Member Navigation

Quick Start

FAQ's

Contact Dr. Seedman

Intense Workout

- Chest Emphasis -

See Exercise Details

**WORKOUT SUMMARY (+ CLICK TO ENLARGE)**
SEE BELOW FOR YOUR DETAILED WORKOUT WALKTHROUGH

See Exercise Details

EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Band Resisted Landmine Squeeze Floor Press (Band Optional)	#1,#2,#3,#4	4	5-8	60-90"	8-9	2-3"

Read About Exercise

OPTION #1

If looking for a horizontal pressing exercise that absolutely torches the chest yet also happens to be incredibly joint friendly, you’ll want to try this landmine squeeze chest press with band resistance.

The combination of the close grip and accommodating resistance creates enormous levels of intramuscular tension, especially on the chest and triceps, making this a brutally effective functional hypertrophy exercise. Just make sure to keep your shoulders pinned back and depressed throughout in order to avoid shoulder crowding. Additionally, allow the elbows to rotate around the body rather than simply having them move up and down which can cause shoulder crowding.

Performing a basic rowing movement before each set can help reinforce optimal upper back and lat activation thereby ensuring a more optimal glenohumeral joint position and natural scapulohumeral rhythm.

In fact I had Ben perform single arm landmine RDL and rows prior to each set as I show here just to ensure optimal upper back and lat activation. These also torch the glutes and hamstrings as well as the core due to the anti rotation involved with the offset loading. Additionally the grip and forearms get pummeled due to the fact that you’re gripping the collar which essentially acts as a fat grip.

As with all landmine exercises make sure to make micro adjustments to your positioning in terms of proximity from the anchor point of the barbell as you can’t move the bar back & forth. Simple put you’ll need to adjust to be slightly closer or farther away each & very set until you feel like every movements feels perfectly locked in.

OPTION #2

Here's one of the many variations I use with my NFL combine athletes not only for improving their bench press strength but also for cleaning up their technique and movement mechanics.

See Exercise Details

EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Trap Bar or Dumbbell Bent Over Rows	#1,#2,#3,#4	3	2+2+2 (See Notes)	60"	5-6	2"

Read About Exercise

NOTE: The 2+2+2 rep protocol indicates the lifter should perform 2 rows per every RDL. For example, one will perform 2 rows followed by 1 RDL, followed by 2 rows and 1 RDL, etc. for a total of 6 rows and 3 total RDLs per set.

The RDL bent over row combo with the trap bar or dumbbells held to the sides is a great 2 in 1 exercise as you work your entire posterior chain including the upper back, lats, glutes, hamstrings, and more while also minimizing low back fatigue with the reset every few reps.

See Exercise Details

EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Bridge the Gap Pushups	#1,#2,#3,#4	3	5-6	60"	7-8	2-3"

Read About Exercise

OPTION #1

This next exercise is a Bridge the Gap Pushup which is excellent for really locking in proper technique and properly activating the hands and wrists. Let’s talk about the Bridge The Gap protocol. Essentially it’s a technique that increases foot & ankle activation during lower body drills or in the hands & wrists during pushups. Passive feet & ankles is one of the most common problems during lower body movements such as squats, hinges, lunges, & more. Additionally without proper foot & ankle activation it’s literally impossible to perform any lower body exercise correctly as activation begins with the foot & ankle complex then impacts everything up the kinetic chain. The bridge the gap protocol reinforces proper foot and ankle activation as you’re essentially eliminating arch support & forcing the foot to screw into the floor. Once you return to normal variations you’ll be pleasantly surprised how well your feet and ankles are firing.

It also works incredibly well on pushups as passive pancake hands on pushups is another common issue. This is a very basic overview of the BTG technique. I’ve actually written an entire article on it outlining numerous exercises & the science & educational info behind it. Check out the full article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/feet-ankles-bridge-the-gap

OPTION #2

Medicine ball drills, particularly those that rely on explosive power The Half body off T-bench single arm chest press as shown by NBA athlete Joe Johnson is one of my favorite combination core, chest, and glute exercises as the lifter is resisting significant rotational forces by firing the daylights out of their core, glutes, hamstrings, chest, shoulders, and triceps as well as the feet and ankles.

