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Programs listed here will assist you whatever your level for more detailed personal consultations contact SCOTT for more information EXERCISE DESCRIPTION INDEX
Lat Pull-Downs These are only prescribed when an athlete's training facility does not permit chin-ups or pull-ups, or when the athlete cannot perform more than two repetitions on these exercises. This is because chin-ups and pull-ups develop the ability for athletes to overcome their own bodyweight, and also because lat pull-downs present too many opportunities to "cheat" by employing the low back musculature during the exercise. Typically, lat pull-down stations feature a variety of bars (for different grip positions). Most also feature a support pad to wedge the knees under, which prevents being pulled upward during the exercise. The grip on the bar should be equidistant from the center, and about 1.5 times shoulder width. Lifting straps may be used to secure bar grip. Assume a seated position under the bar, and pull the bar down to the clavicles (never behind the neck, which lessens the exercise's benefit and increases the possibility of neck injuries). This is done not simply by flexing at the elbows, but also by simultaneously retracting the shoulder blades and arching the back slightly. Think of "pushing the chest to the bar" rather than pulling the bar to the chest. Do not lean backward during the pull, even slightly. Many lifters unconsciously do this as a matter of habit as fatigue increases. When using a close grip, the same general technique applies, except that athletes will experience a greater degree of elbow flexion, which increases involvement of the biceps muscle. Despite myths to the contrary, varying grips do not have different effects on the ultimate shape of the lats. However, regularly varying the grip will probably result in more complete development, and better strength through a variety of angles. Pull-Ups Pull-ups are performed with palms pronated (facing away from oneself). Perform the pull-up just like a lat pull-down, except that the body rises up to the bar, rather than the reverse. Keep the hip's neutral (knees may be flexed to avoid contact with the floor). A common technical error is to flex at the hips as fatigue accumulates. Ensure clearing the bar with the chin at the top, and fully protract the scapulae at the bottom position. Think of "pulling the elbows to the ribs" rather than lifting the chin over the bar. Chalk or lifting straps may be used to enhance the grip. Repeat for indicated number of repetitions. If needed, extra resistance may be provided through weight plates attached to a belt, or by placing a dumbbell between the calves. Chin-Ups Performed the same as pull-ups, except that chin-ups are performed with a supinated (palms facing) grip, which increases biceps involvement. The closer the grip, the more the biceps are involved. Chalk or lifting straps may be used to secure a good grip. Seated Row Performed on a machine or with a low cable. A variety of grip positions are possible. In all cases, the following points should be observed. Maintaining normal spinal curvatures, pull the handle to the torso at about navel height (not higher). At the finish of the concentric phase, shoulder blades should be retracted. Next, allow the shoulder blades to separate while returning back to the starting position. When using a low cable, a variety of torso inclinations are possible, but keep the torso perpendicular to the floor, or lean slightly back. Whichever position is chosen, maintain it throughout the exercise. Lat push down Use a standard tricep pushdown bar attached to a calbe pulley system set at the height of your head. Grip the bar with straight arms. Push the bar down to the waist level, with minimal bend in the elbows. Bent Over Barbell Rows The upper back muscles are the body's primary "pulling" muscles. Optimal development of these muscles involves pulling weights from different angles, and the lifts used to exercise these muscles should not be limited to overhead pulls, such as pullups or the use of a "lat pull-down" machine. Therefore, it is important for lifters to add a "rowing" routine to their upper back workouts, and my preference is bent barbell rowing. To perform this lift, a heavily-loaded bar is laid on the floor or on a low rack. The lifter stands over the bar, and leans down to grasp it with a pronated grip; this means that the lifter's palms will be facing outward, although with the arms extended downward, the palms will be facing the body once the bar is grasped. The bar is then lifted off the rack or floor, and the lifter stands grasping the bar, both arms fully extended, very slightly bent at the knees, and bent at the hips to the extent that the upper body is nearly parallel to the ground. The lifter then pulls upward on the bar, flexing at the elbows and drawing the bar up to his or her lower chest at the bottom of the ribcage. This motion should be limited to the arms and upper