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SUPERSET NOTE: Perform Part 1 and wait 30-60 seconds before moving onto Part 2.

PART 1

NOTE: This can be performed as a floor press or on a bench. In addition, and depending on your trainng level, feet can either be elevated or instead on the floor in traditional banch press form.

Unless you’re going to be competing in a powerlifting meet in a few weeks, you’re probably better not touching the barbell to your chest on bench press. Instead I recommend performing 90 degree eccentric isometrics as I have collegiate football player & NFL prospects Kevo Yeremian showing here. This is as topic I go over extensively in my book MOVEMENT REDEFINED with hundreds of studies to support this.

No, there is not a single research study specifically proving what optimal ROM is one way or another & there likely never will be. However if we examine the research regarding structural physiology, biomechanics, & neuromuscular physiology, all signs point to 90-deg as being optimal when it comes to heavy loads & high impact. Besides saving the joints, I’ve found 90-deg eccentric isometrics to be superior not only in terms of their therapeutic benefit but also for increasing functional strength & size as well as power & proprioception. This is true not only of the bench press but just about every other compound movement including squats.

Additionally I’ve found them to be far superior for maximizing mobility. Yes, you read that correctly!!!!! Limiting ROM to 90-deg (the optimal end range for high load/impact activities) actually promotes increased mobility & ROM. In contrast, performing movements well in excess of 90-deg is oftentimes the very thing that ends up limiting mobility & flexibility as the exaggerated positions often end up gradually producing chronic inflammation over time and inflammation is the very thing that limits our mobility.

You’ll also notice more powerlifters using limited ROM movements in their training such as floor press, board press, pin press, Spotto press, & partials not to mention above parallel box squats. Coincidence? I think not.

There are 7 reasons why the leg raise chest press protocol is so effective.

1. Learning to drive with the hips and legs during chest presses is an essential component for maximizing force production and pressing mechanics. However, many lifters lack the ability to fully engage their upper body musculature and rely excessively on their legs to help press the weight up. As a result the stimulus to their chest, shoulders, and triceps, is minimal. Implementing the leg raise protocol during chest presses is a very effective method for resolving this as it helps to isolate the upper body by eliminating the assistance of the legs. This is also the grand equalizer of all bench press protocols as it’s truly an indication of upper body strength.

2. By using this method to periodically isolate the upper body pressing muscles this helps create a stronger muscle mind connection with the targeted musculature. Once these enhanced neural connections are grooved into your CNS, transferring these improved activation patterns back to standard chest pressing variations will inevitably result in increased pressing power.

3. With consistent use of the leg raise chest press protocol you’ll notice increased hypertrophy to the chest, shoulders, and triceps, as the amount of intramuscular tension and metabolic stress will be significantly greater than you would typically find with standard chest presses. In fact the degree of metabolic stress and mechanical tension to the local musculature will be greater than just about any chest pressing variation you’ve ever attempted.

4. With the leg raise chest protocol you’ll experience increased activation of the core and surrounding stabilizers. The increased recruitment of these areas will greatly improve your motor control, balance, and stability. Once you return to standard chest pressing variations you’ll feel unusually locked in with your mechanics as you’re CNS will be more dialed in than ever.

5. Learning to fire the core and avoid excessive lumbar arch during chest presses is something many lifters struggle with. In fact over-arching the lumbar spine during the bench press is a sure-fire way to both injure your low back and eliminate the growth-inducing stimulus of the chest press itself. Using the leg raise position eliminates this as the core must work over-time to stabilize the spine and pelvis by keeping it neutral.

6. Enhanced core stability and spinal rigidity aren’t the only stabilization components addressed during the leg-raise chest press position. Because the lifter has no firm foundation with his or her legs, their bodies are in a fairly vulnerable and unstable position while lying on the bench. Excessive momentum, shifting, asymmetrical pressing, or cheating can easily result in loss of balance. As a result the lifter is forced to eliminate compensation patterns and rely on crisp yet smooth motions to complete the exercise. This means more tension to the targeted musculature and less tension on the joints.

