04.29.11
Close Grip Benching
A variation of the bench press, close grip benching takes the exertion of a normal bench and forces all of it into your triceps. There is a great deal of form and technique required to do this exercise both effectively and safely.
What’s it for?
When you use a close grip to do the bench press, you are isolating most of the work and motion on your triceps. This exercise serves as a supplemental lift that can provide a huge boost to your triceps strength – which leads of course to a better bench.
Notice the thumb placement!
When should you do it?
Don’t put this exercise in with your regular bench day. The most efficient way to implement this routine is by assigning yourself a separate chest/triceps day, which incorporates the close grip bench. You can really trick your body this way – which, in terms of lifting, is a good thing.
Try doing around four sets of six to ten reps. If this is your first exercise of the day, make sure you do two to three warmup sets as well.
The Basics
As the video below demonstrates, you want to be gripping the bar in the normal fashion, but with your hands approximately ten inches from each other (this varies if you have longer or shorter arms).
I do NOT agree with the guy in the video’s insistence of placing the thumbs with the other fingers – as opposed to going against them. The close grip bench is difficult enough to balance – having your thumbs like that will only increase the difficulty.
When going through the motion, try to keep your elbows as close to your sides as you can. This means you shouldn’t have your elbows jutting out at a 90 degree angle. If this is the case, drop the weight until you can do it correctly. Form precedes weight (a true powerlifting motto to live by).
The first few times you do this, you will probably be very shaky and may tremble a lot – don’t lose balance and drop the bar. Drop the weight, not the bar.
04.28.11
Front Squats: The Wrist Nightmare
An excellent addition to your workout that can really boost your squat strength and stability, the front squat is as painful as it is useful (incredibly).
What’s it for?
The front squat changes up the weight distribution in the motions of squatting. By bringing the weight in front of your body, you have to adjust in your movement to properly bring lift and squat the bar. This utilizes more stabilization, which in turn leads to a stronger and more stable squat.
Great for:
- quad strengthening
- flexibility improvement
- lower back stability
- wrist strengthening
When should you do it?
You can do front squats as a warmup to your regular squatting, or on a separate day. If you’re going to do it on a separate day, make sure to include the GHR and reverse hyper, as these will all work in conjunction.
Front squatting should precede the normal squatting – if done on the same day. This is because you stretch your muscles and tendons out more doing front squats. When your muscles are warmer and more stretched out, your squats will go much more smoothly. This, like most of lifting, is common sense.
The Basics
Place your hands on the bar, either shoulder width or slightly wider, and hold the bar either by your middle and pointer fingers or by your thumb. This will feel extremely awkward. When you lift the bar, you should have the majority of the weight on your shoulders (your deltoids, in particular). Keep your elbows as highly raised as you can, and perform the squat motion (try going below 90 degrees).
The video below shows a good demonstration of the front squat. The guy in the video uses all fingers to hold the bar (which is fine), but he doesn’t bend his knees outward when doing the motion (a big squatting no-no).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWnV6LqjvV0Balance is everything with this lift, so start off LIGHT.
Skull Crushers!!!
Besides the close grip bench, skull crushers are probably the best thing for building your triceps strength. Be forewarned, though – the skull crushers have this name for a reason.
What’s it for?
Skull Crushers are almost like a close grip bench press, except that you are only moving your forearms. This exercise isolates all exertion into your triceps, and is good for improving your triceps stamina. You don’t want to incorporate this exercise with other triceps isolation exercises like the close grip bench or cable pulls.
When should you use it?
Do Skull Crushers the same day you bench. After your heavy lifts, finish up with around three to five sets of these, and aim for about ten reps. You can use either a curl bar or a straight bar (like for benching) for this exercise.
This is a burnout exercise, meaning you should ideally feel a nearly genuine burning sensation after each set (not quite third degree). You will get tired doing this exercise, so watch out for your head! If you drop the bar too quickly, you will smack your head (Skull Crushers – get it?).
The Basics
You want to start very light with this exercise, because you will get tired very quickly. Also, you don’t want to crack your head open.
Lying down on a bench, hold the bar about shoulder width. Keep your elbows pointing at the ceiling, with only your forearms performing the motion. Let the bar lower until it is behind your head (nearly touching the back).
Simple, easy, and tiring!
