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One of Kristy Hawkins’ uncanny abilities is how easy the powerlifter can lift eye-opening weights. Though, as the Chief Science Officer for biotech company Antheia, with a Masters and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from CalTech — it seems she has talents in a wide variety of areas. A recent strength mark suggests Hawkins can do it all.
On July 15, 2022, over Instagram, Hawkins (75KG) shared a training clip wherein she deadlifted 285 kilograms (628.2 pounds) raw from a conventional stance with a mixed grip. The deadlift is a personal record (PR) for Hawkins, who wore a lifting belt for the pull. It’s also 10 kilograms (22.1 pounds) more than her current World Record of 275 kilograms (606.3 pounds) in the 75-kilogram division, achieved at the 2021 World Raw Powerlifting (WRPF) The Bucked Up Showdown.
According to Open Powerlifting, Hawkins’ new PR is 3.8 times her usual competition body weight of 165 pounds. Yet, as Hawkins says in her Instagram caption, the PR does indeed look quite “casual” for the powerlifter.
Hawkins has been on a hot streak of training milestones lately. On July 13, 2022, a mere two days before her deadlift PR, Hawkins captured a 157.5-kilogram (347-pound) bench press PR. Just two weeks before that, on June 30, 2022, Hawkins hit a double deadlift PR of 277.5 kilograms (611.8 pounds) and a double deficit deadlift PR of 255 kilograms (562.2 pounds).
Hawkins at a Glance
Based on the history of Hawkins’ powerlifting career, it shouldn’t be surprising to see her making an unofficial World Record deadlift look so smooth.
The American athlete possesses three of the four main world records in the 75-kilogram class. Her bench press of 155 kilograms (341.7 pounds) is the second-heaviest ever. Allison Hind stands in first place with a raw World Record press of 163.2 kilograms (359.8 pounds) from the 2022 Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate (RPS) North American and New Jersey State Championships.
Deadlift — 275 kilograms (606.3 pounds) | World Record
Total — 685 kilograms (1,510.2 pounds) | World Record
Hawkins’ overall career results might be just as impressive as her lengthy records and training marks ledger. At the time of this writing, Hawkins has competed in 18 contests since her debut in April 2013. She has 14 victories, three second-place results, and has never failed to reach the podium. She has nine straight wins dating back to the 2017 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) CETC US Open Powerlifting Championships — by far the longest winning streak of her career.
Her assortment of recent PRs aside, at the time of this publication, Hawkins has not confirmed when she’ll appear on a sanctioned lifting platform next. Her track record would make it seem likely she extends some records and even adds some to her resume.
Just like recovery is the most important part of training—it’s how we get stronger, how we get fitter, how we get faster—recovering from injuries is the most important part of the injury healing process.
If you get injured, your average health care professional will tell you that “the body will take care of itself.” They’ll say to “eat healthy” and “rest up” and “take ibuprofen.”
But is that really the best way to recover from an injury? Hell no. You have far more agency than that. You can actively and effectively improve your healing and come back quicker, stronger, and better than ever with clinically-proven strategies and interventions. Here are some of my tips for recovering from an injury.
Practice slow eccentrics
If you have a tendon or ligament issue, one thing you can do—nay, must do—is slow eccentrics. An eccentric is lowering the weight; concentric means raising the weight. Slow eccentrics involves lowering the weight at a slow pace to really lengthen and emphasize the afflicted connective tissues.
Slow, low weight eccentrics is the gold standard for healing any connective tissue strain or sprain. For example, if your bicep tendon is sore, do really low weight eccentric curls.
Keep moving
Movement helps you heal for several reasons:
It clears out damaged tissue and proteins from the afflicted area.
It pushes healing compounds and blood into the afflicted area.
It tells your nervous system that you are recovering—otherwise, how would you be moving the “injured” tissue?
But here’s the thing: you have to move well. You can’t be limping around. You can’t be suffering through your movement. You have to do clean, crisp movements that are as close to perfect as you can do. If you sprain your ankle, for example, you want to start walking on that ankle with perfect form as soon as you can. This probably means going really, really slowly, but that’s how it has to happen. Go as slowly and deliberately as you must to maintain perfect technique.
If you can’t move well, don’t move. But movement can be as easy as flexing and extending your knee while you lie in bed, rotating your ankle, or doing windmills with your arms. It doesn’t take much. Just move and maintain movement quality.
Use red light therapy
Red light is probably the latest and greatest in injury recovery. From what I can tell, it is a strong general booster of healing—against pretty much everything. Below are some of the benefits red light therapy has provided.
Patients with knee osteoarthritis used red light therapy to reduce pain scores and increase microcirculation in the knee. That could mean actual healing.
Literature reviews have concluded that red light therapy does reduce joint pain, even in chronic joint disorders.
Red light exposure increases blood flow to the skin and improves fracture healing.
It’s even been shown to improve neuropathic pain. No “physical” damage necessary.
It’s even effective against sunburn, especially if you use it before sun exposure.
You can get this kind of light by exposing your skin to sunlight at all hours of the day, particularly morning and sunset for infrared. But to heal an injury, you might want to focus on directed high power light using a red light or infrared light device. You can do this in clinics but I’d recommend just picking one up for yourself. You can buy the Joov, which I have and enjoy, or something like this.
Get sleep
Patients who get the most sleep when recovering from injuries recover quicker. This was probably the single most ubiquitous factor in all my years running, cycling, swimming, and competing in endurance sports. Those of us who slept the most recovered from our injuries the quickest.
Hell, sleep deprivation is a common method for studying agents that improve injury recovery in studies. They injure the animal, don’t let them sleep, and then see what experimental drugs or interventions they can use to speed up the healing process. The notion that sleep deprivation slows down healing time isn’t even a question anymore. It’s assumed. It’s fact.1
This means that if you are injured, you need to sleep at least 8 hours ,and probably more. Recall that elite college athletes who sleep an extra two hours a night see better recovery and performance, and realize that recovering from injury and training is simply a matter of degree. It’s all the same pathways.
Eat more protein
When you’re actively healing and recovering and laying down or repairing tissue, you need extra protein to handle the extra processes and provide substrate for the new tissue. Burn victims, for example, heal quicker when they eat more protein.2
Eat a good 1 gram protein per pound of lean body mass as you recover. Consider including whey isolate, as it’s an easy additive source of protein that’s been shown to improve recovery after bed rest and surgery.3
Consume collagen
Collagen is a type of protein, but it’s not what most people think of when they think about protein. Nor is it present in most sources of protein. No, if you want collagen, you need to be drinking bone broth, eating connective tissue and skin, or supplementing with it through gelatin or collagen hydrolysate.
