Read About Exercise

The half kneeling overhead press is one of my favorite shoulder pressing variations as it promotes increased core activation while also working the stabilizers of the core & hips. It also crushes the shoulders, upper back & triceps as the lifter is forced to use controlled technique and smooth mechanics to maintain balance and control during the lift.

The bottoms up grip also requires additional grip and shoulder stability to keep the trap bar from twisting and tilting. This further enhances shoulder pressing mechanics & motor control.

Read About Exercise

This next exercise is a chaos band pullup with knee raise protocol. Notice the 90 degree angles. Yep 90 once again. Why you ask???? Because 90 deg angles on most movements such as squats, presses, pulls, lunges, & hinges, represents the most effective & therapeutic stimulus not only for optimizing functional strength & hypertrophy but also for minimizing joint stress. Yes of course you can go farther but then it’s not longer producing the optimal training stimulus for the muscles and you’re also increasing the potential consequences.

Still don’t believe me??? Try this exercise using smooth mechanics without any bouncing while also maintaining maximal core activation, postural alignment, shoulder packing, & full body tension. Because you eliminate momentum & 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 roughly 90 deg every time. To go past this you’ll compensate in some 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!

With that said the chaos pullup is one of the most effective pullup & lat exercises for blasting your upper back & lats while also cleaning up pullup form. Besides being brutally intense there are 8 reasons why chaos pullups and chin-ups are so effective.

1. The kipping pullup is perhaps the single worst exercise creation in the modern day fitness industry. Besides leading to a number of muscular dysfunctions and movement aberrations throughout the kinetic chain, it does little if anything to build functional strength and muscularity. Attempting to perform even the slightest kipping maneuver while doing the chaos pullup will cause the body to bounce around in an uncontrollable fashion. As a result, the chaos pullup helps eliminate the dysfunctional and aberrant kipping syndrome that’s plagued the fitness industry for the last decade.

2. The chaos pullup does wonders for eliminating the all-too-common over-pulling syndrome. Many lifters feel compelled get their chin over the bar when performing pullups. This produces a number of dysfunctional mechanics not to mention shoulder issues and postural misalignment. The chaos pullup teaches the lifter to terminate the top end range of motion slightly above chin level which happens to be the optimal range of motion for both pullups and chin-ups. Any amount of excessive over-pulling and trying to reach the chin over the bar will cause the lifter and the bands to bounce and shift.

3. Oscillating kinetic energy such as that produced from the hanging band technique as well as perturbation training is incredibly effective for improving proprioception and kinesthetic awareness. That’s because it wakes up muscle spindles ultimately providing a greater sense of feel and enhanced body positioning. The chaos pullup is one of the most effective ways to incorporate this form of oscillating kinetic energy into vertical pulling movements. However, if you do have a partner, employing the perturbation method to either the chaos band method or trap bar pullup is very effective as well.

4. Excessive momentum and jerky movements are both common problems lifters experience when performing pullups. Learning how to eliminate momentum and perform perfectly rigid and strict pullups is something that will do wonders not only for enhancing your vertical pulling mechanics but also for blasting your upper back and lats. In fact, the lifter will be almost required to use eccentric isometrics during their pullups to maintain control. As a result, the chaos pullup is an exceptional functional hypertrophy builder for the upper back and lats as well as the arms due to the high levels of mechanical tension and metabolic stress produced from the ultra strict form

5. Besides acting as a powerful stimulus for inducing functional strength and hypertrophy in the upper torso, the chaos pullup can do wonders for cleaning up shoulder issues and postural misalignment. That’s because it promotes proper shoulder packing and centration of the glenohumeral joint not to mention rock solid postural alignment.

6. Learning to keep the core tight and maintain a neutral pelvic position is important for any movement including pullups. If the lifter attempts to pull their pelvis into either excessive anterior or posterior pelvic tilt and moves out of neutral position, the misalignment will cause their entire body to bounce thereby providing immediate feedback. To keep the band and body locked in, the core will be required to stay aggressively activated throughout.

