Deadlift: Begin with your feet shoulder width and toes pointed slightly out. The bar should be approximately halfway up your foot, and your shoulders should be just overtop the bar. Bend at the waist and at the knees equally and at the same time. Grasp the bar fully and securely in an overgrip or an alternate under/over grip about waist width. Looking straight ahead, with your back/spine completely flat (not stooped over or rounded at all), Breath in deeply and steadily pull the bar close to the body along shins so that the bar travels straight vertically. Exhale as peak effort is exerted through the exercise. Lower the weight back to the starting position while maintaining flat back/spine and ensuring the bar travels vertically.
One leg deadlift: hold the dumbbell in left hand with an overhand grip with the arm straight. Stand with feet together. Lift leg slightly so foot is just off floor. Lower the dumbbell toward the floor while raising right leg back behind. Keep your back straight and the knee of the left leg slightly bent. Keep hip and knee of lifted leg extended throughout movement. Once you feel the stretch or the dumbbell contacts floor, return to original position by raising torso while lowering lifted leg. Straighten knee of supporting leg as torso becomes upright. Repeat with dumbbell in right hand, raising the left leg behind.
Squat (air squat/back squat): Start with the feet about shoulder width apart and toes pointing slightly out. Keep your head level with your eyes looking slightly above parallel. (Don’t look down at all) Accentuate the normal straight line of the back (here you should actually over exaggerate the straight line slightly into a slight arch). Keep the midsection very tight, and send your butt backwards and down., with your knees tracking over the line of the foot (don’t let the knees roll inside the foot. Stay on your heels, with as much of the pressure as possible on the heels (Do not lean forward or put the weight on the balls of your feet). Try to prevent your knees from moving forward as much as possible. Keep your torso elongated, and keep in mind your head should be moving straight up and down (use the ear as a reference point…it should not travel forward or backwards, but up and down in a straight line). On the way down, don’t just “fall”, but use your hips and hip flexors to pull you down. As you approach the bottom, be sure not to let the back/spine round or lose the arch. Stop once your hips have sunk below your knee (your thighs should be at least parallel with the ground). Tighten your butt and hamstrings and rise up without leaning forward or shifting your balance, as you are rising…keep the same vertical plane you used coming down, keep the weight on the heels, keeping the midsection tight, the back straight…then stand all the way up at the top of the squat.
(If you are doing an air squat, be sure to lift your arms out and up as you descend, keeping the hands as far away from the butt as possible. If doing a weighted squat, the arms will obviously be on the bar.)
Common faults: The most common mistakes are bending or rounding the back/spine, not maintaining an arch, not breaking the parallel plane with the thighs (not going down far enough), slouching in the chest and shoulders, looking down, lifting the heels, and not fully extending the hip at the top
Overhead squat: This movement is the same as the regular squat, except it is done with weight overhead. This should be learned using only a broomstick or pvc pipe prior to attempting with weight. Grip the bar as wide as is needed (most likely 6-12” wider with each hand than shoulder width). The bar should be fully extended overhead. The shoulders should be actively shrugged up, back straight, the midsection should be tight, and the bar should be in line with your ears. Execute a squat in the same fashion as the regular squat (slowly, head/eyes straight ahead, straight up and down (vertical), weight on heels, back straight w/slight arch, break parallel.
Front squat: Exactly the same as a regular squat (back squat), except the weight is kept across the chest. Grasp bar shoulder width, rest it on your chest allowing the bar to move out of your fully clasped grip and back onto your fingers (initially this may be slightly uncomfortable, but you can work on your wrist flexibility).
Db/kb SplitSquat: Begin standing about 3 feet in front of a bench with dumbbells or kettlebells in each hand. Put the instep of your left foot on the bench behind you. Keeping your back straight, lower your body until your right knee becomes bent 90 degrees and your left knee comes close to touching the floor. Your torso should be upright while your right lower leg is perpendicular to the floor. Push yourself back to the original starting position. Repeat with the right foot on the bench.
Squat thrust (bar): Start with a barbell resting on your chest in the same stance as you would before a push press or a front squat. Perform a front squat with proper technique. Then, with no pause at the bottom of the squat, the hips and legs drive up and extend. As the hips and legs complete extension the shoulders and arms press the bar overhead until the arms are fully extended.
Clean pull (or clean high pull): This lift is a deadlift where a light enough weight is used to pull the weight all the way up to chest height. Do not stop at the top of the deadlift, but keep the momentum and perform a powerful shrug to add to that momentum. Keeping the bar close to your body, and your arms straight until after the shrug. Pull the bar up to chest/chin height after full extension in the deadlift is reached. The transition between the deadlift, shrug, and pull should be seamless and your elbows should be high at the top of the pull.
Remember: Keep your chest up and facing forward. Keep your weight on your heels. Your shoulders should be slightly ahead of the bar. Generate peak tension throughout your body before you start to pull. There should be no slack in your arms and you should not jerk the bar off the ground
Clean (barbell): The first step of a clean and press is to perform a deadlift, however on the clean and press you do not stop at the top of the deadlift, but keep the momentum and perform a powerful shrug to add to that momentum. This is a very explosive movement, and you will essentially “jump” up on (or even up off of) your feet. Keep the bar close to your body, and keep your arms straight until after full extension of ankles, knees, and hips. Continue to pull the bar up, bending your elbows, to chest/chin height. Descend into a squat as quickly as possible, dropping your body underneath the bar. The bar will be moving up and your body moving down, keeping your hands on the bar, swing your elbows under the bar and catch the bar with your hands on your anterior deltoids and clavicle bones on or before your thighs become parallel to the floor. Keeping your back muscles tight, stand upright with the bar, as you would in a front squat. The transition between the deadlift, shrug, and pull should be seamless and your elbows should be high at the top of the pull.
