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OPTION #1

This overcoming eccentric isometric lunge and overhead press provide a high intensity neuromuscular and structural stimulus from head to toe provided you use maximal effort throughout

OPTION #2

This is an eccentric isometric push press. Essentially the concentric phase is pretty standard using maximal power output by exploding with both the legs & upper body to drive the weight up. After you pause in the overhead slot position this is where things get a unique. Simply perform a slow & controlled eccentric phase but pause briefly in the 90-deg position before allowing the weight to collapse & settle back to the rack/semi-rack position (something he could improve).

This move is something I highlight extensively in my book Movement Redefined as provides 4 benefits. 1) full body speed & power output 2) eccentric overload for functional strength & hypertrophy as well as connective tissue strength, 3) joint friendly push press, 4) improved body mechanics, proprioception, sensory feedback, & overall technique due to the eccentric isometric protocol.

I’m not a huge fan of trying to eccentrically control the load in a slow fashion after you move significantly past 90-deg as this can place undue strain on the joints & connective tissue not to mention negatively alter the natural length tension relationship of the muscle fibers - a topic I discuss in depth in my book MOVEMENT REDEFINED.

The eyes-closed overhead power hold is a great way to finish off the shoulders, core & upper body stabilizers as this requires full body tension, motor control, & precise overhead positioning. Think of this is a biomechanical drop set as the shoulders may not have enough left for more reps but they’ll have enough leftover to perform a 10 sec isometric power hold.

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This next exercise is INCH PULLUPS with optimal 90 Degree angles (approximately). Several things to discuss.

1.This is a great functional strength & hypertrophy exercises as the inch protocol eliminates all the momentum thereby creating enormous levels of mechanical/intramuscular tension & metabolic stress. Just prepared as these are quite humbling.

1. By eliminating momentum, the inch protocol addresses asymmetries, imbalances & technique issues. For instance if you have a tendency to pull more with one arm, favor one side, shift or wiggle to one side, or simple perform pullups with aberrant technique such as excess protraction and elevation in the shoulders and traps, these will immediately expose that.

2. These are very joint friendly as the elimination of momentum places all the tension on the muscles & very little on the joints & connective tissue. The fact that your form will be improved during these makes them even more joint friendly.

3. 90 degree joint angles (approximately) are optimal for most functional movements. Still don’t believe me??? Try this exercise. Because you eliminate momentum and are forced to maintain high levels of spinal rigidity & perfect posture, you literally won’t be able to break 90 unless of course you sacrifice all of the aforementioned cues & important technique elements not to mention optimal osteokinematics & arthrokinematics.

In fact it really doesn’t matter if me or my athletes perform these with bodyweight or heavy loads, functional ROM terminates at 90 deg every time. To go past this you’ll compensate in some shape or fashion somewhere in your body even if its subtle (i.e. lumbar extension, internal rotation of the shoulder, crowding at the glenohumeral joint, forward head tilt, shoulder protraction & elevation, lack of joint centration & faulty activation patterns). To maintain maximal full body tension, posture, shoulder retraction & depression, braced core, neutral spine, & tight grip, you won’t be going past 90, not now, not ever. Case closed!!!

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OPTION #1

This next exercise provides a great chest press option that crushes the chest & glutes while taking stress off your neck & shoulders. Here’s why I recommend this.

I originally tried the traditional glute bridge chest press (typically performed as a floor press) years ago after reading a few articles by strength coaches Bret Contreras and Ben Bruno. Unfortunately I’ve always had a very sensitive neck & shoulders due to scoliosis that stems back from my young teenage years & although I found much value in the traditional glute bridge chest press they were also quite aggravating to my upper neck & shoulders due to the compressive forces against the cervical spine. I’ve also seen similar trends with my other clients including NFL athletes who have various cervical issues & shoulder trauma from past injuries.

