Some variations on old exercises and some you might not know. Feel free to add your own for a list of uncommon or underused exercises.
Dumbbell Swing:
Here's an exercise guaranteed to freak out the skinny ACE certified personal trainers in your gym.
Swings can be performed with either a dumbbell or a kettlebell (if you're one of the six guys in the country who actually own kettlebells). This multi-joint exercise is easy to learn and really hits the posterior chain and improves the grip. It's also perfect to use as an active recovery exercise since there's little to no eccentric (negative) movement.
For the two handed version pictured below, hold a dumbbell with both hands, legs in a wide stance. Start from a neutral back position with the buttocks back and begin the acceleration of the weight by pushing the hips forward. Really try to explode the weight up. Show control of the weight and gradually increase range of motion such that the weight moves from waist level to above the head. You can also perform a single-handed version of this lift.
Avoid dropping the weight on your head. If you do, then you may find yourself with an ACE certification yourself and that would be a goddamn travesty.
Overhead Cable Curl:
Here's a biceps exercise even we had never tried until Don Alessi introduced it to us.
Position yourself on a shoulder press bench facing away from the high pulley machine (back toward the machine). Grasp an EZ swivel bar overhead with the elbows extended and close to your ears. Next, flex the elbows behind the head. Return to extended position, then wait patiently for some dweeb to ask you what the f%*k you're doing!
Waiter's Bow:
Coach Davies is known for two things around here: unique exercise suggestions and making a six pack of MGD disappear faster than you can say "Renegade Training." Here's an exercise that's part of his very effective Man of Steel program.
Simply hold a plate across the chest with legs apart roughly shoulder width and knees slightly bent. From an upright position, bend forward until you're at 45 degrees. (The movement from rotating forward comes from the hips and is quickly felt in the hamstrings.) Then simply explode back to the starting position.
Incline Russian Twist:
This ab exercise, popularized by Christian Thibaudeau, will leave you moaning and groaning. Oh yeah, and it'll build some bulletproof abs and obliques as well!
Anchor yourself on an incline board (or Roman chair), then do a half sit-up so that your lower back isn't in contact with the board. Keep that position during the whole exercise. The execution is simple: rotate your torso from side to side. The arms are fully stretched out in front of you and they stay locked in position – only the trunk is mobile. Try for the longest range of motion possible. Do 8 to 12 reps per side, or 8 to 12 full rotations.
Limited-range Dumbbell Pullover:
We picked this one up from T-mag contributor John Paul Catanzaro.
To increase chest size, you have to train both the pec major and minor. The minor tends to get overlooked since it's not as glamorous as the major. The limited-range pullover will target the pec minor, which in turn will "push out" the pec major, thus making it look bigger. Think of it as a natural pec implant.
Cup a dumbbell between both hands and lay back onto a flat bench. With your arms fully extended above your face, carefully lower the weight until your outstretched arms are in line with your body. Keep the small of your back pressed against the bench and brace the abdominals throughout to protect your lower back.
Make sure the elbows stay in (don't let them flare out) or else the lats will kick in. Elbows should be directly beside your ears in the bottom position. Raise the dumbbell in an arcing motion only about six to eight inches, or 45 degrees from horizontal. Keep your arms straight throughout and keep the abdominals tight!
If your chest development has stalled, try limited-range pullovers!
Jump Squat:
Haven't tossed your cookies in the gym in a while? That's a shame really. Here's an exercise to help you properly throw up while training. As a bonus, jump squats will build a great pair of quads, as well as causing that all important retching and gagging effect!
Using a much lighter load than you'd use with normal squatting, squat down with a fast (but controlled) eccentric. Shift to the concentric (lifting) phase with as little delay as possible. Jump for maximal height and land with knees bent, absorbing the shock. Pause, reset mentally, and repeat. The passwords are speed and height. Shoot for six to ten reps per set.
Decline Dumbbell Extension:
This one isn't all that exotic, but most people use an EZ-curl bar extension on a flat bench to train the tri's. Try this variation instead. The decline makes it more effective by keeping constant tension on the triceps and targeting all three heads of the triceps. Additionally, the dumbbells make it more comfortable on your elbows compared to using a bar. In fact, many who say they "can't" do barbell extensions can do this version quite easily.
