Front Squats For Improved Posture & Performance

This scares me to death… strength and sports coaches who load heavy weights onto the back of weak and muscularly imbalanced athletes.

Listen, if yourself or your athletes can not maintain a STRONG posture… which in my book is defined as:

“The capacity to maintain The Instantaneous Axis Of Rotation of all joints while static or during dynamic movement.”

Then you have no business adding external resistance (barbells or weights) to their body in a manner that facilitates the weakness or exposes it to injury.

Let me explain… if a kid has overdeveloped traps and weak scapular adductors (the muscles that hold the chest up and shoulder blades together) he will appear to have a “rounded” or “hunched” mid / back,  It may not be as obvious a deformation as the Hunchback of Notre Dame but it is a Red Flag none the less.

Now if you take that kid who can barely maintain thoracic extension (chest up, shoulders down posture) and load his spine with a 225 lb. barbell and expect him to squat… you’re gonna have one of several situations on your hands.

1. The barbell will crush him and toss him face first onto the floor with the barbell doping down on his neck!

2. He will squat the weight, but it will look more like a Good Morning bow than a squat… and his low back is going to be killing him!

3. He will simply not be able to attempt the lift…. EVER!  He will never get stronger with this weak link in his “kinetic chain.”

So, what the heck do you do?

Use what I call “Corrective Bodybuilding” to strengthen weaknesses while still taxing the nervous and endocrine system for increased strength and growth!

Check out one more of my “Corrective Bodybuilding” exercises below:

Check out… Football Strength System for more “Corrective Body Building Exercises”,  before the price goes up this month!

Squat Technique Flaw

If you are familiar with my philosophies on strength and conditioning for football player, athletes and general fitness… you know that I LOVE Squats!!

Nothing builds a solid set of legs, back, core, shoulders, neck, ears and eye lids than a healthy set of barbell squats.  In fact, squats are so important for the development of athletic strength and speed that it was the very first exercise that my uncle taught me when I began training at 14 years old.

Unfortunately, most people suck at squatting… and this is a shame since squats not only improve athletic performance but are essential for the maintenance of good health.

You might not know this, but squats are a “Primal Pattern” (ref. Paul Chek) which means that if you couldn’t squat during primordial times… you’d be pretty useless as a hunter/gatherer/builder and would definitely have a tough time pooping!  (can you say Colon Obstruction?)

We’ll I am going to show you a common muscular imbalance that many adults and athletes have that makes squatting nearly impossible.

But, I also show you how to fix it… who loves ya?

I spent an entire chapter on how to squat properly in my Football Strength System.  Make sure you are not wasting your time with ineffective exercises or with improper form.

Yoke Bar Squats - Leg Exercises

Primary Muscle: Quads

Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, Lower Back, Glutes

Equipment Needed: Squat Rack, Barbell, Box

Mechanics Type: Compound

About: This exercise is a great variation of the typical barbell back squat.

The Safety Squat Bar

By Dave Tate

For www.EliteFTS.com

My First Safety Squat Bar Workout

I used to think this bar was a total waste of time and money before I used it for the first time at Westside Barbell Club in the early 1990’s. I came to Westside from a very intense progressive overload background. For those who are not familiar with this style of training, progressive overload begins by performing sets of 10 repetitions for several weeks and over two to three months, one would gradually decrease the reps until you perform singles. This style of training worked well for me when I first began training. As I got more experienced, I needed something more advanced and started training at Westside Barbell. I had to find something new or I was never going to get better. While at Westside, I was introduced to a whole new style of training. It was completely different and I had never seen or read about this kind of training before. I was hesitant at first but since I had not made any progress in many years I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I had seen the Safety Squat bar before and thought it was a total joke. I always thought that if you wanted to squat more, you simply squatted. And if you wanted to deadlift more, all you had to do is deadlift. To me everything else was just to get bigger, not stronger.

