Allen
Hedrick,
head S & C
coach at the
US Air Force
Academy,
uses this
one a lot
with his
athletes.
Perform a
standard
dumbbell
bench press
movement,
but rather
than
pressing
both
dumbbells
simultaneously,
alternate
between
pressing the
dumbbells
with the
right and
left hands.
Make sure
to
completely
lower the
right
dumbbell
back to the
chest before
pressing the
left
dumbbell
away from
the chest
and visa
versa. You
may be
surprised
how
challenging
this
exercise
becomes when
performed in
this manner!
Chad
Waterbury
popularized
this one,
just like he
did with the
male thong,
but that's a
story for
another day.
When we've
been
drinking.
Heavily.
Pretty
straightforward
here. The
movement is
similar to a
skull
crusher
(triceps
extension)
only the
dumbbells
are brought
to the chest
instead of
the head.
Simple and
effective,
like a good
hooker.
We got
this one
with Charles
Poliquin.
That's him
in the
pictures
actually.
He's a sexy
bitch, isn't
he? Just
like us.
Okay,
stand and
hold a
dumbbell in
the
non-dominant
hand. Use
the other
hand to hold
onto a power
rack or
something.
If you're
holding the
dumbbell in
the right
hand, the
left leg is
forward in a
semi-lunge
position,
and the left
arm is
extended at
shoulder
level
holding on
to the power
rack post.
This
exercise
allows for a
greater
range of
motion in
the pressing
range than
in the
two-hand
dumbbell
press as the
scapulae can
move more
freely.
The key
here is to
keep the
hand in a
neutral grip
(semi-supinated),
not a
pronated
grip
(palms-down).
Make an
extra effort
to bring the
biceps as
close to
your head as
possible
when you're
nearly
completing
the
concentric
(lifting)
range.
Again, the
extra range
comes in
handy to
restore
shoulder
health.
Don't wear a
belt and
make sure
you keep the
legs out of
it! Once
your legs
are in the
starting
position,
they don't
move until
the set is
over.
This
exercise is
a rather
strange one
in that it
works both
the biceps
and the
medial
delts. Okay,
as far as a
biceps
movement,
it's no
great
shakes, but
it's a
helluva'
delt
movement.
The beauty
of the
movement is
that it
allows you
to do a type
of lateral
raise, only
using a much
greater
weight than
might
otherwise be
possible.
If you're
a big fan of
lateral
raises
you've no
doubt
noticed that
the
concentric
part of the
movement
(the actual
lifting
part) is a
lot harder
than the
eccentric or
lowering
part of the
movement.
Well, funky
chickens
provide a
solution to
that
problem.
Here's
how you do
them:
1) Grab a
pair of
dumbbells
using a
semi-supinated
grip (with
the palms
facing your
thighs).
2) Curl
the weights
up as if you
were doing a
traditional
hammer curl.
3) Once
you curl the
weight to
the top,
flair out
your elbows
so they're
parallel to
the ground.
4) Now,
extend the
weights out
until your
arms are
completely
outstretched.
5) Lower
the weights
to the
starting
position and
repeat steps
1-4.
Funky
chickens
will make
you feel
like you've
been
plucked,
gutted, and
fried up for
Sunday
dinner. Try
them out and
let us know
how they
work.
We
learned this
triceps
exercise
from Dave
Tate. Think
of it as a
"finisher"
movement or
"feeder"
workout.
It's a
very
effective
movement to
shuttle a
lot of blood
into the
muscle
without a
lot of
tissue
breakdown.
Because of
this, it can
be used very
nicely
multiple
times per
week without
any negative
effect on
strength.
Actually,
Louie
Simmons of
Westside
Barbell used
to have some
of his
lifters do
100 rep band
pushdowns
daily when
their bench
would become
stale.
To set
this
movement up,
attach two
bands around
the top of a
power rack,
chin bar, or
anything
else that'll
give you
enough
tension.
Start on
your knees.
While
keeping your
elbows
tucked,
begin firing
off
alternate
rep
pressdowns.
This is
where the
piston name
comes from.
After
reaching
failure,
stand up and
keep going
until you
reach
failure
again. A few
sets of
these and
you'll be
jacked.
Shoot for
20-30 reps
per
position.
This is
performed
similar to a
traditional
one-arm row
with greater
isolation on
the lat
fibers. In
fact, many
trainees
tell us they
never truly
"felt" their
lats before
this
exercise!
Grasp a
dumbbell
with a
neutral grip
with the
left hand.
Position the
right hand
and right
knee onto a
flat bench
and arch the
lower back
slightly.
Extend the
left arm to
its maximal
end range.
Using the
left lat,
slowly flex
and retract
the left arm
to the left
hip at the
belt line.
Pause two
seconds in
the top
contracted
position.
Don't
forget to
train the
other side
or people
will point
and laugh.
