The hang clean, however, is a highly technical movement that takes A LOT of practice to really get down. Follow the advice given here by Zack Telander (@coach_zt), Olympic weightlifting competitor and coach, to master the hang clean and use it to gain muscle, power, and total-body strength.

What Are Hang Cleans and What Are The Benefits of Doing Them?

(See 00:25 in the video above)

In the full clean exercise, as done in the sport of weightlifting, you start with the bar on the floor and heave it up to shoulder level (called the “front rack” position). In the hang clean, you start the movement already standing straight and then bend your hips back to lower the bar—usually to just below the knees. From there, you explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles to get the bar up to the rack position. This is done right after you lower the bar, so the stretch reflex kicks in and helps you power the bar up. Because you start in a stronger position, says Telander, the hang clean is a little easier to control than the regular clean, and therefore a better move for beginners to work on.

The hang clean offers numerous benefits. The explosive extension of the hips, knees, and ankles (called “triple extension” by coaches) happens almost simultaneously, producing tremendous power. A football player’s ability to charge forward out of a three-point stance, a basketball player’s jump shot, and a track star’s sprint all owe their power to triple extension. Unsurprisingly, the hang clean almost always figures into the workouts of these types of athletes.

The hang clean also recruits pretty much every muscle you can think of, but particularly the glutes, hamstrings, calves, upper back, and core. Progressively loading the hang clean over time can get you big and strong and change your physique.

How To Properly Execute A Hang Clean

(See 01:23 in the video)

The hang clean is awesome… but it’s not as easy as doing a barbell curl or a dumbbell shrug. It’s an incredibly technical movement that’s going to require a lot of practice to do properly—so be patient. Telander recommends you break the hang clean down into its component parts and work them one at a time. Practice the following with an EMPTY barbell.

Part 1: The Front Rack

(See 01:40 in the video)

The first thing to familiarize yourself with is the front rack position—holding the bar at your collarbone/shoulder level. This is the last part of the clean movement—where the bar finishes—but Telander likes to drill it first because it’s the easiest part of the lift to get down. It also sets you up for presses and jerks, which you’ll want to progress to after you have the hang clean under your belt.

Step 1. Stand with your feet between hip and shoulder width and hold the bar at arm‘s length with your hands at shoulder width. Your hands should be about thumb length from the outside of your thighs. Now press the bar overhead.

Step 2. Lower the bar with control until it’s at shoulder level, and point your elbows forward as you bring it down. This should allow the bar to settle just above your clavicle in the front rack position. If you lack mobility in your wrists, upper back, or shoulders, you may have difficulty holding onto the bar. Your hands can open to allow you greater range of motion, but don’t let the bar roll all the way to your fingertips—you won’t be able to control it.

Repeat this motion for several reps and practice it for multiple sets. Your mobility should improve within a few sessions. When you’re confident in your front rack, move on to the next component.

Part 2: The Muscle Clean

(See 02:45 in the video)

The muscle clean is where you’ll work on popping the bar from your hips to your chest—the stage right before you finish in the front rack. It’s basically an upright row done with momentum.

Step 1. Start with the bar at arm’s length in front of you again.

Step 2. Row the bar straight up in front of your body, raising your elbows high and out to your sides. As the bar reaches your chest, push your elbows forward and under the bar so you end up in the front rack. Essentially, “as soon as you feel you can’t pull the bar any higher with the grip you’ve taken,” says Telander, “you’ll want to begin turning your elbows over.”

Be careful not to lift the bar too high so that it flops over and bounces into the front rack. You want to pull it fast, but don’t let momentum take control away from you.

Practice this for several workouts, and integrate it with the front rack. At this point, you’ll have two-thirds of the hang clean down pat.

Part 3: The Contact Drill

(See 03:50 in the video)

Now you’re ready to practice getting the bar in contact with your legs and beginning the explosion upward.

Step 1. From the same standing position, bend your knees slightly and then bend your hips in order to lower the bar to mid-thigh level.

Step 2. Let the bar drift away from your body and then, using only your arms, snap it back so it touches your thighs again. As soon as you feel it hit your thighs, extend your hips and knees and go into the muscle clean you learned in Part 2. You don’t have to raise the bar all the way up to your chest though. Keep the movement between your thighs and about sternum level so you can focus on that initial hip and knee drive. The bar should glide up in a straight line, just in front of your shirt.

When that feels natural, try integrating the contact drill with the full muscle clean and finishing in the rack position. Then, when that feels strong, you can begin to catch the bar in the front rack position by jumping and descending into a quarter-squat. As you come up in the muscle clean, use enough power so that your feet leave the floor and you come back down bending at the hips and knees to absorb the force.

Hang in there, no pun intended. You’ve got almost the entire hang clean movement now.

Putting It All Together

(See 04:40 in the video)

The hang clean can begin just above or below the knees, depending on how you want to implement it in your training. For those just learning the clean, Telander likes to begin from below the knee at about mid-shin height, as that’s the safest way to practice the hang clean and reinforces good technique.

Practice the integrated hang clean drills you’ve already worked on, but instead of beginning the contact drill with the bar drifting in front of you, you’ll begin with the bar in contact with your legs at mid-shin. Start from standing, take a breath in and hold it, and bend the hips and knees until the bar is low enough. As soon as you reach that position, begin extending your hips and knees and clean the bar to the front rack. Exhale, drop the bar back in front of you with control, and repeat.

When you feel good about your form, you can add weight to the bar. Start with 25-pound plates, and you may need to elevate the bar on some blocks or mats so that you can set up with the bar at mid-shin. When you work up to using 45s on each side, the bar will be high enough just sitting on the floor. (If you have rubber bumper plates, any weight you use will be the same diameter and therefore the same distance from the floor).

How To Choose The Right Weight For The Hang Clean (Plus, Sets and Reps)

(See 08:02 in the video)

The hang clean is meant to be loaded heavy, so you can build as much muscle and strength as possible. But when you’re new to the lift, you need to go light so you can master good technique. Start with no more than 45 pounds on each side (again, lighter weight with the use of bumper plates is even better, if you have access to them). “Go for 5–10 sets of 1–3 reps,” says Telander. As you get better, you can work up to sets of as many as 5 reps, but you should rarely go higher than that. The more reps you perform, the more fatigue you’ll accumulate, and fatigue causes form to break down and can lead to injury, or, at the very least, sloppy hang cleans that don’t have the desired training effect.

Five to 10 sets seems like a lot, doesn’t it? Remember, this is Olympic weightlifting, not bodybuilding, and the emphasis is on technique and power—not muscle failure. You want to do a fair number of sets to ingrain good form, so think of them as practice. A set of hang cleans should end when you feel you can’t do another rep with perfect form, not the point where you’re straining to even get the bar moving. It’s a different kind of training than most people are used to, and it requires a different mentality.

What Muscles Do Hang Cleans Strengthen?

(See 08:55 in the video)

The hang clean is truly a full-body movement, as it involves so many muscles to take the bar from near the floor up to your collarbone. With that said, weightlifters often sport impressive trapezius muscles, thick upper backs, and dense glutes and hamstrings. Beyond the changes you’ll notice hang cleans have on your physique, their main benefit will be to your athletic potential. Telander says hang cleans build the muscles and the neuromuscular coordination necessary to jump higher, run faster, and lift more weight, particularly on exercises that use similar body mechanics, such as the squat and deadlift.

How To Stretch Before Doing Hang Cleans

(See 12:45 in the video)

We mentioned above that the front rack position can be awkward for many people. The hang clean also demands a lot of mobility in the hips and hamstrings. Therefore, Telander recommends these two drills that can help open up the areas that allow you to control the bar better throughout the hang clean’s range of motion.

Front Rack Banded Stretch

(See 12:50 in the video)

Step 1. Grasp an elastic exercise band (preferably a loop band as opposed to a tube) with your right hand and stand on the other loop with your right foot.

Step 2. Get into the front rack position and then raise your arm overhead so your elbow points to the ceiling and the band pulls on your arm in a straight line from behind your back. Allow the band to stretch your arm—you should feel a strong pull through your triceps and back. Pull your ribs down so you don’t hyperextend your spine, and brace your core. Hold the stretch for 30–60 seconds, and then repeat for 2–3 sets, or until you feel that your front rack position has improved. Do the stretch on both sides.

Bodyweight RDL

(See 13:49 in the video)

Step 1. Stand with feet at hip width and bend your knees slightly.

Step 2. Push your hips back as far as you can while keeping a long spine from your head to your tailbone—don’t lose the arch in your lower back. You’ll feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings. Do 2–3 sets of 10–20 reps. You can also use the exercise band you had for the front rack stretch to increase the intensity: stand on the center of the band while holding a loop in each hand. Yet another option: use a kettlebell.

Hang Clean Alternative Exercises and Variations

(See 09:18 in the video)

If you’re having trouble with the hang clean, back off to a less complicated exercise that shares similar mechanics but is less technically demanding. The Romanian deadlift and kettlebell hang clean build strength and power in the hips and will help you get familiar with the hip extension movement you need to be proficient at hang cleans when you go back to them.

Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

(See 09:25 in the video)

See the description for the bodyweight RDL above. The exercise is essentially the same, but now you’ll add weight, performing the lift with a barbell. Perform 2–3 sets of 5–10 reps.

Kettlebell Hang Clean

(See 10:00 in the video)

While the kettlebell hang clean is easier to master than the barbell version, it offers a different kind of challenge and a unique array of benefits. You’ll use two kettlebells at once, which means your body will have to stabilize two weights independently, and this is helpful for simulating the chaos that comes in real-life sports play.

Step 1. Stand with feet outside shoulder width and hold a moderate-weight kettlebell in each hand.

Step 2. Bend your hips back and, when you feel a stretch in the hamstrings, explosively extend your hips and pull the kettlebells up in front of your torso. Drive your elbows back against your sides as you do this—this will help you avoid flipping the kettlebells over your wrists so they slam into the back of your forearms, a common (and painful) mistake. Then drive your elbows forward. The weights should end up just under your chin (basically the same rack position as in the barbell hang clean).

Perform 2–3 sets of 5–10 reps.

Tips On How To Avoid Mistakes and Getting Hurt

(See 11:10 in the video)

The hang clean isn’t any more dangerous than virtually any other barbell lift, but it can be trickier. You absolutely must pay attention to your form at all times. Telander says to think about the three parts to the lift that he described above as a spectrum—you’re free to go back and forth between them and revisit a section as needed when you recognize that one part needs work. “If you struggle with the full hang clean,” says Telander, “you might need to go back and work on the contact drill.” Likewise, if you feel off on your contact drill, go back and drill the muscle clean some more. Each part sets you up better for the one that follows it.

Telander also cautions not to think of the clean as a reverse curl with momentum—a very common mistake. You’re not heaving weight up with just your back and biceps. “Think ‘elbows high’ when you do the muscle clean,” he says, so you row the weight up rather than sling it.

It’s also a good idea to hire a coach to observe your form and correct it on the spot. USA Weightlifting can connect you with such a person (many CrossFit boxes have weightlifting-certified coaches as well). At the very least, video yourself so you can look at what you’re doing and gain awareness. Having a training partner is a good idea too.

Master another power-building clean variant with our guide to the One-Arm Kettlebell Clean exercise.

The post How To Do The Hang Clean Exercise Like A Pro appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Let’s explore how to do the landmine squat for better squat technique, more quad development, and safer, user-friendly squatting in general.

What Is The Landmine Squat And What Are Its Benefits?

(See 00:35 in the video above.)

The landmine squat is done with the barbell in a landmine unit, which is a metal cylinder that swivels on an axis. A landmine allows you to lift the barbell in various arcing motions rather than straight up and down, letting you perform a number of exercises with a less complex squatting technique that can be easier on your joints.

In the landmine squat, the weight is held in front of your body rather than behind it, so landmine squatting resembles the front squat as well as the goblet squat that many people do with a kettlebell. Therefore, it’s sometimes called a landmine goblet squat. One big advantage of the landmine squat over the kettlebell goblet squat is that it’s more stable, and the barbell allows you to load more weight, so landmine squats in general can be done heavier and are usually a better choice for building muscle than the goblet squat.

Like the goblet squat, the landmine squat reinforces good squatting mechanics that keep you safe—for example, sitting your hips back and keeping your chest up as you descend. If you have trouble squatting with a barbell on your back—that is, if it bothers your low back or knees, or you just can’t seem to keep form—the landmine squat can be an awesome replacement exercise. Use it to ingrain good squatting mechanics, and then go back to the barbell back squat or front squat. You’ll probably find that your technique is sharper, and you can squat deeper than before.

How To Do The Landmine Squat?

(See 01:35 in the video.)

The landmine squat is pretty easy to perform, making it a great move for beginners, or other people who don’t have much experience squatting with load. You want the bar right up against your chest, and keep your torso as upright as possible as you squat down.

Step 1. Load a barbell into a landmine. If you don’t have a landmine unit, you can wedge the end of the bar into a corner in your gym. It won’t be quite as stable, but it should still work. Set a box or bench on the floor in front of the bar, right next to where the barbell plates will be loaded. Pick up the end of the bar and rest it on the box and load the plates you’ll use. Now you have a platform to lift the bar off, making it easier to get into position for the start of the exercise.

Step 2. Squat down in front of the bar and wrap your hands around the end of it. Tuck your elbows to your sides. Keeping your back straight and flat, lift the bar off the box and step away from the box if needed so it’s not in the way of your squat. You should end up standing with the bar right at your chest. (Don’t hold the bar any higher; that will make your shoulders work harder than they have to, and you’ll fatigue your upper body before your legs.)

Adjust your stance so your feet are between hip and shoulder width and your toes are turned out a few degrees. Now you’ll have to play around with your position and see what’s comfortable. You can lean forward so your weight is more on the balls of your feet, or you can stand tall—whatever allows you to squat with the deepest range of motion and good form.

Step 3. Draw your ribs down, take a deep breath into your belly, and brace your core. Keeping a long spine from your head to your tailbone, squat as deeply as you can, driving your knees apart so that they line up with your big toes. You should be able to go much lower than you normally could in a back squat without your heels rising off the floor or your lower back rounding.

Step 4. Extend your hips and knees to stand tall again. When you’ve finished your set, rest the weight on the box again.

What Muscles Does The Landmine Squat Work?

(See 03:05 in the video.)

Like the back squat, you can count on the landmine squat to work the following muscles:

• Quadriceps (front thighs)
• Glutes (butt)
• Rectus abdominis, obliques (core)
• Various muscles of the upper back (they act as stabilizers here)
• Deltoids (shoulders, again, working to stabilize)
• Spinal erectors (lower back)

The landmine squat is a perfect choice for people who want to emphasize quad gains. Because the range of motion is so great at the knee joint (greater than a hip-dominant back squat), your quads will work hard throughout each rep. It’s also ideal if you suffer from lower-back pain during back squats. Your torso stays very vertical on a landmine squat, minimizing shear forces on the lumbar. In other words, landmine squatting lets you train legs heavy and hard without undue stress on the spine.

How To Do The Landmine Hack Squat

(See 03:34 in the video.)

