If you are struggling with your kipping swings or kipping pull ups, the best progression towards knees to elbows is a hanging knee raise as seen below. Try to get your knees as high as possible. This movement is a strict movement so there is minimal swinging movement....
A Kipping Pull up is an efficient way of getting from point A (the bottom hang) to point B (Chin over bar), altho it does require some co-ordination. This movement is a much faster movement and is less pure than the strict pull-up. Great Kipping Pull-ups start by...
Strict pull ups are great for building strength in the upper body especially the lats and the biceps. See a weighted Strict Pullup HERE. See a banded Strict Pull up HERE. See a jumping Pull up HERE. The starting position for a Strict Pull up is a dead hang. Pull...
Ring rows seem like such an innocently easy exercise, however, they can be made as hard as you like. The higher you are, the easier it gets and the lower you get the harder it is. The main focus of this exercise is to keep your torso and hips as straight as possible....
The overhead squat is a great test of strength and flexibility – not many adults can sink straight into the overhead squat without doing a few months worth of mobility and strength work first. Performing this movement requires flexibility around the ankle, knee,...
Using an ab mat is to make you focus on abdominal muscles and not just your hip flexors. Butterfly situps are an efficient way of getting up off the ground from a laying position. You can use your arms for further momentum to be able to get up off the ground in the...
Box jumps are a great plyometric exercise and the standards of the movement can be very easily changed in order to achieve any desired training goal. Jumping higher will be more calf intensive and jumping lower will be more hip flexor intensive. Box jumps are actually...
The hang squat snatch is the next progression after the hand power snatch. This movement requires flexibility in the hips and shoulders in order to reach the required positions. Start with the bar above your knees in the hang position with either a neutral head or...
The hang power snatch is a good test of explosive movement. We start in the hang position with the bar above our knees. It is best to use a hook grip here with thumb underneath index and middle finger. Feet are underneath hips to begin with, in the jumping stance with...
The hang squat clean is the next advanced progression from the hang power clean. Start with the bar above your knees in either the low hang (shown below), mid hang or high hang position. I have a neutral head below however you may choose to be looking straight ahead....
The hang power clean is a great strength and conditioning exercise for improving athletic prowess. It can be used to increase vertical leap as it focuses on hip extension, the most athletic movement we can make. If you think about most sports, they use some sort of...
The lunge is a great exercise for the lower body while having to stabilize the upper body for the correct posture. Start standing up nice and tall and then begin with one foot going forward. Examples of progression Walking overhead barbell lunges Walking front racked...
The thruster is essentially a front squat followed by a push press. While our front squat would have our feet shoulder width apart and for our push press we would be in the jumping stance with our feet underneath our hips, for the thruster, we will be working with our...
Ideally, with the front squat, you will have a rack to use so that you don’t have to clean the bar up. If you are lifting out of a rack, you will need to ensure you establish a good squat stance with feet directly underneath the bar. I like to have my heels...
The Push Jerk is the follow on from the Strict Press and Push Press, and these should be mastered before taking on this movement. The Push Press can be confusing in the beginning and learning it involves starting straight, a dip, a drive, a second dip and lockout of...
With our Push Press, we should be able to lift an extra 30% or so compared to our strict press. Remember to seek the advice of your fitness trainer, medical and/or allied health professionals, if you are new to exercise or have an injury or medical condition to...
The strict press is great for developing shoulder strength and tricep strength. Grip stance will be approximately a thumbs width from hips when holding the bar. Using a rack will be easier to start, otherwise, you will need to clean the bar into the position shown...
Good Mornings are another exercise that can get a bad rap, but if this movement is done correctly, it’s a great warm-up for deadlifts and other strength exercises. Start in a back squat position with a wide grip and be sure to begin with a good lumbar arch....
The Deadlift used to be called the health lift. It has a bad reputation, but all we are really trying to do here is to teach people to lift objects up off the ground in the safest way possible. Remember to seek the advice of your fitness trainer, medical and/or allied...
Bent over rows are gaining popularity in gyms from normal strength workouts to group fitness classes. For this demo you will see I am using a pronated grip with hands over the bar. If you can use hook grip with thumb underneath fingers, then even better! I have my...
