What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

What is the Bulgarian Split Squat?

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a squat variation where one leg is elevated on a surface and other performs a squat, receiving most of the load.

Because of this split position, this single-leg unilateral exercise targets the quadricep muscles, glutes, and hamstrings like no other leg exercise.

It is an exercise recommended for intermediate to advance level athletes who have more control and body-awareness, but beginners can also perform Bulgarian Split Squats on a lower elevated surface without weights to develop these traits.

Benefits of doing Bulgarian Split Squats

There are many benefits to adding Bulgarian Split Squats into your training; not only do you strengthen all muscles targeted with a standard squat, but also increase your single leg strength and gain balance and control through the challenge this exercise presents.

As a unilateral movement, the Bulgarian Split Squat is great for spotting and addressing any imbalances you might have in your lower body. This will then carry over to compound lifts, where you’ll become less likely to compensate with your stronger side.

As well as being a great exercise to build muscle and strength, the Bulgarian Split Squat can improve your ankle and hip mobility when practiced regularly. Additionally, if performed with weights, it’ll increase your core strength and general stability, reinforcing your midline.

Building strength with the Bulgarian Split Squat will carry over to other forms of squat and can help you get over strength plateaus.

Bulgarian Split Squat form

You’ll only need a stable elevated surface to start off with. As you progress with the exercise, you might want to include dumbbells, kettlebells or even a barbell. The correct form to perform a Bulgarian Split Squat is as follows:

1. Start by stepping your rear foot back onto an elevated surface, placing the top of your foot on top of the bench, plates or whatever you’re using as a step. Your front foot should be about two feet in front of your bench.
2. The bench height in the Bulgarian Split Squat should be small as your start out – around 4” should be fine – and can be increased as your hip flexibility, strength and balance improve. A standard height is around 8-10”.
3. With your whole body pointing straight ahead and keeping your core engaged and your torso upright, descend under control until your back knee touches or comes close to touching the ground. The majority of the weight should be kept over the front foot (around 80%), with the additional weight on the rear foot (around 20%).
4. Your front knee should tail your front toes; make sure it’s not caving in to the sides and doesn’t drift too far in front of your toes. Also ensure the descend is controlled; ideally, it’ll take you a second or two to reach the bottom of the exercise.
5. You can decide whether to perform the Bulgarian Split Squat with external weights, all of the variations are expanded on below.
6. To stand back up, drive through the heel on your front foot and come back to a standing position. Continue to make sure your torso is straight and you keep a neutral spine throughout the exercise.
7. Change legs after a handful of reps and repeat.

How to do a Bulgarian Split Squat

Watch this video for a visual demonstration of the Bulgarian Split Squat.

Common faults

• Lifting the front heel: make sure your front foot is flat on the floor and your heel stays grounded throughout the exercise. Adjust the position of your front leg in regard to the elevated surface to fix this fault.
• Driving through the back leg: this exercise should target your front leg mostly, with the back leg only there to offer support and balance. Make sure you are consciously lifting the majority of your weight with the front leg.
• Tipping forward: keep the angle of your upper body upright thought the movement. If you’re tipping forward you might have to adjust your leg positioning or reduce the weight you’re trying to lift.
• Using a surface that’s too high: there’s no need to elevate your back foot too far up, and your technique is likely to suffer if you do.

Bulgarian Split Squat Muscles worked

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a lower body exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, abductor muscles, and calves.

Secondarily, this exercise taxes also your abdominal muscles and spinal erectors.

Depending on where you place your feet, as well as what weight you use and how you choose to hold it, the Bulgarian Split Squat will target slightly different muscles. Standing close to your elevated surface will emphasise your quads (although you should be aware of your knees), while standing further away will tax your hip flexors more heavily.

Holding weights above your chest as you would with an overhead or back- or front-loaded Bulgarian Split Squat will also increase the strain in your core muscles.

Source: Matthew Sichkaruk on Unsplash

Bulgarian Split Squat variations

While the leg positioning in the Bulgarian Split Squat is mostly the same, there are multiple ways you could hold the weights to vary the exercise. You can either:

• Hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides
• Hold a barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell by your chest (front loaded Bulgarian Split Squat)
• Hold a barbell behind your back (back loaded Bulgarian Split Squat)
• Hold a weight overhead

Below we’ll go over all these variations and their benefits.

Two Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat

Also known as a suitcase Bulgarian Split Squat, this dumbbell variation adds weight on both your arms. Performing the exercise holding two dumbbells to your sides ensures muscular balance on both sides of the body.

The suitcase Bulgarian Split Squat can also be performed with kettlebells or any other weight, so long as you hold it by your sides.

Front loaded Bulgarian Split Squat

For this variation, you’d hold a weight by your chest with both hands as you would do for a Goblet Squat. You can also use a barbell and hold it crossed-armed or use the front rack position.

Adding this weight can help with stability and will place a bigger emphasis on your core muscles than a standard bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat. Make sure your back is not rounded by tightening up your core.

Back loaded Bulgarian Split Squat

To add more resistance to the exercise load a barbell onto your shoulders and complete the same movement. You’ll have to be careful to keep your torso upright throughout the exercise for this variation, as the added weight on your back might make you prone to tilting your chest forward.

Overhead Bulgarian Split Squat

This variation of the exercise where the athlete holds a weight overhead places a greater emphasis on the midline than any other variation. The core strength required to stabilise an overhead Bulgarian Split Squat is unmatched.

Because of this, this variation will probably not allow you to lift the heaviest weights but is a very advanced exercise and can be included in your full-body training.

Bulgarian Split Squat workouts

Try the following workouts to include the Bulgarian Split Squat in your training regime.

Workout 1

Workout by @heatherblackfit

Workout 2

Workout by NCFit.

Workout 3

Workout by CrossFit Stimulus.

Read more: Rep Ranges Explained: Learn How to Boost Your Strength and Hypertrophy

Expand Your Knowledge

Learn what type of squat is best for you depending on your abilities or try these excellent variations:

Read more: 6 Back Squat Benefits That Will Make You Want to Grab a Barbell Straight Away

The movement pattern is very similar to an ab rollout and it will help round out your back and chest training.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tone (@tone_trening)

Training big muscle groups like the chest and back at the same time isn’t the norm in bodybuilding and gym culture, so many athletes don’t know when to include the dumbbell pullover in their routines. Historically, this movement was used as a “finisher” at the end of a workout session.

Find out how to perform a dumbbell pullover safely, which muscles it targets exactly, what the benefits of this exercise are and how to include them into your training.

How to Do Dumbbell Pullovers

To perform a dumbbell pullover you’ll need a bench and a dumbbell. It’s recommended you grab a lighter dumbbell to begin with to learn the movement and test your range of motion (think upper-body version of an air squat).

1. Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench and ensure it stays securely place while you get into position.
2. Start lying perpendicular on a bench with only your upper back/shoulders across the bench.
3. Place your feet firmly on the floor and place your hips just slightly below the bench. Your head should be off the bench too.
4. Grab the upper head of the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest, with your arms extended but keeping a small bend on the shoulders.
5. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of one of the sides of the dumbbell.
6. While keeping your arms straight, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head. Make sure your core is engaged and you’re paying attention to your chest and back muscles.
7. Lower the dumbbell until the head you’re holding reaches around the same height as your head.
8. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position keeping your arms extended and your midline engaged.
9. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Exercise tips:

• Use a weight that allows you to safely and effectively extend your arms behind your head before bringing it back up.
• Make sure your core is engaged throughout the movement and only perform this exercise if you don’t have issues with shoulder range of motion or similar shoulder injuries.
• At the top of the rep, you’ll have a heavy weight looming over your head; make sure the dumbbell you’re using is safe.
• While your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbow, make sure you don’t allow too much elbow flexion and turn this into a triceps exercise.

Dumbbell Pullover Muscles Worked

What muscles do dumbbell pullovers work? This exercise targets many muscles on your upper body. Primarily, the dumbbell pullover targets the muscles in your chest, back and shoulders:

• Pectoralis major (pecs)
• Serratus anterior
• Latissimus dorsi (lats)

Secondarily, the movement will also have an effect on your:

• Tres major and posterior deltoid (delts)
• Upper abs
• Triceps
• Lower abs
• Biceps

Dumbbell pullover: chest or back exercise?

Is the dumbbell pullover a chest or a lat movement? The short answer is that it’s both.

Depending on the width of your grip and the position of your shoulders, you can perform a dumbbell pullover to target either your back or chest primarily.

Make sure you engage your pecs throughout the full movement and be aware of where you feel the exercise. While holding the weight overhead at the start of the rep is mostly a chest exercise, pulling the weight overhead will require your lats to activate.

Dumbbell Pullover Benefits

There are many benefits to including dumbbell pullovers in your workout routine. They include:

• Chest and back muscle hypertrophy: the dumbbell pullover is a good exercises to aid with muscle growth, especially when coupled with other chest, arm and back-specific exercises.
• Improved neural pathways: this exercise will help you improve your mind-muscle connection and become more efficient. As it targets two large muscle groups, the connection required between your mind and engaged muscles is higher than with simpler exercises.
• Midline stability: due to the body position of the dumbbell pullover, you’ll have to engage your core to perform the exercise properly and safely. Lowering the dumbbell behind you will recruit your glute and core muscles, improving you full-body stability. Core strength translates to pretty much every aspect of life, so it’s always a good idea to try to improve it.
• Increased strength: ultimately, this is one of the purposes of fitness exercises, and the dumbbell pullover is pretty effective at helping you build strength.

Are dumbbell pullovers dangerous?

Dumbbell pullovers have been deemed a slightly riskier movement for those with shoulder issues. Check your upper body mobility and fix any issues before you attempt the dumbbell pullover. To minimise shoulder injury risk, make sure you don’t overstretch in the overhead position and use excessive range of motion.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Onkar Singh (@onkarsiingh)

Dumbbell Pull Over Variations

The original dumbbell pullover requires an athlete to lie perpendicular to a bench, with only the upper back touching the elevated surface and with the hips in the air.

Parallel dumbbell pullover

For this variation, lie on a bench as if you were about to do a bench press. With the additional back support you’ll reduce strain on your glute and core (although make sure you still engage both).

Dumbbell pullover with stability ball

Instead of using a standard bench, use a stability ball as your elevated surface for this variation. Contrary to the parallel dumbbell pullover, this variation will require more glute and core strength to perform, as a stability ball requires the recruitment of more assistance muscles.

Because a ball isn’t as stable as a bench, it’s recommended you stick to lighter loads if attempting this variation.

Dumbbell Pull Over Workouts

Upper Body Finisher

Three Rounds for Time:

• 30 Wall Ball Shots
• 15 DB Pullovers
• 2 Rope Climbs

This is a CrossFit style workout that will tax your upper body and stamina. Make sure you don’t sacrifice technique for a slightly better time.

The Squats and Milk Hypertrophy Program

This is not a classic hypertrophy program but is still designed to create a serious muscle grow. Additionally, it was originally called the “Squats, Pullover and Milk” program.

Thought for 6 Weeks you will squat heavy and work on your upper body various times a week.

Day 1

• A Power Clean 3×3 2min Rest
• B1 20Rep Squats 1×20 no Rest
• B2 Dumbbell Pullovers 1×20
• C1 Barbell Bench Press 2×10-12 no Rest
• C2 High Cable Flys 2×12-15 90sec Rets
• D Triceps Rope Press Down Drop Set 2Sets 60sec Rest
• E Biceps EZ Curls 21s 2Sets 60Sec Rest

Day 2

• A Snatch High Pull 3×3 2min Rest
• B1 20Rep Squats 1×20 no Rest
• B2 Dumbbell Pullovers 1×20
• C1 Bent Over Row 2×10-12 no Rest
• C2 Bent Over Fly 2×12-15 90sec Rest
• D Hip Thrust Drop Set 2 Sets 60sec Rest
• E Calf Raise 21s 2 Sets 60sec Rest

Day 3

• A Hang Clean 3×3 2min Rest
• B1 20Rep Squats 1×20 no Rest
• B2 Dumbbell Pullovers 1×20
• C1 PullUp 2×10-12 no Rest
• C2 Facepull 2×12-15 90sec Rest
• D Military Press Drop Set 2 Sets 60sec Rest
• E Cross Body Hammer Curls 21s 2 Sets 60sec Rest

Day 4

• A – Power Focus
• B1 – 20Rep Squats
• B2 Dumbbell Pullovers
• C1 Super Set – Compound Exercise
• C2 Super Set – Isolated Exercise
• D Isolation Exercise Drop Set Method
• E Isolation Exercise 21´s Method

For cicuit A use a mid heavy weight that will not blast you totally out. It is thought as a heavier WarmUp.

For circuit C, perform the first set of the compound exercise followed immediately by one set of the isolation exercise. Take the recommended break and repeat for a 2nd set.

For circuit D, start with a weight you can do 3-5 reps with. Drop the weights down as you fatigue for 3 consecutive drops.

For circuit E, use a moderately heavy weight and perform 7 bottom half reps. Next, perform 7 top half reps. Lastly, perform 7 full range of motion reps.

Find out more about the Squats and Milk program here.

Add the dumbbell pullover to your training routine

In general, if you’re working on your physique, it is recommended you do dumbbell pullovers 3-4 x 8-15 during your next chest workout. Make sure you focus on squeezing the pecs to initiate the movement up from the bottom position and work on holding the squeeze throughout the rep.

Using them during back day? Make sure you initiate the pull with the elbows, essentially forgetting about the hands, this way you’ll isolate your lats more efficiently.

Improve your body and training with the DB Floor Press, DB Hammer Curl and Dumbbell Shrugs.

Where are the lats muscles and what do they do?

The latissimus dorsi muscles, also known as the lats muscles, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your vertebral column to your arms.

They are some of the biggest muscles in your back, spanning from the top of your hip bone all the way up to your arms and covering the width of your middle and lower back. Together, they look like the wings of a butterfly.

Their primary function is to stabilize the spine while providing strength to the shoulders and arms.

The lats muscles are used mostly in pulling motions, and they help us perform things like pull-ups, swimming, and even breathing. They also help extend, move, and rotate the shoulder joint, help keep the spine straight, and assist in sideways bending.

Source: wikipedia

Best lat exercises with dumbbells and barbells

• Dumbbell Row
• Dumbbell Pullover
• Landmine Row
• Bent Over Row
• Pendlay Row

Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row primarily hits muscles on your back, but also improves core stability, while engaging muscles on your shoulder, biceps, and triceps.

How to do it:

1. On a bench parallel to you, place a hand and knee of the same side on it, while the other foot is touching the ground.
2. A dumbbell should be on the ground next to the bench and close to your foot. Reach down with your free hand and grab the dumbbell with palms facing you.
3. Remember to keep your back straight at all times – this will engage your core throughout the exercise.
4. Row the dumbbell to your side by pulling your elbows back towards the hips and upwards. The elbow should barely pass your torso line.
5. Lower the dumbbell until the arm is fully extended. That is one rep.

Read more: Dumbbell Row: Who Should Do It, Benefits, & Mistakes to Avoid (Plus 5 Workouts)

Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is another great lat exercise. It is a classic bodybuilding exercise that works your chest and back at the same time; when done right, the dumbbell pullover hits everything from the bottom of your pecs to your abs, lats and triceps.

How to do it:

To perform a dumbbell pullover you’ll need a bench and a dumbbell. It’s recommended you grab a lighter dumbbell to begin with to learn the movement and test your range of motion (think upper-body version of an air squat).

1. Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench and ensure it stays securely place while you get into position.
2. Start lying perpendicular on a bench with only your upper back/shoulders across the bench.
3. Place your feet firmly on the floor and place your hips just slightly below the bench. Your head should be off the bench too.
4. Grab the upper head of the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest, with your arms extended but keeping a small bend on the shoulders.
5. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of one of the sides of the dumbbell.
6. While keeping your arms straight, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head. Make sure your core is engaged and you’re paying attention to your chest and back muscles.
7. Lower the dumbbell until the head you’re holding reaches around the same height as your head.
8. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position keeping your arms extended and your midline engaged.
9. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Read more: Dumbbell Pullover: How to Do It, Muscles Worked, Benefits and Workouts

Landmine Row

The landmine row is a barbell pulling exercise that builds significant upper body strength and muscle. As a heavy row, the exercise is incredibly effective for strengthening the lats muscles and shoulders, but also works the core and chest muscles.

How to do it:

1. Set up the barbell.
2. Stand over the barbell with one foot on either side. Face towards the end which is loaded with weight.
3. Bend down and grip the barbell with both hands, bending your knees slightly and keeping your back straight.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes and grip, then pull the barbell up towards your chest.
5. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, pause for a second and tense your back and shoulder blades as tightly as you can.
6. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Exhale at the bottom of the range of motion.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: Landmine Row – Powerful Benefits, Technique Tips and Muscles Worked

Bent Over Row

The bent over row is a popular exercise which improves strength in the upper and lower back, with a special emphasis on the lats and shoulders, and secondary recruitment of the glutes and hamstrings.

It is important to keep a proper stance throughout this lat exercise to avoid placing too much pressure on the lower back.

How to do it:

1. Load the barbell or place a pair of dumbbells in front of you.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees slightly and lean forward, hinging from the hip.
3. Keeping your back straight and your neck neutral, grab the weights. Your hands should be slightly wider that shoulder width-apart.
4. Bend your elbows and row the weight upwards towards your chest. Make sure you keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.
5. Pause at the top for a second and bring the weight back down until your arms are extended. Slow, controlled movements are key to an efficient and safe exercise.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Pendlay Row

The Pendlay Row is a barbell back exercise originally named after American weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay. It is a rowing variation popular with strength athletes for its ability to develop the lats, upper and lower back muscles.

How to do it:

1. With a barbell on the ground in front of you, bend down until your upper body is parallel with the ground.
2. The bar should be about a fist from your shins, your knees are slightly bent.
3. Taking a slightly wider grip on the bar, ensure you contract your lower back and engage your midline.
4. Explosively pull the bar up between your upper stomach and lower chest area, tightening your upper back but keeping the same hip angle from the start of the exercise.
5. Maintaining an engaged core, bring the barbell back down all the way to the floor. Make sure this part of the exercise is controlled – you should still be working your back muscles taking the barbell down to the initial position.
6. Ensure your posture is right and amend the position of your back, hips and feet if necessary and repeat.

Read more: Develop a Huge Back with The Pendlay Row

Best lat exercises with machines

• Lat Pulldown
• Cable Row
• T Bar Row

Lat Pulldown

Lat pulldowns are similar to pull-ups, but instead of pulling your body upwards, you perform this exercise seated and pull an external weight down in a similar motion.

How to do it:

1. Start by facing the machine and finding a comfortable seat, with your back straight, core engaged and feet grounded on the floor.
2. Reach for the bar, this should be at a comfortable distance that requires you to almost fully stretch your arms. For a classic lat pulldown, grab the bar with a wide, overhand grip.
3. Pull the bar down until it passes under your chin and your hands are about shoulder height. Make sure you keep your core tight and engage your back muscles throughout this movement. Your elbows should stay relatively close to your sides and your torso should remain in position.
4. Pause for a second and squeeze your lats. 
5. Bring the bar back up in a controlled manner, ensuring this motion is slow and you engage your core and back muscles throughout. The rep is completed when your arms are extended overhead again.

Read more: The Lat Pulldown: One Sure-Fire Way to Grow a Bigger Back

Cable Row

The cable row was specifically created to increase upper body strength and build your back muscles. While muscles like the erector spinea, the rhomboids, and the lower trapezius are targeted, the latissimus dorsi gets an incredible workout with the cable row too.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the cable row machine and place your feet solidly on the platform.
2. Bend your legs slightly and reach for the handles, keeping your back tall.
3. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips, your lower back extended, and your lats engaged.
4. Bend your elbows and bring your hands towards your chest, keeping your back tall and engaging the lats throughout.
5. Pause for a second, then extend the arms again making sure you don’t round your back.
6. Return to the initial position, that is one rep.

T Bar Row

Primarily the T Bar Row is a back exercise and is an excellent fitness tool to help you build a powerful, strong, and muscular back and significant pulling strength. The primary muscles that are worked with this exercise are the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and the posterior deltoid.

How to do it:

1. If using a barbell, load it with the desired weight. If using a machine start with step two.
2. Place your feet shoulder width apart behind the machine, then rest your chest against the pad (if you are using a machine).
3. Reach down and grab the handles of the T Bar machine.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes, and grip, and pull the weight towards you.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement, pausing and holding for a second.
6. Slowly lower the weight to the starting position and exhale at the bottom of the movement.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: T Bar Row – Muscles Worked, Benefits, Technique and Variations

Best bodyweight lat exercises

• Wide Grip Pull-Ups
• Negative Pull-Ups
• Push-Ups
• Rowing

Wide grip pull-ups

Widening your grip during the pull-up will place a greater workload on the lats muscles; the wider the grip, the less help the lats get from other muscles. However, be careful not to exaggerate this, as a high volume of wide grip pull-ups can place unwanted stress on the shoulders.

Negative pull-ups

Negative pull-ups are performed in the same way as a regular pull-up, except you take 3-5 seconds to lower yourself. The motion should be done slowly and under control. You then jump back to the top position.

Push-ups

Push-ups can be done anywhere and are effective, as they activate many muscles at the same time. The push-up is not only a triceps, chest, and shoulder exercise, but works your back as well.

Concentrate on quality more than quantity when doing this bodyweight exercise. Make sure you also pay attention to your hip and legs positioning.

Rowing

Not necessarily an exercise, but rowing is a great way to improve your conditioning while also working a vast number of muscles in your body, including your lats.

What are the most important lats exercises?

The best lat exercise will depend on your goals and what you enjoy doing, as you’re most likely to stick to what you like. If you want to isolate the lats muscles, then perform the lat pulldown, cable row, or the dumbbell row.

If you want to grow a bigger back overall, use wide grip pull-ups or bent over rows.

If you want to pack as much muscle as possible, then the T Bar row and Pendlay row are your friends.  

A push-pull-leg training routine is a popular and effective way to organize your workouts based on movement patterns. This type of split divides exercises into three main categories: push, pull, and leg movements. Each category targets specific muscle groups and movement patterns, providing a balanced approach to strength and muscle development. Here’s an overview of each category and how a push-pull-leg training routine is typically structured:

1. Push Exercises:
   • Muscles Targeted: Chest, shoulders, triceps.
   • Movement Patterns: Exercises where you push weight away from your body.
2. Pull Exercises:
   • Muscles Targeted: Back, biceps.
   • Movement Patterns: Exercises where you pull weight towards your body.
3. Leg Exercises:
   • Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves.
   • Movement Patterns: Exercises involving lower body movements.

