Weekly Workout #3: Intense Workout - Legs & Arms Emphasis

Legs & Arms Workout

- Intense/Heavy workout -

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Single Leg Wall Ball Squats Superset with Barbell Squats with Extended EI's	#1,#2,#3	4	3 per side + 2-5 bar squats	90-120"	8,9,10,10	3",4",5", 5-10"

Superset Part #1

Superset Part #2

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PART #1

I’m really not a big fan of pistol squats. Why? Because they emphasize contortionist mechanics (similar to many extreme positions in YOGA) that can lead to injury & inflammation. No they don’t enhance mobility or quality of movement like many coaches erroneously believe. Instead they often degrade mobility due to inflammation & aggravation of joints/connective tissue produced by excessive ROM & hanging out on tendons & ligaments.

Just like any movement pattern we want an optimal & natural range of motion not excessive or maximal ROM.

Even if the individual is capable of performing pistol squats without apparent aberrations, it still can have a detrimental effect. That's because it promotes excessive mobility & extreme ROM which for most sports is not ideal as it negatively alters the natural length tension relationship of our muscles. Yes periodically checking/ testing them as a cool feat of strength & ok for some folks however consistently programming them is rarely if ever more beneficial than performing 90 deg single leg squats.

With that said, the single leg squat is a highly functional task demonstrating foundational biomechanical qualities that can be witnessed in a variety of sports. However you'll rarely see the pistol squat position as it serves no functional purpose. In fact, moving on the playing field with extreme ROM not only reduces force & torque-producing capabilities but it creates exponentially greater risk of injury due to structurally & biomechanically disadvantageous positions.

Movement transfers. How we move in the weight room seeps into our body mechanics on the playing field. If we ingrain faulty mechanics during training this negatively transfers to the playing field. With that said, the single leg ball squat is a phenomenal sub for the pistol squat. You’ll get more benefits without the potential ramifications associated with extreme ROM.

PART #2

Extended eccentric isometrics using 90-degree squat mechanics are very effective for dialing in your squat form. For a detailed tutorial and in-depth discussion read my write-up at the following: https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/squat-form-eccentric-isometrics

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Leg Raise Close Grip Bench Press	#1,#2,#3	3	7,5,4	90-120"	8,9,10	1",2",3"

Option #1

Option #2

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OPTION #1

Elevating the legs during any type of chest press is an excellent way to place greater stress on the chest shoulders and triceps as it isolates the upper body by eliminating assistance from the hips and legs. It also does wonders for cleaning up your form and technique. Here's one of my NFL Combine athletes performing a unique close grip bench press variation.

OPTION #2

This exercise is a Bear Crawl Med Ball Squeezing Pushup. This has 4 attributes, specifically:

1) The bear crawl position helps eliminate excessive lumbar extension & hip sagging common on pushups.

2) The med ball forces the lifter to isometrically squeeze their pectorals similar to a chest fly or squeeze press.

3) Elevating the feet increases tension on the upper body & turns it into an incline press.

4) The close grip blasts the triceps.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Renegade Bicep Cable Curl	#1,#2,#3	3	5-7 per side	2-3 minutes	9-10	1-2"

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The renegade position is not only conducive for blasting the biceps due to the constant tension in the top contracted position but it also crushes the core as shown by 3 of my NFL football athletes including Marquell Beckwith, Mazi Ogbonna, and Julian Williams. That’s because the farther the weight/arm moves away from our center of mass towards the head, the greater the level of extension forces that are placed on the spine and torso.

Although the core gets pummeled, don’t be surprised if you feel your biceps getting thrashed as you’ll be forced to slow the movement down while using strict mechanics to dial in your positioning. Just be forewarned, the quadruped bird dog variation shown by Julian is quite advanced, as shown by his timely tuck and roll maneuver at the end of the video.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Dumbbell Lunge Jumps or Front Curled Lunges	#4,#5,#6	3	4 per side	90"	7-10	2-3"

Option #1

Option #2

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OPTION #1

The dumbbell lunge jump is a great drill for safe speed and power training and even injury rehab as it represents a semi unilateral drill that's not too stressful on the knees and joints.