The landmine can also be used as a substitute for the hack squat—the squat machine you see in most gyms where the weight is held behind the body and your back rests on a pad. The landmine hack squat may allow you to squat even deeper than the regular landmine squat, making it a great tool for emphasizing the quads. That said, it’s a little more awkward to set up and, for most people, will take some getting used to.

Step 1. Set up the barbell in a landmine as you did for the regular landmine squat. You don’t have to use a box to rest the bar on if you’re using light weights that you’re sure you can control, but if you do, make sure that when you squat, the bar will be clear of the platform. Wrap your hands around the bar and lift it up, turn around, and rest the bar on one shoulder.

Step 2. Play around with your foot position until you feel balanced and stable. Your feet should be between hip and shoulder-width apart and a little in front of you, and you should lean your bodyweight backward into the plate on the bar—that’s right, let the barbell support your weight just like a hack squat machine would. In this case, the bar really should be in a landmine unit. A corner alone may not provide the stability to support your body—so be smart and stay safe!

Step 3. Lower your body into the squat, going as deeply as you can without your pelvis tucking under and your lower back rounding. You should be able to get your knees almost fully flexed.

Step 4. Drive through the balls of your feet to stand back up. On your next set, switch the shoulder that the bar rests on so you don’t develop an imbalance.

How to Stretch Before Exercising

Use the following drills from Onnit-certified coach Eric Leija (@primal.swoledier) to warm up your hips and knees for strong squatting.

Landmine Squat Alternatives

(See 05:15 in the Landmine Squat video at the top.)

If you don’t have a landmine or a barbell, you can perform a goblet squat with either a kettlebell or a dumbbell. Like the landmine squat, the goblet squat is an excellent movement for learning and refining good squat technique, as it automatically forces you to squat with your chest up while driving your knees apart and sitting back into your hips.

Step 1. Hold a kettlebell in front of your chest by the sides of its handle. Draw your shoulders back and downward (think: “proud chest”), and tuck your elbows in close to the bell—try to get your forearms as vertical as you can. Stand with your feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart, and turn your toes out a bit—up to 30 degrees if you need to.

Step 2. Tuck your tailbone and draw your ribs down so that your pelvis is parallel to the floor. Take a deep breath into your belly, and brace your core. Actively twist your feet into the floor, but don’t let them move. Think of your legs as screwdrivers, or that you’re standing on grass and trying to twist it up beneath you. You should feel the arches in your feet rise and your glutes tighten, creating tension in the lower body.

Step 3. Keeping a long spine from your head to your pelvis, push your hips back and squat down, as if sitting down into a chair. Squat as low as you can while keeping your head, spine, and pelvis aligned. Push your knees apart as you descend. You should feel most of your weight on your heels to mid-foot area. If you feel your lower back beginning to round, stop there, and come back up. Keep your torso as vertical as possible—you shouldn’t have to lean forward or work extra hard to hold the bell upright. Avoid bending or twisting to either side.

Step 4. Drive through your feet as you extend your hips and knees to come up.

Learn more about squatting variations for different goals with our guide to Front Squats Vs. Back Squats: Everything You Need To Know For Building Muscle.

The post How To Do The Landmine Squat: Hack Squats, Goblet Squats, and More appeared first on Onnit Academy.

What Is The Landmine Row and What Are Its Benefits?

(See 00:15 in the video above.)

The landmine row is a barbell rowing movement where one end of the barbell rests on the floor, or is anchored using a landmine apparatus, allowing you to row the bar in an arcing motion rather than straight up and down. There are many ways to row with this setup, and we’ll go over all of them in this article, but the most basic and popular version is to straddle the bar and row it with both hands using a V-grip handle (the kind you see on cable machines). To bodybuilders, this is called a T-bar row, and it’s a great, old-school exercise for the back, and the lats specifically. (Some landmine machines provide barbells that have a handle fixed perpendicular to the bar, forming a T-shape, hence the name.)

While it’s very similar to the classic bent-over barbell row, the landmine row has some big advantages. “The arc that the bar travels allows you to keep a more upright torso, which is easier on your lower back,” says Jonny Catanzano, an IFBB pro bodybuilder and physique coach (@jonnyelgato_ifbbpro). It also means that the weight will be closer to your center of gravity at the top of each rep, and that allows you to control it better, and even hold the top position longer than you could with a bent-over row, if you choose to. That can give you a better muscle contraction in your back, and makes the landmine row a good choice for hypertrophy (muscle-gain) training.

With one end of the bar fixed on the floor, the landmine—aka T-bar row—is also a more stable movement than a conventional barbell or dumbbell row, and that allows you to lift heavier weights. Flip through old bodybuilding magazines or books and you’ll see many lifters hoisting hundreds of pounds on T-bar rows, but super heavy bent-over rows are less common. The landmine setup simply allows for heavier weights to be lifted in a safer, more user-friendly movement, so it’s arguably the better choice between the two barbell rowing movements for physique development.

How To Do The Landmine Row

(See 02:55 in the video.)

Ideally, you’ll perform the landmine row using a landmine unit. They usually look like home plate (baseball) with a metal sleeve attached that swivels, but some have feet (like furniture) or are simply a sleeve that can attach to the base of a power rack or even fit inside the donut hole of a weight plate (this is shown above). You can see a number of landmine options on amazon.com.

Using a landmine will keep the end of the bar secure and stable, but it isn’t absolutely necessary to perform landmine training. A second option is to cut a hole in a tennis ball and ram the end of the bar in so that you have a cushion, and then wedge the bar into the corner of a room. At the very least, you can wrap a towel around the bar and push it into a corner (the towel will help protect the walls).

Now let’s discuss how to perform the classic landmine row/T-bar row.

Step 1. Grasp a V-grip handle—the kind you often see people do cable rows with. If you don’t have a V-grip, you can improvise one by attaching gymnastics rings or any other adjustable handles you can access. The point is only to have a comfortable, firm grip that allows your palms to face each other when you row (a neutral grip). Place the handle on the floor next to the front of the bar.

Straddle the bar with feet about shoulder width, facing away from the landmine, and hinge your hips back. Allow your knees to bend, and keep a long line from your head to your tailbone, until your torso is 30–45 degrees to the floor and you can reach the handle. Hook the handle underneath the barbell, close to end of the bar where you’ll load the plates. Pick the bar up off the floor and play around with your stance, torso height, and the distance between your feet and the front end of the bar until you feel balanced and stable with your arms fully extended.

Step 2. Keeping your back straight and flat, and your core braced, row the bar until your back is fully contracted. Your elbows should come up close to your sides and your shoulder blades should squeeze together at the top. If the bar hits you in the groin, adjust your stance!

Step 3. Lower the bar until your arms are fully extended again, but don’t let the weight rest on the floor. Allow your shoulder blades to spread as you go down.

*Use 25-pound plates, or smaller. While it may be less efficient than loading the big 45s, smaller plates will allow you the greatest range of motion on the exercise. Bigger plates, on the other hand, will tend to bump into your chest and/or the floor, reducing the range you can train your muscles, and thereby making the exercise less effective.

“Think about driving with your elbows, rather than your hands,” says Catanzano. That will help you get the proper range of motion. “And be careful to keep a tight core.” As with a bent-over row, deadlift, or any other exercise that has you bending forward at the hips, you need to protect your lower back at all times. Bracing your abs and thinking “long spine” are essential. Catanzano also cautions against “ego lifting,” where you bounce the weight up and round your back on the way down for the sake of lifting heavier or getting more reps. Your hip and back position should remain the same the entire set; only your arms move.

Incidentally, if you’re in a gym that has a proper T-bar row (a handle that forms a T-shape), you can use that for your landmine rows too. The wider, palms-down grip will recruit more of your upper back and rear deltoids, while the landmine row with palms facing each other and elbows tight to your sides emphasizes the lat muscles.

What Muscles Does The Landmine Row Work?

(See 01:25 in the video.)

The landmine row works the back about as well as any exercise can. The muscles it activates include:

– Lats

– Traps

– Rhomboids (middle back)

– Rear delts

– Biceps

– Forearms

– Spinal erectors (lower back)

– Core (ab muscles)

It should be noted that holding the bent-over position tenses your hamstrings isometrically as well. Probably not to the degree that it will build hamstring size, but don’t be surprised if you feel stronger and more stable on deadlifts, RDLs, or other hip hinge exercises after a few weeks of landmine rowing.

Single-Arm Landmine Row Vs. T-Bar Landmine Row Vs. Barbell Landmine Row

Just to reiterate (or, if you’ve been skimming the page and missed it), the T-bar row and landmine row are essentially the same exercise. If you use a T-bar, which allows you to raise your arms out wider so your palms are turned down, you’ll work a little more upper/middle back and rear deltoids than if you use a V-grip handle and row with your elbows close in (the latter emphasizes the lats). There are several other variations of the landmine row, including single-arm versions, which we’ll explore in the next section. Single-arm landmine rows allow you to isolate one side of the back at a time and can increase the range of motion you get, making them a good option for physique training. They also allow you to use your free hand to help brace your hips, which can add stability. You’ll have to use less overall weight when doing a single-arm row of any kind, but this can be an advantage if your lower back is recovering from injury and you don’t want to load it with a heavy bent-over exercise.

Landmine Row Alternatives

The landmine row can be done in different ways to suit your changing goals.

Single-Arm Landmine Row

(See 08:20 in the video.)

By stepping off to one side of the barbell, you can easily turn the landmine row into a unilateral exercise for the lats, similar to a dumbbell row.

Step 1. Set up as you did for the regular landmine row, but stand to one side of the bar and narrow your stance to between hip and shoulder width. Hinge your hips and grasp the bar with the hand nearest to it (grip it close to the end of the bar). Stand up with the bar, and reset your hinge so your torso is angled forward and your back is straight and flat.

Step 2. Row the bar, retracting your shoulder blade, and then lower it back, allowing your shoulders to spread. Avoid twisting your torso to either side. Keep your core braced and your shoulders square to the floor.

“You can adjust your position to affect the muscles in different ways,” says Catanzano. If you stand with your feet a little further forward so that you get into an even deeper hip hinge, and then lift the bar with your elbow out a little wider, you will shift the emphasis from the lats to your upper back. “If you set up to where your legs are straighter and your chest is a little lower, you can hit a little more lower lat.”

Meadows Row (Elbow-Out Landmine Row)

(See 09:50 in the video.)

Standing perpendicular to the bar and rowing it with your elbow flared out really shifts the work from the lats to the upper back and rear delts. This version was popularized by the late bodybuilding coach John Meadows, and has therefore come to bear his name.

Step 1. Stand so that the end of the barbell points to your side and spread your feet shoulder-width apart, or stagger them—whichever feels more balanced and comfortable. Hinge at the hips and grasp the end of the bar with one hand. Since the sleeve where you load the plates is thick in diameter, it can be hard to hold onto—especially with sweaty hands—so consider using lifting straps to reinforce your grip. Brace the elbow of your free arm against your leg for some extra stability.

Step 2. Row the bar, driving your elbow as high as you can. Again, avoid twisting and keep your shoulders square. Your upper arm should end up about 60 degrees from your side—much farther away than the landmine rows we’ve shown up to this point.

Bench-Supported Landmine Row

(See 12:20 in the video.)

If the landmine row (any variation) has a weak link, it’s that it requires a lot of stability to perform. Bracing your core and torso in the bent-over position takes a lot of energy and spreads the muscle tension over your whole body. That’s cool if your goal is to build total-body strength with a movement that works a lot of muscle at once, but it’s a bit limiting if you want to make your back muscles work to the max and get the best stimulus for growth. In the latter case, Catanzano recommends pulling a bench over to rest your free hand and knee on while you perform the Meadows row. “The stability the bench provides will allow you to lift heavier loads,” says Catanzano, “and that will recruit more muscle fibers in your back.”

Band-Resisted Landmine Row

(See 13:00 in the video.)

Catanzano has one other minor gripe with the landmine row, arguing that, as you row the bar closer to your body, your mechanical advantage increases and the weight gets easier to lift. This reduces the tension on the muscles. “In a muscle-building scenario,” he says, “we ideally want the resistance to stay the same or get even heavier throughout the range.” The fix is as simple as adding a resistance band to the bar.

Step 1. Set up a bench as shown for the bench-supported landmine row, and place a heavy dumbbell on the floor next to it. Wrap a mini band around the dumbbell a few times so there’s only a foot or two of slack end. Loop the end of the band over the sleeve of the barbell.

Step 2. Row the bar in the Meadows row style explained above. Because the band will be pulling the bar back down, and the tension increases the higher you row it, you’ll have to row faster and more powerfully. This will ensure that your back is giving its all throughout the exercise.

See more back training ideas from Catanzano in our guide to getting a lat spread like a bodybuilder.

The post The Expert’s Guide To The Landmine Row Exercise appeared first on Onnit Academy.

What Is The Landmine Press?

The landmine press is a type of pressing exercise that has the bar moving on an arc, rather than straight up and down. “Imagine the barbell moving like the minute hand around a clock,” says David Otey, CSCS, a trainer, author, and gym consultant (@davidoteyfit on Instagram). You load one end of the bar into a tool called a landmine unit, which is basically a metal cylinder attached to a stand—or you can wedge it into a corner of your gym—and you lift the other end like you’re throwing a lever on a machine.

This roughly 45 to 90-degree arcing motion makes the exercise a unique combination of an overhead and chest press, and it will work the deltoids, pecs, and triceps accordingly, but it’s much easier to perform than a traditional barbell overhead press.

Either due to tightness in the shoulders and upper back, or previous shoulder injuries, many people—maybe even the majority of people—cannot press a bar straight overhead safely. They’ll hyperextend their lower back, press the bar out in front of them rather than straight up, or fail to get a full range of motion at the shoulder without discomfort.

“For many people, there is no amount of foam rolling or stretching that will allow them to fully get their arm into an overhead position,” says Otey. “Their range of motion is what it is.” If this sounds like you, the landmine press is a great work-around, allowing you to train your pressing muscles heavy, and through a full range of motion, in a movement that feels more natural and safe. “With landmine pressing options, we can integrate vertical-ish patterns ranging from 45 degrees to entirely overhead, building up slowly with small increments in between,” says Otey. “No bench can replicate that much variability in range of motion.” 

How To Perform The Landmine Press

(See 01:18 in the video above.)

The classic, standing landmine press should be done as follows:

Step 1. If you have a landmine unit, load one end of the barbell into the unit’s cylinder. If you don’t, it’s OK to put the bar in a corner. (You can wrap the end in a towel to protect the walls you’re using, and simply wedge it into the space.) Load the other end of the bar with weight, and stand behind the bar.

Step 2. Pick up the end of the bar and hold it at the very end, wrapping your thumb around. Hold the end of the bar about one fist’s space away from your shoulder (see the picture below). There should be roughly 30 degrees of space between your elbow and your side. Stagger your stance for balance, and brace your core, pulling your ribs down. Retract your neck so you feel like you have a double chin—it may not look sexy, but it will keep you from straining your neck.

Step 3. Lean into the bar slightly for stability. You may want to extend your free arm out to the side and make a fist, which will help you keep balance. Press the bar upward to lockout, allowing your arm to move in whatever path feels natural. It may move close along your side, or in a more arcing, “around the world” motion—either is OK. As you press, your shoulder blade will rotate upward. Allow it to do this! You don’t have to lock it back and down as you might have done on a bench press. (More on this concept in a minute…)

Make sure you keep pressing at the top of the movement so that your shoulder blade moves through a full range of motion. Think, “press and reach.” You can even lean your torso forward a bit more as you press so your arm finishes straight overhead, or as high as you can comfortably go.

