2. WORK YOUR LOWER BACK, GLUTEALS, HAMSTRINGS, AND SHOULDERS
Good morning/behind-the-neck press
Hold a barbell across the back of your shoulders, as if you were about to do a squat.
Slowly bend forward at the hips and lower your chest as far as you can while keeping your lower back flat.
Lift your upper body back to the starting position.
Press the bar above your head until your arms are almost completely straight. Lower the bar back to the starting position. That’s one repetition. Do two or three sets of 10-12 repetitions.
To make it easier on your shoulders and lower back: Try the Romanian deadlift/bent-over row. Hold a barbell at arm’s length against the front of your thighs. Bend at the hips as you lower the bar until it’s just below your knees. Pull the bar up to your abdomen. Slowly lower it to arm’s length, then straighten your hips as you return to the starting position.
3. WORK YOUR BACK, BICEPS, AND ENTIRE LOWER BODY
Dumbbell power clean/box jump/squat
Grab a pair of light dumbbells and stand about six inches behind a sturdy box or step that’s 12-18 inches high. Hold the dumbbells at your sides and bend your knees slightly.
Jump up on the box by dipping your knees and swinging your arms forward. Allow your momentum to carry your arms up and bend your elbows so that when you land on the box, your upper arms are parallel to the floor and the dumbbells rest above your shoulders.
Keep the dumbbells in the same posi-tion and perform squats by lowering your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Step down off the box.
Do four or five sets of 4-6 repetitions, completing up to four squats after each jump. So a set of four cleans and jumps could include up to 16 squats.
To build more muscle: Try the power clean and squat, without the jump. That way you can use heavier weights for the clean.
» Fitness archive
Men's Health Philippines - August 2005 Issue
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Good morning/behind-the-neck press
Dumbbell power clean/box jump/squat
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