shepard/james

Use control, isometric flexes, and increased rep ranges of 8 and up. Get in the upper strength schemes; chase some higher rep hypertrophy and metabolic stress work. This will make your glutes the prime movers of the exercise, not the intervertebral discs (I'm only slightly joking here). – Dr. John Rusin

This is the bodyweight version of the face pull. Great for posture, upper back size, and shoulder health.

The lying cable pullover produces constant tension similar to a variable resistance machine. It's also an excellent option for individuals who have excessive lordotic curvature throughout their spine. Even if that doesn't describe you, the movement is a great core and upper body movement for thoroughly taxing the targeted musculature. The key is to keep your core fully engaged throughout by trying to minimize the amount of arch produced in your lumbar spine and keeping the low back pushed into the floor, particularly in the contracted position. – Joel Seedman, PhD

Combine these two exercises for a great core workouts. – Jason Brown

Do a minimum of 25 reps per set after squats to strengthen your glutes. – Gavin McHale

Make the dumbbell heads touch during the set, and try to push the dumbbells together – while at the same time squeezing and contracting the biceps. Pushing the dumbbells together really helps to enforce this. At the top of the lift, pause for a second before beginning the eccentric (lowering) phase. A great way to extend the set once you fatigue is to change the force angle by moving the elbows further back and shortening the range of movement. This will allow you to get a few extra reps. –Michael Warren

The goblet jump squat fires up the central nervous system and recruits a monster amount of muscle fibers. Yet it's highly underused and underrated. You could load goblet jump squat with any size dumbbell without compromising your mechanics. The front-loading also takes stress off the spine. Weighted jumps are crucial for explosive athletes. And they're a great primer exercise that'll prepare any lifter for a squat session. Try 3 sets of 5 before your next leg day. – Calvin Huynh

If you can't feel your lats, or your biceps take over, during pulldowns or pull-ups, do this drill first.

In powerlifting, injuries are bound to happen, but that doesn't mean you have to stop lifting heavy. Finding different methods to do the same exercises is important. This method allows you to still bench press regardless of any pain in your lower back (lumbar spine). This is done by placing an arch-style ab mat on the bench press to support the natural curve in your spine, allowing you to bench press safely and pain free. Remember, keep your glutes, lats, and shoulder blades touching the bench at all times. – CJ McFarland

Taking a page out of Charles Poliquin's book and applying tempos and pauses will make you forever change your perspective on what weight training should be. In the video, my true max triple at the time was around 440 pounds, but I made a lighter weight feel heavy. Doing this, and "breaking the muscles down" is not only safer and smarter training, it's also a good way to keep your mind in it 100% for the duration of the workout. And it can be applied to virtually any exercise, but especially for the big compound movements that you could potentially load to oblivion. It's going to be a huge vehicle for training as you age. Instead of looking at your true PR, re-imagine your PR's by seeing how much you can lift using a 4-second negative and full pause at the bottom. – Lee Boyce

Stand on the steps, which allows you to sink rock bottom, and hold onto the dumbbell with outstretched arms, which allows you to stay more upright. Keep your knees out and chest up. Push through the heels, sit the butt straight down, and let the knees migrate forward and outward. Then descend as deep as possible without losing good spinal position. Do 3-4 sets of 8-20 reps. Want more quad? Elevate your heels onto 10-pound plates for a "constant-tension" style where you don't quite lock out at the top. – Bret Contreras

The decline position tends to produce the largest range of motion of any pullover variation. It also provides more constant tension, similar to how a cable or machine would. If you really want to notch up the intensity and levels of intramuscular tension, try combining kettlebells with the decline position. Yes, they're brutal but the resulting growth is well worth the momentary pain. – Joel Seedman, PhD

Finish off your lats with 3 sets of 3-5 reps. Lower slowly and under control to trigger growth-inducing muscle damage.

This curling classic is one everybody knows. The elbow flexor stressed most with this movement is the bicep brachii. Allowing your palm to start off neutral and rotating your palm upward will help take excessive strain off and your allow you to get more torque during the movement, which will lead to greater muscle activation. – TJ Kuster

Besides providing a unique stimulus to the upper back, shoulders, chest, triceps, and abs, there are multiple reasons why performing pullovers with the trap bar are so effective:

• The unique and semi-awkward leverage incorporated when performing trap bar pullovers (with much of the weight hanging behind the lifter) forces the individual to terminate the range of motion at the ideal stopping point.

• Pullovers performed with the trap bar allow the lifter to use a wide, neutral grip, thereby placing enormous tension and stretch on the lats, particularly in the stretched position. It's also shoulder friendly.

• Because the lifter is forced to slow down the movement -- particularly in the stretched position -- it takes additional stress off the shoulder joint while providing incredible stress to the surrounding musculature.

• Due to the excessive pulling force, particularly at the bottom stretched position, the stimulus to the core and abs is higher than almost any pullover variation you'll ever perform.

• The trap bar also provides a less stable version of pullovers in general. As a result, it improves motor control by forcing the lifter to hone in on mechanics.

Trap bar pullovers can be performed using the standard grip or with a longitudinal method using the outside frame for handles. Although they're somewhat similar, the longitudinal method is more challenging and less stable due to the length of the loading instrument and decreased leverage. – Joel Seedman, PhD

Emphasizing full-body tension and anti-rotation strength, you'll notice your asymmetries immediately with this movement. Shoot for 50% of bodyweight for 5-10 reps per side. – Ryan Taylor

The pad reduces the range of motion, and the amount of stress placed on your shoulders. It can be an extremely valuable tool for continued bench-pressing, without pain. The bottom portion in the bench press is the most stressful position for the shoulders. By placing a shoulder saver pad on the bar, you'll never reach this critical range in the lift. – Eirik Sandvik

Going deep in the squat can be stressful for the knees over time, but the use of a high box will alleviate most of the stress. When using a high box, there's a tendency to increase the weight on the bar, but it can defeat the purpose. If you substitute the regular back squat for a high box squat because of knee issues, please keep your ego in check to get the intended benefit of the exercise. There are several ways to perform the high bar box squat. You don't have to use a crazy wide stance as often used by Westside lifters, but wider than "regular" is often a good choice. If you want to continue with your regular squat form, simply use the box as a measure of depth. Just touch the box; don't sit down on it fully like in a regular box squat. Use a regular bar if your shoulders are fine, but if you have shoulder pain from squats or a lot of bench pressing, the safety bar is your best choice. In the video I perform more of a touch and go version with a semi-wide stance. The chains are attached for loading the top portion of the movement while alleviating some of the weight in the bottom position. – Erik Sandvik