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Barbell movements
1 board press
Muscles Targeted: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
The 1 Board Press has become a favorite of lifters, from raw to equipped lifters. To perform this exercise, all you need is a one board (a 2x6 works perfectly) and a regular bench.
The important thing to remember is to keep your bench form the same and to NOT heave the bar off of the board. Many lifters will bring the bar into the board, let it sink hard and use the momentum to achieve the lift. You need to let the bar sink, but don't learn how to cheat.
You can use any grip (close, medium or wide) for this lift.
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Re: Barbell movements
2 board press
Muscles Targeted: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
The 2 Board Press is one of the top 5 all-time max effort exercises. This is because the 2 Board places the bar in the sticking point for many lifters (approx. 4 inches off of the chest.)
To perform the 2 Board, all you need is a 2 Board Press (this is 2 2x6 boards) placed on the chest. Bring the bar into the boards, but don't heave the bar off of the boards. You need to let the bar sink into the boards, but don't use that momentum to cheat your weights up.
Make sure you use the same form as your regular bench.
You can use a close, medium or wide grip on this lift.
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Re: Barbell movements
3 board press
Muscles Targeted: Triceps, Chest and Delts
We love all aspects of Lumber Liftin. The 3 Board Press is one of the front runners for all time best max effort movements for the development of the bench press. For most the 3 board press will position the bottom of the lift (when the bar hits the boards) just out of the pec region of the bench press. This in turn will place most of the work onto the triceps and off of the chest. This makes the 3 board press a great triceps and lockout builder.
The 3 Board Press is also a great way to control the range of motion if you are dealing with shoulder and pec injuries.
It is also a great triceps builder. Use a close grip and work up to a few heavy sets of 5 and watch you triceps take off.
I have personally seen this one movement add over 100 pounds to many lifters bench press. These lifters were all very strong off the chest but weak at the top end. This top end was holding their bench press back. After adding in three board presses for reps they increased their top end strength to match the bottom and strength and the net results was a hundred pound personal record.
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Re: Barbell movements
4 board press
Muscles Targeted: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
I think the 4 Board Press is one of the best lockout exercises you can do. Also, I've used it as a ME exercise and for whatever reason, when this went up, so did my max bench press.
The 4 Board Press is generally used as a supplemental lockout exercise and is especially useful when doing multiple sets of 3-5 reps. This is generally done as a second exercise.
When doing this, any grip can be used (close, medium or wide) but I have found great success when using a medium grip. This is classified as having your pinky finger on the ring.
Make sure to bring the bar into the boards, let it sink slightly and press. Do not let the bar sink so much that you use the momentum to heave the bar up. This is cheating and Congress will call you to testify in front of a Grand Jury.
If you are having trouble locking out big weight, this is a great exercise to do. If you are holding the boards, you do not have to look at the camera.
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Re: Barbell movements
5 board press
Muscles Targeted: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
The 5 Board Press, along with the 4 Board Press, is one of of the best ways to increase lockout strength for your bench press.
To perform a 5 Board Press, place 5 2x6 boards on your chest, bring the bar into the boards, let it sink into the boards (slightly) and press back up. Make sure that your flare your elbows at the top to maximize your lockout strength. This is because your lockout position when doing the 5 Board Press has to mirror your actual bench press.
Don't be alarmed if your 5 Board Press is not the same as your regular bench press. Many times people will be lower in this movement than there shirted bench because of lack of speed/momentum that they get when they perform a full-range movement. The point is to strengthen your lockout.
This is best performed as a 2nd exercise (supplemental lift) for multiple sets of 3-5 reps. If you are a raw lifter, this lift may not be a staple in your training arsenal. This lift is especially important if you do compete with a bench shirt.
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Re: Barbell movements
45 Degree Back Raise with Cambered Bar
Category: Supplemental and accessory
Muscles Targeted: Low back, glutes, hamstrings
Exercise Description: Position yourself in the equipment so that your hips are just above the pad. Bend at the waist so your head is near the ground and raise your torso by arching your back and contracting your glutes and hamstrings. To emphasize your hamstrings, dig your knees into the pad and perform a leg curl at the top.
Use a bar across your back, a weight plate behind your head, or a medicine ball across your chest to make the exercise more difficult. You can also place a resistance band around your neck and attach it to the equipment for added resistance.
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Re: Barbell movements
Anderson Squat
Concentric (overcoming) squat performed out of chains or off of pins
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Re: Barbell movements
Back extension/row combination
Category:
Posterior Chain Domination
Muscles Targeted:
Hamstrings, Glutes, Erectors (spinae, longissimus), Lats, Rhomboids, Teres Major, Grip
Definition:
Setup in a GHR, Back Extension or Roman Chair. Extend hips and lock into place close to parallel to the floor. Perform barbell rows. Torso length (moment arm) and load will determine difficulty.
