I went over the split squat and the reverse lunge already.  Now lets get to the one you’ve been waiting for.  The Dynamic Lunge.  The Dynamic lunge requires a little more control than the reverse lunge and also deals with a little more impact as well as propulsion.  If your goal is to train your legs for function, the dynamic lunge is going to be one of your best tools.  If you’re goal is to develop solid looking legs made of steel, again, not many exercises will beat the dynamic lunge.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes

Stabilizers

• Abdominals
• Obliques
• Hip Flexors
• Adductors
• Glute Medius

Tips:

1.  It is extremely important that you keep your torso tall throughout the movement.  Do NOT dip, flex, or extend you upper body at any point.  This is a sign of a weak core or poor mobility.

2.  A deeper step will target your glutes more, while a shallow step will target more you quadriceps.

3.  If the movement proves to be too difficult/painful, regress back to a reverse lunge or split squat.

The Step Up is one of my favorite leg exercises because it’s suitable for both beginners and advanced trainees.  Several variables can be changed in order to make this exercise more difficult or easy including changing step height, amount of weight lifted, and the placement of the free leg at the top of the movement.  That brings me to my next point; keeping the free leg from touching the bench at the top of the Step Up is a great way to challenge unilateral stability.  At the top of the movement the glute of your working leg has to work hard in order to keep your body from wavering.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes

Stabilizers

• Abdominals
• Obliques
• Hip Flexors
• Adductors
• Glute Medius

Tips:

1.  Keep your torso tall throughout the entire movement.  Do NOT dip your chest at the bottom.  Also this could be a sign of tight hip flexors.

2.  Fully extend your hip and knee at the top position, really squeeze the glute of your working leg.

3.  Make sure you pause at the top.  If your glutes are weak or your hip flexors are too tight, you’ll have a tendency to want to cut the movement short.

One of my favorite exercises for first time squatters is the Box Squat.  The Box Squat reinforces a good hip dominant squatting pattern which is what most newbies in the gym need to learn.  If you’re uncomfortable with other styles of squats, give box squatting a try.  The box works almost as training wheels until you’re comfortable squatting without support.

Note: I tend to use the box squat for beginners, but that does not limit this exercise to just the newbies.  Many elite power lifters rely on this movement to help improve their lifts.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes

Stabilizers

• Abdominals
• Obliques
• Hip Flexors
• Spinal Errectors

Tips:

1.  Keep the weight towards your heels as you sit your hips back and towards the bench.

2.  Drive through your heels straight up and out of the seated position, do not drag your hips on the bench.

3.  Do not unload your legs once you’re in the seated position.  Keep your legs tense and tight.

4.  As with all squatting movements, be sure to squeeze your glutes (buttocks) at the top of the movement.

The Reverse Lunge is a great exercise for people looking for something a little more challenging than a split squat, but are not quite ready for the dynamic forward lunge.  Because the driving leg of the reverse lunge stays grounded, you create less impact to the knee joint then you would when doing the dynamic forward lunge.  That’s why I suggest the reverse lunge as a natural progression from the split squat when it comes to training the legs.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes

Stabilizers

• Abdominals
• Obliques
• Glute Medius
• Adductors
• Hip Flexors

Tips:

1.  When doing the reverse lunge keep your torso tall throughout the entire movement and do not break posture.

2.  Coming from the bottom to the top, really drive through your front heel and squeeze your buttocks at the top of the movement.

3.  For added difficulty, try adding weight or alternating legs.

The Wall Sit is one of my favorite exercises for beginners looking to build some strength in their legs, especially their quadriceps.

Doing a wall sit is also a good temporary option when dealing with knee or low back issues that seem to be aggravated by doing regular squats.  Keep in mind though that this exercise is not a complete substitute for doing regular squats.  If you have knee or back pain, there is usually an underlying issue.  The average person should be able to perform a squat with no pain to the joints.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps

Stabilizers

• Glute Medius
• Adductors
• Hamstrings
• Abdominals

Tips:

1.  Keep a good posture when doing the wall sit.  You should have a natural curve in your lower back, shoulders should be back and down, and the back of your head should be touching the wall.