I still remember my first training session with the Safety Squat bar. It was a max effort training day. On max effort days, we always pick one exercise and work up until you hit a one rep max. On this particular day we performed a Safety Squat bar squat off of a low hassock (which is similar to a soft box). After one set I knew this bar was going to absolutely destroy the muscles of my upper and lower back. 135 pounds was loaded on the bar and we all began to work up. Back then Westside was not the gym it is today. Yes, there were still very strong lifters there but nothing like there is today. I can’t remember who I was training with but I do remember the intensity of the training session. I had always had training partners but never more than one or two and the intensity was nothing like what I was about to experience.

After a few sets of 135 we proceeded to work up using 3 reps with only 45’s and 25’s pound plates being used. Anything less was a sin. I knew this bar was about to kick my ass when we got up to 315. 315 pounds should not have been that heavy as I had recently squatted 760lbs. But it was and my lower back was screaming. Since I was new at Westside, I didn’t let anyone know. I did not want to look like a chump. The thing that killed me was that 315 was a total joke for all the other guys, and they all squatted less than me! I had no idea why I was so weak. The next jump was to 365 and when I unracked the bar I wasn’t sure if I was going to get it. It felt like a ton when I took it out of the rack. This bar is in a constant process of trying to dump you forward and you have to use the muscles of your lower back to stay arched (another thing I had no idea how to do) and your upper back to keep from dumping forward. After unracking the bar there were several shouts of encouragement from the spotters. I grinded out my first rep. I was about to rack the bar when Louie yelled for me to do two more reps. After the second rep, my eyes began to water and I started seeing stars. The third rep, I don’t remember.

The rest of the guys once again had no problem with the weight and I began to feel humbled. I thought I was done squatting when I heard the 45 slap on the bar. 405 pounds was loaded on the bar and they were calling me back up to the bar. For the first time in my life I did not want to squat. 365 just about knocked my head off and now I was expected to squat 405. Being that I had never made smart decisions in the past with my own training, I figured what the hell. I got under the bar and unracked the weight and proceeded to do one of the slowest single rep maximums of my entire life. I am sure my spotters were yelling the whole time but the only thought going through my head was to stand back up with the weight. After the weight was racked the room began to fade and then I saw flickering silver dust particles all around me. I held onto the bar to ensure I did not pass out and then walked over to the glute ham raise and held myself up for the next half hour. I watched, drooped over the pad and my world spinning, while my new training partners all worked up to 600 pounds.

The next day I was sore as hell from my calves to my neck. There was not a single muscle on the backside of my body that did not hurt. When I looked in the mirror I noticed that both my eyes were blood shot and I had broken capillaries all over my face. I hated the Safety Squat bar but realized how valuable the bar was. Over the next few years I saw my squat jump from 760 to 935 and have to say that some of this increase was due to the torture of the Safety Squat Bar.

Dynamic Training with the Safety Squat Bar

The newest application for the Safety Squat Bar has been its use for speed (Dynamic) squat training. This offers many benefits for the strength athlete. First, it is a great way to build the explosive and static strength of the lower back and many have found that this bar is a great way to increase your deadlift. Second, it takes much of the stress off of the elbows and shoulders. This has a huge recovery effect for your bench training. This is of great value for those lifters who are training for bench press only meets or those who are trying to recover from pectoral, shoulder and elbow injuries. With the safety squat bar you will be allowed to train around the injuries and still get in a quality squat workout. Third, the safety squat bar is a great bar to use for GPP or lactic acid tolerance training. Listed below are some of the more popular squat cycles done with a safety squat bar.

Lactic Acid Tolerance Training Cycle

Application: This is a great cycle for off season training when you would like to give your arms and shoulders a break. This is also a great way to peak your bench for a bench meet without having to stop squatting. This is good for beginners, intermediate and advanced lifters.

Training Cycle (Three week version):

Week 1 – 35% for 10 sets 2 reps with 45 second rest periods.
Week 2 – 37% for 15 sets 2 reps with 30 second rest periods
Week 3 – 40% for 15-17 sets of 2 reps with under 30 seconds rest. * The rest period for this week should be back to back sets. Two people should squat together and as soon as one lets go of the bar the second guy should be grabbing the bar. Each lifter should try to wear the other out and see who dies first. BE AGGRESSIVE AND DON’T LOSE.