Clean and press: This combines a clean with a push press. Once the clean is completed, perform a push-press once you reach the standing position at the end of the clean.
Push press: Take bar from supports or get into a racked position. The bar sits on the shoulders with the grip slightly wider than shoulder width. The elbows are below and in front of bar. Stance is approximately hip width. Head is tilted slightly back allowing bar to pass. Initiate the dip by bending the hips and knees (like shooting a foul shot) while keeping the midsection upright. The dip will be between 1/5 and ¼ of a squat in depth. Then, with no pause at the bottom of the dip, the hips and legs drive up and extend. As the hips and legs complete extension the shoulders and arms press the bar overhead until the arms are fully extended.
Shoulder press: Take bar from supports or get into a racked position. The bar sits on the shoulders with the grip slightly wider than shoulder width. The elbows are below and in front of bar. Stance is approximately hip width. Head is tilted slightly back allowing bar to pass. Then, press the bar to a position directly overhead.
Push jerk: Take bar from supports or get into a racked position. The bar sits on the shoulders with the grip slightly wider than shoulder width. The elbows are below and in front of bar. Stance is approximately hip width. Head is tilted slightly back allowing bar to pass. Then, press the bar to a position directly overhead. This time instead of just pressing, you press and dip a second time simultaneously, catching the bar in a partial squat with the arms fully extended overhead. You then stand/squat to fully a fully upright position with bar directly overhead identical to terminal position in push press and shoulder press.
Db/kb swing: place one kettlebell/dumbbell between your feet. Push back with your butt and bend your knees to get into the starting position (similar to a deadlift starting position). Make sure that your spine/back is flat and look straight ahead. Swing the kettlebell between your legs as if you are passing a football to someone behind you. Quickly reverse the direction and drive though with your hips explosively taking the kettlebell straight out and up to extension above the head. The arms do not need to bend, the back should stay straight, and midsections should be kept tight. Let the kettlebell swing back between your legs and repeat. The power for the swing is primarily from the hamstring.
Db/kb squat thrust: Start with two dumbbells at shoulder level. Squat while your shoulders maintain the weight. Then, with no pause at the bottom of the squat, the hips and legs drive up and extend. As the hips and legs complete extension the shoulders and arms press the bar overhead until the arms are fully extended.
Db/kb snatch: get into position by squatting with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart while grasping bar with a wide overhand grip against the shins. Keep your back flat and chest up, with your shoulder blades squeezed together. Arms are straight. Extend your hips by standing up in a controlled movement. As the bar clears the knees, drive the hips forward as quickly as possible. Immediately follow by shrugging the shoulders upward, keeping your elbows above your hands, allowing the bar to float upward. After the bar reaches maximum height, drop your body underneath it, catching the bar above the head in a quarter squat position with fully extended arms. Return to start position and repeat.
Db/kb clean and press: This is done the same was as a barbell clean and press, but a dumbbell is held in each hand on each side during the deadlift portion of the clean, then the dumbbells are “caught” at shoulder/chest height at bottom of clean (bottom of squat)
Db/kb deadlift: This is the same as a regular barbell deadlift, except dumbbells are held in each hand on the side of the body, rather than a barbell in front of the body.
Db/kb front squat: This is the same as a barbell front squat, but two dumbbells or kettlebells are held at chest/shoulder height throughout the exercise.
Db/kb push press: Start with two dumbbells at shoulder level. Stance is approximately hip width. Initiate the dip by bending the hips and knees (like shooting a foul shot) while keeping the midsection upright. The dip will be between 1/5 and ¼ of a squat in depth. Then, with no pause at the bottom of the dip, the hips and legs drive up and extend. As the hips and legs complete extension the shoulders and arms press the bar overhead until the arms are fully extended.
Db/kb row: Place two dumbbells/kettlebells at your feet. Bend your knees slightly and then push your butt out as much as possible as you bend over to get in the starting position. Imagine that you are trying to sit in a chair that is far behind you. The back should be straight (and have a slight arch), keep your chest high as you sit back to get into the optimal pulling. You should aim to have your back parallel to the ground. The knees should have a slight bend. Grab both db/kb and pull them to your stomach/armpits. Lower the bells back to the floor under control and repeat
Bench Press: lie on the bench in a natural position. With your arms out to either side, bend them at the elbow as you reach for the bar. Lift the bar up and off the rack and over your chest, at right about the nipple line. Inhale as you lower it until it touches your chest. As you push the bar up, extending your arms, exhale.
Floor Wiper: Lie on the floor underneath a barbell and press it straight out (if you have supports, otherwise – have a partner hand to you) until your arms are locked, just like a bench press. Your legs should be held straight out and together throughout the entire exercise. With the barbell still locked out over your chest, begin the movement by lifting your legs up so that your feet are pointed at the ceiling. Rotating at the hips, raise the legs up in the air towards the left plate on the barbell, touch the plate with your toes without moving the barbell. After touching the left plate, bring your legs back down to the floor then lift them up again, bringing them up to touch the right plate on the barbell. This is one rep.
Man-maker: using two dumbbells, start in the push-up position with hands on DBs, complete one push up. Row one of the DBs after you’re in the up position of the push-up, then place db back on the ground and do another push-up. Row the other DB, then jump your feet near your hands (just like a squat thrust) and clean and press the DBs. After the press bring DBs to waist height and squat down until you can rest DBs on deck slightly in front of your body. Jump back into push up position. The whole cycle is 1 rep.
