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Secret Training Tip #225 - Barbell Curl Squats - The Toughest (and Most Effective!) Core Strength Exercise You Will EVER Do This is my very favorite core exercise and, trust me, you will feel why from the VERY FIRST REP. It's a squat, but how you DO that squat forces the abdominal area to do almost ALL the work! If you want strong abs, it doesn't matter if you're a total beginner or an advanced trainier, TRY THIS EXERCISE.

This is one of THE best overall abdominal/core exercises I've EVER found. If you want a stronger core and you want it fast, THIS is the exercise to focus on. It's tough, but VERY effective.

The Curl Squat exercise is deceptively simple...basically, you're going to do a squat while holding the barbell in the top of the barbell curl position. That's it!

So what makes this exercise different from a front squat (where you support the weight across the front of your shoulders)? And what makes is so EXTREMELY effective for training the core (which is the REAL reason for doing this particular exercise, NOT for working the legs)?

I'll tell you!

Holding the resistance in front of your body in the top curl position takes away the shoulder support that you would normally get with a front squat. ALL the supporting tension goes directly onto the muscles of the core, instead of having much of it being taken up by the shoulders. ALL your core muscles will have to contract HARD throughout the entire movement in order to keep the barbell from falling forward.

The difference in position may seem subtle, but it's tension that you have to experience to believe!

This exercise also helps you to get a feel for how to properly use the abs during a squat, which is EXTREMELY important for maximizing your squat strength. Using the abs while squatting (especially at the bottom of the lift) is something that does not come naturally and is very rarely taught or explained to trainers. And believe me, it has the potential to add pounds to your squat FAST.

Another great benefit to this exercise is that your breathing muscles (the intercostals) NEVER get a chance to relax during this movement. From top to bottom and back up (even while you're "resting" at the top), your breathing muscles are being challenged because of the weight they're being forced to support.

This can build up great breathing strength (the term "breathing strength" may sound strange but watch a strongman explode a hot water bottle just by inflating it with lung power and you'll know what I'm talking about!) and carries directly over to your work capacity in the regular barbell squat as well as most other demanding exercises and sports!

How To Do It:
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To do this exercise, all you really need is a barbell, but if you have access to a power rack, even better. The rack will make it easier to get into position for the exercise and will serve to "catch" the bar when you're done.

Set the rack up so that the racking pins are one notch below where you would normally set them for squats. The reason you want to set those pins one notch below is that by the time you're done with the exercise, it may be very hard to get the bar up to the height where you would normally rack the bar! With the racks a little lower, you'll have an easier time getting the bar back onto them.

Set the safety rails just above where you normally set them for regular squats the first time you try this. When you develop a better feel for how it's done, you can lower them a little to get the full range of motion.

The weight should be about the same as what you would use for barbell curls for about 8 to 10 reps. This is a starting point - you can add weight as you get stronger with the exercise.

Step in front of the bar and hold it in the top position of the barbell curl. Now stand up, unracking the bar. Don't allow your elbows to brace against your midsection. This will take away from the supporting tension on the abs. Take a step back and get your feet set.

Now, holding the bar in that top curl position through the entire movement, squat down as far as you can then come back up. You don't actually curl the bar while doing the squat, you just hold it in the top curl position.

To increase abdominal stability, you will be holding your breath during parts of this movement. As you start to lower yourself down, inhale. Begin holding your breath just below the halfway point of the squat as you come down to the bottom position. Continue to hold it until you're about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way back up.

If you don't want to or are unable to hold your breath, exhale through pursed lips (as though you're blowing up a balloon). Keeping the breath held towards the bottom will maximize core stability and allow your abs to function more effectively during the movement. Since this exercise uses relatively light weight compared to a regular squat, holding your breath is not nearly as potentially dangerous.

That being said, if you DO feel lightheaded at any point in the exercise, rack the bar and rest. Always use your best judgement here. The idea is to work yourself in a SAFE manner.

