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Strength Training

General strength training includes upper and lower body conditioning, as well as core work outs. However, since there is already a "Core Conditioning" section, I'll only be focusing on the general upper and lower body exercises, here. Also, other pages are being made which focus on certain specialty work out tools, such as tractor tires and bodyweight suspension straps, so the main focus here will be aimed at barbell and dumbbell exercises, with a fiew exeptions.

 

Remember to focus on form first, and then build up the resistance (weight). We will be focusing on free weights, as they develop the body much better than machines, but feel free to use machines to aid you in achieving better form for buildign a fundamental strength and habit in regard to the specific movements. Have fun!

Upper Body

Shoulders
Barbell Shrug

  1. Standing upright, feet shoulder width, hold the bar with palms facing you, gripping the bar a little wider than shoulder width, with the bar resting on the thighs.

  2. Using only your shoulders, lift the bar as high as the shoulders can go and hold it a second. Make sure that the shoulders are only moving straight up, and not rolling forward or backward.

  3. Slowly return to the starting position.

  • Upper Trapezius

Overhead Press

  1. Begin by standing straight and resting the bar on the front of your shoulders. Hands are slightly less than shoulder width, keeping your wrists straight. Push your chest out and upward, arching your back. The propper stance is important.

  2. Press the bar directly upward, in a straight line. Make sure you are moving perfectly vertical.

  3. When your arms have fully extended upward, shrug your shoulders upward to complete the lift.

  4. Lower the bar along the save verticle line, until it is back to your shoulders.

  • Anterior and Medial Deltoids

  • Trapezius

  • Triceps Brachii

Dumbbell Overhead Press

  1. Feet shoulder wisth, knees slightly bent. Hold the dumbbells at your shoulders, to either side.

  2. Press upward until your arms are straight up, keeping the hands directly over the elbows.

  3. Lower your arms until the dumbbells are back to your shoulders.

  • Anterior and Medial Deltoids

  • Trapezius

  • Triceps Brachii

Upright Dumbbell Row

  1. Begin ith the resting on your thighs. Arms are slightly bent. Back straight.

  2. Using your shoulder muscles, raise the dumbbells up along your torso, pushing the elbows out to either side, and keeping them higher than your forearms. Lift to about shoulder height.Continue to lift them until they nearly touch your chin.

  3. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

  • Medial Deltoids

  • Upper Trapezius

Dumbbell Side Raise

  • Medial Deltoids

  • Trapezius

  1. Standing upright, hold the dumbbells at your sides, palms facing inward.

  2. Lift outward, to the sides, maintaining stiff arms, with a slight bend, raising the arms until they are parallel to the floor.

  3. In a controlled motion, lower the dumbbells back to the sides to complete the first repetition.

Dumbbell Front Raise

  1. Standing upright, hold the dumbbells at your sides, palms facing inward.

  2. Raise one arm to the front, keeping it straight (slightly bent), until the dumbbell is at shoulder level.

  3. Returning the dumbbell to the starting position, repeat this pattern with the opposite arm.

  • Anterior Deltoids

  • Trapezius

Dumbbell Rear Raise

  • Posterior Deltoids

  • Trapezius

  1. Feet at shoulder width (knees slightly bent), bend forward at the waist until the torso is near horizontal, keeping the back straight. The dumbbells rest in the hands, directly below the shoulders, palms facing each other.

  2. Raise the arms out to the sides, up to shoulder height.

  3. Slowly return to the starting position.

Shoulders
Chest & Shoulders
Bench Press

FORM: Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor, making contact on the bench with your butt and shoulder blades, leaving a small space beneath your lower back, with the head resting on the bench, eyes at the same level as the bar.

  1. Grasp the bar with the hands at a little more than shoulder width. Make sure that you have your thumbs wrapped around the bar, and keep your wrists straight. Have a spotter assist with removing the bar from the rest.

  2. Lower the bar until it touches the lower part of your chest.

  3. Press the barbell up to the starting position, remaining mindful of your posture.

 

Benefits: Pectoralis, Anterior Deltoids, Triceps Brachii

Starting Form

1. Lift Bar to Ready Position

2. Lower Bar

3. Lift Bar

Dumbbell Press

A seemingly simple exercise, most people will find great difficulty as they attempt to stabilize the weight. Because of this, we always begin people with bench presses to reduce the stress placed on the stabilizer muscles.

 

  1. Begin with the weight at the sides of the lower chest. Elbows should be at 90 degrees, or 10 degrees below shoulder height.