back, and the lifter should remain motionless at the legs and hips. Once the bar has been brought to the lower chest area, the lifter then extends both arms, lowering the bar, and repeats the full motion for the desired number of repetitions. Because the lifter is pulling a heavily-loaded barbell from a position that is deeply bent at the hips, considerable stress is placed on the lower back muscles. For that reason, the lifter should not attempt to add momentum to the lift by jerking upward with the lower back muscles and slightly extending the body. By remaining motionless at the hips, the lifter reduces the risk of lower back strain and forces the muscles of the upper back to pull the weight upward. If a little additional momentum is needed to pull very heavy weights, or to complete one last repetition, my personal preference is to push upward from the toes in a short "toe raise," which causes a slight upward movement of the bar, just enough to get it moving. Dumbbell Row (These instructions pertain to training the right side). Rest the left knee and hand on the bench, as shown. Grasp a dumbbell with the right hand, palm facing in toward the body. Maintaining neutral spinal curvatures and keeping the torso parallel to the floor, pull the dumbbell upward in a straight line, keeping the elbow close to the torso throughout. At the top of the movement, the right hand should be adjacent to the right ASIS (hip bone). Slowly lower back to the starting position, and repeat for the desired number of repetitions. As with all back exercises, the exercise should start with fully protracted scapulae, and finish with fully retracted scapulae. Supraspinatus Raise (Directions are for the right side) Lie on a bench or the floor, on the left side. If on a bench, stabilize by placing the left palm on the floor. Using a very light dumbbell, start the exercise with the right arm fully against the right side. Raise the right arm directly upward until it forms a 45-degree angle with the floor, and return. At the bottom position, do not rest the arm against the side, but instead, keep tension on the target muscle. Repeat for the other side. Once again, this is a very small muscle so use light weight / high repetition protocols. 45-Degree Incline Dumbbell Curl Do not allow the elbows to shift forward during the concentric portion of the lift! Allow the arm to completely straighten on the bottom. Squeeze hard at the top. Static Barbell Curl Load a barbell and place it on pins inside of a power rack. Set a second pair of pins at a height where the bar will hit them when the elbows are flexed at approximately a 90-degree angle. Grip the bar so that the hands are slightly wider than shoulder-width. Curl the bar, and press against the pins with maximal force for six seconds, then release. This is one set. Two important considerations are holding one's breath throughout the repetition and not allowing the lower back to increase or decrease it's normal curvature. Static curls may also be performed at the end of a "standard" set, by touching the pins at the end of each repetition for the desired number of repetitions, and then performing the static hold on the last repetition. Preacher Curl/Scott Bench Curl This a common piece of gym equipment used for various bicep movements. Both elbows should remain on the bench at all times. Minimize movement of the lower body by adjusting seat height accordingly. Swiss Ball Preacher Curl Position the upper arms over the ball as when using a preacher bench. Use either a straight handle, pair of dumbbells, or a handle attached to a low cable, and perform the curls for the desired number of sets and repetitions.. Hammer Curl This is simply a curl performed with a "thumbs up" position, which increases the involvement of the brachialis muscle (an important muscle for grip strength). Grapplers must implement this exercise judiciously since the gripping muscles are exposed to constant stress during skills sessions. Low Cable Hammer Curl Attach a triceps rope to the low cable. Sit on a bench positioned perpendicular to the cable's line of pull. Sit on the bench, bracing the feet against the floor or, if possible, against the lower supports of the cable unit. Lean back to a 45-degree angle, anchoring the elbows to one's sides (similar to performing a triceps pushdown), and perform a hammer curl. Once again, grapplers must implement this exercise judiciously since the gripping muscles are exposed to constant stress during skills sessions. Reverse Curl This is simply a curl performed with a "palms down" position, which increases the involvement of the brachial radialis muscle (an important muscle for grip strength). As in the previous two exercises, this is yet another method that grapplers should use judiciously. Drag Curl Drag curls are used to concentrate muscular stress on the outer half (long head) of the biceps. This isolated stress causes greater development of the outer biceps, which tends to create a more defined separation between the lifter's