Incorporate omega-3s and seafood in your diet
Long chain omega-3s have a potent anti-inflammatory effect that can improve your recovery and speed up your return to normal activity after injury. They reduce pain and inflammation without curtailing the healing process, unlike pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories. One study even found that high dose omega-3 intake increased physical activity, maintained physical function, and reduced the incidence of joint replacement in older adults.
The long chain omega-3s also increase muscle protein synthesis, particularly in older adults (presumably with higher baseline inflammation levels).4 They’ll make you better at utilizing the protein you eat for the purposes of healing and laying down new tissue.
Let me know if you try any of this tips and what you do to help boost recovery after injuries.
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As the owner of the bench press, deadlift, and total World Records in the 90-kilogram weight class, John Haack is one of powerlifting’s biggest active superstars. If his latest feat of strength says anything, the powerful athlete might soon possess yet another record.
On July 17, 2022, over his Instagram, Haack shared footage of himself squatting 365 kilograms (804.7 pounds) raw for a new personal record (PR) during a training session. Haack’s current all-time raw competition best is a 339.9-kilogram (749.5-pound) squat from the 2021 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) The Bucked Up Showdown.
What might be even more noteworthy about Haack’s new PR is the unique position it puts him in. Haack’s PR matches Amit Sapir’s all-time raw squat World Record of 365 kilograms (804.7 pounds) in the 90-kilogram weight class. Sapir achieved the official figure at the 2015 Canadian Powerlifting League (CPL) Vancouver PRO-AM Expo.
According to the caption of Haack’s Instagram post, he figures to take this squat PR to the 2022 WRPF American Pro. That contest will occur in Manassas, VA, on July 29-30, 2022. If Haack perhaps even betters his PR, he would be the owner of each of the squat, bench press, deadlift, and total World Records in the 90-kilogram division.
Haack’s most recent contest, the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Hybrid Showdown 4, saw him compete in the 100-kilogram weight class. However, as his Instagram post reads, Haack has reduced his weight back to the 90-kilogram category. Haack has competed in the 90-kilogram division in five contests since January 2020.
Here are Haack’s all-time raw competition bests as a 90-kilogram competitor throughout his career:
John Haack (90KG) | All-Time Raw Competition Bests
Squat — 339.9 kilograms (749.5 pounds)
Bench Press — 263 kilograms (579.8 pounds) | All-Time World Record
Deadlift — 402.5 kilograms (887.3 pounds) | All-Time World Record
Total — 1,005 kilograms (2,216.7 pounds) | All-Time World Record
In a performance that was likely one of his career highlights, Haack achieved each of his bench press, deadlift, and total records at the 2021 WRPF The Bucked Up Showdown. At the time of this writing, Haack is the only 90-kilogram powerlifter to notch at least a 1,000-kilogram total.
Here are some of the more notable results from Haack’s career, who has won 10 of 11 official contests since August 2018:
John Haack | Notable Career Results
2013 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Badger Open (Raw) — First place | Open | 83KG | First career victory
2015-2016 USAPL Raw Nationals (Raw)— First place | Open/Junior | 83KG
2016 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Championships (Raw)— First place | Open | 83KG
2018-2019 USPA The Tribute (Raw) — First place | Open | 83KG
2020 WRPF The Showdown (Raw) — First place | Open | 90KG
2022 USPA Hybrid Showdown 4 (Raw) — First place | Open | 100KG
Haack is already one of the more decorated powerlifters as it stands. Owning three World Records would establish such a reputation. By the end of July 2022, he might add another unique accomplishment to his ledger.
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In late March 2022, Danny Grigsby (140KG) became the first ever powerlifter to pull a raw deadlift over 1,000 pounds in a sanctioned contest. He completed the 465-kilogram (1,025.2-pound) pull at the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Virginia Beach Classic 2 for an all-time World Record. Months later, during the dog days of July, Grigsby almost makes the strength achievement seem like an everyday occurrence.
On July 17, 2022, while using a sumo stance and overhand grip, Grigsby shared footage of himself deadlifting 455 kilograms (1,003 pounds) raw during a training session.
Last heavy pull, hands are not a issue now, thankfully. Everything is coming together at just the right time.
After the stacked barbell flew off the ground, the pull looked so easy for the 28-year-old Grigsby that he held the weight for a few seconds at the top of his rep, beaming a smile from ear to ear.
In the comments of his Instagram post, Grigsby’s staggering pull drew the attention of notable powerlifting peers like Jamal Browner and Ashton Rouska.
Notably, while Grigsby owns the all-time deadlift World Record in the 125-kilogram division, Browner is no slouch when it comes to pulling massive weight. A recent 432.5-kilogram (953.5-pound) conventional stance PR is an excellent example of what he brings to the table. Additionally, according to Open Powerlifting, Browner’s 440.5-kilogram (971-pound) deadlift from the 2020 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Hybrid Showdown II is the heaviest raw deadlift from a full power meet in the 110-kilogram weight class.
As two athletes proficient with their deadlifts, Grigsby and Browner have collaborated in the past.
Roughly three weeks before Grigsby pulled over 1,000 pounds again, he and Browner trained together at Corrupted Strength — a gym in Stafford, Texas. While it’s unclear what the two taught each other, it might not be a stretch to assume it was a mutually worthwhile session for two of the strongest athletes on the planet.
Never one to rest on his laurels, Grigsby has a busy schedule ahead of him. The athlete will compete at the 2022 WRPF The American Pro. That contest will take place on July 29-30, 2022, in Manassas, VA.
Per his Instagram, Grigsby’s lofty goals as a competitor remain unchanged — he wants to capture at least a 1,043.3-kilogram (2,300-pound) total in a sanctioned lifting contest. At the time of this writing, the athlete’s heaviest-ever total is 1,025.1 kilograms (2,116.4 pounds) from the 2022 USPA Virginia Beach Classic 2. That is also the World Record for the 140-kilogram division.
Judging by deadlift prowess, as well as recent block bench press and back squat personal records (PR) shared on his social media, Grigsby may soon realize his ambitious powerlifting vision.
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They say, “you gotta row to grow.” And what they’re (almost always) referring to is the big, basic, bent-over barbell row. The barbell row is one of the most challenging exercises you can you implement into your back workouts.
Credit: Miljan Zivkovic / Shutterstock
The barbell row is often considered one of the most fundamental exercises, right up there with the Big Three powerlifts — squat, bench press, and deadlift — because it’s a comprehensive movement for building a base of size and strength. It helps you build a thicker, wider, stronger back while also developing a bigger, stronger set of arms. Here’s how to get the most from this back-training staple.
The bent-over barbell row can be a very simple exercise to set up and perform. All you need is a barbell, some weight plates, and a floor. Accessories like lifting straps to support your grip strength or a lifting belt to provide additional lower back support aren’t always required.
Master the exercise itself, and then consider adding equipment depending on your specific needs and requirements.