This push/pull/legs workout routine was developed by pro bodybuilder and internationally-qualified powerlifter Jeff Nippard. The Canadian athlete holds a BSc in biochemistry/chemistry and has a passion for science.

Let’s get started.

Legs 1 (Quad Focus)

Start with a short warm up using dynamic stretches to get your blood flowing and awaken the muscles.

Pyramid warm-up

These warm up sets are meant to prime you for the heavier sets to come whilst causing as little fatigue as possible.

Leg workout

Keep the weights relatively light for this first week of training.

RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion and helps measure the level of intensity (exertion) a person feels during exercise. The higher the number is on the scale (which goes up to 10) the more intense the exercise feels.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Push 1 (Chest Focused)

Bench press progression

To drive hypertrophy you’ll either increase the reps or the weight of the exercises you’re performing every week. For the bench press, the suggested progression looks as follows:

Pull 1 (Lat Focused)

Source: Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

Legs 2 (Posterior Chain Focused)

Push 2 (Delt Focus)

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Pull 2 (Mid-Back and Rear Delt Focused)

Read more: Rep Ranges Explained: Learn How to Boost Your Strength and Hypertrophy

Watch a detailed breakdown of the smartest push pull legs routine

Learn more about the program here.

Drills to Improve Olympic Weightlifting Technique

Floor to below knee

Start off using a simple PVC pipe (referred to in the rest of the article as bar). Lower the bar to the initial Clean or Snatch position between your ankles and the middle of your shins, then bring it to just below your knees.

Your upper body remains in the same position, and all that happens is your knees will clear back and push your hips upwards. Keep the bar close to your shins at all times and try this drill for 5-10 reps.

What this drill will help you do is push your knees back. Even without weight you should feel your hamstrings working.

Below the knee to hip

Start with the bar from below the knee and bring it to your hips. This is where many people lose feel of the bar, especially during the Snatch.

Your knees should clear back as you go past them and then reciprocate forward. This drill will improve your knee movement, especially as you get into heavy weights. Perform 5-10 reps.

Hip to snatch

Start with the bar by your hips, then bend your knees slightly and lift the bar, catching it in a full snatch. Perform 5-10 reps.

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Drills to Improve Olympic Weightlifting Technique with Bands

Once you’ve practiced the knee movement, how to get into the hip, and even how to catch the snatch, it’s time to feel the catch. The following three exercises are performed with a band.

Banded snatch press in a hole

Start squatting with the bar behind your shoulders, a band attached to either end of the bar and your feet over the middle of the band. Then press the bar overhead while you remain in the deep squat. Your feet should remain in a squat stance.

The tension becomes greater at the top, but shouldn’t be much at the bottom when the bar is resting on the shoulders.

This Olympic weightlifting drill with a band will create some tension without the need for weights. It will also get you to feel the press you need to perform as you get into the catch position in the Snatch and enhance your ability to receive the Snatch in the deep catch.

Perform 5-10 reps.

Banded overhead squat

With the band in the same position as the banded snatch press, bring the bar overhead and perform a full overhead squat. Perform 5-10 reps.

These two exercises are especially useful for athletes who struggle to press an empty bar, says Miller, as the load is lightened with a band, but the tension is increased.

Pull below the knee to hip with band

With your feet still on top of the band and both ends of the band attached to either side of your PVC pipe, perform exercise 2 again: pull below the hip to knee.

You should start with the bar below the knee where there is no tension and bring it to the hips. The resistance will encourage you to bring your chest forward a little.

The final drill is intended to provide a lot of tension to the hips. This drill will help you prevent your chest going too far behind from the bar and instead encourage it to stay forward while the bar is by the hip.

This in turn will help you understand what it feels like to be more vertical towards the finish of the Snatch or Clean.

Perform 5-10 reps.

Conclusion

Use these Olympic Weightlifting drills in your warm-ups before you get into Snatch or Clean workouts. The whole purpose of these drills is to feel the body parts and activations you’ll need during lifting.

Read more: 7 Best Snatch Accessory Exercises Every Athlete Needs to Use

Kettlebells are old weight training tools used to improve your overall strength, power, balance, coordination and endurance.

They are severely underrated by some athletes.

It is possible to build muscle and get stronger with only kettlebells. Kettlebell exercises are generally easy to perform and, while some creativity is needed to achieve your desired outcomes with minimal equipment, an understanding of programming and progression will go a long way to get athletes to improve their performance and body composition.

How to Build Muscle Hypertrophy with Kettlebells

Focus on eccentrics

Eccentric movement, or the eccentric portion of an exercise, happens when an active muscle lengthens under load. Eccentric exercises traditionally slow down the portion of the exercise that lengthens the muscles – think for example negative pull-ups.

A great way to train for muscle growth with kettlebells is by training the eccentric phase of common kettlebell exercises. For example, slowly lowering the kettlebell from the top of the snatch or the clean rack position.

While it is still unclear whether eccentric loading produces greater hypertrophy compared to concentric loading – or the other way around – mixing up your training and including both will achieve your desired muscle adaptations.

The half snatch

Introduce the Half Snatch to your training regime to build muscle hypertrophy with kettlebells.

The half snatch is not only a great drill for improving your kettlebell snatch – as it removes the complexity of the drop – but also addresses the eccentric portion of the movement.

What is hypertrophy?

Hypertrophy involves an increase in size of skeletal muscle through a growth in size of its component cells. In simple words: it’s the process of growing muscle.

To grow muscle, you need to stimulate your body by lifting increasingly heavier weights. The most effective way to do this is within predetermined rep ranges over time throughout your training.

Try this kettlebell hypertrophy arm and abs workout

While traditional Christmas dinners feature turkey or chicken, there are many vegetarian alternatives that are not only delicious but healthy as well.

Have a look at our picks and try them out this holiday season.

Healthy vegetarian foods for Christmas dinner

Mushroom and soy risotto

Source: Rob Wicks on Unsplash

Risotto is healthy and nutritious, especially when topped with vegetables and a protein source such as soya chunks.

This creamy rice dish is a great vegetarian alternative for Christmas. Reducing the amount of butter and white wine you use can make this dish even healthier.

The soya chunks are a great protein source while also being rich in calcium and iron.

What you’ll need:

• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 30g of wild mushrooms
• 150g of Risotto rice
• 2 tbsp of vegetable stock
• 100ml of soy cream
• 1 red pepper
• 250g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast
• Soya chunks
• Soy sauce

How to do it:

1. Cut the onion into small pieces while you wait for a large pan to heat up. Add butter to the pan and fry the onions for a minute.
2. Chop the garlic and add to the pan. Boil 300ml of water in the meantime.
3. Add the risotto rice to the pan and cover with some water, adding half the vegetable stock.
4. Continuously stir the rice and add water when necessary.
5. Boil additional water and place in a deep bowl with the remaining vegetable stock, then drop the soya chunks into it and leave them to soak for about 10 minutes.
6. Cut the mushroom into thin, long slices and fry them with soy sauce in a separate pan for about 5 minutes.
7. Once the soy chunks are done soaking, drain the water completely and add them to the mushroom pan to fry.
8. Your risotto should be close to being fully cooked now, so add the soy cream for an extra creamy texture.
9. Cut the pepper and half the cherry tomatoes while you wait for the risotto to be cooked.
10. Once the risotto is done, add the mushrooms, soya chunks, cherry tomatoes, and peppers to the pan and mix thoroughly.
11. Sprinkle the risotto with nutritional yeast.

Potatoes with oven roast vegetables

Source: American Heritage Chocolate

Potatoes are the most popular ingredient in Christmas dinners, with people roasting them, mashing them, or baking them.

Adding root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, or beetroots to your oven roast is a way to add colour and boost up the vitamins and minerals of your meal.

What you’ll need:

• 4 oven potatoes
• 3 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 1 beetroot
• Olive oil
• Herbs
• Salt

How to do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Dice the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and beetroot, the size is down to you.
3. Place them in an oven dish and drizzle olive oil on top of them, then add some herbs and a pinch of salt.
4. Shake to spread the olive oil and place in the over for an hour or until your vegetables have acquired a light golden colour.

Seitan and rocked loaded baked sweet potatoes

This healthy vegetarian Christmas dinner delivers three of your 5-a-day. It is incredibly healthy, nutritious and, above all, delicious.

Sweet potatoes are full of vitamins and, contrary to normal potatoes, count as one of your 5-a-day. Their sweet flavour and bright orange paired with strong, dark rocket make for a treat to the eyes and mouth.

What you’ll need:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 200g of seitan
• 1 red onion
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Chilly flakes
• 100g od rocket
• 2 tbsp of sunflower seeds
• Olive oil

How to do it:

1. Heat the oven to 200C.
2. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork and place in the oven to cook for 45 minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas to the oven, then roast for 10 more minutes until the potatoes are completely tender and the chickpeas have crisped a little.
4. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, thinly slice the onion and mix it with the red wine vinegar. Set aside to pickle.
5. Add a little oil to a small frying pan and add the seitan with the chilly flakes. Toast the sunflower seeds for a handful of minutes.
6. Half the potatoes when they are ready and serve on two plates. Top each with rocket, chickpeas, seitan, red onion, and sunflower seeds.

Cherry tomato and feta Quiche  

Source: Angèle Kamp on Unsplash

Homemade quiche is incredibly easy to make and is a great addition to your vegetarian Christmas dinner. Serve it with a side of salad for additional micronutrients.

What you’ll need:

For the pastry:

• 225g of flour
• 75g of cold butter
• Pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 1 red pepper
• 150g of cherry tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 250g of feta
• 20g of olives
• 4 eggs
• 70g of crème fraiche

How to do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. To make the pastry, mix the flour, butter, and salt. We recommend you use a food processor so the heat in your hands doesn’t melt the butter. If you use your hands, be fast with this process.
3. Once a ball forms take it out and refrigerate for half an hour to firm up the butter again, this will provide you with a flaky pastry.
4. In the meantime, chop all vegetables into little squares and place over a large baking tray, leaving them to roast for about 25 minutes.
5. Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it out, shaping it so you can cover your quiche oven dish with it. Covering the bottom with baking beans, place the pastry in the oven for 5-10 minutes to avoid a soggy bottom.
6. Whisk together the eggs and add the cream in a large bowl.
7. Remove the pastry from the oven and scatter the vegetables over the base. Crumble the feta on top and then pour over the egg mixture       .
8. Place the quiche in the oven and cook for around 45 minutes.
9. Leave it to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Sprouts with pistachios and pomegranate

Brussels sprouts resemble miniature cabbages and are a Christmas classic. Packed with immunity-boosting vitamin C, Brussels sprouts are among the most powerful cold-weather superfoods.

Add a twist to this classic vegetarian Christmas meal by adding pistachios and pomegranates.

What you’ll need:

• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 500g Brussels sprouts
• 50g pistachios
• 100g pomegranate seeds

How to do it:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. In the meantime, half the spouts.
2. Once the oil is hot place the sprouts in the pan, cut-side down, and leave them to fry for 10-15 mins. Toss them occasionally.
3. Roughly chop the pistachios and add to the Brussels sprouts when they turn a nice brown. Stir-fry them until toasted.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the pomegranate seeds. Season with salt and serve up.

Other vegetarian foods for Christmas dinner

Source: Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Do you have other classic vegetarian recipes you like to cook for Christmas? Let us know in the comments section.

Read more: Your Guide to Dieting: 4 Popular Diets, Research, Benefits and Considerations

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

Where are the lats muscles and what do they do?

The latissimus dorsi muscles, also known as the lats muscles, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your vertebral column to your arms.

They are some of the biggest muscles in your back, spanning from the top of your hip bone all the way up to your arms and covering the width of your middle and lower back. Together, they look like the wings of a butterfly.

Their primary function is to stabilize the spine while providing strength to the shoulders and arms.

The lats muscles are used mostly in pulling motions, and they help us perform things like pull-ups, swimming, and even breathing. They also help extend, move, and rotate the shoulder joint, help keep the spine straight, and assist in sideways bending.

Source: wikipedia

Best lat exercises with dumbbells and barbells

• Dumbbell Row
• Dumbbell Pullover
• Landmine Row
• Bent Over Row
• Pendlay Row

Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row primarily hits muscles on your back, but also improves core stability, while engaging muscles on your shoulder, biceps, and triceps.

How to do it:

1. On a bench parallel to you, place a hand and knee of the same side on it, while the other foot is touching the ground.
2. A dumbbell should be on the ground next to the bench and close to your foot. Reach down with your free hand and grab the dumbbell with palms facing you.
3. Remember to keep your back straight at all times – this will engage your core throughout the exercise.
4. Row the dumbbell to your side by pulling your elbows back towards the hips and upwards. The elbow should barely pass your torso line.
5. Lower the dumbbell until the arm is fully extended. That is one rep.

Read more: Dumbbell Row: Who Should Do It, Benefits, & Mistakes to Avoid (Plus 5 Workouts)

Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is another great lat exercise. It is a classic bodybuilding exercise that works your chest and back at the same time; when done right, the dumbbell pullover hits everything from the bottom of your pecs to your abs, lats and triceps.

How to do it:

To perform a dumbbell pullover you’ll need a bench and a dumbbell. It’s recommended you grab a lighter dumbbell to begin with to learn the movement and test your range of motion (think upper-body version of an air squat).

1. Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench and ensure it stays securely place while you get into position.
2. Start lying perpendicular on a bench with only your upper back/shoulders across the bench.
3. Place your feet firmly on the floor and place your hips just slightly below the bench. Your head should be off the bench too.
4. Grab the upper head of the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest, with your arms extended but keeping a small bend on the shoulders.
5. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of one of the sides of the dumbbell.
6. While keeping your arms straight, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head. Make sure your core is engaged and you’re paying attention to your chest and back muscles.
7. Lower the dumbbell until the head you’re holding reaches around the same height as your head.
8. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position keeping your arms extended and your midline engaged.
9. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Read more: Dumbbell Pullover: How to Do It, Muscles Worked, Benefits and Workouts

Landmine Row

The landmine row is a barbell pulling exercise that builds significant upper body strength and muscle. As a heavy row, the exercise is incredibly effective for strengthening the lats muscles and shoulders, but also works the core and chest muscles.

How to do it:

1. Set up the barbell.
2. Stand over the barbell with one foot on either side. Face towards the end which is loaded with weight.
3. Bend down and grip the barbell with both hands, bending your knees slightly and keeping your back straight.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes and grip, then pull the barbell up towards your chest.
5. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, pause for a second and tense your back and shoulder blades as tightly as you can.
6. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Exhale at the bottom of the range of motion.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: Landmine Row – Powerful Benefits, Technique Tips and Muscles Worked

Bent Over Row

The bent over row is a popular exercise which improves strength in the upper and lower back, with a special emphasis on the lats and shoulders, and secondary recruitment of the glutes and hamstrings.

It is important to keep a proper stance throughout this lat exercise to avoid placing too much pressure on the lower back.

How to do it:

1. Load the barbell or place a pair of dumbbells in front of you.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees slightly and lean forward, hinging from the hip.
3. Keeping your back straight and your neck neutral, grab the weights. Your hands should be slightly wider that shoulder width-apart.
4. Bend your elbows and row the weight upwards towards your chest. Make sure you keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.
5. Pause at the top for a second and bring the weight back down until your arms are extended. Slow, controlled movements are key to an efficient and safe exercise.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Pendlay Row

The Pendlay Row is a barbell back exercise originally named after American weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay. It is a rowing variation popular with strength athletes for its ability to develop the lats, upper and lower back muscles.

How to do it:

1. With a barbell on the ground in front of you, bend down until your upper body is parallel with the ground.
2. The bar should be about a fist from your shins, your knees are slightly bent.
3. Taking a slightly wider grip on the bar, ensure you contract your lower back and engage your midline.
4. Explosively pull the bar up between your upper stomach and lower chest area, tightening your upper back but keeping the same hip angle from the start of the exercise.
5. Maintaining an engaged core, bring the barbell back down all the way to the floor. Make sure this part of the exercise is controlled – you should still be working your back muscles taking the barbell down to the initial position.
6. Ensure your posture is right and amend the position of your back, hips and feet if necessary and repeat.

Read more: Develop a Huge Back with The Pendlay Row

Best lat exercises with machines

• Lat Pulldown
• Cable Row
• T Bar Row

Lat Pulldown

Lat pulldowns are similar to pull-ups, but instead of pulling your body upwards, you perform this exercise seated and pull an external weight down in a similar motion.

How to do it:

1. Start by facing the machine and finding a comfortable seat, with your back straight, core engaged and feet grounded on the floor.
2. Reach for the bar, this should be at a comfortable distance that requires you to almost fully stretch your arms. For a classic lat pulldown, grab the bar with a wide, overhand grip.
3. Pull the bar down until it passes under your chin and your hands are about shoulder height. Make sure you keep your core tight and engage your back muscles throughout this movement. Your elbows should stay relatively close to your sides and your torso should remain in position.
4. Pause for a second and squeeze your lats. 
5. Bring the bar back up in a controlled manner, ensuring this motion is slow and you engage your core and back muscles throughout. The rep is completed when your arms are extended overhead again.

Read more: The Lat Pulldown: One Sure-Fire Way to Grow a Bigger Back

Cable Row

The cable row was specifically created to increase upper body strength and build your back muscles. While muscles like the erector spinea, the rhomboids, and the lower trapezius are targeted, the latissimus dorsi gets an incredible workout with the cable row too.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the cable row machine and place your feet solidly on the platform.
2. Bend your legs slightly and reach for the handles, keeping your back tall.
3. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips, your lower back extended, and your lats engaged.
4. Bend your elbows and bring your hands towards your chest, keeping your back tall and engaging the lats throughout.
5. Pause for a second, then extend the arms again making sure you don’t round your back.
6. Return to the initial position, that is one rep.

T Bar Row

Primarily the T Bar Row is a back exercise and is an excellent fitness tool to help you build a powerful, strong, and muscular back and significant pulling strength. The primary muscles that are worked with this exercise are the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and the posterior deltoid.

How to do it:

1. If using a barbell, load it with the desired weight. If using a machine start with step two.
2. Place your feet shoulder width apart behind the machine, then rest your chest against the pad (if you are using a machine).
3. Reach down and grab the handles of the T Bar machine.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes, and grip, and pull the weight towards you.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement, pausing and holding for a second.
6. Slowly lower the weight to the starting position and exhale at the bottom of the movement.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: T Bar Row – Muscles Worked, Benefits, Technique and Variations

Best bodyweight lat exercises

• Wide Grip Pull-Ups
• Negative Pull-Ups
• Push-Ups
• Rowing

Wide grip pull-ups

Widening your grip during the pull-up will place a greater workload on the lats muscles; the wider the grip, the less help the lats get from other muscles. However, be careful not to exaggerate this, as a high volume of wide grip pull-ups can place unwanted stress on the shoulders.

Negative pull-ups

Negative pull-ups are performed in the same way as a regular pull-up, except you take 3-5 seconds to lower yourself. The motion should be done slowly and under control. You then jump back to the top position.

Push-ups

Push-ups can be done anywhere and are effective, as they activate many muscles at the same time. The push-up is not only a triceps, chest, and shoulder exercise, but works your back as well.

Concentrate on quality more than quantity when doing this bodyweight exercise. Make sure you also pay attention to your hip and legs positioning.

Rowing

Not necessarily an exercise, but rowing is a great way to improve your conditioning while also working a vast number of muscles in your body, including your lats.

What are the most important lats exercises?

The best lat exercise will depend on your goals and what you enjoy doing, as you’re most likely to stick to what you like. If you want to isolate the lats muscles, then perform the lat pulldown, cable row, or the dumbbell row.

If you want to grow a bigger back overall, use wide grip pull-ups or bent over rows.

If you want to pack as much muscle as possible, then the T Bar row and Pendlay row are your friends.  

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

While traditional Christmas dinners feature turkey or chicken, there are many vegetarian alternatives that are not only delicious but healthy as well.

Have a look at our picks and try them out this holiday season.

Healthy vegetarian foods for Christmas dinner

Mushroom and soy risotto

Source: Rob Wicks on Unsplash

Risotto is healthy and nutritious, especially when topped with vegetables and a protein source such as soya chunks.

This creamy rice dish is a great vegetarian alternative for Christmas. Reducing the amount of butter and white wine you use can make this dish even healthier.

The soya chunks are a great protein source while also being rich in calcium and iron.

What you’ll need:

• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 30g of wild mushrooms
• 150g of Risotto rice
• 2 tbsp of vegetable stock
• 100ml of soy cream
• 1 red pepper
• 250g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast
• Soya chunks
• Soy sauce

How to do it:

1. Cut the onion into small pieces while you wait for a large pan to heat up. Add butter to the pan and fry the onions for a minute.
2. Chop the garlic and add to the pan. Boil 300ml of water in the meantime.
3. Add the risotto rice to the pan and cover with some water, adding half the vegetable stock.
4. Continuously stir the rice and add water when necessary.
5. Boil additional water and place in a deep bowl with the remaining vegetable stock, then drop the soya chunks into it and leave them to soak for about 10 minutes.
6. Cut the mushroom into thin, long slices and fry them with soy sauce in a separate pan for about 5 minutes.
7. Once the soy chunks are done soaking, drain the water completely and add them to the mushroom pan to fry.
8. Your risotto should be close to being fully cooked now, so add the soy cream for an extra creamy texture.
9. Cut the pepper and half the cherry tomatoes while you wait for the risotto to be cooked.
10. Once the risotto is done, add the mushrooms, soya chunks, cherry tomatoes, and peppers to the pan and mix thoroughly.
11. Sprinkle the risotto with nutritional yeast.

Potatoes with oven roast vegetables

Source: American Heritage Chocolate

Potatoes are the most popular ingredient in Christmas dinners, with people roasting them, mashing them, or baking them.

Adding root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, or beetroots to your oven roast is a way to add colour and boost up the vitamins and minerals of your meal.

What you’ll need:

• 4 oven potatoes
• 3 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 1 beetroot
• Olive oil
• Herbs
• Salt

How to do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Dice the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and beetroot, the size is down to you.
3. Place them in an oven dish and drizzle olive oil on top of them, then add some herbs and a pinch of salt.
4. Shake to spread the olive oil and place in the over for an hour or until your vegetables have acquired a light golden colour.

Seitan and rocked loaded baked sweet potatoes

This healthy vegetarian Christmas dinner delivers three of your 5-a-day. It is incredibly healthy, nutritious and, above all, delicious.

Sweet potatoes are full of vitamins and, contrary to normal potatoes, count as one of your 5-a-day. Their sweet flavour and bright orange paired with strong, dark rocket make for a treat to the eyes and mouth.