Lie back on a decline bench holding two dumbbells in a hammer-style grip. Lower them to your ears and come back up. You can point your elbows up towards the ceiling or back behind you just a bit, whatever feels best for you.
"Wrong Way" Pullover:
This movement was "discovered" by doing dumbbell pullovers the wrong way. With traditional pullovers, the lifter attempts to keep the arms relatively straight, but if he bends the elbows and keeps them fixed, he'll get one heck of a triceps exercise!
Lie on a flat bench and hold one dumbbell with both hands. The elbows should be pointed behind your head and the upper arms should remain relatively fixed throughout the movement. Lower the dumbbell into an extreme stretch position, pause, then bring it back up and squeeze your triceps for two seconds at the top. Given that the arms are kept at an angle, tension remains on the triceps for the entire movement. The end result is that the movement is much more effective than traditional seated dumbbell extensions.
Go heavy with this one and shoot for four to six reps per set.
Reverse Incline Hammer Curl:
Take an incline bench and adjust it so that it's at a 60 to 70-degree angle. Then, after grabbing a pair of dumbbells, sit backward on the bench so that your chest is leaning against the bench. Let the dumbbells hang straight down, and using a hammer grip, curl both dumbbells up so that they touch your shoulders.
This is a cool movement for a variety of reasons. First of all, it's impossible to use body English on them. Secondly, it makes it really difficult to recruit the front deltoids, which allows for a more "pure" biceps movement. It also allows you to draw the elbows back a bit as you curl the weights up, which helps recruit the long head of the biceps, which seems to be underdeveloped in most bodybuilders. And lastly — and this is subtle — it forces you to straighten the arm out completely. Most lifters have some sort of a Popeye syndrome where they almost never fully extend their arms, but by doing this movement — straightening the arm out completely — it may actually feel like the elbow is hyperextended.
Towel Chin-up:
This one will set your back, biceps, and forearms on fire! All you need is a towel, a chin-up bar, and a high tolerance for pain. Now, without tying any knots in the towel, throw it over the bar. Grasp the towel and hang on tight. Now perform as many chin-ups as you can. After a few sets, when you can no longer pull yourself up, just grab the towel and hang off of it. Then call a cab, because you won't be able to steer your car home.
Rolling Swiss Ball Press:
Charles Poliquin can do two things well: come up with unique exercises and bake brownies. (You should see the big guy in an apron. He's adorable we tell ya!) He refuses to let us post his brownie recipe here, but here's one of the unique chest movements he invented.
Lie back on a Swiss ball as if you were about to perform normal dumbbell bench presses. Press the dumbbells up and (here comes the interesting part) drop your hips until you're now in an incline position. Now lower the weights slowly. After a pause, roll back up to the "flat" bench position and start over. In effect, you're doing a flat bench on the way up and an incline bench on the way down.
Since you're weaker in the incline press than in the flat press position, you'll use the strong leverage from the flat position to help you get the load up in preparation for the eccentric part of the movement. A very cool use for the 'ol Swiss ball.
Iron Cross:
This is a great overall conditioning exercise we picked up from Coach John Davies. It also makes a good warm-up or finisher.
Hold two light dumbbells or plates in your hands and squat from a wide stance with the buttocks pushed back. Arms should be held straight ahead, parallel to the ground and thumbs up. As you squat up, push your hips forward while simultaneously moving your arms to the sides in a cross position. Return to the start position by moving in the precise inverse fashion and keeping your arms constantly parallel.
Cable Row to Neck with Rope:
Here's an exercise 90% of gym rats should be using. Why? Because they probably spent a good part of their lifting careers doing a lot of bench presses and very little reciprocal work for the upper back (which can negatively affect posture.) Cable rows will make up for those youthful indiscretions.
Set an adjustable pulley so that it's directly in front of your pecs. Use a triceps rope — it'll reduce the stress on your forearms and wrists. Grab the ends of the rope as if you were grasping a pair of hammers. Start with the shoulders protracted and the forearms extended. Begin the movement by retracting the shoulder blades, and immediately bend the elbows to continue the movement until the forearms make contact with the upper arms.