Step 1 — Get Into the Starting Position
Credit: Dusan Petkovic / Shutterstock
Walk up to a loaded barbell and position your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly inside hip-width. The bar should be generally over the middle of your feet. If you are quite tall, you may be more comfortable with the bar positioned against your shins.
Push your hips back and bend at the waist. Keep your back straight and your knees slightly bent. Hold the barbell with an overhand (palms down) grip just outside of your shins. Pull your shoulders back and feel tension in your lats (back muscles) as you prepare to take control over the weight. Keep your head in a neutral position — not looking at the ceiling or tucking your chin down.
Straighten your legs and stand up straight, much like you would in a deadlift. From the locked out position, bend your legs slightly and hinge at your hips until your upper body is slightly above parallel to the ground. Allow the barbell to hang near your legs with your arms extended.
Form Tip: Keep your eyes fixed on a spot roughly one to two meters (three to six feet) in front of you. This will help you maintain a stable body position, encourage consistent bar position between each rep, and reduce the risk of injury due to technical failure.
Step 2 — Pull the Weight Up
Credit: MilanMarkovic78 / Shutterstock
With the bar in a dead-hang position, drive your elbows up towards your hips. The barbell should reach your belly button. Once you get into the top position, focus on your shoulder blades squeezing together and feeling a hard contraction in your back musculature.
Your upper body should remain mostly horizontal throughout the rep. Avoid using your legs to “jumpstart” the weight and don’t allow your torso to drop down to meet the barbell.
Form Tip: It is important to recognize when you begin sacrificing technique for heavier weight. Key indicators that you’ve gone too heavy include: your elbows flaring out to the sides, the bar no longer reaching your belly button, or feeling extra pressure through your lower back which prevents you from holding a strong, stable torso position.
Step 3 — Lower the Weight to Stretch
Credit: Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock
Once you have completed the concentric (lifting) portion of the movement, remain in a strong and stable position while lowering the barbell under control. Don’t allow the bar to free fall into the bottom position.
Straighten your arms and allow your shoulder blades to release from the retracted position. Feel your back musculature lengthening until your arms are fully extended.
Form Tip: Some lifters will lower the barbell too quickly and not pay attention to the bar path or muscular control. Focus on lowering the barbell in the exact same bar path as you did when lifting it. This will make sure each rep is the same and allow you to maintain tension on the back muscles while reducing the risk of injury.
Barbell Row Mistakes to Avoid
The barbell row may seem simple on paper, but you can still very easily make mistakes that may hinder your progress and training. Below are two of the most common mistakes to avoid.
Lifting with Your Arms
Many beginner lifters quickly form the habit of pulling the barbell up using their arms more than their back muscles. Sure, you can’t perform a row without using your arms at all, but proper muscle contractions should emphasize the larger back muscles more significantly than the relatively smaller muscles of the arms.
Credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock
If you continue activating your arms first, as the weight increases, your arms will take over the movement and your back will be under-recruited simply because you will not have spent time focusing on feeling the back muscles contracting.
Avoid It: It is important to focus on feeling your back muscles stretch and contract. This can boost the mind-muscle connection, which has been shown to improve results. (1) If you actively drive your elbows into your hips, instead of focusing on your hands pulling the weight up, you can emphasize the lats.
Standing Too Upright
The barbell row requires you to be set in a bent-over position, or what is referred to as a “hinged position.” While your body doesn’t need to form a strict 90-degree angle, it’s imperative that you maintain some sort of stable and predominantly horizontal angle to perform the barbell row effectively.
On top of this, some trainees will use a weight that far exceeds their good-form lifting capabilities. This can lead to remaining too upright in order to counterbalance the weight, and the movement becomes more of a shrug than a row. These two factors often work hand in hand, since excessive weight and a lack of hinge stability will lead to being too upright.
Avoid It: If you have trouble maintaining a hinged position, perform the exercise near a wall and get into a hinged position with your glutes firmly against the wall. This will allow you to better leverage yourself as you improve the coordination and strength required to remain hinged while contracting your back musculature.
Benefits of the Barbell Row
The bent-over barbell row is considered a foundational exercise because it delivers several benefits for multiple muscles in the upper and lower body.
Credit: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock
Below are some key reasons to include the barbell row into your workout regimen, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced lifter.
Improved Spinal Stability and Posture
A common weakness for lifters in the ability to maintain a neutral spine (flat back) during many movements. The barbell row helps to improve postural control in basic positions, which can carry over to strength and stability in other movements. It also strengthens postural muscles like the spinal erectors, which are a key muscle group for lower back health and stability.
Building a Stronger Back
As your back gets stronger, your ability to brace your upper body will improve. This allows greater overall stability during movements like the overhead press, bench press, and squat.
The barbell row is one of the most efficient ways to build upper-body strength because it coordinates strength through the lats, upper back, lower back, shoulders, arms, and grip. Compared to other variations of rowing exercises, the barbell row allows you to potentially use more weight, which also makes it a more effective strength-builder.
Increased Back Size
Building a wider, thicker back is one of the most efficient ways to improve your physique. The lats are one of the largest muscles on the body and a well-developed upper back can’t often be hidden under clothes, unlike well-developed arms or legs. Making the barbell row a mainstay in your back workout is a time-tested way to pack on size.
Muscles Worked by the Barbell Row
The barbell row is a compound exercise, which means it involves multiple muscles moving across multiple joints to perform the movement.
Credit: SOK Studio / Shutterstock
The primary muscles recruited are throughout the back, while secondary muscles, such as the biceps and forearms, are also called upon.
Latissimus Dorsi
The lats form the majority of your back musculature and are the primary muscle you will be stimulating during the bent-over row. Your lats work to bring your upper arm from in front of your body, or above it, to along your side. This function is why the cue of “pulling your elbows toward your body” helps to recruit the lats.
Spinal Erectors
The spinal erectors run the length of your spinal column, including the section most commonly called “the lower back.” During the bent-over barbell row, your spinal erectors are recruited to stabilize your spine and prevent rounding while you maintain the hinged position.
Because your spinal erectors are required to hold a stable position for the duration of each set, lifters with pre-existing lower back issues often have trouble performing barbell rows and typically choose an alternate exercise.
Scapular Stabilizers
The scapular stabilizers found across the upper back include multiple muscles working in related roles. Your trapezius, rhomboids, rear deltoids, and teres control actions such as bringing your shoulder blades together and apart, as well as moving them up and down.
This occurs while rowing the bar up and squeezing your shoulder blades together (retraction) and when lowering the barbell back to the start position, releasing (protracting) your shoulder blades.
Glutes and Hamstrings
In a hinged position, your glutes and hamstrings support your body isometrically, much like your spinal erectors work to maintain a stable upper body posture. Many lifters feel a significant stretch in their hamstrings or glutes during a set of barbell rows because the muscles are being worked in a stretched position without a full contraction.