  2. Keeping the hands directly above the elbows, push all the way up, ending with the arms straight above.

  3. Lower back to the starting position, still keeping the hands above the elbows the entire time.

 

Benefits: Pectoralis, Anterior Deltoids, Triceps Brachii

 

Key point: Keeping your hands above your elbows is important to achieve maximum benefit from the exercise, but it is what people struggle with most as they begin. Start with light weight, and pay attention to form!

1. Starting Position

2.1 Keep Hands Above Elbows

2.2 End Movement

3. Return to Starting Position

Incline & Decline Press

For this variation of the chest press, whether using dumbbells or a barbell, an adjustable bench is used. The form is similar to the regular versions, however the bar is brought down to the upper part of the chest, and the dumbbells come down to the sides of the upper chest.

The Purpose

Though the same muscles are being utilized, the muscles of the chest are the "band-type" muscles. Because of this, working them in different directions will strengthen them differently. This, however, is not the case with most other muscles.

Dumbbell Fly

  1. Begin with the same bench posture as is used in the bench press. Hold the dumbbells, with straight arms, directly above your shoulders, with the palms facing inward.

  2. Lower the dumbbells outward, until they come to be parallel with the floor. Keep the arms straight, with a slight bend at the elbows.

  3. Raise the dumbbells back to the starting position in the same line of movement.

 

Benefits: Pectoralis, Anterior Deltoids

Chest & Shoulders
Upper Back
Upper Back
Pull Ups

There are a variety of ways to perform pull ups. You can go wide grip, close grip, reverse grip, parallel grip, and even do chin ups (chin over bar). The form used will determined how you are working out your body by putting extra strain in one area over another. For instance, reverse grip chin ups work the biceps more. 

 

In our training, we alternate through regular and reverse grip, and even include the parallel grip when available (we sometimes train at a part that only has a straight bar).

 

The video here explains how to get the perfect pull up, and how to compensate for a lack of strength in the beginning.

  • Latissimus Dorsi

  • Rhomboids

  • Biceps Brachii

Lat Pull Down

We only use this exercise in place of pull ups, to teach propper form. We always choose pull ups when possible. After all, if you need more weight, just throw on some ankle weights (watch the video to find out why we use ankle weights instead of a weight belt).

 

  1. Grab the bar with the palms facing forward. You can go wide, medium, or close grip. Lean slightly back so that you can pull the bar to your chest, using the muscles of the back.

  2. Pull the bar to your upper chest, using your back and shoulder muscles, and squeeze your shoulder blades together.

  3. Slowly move back to the starting position, holding the bar with the arms stretched out above you.

 

Benefits: Latissimus Dorsi, Biceps Brachii

1. Starting Position

2. Pull to Chest

3. Return to Starting Position

  • Latissimus Dorsi

  • Rhomboids

  • Biceps Brachii

Machine Cable Row

  1. Sitting at the machine, place your feet against the platform with a slight bend in your knees. Keep your back straight as you lean forward to grab the handles, and pull back until you're uper body is perpendicular to the floor (up straight).

  2. Pull the handles straight back until you touch your mid-section. Try to focus the effort on your upper back muscles.

  3. Slowly allow your arms to return to the starting position.

One-Armed Dumbbell Row

  1. On a flat bench, rest the knee and hand of one side. Lean until your back is parallel to the floor, adjusting your hand as needed. Keep one foot on the floor for support, and lower your shoulder to grip the dumbbell, raising it off the floor, arm still straight, directly below the shoulder.

  2. Tightening the back muscles, raise the dumbbell to your lower abdomen.

  3. Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.

 

Benefits: Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, Biceps Brachii

1. Starting Position

2. End Movement

Barbell Bent-Over Row

  1. Stand holding a barbell with the palms facing in and down, knees bent slightly. Bend at the waist until your upper body is nearly parallel to the floor, head up, arms hanging directly below the shoulders.

  2. Pull the bar toward your body, keeping the elbows in, lifting until it touches your lower abdomen.

  3. Slowly lower the bar to the starting position.

 

Benefits: Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, Biceps Brachii

1. Starting Position

1. Starting Position

Upper Arms
Upper Arms
Dips

This exercise is generally used for strengthening he triceps, but it can become a chest exercise simply by leaning forward.

 

  1. Begin by holding your body upright on the bars. Your arms should be almost locked.

  2. Lower yourself until your arms form 90 degree angles, still keeping your body upright (or leaning forward for the chest version). Keep your elbows close to your body throughout the entire movement.