Training Cycle (One week version)

Week 1 – 37% for ? sets of 2 reps with 30 second rest periods. With this cycle you should use a training partner of that is close to the same strength as you and try to run each other into the ground. We have seen battles go in the upwards of 38 sets! BE AGGRESSIVE AND DON’T LOSE.

Notes:

· Training percent is based on current one rep max with the free squat with equipment.
· These percents are used as guidelines. The more advanced the lifters the lighter the percent needed. If you are a raw lifter or do not use power lifting gear then a minimum of 10% should be added to the listed percents.
· All sets should be performed on a parallel box.

Title: Basic Three Week “Straight Weight” Advanced Cycle

Application: This is a very good cycle for higher advanced lifters for off season training or as a de-load cycle before a competition or test day.

Training Cycle:

Week 1 – 45% for 10 sets 2 reps
Week 2 – 48% for 10 sets 2 reps
Week 3- 50 % for 10 sets 2 reps

Notes:
· Training percent is based on current one rep max with the free squat with equipment.
· These percents are used as guidelines. The more advanced the lifters the lighter the percent needed. If you are a raw lifter or do not use power lifting gear then a minimum of 10% should be added to the listed percents.
· All sets should be performed on a parallel box.
· If you feel good after your sets, work up to a heavy double. This should not be done every week but should be completed at least once through the cycle.
· You should rest no more than 45 to 60 seconds between sets

Title: Basic Three Week “Chains” Intermediate Cycle

Application: This is a very good cycle for the intermediate lifter who has good squat skill and form. The
chains will help to develop a greater level of squat stability as well as increasing the explosion out of the bottom of the squat. This would be a very good off season strength cycle for the intermediate lifter.

Training Cycle:

Week 1 – 50% for 8 sets 2 reps
Week 2 – 53% for 8 sets 2 reps
Week 3- 55% for 8 sets 2 reps

Suggested Chain:
Squat Max: 200-400 Pounds – 60 total pounds of chains
Squat Max: 400-500 Pounds – 80 total pounds of chains
Squat Max: 500-600 Pounds – 100 total pounds of chains
Squat Max: 600-800 Pounds – 120 total pounds of chains
Squat Max: 800-950 Pounds – 160 total pounds of chains

Max Effort Training with the Safety Squat Bar

The Safety Squat Bar has been used very successfully over the past ten years for max effort training. Max effort training is the selection of one movement and working up to a one rep maximum attempt. This bar is great for this as it is in a constant process of trying to force the lifter forward. This places much of the stress on the muscles of the lower and upper back. Think of it this way. If you are to miss a squat or dead lift, what usually happens? In the squat, most people will shift or fall forward. This bar will help you develop two things thank can make a huge difference. It will increase your static strength and thus keep you from falling forward in the first place and second it will help you develop the strength to help your recover if you do fall forward. Here is a list of some of the most popular max effort movement you can do with the safety squat bar.

Chain Suspended Good Mornings - : This is a great max effort exercise to help your deadlift. There are two ways to set up this exercise. One way is place the barbell on the safety pins; the other is to place the barbell in 3/8 inch chains. For the latter, place the two chains at the top of the power rack and loop them so that the barbell is suspended. The bar can be set at any height, but is usually slightly above your navel. To perform the exercise, place yourself under the bar and simply perform a good morning. This is a great exercise to help build your deadlift because both lifts are a concentric only lift. Do not get caught up in maintaining your hips at a certain level; simply get under the bar and get it up! Be sure that your hands do not get caught under the chains or the safety pins. Any width stance can be used.

