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OPTION #1

Reeves trap bar deadlifts are one of my go-to movements for building functional strength and size from head to toe as it’s one of the best functional mass builders period. Think of it as a safer option (and easier to overload) to the snatch grip deadlift since the weight is closer to the center of mass. Instead of holding the handles of the trap bar hold the plate handles of the iron grip style plates. This wide grip blasts the upper back, traps, and lats as well as the grip and forearms while also allowing the ability to overload the movement and produce significant tension to the lower body.

There are 7 reasons why Reeves Trap bar deadlift variations are so effective and also far superior to their traditional counterpart:

1. The traditional Reeves deadlift is only possible for lifters that are approximately 5’8 or above or individuals with large wingspans. Those who are more vertically challenged or who aren’t genetically blessed with a large reach will literally be unable to grip the plates on the barbell. Fortunately trap bars are roughly 25% shorter (from collar to collar) allowing lifters of all shapes, sizes, and heights to grip the plates.

2. The traditional barbell version of the Reeves deadlift typically involves lighter loads as it’s quite difficult to overload due to the extreme grip width. Although this wide grip is known for taxing the upper back and lats, the inability to truly overload the movement compromises its effectiveness as a truly great mass builder. The trap bar on the other hand still provides a wide grip placement thereby stressing the upper back amply, however the more natural grip position is still very conducive for overloading with multiple plates. In fact, for traditional Reeves deadlifts I’m fortunate if I can handle 222 pounds while I can handle double that with the the trap bar variation (the deadlift weight shown in the video is 435 pounds). In essence you gain the best of both worlds, a wide grip and significant overload. On a similar note, Reeves trap bar deadlift variations are some of the most brutal upper back movements you’ll ever perform as the degree of stimulation to the lats, traps, rhomboids, rear deltoids, and teres major are incredible. Just be prepared for some extreme upper back soreness followed by some serious functional hypertrophy and strength.

3. The trap bar version of the reeves deadlift involves a more natural starting position with solid 90 degree joint angles as opposed to the barbell variation that requires the lifter to stoop down much lower to reach the plates. In fact, the standard Reeves deadlift, although it involves lighter loads is also known for being quite harsh on the low back as most lifters will be unable to keep a neutral spine while over-reaching at the bottom position. The trap bar version on the other hand allows the lifter to set the spine in a tight neutral position while still maintaining a mild natural arch that’s imperative for safe deadlift mechanics. Simply put the starting position is much more low back friendly and biomechanically sound.

4. During the traditional Reeves deadlift, the combination of using an inordinately wide grip while holding a barbell that’s loaded to the front of the body can be very precarious on the low back and spine. Besides allowing a more natural-wide grip, the trap bar variation of the Reeves deadlift is loaded directly in-line with the center of mass rather than the front. In fact, that’s the beauty of all trap bar deadlift variations. Rather than having the load towards the front of the body it’s actually in-line with the torso as the hands are directly to the sides of the body rather than in front. Besides promoting better lat activation and shoulder retraction (both of which are critical for spinal integrity and back health), this is exponentially safer on the vertebral column due to improved leverage and biomechanics.

5. Similar to the barbell version of the Reeves deadlift, the trap bar version also crushes the grip. However, rather than feeling like your grip fails simply because you’re unable to wrap your fingers around the plates, during the trap bar versions the grip fatigues more so because of intense loading and muscular recruitment.

6. The traditional barbell version of the Reeves deadlift is typically considered more of an upper body movement rather than a leg builder as the limited loading capabilities make it difficult to fully tax the lower body. Fortunately when performing the trap bar versions of the Reeves deadlift the legs including the quads, glutes, and hamstrings get just as pummeled as the upper body due to its heavy loading capabilities. In essence, if you’re looking for movements that are full body intensive, Reeves trap bar deadlift variations are at the top of the list.

7. Reeves trap bar deadlift variations are highly versatile and can be modified in a multitude of ways to create some incredibly intense and effective exercises. Some of my favorites include, lunges, bent over rows, farmers walks, eccentric isometric squats, RDL’s, squat jumps, Bulgarian squats, jump shrugs, split squats, single leg squats, and more.

