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Incline dumbbell rows are one of my favorite exercises not only for crushing the upper back and lats but also for improving posture and shoulder health. If you’re looking for a subtle yet brutal protocol that increases the intensity of traditional incline rows, try this biomechanical drop set. Simply perform incline dumbbell rows in an alternating fashion. But here’s the catch.

The first half of the set perform the alternating rows by holding the non-moving arm in the contracted position. This represents the most challenging portion of the set due to the constant tension. Once you fatigue, rather than terminating the set, continue performing rows in an alternating fashion only this time the non-moving arm will be held in the stretched/lengthened position which tends to be slightly easier. Make sure that you avoid shoulder rounding and excessive protraction, which is a very common mistake people make during rowing movements. Just be prepared to feel your entire middle and upper back screaming as you approach the end of this brutal biomechanical drop set.

As an added bonus you’ll also experience intense core and abdominal activation as you focus on resisting rotation that’s produced from the alternating arm protocol.

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MAIN OPTION

Here’s one of my awesome clients Austin Kane performing an advanced chest press. Ther are multiple components here including the incline trap bar press, bottoms up grip, hollow body leg raise, reverse bands, and the eccentric isometric protocol. Here’s a brief description of each component.

The bottoms up trap bar protocol is conducive for improving shoulder stability and shoulder mechanics as the neutral grip helps pack and centrate the glenohumeral joint. In addition, the instability produced from holding the bottom handles forces the lifter to dial in their shoulder stability and body mechanics even further as the bar becomes highly volatile.

The leg raise component does wonders for increasing core activation and full body tension. It also helps minimize lumbar arch and excessive low back extension as the leg raise position helps hollow out the core. The increased core activation tends to produce improved upper body pressing mechanics as well.

The use of accommodating resistance with the reverse band protocol helps deload the weaker bottom position and overload the stronger top position. Besides minimizing joint stress, this maximizes tension to the targeted musculature as the strength curve of the movement better matches that of the muscles.

The eccentric isometric helps maximize proprioception and kinesthetic awareness. As a result this teaches the athlete how to master their body mechanics and fine-tune their positioning. In other words it teaches them how to make subtle adjustments and learn how to adhere to the sensory feedback from their muscle spindles. Also notice how Austin is using the proprioceptive feedback from the eccentric isometric to find the optimal 90 degree position rather than collapsing and going excessively deep. Oh yes and make sure to have a spotter.

ALTERNATE OPTION (NO TRAP BAR)

I recently developed a unique chest press that may in fact be one of the most effective chest presses I’ve ever used. I refer to this as the Pivot Press. There are multiple reasons why this is so effective one of which is the incredible eccentric overload. Read more HERE.

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When it comes to leg position during pull-ups you really only have one of two options when it comes to maximizing mechanics. Either keep the legs perfectly straight and dorsiflex the toes or use the knee flexion method by bending the legs in back of you to a perfect 90 degree angle without crossing them. Anything but these two positions promotes lethargic lower body activation and poor spinal rigidity which has a negative impact throughout the kinetic chain not to mention decreased force production. And yes that means no crossing of the legs and no dangling the feet like a limp fish both of which are very common. Fortunately both the dorsiflexion and knee flexion methods are highly conducive for implementing weighted pull-ups as doing so not only provides a unique way to overload the movement but it actually serves to enhance body mechanics and eliminate cheating.

The dorsiflexion loading method is one of my favorite ways to load pull-ups and chin-ups. I have an article coming soon at T-Nation about this but in the mean time I'll give you brief summary. Although it can be done with kettlebells and dumbbells, there's several benefits of using a barbell. First, there is literally no room for cheating, excessive momentum, twisting, or body shifting. Any deviations in form or technical breakdown and the bar will tilt or fall off the feet. Second, if the individual aggressively dorsiflexes the feet and curls the toes upward, the bar will sit quite naturally on the top of the foot. As a result, the stimulus to the feet, toes, and ankles is very intense yet highly effective for eliminating dysfunction in the lower leg and ankle complex. This also helps to lock the pullup mechanics in as foot and ankle activation produces improved spinal rigidity, postural alignment, and concurrent activation potentiation (full body tension).

