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.

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.

I write the occasional article about how people with desk jobs should train and avoid certain exercises.  Since then, I’ve received several questions from people with non sedentary jobs.  People on their feet all day long like my sister, the teacher.  So is there a difference between what I recommend for a stander and a sitter.  Nope.  And I’ll explain why.

The human race has been evolving for roughly the past 2 million years.  During this period our bodies, by natures design, have been built to remain in the standing position for several hours at any one time.

The first chair was invented just a couple thousand years ago.  Between then and now it has been just a blink of the eye in terms of human evolution.

Do you imagine that early man would take its rest breaks by sitting on perfectly elevated rocks?  I don’t.

We have taken this perfect, standing machine and since childhood, taught it that sitting is the standard and the norm.  Eating, schooling, doing homework, and driving.  All of these things done from the seated position during a huge developmental growth period.

It’s no wonder why we see so many orthopedic problems within our domesticated society.

What you have is a build vs. conditioning problem.  You have all the proper pieces to be a standing, pain free machine but you’ve conditioned it otherwise.  You’ve taken the parts from a mountain bike and have turned them into a 10 speed road bike.  Sure you can learn to race a 10 speed off road, and probably get pretty damn good at it too if it’s all you knew your entire life.  But is that ideal?  You’ll definitely have to replace a lot of tires along the way.

I’m not saying it’s a no win battle.  But it is a constant battle that you should always be considering when evaluating your own well being.  We’ve conditioned ourselves to be a lot more fragile than our ancestors.  In our daily lives we can never fully assume that we are in perfect heath just because we are ably performing regular daily activities.  Take a subjective look at your activities and workouts and ask yourself if there could be a better way of doing things.

And here is a quick video about the evolution of tech I thought was fun.  Enjoy.

Been working at your desk all day?

Playing video games for way longer than you should be?

Hunched over a text book studying for hours on end?

Chances are you either feel or will feel neck pain at some point during your career as a full time geek.

A while back I did some serious damage to my own neck.  Only this came as a result of being in a submission fighting tournament, not poor posture.  You see,  I was put into a very painful neck crank and instead of “tapping out” I tried to withstand the pain for as long as possible or until I gained a better position.  End result, I won the match but spent the better part of 3 months afterward rehabbing my neck.

Till this day I have to be very careful not to aggravate my neck during my workouts.

Here are 5 of my favorite exercises I use to keep my neck and shoulders mobile and pain free.

1. Levator Stretch:

Sitting in your chair or on a bench, reach one arm back and around your body.  Tilt your chin and point your nose to your opposite hip.  With your free hand, place it on the back of your head and apply gentle pressure.  You should hold each side for at least 30 seconds.

2. Thoracic Mobility:

I use a half foam roller but 2 tennis balls taped together will work just as well.   Start at your mid back, roll back for 2 or 3 repetitions keeping your hips down.  You should then move the roller up your back towards your shoulder blades and repeat this process 2 or 3 more times.  (Do NOT try this on your lower back.)

3. Face Down Touch Down:

Lay face down on a bench.  Keeping your thumbs facing the ceiling, raise your arms above your head like a football referee calling a touch down.  Perform 10-15 repetitions.

4. Wall Slide:

Back against the wall keeping contact with your head, shoulders, hands, and elbows.  Slide your arms up the wall as high as you can go and then bring them back down without losing contact with the wall.  (You should feel this between the shoulder blades.)

5. I Give Ups:

Seated or standing.  Raise your arms above your head.  Then shrug your shoulders.  Perform about 10-15 repetitions.