Make sure to eliminate the lower back from the equation by keeping it perpendicular to the floor at all times. If the development of your rhomboids is lacking, you may choose to pause for a moment when the shoulder blades are retracted.
Superman:
This is a very basic but very neglected core exercise that's great for athletes and bodybuilders alike. Lie on the floor facedown with your arms and legs outstretched. Lift your arms and legs as high as possible and hold them there for a three to five second count. Return to the floor and repeat. Leaping tall buildings with a single bound optional.
Plate Pinch:
Grip strength isn't all about crushing power. It's also about finger power, or what some call "pinching" power. To improve finger strength, try doing plate pinches. Grab a pair of dimes (newbie translation: ten pound plates) and place them together, smooth side out. Hold them with your finger tips and keep them pinched together. That's probably easy, so now move up to a pair of quarters (25's). Keep track of how long you can hold them and each time you try it, see if you can squeeze out a few extra seconds. You're a certified bad ass if you can do it with 45s!
The Mixed Grip Chin-up:
Here’s a variation of the chin-up you may not be familiar with. It’s simple, all you do is perform a regular chin-up with one hand pronated (facing away) and one hand supinated (facing you). This makes one arm (usually the one supinated) perform more work, making this a good step on your road to performing a one-handed chin-up.
Just remember to do an equal amount of reps for both arms. If you know which arm is weaker, start with that arm in the supinated position. As you progress, spread the hands wider on the bar which makes the movement even tougher. If you’re really strong, spread the hands wide and use a dipping belt to attach a tubby aerobics instructor.
Ski Squats:
Never have you felt so much pain in the gym without even touching a weight! This is a great quad exercise to throw in as a "finisher" to your normal squat workout. Heck, this one is a killer no matter when you perform it!
Stand about two feet away from a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down to a few inches above parallel and lean back against the wall. Even though you’re leaning against a wall, you’ll feel your quads contract as they support your weight. Hold that position for 10 to 20 seconds. This is the part where you’ll think this exercise is way too easy.
Now you’re going to drop down two inches at a time for four more drops. Each two inch drop you’ll hold the position again for 10 to 20 seconds. By your second or third drop, your thighs should be parallel to the ground. This is the part where you begin to rethink your previous thoughts about this being "too easy." After parallel, you’ll have two drops to go. By the last drop, you’ll be "ass to grass." This is the part where you begin to cry for momma.
Remember, take no rest between drops. Add five seconds to each drop, each workout. If you think this is too easy, try it one leg at a time. If that’s too easy for you, you may not be human. If you aren’t human, try coming back up after you reach bottom with three to five more stops along the way.
Offset Curls:
We picked this one up from T-mag contributor George Baselice. Sit on a bench and hold a dumbbell in one hand. The thumb side of your hand should be resting against the inside surface of the dumbbell plate. In other words, you’ll be holding the dumbbell off to one side. Start the exercise with a neutral grip (as if holding a hammer) and curl the weight while simultaneously supinating your wrist (turning your palm up) as you complete the curling movement.
The purpose of the offset grip is to provide resistance upon supination; otherwise each side of the dumbbell would counterbalance the other as it does during the commonly performed rotational curl. This places emphasis on the supinator muscle of the forearm along with the biceps brachii. The brachioradialis also assists with supination. For added resistance upon supination, you can stick a magnetic 1-1/2 pound Platemate to the heavier end of the dumbbell.
The Original Hack Squat:
Most people think of the hack squat machine when they visualize this exercise, but there’s an older, more effective version. Barbell hack squats can boost your squat and deadlift numbers as well as target the coveted "teardrop" muscle (the vastus medialis) in the quads.
Stand in front of the loaded bar with the bar either resting on the floor or supported on blocks. With feet shoulder-width apart, bend down, reach behind you and grasp the bar. With your back straight and shoulders pinched back, drive from the heels. Maintain an angle of ascent with the bar near the calves and as the weight nears your hamstrings, punch the hips forward. Return the weight to the floor by reversing the motion. Done correctly, this looks almost like a behind-the-back deadlift.
Lower Trap Raises:
Think shrugs are all you need to build impressive traps? Well, that’s what you get for thinkin’! Shrugs are good, but you need to also focus on the lower traps for complete development. This exercise can help you do that.