Safety Squat Bar Box Squats - This movement is performed the same as the regular box squat except you will be using the Safety Squat Bar. This bar is designed to keep the bar high on the traps and force more of the weight forward on the body. This places more stress on the muscles of the upper and lower back, glutes and hamstrings. The best way to use this bar is to hold the yolks on the front of the bar. This keeps the stress on the muscles we are trying to develop. This bar is one of the best max effort and supplemental movements you can do. The reason for this is because most people miss a squat because the bar shifts forward and they end of trying to do a good morning. This bar will help to develop the muscles to keep this from happening in the first place. The box used on max effort day can be a low box (1-3” below parallel), parallel box, or a high box (1-3” above parallel). Usually a close to shoulder width stance is used. Groove briefs or a loose suit (straps down) is often used to maintain the health of your hips. A weight belt is usually used when attempting weights at or above 80% of your max. For max effort training, a narrow stance is used; this is usually shoulder width or narrower. A good rule of thumb is to take the same stance as you would when performing a conventional deadlift.

Zercher Squats - This is a great exercise to build your deadlift and teach you to maintain proper position when squatting. Because of the position of the barbell, it forces the lifter to maintain tight abs, an arched lower back and proper chest position. Begin by placing a bar in a power rack just below your armpits and unrack it in the crook of your elbows. Keeping your back arched, stomach pushed out and chest up, squat back until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Make sure to keep your elbows and arms close to your body. This can also be done by using a box. A shoulder width stance is usually used. The amount of weight you can hold in your elbows will limit the bar weight used on this exercise. The safety squat bar is makes it easier because of the thickness of the bar.

Backwards Bar Safety Squat Bar Box Squats – This is the same as “Safety Squat Box Squats” except the bar is placed backwards on your shoulders. This alters the camber of the bar and makes for a completely different movement.

Other Applications
The Safety squat Bar is not limited to just max effort and dynamic effort training. There are many more movements that can be trained with the Safety squat Bar. These movements are not intended to be trained for dynamic or max effort training but for repetition effort training. Basically, these movements will be used to bring up specific weak points and/or muscle groups. Give a few of these a try. We are sure you will find them very productive.

Good Mornings – Done with a safety squat bar, the good morning is one of the most difficult exercises to perform, but also one of the most effective. Begin this exercise by unracking a barbell the same as you would a squat. Your feet can be set at a close, medium or wide stance. This can change depending on what you feel works best for you. For example, a wide stance seems to work the hips more. Get into a tight position (arched back, shoulder blades pulled together, knees slightly bent, abdominal pushed out against your belt). This is the starting position. Slowly bend forward at the waist until your torso is slightly above parallel with the floor, then reverse the movement to return to the starting position. This is usually done for reps between 5-10 and used as a second exercise. You will have to fight to maintain position throughout the entire movement so make sure you start with very light weight.

Triceps Extensions – While it may seem weird to perform a triceps movement with the Safety Squat bar, try this for a little variation on an otherwise boring movement. The bar should be set up so that when racked, the yoke is pointed toward your feet. Unrack the bar with your hands about shoulder width apart and bring the yoke to just above your nipples. Let the points of the yoke hit your chest and the bar will rotate towards your chin. Let it come down until your forearms are almost parallel to the floor and extend up. Because the bar is a little thicker than a standard bar your elbows will take less of a beating. You also may want to place a folded towel on your chest to prevent the points of the yoke to bruise your chest.

Shrugs – With the bar on your shoulders, attempt to raise your shoulders to your ears. This is a great variation to standard shrugs with a barbell. You can try placing your hands down at your sides or place them out in front of you, holding the rack.

Partial Arches – This exercise is great for your entire back; from your upper back to your erectors. One of the best ways to do this exercise is to place the bar on your back and sit on a box. While sitting on the box arch your low back and upper back. After holding this position for a few seconds, roll your upper back and round your low back. Make sure to stay tight in this position. Hold this for a few seconds and arch back to the original position. Concentrate on arching hard and rounding over; this will exhaust the muscles of your back. This exercise will not only build a ton of muscle but allow the lifter to feel what it is like to arch at the bottom of your squat.

