Key Takeaways

1. The stiff-leg deadlift can be done with a barbell or dumbbells and it targets the hamstrings, with some benefit to the glutes, lower back, and adductors.

2. You should lower the weight slowly and ease into the stretch. Stiff-leg deadlifts put a lot of tension on your hamstrings, so warm up thoroughly and do them late in your workout.

3. Keep your knees slightly bent and try to maintain that angle throughout the lift. Your legs don’t have to be rigidly straight, but they shouldn’t bend so much that you turn the lift into a Romanian deadlift or squat.

4. The difference between the stiff-leg deadlift and RDL is the degree of knee bend. One focuses on the hamstrings and the other on the glutes.

What Is A Stiff-Leg Deadlift and What Are Its Benefits?

(See 00:28 in the video above.)

The stiff-leg deadlift, aka stiff-legged deadlift, or straight-leg deadlift, is a variant of the conventional barbell deadlift done with the intention of targeting the hamstrings as much as possible, with some added benefit to the spinal erectors of the lower back and the adductors (inner thighs). Some people start it from the floor, but we think it’s better in most cases to start standing, with the bar at arm’s length in front of you, and bend your hips back, lowering the bar while keeping your legs nearly straight (or stiff). Then you come back up to standing.

If you do it right, you’ll feel a tremendous stretch in your hamstrings. The stiff-leg deadlift isolates the hamstrings’ hip extension function—that is, your ability to push your hips forward and stand tall—as opposed to their other function, which is bending the knee. If you combine stiff-leg deadlifts with any leg curl variation, you’ve got a complete hamstring workout in just two exercises. (To learn about other deadlifts you can do at home with one or more kettlebells, see our guide to kettlebell deadlifts.)

How To Do The Barbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift

(See 01:16 in the video.)

Step 1. Deadlift the barbell so you’re in a standing position, or, if you have a power rack, start with the bar on the rack at about thigh height. Starting the exercise from standing is safer than pulling straight off the floor with stiff knees, and using a power rack will save you energy getting into position. Grasp the bar with hands shoulder-width apart, and stand with the barbell at arm’s length and your feet hip-width apart.

Step 2. Take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core. Now unlock your hips and tilt your pelvis back—think about pointing your tailbone up into the air.

Step 3. Unlock your knees so there’s a slight bend in them. Think “soft knees.” Now, keeping a long spine from your head to your tailbone, push your hips back as far as you can, as if trying to touch your butt to the wall behind you. As your hips bend, try to keep your knees in the same position.

They’ll want to bend as your hips go further back, and it’s OK to let them move a little bit, but try to keep the same knee angle you started with. If you do it right, you’ll feel a very deep stretch in your hamstrings as your hips move.

Step 4. When your hips are as far back as they can go and your hamstrings are as stretched as you can stand, extend your hips to come back to standing tall.

Tips:

– As your hips go back, focus on keeping your chest up. If someone were standing in front of you, they should be able to see the logo on your shirt. This will help you to keep your lower back flat the whole time. NEVER let it round forward while holding a weight in front of you.

– As you bend your hips, feel your weight shift to your heels. If you feel your weight centered over your feet, or in your toes, you’re not moving your hips properly.

– Take at least two seconds to lower your torso and feel the stretch in your hamstrings. Again, it’s a BIG stretch, so give your body time to ease into it. Bouncing your reps can lead to injury.

– Don’t go any lower than your hips will allow. As soon as you feel they’re pushed all the way back, and your hamstrings are stretched, come back up. Going any lower than that will probably result in your lower back rounding forward, and that will increase injury risk as well as take the emphasis off the hamstrings.

– Keep your lats active, pulling the bar close to your body. It doesn’t have to stay in contact with your legs the whole time as with a conventional deadlift, but the bar should move in a straight line up and down. Relaxing your back would cause the bar to drift in front of you, and that can make you lose your balance.

– Note that if you have particularly tight hamstrings, your range of motion may be small (maybe around knee height), and that’s OK. Don’t stretch beyond where you can control the movement just for the sake of getting more range. As you get stronger and more practiced with the movement, your range of motion will increase.

How To Do The Dumbbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift

(See 03:42 in the video.)

If you don’t have a barbell, or you want to increase your range of motion slightly, you can perform stiff-leg deadlifts with dumbbells or kettlebells. The movement is the same, but the dumbbells will allow you to position the load at your sides rather than in front of your body, and you may find that that allows you to feel the exercise more in your hamstrings and takes pressure off your lower back.

Step 1. Stand with the weights at your sides and your feet hip-width apart. Brace your core.

Step 2. Unlock your hips and your knees, and drive your hips straight back. Keep your knees stiff. When you feel the stretch in your hamstrings, come back up.

Muscles Targeted With The Stiff-Leg Deadlift

(See 04:13 in the video.)

The stiff-leg deadlift primarily works the hamstrings, but it will also train the spinal erectors, as they have to work isometrically to stabilize your lower back. Because you’re performing a hip extension, your glutes will get in on the job too. Finally, your adductors—the muscles that run down your inner thighs—also contribute to the movement.

Pro Tips: How To Avoid Common Mistakes When Deadlifting

(See 04:30 in the video.)

Mistake #1: Rounding your lower back

You’ll see some people in the gym and online doing stiff-leg deadlifts purely as a back exercise—sometimes intentionally, and sometimes not. They’ll bend at the waist instead of the hips, completely rounding their lower back. Or, in an effort to increase the range of motion, they’ll round their back toward the bottom of each rep. In either case, it’s usually a bad idea, as it can lead to a back injury.

The stiff-leg deadlift is meant to be done almost entirely by the hips. Once you can’t move them back anymore, extend your hips to come back up. Your body should form a straight line from your head down to your tailbone throughout the whole movement.

Mistake #2: Locking The Knees

Your goal should be to keep your knees from bending, but that doesn’t mean lock them out entirely. Locking your knees can cause too much tension in your hamstrings and lead to injury. Think “soft knees,” and let them bend just enough so that you get the best range of motion out of your hamstrings without losing tension in them.

Mistake #3: Bending The Knees Too Much

If you bend your knees the entire time you bend your hips, you’re going to turn the stiff-leg deadlift into a Romanian deadlift, conventional deadlift, or a squat. If at any time you feel your quads tensing up, you know you’ve bent your knees too much. Think about it like this, if your knee angle is totally straight, your knees would be 180 degrees, and if they were bent halfway, they’d be 90 degrees, so aim for roughly 160 degrees of knee bend.

Stiff Leg Deadlift Vs. Conventional Deadlift: Key Differences

(See 06:44 in the video.)

A conventional deadlift starts with the bar on the floor, and it allows you to bend your knees more so that your quads and glutes can contribute more to the movement. This makes the conventional deadlift a great overall strength exercise for the lower body.

In the stiff-leg deadlift, the goal is to take the quads and glutes out of the equation as much as possible to better isolate the hamstrings. To do this, you have to keep the knees nearly straight and focus on bending only at the hips.

For these reasons, the conventional deadlift is used more by powerlifters and weightlifters looking to strengthen the lower body as much as possible, while the stiff-leg deadlift is more popular among bodybuilders and other physique or figure athletes who are trying to develop each individual muscle group to its best potential.

Stiff-Leg Deadlift Vs. Romanian Deadlift

(See 07:25 in the video.)

The stiff-leg deadlift looks similar to another deadlift variant that starts from the standing position: the Romanian deadlift. Some coaches argue the two movements are really the same, but we see some subtle differences. In a Romanian deadlift, your knees are free to bend so that you can push your hips back as far as possible. That shifts the emphasis from the hamstrings to the glutes, and it allows you to use heavier loads. You’ll see powerlifters and weightlifters using Romanian deadlifts often to strengthen their glutes for bigger squats, deadlifts, and cleans, while the stiff-leg deadlift is usually the better option for bodybuilders and other physique/figure competitors chasing hamstring gains.

Look at the two pictures below, which show the bottom position of each lift, and the difference should be pretty clear. The first one is the stiff-leg deadlift, and the second is the RDL.

Straight-Leg Deadlift Variations

You can train the basic stiff-leg deadlift with a little more isolation and range of motion if you do it one leg at a time. Check out this article for a whole guide to single-leg deadlifting.

Straight-Leg Deadlift Alternatives

If you want another option that’s a little easier on both the hamstrings and the lower back than the single-leg deadlift, check out our guide to the B-stance Romanian deadlift.

How To Warm Up Before Stiff-Leg Deadlifts

(See 09:50 in the video.)

The stiff-leg deadlift is NOT an exercise that you want to jump into cold. With all the stretch it puts on the hamstrings, you need to warm up thoroughly beforehand. Here are two moves that will warm up your hamstrings and open your hips before you get into stiff-leg deadlifts.

Bodyweight Hip Hinge

Step 1. Stand with feet parallel and bend your knees slightly.

Step 2. Now drive your hips back as far as you can while keeping a long spine from your head to your tailbone. When you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, or you can’t push your hips back any further without losing your spine position, come back up to standing. REPS?

Hip Flexor Stretch

Step 1. Kneel on the floor with one knee. Both hips and knees should be bent 90 degrees. Now tuck your tailbone under so your pelvis is level with the floor. Brace your core.

Step 2. Shift your weight forward, moving your front knee past your toe, until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip on the back leg. Keep your hips and shoulders facing forward. Your front foot must also stay flat on the floor. Hold for 30 seconds. REP?

It’s best to do stiff-leg deadlifts at the end of your leg days, preferably after you’ve done leg curls or another hamstring and/or glute exercise. Because the exercise puts your hamstrings under such an intense stretch, you don’t want to rush into them when you’re cold and not comfortable doing a full range of motion.

Who Should Do Stiff-Leg Deadlifts?

(See 11:39 in the video.)

If you’re someone who wants to slap some more meat on their hamstrings, the stiff-leg deadlift should be a cornerstone of your leg workouts. Also, if you’re a sprinter, other kind of track athlete, or anyone else who runs a lot in their sport, the stiff-leg deadlift will help you build strong hamstrings, which are key for fast, explosive running. Finally, if you compete in strength sports, like weightlifting or powerlifting, the stiff-leg deadlift will help strengthen the muscles you need to pick up big weights.

The post How To Do The Stiff-Leg Deadlift With A Barbell Or Dumbbells appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Key Takeaways:

1. The chest-supported row can spare your lower back while overloading your upper and middle back.

2. It provides an alternative to the classic bent-over barbell row, and may be more appropriate for people who have done bent-over rows for years and reached a plateau, or can no longer perform that movement safely.

3. The chest-supported row can be done with dumbbells and an adjustable bench at home. An alternative is the three-point dumbbell row.

4. When performing it, be sure to avoid arching and bending the spine, not getting a maximum stretch at the bottom of each rep, and putting yourself in an uncomfortable position.

What Is The Chest-Supported Row and What Are Its Benefits?

(See 00:20 in the video above.)

The term chest-supported row refers to any row exercise where your chest rests against a bench. This can be done with a variety of machines, but if you work out at home, you can do it with an adjustable bench and dumbbells. By resting your chest against the pad, you create a very stable position from which to row, and that allows you to lift heavier weight than if you were doing an old-fashioned bent-over row. It will also help you to isolate your middle and upper-back muscles for better gains without being limited by the strength and stability in your lower back.