Lastly and most importantly the barbell variation is the single most effective diagnostic tool for assessing how symmetrical your pullup technique is. If you tilt your hips, shoulders, or core to one side, pull more with one arm, or initiate the pullup by favoring one side of your body, the barbell will immediately begin to tilt uncontrollably. Even the slightest asymmetrical pulling technique will produce a significant teeter-totter effect immediately exposing and magnifying dysfunctional pulling mechanics. Learn to keep the bar completely parallel to the floor with no signs of wavering and watch your body symmetry and postural alignment improve immensely.

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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. Here’s why. Read more HERE.

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Want to master your squat or any movement? Use eccentric isometrics as demonstrated by NFL cornerback Prince Charles Iworah and CJ Okpalobi. Eccentric isometrics involve a slow negative with pause in the stretched position. In this particular video they’re highlighting one of my go-to squatting variations for grooving proper squat mechanics - the dumbbell front curled squat. Although it’s similar to a goblet squat, many athletes find it easier to engage their lats and minimize shoulder rounding since the arms are held in a more natural shoulder-width position rather than a crowded goblet squat position.

Besides being incredible intense eccentric isometrics enhance proprioceptive feedback and kinesthetic awareness by emphasizing the eccentric phase. This creates enhanced sensory feedback through muscles spindles thereby allowing the athletes to fine-tune their form and body mechanics. I’ve found nothing more effective for teaching athletes how to master their movement and clean up their activation patterns. Besides helping to minimize injuries it’s also incredibly effective for building functional strength and size due to the heightened levels of motor unit recruitment, mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage.

Notice, how Prince and CJ, don’t collapse in the bottom but pause in the 90 degree position (10-20 deg above parallel). One of the most common mistakes I see people make when performing eccentric isometrics is going as deep as possible rather than using optimal range of motion. So lets get one thing clear, performing slow and controlled movements with excessive ROM and collapsing in the bottom is not an eccentric isometric. It’s simply a systematic method of performing faulty mechanics. To get the most out of eccentric isometrics use 90 degree angles.

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Here is a great upper-lower body combo (ULC) variation where you “kill 2 birds with 1 stone”. Also if you haven’t had a chance to read that article make sure you check it out as it was listed as one of the top articles of the week by the Personal Trainer Development Center (Link below).

Essentially this specific ULC involves an eccentric isometric lunge hold with a dumbbell chest scoop. This is a great full body finisher that blasts the chest, shoulders, & biceps while also improving lower body stability, mobility, motor control & overall function throughout the lumbopelvic hip function. Focus on maintaining a slight forward lean by keeping the hips set back (i.e. slight hip hinge which represents optimal lunge mechanics) rather than allowing the hips, knees, & low back to move too far forward. This position also helps maximize tension to the chest when performing this scoop exercise.

Additionally try to emphasize a strong muscle mind connection here by attempting to use your pectorals rather than your deltoids or arm to initiate the movement. Focus on keeping the shoulders down & back throughout and don’t try to drive the weights higher than lower chest height. Another great cue is to focus on pushing your body away from the weights as you drive them up (while still keeping the hips back) as this will help isolate the chest.

I employ drills such as these on days where we’re trying to isolate the upper body muscles but also need to address muscle function in the hips & lower body. For athletes as well as folks who spend a significant amount of time sitting this can do wonders for restoring the natural length tension relationship around the hips & thighs.

Read more about the benefits of ULC’s in full article at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/functional-arm-training

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Performing RDL's (Romanian Deadlifts) with horizontal band resistance is a great way to clean up your hinge mechanics. The band resistance forces the lifter to squeeze their lats and sit back into their hips in order to avoid losing their balance and maintain control of the load.

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Do a pullup until your arms at at a 90 degree angle - hold that position (isometric hold) and perform a hanging leg raise combo from a pullup hold position. If this is tool challening, simply perform standard hanging leg raises without the pullup portion.

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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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This eccentric isometric kettlebell curl with band tension I demonstrate here absolutely pulverizes the biceps with incredible levels of constant tension, metabolic stress, & muscle damage all of which add up to produce one incredible growth-inducing stimulus. Due to the hanging nature of kettlebells they already provide greater constant tension particularly in the stretched position when compared to other free weight variations. When combined with the band tension the levels of intramuscular tension & occlusion are enormous.

Also notice how the eccentric isometric is held several inches above the fully straightened/locked position. This represents the optimal position for performing eccentric isometrics for biceps curls as it maximizes muscle tension & motor unit recruitment while minimizing stress to the bicep tendon, elbow joint, & shoulders. Read more about kettlebell arm exercises HERE.