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OPTION #1

The single leg pushup on a medicine ball is a great regression for the pushup challenge I highlighted Friday. By simply placing one leg on the med ball & performing controlled eccentric isometric pushups not only does this blast the chest, shoulders, triceps, & core but it also addresses alignment from the foot all the way through the lumbopelvic hip complex. Any deviation in alignment from head to toe will result in loss of balance. These are also great for addressing foot & toe activation not to mention toe mobility. The stimulus to the upper body pressing muscles is also surprisingly intense since you'll be required to stay unbelievably tight & use strict and controlled pushup mechanics. So yes expect a full body burn.

OPTION #2

Here's a Smith Machine Single Arm Launch and Catch Bench Press which is a great explosive power exercise for the chest, shoulders, and triceps, and also works deceleration, impact training, and force absorption especially when sticking the 90 degree positions.

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The double barbell suitcase eccentric isometric deadlift shown by Austin is an advanced variation that enhances both squat & deadlift form while also crushing both the lower & upper body equally. The movement pattern is actually identical to a trap bar deadlift however it requires infinitely greater levels of motor control, stability, & precise execution.

If you lean forward excessively, allow shoulder rounding, or allow your bodyweight & knees to shift forward the bars will begin to tilt forward. In contrast if you have a tendency to hyperextend your low back & lumbar spine or tilt your head up excessively the bars will tilt back. It also helps promote optimal ROM as going significantly beyond 90 deg will place the body into a biomechanically unsound position which will show up by various deviations to the barbells. Simply put this double barbell deadlift provides immediate feedback about body mechanics. As an added bonus it's one of the best forearm and grip exercises there is. Read more about double barbell lifts in full article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/master-movement-and-body-mechanics-with-double-barbell-protocol

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If your really want to get crazy with your offset ab rollouts, try performing them using extreme offset loading as shown here by one of my NFL athletes Vantrell McMillan. Simply load one side of the bar with several plates or more then load only a fraction of that amount on the other side.

Be prepared for some extreme core and ab activation as each end of the bar will move and feel quite different from the other side. In essence the loaded side will feel as though it’s stuck into the floor requiring extreme upper body and core activation to move it back from the stretched position into the starting position.

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If you're looking for a way to improve lower body stability including foot and ankle strength you'll want to give single leg exercise with the offset angle protocol a try. Here's one of my awesome clients Leslie Petch showing how it's done with single leg RDL and rows. Read why offset training is so effective at the following: https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/offset-angle-strength-training

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The variation of the anti-rolling foam roller lunge is quite similar to the standard anti-rolling method. However foam roller is flipped 90 degrees. Instead of the lifter resisting forward and backward rolling forces, the individual will be resisting medial and lateral deviations as demonstrated by my awesome client and national figure competitor Leslie Petch. This variation provides many of the same benefits of the first variation above. However it also holds three unique attributes that make it highly effective for cleaning up other lunging mistakes.

1. This lunge variation forces the lifter to maintain perfect balance on the front leg. If the front ankle, knee, or hip begins to deviate even slightly this creates a ripple effect throughout the kinetic chain ultimately causing the back foot to roll off the foam roller.

2. With this particular anti-lateral rolling foam roller lunge the lifter will be required to assume an in-line or semi in-line stride position (both feet semi in-line with each other). This is something I’ve discussed for quite some time now as most lifters take a straddled or staggered position with too much space between the left and right foot. Having a large gap (left to right) between the front and back leg, not only ingrains faulty lunge mechanics but it negatively trickles into running and gait mechanics eventually causing faulty stride technique. I’ve seen this lead to hip, groin, low back, and knee issues one too many times.

   Fixing this mistake and teaching the lifter to use an in-line or semi in-line stride position does wonders for cleaning up the lunge and ultimately greatly improving running and movement mechanics. For those of you who are still on the fence about this issue, just try this lunge variation on the foam roller as it both teaches and demonstrates the importance of using an in-line stride position as anything less will result in loss of balance.

   In fact I’ve played around with numerous advanced lunge variations over the years that require very precise balance and motor control. Each time, in order to lock the movement in, particularly in conjunction with eccentric isometric holds (which further uncovers and magnifies optimal mechanics), an in-line stride position is always required. This variation is no exception as performing a straddled or staggered position (which is the incorrect method that most lifters resort to) creates wasted energy leaks in lateral and diagonal directions rather than producing perfectly horizontal and vertical forces. With the in-line or semi in-line stride position there is no energy wasted not to mention no unusual forces or torque acting on the joints, muscles, or connective tissue as all the force is being channeled perfectly into the targeted muscles.

3. This foam roller lunge variation also fixes another common flaw, which is back knee and back foot drift. Simply put, many lifters have trouble keeping the back knee and back foot in-line with each other (and in-line with the body) as they typically will rotate slightly out or slightly in. With this variation, any rotation of the back foot, hip or knee will result in that foot immediately rolling off the side of the foam roller. This also does wonders for cleaning up foot, toe, and ankle issues commonly seen during lunges as it forces the lifter to optimize their mechanics in the lower extremity.

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If you’re looking for a way to clean up your vertical pulling mechanics on exercises such as lat pulldown and pullups you’ll want to give this variation a try as demonstrated by my awesome client Matt Jordan. The kneeling position helps to ensure optimal core activation while reducing the risk of excessive lumbar extension. The band strap protocol provides several unique benefits.