Biceps
The biceps are recruited any time the arm flexes (bends). During the barbell row, your biceps play an assistance role to lift the weight. Your biceps can be more significantly recruited by using an underhand (palms-up) grip, which places them in a more advantageous position to be activated.
Forearms
The wrist extensors along the top of the forearm and the wrist flexors on the bottom are both highly activated during barbell rows to support a strong grip on the bar. Your flexors, in particular, are recruited to stabilize the weight as it is lifted.
For many experienced lifters lifting heavier weights, the gripping strength of the forearm muscles can be a limiting factor during rows, which is why lifting straps may be used to provide additional support.
Who Should Do the Barbell Row
Whether you are training for strength, power, or aesthetics, the barbell row can benefit your training goals. Here are more convincing reasons to include the barbell row in your back workout.
Physique-Focused Lifters
Bodybuilders, physique athletes, and any lifter wanting to look more muscular can benefit from the barbell row. It applies muscular tension to all muscles of the back and has the potential for moving heavy loads, which can be an effective way of triggering muscle growth. The barbell row has been an essential back exercise for some of the best-built physiques.
Strength Athletes
Strength athletes can benefit from using the barbell row to build pulling strength as well as total-body stability. The barbell row builds strength that supports upper body pressing and pulling. The lower back and postural stability can also help to improve strength during squats and deadlifts.
How to Program the Barbell Row
The barbell row is a foundational movement which can accommodate a variety of rep ranges, suitable to all lifters, goals, and programs. Below are two common and effective recommendations based on your specific training goal.
Heavy Weight, Low to Moderate Repetitions
If maximizing strength is your goal, three to five sets in the four to eight rep range is a good place to start. Use a weight that allows you to leave at least two reps left “in the tank” to ensure optimal technique. Rowing extremely heavy weights to muscular failure can add stress to the spinal erectors and increase the risk of injury.
Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetitions
If maximizing muscle growth is your goal, three to four sets in the six to 12 rep range is the ideal rep spread you should be targeting. This will provide you with a bump in training volume, which is beneficial for building muscle. (2) The increased volume with relatively lighter weight also allows you to develop better muscle coordination, and can eventually lead to better recruitment of the back musculature.
Barbell Row Variations
The bent-over barbell row is a versatile and fundamental exercise, but not all lifters are prepared for the challenge. Below you will find related variations that deliver comparable results with slightly varied muscle recruitment or technique.
Yates Row
The Yates row was popularized by one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates. The idea behind this exercise variation was to have a slightly more upright posture while also flipping your grip to a supinated position (underhand). These adjustments better recruit the upper back, traps, and biceps.
The key to this exercise is the bar path and torso stability needed to maximally recruit the muscles being targeted. You want to focus on the barbell being as close to your thighs as possible as you pull up through your elbows.
T-Bar Row
For this exercise, you will either need a dedicated T-bar row machine or you can take a close-grip handle from the cable station and use it with a barbell set inside a landmine attachment.
The T-bar row is less demanding on the lower back, which makes it a great exercise to emphasize the rest of the back muscles. It’s ideal at the tail-end of your workouts to fully exhaust all remaining muscle fibers that were recruited during your workout.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
One of the most common variations of the barbell row is its dumbbell counterpart. The single-arm dumbbell row allows you to work one side of the body at time and provides stability, which reduces lower back stress. The increased stability also allows you to focus on achieving a longer range of motion to more thoroughly work the target muscles.
This is an effective movement to strengthen muscular imbalances by targeting one side of the back at a time.
Barbell Row Alternatives
Feeling like you have fully exhausted your ability to continue progressing the barbell row or just need a change of pace? Here are some of the most effective alternatives to continue building back size and strength.
Inverted Row
The inverted row is an ideal bodyweight exercise alternative for the barbell row since you can train the same muscle groups in the same movement pattern. It also only requires your body weight to provide a stimulus for muscle growth and strength-building.
This can be useful as a primary exercise if you are first starting out on learning to coordinate your muscle recruitment in the barbell row or, for more experienced lifters, at the end of your workouts as a finisher after completing your heavier weight training earlier in the workout.
Seal Row
The seal row, sometimes called a bench pull, is a chest-supported row variation that entirely removes the need to hinge. Because you’re lying prone on an elevated bench, you can more effectively isolate the larger back muscles without recruiting your lower back or lower body.
This alternative provides less stress and tension on the lower back and hamstrings, but it also means the amount of weight lifted may be less than what you could use with a conventional barbell row.
Pendlay Row
The Pendlay row is often confused with the basic barbell row for good reason. The technique, muscle recruitment, and general movement pattern is nearly identical. The key difference is that each repetition of the Pendlay row begins from complete dead-stop on the floor.
This pause between reps assists in maintaining proper positioning, minimizes any momentum, and helps to develop explosive power. This can be a great alternative if you find it difficult to remain set in a proper hinged-position, because you can reset your position between each rep.
Meadows Row
The Meadows row was popularized by legendary bodybuilding coach John Meadows. In this exercise, you are able to increase your range of motion by adjusting your hip and torso position.
The unique body positioning and leverage from the landmine will work the back musculature from a slightly different angle, reduce stress on the lower back, and minimize momentum.
FAQs
I feel my upper back working more than any other muscle, what am I doing wrong?
There are two possibilities. The first is that you may be using too much weight, causing you to stand more upright and shift muscular stress away from your lats and onto your upper back and traps. The second potential issue is that you are not properly set in a strong and stable hinged position.
Reduce the weight and focus on feeling your lats contract during the exercise. Also spend some time focusing on getting into a good hinge position — push your hips back and maintain a more horizontal upper body position for the duration of the set. Slowly increase weight over time once you are strong enough to maintain a stable torso in a hinged position.
Can beginners perform the barbell row?
Absolutely. Beginners can benefit greatly by including the barbell row in their programming. However, it is important to note that if you are a beginner, remember to prioritize technique over added weight and do not hesitate to seek assistance with your technique from a qualified staff member in your local gym.
Row Until You Can’t Row No More
Many of the all-time great bodybuilders, powerlifters, and strength athletes have built admirable backs by prioritizing the barbell row. It trains every muscle in your back, and builds strength and stability which carries over to other big lifts. It can also be a satisfying exercise to master once you’re able to walk up to an imposing barbell and pull it off the ground.
References
Calatayud, J., Vinstrup, J., Jakobsen, M. D., Sundstrup, E., Brandt, M., Jay, K., Colado, J. C., & Andersen, L. L. (2016). Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. European journal of applied physiology, 116(3), 527–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7
Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., Grgic, J., Delcastillo, K., Belliard, R., & Alto, A. (2019). Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764
Love it or hate it, remote work is here to stay. The old model of reporting to cubicles or corner offices from 9 to 5 is out. Collaborating with far-flung colleagues from the comfort of your bedroom is in.