See Exercise Details

EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Eccentric Isometric Longitudinal Goblet Squat	#1,#2,#3,#4	3	3	60"	5-6	3-4"

Read About Exercise

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

See Exercise Details

EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Bodyweight Sprinter Pullups	#5 & #6	3	5-6 (2-3 per side)	60"	6-7	2"

Read About Exercise

OPTION #1

If you’re looking to spice up your pullup workout while also taxing your lower body the sprinter pullup is a great option.On a side note, you’ll notice I’m using the longitudinal the trap bar method on the first variation which provides additional mediolateral instability requiring the lifter to pull with symmetrical form to keep the bar from tilting to one side. Besides being brutally intense, the sprinter pullup has 5 unique benefits.

Sprinter pullups and chin-ups work both the anterior and posterior portions of the hips and thighs due to contralateral hip flexion and hip extension. In fact, these are unusually intense on the hip flexors, glutes, and hamstrings, making these very conducive for working similar muscles involved during sprinting
The combination of 90 degree knee flexion with contralateral hip flexion and hip extension not only crushes the lower body but it locks the spine and core in very aggressively. As a result it forces the lifter maintain near perfect upper body mechanics and postural alignment throughout the pullup if in fact they keep their hips and legs in the perfect sprinter position. It’s as if the sprinter position prevents any form of cheating, compensation, or postural aberrations.
One of the most common problems on pullups and chin-ups is knowing just how much extension you’re supposed to incorporate to achieve a good lat contraction and upper back squeeze. Too much extension and you’ll place excessive tension on the lumbar spine. Too much focus on keeping your core braced and you’ll often run into issues associated with shoulder protraction, forward head tilt, and slight spinal flexion, all of which make it impossible to optimally contract the upper back. So how do you find that balance between spinal extension and anterior core tension? Although there are a number of cues to help this, the sprinter pullup is literally one of the best techniques I’ve used for helping people find that optimal balance between extension and flexion. That’s probably because one hip is driving maximally into flexion while the other is pulling maximally into extension thereby producing an equilibrium effect of sorts where the spine is locked in between the lower extremities. It also helps create a bracing effect around the entire spine producing heightened levels of concurrent activation potentiation and irradiation. In other words expect unprecedented levels of full body tightness and intramuscular tension as well as increased neural drive to the rest of the body.
Besides crushing the upper body, core, and legs, sprinter pullups are a great diagnostic tool and corrective exercise for sprinting mechanics. Simply observe the athlete from the front, sides, and back and any aberrations in the hips and lower body including alignment and mobility issues will become immediately exposed. In addition, because the legs are holding an isometric contraction the ability to both diagnose and correct these issues is quite simple as the coach can easily cue and re-position the athlete.
Over-pulling and using excessive range of motion in the top position on pullups, chin-ups, and lat pulldowns is one of the most common mistakes. Instead of attempting to pull your head over the bar or pull the bar below chin height, the optimal range of motion for any vertical pulling movement is somewhere between 90 degrees (forehead level) and lower chin level. Beyond this ROM the lifter will be forced to compensate in some form or another typically with either shoulder protraction, shoulder internal rotation, spinal flexion, reduced core activation, excessive lumbar extension, or cervical flexion (forward head tilt). Fortunately the sprinter pullup helps resolve this almost immediately as pulling significantly beyond 90 degrees with the arms causes the lower extremities to move out of alignment. That’s because the body acts as one calibrated system where each area impacts all others similar to a ripple effect. In other words, when one area moves out of alignment and creates dysfunction it impacts all other areas producing various forms of serial distortion patterns. Stay tuned for my large book on eccentric isometrics coming out in mid 2018, which will provide further detail on this topic.

OPTION #2

NOTE: The use of a band and roller/unstable surface on the back foot is optional. If you don't have a roller you can put your back foot on any unstable surface such as a yoga mat that's been folded over several times.

This next exercise is a slingshot lunge protocol.