Hold the top position for a moment, and then lower the weight back down. Avoid letting your elbow drift behind your body in the bottom position, as that can be stressful to the shoulder. Stop where your hand is a fist space in front of your shoulder.

The Importance of Scapular Rotation in Landmine Pressing

According to Otey, the critical difference between landmine pressing and other kinds of barbell pressing is the upward rotation of the scapula—your shoulder blade—as you press the bar. Many strength coaches discourage shoulder blade movement on the bench and overhead press for the sake of greater stability to lift more weight. Whether this really contributes to stronger pressing is debatable, but locking your shoulders down can certainly lead to injury.

Otey explains that “the top side of your arm sits in a pocket called the glenoid fossa—a slight, concave structure on the outside of your shoulder blade. If you are moving your arm without moving your shoulder blade, you are inadvertently separating the joint little by little.” In other words, trying to get one body part to move independently of the other goes against the biomechanics they were designed for, and you’ll suffer the consequences with injury. 

The landmine gives you the freedom to move your shoulder blade without a bench restricting it, so take advantage of the opportunity and train your shoulder to work like it’s supposed to. “Your shoulder blade should rotate upward as you press your arm up,” says Otey, “and downward as you lower the weight back.” For the record, Otey also recommends you do this on bench presses and rows to ensure proper shoulder mechanics.

What Muscles Does The Landmine Press Work?

The landmine press is arguably a full-body movement. It works all the pushing muscles in your upper body, and relies on your core and legs as stabilizers. Here’s a list of the major upper-body muscles involved, per Otey.

• Anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder)
  
  
• Lateral deltoid (side of the shoulder)
  
  
• Pec major (your main chest muscle)
  
  
• Serratus anterior (the finger-like muscles under your chest)
  
  
• Triceps brachii (the back of your arm)
  
  
• Rotator cuff (the stabilizer muscles in your shoulder joints)
  
  
• Rectus abdominis (your six-pack muscle)
  
  
• Obliques (the muscles on the side of your abs)

How To Stretch Before Exercising

Before you jump into a landmine pressing workout, warm up your shoulders, elbows, spine, and hips with this mobility routine from Onnit’s Director of Fitness Education, Shane Heins.

Landmine Press Alternatives and Variations

There are several variations of the landmine press that can be used to increase the challenge to your muscles, emphasize different muscle groups, or target different fitness goals. Otey recommends concentrating on the standing variations first until you’re comfortable pressing through a full range of motion. Then you can go on to the half-kneeling and tall-kneeling progressions.

Banded Landmine Press

(See 04:47 in the Expert’s Guide To the Landmine Press video above.)

Some trainers argue that a flaw of the landmine press is that you lose too much tension on the deltoids as you press the bar higher. Due to the arc the bar travels in, as it gets closer to vertical to the floor, the easier the exercise gets. While we think this criticism is a little overblown, you can fix the problem completely by adding a resistance band to the barbell, which will make the bar harder to lift as you get closer to locking out your elbow.

This is also a great idea if you want to train power. Fighting through the resistance of the band will force you to press it as fast as possible, and that makes you more explosive.

Step 1. Attach a light resistance band to the end of the barbell and stagger your feet, standing on the band with your back foot to anchor it down. 

Step 2. Press the bar as hard and fast as you can, but control its descent back to your shoulder. Note that the bar may not move that fast due to the resistance, but you should still try to move it as fast as you can.

Rotational Landmine Press

(See 06:08 in the Expert’s Guide To the Landmine Press video above.)

Another great way to build athleticism with the landmine press is to do it as a rotational press, where you switch hands and twist your torso as you press, which mimics the action of throwing a ball or a punch.

Note that because this is an explosive movement, it might cause the opposite end of the bar (the one you’re NOT holding) to “jump” up and out of position if you’ve got it wedged into a wall rather than a landmine. So if you don’t have a landmine unit to provide stability, you might want to skip this one until you do.

Step 1. Load the bar with very light weight and stand perpendicular to it with a wide stance. If your left side is closest to the bar, pick it up with your left hand on the bar itself—not the sleeve where you load plates, as you’ve done up till now—and let your arm hang in front of your body as you get into an athletic stance.

Step 2. Extend your hips and knees explosively, shrugging the bar up in front of your body until it reaches the height of your lower ribs. At the same time, pivot your back foot to face the landmine and pass the bar to your right hand, grasping it at the end of the sleeve. Allow the momentum of your twisting torso to help you press the bar up as hard and fast as possible.

Reverse the movement on the way back down, so that the bar ends up in your left hand again.

Half-Kneeling Landmine Press

(See 03:00 in the Expert’s Guide To the Landmine Press video above.)

The half-kneeling landmine press is a progression you can move to after you’ve mastered the standing landmine press. “The standing press tends to be easier,” says Otey, “because the weight is slightly higher off the ground, and you gain stability by leaning into the bar. As you descend to lower positions, such as half-kneeling, it gets more challenging because the bar path is more vertical.” Kneeling on the floor is also a more unstable position than standing and really requires you to lock in your core and use strict form, but all the same technique cues still apply.

Step 1. Kneel on the floor with your right knee down and directly under your hips. Your left knee should be bent 90 degrees, and your stance about shoulder width. Tuck your tailbone under so your pelvis is level with the floor, and make sure you’re not kicking one hip out to the side. Pick up the bar and hold it at the end, about a fist’s space from your shoulder. Drive the downed knee into the floor so you feel your glute contract and help brace you.

Step 2. Press the bar up as high as you can while maintaining control, leaning forward at the top and reaching your arm up the best you can. Hold the top position for a moment.

Be careful you don’t twist toward the front knee while you’re pressing, or extend your lower back. Keep your ribs pulled down—imagine they’re connected to the front of your hips.

Tall-Kneeling Landmine Press

(See 04:00 in the Expert’s Guide To the Landmine Press video above.)

Pressing with both knees parallel to each other makes for a very unstable, and therefore very challenging press that also works the glutes pretty hard. You can’t use any momentum on this one, so it’s the next level up from the half-kneeling press, although it will probably require you to use lighter weight. 

Step 1. Kneel on the floor behind the bar so your knees are directly under your hips. You can point your toes into the floor or rest them flat—whichever feels more comfortable and stable to you. Pick up the end of the bar and hold it one fist’s space in front of your shoulder. Tuck your tailbone so your pelvis is parallel to the floor and brace your abs. You should be very tall, with a straight line from your head to your pelvis.

Step 2. Press the bar overhead, holding the top position for a moment.

Floor Press

(See 07:02 in the Expert’s Guide To the Landmine Press video above.)

The landmine doesn’t just make overhead pressing feel better on your shoulders—it can do the same thing for bench press variations. Try lying on the floor and doing a floor press with the landmine. The shortened range of motion is easy on the shoulder, and you’ll put more emphasis on your triceps to lift the weight, making it a good arm-building move.

Step 1. Lie on the floor with your head about even with the plate on the barbell. Bend your knees and rest your feet on the floor. Grasp the bar at the end of the sleeve with both hands to lift the bar into position over your chest. Flatten your back into the floor, and brace your core.

Step 2. Lower the bar with one hand until your triceps touch the floor—don’t let your arm crash down on your elbow. Pause a moment, and then press the bar up.

See more joint-friendly training ideas in our article, 3 Ways To Build Strength Without Wrecking Your Joints.

The post The Expert’s Guide To The Landmine Press appeared first on Onnit Academy.

What’s The Difference Between a Front Squat and a Back Squat?

The main difference between the front squat and the back squat is where you position the barbell. When performing a front squat, the bar is held on the fingertips (or directly on the front of the shoulders) and is supported by the front deltoids. Conversely, in a back squat, the bar rests across your trapezius and rear delts, so the weight is loaded on the backside of your body.

Front squatting recruits the chain of your body’s anterior muscles more heavily, engaging the quads and core to a greater degree. Back squatting, on the other hand, emphasizes the posterior chain—the large muscle groups of the back, glutes, and hamstrings.

Where you hold the bar also affects how you’re inclined to move throughout the exercise. “Back squats are a hip-dominant movement,” says Don Saladino, owner of Drive Health Clubs in New York City (where he trains stars such as Hugh Jackman and Blake Lively). “You’re leading with the hips, so your torso is more inclined to lean forward as you perform the exercise. With front squats, because of where the weight is loaded, you’re forced to remain more vertical.” If you lean forward on a front squat like you do back squatting, you’ll lose your balance and drop the bar at your feet. “This makes the front squat a more quad-dominant movement,” says Saladino.

The differences between the front and back squat are really just a matter of degrees. Both versions work your entire body, and Saladino compares squatting in general to moving while performing a plank position—your shoulders, abdominals, and back must engage to support proper form as your legs go through a full range of motion. That makes squats—of any kind—arguably the most functional and challenging exercise you can do.

How To Perform The Front Squat

(See 01:48 in the video above.)

Step 1. Grasp the bar with hands shoulder-width apart and point your elbows forward so that you can position the bar over the tips of your fingers (palms face up). As long as you keep your elbows pointing forward, you will be able to balance the bar.

Another way to do it is to cross your arms in front of you, holding the bar on the front of your shoulders (left hand in front of right shoulder, right hand in front of left, as pictured below). To do the classic front squat with the bar on your fingertips, you need a reasonable amount of flexibility through your shoulders and wrists to position the barbell correctly. If you don’t have it, the cross-arm version may be the better option for you at the moment (see also “Using Straps To Front Squat” below).

Step 2. Lift the bar out of the rack and step back, setting your feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart. Turn your toes out slightly. Without letting your feet actually move, try to screw both legs into the floor as if you were standing on grass and wanted to twist it up—you’ll feel your glutes tighten and the arches in your feet rise.

Step 3. Pull your ribs down and take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core. Your head, spine, and pelvis should form a long line—your pelvis should also be perpendicular to your spine, and not tilted toward the floor. Focus your eyes on a point straight in front of you.

Step 4. Squat as low as you can while keeping alignment and maintaining your upright torso position. Remember to point your elbows forward, and raise them up if you feel them slipping downward. Ideally, you’ll be able to descend to where the crease of your hips is below the top of your thighs.

Your knees must stay in line with your toes. Trying to push them out and actively root your feet into the ground will all but ensure this.

Step 5. Extend your hips and knees to return to standing, pushing through the middle of your feet and squeezing your glutes.

Note: Because of the awkward bar position, which is less stable than in the back squat, you won’t be able to use as much weight as you would back squatting. If you’re used to doing back squats, make sure you adjust accordingly.

Using Straps To Front Squat

(See 03:50 in the video.)

One way to make the front squat more comfortable is to use lifting straps. Many people don’t have the mobility in their shoulders, wrists, and fingers to hold the bar in the classic front squat position (called the rack position), and the straps allow you to rest the bar on your shoulders instead, making it much easier to stabilize the bar.

Simply loop the straps around the bar and wrap the loose ends around each hand. Then hold onto the straps when you take the bar out of the rack.

How To Perform the Back Squat

(See 04:57 in the video.)

Step 1. Set up in a squat rack and grasp the bar with your hands as far apart as is comfortable. Step under the rack and squeeze your shoulder blades together and down, wedging yourself under the bar so that it rests on your traps or the back of your shoulders.

A “high-bar” squat describes the position of the bar as being high up on the traps, just below the neck. If you feel more stable with the bar resting lower on your back, balanced across the rear delts, you’re doing a “low-bar” squat. The former is advantageous for staying more upright with your torso and hitting your quads. The latter may allow you to lift heavier, but you’ll lean forward more on the descent. Either technique is OK. Experiment with both and see which you feel more comfortable with.

Step 2. Nudge the bar out of the rack and step back, setting your feet between hip and shoulder-width with your toes turned slightly outward. Without letting your feet actually move, try to screw both legs into the floor as if you were standing on grass and wanted to twist it up—you’ll feel your glutes tighten and the arches in your feet rise.

Step 3. Pull your ribs down and take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core. Your head, spine, and pelvis should form a long line—your pelvis should also be perpendicular to your spine, and not tilted toward the floor. Focus your eyes on a point straight in front of you.

Step 4. Bend your hips back as if you were going to sit in a chair, continuing to screw your feet down. Allow your knees to bend and push them out as you lower your body down. Go as low as you can while keeping your alignment. Ideally, you’ll be able to descend to where the crease of your hips is below the top of your thighs.

Your knees must stay in line with your toes. Trying to push them out and actively root your feet into the ground will all but ensure this.

Step 5. Extend your hips and knees to return to standing, pushing through the middle of your feet and squeezing your glutes.

Front Squat Benefits

If you’re looking to develop your quads, you can’t go wrong with adding front squats to your workout routine. Some bodybuilders build their leg workouts around front squats for this reason. If you’re interested in training in Olympic weightlifting, the front squat is a major component of the clean and jerk, so it will give you a foundation of strength and technique to base weightlifting training on.

The biggest potential benefit to front squatting versus back squatting, however, is that the vertical torso position makes the squat pattern safer for the lower back. “When people are back squatting, it’s common that they can’t maintain a neutral lumbar spine,” says Saladino. They lean their torsos too far forward, or let their hips rise faster than their shoulders as they come up out of the bottom of the squat, and their lower backs round over, putting the little muscles and discs in the lumbar spine at risk for strain. In the front squat, your vertebrae are essentially stacked, so your torso moves almost straight up and down, avoiding shear forces that cause injury.

One study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research examined the biomechanical differences between front and back squats. Researchers found that the back squat placed significantly more compressive forces on the lumbar spine, and concluded that front squats may be the better choice for lifters with knee problems such as meniscus tears, as well as for long-term joint health.

Back Squat Benefits

There’s ample reason why the back squat is called the “king of all exercises.” If you’re interested in getting as strong as possible, or training in powerlifting, it’s essential. The bar placement (along the back) is more comfortable and easier to balance than that of the front squat, so you have the stability to lift greater loads. Though the science isn’t clear, most coaches argue that it also recruits more overall musculature than the front squat, drawing heavily on everything from your shoulders and back to your glutes, hamstrings, and calves, in addition to the quads and core.

Strength gains (i.e., big numbers) will come faster with the back squat, but, as discussed above, the risk for lower-back injury is greater. For general population clients who are only interested in having healthy, well-shaped, and strong legs, many trainers eschew the back squat entirely for front-loaded squat variations, such as front squats, landmine squats, and goblet squats. Unless you’re an athlete who competes in the sport of powerlifting or gets tested on back squat strength (as some power athletes do), it’s not an exercise that you “must” do.

Muscles Used In The Front Squat

The primary muscles worked are:

– Quadriceps

– Glutes

– Hamstrings

– Abdominals

– Lower back (spinal erectors), upper back

– Shoulders

A 2015 study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences compared the muscle-recruiting effects of the front squat versus the back squat. The researchers found that the vastus medialis—one of the four quadriceps muscles—was targeted more heavily during the front squat. Of course, all the major muscle groups of the legs were shown to be highly active during both lifts, but the quads engage to a greater degree when the weight is loaded anterior to the trunk.