Start by facing forward on an incline bench. Grip two dumbbells with the thumbs up (like in a hammer curl). Keeping your arms straight with the elbows slightly bent, raise the dumbbells toward the ceiling at a 45-degree angle from your head (the 10:00 and 2:00 positions of a clock.) Retract your shoulder blades (squeeze them together) at the top position. Try to pause for two seconds at the top of each rep. If you can’t, use lighter dumbbells.
Car Pushing and Pulling:
You don’t have to be in a strongman competition to benefit from this country boy exercise!
Not much explanation required here. Have your training partner place the vehicle in neutral while you get behind it and start pushing. You can push for distance or set a timer and push for speed. You can face forward and push with your arms outstretched, or you can push with your back and buttocks touching the car. Using this variation, take short steps and use a continuous motion. The burning in your quads will let you know if you're doing it right.
After one "set" of pushing, attach a sturdy rope and pull. For extra resistance, push your coche up a small hill or have your buddy apply some brake if it gets too easy. Be warned, many a tough guy has left his breakfast in the driveway after a few sets of car pushing! This method, does, however, stick it to those gas-hoarding Arabs as you'll be saving loads of cash (well, at least a few cents) on gas!
Deadlift Walks:
This one is part of Chad Waterbury’s Next Big Three program, but it makes a cool stand-alone exercise as well.
First move the hooks or barbell supports to the front (outside) of a squat cage or power rack. They should be set up just below your knees. A couple of blocks will work, too. Now load up the bar with about 65% of your raw deadlift max and place it in front of the power rack about two full steps away from the supports. Take a shoulder-width stance and use a pronated grip (both palms facing you).
Deadlift the weight as you normally would, then take two steps forward, reset your stance and place the bar on the uprights, hooks or blocks. Release all muscular tension, re-lift the weight, take two steps backwards, reset your stance and lower the weight again. That’s one rep! Without resting, repeat for the desired number of reps. You may then go to the corner and throw up.
The Texas Arm Wrestler Curl:
This one is apparently a favorite of competitive arm wrestlers. Here's how it's done:
Straddle a flat bench with your feet on the floor. Place your forearms and hands along your quads while holding a loaded barbell. The back of your hands should be near your knees. Sit up straight and concentrate on keeping the whole body tight and rigid by contracting your abs. Take a deep breath and hold it, then explode the heavy weight off your thighs into the finished curl position. Lower the bar back to your legs under control and repeat.
Try not to bounce the weight off your thighs, though. Rest the bar across your legs between reps for a full 4 seconds. (This is to keep you from cheating and using momentum, you sneaky bastard, you.)
Remember, too, that this exercise is meant to be done heavy. It's only a partial curl, so you've got no excuse to use one of those pre-set barbells that only go up to 85 pounds. Shoot for 4 to 6 maximal reps.
And, like always, don't cheat by lurching and gasping and drooling like the town drunk.
Zerchers:
I had me some Zercher's once. Caught 'em from the girl who lives on the farm down the road after we was rolling around in the hay all nekkid. My Pa just had me rub some sheep salve on it and it cleared right up.
No, no. Zerchers are in fact sort of a hybrid good morning where instead of putting the bar on your back, you cradle it in the crooks of your arms.
Here's how you do this favorite of Coach Davies: Arrange the hooks on a power rack about chest high. Rack an Olympic bar on the hooks. Approach the bar and pick it up by cradling it in your arms. Hold the bar tight against your body by placing one hand against your upper chest and then grabbing onto that hand with the other.
Assume a wide stance and with the knees slightly bent, bend forward at the waist until your elbows scrape your inner thighs (remember to hold the bar against your chest tightly!). Coming out of the movement is basically a hip thrust, i.e., you explode your hips forward. This movement will bring you back to the start position.
While a standard Good Morning emphasizes the hamstrings a bit more, the Zerchers are primarily for strengthening hip flexors. However, they do also work the hamstrings, along with the spinal erectors.
If you like, you can start doing this movement with a 25 or 45-pound plate cradled against your chest instead of the barbell, which requires more concentration and is a little bit more brutal on the skin on the inner elbows.