  3. Push yourself back up to the starting position.

 

Benefits: Pectoralis, Anterior Deltoids, Triceps Brachii

1. Starting Position

1. Starting Position

1. Starting Position

Close-Grip Bench Press

  1. With the same form as was used in the regular bench press (if you haven't already practiced the regular version, you should leave this one alone), grip the bar at about shoulder width or less. Have a spotter help you to lift the bar from the rack, and begin from a straight-arm position.

  2. Lower the bar until it lightly touches the middle of your chest, keeping the elbows close to the body to maximize the effect on the triceps.

  3. Press the weight back up to the starting position, locking the arms at the end of the movement.

 

Benefits: Triceps Brachii

Lying Triceps Extension

  • Triceps Brachii

This can be done with a barbell, EZ-Bar, or even dumbbells. I'll demonstraight using the EZ-Bar. To perform this exercise with dumbbells, hold two dumbbells parallel, palms facing each other, at about a foot apart. The rest is the same.

 

  1. Lie on a bench with the bar held using a close grip (inner handles, on the EZ-Bar). Your head should be close to the edge of the bench. Hold the bar near your head, off the edge of the bench. Elbows are high and kept in the entire time. The elbows don't move.

  2. Press the weight toward the ceiling, keeping the elbows still.

  3. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

Triceps Push Down

The key element in this exercise is to keep the elbows stationary right at the sides. Do not move your elbows! Only raise the hands as far as they can go without the elbows moving.​

  1. Begin with your elbows against your rib cage, hands on the bar, less than shoulder width appart.

  2. Pushing down, remain mindful of your elbows (yes, elbow movement is the number one mistake). They tend to move back as people push down, and forward as they come up. To maximize the benefit to your triceps, pay attention to this.

  3. Slowly raise back up to the starting position.

  • Triceps Brachii

  • Biceps Brachii

Dumbbell Biceps Curl

  1. Standing with the dumbbells in each hand, hold them with the palms facing forward, as though you were holding a barbell.

  2. Keeping your elbows on your ribcage, lift the dumbbells using only your biceps, continuing to hold them as if they were one straight bar, until they reach shoulder height.

  3. Lower them back to the starting position and repeat.

 

NOTE: You can also lift one at a time, turning each dumbbell out as you lift it, and relaxing it at your thigh as you lift the other side.

EZ-Bar Curl

Just as is the case with the triceps push down, elbow movement is an issue, here. Many people try bringing the bar to their neck. This causes the elbows to come forward, turning this into a shoulder exercise. Only raise the bar as far as you can without moveing your elbows.

  1. Begin at the low position, with your elbows at your rib cage.

  2. Slowly lift the bar, focusing the entire movement on your bicep strength, until you have gone as far as your arms will allow.

  3. Lower the weight until your arms ar almost straight, leaving a slight bend.

  • Biceps Brachii

  • Biceps Brachii

  • Brachioradialis

Hammer Curl

  1. Stand, holding the dumbbells, and rest them against the thighs.

  2. Lift both dumbbells, palms facing in, up to shoulder height, keeping the elbows against the ribcage, and maintaining a shoulder width distance between each dumbbell.

  3. Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat.

Lower Body

Upper Legs & Glutes
Upper Legs & Glutes
Front Squat

  • Quadriceps

  • Glutes

  • Hamstrings

PREPARATION

  1. Either begin with the bar resting on a squat rack, or with two spotters lifting the weight to your shoulders. Rest the bar on the front of your shoulders, while crossing your arms, grabbing the bar on opposite sides, keeping the elbows up so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor.

  2. Lift the bar from the rack (or spotters' grips) by pushing with your legs and standing up straight.

  3. Stepping away from the rack, stand with the feet at shoulder width, toes pointed slightly outward. As with all squatting methods, keep your head up at all times.

 

THE EXERCISE

  1. Bending only at the knees, lower the body in a perfectly straight line, keeping the bar directly over the feet, continuing until your hips are lower than your knees.

  2. Raise the bar by pushing through the floor with your feet, returning to the starting position.

Back Squat

  1. This form of squat is begun in uch the same way as the front squat, but this time the bar is placed on the base of the neck. Hold the bar in a way that's comfortable and push with the legts to remove it from the rack, step back, and take a shoulder width stance.

  2. Slowly lower the bar, bending at the knees, and moving the bar in a straight vertical line, dropping down until your hips are lower than your knees.

  3. Raise the bar by pushing through the floor with your feet, returning to the starting position.

  • Quadriceps

  • Glutes

  • Hamstrings

Bulgarian Squat

  • Quadriceps

  • Glutes

  • Hamstrings

  1. To begin this exercise, stand about 2 - 3 feet in front of a flat bench, with the bench behind you, and the barbell at your feet.