Muscles Used In The Back Squat

The back squat targets all the major muscle groups of the body, but its focus is on the posterior chain. The primary muscles worked are:

­– Glutes

– Hamstrings

– Quadriceps

– Lower back (spinal erectors), upper back

– Abdominals

– Shoulders

The same 2015 study that identified that the vastus medialis worked harder in the front squat showed that the semitendinosus—one of the three hamstring muscles—was lit up more during the back squat. Again, both versions of the squat hit all the major muscles of the lower body, but when the weight is loaded posterior to the trunk, there’s greater engagement of the hamstrings.

Front Squat vs. Back Squat Ratio

Some coaches believe that a lifter should be able to front squat 90% of the weight that he/she back squats. So if your best back squat is 315 pounds, your front squat ought to be around 280. However, Saladino scoffs at this notion, arguing that it’s nothing more than nonsense used to help trainers market programs.

“There are any number of anatomical or mechanical reasons that a person might be better at either the front squat or back squat,” he says. Generally speaking, your front squat load will be less than your back squat load, simply because of the less stable bar position and biomechanics of the lift, but you don’t need to shoot for a specific strength ratio to ensure balance—or meet anyone else’s criteria of fitness. Rather, focus on incorporating both versions of the squat—if you can—and aim to perfect your form so you can safely and effectively improve the performance of both lifts over time.

See another squat variation in our guide to the squat clean.

The post Front Squats vs. Back Squats: Everything You Need To Know For Building Muscle appeared first on Onnit Academy.

The following is an excerpt adapted from the Men’s Health Encyclopedia of Muscle, written by Onnit’s Editor-In-Chief, Sean Hyson, CSCS. For more workouts and training tips, pick up the book at Amazon.com.

Why Does 5×5 Work?

The beauty of the 5×5 system is that it’s almost impossible to screw up. Virtually any way you choose to interpret how to do five sets of five is sure to yield some progress. The reason why is the combination of load and volume. Low-rep sets imply pretty heavy weights, and five sets’ worth gives you enough exposure to challenging loads to drive muscle and strength gains.

The big question with 5×5 is just how much weight you should use. Honestly, your best guess is probably good enough. But looking at it scientifically, you can come up with a more refined strategy. Lifting a load that allows you only five reps equates to about 87% of your one-rep max (the heaviest load you can lift for one rep—an all-out effort). However, because you have to do five sets, you’ll need to leave a little in the tank on your first set. If you use the heaviest load that allows you ONLY five reps right away, you’ll have a hard time completing the four sets that follow. Therefore, the weight you choose must be lighter.

C. J. Murphy, a competitive powerlifter and strongman, and owner of Total Performance Sports in Malden, MA, recommends choosing a load that you can get seven or eight reps with. This means about 80% of your max. So, let’s say that you’re pretty sure that you can squat 225 pounds for one rep, if your life depended on it, and you want to do a 5×5 workout. Eighty percent of 225 is 180 pounds, so load 180 for your first set. “Most muscle adaptation occurs with 65 to 85% of your max,” says Murphy. Doing 5×5 this way puts you at the north end of that range, making it an excellent approach for building size, but also intense enough to boost strength.

The next question that comes up is whether to keep the same weight every set or add weight each set. The answer is both. “Form is more important than weight,” says Murphy. So, whether you keep the same load or bump it up by a few pounds on one set or every set, every rep should look crisp and smooth. “Most people’s best set is usually their third, fourth, or fifth one,” says Murphy, when the nervous system has been fully activated by the exercise but before fatigue sets in. “So, I might make a small jump in weight on the third set, if it’s going well.” (This could be five or 10 pounds, depending on the exercise.) You’ll have to monitor yourself.

What Exercises Are Used in 5×5 Workouts?

Five by five is typically done on classic multi-joint barbell lifts, such as squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows—exercises that activate great amounts of muscle and work big areas of the body. You shouldn’t attempt 5×5 with isolation movements such as curls, lateral raises, or leg extensions, as those exercises don’t lend themselves to the use of such heavy weights. Trying to curl a load that feels heavy for five reps can easily result in sore elbows or torn biceps over time, so restrict the 5×5 method to your main lift of the workout. Also, as 5×5 is strenuous and can be time consuming, don’t use it for more than three exercises in any one workout.

How Long Does The 5×5 Workout Take?

The length of any strength workout really depends on how strong you are. It takes longer to work up to 365 pounds for squats than it does 225. It’s also important not to rush your sets. Because you’re working with heavy weights, you should allow yourself to recover fully between sets for the sake of safety as well as performance. This could mean two minutes, or longer, depending on the loads used and the complexity of the exercise you’re doing 5×5 on. With all that said, you can expect a workout with two or three exercises done 5×5 style to last anywhere from 30–60 minutes.

One popular method of employing 5×5 is to do three exercises in a session, using 5×5 to train the whole body. For example, you could squat, then bench press, and then finish with a bent-over barbell row. You could come back two days later and perform three similar exercises for another 5×5 session, and then, after another day off, finish the week with a third 5×5 workout. This is a highly-efficient way to train, which makes it good for beginners and those who are young, injury-free, and need practice with barbell lifts to master them. However, it may be too grueling for people over 35 years old, or those with injuries from years of heavy lifting. Murphy believes most people would probably be successful doing one or two 5×5 lifts in a session, and using the protocol for a month or so, and then switching to some other training method for a while.

Is the 5×5 Workout Effective?

The 5×5 workout has been around for at least a half-century, and probably much longer. It’s widely considered to be a good routine for beginners to follow because it’s simple to implement and provides a balance of heavy weights and increasing volume—two factors that are known to produce muscle and strength gains.

A 2016 study in Biology of Sport had subjects perform workouts that alternated 5×5 and six sets of two reps. After five months, their strength gains on the bench press had increased significantly, but researchers determined that the heavier (6×2) regimen was no more effective than the 5×5, and that starting with lighter loads in a progressive long-term program may be the better strategy, as it leads to similar gains with less exertion. This idea fueled the way we prescribe 5×5 in the sample workouts below.

How To Stretch for a 5×5 Workout

Include the following mobility drills in your warmup before performing the sample 5×5 workouts below. Perform each move in sequence, completing 10 reps, and repeat for 3–5 total rounds. See a demonstration for each move in the video.

Chicken wing neck roll – 00:46

Sundial salute – 02:00

Bootstrapper spine roll – 03:55

Mobile table – 06:15

Pigeon switch – 07:55

BONUS: Kneeling pushup elbow circle – 11:03

5×5 Sample Workouts

The following workouts represent our preferred way of performing the 5×5 method.

Do your first set of the 5×5 exercises with a weight that allows you eight reps. If your speed on the first two sets is fast, and your form is good, you may add weight on the third set (and fourth and fifth, if your technique holds up). If your reps move slowly or form breaks down on any set, stop the set there—no matter how many reps you have left—and reduce the weight. Each week, add a little weight to your 5×5 lifts. For upper-body exercises, add 2.5 to 5 pounds, and for lower-body, add 5 to 10.

Murphy recommends using the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale to control your intensity. If a 10 represents an all-out effort, do your workouts as follows.

Week 1: 7 RPE (you should have about three reps left in you at the end of every set)

Week 2: 8 RPE (about two reps left)

Week 3: 9 RPE (about one rep)

Week 4: 7 RPE (back off this week to gather energy for next week—i.e., reduce the load by a few pounds so it doesn’t feel so difficult)

Week 5: 10 RPE (increase the weight and go for it!)

You may perform the exercises as straight sets (complete all sets for one lift before moving on to the next) or, if you want to save a few minutes of workout time, alternate sets of any two 5×5 exercises in the workout. (Note that not every exercise in each workout uses this set and rep scheme.) Rest, as needed, between all sets of every exercise, and at least 90 seconds between sets of the 5×5 exercises.

There are three sample workouts here, and they can be done in sequence (for example, Workout I on Modnday, II on Wednesday, and III on Friday). Rest at least one day between each.

Workout I

1. Front Squat

(See 02:17 in the video How To Crush 5×5 Workouts for Huge Gains above.)

Sets: 5 Reps: 5

Step 1. Grasp the bar with hands shoulder-width apart and point your elbows forward so that you can position the bar over the tips of your fingers (palms face up). As long as you keep your elbows pointing forward, you will be able to balance the bar.

Another way to do it is to cross your arms in front of you, holding the bar on the front of your shoulders (left hand in front of right shoulder, right hand in front of left). To do the classic front squat with the bar on your fingertips, you need a reasonable amount of flexibility through your shoulders and wrists to position the barbell correctly. If you don’t have it, the cross-arm version may be the better option for you at the moment, but another option is to use wrist straps if you have them. Loop the straps around the bar and grasp the open ends with each hand, and then rest the bar on your shoulders (see the “How To Crush 5×5 Workouts For Huge Gains video above).

Step 2. Lift the bar out of the rack and step back, setting your feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart. Turn your toes out slightly. Without letting your feet actually move, try to screw both legs into the floor as if you were standing on grass and wanted to twist it up—you’ll feel your glutes tighten and the arches in your feet rise.

Step 3. Pull your ribs down and take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core. Your head, spine, and pelvis should form a long line—your pelvis should also be perpendicular to your spine, and not tilted toward the floor. Focus your eyes on a point straight in front of you.

Step 4. Squat as low as you can while keeping alignment and maintaining your upright torso position. Remember to point your elbows forward, and raise them up if you feel them slipping downward. Ideally, you’ll be able to descend to where the crease of your hips is below the top of your thighs.

Your knees must stay in line with your toes. Trying to push them out and actively root your feet into the ground will all but ensure this.

Step 5. Extend your hips and knees to return to standing, pushing through the middle of your feet and squeezing your glutes.

2. Chinup

(See 03:37 in the video.)

Sets: 5 Reps: 5

Step 1. Hang from a bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and your palms facing you. Pull your ribs down and keep your core tight.

Step 2. Draw your shoulder blades back and together and pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. If your bodyweight isn’t challenging enough, attach extra weight with a belt, or hold a dumbbell between your feet.

3. Overhead Press

(See 04:23 in the video.)

Sets: 5 Reps: 5

Step 1. Hold a barbell with hands shoulder-width apart. You can take the bar off a rack, or, if you don’t have one, simply pick the bar up off the floor and clean it to shoulder level. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and tuck your tailbone slightly so that your pelvis is parallel to the floor. Draw your ribs down and brace your core.

Step 2. Press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward as the bar clears it so that the bar ends up just behind your head in the lockout position.

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Workout II

1. Deadlift

(See 02:04 in the video above.)

Sets: 5 Reps: 5

Step 1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and tilt your tailbone back. Bend your hips back to reach down and grasp the bar with hands just outside your knees.

Step 2. Keeping a long spine with your head in line with your hips, take a deep breath into your belly, brace your abs, and drive through your heels. Pull the bar up along your shins until you’re standing with hips fully extended and the bar is in front of your thighs. Keep the bar pulled in tight to your body the whole time with your shoulder blades pulled together and down (think “proud chest”).

If you can’t keep your lower back flat throughout the exercise, it’s OK to elevate the bar on some weight plates or mats.

2. Incline Dumbbell Press

(See 02:40 in the video.)

Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12

Step 1: Set an incline bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back on the bench holding dumbbells at arm’s length above your chest.

Step 2: Lower the dumbbells until they are close to the sides of your chest. In the down position, your elbows should be at a 45-degree angle to your torso—not straight out to the sides.

Step 3: Press the dumbbells back up, flexing your chest as you push.

3. Face Pull

(See 03:00 in the video.)

Sets: 3 Reps: 12–15 

Step 1. Attach a rope handle to the top pulley of a cable station. Grasp an end in each hand with your palms facing each other. Step back to place tension on the cable.

Step 2. Draw your shoulder blades together and down as you pull the handle to your forehead, so your palms face your ears and your upper back is fully contracted.

Workout III

1. Bench Press

(See 03:30 in the video.)

Sets: 5  Reps: 5

Step 1. Lie on the bench and arch your back, pulling your shoulder blades down and together. Grasp the bar just wider than shoulder width, and pull it out of the rack.

Step 2. Take a deep breath, tighten your glutes, and lower the bar to your sternum, tucking your elbows to your sides at 45 degrees on the descent. When the bar touches your body, push your feet into the floor and press the bar up at the same time.

2. Bent-Over Row

(See 04:20 in the video.)

Sets: 5  Reps: 5

Step 1. Place a barbell on a rack set to hip level, or deadlift it off the floor. Grasp the bar with your hands at shoulder width and set your feet at hip width; hold the bar at arm’s length against your thighs. Take a deep breath, and bend your hips back—keep your head, spine, and pelvis aligned. Bend until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor.

Step 2. Draw your shoulder blades together as you pull the bar up to your belly button.

3. Hip Thrust

(See 04:50 in the video.)

Sets: 5  Reps: 5

Step 1. Load a barbell on the floor. Lie with your upper back resting on a bench and your legs flat on the floor in front of you. Roll the bar into the crease of your hips (you may want a pad or towel to cushion it), and hold it on each side. Place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, and turn your toes out slightly.

Step 2. Brace your abs and push your hips up, driving through your heels until your torso and hips are parallel to the floor.

See other articles on old-school training, like our guide to back and biceps workouts.

The post How To Crush 5×5 Workouts For Huge Gains appeared first on Onnit Academy.

The power snatch is a little more user-friendly than the classic Olympic weightlifting snatch, safer, and easier to learn, but it’s no less effective in developing power, explosiveness, strength, and total-body coordination. In just a few steps, I’ll teach you how to do the power snatch, and show you why it’s a great move to master for anyone looking to become a more powerful athlete.

Bonus: once you know how to do it and why, you’ll be able to drop the word “snatch” into more of your conversations, no doubt turning some heads, ruffling some feathers, and setting the stage for many a crude (but entertaining) joke.

What Is The Power Snatch?

The power snatch was born from the original barbell snatch, a movement performed in Olympic weightlifting to test overall strength and power. Any variant of the snatch is a great measure of these qualities because it requires triple extension—the ability to extend the hips, knees, and ankles simultaneously, which creates maximum explosiveness. As any smart coach will tell you, getting these joints to extend together with the correct timing is no easy feat, and a thing of beauty when it’s done right. This is why Olympic lifters (as well as anyone else who practices the snatch and its variants) take a lot of time to drill good technique. Olympic lifts are the most technical weight-training exercises you can do.

Olympic weightlifters use the power snatch as a supplemental exercise to improve their performance on the regular snatch, but many other athletes use the power snatch in place of the snatch to train the explosiveness they need for the field, court, or mat, so the power snatch is the more widely used between the two lifts.

The biggest difference between the snatch and the power snatch is the ranges of motion used. The classic snatch has you lift the bar from the floor to overhead while you drop into a deep squat and then stand up tall. With the power snatch, you don’t have to catch the weight in a deep squat position (you’ll end up in more of a quarter-squat), making the lift less of a test of thoracic and lower-body mobility.

Because you don’t drop into a full squat, your arms have to move a little farther to get the bar overhead in a power snatch. This is one reason Olympic lifters drill the power snatch—to get the bar traveling higher, which ultimately makes it easier to catch in the finish position of a regular snatch. That extra range means you’ll have to use lighter weight than you would doing a full snatch, but that’s a blessing in disguise. Less weight means you’ll be able to move the bar faster, and that generates even more power. It also makes make the lift safer, and easier to get the hang of.

