PHASE 0

Position the feet shoulder-width apart (or not much more) with toes under the bar. The feet point straight ahead, or they can angle out slightly. Heels should stay flat on the surface. When you lift, the bar will travel close to the shins and may even graze them. Maintain a neutral spine position. Stabilize the abdominal muscles by bracing them. Squat down, bending at the knees. The form for descending to the bar is similar (but not identical) to the squat, with your back straight or arched slightly and not rounded at the shoulders or spine. Grasp the bar just outside the line of the knees with an overhand or mixed grip. Lift the bar by pushing upward with the legs from the knees. Breathe out on exertion. Be careful not to raise the hips first so the trunk moves forward and the back becomes rounded. Don’t try to haul the bar up with your arms. The arms stay extended under tension while gripping the bar as the legs push up. Think of the legs and shoulders moving upward in unison with the hips, the balancing point. The bar should almost graze the shins and rest around thigh level as you reach full height. Pull the shoulders back as much as possible without bending backward. Lower the bar to the floor with a reverse motion ensuring a straight back.

The grip should be shoulder-width apart. Elbows should be under bar. Torso should be erect. Move the bar off the rack. Keep your chest up. Push the bar up to full elbow extension. As soon as the bar passes the head – ‘pull the head through’ – so that the bar is being locked out directly over the ears. Keep elbow pointing out to the side until arms are fully extended. Do not forcefully lock out the elbow. Lower the bar slowly and under control to shoulder level. Do not jerk or bounce at the bottom.

Keeping your chest upright, lean forward about 15 degrees, shrug up and back with a top hold every single time.

Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding an EZ bar in an underhand grip. If possible, position your hands with a narrow, slightly supinated grip. Keep a relaxed wrist, do not squeeze the bar. Start with the EZ bar resting against your thighs. Brace your core and slowly curl the EZ bar toward your chest. As you do, allow your elbows to shift back so that the bar remains in contact with your body. In other words, you’re dragging the bar. Lift straight up instead of bringing forward. Keep elbows at the back. When the bar reaches chest level, pause and squeeze. Reverse the motion back to the starting position, maintaining contact with your body the entire way. Start practicing this movement with an unloaded EZ bar to get the motion down. Slow, controlled movement is essential for avoiding shoulder compensations.

You want to remember to take care of the shoulders in this exercise. Keep your thumb higher than your pinky. No ‘pouring the pitcher.’ Work on that good contraction at the top, and lower the dumbbell back under tension. Don’t use momentum and take it all the way until you can’t perform another rep with good form.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms down at your sides. Putting your weight into your right foot, step back and around with your left foot — almost as if you’re curtsying — allowing your arms to come up in front of you to a comfortable position. Ensure that your chest stays proud. Stop lunging when your right thigh is parallel to the ground. Begin to straighten your right leg, pushing up through your heel, and returning your left foot to the starting position.

As with any new exercise, start by first ensuring that you are performing the exercise with the correct form. Use less weight until you perfect your form and range of motion. If you can, record your movements or have a partner watch to form check. 1. You’ll need a weighted plate, dumbbell, or squat wedge to place under your heels. You’ll place the object of your choice under your heels. Only your heels should be on the platform. Be sure that you are standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width and your toes on the ground. 2. Engage your core and glutes to maintain an upright posture. With your weight evenly distributed throughout your feet, inhale, and lower down into a squat. When lowering, be sure to push your hips backward as if you’re going to sit on a chair. 3. When you reach the bottom of the squat, exhale as you push upwards through your heels to return to starting position. Keep your core engaged throughout. Don't let your heels come up off the plate or platform as well. Best rep range: 5-8 for strength and hypertrophy & 8-12 for hypertrophy. Use a load that challenges you in the rep range (once you get the form down pat).

For the dumbbell rear delt row, you use dumbbells instead of a barbell. This is beneficial because it allows you to train through a slightly longer range of motion, which is generally better for muscle and strength gain. It also trains each side of your body independently, which helps you identify and correct muscle and strength imbalances. That said, the dumbbell rear delt row requires more coordination and balance than the barbell version, so it might not be as suitable for beginners. Most people also find they can’t lift quite as much weight using dumbbells as a barbell, which is typically worse for muscle growth. The Barbell Rear Delt Row: Load a barbell on the floor in front of you, bend over at the waist, and grab the bar with an overhand (palms facing you) grip a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Position your feet about shoulder-width apart, flatten your back so that it’s parallel to the floor, and let your arms hang straight down. Pull the bar straight up until it touches your mid-chest, keeping your spine straight and back parallel to the floor. Allow your elbows to flare at about a 60-degree angle relative to your torso. Reverse the movement and return to the starting position. This is a mirror image of what you did during the row. Don’t let the barbell fall back to the starting position or try to lower it slowly—the entire descent should be controlled but only take about a second.

In a standing position, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing upward. Make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart and your arms down straight in front of your center. Extend your arms up and out to the sides, keeping your elbows straight and your arms at chest level. Bring them back to the center to finish a single rep.
Perform this exercise slow and controlled, really focusing on the eccentric contraction. Exhale during the concentric (muscle-shortening) part of the motion. Start with a light set of weights if you’re a beginner, and slowly increase the amount of weight each week as you build strength. Don’t let the dumbbells touch as they meet at the top, holding for a second in the contracted position. Internally rotate your wrists in towards the top of the movement to allow for maximum contraction of the chest. Pick a weight that you can control, that’s not too light or too heavy — find what’s right for you.

IMPORTANT: Always make sure that you warm up for a long time before you start doing these advanced exercises and make sure to learn the proper form for doing barbell split squats before you actually start attempting them. Never hyperextend your lower back when doing these types of squats. This can put too much strain on your back and also on your lower body, and this can sometimes lead to all kinds of serious injuries. FORM and EXECUTION: Unrack the barbell just as you would for a high bar back squat, but step slightly farther back for your starting position than you normally would. Place your foot firmly in front of you at a distance of about one or two feet. Drop your rear foot slightly behind you and allow your knee to bend towards the floor into an almost kneeling position. Your back knee and back leg should be placed slightly behind an imaginary line perpendicular to your front heel. Your feet should be set at about your hip width apart. As you descend into the squat, allow your front foot to stay flat into the floor, with your front knee bending over your toes. Keep your torso upright and do not allow it to collapse forward. At the deepest part of the split squat, your front knee should be pointed in the direction of the front toes (not pushed excessively out or collapsed inwards). To come up, stay balanced between your feet and keep your torso upright, using the quads and glutes of your front leg to engage the movement. Come to an upright standing position with your front leg softly extended and locked in a lunge position, and then repeat the exercise. Finally, switch your legs and do repetitions of the entire procedure.

Lie on the bench, pull your shoulder blades together and down, and slightly arch your back. Grip the bar at about 1.5–2x shoulder width. Inhale, hold your breath, and unrack the bar. Lower the bar with control, until it touches your chest somewhere close to your sternum. Push the bar up to the starting position while exhaling. Take another breath while in the top position, and repeat for reps.

Stand in an erect position while you hold a barbell with a supinated grip (with your palms facing up). Bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward by bending at the waist. Keep your back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor. Keep your head up. The barbell should hang right in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the floor and your torso. This is your starting position. While keeping your torso stationary, lift the barbell as you breathe out. Try to keep your elbows close to the body without any force with the forearm other than holding the weights. At the top (contracted) position, squeeze your back muscles tightly and hold that position for a second or more. Slowly lower the weight again to the starting position as you inhale. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.