7. The leg raise chest press technique indirectly improves the lifter’s ability to activate the upper back and lats as well as tuck the elbows. The reasoning is a bit complex but see if you can follow. When the legs and hips are driving into the floor (during standard chest presses) this allows the lifter to set a base with their feet and another base with their upper torso. By pushing from these two points this creates an almost-coiled like, spring-loaded position making it easier to tuck the elbows, fire the lats and upper back, and depress the shoulders. This represents optimal pressing mechanics for any traditional chest press particularly when attempting to maximize strength development. Unfortunately many lifters lack the ability to recruit their upper back unless they can create tension with their legs. But even then, their upper back activation is sub par at best. By eliminating the legs from this equation, it becomes exponentially more difficult to fire the lats and depress the scapula as you’ll no longer have a solid lower body foundation to press into. However, over time, the lifter will be forced to adapt to this by mastering the ability to fire the upper back and tuck the elbows as a means of ensuring control of the load and their body. Once the lifter can harness their ability to activate the lats and create proper shoulder centration while keeping their legs elevated, the muscle-mind connection this produces in the lats, upper back, and shoulder retractors is incredibly high. After mastering this, returning to standard chest press with the legs firmly planted will feel more powerful than ever as your ability to lock the scapula in and engage your upper back will be exponentially improved.

PART 2

This is a deceptively brutal pushup variation that overloads the entire body using eccentric overload to the chest, shoulders, & triceps. Essentially under this particular setup I had 2 plates or 90 lbs of weight on my back with a moderate tension band anchored to my leg. With this exact setup I was unable to perform the concentric (up phase) on one leg due to the unique impact of the band (discussed below), but I did have the ability to perform the concentric with both legs down (negating any impact of the band).

I tried this with 4 other advanced clients and each of time we found the same effect demonstrating this was in fact an eccentric overload pushup. The reasoning is a bit complex but it comes down to 4 unique elements including 1) BANA 2:1 Eccentric Overload, 2) Contralateral Oblique Sling Activation Patterns, 3) Offset Loading, and 4) Biomechanical Drop Rep Protocol.

Now I know what you’re thinking, how does the band on my leg contribute to greater tension to my upper body?? It’s a bit complicated so let’s address all 4 of the elements listed above to help explain. Yes, the movement itself is relatively simple but the science is fairly complex so see if you can follow.

1. Yes, a pushup is in fact a rotational movement since you have a single pivot point/fulcrum or axis of rotation, mainly the feet around which your entire body rotates. The farther you go up that lever the greater the distance of movement. Simply the upper torso moves to a greater extent than the legs which is indicative of a rotational movement. It’s also the reason why we want to keep the hips tall (by firing the core and hip flexors) and not let the hips sag (i.e. don’t squeeze the glutes) otherwise we end up turning a movement such as the pushup into more of a linear movement rather than a rotational movement. So what does all this have to do with this particular pushup variation. As soon as you drive one leg up not only does it produce enormous tension into the quads and hip flexors of the support/down leg but it also translates to greater force being distributed into the upper torso and arms. That’s because the nature of a lever, whether it’s a complex or simple lever, indicates that as one end receives more upward force (the leg), the other end will receive more vertical, downward force, in this case the upper torso is being driven into the floor with greater force. Simply put the total load to the upper body during the eccentric, when the leg is lifted against the band, is greater than it is on the concentric when the leg is down representing the BANA 2:1 method.

2. The single leg band setup also targets the oblique slings in a very intense fashion. That’s because the more the leg drives into the band, the more that glute and hamstring fires also producing more tension in the quad and hip flexor of the opposite support leg. However, as we know, oblique sling activation patterns travel up the kinetic chain and impact the upper body as opposite hip flexor and quad works with opposite pectoral and anterior shoulder, whereas opposite glute and hamstring works with opposite rear deltoid and tricep. As a result, whichever leg ends up being the support leg receives greater hip flexor and quad activation thereby resulting in greater tension and activation in the contralateral chest and deltoid.