How To Properly Power Snatch

There are six parts to the power snatch when it’s done properly. Remember, all Olympic lifts and their variants are highly technical, so you have to invest the time to learn them correctly if you want to maximize the weight you can lift safely. It’s best to start with an empty barbell, or, if you have bumper plates, very light weights. Bumper plates (the kind that bounce) will allow you to reach the bar while it’s on the floor, and let you drop the weight from overhead rather than control the bar’s path back to the floor.

I’ll walk you through the technique in this video.

Now I’ll break it all down in a lot more detail.

Step 1. Start Position

Place your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart, and turn your feet out a few degrees. Think about how you’d stand to do a vertical jump—that’s the stance you want to use for the power snatch. (You’re going to maximally accelerate the bar upward, which is not unlike trying to jump as high as you can).

Roll the bar into position so that it’s over your feet. When you look down, the bar should be directly over mid-foot.

Bend your hips back, and then bend your knees as needed, to reach down and grasp the bar with hands about twice shoulder width—arms straight. (You’ll have to play around with the grip width to see what feels most natural. The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends starting out by measuring the distance between both elbows when your arms are held out 90 degrees from your sides and parallel to the floor—that’s the space that should be between your hands when grasping the bar.)

Draw your shoulders down so your traps are stretched, not shrugged. Think about crushing an orange in your armpits so you feel your lats tense.

Take a deep breath into your belly, and draw your ribs down so they’re closer to your pelvis—brace your core as if you were about to get punched in the stomach.

Your chest should point forward—so anyone standing in front of you could see the logo on your T-shirt—but your back shouldn’t be excessively arched. Aim to create a long, straight line from your head to your butt.

Draw your head back as if making a double chin. Your shoulders should be directly over the bar or slightly in front of it. If you have a friend nearby, ask him/her to check on this.

KEY POINT: Get into a position that makes you think of how you’d load up your hips to jump up in the air. Make sure your head, spine, and pelvis make a long, straight line, so your lower back is flat (not rounded forward). Get your body tight. Imagine it as a coiled spring ready to be released.

Step 2. First Pull

This is the portion of the lift that goes from the moment the bar leaves the floor until it’s just below your knees.

Push your feet down so that your hips and knees begin to extend and the bar breaks off the floor. You should feel your weight start on your mid-foot and shift to your heels as you lift.

Keep pulling the bar in tight to you—maintain that tension in your lats (crushed oranges). The bar should travel upward in a straight line along the front of your shins.

This part of the lift does not need to be done explosively. That comes later. Focus on creating enough tension so that your whole body is tight and moving as one unit. It’s OK if the bar comes off the floor slowly.

KEY POINT: Keep the bar pulled in tight and start standing up. Control everything.

Step 3. Transition Phase

The transition phase is when the bar passes the knees. The goal here is to position the body so you can create maximum acceleration with the bar. When the first pull is done correctly and the bar is close to you, your knees will make room for the bar to pass when you extend your legs.

Once the bar passes the knees, extend your hips explosively. Snap them! The bar will usually come up to the top of the hips, but it can also be beneficial to think about “bringing the bar to your hip pockets.”

If your timing is right, your knees will actually re-bend so they pass in front of the bar. This will happen automatically when the form is right. You should feel your weight shift back to mid-foot, but your heels stay on the floor.

KEY POINT: As soon as you feel the bar rise above the knees, drive your hips forward explosively.

Step 4. Second Pull

Here’s where that powerful triple extension comes in.

Keep extending your hips as you also extend your knees and ankles to accelerate the bar upward (just think about jumping). Shrug your shoulders powerfully, but keep your arms relaxed.

Because you’re maximally accelerating the bar, you will have full hip extension at this point, and your shoulders will move behind the bar.

Your feet may also rise off the floor.

When your shoulders are fully shrugged, bend your elbows, as if doing an upright row. Begin pulling your body under the bar.

KEY POINT: Think about it like a vertical jump. I also like to cue it as “throw the bar straight up to the ceiling.”

Step 5: Catch

Now the goal is to safely catch the bar overhead.

As the bar travels up in front of your torso, it will feel weightless. Drive your elbows out wide so the bar stays close to your body.

Bring your body underneath the bar quickly by bending your knees and “catching” the bar in a quarter- or half-squat with arms locked out.

Your feet will land a little wider than they started. Ideally, the width you’d take to perform overhead squats (if you’ve practiced them before).

KEY POINT: When the bar feels weightless, focus on getting your body underneath it. Flip your elbows around to catch the bar at its highest point.

Step 6: Recovery

Once you have control of the bar, stand up straight and tall with it overhead, and your arms locked out.

Lower the bar to your chest, and then to the floor, or let it drop in front of you with control (if you’re using bumper plates).

Reset yourself before you perform another rep. Don’t rush your set.

It’s important to understand that the goal of the power snatch is to increase power input, so there’s no point in loading it up heavy and grinding out a slow rep. (Leave the heavy snatching to experienced weightlifters.) The rate of acceleration, not the load used, should be the main marker you strive to improve.

Loading the bar with 65%–85% of your one-rep max (1RM) is ideal for most athletes. (Since you’re new to snatching, just estimate it, or start with 10–25 pounds each side.) This should be a weight you can get for three to six fast, clean reps. Repeat this for 3–5 sets.

Only increase the weight if acceleration and proper technique can be maintained for the whole set, and expect to spend several workouts with the same weight until that’s the case.

A common complaint with the power snatch is that the wide grip spacing aggravates the shoulders. If you find that to be the case, you can move your grip inward slightly, which may be more comfortable. Doing so will increase the distance the bar has to travel in order to get overhead, and that will force you to sacrifice load, but it will also help you lift even faster and develop more explosiveness. (See my video on this below.)

Many lifters find the power snatch easier to perform when they wear weightlifting shoes. These shoes have an elevated heel that can help compensate for poor ankle mobility, which is an issue for many people. See my video below for more explanation.

How To Do The Hanging Power Snatch Technique

Some people don’t have the hip and ankle mobility to start a snatch from the floor. If you feel you have trouble reaching the bar, you can’t keep your lower back flat, or your heels tend to rise off the floor at the start/bottom position of the lift, you may want to try the hanging power snatch instead, which is the same basic movement but starting somewhere between your shins and hips, thereby eliminating the bottom portion of the exercise and focusing on the range where you generate the most power.

Depending on your mobility, you can do hanging power snatches from your shin, just below the knees, just above the knees, your mid-thighs, or hip crease.

Hanging power snatches are also good for troubleshooting weak points in your snatch technique. If you want to focus on the second pull, for instance, you can start with the bar at hip level. The hanging power snatch helps you develop power in shorter ranges of motion, which is necessary in many sports—say, a jump shot in basketball.

The hanging power snatch also adds an eccentric component to the exercise. The eccentric is the negative, or lowering, phase of any lift, where the target muscles get stretched under tension. The classic snatch and power snatch don’t really have an eccentric, since you typically drop the weight to the floor to set up for the next rep, or lower it as quickly as possible. With the hanging power snatch, however, you start by standing tall and then taking the bar somewhere between your hips and shins to load up for the rep. That keeps your posterior chain muscles (the backside of your body) much more engaged than if you just began the rep from the floor. You basically end up doing a Romanian deadlift right before a power snatch.

Emphasizing the eccentric component of any lift aids muscle growth, as it causes more muscle damage that the body needs to repair. This is one reason trainers will tell you to lift a weight explosively, but take two or three seconds to control it on the way down. So, it can be argued that the hanging power snatch is a good choice for adding muscle size.

What Muscles Does The Snatch Work?

The power snatch is really a full-body exercise, making it a very efficient lift for developing muscle and strength from head to toe. The posterior chain takes on the brunt of the work—that is, the muscles that work together on the backside of the body that contribute to the powerful triple extension. But once the bar is traveling up in front of the torso, the upper back and shoulders do their part to get the bar overhead, so the upper body gets worked hard as well.

Here’s a broad list of the muscles that contribute to a good power snatch, from the ground up.

• Calves
• Hamstrings
• Quads
• Glutes
• Spinal erectors
• Core
• Deltoids
• Traps

Power Snatch Benefits

There are several good reasons to invest the time to learn the power snatch. For one thing, if you have aspirations of competing in Olympic weightlifting, the power snatch offers a good starting point for learning the snatch that you’ll have to perform in competition. It’s an easier movement to master, safer to perform, and once you’ve got it down, it isn’t much harder to learn how to transition into a deep squat (thereby completing the full snatch).

For athletes, or anyone looking to enhance their athleticism, the power snatch can be used to develop triple extension power—a skill used in virtually every sport. The power snatch will absolutely help you take off into a run faster, jump higher, and hit harder.

The power snatch offers a good middle ground between exercises like the deadlift and the sprint. In a deadlift, the focus is building absolute strength, so you lift heavy but the bar moves relatively slow. That means it’s good for developing the muscles that help you perform fast movements, but it doesn’t train you to move fast in and of itself. A sprint, on the other hand, trains you to move fast, but it doesn’t offer the resistance the deadlift does to build muscle and strength. The power snatch fits perfectly in between them, providing enough load to stimulate strength gains while focusing on explosive speed to develop the ability to apply force rapidly. A strong guy/gal who can generate a lot of force in an instant is a formidable athlete.

If you are (or were) an athlete, you’re probably familiar with the power clean, another Olympic lifting variant that’s commonly used to build power. I like the power snatch better than the power clean for this purpose for a couple of reasons. For one, the power snatch actually develops more power output than the power clean, or even the regular snatch, for that matter, because the weight used is lighter and the bar moves faster.

The power snatch is also harder to cheat. With power cleans, you’ll often see lifters pulling hard with their backs and arms to get the weight up, failing to utilize the triple extension movement the way they’re supposed to. The power clean then becomes more of a sloppy reverse curl. When you use a power snatch, however, that’s not a concern. There’s no heaving the weight up with the wrong muscles. You have to emphasize hip and leg drive, or you simply won’t be able to do it.

Power Snatch Vs. Snatch

The main thing that differentiates the power snatch from the snatch is the position the bar is caught in. Remember, in the power snatch, you catch the weight in roughly a quarter-squat position—a knee angle of 90 degrees or more, thighs above parallel to the floor. In the classic weightlifting (full) snatch, you descend into a deep squat—knees bent 60 degrees or less, thighs below parallel.

The power snatch also finds you pulling the weight higher, since you aren’t going into a deep squat position to help control the bar. The greater pulling range means you have to produce more power, and that will require using less weight than in the snatch.

Because the snatch requires a lot of mobility in the ankles, hips, and thoracic spine—and for most trainees, achieving a deep overhead squat is very challenging—it’s not as widely used as the power snatch. The power snatch is the better choice for most people who want to develop power and explosiveness, but aren’t weightlifters preparing for competition.

Power Snatch Exercise Alternatives

Before you add any exercise to your workouts, you should always ask yourself, “What’s the goal of this exercise, and what is the risk vs. reward?” The power snatch can certainly be used to build power, helping an athlete get faster, jump higher, and become more athletic, but it can also be difficult to learn and risky for those who have prior injuries or restrictions in their mobility.

If you have your heart set on power snatching, that’s cool. Just make sure you seek out a qualified coach to watch you perform it and tweak your form as needed. Remember to work on technique and speed before adding weight. Don’t be too eager to load up the bar solely for the sake of chasing big numbers. Understand that mastering any Olympic lift will take time and effort, and it may leave less time and energy for other exercises in your program.

The truth is, for the vast majority of people, I feel there are better exercise options than the power snatch to develop power, explosiveness, and athleticism. There are many movements that teach triple extension that can be taught and learned much faster, with much less risk to the lifter. Whether you choose to power snatch or not, you should be aware of the following moves, which offer many of the same benefits, and arguably many more.

For all of the following, perform 3–5 sets of 3–5 reps to start, resting as needed between sets. (Choose one per workout; don’t do more than power exercise in a session.) If you feel yourself slowing down or losing height on any rep, end the set there.

Box Jump

The box jump is a simple plyometric exercise that teaches you to explode from the hips and, just as importantly, absorb the force of a landing.

Step 1. Place a box that you estimate will be moderately challenging to jump up onto on the floor in front of you. Stand a foot or so behind it.

Step 2. Bend your hips and knees and swing your arms backward to generate momentum. Throw your arms forward as you jump up onto the box and land in its center with soft knees. Try to land as silently as possible. Step down off the box; don’t jump off.

Trap-Bar Deadlift Jump

The trap-bar provides a great alternative to the old-fashioned straight bar for a variety of lower-body exercises. It allows you to keep the load you’re lifting closer to your own center of mass, which reduces shear forces on the spine. It also lets you get into a more natural, athletic position when you deadlift, which should have more carryover to athletic activity. Doing jumps with the trap-bar loads the hips safely and builds explosiveness, and the form is easy to learn.

Step 1. Stand with feet between hip and shoulder-width and bend your hips back. Keep your head, spine, and pelvis in a long, straight line as you reach down to grasp the bar’s parallel handles. Crush oranges in your armpits to generate lat tension, and brace your core.

Step 2. Jump straight up in the air, as high as you can. Land softly, and pause a moment before your next rep to make sure you’re positioned correctly.

Medicine-Ball Scoop Toss

Many coaches like using medicine balls for power development because they’re very user-friendly and allow you to move as fast as possible. The weight can’t get too heavy, so you’re really able to explode with it, and, unlike with a barbell, you don’t have to worry about decelerating the load at the end of the range of motion—you can just release it and let the ball fly. The scoop toss simulates the triple extension used in all snatch variants very closely.

Step 1. Place a moderately-weighted medicine ball on the floor and straddle it with feet outside shoulder-width. (It should be a ball with a soft shell; one that won’t bounce.) Bend your hips and knees to reach down and grasp the ball while keeping a long spine.

Step 2. Scoop up the ball and explode upward, jumping up as you throw the ball as high as you can. Watch its path, and move as needed to avoid the ball landing on you. When the ball lands and comes to a stop, perform your next rep.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Snatch

Not all snatches have to be done with a barbell. You can use one dumbbell to perform a snatching motion, making for a safer lift that also challenges your balance and stability to a greater degree. As with all unilateral exercises, it can help you identify which side of your body is stronger.

Step 1. Place a dumbbell on the floor, and straddle the weight with feet a bit outside shoulder-width. Observe all the same form points for the snatch described above to bend down and grasp the weight.

Step 2. Use triple extension to raise the weight off the floor and straight up in front of your torso until it’s overhead. Your feet should land just as your arm locks out the elbow. You can reach your free arm out to the side to help you balance. Lower the weight to your chest under control, and then return it to the floor.

The post How To Do The Power Snatch Like A CrossFit Pro appeared first on Onnit Academy.

– The most effective strength-training programs are based on conjugate training, percentages of your one-rep max, or Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE).

– The so-called “best” training program is one you believe in and enjoy, and that suits your mindset and the way you like to train.

– You can combine conjugate training, percentage-based training, and RPE to create programs that are customized to suit your goals, and readiness to train on any given day.