OPTION #2

The front curled position is similar to the goblet position albeit. Here are 10 cues I recommend on lunges & split squats.

1. Aim for 90 deg joint angles at the hips & knees rather than allowing your body to collapse with excessive range of motion.

2. Maintain a slight forward lean rather than an overly upright torso.

3. Keep the hips set back rather than allowing them to sag forward.

4. Keep the front knee from traveling past the toes. Regardless of what the fitness industry has recently been preaching, knees past toes on squats & lunges is not ideal.

5. Hollow the core & brace your abs to help keep the hips & knees back.

6. Keep the heel of the back foot tall rather than allowing it to sag.

7. Go barefoot or use minimalist shoes as this optimizes neural drive up the kinetic chain.

8. Maintain a semi-in-line position for the front and back leg with little lateral gap between the legs.

9. Stop doing walking lunges. Instead use split stance squats (in place) as these are more conducive for dialing in your form.

10. Use eccentric isometrics to help find the above cues as your body will naturally gravitate to them when you rely on proprioceptive feedback since they represent optimal biomechanics

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Reverse Grip Overhead Barbell Press	#4,#5,#6	3	5-6 (last set to failure)	90"	8,9,10	2-3"

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The Reverse grip overhead press is one of my favorite variations for teaching lifters how to properly tuck their elbows and centrate their glenohumeral joint on the overhead barbell press. It’s also a great movement for teaching individuals how to maximally recruit their triceps during the overhead press which is critical for maximizing strength and size gains. Because it can be slightly tricky to grip I generally recommend taking a slightly wider hand placement as this can take pressure off the wrist and hands.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Close Grip Underhand Pullups (with chains if available)	#4,#5,#6	3	5-6	2-3 minutes	8	2"

Option #1

Option #2

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OPTION #1

Using accommodating resistance for upper back movements can be tricky as often times the increased tension towards the top of the movement doesn't always match the strength curve of the muscles. However, many individuals have trouble pulling from the dead stop position and once they get the movement started and complete the first few inches they tend to be able to complete the remainder of the movement. Unfortunately with added resistance it can be difficult to initiate the movement from a dead stop position. By adding chains to the feet this deloads the bottom portion of the movement allowing the individual to use mainly their bodyweight to start from the dead hang then once the lifter builds up just enough momentum to power through the top half, the chains begin to kick in. This adds increased tension and overload in the top contracted position where the individual should be able to hold a strong isometric position thereby including incredible strength and hypertrophy gains.

The top also feels like a variation of an overcoming isometric as the load is the heaviest making it feel impossible to pull any further. Besides creating incredible levels of intramsucular and mechanical tension, this also helps to ensure that the individual does not over-pull at the top which is a common problem as many individual try to pull themselves up to high (chin over the bar) which can promote faulty movement patterns. Instead try to pull to the point where your mid to upper chest is several inches from the bar.

As an added note this accommodating resistance technique tends to work primarily for lower rep ranges such as 2-5 reps as lower rep pull-ups tend to have a sticking point lower at the bottom of a pullup while higher reps induce fatigue that tend to produce a sticking point more towards the top half. If you use this for high reps the fatigue that typically affects the top half of the movement combined with the added accommodating resistance (towards the top) can make the movement too difficult and be counterproductive.

OPTION #2

This teaches the lifter to co-contract & pull down into the squat while firing the lats rather than relying on gravity otherwise they’ll be yanked back to the top.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
BANA 2:1 Good Mornings or Single Leg Bottoms Up Good Mornings	#7,#8,#9	2-3	3 per side	90"	8-10	2"

Option #1

Option #2

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OPTION #1

Want to annihilate your posterior chain (glutes & hamstrings)? Try these BANA 2:1 Eccentric Overload Good Mornings. The BANA (bilateral assisted negative accentuated) method also known as the eccentric accentuated 2:1 method (i.e. up with 2, down with 1) is one of my favorite eccentric overload methods. Not only does it produce incredible gains in functional strength & hypertrophy, it also targets each limb individually.