What you’ll need:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 200g of seitan
• 1 red onion
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Chilly flakes
• 100g od rocket
• 2 tbsp of sunflower seeds
• Olive oil

How to do it:

1. Heat the oven to 200C.
2. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork and place in the oven to cook for 45 minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas to the oven, then roast for 10 more minutes until the potatoes are completely tender and the chickpeas have crisped a little.
4. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, thinly slice the onion and mix it with the red wine vinegar. Set aside to pickle.
5. Add a little oil to a small frying pan and add the seitan with the chilly flakes. Toast the sunflower seeds for a handful of minutes.
6. Half the potatoes when they are ready and serve on two plates. Top each with rocket, chickpeas, seitan, red onion, and sunflower seeds.

Cherry tomato and feta Quiche  

Source: Angèle Kamp on Unsplash

Homemade quiche is incredibly easy to make and is a great addition to your vegetarian Christmas dinner. Serve it with a side of salad for additional micronutrients.

What you’ll need:

For the pastry:

• 225g of flour
• 75g of cold butter
• Pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 1 red pepper
• 150g of cherry tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 250g of feta
• 20g of olives
• 4 eggs
• 70g of crème fraiche

How to do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. To make the pastry, mix the flour, butter, and salt. We recommend you use a food processor so the heat in your hands doesn’t melt the butter. If you use your hands, be fast with this process.
3. Once a ball forms take it out and refrigerate for half an hour to firm up the butter again, this will provide you with a flaky pastry.
4. In the meantime, chop all vegetables into little squares and place over a large baking tray, leaving them to roast for about 25 minutes.
5. Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it out, shaping it so you can cover your quiche oven dish with it. Covering the bottom with baking beans, place the pastry in the oven for 5-10 minutes to avoid a soggy bottom.
6. Whisk together the eggs and add the cream in a large bowl.
7. Remove the pastry from the oven and scatter the vegetables over the base. Crumble the feta on top and then pour over the egg mixture       .
8. Place the quiche in the oven and cook for around 45 minutes.
9. Leave it to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Sprouts with pistachios and pomegranate

Brussels sprouts resemble miniature cabbages and are a Christmas classic. Packed with immunity-boosting vitamin C, Brussels sprouts are among the most powerful cold-weather superfoods.

Add a twist to this classic vegetarian Christmas meal by adding pistachios and pomegranates.

What you’ll need:

• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 500g Brussels sprouts
• 50g pistachios
• 100g pomegranate seeds

How to do it:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. In the meantime, half the spouts.
2. Once the oil is hot place the sprouts in the pan, cut-side down, and leave them to fry for 10-15 mins. Toss them occasionally.
3. Roughly chop the pistachios and add to the Brussels sprouts when they turn a nice brown. Stir-fry them until toasted.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the pomegranate seeds. Season with salt and serve up.

Other vegetarian foods for Christmas dinner

Source: Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Do you have other classic vegetarian recipes you like to cook for Christmas? Let us know in the comments section.

Read more: Your Guide to Dieting: 4 Popular Diets, Research, Benefits and Considerations

Where are the lats muscles and what do they do?

The latissimus dorsi muscles, also known as the lats muscles, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your vertebral column to your arms.

They are some of the biggest muscles in your back, spanning from the top of your hip bone all the way up to your arms and covering the width of your middle and lower back. Together, they look like the wings of a butterfly.

Their primary function is to stabilize the spine while providing strength to the shoulders and arms.

The lats muscles are used mostly in pulling motions, and they help us perform things like pull-ups, swimming, and even breathing. They also help extend, move, and rotate the shoulder joint, help keep the spine straight, and assist in sideways bending.

Source: wikipedia

Best lat exercises with dumbbells and barbells

• Dumbbell Row
• Dumbbell Pullover
• Landmine Row
• Bent Over Row
• Pendlay Row

Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row primarily hits muscles on your back, but also improves core stability, while engaging muscles on your shoulder, biceps, and triceps.

How to do it:

1. On a bench parallel to you, place a hand and knee of the same side on it, while the other foot is touching the ground.
2. A dumbbell should be on the ground next to the bench and close to your foot. Reach down with your free hand and grab the dumbbell with palms facing you.
3. Remember to keep your back straight at all times – this will engage your core throughout the exercise.
4. Row the dumbbell to your side by pulling your elbows back towards the hips and upwards. The elbow should barely pass your torso line.
5. Lower the dumbbell until the arm is fully extended. That is one rep.

Read more: Dumbbell Row: Who Should Do It, Benefits, & Mistakes to Avoid (Plus 5 Workouts)

Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is another great lat exercise. It is a classic bodybuilding exercise that works your chest and back at the same time; when done right, the dumbbell pullover hits everything from the bottom of your pecs to your abs, lats and triceps.

How to do it:

To perform a dumbbell pullover you’ll need a bench and a dumbbell. It’s recommended you grab a lighter dumbbell to begin with to learn the movement and test your range of motion (think upper-body version of an air squat).

1. Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench and ensure it stays securely place while you get into position.
2. Start lying perpendicular on a bench with only your upper back/shoulders across the bench.
3. Place your feet firmly on the floor and place your hips just slightly below the bench. Your head should be off the bench too.
4. Grab the upper head of the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest, with your arms extended but keeping a small bend on the shoulders.
5. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of one of the sides of the dumbbell.
6. While keeping your arms straight, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head. Make sure your core is engaged and you’re paying attention to your chest and back muscles.
7. Lower the dumbbell until the head you’re holding reaches around the same height as your head.
8. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position keeping your arms extended and your midline engaged.
9. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Read more: Dumbbell Pullover: How to Do It, Muscles Worked, Benefits and Workouts

Landmine Row

The landmine row is a barbell pulling exercise that builds significant upper body strength and muscle. As a heavy row, the exercise is incredibly effective for strengthening the lats muscles and shoulders, but also works the core and chest muscles.

How to do it:

1. Set up the barbell.
2. Stand over the barbell with one foot on either side. Face towards the end which is loaded with weight.
3. Bend down and grip the barbell with both hands, bending your knees slightly and keeping your back straight.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes and grip, then pull the barbell up towards your chest.
5. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, pause for a second and tense your back and shoulder blades as tightly as you can.
6. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Exhale at the bottom of the range of motion.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: Landmine Row – Powerful Benefits, Technique Tips and Muscles Worked

Bent Over Row

The bent over row is a popular exercise which improves strength in the upper and lower back, with a special emphasis on the lats and shoulders, and secondary recruitment of the glutes and hamstrings.

It is important to keep a proper stance throughout this lat exercise to avoid placing too much pressure on the lower back.

How to do it:

1. Load the barbell or place a pair of dumbbells in front of you.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees slightly and lean forward, hinging from the hip.
3. Keeping your back straight and your neck neutral, grab the weights. Your hands should be slightly wider that shoulder width-apart.
4. Bend your elbows and row the weight upwards towards your chest. Make sure you keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.
5. Pause at the top for a second and bring the weight back down until your arms are extended. Slow, controlled movements are key to an efficient and safe exercise.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Pendlay Row

The Pendlay Row is a barbell back exercise originally named after American weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay. It is a rowing variation popular with strength athletes for its ability to develop the lats, upper and lower back muscles.

How to do it:

1. With a barbell on the ground in front of you, bend down until your upper body is parallel with the ground.
2. The bar should be about a fist from your shins, your knees are slightly bent.
3. Taking a slightly wider grip on the bar, ensure you contract your lower back and engage your midline.
4. Explosively pull the bar up between your upper stomach and lower chest area, tightening your upper back but keeping the same hip angle from the start of the exercise.
5. Maintaining an engaged core, bring the barbell back down all the way to the floor. Make sure this part of the exercise is controlled – you should still be working your back muscles taking the barbell down to the initial position.
6. Ensure your posture is right and amend the position of your back, hips and feet if necessary and repeat.

Read more: Develop a Huge Back with The Pendlay Row

Best lat exercises with machines

• Lat Pulldown
• Cable Row
• T Bar Row

Lat Pulldown

Lat pulldowns are similar to pull-ups, but instead of pulling your body upwards, you perform this exercise seated and pull an external weight down in a similar motion.

How to do it:

1. Start by facing the machine and finding a comfortable seat, with your back straight, core engaged and feet grounded on the floor.
2. Reach for the bar, this should be at a comfortable distance that requires you to almost fully stretch your arms. For a classic lat pulldown, grab the bar with a wide, overhand grip.
3. Pull the bar down until it passes under your chin and your hands are about shoulder height. Make sure you keep your core tight and engage your back muscles throughout this movement. Your elbows should stay relatively close to your sides and your torso should remain in position.
4. Pause for a second and squeeze your lats. 
5. Bring the bar back up in a controlled manner, ensuring this motion is slow and you engage your core and back muscles throughout. The rep is completed when your arms are extended overhead again.

Read more: The Lat Pulldown: One Sure-Fire Way to Grow a Bigger Back

Cable Row

The cable row was specifically created to increase upper body strength and build your back muscles. While muscles like the erector spinea, the rhomboids, and the lower trapezius are targeted, the latissimus dorsi gets an incredible workout with the cable row too.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the cable row machine and place your feet solidly on the platform.
2. Bend your legs slightly and reach for the handles, keeping your back tall.
3. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips, your lower back extended, and your lats engaged.
4. Bend your elbows and bring your hands towards your chest, keeping your back tall and engaging the lats throughout.
5. Pause for a second, then extend the arms again making sure you don’t round your back.
6. Return to the initial position, that is one rep.

T Bar Row

Primarily the T Bar Row is a back exercise and is an excellent fitness tool to help you build a powerful, strong, and muscular back and significant pulling strength. The primary muscles that are worked with this exercise are the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and the posterior deltoid.

How to do it:

1. If using a barbell, load it with the desired weight. If using a machine start with step two.
2. Place your feet shoulder width apart behind the machine, then rest your chest against the pad (if you are using a machine).
3. Reach down and grab the handles of the T Bar machine.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes, and grip, and pull the weight towards you.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement, pausing and holding for a second.
6. Slowly lower the weight to the starting position and exhale at the bottom of the movement.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: T Bar Row – Muscles Worked, Benefits, Technique and Variations

Best bodyweight lat exercises

• Wide Grip Pull-Ups
• Negative Pull-Ups
• Push-Ups
• Rowing

Wide grip pull-ups

Widening your grip during the pull-up will place a greater workload on the lats muscles; the wider the grip, the less help the lats get from other muscles. However, be careful not to exaggerate this, as a high volume of wide grip pull-ups can place unwanted stress on the shoulders.

Negative pull-ups

Negative pull-ups are performed in the same way as a regular pull-up, except you take 3-5 seconds to lower yourself. The motion should be done slowly and under control. You then jump back to the top position.

Push-ups

Push-ups can be done anywhere and are effective, as they activate many muscles at the same time. The push-up is not only a triceps, chest, and shoulder exercise, but works your back as well.

Concentrate on quality more than quantity when doing this bodyweight exercise. Make sure you also pay attention to your hip and legs positioning.

Rowing

Not necessarily an exercise, but rowing is a great way to improve your conditioning while also working a vast number of muscles in your body, including your lats.

What are the most important lats exercises?

The best lat exercise will depend on your goals and what you enjoy doing, as you’re most likely to stick to what you like. If you want to isolate the lats muscles, then perform the lat pulldown, cable row, or the dumbbell row.

If you want to grow a bigger back overall, use wide grip pull-ups or bent over rows.

If you want to pack as much muscle as possible, then the T Bar row and Pendlay row are your friends.  

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

Strong arms are helpful for stabilising lifts, essential for gymnastics movements, and important for presses, pull ups and throws.

Your arms as a whole should be trained to achieve balance. This is also important for mobility and strength, and to keep your elbows and shoulders healthy after placing big loads of stress in them.

Even though CrossFit is usually based on functional movements instead of bicep curls, these dumbbell arm exercises to build muscle will help you get stronger and perform better in your workouts.

Don’t neglect your accessory work.

INCLINE BICEPS CURL

This exercise maximises the focus on your biceps, especially the long head. The incline press curl prevents athletes from “cheating”, so take a lighter weight than you’d use for standing curls. Sit back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand and, keeping your elbows close to your torso, rotate the palms of your hands until they’re facing forward. Curl the weight towards your shoulder while maintaining the upper arm stationary. Breathe out as you contract the biceps.

Ensure you move only your forearms and continue the movement until the dumbbell is at shoulder level. Hold it there for a second.

An alternative for this exercise is performing plank with bicep curls. Get into a plank position with a dumbbell under each hand. Keeping your body as still as possible, bring one dumbbell toward your shoulder and lower it back down, then repeat on the other side.

The advantage of performing an incline biceps curl, however, is that athletes are forced to keep perfect form and prevented to aid the arm movement by compensating with other parts of their body.

(Image: weighttraining)

DUMBBELL ARM EXERCISES – KICK BACK

Start with one knee and one hand on a bench, knee under hips and hand under shoulders. Keep your back straight, bend slightly forward at the waist and have your torso almost parallel to the bench. Hold the weight with your free hand, point your forearm at the floor and bring your upper arm in line with your torso, forming so a 90-degree angle between your upper arm and forearm.

Keeping your upper arm stationary, use your triceps to lift the dumbbell towards your hip, extending your arm fully in the movement. Your focus should be on moving only your forearm and keeping your elbow next to your body.

LATERAL RAISES

Because this exercise requires you to work with your arms extended at all times, you might feel the burn pretty early on. It also means you’ll be working your shoulders, upper arms and forearms.

Hold a pair of dumbbells on either side of you and bend your elbows slightly. Raise your arms straight to your sides until the dumbbells are at shoulder height, engaging the core and keeping your feet shoulder-with apart. Your body should look like a cross or the letter “t”. Hold the move for a second at the top and then bring the weights down in a controlled manner.

FLOOR DUMBBELL SKULLCRUSHERS

Described on Men’s Heath as “The One Move That Will Make Your Triceps Bigger”, this exercise is a great one to build muscle.

Lie on the floor with the dumbbells resting on the floor behind your head, then raise the weight above your head until your arms are straight. The benefit of doing skullcrushers on the floor over standard (standing) ones is that an athlete can lift heavier weights and truly challenge the triceps.

DUMBBELL ARM EXERCISES – OVERHEAD PRESS

The overhead dumbbell press’ main focus is on the shoulders, yet the exercise will also have an impact on your arms. As done in typical CrossFit workouts, make sure you perform this exercise standing up and keep your core engaged at all times.

Hold a pair of dumbbells just outside your shoulders with your arms bent and palms facing each other, knuckles facing up. Raise the weights above your head until your arms are extended and hold the position for a second. Bring the dumbbells back to your shoulders in a controlled motion.

DUMBBELL SEAL ROW

A serious way to build muscle, this exercise is performed lying with your chest on a bench – like a seal.

Be sure to set up somewhere where you can straighten your arms. Lying with your body facing down on a bench, keep your neck packed and lower your arms on either side of the bench. With dumbbells on both hands pull your elbows towards your hips and bring the dumbbells between your belly button and your chest.

The benefit of doing seal rows with dumbbells over barbells is that the first allow for a wider range of motion, working your muscles even further. The weight you’ll lift will be done using your arms, shoulders and back, with no momentum to aid the move.

A progression for this movement would be to do it exactly like a seal and lift the legs off the bench.

DUMBBELL ARM EXERCISES – OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION

Sitting down, grab the dumbbell and raise it above your head. Grab it on one end with one hand so the dumbbell is vertical and in line with your spine. Making sure your core is engaged, lower the weight behind your head and then press back up to the start. Keep your upper arms stationary.

If this is too much, you can scale this exercise by grabbing the dumbbell with both hands.

Your muscles need enough fuel to grow and recover, have a look at the “Nutrition and Scientific Principles of Strength Training” to know how to build muscle appropriately and effectively.

Improve your body and skills with the DB Lateral Raise, Incline DB Press and DB Pullover.

5 Fun Thanksgiving CrossFit Workouts

1 – Thanksgiving with the girls

For Time:

“Angie’s” House

• 20 Pull-Ups
• 20 Push-Ups
• 20 Sit-Ups
• 20 Air Squats

“Helen’s” House

• 400 meter Run
• 21 Kettlebell Swings (53/35 lb)
• 12 Pull-Ups

“Fran’s” House

• 15 Thrusters (95/65 lb)

“Nancy’s” House

• 400 meter Run
• 15 Overhead Squats (95/65 lb)

“Grace & Isabel’s” House

• 20 Ground-To-Overheads (95/65 lb)

“Kelly’s” House

• 400 meter Run
• 30 Box Jumps (24/20 in)
• 30 Wall Ball Shots (20/14 lb)

Workout strategy

With a running clock, perform all parts of this workout in the order written as fast as possible, starting with 20 pull-ups and finishing with 30 wall ball shots. Rest as needed but remember this is one big workout and you’re trying to compete it in the least amount of time possible.

While there’s a lot of work to be completed, the volume of each exercise is relatively low, which means you can try to attempt big sets to save time.

“This is exactly the kind of WOD you want to do on Thanksgiving–one that leaves you sweaty, breathless, yet full energy and appetite for the celebration to come,” writes CrossFit Bastion, creators of this Thanksgiving workout.

Replace high skill level exercises such as pull-ups for ring rows and reduce the weight so you can move fast and smooth between exercises.

Workout by CrossFit Bastion Thanksgiving Holiday WOD

2 – Turkey Gone Bad

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

3 rounds for max reps:

• Minute 1: Echo Bike Calories
• Minute 2: Bar Facing Burpees
• Minute 3: Thrusters (95/65)
• Minute 4: Toes to bar
• Minute 5: Row Calories
• Minute 6: Rest

Workout strategy

You have 1 minute per station and your aim is to accumulate as many reps as possible of the exercise each minute. Complete 3 total rounds in 17 minutes.

You can rest as needed throughout each minute, but remember the aim is to get as many reps in as possible.

This Thanksgiving CrossFit workout drives its inspiration from CrossFit WOD Fight Gone Bad. The aim is to find a balance of constantly moving while not hitting a wall of muscular fatigue.

Workout by Pete Marjamaa

3 – The Turkey Buster

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

For Time:

5 Rounds of:

• 5 Pull-Ups (Banded Pullups)
• 10 Push-Ups
• 15 Air Squats

Then, 4 Rounds of:

• 8 Handstand Push-Ups (Pike Push-Ups | Knee Push-Ups)
• 30 Kettlebell Swings (53 / 35)

Then, 3 Rounds of:

• 15 Box Jumps (24/20 in)
• 15 Knees-to-Elbows

Then, 2 rounds of:

• 20 Wall-Balls (20/14 lb)
• 30 Sit-Ups

Then:

• 50 Burpees (25 for beginners)

Workout strategy

With a running clock perform the exercises in the order written as fast as possible. This workout is a “high-calorie scorcher”.

There is a lot of work to complete and, while the number of rounds decreases as the workout goes by, the finish is no joke. Reduce the number of rounds or reps to match your fitness level.

Workout by Paul Roberts & Katy Oblinger from Sand and Steel CrossFit

4 – Partner Thanksgiving CrossFit Workout

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

For time:

• 75 Pull-Ups
• 75 Push-Ups
• 75 Front Squats (75/55)
• 75 Hang Power Cleans (75/55)
• 75 Shoulder to Overhead (75/55)
• 75 Abmat Sit-Ups
• 75 Double-Unders each (or 2/1 singles)

Workout strategy

What a better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than working out with a partner. To complete this WOD perform all exercises in the order written.

Partners can partition the work as they wish, you don’t have to split it 50/50 and you can swap more than once. For example, partner 1 could perform 10 pull-ups to start with, then partner 2 performs 5, and so on until you reach 75 pull-ups, then move on to the next exercise.

For the shoulder to overhead, athletes can choose the exercise to complete the action, whether it’s a push press, push jerk, or even strict press, it’s down to you.

Workout by OV CrossFit

5 – Burn the Bird

Source: Wodshots

4 Rounds for Time:

• 250-meter Row
• 20 Kettlebell Swings (55/35 lb)
• 15 Double-Unders
• 100-meter Run
• 5 Burpees

Workout strategy

Perform four rounds of the prescribed exercises in the order written as fast as possible.

This endurance-based Thanksgiving CrossFit WOD will keep your heart rate up for a good while and leave you hungry and ready for an evening of sharing and eating.

Workout by Viking Athletics

Thanksgiving workouts

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the US celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Traditionally, families come together to celebrate the harvest and other blessings of the preceding year.

The evening is usually accompanied by a delicious feast, and it’s not unusual for CrossFit athletes to try themed Thanksgiving workouts to either prepare for dinner or to celebrate their capable bodies.

Thanksgiving is also celebrated in other countries such as Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Liberia on various dates.

Read more: How to Stay on Track with Your Nutrition Over the Holidays

Where are the lats muscles and what do they do?

The latissimus dorsi muscles, also known as the lats muscles, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your vertebral column to your arms.

They are some of the biggest muscles in your back, spanning from the top of your hip bone all the way up to your arms and covering the width of your middle and lower back. Together, they look like the wings of a butterfly.

Their primary function is to stabilize the spine while providing strength to the shoulders and arms.

The lats muscles are used mostly in pulling motions, and they help us perform things like pull-ups, swimming, and even breathing. They also help extend, move, and rotate the shoulder joint, help keep the spine straight, and assist in sideways bending.

Source: wikipedia

Best lat exercises with dumbbells and barbells

• Dumbbell Row
• Dumbbell Pullover
• Landmine Row
• Bent Over Row
• Pendlay Row

Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row primarily hits muscles on your back, but also improves core stability, while engaging muscles on your shoulder, biceps, and triceps.

How to do it:

1. On a bench parallel to you, place a hand and knee of the same side on it, while the other foot is touching the ground.
2. A dumbbell should be on the ground next to the bench and close to your foot. Reach down with your free hand and grab the dumbbell with palms facing you.
3. Remember to keep your back straight at all times – this will engage your core throughout the exercise.
4. Row the dumbbell to your side by pulling your elbows back towards the hips and upwards. The elbow should barely pass your torso line.
5. Lower the dumbbell until the arm is fully extended. That is one rep.

Read more: Dumbbell Row: Who Should Do It, Benefits, & Mistakes to Avoid (Plus 5 Workouts)

Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is another great lat exercise. It is a classic bodybuilding exercise that works your chest and back at the same time; when done right, the dumbbell pullover hits everything from the bottom of your pecs to your abs, lats and triceps.

How to do it:

To perform a dumbbell pullover you’ll need a bench and a dumbbell. It’s recommended you grab a lighter dumbbell to begin with to learn the movement and test your range of motion (think upper-body version of an air squat).

1. Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench and ensure it stays securely place while you get into position.
2. Start lying perpendicular on a bench with only your upper back/shoulders across the bench.
3. Place your feet firmly on the floor and place your hips just slightly below the bench. Your head should be off the bench too.
4. Grab the upper head of the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest, with your arms extended but keeping a small bend on the shoulders.
5. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of one of the sides of the dumbbell.
6. While keeping your arms straight, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head. Make sure your core is engaged and you’re paying attention to your chest and back muscles.
7. Lower the dumbbell until the head you’re holding reaches around the same height as your head.
8. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position keeping your arms extended and your midline engaged.
9. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Read more: Dumbbell Pullover: How to Do It, Muscles Worked, Benefits and Workouts

Landmine Row

The landmine row is a barbell pulling exercise that builds significant upper body strength and muscle. As a heavy row, the exercise is incredibly effective for strengthening the lats muscles and shoulders, but also works the core and chest muscles.

How to do it:

1. Set up the barbell.
2. Stand over the barbell with one foot on either side. Face towards the end which is loaded with weight.
3. Bend down and grip the barbell with both hands, bending your knees slightly and keeping your back straight.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes and grip, then pull the barbell up towards your chest.
5. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, pause for a second and tense your back and shoulder blades as tightly as you can.
6. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Exhale at the bottom of the range of motion.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: Landmine Row – Powerful Benefits, Technique Tips and Muscles Worked

Bent Over Row

The bent over row is a popular exercise which improves strength in the upper and lower back, with a special emphasis on the lats and shoulders, and secondary recruitment of the glutes and hamstrings.

It is important to keep a proper stance throughout this lat exercise to avoid placing too much pressure on the lower back.

How to do it:

1. Load the barbell or place a pair of dumbbells in front of you.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees slightly and lean forward, hinging from the hip.
3. Keeping your back straight and your neck neutral, grab the weights. Your hands should be slightly wider that shoulder width-apart.
4. Bend your elbows and row the weight upwards towards your chest. Make sure you keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.
5. Pause at the top for a second and bring the weight back down until your arms are extended. Slow, controlled movements are key to an efficient and safe exercise.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Pendlay Row

The Pendlay Row is a barbell back exercise originally named after American weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay. It is a rowing variation popular with strength athletes for its ability to develop the lats, upper and lower back muscles.

How to do it:

1. With a barbell on the ground in front of you, bend down until your upper body is parallel with the ground.
2. The bar should be about a fist from your shins, your knees are slightly bent.
3. Taking a slightly wider grip on the bar, ensure you contract your lower back and engage your midline.
4. Explosively pull the bar up between your upper stomach and lower chest area, tightening your upper back but keeping the same hip angle from the start of the exercise.
5. Maintaining an engaged core, bring the barbell back down all the way to the floor. Make sure this part of the exercise is controlled – you should still be working your back muscles taking the barbell down to the initial position.
6. Ensure your posture is right and amend the position of your back, hips and feet if necessary and repeat.

Read more: Develop a Huge Back with The Pendlay Row

Best lat exercises with machines

• Lat Pulldown
• Cable Row
• T Bar Row

Lat Pulldown

Lat pulldowns are similar to pull-ups, but instead of pulling your body upwards, you perform this exercise seated and pull an external weight down in a similar motion.

How to do it:

1. Start by facing the machine and finding a comfortable seat, with your back straight, core engaged and feet grounded on the floor.
2. Reach for the bar, this should be at a comfortable distance that requires you to almost fully stretch your arms. For a classic lat pulldown, grab the bar with a wide, overhand grip.
3. Pull the bar down until it passes under your chin and your hands are about shoulder height. Make sure you keep your core tight and engage your back muscles throughout this movement. Your elbows should stay relatively close to your sides and your torso should remain in position.
4. Pause for a second and squeeze your lats. 
5. Bring the bar back up in a controlled manner, ensuring this motion is slow and you engage your core and back muscles throughout. The rep is completed when your arms are extended overhead again.

Read more: The Lat Pulldown: One Sure-Fire Way to Grow a Bigger Back

Cable Row

The cable row was specifically created to increase upper body strength and build your back muscles. While muscles like the erector spinea, the rhomboids, and the lower trapezius are targeted, the latissimus dorsi gets an incredible workout with the cable row too.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the cable row machine and place your feet solidly on the platform.
2. Bend your legs slightly and reach for the handles, keeping your back tall.
3. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips, your lower back extended, and your lats engaged.
4. Bend your elbows and bring your hands towards your chest, keeping your back tall and engaging the lats throughout.
5. Pause for a second, then extend the arms again making sure you don’t round your back.
6. Return to the initial position, that is one rep.

T Bar Row

Primarily the T Bar Row is a back exercise and is an excellent fitness tool to help you build a powerful, strong, and muscular back and significant pulling strength. The primary muscles that are worked with this exercise are the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and the posterior deltoid.

How to do it:

1. If using a barbell, load it with the desired weight. If using a machine start with step two.
2. Place your feet shoulder width apart behind the machine, then rest your chest against the pad (if you are using a machine).
3. Reach down and grab the handles of the T Bar machine.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes, and grip, and pull the weight towards you.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement, pausing and holding for a second.
6. Slowly lower the weight to the starting position and exhale at the bottom of the movement.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: T Bar Row – Muscles Worked, Benefits, Technique and Variations

Best bodyweight lat exercises

• Wide Grip Pull-Ups
• Negative Pull-Ups
• Push-Ups
• Rowing

Wide grip pull-ups

Widening your grip during the pull-up will place a greater workload on the lats muscles; the wider the grip, the less help the lats get from other muscles. However, be careful not to exaggerate this, as a high volume of wide grip pull-ups can place unwanted stress on the shoulders.

Negative pull-ups

Negative pull-ups are performed in the same way as a regular pull-up, except you take 3-5 seconds to lower yourself. The motion should be done slowly and under control. You then jump back to the top position.

Push-ups

Push-ups can be done anywhere and are effective, as they activate many muscles at the same time. The push-up is not only a triceps, chest, and shoulder exercise, but works your back as well.

Concentrate on quality more than quantity when doing this bodyweight exercise. Make sure you also pay attention to your hip and legs positioning.

Rowing

Not necessarily an exercise, but rowing is a great way to improve your conditioning while also working a vast number of muscles in your body, including your lats.

What are the most important lats exercises?

The best lat exercise will depend on your goals and what you enjoy doing, as you’re most likely to stick to what you like. If you want to isolate the lats muscles, then perform the lat pulldown, cable row, or the dumbbell row.

If you want to grow a bigger back overall, use wide grip pull-ups or bent over rows.

If you want to pack as much muscle as possible, then the T Bar row and Pendlay row are your friends.  

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

It is, as the name suggests, performed with dumbbells on an inclined bench.

According to Marcus Filly, founder of the Functional Bodybuilding training method, the incline dumbbell press is incredibly beneficial because “pressing through a variety of incline planes on the shoulder is a great way to build resilience for the demands of functional movements that may take load overhead.

“Since there is so much pressing overhead in functional fitness, it is important to build resilience through dumbbell pressing in various vertical planes.”

Because each arm works independently in this exercise, the incline dumbbell press is more challenging than its barbell variation. Adding an incline to the movement still targets your entire pectoralis major (the main chest muscle), but also places a higher emphasis on the upper chest.

How to perform an incline dumbbell press

The correct technique to perform an incline dumbbell press is as follows:

1. Holding a pair of dumbbells on each hand, lean back on an inclined bench and ground your feet on the floor.
2. Bring the dumbbells to your shoulders, heads facing outwards and brace your core. This is the start of the exercise.
3. Using the strength in your torso press both dumbbells overhead. Make sure your wrists remain stable and your arms are straight.
4. At the top of the movement your arms should be perpendicular to the floor and the inner head of both dumbbells should be relatively close to each other.
5. Slowly and under control lower both dumbbells back until your hands reach shoulder height. Make sure your elbows stay close to your body and your shoulders are pressed back. There might be a small arch on your lower back as you bring the dumbbells down.
6. The rep is completed when the dumbbells reach shoulder height.

Muscles worked by the incline dumbbell press

This is a compound exercise that targets many muscles in your upper body but is primarily used to build and strengthen the chest muscles, as well as the shoulders and triceps secondarily.

• Pectoralis major: specifically, the incline dumbbell press targets the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, which is the upper portion of the chest.
• Anterior deltoids: the front portion of your shoulders.
• Triceps brachii: the backside of your upper arm.

Incline dumbbell press bench angle

The correct angle on the bench for this exercise is a debated topic in strength and muscle-building circles.

A 2015 study analysing the influence of bench angle on muscle activation during the bench press found that “a bench incline angle of 30° or 45° resulted in greater muscular activation during certain time points” of both the upper and lower heads of the pectoralis.

It is important to note, however, that this study was performed with barbells, not dumbbells.

The more upright the bench is, the more your upper chest and anterior deltoid are activated. A flatter bench press works the middle and lower chest more. A 90 degree angle on the bench will target your shoulders primarily.

Source: Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Benefits of the incline dumbbell press

Adding the incline dumbbell press to your training can round up your upper body training by rounding up and developing a well-balanced chest and shoulder musculature.

The movement translates well to day-to-day activities that requires us to use a pushing motion while moving an object overhead.

Using dumbbells instead of a barbell means you can access an increased range of motion, going deeper with the movement as there’s no bar to hit your chest. Your arms will also move in a more natural arc as you push the weights overhead.

Additionally, a 2017 study that analysed muscle activation during the bench press using dumbbells or barbells found that dumbbell bench press created greater activation in the pectoralis major than the barbell bench press.

Variations

Alternating Dumbbell Incline Bench Press (Top Down)

Similar to the original exercise, the alternating dumbbell incline press starts with both dumbbells overhead. You then lower one side in a controlled manner and push the weight back up explosively.

According to Marcus Filly, the creator of the Functional Bodybuilding training method, “the value of working both sides of the body in slightly different cadences and patterns is teaching the brain to smooth the transition and maintain a high level of coordination under load and stress.

“From a body standpoint, the benefits and value come in the way of increased time under tension of each side as we alternate. The ‘non-working’ arm that is isometrically contracted is still under tension and working.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FunctionalBodybuilding (@functional.bodybuilding)

Single Arm Dumbbell Incline Press

Because balance can be an issue, this exercise is usually performed with lighter weights. This single arm variation is used to train imbalances in strength or size, and targets the pectoral muscles while also engaging the core muscles for stabilisation.

Read more: Decline Bench Press: How-To, Mistakes to Avoid, Pros and Cons

Glute Bridge Dumbbell Bench Press

“The upper push with the lower body bend/pull are a great compliment,” says Filly.

“This exercise brings them together in one movement. The required hip extension and gluteal contractions throughout the exercise makes for a great combination.”

Improve your body and training with the DB Floor Press, DB Hammer Curl and Dumbbell Shrugs.

It is performed by stretching the arms overhead and pulling a bar toward you, your hands reaching shoulder height, and releasing the bar back up in a controlled manner for one repetition.

What are the lats?

The latissimus dorsi muscles, also known as the lats muscle, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your vertebral column to your arms.

Their primary function is to stabilize the spine while providing strength to the shoulders and arms.

They are some of the biggest muscles in your back, spanning from the top of your hip bone all the way up to your arms.

Source: wikipedia

Read more: Lats Muscle: Building A Powerful Foundation for Upper-Body Strength

How to do a lat pulldown?

Lat pulldowns are similar to pull-ups, but instead of pulling your body upwards, you perform this exercise seated and pull an external weight down in a similar motion.

1. Start by facing the machine and finding a comfortable seat, with your back straight, core engaged and feet grounded on the floor.
2. Reach for the bar, this should be at a comfortable distance that requires you to almost fully stretch your arms. For a classic lat pulldown, grab the bar with a wide, overhand grip.
3. Pull the bar down until it passes under your chin and your hands are about shoulder height. Make sure you keep your core tight and engage your back muscles throughout this movement. Your elbows should stay relatively close to your sides and your torso should remain in position.
4. Pause for a second and squeeze your lats.  
5. Bring the bar back up in a controlled manner, ensuring this motion is slow and you engage your core and back muscles throughout. The rep is completed when your arms are extended overhead again.

Lat Pulldown Machine Form

One of the biggest mistakes people make when performing lat pulldowns is to lean back and use their bodyweight to initiate the exercise. Good lat pulldown form requires you to keep your torso upright, engage your back muscles, and perform every rep slow and controlled.

Which grip is best for lat pulldowns?

You can perform lat pulldowns with either a closed or a wide grip. Both variations are correct and simply target slightly different muscles.

The first, also known as an underhand, shoulder-width grip, is similar to the way you’d hold a bar for chin-ups. This variation targets both your upper back and biceps.

Using a wide, overhand grip prevents your biceps from fully engaging and targets the lats over the back muscles.

The wider your grip, the more the lats have to work during the exercise.

That being said, a 2014 study that examined different grip positions on the lat pulldown concluded that fitness enthusiasts and athletes alike should expect similar results in strength and muscle size no matter which grip they choose.

Source: FitNish Media on Unsplash

Lat Pulldown muscles worked

The lat pulldown is a compound exercise, meaning it targets many muscles at once. While it was designed to target the latissimus dorsi primarily, the exercise also works the following muscles:

• Teres Major
• Rear Deltoids
• Rhomboids
• Levator Scapulae
• Core muscles
• Forearm muscles

Stabiliser muscles include the triceps and the rotator cuff.

The exercise works your lats through a full range of motion, and even if other muscles are targeted, there are little exercises as good as the lat pulldown to build strength in the area the exercise gets its name from.

Lat pulldown alternatives and variations

Single Arm Banded Lat Pulldown

Dumbbell pullover

The dumbbell pullover is a classic bodybuilding exercise that works your chest and back primarily. When performed correctly, the exercise hits everything from the bottom of your pecs to your abs, lats and triceps.

Read more: Dumbbell Pullover: How to Do It, Muscles Worked, Benefits and Workouts

Dumbbell row

The dumbbell row primarily hits muscles on your back, but also improves core stability, while engaging muscles on your shoulders, biceps and triceps. They are a unilateral alternative to the lat pulldown and come with many benefits.

Read more: Dumbbell Row: Who Should Do It, Benefits, & Mistakes to Avoid (Plus 5 Workouts)

Romanian deadlifts

As a compound exercise, the Romanian deadlift targets many muscles at once when done correctly, from your lower body to your core. This strength and muscle building exercise is a version of a still-legged deadlift and, crucially, focuses on the eccentric movement pattern. 

Read more: Try the Romanian Deadlift for Stronger and Bigger Glutes

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT

Before we dig into how to lose weight with fasting, we first have to understand the principles of losing weight.

The single, most important factor when it comes to changing your weight is calorie balance; the ratio between calories consumed and calories expended at any given time.

The amount of energy in an item of food or drink is measured in calories. Our bodies need energy to keep us alive and our organs functioning normally. When we eat and drink, we put energy into our bodies. Our bodies use up that energy through everyday movement, which includes everything from breathing to running.

To lose weight, you need to use more energy than you consume, and continue this over a period of time.

The principle of course applies to maintaining weight and gaining weight as well.

• Maintaining weight: maintaining a stable weight requires the energy you put into your body to be the same as the energy you use through normal body functions and physical activity.
• Gaining weight: if you’re gaining weight, it could mean you have been regularly eating and drinking more calories than you have been using. This is also known as a positive calorie balance.

A negative calorie balance will always result in weight loss. While other aspects such as dehydration and unhealthy weight loss (losing weight too fast by drastically cutting your energy sources for example) affect weight, these aren’t sustainable or healthy, you still need to meet your basic demand of micronutrients.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT WITH FASTING

Fasting is one good way to reduce the calories you consume.

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves regular periods of no food consumption. There are many strategies to implement intermittent fasting, the most popular methods include:

• The 16:8 method, in which you fast for 16 hours and have an eight-hour eating window.
• The 5:2 diet, where you eat normally for five days a week, then reduce your calorie intake to one-quarter of your daily needs for the other two days of the week.
• The Eat Stop Eat diet, which involves identifying one or two non-consecutive days per week during which you abstain from eating, or fast, for a 24-hour period.

Studies looking into how to lose weight with fasting generally find that study subjects tend to consume less calories than they usually would, while hunger levels remain stable or decrease with intermittent fasting.

Most people will naturally eat fewer calories after skipping whole meals. While you might eat more than usual during your periods of eating, it’s unusual for people to completely compensate for the calories they’d have otherwise consumed if not fasting.

For example, imagine your usual lunch is 700cal and your dinner 1,000cal. On an intermittent fasting diet you might skip that lunch. While you might then consume 1,300cal for dinner, you’re unlikely to hit the 1,700cal you’d normally consume in one day. This will help you enter a negative calorie balance.

In addition, many people pay closer attention to what they eat when on a diet, generally making healthier food choices.

Fasting forces you to cut snacks

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Entering a fasting diet forces you to cut on snacks, which is the easiest way to consume less calories without having to make huge alterations to your lifestyle. To start with, simple changes are the most effective, as we’re more likely to stick with them.

People on an intermittent fasting diet have found that they can lose weight by following a diet that forces them to cut out on excesses.

Fasting can influence your perception of hunger

Some data suggests that fasting can affect hormones such as ghrelin (which stimulates appetite and promotes fat storage) and leptin (which helps regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger, which in turn diminishes fat storage).

A 2016 study found that, while ghrelin levels increased during an eight-week alternate day fasting protocol, there was no increase in subjective hunger by the end of the study. Despite the metabolic changes, ghrelin sensitivity decreased and therefore no compensatory increase in hunger emerged.

With these metabolic changes you might feel fuller faster and hungry less often, or your perception of hunger might change as your sensitivity to hunger-related hormones changes. This could translate to fewer calories consumed and, as a result, weight loss.

Fasting and resistance training for weight loss

A 2016 study looking into the effects of intermittent fasting in athletes found that, when combined with resistance training, the 16/8 intermittent fasting method “could improve some health-related biomarkers, decrease fat mass, and maintain muscle mass in resistance-trained males.”

This means that fasting could not only help you reduce body fat, but can also aid in maintaining muscle mass.

The more physical activity we do, the more energy we use. While fasting can help you reduce the calories you consume, exercising will help you burn them. This can help you enter a negative calorie balance, just make sure you always eat enough to meet your basic energy demands.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

IN A NUTSHELL – HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT WITH FASTING

In essence, to lose weight you can either:

1. Consume less calories (eat less)
2. Burn additional calories (exercise more)
3. Do a combination of the two

For most people “the best approach is to combine diet changes with increased physical activity,” the NHS recommends.

Fasting is a popular approach to weight loss as it restricts your eating times and, consequently, gets you to eat less calories. Intermittent fasting has been proven to be not only effective but also sustainable for weight loss.

Yet one approach does not fit all in the quest to achieve body weight control, and the best diet for weight loss is one that is sustainable and one you can stick to in the long run. If intermittent fasting makes it easier for you to stick to a healthy diet, it can have obvious positive effects on your long-term health and weight maintenance.

All content within this article is provided for general information only and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Always consult a dietitian before making big changes to your diet.

While GHD sit-ups and toes to bar are brilliant core exercises, you can also forge a strong midline at home without the need of all the fancy equipment.

A strong core is about much more than its aesthetic, it will help you:

• Carry weights: every time you pick something up from the floor, whether it’s groceries, something obstructing your path or your children.
• Pull external loads: like when you’re faced with a very heavy door or move furniture around.
• Push objects: like storing things overhead.
• Stabilise your entire body: in addition to balance and a strong posture, which will then translate into improving your performance in pretty much all areas of sport.

You rely on your core during daily life as much as you do when doing sports.

Developing a powerful midline will increase your overall stability and balance, thus helping you perform high-level movements easier and make exercises that require less skill more efficient. Try out these home core workouts and upgrade your performance.

HOME CORE WORKOUTS

1 – Gymnastics basics

5 Rounds for Time:

• 10 seconds Hollow Hold
• 10 Alligator Rolls
• 10 seconds Arch Hold
• 1 minute Rest

The hollow hold is a classic CrossFit exercise taught to every beginner who steps into a box. A relatively simple movement, it forms the basis of solid gymnastic movement – swings and kips derivate from the hollow body position.

Dave Durante, creator of this workout, explains athletes should start with 10 repetitions or 10 seconds and build up over time to try and achieve 60 reps or 60 seconds respectively.

The goal should be to increase the total repetitions (or seconds for the holds) of each movement while retaining the ability to perform the entire series unbroken.

Workout by Dave Durante

2 – Suffer in Place

AMRAP (with a Partner) in 18 Minutes (6 Rounds):

• Partner 1: 1 Minute Plank Hold / Partner 2: 1 Minute Push-Ups
• Partner 1: 1 minute Wall Sit Hold / Partner 2: 1 Minute Jumping Squats
• Partner 1: 1 minute Handstand Hold / Partner 2: 1 Minute Hollow Rocks

One partner does the holds while the other does the movements. Swap after each completed 3-minute round.

Score is the total number of repetitions (Push-Ups, Jumping Squats, and Hollow Rocks) completed with partners’ scores combined.

Athletes should be able to recover a little through the holding stations.

All movements involved in this workout will tax your core, so ensure you keep good form throughout.

Workout by Brendan Walcoff

The movement pattern is very similar to an ab rollout and it will help round out your back and chest training.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tone (@tone_trening)

Training big muscle groups like the chest and back at the same time isn’t the norm in bodybuilding and gym culture, so many athletes don’t know when to include the dumbbell pullover in their routines. Historically, this movement was used as a “finisher” at the end of a workout session.

Find out how to perform a dumbbell pullover safely, which muscles it targets exactly, what the benefits of this exercise are and how to include them into your training.

How to Do Dumbbell Pullovers

To perform a dumbbell pullover you’ll need a bench and a dumbbell. It’s recommended you grab a lighter dumbbell to begin with to learn the movement and test your range of motion (think upper-body version of an air squat).

1. Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench and ensure it stays securely place while you get into position.
2. Start lying perpendicular on a bench with only your upper back/shoulders across the bench.
3. Place your feet firmly on the floor and place your hips just slightly below the bench. Your head should be off the bench too.
4. Grab the upper head of the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest, with your arms extended but keeping a small bend on the shoulders.
5. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of one of the sides of the dumbbell.
6. While keeping your arms straight, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head. Make sure your core is engaged and you’re paying attention to your chest and back muscles.
7. Lower the dumbbell until the head you’re holding reaches around the same height as your head.
8. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position keeping your arms extended and your midline engaged.
9. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Exercise tips:

• Use a weight that allows you to safely and effectively extend your arms behind your head before bringing it back up.
• Make sure your core is engaged throughout the movement and only perform this exercise if you don’t have issues with shoulder range of motion or similar shoulder injuries.
• At the top of the rep, you’ll have a heavy weight looming over your head; make sure the dumbbell you’re using is safe.
• While your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbow, make sure you don’t allow too much elbow flexion and turn this into a triceps exercise.