Lunges – Lunges have gotten a bad rap lately simply because they’ve been embraced by the fitness community and have been the main exercise of housewives everywhere. But this is one of the best exercises to develop overall leg strength. Done correctly, they work your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Also, don’t short stride your reps so that you can handle more weight. Too many times people perform lunges by taking short 6 inch steps and brag of the weight they can handle. This is not a lunge! This is a squat done with bad foot position. Try doing walking lunges, backward lunges or standard lunges; all work well and the benefits will make you wonder why you ever dropped this exercise in the first place. The soreness you get the next day will probably answer the question, though. There are many different variations of lunges you can try; walking lunges, backward lunges, side lunges or lunges done with your front foot elevated.

Walking Safety Squat Bar—This is an old exercise that is used to build overall endurance and it is pretty simple. Place a safety squat bar on your back and begin walking a prescribed distance. A good way to do this is to have you and a training partner take turns walking from the squat rack to a certain point and back. This can turn into a contest and is great for overall body strength as well as mental strength. It is recommended that you begin this exercise with light weight. Also, be careful when performing this exercise as it’s very difficult to dump the bar when you are tired. Still, this exercise will build your traps and legs like no other. Do not perform this exercise often as it will absolutely annihilate you!

Glute-Ham Raises—This is done like a regular glute-ham raise except the with the safety squat bar across your back. This is an exercise for very strong lifters, only!.

45 degree back raises—By putting a safety squat bar on your back during a 45 degree back raise you will greatly increase your low back, hamstring and glute strength. Also, it will hit your upper back and add some serious mass to this region. This can also be done on a standard back raise or back hyperextension piece of equipment.

Pushups w/ safety squat bar—With this exercise you will need a partner to help stabilize the bar on your back. Place the bar on your back the same way you would squat and perform pushups. This can be a very challenging exercise.

Copyright© 2006 Elite Fitness Systems. All rights reserved.

Squats with bands - Leg Exercise

Primary Muscle: Quads

Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, Lower Back, Glutes

Equipment Needed: Squat Rack, Barbell, Box

Mechanics Type: Compound

About: Great exercise for building dynamic speed and agility.

Squatting with bands
by. Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell

To use bands for squatting, if you squat 650 or less, use green bands. If you squat more than 650, use blue bands. Here are two ex-amples of 900+ squatters. Billy Masters and Dave Barno used a top weight of 500 pounds and 150 pounds of tension with blue bands. Billy did 909 and Dave did a perfect 925. Neither train at Westside, but they use our methods.
When squatting, wave your training weights from 50% to 60% in a 3 or 4 week cycle. Do mostly 8 sets of 2 reps with 45 seconds rest between sets.
For max effort work, one can choose a bar weight of, say, 400 or 500 pounds. Do a single and then add a set of chains. Keep doing singles and adding a second and third set of chains until you break a PR or miss. You can do the same with Flex bands. Good mornings are a great exercise to do with chains and bands. High pulls with the pink or green bands are also great.
I have seen one of our lifters with a 600 deadlift go to 670 in 6 months by using bands on the deadlift. Bob Young would use 275-315 on the bar, with about 200 pounds of tension from the bands. We use the platform that Jump-Stretch sells with their bands to do this exercise.
If you want to excel at powerlifting or any sport, then you must develop speed strength, increase acceleration, and gain absolute strength. Bands and chains can be instrumental in developing these aspects of strength. I highly recom-mend that you try them as soon as possible. For chains, call Topper’s Supply at 614-444-1187. For bands, call JumpStretch at 1-800-344-3539.

Box Squats - Leg Exercise

Primary Muscle: Quads

Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, Lower Back, Glutes

Equipment Needed: Squat Rack, Barbell, Box

Mechanics Type: Compound

About: Box squats and box squat variations are a staple in FSS program. I love box squats for beginners and veterans for different reasons. First of all when you are working with a beginner the box squat is the easiest way to teach them how to squat and to prepare them for the more demanding back squat. Also because their confidence at this point sucks they feel more comfortable with a support structure underneath them. As for the coach it takes a ton of the frustration out of teaching young weaklings how to move.