Essentially you’re performing the concentric phase of the lift with 2 limbs & the eccentric with 1 limb thereby providing greater eccentric overload during the eccentric or negative.

I’ve posted quite a few BANA 2:1 variations over the years for both upper and lower body including squats, deadlifts, lunges, & more but the good morning is also very conducive for this protocol particularly since the low back can fatigue with too much loading. Aim for using a load that’s approximately 70% of 1RM for the bilateral version which should represent 120% + of your max single leg 1RM. This is what produces maximal overload & growth while avoiding excessive low back stress.

OPTION #2

The bottoms up good-morning is an incredible hip hinge variation. Unfortunately grip and arm strength is oftentimes the limiting factor as the upper body can fatigue before the glutes and hamstrings. By performing these in a single leg fashion as shown here by Ben Lai you reap the benefits associated with bottoms up loading while also ensuring substantial unilateral overload to each hip.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Skull Crushers With Sprinter Glute Bridge on Stability Ball (Single Leg Optional)	#7,#8,#9	2-3	8 (last set to failure)	90"	8-10	2"

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If you’re looking for a crazy full body stability challenge this weekend that not only blasts the triceps but also the glutes, core, abs, & shoulder stabilizers, try this insanely tough IMPOSSIBLE sprinter glute bridge skull crusher.

Keep in mind, crazy moves & challenges like this literally only make up probably 2% of all the training I do with my clients as mastering the basics is first & foremost. As I’ve stated numerous times, 80% of my training with my clients & athletes as well as myself revolves around the basics while using 90 degree eccentric isometrics. The other 20% tend to be unique variations intended to expose & address a variety of imbalances, & only a very small fraction of those involve crazy full body challenges such as what Leslie shows here.

Now here’s the cool thing. By focusing on the basics & mastering your body mechanics with 90 deg eccentric isometrics, it allows you to master your movement to the point that when you do want to periodically do those crazy impossible exercises your body actually has the capability to do so due to proper training.

Many folks including “advanced lifters” will find moves like this as well as the other advanced exercises I post impossible due to a number of imbalances & forms of muscle dysfunction that can often be traced back to their training. Additionally many of these imbalances can be traced back to excessive ROM & over-emphasizing mobility. Work on optimizing mobility (not maximizing it) while also mastering your stability, motor control, symmetry, & of course functional strength & hypertrophy then watch how capable your body is at performing advanced challenges.

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EXERCISE	SUPERSET	SETS	REPS	REST	RPE	EI
Mid Pause Rotational Seated Dumbbell Curl	#7,#8,#9	2-3	6-8 (last set to failure)	2-3 minutes	8-10	2-3"

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Here's my brother Joshua Seedman (yes I have a brother and yes he's jacked) performing a very unique but effective bicep curl variation. My brother has recently been using the Mass Monster Program with great success after finishing the 6-Day Routine both found on my website. Throughout this process he's gained over an inch of size on his arms with signifiant increases on all of his lifts. At this particular workout I had him change up his training as I don't often have the chance to workout with him.

There's several components going on here that allow for even greater hypertrophy stimulation to the arms. First it's impossible to swing or use your hips on this variation. I'm typically not a fan of using a bench with a back support but in this variation it produces a similar response to performing curls with you back against a wall as it's impossible to lean back or swing your body particularly when doing them in a seated position. This forces the bicep muscles to do all of the work with no ability to swing or cheat from the hips or back. Second, the mid-pause technique (pausing midway through the concentric lifting portion) further helps to eliminate momentum thereby placing increased mechanical tension, greater occlusion and metabolic stress on the biceps (important factors for triggering hypertrophy). Finally, performing a slow eccentric with and added rotation in the bottom position provides greater eccentric damage in the stretched position which further enhances the growth-inducing stimulus.

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EXERCISE	DURATION	# OF DRILLS	REST BETWEEN DRILLS	RPE
High Intensity Interval Cardio (HIT)	30 minutes	7	15-30 seconds	7-9

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High INTENSITY Interval CARDIO TRAINING (HIT)
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