Benefits:
L-spine endurance with huge upper back engagement. Great combination exercise to blast through some barriers in your training.
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Re: Barbell movements
Back hyper complex
Work the entire posterior chain. Lifter performs a back hyper extension and then rows the barbell to their midsection.
Recommended to be performed via the submaximal or repeated effort method.
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Re: Barbell movements
Barbell Curls w/ Chains
Category: Accessory
Muscles Targeted: Guns
I'm not a big fan of curls. In fact, I can count on my back hairs how many reps I've done over my lifetime. And I'm not a sasquatch!
Anyway, I think those that want to pump up their pea shooters like to perform a lot of different exercises. Barbell curls w/ chains are a great way to accomodate the strength curve and get more resistance at the top.
The only thing that I would advise you to do is make sure that when the barbell is at the top, be sure that there are some links of the chains on the floor. This will eliminate the swing of the chain. Perform the reps smoothly and this is not the exercise to perform with a hint of a cheat (i.e. don't perform an underhand hang clean).
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Re: Barbell movements
Barbell Front Raise
Category: Accessory
Muscles Targeted: Shoulders
This is considered an old school exercise only because no one does it anymore and I'm not entirely convinced it was ever a staple exercise in anyone's program.
It's really simple: take a barbell and raise it out in front of you. Repeat as necessary.
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Re: Barbell movements
Barbell good morning
Muscles Targeted: Lower Back, Hamstrings, and Glutes
This was first published in T-nation feb 06
If you haven't guessed by now, I love the good mornings. I feel everyone should do some form of this movement; it's one of the best exercises you can do for strength development. When programmed correctly, it can be a huge difference maker in any program.
I also feel that the good morning is a great form of chaos training. By this I mean if you miss a squat because you fall forward, how would you recover from it? Or if you fall forward while pulling a deadlift or any other pull, how would you recover? You'd have to arch your way back into position, hence a good morning.
Now what could you do to strengthen the body so this wouldn't happen in the first place? Yep, a good morning!
To do a good morning, place the bar across your back as you would a squat. Take a moderate stance. Before you lower, fill your abdomen with air and brace yourself as tight as you can. Keep this tightness as you bend over by pushing your ass back and keeping your back in a natural arched position. You'll feel like your toes will want to come off the floor.
When you reach the bottom position (just above parallel), think of arching your upper back up as you drive your hips in. There will be a slight bend to the knee.
To illustrate the power of good mornings, I'll use my wife as an example. Traci had some training experience while in school but this was limited to just messing around in the weightroom from time to time. After moving to Columbus to train at Westside, she'd come to meets with me to handle the details and for support.
At one of these meets, she was approached by Dorris Simmons (Louie's wife) in regards to training at Westside. Traci didn't want to be a powerlifter but wanted to get into better shape. More importantly, she wanted to strengthen her lower back because of problems she was having with it.
During her first visit to the club she was asked to pull a deadlift (this is what everyone else was doing). Her back hurt too bad to pull the bar! She was then pulled off the basic Westside plan for lower body and was told to focus on only a few movements dealing with lower back and abs. These included hanging leg raises, pulldown abs, reverse hypers and good mornings. These movements were done every time she stepped into the gym.
The first good morning session was done with a broomstick and then progressed to good mornings while standing on a band with the other end of the band around her upper traps. Her torso was the weakness and these movements were the solution.
So how did it work? Eleven months later, she squatted 365, bench pressed 240, and deadlifted 315... in the 123 weight class.
The key is to begin and train at the level you're at. If you're too weak to do a good morning, then use a broomstick until you can use a curl bar. Then move to a barbell and so on. Her best good morning before the meet was 225 for three reps.
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Re: Barbell movements
Rev. barbell lunge
Use any barbell, dumbbells, weight vest,etc
Lifter takes a large lunge backwards and descends into a deep knee bend
One of the most 'athletic' lunge variations due to the balance and dynamic flexibility that is demanded from the lifter
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Re: Barbell movements
Barbell Shrugs
Category: Accessory
Muscles Targeted: Yoke
I have talked extensively about building a big yoke. The yoke is comprised of your traps, rear delts and all those other muscles that make your shirt sit funny on your shoulders.
Just grab a barbell off the floor or out of the rack and with an overhand grip, or standing with your back facing the bar with an underhand grip start shrugging.
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Re: Barbell movements
Barbell side lunge
Use any barbell, dumbbells, weight vest, etc
Lifter maintains feet pointed straight ahead and attempts to keep the torso as erect as possible while descending into a deep knee bend by stepping out to the side.