The Farmer's Walk:
Pick up a pair of heavy, really heavy, dumbbells and take a walk around the gym. That's the essence of the farmer's walk. This killer old school exercise will set your lungs on fire, annihilate your grip, forearms and traps, and build a ton of mental and physical toughness.
You can perform a designated number of "sets" for a certain distance or just see how far you can go with a certain weight. Each week, try to increase your distance or use heavier weights. Most men can easily start out with 100-pound dumbbells.
Jerry Telle Chest Routine:
This is a series of dumbbell flyes that transition into a modified dumbbell bench press. Telle's idea of an effective workout involves two important factors: high-fiber tension and fatigue. This chest routine will provide both in spades.
Start with a 135-degree wide-angle fly; in other words, with very little bend in the elbows. Lower the dumbbells to a count of three seconds, take a one-second pause then raise them back up. Continue until failure. Rest for only ten seconds and lie back for another set.
In this second set, you'll do flyes again, but this time bend your elbows more until you're doing about a 90-degree fly. Again train to failure, rest for ten seconds, and lie back for a third and final set.
On this last set, you'll perform standard dumbbell bench presses on the concentric portion, or lifting part of the lift, and then "fly out" on the eccentric portion, or lowering part of the lift, until failure. In other words, press the dumbbells up as if you were doing a standard dumbbell bench press. Then, with your elbows locked and while keeping your arms at a 135-degrees wide angle, lower the dumbbells all the way. To initiate the next rep, bring the weights to your side by bending the elbows (i.e., bring them into the start position for a dumbbell bench press). Ouch!
One final note: Use the same weight for all three sets.
Single Leg Standing Deadlifts and Good Mornings:
Just when we think we've heard of every exercise in existence, Ian King hits us with these two one-legged versions of popular lifts.
Let's start with the single leg standing deadlift. Stand on one foot with the other foot slightly off the ground. Bend the knee of the supporting leg a little but don't change the knee angle during the exercise.
Bend at the waist while allowing the back to round (yes, round!) and reach towards the floor. Touch the floor with the hands or the dumbbells if you're using them and go back up to the starting position. Use a speed of three seconds down, pause for one second at the top and bottom, and three seconds up.
Start with bodyweight only and when you can do ten reps at the correct tempo and without losing your balance, use light dumbbells.
Now for the one-legged good morning. It's basically the same as above only you'll be holding a light barbell (or even a broomstick until you get used to it) across your back. The shift in external resistance will make it feel a bit different than the single leg deadlift. Follow the same rules as above.
The Ham Pull-Through:
This is a favorite of guys like Dave Tate and Coach Davies. Attach a rope like you'd use for triceps pushdowns to a low pulley cable. Face away from the weight stack, straddle the cable and hold the rope at crotch level. (Yes, you'll find the rope in a peculiar position!)
Spread your feet to wider-than-shoulder-width, with a slight bend at the waist. Now walk out a little so you'll be able to keep constant tension. Start the eccentric (lowering) part of the movement by pushing the butt back and reaching your hands through your legs. Full extension of the movement comes as your forearms/elbows touch the sides of your knees. The concentric or lifting part of the movement is a forward, upward explosion to a standing position, where your hands return to the crotch position.
The One-Arm Deadlift:
Stand beside (not in front of) a loaded Olympic barbell. Using good deadlift form, bend down and pick it up with one arm. This is yet another classic full-body movement that's been forgotten by the new generation of gym rats. That's too bad because the one-arm deadlift will hit your muscles in ways no other exercise can match. Not only will it work your legs, traps and shoulders, it will also make your torso rock hard as it trains the obliques and other deep back and abdominal muscles.
Just remember to raise your body evenly as you stand up. When lowing the weight, keep your torso tight and sit back until the weight hits the floor. Do an equal number of sets for both sides.
The Turkish Get-up:
This is an old functional-strength standby that's making a comeback thanks to guys like Coach John Davies. Lie on your back and hold a dumbbell above your head with one arm. Your elbow should be locked. You goal is to stand up with it without unlocking your elbow and to keep the dumbbell in the air above you.
Most guys turn to one side, prop themselves up on one hand, then try to get up on a knee and stand up. Then, reverse the movement until you're again lying on your back, weight held above you and the elbow locked.