1.The slingshot lunge involves taking a mini band preferably heavy duty such as from Mark Bell Slingshot & attaching it to both feet while using a slider, roller, or disc. My personal favorites are Flex Disc Fit shown here. Use code DRJOEL for 20% off. Alternate version without disc shown in vid 2.

Although the glutes & posterior chain receive direct stimulation & tension, the primary goal of using the slingshot lunge protocol is to create eccentric induced co-contraction.
Co-contraction during the eccentric phase of an exercise is one of the most important elements to mastering body mechanics as the research shows this is how we produce the most neuromuscularly sound & efficient eccentric contractions & sarcomere elongation.
This concept is very similar to that of using the upper back & lats on bench press to help pull the weight down (i.e. Powerlifting style).
We never want to let gravity simply push our body into position but instead we want to actively pull our body & the load into position by aggressively co-contraction & firing our reciprocal muscles on the eccentric. Read more in my book MOVEMENT REDEFINED.
On the lunge that means the harder the glute & hamstring fire on the back leg, the greater the eccentric tension & intramuscular elongation of the glutes & hamstrings on the front leg.
Besides teaching proper eccentric activation these are incredibly therapeutic on the hips & spine as they reinforce proper alignment & neural firing patterns.

See Exercise Details

EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Split Stance Overhead Press with Rear Foot on Medicine Ball	#5 & #6	3	4 per side	60"	5	2-3"

Read About Exercise

OPTION #1

This next exercise is an overhead press with the back foot on a stability ball. These do wonders for cleaning up overhead pressing technique and reinforcing tight braced core while avoiding sagging hips and lumbar extension. You'll also be forced to eliminate momentum.

OPTION #2

The Z Press is one of my favorite overhead presses. Unfortunately the very rigid and upright alignment oftentimes makes the overhead lockout position and mobility requirements even more difficult than traditional overhead presses. For many individuals including those with shoulder issues and mobility restrictions, this can be quite frustrating and uncomfortable.

By performing the Z press using a landmine station as demonstrated by Pittsburg Pirates outfielder Austin Meadows, it helps resolve this issue. That’s because the landmine station produces a slight angular and horizontal movement allowing the lifter to press out slightly in front of them rather than directly overhead. While it’s only a 10-20 deg difference in comparison to a true overhead press, this tends to provide just enough clearance for the glenohumeral joint to function freely while still providing the benefits associate with an overhead press. In other words it’s much easier to move into a more natural overhead position with optimal scapulohumeral rhythm rather than feeling crowded as can oftentimes happen with perfectly vertical pressing movements particular Z presses.

It also tends to be much easier on the low back as the horizontal component reduces vertical compressive forces on the spine. The core must also work overtime to resist rotary instability from the landmine station. Additionally, for individuals with lower body mobility restrictions and tight hamstrings that keeps them from moving into a traditional Z press position, the landmine Z press tends to feel more natural. That’s because the angular pressing position allows the lifter to lean into the landmine station for support.

See Exercise Details

EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Landmine Good Morning	#7,#8,#9	2	4-5 per side	60"	5	2"

Read About Exercise

OPTION #1

The landmine is one of the most versatile training tools in existence. Over the past several years it’s gained quite a bit of popularity particularly for exercises such as deadlifts, squats, presses, and hip hinge variations. That’s because the variations tend to be very user friendly with angular force vectors that not only match the body’s natural movement mechanics but also take stress of the joints and low back. This same concept can just as easily be applied to goblet or front loaded good mornings as shown here by NFL athletes Vantrel McMillan and Marquell Beckwith. The degree of core activation is unusually high with these so be prepared to brace your abs and whole body throughout the set. Read more about good mornings HERE.

OPTION #2

Here are 10 unique front loaded Good Mornings. Feel free to choose any of these ten. Each of these variations has their own unique benefits & attributes. Read more about each of them in full article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/good-mornings-exercise.

See Exercise Details

EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Deadstop Barbell Lunge with Light Weight (Deadstop Optional)	#7,#8,#9	2	4 per leg	60"	5	3"

Read About Exercise

The dead-stop barbell lunge exercise crushes the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Notice how the lifter gently places the barbell onto the pins each rep by controlling the negative. Also notice the slight forward lean and hip hinge maintained throughout as this represents ideal lunge mechanics.

