with arm drive I recently came up with that has tremendous transfer to sprinting and athletics as it not only teaches power output and acceleration but also deceleration and impact.

Important Note: In regards to the arm sequence on these drills, you either have to choose contralateral arm & leg positions at top or bottom. The point of impact takes priority due to the higher levels of torque & force involved. Therefore it’s typically optimal to create contralateral arm & leg mechanics in the bottom position of the lunge.

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Chest flyes are a great way to isolate the entire musculature of the pectorals and build significant hypertrophy throughout the chest. Unfortunately this movement is just as butchered as the traditional bench press making these an effective way to ruin your joints and body mechanics. In fact, if you’re performing chest flyes the way you see 99% of lifters on the internet doing them then the movement is setting you up for injury, ruining your shoulder stability, degrading your postural alignment, destroying shoulder mobility, and actually doing very little to stimulate size and strength gains in the chest. Fortunately the double barbell chest fly helps remedy all of these aforementioned issues. Here’s why.

The key on chest flyes is to maintain nearly the same shoulder, scapula, and postural positioning that you would hold during a neutral grip dumbbell press, proper pushup, or proper bench press. In addition you’ll be keeping the elbows pointed straight ahead (rather than out or back) and not using excessive range of motion. Focus on keeping the shoulders and scapula depressed, and retracted throughout while allowing them to medially rotate towards the spine the deeper you go into your position. Terminate the end range of motion when you feel the shoulders and traps begin to elevate and the elbows have to start pulling back towards your neck.

And yes that means the optimal range of motion on a fly will be slightly more abbreviated and compact than what most coaches, trainers, and lifters would suggest but this represents the optimal way to perform them not only for joint health and muscle function but for maximizing the hypertrophy stimulus. In fact one element that contributes to faulty chest fly mechanics is having the mindset of achieving as large of a stretching sensation as possible at the bottom of the movement. This is one of the most counterproductive cues as you’re essentially stretching the tendon insertion point of the pectorals rather than the actual belly of the muscle. Such a maneuver can create extreme soreness in the joints and surrounding connective tissue.

Contrary to popular belief this excessive stretch has little if any hypertrophy stimulating benefits as the muscles relax and go limp in order to allow this large amount of slack to occur. In contrast, the natural or moderately stretched position represents a lengthened yet tight and highly activated position. If you’re looking to tear a pec or ruin your joints then go for excessive stretch on flyes. If size and strength are more your thing then perform them with a natural range of motion, using the technique described in the prior paragraphs.

Fortunately the double barbell method helps reinforce these previously mentioned optimal chest fly mechanics. That’s because the instability and volatility of the barbells forces the lifter to assume these smooth and strict mechanics without collapsing. Using excessive range of motion or performing these with faulty shoulder mechanics literally causes the barbells to shift, tilt, and twist. Learn to control the barbells during your chest flyes and I can just about guarantee your form will automatically self-correct.

Lastly if you’re looking to further maximize body mechanics try using the hollow body leg raise position as it helps keep the core engaged. As long as the core stays activated throughout the set, the chance of losing spinal rigidity is markedly reduced. When the spine remains stable and properly aligned this directly impacts movement mechanics particularly in the shoulder joint as it becomes nearly impossible to collapse due to proper positioning of the scapula.

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OPTION #1

This kneeling landmine press with the eyes closed as demonstrated by my awesome client Matt Jordan is one of the most shoulder friendly overhead pressing variations you can perform. First off the kneeling position requires greater core activation which helps centrate the shoulder joint into a more friendly position due to more rigid spinal mechanics. The eyes closed protocol further enhances proprioceptive feedback from the muscle spindles allowing the lifter to have better kinesthetic awareness and make subtle adjustments for better overhead mechanics. The kneeling variation also sets the body closer to the base of the landmine thereby producing less of an incline pressing angle and more of a direct overhead position.

Lastly, you'll notice the base of the landmine is set roughly 16 inches above floor height (attached to a squat rack) instead of the floor. This produces even more of a vertical overhead pressing angle (5-10 degrees from perfectly overhead) while not being completely upright like a traditional overhead press. In essence this landmine variation is as close as you can get to a true overhead pressing variation while still providing the shoulder friendly mechanics of a traditional angled press associated with the landmine apparatus. If you're looking to transition form the landmine and into strict overhead presses with barbell and dumbbells this is a great way to to facilitate that process. It's also a very effective strength and hypertrophy exercise for the shoulders, triceps, upper back, and upper chest that can be used by nearly every lifter.

OPTION #2

This is a great mass & strength builder for shoulders with the Kneeling Overhead Band Resisted Barbell Press. It also uses a lot of core and abs.