The chest-supported row is good for keeping your form strict, which can help beginners who need to learn rowing movements, as well as more experienced lifters whose lower backs may be banged up from years of bent-over rows, deadlifts, or squats. In other words, the chest-supported row lets you train the muscles of the mid and upper back without stressing the lower back.

How To Do The Chest-Supported Row: Setup and Instructions

(See 01:00 in the video.)

Step 1. Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle. It really just has to be high enough so that your hands don’t touch the floor when you’re doing the row. Now grasp a pair of dumbbells and straddle the bench.

Step 2. Rest your chest and belly against the bench and let your arms hang. Shorter people may need to stand closer to the head of the bench, while taller ones stand further back, so that when you lie on the bench your head is clear of it. Your legs should be fairly straight and your toes should dig into the floor. Brace your core, and make yourself as stable as possible.

Step 3. Allow your shoulder blades to spread apart so you feel a stretch in your upper back. As you begin the row, drive your shoulder blades back together and downward. Think “proud chest,” and imagine squeezing a pencil or a walnut between your shoulder blades—that’s how tight you should aim to pull them together.

Row the weights back toward your hips with your arms close to your sides until your elbows are bent about 90 degrees and your back is fully contracted.

Step 4. Lower the weights under control and let your shoulders spread apart again. That’s one rep.

What Muscles Does The Chest-Supported Row Work?

(See 02:06 in the video.)

The chest-supported row done with the arms staying close to your sides is going to mainly work the lat muscles, but you can vary the way your back muscles get trained by adjusting the height of the bench and your arm angle. A steeper angle on the bench as well as arms raised 45–60 degrees away from your sides will recruit more of the upper back (trapezius, rhomboids) and rear deltoids.

Of course, as with any row, your biceps and forearms will also get some work.

Pro Tips: How To Avoid Common Mistakes

(See 02:38 in the video.)

Mistake #1

One common mistake on the chest-supported row is arching the back really hard as you row the weight up. When the weight is heavy, or you’re tired at the end of a set, it’s tempting to hyperextend your spine in an effort to get the weight up, but that can hurt your back. If you feel your chest rising off the bench, you’re breaking form.

Keep your core tight and your shoulder blades moving back and down. Your upper torso should stay neutral and supported by the bench.

Mistake #2

Another mistake is not letting your shoulder blades spread at the bottom of the row. You can’t spread the shoulders apart on a bent-over barbell row without losing stability, so you should take advantage of the strong position that the chest-supported row puts you in by getting a stretch in your back muscles at the bottom of every rep. Many coaches and scientists believe that loading muscles in their stretched positions, or emphasizing the stretched position of a rep, provides a growth stimulus all its own.

Let your shoulders protract at the bottom and feel the stretch before you retract them and row. You can even hold this position for a second.

Mistake #3

Lastly, make sure your body is properly supported by the bench. If you position yourself too far forward on the bench, your chest won’t rest on the pad, and your upper body may flop over the edge of the bench. By the same token, if you’re too low on the bench so that your face is rubbing into it, you’ll have a hard time breathing (not to mention, of course, that you’ll look a little ridiculous).

All of your upper body right down to your hips should be supported by the bench at all times. Learn to use the bench for its true purpose—to provide a platform off which you can perform your exercises without having to stabilize any body parts yourself—and you’ll get the best possible results.

Variations of Chest-Supported Rows

(See 04:39 in the video.)

The chest-supported position lends itself to a few other movements that can help your back training.

Kelso Shrug

(See 04:43 in the video.)

By just retracting your shoulder blades you can focus on the upper back muscles, leaving the lats and the biceps out of it. Called a Kelso shrug, this can strengthen your back for heavier deadlifts as well as give you a thicker appearance front to back, particularly in your traps.

Step 1. Set up on the bench as you would for a chest-supported row.

Step 2. Simply retract your shoulder blades back and downward. You don’t have to fight to keep your arms straight, but don’t bend them to assist—keep the movement purely at your shoulders. Hold the top position for a moment or two.

EZ-Bar Chest-Supported Row

(See 05:13 in the video.)

You don’t have to limit yourself to dumbbells when you do the chest-supported row. A straight barbell can be cumbersome to use, but an EZ-curl bar can let you go heavier than dumbbells and use a palms-up grip, which will bring more lats and biceps into the movement.

Step 1. Load an EZ-curl bar and set it below the bench. Use small plates so that the weights don’t hit the floor when your arms are extended. Grasp the bar with hands shoulder-width apart and your palms facing up.

Step 2. Row the bar until it touches the bench—your shoulder blades should still be fully retracted at the top.

Chest-Supported Row Alternatives

(See 05:44 in the video.)

If there’s one drawback to the chest-supported row on an inclined bench, it’s that many benches can only be set to 45 degrees, and that does tend to cause people to arch too hard at the top. A good fix for that is to raise the bench to about 90 degrees and perform the exercise seated rather than lying down.

You’re still doing a row with your chest supported, but you’ll be less likely to cheat your body position as you get tired or the weight gets heavy.

From a seated position, the resistance will have to come from in front of you rather than below, so a cable is a good idea here. And for ease of use, it’s usually better to work one arm at a time.

Seated, One-Arm Chest-Supported Cable Row

(See 05:48 in the video.)

Three-Point Dumbbell Row

(See 06:50 in the video.)

A dumbbell row with three points of support (one hand and two feet) provides a solid foundation for heavy rowing. It also allows you to work one side at a time, so you can identify and bring up any imbalances between sides.

Step 1. Stagger your stance so your legs provide a wide base of support. Keeping a long spine, hinge at the hips and place one hand on the bench. Pick up the dumbbell with your free hand, and brace your core.

Step 2. Row the dumbbell to your hip.

Chest-Supported Rows Vs. Barbell Rows: Key Differences

(See 07:17 in the video.)

Chest-supported rows and bent-over barbell rows train mostly the same muscles, but the chest-supported row offers more isolation and less activation of the lower back. In the barbell row, the strength of your lower back will always limit the amount of weight you can row. So, if your goal is to build muscle and strength in your back, and you’ve been grinding out barbell rows for years, you may want to switch to the chest-supported row. Likewise, if you have a lower-back injury, barbell rows might aggravate it while the chest-supported row can let you train your back pain-free.

Another advantage of the chest-supported row being so stable is that it will help to prevent you from bouncing or rocking the weight up, which tends to happen when people barbell row.

How To Warm Up Before Chest-Supported Rows

(See 08:00 in the video.)

Include the following movements in your warmup.

T-Spine Rotation

(See 08:06 in the video.)

Step 1. Get on all-fours so your hands are directly underneath your shoulders and your knees are underneath your hips. Tuck your tailbone under so your pelvis is perpendicular to your spine, and brace your core. Push your hips back so your butt is close to your heels, and place your right hand on the back of your head.

Step 2. Twist your torso to point your right elbow out to your left-hand side, and then sweep it back up, rotating until your elbow points overhead. Avoid flexing or arching your lower back at any point. That’s one rep. Do 2 sets of 10 reps on each side.

Kneeling Elbow Circle

(See 08:51 in the video.)

Step 1. From the same all-fours position as the T-spine rotation, turn your elbows to point out to the sides and then bend them, lowering your body to the bottom of a pushup.

Step 2. Turn your elbows toward your body and extend your arms to return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Alternate directions each rep, and do 2 sets of 10 reps.

Who Should Do Chest-Supported Rows?

(See 10:07 in the video.)

If you have a lower-back injury, chest-supported rows will allow you to train the rest of your back hard and heavy without irritating your lumbar spine. Furthermore, if your goal is to put on muscle, the stability and isolation that the chest-supported row provides will let you train heavier and progress in load more quickly than a barbell row, and that means faster gains.

How To Fit Chest-Supported Rows Into Your Workouts?

(See 10:25 in the video.)

You can do the chest-supported row anywhere in your back workout or on an upper-body day. Since it trains the muscles that are opposite the ones that perform the bench press, it’s a good complement to bench pressing, and you can alternate sets of the two moves, or do the two exercises back to back to ensure that your training is balanced.

The chest-supported row can be done safely with heavy weight, as well as for high reps. Start with 2–3 sets of 5–10 reps, and add weight and reps gradually over time.

For more upper-back training ideas, see 4 Traps Exercises and 2 Workouts for Getting Huge.

The post Do Chest-Supported Rows To Build Back Strength appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Busted! 

But what if you could just keep your head down until the job was done? Discipline yourself to stay focused, organized, and alert until you got all your work and daily tasks out of the way? 

Do you think you’d have a better chance of getting a promotion, launching your new business successfully, or finishing that monster project you’ve been putting off for weeks, months, or years? 

Getting your butt in gear to get more done requires a multi-pronged approach, ranging from how you slept the night before to how you set up your workstation. We’ve narrowed it down to 10 action steps that are sure to improve your productivity. 

Key Takeaways: 

1. Better sleep, nutrition, and hydration promote alertness and efficiency throughout the workday. 

2. Multi-tasking will probably cause you to do a poorer job and make more mistakes. Tackle one thing at a time. 

3. Avoid social media when you’re working. You can use an app to block you from accessing your accounts. 

4. Try Alpha BRAIN^®. Onnit’s cognitive-support supplement can help you learn, remember, and focus, ultimately helping you to get more done. 

5. Get a work buddy to keep you accountable and on task. 

1. Get Better Sleep 

Tomorrow’s productivity begins tonight, so don’t snooze on this advice. According to the Sleep Foundation, almost one-third of Americans regularly get less than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night, and that impairs thinking and physical reaction time. It can negatively affect emotions as well. 

A 2023 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that employees who slept poorly performed worse on the job. Not only that, their relationships with coworkers suffered, and they were even more likely to engage in unethical behavior in the workplace (fudging those expense reports, or stealing from petty cash, perhaps?). 

The Sleep Foundation recommends using blackout curtains or a sleep mask to shield your eyes from any outside light, setting your thermostat to between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit (we sleep better when we’re cool), and making a habit of getting up and going to bed at the same times daily. 

2. Eat Strategically 

Lack of productivity in the afternoons usually comes down to self-sabotage—specifically, the foods you choose to eat at lunchtime. Heavy meals such as hamburgers, pizza, or big, doughy sandwiches pack lots of carbs and fats, two nutrients that, when consumed in excess, can each drain your brain power. That’s why you get that three o’clock energy crash! 

As an article in the Harvard Business Review explains, carbohydrate-rich foods raise blood sugar very quickly, forcing your body to release insulin to level it out. This in turn releases serotonin and tryptophan, hormones that make you feel tired. Meanwhile, fatty foods require a lot of energy to digest, and that can rob your brain of the oxygen needed to keep you alert. 

Opt for lower-calorie, slower-digesting foods. “Start with a foundation of fiber and protein,” says Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, a nutrition and wellness consultant (follow him on Instagram, @mohrresults). “Oats and berries at breakfast with a dollop of Greek yogurt,” for example, “and maybe some protein powder mixed in. A good mid-morning snack would be a handful of nuts, some jerky, or a piece of fruit. For lunch, consider some salmon or tuna over salad greens, with one-half cup of beans. That’s a fiber, protein, and nutrient-rich meal that will offer sustained energy to fuel your afternoon.” 

What you drink, or don’t drink, counts too. As noted in an article by NutritionEd.org, an education resource for nutritionists, being dehydrated by just two percent can harm cognitive performance, impairing memory, vision, and the ability to do arithmetic. Men likely need 15.5 cups of water per day, and women 11.5. 

