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The Reeves deadlift involves an inordinately wide grip (much wider than a snatch grip) so much so that the lifter is actually gripping the edge or handles of the weight plates on the collars rather than actual bar itself. Although this deadlift crushes the upper back and lats due to the wide grip placement it’s also quite awkward and has multiple downfalls. Fortunately these issues can be remedied by performing the Reeves Deadlift (and similar movement variations) with a trap bar. Read the full article at: https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/make-the-reeves-deadlift-better-with-the-trap-bar

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Looking for a brutally effective way to crush your chest and core at the same time? Try this single arm chest fly on a stability ball as shown here by my awesome client Ben Lai. The kettlebell tends to produce a slightly greater pulling sensation on the chest compared to dumbbells due to the unique hanging nature of the bells that creates more torque and constant tension on the upper body.

Even when performed on a bench or the floor, the single arm version crushes the core due to the intense levels of anti-rotation and rotary stability involved. When combined with the stability ball the core stimulus is exponentially greater due to the increased rotary stability component. You’ll also feel your hips and glutes working overtime to lock you. Oh and if you have a strong core you shouldn’t have to reduce your weight much if any from what you normally use for chest flyes.

Besides blasting the core and chest, this particular variation also does wonders for eliminating the all-too-common problem of over-stretching in the bottom of the chest fly. In fact most individuals have a tendency to collapse at the bottom of the stretch by using an exaggerated range of motion. Because of the increased core stability as well as full body tension, and slow eccentric needed to control these, the lifter automatically finds the optimal ROM which is more compact than what most coaches advocate. In fact the range of motion Ben shows here is what I advocate for all chest flyes.

If this still isn’t challenging enough, try closing your eyes to further increase the proprioceptive demands and stabilization components. Several sets of 5-8 strict controlled reps will more than suffice for finishing your chest and core while also reinforcing proper chest fly mechanics. Just don’t roll off the ball as you learn to master this deceptively challenging move.

Learn more about kettlebell chest flyes in full length article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/crush-your-chest-and-abs-with-this-unique-kettlebell-chest-fly

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Want to maximize your upper back growth? Then take advantage of eccentric overload. Eccentric overload has consistently been shown to be one of the most effective training protocols for improving functional strength, hypertrophy, and injury prevention. The Bilateral Assisted Negative Accentuated (BANA) method, also known as the 2:1 Eccentric Accentuated Method, is an incredibly effective yet simple way to implement eccentric overload with a variety of exercises. Here’s one of my awesome clients Matt Jordan showing how it’s done on seated cable rows. Notice how he controls the negative even when he releases his arm. There are several benefits to this bilateral assisted negative accentuated technique.

1. It provides a unique contrast for stimulating strength and hypertrophy. Essentially the concentric phase is relatively light allowing the lifter to focus on smooth mechanics and text book form with a strong contraction and muscle mind connection in the upper back and lats. However, the unilateral eccentric phase improves maximal strength and recruitment of the highest threshold fast twitch fibers ultimately inducing significant muscle damage and mechanical tension.

2. The BANA technique also promotes symmetry throughout the upper torso as both sides are forced to perform unilateral work throughout the set.

3. The degree of core activation is unusually high for a horizontal pulling movement as each time you release one arm there will be significant anti-rotation and rotary stability elements attempting to pull your body out of alignment.

4. The bilateral assisted negative accentuated protocol is quite versatile and can be applied to a variety of movements. This includes lat pulldowns, leg extensions, leg curls, bicep curl machines, chest press machines, and any bilateral variable resistance machine. Eric Bach has also written quite a few extensive articles about this technique so definitely check out his page and give him a follow as he provides consistently great content.

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OPTION #1

1. The head off chest press protocol is one of my go-to methods for performing barbell & dumbbell chest presses as it’s very shoulder friendly. That’s because the cervical elongation (not hyperextension) allows better t-spine positioning which ultimately produces better retraction of the shoulders & improved upper back activation on the eccentric. Read more at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/improve-your-bench-press-and-posture-with-this-technique

2. The double knee raise position helps eliminate excessive lumbar extension & low back arch commonly witnessed during pressing movements as it engages the core & helps produce a more neutral spine.