The Bradford Press
A variation of the military press, the Bradford press exercises muscles not normally used in overhead presses.
What’s it for?
By raising the bar above your head and lowering both in front and behind you, this exercise employs your traps and rear delts. The press also builds stability in your overhead form, which is especially desirable for those who do overhead squats, clean and press, etc.
When should you do it?
Put this exercise on the same day of your primary or secondary chest/triceps day. Switch it off with the military press on these days, and make sure you do this after your main lift (which should be bench press). Because it utilizes your deltoids, make sure you do at least one warmup set – otherwise it becomes a struggle.
The Basics
Hold the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, and have the starting point be about an inch away from your throat. Lift the bar above your head, then lower it behind your head. Your ending position should be about an inch above the back of your neck.
When going through the motion, you want to keep the bar as close to your face and head as possible, without actually touching (otherwise you’d be in a world of pain).
Great video for reference on form!
04.27.11
The GHR…
The GHR...a true enigma to the casual lifter.
Both one of the most useful and misused machines, the Glute Hamstring Raise machine (GHR) remains a mystery to many a lifter out there. At first glance, it looks like something you could do hyperextensions on, or perhaps some nifty sit-ups. This, although possible, is also wrong.
What’s it for?
As the name would imply (and should), it works your glutes and your hamstrings. By isolating the motion this machine puts you through to just these two muscles — though it also works your calves — the GHR provides a unique approach to building up your supporting muscles.
Great for:
- back recovery
- major hamstring strength builder
- glute strength
- stabilization of muscles for heavier lifts (squats, dead lifts, etc.)
When should you use it?
Ideally, you want to put this machine to use every time you dead lift and squat. If you do these two exercises on different days — as you should — then use it for both! Wait until after you’ve completed your major lift of the day, and follow it up with the GHR as a good cooldown exercise.
By the way — this ‘cooldown’ exercise is one of the most difficult exercises of any to do. Don’t expect to master this monster your first week using it. Baby steps.
The Basics
The GHR has a vertical flat metal plate with a leg placement holder coming out of it. To use it correctly, you want to put your feet through the placement holders, toes pointing to the floor. This will put your knees right on the edge of the large crescent pad. You want your knee caps just below the pad, but only barely (this takes some getting used to).
Starting from a vertical position, like you’re kneeling on the ground, let yourself lean forward until you are completely horizontal with the floor. Pull yourself back up, while keeping your back straight the entire time, and make sure you are only using your butt and hamstrings to bring you back to the first position.
Simple on paper, difficult as hell in execution.
Rowing Correctly: The Reality
Doing rows for your back seems like a relatively simple exercise, but there are a few things about the form that most people (including myself) miss.
What not to do:
- lifting the dumbbell as if you’re doing the same motion to start your lawn mower.
- pulling the dumbbell in a completely vertical motion.
- making a jerking motion.
The most common mistake I see people make is when they jerk the dumbbell to their chest, making the motion more of a lower back exercise than anything else. When you jerk the dumbbell around, or pull it like you’re trying to start a lawn mower, you not only look stupid – you are detracting from getting any worthwhile exercise.
What you should do:
- pull the dumbbell at a steady pace.
- bring the dumbbell up at a diagonal angle, with the dumbbell stopping near your hip.
By bringing the dumbbell up in a diagonal angle toward your hip, you better utilize your latissimus dorsi, which is one of the main points of doing the exercise!
This video shows a good steady pace and body form, but the motion is vertical. Remember: the dumbbell should stop near your hip!
The Importance of Calf Raises
Calf raises are often put in the back-burner with most weightlifters, which is a pity. With a good machine, calf raises can optimize your stability with lifts such as squatting, or with explosiveness in sprinting and biking.
What is it for?
Calf raises are an isolation exercise that focuses on your calf muscles. The strengthening of the calf muscles provides a great deal of power for anything involving forward motion (the list is endless).
Great for:
- sprinters
- improving jump height
- explosive forward motion
- stability for squatting and dead lifting
When should you do it?
Unlike many heavy leg exercises, you can do calf raises with almost any routine. You can do them more than once a week, since they tend to recover faster than other leg muscles, but don’t do them every day. Focus on implementing calf raises at the end of your lower body workouts, especially days you squat.
The Basics
There are many different ways to do calf raises, but my favorite has to be doing them while seated.