bicep and tricep muscles. Starting from the initial position for standard Barbell Curls, the lifter holds the bar with both arms extended downward, gripping the bar with a supinated grip. The lifter then lifts the bar upward, but instead of keeping both elbows locked to the side and lifting the bar in an arc, the lifter allows both elbows to move rearward and "drags" the bar in a straight line directly up the front of the lifter's body. Once the bar reaches the lifter's lower chest area, the lifter allows the bar to descend in the same straight line down the front of the body until both arms are again fully extended. This movement is then repeated for the desired number of repetitions. Zottman Curl Performed with dumbbells, the Zottman curl is a hybrid between the standard curl, the reverse curl, and the hammer curl. Performed seated or standing, curl the dumbbells up with a palms-up grip, then, at the top of the concentric phase, turn the palms down and lower back to the starting position. Fat Bar Curl A standard curl performed with an "oversized" barbell to increase the difficulty. Final caution exercise for grapplers. Arnold Press From a seated position, begin with arms in front with elbows flexed. Raise the dumbbells upward using the anterior deltoid, then "open" the elbows into a standard seated press position, and lower. Next, "close" the elbows, and start again for the indicated number of sets and repetitions. Dumbbell Upright Row At the top of movement, shoulders, elbows, and hands should all be the same distance from the floor (all in a straight line from a front view). Keep the bells as close to the body as possible throughout. Lying "L" Flyes (Directions are for the right side) Lie on a bench or the floor, on the left side. If on a bench, stabilize by placing the left palm on the floor. Using a very light dumbbell (even an empty hand is sufficient in many cases), start the exercise with the right arm fully against the right side, with the right elbow flexed to 90 degrees and "pinned" to the left ASIS (hip bone). Raise the dumbbell by externally rotating the right arm, maintaining the 90-degree elbow position. At the bottom position, the right arm will drape across the waist. Repeat for the other side. Note that this is a very small muscle. Use light weight/high repetition protocols. Strictly monitor to prevent any movement of the torso during the exercise. Bench Press Bench presses may be performed with a bar or with dumbbells. The bench may be flat (overall pectoral stress), inclined (more stress to the clavicular pectorals), or declined ( more stress to the lower pectorals). Lay on the bench, placing both feet on the floor (if this causes the curvature of your low back to increase, find a lower bench or place your feet on solid blocks to elevate them). Grasp the bar such that both hands are equidistant to the center, and make sure your thumbs are wrapped around the bar, rather than on the same side as your other fingers. At the start, the bar should be directly over your nose-if it isn't, slide yourself up or down on the bench until it is. Inhale and unrack the bar from the supports. As you lower the bar to your chest, keep your elbows directly under the bar, rather than in front of, or ahead of the bar. At the bottom of the movement, the bar lightly touches your chest at nipple level. Return the bar to the starting position. Grip width: Viewed from the head of the bench, your forearms should be perpendicular to the floor at the bottom position. Depth: Although the most common variant is to bring the bar down until it touches the chest, for some athletes with poor shoulder flexibility, this position may be too deep. As a rule of thumb, the bottom position you choose should not use up all the shoulder flexibility you have-you should be able to go deeper with no discomfort if you had to. For novice athletes with adequate shoulder flexibility, you can use depth as a method of progression, by using a constant weight over several workouts, slightly increasing the depth every session. Transition position: most bench press injuries occur during the transition between the eccentric and concentric phase, according to Dr. Sal Arria, Executive Director of the International Sports Sciences Association. A common technique flaw involves the fatigued lifter allowing the bar to "bounce" or "chop" down onto the chest, which subjects the pectoral attachments to sudden loads, which is often the stimulus for injury. A 200 pound bar lowered very slowly exerts about 200 pounds of pressure. But this same bar lowered quickly, may put many hundreds of pounds of tension on the target muscles and their attachments. ALWAYS employ a competent spotter when performing any bench press variation Dumbbell bench press Performing the bench press with dumbbells adds an element of difficulty because of the instability and balance which is required. Using proper lifting technique (refer back to squat and deadlift descriptions), remove the dumbbells from their rack, and walk