If your company has a cafeteria that only serves junk, complain about it. A review published in Perspectives in Public Health found that diet-related worksite interventions improved employee productivity to the point where it may have actually offset the cost of such interventions with enhanced company profitability. 

3. Stop Multi-Tasking 

It’s a common trap: you start several tasks at once and cycle between them, thinking that you’ll end up with that much more done by the end of the day. Ah, if only that were so. 

One study showed that only a paltry two-and-a-half percent of us are effective multi-taskers. Most people who alternate between projects, according to the Cleveland Clinic, merely become less efficient at each one individually and make more mistakes as a result. Ever hear the expression “divide and conquer”? That’s what happens to your attention span, and the defeat is yours. 

Your ability to learn as well as work also suffers when multi-tasking. 

The solution is as simple as taking things one task at a time. Identify your biggest priority, and give it your full attention until it’s done. You’ll do a better job on it and get it over with sooner. The Cleveland Clinic notes that surgeons are a good example of successful mono-taskers. They’re able to perform life-saving operations largely because they absolutely must focus on the patient in front of them and nothing else. 

4. Use Time Blocks 

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” – Cyril Northcote Parkinson, essayist 

If you give yourself an unlimited amount of time to get something done, it’s likely to take infinitely longer than it needs to. By contrast, if you restrict yourself to a tight but realistic time frame, you can increase your work efficiency dramatically. 

Indeed.com, the world’s top job site, recommends assigning time limits, or blocks, to your tasks: 60 minutes for one project, 90 for another, and so on. If you know that writing an email to a client should take no more than 15 minutes, set a timer and see that it does. Knowing that the clock is ticking lessens the chance that you’ll allow yourself to become distracted and stray off-task. 

5. Eliminate Interruptions 

Sometimes getting distracted isn’t your fault—it’s everyone else’s. If only people would stop interrupting you, you’d get a lot more done (or so you tell yourself). 

Make your workstation less inviting and start sending clear (but polite) messages that, when you’re focused on doing something, the rest of the world is not welcome. If you work in a private office, close the door so you can be alone. If you work in an open area, wear noise-canceling headphones to drown out the surrounding chatter (they also strongly imply that you don’t want to be bothered). 

Set up your email inbox to filter and categorize the most important messages that demand quick attention, while the others go to a folder you can check later. You may even want to experiment with checking email only once or twice a day, and let your colleagues and coworkers know what those times are and when they can expect a response. 

Finally, for the love of all that is decent, stay off social media! Or at least discipline yourself to only check it at lunchtime. We know that’s easier said than done, so we found the Freedom app for you. Endorsed by Harvard, Salesforce, and Google, it blocks you from opening social media apps and websites. (It’s available for Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, and Chrome.) After a free trial, Freedom is only $3.50 a month, and covers all your devices. 

6. Take Alpha BRAIN^®‮ 

Onnit’s flagship supplement has sold millions of bottles since its launch in 2010, and there’s only one way to explain that kind of success and longevity: it works. Alpha BRAIN is a caffeine-free cognitive-support supplement that helps with memory, focus, quick thinking, and reaction time, so it’s a natural fit for anyone looking to improve productivity in any setting. 

The goal of Alpha BRAIN is to help your brain think better by supporting two main processes. One is the production of alpha brain waves—the electrical pulses that are associated with deep concentration, and in turn support productivity. The other is levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that sends messages to and from the brain. 

Greater alpha brain wave activity is associated with “flow state,” what some in the psychology world refer to as that “in-the-zone” feeling where you can block out distractions, think clearly, and accomplish things. 

Let’s break down Alpha BRAIN’s key ingredients to see how it works. 

L-Theanine

This amino acid supports the release of dopamine and serotonin in the brain—two hormones that help induce relaxation via alpha-wave activity.^† A relaxed but still alert frame of mind is an important factor in helping to achieve flow state.^† 

Huperzia Serrata Extract

A type of Clubmoss, huperzia serrata contains Huperzine A, a compound that helps slow the breakdown of acetylcholine in the body.^† 

Alpha-GPC

A chemical compound found in the brain, alpha-GPC acts as a precursor to acetylcholine, aiding its production in the body.^† 

Vitamin B6

B vitamins are known for their role in supporting all kinds of physiological reactions, and this one specifically plays a role in neurotransmitter production.^† 

A serving of Alpha BRAIN is two capsules, and we recommend that you take them with a light meal for the best absorption. You can use Alpha BRAIN as needed or every day. 

Take Alpha BRAIN shortly before you begin working, or when attempting to learn new information or a skill (via reading or practice). 

Here are some more practical examples of times where Alpha BRAIN can help: 

– Taking an exam 

– Making a speech/giving a presentation 

– Handling work stress 

– Working in a distracting environment 

Says podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan: “I take Alpha BRAIN before anything I do that requires me to be thinking. It’s my absolute go-to supplement for cognitive performance.” 

7. Clean Up Your Mess 

Nobody likes a fussy neat freak, but having a tidy workspace has been scientifically shown to make people more productive. For one thing, think about how much time you waste looking for papers, digital files, etc., that aren’t organized. Getting your house in order saves you precious minutes, if not hours. 

An article in the Harvard Business Review cites research by the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute that showed constantly seeing a messy work area drained subjects’ brains of their cognitive power and reduced their ability to focus. But, when the people decluttered their areas, productivity returned. Other research shows that working amidst a mess makes one more likely to procrastinate. 

Get a filing system and stick to it, and throw out old papers, mail, and anything else you no longer need that’s taking up space. Another tip: straighten up before you leave for the day. That way you’ll start each subsequent workday on the right foot. 

8. Get Accountable 

Setting all these new habits can be daunting, so ask a friend or coworker to hold you accountable. FutureLearn, a website dedicated to helping professionals learn new skills to advance their careers, suggests keeping each other on track with regular check-ins: “Did you go to bed at 10:00 last night? Did you block out the time frames for all your tasks today?” And so on. Partnering with another person all but ensures that you’ll both be more productive, and may even lead to a powerful friendship/work alliance that pays dividends for both your careers. 

If you work at home or are an entrepreneur starting your own venture, try keeping a work diary and be accountable to that. At the end of every day, log what you accomplished and what your goals are for the next day. 

9. Take A Break

Sometimes the best way to get more done is to stop and do nothing at all. Taking frequent breaks from your projects can help you recharge and come back to them feeling more focused and efficient. 

According to The Learning Center, an instructional service that provides academic support for students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, when you’re working or studying, the pre-frontal cortex of your brain has to resist distractions. The brain needs rest in order to continue, or it will conk out, and you’ll find that your mind wanders and your efficiency goes down. 

Taking breaks also reduces stress and can improve your recall of what you’ve just been learning or doing. The trick is to take the right kind of break. 

Scrolling through social media, responding to emails, and surfing the Web all involve the pre-frontal cortex, so they do nothing to help your brain recover. They can also promote negative emotions, which can make getting back into your work groove harder. 

Instead, try daydreaming a bit. It can help you feel creative again without adding strain to the decision-making part of the brain. Get up and move, which helps promote attention and motivation. Listening to music or socializing (on the phone or in person) are also good ideas, as they can reduce stress and help you get into a more positive mood. 

Aim to take a five-minute break for every 25 minutes you spend working (set timers and alarms). This is known as the Pomodoro technique. After four 25-minute breaks, give yourself a 20 or 30-minute break. 

If you’re really under the gun and can’t afford to break so long or so often, even a one-minute time-out has been shown to be useful. 

10. Stay On Your Feet 

Standing up during meetings can keep you more alert and focused than if you sit down, according to Indeed. Bonus: it may make your meetings shorter, which means you’ll be back at your desk to resume work that much sooner. 

The job networking site LinkedIn cites research indicating that, when participants stand, meetings are, on average, 34% shorter than sit-down ones. 

When you’re back at work, stay on your feet. A 2021 study showed that subjects who stood up while they worked—with the assistance of a stand-up desk—were ultimately more productive.  

REFERENCES 

“Squirrel! Why attention spans seem to be shrinking and what we can do about it.” Northeastern Global News. January 2024. 

“The Link Between Sleep and Job Performance.” Sleep Foundation. November 2023. 

Peng, Jiaxi, Jiaxi Zhang, Bingbing Wang, Yanchen He, Qiuying Lin, Peng Fang, and Shengjun Wu. “The relationship between sleep quality and occupational well-being in employees: The mediating role of occupational self-efficacy.” Frontiers in Psychology 14 (2023): 1071232. 

“What You Eat Affects Your Productivity.” Harvard Business Review. October 2014. 

“How Food Affects Your Productivity (& What You Can Do About It).” NutritionEd.org. 

Jensen, Jørgen Dejgård. “Can worksite nutritional interventions improve productivity and firm profitability? A literature review.” Perspectives in Public Health 131, no. 4 (2011): 184-192. 

Watson, Jason M., and David L. Strayer. “Supertaskers: Profiles in extraordinary multitasking ability.” Psychonomic bulletin & review 17 (2010): 479-485. 

“Why Multitasking Doesn’t Work.” Cleveland Clinic. March 2021. 

Skidmore-Roth, Linda. Mosby’s handbook of herbs & natural supplements. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2009. 

Nobre, Anna C., Anling Rao, and Gail N. Owen. “L-theanine, a natural constituent in tea, and its effect on mental state.” Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition 17 (2008). 

Nathan, Pradeep J., Kristy Lu, Marcus Gray, and C. Oliver. “The neuropharmacology of L-theanine (N-ethyl-L-glutamine) a possible neuroprotective and cognitive enhancing agent.” Journal of Herbal Pharmacotherapy 6, no. 2 (2006): 21-30. 

SONG, Chan-Hee, Ju-Hae JUNG, Je-Sung OH, and Kyung-Soo KIM. “Effects of theanine on the release of brain alpha wave in adult males.” The Korean Journal of Nutrition (2003): 918-923. 

Yarlagadda, Atmaram, and Anita H. Clayton. “Blood brain barrier: the role of pyridoxine.” Psychiatry (Edgmont) 4, no. 8 (2007): 58. 

Lippincott-Raven. (1999). Chapter 12. Catecholamines, Chapter 13. Serotonin. In Basic neurochemistry: Molecular, cellular and medical aspects. 

Higashiyama, Akiko, Hla Hla Htay, Makoto Ozeki, Lekh R. Juneja, and Mahendra P. Kapoor. “Effects of l-theanine on attention and reaction time response.” Journal of Functional Foods 3, no. 3 (2011): 171-178. 

Brownawell, Amy M., Edward L. Carmines, and Federica Montesano. “Safety assessment of AGPC as a food ingredient.” Food and chemical toxicology 49, no. 6 (2011): 1303-1315. 

Tun, Maung Kyaw Moe, and Seth B. Herzon. “The pharmacology and therapeutic potential of (—)-huperzine A.” Journal of Experimental Pharmacology 4 (2012): 113. 

Deijen, J. B., C. J. E. Wientjes, H. F. M. Vullinghs, P. A. Cloin, and J. J. Langefeld. Brain research bulletin 48, no. 2 (1999): 203-209. 

“The Case For Finally Cleaning Your Desk.” Harvard Business Review. March 2019. 

