Category — Workouts

1. Lie back on an incline bench. Using a medium-width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
2. As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on you upper chest.
3. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: it should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Caution: If you are new at this exercise, it is advised that you use a spotter. If no spotter is available, then be conservative with the amount of weight used. Also, beware of letting the bar drift too far forward. You want the bar to fall on your upper chest and nowhere else.

Variations: You can use several angles on the incline bench if the one you are using is adjustable.

1. Lie face down with your whole body straight on a flat bench while holding a weight plate behind your head. Tip: You will need to position yourself so that your shoulders are slightly above the end of a flat bench in order for the upper chest, neck and face to be off the bench. This will be your starting position.
2. While keeping the plate secure on the back of your head slowly lower your head (as in saying “yes”) as you breathe in.
3. Raise your head back up to the starting position in a semi-circular motion as you breathe out. Hold the contraction for a second.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: As with all exercises, refrain from using any sort of sudden or jerking motions.

Variation: You can opt to use no resistance at first.

1. Stand up straight with your feet at shoulder width as you hold a barbell with both hands behind your back using a pronated grip (palms facing back). Tip: Your hands should be a little wider than shoulder width apart. You can use wrist wraps for this exercise for better grip. This will be your starting position.
2. Raise your shoulders up as far as you can go as you breathe out and hold the contraction for a second. Tip: Refrain from trying to lift the barbell by using your biceps. The arms should remain stretched out at all times.
3. Slowly return to the starting position as you breathe in.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can also rotate your shoulders as you go up, going in a semicircular motion from rear to front. However this version is not good for people with shoulder problems. In addition, this exercise can be performed with the barbell in front of your thighs, with dumbbells by the side, a smith machine or with a shrug machine.

1. With your head and neck in a neutral position (normal position with head erect facing forward), place your left hand on the left side of your head.
2. Now gently push towards the left as you contract the left neck muscles but resisting any movement of your head. Start with slow tension and increase slowly. Keep breathing normally as you execute this contraction.
3. Hold for the recommended number of seconds.
4. Now release the tension slowly.
5. Rest for the recommended amount of time and repeat with your right hand placed on the right side of your head.

Variations: You can also do this exercise by placing your hands to the front and then to the back of your head. First do one side and then the next.

1. Lie back on a flat bench. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
2. From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar touches your middle chest.
3. After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Focus on pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Caution:

If you are new at this exercise, it is advised that you use a spotter. If no spotter is available, then be conservative with the amount of weight used.

Also, beware of letting the bar drift too far forward. You want the bar to touch your middle chest and nowhere else.

Don’t bounce the weight off your chest. You should be in full control of the barbell at all times.

1. For this exercise you will need to get into a pushup position, but instead of having your hands of the floor, you will be grabbing on to an Olympic barbell (loaded with 5-10 lbs on each side) instead. This will be your starting position.
2. While keeping a slight arch on your back, lift your hips and roll the barbell towards your feet as you exhale. Tip: As you perform the movement, your glutes should be coming up, you should be keeping the abs tight and should maintain your back posture at all times. Also your arms should be staying perpendicular to the floor throughout the movement. If you don’t, you will work out your shoulders and back more than the abs.
3. After a second contraction at the top, start to roll the barbell back forward to the starting position slowly as you inhale.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: This is a challenging exercise for people with healthy backs.

Variation: This is an exercise that, just like the push-up, can also be done on the knees for less advanced athletes.

1. This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack for safety purposes. To begin, first set the bar on a rack just below shoulder level. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it.
2. Hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.
3. Step away from the rack and step forward with your right leg and squat down through your hips, while keeping the torso upright and maintaining balance. Inhale as you go down. Note: Do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down, as this will put undue stress on the knee joint. li>
4. Using mainly the heel of your foot, push up and go back to the starting position as you exhale.
5. Repeat the movement for the recommended amount of repetitions and then perform with the left leg.

Caution: This is a movement that requires a great deal of balance so if you suffer from balance problems you may wish to either avoid it or just use your own bodyweight while holding on to a fixed object. Definitely never perform with a barbell on your back if you suffer from balance issues.

Variations: There are several ways to perform the exercise.

• One way is to alternate each leg. For instance do one repetition with the right, then the left, then the right and so on.
• The other way is to do what I call a static lunge where your starting position is with one of your feet already forward. In this case, you just go up and down from that starting position until you are done with the recommended amount of repetitions. Then you switch legs and do the same.
• A more challenging version is the walking lunges where you walk across the room but in a lunging fashion. For walking lunges the leg being left back has to be brought forward after the lunging action has happened in order to continue moving ahead. This version is reserved for the most advanced athletes.

1. Grab an exercise band and stand on it with your toes making sure that the length of the band between the foot and the arms is the same for both sides.
2. While holding the handles of the band, raise the arms to the side of your head as if you were getting ready to perform a shoulder press. The palms should be facing forward with the elbows bent and to the sides. This movement will create tension on the band. This will be your starting position.
3. Keeping the hands by your shoulder, stand up on your toes as you exhale and contract the calves hard at the top of the movement.
4. After a one second contraction, slowly go back down to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: There are multiple ways to perform calf raises. You can use dumbbells, barbells or various machines.

1. Lie on incline an bench facing away from a high pulley machine that has a straight bar attachment on it.
2. Grasp the straight bar attachment overhead with a pronated (overhand; palms down) narrow grip (less than shoulder width) and keep your elbows tucked in to your sides. Your upper arms should create around a 25 degree angle when measured from the floor.
3. Keeping the upper arms stationary, extend the arms as you flex the triceps. Breathe out during this portion of the movement and hold the contraction for a second.
4. Slowly go back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can also use an angled attachment or a rope attachment as well. Finally, you can perform one arm at a time by using a single handle attachment.

1. Initiate the exercise by standing upright with a kettlebell in one hand.
2. Swing the kettlebell back forcefully and then reverse the motion forcefully. Crush the kettlebell handle as hard as possible and raise the kettlebell to your shoulder.