Chances are, if you work from home you love it. While some folks miss water cooler banter and lunch breaks with coworkers, poll after poll finds that people report being more productive at home. Job satisfaction is higher. Work-life balance is exponentially better.
This forced social experiment has shown that the old office-centric way wasn’t necessarily the best (more conventional wisdom bites the dust). But that doesn’t mean there aren’t downsides to the new hybrid or work-from-home models either. Social isolation is a real concern. So is the blurred line between personal time and work time, plus the loss of built-in daily structure. Some folks are just sick of the inside of their homes and, frankly, the people they live with.
Overall, I think it’s easier to be healthy when working from home. If for no other reason, people have more time. When the pandemic forced offices to shutter, a survey from the Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago estimated that American workers saved more than 9 billion (yes, billion) hours not commuting between March and September of 2020.1 That’s in only six months. Now extrapolate that to today, and consider that commuting consistently ranks among the top modern stressors and health hazards.
Still, for the reasons mentioned and more, at-home workers face unique challenges that can eat away at physical and perhaps especially emotional health if they’re not careful. Here’s what I’d do to mitigate that risk.
Make It Stupid Easy To Move
One of the biggest problems with remote work is how easy it is to sit at your computer all day every day. No need to leave your house or even get out of your pajamas. Suddenly it’s dinnertime, and you’ve barely taken a hundred steps, let alone sprinted or lifted heavy things.
Any behavior change expert will tell you that the first step for building new habits is to hit yourself over the head with cues to get it done:
Leave your kettlebell in the middle of the floor where you’ll literally trip over it on the way to the bathroom.
Keep a resistance band next to the coffee maker.
Schedule movement breaks into your calendar and enable notifications.
Create a sit-stand workspace. Make a game of adopting as many different positions as you can throughout the day. Sit on the floor, stand, kneel, lean. Bounce on an exercise ball or rebounder. Use a balance board or wobble stool. Stand on one foot, then the other.
Invest in an under desk cycler or treadmill.
Sign up for my microworkout challenge to get a daily email reminder to move, plus a different exercise to try.
Challenge your coworkers to complete a certain number of walking meeting minutes each week. Hold each other accountable.
Make it harder to ignore all the cues than it is to get moving.
Set Boundaries Around Your Time
Your boss and coworkers won’t know if you take a break in the middle of the day to mow the lawn, take the kids to the park, run to the gym, or take a nap. That part is great. Unfortunately, though, when your home is your workplace, you’re constantly at work in a sense. Nobody is going to protect your time but you.
First and foremost, do your best to keep regular work hours. Don’t start working first thing in the morning. Don’t open your email or check your calendar or anything else until you’ve had the chance to rise, move your body a little, and get into a good headspace for the day.
Likewise, don’t work late at night. Besides the fact that you shouldn’t be looking at screens right before bedtime, you need time to wind down and let go of any stress from the day. When work-related anxiety keeps you up, rather than giving in and working another couple hours, do a brain dump. Get out a piece of paper and write down all the things you’re worried about. Make a to-do list for the following day and pick the two or three things you’ll tackle first tomorrow.
I’ve beat this drum before, but take frequent work breaks during the day. Five or ten minutes every half hour or so and a longer break every couple of hours.
Use your vacation time. Staycations are all well and good, but try to get out of your home/work too. Don’t bring your laptop.
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration decreases focus, processing speed, and productivity, so drink up. Don’t force it, obviously, but be mindful about drinking to thirst.
Here’s a little movement hack. Every time you go to the kitchen to get a drink, use that as a cue to change your position. If you were sitting before, switch to standing when you get back. Do a set of push-ups while you’re at it.
Watch Your Caffeine Intake
I love coffee as much as the next guy. No doubt, though, you can overdo it. There’s no need to quit coffee entirely, but take care not to use caffeine as a crutch.
Eat Proper Meals
Avoid the temptation to work through breakfast and lunch. You’ll digest your food better when you’re in a parasympathetic state. That means no checking emails or working on a slide deck for tomorrow’s meeting while you eat. Close your laptop, put your phone on the charger, and take half an hour to prepare and eat a meal without stress or distraction. Bonus points for eating outside.
Also avoid the temptation to graze all day, which is easier to do when you’re working a stone’s throw from your well-stocked kitchen. If you’re hungry, eat a meal. If you don’t want a meal, you’re not really that hungry.
Leave Your Home Every Day
Take your laptop to a park or coffee shop for a change of scenery. Go for a walk. Go for several walks. Walking meetings are one of my favorite ways to incorporate more daily movement, but make sure you find reasons to leave your work at home, too.
Speaking of which…
Manufacture Novelty
If you’re one of those people who went to an office pre-pandemic, working from home was probably its own novel experience for a while. At some point, though, the luster fades, and you start to feel like you’re living your own personal Groundhog Day. Nothing ever really changes.
Your brain craves novelty. Read a new genre of fiction. Take an online course in a topic you’ve always wanted to learn more about (ideally one that has nothing to do with your profession). Buy a new ethnic cuisine cookbook and work your way through it. Go camping somewhere you’ve never been before.
Buy a Houseplant (Or Three)
I know, I know, it’s cliché at this point. You probably procured several houseplants months ago, gave them names, and talk to them on the regular. If you haven’t jumped on this bandwagon, what are you waiting for? Houseplants offer a host of benefits for mood, productivity, and workplace satisfaction.
Have a Creative Outlet
Music is mine, but it doesn’t really matter what you do as long as you have a way to express yourself. “All work and no play” isn’t just a trite platitude. It’s an evolutionary truism, not to mention one of the ten Primal Blueprint laws. Play includes art, music, dance, all manner of self-expression that gets creative and emotional juices flowing. The act of creating provides a necessary counterbalance to the more rigid, “serious” work of, well, work.
That’s what I have for today. What would you add to this list?
Looking for your next lunch-time meal? Then look no further because our turkey bacon spinach warp is perfect for those busy work days.
Our homemade spinach wraps are also grain-free, making it ideal for anyone following a paleo or primal diet. We recommend a few filling ideas in this recipe, including topping the wrap with Primal Kitchen’s Chipotle Mayo, but you can easily substitute ingredients for whatever else you may have on hand. This recipe is just what you’ll need to keep finishing out the day strong!
How to make Paleo Spinach Wraps
For these paleo-friendly wraps we utilized plantains and almond flour. Either green or yellow plantains will work for this recipe, but we recommend more green/less ripe plantains to keep the wrap savory and help it hold together better. The batter will be thick but that helps hold all the delicious ingredients.