“How To Be More productive: 10 Productivity Tips.” FutureLearn. May 2022. 

“Taking Breaks.” The Learning Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

“Why Do We Sit At Meetings? The Benefits of Standing Meetings.” LinkedIn.com. November 2023. 

Ma, Jiameng, Dongmei Ma, Zhi Li, and Hyunshik Kim. “Effects of a workplace sit–stand desk intervention on health and productivity.” International journal of environmental research and public health 18, no. 21 (2021): 11604. 

The post 10 Ways To Get More Done… NOW appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Key Takeaways

1. The dead bug strengthens the core while your limbs are moving. This helps teach you to breathe while in motion.

2. To do the dead bug properly, you must keep your lower back against the floor.

3. You can progress the dead bug to harder variations where you tap your hands and feet against the floor, and extend your arms and legs.

4. The dead bug trains the deep core muscles, as well as the rectus abdominis, obliques, lower back, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and hip flexors.

What Is The Dead Bug and What Are Its Benefits?

(See 00:22 in the video above.)

The dead bug exercise has you lying on the floor and holding your arms and legs above your body, eventually progressing to where you move your limbs while you maintain a stable, neutral pelvis. (Yes, it kind of makes you look like a beetle that’s in its death throes, belly up on the floor.) As you raise an arm, or leg, or both, your lower back wants to peel off the floor. If you can keep it locked down, you’ll maintain a healthy spine and pelvic position—the same kind you ideally want when you’re running, lifting, playing, etc.

Dead bugs strengthen your core muscles, prehabbing the lower back to help prevent injury. They also teach you to breathe while maintaining a core brace, which is essential for staying stable and performing well in lifting and sports.

How To Do The Dead Bug Exercise Correctly

(See 01:26 in the video.)

The term “dead bug” can apply to several variations of the same basic exercise. We’ll walk you through all of them so you can find the level that’s appropriate for you and aim to progress to the next one accordingly.

Basic Dead Bug

The simplest type of dead bug has you just learning to keep your core braced with the pelvis in neutral (perpendicular to your spine). All you have to do is lie still on your back with your knees elevated and your elbows over your shoulders… but don’t underestimate the challenge here. If your lower back buckles from the floor or your knees drift above your hips, you’re breaking form.

Practice holding this position with your full attention.

Step 1. Lie on your back on the floor and bend your knees so your feet lie flat. Tuck your chin so your head is neutral. Flatten out your lower back against the floor by tucking your tailbone under. You’ll feel your core muscles activate and your pelvis will be neutral—90 degrees to your spine. Place your hands flat on the floor so you have extra stability.

Step 2. Brace your core and raise one foot off the floor at a time so your hips and knees are bent 90 degrees. (Your knees should end up directly over your hips.) Now raise your arms off the floor, so they’re directly over your shoulders, and bend your elbows 90 degrees. Try to hold this position for 30 seconds, or as long as you can.

“People usually start to hold their breath when they’re being challenged in this position,” says Shane Heins, Onnit’s Director of Fitness Education, “but you should be able to stay in this position while being able to breathe and talk and stay mostly relaxed. Think ’relaxed but activated.’”

Alternatives to the Dead Bug

(See 04:47 in the video)

When you’ve got the dead bug hold down, you can begin to integrate movement at the legs and arms. It may look a little like you’re running on your back (or crawling upside down), and that isn’t far from the truth. If you can keep your pelvis and spine neutral while your arms and legs move, you’ll be a more efficient mover in general.

Dead Bug Progression 1 (Dead Bug With Heel and Finger Tap)

(See 05:12 in the video.)

Step 1. Start in the basic dead bug position explained above (on your back, arms and legs bent).

Step 2. Keeping your low back on the floor, slowly reach one arm behind your head while you bring the opposite side leg toward the floor. Keep the bend in both your elbow and the knee, and gently tap the floor with your hand and foot.

Step 3. Return to the starting position, and repeat on the opposite sides. That’s one rep.

“Be careful not to crunch your abs at the top,” says Heins. “You’re just tapping and coming back to center with your elbows over your shoulders and your knees over your hips.” Do the movement slowly to start, but as you get more comfortable, you can speed up the tempo. This will create a little more instability for you to control.

Dead Bug Progression 2 (Dead Bug With Reach)

(See 06:48 in the video.)

The next level up is to lengthen the levers you’re working with—i.e. extend your arm and leg so that you have to control them at their full lengths. This will be challenging for almost anybody, including experienced athletes, so take it slow.

Step 1. Begin extending your arm and opposite leg straight. Don’t let them rest on the floor, but get both limbs straight enough so that they just hover above the floor. DON’T LOSE YOUR LOW BACK POSITION! If you feel like your back wants to arch, stop the range of motion before it does and work in the range you have only. As you get stronger you’ll be able to extend your limbs straighter.

“Be very mindful of your breathing here,” says Heins, as it will get more difficult to keep your core activated while breathing under the duress of this challenging movement. Teach yourself to “breathe behind the brace,” expanding your abdomen on the inhale but without losing the tension in your abs.

Dead Bug Progression 3 (Dead Bug With Arm and Leg Extended)

(See 07:56 in the video.)

Now you can try keeping your arm and leg straight the whole time.

Step 1. Start with your arms and legs extended over your shoulders and hips, respectively. Your knees don’t have to be locked out, but they should be nearly straight. Begin extending your limbs.

“Just holding your arms and legs straight can be tiring,” says Heins, “and, this time, you won’t have a gradual extension of the limbs.” There’s little room for error here, so take it slow and strict. “Keep a long spine and don’t forget to breathe.”

If you have any trouble with any of the variations, says Heins, work on moving just one limb at a time. That is, get used to your arm tapping behind your head, and then your foot, before working the two together; do a few reps of reaching the arm back before you extend the leg, and so on. Another trick: “rest one foot on the floor for stability,” says Heins.

What Muscles Does The Dead Bug Work?

(See 00:52 in the video.)

The dead bug involves all the ab muscles, including the rectus abdominis (the muscle that shows up as a six pack if you’re lean enough), the obliques (the muscles on the sides of your abs that are primarily responsible for twisting your torso), and the transversus abdominis (a deep core muscle that protects the spine). The spinal erectors on the back side of your abdomen will work, too, to stabilize you.

Because it also trains breathing mechanics, the dead bug recruits numerous other muscles you can’t see from the outside and therefore may not think about, such as the diaphragm, pelvic floor, and hip flexors. It’s not a movement that will have a direct impact on how your physique looks shirtless, but it will improve your ability to train an endless variety of other movements that do make you look muscular and lean, so think of the dead bug as a wise investment.

If you’re interested, here’s an ab workout that will contribute to the way your abs appear on the outside.

How To Stretch Before Doing Dead Bug Exercises

(See 10:55 in the video.)

Perform the following movements to prepare your hips and spine for effective dead bugging, courtesy of Heins. Perform 3 rounds of 5–10 reps for each movement.

1. Kneeling Child’s Pose to Updog

(See 11:17 in the video)

Step 1. Get on all fours and push your body back so you’re practically sitting on your heels with your arms extended overhead (a child’s pose from yoga).

Step 2. Pull yourself forward again, pushing your pelvis forward and extending your spine to come up into an updog pose. Drive your shoulders down away from your ears. That’s one rep.

2. Mountain Climber With Twist

(See 12:19 in the video)

Step 1. Get on all fours and then take your knees further behind your hips, as if you were going to do a pushup on your knees.

Step 2. Step your left leg forward and plant it outside your left arm. Extend your spine as much as you can so your chest faces forward and your back is relatively flat.

Step 3. Now press your right arm into the floor as you twist your torso to the left and reach your left arm overhead. You can use your left hand on your left knee for assistance if needed.

Repeat on the other side. That’s one rep.

3. Pelvic Clock

(See 14:28 in the video)

Step 1. Lie on your back on the floor, bend your knees, and rest your feet flat and in line with your hips. Place your hands on top of your lower belly and the upper edge of your pubic bone.

Step 2. Keeping your butt on the floor, tilt your pelvis under and back down again. Use your hands for feedback, feeling your pelvis move and your core muscles contract.

Step 3. Move your pelvis side to side, raising your right hip bone and then tilting it back down to raise the left. Drive through your knees to move the hips. This will also help prevent unwanted movement at the legs.

Step 4. Now combine all four motions so you’re moving your pelvis in a smooth, circular motion like hands around a clock. Think about getting it to touch 3, 6, 9, and 12 on a clock face. Make one full revolution, and then repeat in the opposite direction. That’s one rep.

Try another core warmup, this one from Coach Francheska Martinez, before a full-body workout.

How To Fit The Dead Bug Into Your Workout

(See 17:35 in the video.)

The dead bug can be used before, during, or after your normal workouts, or really at any other time of the day. Heins suggests using it as an activation drill, doing the variation that’s appropriate for you after you’ve done some warmup/mobility work. “The dead bug can help warm up and ready your core muscles for the harder training to come in your session,” he says. Heins suggests doing 3 sets of 30 seconds (holds or reps).

You can also do the dead bug between sets of your lighter, less stressful exercises—rows, pushups, and lunges, for instance. Do a set, then knock out a set of dead bugs for some extra core work, and repeat. Heins cautions not to do dead bugs between sets of very core-intensive exercises, however, because you don’t want to fatigue your ab muscles for lifts that rely on them strongly. In other words, don’t do dead bugs between sets of heavy overhead presses, deadlifts, or back squats. You may find that you can’t train them as heavy or get as many reps if your core is pooped.

If you want to start your day with some core work, either to get it out of the way or to increase your overall volume, dead bugs are safe to do first thing in the morning. By the same token, you can do them at night before bed too. “Do reps for 15–30 seconds and three to five rounds,” says Heins.

Master another core-training exercise with our guide to the kettlebell around the world exercise.

The post How To Do The Dead Bug Exercise Like An Expert appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Key Takeaways

1. The glutes are the most important muscles for full-body power, and a strong set will make you more athletic.

2. Warm up for a bodyweight glute workout by stretching your hip flexors and performing lateral band walks.

3. The hip thrust is a powerful glute-max exercise. Be careful not to hyperextend your lower back as you lock out your hips.

4. Kickbacks can work the glute max or the glute medius, the muscle on the side of your posterior.

5. The hip thrust and glute bridge are similar exercises that both work the glute max, but the bridge uses a shorter range of motion while offering more isolation.

4 Great Glute Exercises For Building Your Butt

(See 02:54 in the video above.)

The following bodyweight glute exercises come highly recommended by Juan Leija, an Onnit-certified coach and co-founder of Onnit Gym in Austin, TX (@juannit247).

1. Bodyweight Hip Thrust

Sets: 3–5  Reps: 8–12

(See 02:58 in the video.)

Step 1. Lie against a bench perpendicularly, so your shoulder blades are supported on the edge. Place your feet on the floor so that they’re in line with your hips. Your hips and knees should be bent about 90 degrees. Tuck your tailbone slightly so that your pelvis is perpendicular to your spine, and brace your core like you were about to get punched in the gut. Tuck your chin to your chest and drive your elbows into the bench for extra stability.

Step 2. Drive through your heels to raise your hips until they’re locked out. Be careful not to go so high that your lower back arches—stop when your hips and torso are level with the floor.

