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OPTION #1

(Note: We'll be using Variation #1 in the video tutorial.) Nearly a decade ago, expert strength coach Max shank introduced lever rows to the fitness community demonstrating a variety of standing hip hinge positions (similar to a bent over row) that involved isolation of shoulder extension while moving the arm in a front to back motion. In fact the movement and activation pattern is quite similar to pullovers and straight arm lat pulldowns. However, this same concept can also be applied to the single arm plank position by performing renegade lever rows as demonstrated by several of my clients. These absolutely crush the lats and shoulder stabilizers.

OPTION #2

Bear Crawl Renegade Rows: One of the most common issues on renegade rows is excessive lumbar extension. Adding the bear crawl element eliminates this issue.

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MAIN OPTION

Ring pull-ups especially when performed with full arm pronation and supination are a great exercise for increasing strength and size in the back, biceps, and forearms.

HARDER OPTION

(Note: If you don't have access to a trap bar simply use a neutral grip). The Trap bar is one of my favorite training tools and specialty bars. Not only does it provide one of the most safe and user friendly modifications for deadlifts but it also provides endless options and variety for implementing on just about every movement pattern and exercise. In fact the trap bar is one of my go-to methods for performing pullups and chin-ups as it provides many unique hand positions that not only target the lats with different angles and stimuli but also help clean up pullup mechanics. Here are my top 3 trap bar pullup modifications. There are 5 reasons why I use the trap bar for performing pullups. See all five reasons HERE.

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I’m a big fan of using the trap bar to perform overhead presses. The combination of a slightly wider neutral grip placement not only overloads the shoulders but it also provides a biomechanically safe position that’s very friendly on the glenohumeral joint. Performing these in a kneeling fashion as demonstrated by my awesome client Ben Lai further increases the demands not only on the upper body but also on the core and abdominal musculature. In addition, the kneeling position forces the lifter to use more precise form and boy mechanics as anything short of textbook execution will cause the lifter to loose her or her balance. In other words the individual is required to execute the movement with tall posture and ample t-spine extension as lack of these features will cause the lifter to fall forward.

With that said I highly recommend using a competent spotter your first few times through this movement as these are deceptively difficult. Try performing several sets of 4-6 reps during your next shoulder workout. I also recommend not going significantly past 90 degrees in the bottom position as this helps maximize tension to the targeted musculature while minimizing stress to the joints and connective tissue. I also recommend using a short pause in both the top and bottom positions while incorporating a brief eccentric isometric to maximize form and technique.

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The trap bar bent over row and RDL combo is one of the most simple yet effective posterior chain drills that not only blasts the upper back and lats but also works the glutes and hamstrings. Resetting every few reps (standing and repeating the RDL) not only allows the lifter the chance to practice the RDL and turn this into a 2 in 1 exercise (it's both a row and hip hinge exercise) but doing so prevents low back fatigue allowing the athlete to more readily target the upper back and lats as well as glutes and hamstrings.

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The single arm floor press as shown here by NFL prospect Kevo Yeremin is one of my go-to upper body chest presses. That's because it involves high levels of core activation along with intense chest, tricep, and shoulder recruitment. Lack of core and abdominal activation will literally cause the weight to rotate the lifter's body. Focus on keeping the top arm extended straight up as this helps maximize reciprocal muscle activation and agonist/antagonist contralateral muscle activation patterns.

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The landmine front squat is an incredibly effective lower body movement not only for targeting the quads, glutes, and hamstrings but also for improving squat mechanics and technique. If you want to emphasize the core and de-load the legs a bit try performing them in a single arm fashion as demonstrated by one of my soccer athletes Elizabeth Freeman (@elizabethmfree). Essentially you’ll feel like you’re holding a single arm plank or Pallof press while also performing an anterior-loaded front squat variation. In addition, you’ll notice more tension on one leg (the side that’s loaded) when performing these making them effective for eliminating asymmetries and imbalances not only in the core but also in the lower body.

On a side note this is also one of the most low-back friendly squat variations you’ll ever perform. In addition, the shoulder of the working side also gets taxed quite heavily as you stabilize the load isometrically in the single arm front racked position similar to the bottom of a landmine press. As a result this is an excellent variation for reinforcing proper postural alignment and scapular stability as the shoulders and upper back are forced to stay retracted and depressed throughout.

Finally I recommend performing them in an eccentric isometric fashion as shown in the video as that helps maximize proprioceptive feedback and kinesthetic awareness thereby enabling the lifter to fine-tune his or her body mechanics.

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Incline curls have become a staple arm exercise for many bodybuilders primarily because of the combination of stretch and overload simultaneously placed on the biceps. Unfortunately when performing this movement with dumbbells there’s very little tension above the bottom half of the movement which promotes tension reduction and bicep relaxation at the top portion of the curl. Due to their unique loading mechanism created from the hanging weight, kettlebells alleviate this issue thereby providing adequate tension and stimulation not only in the bottom and mid-range position but also in the top contracted position. As a result incline kettlebells curls become a highly potent mass builder for the biceps.