Once the batter is prepared heat a cast iron skillet on your stovetop over medium heat. Once hot, add 1-2 teaspoons of oil. Since the batter is thick the easiest way to spread it out in a circular shape is to lightly press the dollop of batter up and down with the back of a spoon to flatten and spread out the batter into a round shape about 5-6 inches in diameter. Do this quickly so the batter spreads out before it starts cooking. After about 1 minute, the batter will be bubbly and the underside will start to brown.
Once this happens, flip the wrap over and let cook until the wrap is set. Repeat with the remaining batter. This recipe will make 6 wraps and can be topped with a variety of fillings.
Tips:
Make sure your skillet is well seasoned and there is enough oil in it before adding the batter. This will keep the wrap from sticking to the pan and falling apart.
In a food processor or blender, blend together the plantain, spinach, almond flour, oil and lemon juice.
Pour into a bowl and whisk in the egg and salt and pepper.
Heat a cast iron skillet on your stovetop over medium heat. Once hot, add 1-2 teaspoons of oil.
Spoon out a portion of the batter and place it in the skillet. The batter will be thick so the easiest way to spread it out in a circular shape is to lightly press the dollop of batter up and down with the back of a spoon to flatten and spread out the batter into a round shape about 5-6 inches in diameter. Do this quickly so the batter spreads out before it starts cooking. After about 1 minute, the batter will be bubbly and the underside will start to brown. Once this happens, flip the wrap over and let cook until the wrap is set. Repeat with the remaining batter.
On your wrap, layer a couple of slices of turkey, a piece of bacon, tomato, lettuce, and avocado. Drizzle the mayo on top. Wrap it up to eat and serve with your favorite chip or cracker.
Notes
You can use green or yellow plantains for this wrap. We recommend more green/less ripe plantains to keep the wrap savory and help it hold together better.
Make sure your skillet is well seasoned and there is enough oil in it before adding the batter. This will keep the wrap from sticking to the pan and falling apart.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
As the 2022 Olympia inches ever closer, every IFBB Pro League competition will hold more significance. With qualification potentially on the line, men’s and women’s athletes who have not yet earned a spot in the prestigious contest will need to take advantage of every chance they get on a stage.
The latest chance to punch a potential ticket to Las Vegas this December was the 2022 Vancouver Pro. This contest — which occurred in British Columbia, Canada, on July 17, 2022 — featured six divisions between men’s and women’s competitors. By its end, it served as a quality jumping-off point for athletes like Men’s Open winner Iain Valliere. Valliere qualified for the 2022 Mr. Olympia on December 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV, thanks to his win.
Here’s a rundown of the Men’s Open results from the 2022 Vancouver Pro:
According to NPC News Online, Valliere’s win in the Vancouver Pro is the fifth victory of his professional career. It also marks the Canadian athlete’s first appearance at a sanctioned contest since a seventh place result in the Men’s Open category at the 2021 Mr. Olympia. After showing off his latest work with his strength, muscle, and conditioning, Valliere will get the chance to topple some potential peers like Hadi Choopan, Nick Walker, and Hunter Labrada at the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
Other Men’s Winners
While every division victor earned automatic qualification for the 2022 Mr. Olympia, it’s worth noting that the 2022 Vancouver Pro is a Tier 4 competition under the IFBB Pro League’s standards. A Tier 4 contest has the least weighted points for second through fifth-place finishers. Even then, the athletes who didn’t win in British Columbia but still performed relatively well earned valuable points toward their season totals. Those could come in handy with individual qualifications for the Mr. Olympia.
The top three athletes in each Olympia division at the end of the qualification period on November 20, 2022, earn places in the competition.
Here are the results for the other Men’s divisions at the 2022 Vancouver Pro:
One of the next major IFBB contests will be the 2022 Texas Pro. The Tier 4 contest that might as a showcase for athletes like Joe Mackey will take place on August 12-13, 2022, in Irving, Texas.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Time and time again, as her Instagram bio reads, Rhianon Lovelace shows why she’s the “pound for pound, strongest woman on the planet.” At the 2022 Berkshire’s Strongest competition on July 16, 2022, Lovelace broke the strongwoman deadlift World Record with a pull of 282.5 kilograms (623 pounds). The athlete’s mark at the competition — which took place in Berkshire, England — exceeds her own record from the 2020 Strength Shop Record Breakers contest by over 20 pounds.
Lovelace wore a lifting suit to capture her new record strength feat.
Lovelace’s deadlift achievement did not come without a challenge.
The athlete pulled the loaded barbell just past her knees before hitching the weight temporarily on her thighs while she leaned back. This hitch maneuver would not have been legal in a powerlifting contest, but the 2022 Berkshire’s Strongest was a strongwoman and strongman endeavor. Athletes who utilize the hitch typically weigh significantly less than the weight they are deadlifting. At under 300 pounds body weight, Rob Kearney would be an example of a strongman who might use this technique.
Eventually, after hitching her deadlift weight, Lovelace utilized her tremendous leg and back strength to lock out the pull for the new World Record. Notably, according to the caption of Lovelace’s Instagram post, she weighed 62.5 kilograms (137.8 pounds) at the time of her deadlift. That means she pulled over 4.5 times her body weight with this staggering figure.
In another post on her social media, the strongwoman appeared to be emotional as she reflected on the toll it took to notch the new lofty deadlift achievement.
“This deadlift prep has been by far the hardest prep of my life, mentally more than physically,” Lovelace wrote. “Being on track, having everything laid out easy tick boxes, then a nice short stay in hospital with severe pneumonia and a number of other personal blows really knocked me. My mental health plummeted, my head held above the water by my team. I felt like I emotionally crawled to the finish line on my hands and knees.”
Despite her obstacles, Lovelace seemed to draw inspiration from how her work and records as a strength sports athlete might act as a catalyst for those waiting in the wings.
“But meeting so many incredible people starting out this weekend opened my eyes to how many people my lifts touch, inspire, and motivate.” Lovelace continued. “How many believe in me and reminded me that this is so much bigger than me and my feelings. The women I represent fuel my fire and my focus. The pressure can often feel overwhelming. But pressure creates diamonds, and it is a privilege.”
Ever a strength pioneer, Lovelace has already set her sights on her next deadlift mission. She wrote in her latter Instagram post that she plans to eventually pull at least five times her body weight. It’s an ambitious goal, but Lovelace has proved capable of reaching soaring heights as an athlete.
Featured Image: @rhianon.lovelace.kaosstrength / Instagram
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Everybody’s keen on boasting about their squat numbers, but many people overlook single-leg work. That’s a pity because unilateral exercises — single-arm or single-leg movements — offer unique benefits such as avoiding overusing the dominant side, isolating and correcting muscle or strength imbalances, improving balance, body awareness and preventing injuries.