This May Be The Best Way To Get Stronger

Every serious lifter is on a lifelong hunt for the best strength-training program. There are plenty of options to choose from—including 5×5, 5/3/1, Sheiko, the Westside conjugate system, etc.—and they all have their benefits and drawbacks. Having coached strength athletes for the past 30 years, and competed in powerlifting and strongman myself, I’ve come to realize that there is no perfect training program.

Well, maybe…

The so-called “best” way to get stronger may lie not in one program by itself but in a combination of three training philosophies that have already been around a long time, and, individually, have guided many a great athlete to victory. Finally, I think I’ve brought them together in a way that provides the ultimate balance of intensity, variety, and recovery to let you make smooth progress on your lifts indefinitely while reducing your risk of injury.

The Top 3 Programs For Building Strength

There are three umbrella types of strength-training programming that produce results. First, I’ll explain what they are and how they work, and then I’ll show you how the system I devised brings their best aspects together while sidestepping the pitfalls.

#1. Conjugate Training (the Westside Barbell System)

In a conjugate system of training, you work on improving multiple athletic qualities at the same time. In any given week, you can have a workout that focuses on max strength (how much you can lift for one rep), muscle size, speed/explosiveness, prehab/rehab, and more. The most famous example of conjugate training is the Westside template—the kind of training done at Westside Barbell in Columbus, Ohio, a gym that’s been home to some of the strongest powerlifters in history.

The basic Westside template has you training four days a week. There are two heavy workouts, called max effort days, that are centered around a major barbell lift you want to improve (as Westside was developed for powerlifters, it’s usually some variation of the squat, bench press, and deadlift—although it doesn’t have to be). There are also two lighter workouts in the week, called dynamic effort days, in which you focus on speed and explosiveness.

On max effort days, you choose exercises that support gains on your main lift, and gradually work up to an all-out max set of one, two, or three reps. These lifts are usually cycled weekly. For instance, a guy who wants to bench press more but has a weak lockout might perform close-grip bench presses one week, floor presses the next, and a bench press to boards the week after. This should strengthen his triceps at the end range of motion of his bench press so that he can lock out more weight.

On the dynamic effort days, you work on your ability to apply force to the bar quickly, which can help you overcome sticking points in your lifts. Dynamic days may have you squatting/deadlifting and benching with lighter weights and more explosive effort so that the bar moves fast, or doing jumps and throwing exercises.

Both max effort and dynamic effort workouts will also include exercises that are done for higher repetitions to help you build muscle (essentially, bodybuilding training), and other work that’s geared to balancing out any weaknesses you have.

Pros

Apart from being very effective for helping you improve in multiple areas simultaneously, the Westside training style can easily be adjusted to suit your goals. It’s a loose system that can work using many different exercises—not just the powerlifting big three—and it can evolve along with you as your strengths and weaknesses change. Truthfully, the “best” program you can do is one that suits your mindset. That is, if you believe in the training, and you enjoy doing it, that’s the system that’s going to produce the best results for you. With this in mind, Westside is well-suited to those who love to smash heavy weights and test themselves on a regular basis.

Cons

For people who like more structure in a program (i.e., “do X sets of Y reps for Z exercise every week for four weeks”), it may not be the best choice. Westside also tends to be implemented improperly by lifters who don’t fully understand it. Trainees who push too hard and don’t recover enough will get injured.

#2. Percentage-Based Training

Many powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting programs use percentages of one’s one-rep max to determine how much weight to use on a given day. For example, if you can press 100 pounds for one all-out effort of one rep, and your program calls for 5 sets of 5 at 75% of your max, you’ll do your sets with 75 pounds.

Percentage-based training is good for making sure you train at intensities that are high enough to produce results, but they don’t account for how you’re feeling on a particular day. For instance, your program may call for 3 sets of 1 with 95%, but if you’re having one of those days where everything feels heavy and the bar is moving slowly, what are you supposed to do? If you soldier on anyway and try to hit 95%, you may get injured.

Pros

You never have to wonder how much weight to use because the program has predetermined it mathematically. Percentages can also help you zero in on certain goals. For instance, loads in the 80–90% range tend to be good for muscle size, while 90% and above is geared more for strength development. It can also be very satisfying to watch the percentages climb each week in your program while you check them off. You can gain momentum from conquering each weight at a time.

Cons

Dogmatically insisting on using a certain weight because the program calls for it is a big mistake. If you miss a lift in one workout—due to any number of circumstances—you can feel like a failure. You may be more timid going into your next workout, and miss again as a result. This could ultimately lead to a domino effect that ruins the rest of your program. Remember, the mental aspect of training is important.

Percentage-based training simply doesn’t account for day-to-day fluctuations in recovery and readiness. In other words, percentage programs don’t take into consideration the fact that people have busy lives and bad days that impact their strength.

#3. RPE Training

Because of the drawbacks inherent in percentage-based training, RPE was born. It stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion, and it’s simply a subjective measure of how hard a set feels to perform. When you apply RPE in your workouts, you assign a numerical value to a set and use it to guide the intensity of your effort. The RPE scale generally goes from 10, an all-out effort, down to 6, which is almost easy. RPE for strength training was popularized by Mike Tuchsherer, a world-class powerlifter and founder of Reactive Training Systems. 

Here’s how it works. An RPE of 10 means you choose a weight that’s so heavy you know it won’t allow you to complete one more rep than the prescribed number with good form. Whether the set calls for 1 rep, 3 reps, or 5 reps or more, you max out your strength for that rep number. For example, if your squat calls for a set of 3, and the weight you choose lets you get 3 reps, but you couldn’t go for a fourth even if someone held a gun to your head, you’ve hit an RPE 10.

An RPE 9 means that you could get 1 or maybe 2 reps more than the target number. So, if your workout prescribes a set of 3 and you do 3 but think you could have done 4 reps, or 5 reps tops, you’ve done an RPE 9.

You can probably guess how it goes from here. An RPE 8 means that you could finish 2 or 3 more reps than prescribed.

RPE 7 = 3 or 4 more reps.

RPE 6 = 4 or 5 more reps.

Letting RPE guide your sets can actually be very similar to using percentages of your max. A set of 3 done with an RPE 9 is going to be around 90% of the one-rep max for most people, and, of course, a set of 1 rep at RPE 10 will be 95–100% of your max. But using RPE instead of a percentage allows you more leeway to find the load that’s best for you on any given day.

RPE lets you adjust the weights you use in a workout on the spot. Depending on how you’re feeling that day—i.e., how well recovered you are, the mood you’re in, your level of focus, etc.—you can increase or decrease the weight you’re lifting on your subsequent sets so that you customize your training to the intensity you’re capable of at the moment. This is a great way to avoid pushing too hard on days when you don’t have it in you, helping you avoid overtraining and injury. By the same token, RPE can let you know it’s OK to push harder on days you feel good, so that you make the most of those sessions.

Now let’s look at how you might use RPE in a workout. Say your program calls for the bench press to be done for 4 sets of 5 at an RPE of 9. You would warm up, work up to a weight that you think will allow you 6 or 7 reps, and perform 5 for your first set.

If it feels only moderately tough, so that you think you could have gotten 8 reps if you really went for it, that means it was an RPE 7. You know now to increase the weight a bit so that the lift feels harder. For your second set, let’s say you add 10 pounds, and again you get 5 reps—but now you’re sure you could have only gotten 1 more. That’s an RPE of 9.

Let’s say you do your third set of 5 with the same weight, and that’s also an RPE 9. You’re right on track. But you can tell that you won’t be able to get another set with the same load. Now you know to reduce the weight by 5 pounds so that your fourth work set remains at an RPE 9. Before you know it, you’ve done nearly all your sets with exactly the right intensity the program prescribes while tailoring them to your own individual strength level. 

Pros

RPE can help you take advantage of days you feel great in the gym and are ready to train hard as well as prevent you from overdoing it on days you’re not so energized. Over time, this can make for more productive workouts and fewer ones that sap your confidence or cause injuries.

Cons

In order for RPE to work, you have to be honest with yourself and pay attention to how you’re feeling. A beginner is likely to undershoot his/her RPE, while competitive lifters often overshoot it. You may be so fired up to train that you give an RPE 10 on a set but write it down in your training log as an 8, and that can affect your performance on future workouts.

The Perfect Program For Strength Training?

Having seen all of the above programs work well for some people and poorly for others, I started experimenting with a new system that combines the best aspects of each and, I believe, minimizes their flaws. The Total Performance Method, named after my facility, Total Performance Sports, in Malden, Mass., is a conjugate system that uses percentages and RPE.

Like the Westside conjugate method, we rotate exercises and train heavy, allowing people to max out on days they feel up to it, but not all the time. We assign percentages of the one-rep max to lifts, so you have a good idea of how much weight to use, but we also use RPE so that that load isn’t written in stone, and you can adjust on the fly based on how you feel. In other words, the percentages serve as a recommendation, but RPE lets you make the decision.

So, let’s say your program calls for squats done for 5 sets of 5 reps at an RPE 9 and 77.5% of your max. You’ll warm up, and if all is going well on the warmup sets, you’ll do your first work set at the percentage and RPE indicated. If afterward you feel like the 5 reps weren’t too tough, i.e. your RPE was more like a 7 or an 8, you can go up in weight by 2 ½% for the next set—so you’d increase the load to 80%. If that still feels light, you can go up by another 2 ½% on the following set. If for some reason that still doesn’t make your RPE high enough, just keep going with that weight until all sets are completed. You’ll know you can probably go heavier next time.

On the other hand, if your RPE on the first work set was higher than what was prescribed, back the weight off a little. You can reduce it by as much as 10% so that your next set lets you hit the right RPE number. If you reduce the load by 10% and the set still feels too hard, you can be sure you haven’t recovered properly, and you should end the workout, go home, and rest. Any more work at that point would be counterproductive.

Here’s how it all might look in your training log.

Lower-Body Day

1) Squat

5 Sets of 5 Reps @ RPE 9/77.5%

Set 1: 5 reps, 80 pounds*, felt like an RPE 7. Go up to 85 pounds to make it harder.

Set 2: 5 reps, 85 pounds, felt like an RPE 9. Stay with this weight.

Set 3: 5 reps, 85 pounds, felt like an RPE 9. Stay with this weight.

Set 4: 5 reps, 85 pounds, felt like an RPE 10. Reduce the weight to 80.

Set 5: 5 reps, 80 pounds, felt like an RPE 9.

*Program assumes a squat max of 100 lbs. Numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number that most gym’s weight plates can total.

It doesn’t matter that two of the five sets were done at RPE’s and percentages that were different from what you were prescribed. You trained as hard as you were capable of that day and, most importantly, you didn’t miss any lifts! That means you’re not overtaxing your muscles, joints, and nervous system, or endangering your safety with weights you can’t handle. The next time you squat, you’ll have a better idea of which loads to choose, and your chances of having a great workout are much higher.

Here’s something to keep in mind, however. When you use variations on the lift you’re trying to improve, as Westside lifters do, the RPE will automatically be higher. This means that when you do a lift with paused reps, using special bars—such as a safety squat bar (SSB), Swiss bar, cambered bar, etc.—or using accommodating resistance via bands or chains, you have to anticipate that it will feel harder than using the plain ol’ conventional barbell and weight plates, and adjust accordingly.

For example, say you do a regular squat one week and your RPE is 8 for a set of 5 reps. The next week, if you do a paused squat for 5 reps, your RPE will be more like a 9, because pausing a rep is more challenging than just going down and up with the bar. To account for this, you have to reduce the percentage of your max that you’re using by five percent to make it an RPE 8 again. Otherwise your RPE will be too high and you may not make all your reps. You’ll have to do this for every little deviation you make from the conventional version of the exercise. So, if you do a pause squat, you take off five percent, and if you do a pause squat with a safety-squat (SSB) bar, you take the weight down by 10%.

Write Your Own Strength Program

Now that you know the basics of how conjugate training, percentages, and RPE work, you can put them together to write your own programs.

As discussed above, the conjugate system helps you determine the lifts you want to build, the exercises that will build them, how to cycle them, and how heavy to train (one-, two-, or three-rep maxes). RPE lets you keep track of how hard you’re working. But when it comes to percentages, it can be confusing to know which ones to use and when. To remedy that, I look to Prilepin’s chart.

“Whose what?”

Back in the days of the Cold War, Soviet scientists analyzed lifters and determined about how many sets and reps they should do with different percentages of their maxes in order to see gains. The result of their research is Prilepin’s chart—a table of percentages, sets, and reps that many great lifters and coaches have used as a guide for decades. (See the graphic below, right-hand side, for the chart).

Graphic courtesy of Total Performance Sports 

Here’s how it works. Say you want to train your main lift in the 80–90% range—a good zone for muscle and strength gains. The chart tells you to do 2–4 sets of 2–4 reps until you hit at least 10 reps, and as many as 20 reps, for the exercise. That could end up being 4 sets of 4 reps, 3 sets of 3 reps, or a lot of other combinations, and the exact configuration you do in a workout depends on a lot of factors, but, as you can see, the “optimal number” of reps will be 15. That means a total number of 15 reps done with weights in that percentage range should be ideal for strength gain. You can customize your workouts any number of ways based on preference and how you feel, but, ultimately, as long as you follow the parameters in the chart, you’ll be fine.

There are many ways to set up an effective program using all these tools I’ve given you. One of the simplest is just to follow Prilepin’s chart from top to bottom. For example, you could set up a 12 to 16-week program where you spend a few weeks in each percentage range on the chart, moving from the 55–65% bracket down to 90%+. Take a deload week (where you lighten the weights and/or reduce the number of sets you do in your workouts) here and there as needed, and aim to peak in your final week, maxing out your lifts.

In the first week of each training block, you could set your RPE on the low side, maybe 8, so that you give yourself a chance to get accustomed to the program. The second week, you could bump up the RPE—and the percentage—to a 9, and in Week 3, go heavier with an RPE 10. To ensure that the weights are challenging enough at those lower percentages, you can limit your rest periods to a minute or so and build work capacity. Something like this…

Week 1: 4 sets of 6 @ RPE 8/60%

Week 2: 4 sets of 6 @ RPE 9/65%

Week 3: 4 sets of 6 @ RPE 10/70%

The next training block would move to the 70–80% range on Prilepin’s chart, and could look like this:

Week 4: 3 sets of 5 @ RPE 8/72.5%

Week 5: 3 sets of 5 @ RPE 9/75%

Week 6: 3 sets of 5 @ RPE 10/77.5%

Now you’d probably increase your rest periods as the weights got heavier, and go up in smaller weight increments so you had time to adapt.

Of course, you don’t have to wait months to test where your maxes are. If you’re having a good day and your RPEs are lower than you intended, that’s a good time to throw in a heavy set or two of 1 to 3 reps, as Westside lifters do. Saving your heaviest work for the days you really feel up to it is a good way to perform it more safely, and set PRs.

Another way to program is to alternate periods of higher volume and lighter weight with weeks of just the opposite—heavy weight and low volume. For instance, spend four weeks in the 70–80% zone on Prilepin’s chart, and then four weeks at 90%+. This contrast makes for big gains in muscle and strength.

As you experiment with programming, be aware of a few caveats…

1. You don’t want to train at high percentages and RPEs for much more than three weeks at a time. Think 85%+ and 9/10 RPE. At that point, your joints and nervous system begin to get overstressed.