Dumbbell Pullover Muscles Worked

What muscles do dumbbell pullovers work? This exercise targets many muscles on your upper body. Primarily, the dumbbell pullover targets the muscles in your chest, back and shoulders:

• Pectoralis major (pecs)
• Serratus anterior
• Latissimus dorsi (lats)

Secondarily, the movement will also have an effect on your:

• Tres major and posterior deltoid (delts)
• Upper abs
• Triceps
• Lower abs
• Biceps

Dumbbell pullover: chest or back exercise?

Is the dumbbell pullover a chest or a lat movement? The short answer is that it’s both.

Depending on the width of your grip and the position of your shoulders, you can perform a dumbbell pullover to target either your back or chest primarily.

Make sure you engage your pecs throughout the full movement and be aware of where you feel the exercise. While holding the weight overhead at the start of the rep is mostly a chest exercise, pulling the weight overhead will require your lats to activate.

Dumbbell Pullover Benefits

There are many benefits to including dumbbell pullovers in your workout routine. They include:

• Chest and back muscle hypertrophy: the dumbbell pullover is a good exercises to aid with muscle growth, especially when coupled with other chest, arm and back-specific exercises.
• Improved neural pathways: this exercise will help you improve your mind-muscle connection and become more efficient. As it targets two large muscle groups, the connection required between your mind and engaged muscles is higher than with simpler exercises.
• Midline stability: due to the body position of the dumbbell pullover, you’ll have to engage your core to perform the exercise properly and safely. Lowering the dumbbell behind you will recruit your glute and core muscles, improving you full-body stability. Core strength translates to pretty much every aspect of life, so it’s always a good idea to try to improve it.
• Increased strength: ultimately, this is one of the purposes of fitness exercises, and the dumbbell pullover is pretty effective at helping you build strength.

Are dumbbell pullovers dangerous?

Dumbbell pullovers have been deemed a slightly riskier movement for those with shoulder issues. Check your upper body mobility and fix any issues before you attempt the dumbbell pullover. To minimise shoulder injury risk, make sure you don’t overstretch in the overhead position and use excessive range of motion.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Onkar Singh (@onkarsiingh)

Dumbbell Pull Over Variations

The original dumbbell pullover requires an athlete to lie perpendicular to a bench, with only the upper back touching the elevated surface and with the hips in the air.

Parallel dumbbell pullover

For this variation, lie on a bench as if you were about to do a bench press. With the additional back support you’ll reduce strain on your glute and core (although make sure you still engage both).

Dumbbell pullover with stability ball

Instead of using a standard bench, use a stability ball as your elevated surface for this variation. Contrary to the parallel dumbbell pullover, this variation will require more glute and core strength to perform, as a stability ball requires the recruitment of more assistance muscles.

Because a ball isn’t as stable as a bench, it’s recommended you stick to lighter loads if attempting this variation.

Dumbbell Pull Over Workouts

Upper Body Finisher

Three Rounds for Time:

• 30 Wall Ball Shots
• 15 DB Pullovers
• 2 Rope Climbs

This is a CrossFit style workout that will tax your upper body and stamina. Make sure you don’t sacrifice technique for a slightly better time.

The Squats and Milk Hypertrophy Program

This is not a classic hypertrophy program but is still designed to create a serious muscle grow. Additionally, it was originally called the “Squats, Pullover and Milk” program.

Thought for 6 Weeks you will squat heavy and work on your upper body various times a week.

Day 1

• A Power Clean 3×3 2min Rest
• B1 20Rep Squats 1×20 no Rest
• B2 Dumbbell Pullovers 1×20
• C1 Barbell Bench Press 2×10-12 no Rest
• C2 High Cable Flys 2×12-15 90sec Rets
• D Triceps Rope Press Down Drop Set 2Sets 60sec Rest
• E Biceps EZ Curls 21s 2Sets 60Sec Rest

Day 2

• A Snatch High Pull 3×3 2min Rest
• B1 20Rep Squats 1×20 no Rest
• B2 Dumbbell Pullovers 1×20
• C1 Bent Over Row 2×10-12 no Rest
• C2 Bent Over Fly 2×12-15 90sec Rest
• D Hip Thrust Drop Set 2 Sets 60sec Rest
• E Calf Raise 21s 2 Sets 60sec Rest

Day 3

• A Hang Clean 3×3 2min Rest
• B1 20Rep Squats 1×20 no Rest
• B2 Dumbbell Pullovers 1×20
• C1 PullUp 2×10-12 no Rest
• C2 Facepull 2×12-15 90sec Rest
• D Military Press Drop Set 2 Sets 60sec Rest
• E Cross Body Hammer Curls 21s 2 Sets 60sec Rest

Day 4

• A – Power Focus
• B1 – 20Rep Squats
• B2 Dumbbell Pullovers
• C1 Super Set – Compound Exercise
• C2 Super Set – Isolated Exercise
• D Isolation Exercise Drop Set Method
• E Isolation Exercise 21´s Method

For cicuit A use a mid heavy weight that will not blast you totally out. It is thought as a heavier WarmUp.

For circuit C, perform the first set of the compound exercise followed immediately by one set of the isolation exercise. Take the recommended break and repeat for a 2nd set.

For circuit D, start with a weight you can do 3-5 reps with. Drop the weights down as you fatigue for 3 consecutive drops.

For circuit E, use a moderately heavy weight and perform 7 bottom half reps. Next, perform 7 top half reps. Lastly, perform 7 full range of motion reps.

Find out more about the Squats and Milk program here.

Add the dumbbell pullover to your training routine

In general, if you’re working on your physique, it is recommended you do dumbbell pullovers 3-4 x 8-15 during your next chest workout. Make sure you focus on squeezing the pecs to initiate the movement up from the bottom position and work on holding the squeeze throughout the rep.

Using them during back day? Make sure you initiate the pull with the elbows, essentially forgetting about the hands, this way you’ll isolate your lats more efficiently.

Improve your body and training with the DB Floor Press, DB Hammer Curl and Dumbbell Shrugs.

This strength and muscle building exercise is a version of a still-legged deadlift and, crucially, focuses on the eccentric movement pattern. This simply means force is applied as your muscles lengthen, with the aim of slowing down the elongation process to challenge and strengthen your muscles.

As a compound exercise, the Romanian deadlift targets many muscles at once when done correctly, from your lower body to your core.

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Movement demo

What are the benefits of the Romanian deadlift

There are many reasons why to add Romanian deadlifts into your training, from strengthening the biggest muscle in your body – the gluteus maximus – to increasing your hip mobility, they are a great exercise to have in your repertoire.

This deadlift variation is great for isolating the hamstrings and focusing on your hip hinge and body posture, which is important for lifts such as the clean and jerk.

It can also improve your regular deadlift as this is a harder movement with a greater focus on mechanics.

Romanian deadlift muscles worked

This barbell exercise activates many muscles in your posterior chain, including the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, adductors and the erector spinae.

You will be training your hip extension by contracting the glutes and hamstrings to straighten up the hips and come to a standing position. Your spinal erectors will also contract to keep your back in a neutral position throughout this exercise.

Romanian deadlifts variations

While the traditional Romanian deadlift is performed with a barbell and both feet parallel to each other, there are a handful variations you could try:

Split stance Romanian deadlift

This variation of the RDL is performed with one of your legs in front of the other, in a split stance. The purpose of it is to really target the hamstrings and glutes on your front side, while also improving your balance and engaging your core muscles.

Single leg dumbbell Romanian deadlift

For this variation, start holding two dumbbells to your sides as if you were carrying two suitcases. Keeping your neck and spine neutral, and really engaging the core muscles, bend forward at the waist while lifting one leg up. Your standing leg should be kept relatively straight, while the non-working leg should stay in line with the torso.

The single leg dumbbell Romanian deadlift also targets the hamstrings and glutes while placing a big emphasis on your overall posterior chain strength as well.

Supinated grip Romanian deadlift

A supinated grip is one where the palms face away from your body. This RDL variation will place a higher emphasis on your back muscles.

Dumbbell Cross Body Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

The dumbbell cross body single leg RDL requires a great deal of balance and strength. It is a hard exercise even when performed at light weights. The aim of this variation is not to lift heavy but to build body awareness and different movement plains while strengthening your posterior chain and core muscles.

Banded Barbell Romanian Deadlift

By adding bands to this exercise, you can place a higher emphasis on technique, and learn how to master the hip hinge. Resistance is highest at the top of the exercise, which means your muscles will work harder to lower the weight in a controlled manner at the start.

You also have the additional benefit of added resistance standing back up, which activates more muscles and requires a stronger hip hinge than a regular RDL.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more

Shake up your training with the Decline Bench Press, grow your arms with the Pendlay Row and Preacher Curl.

What is the Bulgarian Split Squat?

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a squat variation where one leg is elevated on a surface and other performs a squat, receiving most of the load.

Because of this split position, this single-leg unilateral exercise targets the quadricep muscles, glutes, and hamstrings like no other leg exercise.

It is an exercise recommended for intermediate to advance level athletes who have more control and body-awareness, but beginners can also perform Bulgarian Split Squats on a lower elevated surface without weights to develop these traits.

Benefits of doing Bulgarian Split Squats

There are many benefits to adding Bulgarian Split Squats into your training; not only do you strengthen all muscles targeted with a standard squat, but also increase your single leg strength and gain balance and control through the challenge this exercise presents.

As a unilateral movement, the Bulgarian Split Squat is great for spotting and addressing any imbalances you might have in your lower body. This will then carry over to compound lifts, where you’ll become less likely to compensate with your stronger side.

As well as being a great exercise to build muscle and strength, the Bulgarian Split Squat can improve your ankle and hip mobility when practiced regularly. Additionally, if performed with weights, it’ll increase your core strength and general stability, reinforcing your midline.

Building strength with the Bulgarian Split Squat will carry over to other forms of squat and can help you get over strength plateaus.

Bulgarian Split Squat form

You’ll only need a stable elevated surface to start off with. As you progress with the exercise, you might want to include dumbbells, kettlebells or even a barbell. The correct form to perform a Bulgarian Split Squat is as follows:

1. Start by stepping your rear foot back onto an elevated surface, placing the top of your foot on top of the bench, plates or whatever you’re using as a step. Your front foot should be about two feet in front of your bench.
2. The bench height in the Bulgarian Split Squat should be small as your start out – around 4” should be fine – and can be increased as your hip flexibility, strength and balance improve. A standard height is around 8-10”.
3. With your whole body pointing straight ahead and keeping your core engaged and your torso upright, descend under control until your back knee touches or comes close to touching the ground. The majority of the weight should be kept over the front foot (around 80%), with the additional weight on the rear foot (around 20%).
4. Your front knee should tail your front toes; make sure it’s not caving in to the sides and doesn’t drift too far in front of your toes. Also ensure the descend is controlled; ideally, it’ll take you a second or two to reach the bottom of the exercise.
5. You can decide whether to perform the Bulgarian Split Squat with external weights, all of the variations are expanded on below.
6. To stand back up, drive through the heel on your front foot and come back to a standing position. Continue to make sure your torso is straight and you keep a neutral spine throughout the exercise.
7. Change legs after a handful of reps and repeat.

How to do a Bulgarian Split Squat

Watch this video for a visual demonstration of the Bulgarian Split Squat.

Common faults

• Lifting the front heel: make sure your front foot is flat on the floor and your heel stays grounded throughout the exercise. Adjust the position of your front leg in regard to the elevated surface to fix this fault.
• Driving through the back leg: this exercise should target your front leg mostly, with the back leg only there to offer support and balance. Make sure you are consciously lifting the majority of your weight with the front leg.
• Tipping forward: keep the angle of your upper body upright thought the movement. If you’re tipping forward you might have to adjust your leg positioning or reduce the weight you’re trying to lift.
• Using a surface that’s too high: there’s no need to elevate your back foot too far up, and your technique is likely to suffer if you do.

Bulgarian Split Squat Muscles worked

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a lower body exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, abductor muscles, and calves.

Secondarily, this exercise taxes also your abdominal muscles and spinal erectors.

Depending on where you place your feet, as well as what weight you use and how you choose to hold it, the Bulgarian Split Squat will target slightly different muscles. Standing close to your elevated surface will emphasise your quads (although you should be aware of your knees), while standing further away will tax your hip flexors more heavily.

Holding weights above your chest as you would with an overhead or back- or front-loaded Bulgarian Split Squat will also increase the strain in your core muscles.

Source: Matthew Sichkaruk on Unsplash

Bulgarian Split Squat variations

While the leg positioning in the Bulgarian Split Squat is mostly the same, there are multiple ways you could hold the weights to vary the exercise. You can either:

• Hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides
• Hold a barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell by your chest (front loaded Bulgarian Split Squat)
• Hold a barbell behind your back (back loaded Bulgarian Split Squat)
• Hold a weight overhead

Below we’ll go over all these variations and their benefits.

Two Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat

Also known as a suitcase Bulgarian Split Squat, this dumbbell variation adds weight on both your arms. Performing the exercise holding two dumbbells to your sides ensures muscular balance on both sides of the body.

The suitcase Bulgarian Split Squat can also be performed with kettlebells or any other weight, so long as you hold it by your sides.

Front loaded Bulgarian Split Squat

For this variation, you’d hold a weight by your chest with both hands as you would do for a Goblet Squat. You can also use a barbell and hold it crossed-armed or use the front rack position.

Adding this weight can help with stability and will place a bigger emphasis on your core muscles than a standard bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat. Make sure your back is not rounded by tightening up your core.

Back loaded Bulgarian Split Squat

To add more resistance to the exercise load a barbell onto your shoulders and complete the same movement. You’ll have to be careful to keep your torso upright throughout the exercise for this variation, as the added weight on your back might make you prone to tilting your chest forward.

Overhead Bulgarian Split Squat

This variation of the exercise where the athlete holds a weight overhead places a greater emphasis on the midline than any other variation. The core strength required to stabilise an overhead Bulgarian Split Squat is unmatched.

Because of this, this variation will probably not allow you to lift the heaviest weights but is a very advanced exercise and can be included in your full-body training.

Bulgarian Split Squat workouts

Try the following workouts to include the Bulgarian Split Squat in your training regime.

Workout 1

Workout by @heatherblackfit

Workout 2

Workout by NCFit.

Workout 3

Workout by CrossFit Stimulus.

Read more: Rep Ranges Explained: Learn How to Boost Your Strength and Hypertrophy

Expand Your Knowledge

Learn what type of squat is best for you depending on your abilities or try these excellent variations:

Read more: 6 Back Squat Benefits That Will Make You Want to Grab a Barbell Straight Away

There are many ways to target your trap muscles – which are the muscles that protrude up around your shoulders and neck – with back exercises, but the dumbbell shrug is straightforward and effective.

Especially for people who spend a lot of time hunched over, strengthening your neck and shoulder muscles with the dumbbell shrug can be incredibly beneficial. What’s more, shrugs are not very technical so can be done regardless of your fitness and experience level.

You can make the exercise easier or harder by choosing a different dumbbell weight.

What is a dumbbell shrug

Dumbbell shrugs are a pulling isolation exercise used to develop the upper trapezius. As the name suggests, they are a basic movement which requires you to bring your shoulders up to your ears while holding a pair of dumbbells to your sides.

As an isolation exercise, dumbbell shrugs are a classic weight training and bodybuilding movement that focuses on the hypertrophy of one specific area of the body, your upper trapezius muscles. They are a great exercise to add size to your back, neck and shoulders.

What muscles do dumbbell shrugs work

The dumbbell shrug primarily works your Upper Trapezius muscles. These extend from the sides of your neck to the start of your shoulders, and help control movement of your shoulder blades, upper back and neck.

Secondarily, other muscles assisting the movement are your Middle Trapezius, which sits in your upper back, and your Levator Scapulae, which sits between your upper shoulder and rear neck.

The Erector Spinae, the muscle that runs all down your spine, also contracts without significant movement to help stabilise the dumbbell shrug.

Are big traps necessary?

Muscular traps bring little benefit to day-to-day life, but it’s definitely worth strengthening this area of your body as shoulder movements and many upper body exercises rely primarily and secondarily on these muscles.

Additionally, strong traps can help you maintain proper posture and stabilise your neck and upper back.

You don’t necessarily need to spend countless hours at the gym performing dumbbell shrugs if you want to strengthen your upper traps; there are many compound movements such as deadlifts, cleans, rows and presses which also target this area.

If your goal prioritises aesthetics and you want to build big traps however, dumbbell shrugs are a great straightforward hypertrophy exercise.

How to do a dumbbell shrug properly

Learn how to perform a dumbbell shrug properly:

1. Start by standing tall, with a neutral spine, holding a pair of dumbbells on each side, palms facing each other.  
2. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart and the weight of the dumbbells should allow you to lift your shoulders without arching your spine.
3. Brace your core and elevate your shoulders as high as possible, keeping your arms straight. The force should come from your traps, so make sure you perform the shrug slow enough for you to feel the resistance.
4. Hold your shoulders high for a second and then lower them in a controlled manner to come back to a neutral standing position.
5. Repeat the movement.

Common dumbbell shrugs faults

It is easy to perform a dumbbell shrug incorrectly by failing to contract your muscles fully or using too much weight. Make sure your movement is controlled and that you are contracting your trap muscles throughout the exercise to provide your traps with the appropriate stimuli to grow.

Never roll your shoulder when you’re doing a dumbbell shrug; the movement is always vertical on a single plane of motion upward and downward.

Another common dumbbell shrug fault is to try and perform the exercise too fast. This will lead to other muscles in your upper back being activated and, besides increasing your injury risk, won’t lead to the results you’re looking for.

For the best hypertrophy results hold the shrug at the top of the movement for a second or two. Make sure there’s no momentum throughout any part of the exercise.

What benefits do dumbbell shrugs have

Besides developing and strengthening your shoulders and trapezius muscles, dumbbell shrugs are a great exercise to stabilise your neck and aid with other upper body exercises.  

Because you hold a dumbbell in each hand, dumbbell shrugs can also help you address shoulder imbalances.  

Shrugs also partially improve your grip and forearm strength, especially as you gravitate towards heavier weights.

In contrast to barbell shrugs, which allow you to lift heavier weight, dumbbell shrugs allow for a greater upwards range of motion of your traps.

How many repetitions of dumbbell shrugs should I do?

The number of reps you perform will depend completely on your goals.

Generally, because you don’t spend a lot of time under tension during this exercise, it is safe to aim for sets of 10 to 20 reps.

Start on the lower end of this range and build up towards the 20 reps if your goal is hypertrophy. For strength, stay between 8 and 12 reps at heavier weights.

If you’re performing dumbbell shrugs to ease neck pain – only do this if it’s safe for you to do so – keep the weights as light as possible.

Other exercises to build strong traps and shoulders

Other exercises to develop your shoulders and traps include:

• Dumbbell rows
• Deadlifts
• Overhead press
• Farmer carry

Have fun with your training!

Improve your body and skills with the DB Lateral Raise, Incline DB Press and DB Pullover.

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

It is, as the name suggests, performed with dumbbells on an inclined bench.

According to Marcus Filly, founder of the Functional Bodybuilding training method, the incline dumbbell press is incredibly beneficial because “pressing through a variety of incline planes on the shoulder is a great way to build resilience for the demands of functional movements that may take load overhead.

“Since there is so much pressing overhead in functional fitness, it is important to build resilience through dumbbell pressing in various vertical planes.”

Because each arm works independently in this exercise, the incline dumbbell press is more challenging than its barbell variation. Adding an incline to the movement still targets your entire pectoralis major (the main chest muscle), but also places a higher emphasis on the upper chest.

How to perform an incline dumbbell press

The correct technique to perform an incline dumbbell press is as follows:

1. Holding a pair of dumbbells on each hand, lean back on an inclined bench and ground your feet on the floor.
2. Bring the dumbbells to your shoulders, heads facing outwards and brace your core. This is the start of the exercise.
3. Using the strength in your torso press both dumbbells overhead. Make sure your wrists remain stable and your arms are straight.
4. At the top of the movement your arms should be perpendicular to the floor and the inner head of both dumbbells should be relatively close to each other.
5. Slowly and under control lower both dumbbells back until your hands reach shoulder height. Make sure your elbows stay close to your body and your shoulders are pressed back. There might be a small arch on your lower back as you bring the dumbbells down.
6. The rep is completed when the dumbbells reach shoulder height.

Muscles worked by the incline dumbbell press

This is a compound exercise that targets many muscles in your upper body but is primarily used to build and strengthen the chest muscles, as well as the shoulders and triceps secondarily.

• Pectoralis major: specifically, the incline dumbbell press targets the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, which is the upper portion of the chest.
• Anterior deltoids: the front portion of your shoulders.
• Triceps brachii: the backside of your upper arm.

Incline dumbbell press bench angle

The correct angle on the bench for this exercise is a debated topic in strength and muscle-building circles.

A 2015 study analysing the influence of bench angle on muscle activation during the bench press found that “a bench incline angle of 30° or 45° resulted in greater muscular activation during certain time points” of both the upper and lower heads of the pectoralis.

It is important to note, however, that this study was performed with barbells, not dumbbells.

The more upright the bench is, the more your upper chest and anterior deltoid are activated. A flatter bench press works the middle and lower chest more. A 90 degree angle on the bench will target your shoulders primarily.

Source: Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Benefits of the incline dumbbell press

Adding the incline dumbbell press to your training can round up your upper body training by rounding up and developing a well-balanced chest and shoulder musculature.

The movement translates well to day-to-day activities that requires us to use a pushing motion while moving an object overhead.

Using dumbbells instead of a barbell means you can access an increased range of motion, going deeper with the movement as there’s no bar to hit your chest. Your arms will also move in a more natural arc as you push the weights overhead.

Additionally, a 2017 study that analysed muscle activation during the bench press using dumbbells or barbells found that dumbbell bench press created greater activation in the pectoralis major than the barbell bench press.

Variations

Alternating Dumbbell Incline Bench Press (Top Down)

Similar to the original exercise, the alternating dumbbell incline press starts with both dumbbells overhead. You then lower one side in a controlled manner and push the weight back up explosively.

According to Marcus Filly, the creator of the Functional Bodybuilding training method, “the value of working both sides of the body in slightly different cadences and patterns is teaching the brain to smooth the transition and maintain a high level of coordination under load and stress.