OPTION #2

Here are 7 reasons why the trap bar high pull is superior to traditional barbell high pulls.

1. The neutral grip is much more shoulder friendly than overhand pronated grip as the shoulders can end with slight external rotation at the top & natural retraction rather than internal rotation & slight protraction.

2. These are much easier on the spine & low back friendly since the weight is kept inline with center of mass rather than in front of it.

3. Individuals can handle 15-25% greater loads compared to barbell high pulls due to biomechanically stronger & natural position that has a very straight bar path & trajectory.

4. The catch at the bottom can act as an added bonus impact exercise that’s also quite safe as you can decelerate the load by ending in a squat.

5. These are much more user friendly & easy to teach especially for those without much Oly lifting experience.

6. It’s much easier to rely on hips & not muscle it with arms since gripping the trap bar & allowing it to hang in the hands is much more natural than it is with the barbell. That’s because the trap bar handles allow the arms to more easily act like hooks similar to the hook grip on barbell Olympic lifts. Simply, you can more naturally relax on the arms & rely on the hips.

7. These mimic a more athletic & functional position with greater transfer to sports.

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MAIN OPTION

Although I don’t believe in foam rolling I still love the foam roller. In fact the foam roller is one of my favorite tools for teaching proper lifting mechanics on dozens of movements including chest presses.

There are 4 key benefits of the foam roller chest presses.

1. The foam roller allows the scapula to move freely without being encumbered or fixed to the bench. As a result this optimizes natural scapulohumeral rhythm & glenohumeral joint mechanics similar to how a pushup or landmine press allows optimal scapular movement.

2. The foam roller forces the lifter to create heightened spinal rigidity as anything but proper posture will literally feel miserable on the back. However with proper positioning it actually feels quite therapeutic on the spine.

3. The foam roller provides significant instability thereby forcing the lifter to use strict form and eliminate momentum. The foam roller has a tendency to roll & move unless the lifter remains tight and locks their core in. This creates significant rotational forces that the lifter must resist to keep from falling off the foam roller. Any wiggling, cheating, asymmetrical pressing, or shifting will cause the lifter to lose their balance.

4. The foam roller requires the lifter to aggressively activate their feet & ankles. Most lifters fail to use proper foot activation during chest presses. This results in decreased neural drive up the kinetic chain including reduced signaling to the upper body. Screwing your feet into the floor is almost a prerequisite when performing the foam roller chest press to maintain balance. In addition, the feet and ankles are forced to assume straight and proper alignment as misalignment will produce further deviations to the movement. Most lifters fail to use proper alignment and activation of the foot and ankle complex during chest presses. Unfortunately this results in decreased neural drive up the kinetic chain including reduced signaling to the upper body pressing muscles. In contrast activating the feet and ankles increases neural drive, full body tension, and motor control via irradiation and concurrent activation potentiation. In other words you’ll increase force production and your 1RM. If you have trouble driving with your hips and legs during the bench press more than likely it’s related to poor foot and ankle activation. The foam roller press helps to resolve this subtle yet significant recruitment issue.

ALTERNATE OPTION

Want to crush your triceps as well as your chest, shoulders, glutes, and hamstrings while also engraining proper hip drive during bench press. Try this performing close grip chest press with the T-bench protocol as I show here. Stop just before your triceps rest on the bench, hold the eccentric isometric then drive the weight up forcefully while taking a grip just at shoulder width or slightly narrower.

The T-bench protocol is something I routinely employ with my athletes and have seen it do wonders for bench press mechanics and pressing power. Instead of laying lengthwise on the bench as you would typically do for traditional variations, the T bench position involves laying widthwise. This allows the hips, head, and neck to be off the bench and unsupported. As a result you're forced to support more of your body and contract your posterior chain from head to toe to a much greater degree.

In essence you’re holding an isometric glute bridge throughout. For individuals who lack the ability to drive with their legs and hips on bench press, here’s your fix as the lifter is forced to fully contract the glutes and drive with their legs.

