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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
Close-grip bench press Bench presses performed with a close (10-16" between the thumbs) grip preferentially recruit the triceps, since the elbows achieve greater flexion at the bottom of the movement. Be careful that your grip is not so narrow that you compromise control of the bar, especially at the end of the set when you're fatigued. Also make sure to avoid a "thumbless" grip, described in the bench press section of this chapter. ALWAYS employ a competent spotter when performing any bench press variation. Standing Unilateral Tricep Press Hold dumbbell in one hand over head with straight arm. Palms facing forward. Lower dumbbell to opposite shoulder behind the head. Maintain a stable torso. Do not bend at hips. Extend dumbbell in same range of motion as decent. Lying dumbbell triceps extensions Position yourself face up on a bench or Swiss ball. Using dumbbells (shown) or a straight bar, extend your arms until they are perpendicular to your torso. From this position, relax your triceps to allow your elbows to flex until the dumbbells touch your shoulders (when using a bar, full flexion is realized when your biceps make contact with your forearms). Reverse this action to return to the starting position, keeping your elbows stabilized (motionless) throughout the exercise. California Press This is a hybrid between a close grip bench press (concentrically) and a lying triceps extension (eccentrically). Position yourself face up on a bench or swiss ball. Using dumbbells (shown) or a straight bar, "bench press" the weight until your arms are perpendicular to your torso. From this position, stabilize your elbows while relaxing your triceps to allow your elbows to flex until the dumbbells touch your shoulders (when using a bar, full flexion is realized when your biceps make contact with your forearms). Return to the starting position by extending your shoulders until you arrive at the starting position for the press. Tricep Pushdowns This is performed from a high cable attachment, using either a bar or a "triceps rope." Grasp the handle and pull yourself into position using your lats to extend your shoulders until your elbows are against your sides. From here, fully flex and extend your elbows while keeping your elbows "pinned" to your sides. With heavier weights, it will become necessary to lean forward somewhat-athletes will also tend to place one foot ahead of the other to stabilize their position. Note: With all triceps exercises, keep the back of the wrists flat. Tellekinetic unilateral triceps pushdown (Directions are for right arm) Performed from a high cable attachment, using a triceps rope. Grasp the rope with your right hand and pull yourself into position using your lat to extend your shoulder until your right elbow is against your right ASIS (hip bone). From here, fully flex and extend your right elbow while keeping it pinned to your ASIS. The movement pattern is somewhat diagonal as your right hand travels from your left shoulder down across your body. Note: With all triceps exercises, keep the back of the wrist flat. Barbell Skull Crushers Start with arms fully extended above chest. Bend at elbows and lower bar towards forehead. Maintain a stable elbow position throughout movement. The Shoulder position should not change to accommodate weights that are too heavy. French Press Grasping a single dumbbell with both hands as shown, assume a seated position at the end of a bench. Work the dumbbell to one shoulder, and then maneuver it behind you. From here, press the dumbbell to a straight-arms position by contracting your triceps, being extremely careful not to lose your grip and risk dropping it on your head (a competent spotter is strongly advised). Relax your triceps to return to the starting position. Note: your elbows must remain stabilized, pointing to the ceiling, throughout. Dumbell Lateral Raises Grip dumbbells with palms facing your body. Raise the dumbbell to shoulder level with some elbow bend. Palms should be facing the ground when arms reach the top of the movement. Bent over lateral Raises Bend at the waist with head resting on a 45-degree bench press pad from behind the bench. Raise dumbbells with palms facing the floor. Wrist Curls Rest arms on bench with knees on the floor. Grip dumbbells or barbell with palms facing the sky. Curl while the wrist is hanging off the bench. Isolate the forearm by not involving any other muscles Wrist Extensions Perform this exercise in same fashion as wrist curls, but the palms must be facing down towards the floor.
Lying Pelvic Tilt This exercise trains the "lower abdominal function" of the rectus abdominus (stabilizing the pelvis during lower body movements such as running and kicking). Because it requires a higher degree of skill and coordination than other abdominal exercises, it should always be trained while the abdominals are still fresh. So, for example, if pelvic tilts and a second abdominal exercise are scheduled for the same workout, perform the pelvic tilts first. Lie back with knees bent to a 90-degree angle, feet on the floor. Contract the abdominals and force the lower back into the floor, breathing normally. There is a tendency to tense the neck and upper torso during this exercise, so monitor for unwanted muscular contractions from other muscle groups. This is primarily a static exercise, which may be held for increasing periods of time as strength levels increase. Prone Ball Roll From a kneeling position (use an exercise matt to cushion the knees), with a Swiss ball directly in front, place clasped hands on top of the ball. Extend forward until the hips, shoulders, and elbows are fully extended. Return back to the starting position by reversing the motion. While extending, the increased load on the abdominals will cause the tendency for the curve of the lower back to increase. The goal is to counteract this tendency by tilting the pelvis posteriorly (as during the pelvic tilt exercise) while extending. If unable to maintain constant low back curvature during this exercise, spend more time working on the pelvic tilt described earlier in this section. Reverse Trunk Twist Lie supine on the floor, with arms abducted 90 degrees to the torso to stabilize the body. Keeping knees straight, lift the legs until they are at a 90-degree angle to the torso (legs are perpendicular to floor). Maintaining straight knees, and keeping the legs together and 90 degrees to the trunk, lower the legs to the right until the feet contact the floor. The opposite side shoulder should still be in contact with the floor. Raises back to center and then down to the left. Repeat for indicated number