3. Here’s where it gets really cool. The unique oblique sling activation patterns previously mentioned end up producing a significant offset loading effect not only on the legs but also on the limbs of the upper torso. In other words, the contralateral arm relative to the support leg during the single leg position ends up receiving 20-30lb more total load than the other arm. And yes we actually did some brief calculations using a makeshift force platform just to make sure all of this was legit. For instance in this particular case that 20-30 lbs more loading on one side of my upper body ended up being too heavy for me to handle on the concentric. However I was able to handle it on the eccentric. Simply, the eccentric overload during these ends up being on one side of the upper body on each rep not on both sides. This is why it’s critical to use equal number of repetitions on both legs to make sure both sides receive similar eccentric overload.

4. Besides the fact that moving from a double leg to a single leg band resisted pushup position ends up producing strain throughout the oblique slings as well as providing an offset loading effect, there’s also incredibly high levels of rotational forces the lifter must resist. That’s because the narrow single leg base combined with the band tension has a tendency to want to rotate the hips and entire torso unless the lifter activates the daylights out of his or her core and abs. Simply put even under the exact same loads, the single leg position is substantially more challenging biomechanically and neuromuscularly than the double leg pushup. This indicates that each repetition is now using the biomechanical drop rep protocol meaning the concentric phase (double leg portion) incorporates a biomechanically more advantageous and stronger position whereas on the eccentric phase ,where an individually is typically stronger by 20-30%, we use a more biomechanically disadvantageous position to challenge the musculature to a greater extent.

Lastly, a similar effect can be applied to single arm pushups by using the BANA protocol and performing the eccentric phase with 1 arm and the concentric phase with 2 arms. However, the single arm pushup involves a very steep learning curve with many folks finding them very awkward especially when transitioning from the single arm position to the double arm. Simply both variations are effective however, most folks will find these single leg band variations much more user friendly and natural although it does require a slightly more extensive setup.

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The goblet squat is one of the most effective exercises for cleaning up squat form & lower body mechanics. Unfortunately I still see many coaches and lifters perform them with various forms of dysfunction & movement aberrations.

Some of these common mistakes include, excessive ROM, lack of spinal neutrality, excessive toe flare, poor foot & ankle activation, lack of full body tension, excessive anterior knee drift, poor hip hinge mechanics, shoulder rounding, minimal levels of full-body intramuscular tension, & low levels of motor control. My go-to strategy for eliminating these issues is the eccentric isometric squat as shown here by Daniel. These can be applied to any and all squats however I always like to begin athletes with basics especially during the first several weeks/months of training. Then eventually we periodically implement unique movements while still sticking to the basics.

Eccentric isometrics optimize proprioception and sensory feedback allowing the athlete to fine-tune their body mechanics. This is even further emphasized under eyes closed conditions. They’re also incredibly effective for building ridiculous levels of strength, hypertrophy, stability, mobility, symmetry & conditioning not to mention bulletproofing the joints & connective tissue.

These are both physically & psychologically brutal so be prepared to focus your mind & body like a ninja. If you’ve been having trouble mastering your squat or any other movement I highly encourage you to implement eccentric isometrics as it’s the most effective techniques I’ve ever used for improving body mechanics & neuromuscular efficiency as well as functional strength, size, performance, & power.

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Ab walkouts, ab fallouts, & ab rollouts are some of my favorite drills for taxing the abs. Unfortunately many folks allow several common mistakes when performing them. The bear crawl position helps remedy that via 5 reasons.