back to the bench (if possible, position the bench adjacent to the dumbbells you'll use beforehand). Sit down GENTLY to avoid spinal compression, with a dumbbell on each thigh, as shown. Carefully lay back on the bench, allowing the dumbbells to move into the starting position. Press the dumbbells upward until your elbows are extended, but do not allow the dumbbells to touch at the top. Repeat for indicated number of reps. Exiting the bench after a set: there are two ways to exit the set safely. If the dumbbells are light enough, you can return them to your thighs and roll forward to a seated position, and then stand up and return the dumbbells to their rack. However, if the dumbbells are too heavy, this won't be a viable option. In this case, lower the dumbbells, under as much control as possible, one at a time, to the floor. DO NOT lower them simultaneously, as this is likely to exceed the range of motion in your shoulder joints and cause injury. ALWAYS employ a competent spotter when performing any bench press variation. Ball dumbbell bench press This is performed much like the preceding exercise, except that you'll use a Swiss ball instead of a bench. Although very effective, this is a difficult exercise and certain precautions must be observed: 1) Only use a Duraball from Durabody. This is the only ball on the market guaranteed never to burst (I've tested these balls personally many times). 2) Check the ball surface and the floor for sharp objects such as staples, gravel, etc. 3) Ensure that you don't have zippers, rivets, or anything else on or in your pockets that might puncture the ball. 4) Replace Swiss balls every 6 months. 5) Always use a competent spotter. 6) Stay well within your capabilities; this is not the place to try for a new 1RM. Start conservatively, and progress gradually. Using proper lifting technique, remove the dumbbells from their rack, and walk back to the ball (if possible, position the ball adjacent to the dumbbells you'll use beforehand). Sit down carefully, with a dumbbell on each thigh, as shown. Carefully lay back on the ball, allowing the dumbbells to move into the starting position. Position your feet apart to form a stable base, and lift your hips until your torso becomes parallel to the ground. Press the dumbbells upward until your elbows are extended, but do not allow the dumbbells to touch at the top. Repeat for indicated number of reps. Exit the set by dropping the dumbbells to the floor one at a time. Dips Dips are contraindicated for athletes with shoulder pathology, but for all others, it is a very effective exercise for the pectorals, front deltoids, and triceps. Maintain a vertical torso for more shoulder and tricep involvement, and a forward lean to increase pectoral recruitment. Descend slowly and under complete control, and be careful not to exceed your shoulder's range of motion. Return back to the top position by contracting your pecs, deltoids, and triceps. Repeat for indicated number of reps. If needed, extra resistance may be provided through weight plates attached to a belt, or by placing a dumbbell between your calves. One & 1/4 bench press (See bench press description above for general technique guidelines). Lower the bar (or dumbbells) to your chest, then raise it 1/4 of the way back up, then back to the chest, and then back up to arm's length; this constitutes one repetition. Complete for the indicated number of reps for each set. ALWAYS employ a competent spotter when performing any bench press variation. 45/30/15 dumbbell bench press (See bench press description above for general technique guidelines).You'll need a partner to complete this exercise. Set the bench at a 45° incline. Perform 4 repetitions, and then have your partner drop the bench to a 30° incline. Perform 4 more reps, and re-set to a 15° incline, and then perform 4 more reps. Complete for the indicated number of sets. Shrug This exercise can be performed using either a barbell or a pair of dumbbells for resistance. Additionally, when using a bar, it can be positioned in front of, or behind your body. The dumbbell variant may be performed seated or standing. Position the barbell on a rack at approximately knee level. Face the bar, grasp and unrack it, stepping backward just enough to clear the rack. From this point, simply "shrug" the barbell, straight up, and back down, for the desired number of reps. Low pulley row to neck This is a seated row done with a rope handle. Pull your hands to your neck, keeping elbows high. At the end of the concentric phase, your elbows will be high, as in an upright row. Manual Neck strengthening exercises The athlete assumes a seated position. With both hands, hold the athlete's head firmly, as he attempts to flex forward, backward, or to either side as you resist his movement. Avoid rotational or twisting movements. For Personal Consultations contact SCOTT for more information Other Resources Hypertrophy
Programs (Muscle gain) LEGAL DISCLAIMER |
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