INTERESTING

EXERCISES
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INTERESTING EXERCISES
The key to training is ultimately consistency. The
progressive development of fundamental movements
such as Hinge, Squat, Push and Pull.

A good program may simply involve the same lifts such

as the Conventional Deadlift, Back Squat, Bench Press
and Bent-Over Row, all of which use the straight barbell,
and this is absolutely fine – you stick to the
fundamentals, and you will get STRONG!

However, there are countless variations of these lifts,

and these can be programmed to reduce monotony,
maximize consistency and drive out any weaknesses.

This PDF shows some of my favourites, what are

yours?
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BOX SQUAT
The box squat is one of my favourite squat variations as
it places more load on the posterior chain while
minimizing the stress placed on the knees.

A lifter should aim to sit onto their hamstrings, and their

shins should be vertical at the bottom of the movement.
This positioning creates a hip-dominant squat.

Common Fault: Many lifters will sit back onto their glutes,
which results in the lower back flexing slightly and the
knees being pushed forward.

Hip dominant squats will help build strong and powerful

glutes and hamstrings. They are also an excellent
exercise for those who find “standard squats” (without a
box) stressful on their knees.
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ZERCHER SQUAT
The Zercher squat is named after Ed Zercher, a
Strongman from the 1930s. Ed Zercher used to pick
the barbell up in the crooks of his elbows and proceed
to squat with it.

Holding the barbell in the elbows' crooks is now known

as the Zercher position and is most commonly used for
squats, loaded carries, and even good mornings.

The Zercher squat positions the barbell so it sits just

above the abdomen. This loading position to the front
allows for an upright torso and requires the lifter to
fight hard to maintain that position, increasing the
engagement of both the core muscles and the upper
back.
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OVERHEAD SQUAT
The overhead squat with a barbell is a lift that is
inaccessible to many simply because they don’t have the
mobility to perform it.

If there is limited mobility, then even light loads can be

incredibly stressful to the strongest of athletes – it’s an
eye-opening demonstration of how restrictions can make
movements considerably harder.

A lot of people ask me what’s the best way to learn how

to overhead squat. Of course, release techniques and
stretches (rolling the lats and thoracic spine, pec
stretches, etc) are necessary if the movement is way off.
However, the best way to develop your mobility (if you
can manage a semi-decent overhead squat) is to
overhead squat and progressively load the weight.
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ANDERSON SQUAT
The Anderson squat is named after Paul Anderson, who
is regarded as one of the strongest men to have ever
lived.

Paul Anderson is most renowned for his squatting ability,

often practicing in a hole in his back garden. He would
use the ground around the hole to support the weights
(barrels attached to a bar) and increase the squat depth
by filling the hole with dirt. By doing this, he created a
squat that starts with the concentric phase and a method
of gradually increasing the depth.

This is now performed in a gym using a rack and spotter

bars or pins – the Anderson method involves increasing
squat depth over time rather than increasing weight over
time (this can also be applied to the other lifts).
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HATFIELD SQUAT
The Hatfield squat uses the safety squat bar (SSB) which
allows lifters to load the weight on the back, like a standard
barbell during the back squat. However, the camber (bend at
the ends of the shaft of the bar) of the bar and the shoulder
harness allows the lifter to squat without having to hold onto the
bar.

Not having to hold onto the barbell means that the squat places
far less stress on the shoulders and elbows and gives the lifter
freedom to use their arms.

Being able to use the arms allows the lifter to grab the rack and
pull themselves back up if they get stuck at the bottoms, which
is great for safety, and also allows lifters to practise the Hatfield
squat where some support is given by the arms to help lifters
smoothly transition through their sticking point and work with
more weight for higher reps – some describe the movement like
a leg press with the barbell.
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KANG SQUAT
The Kang squat is named after the world-class Olympic
weightlifting coach Shin-Ho Kang.

This exercise essentially combines the good morning and the

back squat, making for an interesting exercise that requires
great control under the barbell.

To perform a Kang squat, you set the barbell up just like you
would for a good morning or back squat. From there, you hinge
at your hips (keeping your knees relatively straight) and perform
a good morning until your torso is slightly above parallel to the
floor. You then fully bend your knees to take you into the bottom
of a squat position.

To raise back up, you first extend your knees without extending
your hips, which will bring you back into the bottom of a good
morning position, and to finish, extend your hips as you would
during the concentric phase of the good morning.
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BELT SQUAT
The belt squat is an interesting variation that works the
legs intensely while taking away the need to hold a heavy
weight in your hands or have a heavy barbell on your
back.

There are belt squat machines available. However, to

perform the exercise with free weights, you wear a dip
belt and hang a weight between your legs – this
technique is commonly used for weighted pull-ups or dips.

The belt squat setup takes away the stress of gripping a

weight or the need to stabilize a barbell on your back that
is applying compressive forces. Therefore, you can solely
concentrate on performing the squat and working your
legs – lifters will often work this squat to failure as they
can grit their teeth and keep squatting.
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RACK PULL
The rack pull involves pulling a barbell to the top position
of a deadlift from a set height on a rack or set of blocks.
Using blocks is better for the barbell because the plates
will sit on the blocks and take the brunt of the impact.

However, when the barbell is on a set of pins or spotter

bars, the weight plates are hanging off either end and
therefore, if the barbell is dropped, it can cause the
barbell to bend.