1. The most common mistake I see individuals make when performing ab rollouts is allowing their lumbar spine to excessively arch. Part of this is due to the fact that they’re simply attempting to roll out too far & use excessive range of motion. However some of this is due to the intense extension forces placed on the lumbar spine from ab rollouts. In fact, the very nature of the rollout is that it’s designed to be an anti-extension exercise where the lifter resists extension forces by keeping a neutral spine throughout. However, most lifters produce varying degrees of lumbar extension during ab rollouts which not only minimizes tension to the core but also places undue stress on the low back. The bear crawl ab rollout directly addresses this issue head on. That’s because it’s literally impossible to hyperextend the lumbar spine if in fact the lifter maintains a perfect bear crawl position with a double 90-degree bend at the hips & knees.

2. The bear crawl rollout not only reinforces proper spinal positioning during ab rollouts, it also incorporates the dual-core activation method by targeting the muscles of both the lumbar flexors & hip flexors. In fact, many variable resistance companies frequently attempt to build abdominal machines that involve simultaneous lumbar flexion & hip flexion. The bear crawl rollout directly targets these same muscles using very similar activation principles, however, the athlete is able to maintain a neutral spine throughout.

3. Most individuals perform ab rollouts with excessive range of motion by attempting to over-stretch their abdominal wall. As with any exercise the goal should be optimal range of motion not excessive range of motion. Although the bear crawl rollout represents a movement that involves a slightly abbreviated range of motion compared to standard rollouts, this also helps eliminate overstretching. If you tend to collapse on ab rollouts or have trouble finding your natural stopping point, bear crawl rollouts are a simple but effective method to quickly resolve this.

4. Consciously contracting your glutes while performing ab rollouts or any anti-extensor core exercise is plain wrong. Instead focus on firing your core and hip flexors. This is something I’ve stated repeatedly over the years but it’s worth repeating as many fitness professionals are still erroneously applying this cue to their training. In fact, one of the main reasons why individuals perform ab rollouts with an excessive range of motion is because they emphasize the “glute squeeze” cue. This is the single worst training cue you could use on any anti-extension core exercise including rollouts, planks, pushups, and even hollow body holds as the hip flexors (not the hip extensors) should be firing aggressively. During any anti-extension core exercise, the stomach should remain pulled in and the hips should remain tall and relatively high as this facilitates a hollowed core position similar to a hollow body leg raise. Dropping the hips even slightly, reduces this hollowed core position and places undue stress on the low back (i.e. extension forces) not to mention the core musculature loses significant intramuscular tension. Flexing the hip flexors helps to promote optimal mechanics as the hip flexors resist the very thing the rollout is attempting to do to your spine, namely hip and lumbar extension. Contracting the glutes (hip extensors) works against optimal body mechanics as it simply adds to the already high levels of extension forces working against the hips and core. Simply put, because the ab rollout is an anti-extension exercise (of the spine and hips) this necessitates activating both the anterior core musculature and hip flexors as they work in conjunction with each other. Again this is similar to many core movements such as pike ups, leg raises, knee raises, body saws, and hollow body leg raise holds. Forcefully contracting the glutes on any of these would not only be detrimental and degrading to natural body mechanics but it would feel incredibly unnatural and dangerous. In addition, squeezing the glutes emphasizes hip extension and inhibition of the hip flexors (as these muscles cannot co-contract when a prominent force vector acting in one direction is present) which is exactly the opposite of what should be occurring during any anti-extension movement. If anything there should be a slight V position in the hips as they sit tall throughout which helps to hollow the core and further resist extension. With all of this said, the bear crawl ab rollout directly reinforces this principle as the hip flexors are contracting throughout to maintain a 90 degree hip bend. If you’re still on the fence about whether or not you should be contracting your hip flexors or hip extensors during ab rollouts, planks, or any other anti-extension exercise, give the bear crawl rollout a spin. You’ll immediately see how important the hip flexors are and how counterproductive it is to forcefully contract the glutes during anti-extension movements.