If 8–12 reps isn’t challenging enough with your bodyweight alone, you can increase the rep number to as high as 25. “Four sets of 25, or 100 total reps, would give you a killer glute workout,” says Leija. Another way to make the hip thrust more challenging with bodyweight alone is to do it one leg at a time. See our guide to the B-stance hip thrust.

The hip thrust, popularized by Bret Contreras, author of Glute Lab, works hip extension, the glutes’ primary function. While its mechanics are similar to that of a squat or deadlift, the hip thrust better isolates the glutes (although the quads and hamstrings are still involved to a degree).

2. Banded Glute Bridge

Sets: 3–5  Reps: 12–15

(See 04:39 in the video.)

Step 1. Place a circular resistance band just above your knees and lie on the floor with your hips and knees bent about 90 degrees. Place your feet in line with the hips or slightly wider so there’s tension on the band. Tuck your tailbone under and brace your core.

Step 2. Drive your legs apart to put more tension on the band. Now extend your hips to lockout as you did in the hip thrust.

The banded glute bridge trains two of the glutes’ functions simultaneously: moving the legs out to the sides and hip extension. “Be careful with your foot position,” says Leija. “The advantage of a glute bridge is the way it isolates the glutes. If your feet are placed too far forward, you’ll bring more of the hamstrings into it. If your heels are too far back toward you, you’ll use more quads,” and that defeats the purpose.

As with the hip thrust, if 12–15 reps doesn’t fatigue your glutes, take the reps up as high as 25. You can also do the glute bridge without a band and using one leg at a time, as we explain in our article guide to the single-leg glute bridge.

3. Banded Kickback

Sets: 3–5  Reps: 12–25 (each leg)

(See 06:51 in the video.)

Step 1. Loop a circular resistance band around your feet and slide it to just above your knees. Stagger your stance so one leg is in front of the other. Grasp onto a bench or other sturdy object for balance, and bend your hips back about 30 degrees while keeping a long spine. Bend your front knee slightly. Brace your core.

Step 2. Kick your rear leg straight back until your glute is fully contracted, and control it on the way down. Keep tension on the band at all times.

The kickback trains the glutes in hip extension just as the hip thrust does, but one side at a time. This allows you to get a little extra range of motion for more muscle recruitment. You can also aim your leg 30–45 degrees from your side as you kick back to put more emphasis on the glute medius muscle (the side of the butt cheek).

4. Sumo Pulsing Squat

Sets: 3–5  Reps: 10–20

(See 08:16 in the video.)

Step 1. Stand with feet outside shoulder width and your toes turned out about 30 degrees.

Step 2. Bend your hips back and squat as low as you can without your pelvis tucking under. Drive your knees out as you descend, and keep your torso as upright as possible (people should be able to see the logo on your T-shirt).

Step 3. Come back up about three quarters, and lower your body back down. Finish by coming back up to standing. That’s one rep.

“The glutes lose tension toward the top of a squat,” says Leija, “so spending more time in the bottom half of the movement keeps the glutes working where they work hardest.”

How To Stretch Your Glutes

(See 00:26 in the video.)

Warming up your hips on the front and sides will help reduce the risk of injury in your workout and may help you to feel your glutes better when you train them. Research has shown that being able to mentally connect to the muscles you’re working during an exercise may help to promote muscle recruitment and boost the results you see.

Leija recommends these two drills.

1. Hip Flexor Mobilization

(See 00:31 in the video.)

Step 1. Kneel on the floor with one knee. Both hips and knees should be bent 90 degrees. Now tuck your tailbone under so your pelvis is level with the floor. Brace your core.

Step 2. Shift your weight forward, moving your front knee past your toe, until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip on the back leg. Keep your hips and shoulders facing forward. Your front foot must also stay flat on the floor. Rock your weight back to the starting position and repeat for 2–3 sets of 5–10 reps on each side.

“Avoid leaning back and arching your back,” says Leija. “Keep your core engaged. Otherwise you’ll get the range of motion from your back and not your hip, which is the goal.”

2. Banded Lateral Walk

(See 01:41 in the video.)

Step 1. Loop a circular exercise band around your feet and pull it up to the thickest part of your calves—but if you feel more glute activation with it at your ankles or knees, try it there instead. Place your feet hip-width apart or wider, so that you put some tension on the band and feel your glutes starting to work.

Step 2. Hinge your hips back and bend your knees so you’re in an athletic stance—think: ready to catch a ball, tackle an opponent, or jump up in the air. Take a small step to your right, keeping your foot facing straight forward (don’t let your toes turn outward).

Step 3. Step your trailing foot in toward your lead foot so you’re back in a hip-width stance. Keep walking in that direction, keeping tension on the band the whole time. (If your feet come too close together, the band will go slack and your glutes will get to rest). Walk 5–10 yards each direction—that’s one set. Do 3 sets total.

Bridge Vs. Hip Thrust

(See 10:44 in the video.)

Many people use the terms “bridge” and “hip thrust” interchangeably when discussing glute training, but this isn’t accurate. Leija points out that while a hip thrust is intended to target the glutes very directly, it also works the hamstrings and quads to a certain degree, mainly because the range of motion is large. The glute bridge, on the other hand, uses a short range of motion (your back is on the floor, so you don’t have as far to extend your hips versus when you’re supported on the bench). As a result, the bridge won’t challenge all your glute muscle fibers, but it takes the hamstrings and quads out almost completely, better isolating the glute fibers it does hit. So the glute bridge is, arguably, a better option for mucle gain/physique transformation. Meanwhile, “the hip thrust is better for training hip explosion,” says Leija, making it the smarter choice for athletic applications (i.e., if you’re an athlete, you should probably spend more time thrusting than bridging).

Ultimately, both are solid exercises and build muscle and strength in the glutes, so use them in combination.

Benefits of Working Out Your Glutes

(See 00:15 in the video.)

The glutes are the most powerful muscles in your whole body. They’re also the biggest (the glutes are dense, so they may not look as broad as your quads or lats, but if you could flatten them out on the floor you’d see they’re huge). In day- to-day life, the glutes allow you to stand up, walk upstairs, and pull things up off the floor, so strengthening them is key for keeping quality of life as you get older. If you’re an athlete, “strong glutes help you run faster, jump higher, and lift more weight,” says Leija.

Since you’re reading this article, you’re probably also aware that the glutes are very aesthetic, sexy muscles, and that training them is one of the biggest trends in fitness. Unless you descend from the same gene pool as Jennifer Lopez or Kim Kardashian, the only way you’ll be able to get a rear that looks half as fine will be to build it with exercise—hence the reason we put this article together.

Master another great glute-building exercise with the B-stance RDL.

The post Bodyweight Glute Exercises & Stretches To Build A Bigger Butt appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Key Takeaways

1. The Viking press is used in strongman competition and trains the shoulders and triceps.

2. The Viking press is joint-friendly and less stressful to the shoulders and low back than standard overhead presses.

3. You need two barbells and a power rack to perform the Viking press.

4. You can do landmine presses and dumbbell push presses in place of a Viking press.

5. Perform the Viking press for 2–3 sets of 5–8 reps to build muscle and strength. To build power, do 3–5 sets of 1–5 reps.

What Is The Viking Press and What Are Its Benefits?

(See 00:21 in the video above.)

Similar to a landmine press, the Viking press has you lifting the bar overhead in an arcing motion rather than straight up, as in a military press. Actually, if you want to do the Viking press in a public gym or at home, you’ll have to set it up with TWO bars that are parallel to each other in a power rack/cage. This is because most gyms won’t have the same kind of Viking press apparatus that strongmen train on—and that’s how the Viking press began.

The Viking press is often used in strongman competitions, and, while we can’t prove it, we suspect that that’s where the name comes from—since the sport has long been dominated by gigantic Scandinavians. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Viking press is a great way to build upper-body strength and muscle. (For more muscle-building tips and a training schedule, see our article on how often you should lift.)

The two-bar setup means that you’ll have to grip both barbells by their sleeves—the thick end of the bar where you load the weight plates. This will force you to use a neutral grip—palms facing in—and many people find that this position is easier on their shoulders than pressing with palms facing forward. The thickness of the sleeve also disperses the weight of the bar more evenly through your joints, so if your wrists, elbows, and shoulders tend to hurt doing normal barbell overhead presses, the Viking press may allow you to train pressing pain-free.

Yet another benefit is that the Viking press is safer for the low back. On the old-fashioned military press, the heavier the weight gets, the more people tend to lean back as they press, hyperextending their lower back, which can cause injury. With the Viking press, because you’re lifting the weight on an arc, it causes you to drive your body slightly forward. Doing so lets you keep your ribs down and your core braced, so your torso is one tight column that makes for stronger, safer pressing.

How To Do The Viking Press Correctly

(See 01:53 in the video.)

Admittedly, the Viking press is a bit complicated to set up. You need to have a power rack with safety guards and two equal-sized barbells to do it.

Step 1. Set the safety guards in the power rack. Place one at about shoulder level and the other one notch higher. Now place empty barbells on top of the guards. Set the ends of the barbells that you will hold to press on the lower guard so that the opposite end that serves as your fulcrum is higher. Now secure the higher ends of the barbells by loading 10-pound plates on the sleeves, and tuck the weights inside the safety guards so they rub against the guards. This is just to keep the bars in place so they don’t slide down the safety rods while you press.

Step 2. Now load the weight you’ll lift on the other side of the barbells. Grasp the ends of the bar sleeves and stand just behind the bars with your feet at shoulder width. Your wrists should be in line with your elbows. Draw your ribs down and brace your core.

Step 3. Press the bars upward to lockout until they’re straight overhead. Allow your bodyweight to shift forward as you press and push your head through so your arms end up in line with your ears.

You can also perform the Viking press the way strongman competitors do, which is more like a push press. You dip your knees quickly and use momentum to drive the weight up. This will allow you to lift heavier and it makes the exercise more of a total-body movement. Note that if you dip your knees you’ll need more room so that the bar doesn’t bang into the safety guard nearest you, so you may need to set that guard another notch lower.

What Muscles Does The Viking Press Work?

(See 03:15 in the video.)

The Viking press primarily strengthens the front and lateral deltoids, but the triceps will work hard too as you extend your elbows. Your traps and other back muscles, legs, and core will also get some activation.

How to Stretch Before Doing the Viking Press

(See 03:26 in the video.)

It’s a good idea to warm up both the shoulders and the thoracic spine before you get into any Viking pressing. Here are some movements that will prep both areas.

The Cat-Camel Stretch

(See 03:33 in the video.)

Step 1. Get on all fours and brace your core. Your arms should be directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.

Step 2. Press your arms into the floor while you round your upper back toward the ceiling, spreading your shoulder blades. Hold for a second.

Step 3. Now retract your shoulder blades while you arch your upper back and drive your solar plexus toward the floor. Hold for a second. That’s one rep. Imagine the motion as having a string running through your solar plexus with someone pulling it up and then down—try to move at the upper back and not the lower back. Do 2 sets of 10 reps.

Behind-The-Back Shoulder Rotations

(See 04:09 in the video.)

Step 1. Stand tall and place the back of one hand behind you and against your lower back. Place the palm of your other hand behind your head.

Step 2. Now pull your hands back an inch or so away from your head and low back, hold a moment, and then switch positions, rotating your shoulders to bring one hand to your head and the other to your lower back. That’s one rep. Do 2 sets of 10 reps.

