Work Your Back with the Cable Lat Pulldown
More fine details of the back here with the lat pulldown with a lot of grip and handle variations. You can go close-grip, wide-grip, and everything in between. The move also helps bring stability to your core.
How to do a cable lat pulldown:
- Grab the cables at a pulley or cable station with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Engage your core, straighten your back, and retract your shoulder blades.
- Slowly pull the weight down to your chest while engaging the lats.
- Slight pause at the bottom, slowly return back to the top and repeat.
Work Your Biceps with the Barbell Curl
Probably the most common exercise ever, even though it’s incredibly specific to one small muscle group—the biceps. Make note of the cues to improve your pumps, you could be missing out.
How to do a barbell biceps curl:
- Stand upright holding a barbell in front of your with your arms extended and elbows tucked at your side.
- Slowly curl the weight up and squeeze at the time.
- Fight momentum while slowly lowering the weight back down to the bottom.
- Full extend your arms and repeat the process.
Related article: 11 Dynamic Stretch Exercises To Massage Hard To Reach Muscles
Work Your Neck/Traps with the Shrug
A lot of other pulling exercises will help bring up the traps, but it’s not a bad idea to give them some extra work. Shrugs will target the area.
How to do a dumbbell shrug:
- Stand up straight while holding two dumbbells, one in each hand.
- Brace your core.
- Pull your arms straight up at your sides while engaging your traps.
- Avoid rolling your shoulders forward or backwards.
- Squeeze at the top and slowly lower the weight.
Work Your Core and Abs with the Leg Raise
This will work your abs like no other move. One set of these and you’ll feel it. Start with knee tucks and gradually progress into leg raises. Can’t do either? Start on the floor.
How to do hanging knee or hanging leg raises:
- Hang from a pull up bar with your arms extended.
- Keep your shoulders back.
- Engage your core and lats.
- Slowly lift your legs/knees up towards your chest.
- Fight momentum while lowering your legs/knees back down.
We even pulled together a program using these moves. For those that are advanced, we call this a Transition. It’s something to shift to while in between other programs. For the newbies, we’ll go ahead a say this is an Introduction plan.