The head-off glute bridge chest press variations on the other hand eliminate this issue & actually feel very therapeutic on the shoulders & neck while still deriving the same glute and hip benefits as the traditional variations. That’s because the neck & cervical spine can elongate rather than being compressed into the floor. Coach Nick Tumminello has also written about similar modifications. When the head is compressed into another surface this promotes forward head tilt, cervical flexion, shoulder elevation, shoulder protraction, & internal rotation particularly during horizontal pressing. However, when the cervical spine is allowed to elongate it frees up the shoulders & scapula due to improved t-spine extension that ultimately leads to enhanced shoulder packing & centration of the glenohumeral joint.

Cervical spinal alignment is a critical aspect of postural control & shoulder health. When cervical spinal position is compromised it has a direct negative impact on shoulder function & upper body mechanics.

OPTION #2

This next exercise is a Half Body Off Bench Dumbbell Chest Press. Scoot over so lateral edge of the bench intersects the base of your skull (half body off) which blasts core & hips.

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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.

Here's an awesome row and RDL combination as we prepare her for her first figure competition. This movement absolutely crushes the entire posterior chain from head to toe. This combination of wide stance which places more stress on the glute and hamstring tie-in combined with the intermittent RDL's is a great way tax the backside of the lower body and upper back and lats simultaneously. I've also found the close underhand grip to be very conducive for targeting the lats and promoting optimal shoulder mechanics. It reinforces the idea of keeping the elbows tucked throughout while increased the range of motion of the actual row (without the elbows or triceps moving past the torso) and not sacrificing optimal mechanics.

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Perhaps the most challenging variation of any Z press you’ll ever attempt, the leg raise z press off a bench, requires even greater levels of stability, core strength, motor control, mobility, and proper overhead mechanics in comparison to other overhead presses. The eccentric isometric protocol further adds to the difficulty and the effectiveness. Read more at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/z-press-overhead-press

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OPTION #1

Although it seems like a simple exercise the lateral raise is one of the most butchered isolation movements you'll see. Rather than lifting the weights straight out to the sides, the lifter should focus on using an angle roughly 30 degrees from the side of the torso almost at a sight diagonal angle. This helps to maximize recruitment of the lateral deltoids. In addition the lifter should keep the weights to shoulder height or lower as any higher will take tension off of the deltoid and place undue tension on the traps and glenohumeral joint.

These are components that other strength coaches including Nick Tumminello and John Rusin have also discussed as more and more research is demonstrating that this represents optimal mechanics. There are several variations of the lateral raise I like to employ with my athletes and clients to force the lifter to use proper mechanics. This single leg dumbbell pinching variation not only eliminates momentum and cheating that are all too-common with lateral raises the the intense grip activation along with foot and ankle innervation helps create irradiation and concurrent activation (increased neural drive). As a result the lifter has better mechanics and more controlled and packed shoulder positioning. Besides working the grip and ankles (something I like to take advantage of whenever possible), the metabolic stress and mechanical tension to the deltoids is through the roof making it highly effective for inducing functional strength and hypertrophy in the shoulders. Here are a few of my football athletes including Nick England, Jake Banta, and Jackson Trawick using the movement as a high intensity finisher after an intense and heavy upper body workout.

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OPTION #1

Here I have one of my awesome athletes Ben Lai performing a brutal core & shoulder exercise as he performs rear delt renegade lateral raises on the landmine station. Besides torching the entire abdominal & core musculature this also blasts the rear deltoids & upper back quite extensively as it helps reinforce proper rear delt lateral raise mechanics. That’s because the rotational nature of the landmine station helps guide the lifter through optimal lateral raise mechanics.

When performing any lateral raise, rather than lifting the weights straight out to the sides, the lifter should focus on using an angular movement. In other words a proper lateral raise involves moving the arms to the sides and slightly to the front of the body. This helps to maximize recruitment of the deltoids while taking stress off the joints & connective tissue. In addition, most lifters lead with their thumbs up when performing lateral raises which is another common mistake as the thumbs should be pointed slightly down like pouring a glass of water especially at the top of the movement. Performing landmine lateral raises literally guides the lifter into the perfect path for performing lateral raises due to the rotational nature of the landmine. You’ll inevitably raise the arms up slightly to the front thereby appropriating the natural angular range of motion for lateral raises. In addition the rotational nature of the device angles the thumbs & palms down as you raise to the top of the movement further ingraining proper lateral raise mechanics.