3. The band tension produces accommodating resistance with a strength curve that more closely resembles that of the body during the press. In other words it overloads the stronger top position & deloads the weaker bottom position which reduces joint stress while maximizing tension to the working musculature.

4. Notice the eccentric isometric (slow eccentric with a pause & co-contraction at 90 deg). This maximizes proprioceptive feedback & kinesthetic awareness allowing the athlete to fine-tune their positioning & technique for the sake of movement mastery.

5. Also notice the optimal 90 degree joint angles used here. This is something I advocate not only on chest presses but on just about every movement in the sagittal plane including squats, rows, overhead presses, pullups, pushups, lunges, hinges & more. That’s because it’s the strongest & safest position that also happens to be where maximal muscle activation occurs.

Read more about eliminating low back arch on bench press in full article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/bench-press-low-back-arch

OPTION #2

Want to blast your chest with a strong hypertrophy stimulus? Try this Biomechanical Drop Set Incline Squeeze Press to Normal Press with leg raise. Once you fail with the squeeze press position, adjust the dumbbells for a normal press which should allow a few additional reps.

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Here's the best method of performing the cable pull-through as the load vectors match with how the hips hinge and function optimally for maximal muscle activation and ideal movement mechanics. for working rate of stabilization development (RSD).

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This is a quick and incredibly effective method for cleaning up your lunge and split squat mechanics literally within seconds. There are 5 reasons why this anti-sliding lunge is so effective.

1. It forces the lifter to maintain a forward torso lean rather than an upright position (a very common lunge mistake). Anything less during this specific variation and your back foot will start to slide backward and out of control on the slide board. This forces the lifter to lean onto the front hip and lean over slightly which is ideal as the force vector produced from your back leg is perfectly vertical into the ground (rather than horizontal which causes it to slide). Most people think a lunge or split squat is an upright movement with the torso perpendicular (or close to perpendicular) to the ground throughout. However this represents flawed mechanics. Maintaining a forward torso lean onto the heel of the front leg is essential for proper lunge technique. In fact if I had to recommend just one cue for the lunge this may be the most critical as it ensures the hips are pushed back posteriorly and actively engaged throughout the movement. Simply put, a proper lunge involves solid hip hinge mechanics. An overly upright torso position places greater stress on the knees and low back while minimizing stress to the glutes and upper thighs. Achieving a hip hinge position necessitates a slight forward lean in the torso similar to the beginning phase of a Romanian deadlift or proper squat. Start the lunge with a solid torso lean and keep that same position throughout. If you have trouble feeling your glutes on lunges or tend to experience knee pain while performing them, you’ll want to emphasize this cue. The beauty of using the slide board is that it begins to immediately correct this.

2. The anti-sliding lunge also helps optimize weight distribution between the front and back leg. Although it will vary slightly from individual to individual as well as from variation to variation, a significant portion of the weight during a lunge will be placed on the front leg. After doing some basic pilot investigation on a force platform I found that the common weight distribution was approximately a “70-75/25-30” split with 70-75% of the weight on the front/plant leg and 25-30% on the rear/support leg. Faulty lunge and hip mechanics will alter these numbers significantly often times placing too little or too much stress on one extremity. However the most common error is placing too much weight on the back leg as a result of staying overly upright. Using the slide-board while trying to resist the sliding effect forces the lifter to use optimal weight distribution with a majority of the weight on the front leg. Simply put, too much weight on the back leg will cause the back foot to slide backward.

