This addition of “Best of 2012” highlights my four favorite exercises I’ve started doing this year. I’ve included exercises for power, mobility, upper body and lower body. Each one played an integral role in helping me set multiple PRs and staying healthy in 2012. Check ’em out.
1. SUSPENDED PUSH-UP/FLY COMBO
This is my newest go-to chest exercise and I use it just about every upper body day as a supplemental exercise for the bench press. If I didn’t already have a pair, I would buy gymnastic rings just to do this exercise. You could do them just as well with a TRX or EliteFTS Blast Straps (read my buddy Harold Gibbons’ Blast Straps review to see what they’re all about).
Get into the top position of a push-up, hands on the rings about shoulder width apart. Squeeze your abs and glutes tight, and keep your body as straight as possible from head to toe. Keep your elbows tight to your sides and lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel with your body. Now, press yourself forcefully back to the starting position and when you’re at the top, cross your arms in front of your chest. Squeeze your pecs as tight as you can, like you were giving someone a fierce bear hug.
I find these work best for moderately high reps (10-12 per set), but you could go as low as 5-7 reps if you make sure you’re tight in the bottom position. You can increase the difficulty by gradually letting your elbows flare out to the sides on the way down, turning your palms toward the ceiling, elevating your feet on a bench, or adding resistance with a weight vest or chains.
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2. OLYMPIC LIFT VARIATIONS
The Olympic lifts (snatch, clean and jerk) have long been revered as the ultimate power-building exercises. Athletes all over the world use the Olympic lifts and their variations to build powerful hip extension, which is essential for jumping, sprinting and throwing.
Unfortunately, the Olympic lifts are staggeringly technical to perform and equally difficult to teach. That’s not surprising considering they’re Olympic events and athletes spend decades perfecting the lifts. For that reason, many coaches (myself included) have sought other methods with slightly easier learning curves to develop power. However, stripped-down versions of the Olympic lifts can be great for building muscle of the upper back and enhancing the deadlift.
Recently, I started experimenting with simplified variations of the Olympic lifts and have enjoyed the results. Per Jason Ferruggia‘s recommendation, I started performing snatches from the “hang” position (bar in hand, just below the knee) and finishing in the “power” position (catching the bar overhead in a nearly-erect position rather than a partial squat). This is great for two reasons: 1) It removes two of the most technical aspects of the lift (the first pull from the floor and dipping underneath to catch the bar) and 2) it’s self-limiting because you can’t use nearly as much weight when you catch the bar in the power position.
For the power snatch, take a grip wide enough so that when you stand straight up, you can lift your knees without your thighs hitting the bar. Another way to tell if your grip is wide enough is to bend at the waist til your torso is parallel to the ground, and if you can straighten your arms completely, you’re good to go. Big thanks to Aaron Fondry of Atlas Training Systems for teaching me these tips.
Next, puff your chest out, roll your wrists forward and start pushing your hips back like a Romanian deadlift. Let the bar travel down to just above your knees, creating tension in the hamstrings. Then, blast your hips forward and “hump” the bar while simultaneously shrugging, squeezing your glutes and rocking up onto your toes. Pull the bar up as high as you can, keeping the elbows above the bar as long as you can. When the bar reaches shoulder height, straighten the arms to “throw” the bar overhead, push your head through and stand up with it. That’s about as simple an explanation as you can get.
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Another Olympic variation I’ve grown to love is the High Pull, which is a lot like the power snatch except you use a narrower grip and pull the bar to nipple height, almost like an explosive upright row. Most of the cues are the same, except you won’t be catching the bar. This lets you load up the weight and really crush the traps and upper back.
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Most people advocate doing Olympic lifts for low reps (3 or less) since perfect technique is so critical, but since the power snatch and high pull are so much simpler, you can do them for higher reps (8-10). I like to use straps on these so I can do higher reps without losing my form. Nothing smokes my traps and glutes like sets of 8 on these two lifts.
3. BARBELL GLUTE BRIDGES
I credit barbell glute bridges for helping me set a new deadlift PR at my last powerlifting meet. Much like the power snatch and high pull, glute bridges build powerful hip extension and tremendous finishing strength in the squat and deadlift.
I’m not gonna lie, they’re pretty uncomfortable and will draw some quizzical looks at most gyms. But if you dedicate yourself to glute bridges, you’ll be drawing even more quizzical looks for your insane deadlift strength and bodacious booty.
Set up a barbell on the floor (with at least 45’s or bumper plates so it’s high enough) and shimmy your ass underneath it. Wrap a squat pad around the bar for comfort, and with your knees bent, get the bar just below the crease of your hips. Lay back with your head, back and shoulders flat on the floor, and your knees bent so your lower legs are straight up and down. Flex your abs and drive your low back into the floor to keep your spine neutral, then push through your heels and drive your hips toward the ceiling to lift the bar up. Push your hips as high as you can, squeezing your glutes tight like you’re trying to hold one in at the massage parlor after a couple chalupas at Taco Bell. Return to the starting position, letting the plates crash down with a thunderous roar matched only by your Herculean glute strength.
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Stick to sets of 5-7 reps until you get comfortable with this awkward exercise. Once you’re ready, you can load it heavier for sets of 3-5 if you use it as a main movement. But I prefer to use it as a supplemental lift to the squat or deadlift, so I’d stick to moderate weight for sets of 8-10 reps.
4. FOREARM WALL SLIDES WITH SHRUG AND LIFTOFF
This is my favorite upper body mobility/activation exercise, and I credit it with saving my shoulder during my grueling bench press routine leading up to my powerlifting meet. Eric Cressey pioneered this exercise, and former Cressey Performance intern Miguel Aragoncillo helped me perfect my technique during one of my visits to CP.
The forearm wall slide activates the scapular stabilizers, especially the lower traps. These are a must-do before any bench press or shoulder press workout. Stand a foot or so away from a wall, close enough so your arms can touch the wall when they’re bent at 90 degrees in front of you. Make a double-chin, flex your abs and squeeze your glutes, keeping them tight throughout the movement. Slowly slide your forearms up the wall, making a narrow “Y” shape. When your elbows are fully extended, shrug up with your traps, which will bring your hands an inch or two off the wall. Keeping your chin down and abs tight, pull your arms off the wall without letting your rib cage “pop up” or overarching your lower back. Put your arms back on the wall, and slide back down.
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If you do these correctly, you’ll feel your mid and lower traps working hard. You’ll also get your abs activated and get a good stretch in the shoulders and lats. I do these for 8-10 reps as part of an upper body warmup, but you can do low rep sets in between sets of bench presses or shoulder presses to keep your shoulders healthy.
HERE’S TO A STRONGER 2013
Try adding these exercises into your routine for some variety, either on dedicated upper/lower body days or as part of a full-body routine. You could easily incorporate them all into one beastly full-body session, which might look something like this:
1A. Forearm Wall Slides with Shrug and Liftoff – 2 sets of 10 reps
1B. Kneeling Hip Flexor Mobilizations – 2 sets of 8 reps/leg
2A. Power Snatch from Hang – 4 sets of 8 reps
3A. High Pulls – 3 sets of 10 reps
4A. Suspended Push-Up/Fly Combo – 3 sets of 8-10 reps
4B. Barbell Glute Bridges – 3 sets of 8-10 reps
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You hit the full body with power, strength, mass-building and mobility movements. Simple and effective.
What new exercises did you learn this year that helped your progress the most? Share your thoughts!