2. You shouldn’t do high amounts of volume at moderate intensities for too long either—as in 70–80% for 7/8 RPE for more than four weeks. Again, you’ll risk burnout.

Wave your percentages and RPEs any way you see fit, but keep them varied.

3. A good strategy when trying to develop multiple lifts at once—as in the squat, bench press, and deadlift—is to reduce the intensity on one of your workout days. For example, you can squat heavy on Monday and deadlift heavy on Friday, but do your pressing with 75% and an RPE 8 on Wednesday. (See the sample workout split below.) Doing three heavy days in one week is asking for trouble.

Strength Program FAQ

Hopefully, you now have some ideas of how you can use conjugate, percentages, and RPE to write your own workouts. But before you start planning your next year in the gym, let me clear up a few questions you may have.

Do I Have to Use an RPE and % For Every Exercise? Can’t I Just Lift Weights??

Percentages and RPE don’t need to be assigned to all your exercises. Not only would that be tedious and complex, it just isn’t necessary. Use percentages and RPE to guide the main lifts you want to improve so you can moderate the overall stress of your workouts. This means big, heavy barbell exercises like squats, deadlifts, snatches, cleans, etc. The remaining exercises in your workouts—assistance lifts, including any dumbbell/kettlebell or bodyweight work you want to do—should be done with more conventional set and rep schemes, and can largely be done by feel. Old standbys like 3 sets of 10, 4 sets of 8, and so on will work fine, provided you suit them to your goals. But, generally speaking, avoid training to failure. You should almost always have a rep or two left in you upon the completion of any set.

Does RPE Always Correspond With A Percentage of My Max?

No. RPE will often be in line with percentages of your max when you’re going really heavy—sets of 3 and under. But there are many times when your RPE may be high but the weights are lighter, such as when you’re doing variations on lifts with special bars or intensity techniques (described above). You may also start a program unsure of what your one-rep max is—maybe because you don’t compete in any strength sport, and so you don’t need to know it (or maybe you just never max out). You wouldn’t really know, then, what load any percentage would have you use, so you’d just be guessing. In that case, you’d have to let RPE be your compass.

There may also be instances, such as when you’re coming back from an injury or illness, or when you’re stressed out by life, where you’ll want to hold back a little on your sets so you don’t make it even harder to recover from your training.

How Do I Assign RPE In My Own Workouts?

Generally, you want to train hard. So RPEs of 8, 9, and 10 will be used the most frequently. RPE’s of 6 and 7 are typically used for workouts when you want to coast after several weeks of intense training (i.e., take a deload week). You can wave your intensity as shown above by starting the first week of a training block with lighter loads and stopping yourself far away from failure, such as with an RPE 7 or 8, and then ramp up from there. You can also assign yourself light, heavy, and medium days, where you, say, squat with an RPE 10 on Monday, then lighten it up and just practice the lift with sets at an RPE 7 on Wednesday, and come back on Friday with an RPE 8 for a moderate session.

You can also go totally by feel and assign yourself RPEs based on how your warmup sets go. Just be wary of how many hard workouts you have in a week, and try to undulate the intensity so you don’t burn out.

Sample 6-Week Workout

There are many nuances to how I use the Total Performance Method to maximize gains that go beyond the scope of this article. Whether you’re a competitive lifter, or just a regular guy/gal who likes to train heavy and be strong, and you’re interested to see how I personally prefer to bring conjugate, percentages, and RPE together, I have programs available that you can use for those goals (go to tpsmethod.com).

In the meantime, I’ll give you a sample of how I might change exercises, percentages, and RPE week to week to bring up three main lifts—the squat, becnch press, and deadlift. The following is a six-week program that a powerlifter might use to peak his/her one-rep maxes for a meet. You’ll notice that the RPE changes according to the variations we do on the main lifts, and those lifts change often to shore up the lifter’s weaknesses.

WEEK 1

Day I

Squat

2 Sets of 3 Reps @ RPE 9/80%

2 Set of 3 Reps @ RPE 10/85%

Reverse-Banded Squat*

1 Set of 2 Reps @ RPE 9/95%

*Attach bands to the top of the power rack and loop the open ends over the ends of the barbell to reduce the load you’re lifting at the bottom of the squat.

Day II

Bench Press

2 Sets of 3 Reps @ RPE 8/80%

1 Set of 3 Reps @ RPE 9/85%

Day III

1” Deficit Deadlift*

2 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 8/80%

1 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 9/85%

*Stand on a platform that’s raised one inch above the floor.

Day IV

Dynamic Bench Press with Band*

8 Sets of 3 Reps @ 40%

*Attach bands to the bar to increase the load as you lockout the weight. Dynamic effort sets are performed as explosively as possible. Alternate your grip between close, medium, and just outside medium each set.

WEEK 2

Day I

Squat

1 Set of 2 Reps @ RPE 7/80%

2 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 8/85%

1 Set of 2 Reps @ RPE 9/90%

Reverse-Banded Squat

1 Set of 1 Rep @ RPE 10/100%+

Day II

Bench Press

1 Set of 2 Reps @ RPE 8/85%

2 Sets of 1 Rep @ RPE 8/90%

Reverse-Banded Bench Press

1 Set of 1 Rep @ RPE 10/95%+

Day III

Deadlift

1 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 8/85%

1 Set of 2 Reps @ RPE 9/90%

1 Set of 2 Reps @ RPE 10/95%

Day IV

Dynamic Bench Press with Band

10 Sets of 3 Reps @ 45%

Alternate your grip between close, medium, and just outside medium each set.

WEEK 3

Day I

Squat

1 Set of 2 Reps @ RPE 8/85%

1 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 9/90%

1 Set of 1 Reps @ RPE 10/95%

Day II

Bench Press

1 Set of 1 Rep @ RPE 8/90%

2 Sets of 1 Rep @ RPE 9/95%

Reverse-Banded Bench Press

1–2 Sets of 1 Rep @ RPE 10/100%+

Day III

Deadlift

2 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 7/80%

2 Sets of 1 Reps @ RPE 7/85%

Day IV

Dynamic Bench Press with Bands

12 Sets of 3 Reps @ 50%

Alternate your grip between close, medium, and just outside medium each set.

WEEK 4

Day I

Squat

3 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 8/80%

Day II

Bench Press

1 Set of 3 Reps @ RPE 6/70%

2 Sets of 3 Reps @ RPE 6-7/75%

Day III

Deadlift

1 Set of 1 Rep @ RPE 8/90%

1 Sets of 1 Rep @ RPE 10/95%

2 Sets of 1 Rep @ RPE 10/95%+

Day IV

Dynamic Bench Press with Bands

8 Sets of 3 Reps @ 50%

Alternate your grip between close, medium, and just outside medium each set.

WEEK 5

Day I

Squat

1 Set of 1 Rep @ RPE 8/90%

2 Sets of 1 Rep @ RPE 10/95%+

Day II

Bench Press

1 Set of 1 Rep @ RPE 8/90%

2-3 Sets of 1 Rep @ RPE 9-10/95%+

Day III

Deadlift with Chains*

3 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 8/80%

*Attach chains to the bar to increase the load as you rise to lockout.

Day IV

Dynamic Bench Press with Bands

10 Sets of 3 Reps @ 55%

Alternate your grip between close, medium, and just outside medium each set.

WEEK 6

Day I

Squat

3 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 8/85%

Day II

Bench Press

2 Sets of 2 Reps @ RPE 7/80%

2 Sets of 1 Rep @ RPE 7/85%

Day III

Deadlift

1 Set of 1 Rep @ RPE 6/75% (as explosive as possible)

1 Set of 1 Rep @ RPE 6/80% (as explosive as possible)

1 Set of 1 Rep @ RPE 7/85% (as explosive as possible)

Day IV

Off

The following week, test your maxes on the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

Get more workouts from Murphy at tpsmethod.com.

The post This May Be The Best Way To Get Stronger appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Adding another 20 or 30 pounds to your bench is often just a matter of increasing your lockout strength—the top portion of the range of motion where the triceps take over and lock out your elbows.

That’s exactly why JM Blakley, a former elite-level bench press specialist, invented the exercise 20+ years ago.

Inserting the JM press into your weekly routine could mean going from a weight that staples you to the bench to one you’re lifting for reps in short order. You’ll also gain some triceps size in the process, which will go a long way toward making you look like a strong bencher.

What Is the JM Press?

The JM press is essentially a cross between a close-grip bench press and a barbell skull crusher (triceps extension)—both of which are hallmark strength- and mass-gaining exercises for the triceps.

In the close-grip bench press, the lifter uses a narrower grip than on the conventional bench press—such as hands at shoulder-width, or slightly inside—to emphasize triceps involvement over the chest and shoulders. With the skull crusher, the bar is lowered to the forehead, putting a stretch on the triceps to increase activation. The JM press puts both exercises together in a movement that works the triceps in the range of motion they use to lock out the elbows in the last few inches of a bench press rep, when the weight is going up overhead. This makes it very specific to bench press gains, and, therefore, a popular exercise among powerlifters.

In an interview with Dave Tate (powerlifting coach and founder of EliteFTS), JM Blakley said the following, when recalling how he came to invent his namesake exercise: “I’m super big on recovery… I couldn’t do three, or four, or even two triceps exercises after a while, because the [cumulative] load was so much… So how can I get the value of a skull crusher and a close-grip bench and not have to do both of them? I blended them together.”

In other words, the JM press was an efficiency hack to get the most out of two great bench press-building exercises for the price of one.

“A close-grip bench press normally comes to the lower part of your chest, and a skull crusher ends at the top of the forehead,” says Julia Ladewski Anto, CSCS, a strength and conditioning coach to powerlifters, athletes, and CrossFitters of various ages, and an elite powerlifter herself (julialadewski.com). “With the JM Press, you’re looking to bring the bar to the chin/neck area.” [Exactly where you bring the bar largely depends on the length of your upper and lower arms, as you’ll see in the description below.]

Benefits of the JM Press

When powerlifters do an exercise specifically for the triceps, it’s usually to increase lockout strength for the bench press. This is certainly the case with the JM press. Most lifters will stall somewhere past the halfway point as they press the bar up. This is known as the sticking point. The JM press was Blakely’s solution to the problem, as it strengthens the triceps at precisely the point where they would normally be unable to extend the elbows with a heavy load.

“I’d put the JM press into a training program for someone who needs to build pure triceps strength,” says Anto. “I would gear it more toward powerlifters and those looking to improve their bench press.” Conventional triceps exercises like cable pushdowns and kickbacks, she says, are fine for building triceps muscle size, but they won’t develop strength that’s specific to the bench press, mainly because the movement mechanics are too different. Another advantage of the JM press over more conventional triceps moves: loading potential.

“You can move more weight on JM presses than on a skull crusher,” says Anto, “and really push the limit on that lower part of the triceps [where the muscle inserts into the elbow]. It may take a few sessions to feel out the movement pattern, but once you’re aware of where on the triceps you should be feeling it, you’re golden.”

While the JM press was really intended for powerlifting training, that isn’t to say that it can’t or shouldn’t be used by those who merely want bigger arms. “It can definitely be used for hypertrophy [muscle gain],” says Anto. “It will overload the triceps, which can create some solid density in those muscles.” 

However, Anto says novice lifters may be better served with more standard triceps exercises. “Beginners and general gym goers can get more benefit with greater ease of movement by using close-grip presses, dumbbell presses, and various skull crusher variations,” she says. “I just can’t justify having a general population person use the JM press when there’s a larger learning curve to actually get something out of it.” As you’ll see below, the JM press is a fairly technical lift that needs to be done precisely to see gains, so attempt it only after you’ve gained some experience with the bench press and its more common assistance lifts.

What Muscles Does the JM Press Work?

The JM press is used to target the triceps, but there is some movement at the shoulders, which makes it a compound exercise that works the pecs and delts a bit as well.

“The [muscle involvement] really depends on how you perform the exercise,” says Anto. “I’ve seen it doctored over the years and morph into various things from how it was originally intended. The original way the exercise was performed was meant to focus on the triceps—specifically the lower part of the triceps, near the elbow—and you tried to keep any shoulder rotation out of it.” This is the version we’ll describe how to do below.

Of the three heads of the triceps brachii muscle, the JM press emphasizes the lateral head the most, similar to how a close-grip bench press acts on the muscle. The lateral head is the portion of the muscle that runs down the outer side of your arm, and mostly accounts for its horseshoe appearance when well developed. FYI, the long head and medial head of the triceps (on the inner/medial side of the arm) are targeted with overhead and reverse-grip elbow extension movements, respectively. It’s not that the JM press won’t activate these areas, but it doesn’t recruit them as well.

Research confirms that the triceps are involved to a greater extent when doing barbell presses with a narrow grip versus a wide one. The JM press falls in the narrow-grip category. Furthermore, researchers have found that the triceps’ lateral head is highly active during the top portion of a bench press.

How to Properly Do the JM Press

Here’s how to perform the JM press as originally intended by its creator, JM Blakley.

Step 1. Use a bench press station, or lie back on a bench that’s situated in a power rack, making sure you’re scooted forward enough so that the bar is behind your head when it’s racked (not over your face).

Step 2. Grasp the barbell with hands roughly shoulder-width apart. For most people, this will mean hands 15–16 inches apart—a narrower grip than you’d use for a standard bench press. For the highest degree of safety, keep your thumbs wrapped around the bar.

Step 3. Unrack the bar and begin with your arms fully extended overhead. Make sure the bar is stacked over your wrists and forearms. Don’t let your wrists roll backward into extension.

Step 4. Tuck your elbows about 45 degrees from your sides and point them forward (toward your feet). They should stay in front of the bar throughout the exercise. Bend your elbows and lower the bar, under control, straight down to somewhere between the very top of your upper chest and your chin; a lot of coaches cue to lower the bar to the throat.

Step 5. When your forearms and biceps touch each other, that’s the end of the range of motion. For those with bigger arms (particularly large biceps), the stopping point will be roughly 90 degrees of elbow flexion; others may go past 90 degrees, but there’s no need to touch the bar all the way to your chin/throat/upper chest.

Step 6. From the bottom of the rep, extend your elbows to explosively press the bar straight up (not in an arc like a standard bench press). “Because of the way the bar moves,” says Anto, “you’re going to have to cock your wrists up a bit, then punch your hands toward the ceiling.” That is, actively flex your wrists as you lower the bar to keep them straight, and maintain that tension as you press the bar.

Sets/Reps/Load

The JM press is most effectively used with relatively heavy weights, but you need to work up to such loading gradually. As Blakley notes in this video, when starting out with the exercise, it’s best to go very light and do a higher number of total reps to learn the movement and practice technique. Specifically, he recommends 4–6 sets of 10 reps, using “extremely light weight.” Do this once a week for a month or so before moving onto heavier loads.

When you’re sure you’ve got the form down, try Blakley’s go-to set/rep scheme: 4 sets of 6 reps, using the heaviest weight that you can handle for roughly six reps on your first set. As you fatigue, you’ll inevitably get fewer reps on the subsequent sets, but stick with the same weight until you can do all 4 sets for 6 reps.