5. The bear crawl rollout is incredibly effective for reinforcing proper shoulder mechanics during anti-extension movements. Most athletes have a tendency to move their shoulders into excessive elevation and protraction by allowing the extension forces to yank their shoulders up and over. Besides ingraining faulty upper body mechanics this also reduces stress to the core while placing undue stress on the spine. Due to the semi-rigid and tighter setup, the bear crawl position helps pack and centrate the glenohumeral joint into a very natural and stable position. As a result you’ll be more likely to perform rollouts without forfeiting optimal shoulder mechanics.

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OPTION #1

Want to improve your rows?? Try using a mini band. So here’s why this is so effective. Whenever we move into shoulder extension & elbow flexion in the horizontal plane (i.e. rows & chest presses) we want the shoulders & scapula to have 3 dimensional movement. They must retract (pull back), depress (pull down) & medially rotate towards the spine the more you move into the 90 degree position. Unfortunately many individuals fails to implement this method often times turning the movements into arm & shoulder dominant drills rather than using the upper back, lats, & pectorals.

Adding a mini band to ring pushups & rows helps remedy this as it allows the lifter to aggressively use their upper back & lats when moving into the 90 deg position thereby opening their chest & allowing maximal elongation of the pectorals & maximal contraction of the upper back musculature via shoulder retraction, depression, & medial rotation. The same concept applies to both the pushup & row. In fact it’s just as important to use the back for pushups & presses as it is for rows. Here’s why.

During any eccentric contraction we don’t simply want to rely on gravity to push you into position. Instead we want to use the antagonist or reciprocal muscles which in this cases is the upper back, rear deltoids, & biceps, to pull the weight/row it into position which helps elongate the pectoral fibers & open the chest (i.e. co-contraction). The mini band helps facilitate that.

Additionally, many folks have tendency to either over-flare their elbows, or excessively tuck their elbows (i.e. shoulder crowding). This variation teaches the optimal elbow & shoulder position. Performed correctly you’ll inevitably hit 90 degrees. That’s because you can’t maximally co-contract past 90 deg angles in movements that occur in the sagittal plane because of active insufficiency & passive insufficiency associated with the length tension relationship of muscle fibers.

OPTION #2

How Functional Strong Are You? I’m not talking your bench, squat, & deadlift because lots of people with big numbers on these use horrendous form, are always injured, can’t play sports, & are utterly useless for anything other than getting under a barbell not to mention their gait looks like someone who just finished a marathon horse back ride from the wild west.

I’m talking about being able to perform advanced movements that require proper body alignment, full body stability, high levels of proprioceptive feedback, & full body motor control like many of the advanced moves I post. Because guess what? If you can perform these moves then you’ll easily be able to squat, bench, & deadlift pain free like all my athletes because your body is a finely tuned machine rather than like an old, broken-down war relic like so many lifters.

So what’s the secret to getting your body to functional like a finely tuned anabolic machine while staying pain free & performing moves that few folks on the planet can do? The answer is 90 Deg ECCENTRIC ISOMETRICS.

90 Degree Eccentric isometrics on basic compound moves make up the bulk of what I have my athletes & clients do. Once you master 90 deg Eccentric Isometrics your body will be prepared for whatever you throw at it including more extreme range of motion when periodically needed.

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OPTION #1

Looking for a brutal way to crush your shoulders and upper body while also improving your overhead pressing mechanics? Try using the hanging band technique applied to the military press as I have my awesome client Daniel Forkner showing here with the Bandbell Earthquake bar.

Now it’s not essential that you use the earthquake bar or bamboo. In fact a traditional barbell using the hanging band technique will more than suffice for providing oscillating kinetic energy, unpredictable perturbations, and chaotic energy all of which have shown to improve shoulder stability, proprioception, and body mechanics. However the earthquake bar and bamboo bar simply increase these instability elements multiple steps further.