When doing the exercise for the first time, it's a good idea to start with just the bar, no matter how strong you are. This will help you get a feel for how the movement is done, where to set the safety rails and how far down you can comfortably go.

When you're comfortable, work your way up slowly from there as fatigue will come quickly. It's a movement your body will be totally unused to, no matter how many abdominal exercises you've done in your training career before this. The muscles of the core will tire before your legs do. Be sure to keep your lower back arched and tight while performing this movement.

If you're able to, go all the way down until your elbows touch your knees. This will give you the fullest range of motion. Tense the abs hard, especially at the bottom as you're coming back up. For extra resistance, pause at the bottom for a few seconds. This will give you the best feel for how the abs should be used when squatting.

With this exercise, having the resistance in front of the body (similar to when you're doing a front squat) allows you to keep a more vertical body position. The majority of the tension WILL go onto the abs, but be aware that there will also be some tension going to the lower back.

Because you're holding the weight out in front of you, the lower back must also contract to help stabilize the spine. As you keep up with the exercise, your lower back will get stronger.

COMMON ERRORS
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1. Doing this exercise after a bicep workout

As you can imagine, performing this exercise is not going be as effective if you've just finished a bicep workout. The biceps will already be fatigued and you'll limit the amount of weight you can use and how long you can hold it for. Use this exercise on non-bicep training days, if possible.

2. Going too fast

Dropping down quickly in the squat will put extra stress on the biceps as you come up and reduce the tension on the abs. This exercise should be done very deliberately with no bouncing or fast movements. If you have a tendency to do this, pause at the bottom for a few seconds to stop the bouncing.

3. Using too much weight

Since the legs are so much stronger, it's tempting to use too much weight for this exercise. Remember, our goal here is NOT to work the legs or the biceps but to work the abs. The legs and the biceps are only here to help push the abs. If your biceps fatigue before your abs get a good workout, you need to reduce the weight.

4. Leaning forward

Try to keep your upper body as vertical as possible with this one. It's very similar to a front squat - having the weight in front of you allows you to stay vertical more easily. Leaning forward will cause the barbell to shift forward, which will put more tension on the biceps, causing them to fatigue prematurely. As you start to fatigue, you will notice you have a tendency to lean forward. This is because the supporting abs are weakening. Do your best to keep vertical. Once you start to move too far forward, end the set.

5. Bar too close to chin

If the bar gets too close to the collarbones, you will lose some of the tension in the abs. Keep it at least a few inches away to maximize the supporting tension and torque demanded of the abs. If it comes too close, it may be tempting to rest the bar on your collarbones, which will turn it into an uncomfortable front squat.

6. Letting the elbows brace strongly against the midsection

If you let the elbows press strongly into the midsection, it will take away some of the tension on the abs. A little contact is fine, especially as you get tired, but don't rely on using this technique or it will make the exercise less effective.

Letting the elbows sink in like this will also tend to hunch your back over, putting pressure on the lower back. This will in turn pull your torso and center of balance forward, putting more tension on the biceps, making you dig the elbows in more! Keep the elbows out front, away from your body and you'll keep a better body position and do a more effective set.

TRICKS
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1. Look forward and slightly up

When you squat, keeping looking forward and slightly up. This will help you to keep an arch in your lower back and keep you from leaning forward. We want to avoid forward lean as it causes the biceps to fatigue prematurely.

2. Don't breathe too deeply in or out as you're coming down or pushing back up

Breathing too much during this exercise reduces core stability and can compromise your form. For best core stabilization, keep your breath carefully controlled. At the bottom, you can hold your breath for a few moments to get the most solid stability. As you come up, you can exhale through pursed lips after you've come about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way. This technique shouldn't be used if you have blood pressure issues, however, as it does cause an increase in blood pressure. Keep a careful eye on how you feel if you do choose to do this - and if you feel any dizziness, end the set and then don't use this technique the next set.

