PUSH-UP

The push up is one of the best bang for your back upper body exercises an individual can do. No matter how “strong” someone gets, there will also be a way to increase the difficulty of the push up. The push up is great for chest, tricep and shoulder development, but also encouraging good movement […]

PULL-UP (VARIATIONS)

The pull up is more of a skill and requires sound coordination of the muscles that move the shoulder rather than being a pure hypertrophy and strength movement for the back. Yes the back will be trained, but the brain will also utilise other muscles such as the delts, pecs and biceps to complete the […]

MACHINE CHEST PRESS

The chest press machine is a great tool for hypertrophy as the stability of the machine allows the individual to push closer to failure and produce more force. General prescription: 3-5 sets, 5-15 reps.

BENCH LYING CABLE LAT ROW

The lying cable lat row helps “target” the lats by placing them in a better position to produce force, whilst minimising assistance and compensation from the lower back. General prescription: 3-5 sets, 5-15 reps.

LAT PULLDOWN STANDARD

The standard lat pulldown is actually more of an upper back exercise than a lat exercise, but it is great for general hypertrophy, strength and pulling capacity.  General prescription: 3-5 sets, 5-15 reps.

PRONE BENCH ROW

The prone bench row (also known as the seal row) will improve upper back strength, hypertrophy and endurance by increasing shoulder blade mobility and overall load lifted. The chest support reduces loading on the lower back and prevents fatiguing before the upper back – allowing the individual to push closer to failure. General prescription: 3-5 […]

LANDMINE PRESS

This shoulder press variation provides a neuromuscular control challenge to the shoulder whilst pressing above head. Whilst it isn’t optimal for hypertrophy as the ability to press a heavy load will be limited by the decreased stability, it is a great tool for shoulder coordination, strength and overall health. General prescription: 3-5 sets, 5-15 reps […]

PUSH-UP (PLUS)

The push-up plus improves the protraction ability of the shoulder joint by recruiting the serratus anterior at the top of the movement. It is not only beneficial for training the serratus, but overall shoulder health by improving the range of motion to which the shoulder is challenged. General prescription: 3-5 sets, 5-30 reps.

KB HOLD (UPSIDE DOWN)

The upside down KB hold is an exercise that challenges shoulder neuromuscular control with an unstable load (a factor the body needs to respond to regularly unlike unstable surfaces such as the bosu ball). General prescription: 3-5 sets, 5-25s each side.

INVERTED BW ROW

The inverted row is a great variation to increase endurance and upper back range of motion whilst also training good trunk positioning and control. General prescription: 3-5 sets, 5-30 reps.