Credit: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock
Lunges are the main “squatting” pattern unilateral exercise, and as such should be a primary exercise in your training regimen. Lunges are a very adaptable, easy exercise to program, and they can be performed a myriad of ways. Today we’re taking a look at the dumbbell reverse lunge, a staple exercise that every lifter should have in their toolbox.
Don’t miss out on lunges, for this basic exercise has a lot to offer. Here’s everything you need to know about the dumbbell reverse lunge.
As a unilateral exercise, the lunge requires more balance and coordination than you may be used to. Fail to execute the lunge as intended and, at best, the movement won’t be effective and, at worst, you risk injury. Here’s a step-by-step guide to performing the lunge perfectly.
Step 1 — Find Your Stride Backwards
Credit: puhhha / Shutterstock
Grab a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells and stand tall with your feet together. Take a step backwards, keeping the majority of your weight on your front foot. Use the rear foot mostly for balance, and only have your toes on the floor.
The length of the step will vary depending on your anatomy as well as which muscles you hope to target. A shorter stride will engage the quadriceps more, while a longer step better targets the glutes and hamstrings. Establish the stride you want and keep it the same across repetitions.
Form tip: Find your stride length without weight at first, so that you can warm-up and minimize injury risks. Using too narrow of a stance, or a stride that is too long or short, will cause balance issues that will undermine the exercise’s efficiency. Find what feels comfortable for you and stick with that.
Step 2 — Sink Down and Graze the Floor With Your Knee
Credit: LightField Studios / Shutterstock
Brace your core and then bend at the knees while keeping most of your weight on your front foot. Keep your front foot connected to the floor; do not raise your heel.
Let your front knee track over your toes, while the rear knee sinks towards the ground. Graze the floor or touch it very lightly while keeping tension in your legs.
Form tip: Always control the eccentric (or down portion of the movement). Rushing it will break muscle tension — which is the catalyst for muscle growth — and might throw you off balance. Also, bumping your knee into the floor hurts. If you have trouble keeping balance, try to find a spot on the wall in front of you and keep staring at it.
Step 3 — Drive Through Your Heel
Credit: LightField Studios / Shutterstock
To stand back up, push through the floor with your front foot through your heel. You should feel your entire leg, but mainly your glutes, activate. Stand back to your starting position to complete a repetition, and repeat steps one through three.
Form tip: Your rear leg will contribute to the movement, but make sure that the front one is doing most of the work — around two-thirds of your body weight should be on the front foot.
Reverse Lunge Mistakes to Avoid
The off-balance nature of the reverse lunge can throw even the most experienced lifters off-kilter. Here are the most common reverse lunge mistakes and how to avoid them.
Rushing the Repetitions
When you’re holding a pair of dumbbells and kettlebells, the weight is subject to swing and gain momentum and throw your rhythm out of sync.
Credit: Thanakorn.P / Shutterstock
As there is a horizontal component with this movement, not controlling the reps will result in the weight moving backwards and forwards, causing balance problems and excessive lower back involvement.
Avoid it: Brace your entire body — squeeze your stomach, flex your lats, and contract your glutes — during each repetition. The weight should remain in a straight line under your shoulders.
Assuming a Narrow Stance
If your starting stance is too narrow, like if you were to walk on a line like catwalk models, you will probably lose balance and put stress on your hip joint. A wider base provides more stability and support.
Credit: Aleksandr Art / Shutterstock
Avoid it: The ideal lunge stance should be around shoulder-wide. If you’re someone with wider hips, you might want to even widen your stance a little bit more to accommodate your pelvic structure.
Pushing With Your Back Leg
The majority of your weight should be on your front leg. If your back leg ends up doing most of the work, you will put unnecessary stress on the knee joint and greatly diminish glute involvement.
Credit: Vladimir Sukhachev / Shutterstock
Because of the non-optimal position of the back leg, pushing with it will decrease the loading potential of the exercise, the athletic benefits of the lunges, and increase the risk of potential injuries.
Avoid it: You want the back leg to bear some of the load of your leg while keeping you balanced, but avoid pushing through the ball of your rear foot. Think of the front leg as the “working leg,” and the back leg as the “supporting leg.”
Rounding Your Back
Indeed, lunges are a lower-body exercise, but that doesn’t mean the involvement of the upper body isn’t crucial. It is. Your upper-body is supporting your upper weight, and proper core, back, and shoulder bracing is required if you want to maximally transfer the energy from the legs and move more weight.
Credit: carlos calixto rayo bravo / Shutterstock
It is particularly true during the concentric (rising up) portion of the lift. If you don’t pay attention to your bracing, you risk hunching over, losing balance, and putting stress on your lower back, especially when fatigue sets in.
Avoid it: Flex your abs and tense your lat during the movement (think of squeezing something under your armpits). With heavier weights, you may take a deep breath before each rep and hold it until the hardest part of the concentric is over. This breath increases intra-abdominal pressure to make you more stable.
Reverse Lunge Benefits
The lunge is a basic unilateral exercise that has many benefits for all lifters. But why should we include it into a program instead of doing some other squat or a leg press? Here are three reasons.
Unilateral Strength
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a perfectly balanced lifter without any weakness. Skipping unilateral work (working the limbs separately) can create muscular and strength discrepancies, since lifters favor one side more than the other. Always using bilateral exercises might exaggerate these imbalances.
Credit: LL_studio / Shutterstock
The inclusion of unilateral exercises will address your weak side so that they catch up with the strongest, both in size and/or strength. Coach’s tip: start each set with the weaker side so that it is less fatigued.
Improved Balance and Coordination
This benefit is more relevant to athletes, but unilateral exercises will vastly improve your balance, coordination, and motor abilities.
Most sports have their athletes perform actions on one limb at time, (for instance, when you run and change direction) so a unilateral exercise will have an additional carry over to performance and will help prevent injuries. (1) If you’re an average Joe with poor motor control, the reverse lunge will help you develop balance and body awareness — which are linked to longevity. (2)
An Easier, More Efficient Lunge
There are many ways to lunge, and the reverse lunge is promoted as one of the easier versions to perform — making it a prime choice for folks who want hypertrophy. (You can focus on taxing the muscle, not nailing your form.)
This exercise requires top shelf concentration and stability, and it is easier to control the eccentric and hold balance with a back step rather than a forward step. As such, this variation is preferred when weight (strength) or muscular tension (hypertrophy) are a main objective, for it’s more effective than the forward or walking lunge. (3)
Muscles Worked by the Reverse Lunge
Lunges are mainly a lower-body exercise, but don’t overlook the size and strength gains they help contribute in the upper-body. Let’s pass them in review.
Quadriceps
The quads are among the biggest and strongest muscles in the whole body. Their function is to extend the knees — straightening them from a bent position. In a lunge, they contribute to rising up from the bottom to the standing position.
To focus more on the quadriceps, take shorter strides and keep an upright torso.