2.  Brace your abdominals and focus on your breathing.  Long deep breaths into your abdomen.  This is good practice for athletes who need to work on their breathing while holding an athletic position.

3.  Try to get your knee angle as close to 90 degrees as possible.  The higher you sit, the easier the exercise.

4.  Hold the wall sit for time.  Start small with 15 – 30 second holds and work your way up to a full minute.

The split squat is a good stepping stone for you if you have trouble doing a dynamic or reverse lunge.  The split squat requires a lot of trunk stability as well as flexibility in the hips and ankles.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes

Stabilizers

• Glute Medius
• Adductors
• Abdominals
• Obliques
• Hip Flexors

Tips:

1.  When performing the motion, keep your weight shifted to the heel of the front let.

2.  Before lowering, brace your abdominals and gently squeeze the buttock of your back leg.

3.  Be sure not to break posture in your upper body.  This is a sign of an inability to control your core.

A great single armed variation of a horizontal pulling motion.  I love the one arm dumbbell row because it’s very primitive; it simulates the natural dragging pattern our bodies are designed to do by nature.

Primary muscles worked.

• Lats
• Rhomboids
• Traps
• Biceps

Stabilizers

• Rotator Cuff
• Traps

Tips:

1.  In the one arm dumbbell row allow motion at your shoulder joint.  Don’t just lock it into one position.  In the video you’ll see how I allow for the shoulder to protract at the bottom of the movement and then retracts at the top.

2.  Use a full range of motion and really reach at the bottom of the movement without allowing your body to twist.

3.  Keep your back neutral and your hips level.  Don’t use a jerking motion, if you have to jerk, lower the weight.

The push up is the second greatest body weight movement for upper body strength just behind the body weight row.

Using a smith machine, power rack, or bench you can slowly increase the difficulty of the push up by decreasing your angle to the floor when comfortable.  Eventually you’ll be pushing from a kneeling position and finally doing a full push up off the floor.

Primary muscles worked.

• Pecs
• Triceps
• Shoulders

Stabilizers

• Rotator Cuff
• Traps
• Lats
• Abdominals
• Glutes

Tips:

1.  Keep your abdominals tight and your hips forward.

2.  As you lower, focus on pulling your shoulder blades together.

3.  Use tension; everything needs to be tight in order for your body to remain rigid.

It’s one of my favorite exercises for training and developing solid core musculature.  I also like the cable wood chop because it teaches you a nice synergistic relationship between the “core” and the hips.  An extremely important relationship if you’re at all concerned with your back and shoulder health.

You’ll notice in the video I use a more rhythmic pace as opposed to a nice slow controlled pace.  I’ve found that when training the rotational aspect of the core I get a much better response from them if I’m requiring them to be “reactive” to the movement.

Tips:

1.  Keep yourself athletic with soft knees and elbows.

2.  Keep yourself from slouching, you want to maintain neutral spine and braced abdominals.

3.  Allow your hips to follow through with the movement.  

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably have heard of a squat.  It’s one of the most fundamental movements in fitness.

Today I’d like to share with you my favorite variation.  The Front Squat.

As opposed to the more popular back squat; the front squat has you positioning the weight closer to the front of you body.  This allows you to keep a more upright posture thus reducing the risk of back pain/damage due to excessive compression.

Tips:

1.  Before descending into the bottom position, really brace your abdominals and make your belly as big as possible.

2.  Keep your heels on the ground and your eyes on the horizon.

3.  Try to keep your elbows high and your upper arms parallel to the floor.

4.  This movement requires a lot of ankle and hip mobility as well as shoulder flexibility.  You may not be able to complete the movement with the same range of motion that I can so work to your own abilities.  Start with half of the range you see here and progress as you feel comfortable.