3. Performing anti-sliding lunges on a slideboard teaches the lifter to avoid the all-too-common mistake of trying to squeeze the glutes. If you want to work the glutes during the lunge the single worst thing you can do when lunging is to squeeze the glutes. Yes that sounds completely contradictory but it isn’t. Here’s why. As previously mentioned a proper lunge requires strong hip hinge mechanics particularly during the eccentric phase of the movement. In order to tax the glute muscles they must be eccentrically elongated during the negative phase of the movement. That means the hips have to sit back posteriorly rather than allowing them to drift forward. Squeezing the glutes during a lunge facilitates an overly-upright body position that eliminates the all important hip hinge. In addition it minimizes the degree of eccentric elongation of the glute muscles. As a result squeezing the glutes during a lunge not only degrades optimal body mechanics and destroys the knees but eliminates the ability to fully tax the posterior chain. You’ll also find yourself sliding backward on the slide board due to faulty force vectors created by dysfunctional positions. A proper lunges is one of the single most effective exercises you can do to tax the glutes but it requires the technique adjustments presented in this article. In essence, when performing a lunge, think about sticking your butt out (without letting the chest drop). Just be prepared for extreme muscle soreness in your glutes. On a side note many lifters believe that it’s necessary to squeeze the glutes as they drive up away from the floor on the concentric phase of the lunge. This is unnecessary and oftentimes counterproductive as proper eccentric positioning will result in optimal muscle recruitment on the subsequent concentric phase of the lift. Squeezing the glutes on any portion of the lunge including the concentric phase will pull the body out of it’s ideal alignment.

4. The anti-sliding lunge on the slide board forces the lifter to move in a perfectly vertical motion. When performing a stationary lunge or split squat, the torso should move straight up and down while maintaining a continuous forward lean. Any horizontal displacement of the torso indicates faulty hip mechanics and lack of spinal rigidity. In other words if you were to take a snap shot of the top of a lunge and the bottom, the torso should remain at the same angle (constant forward lean) with the only difference being the movement in the lower extremities. Another way to think of this is once you set your starting position, the hips should move straight up and down not forward or back. This also helps to reinforce optimal balance and stability as your center of mass is positioned ideally relative to the rest of your body. For athletes this can have tremendous transfer to quality of movement on the playing field particularly when it comes acceleration, deceleration, and agility.

5. This variation teaches the lifter to maintain constant tension on the legs by avoiding an overly upright finishing position at the top of the movement. In essence if you become overly upright, the back leg will slide out. One of the most effective cues I use with my athletes on lunges is telling them to only come up ¾’s of the way and pause at the top before the front leg fully straightens. Besides placing constant tension on the quads, glutes, and hamstrings which produces incredible functional strength and hypertrophy, this also reinforces proper forward lean and hip hinge mechanics. That’s because the lifter can simply maintain the same amount of lean without ever having to re-set throughout the entire set. Moving to an overly upright position at the top of the lunge forces the lifter to have to reset their hips each rep not to mention it can place undue stress on the low back due to excessive lumbar extension. Simply put, come up to the highest point on a lunge (during the concentric phase) until it feels like your forward torso lean begins to diminish.

Read more at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/fix-your-lunge-with-the-anti-sliding-split-squat

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OPTION #1

Want to maximize growth in your upper back and lats? Then take advantage of eccentric training. Eccentric overload has consistently been shown to be one of the most effective training protocols for improving functional strength and hypertrophy as well as helping with injury prevention. The Bilateral Assisted Negative Accentuated (BANA) method, also known as the 2:1 Eccentric Accentuated Method, is an incredibly effective yet simple way to implement eccentric overload with a variety of movements. Unfortunately most lifters when performing the 2:1 eccentric protocol don’t control the negative to the degree they should. They also tend to let the weight jerk their arm as soon as they release one hand rather than locking the movement in and providing ample resistance. Here’s one of my awesome clients Todd Weiland showing how to properly execute it on the lat pulldown. Notice how he controls the negative and the release phase by incorporating a slight pause in both the contracted and stretched positions. If you’re going to perform the BANA method this is the most effective way to use it. By There are several benefits to this strength training method.

