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Old-school power, size and symmetry
These lifts help classic bodybuilders and strongmen build muscle. Time to dust them off and add them to your workouts.
The classic bodybuilder and strength athlete possesses unparalleled size, symmetry and brute strength. History is often the best teacher, especially when it comes to training. Here are five time-tested exercises we need to rearrange and put back into our plans.
1. High rep clean and jerk squat: release power
This exercise focuses on total body strength and explosiveness.it will build power appearance: Thick trapezius, strong shoulders, meaty back, muscular legs, and a powerful core. After primary strength exercises, use high-rep cleans and presses as secondary exercises, such as bench presses, pull-ups, overhead presses, or rows.
Strongman Sig Klein said a man should do 12 shots with two 75-pound dumbbells. It’s brutal, but a worthwhile challenge if you can improve your shoulder mobility to do the task safely. My recommendation? Do 4 sets, resting 60 seconds between sets.
How to do it
- To start, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Bend your knees and use your hips as a hinge to begin a slight squat position.
- Shrug your shoulders while explosively extending your hips and knees. Pull the dumbbell up and close to your body as you do this.
- Once the dumbbells are at chest level, quickly lower the weight by bending the knees and rotating the elbows forward. Grab the dumbbells at shoulder height with your elbows forward.
- From the catch position, quickly transition to the overhead press by extending the arms and pressing the dumbbells until the arms are fully extended.
2. One-Arm Dumbbell Snatch: Mastering Athletic Ability and Strength
It’s an old-fashioned exercise popularized by strength legend George Hackenschmidt. It builds with world-class power and a thick set of traps. This one-dumbbell variation allows you to train around mobility and stability imbalances between the four limbs, making it safer than the barbell snatch.
You can achieve explosive hip extension and unilateral overhead power in a more shoulder-friendly position. As an added bonus, single-arm overhead exercises force your quadratus lumborum (which helps stabilize your trunk) and squeeze your obliques.
How to do it
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, with a dumbbell in front of you.
- With the dumbbells between your legs, squat down to brace your core and explosively extend your hips and knees while pulling the dumbbells off the floor.
- Pull vertically, keeping the dumbbell close to your body. Simultaneously rotate the elbow and forearm so the palm is facing up.
- When the dumbbells reach their highest height, extend your arms fully overhead, keeping your elbows locked out. Consider using the power and pull of the lower body to drive the movement (stretching and stabilizing the weight overhead through the resulting force), rather than “pressing.”
- Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position with a reverse snatch motion. As you lower the weight, let it swing back between your legs for the next time.
3. Windmills: Strengthening Stabilizers and Facilitating Mobility
Developed by strongman Arthur Saxon in the early 20th century windmill This is an overlooked exercise that offers huge benefits for strength and flexibility.
Most lifters have a lot of trouble spots:
- Poor chest mobility, especially poor rotation
- Weak rotator cuff and poor shoulder stability
- Overhead press has poor mechanics and stability
- Weak hamstrings, glutes, and obliques
The windmill hits all of these weak spots at the same time, while forcing your lats to fully engage overhead—which is great for providing all the press and keeping your shoulders healthy.
When you do windmills, you hold a dumbbell, kettlebell, sandbag, or overhead with one arm while pushing your hips back and bending laterally. This unique movement releases tight thoracic spine while building lots of overhead stability, squeezing your obliques, lats, and glutes, and improving head-to-toe stability. I see windmills as a primer to do before presses and overhead exercises to improve mechanics.
Do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps once or twice a week before major strength training sessions. You’ll strengthen your stabilizer muscles and promote a functional and injury-resistant physique.
How to do it
- Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with toes pointed slightly outward. Lift the weight directly overhead.
- Shift your weight onto your left leg and slightly rotate your right foot about 45 degrees to create a stable base.
- Slowly begin to hinge the hips, pushing them out to the left while keeping the right arm extended overhead and eyes focused on the kettlebell. When you hinge, your torso naturally leans to the right.
- Continue to lower the torso, drawing the left hand toward the left foot while keeping the left arm straight and reaching the right arm overhead.
- Focus your eyes on the weights overhead to maintain alignment. Keeping the chest open and the core engaged is critical, as is maintaining a straight line from the right hand to the left foot.
- Once you reach your maximum comfortable range of motion, pause for a moment, then return to the starting position by engaging your core and lifting your torso through your left heel push.
4. Jefferson deadlift: Hercules straddle
Named after strongman Charles Jefferson, it’s as rare in a gym as a politician’s honest, candid press conference. The Jefferson deadlift is not the typical deadlift performed with the barbell in front of the torso in the sagittal plane, but instead the barbell is straddled between the legs with some rotation through the spine.
I first used the Jefferson deadlift at the request of a T Nation contributor and Jefferson deadlift world record holder, david delnave, while addressing some sacroiliac joint pain in my lower back. As Dellanave puts it, “Asymmetry, rotation, hip articulation, and heavy loads all in one movement.”
If you struggle with lower back pain from traditional deadlifts and want to try something new, the Jefferson deadlift might be for you.
How to do it
- Set the barbell perpendicular to your body. Position yourself next to a barbell with feet shoulder-width apart.
- across the bar. Take a wide stance and step over the bar with your right foot. Your left hand will pronate and your right will pronate – a hybrid grip. The second set alternates positions.
- Bend your knees and hinge at your hips to lower your body and grip the barbell with your hands. Your hands should be on the inside of your legs. You may need to adjust the position of your feet to find the best leverage point.
- Keep your spine relatively neutral. A true neutral spine does not occur due to the straddle position. Try to support.
- Push your feet into the floor as you push your knees out and let your hips through. No, you’re not going to crush your gonads unless you’re hung like a horse or have the arms of a T-Rex.
Experiment with different foot positions, mixed and overhand grips, and different rep ranges to find the perfect balance of strength and stability.
5. Gironda Neck Press or Guillotine Press: Chisel out your chest
The guillotine press is a classic chest exercise created by legendary bodybuilding trainer Vince Gironda. It is designed to hit the pectoralis minor/sternal fibers.
The Gironda press specifically hammers your chest due to the unique path of the barbell. By using a wider grip and pulling the bar up to the neck, you engage the fibers of the clavicle, creating a visually appealing, well-developed upper chest.
However, there are also potential disadvantages. Improperly loading the guillotine press and lowering the weight down the throat could have disastrous results if the manure hits the fan. Start slowly and practice the movement, gradually increasing the resistance.
The guillotine press also puts stress on your shoulders due to the wide grip and elbow abduction. If you have shoulder issues that prevent you from doing barbell presses without pain, steer clear.
Use a slow workout pace and control every inch of your movement. Using a Smith machine works really well for higher number sets. Try 4 sets of 8-12 reps as an auxiliary chest exercise.
How to do it
- Position yourself like a typical bench press. Keep the shin perpendicular to just below the knee. Arch your back slightly. Place your eyes under the barbell.
- Hold the barbell in your overhand, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Wider grip than typical bench press.
- Keep your hips locked on the bench while lifting your chest up onto the barbell, drawing your shoulders down and back while keeping your elbows open.
- Pull the bar down to the throat for 3-4 seconds of eccentric motion.
- Continue to lower the bar until it’s about an inch above your throat, then press smoothly through the press. A spotter is highly recommended, especially if your goal is muscle failure.
Make any workout better:
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