7. Whether you want to admit it or not, the muscle mind connection is real. Unfortunately many lifters struggle to feel their lats and upper back working when performing pullups typically as a result of faulty mechanics and excessive momentum. Fortunately the chaos pullup and chin-up is one of the most effective vertical pulling variations you’ll ever use to help establish a strong muscle mind connection throughout the lats and upper back.

8. Like any pull-ups, chaos pull-ups are highly adaptable and versatile as they can modified using a number of progressions including sprinter pull-ups, leg raise pull-ups, knee raise pull-ups, dead bug pull-ups, and more as demonstrated by my awesome client Leslie Petch. Learn more about these variations here.

Read About Exercise

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 HERE.

Read About Exercise

This next exercise is a very effective full body single leg squat with band resisted longitudinal goblet squats & eccentric isometrics. I’ve posted quite a few variations of the longitudinal goblet squat as it has many benefits not only for creating incredibly high levels of full body tension but also for cleaning up squat form & squat mechanics. In fact I consider it one of the best corrective squat drills for 10 reasons (full article at link below).

Although it fires the daylights out of the core & helps produce an upright torso (to avoid dumping the weight forward), the grip, forearms, & core tend to be the limiting factor particularly on the double leg version making it more of a corrective squat than hypertrophy movement. However, the single leg variation taxes the lower body more substantially since the entire load is dispersed to one limb.

However, some athletes especially those with strong legs will notice that the upper body is still the limiting factor as the arms will fail before the legs even during the single leg version. However, adding direction band tension to the legs helps remedy this as it now provides additional overload strictly to the lower body. In other words this variations allows the lifter to take advantage of the corrective elements of the longitudinal goblet squat while still producing a strong functional strength & hypertrophy overload stimulus to the legs.

The setup is simple. Simply take an band & loop one end under the foot & other around the neck. These also provide accommodating resistance with greater tension at the stronger top position while deloading the weaker bottom position. Additionally it’s a great foot & ankle exercise as your foot will have to screw down hard to keep the band locked in. Chains around the neck or weighted vest are other can provide a similar stimulus.

Use eccentric isometrics as shown here to maximize the strength & hypertrophy stimulus while also optimizing proprioceptive feedback & kinesthetic awareness thereby helping the athlete fine-tune their body mechanics & technique.

Read About Exercise

(Note: Perform single bar if you don't have access to double landmines). 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 angular movement roughly 20-30 degrees out to the sides of the torso (almost at a sight diagonal angle). 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 lateral deltoids and while taking stress off the joints and 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 as demonstrated by several of my athletes literally guides the lifter into the perfect path for performing lateral raises due to the rotational nature of the landmine device. Simply put if you start wit h the tips of the landmine at the side of your hips at the bottom of the movement, you’ll inevitably raise the arms up slightly to the front of the torso in the top position thereby appropriating the natural angular range of motion for lateral raises. In addition the rotational nature of the device angles the thumbs and 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, and shifting when performing lateral raises. To glean the benefits of this or any other movement particularly isolation exercises, the key is smooth and controlled motions. By incorporating the single leg stand into the movement this requires the lifter to employ smooth, strict, and controlled mechanics as anything less will result in loss of balance. Finally, if you don’t have access to a double landmine station, this movement can be just as easily be performing in a single arm fashion. Try performing several sets of 12-15 reps (or 6-8 on each leg) at the end of your next shoulder day. Just be prepared for an incredible burn followed soon after by a shapely pair of cannonball deltoids.

Read About Exercise

OPTION #1

The wide netural grip is a safe but effective way to crush the back and upper lats. In many ways this feels like a more natural snatch grip row as the wide grip combined with the neutral hand position as well as the ability to keep the weight closer to the center of mass absolutely pummels the upper back, traps, rhomboids, and rear delts. However it’s also surprisingly low back friendly due to the more spine-friendly loading position of the trap bar (in line with the center of mass rather than in front). Additionally the grip, forearms, and hand muscles get worked quite intensely throughout as squeezing the daylights out of the iron grip plates.