1. It provides a unique contrast for stimulating strength and hypertrophy. Essentially the concentric phase is relatively light allowing the lifter to focus on smooth mechanics and text book form with a strong contraction and muscle mind connection in the upper back and lats. However, the unilateral eccentric phase improves maximal strength and recruitment of the highest threshold fast twitch fibers ultimately inducing significant muscle damage and mechanical tension.
2. The BANA technique also promotes symmetry throughout the upper torso as both sides are forced to perform unilateral work throughout the set.
3. The degree of core activation is unusually high for a vertical pulling movement as each time you release one arm there will be significant anti-rotation and anti-lateral flexion elements attempting to pull your body out of alignment.
4. The bilateral assisted negative accentuated protocol is quite versatile and can be applied to a variety of movements. This includes seated rows, leg extensions, leg curls, bicep curl machines, chest press machines, and any bilateral variable resistance machine.

OPTION #2

The squatting lat pulldown is one of my favorite full body lat exercises. When combined with the seesaw method it creates even greater lat activation and full body tension

The barbell seesaw method is a great way for creating eccentric induced co-contraction which is pivotal for proper muscular contractions. Read more in full article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/offset-loading-strength-training

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Here I have NFL and GSP sponsored athletes Marcellis Branch and Brandyn Bartlett performing an overhead pizza plate z press with an eccentric isometric protocol. Most lifters lack the ability to properly centrate and pack their glenohumeral joint during high force activities. This deficiency is even more pronounced during overhead movements. Here's why this variation resolves that. Read more at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/z-press-overhead-press

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The straight arm lat pulldown is an incredibly effective combination lat and core exercise. Unfortunately many individuals rush through the movement with very littler motor control and little thought to proper execution. By performing the movement on one leg this forces the lifter to pay attention to their body alignment, movement mechanics, and technique, as it requires exponentially greater motor control. Here I have NFL defensive end Jarius Wynn (jwynn94) and NFL Offensive lineman Fernando Velasco (@kidfromwrens) performing a biomechanical drop set of the straight arm lat pulldown by performing 5 reps on each leg then finishing with 5 additional reps on both legs. Notice how both athletes maintain a slight natural torso lean and hip hinge throughout as this represents optimal positioning for straight arm pulldowns.

In addition, they both use a natural range of motion by not overstretching in the top position or pulling too low in the bottom position (i.e. stopping 1-3 inches before their hips). In other words the use a natural range of motion not an excessive range of motion. This helps maintain a neutral spinal position without sacrificing optimal shoulder mechanics or producing shoulder rounding (common problems many individuals demonstrate on straight arm pulldowns). As an added bonus this variation does wonders for improving foot and ankle mechanics. I recommend pausing in both the top and bottom positions to ensure greater time under tension of the targeted musculature as well as promoting increased motor control and stability.

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In terms of this jump, the barbell suitcase jump has several benefits. First it’s very difficult to stabilize and control. Any deviation in posture, shoulder stability, or body mechanics will result in the barbel moving in an uncontrollable fashion. This teaches the lifter to maintain a tight core, rigid spine, and strict jumping mechanics. Secondly, this is one of the most effective jumping variations I've ever used to expose and improve symmetrical jumping mechanics. Because most athletes tend to favor one leg and push off more with one side of their body this can produce injury and loss of power output. With this specific loaded jump any asymmetries become immediately apparent as the bars begin to tilt to one side and twist uncontrollably.

Third and lastly, this barbell squat jump is incredible for teaching proper landing mechanics as the unstable yet heavy loads forces the lifter to brace their core, hands, and shoulder stabilizers upon impact. Similar to the plate pinch jump method I’ve post in the past, this produces concurrent activation potentiation and ultimately greater neural drive to the working extremities thereby teaching the lifter how to properly absorb force and stick the landing rather than hit the ground like a wet noodle.

Learn more about my top 20 favorite jumping exercises at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/jumping-landing-eccentric-isometrics