Afterward, do it with the opposite hand.
That said, there really aren't any rules to this exercise. No matter how you do it, you'll be hurting in muscles you didn't even know you had! The old timers did this exercise with a barbell. Try it if you think the dumbbell is "too easy."
The Overhead Squat:
Warning: No sissies, complainers, whiners, or Body-For-Lifers are allowed to try this devious exercise!
The overhead squat is another total body incinerator that will improve balance, speed, flexibility, and power. Simply perform a squat with the bar held at arm's length over your head. Take a wide grip on the bar (hands outside the rings) and with your back arched and chest out, squat down slowly by pushing your hips back. Go rock bottom on this one if you can! Start light and add weight as you get accustomed to the movement.
The Overhead Squat/Military Press Combo:
And you thought the last one took some coordination! Ha, ha, ha, ha, cough, cough, gasp. Excuse us. We get a little asthmatic when we start with the fiendish laughter.
Anyhow, this variation, courtesy of Coach John Davies, is done exactly the same way as the overhead squat described above, only while in the "down position" you'll do one, two, three or more military presses before squatting up again. Got it? Holding the bar overhead, squat down slowly as far as you can go, and then knock of a few military presses (that's behind the neck) before squatting up again.
Adding this little "twist" to the overhead squat will only accentuate the benefits of the movement, in addition to giving your central nervous system a real kick in the pants. You might feel a peculiar kind of wearniness after this movement. If that happens, either take a nap or take a hit of 4-AD-EC.
The Saxon Side Bend:
Some strength coaches call this the most effective exercise you can do to strengthen the core muscles. To perform it, simply hold two light dumbbells overhead with your feet spread about 18 inches apart. Now bend slowly to one side, come back up and bend to the other side. You'll immediately know why we recommend light dumbbells!
Keep the torso tight and the dumbbells held the same distance apart throughout the movement. Do about six reps per side.
One-arm Barbell Curl:
Nothing too tricky about this one. It's just a one-arm curl, only you'll be doing it with a 7-foot Olympic Bar. It sounds easy, but it ain't. Given the amount of coordination and gripping power it takes to balance the bar, you might end up losing control of the bar and knocking out the guy next to you who's doing dumbbell bench presses. That's okay, though. It's all part of the learning curve.
This is a great movement for building the forearms. Plus, it
activates the central nervous system like no other biceps movement.
The Glute-Ham Raise:
This is a mother of an exercise. Unless your hamstrings are copper-sheathed and iron clad, don't even try this movement. If you ignore our advice and decide to do it anyhow, take it easy.
Find some sort of pad lying around the gym. Fold it in two or three if you need to. Kneel on the pad with your hands on your hips. While your partner holds onto your calves, slowly lean forward toward the ground while keeping your back straight and not bending at the waist. If you're like most people, you'll only get about half-way before your hamstrings give out.
This next part is important so pay attention: as you fall toward the ground, catch yourself with your hands! Otherwise, you'll look like Jersey Joe Walcott after Rocky Marciano pasted him one in that famous picture of their heavyweight title fight.
Continue lowering your torso with your hands. Allow your body to come to a push-up position. Then, explode out of the down position until your hamstrings can pull you back up. Repeat until fatigued or until you hear a grotesque, gut-wrenching, tearing sound.
The Annoying Sissy-Boy Toe Drop:
This movement can be performed in conjunction with almost any weighted exercise listed above. Here's how it works: While doing those odd-looking exercises, an annoying sissy-boy who works at your gym will approach you to tell you how dangerous the movement is or that it isn't within the rules of the gym to allow such exercises. He will most likely approach you during your set and will justify his narrow-minded opinion based on the fact that he didn't see such an exercise listed in his ACE personal trainer home study guide.
While said annoying sissy-boy is giving his spiel (usually in a huffy, better-than-though tone), lock your eyes on his toes. This will help with the "mind-muscle connection." Now, depending on which exercise you're performing, drop the barbell or dumbbell directly on sissy-boy's toes. If you don't hear a suitable crunching sound accompanied by high-pitched squealing, repeat the "accidental" drop.
, respect gal.