  2. Bending at the knees, grip the bar wider than shoulder width. Lift the bar up and rest it on your chest, before lifting up over your head, and rest it on the base of your neck. Then place the toes of one foot on the bench behind you, so that you are standing on only one leg.

  3. Keeping your head up, back straight, and chest out, bend at the knee to lower your body until your thigh is parallel to the floor (you don't have to go as deep as in other squat variations).

  4. Push through the floor to raise your body back up to the starting position.

Dumbbell Forward Lunge

  1. Hold two dumbbells at your sides while standing in a neutral position, feet about hip width.

  2. Step one foot forward, about 2-3 feet, and lower your body until you see your knee go just over your toes.

  3. Push off the floor with your forward foot and step back into the neutral position. Then repeat with the opposite leg.

  • Quadriceps

  • Glutes

  • Hamstrings

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

  • Quadriceps

  • Glutes

  • Hamstrings

  1. Hold two dumbbells at your sides while standing in a neutral position, feet about hip width.

  2. Take a step backward, about 2-3 feet, and lower your body until your front knee is over your toes, keeping your body perfectly straight, with your head up.

  3. Push up and go back to the starting position as you exhale. Tip: Use the ball of your feet to push in order to accentuate the quadriceps. To focus on the glutes, press with your heels.

  4. Now repeat with the opposite leg.

 

NOTE: The distance of your feet determine which muscles are getting more of the work out. Stepping out farther increases the work for the glutes. A shallow step with increase the work for the quads.

Dumbbell Side Lunge

  1. Hold two dumbbells at your sides while standing in a neutral position, feet about hip width.

  2. Step deep to the side and lower your body toward the floor, bending at the knee of the lunging leg, keeping the opposite leg straight. Stop when your thigh is parallel to the floor.

  3. Push with the lunging foot and step back into the neutral position, and follow up on the opposite side, or continue with one leg for a set, continuing with the other side afterward.

  • Quadriceps

  • Glutes

  • Hamstrings

Step Ups

  1. Take two dumbbells and stand in front of an elevated platform. The platform can be anything that will easily hold your weight, plus the dumbbells, and stands at a reasonable height. The higher, the harder. I often just use stacked concrete bricks.

  2. Placing one foot on the platform, shift your weight to that leg, balancing it directly above the foot, and push your overall weight up until the leg is straight, making sure that you do not use the grounded leg at all, and keeping it straight as you raise up.

  3. Lower your body back down, until the suspended foot touches the floor, and shift your weight back to that leg as you step the opposite foot back into the neutral position.

  4. Repeat with the other leg.

  • Quadriceps

  • Glutes

  • Hamstrings

Upper Legs
Deadlift

  • Quadriceps

  • Glutes

  • Hamstrings

Many people fear this exercise. If performed wrong, it can lead to a terrible back injury. However, when it is performed correctly, there is no risk to the back.

 

​

  1. Stand with the weight on the floor, with the barbell over the middle of both feet, which are at hip width.

  2. Bend at the knees while bending forward to grasp the bar, while keeping a perfectly straight back, and grab the bar with your hands at shoulder width.​

  3. Lift the weight by pushing through the floor with your feet, raising the bar in a perfectly straight line, keeping the bar directly above the instep of each foot.

  4. At the top of the lift, push your chest out and bring your shoulder blades back.

  5. Lower the weight slowly by bending at the knees and bending forward, again maintaining that straight line of movement, and staying attentive of the straightness of your back, until the weights touch the floor.

 

NOTE: There are three ways to grip the bar. An overhand grip, underhand grip, and the over-under, which is what many professional bodybuilders use. You can use whichever one feels most comfortable.

Romanian Deadlift

 

  1. Just as with the other deadlift, begin with the bar resting over the middles of your feet.

  2. Maintain a straight back as you bend forward at the waist (this time keeping your legs straight) toward the bar, gripping it a little wider than shoulder width.

  3. Push through the floor with your feet, using the muscles of your hips to lift the weight. Keep the bar close to your body, and raise it up in a straight line, keeping it directly over your feet, until you are entire upright, with the bar at your waist, arms straight.

  4. Now slowly lower the bar back down, following the same path, against keeping the bar moving in a straight line, until the weights touch the floor. Then repeat.

  • Hamstrings

Leg Curl

  • Hamstrings

  1. Place t

Leg Extension

Hold

  • Quadriceps

Hip Adduction Machine

Hold

  • Hip Adductors

Hip Abduction Machine

Hold

  • Hip Abductors

Upper Legs
Lower Legs
Standing Calf Raises

  • Gastrocnemius

Th

Lower Legs
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