In fact this kettlebell curl variation exploits all three major mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy. First, the emphasis on the elongated eccentric and stretched position produces muscle damage and micro trauma that’s shown to be critical for muscle growth. Second, due to their semi-awkward nature and unique hanging position kettlebells require high levels of muscle activation, which produce significant amounts of mechanical tension and muscle fiber recruitment, another factor that’s pivotal for maximizing size. Third, because of the constant tension provided throughout the movement with little relaxation of the biceps, this creates an occlusion-effect to the surrounding musculature. As a result, there’s an incredible amount of blood flow, muscular pump, intramuscular volumization, cellular swelling, and metabolic stress all of which have been linked to triggering muscle hypertrophy.

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The anti-rolling barbell pushup is one of my favorite combination horizontal pressing movements and core exercises. Not only does it help master pushup mechanics and upper body pressing technique but it also annihilates the entire musculature of the core and abs. However, just like any other pushup variation, these can be modified to target specific areas of the body. In this case, I have my awesome figure athlete Leslie Petch performing them in a close grip weighted fashion to target triceps and inner chest.

Although Leslie is making these look quite easy, performing these with an additional 45 pound plate on your back is no easy feat. The key is locking in the core and learning how to pack and centrate your glenohumeral joint. Fortunately the anti-rolling barbell pushup protocol helps to reinforce these optimal mechanics as anything short of textbook form will cause the bar to rollout away from the lifter. With that said there are 4 additional reasons why this anti-rolling barbell pushup protocol is so effective.

1. It eliminates the sagging hip syndrome as it reinforces a tall hip and hollowed core position. If you’re hips sag or drop or you lose core tightness the barbell will immediately begin to roll away from you. In other words you’re required to resist extension forces as even the slightest lapse in core activation will result in extension particularly in the lumbar region.

2. Another feature that makes the anti-rolling barbell pushup so effective is that the extension forces produced by the barbell attempting to rollout away from you are not only acting on the core musculature but also acting directly acting on the scapula and shoulder stabilizers. If you don’t fully depress and retract your shoulder blades the bar will literally pull out and away from you leaving you plastered to the floor. In other words you’re resisting overhead shoulder flexion. This component teaches the lifter to screw the elbows down and back while simultaneously using a pronated grip – a commonly problematic issue for many lifters. This does wonders not only for your pushup technique but also for bench press form as this movement has direct carryover due to the same gripping mechanics. In fact, to stay locked in you may involuntarily feel like your pulling the bar apart- a common coaching cue used by elite level powerlifters to dial in their bench press form.

3. The instability provided by the barbell is also another significant factor the lifter will be required to deal with. Although there are significant anti extension forces that are attempting to pull the bar away from you, there are other smaller and more subtle stabilization components involved. For example, if you use excessive momentum, cheat, shift, press asymmetrically or lose even the slightest degree of tightness the bar will begin to move and tilt in a very uncontrollable and unpredictable fashion often times with one side shifting more than the other depending on the asymmetry or muscular imbalance. In fact this same exercise can be performed with a band pulling horizontally on the barbell to create even greater extension forces on the spine (read more here). However eliminating the band actually causes the barbell to be more unstable and unpredictable as the bar can roll and deviate in a variety of directions not to mention the larger and more obvious anti extension component still involved (but to a smaller degree than when the horizontal band resistance is used).

4. To further increase the demands not only of the upper body but also of the core musculature try adding weight. This emphasizes the anti-extension factor (instilling the hollowed core position even more) even more so. However, there’s a trick for maximizing core activation. Rather than placing the load high on the middle and upper back, the weight should be placed lower towards the center of mass near the hips and low back. This has several unique benefits. First, it forces the lifter to keep the hips tall as a sagging hip position will cause the weights to slide down and off of the body. The direct loading near the lumbar region also promotes greater anti-extension and activation in the core musculature as a means of resisting intense vertical forces acting directly on the spine. The low back and hip region also provides a perfect groove for the load to sit in without shifting especially when the individual is incorporating optimal spinal alignment with slight yet natural lumbar curvature. Another benefit of this loading is that the low back position tends to represent a slightly narrower area of mass than the upper back for most individuals. Any lateral shifting of the hips, asymmetrical pressing, unilateral dipping of either hip, or wiggling of the torso produces a greater likelihood of the weights tilting and sliding off the side of your body.

To maximize the effects of this movement I recommend performing them in an eccentric isometric fashion (slow eccentric followed by a pause in the bottom position) to emphasize both intramuscular tension and movement mechanics. Several sets of 4-8 reps will leave your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core feeling like you just did a massive workout with high volume and high intensity. However the ensuing growth will be more than worth it.

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Perform one isometric lunge and 3 accompanying lateral raises. Lunge up and repeat for a total of 2 lunges and 6 lateral raises per side. In other words, there are a total of 4 lunges and 12 lateral raises per set (includes both sides). The lunge and lateral raise combo is one of my favorite ways to blast the side delts as it essentially kills 2 birds with 1 stone since you're also targeting the eccentric isometric lunge or split stance pattern while crushing your shoulders.