The conventional rack pull involves pulling the barbell

from just below the knees (barbell on the patella
tendon/tibial tuberosity – bony prominence at the top of
your shin bone). However, any height can be used to
work specific muscle groups or sections of the lift.
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GOOD MORNING
This hinge exercise is named the good morning because it
looks like a rise-out-of-bed stretch.

The exercise is performed with straight legs (soft knees) to

emphasize the work on the hamstrings. However, it can be
performed from a variety of knee bends. If a lot of knee bend is
used, the exercise is referred to as a “squat good morning.”

The squat good morning looks like a poorly performed squat

with little depth and an excessive lean of the torso. However, it
can be used to effectively overload the posterior chain with
some support from the quads.

The good morning can be performed from various stances

(usually hip-width to shoulder-width), with a narrower stance
emphasizing the work on the hamstrings and a wider stance
allowing for more adductor engagement.
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SINGLE-LEG RDL
Single-leg Romanian Deadlifts (SLRDL) follow the same
action as the RDL, a hinge at the hips with a slight bend
of the knee as the weight passes the kneecap. However,
during the single-leg RDL, the movement is carried out on
one leg while the other moves to the rear.

The SLRDL can be performed with a barbell or a

dumbbell in each hand. However, I like to perform the
exercise with one dumbbell in the opposite hand to the
leg I am working on. This is referred to as contralateral
loading (opposite hand to leg), which is great for building
resilience around the hips and lower spine.

Note: Bilateral = both sides at once / Unilateral = one side

at a time / Ipsilateral = same upper limb and lower limb /
Contralateral = opposite upper limb and lower limb.
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ROTATIONAL RDL
The rotational RDL (RRDL) is an exercise I use with all my
lifters to build resilience in the lower back and keep any
lower back stiffness at bay, specifically lower back stiffness
associated with the sacroiliac joints (SIJ), which are made up
between the sacrum and ilium.

When lifters perform lots of heavy squats and deadlifts,

primarily working through the sagittal and frontal planes
(forward and back, up and down), they can become stiff
through the transverse plane (rotation), which is often felt
around the lower back and SIJs.

Performing a hinge exercise with a slight rotation is a great

way to apply torsion to the joints and release any unwanted
tension, and with progressive development, you can greatly
increase your capacity to flex and twist the spine under
loads.
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FLOOR PRESS
The floor press is essentially a bench press performed
from the floor. Performing a press from this position has
numerous benefits.

The floor press reduces the range of motion because the

back of your arms contact the floor. Therefore, it places
more emphasis on your anterior delts and triceps rather
than your chest and lats. This range of motion can allow
you to lift heavy loads while reducing the stress placed on
your shoulder joints, and it is also more specific to how
you would push something to your front.

You can either keep your legs straight or bend your knees
with your feet flat on the floor during the floor press.
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Z PRESS
The Z Press is named after Zydrunas Savickas (Big Z), a
legendary strongman who has set numerous records in
various overhead press events. This lift is an incredibly
tough overhead press variation, which can be performed
with both the barbell and dumbbells. If using a barbell, I
prefer to work from spotter bars/pins and often perform it
as a pin press.

The Z press is performed while sitting on the floor with

your legs out straight, making it incredibly hard on your
trunk muscles. The seated position also prevents you
from leaning back and gaining more engagement from
your upper chest, and this is because you will fall onto
your back if you do, hence why it works the abdominals
and hip flexors intensely.
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LANDMINE PRESS
The landmine attachment is one of the most versatile pieces
of equipment in the gym as it can be used for squats,
presses, pulls, and even rotational movements.

One of the landmine's key benefits is that it can be pressed

from a standing position in a forward action. Therefore, this
piece of equipment is extremely popular with boxers and
other sports that involve striking with the upper body.

To perform a landmine press, pick up the barbell and hold

the end of the sleeve at shoulder height. You can perform
the press in a hip-width-to-shoulder-width athletic stance or
use a split stance.

If pressing with your right hand, have your right foot to the
back to maximize force production, and if you are pressing
with your left hand, have your left foot to the back.
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PENDLAY ROW

The Pendlay row is a bent-over row variation named

after weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay. It is very
similar to the bent-over row. However, the barbell is
pulled from the floor. Therefore, you maintain a more
hinged position with your torso parallel (or just
above) to the floor.

Pulling a dead weight from the floor results in a much

more explosive pull compared to the conventional
bent-over row. Therefore, it is great for building
powerful back muscles.
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UPRIGHT ROW
Upright rows involve standing upright and pulling a
weight from your hips up towards your chin.

A narrow grip is commonly used. However, I prefer to

use a slightly wider than shoulder-width (clean grip) or
wide snatch grip to perform the lift. This is because a
wider grip minimizes the negative stress on the
shoulder joints.

Note: A clean grip is usually slightly wider than

shoulder-width (the hand position that allows you to
front rack the barbell). A snatch grip is a wide grip that
results in the barbell sitting across the creases of your
hips when you are standing up and holding the barbell
with straight arms.
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PULLOVER
Pullovers are a great exercise for the latissimus dorsi and
pectorals. They can be performed while lying on a flat or
incline bench but is often performed with the lifter
perpendicular to the bench with their upper back supported
on it and their hips dropped slightly towards the floor.

During the pullover, you can maintain a more neutral spine

or arch the back and expand the ribcage to exaggerate the
range of motion and the stretch through the muscles.

Pullovers can be performed with your elbows locked out or

with a slight bend in your elbows. However, if there is an
elbow bend, it should remain the same throughout the entire
range of motion. Otherwise, it will turn the lift into more of a
skull crusher.
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