Viking Press Alternatives

(See 05:03 in the video.)

OK, OK, so maybe the Viking press is a hassle to set up and you can’t monopolize a power rack and TWO barbells in your gym without getting dirty looks from your fellow gymgoers. In that case, you can try two alternatives that train the shoulders in a similar way.

Landmine Press

The landmine press is basically just a unilateral version of the Viking press done with the far end of the barbell on the floor. Lucky for you we recently shot a video and did a whole separate article on how to landmine press.

A really simple option B that anyone can do at home with a pair of dumbbells is the dumbbell push press. You won’t be able to go as heavy as with barbells, but the dumbbells will force you to control two weights independently, and they allow you to use that shoulder-friendly neutral grip.

Dumbbell Push Press

(See 05:35 in the video.)

Step 1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Hold a heavy pair of dumbbells at shoulder level with your elbows forward so your forearms are vertical. Turn your wrists so your palms face in. Draw your shoulders back—think “proud chest”—and brace your core.

Step 2. Dip your knees very quickly while keeping your torso tall and straight, and then explode upward, straightening your knees to provide momentum as you press the weights straight overhead to lockout.

How To Fit The Viking Press Into Your Workouts

(See 06:14 in the video.)

If you normally do barbell overhead presses or push presses as your main strength lift in a workout, the Viking press can substitute for either and would be best used early on in your workout on an upper-body push or chest/shoulder day. Two to three sets of 5–8 reps are fine. If you want to do the strongman version where you dip your knees, which trains more total-body power, you could do 3–5 sets of 1–5 reps. Again, do this as your first or maybe second exercise of the day, after you’ve warmed up thoroughly, but are still fresh enough to be explosive.

Learn how to do another joint-friendly, strongman lift in our guide to the Zercher squat.

The post How To Do The Viking Press Like An Expert appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Key Takeaways 

– The sissy squat is the only squat exercise that can train the rectus femoris muscle in a lengthened position.

– The sissy squat requires stability and should be learned by holding onto a sturdy object for support.

– Start with 2–3 sets of 5–10 reps.

– The sissy squat works the vastus medialis (the “tear-drop muscle” on the inner side of the quad), vastus lateralis (outer quad), vastus intermedius (underneath the other quads), and the rectus femoris.

– Do the sissy squat toward the end of a leg workout when your legs (and knees) are warmed up and full of blood.

What Is The Sissy Squat and What Are Its Benefits? 

(See 00:24 in the video above.)

The sissy squat is a hell of a leg exercise if you can just get past its funny name. From a standing position, you bend your knees as deeply as you can while keeping your hips locked out. This will cause you to rise up onto the balls of your feet, so, one might argue that the sissy squat makes you look like a ballet dancer, or someone doing a goofy exercise that a meathead might consider a little effeminate—hence the “sissy” name. But the fact is, sissy squats were a favorite of hardcore bodybuilders for decades, and have recently come back into style thanks to social media.

While sissy squats look strange, they really isolate your quads like no other movement, particularly the rectus femoris muscle. Here’s a quick anatomy lesson: Your other quad muscles only work to extend the knee, but your rectus femoris straightens the knee as well as raises your leg in front of you. 

Other squatting movements cause you to bend your hips as you bend your knees, so the rectus femoris never really gets trained in a lengthened position. But when you do sissy squats, you keep your hips straight, and that puts a stretch on the rectus femoris, delivering a stimulus it can’t get from front squats, back squats, leg presses, and so on.

This is especially good news because research is mounting that shows muscles may get a better growth stimulus when they’re trained in lengthened positions. In other words, when they’re stretched a bit. Two trials (1, 2) specifically indicated that exercises that trained muscles at longer muscle lengths led to greater muscle gains versus exercises that worked the areas at shorter muscle lengths, though the reasons why are still in dispute.

How To Do The Sissy Squat Correctly 

(See 02:00 in the video.)

The sissy squat can be performed without any support, but most people are going to need to hold onto something in order to keep their balance, and that’s how we recommend you learn it. 

Step 1. Hold onto the support beam of a power rack or any other sturdy object and stand with your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart. Turn your toes out between 10 and 30 degrees. 

Step 2. Brace your abs as if you were about to take a punch to the stomach, and squeeze your glutes. Now begin to slowly bend your knees while leaning your torso back. Allow your heels to come off the floor so you’re balancing on the balls of your feet. Keeping your hips locked out, go as low as you can without discomfort or losing control of the movement. Ideally, you’ll get down to where your knees are fully flexed, with your hamstrings touching your calves. 

Step 3. Extend your knees to come back up to standing. Be sure to keep your hips straight as you do so. 

What Muscles Does The Sissy Squat Work?

(See 03:00 in the video.)

“The sissy squat works the quads with only minimal assistance from the glutes,” says Jonny Catanzano, an IFBB pro bodybuilder and trainer (@jonnyelgato_ifbbpro), “so it’s a great movement for isolating the quads and strengthening them in an extreme range of motion that really couldn’t be trained any other way.” Specifically, the sissy squat works the vastus medialis (the “tear-drop muscle” on the inner side of the quad), vastus lateralis (outer quad), vastus intermedius (underneath the other quads), and, of course, the rectus femoris, which you’ll remember we said bends the hip as well as extends the knee (it starts below your hip flexors and runs down the middle of your quads).

How Do Sissy Squats Vary From Other Squats?

As we said above, the sissy squat is the only exercise that can work the rectus femoris muscle in a lengthened position, which may prove extra beneficial for muscle growth. Other types of squats require you to bend at the hips as well as the knee, but the sissy squat has you keep your hips straight. The result is a movement that stretches out the rectus femoris while putting all the quad muscles under tension.

How To Stretch Before Doing Sissy Squats 

(See 03:51 in the video.)

“Sissy squats take your quads through a full range of motion and into a very big stretch,” says Catanzano, “so make sure you’re very warmed up before you do them.” Here are three exercises he recommends to warm up and stretch out before you do a leg workout that features sissy squats.

1. Hip CARS

(See 04:00 in the video.)

Step 1. Hold onto an inclined bench or other sturdy surface and raise one knee up in front of you. Now move your knee away from your body, trying to get to 90 degrees or as far as you can, but don’t allow your hips to turn in that direction—keep them facing forward.

Step 2. Turn your thigh bone in its socket, so you raise your foot up while you point your knee downward as far as you can. Then kick your leg straight back behind you, feeling your glute engage. Touch your foot back to the floor.

Step 3. Reverse the movement, raising your leg behind you, and then bringing the knee around to the front again. That’s one rep. Do 2–3 sets of 5 reps on each leg to start, working up to 3 sets of 8 reps.

To increase the challenge, place an object on the floor so you have something to raise your leg over and hover above.

2. Knee Lift With Leg Extension

(See 05:20 in the video.)

Step 1. Set up as you did for the hip CARS and raise your knee in front of you. From there, extend your knee fully as if you were kicking.

Step 2. Keep the knee extended as you lower your leg back down. “Try not to bend over as you’re raising the leg, or use momentum to complete the reps,” says Catanzano. Do 3 sets of 5 reps on each leg.

Sissy Squat Alternatives

(See 06:07 in the video.)

The sissy squat is a challenging exercise and can be very awkward when you’re first trying it out. Some people may also find that it bothers their knees. Therefore, you may want to try a couple of other exercises that are a little more user-friendly, but target the quads in a similar way.

Reverse Nordic Leg Extension

(See 06:11 in the video.)

This movement reduces the sissy squat’s range of motion, and allows you to use the floor for extra stability.

Step 1. Place a medicine ball or other object on the floor—you’ll use it to gauge your range of motion. Attach an exercise band to a rack or other sturdy object in front of you (a pullup bar that’s screwed into place works fine too).

Step 2. Get on your knees (you may need to lay a towel down on the floor for comfort) and roll the ball into place about a foot behind you. Grasp the band with both hands. Extend your hips and brace your core—hold this position throughout the exercise.

Step 3. Allow your body to fall back slowly, driving your legs into the floor to resist it, until your back touches the ball. (The band will help control your descent so you don’t crash backward.) You should feel a deep stretch in your quads. Use the band to help you extend your knees to come back up.

“As you get stronger and more mobile on these,” says Catanzano, “slide the ball back a bit further,” until you don’t need the ball and you can touch your hamstrings to your calves. You can also progress the exercise by changing to a lighter band that will provide less assistance.

Catanzano recommends 2 sets of 8–10 reps.

Banded Sissy Squat

(See 08:35 in the video.)

“This move teaches you how to effectively lock out your hips,” says Catanzano. “When you try to learn that on a regular sissy squat, it can be difficult. This is a great way to ease your way into doing a standing sissy squat, especially if you have problems with mobility.”

Step 1. Attach two exercise bands to a sturdy object, like a power rack’s support beam. They should be pretty thick bands, an inch or an inch and a half wide, as they’ll need to be able to support your bodyweight. (We like the selection offered at elitefts.com.) Wrap one band around the bottom of the rack and place a foot through each loop. Slide the band up so it hugs the top of each calf, just below the knee. Now wrap the other band around the rack at roughly shoulder level and grasp an end in each hand.

Step 2. Lean back, using the band in your hands for assistance and the one at your knees for support. Squat as low as you can while keeping your hips extended.

Do 2 sets of 8 reps. As you improve, you can progress to 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps.

How To Fit Sissy Squats Into Your Workout 

(See 11:10 in the video.)

Do the sissy squat later in your leg day when you’re very warmed up and have a lot of blood in the quads. Start with 2–3 sets of lower reps—5 or whatever you can manage—and gradually increase reps as you get stronger. When you find you’re able to do more than 10 reps, you can experiment with holding a dumbbell on your chest for extra resistance, or wearing a weighted vest. You can also try the sissy squat unassisted—that is, do it without holding onto something—which will challenge your ability to keep your balance as well as strengthen your quads.

See another challenging squat exercise with our guide to the Zercher squat.

The post What Is The Sissy Squat and Why Your Workout Needs It  appeared first on Onnit Academy.

What Are The Benefits of Doing The Zercher Squat?

(See 00:25 in the video above)

The Zercher squat gets its funny name from a strongman named Ed Zercher. The rumor is that Zercher didn’t have a squat rack in his gym, so, rather than squat with a bar on his back, he had to place the barbell on the floor and then bend down and hook his arms under it to lift the bar into position at his belly. Today, many lifters do Zercher squats using a squat rack, but they perform the same basic movement, holding the bar in front of their body, in the bend of their elbows.

A Zercher squat is very similar to a kettlebell goblet squat or a barbell front squat, in that it allows you to squat with a very upright torso, and therefore squat very deep. Because the weight is loaded on the front of your body, your core and upper back have to work really hard to stabilize you. The Zercher squat is much easier on the lower back than a back squat is, so it’s a good alternative if you’re dealing with an injury. In a back squat, your torso inevitably will bend a little toward the floor, and that places shear forces on the spine. If you have back problems already, this can make things worse. The Zercher squat allows you to keep your joints stacked, minimizing stress on the low back.

You could also argue that Zercher squats are a good choice for wrestlers and other combat athletes who have to pick people up from time to time, as they mimic that movement. They’re also applicable to strongman competitors who have to perform events like the Conan’s Wheel, or stone carries, as they more closely resemble those movements than other types of squats.