Lastly, most lifters use excessive momentum, cheating, swinging, & shifting when performing lateral raises. To glean the benefits of this or any isolation exercise, the key is smooth & controlled motions. By incorporating the single arm plank this requires the lifter to employ smooth, strict, & controlled mechanics to maintain a neutral spine. Try performing several sets of 5-7 reps at the end of your next shoulder or core day. Read more about my 50+ favorite renegade rows and variations thereof at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/renegade-rows-part-2

OPTION #2

Not only does the renegade shoulder raise blast the rear deltoids and upper back but it absolutely torches the core. Here are 6 varations each from different clients and athletes including NFL athle Julian Williams, Ben Lai, Leslie Petch, Michael Horner, Bonnie Shea, and Todd Weiland. As you raise the dumbbell farther away from your center of mass the weight pulls more and more on your core creating strong rotational forces and extension forces on the spine that the lifter must resist. Read more in article at: https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/renegade-rows-part-2

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OPTION #1

Want to blast your entire body from head to toe and trigger a strong hypertrophy response not just in your biceps and arms but also in your legs? Try these overcoming isometric bicep curls with an eccentric isometric squat hold.

OPTION #2

Here I have NFL athlete Marcelis Branch performing eccentric overload cheat curls. When it comes to producing functional mass & strength, it’s difficult to beat eccentric overload. That’ s because it takes advantage of all 3 key known mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy including mechanical tension, muscle damage, & metabolic stress.

Here Marcelis is using a cheat curl by incorporating his hips & legs into the concentric phase allowing him to handle supramaximal loading (greater than his 1RM) for the eccentric phase. In other words the heaviest he might use for curls would be 65 lb dumbbells however this method allowed him to handle 75’s for the eccentric phase of the reps thereby maximizing the overload effect & ultimately inducing the greatest levels of functional strength & hypertrophy.

If I had to give one critique I would recommend using more hip drive on the concentric to avoid the use of so much lumbar & low back extension to drive the weight up. This improved throughout the set as he began to rely more on his hips & less on his back.

Due to intensity of eccentric overload, I recommend incorporating several sets of 3-5 reps once ever 7-15 days as anymore can produce excessive muscle damage & neural fatigue making it difficult to recover from training. In fact, eccentric overload has actually been shown to produce muscle atrophy when used excessively simply because the tissues can become over-damaged and over-stressed.

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Tricep strength as well as muscular endurance is critical for the NFL 225 bench press test. Dumbbell Skull crushers are a great movement for targeting the triceps as well as the core especially when performed with the feet elevated as my athletes demonstrate.

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OPTION #1

Here's a great way to train your arms for hypertrophy while also working on stability and balance. This exercise is an eccentric overload bicep curl that is essentially a compound isolation movement where the lifter performs an eccentric isometric underhand RDL & hang/muscle clean then performs a single leg eccentric overload supramaximal negative curl. Standing on one leg during the negative curl adds a nice stability bonus that shouldn’t have any impact on the amount of weight the lifter can handle but instead should simply force them to maintain control of the eccentric.

OPTION #2

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.

The eccentric isometric lunge position can also be used to perform shoulder raises such as front raises and lateral raises as the slight forward lean makes it very effective for targeting the delts and eliminating cheating or activation from the upper traps.

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OPTION #1

Here's an example of extended Eccentric Isometric dip from my book MOVEMENT REDEFINED which you can now get for $99 - a $200 savings in celebration of reaching 200K followers on Instagram :)

OPTION #2

The inside out ring protocol is not only limited to ring pushups. In fact the same methodology can just as easily be applied to ring dips offering similar benefits discussed in my article with inside out ring pushups. Read more about the benefits at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/inside-out-ring-pushups-dips