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(Note: If you don't have access to bands simply perform the same movement protocols without them). The squat stance deadlift is my go-to deadlift method as I’ve not only seen it save and remedy countless spines and low back issues but also have seen some serious PR’s and performance benefits for my athletes. In fact my full length article (see link in bio) highlights numerous pages and examples on why it’s the optimal deadlift protocol for most individuals. It also just so happens to be very similar to what Ed Coan (one of the best powerlifters of all time) used for his deadlifts minus a few technicalities such as foot position. And yes the straight foot position is optimal for both squats and deadlifts not to mention just about every lower body movement unless you participate in ballet or have an extreme lower body deformity. Check out the article to learn more. As shown in the video try adding in the RNT horizontal band resistance with a 1.5 protocol as my awesome client Elizabeth Yates does here to turn this into one incredibly brutal but effective movement.

The RNT horizontal band method applied to deadlifts is something I picked up several years ago from Tony Gentilcore and Chrisitan Thibedeau who’ve also used it with their athletes. Essentially it forces you to pull the bar back towards your body throughout by squeezing the lats and sitting back into the hips. Otherwise the bar will drift away from the lifter causing them to lose balance and control of the load.

The 1.5 protocol helps the athlete groove the bottom portion of the deadlift which happens to be where most athletes struggle with. By eliminating momentum and pausing half way up this forces the athlete to maintain maximal full body tension and spinal rigidity not to mention reinforcing the idea of using their lower body rather than the back to initiate the movement. It also force the athlete to keep a tight and braced core throughout. Read more HERE.

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Although it’s possible to perform pullups with proper upper body mechanics using a hip flexion position (knee raise or leg raise position) many individuals tend to move into excessive spinal flexion and shoulder protraction when utilizing these methods. It’s for this reason I use the hip flexion position on pullups semi-sparingly on clients and only do so once the individual has mastered the dorsiflexion straight leg position and the dorsiflexion knee flexion position.

However if the individual is capable of achieving proper pullup mechanics (particularly in the upper torso) with either a knee raise or leg raise position, the level of core activation as well as upper back and lat recruitment is through the roof. It's also quite effective for minimizes excessive lumbar extension that many individuals struggle with on pull-ups and chin-ups. Here’s one of my NFL athlete Prince Iworah demonstrating a combination weighted pullup and hanging leg raise.

I’ve actually found this particular method to be the best of both worlds when it comes to performing pullups with a leg raise position. That’s because moving back into a straight leg position (directly underneath the torso) when going into the eccentric stretched phase of the movement helps reinforce proper spinal alignment and optimal glenohumeral joint positioning as it gives the individual a chance to reset their spine and maintain a very slight natural arch (including natural t-spine extension).

When the lifter remains in the leg raise position for too long particularly in the bottom of the movement this is typically where excessive spinal flexion and shoulder rounding begin to occur which has a detrimental impact on the movement as a whole. In other words this version demonstrated in the video by Prince, allows for intense abdominal and core recruitment via the leg raise pullup (which minimizes excessive lumbar extension) without degrading thoracic postural alignment and natural scapulohumeral rhythm.

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Looking for a shoulder press variation that’s not only very joint friendly but also crushes the deltoids and upper body through a biomechanically efficient and natural movement path? Try this converging overhead landmine press that I demonstrate from a kneeling position.

When you examine the overhead press one could make an argument that the most natural path is to have a wider hand position at the bottom and a closer hand position at the top. In other words, the hand would be more lateral to the body in the stretched position & more medial toward the midline of the body in the top contracted position (i.e. converging path). This is simply indicative of the natural scapulohumeral rhythm that occurs in the glenohumeral joint during most pressing motions.

Unfortunately, it can be a bit tricky to replicate this motion with free weights although dumbbells and kettlebells do provide a moderate amount of freedom to slightly simulate this motion. However, this kneeling landmine press truly mimics the natural motion of the shoulder joint during an overhead press as it diverges (spreads away from the body) during the eccentric bottom position while converging (moving towards the midline) during the concentric top phase.

Ironically, many variable resistance machine companies over the years have attempted to replicate these biomechanical properties in their equipment, however, they typically feel semi-unnatural and awkward. This landmine variation on the other hand feels incredibly natural. As a bonus there’s some serious anteroposterior instability due to the rotational nature of the landmine station. If you press too far in back or in front of the body you’ll find it difficult to maintain balance. Simply put, this forces you to lock your mechanics in from a mediolateral component as well as an anteroposterior component.

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Although overcoming isometrics are typically performed in a bilateral fashion (both arms working at the same time) you can also perform them unilaterally using a barbell. With this in mind if, you're looking for an incredibly intense back and lat exercise to create post activation potentiation (increased neural drive, improved neuromuscular efficiency, and enhanced power output), try using this single arm overcoming isometric bent over barbell suitcase row. Here I have one of my bodybuilding athletes Ben Lai using it as we concentrate on building thickness, size, activation and strength throughout his upper back and core. The harder you pull against the pins, not only does this increase the motor unit recruitment throughout the entire back and lats, but your core must work harder and harder to resist rotation and stay square to the floor. Read the full article HERE.

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(Note: If the pivot press is too challening simply execute the optional incline dumbbell chest press as illustrated in the second video). Here I have my awesome athlete Ben Lai performing a pivot press. The pivot press in an exercise I wrote about last year discussing its effectiveness for safely & effectively applying eccentric overload to chest presses. Although my original post involved the t-bench setup (like a hip thrust), the longitudinal bench setup shown here is actually more challenging not only because of the narrower base of support but also because the lifter can’t use the sides of the bench as support for the arms in the bottom position. Besides providing a mix of flat & incline positions that equally targets both the upper & middle regions of the chest there is a very specific reason why this pivot press is so effective.

