Favorite Weight Training Movements
January 3rd 2007 11:46
Today I give air time(or face time) to some weight movements that have the status of pets with me. They are excellent movements, but largely neglected by the folks in my gym.
My all time most excellent neglected movement is upright cable crosses. Here's how its done: Stand between the cables. Take a handle in each hand and make sure you have enough weight to make the movement tough but not impossible. Stand absolutely as upright as you can and roll your shoulders forward. Pull the handles downward and together so that your fists contact knuckle to knuckle at slightly above your belt line. Do not bend over. Do not bring the cables together higher than your navel. Feel what you are doing. You are putting a hurt on your pectoral muscles, especially the sweep of the outer pec. You are also cramping the pecs together and building the pec along the sternum. If you bend over or bring your handles together without your fists touching knuckles to knuckles, you will be activating deltoids and back and not very effectively. Want a bigger chest? This is it. I don't want to be indelicate,but, Ladies, you should do this one too.
My second favorite is the seated simultaneous dumbell curl. Why people do alternate curls I don't know. Unless you are forcing more repetitions at the end of a set you have no reason other than ego to do alternates. Don't stand up either. You'll use your hips to swing your torso and the biceps will not be isolated. Instead, sit on a bench with dumbbells at your side. Bend over toward your knees very slightly and do not move your torso during the movement. Bring the dumbbells up to your shoulder and turn your hands upward as you move so that your palms end up at shoulder height and facing your shoulder. This will eat up your biceps and it is intense because it is simultaneous. After some repetitions you may add extra cheat repetitions by allowing your back to come more upright as you bring up your arms.You may then,and only then, switch to alternates to really force your biceps to work.
My last favorite is one that makes me sad to even mention. It is the now thoroughly neglected Hack Squat. An old gym of mine used to have a device called a hack squat sled. This contraption allowed you to do a squat with the weight behind your legs. That is almost impossible with a barbell alone,but the sled allowed you to control your descent with the weight behind you. You simply leaned back on the sled and put your shoulder against two padded arms that allowed you to move the sled. When the safety handles were released, you could lower yourself and the sled to the floor. It, of course, was plate loaded and could hold hundreds of pounds. At the bottom of the movement you were in full crouch position with the weight behind you and up you had to come.
Next to the squat the hack squat is the greatest leg builder of all. It allowed intense work on the quadriceps without the dangers of balancing heavy weights on a barbell across the shoulders. I have referred to it in the past tense because it is pretty much gone from gyms these days. Many gyms have a version which you lie upon and use while parallel to the ground. Its not as good. If you still have a hack squat sled in your gym, feel blessed and use it.
My favorites apply important principals of weight training. I use each because it applies intense work to a specific body part largely in isolation. Isolation is a key element in building strength and muscle. Try each/all and you will see what I mean. Your servant,as always.
My all time most excellent neglected movement is upright cable crosses. Here's how its done: Stand between the cables. Take a handle in each hand and make sure you have enough weight to make the movement tough but not impossible. Stand absolutely as upright as you can and roll your shoulders forward. Pull the handles downward and together so that your fists contact knuckle to knuckle at slightly above your belt line. Do not bend over. Do not bring the cables together higher than your navel. Feel what you are doing. You are putting a hurt on your pectoral muscles, especially the sweep of the outer pec. You are also cramping the pecs together and building the pec along the sternum. If you bend over or bring your handles together without your fists touching knuckles to knuckles, you will be activating deltoids and back and not very effectively. Want a bigger chest? This is it. I don't want to be indelicate,but, Ladies, you should do this one too.
My second favorite is the seated simultaneous dumbell curl. Why people do alternate curls I don't know. Unless you are forcing more repetitions at the end of a set you have no reason other than ego to do alternates. Don't stand up either. You'll use your hips to swing your torso and the biceps will not be isolated. Instead, sit on a bench with dumbbells at your side. Bend over toward your knees very slightly and do not move your torso during the movement. Bring the dumbbells up to your shoulder and turn your hands upward as you move so that your palms end up at shoulder height and facing your shoulder. This will eat up your biceps and it is intense because it is simultaneous. After some repetitions you may add extra cheat repetitions by allowing your back to come more upright as you bring up your arms.You may then,and only then, switch to alternates to really force your biceps to work.
My last favorite is one that makes me sad to even mention. It is the now thoroughly neglected Hack Squat. An old gym of mine used to have a device called a hack squat sled. This contraption allowed you to do a squat with the weight behind your legs. That is almost impossible with a barbell alone,but the sled allowed you to control your descent with the weight behind you. You simply leaned back on the sled and put your shoulder against two padded arms that allowed you to move the sled. When the safety handles were released, you could lower yourself and the sled to the floor. It, of course, was plate loaded and could hold hundreds of pounds. At the bottom of the movement you were in full crouch position with the weight behind you and up you had to come.
Next to the squat the hack squat is the greatest leg builder of all. It allowed intense work on the quadriceps without the dangers of balancing heavy weights on a barbell across the shoulders. I have referred to it in the past tense because it is pretty much gone from gyms these days. Many gyms have a version which you lie upon and use while parallel to the ground. Its not as good. If you still have a hack squat sled in your gym, feel blessed and use it.
My favorites apply important principals of weight training. I use each because it applies intense work to a specific body part largely in isolation. Isolation is a key element in building strength and muscle. Try each/all and you will see what I mean. Your servant,as always.
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Comment by Adele
Lost Fanatic
Day Break TV
I'm not sure I've ever done a hack squat. My gym has a leg press machine that has the padded arms. Is this a hack squat machine?
Comment by JohnR/Nomythfitness.com
Comment by Adele
Lost Fanatic
Day Break TV