First, it requires the lifter to use incredibly strict and controlled mechanics or else the bands and bar will begin to bounce and oscillate. In addition, the unique grip position is very conducive for performing a rotational pulling protocol. Simply put the lifter can pronate in the top stretched position allowing further elongation and lengthening of the lats. In contrast as they move and rotate into the bottom contracted position a supinated grip can be implemented which creates additional tension in the lats while also ensuring a more packed and centrated shoulder joint.

Lastly, due to the incredibly strict mechanics and lack of movement involved this lat pulldown variation helps to instill proper range of motion at both ends of the lat pulldown. For instance most individuals over-stretch at the top position and over-pull in the contracted position. By incorporating the kneeling position in conjunction with the band strap method it helps teach the lifter to find a more compact yet ideal range of motion rather than an excessively large range of motion. Simply put, if you use an exaggerated range of motion you’ll create greater instability to the bar thereby providing immediate feedback in regards to your body mechanics. Keep your body and the bar as stable as possible and the optimal positioning and range of motion will more likely occur.

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Here’s an one my clients Matt Jordan demonstrating a unique variation of the unilateral straight arm pulldown that’s loaded in an contralateral fashion (opposite arm and leg) for correcting over-pronation and valgus ankle collapse issues. It's also an excellent combination exercise that crushes the lats, core, triceps, and foot and ankle stabilizers all at once. This particular variation is very effective for improving foot/ankle issues associated with excessive pronation, flat feet, eversion, and valgus collapse as it requires the individual to resist pronation and valgus forces. Essentially this drills forces the individual to push to the lateral portion of their foot to maintain balance.

If you have a tendency for your knees and ankle to collapse inward during squats or have any form of valgus collapse, performing drills that are loaded in an contralateral fashion are of great value as they not only improve ankle pronation problems but also help strengthen the outer thighs, gluteus medius muscles, and abductors. It can also be loaded in an ipsilateral fashion (same arm and leg) to correct ankle supination and inversion issues (which tend to be less common)

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Here’s an one my clients Matt Jordan demonstrating a unique variation of the unilateral straight arm pulldown that’s loaded in an ipsilateral fashion (same arm and leg) for correcting over-supination issues. It's also an excellent combination exercise that crushes the lats, core, triceps, and foot and ankle stabilizers all at once. This particular variation is very effective for improving foot/ankle issues associated with excessive supination and inversion as it requires the individual to resist supination or varus forces.

Essentially this drills forces the individual to push to the medial portion of their foot. If you have a tendency to overspread your knees on exercises such as squats, which is in fact becoming more of a common issue in strength training settings, performing drills that are loaded in an ipsilateral fashion are of great value as they not only improve ankle supination problem also help strengthen the inner thighs and adductors. It can also be loaded in a contralateral fashion (opposite arm and leg) to correct ankle pronation, flat feet, valgus ankle collapse, and eversion issues (which tend to be more common)

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OPTION #1

This one’s a bit funky looking but it serves a very distinct purpose. Most lifters lack ability to properly centrate their glenohumeral joint. This deficiency is even more pronounced during the overhead press. The pizza plate press (using the flat side of an old-school iron weight plate) will give you immediate feedback as to whether or not your shoulder mechanics and overhead pressing technique are dialed in. If you fail to create 3-dimensional shoulder stability by depressing, retracting, and medially rotating your scapula and shoulders towards your spine you’ll dump the weight plate.

Simply, hold an old-school iron weight plate flat in your hand and perform a press while tucking your elbows to the front of your body. Even if you’re able to avoid dumping the load, record yourself and observe the weight plate. If the plate stays completely parallel to the floor while keeping your elbows tucked to the front of your body then you know that your shoulder function and overhead pressing mechanics are most likely spot on. If the plate fails to stay parallel to the floor then you’ll want to address your specific areas of weakness before you produce further dysfunction and significant injury.

OPTION #2

While I don’t typically recommend behind the neck strict overhead shoulder presses for safety reasons and because they can be quite tough on the shoulder joint, I am a fan of behind the neck push press or thruster. Here’s why.

Performing a strict press behind the neck is not ideal, as relying exclusively on the shoulders & upper body to press a load up from this biomechanically compromised and semi vulnerable position isn't optimal for the joints and connective tissue. However, the push press is a different story provided you have the mobility to perform traditional barbell back squats seeing as the first half of the movement mirrors a back squat with the lifter simply holding the weight on their upper back. In fact, the shoulders & upper body do very little to initiate the movement. Rather, it’s the legs that launch the bar out of that position.

Once the lifter has launched the weight off their back & the bar has reached the mid height position, that is where the upper body & shoulders kick in. Essentially, the upper body ends up taking over the movement in nearly the same position as a traditional push press or overhead press.

For similar reasons I recommend performing a free fall & catch. This is a technique that’s been employed for decades by Olympic lifters & appears to be relatively safe provided the lifter is efficient with their mechanics. In fact, the drop & catch is a very effective rapid eccentric training method that teaches the lifter how to handle impact, force absorption, & decelerate, as they have to rapidly decelerate the barbell, similar to rapid eccentric isometrics.