3. Pause at the bottom

To really maximize the tension on the abs, pause for a few seconds at the bottom and focus on really squeezing and tightening your abs hard. As you start to come back up, try to push with your abs as well. This will help you to feel what it's like to use the abs to help push out of the bottom when doing regular barbell squats.

CONCLUSION:
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If you're serious about improving core strength, DEFINITELY add this exercise to your list. It simply one of THE most effective core strength exercises I've ever found, and will provide you with dramatic increases in abdominal stability and strength.

For pictures and video of this exercise in action, click the following link:

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue56-curl-squats.htm

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Secret Training Tip #226 - Chain and Plate Curls For DESTROYING Your Biceps! Want bigger, stronger biceps? Barbells and dumbells not quite cutting it anymore? This VERY unique approach will set your biceps on fire! It'll keep maximum tension on your biceps from start to finish.

I've got an exercise that is going to just TRASH your biceps (in a good way, of course!)...you just need to put together a few simple pieces of equipment, found in most gyms, to do it.

Even though the basic execution of this exercise looks pretty much exactly like a dumbell curl, this is NOT your typical dumbell curl - you're going to MAKE yourself a whole new piece of equipment with which to train those biceps! And this new piece of equipment is going to put MUCH more tension on your biceps from START to FINISH than standard dumbell curls.

All you need for this exercise is a short length of chain (about 1 to 2 feet long), a clip and a single cable handle.

How To Set Up And Perform The Exercise:
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First, get yourself a weight plate - if you can curl more than 30 lb dumbells, use a 25 lb plate. If not, use a 10 lb plate to start. You can always add more weight to the setup later - the first step is just to know how to set up and perform the exercise.

First, run the chain through the center hold in the weight plate with a clip attached to one end. Once you've run the chain through, open up the clip and connect the other end of the chain on to make a complete loop.

Now attach the single handle onto the clip.

You've now got a weight plate hanging from a single cable handle! THAT is your new piece of training equipment.

Grasp the cable handle and stand up. Hold the cable handle with your palm facing forward. Curl the handle up to the top position, just like you were doing a dumbell or cable curl.

When you come to the top, you'll find out why this setup is so effective...instead of losing tension at the top, as can happen at the top of a dumbell or barbell curl, because the resistance is hanging from the chain, you KEEP strong tension on the biceps at the top!

This makes for a VERY tough exercise with great tension on the biceps through the whole range of motion.

And to make this exercise even MORE effective, when you're coming up to the top of the curl, let your wrist bend back and down. This will move the resistance a bit further away from your arm and increase the tension on the biceps.

On the way down, keep your palm facing forward. This will keep better tension on the biceps on the way down.

On a side note, the weight plate should be perpendicular to your body as you do the exercise (i.e. if someone was standing in front of you, they could see the entire front face of the weight plate).

If you have a second short length of chain, you can also make a second chain-and-plate combo and do this exercise both arms at the same time (or alternating), just like dumbell curls.

CONCLUSION:
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If you're not getting the results you want with standard barbell or dumbell curls, give this "chain and plate" curl a try. The change in tension will make a BIG difference in your results!

To see this exercise in action (pictures and video) and to see exactly how the set up is done, click the following link:

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue56-chain-plate.htm

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Secret Training Tip #228 - Weight Plate Pizza Presses for Shoulders If you're looking for an effective new way to train your shoulders,look no further than the Pizza Press. You won't be using a barbell, dumbell or cable for this one...all you need is a weight plate!

When you read the description and see the pictures of this one in action, you'll know exactly where I got the name for it!

Basically, you're going to be doing what looks like a standard shoulder press movement. But here's the trick...instead of holding dumbells or a barbell, you're going to be using a single weight plate.

So how do you press a weight plate? Well, you're going to use one hand to grab the plate and place it FLAT on top of your other hand so you're pressing with your palm.