Of course, if you don’t have a squat rack but you want to do barbell squats at home, you can do what Zercher did and get the bar up to your chest from the floor—that is, IF you have the mobility to pick the bar up safely.

How To Do The Zercher Squat Correctly

(See 02:02 in the video.)

The safest way to perform a Zercher squat is to take the bar out of a squat rack.

Step 1. Set the bar in the rack at about stomach height. Now hook your arms underneath it so that the bar rests in the bend of your elbows. This can be very uncomfortable, so it’s a good idea to wear a long-sleeve sweatshirt when you do these, or wrap a towel around the bar to cushion your arms.

Step 2. Scoop the bar out of the rack, step back, and stand with your feet between hip and shoulder width, just as you would for a normal back or front squat. Turn your toes out about 30 degrees. Make sure your arms are close to the center of the bar, so it’s balanced. You can cup one hand over the other, or have your forearms parallel to each other with your hands in fists—whichever is more comfortable. In either case, your arms should look like they’re in the top position of a curl. Your biceps are fully shortened, but they aren’t really working against the resistance of the bar. You’re just using your arms as hooks to hold the bar in place. You shouldn’t feel your shoulders working. If you do, your elbows are probably too high.

Step 3. Take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core. Keeping your torso very tall and straight, squat as deeply as you can without losing the arch in your lower back (in other words, don’t let your pelvis tuck under). Think of the movement as being like a goblet or front squat. Push your knees apart as you descend so that your elbows fit between them.

Step 4. After you’ve descended to your safest squat depth, come back up and stand tall.

If you don’t have a squat rack, you can deadlift the bar off the floor and into your lap, and then hook your arms underneath the bar and stand up to get into position. Note that this approach will require a lot of hip mobility so that you don’t round your lower back, so it’s not appropriate for most people. However, if you’re sure you can do it safely, make sure you use a very light weight at first.

In strongman competition, the Zercher squat and similar exercises (such as Zercher carries, or the Conan’s Wheel) are typically done with an axel rather than a conventional barbell. Axel bars are available in some gyms, and their diameter is much thicker than that of a standard barbell. If you have access to one, the axel bar is a good choice for Zercher exercises, as it not only better mimics how you would do them in strongman but also offers the biceps and elbows some relief. The thickness of an axel spreads the load across your elbows, so it doesn’t bite into them the way a narrower bar does.

What Muscles Does The Zercher Squat Work?

(See 04:20 in the video.)

The Zercher squat works the same muscles that virtually every other squat works, including the quads, glutes, and adductors. Because the weight is loaded in front of you, it’s going to be even more demanding on your abs and obliques—your core muscles—than a back squat would be. Your upper back will also have to work really hard to keep the bar from falling. Yes, your biceps will help out as well just keeping the bar in place, but it’s an exaggeration to say that they really get trained by Zercher squats. If you want to get bigger, stronger arms, you’re better off doing curls!

The Zercher Squat Vs. Front & Back Squats

(See 04:55 in the video.)

The Zercher squat is very similar to a front squat. You’re just holding the bar in a different place, but it will work the same muscles and feel similar. If you have trouble doing Olympic-style front squats because they bother your wrists, the Zercher squat could be a good alternative. The Zercher squat is also easier on your lower back and shoulders than a back squat would be, but because you have to rely on your arms to hold the bar in front of you, you’re not in as strong of a position doing Zercher squats as you would be doing either the front or back squat. You will be limited by your core and back strength, as well as your arms’ ability to hold the weight. Therefore, you won’t be able to train Zercher squats as heavy as those other lifts.

How To Stretch Before Doing Squats

Try out these warmup and mobility moves from Onnit’s Director of Fitness Education, Shane Heins, before attempting a Zercher squat workout.

Alternatives To The Zercher Squat

(See 05:38 in the Zercher Squat video at the top.)

Again, because the Zercher squat is so similar to front squats and goblet squats, try those movements if you want to get the feel of Zercher squats but don’t feel up to actually doing them just yet.

Front Squat

(See 05:53 in the Zercher Squat video.)

Step 1. Grasp the bar with hands shoulder-width apart and point your elbows forward so that you can position the bar over the tips of your fingers (palms face up). As long as you keep your elbows pointing forward, you will be able to balance the bar.

Another way to do it is to cross your arms in front of you, holding the bar on the front of your shoulders (left hand in front of right shoulder, right hand in front of left). To do the classic front squat with the bar on your fingertips, you need a reasonable amount of flexibility through your shoulders and wrists to position the barbell correctly. If you don’t have it, the cross-arm version may be the better option for you at the moment.

Step 2. Lift the bar out of the rack and step back, setting your feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart. Turn your toes out slightly. Pull your ribs down and take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core. Your head, spine, and pelvis should form a long line—your pelvis should also be perpendicular to your spine, and not tilted toward the floor. Focus your eyes on a point straight in front of you.

Step 3. Squat as low as you can while keeping alignment and maintaining your upright torso position. Remember to point your elbows forward, and raise them up if you feel them slipping downward. Ideally, you’ll be able to descend to where the crease of your hips is below the top of your thighs.

Step 4. Extend your hips and knees to return to standing, pushing through the middle of your feet and squeezing your glutes.

Goblet Squat

(See 07:30 in the Zercher Squat video.)

Step 1. Hold a kettlebell in front of your chest by the sides of its handle. Draw your shoulders back and downward (think: “proud chest”), and tuck your elbows in close to the bell—try to get your forearms as vertical as you can. Stand with your feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart, and turn your toes out a bit—up to 30 degrees if you need to.

Step 2. Tuck your tailbone and draw your ribs down so that your pelvis is parallel to the floor. Take a deep breath into your belly, and brace your core.

Step 3. Keeping a long spine from your head to your pelvis, push your hips back and squat down, as if sitting down into a chair. Squat as low as you can while keeping your head, spine, and pelvis aligned. Push your knees apart as you descend. You should feel most of your weight on your heels to mid-foot area. If you feel your lower back beginning to round, stop there, and come back up. Keep your torso as vertical as possible—you shouldn’t have to lean forward or work extra hard to hold the bell upright. Avoid bending or twisting to either side.

Step 4. Drive through your feet as you extend your hips and knees to come up.

How To Fit The Zercher Squat Into Your Workout

(See 09:26 in the video.)

The Zercher squat can be a good alternative to front squats, especially if you want to train more like a strongman or prepare your body for heavy carrying of any kind. It’s also a good substitute for back squats if you’re having lower-back issues. Understand, however, that you won’t be able to train as heavy with the Zercher squat as with other squat variations, and that can be detrimental if you want to build maximum strength or leg muscle. With that said, Zerchers have been around 100 years or more for good reason: they build very functional, real-world strength throughout your whole body.

Do them toward the beginning of your leg or full-body workout when you’re at your freshest. Since the Zercher squat has you squatting so upright, it’s going to let you squat very deep, and that places most of the emphasis on your quads. Be sure to balance it out with other exercises that work the hamstrings and glutes just as hard. Two to three sets of 5–10 reps is good to start, progressing the weight and rep numbers over time.

Try another front-loaded squat that saves the low back and strengthens the quads: the landmine squat.

The post How To Do The Zercher Squat Like A Pro appeared first on Onnit Academy.

What Is The Rear-Delt Fly and What Are Its Benefits?

(See 00:29 in the video above.)

The rear-delt fly is the simplest and most direct way to train the rear deltoid—the little muscle on the back of your shoulder. You start with your arm in front of your body and you extend it out to your side.

Rear-delt flys are important because most people have lopsided shoulders. They sit staring at a computer or their phone all day, rounding their upper back, and that causes the posterior muscles to weaken and lengthen while the anterior muscles get tighter. If you’re a fitness fiend, you probably do too much pressing and chest work in relation to your rowing and rear-delt work, and that contributes to the imbalance. So rear-delt flys help to build up the back of the shoulder, which contributes to the appearance of bigger and more even shoulders overall. Rear-delt flys can help to prevent shoulder injury by restoring muscle balance, as strong rear delts help keep the shoulder joints centered, rather than pulled forward, which wards off shoulder injuries like an impingement.

How To Do The Rear-Delt Cable Fly Correctly

(See 01:23 in the video.)

There are several ways to do a rear-delt fly with cables, but the version that follows is the most straight-forward.

Step 1. Set both pulleys at an adjustable dual cable station to the height of your head. Grasp the cables themselves with your palms facing down, crossing one arm over the other, and stand with your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart. You may want to stagger your stance for extra balance. Step back a bit so you feel tension on the cables and a light stretch in your rear delts before you even begin the set.

Step 2. Brace your core. Now drive your arms straight out to your sides while keeping a slight bend in your elbows. You really have to do this as an arcing motion, as if reaching out for the walls around you. Stop when your arms are 90 degrees. 

Step 3. Lower the cables under control, and stop just short of where the weights touch down on the stack. You want to keep your rear delts working throughout the entire set, and letting the weight rest for a moment lets your delts rest too.

You can also do the fly using single-grip or D handles attached to the cables and your palms facing each other. This may bring a little more of your lateral delts into the exercise, but that isn’t a terrible thing. Ultimately, choose the setup and hand position that feels most comfortable to you and allows you to train the exercise hard and heavy.

How To Do The Dumbbell Rear-Delt Fly Correctly

(See 02:37 in the video.)

Without the tension of cables, you’ll have to adjust your body position to allow your rear delts to work against gravity. This can be done easily by bending at the hips so your torso faces the floor. Now when you perform the fly motion, your arms will be lifting up from vertical to 90 degrees to the floor, shortening the rear delt muscle completely.

Step 1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and bend your hips back until your chest faces the floor. Keep a long spine as you do so to protect your lower back. Turn your hands so your palms face your legs.

Step 2. Raise the dumbbells out to your sides 90 degrees while keeping a slight bend in the elbows. Your torso should remain motionless.

Step 3. Control the descent and stop a little short of your arms being vertical. Again, you want to keep tension on the delts.

Note that this same motion can be done with cables as well, if you only have access to a station that has low pulleys, or won’t adjust to shoulder level.

If you have an adjustable bench, it’s a good idea to do the rear delt fly—with both cables or dumbbells—using the bench for support. The bench stabilizes your body for you, and that will allow you to focus more on the rear delts and give them a better stimulus. It will also force you to do the movement more strictly, as many people have a tendency to bounce their torso when doing dumbbell rear-delt flys.

What Muscles Do Rear-Delt Flys Work?

(See 03:31 in the video.)

No big surprises here. The rear-delt fly works—ta dah!—the rear deltoids. Your upper back muscles, such as the trapezius and rhomboids, will also get involved a little bit, but that’s why it’s so important to raise your arms out only to 90 degrees, where they’re in line with your sides. While it might seem like extending your arm back further will give you an even better contraction in the deltoid, you’re really just bringing the traps into the movement even more. The rear-delt fly is supposed to isolate the deltoids so you can focus on building up that muscle alone, so do it right and let the target muscles do their thing.

Is One Variation Better Than The Other? Who Should Do Which?

(See 04:05 in the video.)

OK, so here’s the big question: should you do the rear-delt fly with cables or dumbbells? Well, the advantage of a cable is that the resistance is constant throughout the whole range of motion. That means that even when your arms are in front of you, your deltoids are still going to be working pretty hard. You’ll notice that when you use dumbbells, this isn’t the case—the tension drops off the delts completely when your arms point toward the floor, and the fly feels the hardest at the end of the range of motion when your arms are extended at your side.