“From a body standpoint, the benefits and value come in the way of increased time under tension of each side as we alternate. The ‘non-working’ arm that is isometrically contracted is still under tension and working.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FunctionalBodybuilding (@functional.bodybuilding)

Single Arm Dumbbell Incline Press

Because balance can be an issue, this exercise is usually performed with lighter weights. This single arm variation is used to train imbalances in strength or size, and targets the pectoral muscles while also engaging the core muscles for stabilisation.

Read more: Decline Bench Press: How-To, Mistakes to Avoid, Pros and Cons

Glute Bridge Dumbbell Bench Press

“The upper push with the lower body bend/pull are a great compliment,” says Filly.

“This exercise brings them together in one movement. The required hip extension and gluteal contractions throughout the exercise makes for a great combination.”

Improve your body and training with the DB Floor Press, DB Hammer Curl and Dumbbell Shrugs.

Strong arms are helpful for stabilising lifts, essential for gymnastics movements, and important for presses, pull ups and throws.

Your arms as a whole should be trained to achieve balance. This is also important for mobility and strength, and to keep your elbows and shoulders healthy after placing big loads of stress in them.

Even though CrossFit is usually based on functional movements instead of bicep curls, these dumbbell arm exercises to build muscle will help you get stronger and perform better in your workouts.

Don’t neglect your accessory work.

INCLINE BICEPS CURL

This exercise maximises the focus on your biceps, especially the long head. The incline press curl prevents athletes from “cheating”, so take a lighter weight than you’d use for standing curls. Sit back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand and, keeping your elbows close to your torso, rotate the palms of your hands until they’re facing forward. Curl the weight towards your shoulder while maintaining the upper arm stationary. Breathe out as you contract the biceps.

Ensure you move only your forearms and continue the movement until the dumbbell is at shoulder level. Hold it there for a second.

An alternative for this exercise is performing plank with bicep curls. Get into a plank position with a dumbbell under each hand. Keeping your body as still as possible, bring one dumbbell toward your shoulder and lower it back down, then repeat on the other side.

The advantage of performing an incline biceps curl, however, is that athletes are forced to keep perfect form and prevented to aid the arm movement by compensating with other parts of their body.

(Image: weighttraining)

DUMBBELL ARM EXERCISES – KICK BACK

Start with one knee and one hand on a bench, knee under hips and hand under shoulders. Keep your back straight, bend slightly forward at the waist and have your torso almost parallel to the bench. Hold the weight with your free hand, point your forearm at the floor and bring your upper arm in line with your torso, forming so a 90-degree angle between your upper arm and forearm.

Keeping your upper arm stationary, use your triceps to lift the dumbbell towards your hip, extending your arm fully in the movement. Your focus should be on moving only your forearm and keeping your elbow next to your body.

LATERAL RAISES

Because this exercise requires you to work with your arms extended at all times, you might feel the burn pretty early on. It also means you’ll be working your shoulders, upper arms and forearms.

Hold a pair of dumbbells on either side of you and bend your elbows slightly. Raise your arms straight to your sides until the dumbbells are at shoulder height, engaging the core and keeping your feet shoulder-with apart. Your body should look like a cross or the letter “t”. Hold the move for a second at the top and then bring the weights down in a controlled manner.

FLOOR DUMBBELL SKULLCRUSHERS

Described on Men’s Heath as “The One Move That Will Make Your Triceps Bigger”, this exercise is a great one to build muscle.

Lie on the floor with the dumbbells resting on the floor behind your head, then raise the weight above your head until your arms are straight. The benefit of doing skullcrushers on the floor over standard (standing) ones is that an athlete can lift heavier weights and truly challenge the triceps.

DUMBBELL ARM EXERCISES – OVERHEAD PRESS

The overhead dumbbell press’ main focus is on the shoulders, yet the exercise will also have an impact on your arms. As done in typical CrossFit workouts, make sure you perform this exercise standing up and keep your core engaged at all times.

Hold a pair of dumbbells just outside your shoulders with your arms bent and palms facing each other, knuckles facing up. Raise the weights above your head until your arms are extended and hold the position for a second. Bring the dumbbells back to your shoulders in a controlled motion.

DUMBBELL SEAL ROW

A serious way to build muscle, this exercise is performed lying with your chest on a bench – like a seal.

Be sure to set up somewhere where you can straighten your arms. Lying with your body facing down on a bench, keep your neck packed and lower your arms on either side of the bench. With dumbbells on both hands pull your elbows towards your hips and bring the dumbbells between your belly button and your chest.

The benefit of doing seal rows with dumbbells over barbells is that the first allow for a wider range of motion, working your muscles even further. The weight you’ll lift will be done using your arms, shoulders and back, with no momentum to aid the move.

A progression for this movement would be to do it exactly like a seal and lift the legs off the bench.

DUMBBELL ARM EXERCISES – OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION

Sitting down, grab the dumbbell and raise it above your head. Grab it on one end with one hand so the dumbbell is vertical and in line with your spine. Making sure your core is engaged, lower the weight behind your head and then press back up to the start. Keep your upper arms stationary.

If this is too much, you can scale this exercise by grabbing the dumbbell with both hands.

Your muscles need enough fuel to grow and recover, have a look at the “Nutrition and Scientific Principles of Strength Training” to know how to build muscle appropriately and effectively.

Improve your body and skills with the DB Lateral Raise, Incline DB Press and DB Pullover.

What are where are the oblique muscles?

Source: Public Domain

The oblique muscles are located on the lateral sides of the abdomen. They run from below your chest to the top of your hips in two long vertical lines.

They are formed by two abdominal muscles, the external and internal obliques, and allow you to turn and rotate your trunk, spine, and core. Your obliques also support your back and overall posture.

Why do oblique exercises?

Your obliques are an essential part of your main abdominal muscles together with the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominus.

It is not essential that you train your obliques, but if you want to strengthen your core then you shouldn’t leave this major muscle group out.

Oblique exercises are essential to maintaining a strong and well-rounded core.

These muscles are used every day to support and stabilise your midline and back, as well as control posture and pelvic position. Any rotational movement will also recruit your obliques and working on them will only build up overall strength in your core.

A strong core in turn will directly benefit your sporting performance by providing a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

Oblique exercises at home without equipment

While the most popular oblique exercises require cable machines and other equipment, it is perfectly possible to train your obliques at home with the following exercises, which have been found to stimulate great muscle activation through surface electromyography (EMG), the gold standard to assess muscle activity:

• V-Sit
• Bicycle Crunch
• Abdominal Bracing

V-Sit

The V-Sit is by far the exercise that recruits the most activity in the external oblique muscles compared to other bodyweight abs exercises, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found.

This exercise, which works multiple areas of the core at once, has your body holding a static position in the shape of a V.

How to do it:

1. Start sitting down, with your legs bent in front of you.
2. Bracing your core, extend your legs and slowly lift them up until they reach a 45-degree angle with your torso.
3. Extend your back and reach your arms forward to help with balance.
4. Maintain your core muscles engaged throughout and make sure to keep a strong spine and your shoulders pushed back.
5. Hold your body in this V-shape positions for around 10-15 seconds, aiming to increase the time you’re able to spend in this position as time goes by.

Bicycle Crunch

This bodyweight exercise activates many of your core muscles but, most importantly, has been found in some EMG analyses to elicit a greater oblique activation than other oblique exercises.

In fact, the “bicycle manoeuvre” (the bicycle crunch) was named the “best abs exercise” by a 2001 ACE-sponsored study for its ability to stimulate the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques, as a single exercise. The study compared 13 of the most common abs exercises to determine the most effective.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground.
2. Engage your core and hover your legs over the floor, then bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
3. With your hands behind your head, perform a diagonal crunch by bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. You should crunch to one side while rotating your torso. Don’t pay too much attention in having your elbows touch your knees. Instead, focus on using your obliques and rotate as far as possible on each side.
5. Return your torso to hover just above the floor and do the same with your leg, then bend your left knee and perform another crunch, this time twisting towards your left side.
6. Repeat for around 15 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

Abdominal bracing is one of the most effective exercises for the internal obliques. In fact, the 2013 study from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine mentioned above found significantly higher muscle activation during this exercise compared to nine other static and dynamic abdominal exercises.

Abdominal bracing requires an athlete, in a standing neutral-spine position, to activate the abdominals maximally without hollowing the lower abdomen. The exercise is similar to a standing hollow hold. The study subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

Other oblique exercises

• High to Low Cable Woodchoppers
• Hanging Knee-Ups
• Decline Bench Curl-Up
• Power Wheel Pike

Hight to Low Cable Woodchoppers

One of the most popular and effective oblique exercises are the High to Low Cable Woodchoppers, they are a great option as they allow you to “apply weighted resistance directly in line with the diagonal way the oblique fibers run,” says Jeremy Ethier, Kinesiologist and FMS, NASM certified.

Make sure you minimise the movement in your arms by locking your elbows and do the work through your oblique muscles. Perform between 10 and 15 reps.

Hanging Knee-Ups

Hanging Knee-Ups showed high external and internal oblique muscle EMG activity compared to other traditional and non-traditional abdominal exercises, a 2006 study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal found.

While this exercise is excellent for fitter individuals, the study authors recommend athletes with lower back problems avoid it because of “relatively high L4–L5 disk compression”.

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a bar in a space where your feet won’t touch the floor.
2. With your body hanging from the bar, bend your knees and lift them toward your chest.
3. Keep your core engaged throughout and stop when your knees are anywhere between your hips and your chest.
4. Keeping control of your body, slowly lower your legs again and repeat.

Decline Bench Curl-Up

This oblique exercise was found by a 2013 study from the University of Wisconsin to elicit higher EMG activity compared to the traditional crunch. This is because athletes need to contract the external obliques to maintain stabilization during the Decline Bench Curl-Up, also known as an incline reverse crunch.

These results are backed by a 2014 study published in the American Council of Exercise, which ranked the incline curl-up as the second best for obliques (the first being the Ab-Wheel roll out). The curl-up is a combination between a knee raise and a crunch.

How to do it:

1. Lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top and grip the pads behind your head. Start with your knees bent.
2. Bring your knees towards your chest by engaging your core muscles and stabilising your body with your obliques, your hands should only provide support.
3. Continue until your lower back is hovering over the bench and your knees are near your elbows, then hold the position for a second before slowly coming back down.
4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Power Wheel Pike

The Power Wheel Pike was found to be the most effective at activating the oblique muscles, according to the 2006 study mentioned above. A 2010 study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy then researched similar abs exercises but performed with a Swiss ball, and concluded that the pike (alongside the roll-out) was the most effective exercise in activating the external and internal obliques.

As this is a slightly more complicated exercise that requires a reasonable amount of core strength to be completed properly. So, if you’re newer to fitness, perform the other oblique exercises in this article and slowly work your way up to the pike.

Where are the lats muscles and what do they do?

The latissimus dorsi muscles, also known as the lats muscles, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your vertebral column to your arms.

They are some of the biggest muscles in your back, spanning from the top of your hip bone all the way up to your arms and covering the width of your middle and lower back. Together, they look like the wings of a butterfly.

Their primary function is to stabilize the spine while providing strength to the shoulders and arms.

The lats muscles are used mostly in pulling motions, and they help us perform things like pull-ups, swimming, and even breathing. They also help extend, move, and rotate the shoulder joint, help keep the spine straight, and assist in sideways bending.

Source: wikipedia

Best lat exercises with dumbbells and barbells

• Dumbbell Row
• Dumbbell Pullover
• Landmine Row
• Bent Over Row
• Pendlay Row

Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row primarily hits muscles on your back, but also improves core stability, while engaging muscles on your shoulder, biceps, and triceps.

How to do it:

1. On a bench parallel to you, place a hand and knee of the same side on it, while the other foot is touching the ground.
2. A dumbbell should be on the ground next to the bench and close to your foot. Reach down with your free hand and grab the dumbbell with palms facing you.
3. Remember to keep your back straight at all times – this will engage your core throughout the exercise.
4. Row the dumbbell to your side by pulling your elbows back towards the hips and upwards. The elbow should barely pass your torso line.
5. Lower the dumbbell until the arm is fully extended. That is one rep.

Read more: Dumbbell Row: Who Should Do It, Benefits, & Mistakes to Avoid (Plus 5 Workouts)

Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is another great lat exercise. It is a classic bodybuilding exercise that works your chest and back at the same time; when done right, the dumbbell pullover hits everything from the bottom of your pecs to your abs, lats and triceps.

How to do it:

To perform a dumbbell pullover you’ll need a bench and a dumbbell. It’s recommended you grab a lighter dumbbell to begin with to learn the movement and test your range of motion (think upper-body version of an air squat).

1. Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench and ensure it stays securely place while you get into position.
2. Start lying perpendicular on a bench with only your upper back/shoulders across the bench.
3. Place your feet firmly on the floor and place your hips just slightly below the bench. Your head should be off the bench too.
4. Grab the upper head of the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest, with your arms extended but keeping a small bend on the shoulders.
5. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of one of the sides of the dumbbell.
6. While keeping your arms straight, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head. Make sure your core is engaged and you’re paying attention to your chest and back muscles.
7. Lower the dumbbell until the head you’re holding reaches around the same height as your head.
8. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position keeping your arms extended and your midline engaged.
9. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Read more: Dumbbell Pullover: How to Do It, Muscles Worked, Benefits and Workouts

Landmine Row

The landmine row is a barbell pulling exercise that builds significant upper body strength and muscle. As a heavy row, the exercise is incredibly effective for strengthening the lats muscles and shoulders, but also works the core and chest muscles.

How to do it:

1. Set up the barbell.
2. Stand over the barbell with one foot on either side. Face towards the end which is loaded with weight.
3. Bend down and grip the barbell with both hands, bending your knees slightly and keeping your back straight.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes and grip, then pull the barbell up towards your chest.
5. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, pause for a second and tense your back and shoulder blades as tightly as you can.
6. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Exhale at the bottom of the range of motion.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: Landmine Row – Powerful Benefits, Technique Tips and Muscles Worked

Bent Over Row

The bent over row is a popular exercise which improves strength in the upper and lower back, with a special emphasis on the lats and shoulders, and secondary recruitment of the glutes and hamstrings.

It is important to keep a proper stance throughout this lat exercise to avoid placing too much pressure on the lower back.

How to do it:

1. Load the barbell or place a pair of dumbbells in front of you.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees slightly and lean forward, hinging from the hip.
3. Keeping your back straight and your neck neutral, grab the weights. Your hands should be slightly wider that shoulder width-apart.
4. Bend your elbows and row the weight upwards towards your chest. Make sure you keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.
5. Pause at the top for a second and bring the weight back down until your arms are extended. Slow, controlled movements are key to an efficient and safe exercise.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Pendlay Row

The Pendlay Row is a barbell back exercise originally named after American weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay. It is a rowing variation popular with strength athletes for its ability to develop the lats, upper and lower back muscles.

How to do it:

1. With a barbell on the ground in front of you, bend down until your upper body is parallel with the ground.
2. The bar should be about a fist from your shins, your knees are slightly bent.
3. Taking a slightly wider grip on the bar, ensure you contract your lower back and engage your midline.
4. Explosively pull the bar up between your upper stomach and lower chest area, tightening your upper back but keeping the same hip angle from the start of the exercise.
5. Maintaining an engaged core, bring the barbell back down all the way to the floor. Make sure this part of the exercise is controlled – you should still be working your back muscles taking the barbell down to the initial position.
6. Ensure your posture is right and amend the position of your back, hips and feet if necessary and repeat.

Read more: Develop a Huge Back with The Pendlay Row

Best lat exercises with machines

• Lat Pulldown
• Cable Row
• T Bar Row

Lat Pulldown

Lat pulldowns are similar to pull-ups, but instead of pulling your body upwards, you perform this exercise seated and pull an external weight down in a similar motion.

How to do it:

1. Start by facing the machine and finding a comfortable seat, with your back straight, core engaged and feet grounded on the floor.
2. Reach for the bar, this should be at a comfortable distance that requires you to almost fully stretch your arms. For a classic lat pulldown, grab the bar with a wide, overhand grip.
3. Pull the bar down until it passes under your chin and your hands are about shoulder height. Make sure you keep your core tight and engage your back muscles throughout this movement. Your elbows should stay relatively close to your sides and your torso should remain in position.
4. Pause for a second and squeeze your lats. 
5. Bring the bar back up in a controlled manner, ensuring this motion is slow and you engage your core and back muscles throughout. The rep is completed when your arms are extended overhead again.

Read more: The Lat Pulldown: One Sure-Fire Way to Grow a Bigger Back

Cable Row

The cable row was specifically created to increase upper body strength and build your back muscles. While muscles like the erector spinea, the rhomboids, and the lower trapezius are targeted, the latissimus dorsi gets an incredible workout with the cable row too.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the cable row machine and place your feet solidly on the platform.
2. Bend your legs slightly and reach for the handles, keeping your back tall.
3. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips, your lower back extended, and your lats engaged.
4. Bend your elbows and bring your hands towards your chest, keeping your back tall and engaging the lats throughout.
5. Pause for a second, then extend the arms again making sure you don’t round your back.
6. Return to the initial position, that is one rep.

T Bar Row

Primarily the T Bar Row is a back exercise and is an excellent fitness tool to help you build a powerful, strong, and muscular back and significant pulling strength. The primary muscles that are worked with this exercise are the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and the posterior deltoid.

How to do it:

1. If using a barbell, load it with the desired weight. If using a machine start with step two.
2. Place your feet shoulder width apart behind the machine, then rest your chest against the pad (if you are using a machine).
3. Reach down and grab the handles of the T Bar machine.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes, and grip, and pull the weight towards you.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement, pausing and holding for a second.
6. Slowly lower the weight to the starting position and exhale at the bottom of the movement.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: T Bar Row – Muscles Worked, Benefits, Technique and Variations

Best bodyweight lat exercises

• Wide Grip Pull-Ups
• Negative Pull-Ups
• Push-Ups
• Rowing

Wide grip pull-ups

Widening your grip during the pull-up will place a greater workload on the lats muscles; the wider the grip, the less help the lats get from other muscles. However, be careful not to exaggerate this, as a high volume of wide grip pull-ups can place unwanted stress on the shoulders.

Negative pull-ups

Negative pull-ups are performed in the same way as a regular pull-up, except you take 3-5 seconds to lower yourself. The motion should be done slowly and under control. You then jump back to the top position.

Push-ups

Push-ups can be done anywhere and are effective, as they activate many muscles at the same time. The push-up is not only a triceps, chest, and shoulder exercise, but works your back as well.

Concentrate on quality more than quantity when doing this bodyweight exercise. Make sure you also pay attention to your hip and legs positioning.

Rowing

Not necessarily an exercise, but rowing is a great way to improve your conditioning while also working a vast number of muscles in your body, including your lats.

What are the most important lats exercises?

The best lat exercise will depend on your goals and what you enjoy doing, as you’re most likely to stick to what you like. If you want to isolate the lats muscles, then perform the lat pulldown, cable row, or the dumbbell row.

If you want to grow a bigger back overall, use wide grip pull-ups or bent over rows.

If you want to pack as much muscle as possible, then the T Bar row and Pendlay row are your friends.  

Increasing your shoulder strength through pressing can benefit countless exercises, including throwing movements such as wall balls, barbell presses like the jerk, or bodyweight skills such as handstand push-ups.

5 Best Shoulder Pressing Exercises

1. Dead Stop Press
2. Push Press
3. Bradford Press
4. Tape Press
5. Triceps Kickback

1 – Dead Stop Press

Start with the bar around eye level and focus on the full lockout and extension of the triceps, explains Eramo O’Connell. This is where the athlete has identified she struggles, being unable to finish a barbell push rep after getting it off her shoulders.

This exercise focuses on the finish position of the rep.

• Perform 5 sets of 6 at a moderately challenging weight.
• When you’re done, go into a max set by decreasing the weight by 5-10% and perform as many reps as you can.

2 – Push Press

This exercise allows you to overload the shoulders and get used to heavier weights through the aid of momentum and the use of your legs.

There is a direct correlation between nailing push presses and increasing numbers in the strict press.

Read more: Push Press: How to Develop Explosive Strength and Power

3 – Bradford Press

You can get a very high number of reps and time under tension with the Bradford Press, making it one of the best shoulder pressing exercises for strength.

You’ll work both the front and the back of your shoulders.

This exercise should be performed at a lighter weight and you shouldn’t extend your arms all the way up, instead simply focus on clearing the head.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

4 – Tape Press

Strengthening your triceps will not only improve your overall pressing but also help your lockout.

One exercise to do this is the Tape Press, which starts with you laying flat on the ground with two dumbbells in the extended position, heads touching.

Keep the heads touching the entire time as you lower the dumbbells down to your chest. Touch all heads at the bottom of the movement and then press back up.

5 – Triceps Kickbacks

Because the very last portion of a press is all triceps strength, it’s important to also work on this muscle to improve your shoulder pressing.

Triceps kickbacks are a great exercise to achieve this.

• Aim to hit 12-15 reps with a 1 second rest at the top of the exercise.

Learn more

Add these science-backed oblique exercises to your training to build a well-rounded core or learn how to improve your pull-ups.

It is a unique type of documentary rarely seen in the fitness space, focusing on smaller, local, and relatable stories from everyday people while telling the fascinating history of spices and the surprising role they’ve played throughout history.

Now available to pre-order online, the film takes viewers from India all the way to Portugal, via Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka.

Spice Kings trailer

“Being interested in history, I wanted to show how everything is connected and how there’s always been a transference of arts, culture and food across the world,” said Amit about his reason for pursuing this story. “My desire is, and always will be, that as humans we are more accepting of other’s cultures and food.

“This all lead me to doing research to show something that hit all those points and all roads lead to the Portuguese Spice route.

“CrossFit has always had an inclusive culture and it was natural extension to explore how each place’s culture impacted on CrossFit and also how CrossFit was impacting the fitness scene in return.”

Spice Kings documentary

Amit, the filmmaker behind the movie, has always enjoyed history, travel, culture, and food. He also enjoys seeing how far CrossFit has spread across the world and what shape the sport has taken in generally underrepresented areas.

In Spice Kings, he brings all these interests together, brilliantly sharing how spices changed the ancient world and how they continue to influence cuisines today, while visiting fitness communities along the way.

Amit is telling stories that no one else is, shining a light on the CrossFit scene in a part of the world that is generally left in the dark. In Sri Lanka, he meets the owners of CrossFit Ceylon, who tell him about how facing tough workouts has given them a mental fortitude they have been able to take outside the gym, and their desire to share that with others.

They also share how they have sent their coaches abroad to get their Level 1 coaching certifications. While their toyed with the idea of sourcing coaches from abroad, it was important to them to build a long-lasting local community, with coaches who would eventually open their own Boxes and continue to grow the ecosystem.