Ever see a picture of a shotputter about to throw? THAT is the position the weight plate will be in - palm up, ready to shotput it across the room. As for the name of the exercise, think of the weight plate you're pressing as a pizza you don't want to drop on the floor as you're pressing it overhead.

This is a great exercise for the shoulders in that not only does it require strength, it requires balance in your hands, which also carries over to the shoulder. Pressing with your palm flat gives a whole different dimension to the shoulder press movement than gripping around a bar or dumbell handle. You'll feel the difference from "normal" press where you're wrapping your hand around a handle or bar

This Pizza Press is an excellent variation for when you have shoulder pressing on your training schedule but you don't feel up for heavy pressing with regular free weights. You can get a GREAT shoulder workout with lighter weights with this one because of the instability and balance involved.

How To Do It:
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As I mentioned previously, you're going to be doing a shoulder press exercise. And instead of using a barbell or dumbells, you're going to use a single barbell weight plate. Obviously this puts limitations on how much weight you can use, but I found 45 lbs to be plenty, due to the nature of the exercise.

To use a 45 lb plate, you should be able to handle at least 70 lb dumbells on the dumbell shoulder press. If you can do 50's, start with a 35 lb plate. If you can do 35's, go with a 25 lb plate. If you can do less than 35's, start with a 10 lb plate.

You'll be doing this exercise in a standing position. Reach down and grab the plate around the lip with your left hand. Lift it up and place the PALM of your right hand on the smooth BOTTOM face. You want to be SURE you're placing your hand on the smooth, flat face to maximize the effect of this exercise. Be sure to watch the video (link below) to see exactly how to get the plate into position.

Note: your palm will be on the plate surface but your fingers will be slightly bent to allow you to exert pressure with your fingers to help balance the weight plate as you press it up.

Be careful with this exercise! Because you're not gripping anything (but relying on finger pressure to balance the plate) the chances of the plate moving around are greater. So do this one light the first time to get an idea of what you're doing. THEN you can move up in weight.

With your palm flat under it, get it to shoulder level - you'll look like a waiter serving a pizza (or a shotputter). Your other arm should be out to the side for balance. You should start at rock bottom, with the weight plate almost touching your shoulder - bring it to this point on every single rep as well (the weight plate all the way down almost to the shoulder).

Now press it up under control. As you press, you'll have to balance the weight plate on your palm using finger pressure. This makes it a bit tricky and tougher with the larger 45 lb plate (which is why you need to be somewhat stronger than being able lift only 45 lbs on dumbell presses).

When you're done with one arm, grab the lip of the plate with your free hand and swing it back down to the ground. Switch hands, getting your left hand under the bottom of the plate this time.

COMMON ERRORS:
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1. Using too heavy of a weight plate

This exercise requires finger strength and balance. If you go too heavy, you won't be able to properly balance the plate. Start lighter than you think you'll need to and move up from there!

2. Letting the weight plate tilt too much

It can be tough to keep your palm flat through the entire movement but do your best. If you let the plate tilt too much, it'll make the plate harder to control - we don't want that pizza sliding off and we definitely don't want the weight plate falling!

TRICKS:
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1. Keep the non-working arm out to the side

This will help with balance - keeping your non-working arm out the side will work to counterbalance the weight plate on your working side.

2. Keep your fingers flexed/bent

It's important not to let your fingers spread out flat on the bottom of the weight plate. If they go flat, you'll lose control of the plate. Keeping your fingers flexed allows you to control the weight plate using finger pressure.

CONCLUSION:
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The Weight Plate Pizza Press is an excellent exercise for hitting the shoulders in a very unique way. The stabilizing factors required by the exercise put a whole different type of tension on the shoulders (and the hands!). It's a great option when you don't want to do barbell and dumbell shoulder pressing.

To see pictures and video of this exercise in action, click this link:

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue56-pizza-presses.htm

Want more articles like this? Subscribe to BetterU News now!

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