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If you're going to perform leg press it needs to be done with proper technique and controlled repetitions. Adding accommodating resistance with bands makes the movement even more effective as it increases tension in the top position where the muscles are typically allowed to rest. With this protocol this ensure constant tension throughout.

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Here a combination of two of my favorite core stabilization drills namely the bear crawl & bird dog exercise. I’ve seen several other trainers perform these including expert strength coach Lee Boyce who originally posted these well over a year ago appropriately naming them the bear dog exercise. If you don’t already follow Lee definitely hit up his page as he just started his Instagram account last week so lets show him our support. There are 5 unique features of this movement.

1.This provides a more difficult progression of the traditional quadruped bird dog & the kneeling on the bench variation I posted on T-Nation a few years ago. If you’ve outgrown these then the bear dog is just what you’re looking for.

1. Many individuals tend to overextend their lumbar spine when performing traditional bird dog quadruped exercises on the knees. With the bear crawl position, because the knees are no longer in contact with the floor it makes it nearly impossible to compensate with the low back & hyperextend. As a result the core receives its fair share of activation while reinforcing a neutral spine.

2. Having the knees in contact with the floor or bench provides added stability. Eliminating this base of support produces greater instability as well as heightened anti-rotation and rotary stability components the lifter must deal with.

3. The bear dog exercise targets full body motor control and stabilization as nearly every body segment including the feet, ankles, knees, hips, pelvis, core, shoulders, and neck must be properly aligned to successfully complete this drill.

4. Similar to the kneeling on the bench variation I highlighted a few years ago, the bear dog can be progressed to renegade row variations, shoulder raises, lever rows, and more (stay tuned for future posts).

Read more about bear crawl exercises in my full length article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/bear-crawl-ab-rollouts

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RDL's are one of the single best exercises for strengthening the entire posterior chain as well as targeting postural muscles of the entire body. Focus on hinging at the hips throughout and keeping a neutral arch throughout.

Here's banded good mornings. Good mornings combined with accommodating resistance are a great exercise for targeting the glutes and hamstrings while minimizing stress to the low back as the bar is deloaded towards the bottom of the movement.

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Proper lunge mechanics produce the most biomechanically sound osteokinematics that inevitably allow the lifter to safely handle the heaviest loads with the greatest efficiency. If you’re unsure as to whether or not you have strong lunge mechanics and efficient technique you may want to assess your strength on the movement. A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to use at least 50% of your 1RM squat and perform several proper lunges with controlled technique and smooth form. If you’re unable to do this then you’re lunge mechanics are most likely amiss.

Front Rack barbell lunges are a great movement for targeting the entire lower body particularly the quads and glutes. Adding accommodating resistance in the form of bands helps create greater constant tension on the targeted musculature by overloading the stronger top position while simultaneously deloading the weaker bottom position.

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If you're looking for an absolutely brutal superset to devastate your quads and produce massive levels of sarcoplasmic hypertrophy throughout your thighs, this leg extension goblet squat superset will do the trick. Try performing the leg extensions with the mid pause technique to eliminate momentum and place additional tension on the quads. It's also a great method for reducing tension to the knee joints since you're minimizing momentum and potential hyperextension in the top position. By performing these prior to the goblet squat it insures that we've pre-exhausted the quads thoroughly which causes them to fatigue and failed before the upper body or core does. In other words it helps isolate the quads even more so on the goblet squats. The pre-exhaustion technique using leg extensions before squats is an old school bodybuilding technique that has been used for decades by some of the best bodybuilders in the world.

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Great movement for the glutes and hamstrings. This exercise can also be done on a slick surface (wood or tile floor) with a towel under the heels.

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The hanging dumbbell squat is one of my favorite lower body exercises for crushing the legs. Unfortunately once your clients and athletes get too strong, even the heaviest dumbbells won't provide enough of a challenge. So what's the solution? Chains!!!! Here's one of my awesome clients and figure athletes Erin English crushing this with a 100 lb dumbbell and additional 60 lbs of chains. A 100 lb squat for Erin would be a bit too light to really overload her lower body but 160 lbs is more appropriate for stimulating leg growth. The chain loading also force the lifter to be strict and rigid with their form as the chains tends to shift and swing unless the athletes uses smooth and controlled form. I've also noticed the chain loading helps improve postural rigidity and shoulder positioning as collapsed posture feels horribly uncomfortable on the neck, traps, and shoulders particularly with the chains on top.

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This calve raise superset is one of the more painful variations yet also one of the more effective protocols you can perform for maximizing muscle growth in the calves. Perform slow and controlled reps then once the calve begin to fatigue blast out as many quick reps as possible.