It’s a commonly accepted fact most individuals can’t handle as much weight on an incline position as they can in a flat press. However, we also know that muscles can produce 20-35% more force in the eccentric phase of a movement compared to the concentric. Unfortunately this means that during any traditional chest press we’re never taking full advantage of the added eccentric strength we have.

However, the pivot press changes all of this as it allows us to maximally overload both the eccentric & concentric portions of the lift simply by adjusting our body position between each phase of the press. In other words with the pivot press our body is placed in a more biomechanically difficult position during the stronger eccentric portion of the lift & in an easier position during the weaker concentric phase.

Simply put we can take advantage of both the biomechanical angular strength variances (strength differences between flat & incline positions) as well as the structural strength variances (force differences that exist between eccentric & concentric strength). In other words we’re essentially turning the movement into a biomechanical drop rep. Read more HERE.

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As many of you know I’m a big fan of offset training. Most of the variations I’ve posted in the past including in one of my latest articles relies primarily on bilateral variations of basic movements. However, combining the offset protocol to single leg variations exponentially increases the difficulty as you’re not only dealing with offset loads that you must learn to control but now you must learn to stabilize your body and resist offset forces attempting to pull you out of alignment. To maintain balance requires enormous levels of full body tension, core activation, foot & ankle control, & very high levels of activation throughout the legs as well as upper body.

Applying this to the front curled squat makes it even more core & ab intensive as the front curled squat is already a core-dominant lower body protocol.

I recommend performing both variations on each leg. Simply put you’ll want to perform contralateral & ipsilateral loading on both the left & right. That’s because each portion of the hip gets taxed differently. When performing these in a contralateral fashion (i.e. load on right arm & squatting on left leg) this inevitably works the abductors & outer hips to a greater extent as you’re resting valgus forces attempting to cave your ankle & knee in. These are also great for athletes working on eliminating valgus collapse at the ankle & knees.

The ipsilateral loading pattern (i.e. load left arm & squatting on left leg) works the adductors & inner thighs more while also teaching the lifter to activate the daylights out of their big toe (a critical component of movement) as failure to do so will result in loss of balance.

Read more about offset training + my 15 favorite variations in full article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/offset-loading-strength-training

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Many bodybuilders believe that the decline-angled skull crusher is superior to the flat position when it comes to targeting the triceps. In addition the decline position produces the greatest range of motion thereby providing high levels of stretch that are critical for optimizing the muscle hypertrophy mechanism of micro-trauma and muscle damage. Add in kettlebells in conjunction with the decline angle and there’s also more constant tension placed on the triceps due to the kettlebells providing a constant angle of pull. In fact most tricep exercises performed with free weights involves little tension in the contracted (top) position however the decline kettlebell skull crusher is one of those rare exceptions. As a result this produces greater occlusion during the exercise resulting in high levels of metabolic stress, cellular volumization and overall muscle pump, all of which are key mechanisms for inducing muscular hyeprtrpohy.

The decline kettlebell skull crusher particularly when performed with kettlebells also provides significant tension to all three heads of the triceps making it highly effective for eliciting growth throughout the entire musculature of tricep. In addition the decline position reduces involvement of the shoulders forcing the brunt of the work on the triceps. Finally, many lifters find the decline position to be easier on the elbow joint in comparison to other angles particularly when combined with isolateral free weights such as kettlebells or dumbbells.

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Although this is a combination lower body and arm exercise, the stimulus to the biceps is incredibly intense. While holding a dumbbell in each hand lower your body into the bottom of a lunge without touching your back knee to the ground. While holding the eccentric isometric (stretched position) of a lunge perform smooth and controlled reps of bicep curls while pausing in the top and bottom position of the curling motion. There are several benefits of this unique protocol including increased tension in the contracted position as well as the fact that it forces the lifter to eliminate momentum as swinging and cheating will cause the lifter to lose balance.

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Straight arm lat pulldowns and variations thereof are highly effective for targeting the lats and core as well as the triceps, chest and shoulders. However, many individuals rely on momentum and sloppy form ultimately causing various technique issues including excessive range of motion, asymmetrical pulling, faulty shoulder mechanics, and poor spinal alignment. Although there are a number of cues and techniques I use to resolve this in my athletes and clients, one of my favorites is incorporating greater instability by using the band strap method as demonstrated by Pittsburg pirates baseball player Austin Meadows.

Essentially you’re incorporating the hanging band technique into the straight arm pulldown. This produces oscillating kinetic energy and subtle perturbations to the bar thereby enhancing proprioceptive feedback and kinesthetic awareness. In other words it helps improve your body mechanics and positioning by helping you tune into your sense of feel. The bar also has a tendency to tilt to one side if you favor one arm or pull asymmetrically. In addition, the lifter is forced to use strict and smooth mechanics to minimize the bouncing effect. Just be prepared to feel your upper back, lats, core, triceps, and other upper body muscles get torched.

Lastly, the grip also gets thoroughly taxed which provide an additional shoulder stabilization and centration effect through concurrent activation potentiation. In other words it improves shoulder stability/packing through full body tension.

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If you're looking for an excellent dynamic warmup as well as full body finisher exercise try this simple yet brutal marching plank protocol as demonstrated by one of my awesome clients Matt Jordan. This drill can be performed in a lateral fashion, forward fashion, or moving backward each of which has their own benefits.