When it comes to more advanced lifters the box squat shifts from being a technique and strength builder into a Super Speed and Power exercise. This is due to the fact that when you box squat the demand on static to dynamic strength increases. Essentially you need to generate enough power to get off of your ass from a low box with massive amounts of weights on your back. This can also be done with lighter weights for speed.

The box squat develops hip, glute and hamstring strength without the typical soreness associated with back squats. So, this means that you can go heavy on squat day and still have enough energy to give 100% in practice the next day. Below are pictures and descriptions with the essential cues that you must master in order to get your body squatting BIG.

Technique:

*Stance – With the box squat you are going to use a high box (thighs above parallel) or a low box (thighs below parallel) depending on the strength and flexibility of your athlete. Also, you may want to design boxes of various heights (18-21”) for shorter or taller athletes. Before I had a box like to one in the picture I would simply use a bench. Just remember that safety is paramount and that you use a sturdy structure.

This picture is a bit misleading and doesn’t tell you the whole deal. Here is what you need to know: in my opinion it is best to squat and box squat in a squat rack. Because I couldn’t get a good shot for you in the rack I took it out. Now, with this type of squat I prefer the power lifting stance, this is with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width and toes pointed slightly out. Also, your knees should be spread open- like your showing your crotch! Athletes with weak glutes have a tendency to let the knees buckle in, you correct this by cueing them by saying “show your crotch” or spread your knees.

 

* “Butt Out & Chest Up” – Ok, once you’ve lifted the bar off of the rack you will need to take a few tiny steps backwards and position yourself in front of the box. The heavier the weight gets the less you are going to want to move back towards your box so make sure that it is basically situated right behind you or your athlete.

Here is when you begin the decent of the squat movement. You are going to want to keep your eyes straight ahead, your chest up or “spread” and stick your butt out like a chick in an MTV video. This will ensure that your back remains tight or in a “C” position.

It’s very important that you stress proper form with this exercise. An athlete that is too weak to keep his chest up or stick his butt out is going to have a hard time handling heavier weights. Make sure that you can perform this movement properly for several reps with the bar alone or even with just your bodyweight before you begin to add weight. Once you get the form right ½ the work is done, your nervous system will begin to adapt to the new movement and your strength will go up very quickly – but don’t rush!

Another thing, your feet should remain flat on the floor. ALL of your foot should receive the same amount of weight-distributed trough out it. Most young or weak athletes will end up on their toes with their heels lifted as well as placing too much weight on the insides of the feet. More often than none I have to tell the athlete to press the floor with the heels and outsides of their feet.

 

As far as hand and elbow position is concerned, I tend to have my athletes grip the bar about 6 –8 inches outside their shoulders. Many coaches and power lifters have them grab the bar wider but I feel that the closer grip forces the athlete’s shoulders into external rotation especially if the elbows are tucked under or pointing down. This is important because most young athletes have poor posture and tight pecs; my technique exposes this weakness so that it can be corrected. I’m not saying that the others are wrong, just that this is what works for me. The cue I use for this is “Tuck your elbows.”

“Sit back on to the box & show your crotch.” - At this point in the movement you should be reaching your ass out or sitting back onto the box while keeping your knees spread. I know is sounds like I’m giving you a ton of different phrases and cues for each of these movements but sometime one cue works for 90% of your athletes and another for the 10% that didn’t get the first one. Sometimes I spend weeks trying to coach someone a move and one day they finally get it, so I ask them… “What made it click today?” and he’ll tell me “It was when you said BLANK____.” All it takes is the right descriptive term and someone who is hard to coach becomes your best student when you repeat the magic phrase.

Anyway, sit back onto the box without crashing down onto it. This is important, as many athletes will think of sitting on the box as a rest when it couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact you want to keep some tension in your legs and your feet firmly grounded when you are sitting on the box.

From this position you then want to push your feet into the ground and stand up tall. I say “tall” because many athletes will only come up partially and keep their hips flexed. I want to you explode off of the box and stand up tall. A good cue to use is to tell your athletes to imagine that there is a rope attached to the top of their head and it is pulling them up towards the ceiling. This will keep them tall throughout the entire movement. Stand tall and then repeat.