“Everyone is starting from scratch. We had to learn everything from scratch. We didn’t have high level coaches giving us internships,” said Andy Andrews, Co-Owner and Head Coach of the Box, explaining how they went online and learnt everything for the Level 1s and 2s.

Once people come in, hurdles like price are put aside because they can see the value in their membership to the Box. The high standards bode well for the future development of CrossFit in the country.

Amit doesn’t only focus on CrossFit, but also on traditional martial arts. In Sri Lanka for example, he also meets with people practicing Angampora, a martial arts inspired by the Indian martial art Kalaripayattu, the oldest martial arts in the world.

Spice trade

Spices changed the ancient world. The spice trade was so profitable, that there was a time where half of Portugal’s state revenue came from African gold and Indian pepper and spices.

Spices defined whole economies, determined international trade routes, and gave power and wealth to those you controlled them.

Learning more about this fascinating bit of history is well worth it, and if you can do so while salivating at delicious-looking food I would not pass on the opportunity.

Spice Kings is unique, wonderful, and insightful. There’s none of the intensity and loudness that one has come to expect from CrossFit-related movies, instead it takes the viewers on an unlikely but thoroughly enjoyable journey through history, culture, food, and fitness.

Where are the lats muscles and what do they do?

The latissimus dorsi muscles, also known as the lats muscles, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your vertebral column to your arms.

They are some of the biggest muscles in your back, spanning from the top of your hip bone all the way up to your arms and covering the width of your middle and lower back. Together, they look like the wings of a butterfly.

Their primary function is to stabilize the spine while providing strength to the shoulders and arms.

The lats muscles are used mostly in pulling motions, and they help us perform things like pull-ups, swimming, and even breathing. They also help extend, move, and rotate the shoulder joint, help keep the spine straight, and assist in sideways bending.

Source: wikipedia

Best lat exercises with dumbbells and barbells

• Dumbbell Row
• Dumbbell Pullover
• Landmine Row
• Bent Over Row
• Pendlay Row

Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row primarily hits muscles on your back, but also improves core stability, while engaging muscles on your shoulder, biceps, and triceps.

How to do it:

1. On a bench parallel to you, place a hand and knee of the same side on it, while the other foot is touching the ground.
2. A dumbbell should be on the ground next to the bench and close to your foot. Reach down with your free hand and grab the dumbbell with palms facing you.
3. Remember to keep your back straight at all times – this will engage your core throughout the exercise.
4. Row the dumbbell to your side by pulling your elbows back towards the hips and upwards. The elbow should barely pass your torso line.
5. Lower the dumbbell until the arm is fully extended. That is one rep.

Read more: Dumbbell Row: Who Should Do It, Benefits, & Mistakes to Avoid (Plus 5 Workouts)

Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is another great lat exercise. It is a classic bodybuilding exercise that works your chest and back at the same time; when done right, the dumbbell pullover hits everything from the bottom of your pecs to your abs, lats and triceps.

How to do it:

To perform a dumbbell pullover you’ll need a bench and a dumbbell. It’s recommended you grab a lighter dumbbell to begin with to learn the movement and test your range of motion (think upper-body version of an air squat).

1. Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench and ensure it stays securely place while you get into position.
2. Start lying perpendicular on a bench with only your upper back/shoulders across the bench.
3. Place your feet firmly on the floor and place your hips just slightly below the bench. Your head should be off the bench too.
4. Grab the upper head of the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest, with your arms extended but keeping a small bend on the shoulders.
5. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of one of the sides of the dumbbell.
6. While keeping your arms straight, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head. Make sure your core is engaged and you’re paying attention to your chest and back muscles.
7. Lower the dumbbell until the head you’re holding reaches around the same height as your head.
8. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position keeping your arms extended and your midline engaged.
9. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Read more: Dumbbell Pullover: How to Do It, Muscles Worked, Benefits and Workouts

Landmine Row

The landmine row is a barbell pulling exercise that builds significant upper body strength and muscle. As a heavy row, the exercise is incredibly effective for strengthening the lats muscles and shoulders, but also works the core and chest muscles.

How to do it:

1. Set up the barbell.
2. Stand over the barbell with one foot on either side. Face towards the end which is loaded with weight.
3. Bend down and grip the barbell with both hands, bending your knees slightly and keeping your back straight.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes and grip, then pull the barbell up towards your chest.
5. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, pause for a second and tense your back and shoulder blades as tightly as you can.
6. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Exhale at the bottom of the range of motion.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: Landmine Row – Powerful Benefits, Technique Tips and Muscles Worked

Bent Over Row

The bent over row is a popular exercise which improves strength in the upper and lower back, with a special emphasis on the lats and shoulders, and secondary recruitment of the glutes and hamstrings.

It is important to keep a proper stance throughout this lat exercise to avoid placing too much pressure on the lower back.

How to do it:

1. Load the barbell or place a pair of dumbbells in front of you.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees slightly and lean forward, hinging from the hip.
3. Keeping your back straight and your neck neutral, grab the weights. Your hands should be slightly wider that shoulder width-apart.
4. Bend your elbows and row the weight upwards towards your chest. Make sure you keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.
5. Pause at the top for a second and bring the weight back down until your arms are extended. Slow, controlled movements are key to an efficient and safe exercise.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Pendlay Row

The Pendlay Row is a barbell back exercise originally named after American weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay. It is a rowing variation popular with strength athletes for its ability to develop the lats, upper and lower back muscles.

How to do it:

1. With a barbell on the ground in front of you, bend down until your upper body is parallel with the ground.
2. The bar should be about a fist from your shins, your knees are slightly bent.
3. Taking a slightly wider grip on the bar, ensure you contract your lower back and engage your midline.
4. Explosively pull the bar up between your upper stomach and lower chest area, tightening your upper back but keeping the same hip angle from the start of the exercise.
5. Maintaining an engaged core, bring the barbell back down all the way to the floor. Make sure this part of the exercise is controlled – you should still be working your back muscles taking the barbell down to the initial position.
6. Ensure your posture is right and amend the position of your back, hips and feet if necessary and repeat.

Read more: Develop a Huge Back with The Pendlay Row

Best lat exercises with machines

• Lat Pulldown
• Cable Row
• T Bar Row

Lat Pulldown

Lat pulldowns are similar to pull-ups, but instead of pulling your body upwards, you perform this exercise seated and pull an external weight down in a similar motion.

How to do it:

1. Start by facing the machine and finding a comfortable seat, with your back straight, core engaged and feet grounded on the floor.
2. Reach for the bar, this should be at a comfortable distance that requires you to almost fully stretch your arms. For a classic lat pulldown, grab the bar with a wide, overhand grip.
3. Pull the bar down until it passes under your chin and your hands are about shoulder height. Make sure you keep your core tight and engage your back muscles throughout this movement. Your elbows should stay relatively close to your sides and your torso should remain in position.
4. Pause for a second and squeeze your lats. 
5. Bring the bar back up in a controlled manner, ensuring this motion is slow and you engage your core and back muscles throughout. The rep is completed when your arms are extended overhead again.

Read more: The Lat Pulldown: One Sure-Fire Way to Grow a Bigger Back

Cable Row

The cable row was specifically created to increase upper body strength and build your back muscles. While muscles like the erector spinea, the rhomboids, and the lower trapezius are targeted, the latissimus dorsi gets an incredible workout with the cable row too.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the cable row machine and place your feet solidly on the platform.
2. Bend your legs slightly and reach for the handles, keeping your back tall.
3. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips, your lower back extended, and your lats engaged.
4. Bend your elbows and bring your hands towards your chest, keeping your back tall and engaging the lats throughout.
5. Pause for a second, then extend the arms again making sure you don’t round your back.
6. Return to the initial position, that is one rep.

T Bar Row

Primarily the T Bar Row is a back exercise and is an excellent fitness tool to help you build a powerful, strong, and muscular back and significant pulling strength. The primary muscles that are worked with this exercise are the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and the posterior deltoid.

How to do it:

1. If using a barbell, load it with the desired weight. If using a machine start with step two.
2. Place your feet shoulder width apart behind the machine, then rest your chest against the pad (if you are using a machine).
3. Reach down and grab the handles of the T Bar machine.
4. Inhale and brace your core, glutes, and grip, and pull the weight towards you.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement, pausing and holding for a second.
6. Slowly lower the weight to the starting position and exhale at the bottom of the movement.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Read more: T Bar Row – Muscles Worked, Benefits, Technique and Variations

Best bodyweight lat exercises

• Wide Grip Pull-Ups
• Negative Pull-Ups
• Push-Ups
• Rowing

Wide grip pull-ups

Widening your grip during the pull-up will place a greater workload on the lats muscles; the wider the grip, the less help the lats get from other muscles. However, be careful not to exaggerate this, as a high volume of wide grip pull-ups can place unwanted stress on the shoulders.

Negative pull-ups

Negative pull-ups are performed in the same way as a regular pull-up, except you take 3-5 seconds to lower yourself. The motion should be done slowly and under control. You then jump back to the top position.

Push-ups

Push-ups can be done anywhere and are effective, as they activate many muscles at the same time. The push-up is not only a triceps, chest, and shoulder exercise, but works your back as well.

Concentrate on quality more than quantity when doing this bodyweight exercise. Make sure you also pay attention to your hip and legs positioning.

Rowing

Not necessarily an exercise, but rowing is a great way to improve your conditioning while also working a vast number of muscles in your body, including your lats.

What are the most important lats exercises?

The best lat exercise will depend on your goals and what you enjoy doing, as you’re most likely to stick to what you like. If you want to isolate the lats muscles, then perform the lat pulldown, cable row, or the dumbbell row.

If you want to grow a bigger back overall, use wide grip pull-ups or bent over rows.

If you want to pack as much muscle as possible, then the T Bar row and Pendlay row are your friends.  

The documentary will follow the story of the 2021 CrossFit Games, which saw some exciting young athletes come into the spotlight.

This included Mal O’Brien, the youngest athlete to ever win a CrossFit Games event (17 years), and Justin Medeiros, who became the youngest ever CrossFit Games winner at just 22 years of age.

It seems like the documentary will also shine a spotlight on rising young stars Guilherme Malheiros and Emma Cary.

Watch CrossFit Games documentary trailer Fittest on Earth: Next Gen

The documentary will also highlight the professionalism of CrossFit Games athletes, regardless of the sport’s youth.

The trailer promises an exciting movie and leaves viewers with the impression that many voices will be heard, not only from the ultimate champions but also the other podium athletes: Laura Horvath, Pat Vellner, Annie Thorisdottir, and Brent Fikowski.

“In 2021, new and seasoned competitors marked the 15^th year of the Games with 15 events designed to test the limits of human potential and their worthiness to be called the fittest,” the film description reads.

“At the 2021 Games, we witnessed the return of some of the sport’s greats and the rise of the new initiates – those who will carry the mantle of the Fittest on Earth for the next generation.”

Watch Fittest on Earth: Next Gen

The latest CrossFit Games documentary, Fittest on Earth: Next Gen, will premiere on July 5, 2022.

Pre-orders are now available on Apple in the following 39 countries:

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belarus, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands. Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Zimbabwe.

CrossFit also announced the documentary will be “more territories on Apple, Amazon, and Vimeo worldwide” soon.

Strength in Depth will take place in London, England, between June 10 and 12. The event consists of six workouts that 30 male and 30 female athletes will tackle, as well as 20 teams.

Only the top 5 in each division at the end of the weekend will be invited to compete in the 2022 CrossFit Games.

With names such as Jonne Koski, Willy Georges, Emma McQuaid, and Katrin Davidsdottir set to compete you won’t want to miss any of the action.

CrossFit Strength in Depth Semifinal livestream

The Strength in Depth Semifinal livestream will be available on Games.CrossFit.com and on the CrossFit Games App.

You can also find the livestreams below:

Day 1, Friday June 10

Day 2, Saturday June 11

Day 3, Sunday June 12

Event schedule

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Top athletes to watch

Women

The women’s field is hotly contested, with some established athletes facing promising up-and-coming ones, and it’ll be very interesting to see who gets the Games invites and who has to battle it out at the Last-Chance Qualifier.

Emma McQuaid

As one of the favourites to win this weekend, McQuaid is a seasoned Games athlete riding high off her Wodapalooza victory. She also won the Lowlands Throwdown Semifinal last year and is the second highest ranked athlete from the Europe Quarterfinals.

Read more: If You Haven’t Been Paying Attention to Emma McQuaid You Better Start Now

Thuri Helgadottir

She might not be your first thought when you imagine Icelandic athletes, but Thuri is one of the best and most consistent athletes out there. She’s a 6-time CrossFit Games athlete with a personal best finish of 9^th in 2019.

She might not make waves, but you can be sure she’ll quietly and solidly stay within the top 5 women throughout this weekend.

Emma Tall

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Tall was announced as a Games qualifier last year just to have the leaderboard reviewed afterwards (the Semifinal took place online) and her invitation withdrawn. She then went to win the Last-Chance Qualifier and earn so her ticket to the CrossFit Games.

The 29-year-old is looking to make her way back to the Games and is definitely one to watch out for.

UPDATE (June 9th, 2022): Emma Tall has had to withdraw from the CrossFit Strength in Depth Semifinal due to illness.

Jacqueline Dahlstrom

The Norwegian athlete is one of the most impressive up-and-coming athletes from the region. While Dahlstrom outright won two Sanctionals in 2019, not many know about her.

This is slowly changing, and the 30-year-old heads into the weekend as one of the highest ranked female athletes, having placed 4^th in the Europe Quarterfinals.

Katrin Davidsdottir

The two-time Fittest Woman on Earth has still got a lot of fight left in her. The 29-year-old left CompTrain at the end of the 2021 season and moved back to Iceland to train alongside last year’s third Fittest Woman on Earth, Annie Thorisdottir.

It’ll be her first live competition since the move, and it’ll be exciting to see what she’s been working on.

Other top female athletes

Additionally, athletes such as Sam Briggs, Emilie Lundberg, Aimee Cringle, and Solveig Sigurdardottir, all of incredible calibre, will also be on the competition floor.

Find the whole leaderboard here.

Men

Willy Georges

Known for his incredible strength, Georges had to miss the 2021 CrossFit season due to injury. He’s now back on the competition floor and, if we can trust his track record, will also be one of the top 5 men this weekend.  

Jonne Koski

The Finish powerhouse is the favourite coming into the weekend. He missed the Rogue Invitational during the off season and underwent shoulder surgery, but says he’s back to normal and lifting the impressive numbers he was before.

The 27-year-old won his Semifinal last year, finished 6^th at the CrossFit Games, and is hungry for more.

Henrik Haapalainen

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Henrik Haapalainen (@henrikhaapalainen)

Another Finnish athlete, Haapalainen qualified for the Games for the first time last year and finished 18^th.

The 27-year-old is looking to make his way back and, having finished 6^th at the Dubai CrossFit Championship in December, is looking poised to achieve this.

Elliot Simmonds

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elliot Simmonds (@ellsimmo93)

The two-time UK national champion is not only a great athlete but will also be competing on home soil, which is surely going to play to his advantage.

Giorgos Karavis

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Giorgos Karavis (@giorgos_karavis)

The only Greek athlete to qualify for the CrossFit Games in 2021, Karavis will look to secure another Games invite this weekend. He has competed in the Open since 2017 and has got plenty of experience on the live competition stage.

Other top male athletes

Other top athletes competing in London include Alex Kotoulas, Andre Houdet, Zack George, PD Savage, and Simon Mantyla.

Find the full leaderboard here.

CrossFit Semifinals

The weekend of June 10-12 will play host to two other Semifinals: the Atlas Games, the last one in North America, and the Copa Sur, the South America Semifinal.

These three Semifinals mark the end of the CrossFit Games qualifying season and will establish the last athletes to advance to the Ultimate Test of Fitness (excluding the two men and women who advance through the Last-Chance Qualifier).

Both athletes put out impressive performances, with 18-year-old O’Brien winning four out of six workouts – three with huge margins – and The Professor climbing his way up the leaderboard on the last day to claim that top spot.

The Granite Games took place between June 3 and 5 in Minnesota, U.S. and were the third CrossFit Semifinal taking place in North America. The competition established five men, women, and teams to qualify for the 2022 CrossFit Games.

Other Semifinals this past weekend included the Far East Throwdown in Busan and the online Age Group (50+) and Adaptive Semifinals.

Granite Games results

Women

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

In bold: CrossFit Games qualifiers.

In italics: Last-Chance Qualifier athletes.

Men

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

In bold: CrossFit Games qualifiers.

In italics: Last-Chance Qualifier athletes.

Teams

The five teams above have qualified for the 2022 CrossFit Games.

View the full leaderboard here.

Granite Games Semifinal highlights

Heavy lifts during the barbell complex

Dani Speegle stole the show by lifting an impressive 245lb during the Barbell Complex, which conformed of three cleans, two front squats, and a jerk. Speegle equalled Tia-Clair Toomey’s winning weight at the Torian Pro Semifinal (as well as Christine Kolenbrander’s and Paulina Haro’s at the Syndicate Crown).

On the men’s side, Anthony Davis had the crowd on their feet with his 355lb complex.

This is the most any man has lifted during Semifinals.

Games Rookies make a stand

Two rookies qualified for the 2022 CrossFit Games from the Granite Games.

Phil Toon, who placed 9^th at last year’s Atlas Games Semifinal and then 6^th in the Last-Chance Qualifier, earnt his first CrossFit Games ticket with his second place finish this weekend, ahead of veterans such as Mayer and Kwant.

The 24-year-old secured five top 10 finishes (including an event win) and a 12^th place finish. He was the only man to finish the 2014 Regional’s IE5, with legless rope climbs and sprints, in under 3 minutes.

Alex Gazan was on the line between securing her first CrossFit Games ticket and earning a Last-Chance Qualifier invite all weekend long. The 20-year-old bested the competition by winning the last workout and being the only woman to complete the legless rope climbs and sprints in under 4 minutes.

Gazan participated in Semifinals for the first time last year, competing at the West Coast Classic and finishing 16th. This weekend, the Underdogs Athletics athlete secured three top 3 finishes (including the event win), her worst placement standing at 11^th.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Underdogs Athletics (@underdogsathletics)

Unbroken

The first workout, Heavy Handstand Reverse Fran, included exciting finishes from both the men’s and women’s fields, with some no-reps making for a thrilling race.

The workout was:

For Time

9-15-21

• Barbell Thrusters (115, 80lb)
• Yard Handstand Walk

Time Cap: 6 Minutes

Both O’Brien and Paulson went unbroken in all their reps and sets.

Semifinals coming up

June 10-12 will be the last weekend of this year’s Semifinals with three events taking place all around the world.

In London, Strength in Depth will establish 5 men, women, and teams to qualify for the Games from Europe. So will the Atlas Games in Québec for athletes in the North America region.

In Vitória, Brazil, the top 2 men, women, and teams from the Copa Sur will advance to the Games.

The leaderboard for the Masters (50+) divisions and Adaptive divisions will be finalised by Sunday, June 12 and determine the 10 and 5 athletes respectively to qualify for the Games.

Taking place in Minnesota, U.S., between June 3 and 5, the Granite Games is the third CrossFit Semifinal taking place in North America.

Five athletes in the men’s and women’s divisions, as well as five teams will advance to the CrossFit Games this summer, with individual athletes finishing 6^th through 8th earning a place in the Last Chance Qualifier.

Find out who you should watch out for, how to watch the Granite Games online, events coming up, and more.

How to watch the Granite Games online

The Granite Games livestream will be available on Games.CrossFit.com and on the CrossFit Games App.

You can also find the livestreams below.

Livestream

Day 1, Friday June 3

The competition kicks off at 2:45 p.m. local time and runs all the way through to 9:15 p.m.

Day 2, Saturday June 4

The second day starts at 1:15 p.m. and runs until 9:15 p.m.

Day 3, Sunday June 5

Athletes will close off their Semifinal starting at 11:15 a.m. and go through to 6:45 p.m.

Find the full competition schedule here.

Who to watch at the Granite Games

Men

Brent Fikowski

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

If the Professor is not on your who-to-watch list, we want to know where you’ve been hiding. Coming to the Semifinal having secured a 3^rd place finish at the 2021 CrossFit Games, the 31-year-old is poised to put up a show this weekend.

Brent has finished inside the top 5 at the CrossFit Games four times out of six and has been training hard since his last live competition appearance 10 months ago.

Chandler Smith

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Chandler’s goal when he started CrossFit was to qualify for the Games in 2022. He reached that goal early, making a stand on event 1 at the 2019 Games and finishing that edition in 15^th place.

The 28-year-old was then only two points away from qualifying to the in-person CrossFit Games finals in 2020, where only five male and female athletes had the chance to participate in. He would face another cut during the 2021 Games, finishing the competition ranked 21^st.

Safe to say, Chandler is determined to make 2022 his year.

Sam Kwant

While Kwant is an incredibly experienced athlete, not many knew his name before the 2020 CrossFit Games, where he was one of five athletes to qualify to compete live at the Ranch and where he secured the title of Second Fittest Man on Earth.

Many were excited to see what he could do at the 2021 Games with wider competition and a packed stadium, but a chronic illness flareup during last year’s Semifinal prevented him from qualifying.

He is determined to make it back to the competition floor in Madison.

Read more: Sam Kwant Becomes Latest Athlete to Leave CompTrain

Travis Mayer

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Part of the Training Think Tank Crew, Mayer is incredibly strong but often overlooked. With six years of CrossFit Games experience under his belt, the 31-year-old is consistent as anything.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see him quietly but solidly earn a CrossFit Games ticket this weekend.

Watch out also for the likes of Josh Woodhull, Phil Toon, Colten Mertens, Marquan Jones, and Timothy Paulson.

Women

Mallory O’Brien

Headlining this weekend, Mallory O’Brien comes into the Granite Games having won the Open and won Quarterfinals in her region. The 18-year-old seems to be pretty unstoppable, her numbers consistently climbing up and up.

Emily Rolfe

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

The only Canadian athlete competing at the Granite Games, Rolfe is a solid bet to stand within the top 5 female athletes at the end of the weekend.

Having finished 15^th at the 2021 CrossFit Games, the 33-year-old is ready for more.

Amanda Barnhart

Known for her impressive strength with the barbell, Barnhart is another experience CrossFit Games athlete sure to finish high this weekend. With four CrossFit Games under her belt – three of which including a top 10 finish – the 30-year-old is someone to keep your eyes out for.

Dani Speegle

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

The US national champion in 2019 has had a couple of rough seasons since, but that doesn’t make her any less of an impressive athlete. It seems like the 3-time CrossFit Games athlete is coming into the Granite Games in full health, so all other athletes better watch out.

Watch out also for past Games athlete Feeroozeh Saghafi and the only Central American athlete to qualify for Semifinals this season, Ana Maria Valladares.