of sets and repetitions. Swiss Ball Reverse Trunk Twist Lay face up on the ball, which is positioned in a power rack. Grab the sides of the rack for support. Flex the hips to 90 degrees with legs straight and together. The apex of the ball should be just under the lower back. Start with feet pointing up at the ceiling, and then, in a "windshield wiper" like movement, allow the legs to lower to the right side until they are parallel to the floor. Then return back to center and repeat on the left side. Do not allow the shoulder girdle to turn toward the direction that the legs are moving in, as this unloads the obliques muscles. When the legs are completely to the left, the right shoulder should be down, and vice versa. Repeat for the indicated number of repetitions. Use a medicine ball between the feet if an additional load is necessary. The difficulty of the exercise may be increased by using a heavier medicine ball, or by increasing the speed of the movement. Repeat for indicated number of sets and repetitions. Swiss Ball Russian Twist Assume a position on the ball as when performing crunches. Grasp a medicine ball with both hands. Keeping the elbows extended and arms perpendicular to the torso, rotate to either side. Maintain neutral head and neck position, with the tongue on the roof of the mouth. Also, do not allow the pelvis to rotate with the torso while turning from side to side, as this unloads the obliques muscles. The difficulty of the exercise may be increased by using a heavier medicine ball, increasing the speed of the movement, or by positioning further back on the ball (anchor the feet to prevent falling backward over the ball). Low/High Wood Chop This exercise is performed on a cable unit with the transducer in the bottom position. Grasp the handle with both hands, and step away from the machine far enough so that the weight stack will not "bottom out" at the end of the eccentric portion of the exercise, but not so far that the stack will hit the top of the machine at the end of the concentric portion. Using a side stance as shown, pull the handle diagonally from low to high, using only the oblique muscles. Keep the pelvis stabilized throughout the movement, and monitor oneself for leaning forward at the waist. High/Low Wood Chop This exercise is performed on a cable unit with the transducer in the top position. Grasp the handle with both hands, and step away from the machine. Using a side stance as shown, pull the handle diagonally from high to low, using only the oblique muscles. Keep the pelvis stabilized throughout the movement, and monitor for leaning forward at the waist. Note: all wood chop exercises can be performed from a seated (on a bench), kneeling, or standing position. Swiss Ball Crunch Sit on the ball, and "walk" forward until lying on the ball. Perform crunches in the normal manner, keeping in mind that a greater range of motion is achieved as the back drapes over the ball. The ball's instability and curved surface increase the level of difficulty of the crunch exercise, while simultaneously increasing the comfort of the movement. During crunches, modify arm position in order to adjust the level of resistance. The least resistance occurs when the arms are straight and outstretched along the side of the body during the movement. A more difficult variation is to cross the arms against the chest. The most difficult variation is to place the hands such that the fingers are touching the head at a point just behind the ears. Avoid interlacing the fingers and clasping behind the head, which can strain the cervical vertebrae, and encourage participation from other muscles. Additional resistance (in the form of a medicine ball or weight plate) can be used when bodyweight is no longer sufficient to cause an improvement in strength. When using additional resistance, it becomes necessary to anchor the feet under an immovable object to stabilize position Back Extensions Perform on a standard machine made for this purpose. Assume a position so that the navel is on the pad and the pelvis is stabilized. If the pelvis rotates during this exercise, the gluteals and hamstrings will also be recruited (this is not bad, per se, but undesirable if trying to maximally target the erector spinae Floor Back Extension From a position lying face down on the floor with hands over your head. Raise torso off of the ground while leaving legs in fixed position. Isolate lower back muscles through the slow movement. Oblique Crunch Arrange both legs to one side with one knee stacked on the other. Both Shoulder blades should be flat on the ground. Hands behind head and crunch towards hip. Range of motion is likely to be less than a normal crunch. Incline Sit-Up Use the incline sit up apparatus, but do not force legs into uncomfortable position. The object is to use the abdominals and not the hip flexors. Do not strain the legs to gain momentum. An oblique version of this exercise is done my bring elbow to opposite knee. Sit-Up Sit-ups are performed much like crunches (see abdominal section), except that the motion is taken beyond pure trunk flexion into hip flexion. Sit-ups can also be performed using pure hip flexion, with no trunk flexion involved Hanging Knee-Up Hanging from an overhead support, start with the entire body fully extended. This exercise can also be done from what is called a roman chair. The roman chair allows you to rest your arms in a fixed position just below shoulder level. Flex at the hips and knees simultaneously until the tops of the thighs are parallel to the floor, and then relax and return to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions. Cable Crunch. Face away from the a standard gym cable apparatus. Use a tricep pushdown rope and place an equal portion of the rope over each shoulder. Set the height of the pulley a few inches above your full height when standing. Your grip should be comfortable, but must stay set throughout the movement. Bend forward at the waist until elbows touch knees. Oblique Cable Crunch Position the cable transducer so that it is level with the shoulders. Grasp the handle with both hands, and assume a wide stance, right side facing the machine. Maintaining normal spinal curvatures (don't flex at the hips), start with the arms pointing 45 degrees to the right side. Keeping the pelvis stabilized, contract the oblique muscles and pull the handle until facing 45 degrees to the left. Return to starting position. (These instructions pertain to training the left obliques; simply reverse for the opposite side). For Personal Consultations contact SCOTT for more information Other Resources Hypertrophy
Programs (Muscle gain) LEGAL DISCLAIMER |
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