OPTION #2

I introduced this to the fitness industry on T-Nation 6 years ago & since has become quite popular because it’s truly a full body exercise that exposes & addresses numerous weakness & imbalances. Aim for straight line from head to toe, dorsiflexion, and 90 deg eccentric isometrics with perfect posture.

Read About Exercise

MAIN OPTION

By simply placing one leg up and performing controlled eccentric isometric pushups not only does this blast the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core but it also addresses alignment from the foot all the way through the lubmopelvic hip complex. If you want to add extra difficulty to this exercise, simply place one foot (the foot that would have been on the ground) on a medicine ball. Any deviation in alignment from head to toe will result in the lifter losing their balance. These are also great for addressing foot and toe activation not to mention toe mobility. The stimulus to the upper body pressing muscles is also surprisingly intense since you'll be required to stay unbelievably tight and use strict and controlled pushup mechanics. So yes expect a full body burn.

ALTERNATE OPTION

Elevating the legs during any type of chest press is an excellent way to place greater stress on the chest shoulders and triceps as it isolates the upper body by eliminating assistance from the hips and legs. It also does wonders for cleaning up your form and technique. Here's one of my NFL Combine athletes performing a unique close grip bench press variation.

Read About Exercise

The 2+2+2 rep protocol indicates the lifter should perform 2 curls per every squat. For example, one will perform 2 curls followed by 1 squat, followed by 2 curls and 1 squat, etc. for a total of 6 curls and 3 total squats per set.

In terms of this particular squat these not only reinforce proper squat mechanics is it forces the athletes to keep the core incredibly tight with max full body tension but it’s also a great way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Periodic arm training can be beneficial for athletes particularly throwing athletes as it improves elbow health. Unfortunately athletes often have limited training time. Periodically combining arm isolation with functional lower body movements is a great way to practice your squat pattern while also blasting your arms.

Read About Exercise

OPTION #1

Skull crushers or tricep extensions on rings are an excellent tricep and arm exercise that also tax the core and shoulder stabilizers.

OPTION #2

Here's an incredibly effective barbell skull crusher variation for producing incredible strength and size gains in the triceps. By incorporating horizontal band resistance this provides constant tension throughout the movement including the top portion where it's typically deloaded during standard skull crushers.

Read About Exercise

Looking for a brutal full body & arm exercise? Try this eccentric isometric Bulgarian squat & bicep curl combo as shown by my awesome client Eric McIntyre. I often use lunge holds and Bulgarian squats to perform bicep curls, shoulder raises, and more as it’s a great way to kill 2 birds with one stone particularly if you’re looking to crush the upper body while also working on hip mechanics and lower body muscle function. There are 4 unique benefits of this.

1. Holding an eccentric isometric split squat position forces the lifter to use smooth and controlled lifting mechanics as excessive momentum, cheating, or swinging, will cause the lifter to loose his or her balance. As a result, even lighter loads will crush the biceps.

2. A properly performed Bulgarian squat or lunge involves a slight hip hinge position with a 20-30 deg torso lean. This creates constant tension in te biceps throughout the motion particularly in the contracted position of the curl thereby eliciting high levels of intramuscular tension & cellular swelling.

3. In addition the torso angle produced from the lunge allows the dumbbells to move through a larger range of motion than a typical bicep curl. Besides activating more motor units this large ROM creates greater mechanical tension and muscle damage which maximize hypertrophy.

4. Besides blasting the legs & upper body, this also acts as a therapeutic mobility exercise for the hips. That’s because the lifter is essentially holding an eccentric isometric Bulgarian squat. Lunges & Bulgarian squats are the only types of movement that simultaneously target eccentric muscle elongation of both the hip flexors & hip extensors. This does wonders for loosing up the hips and creating a proper balance of tension between the anterior & posterior sides of the leg & lumbopelvic hip complex. If you’re looking for a way to finish up an intense workout that pumps loads of blood into the arms yet also leaves your hips & low back feeling loose as a goose, these can’t be beat.