In addition, the elbows and triceps end up touching the bench just at the right stopping point similar to a floor press. This keeps the athlete from collapsing and over-stretching in the bottom position as it helps to reinforce where their optimal stopping point is for horizontal chest pressing mechanics.

The T-bench chest press also provides similar benefits to the head-off chest press in terms of cervical elongation (read more about the Head-Off Technique Here). However the effects tend to be even more profound as the combination of hip drive and head-off coincide perfectly with each other. The more the hips drive up, the more the head and neck push back into cervical elongation. This promotes further improvements in t-spine extension and shoulder retraction. In other words you immediately feel the benefits of increased leg drive as you’re rewarded with improved pressing technique that ultimately transfers to greater force production and the ability to handle heavier loads.

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OPTION #1

This next exercise is an offset angled pullups with a 90 degree knee raise hold throughout. To apply the offset angled protocol to pullups and inverted rows, simply place a barbell on top of a squat rack that has safety pins set to staggered heights.

This has 5 benefits.

1. Notice the use of a slightly more compact range of motion during these as attempting to use too large of an ROM can pull the body excessively out of alignment particularly in the shoulders & scapular regions. In fact, this is a common quality amongst many offset position exercises as a more compact ROM is typically ideal to maintain proper alignment & spinal positioning. In this case the elevated (dominant arm is hitting approximately 90 degrees or slightly less while the assisting arm (lower arm) is slightly beyond 90 degrees.

2. As asymmetrical as the movement is, the offset angled pullup actually helps address asymmetries and weaknesses similar to the other offset movements I’ve posted in the past. That’s because you’re pulling slightly more with the higher arm, making it somewhat similar to a single arm pulldown or single arm pullup. However the lifter should still try to pull as equally as possible with both sides of their body. With that said, don’t be surprised if one side is significantly more difficult than the other.

3. When it comes to dialing in your pullup & chin-up form, learning to engage the core is always a surefire way to produce immediate improvements in form. Offset angled pullups force the lifter to activate their core to a greater degree as a means of stabilizing the movement and resisting rotational forces and lateral flexion forces. In other words if the core gets loose the body will actually twist & rotate due to the angular asymmetrical position.

4. The offset elevation pullup requires the lifter to use stricter, slower, and smoother pulling mechanics inevitably leading to greater metabolic stress, mechanical tension, and muscle damage. As a result they’re incredibly effective as a functional hypertrophy exercise not only for the entire upper back and lats but also the biceps and forearms.

5. One of the first things my athletes will mention on offset angled pullups is how much they feel their forearms and grip are getting worked. That’s because the offset position requires greater full body tension which inevitably produces increased grip activation and forearm recruitment. In addition, the barbell itself has a tendency to roll on the pins creating even greater stress to the girp and forearms. Each of these grip-related components leads to greater concurrent activation potentiation and irradiation thereby producing increased neural drive and motor control throughout the kinetic chain.

OPTION #2

The bilateral assisted negative accentuated kneeling lat pulldown is not only guaranteed to make your upper back and lats grow due to eccentric overload but it s also a great core exercise as there is quite a bit of rotation and lateral flexion the lifter must resist.

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OPTION #1

The push press is one of the all-time great strength and power movements. However, the single arm dumbbell version particularly when combined with an eccentric accentuated protocol turns this classic move into one of the most effective full body exercises there is. Think of these as heavy negatives for the upper body but instead of having a spotter help you lift the weight on the concentric phase, your legs will assist you instead. Unfortunately few if any lifters employ this protocol, which is unfortunate as every type of trainee including bodybuilders, powerlifters, Olympic lifters, strongman competitors, CrossFit athletes and even weekend warriors have much to gain from this. See why HERE.

OPTION #2

The key with these movements is that the rotation is not simply employed for the sake of it but instead it’s used to create a coiling effect as the eccentric rotation should feel like a coiled-up, spring-loaded sling shot which ultimately turns the concentric rotational phase into an explosive & violent burst.

As with most of the exercises I post make sure you use 90 deg eccentric isometrics as EI’s are just as applicable to rotational movements. In fact most rotational drills commonly seen in the fitness industry only reinforce pre-existing levels of rotational movement quality & do very little to enhance it.