The JM press should be the first exercise you do for triceps in whichever workout you train them. In other words, if you’re doing an arm day, do the JM press as your first triceps exercise, so you’re fresh and can give it your best focus. If you train triceps on the same day you bench press, do the bench press first, and then the JM press.

Safety Tips for the JM Press

The JM press is an unorthodox (some would say awkward) exercise that, if done carelessly, can place excessive strain on the elbows. As mentioned above, start off very light and keep the overall volume in check. Limit your frequency on the JM press to only once per week.

“Take it slow,” Blakley told Dave Tate in their interview. “Build it into your program [gradually]… It builds so much tendon strength, but that takes time.”

Anto echoes these sentiments, but she doesn’t necessarily consider the JM press to be any more dangerous than other related exercises.

“It’s a different movement pattern, so it takes practice to get that right, and then to get it right enough to be able to load it and actually get something out of it,” she says. “Sure, if you load too heavy, too fast, the bar could fall on your face, but then again, so can a bench press or a skull crusher. I’d be more concerned about loading slowly and getting used to the stress that’s placed on the triceps tendon, as it can feel a little taxed afterward. Start slowly and work up.”

Can I Use Dumbbells?

As an exercise that’s specifically intended to boost bench press strength, the JM press’s most effective application is with a barbell. But can you use dumbbells instead if you’re training at home, or for whatever reason would rather not use a bar?

“Possibly,” says Anto, “but I think it would be a little more awkward than it already is, since you’d have two individual weights [to stabilize]. The straight line of the barbell allows you to stay a little more balanced and in control. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but again, the exercise was meant to be loaded heavy, and I don’t know if you could get the same movement pattern or loading with dumbbells as you could with the barbell.”

A JM press done with dumbbells, then, may be a useful exercise for triceps muscle mass, but it wouldn’t have much carryover to benching max weight.

Great JM Press Alternatives

The JM Press is a highly unique exercise, so it’s hard to find a comparable move that targets the same movement path and muscles.

“To this day, I’ve never done an exercise that directly stretches that lower triceps tendon like JM Presses,” says Anto. “Most alternatives would be some type of close-grip press or floor press, but now you’re getting into shoulder and chest work as well.”

That said, if you’re not a seasoned bencher who’s already putting up huge numbers, you probably don’t need anything fancy to see gains.

Close-Grip Bench Press

Start with the standard close-grip bench press, which will train your triceps to contribute more to the movement, thereby boosting your lockout strength.

How To Close-Grip Bench Press

Step 1. Lie on the bench and arch your back, pulling your shoulder blades down and together. Grasp the bar at shoulder width or just inside, and pull it out of the rack.

Step 2. Take a deep breath, tighten your glutes, and lower the bar to your sternum, tucking your elbows to your sides at 45 degrees on the descent. When the bar touches your body, push your feet into the floor and press the bar up at the same time.

Close-Grip Board Press

Bench presses of any kind can be done with a board (a block of wood with a handle) held against the chest to shorten the range of motion. This allows you to work just the lockout range and train even heavier to strengthen it maximally. Board presses can be done with a standard bench press grip, but to target the triceps to a greater extent, Anto recommends close-grip board presses.

“Sometimes you need to do an exercise that will allow you to handle weights near your max,” says Anto, “which will allow your nervous system to adapt to moving that weight on a regular basis.” She recommends using two to three boards depending on your arm length (longer-armed lifters need more boards to keep the exercise in the triceps’ main range of motion). “You’re looking for slightly less range of motion so you can load, but you don’t want it so high that you aren’t stressing the triceps.”

How to do the Close-Grip Board Press

Step 1. Lie back on the bench and grasp the bar with a shoulder-width grip (or slightly narrower), and have a partner place two to three wooden boards on the middle of your chest. Have your partner hold the boards in place on your chest throughout the set. If you don’t have a partner to hold the boards for you, you can use Repboards (repelbullies.com), as shown here, which are hard foam boards that you can clip onto your torso. (Yet another option is to stuff a foam roller under your shirt, so that the roller stops the bar a few inches above your chest.)

Step 2. Unrack the bar, and slowly lower it to the boards, keeping your elbows tucked so that your upper arms are at a roughly 45-degree angle with your torso. On a close-grip bench press (unlike the JM Press), the bar should be lowered toward the lower portion of the pecs.

Step 3. When the bar touches the boards, explosively press back up in a slightly backward arc until the bar is directly over your face.

JM Board Press

This is just a reduced-range JM press, allowing you to zone in on the lockout even more.

How to do the JM Board Press

Step 1. Perform the JM press as described above, but have a partner place two to three boards on your chest as explained in the close-grip board press. (Or use Repboards, or a foam roller.)

The post How to Properly Do the JM Press: Get Stronger & Bigger appeared first on Onnit Academy.

– The bent-over barbell row is primarily a back exercise, but works many other muscles as well, and can be considered a full-body movement.

– The row can be used as an assistance exercise to strengthen weak points in specific lifts you want to improve.

– Rowing with a barbell can be hard on the lower back, so it may be wise to consider alternatives.

Bent-Over Barbell Row: How To Do It & Get Ripped

When most people hear “back exercise,” they picture a pullup, pulldown, or other such vertical pulling motion. There’s nothing wrong with that, but rowing should be the priority in your back training. Rows train the scapular muscles (the ones that control your shoulder blades) to retract, and that helps fight the bad posture people develop from sitting and looking down at their iPhones. They balance out the effects of pushups and chest presses on the shoulders, and they build thickness throughout the back.

Perhaps the greatest and most time-honored row of all is the bent-over barbell row. About as old as lifting itself, the bent-over row has you fighting to maintain a rigid torso in a hinged position while you pull the barbell to your belly. While it’s mainly used to build up the lats, rhomboids, and traps, the barbell row is really a full-body exercise, calling on the lower back, core, biceps, hamstrings and more. Let us take you through the proper execution of the exercise, its many benefits, and a few alternatives you can use to get similar results, if you determine the bent-over barbell row isn’t for you.

How To Do The Bent-Over Barbell Row

Step 1. Place a barbell on a rack set to hip level. (You can also deadlift it up from the floor—but only if you can maintain a flat back/neutral spine position, for safety). Grasp the bar with your hands just outside shoulder-width, and palms facing down. Pull the bar out of the rack. Step back, and set your feet at hip width; hold the bar at arm‘s length against your thighs.

Step 2. Draw your shoulder blades back and downward—think: “proud chest.” Take a deep breath into your belly, trying to expand it 360 degrees. Brace your core. Now bend your hips back while keeping your head, spine, and pelvis aligned. Allow your knees to bend naturally as you drive the hips back until your torso is just above parallel to the floor—or as low as you can go without losing the neutral positioning of your lower back. Your arms should hang straight down, but not loose; maintain your proud chest position and actively pull the bar close to you so it’s touching your shins just below the knees. Your neck should be neutral—not extended or rounded forward. Focus your eyes on the floor a few feet in front of you.

Step 3. Actively contract/squeeze your back muscles as you row the bar up to your abdomen. Breathe out as you do so. The bar should touch your torso somewhere between your belly button and sternum. Hold it there for a second or two, and then lower the bar back down under control, taking another breath in.

Because it lends itself to training heavy, the bent-over barbell row is usually performed for sets of 6 to 12 reps, but it can be done for higher rep ranges to train the endurance of the lower back and core. Those new to the exercise should start with 3–5 sets of 5 reps to keep fatigue at bay while they master the technique.

Safety Tips

Be careful not to let your torso bounce up and down as you’re rowing the bar, as this can cause a lower-back injury. Focus on keeping your trunk motionless, and your bar path smooth. Furthermore, don’t drive your elbows up as high as you can. This can irritate the shoulder joints over time. Your upper arms should point out at about a 45-degree angle at the top of the row, and they should be level with your torso.

Training Tips

The bent-over barbell row can also be performed with different grip widths and hand positions to emphasize one muscle group over another. For instance, the classic row described above is great for overall back development, but gripping the bar even wider and flaring the elbows more shifts the muscle activation so that the traps and rear delts do more of the work. Meanwhile, a narrower, shoulder-width grip will have you pulling the bar lower on your abdomen with your elbows tucked closer to your sides. This will train your lat muscles to a greater degree. Another option: use an underhand (palms facing up) grip, which puts more tension on the lats and biceps, but less on the traps and upper back muscles. Choose the variation that best suits your goals.

For example, a lifter who wants to strengthen his/her back to improve performance on the deadlift should use the basic barbell row described above as a mainstay. The mechanics are most similar to those used on the deadlift, so this type of row will have the greatest carryover. However, someone who is trying to build thicker, wider lats for physique development may do better to focus on the underhand-grip row with the elbows in close to the sides.

Pendlay Row

The bent-over row can also be done with a slightly different technique. A Pendlay row, named for Olympic weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay, is a bent-over barbell row with a lower torso position that allows you to touch the plates on the bar (assuming you’re using standard-sized Olympic plates, or 45-pounders) to the floor between reps. This variation helps to build more explosive strength, as you can’t rely on momentum or the muscles’ stretch reflex to help you row the bar.

It also makes cheating a bit more difficult. Many people will inadvertently stand more upright mid-set when doing heavy rows, taking pressure off the lower back and using momentum to get the weight up. The Pendlay row makes you stay in that bent-over position, but it gives your lower back a break between reps, letting you re-set, and that may allow you to lift heavier. However, the Pendlay row requires a strong lower back and good hip mobility in order for you to bend over that far and keep the position without rounding your lower back, so we wouldn’t recommend it for inexperienced lifters, or those with lower-back problems.

Benefits of the Bent-Over Barbell Row

The bent-over barbell row is one of the most efficient exercises you can learn, as it trains a number of muscles and functions. Here’s a quick rundown of what we consider to be its key selling points.

#1. It trains the hip hinge. The ability to bend your hips back—activating your posterior muscles while keeping good alignment from your head to your pelvis—is a must for anyone who wants to be functionally strong or perform well at sports. A three-point stance in football, the beginning of any jump, and performing the simple action of picking a grocery bag up off the floor all require sound hinge mechanics. The bent-over barbell row teaches you not only to hinge but to hold that hinged position while you work the upper body. So, funny enough, while it’s thought of as a back exercise, it’s really a full-body, athletic movement.

#2. It works a ton of muscle. As you’ll see in the next section, the row trains pretty much the entire back side of the body, with some added stimulation for the biceps, forearms, grip, and core as well. If your workouts need to be brief, or you get overwhelmed by the idea of having to use a dozen different exercises to train all these muscles, the bent-over row can simplify things greatly. Additionally, the bent-over barbell row puts you in a strong biomechanical position and has you using both arms at once. That allows you to handle more weight than you could on most other back exercises. If lifting big weights—on any exercise—is a goal of yours, the bent-over row can help you get there.

A 2018 study looked at eight different exercises for efficiently targeting all the muscles of the back. The exercises were the bent-over barbell row, chinup, inverted row, IYT raise, lat pulldown, pullup, seated row, and suspension trainer row. The lead researcher concluded that if a person had to choose only one back exercise to do, the bent-over barbell row would be the best option, as it activates three of five main back muscles to the greatest degree (middle traps, infraspinatus, spinal erectors), and was the second best exercise for the other two muscles (lower traps and lats).

#3. It strengthens weak points. Some people struggle to keep the barbell close to their body when performing deadlifts or Olympic weightlifting exercises. The bent-over barbell row helps to strengthen the back so that you can maintain control of the bar, as well as rigidity in the torso and hips while in a hinged position. You’d be hard-pressed to find a weightlifter, powerlifter, or strongman who hasn’t used bent-over barbell rows to prepare for competition at some point.

#4. It promotes good posture. Most people slouch. Their shoulders are rotated forward and their upper backs are weak as a result. If you do a lot of chest pressing on top of that, you make the problem worse, and increase the risk of shoulder pain. Rows strengthen the upper back—specifically, the rhomboids and middle traps, which retract the shoulder blades. When these areas are strong, you stand up straighter with your shoulders back and your chest out—like a Marine standing at attention. In other words, rows make you look better, and avoid the disabled list.

Muscles Used in the Bent-Over Barbell Row

You can expect the following muscles to be trained when you do the bent-over barbell row, starting at the top of the body and scanning down.

• trapezius (middle and lower portions)
• rhomboids
• latissimus dorsi (lats)
• teres major
• rear delts
• infraspinatus (rotator cuff)
• teres minor
• pec major (the sternal portion)
• brachialis (upper arm)
• biceps
• brachioradialis (forearm)
• spinal erectors
• quadratus lumborum (core)
• rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscle)
• obliques
• glutes
• hamstrings
• adductors
• quads

How To Stretch Before Doing the Bent-Over Barbell Row

Try the following warmup mobility drills from Cristian Plascencia and Natalie Higby, founders of thedurableathlete.com, before you perform the bent-over barbell row. Do 3 sets of 5–10 reps for each move.

Shoulder Protraction/Retraction

Kneeling Arm Thread

Cat-Cow

Half Mountain Climber to Full Mountain Climber

Alternatives to the Bent-Over Barbell Row

For all its good points, the bent-over barbell row does have a downside: it can be hell on the lower back, especially if you’re over 40, or have a history of back problems. Furthermore, just getting stronger on the barbell row over time makes it a bit more precarious for the lower back because you’re subjecting the lumbar spine to increasingly heavier loads. That’s why we love the bent-over row for beginners and younger athletes looking to build a base of strength, but rarely prescribe the standard barbell version to older people or those with banged-up backs. When you’re rowing 185 pounds, you’re not at much risk. But build up to where you can row 225 for reps, and you may find that your lower back wants to round, giving out before your lats and upper back do. For these reasons, it’s good to cycle alternative exercises into your program that work the same muscles as the barbell row, but in a less risky way.

Inverted Row

The inverted row is a rowing motion done while hanging from a barbell or suspension trainer. Like the bent-over row, it’s a full-body movement that requires your core to stabilize your body, but you don’t load your back in a hinged position, so there’s no stress on the lumbar. Done on a barbell, the inverted row is a bit more stable. When using a suspension trainer, you have to stabilize the handles and you get a little extra range of motion.

Step 1. Grasp the handles with your palms facing down, and hang from the suspension trainer at whatever angle is appropriate for your strength level. A steeper angle will make the exercise easier, and a flatter one will be harder. Just make sure there’s tension on the straps. Brace your abs and draw your shoulders back and down—think “proud chest.” Retract your neck, as if making a double chin, so your body forms a straight line from your head to your feet.

Step 2. Row your body up to the handles, tucking your elbows close to your sides, and rotating the handles so that your palms face each other.

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Rowing with dumbbells is often preferable to a barbell. The dumbbell allows a greater range of motion, a freer range of motion—so that your body can determine the best path of movement based on your own mechanics—and it forces you to stabilize your torso to prevent rotation. It’s also great for building up grip strength, and it can be trained both heavy and for high reps. It’s a staple exercise in many strength athletes’ workouts, as well as those of bodybuilding and fitness competitors.

Step 1. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and get into a staggered stance, balancing on the ball of your rear foot with your opposite forearm braced against your front thigh for support. The hand holding the weight should be opposite of the foot that’s in front.

Step 2. Row the dumbbell to your hip, and then hold it in the top position for a second or two. Lower the weight under control.

The post Bent-Over Barbell Row: How To Do It & Get Ripped appeared first on Onnit Academy.