Glute Ham Raise - Leg Exercise

Main Muscle Worked: Hamstrings
Other Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, Calves, Glutes
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

There are two major style of a Glute Ham Raise; (a) the “natural” style, or with (b) a dedicated machine.

The “natural” glute ham is no walk in the park and is one of the nastiest of all weight room exercises there is. It will give you a powerful set of hams and a new level of ferocity to your training. This is not a complicated exercise but a brutal one. Make sure you set yourself up with sufficient padding under the knee so that the ankle knee joint is parallel to the ground and toes are dug into the floor with someone holding your feet down.

Keep the hips and abs squeezed tight as you pull yourself down with control and do not bend forward. As you invariably collapse to the ground have your hands meet the ground and push off where to the point where you can pull yourself back up using your hamstrings. One particularly devilish approach is to hold statically a few inches from the top for 15-60 seconds and then drop fast eccentrically.

Hopefully your gym has a dedicated Glute-Ham machine and with the growing popularity of this machine, many are adding them. Set the machine up so the knees are no more than a few inches from the pad with your hips pushed forward. From parallel position, rise up by pushing against the toe-plate and pull with the hamstrings.

As you get better with exercise you will invariably want to add resistance and one of the best ways to do such is by wearing an Xvest which will distribute the load equally throughout the movement but also not contribute to poor posture as other mediums will.

Bodybuilding.com

Cable Pull Through - Leg Exercise

Main Muscle Worked: Hamstrings
Other Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, Calves, Glutes
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Begin by facing away from a low pulley cable with a single “D” handle or triceps rope. Bend over and grab the handle between your legs while facing away from the machine, then pull the handle through your legs until your body is in an upright position.

T-nation

Reverse Hyper - Leg Exercise

Main Muscle Worked: Hamstrings
Other Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, Calves, Glutes
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

My First Time

We all remember our first time like it was yesterday. For some of us, it marked the passage from boyhood to manhood, and for others, it marked the progression from average to elite. For me, my first time was in a dirty ass gym known as “Westside Barbell Club.”

Westside Barbell is owned by renowned strength expert, Louie Simmons. He was the reason I came to Westside on that day and is also the reason I stayed for over 13 years. Westside was a HUGE part of my life and provided me with lessons and experiences that will last the rest of my days. The one lesson that stands out more than any of the others is the importance of glute, hamstring, and lower back strength. This is why the reverse hyper MUST be used.

My first session on this machine was in 1991 before it had its first patent. On one of the first trips I made to train with Louie, he addressed the squat. I learned how and why to box squat and what the best ab movements were to do to get my squat and pull moving. After all this, I was WARNED not to say a word about the next movement. I was told it was going to be patented and nobody outside of Westside was to know about it.

I was asked to jump up on a table type machine, strap up my ankles, and perform bilateral leg swings. Ten reps later, my lower back was cooked. There I was bent over a bench trying to get my erectors to stop hurting.

Then, I was told that this was where I was weak and that I needed to do this movement to get my lifts to go up. The way that my back felt, I decided against this idea pretty quickly. However, the guys I was training with tossed on 200 or more pounds and did their sets as if they were nothing. They were all bigger squatters and pullers than I was, and I was beginning to see the reason why.

Louie told me how he had injured his back in 1975 and came up with the idea for the reverse hyper. His back had become so bad that he could no longer squat or pull. Before this injury, his best squat was 670 lbs in the 181 lb class (without equipment). In 1983, he was told that they needed to take two disks out, remove bones spurs, and fuse some other disks. He opted not to do this and was determined to find a better way. At this time, he began to focus on a solution that could keep him going. This is when the reverse hyper came to him. After a few years of tweaking the unit, he came up with what is now known as the reverse hyper.

How well did this work for him? In 2002 at 56 years of age, Louie squatted 920 lbs and deadlifted 715 lbs in the 220 lb class (actual weight 216 lbs).