By using the dead stop technique not only does it require the lifter to overcome inertia each rep to move the weight from the dead-stop position but it can also act as a technique enhancer. That’s because it allows the lifter a chance to set and reset their form at the bottom position without worrying about losing control at the bottom.

Dead-stop training is a very popular technique and is one of my favorite training methods. However I typically only see it used on squats, deadlifts, bench press, and overhead press. However it works exceptionally well on barbell lunges as well as other lifts including rows, pull-ups, pullovers and other exercises.

See Exercise Details

EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Pronated Dumbbell Squeeze Press	#7,#8,#9	2	8-10	75-90"	8-9	2-3"

Read About Exercise

The dumbbell squeeze press is a tremendous exercise for building functional strength and hypertrophy in the chest, triceps, and shoulders. The combination of the constant tension, metabolic stress, and high levels of mechanical tension make it an effective variation for bodybuilders and strength athletes alike. However, I’ve recently been tinkering with the movement and found that the pronated grip squeeze press also provides it’s own unique training stimulus.

Here are 2 of my football athletes demonstrating it as NFL quarterback Taylor Heinicke performs the incline variation and NFL running back Marquell Beckwith demonstrates the flat bench variation with a head-off protocol. While I consistently employ both this pronated squeeze press and the traditional neutral grip squeeze press, you could make the argument that the pronated version is superior to the traditional variation for reasons I’ll highlight in this article. With that said, here are 7 reasons why the pronated dumbbell squeeze press is so effective.

The traditional squeeze press using the neutral grip (shown below with additional band tension) involves a very close hand position typically somewhere between 8-10 inches apart. While this does produce good tension for the inner portion of the pectorals it’s also very tricep and front deltoid dominant. In fact, many folks will feel their triceps and front delts more so than their chest during the traditional squeeze press. The pronated squeeze press on the other hand involves a more natural close grip chest press position typically 12-20 inches apart thereby targeting the chest to a greater degree.
Generally speaking the closer the hands are to each other when performing a chest press the more the inner pectorals are targeted. In contrast the wider grip tends to target the outer fibers a bit more. Fortunately the pronated squeeze press involves a grip width that falls somewhere between the two extremes thereby maximizing muscle recruitment equally throughout the entire pectorals not just the inner or outer fibers.
The pronated squeeze press is one of the single most effective exercises I’ve used for teaching proper barbell bench press technique. The reason for this is that it forces the lifter to tuck their elbows and flex their lats while also using an overhand or pronated grip commonly used on barbell presses. If the lifter’s elbows flare, the bottom of the dumbbells will separate. Similarly if the lifter keeps the elbows too close to the body and crowds their shoulder joint without allowing the elbows to wrap around the sides of the body, the top of the dumbbells will separate. In essence it teaches perfect elbow positioning and shoulder mechanics.
While the traditional squeeze press tends to be a shoulder friendly position, I’ve periodically found that the inordinately close grip can cause shoulder crowding and impingement particularly for larger athletes. The few cases I’ve witnessed this occur, I’ve had the athlete switch to the pronated squeeze press. Inevitably the shoulder pain disappears as the shoulders are packed yet not overly crowded or crammed together.
The pronated squeeze press is also one of the best horizontal pressing variations I’ve ever used for reinforcing optimal 90 degree depth in the eccentric position. Collapsing at the bottom and using excessive range of motion makes it nearly impossible to keep the dumbbells pressed together.
The pronated squeeze press requires smooth and controlled mechanics with minimal momentum, cheating, shifting, or asymmetrical pressing. Any of these form aberrations will cause the dumbbells to separate almost immediately. To keep the overhand grip dumbbells pressed together throughout forces the lifter to dial in their mechanics.
Once the lifter becomes efficient with the pronated squeeze press they’ll find they can handle significantly heavier loads than the traditional neutral grip variation most likely because of the more natural grip width. The combination of overload and constant tension from squeezing the weights together makes for a potent strength and hypertrophy stimulus.