The earthquake bar and bamboo bar provide more instability and oscillations than a traditional barbell not only because of the flex they provide (how much the bars bend) but also because they’re significantly lighter and therefor more susceptible to oscillating kinetic energy. With that said there are numerous reasons why I use the hanging band technique including many applications and dozens of exercises. HERE.

OPTION #2

Here are is a very advanced shoulder press that should only be done by advanced athletes. These blast the entire posterior and anterior oblique slings.

The oblique slings rely on the upper body musculature on one side of the body working with the contralateral or opposite hip & leg. These forces cross through the core & surrounding muscles that are responsible for stabilizing the pelvis & producing proper alignment throughout the lumbopelvic hip complex. The key is to understand that training unilateral movements & combining contralateral hip activation of reciprocal muscle groups (hip extensors & hip flexors of opposite sides) can help reinforce these functional activation patterns.

As the lifter aggressively drives their knee & arm into the foam roller this not only fires the opposite hip flexor contralateral to the pressing arm, but also the lat & tricep contralateral to the extended hip. As a result the chest & anterior deltoid as well as the hip flexor, adductors, abs, & obliques on contralateral sides of the body are maximally recruited thereby engaging the entire anterior sling.

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OPTION #1

Most folks tend to screw up lat pulldowns as they try to use excessive range of motion at the bottom rather than 90 degree joint angles (approximately mid face stopping point). I used to be guilt of this myself. Try using eccentric isometrics to find your proper mechanics as this will maximize your strength, size, and joint health.

OPTION #2

The kneeling lat pulldown is one of the best pulldown exercises for improving vertical pulling mechanics and cleaning up lat pulldown and pullup form as the kneeling variation forces the lifter to use very strict mechanics. Focus on tucking your elbows and creating good extension throughout the t-spine (chest out and head tall). The kneeling variation requires greater core activation ultimately producing enhanced spinal rigidity. As a result the shoulders and scapula are more locked in in comparison to other variations. In fact it's very difficult to over-pull in the bottom position (a common mistake by many lifters) as it feels very unnatural during the kneeling variation as it begins to pull your t-spine and core out of alignment. Lastly, over-stretching in the top position by allowing the scapula and shoulders to over-elevate (another common problem) is nearly impossible with substantial loads as this will pull your entire body out of position. In essence anything but proper form is immediately punished with this pulldown variation making it highly conducive for improving vertical pulling mechanics for beginners and advanced lifters alike.

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This next exercise absolutely blasts the glutes & hamstrings while also working postural muscles of the upper, middle, & lower back. The kickstand protocol is one of my favorite ways to achieve unilateral training effects without having such a high level of instability you might experience during traditional single leg variations where balance might be the limiting factor. Full article on kickstand training at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/kickstand-squats-for-leg-strength-size-performance

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In terms of this specific exercise, the combination of barbell javelin lateral raises combined with the lunge absolutely torches the deltoids as the lifter is forced to use strict & controlled lateral raises. Most lifters use significant momentum, excessive ROM, lumbar extension/back rock, biceps, arm supination, and too much trap activation. The forward lean produced from proper lunge mechanics combined with the barbells helps remedy all these issues.

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Dips are an incredible exercise for strengthening the upper body. Unfortunately, most lifters perform them incorrectly. Dips require the same technique as rows or pushups: lock spine and shoulders into proper alignment, hinge at the hips, and hollow out the core. Dorsiflexing your feet will also assist in retraction of the shoulder blades, increased irradiation, concurrent activation potentiation, and tightness throughout the body. The goal is no weak links or areas that leak energy/force. When performed properly, the dip movement is fairly compact. Going too deep on dips will compromise proper mechanics as there will no longer be centration of the glenohumeral joint.

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Similar to pullovers, you can also perform tricep extensions/skull crushers (french press) with the trap bar. In fact these are incredibly intense as the degree of tension and activation in the stretched position are unusually high making them very effective for stimulating strength and hypertrophy in the upper arms. Read more about this training technique HERE.