The Real Deal

While I’m not qualified to tell you what is going on at Westside Barbell today, I can tell you what I did while I was there and what I saw everyone else do. I could tell you egotistical stories about how my squat jumped from 760 lbs to 935 lbs over five years and how I never missed a single squat workout because of lower back problems. I could also tell you that the main movements for every lower body day were pull-down abs, glute ham raises, and reverse hypers. For me, the reverse hyper kept me healthy so I could train harder. This was the greatest benefit for my training.

I could tell you all this, BUT I’ve been in the business a long time and KNOW that 99% of you could care less about what I did or what they do at Westside. What you want to know is how this can help you and what others in the same boat as you are using it for.

This is simple because the answers are the same regardless of the reason. You see, the reverse hyper is all about…

* Keeping your back healthy: As I said, this was a key for me. I’ve also heard back from hundreds of lifters who say that this machine has been a life (or lifting) saver for them. While some of them were elite lifters trying to extend their platform time by a few years, most were average Joes just trying to deal with their lower back pain and get some quality work done in the weight room. We’ve also heard back from many coaches and trainers on how this one machine has extended players’ carriers and has kept them on the field instead of on the bench.

* Lower back, glute, and hamstring strength: Most people now understand the importance that these muscles carry when lifting, running, and jumping. Nothing targets these the way that the reverse hyper does. This is why we’ve seen the results that you’ll read about below.

Now, you should see that this machine is the “real deal” and should be in every gym in the world.

Taken from Elitefts.com

Neck Harness

Main Muscle Worked:Neck

Other Muscles Worked: traps

Equipment:neck harness

Mechanics Type:Isolation

I’m a card carrying member of the Neckwork Network. I think every man should be doing neck work, regardless of sport. No one wants to have a stack of dimes holding their head in place. It’s embarrassing. As for exercises, I’m not a big fan of neck bridges as they seem unsafe and every time I see someone doing them I have this intense urge to kick their heads out from underneath them. Since I know I’m not the only that thinks like that, I’ll play it safe and stick to the neck harness and the 4 way neck machine. Now let me bestow some wisdom on you; don’t try to max out on these exercises. I tried putting a 100lb dumbbell on the neck harness and after a couple of reps, felt an intense pain in my neck. Not a good thing. When training the neck, either with the neck harness or the 4 way neck machine, stick to higher reps – 10-30 reps. I like to do neck work after each workout. When I was lugging the pigskin for University of Arizona, I would 2 sets of neck work every morning and 2 sets before I went to bed. I put my neck harness beside my bed as a constant reminder. I did sets of 30 reps. Bottom line; do some neck work or be doomed to a life of buying off the shelf.

Elitefts.com

Stiff Leg Deadlift Leg Exercise

Primary Muscle: Hamstrings

Secondary Muscles: Lower back, glutes, shoulders, lower back, upper back

Equipment Needed: Barbell

Mechanics Type: Compound

Proper Exercise Technique:

Pick up a barbell off the ground using power from your legs (not your back). Space your feet slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart and hold the bar with an overhand grip just outside of your legs. Keeping a slight bend in your knees, bend forward at the waist and lower the weight toward the ground. As you lower the weight your lower back should remain arched as this will keep the tension on your hamstrings throughout the entire exercise. Lower the weight down until you feel a full stretch in your hamstrings. The distance that you are able to lower the bar will vary from person to person and will depend on body structure and flexibility. Once you feel a full stretch in your hamstrings, pull the weight back up into the standing position but stop just short of being fully erect. By not allowing your body to stand up completely straight you will keep the stress on your hamstrings at all times. Continue the motion until you have reached muscular failure.

Tip: It is extremely important that you do not round out your lower back at any point during this exercise but instead maintain a slight arch at all times. In order to keep your back flat, really focus on sticking your butt out and keeping the bar close to your body. You must also remember to keep a slight bend in your knees as you perform your reps as this will keep the tension on the hamstrings and will minimize your risk of injury.

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