Upcoming Semifinals

Only one week of Semifinals remains after the conclusion of this weekend.

Coming up in the world of CrossFit before the community takes a short break are:

Read more: How to Watch 2022 CrossFit Semifinals

The sun had begun to set and the breeze had started to cool. The magic golden light that had danced through thick leaves to land on the damp blades of grass had all but faded. I had been running for close to 12 hours and I was ready to give up.

Not only could I barely move my heavy legs anymore, but my mind was in a ditch, every tiny emotion threatening to flare up and erupt like the mightiest volcano. I hadn’t struggled this much for a long time, yet deep, deep down I was glad for it. I wouldn’t realise this until days later, removed far away enough from the event to fully appreciate the whole picture.

Sport, with all its mental and physical health benefits, is also an ideal vehicle for discomfort. This is, perhaps counterintuitively, one of its biggest benefits.

Scale up your training experience - Get BOXROX Pro

• Exclusive premium content
• Ad free browsing
• Members only access
• Enhanced reading experience
• Cancel anytime

Subscribe now

Already a member? Click here to sign in

The online competition determines the 10 athletes that advance to the 2022 CrossFit Games.

The Age Group Semifinal, which took place between May 26 and 29, saw athletes in each age division compete in six workouts for their chance to qualify for the Games.

This is the third online competition Teens and Master athletes have tackled this season, starting with the Open, moving on to Quarterfinals, and finally Semifinals.

According to the CrossFit Games rulebook, the leaderboard will be finalised by the 5^th of June, “within one week of each competition concluding.”

Here are the unofficial results of week 1 of the Age Group Semifinals, as they stand at the time of writing.

Age Group Semifinals results

Check out the workouts these athletes completed.

Girls 14-15

Boys 14-15

Read more: OPINION: CrossFit Should Divide the 14-15 Teens Division

Girls 16-17

Boys 16-17

Women 35-39

Men 35-39

Women 40-44

Men 40-44

Women 45-49

Men 45-49

View the full Age Group Semifinal leaderboard here.

Highlights

Greek athlete Ioannis Papadopoulos lifted the heaviest weight during workout 6 – a max Clean and Jerk following Wall Balls – with a total of 352lb. The second athlete to lift the most weight in the age group was 17-year-old Johan Roberts with an impressive 331lb, one pound heavier than 42-year-old Alexandre Jolivet.

Olivia Kerstetter lifted the most weight out of all women competing across all divisions with a huge 242lb clean and jerk.

Workout 3, which involved completing a maximum number of snatches, saw 15-year-old Lucy McGonigle complete a mind-blowing 89 reps. And workout 4, which saw athletes complete max-rep Bar Muscle-Ups after GHD Sit-Ups and Handstand Walks, saw numbers well into the triple digits, with 16-year-old Trista Smith completing the most reps across all female age divisions with a score of 159. 35-year-old Bryan Wong completed 162 reps for the win.

Notable names missing the CrossFit Games (unofficially)

For 2022, only 10 athletes in each age group advance to the CrossFit Games, a 50% cut from the previews year.

At the time of writing, experienced CrossFit Games athletes such as Frederik Aegidius, Paul Tremblay, Austin Malleolo and Annie Sakamoto all sit outside the 10-athlete cut-off line.

CrossFit Semifinals coming up

Age Group Semifinals (week 2)

The second week for Age Group Semifinals takes place between Thursday, June 2, and Sunday, June 5. The following age groups will compete for their spot at the 2022 CrossFit Games:

• 50-54
• 55-59
• 60-64
• 65+

Adaptive Semifinals

Additionally, all Adaptive divisions will be competing in the Adaptive Semifinals the same weekend. This is also an online competition – for which the workouts have now been released – and will crown the Fittest Athletes in the Vision, Intellectual, Seated without hip function, Seated with hip function and Short stature divisions.

The top five athletes from the Upper Extremity, Lower Extremity, Neuromuscular divisions will receive an invitation to compete live in the CrossFit Games.

Individual and Team Semifinals

To close the weekend off, two Individual and Team Semifinals will take place live between June 3 and 5. The Far East Throwdown will determine the two men, women, and teams that qualify for the CrossFit Games from the Asia region, while the Granite Games will invite 5 men, women, and teams from the North America to the ultimate testing grounds.

This is the only Semifinal around the world where only one CrossFit Games qualifying spot is available per division, which means only the top female and male athletes and the best team continue their season to the ultimate proving grounds.

The event, which took place between May 27 and 29, in Stellenbosch, South Africa, saw 30 of the best male and female athletes from the region, as well as 20 teams compete in six workouts for their chance to qualify for the Games.

The female competition was hotly contested, with Michelle Merand and Michelle Basnett entering the last day of competition tied in 1^st place. Last year, it was Basnett who won the battle, but a 1^st and 2^nd place finishes on the last two events secured Merand the CrossFit Games spot.

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Jason Smith, the beloved South African CrossFit Games athlete, lead the competition coming into the last day. He was, however, bested by Kealan Henry by 12 points. Henry placed inside the top 5 in four out of the six workouts and secured his first CrossFit Games ticket.

Most impressively, this was only Henry’s second live CrossFit competition ever.

His first in-person competition was the 2021 Fittest in Cape Town Semifinal, where he finished 5^th.

Read more: How to Watch 2022 CrossFit Semifinals

CrossFit Fittest in Cape Town leaderboard

Second through to fourth place finishers have earnt an invitation to compete in the Last-Chance Qualifier, an online competition taking place the week of June 29 – July 1, 2022, with two CrossFit Games tickets for athletes close to qualifying positions after Semifinals.

Who are Michelle Merand and Kealan Henry, winners of 2022 Fittest in Cape Town CrossFit Semifinal?

Michelle Merand is a 33-year-old CrossFit athlete from South Africa. She competed at the CrossFit Games in 2019 and finished 41^st, having previously competed at the Meridian Regionals twice, once as an individual and once in a team. She is the owner and Head Coach at FitBox Durbanville and competed in her first Open in 2015.

Kealan Henry is a 29-year-old athlete from South Africa. He has a background in waterpolo, athletics, and soccer but his passion for rugby led him to pursue a career in the sport. After retiring from rugby, he dedicated himself to coaching CrossFit and participated in his first Open in 2017.

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Fittest in Cape Town best performances

Workout 1: The Deep End

For time:

• 1000m Ski Erg

Then 5RfT of:

• 100m Swim
• 20 Alternating Bear Hug Forward Lunges with Slam Ball

30kg | 50kg

Time cap: 24 minutes

Winners

Workout 2: 2014 Regional Event 5

10 rounds for time of:

• 1 Legless Rope Climb
• 170ft Run

Winners

Workout 3: Lucky Number 7

7 rounds for time of:

• 7 Ring Muscle-Ups
• 7 Bar Facing Burpees
• 7 Deadlifts

84kg | 125kg

Time cap: 18 minutes

Winners

Workout 4: Barbell Complex

3 attempts for max load of:

• 3 Cleans
• 2 Front Squats
• 1 Jerk

Time cap: 15 minutes

Winners

Workout 5: Stellies Chipper

For time:

• 100 Wall Balls
• 15m Handstand Walk
• 75cal Row
• 15m Handstand Walk
• 50 Handstand Push-Ups
• 15m Handstand Walk
• 25 Toes-to-Bar
• 15m Handstand Walk

Time cap: 21 minutes

Winners

Workout 6: Time for Pudding

For time:

• 27 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
• 27 Dumbbell Squat Snatches
• 18 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
• 18 Dumbbell Squat Snatches
• 9 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
• 9 Dumbbell Squat Snatches

15kg | 22.5kg

Time cap: 8 minutes

Winners

Running from May 27 through to May 29 in Knoxville, Tennessee, the event will see 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams go head-to-head for those coveted CrossFit Games spots.

Read more: How to Watch 2022 CrossFit Semifinals

On the men’s field, among athletes participating are top CrossFit Games athletes Cole Sager, Saxon and Spencer Panchik, Noah Ohlsen, Tyler Christophel, and Logan Collins.

Up-and-coming athletes that could make a stand this weekend are Dallin Pepper (3x Fittest Teen on Earth), Jake Marconi (who trains under Mat Fraser), and Zach Watts (5th at last year’s MACC).

On the women’s field, CrossFit Games podium contenders Danielle Brandon and Brooke Wells are the top two athletes to watch alongside Baylee Rayl and Sydney Michalyshen.

You can find the full leaderboard of athletes competing at the Mid Atlantic CrossFit Challenge here.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Read more: 2022 CrossFit Semifinal Events: Where and When Will Top Athletes Qualify for The CrossFit Games

Mid Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (MACC) livestream

Day 1

Running from 12:30 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. ET.

Day 2

Running from 8:45 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. ET.

Day 3

Running from 8:45 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. ET.

Event schedule

Friday, May 27th

Source: MACC

Saturday, May 28th

Source: MACC

Sunday, May 29th

Source: MACC

Individual workouts

Event 1: Barbell Complex

3 attempts for max load of:

• 3 cleans + 2 front squats + 1 jerk (shoulder-to-overhead)

Event 2: Midline Sadness

For Time:

• 50 GHD Situps
• 30′ Handstand Walk
• 30 Overhead  Squats (145/95)
• 30′ Handstand Walk
• 40 GHD Situps
• 60′ Handstand Walk
• 20 Overhead Squats (165/115)
• 60′ Handstand Walk
• 30 GHD Situps
• 90′ Handstand Walk
• 10 Overhead Squats (185/135)

Time Cap: 14 minutes

Event 3: 2014 Regional Event 5

10 rounds for time:

• 1 legless rope climb, 15’
• Run (170’)

Time Cap: 11 minutes

Event 4: The MACC Mile

4 Rounds for Time:

• 400m Trueform
• 30 Wall Balls (20/14)
• 20 C2B Pullups
• 80’ Tank Push
• 10 Sandbag to Shoulder (150/100)
• 80’ Tank Push

Time Cap: 25 minutes

Event 5: Hardcore Parkour

For time:

• 2KM Echo Bike
• 30 Toes To bar
• 50 Alternating DB Snatch (70/50)
• 30 Toes to bar
• 20 burpee box get over (48/40)

Time Cap: 15 minutes

Event 6: Turbo Tunnel

For time:

• 18 Ring Muscle Ups
• 15 Front Squats (205/145)
• 45ft Front Rack Lunge
• 12 Bar Muscle Ups
• 9 S2OH (165/115)
• 45ft OH Lunge

Time Cap: 12 minutes

Previous winners

Last year, reigning Fittest Woman on Earth Tia-Clair Toomey took the top spot at the Mid Atlantic CrossFit Challenge because of travel restrictions that prevented her from competing in her home region of Australia.

She was followed by Haley Adams, Brooke Wells, Amanda Barnhart, and Jessice Griffith.

On the men’s side, Jayson Hopper shocked the crowd by winning the event without previous CrossFit Games experience.

He was followed by Scott Panchik, Justin Medeiros, Travis Mayer, and Zach Watts.

They’re especially good because they allow you to measure distance accurately, with a precision no GPS device can yet offer. Each length of the track is 100m, making a lap around the track 400m exactly (if you run on the inside lane).

The main benefit of running track workouts is to get your body used to running fast, yet “running fast” is more nuanced than you might think at first; there are many stages and “gears” to fast running.

Source: RUN 4 FFWPU / Pexels

Knowing exactly what set paces feel like, the difference between going 5, 10 or 20 seconds per kilometre slower or faster, and knowing what pace you can sustain and for how long can help you make educated decisions when you’re faced with a certain distance.

Whether you’re a middle-distance or long-distance runner, knowing what specific paces feel like can be hugely beneficial to you on race day.

It is therefore good to have good time and distance variations in your track workouts, going anywhere between 20 seconds of all-out efforts to controlled but fast five to ten minutes efforts, or anything in between.

Give these track workouts a try and see how they improve your running.

Read more: How to Start Running? Simple Tips for Novice Runners

Track workout 1

• 800m
• 200m
• 600m
• 200m
• 400m
• 200m
• 400m
• 200m
• 600m
• 200m
• 800m

There is huge granularity in this workout, all reps should be run fast, but the 200m should all be consistent and the fastest.

Give yourself anywhere between 30 seconds to a minute to recover between reps.

Track workout 2

• 400
• 600
• 800
• 1,000
• 800
• 600
• 400

This pyramid-style workout is a classic track workout. No stage of it should necessarily feel easy, but it will teach you the difference between a 1km effort and a 400m sprint. Start each rep when you feel recovered enough to tackle the next one hard.

Track workout 3

• 400m
• 800m
• 1200m
• 1600m
• 2000m

Completing an extra lap of the track with each rep, this workout gets harder as it progresses. While the last rep will be the slowest try to keep the intensity up throughout. You can increase rest time between reps as the workout progresses.

Track workout 4

• 5,000m time trial

Try this workout at the start and end of your training cycle and see how much you’ve improved.

Source: Photo by RUN 4 FFWPU on Pexels

Track workout 5

• 2x (1200, 800, 400m)

A good aim for this one is to try to make the reps in the second round slightly faster than the first. Keep rest short between reps but give yourself enough time to recover between the sets.

Track workout 6

• 4 x 5 minutes

Run this at a pace faster than your 5k race pace and keep each effort consistently high. Rest around a minute between sets.

Track workout 7

• 5x 800m
• 200m recovery

Perform this workout non-stop by slowly jogging 200 meters between the 800m efforts.

Track workout 8

• 6 x 1km

This is an excellent workout to try if you’re training for a 5km race, as it will have you run just over the distance at a slightly faster pace than your target, but giving you a break after each kilometre.

Source: Martin Sanchez on Unsplash

Track workout 9

• 1600m
• 3 min rest
• 1200m
• 2 min rest
• 800m
• 1 min rest
• 400m

The distance to cover will get shorter but so will the rest periods, perhaps forcing you to go before you’re comfortable.

Track workout 10

• 2x (400, 600, 800, 600, 400)

Give yourself 5 minutes rest between sets.

Track workout 11

• 3 minutes
• 4 minutes
• 5 minutes
• 4 minutes
• 3 minutes

Another classic pyramid workout, this time focusing on time. Pay attention to your pace and see how much further you can get as the time increases.

Track workout 12

• 8x (1 fast lap, 1 slow lap)

This is another non-stop workout, great for long-distance runners. Go as hard as you can for 400m, then recover for the next 400m before doing it all again, eight times over.

Benefits of track workouts

• Accuracy: your GPS device is unlikely to be accurate to the meter for efforts as short as 200m. In a track, you know exactly how far you’re running.
• Repeatable: because distance is so accurate, you can measure your past performances against your current fitness and see clear improvement.
• Fun: running as fast as you can is a great feeling and a track, with its bouncy surface, soft corners and consistency, offers the best environment to do so.
• Social: tracks are great places to meet up with running friends and push the pace together. Trying these track workouts together with others will also motivate you to push harder than you would if you were running by yourself.
• Safe: in a track, you can endlessly run non-stop. This means not worrying about traffic lights, passing cars, or road crossings.
• Will improve your running: this benefit of track workouts should come without saying, but knowing how to pace yourself for different distances, what different paces feel like, and how long you can sustain specific efforts with hugely benefit your running.

Do you enjoy doing things fast? Try these 10 Quick Sprint Workouts To Build Explosivity or learn How To Run a 5-Minute Mile.

CrossFit, which entails “constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity,” sees its participants perform monostructural movements, weightlifting exercises and gymnastics tasks.

It is a fitness movement designed to promote well-rounded athletes.

According to Dr. Laura Vogel, MD, CrossFit doesn’t disproportionately cause injury in athletes compared to other sports.

“CrossFit injuries [have been] shown to be on par with other sports as far as injury rates within [the US],” she told Healio News during the 2022 International Extreme Sports Medicine Congress.

A 2022 systematic review found that injury incidence rate in CrossFit is similar to weightlifting and powerlifting. According to the authors, risk factors included:

• older age
• male sex
• a greater body mass index
• existence of previous injuries
• lack of coach supervision
• CrossFit experience
• participation in competitions

However, the authors warned that the limited quality of the studies mean no solid conclusions about injury risk factors can be drawn.

A 2018 4-year analysis of CrossFit injury rates similarly concluded that “CrossFit training is relatively safe compared with more traditional training modalities.”

“CrossFit can be done without injury when you adhere to some basic principles,” Dr Vogel concluded.  “Engaging with your coaches, scaling your movements intelligently and really just checking your ego at the door.”

Read more: CrossFit And Age: It Is Never Too Late to Start

Injuries in CrossFit FAQs

This is the first year Master and Teen athletes will compete in Semifinals, having previously only competed in the Age Group Online Qualifier after the Open to qualify for the Games.

Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Age Group Semifinals will run over two weekends, with the teens, 35-39, 40-44, and 45-49 age divisions competing between May 26 and 29, and masters in the remaining four age groups competing from June 2 to 5.

A total of 30 athletes in each division has qualified to compete in this final stage of qualification. They will tackle the following six workouts to determine the 10 athletes who advance to the CrossFit Games from each age division.

Read more: Over 550 CrossFit Age Group Quarterfinal Scoring Adjustments Announced

CrossFit Age Group Semifinal Workouts

Workout 1

For time:

• 500-m row
• 30 bench presses
• 1,000-m row
• 20 bench presses
• 2,000-m row
• 10 bench presses

Time cap: 30 minutes

WORKOUT VARIATIONS

Masters 35-54

125 lb | 185 lb

Teenagers 16-17, Masters 55-64

95 lb | 135 lb

Teenagers 14-15, Masters 65+

75 lb | 115 lb

In kilograms: the minimum acceptable weights in kilograms are 34 kg (75 lb), 43 kg (95 lb), 52 kg (115 lb), 56 kg (125 lb), 61 kg (135 lb), and 83 kg (185 lb).

Men must use a 45-lb (20-kg) barbell, and women must use a 35-lb (15-kg) barbell.

Find the floorplan, movement standards, and scorecard here.

Workout 2

8 rounds for time:

• 1 legless rope climb
• 6 farmers carries
• 15 box jumps

Time cap: 20 minutes

WORKOUT VARIATIONS

Teenagers 16-17, Masters 35-54

Two 24-kg kettlebells, 25-ft farmers carry, 15-ft rope climb, 24-in box

Two 32-kg kettlebells, 25-ft farmers carry, 15-ft rope climb, 30-in box

Teenagers 14-15, Masters 55+

Two 16-kg kettlebells, 25-ft farmers carry, 12-ft rope climb, 20-in box

Two 24-kg kettlebells, 25-ft farmers carry, 12-ft rope climb, 24-in box

In pounds: the minimum acceptable weights in pounds are 35 lb (16 kg), 53 lb (24 kg), and 70 lb (32 kg).

In metres: the minimum acceptable distance in meters is 762 m (25 ft).

Find the floorplan, movement standards, and scorecard here.

Workout 3

Complete as many repetitions as possible in 10 minutes of:

• 10 snatches, weight 1

Rest 1 minute

• 10 snatches, weight 2

Rest 1 minute

• 10 snatches, weight 3

Rest 1 minute

• Max-rep snatches in time remaining, weight 4

Time cap: 10 minutes

WORKOUT VARIATIONS

Masters 35-49

85, 125, 145, 165 lb | 135, 185, 225, 245 lb

Teenagers 16-17

75, 95, 105, 125 lb | 115, 135, 155, 185 lb

Teenagers 14-15, Masters 50-59

55, 75, 85, 105 lb | 95, 115, 135, 155 lb

Masters 60+

45, 55, 65, 75 lb | 75, 85, 95, 105 lb

In kilograms: the minimum acceptable weights in kilograms are 20 kg (45 lb), 25 kg (55 lb), 29 kg (65 lb), 34 kg (75 lb), 38 kg (85 lb), 43 kg (95 lb), 47 kg (105 lb), 52 kg (115 lb), 56 kg (125 lb), 61 kg (135 lb), 65 kg (145 lb), 70 kg (155 lb), 75 kg (165 lb), 83 kg (185 lb), 102 kg (225 lb), and 111 kg (245 lb).

Find the floorplan, movement standards, and scorecard here.

Workout 4

In 12 minutes, complete:

• 50 GHD sit-ups
• 8 handstand walks
• 50 GHD sit-ups
• 8 handstand walks
• Max-rep bar muscle-ups in the time remaining

Time cap: 12 minutes

WORKOUT VARIATIONS

Teenagers 14-17, Masters 35-49

25-ft handstand walk

Masters 50-59

10-ft handstand walk

Masters 60+

Two 20-lb dumbbells, 25-ft dumbbell overhead walk

Two 35-lb dumbbells, 25-ft dumbbell overhead walk

In kilograms: the minimum acceptable weights in kilograms are 15 kg (35 lb) and 10 kg (20 lb).

In metres: the minimum acceptable distance in meters is 762 m (25 ft) and 3.05 m (10 ft).

Find the floorplan, movement standards, and scorecard here.

Workout 5 and Workout 6

Starting every 2 minutes until the reps cannot be completed in the interval:

• 25 wall-ball shots

Rest in the remaining time

• 30 wall-ball shots

Rest in the remaining time

• 35 wall-ball shots

Rest in the remaining time

Etc., adding 5 repetitions to the wall-ball shots after each 2-minute interval. Immediately following the end of the final 2-minute interval, begin Workout 6.

• 1-rep-max clean and jerk

Time begins immediately following the final 2-minute interval of Workout 5.

Workouts 5 and 6 must be completed sequentially in a single effort.

Time cap: 5 minutes

WORKOUT VARIATIONS

All divisions

14-lb medicine ball, 10-ft target

20-lb medicine ball, 11-ft target

Find the floorplan, movement standards, and scorecard here.

CROSSFIT RUNNING WORKOUTS

It can take many forms; from intense sprints to longer, steady runs, which will work on different systems within your body. Improving your endurance and cardiovascular ability through running will see you perform better in a broad range of workouts.

Source: Chris Hinshaw

These are seven running workouts you should try out.

1. HOP SCOTCH

A serious test of endurance, this WOD comes from Chris Hinshaw, endurance coach to Rich Froning, Katrin Davidsdottir and Mat Fraser, and it’s purely about running.

• 200m run at easy pace
• 100m sprint
• 400m run at easy pace
• 100m sprint
• 600m run at easy pace
• 100m sprint
• 800m run at easy pace
• 100m sprint
• 1000m run at easy pace
• 100m sprint
• 800m run at easy pace
• 100m sprint
• 600m run at easy pace
• 100m sprint
• 400m run at easy pace
• 100m sprint
• 200m run at easy pace
• 100m sprint

Total: 5900m

Make sure you focus your attention on the nine 100m sprints but keep your efforts to 98% to retain your form throughout the workout.