This video shows a similar seated calf raise machine to the one I use. Generally, you want to keep with one set amount of weight. Unlike in this video, you want to be able to do about four sets of 20 or so, since you want your calves to have a high level of endurance.
04.26.11
Grip 4orce!
These hand grips serve as an excellent accessory to those looking to build up their grip strength, forearm strength and wrist stability.
The Grip 4orce
What’s it for?
You can put these grippers around any dumbbell, barbell, or other weightlifting device that utilizes your grip. By widening the circumference of what it is you’re lifting, this device forces your hands into a much greater struggle with holding on.
Great for:
- Curl bars
- Bicep curls
- Pull ups
- light weight deadlifts
- anything that’s not heavy weight intensive
When should you use it?
You can add the grippers to almost any exercise you’re doing. On a chest/triceps day, for example, you would want to use this when doing your triceps work.
When shouldn’t you?
When you’re doing heavy lifting, like bench press, dead lifting, squatting, or any of the other big lifts, don’t work with the grippers. These guys are incredibly intense on their own, and refocus and amplify the lighter stuff you’ll be doing. With the big lifts, you shouldn’t be able to use them — you’ll just drop the bar.
The Basics
With an open cylindrical shape, this flexible rubber grip fits comfortably around almost any bar. The anti-slip tread on them keeps your grip firm, while its 2-inch diameter (minimum) distributes the weight evenly. What this does is reduce any uneven strain on your wrists or fingers, and helps build up those supporting muscles.
With extended use, you’ll notice that your big lifts will become easier, since many find that the first thing that fails them (especially dead lifting) is their grip. Front squats and different curls will also improve, because the strain that can come from these won’t be as much of an issue.
Take a look at this video. Note how versatile the grippers are, but try to ignore the amount of weight these guys are doing — they are professionals.
Why use it?
If you are struggling with big lifts like dead lifting, front squats, or overhead work, this is one accessory you won’t want to lift without.
04.21.11
Review: The Sweet Science
A.J. Liebling, praised as the greatest boxing writer of all time, doesn’t disappoint. The Sweet Science is an incredible book, illustrating not only boxing, but life and society of the 50’s in the U.S.
This was a time for many great boxers, including Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore, Joey Maxim, Rocky Marciano, and Joe Louis. Liebling not only covered all of these boxers with depth and character, but he did so in a humorous light, satirizing the boxers and even the fans of the time. Though no Oscar Wilde, Liebling brought his own style of pugnacious wit in The Sweet Science.
I could never claim to be a die-hard fan of boxing, or even a casual viewer. Even so, someone as historically blind to the world of boxing as me could enjoy the richness and value of the lives and stories covered in Liebling’s writing. The ‘Brown Bomber,’ a name for the great Joe Louis whose name I actually did recognize, had one of the most intimate and passionate stories. The gradual decline of his career painted a wrenching portrait of the struggle that comes greatest to a fighter: the great mind maelstrom.
Touching a plethora of human emotions, and utilizing them beautifully to weave the stories of each of these fighters, Liebling earned his title for boxing storytelling.
04.20.11
Benching: The Right Way
It’s disheartening to see many people in the gym these days, especially with the bench press. Because it is the exercise most often attributed to showcasing one’s strength, almost every guy even slightly interesting in getting in shape will attempt bench pressing.
Bad bench press form will make you look like this.
What not to do:
- Pointing your elbows outward.
- leaving your back relaxed throughout the exercise.
- adding more weight than you can lift (this is seriously too common).
- lowering the bar incorrectly.
When you point your elbows outward while benching, you put an increased amount of strain on your joints. If you are trying to max, this could potentially lead to injury (not good).
With your back muscles relaxed, all of the tension going through your chest is put on your triceps and your pectoral muscles. This is bad, since much of your strength and power in bench pressing comes from the stabilizing factor of your back and shoulders.
If you cannot press the amount of weight you have on the bar without crushing yourself under the bar or flopping the weights off – LOWER THE WEIGHT!
Form over weight.
Doing it correctly:
- keep your elbows close to your body through the motion.
- lower the bar till it touches your chest (right about where your nipples are).
- Clench and tighten your back and shoulders throughout the entire set.
Once you can bench press with the form this guy uses, you are set.