For instance, if there’s a weak link in the kinetic chain or small compensation pattern anywhere in the oblique slings, it’s almost impossible to diagnose or correct during more traditional rotational movements. Its for this reason that many rotational movements I implement involve eccentric isometrics.

Like all other eccentric isometrics, the rotational eccentric isometric allows the lifter to hone in on their movement, self-assess where various issues may be occurring via sense of feel, & then fine-tune their body mechanics based on the enhanced sensory feedback produced from EI’s.

Additionally eccentric isometrics are the single most effective training method not only for improving technique & body mechanics but for strength, muscle mass, joint healthy, athletic performance & more.

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OPTION #1

This next exercise is a landmine T-Bar Row & RDL combo using the iron grip plate as the handles. These provide numerous benefits including feeling more natural and comfortable than the traditional v-grip handle that you slide on the bar. In fact many of my athletes find they can use heavier weight with this method.

Also notice the use of the RDL and reset protocol which I refer to as 2+2+2 sequencing. Rather than simply having the athlete perform a set of 6-10 rows straight through while holding the bottom position I typically have them perform 2-3 rows, stand, reset, hinge over (RDL), and repeat for 2-4 sequences for a total of 4-10 rows. Not only does this provide a nice 2 for 1 exercise as you’re hitting the hip hinge and row pattern in one drill but it also helps the athlete to crush the upper back and lats to a greater degree without fatiguing their low back.

Most lifters tend to experience low back fatigue on heavy bent over rows and T-bar rows oftentimes resulting in the muscles around the lumbar spine fatiguing and failing before their upper back does. This reset protocol gives the athlete a chance to re-set their spine, dial in their posture, and stand back up before the low back musculature begins to fatigue. So if you’re trying to get the most out of your bent over rows (barbell, dumbbell, landmine, or kettlebell), try combining them with RDL’s as Kevin does here.

OPTION #2

The single arm barbell suitcase RDL and Row is a great posterior chain exercise that blasts the lats, upper back, glutes, and hamstrings while also reinforcing proper rowing mechanics and motor control in order to keep the bar stable and controlled without tilting.

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To properly perform eccentric isometric glute bridges (with the feet and torso at the same height) requires the athlete to anchor their body onto 2 benches as shown in the video tutorial. This allows the eccentric portion of the repetition to be emphasized while achieving a full stretch in the bottom position. Read more HERE.

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Here’s one of my favorite pullover exercises that incorporates several of my go-to training protocols including the head off position, hollow body leg raise, kettlebell loading, and alternating eccentric isometric protocol. And just in case you were wondering, yes, you’ll need to summon every muscle fiber in your body to keep yourself from flipping off the bench. Besides crushing your upper back and lats, triceps, chest, shoulders, and core, here’s why this exact combination is so effective when applied to pullovers. Read the full article HERE.

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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. See the video tutorial for detailed instructions and visual cues.

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This is a great chest press variation that will crush your pecs. Besides working the muscles that stabilize the neck (something that's critical for any goal) it's also excellent for teaching proper t-spine extension as the the head is allowed to extend to a greater degree. Make sure the extension happens from the t-spine rather than the cervical spine as illustrated in the video.

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Performing kettlebells curls while holding an eccentric isometric squat position produces incredible levels of tension in the biceps particularly in the top contracted position of the curl. Rather than leaning back at the top of the movement (a common tendency to subconsciously release tension from the biceps), the squat position forces the lifter to stay slightly leaned over. This slightly angled position combined with the hanging nature of the kettlebells provides continuous levels of significant tension throughout the movement thereby creating occlusion and cellular swelling of the biceps.

In addition the rigid squat position leaves little to no room for cheating or using momentum to help lift the weight. This forces the lifter to rely solely on smooth yet forceful contractions of the biceps to complete the movement. The resulting levels of intramuscular tension and metabolic stress turn this simple squat and curl motion into an incredibly potent stimulus for eliciting growth in the arms.

As an added bonus the this movement does wonders for enhancing lower body mobility, hip mechanics, and squatting technique as the lifter will be required to spread the knees and unlock the hips order to fit the kettlebells between their legs.