Either version is OK, and if you train at home or only have access to dumbbells, then the dumbbell rear-delt fly is what you’ll have to rely on to build your rear delt muscles. But if you can get your hands on a cable, it’s the better choice for a more complete rear-delt workout. Another good alternative would be exercise bands, which keep tension on the delts throughout the whole range.

How To Stretch Before Doing Rear-Delt Flys

Follow these five steps to better shoulder mobility—courtesy of Dr. Layne Palm (@laynepalmdc)—to warm up and stretch your shoulders before taking on any rear-delt workout.

Other Rear Delt Fly Variations

Rear-Delt Cable X Fly

(See 05:00 in the Rear-Delt Cable Fly video above.)

The rear-delt fly doesn’t always have to be done with your arms traveling to 90 degrees. Some trainers argue that if you perform the fly with a 45-degree arm path, you’ll be able to go a little further into shoulder extension and contract the rear delts even harder without getting the upper back involved. This point is debatable, but the rear-delt cable X fly is a worthy variation to experiment with.

Step 1. Set the pulleys of a cable station up high, at least to shoulder level. Grasp the cables themselves—you don’t need a handle—with a crossover grip, and step back so you feel some tension on the cables. Stagger your stance for balance.

Step 2. Extend your arms in a 45-degree path, as if drawing an X in the air, until your rear delts are fully shortened. (Your arms will be behind your body.) Keep your arms fairly straight, and don’t extend your elbows as you fly—that would turn the movement into more of a triceps exercise.

Rear-Delt Row

(See 05:45 in the Rear-Delt Cable Fly video.)

While a fly motion lets you work your rear delts without assistance from the back and biceps, it’s not the only way to train the rear delts. Rowing exercises certainly hit the rear delts as well, and you can emphasize them over the back muscles with a rear-delt row variation.

Step 1. Set an adjustable bench to a 45-degree incline and lie down with your chest against the pad. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand.

Step 2. Row the weights up with your elbows pointing 45 degrees out from your sides. Row until your upper back and rear delts are fully contracted, and then lower under control.

FYI, any row variation where the elbows are flared (as opposed to tucked near your sides) will recruit the rear delts significantly.

How To Fit The Rear-Delt Fly Into Your Workout

(See 06:45 in the Rear-Delt Cable Fly video.)

Rear-delt exercises in general are often left to the end of upper-body workouts, but if your rear delts are lagging, it’s a good idea to do them first in your session when you’re fresh and can give them your best effort. A few sets of rear-delt cable flys before you do any pressing or lateral deltoid work will help to bring your rear delts up fast.

In general, 2–3 sets of 5–10 reps is enough rear-delt training for any one workout. Do it twice a week with two different exercises. For example, one session could feature the rear-delt cable fly and the other the dumbbell rear-delt fly, or the cable X fly.

Learn another great shoulder-building exercise with our guide to the landmine press.

The post Rear-Delt Cable Fly or Dumbbell Rear-Delt Fly: Which Is Better? appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Here, we present some of the most common and effective kettlebell deadlift variations.

What Is The Kettlebell Deadlift and What Are The Benefits of Doing Them?

(See 00:31 in the video above.)

“The deadlift itself is a hinge movement,” says Shane Heins, Onnit’s Director of Fitness Education. “You fold at the hips to pick objects up from down below.” If that motion looks familiar to you, it should—you probably do it every day, from picking up your gym bag to lifting your little brother/sister, or son/daughter, into the car seat. The point is, few exercises prepare you for the sport of life like the deadlift does.

That’s not to say it can’t prepare you for actual sports too. The deadlift trains the muscles that extend the hips—the glutes and hamstrings—which are the source of speed and power for virtually all explosive movements (yes, the quads get some work too, extending the knees in concert with the hips). Deadlifting also involves the upper and lower back, as well as the forearm and gripping muscles, so deadlifts of any kind are really full-body exercises.

When you swap out a barbell for a kettlebell, things get even more interesting. Deadlifting with a barbell is hell on your grip, but the challenge increases with a kettlebell, both because the diameter of the handle is thicker and the weight’s center of gravity is lower. That makes the kettlebell much harder to control, upping the strength requirement from both your hands and your core. Another point: the shape and length of a barbell makes it only suitable for lifting right in front of you, with your palms facing your body. A kettlebell, however, can be positioned between your legs, to the outside of one leg, or at varying heights depending on your goals. You can also grip it with your hands at a 45-degree angle or palms facing in, so the kettlebell is a bit more versatile.

Heins argues that the kettlebell is “much more closely related to the types of objects you’ll deadlift, and how you’ll deadlift them, in your day-to-day life.”

How To Do The Single-Leg Kettlebell Deadlift

(See 01:17 in the video.)

The single-leg kettlebell deadlift works the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back one side at a time, which allows you to train them through a greater range of motion than you could with conventional two-legged deadlifts. We recently posted a thorough article tutorial on the single-leg deadlift and all its glory, so check that out separately.

How To Do The Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

(See 01:49 in the video.)

Prolonged bouts of sitting cause the hamstrings to shorten, reducing their flexibility. The Romanian deadlift helps to stretch them back out again, while also working the glutes through a full range of motion. Doing an RDL with a kettlebell is a good way to prepare your body for more dynamic hip hinge movements like the kettlebell swing, as it strengthens the same muscles and works you through the same range, but without the momentum that puts the lower back at some risk.

Step 1. Set a kettlebell on the floor just in front of you. Place your feet hip-distance apart. Draw your shoulders back and down (think “proud chest”), pull your ribs down, and brace your core. Unlock your knees.

Step 2. Keeping a long spine from your head to your tailbone, drive your hips back as far as you can so your torso folds over. Let the movement come from your hips (do NOT round your lower back). Stop when you run out of range—your shoulders should end up above hip level. Grasp the kettlebell with both hands.

Step 3. Keeping your proud chest position, drive through your heels as you extend your hips and knees to stand up tall. Now you’re in position to BEGIN your reps.

Step 4. Bend your hips back as you did above to lower the weight to just above the floor—don’t let it rest on the ground. You may need to stand on some mats or other elevated surface to do so. The goal should be to keep constant tension on your muscles, and stopping the weight on the floor allows them a momentary rest.

How To Do The Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift

(See 02:43 in the video.)

If your hamstrings are tight, you may have an easier time doing the sumo deadlift than the RDL. The sumo requires less of a hip hinge, but it also lets you work with heavier weights, and it gets the adductors (inner-thigh muscles) in on the action to a greater degree than other deadlifts.

Step 1. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width, and turn your toes out 45 degrees. Actively drive your knees outward. Assume a proud chest position.

Step 2. Hinge your hips back while keeping a long spine, and grasp the kettlebell with both hands.

Step 3. Drive through your feet to extend your hips to stand tall. Think about pulling through the crown of your head.

How To Do The Kettlebell Suitcase Deadlift

(See 03:42 in the video.)

Lifting a kettlebell on one side of the body alone “starts to tap into that corset of core musculature from the hips to the shoulders,” says Heins, “while also challenging your grip.” Most of life and sport activities load the body asymmetrically, so it pays to train this way.

Step 1. Set the kettlebell to the side of one leg with the handle turned vertical (so you can pick up the bell as if it were a suitcase). Place your feet at hip width, get a proud chest, and draw your ribs down. Brace your core.

Step 2. Hinge your hips first and then bend your knees just enough to reach the kettlebell. Maintain a long spine as you do this. (Think about the logo on your T-shirt—it should be visible to anyone standing in front of you.)

Step 3. Drive your feet through the floor and extend your hips to stand tall. Lift the weight evenly. Because you’re loading your body unevenly, it will be difficult to keep your shoulders square and your torso straight, but avoid any twisting or bending.

Be sure to perform the exercise for an even number of reps on both sides.

How To Do A Double-Kettlebell Deadlift

(See 05:16 in the video.)

Deadlifting two kettlebells at once really forces you to brace your core and coordinate an unstable movement. It’s tough on your grip, and allows you to lift heavier than most other kettlebell deadlift variations, increasing the muscle-building potential.

Step 1. Place two kettlebells on the floor and stand with them between your legs, feet a little wider than your hips. Draw your shoulders back and put a soft bend in your knees.

Step 2. Hinge your hips to reach the kettlebells. Be sure to really push your hips back, bending your knees only as needed to grasp the bells.

Step 3. Drive your feet through the floor and stand tall. As you return the kettlebells to the floor, think about sitting your hips back rather than just bending forward.

Stretching Before Deadlifting

Perform the following mobility routine from Onnit-certified coach Eric Leija (@primal.swoledier) before you take on any of the deadlifts listed here. It will stretch out your hips, glutes, and hamstrings for the work to come, and raise your core temperature for safer training.

How To Modify Your Deadlift For Your Goals

(See 06:42 in the video.)

“It’s easy to fall into the trap of ’I see the movement being done this way and this is the only way I can ever do it,’” says Heins of the deadlifts we outlined above. But he wants to remind you that the beauty of kettlebells is their versatility—you can use them in a variety of ways that help you accomplish exactly what you want with your training at whatever level you find yourself.

For instance, if you want to improve mobility in your hips and hamstrings, Heins says you can perform the double kettlebell deadlift with a single leg. If you want to go really heavy on your double deadlift, do it with a sumo stance. Want to build rock-solid balance and stability? Do the suitcase deadlift single-leg style. And if you find that you don’t have the mobility to perform a deadlift safely, do it from an elevated surface (such as a box or mats) to cut down on the range of motion. “I’d rather see you cut range than get hurt trying to force a range you don’t have yet,” says Heins.

So get creative and play with these variations to find what suits you best. As long as you observe the basic form pointers—flat back, proud chest, moving at the hips instead of the low back—you’ll have an almost infinite number of kettlebell deadlifts to work on.

How To Incorporate These Exercises Into Your Workouts

(See 09:21 in the video.)

Deadlifts generally let you go pretty heavy, so Heins says they work well when serving as the main strength exercise in your workout. After you’ve warmed up and done any plyometric (explosive) or high-skill exercises, such as jumps or cleans, a double-kettlebell deadlift or sumo deadlift is a great movement to strengthen the lower body. Do sets of 3–5 reps if you have access to really heavy kettlebells, while 8–12 reps is fine for moderate ones.

“You can also use deadlifts for circuits for conditioning,” says Heins, or muscular endurance. “The kettlebell lets you notch back the weight you’re working with so you can do the deadlift for higher reps and with shorter rest periods,” something that isn’t so practical when using a barbell and plates. Romanian deadlifts are a good choice in this case, as are double-kettlebell sumo deadlifts done with lighter bells. Heins says that the latter is a good way to focus on opening up range of motion in the hips and adductors.

Yet another use for deadlifts is for simulating more athletic and real-world movements, like lifting uneven loads. You can place suitcase and single-leg deadlifts pretty much anywhere in your workout to train your ability to stabilize your body as well as even out muscle imbalances between sides. “These don’t need to be high repetition or heavy,” says Heins. “Work with a weight that allows you to hold structural integrity and perform reps with the utmost beauty.”

Learn about another deadlift variant that works with kettlebells, dumbbells, or a barbell in our guide to the B-stance RDL.

The post The Best Kettlebell Deadlift Exercises For Your Workout appeared first on Onnit Academy.