Glutes
Thee glutes are heavily involved in the reverse lunge, as they are responsible for a multitude of roles in the hip joint. The gluteus maximus (the biggest muscle in the body) is the main hip extensor — it straightens the leg at the hip.
Credit: Sergii Gnatiuk / Shutterstock
The gluteus medius and minimus will be tremendously involved in the lift’s stability, as they take care of hip balance by rotating and flexing it, and contribute to extending it. If you want to hit the glutes harder, bend a bit forward and take longer strides to really stretch them.
Hamstrings
The hamstrings are a series of posterior muscles that flex or bend the knees. Their main role in the lunge will be to ensure knee stability and flexion by acting in synergy with the quadriceps. But if you take long strides and/or bend forward, they will be more recruited also as hip extensors.
Adductors
Often overlooked, this series of five similar-functioning muscles are key to knee and hip balance in conjunction with the gluteus medius and minimus. They also help extend the knee and hips — especially the adductor magnus, the biggest of the five.
Erector Spinae
Also called the spinal erectors, people only think of them as the “lower back.” But it is in fact a complex muscle group that extends all the way to the skull. These postural muscles help keep the spine in place and also contribute to hip extension (just before coming back to the initial position).
Abdominals
The abs govern your torso movements — flexing forward, rotating, or bending to either side. Along with your erectors, they form the “core” and they are key to keeping proper posture and transferring energy from your legs to the weights efficiently.
Who Should Do the Reverse Lunge
The reverse lunge is an effective addition to any lifter’s arsenal. From the beginner starting their lifting journey to the athlete trying to get better at their sport.
Sports Athletes
Combining bilateral and unilateral exercises in an athlete’s training program might be the optimal way to improve performance. (4) The addition of unilateral movements to an athlete’s program is even more pertinent when they actually have to exert power one limb at a time in their sport — whether it’s running, jumping, tackling, or kicking. The agility and balance components of this exercise will have good carryover.
Bodybuilders and Aesthetic Enthusiasts
The reverse lunge is a natural choice for people wanting to pack on more size. Why not simply do more squats? Symmetry is of utmost importance to any physique enthusiast. As such, including unilateral exercises in your routine is paramount in order to avoid muscle imbalances and achieve symmetry and aesthetics.
Strength Athletes
Imbalances aren’t just detrimental to a physique, but also to performance. Developing strength and size of the lower body muscles is key to success for competitive powerlifters, strongmen and strongwomen, and CrossFit athletes. These sports require you to perform squats, deadlifts, and many leg exercises that will directly benefit from a unilateral lower-body staple.
How to Program the Reverse Lunge
The reverse lunge, being a unilateral and unstable exercise, is a bit more limited in its rep schemes because it would be unsafe and less efficient to program it using very heavy weights for very low repetitions. It shines as a muscle-building exercise.
Heavy Weight, Moderate Repetitions
Because of the lift’s nature, making it a main strength exercise and going extremely heavy is not safe. It is best suited as an assistance lift performed after your main barbell lifts. As such, two to four sets of five to eight repetitions per leg is ideal if you’re chasing strength.
Make sure to control the descent and prevent momentum, which is amplified when using heavy weights, to reduce the risk of injuries.
Moderate Weight, Moderate-to-High Repetitions
This is where the lunge thrives. Going a bit lighter for higher-rep sets allows the lifter to really reap the time under tension and balance-building benefits of the exercise. Three to five sets of 10 to 15 repetitions per leg will do the trick.
Keep in mind that such a long time under tension will highly tax your stabilizing, postural, and gripping muscles, providing a whole-body challenge.
Reverse Lunge Variations
As there are more than one way to skin a cat, you can perform the reverse lunge using a different equipment or even different weight placement to slightly modify the exercise and focus more on some muscles groups or goals.
Barbell Reverse Lunge
If the thought of moving heavy weight makes you froth at the mouth, just skip the dumbbells and use a barbell across your upper back. This will make the exercise more of a core challenge, because the weight is directly supported by your core instead of your shoulders, arms, and grip. A barbell will also allow you to use more weight eventually.
This is a great variation for building strength, and it’s especially useful when you don’t have dumbbells heavy enough or if you want to give your arms a rest without compromising leg training.
Zercher Reverse Lunge
In this variation, created by Ed Zercher, a St. Louis-based weightlifter from the 1930s, you hold a barbell in the crook of your elbows instead of across your back. Not only will you look like a badass, but this lift will provide your abs, upper back, and biceps a great workout. (5) This is the variation that will challenge your upper body the most.
The unique bar placement is particularly efficient for allowing longer-limbed lifters to stay upright or sink deeper more easily. It is a great way to lunge if you have poor mobility. If you want to really target the quads, it allows you to adopt a more upright posture while letting the knee track forward, which increases stress on the quad muscles.
Reverse Lunge Alternatives
Perhaps you’re the kind of optimist that never wants to go backwards, even during exercise. If you don’t feel like reverse lunging, here are some alternatives that will provide you similar benefits.
Bulgarian Split Squat
If you just want to provide your legs a good workout and have trouble keeping your balance during lunges, why not take some of the agility components out of it? This static exercise, sometimes called a rear-foot elevated split squat, elevates your non-working leg on a bench box, or step. It will still challenge your sense of balance, but it’s relatively easier.
Because the balance component is reduced, you’ll be able to use more weight, which can be useful if your goal is to gain more strength or power. The split squat is also great for bodybuilders who really want to emphasize their quadriceps and feel it burn without having to worry too much about losing balance.
Step-up
Now let’s do the opposite and make the exercise harder. The step-up will test your balance and coordination levels like no other. As such, it is a great tool for athletes. (6) To perform it, step on a box, a bench, or a pile of plates, with or without weights. Drive with your heel and slightly bend forward.
The higher the step, the harder the exercise will be. This exercise also targets your glutes significantly, especially with higher steps. (7) So if you want a bigger rear, don’t skip this variation.
Walking Lunge
The walking lunge is the lunge variation that will demand the most control and coordination, so it’s a great fit for athletes who want to incorporate a dynamic lower body exercise. It is also a great tool for building muscle size and endurance because of the long time under tension and constant movement.
Instead of traditional reps, you can also program this exercise for total distance, which is a great way to build work capacity (endurance or cardiovascular conditioning).
Unilateral Leg Press
This exercise requires the least balance of the bunch, so you can solely focus on your muscles. It is an excellent exercise to improve your mind-muscle connection or go to muscular failure.
Be sure to warm-up properly. Even though it requires less total-body balance, this exercise will demand good control and bracing from your hip muscles so that your pelvis stays in a stable and safe position.
FAQs
Should I let my knees travel past my toes? I’ve heard that can be bad for my joints.
Very few movements are actually “bad for the joints.” The lunge is a natural movement and it simply performs a normal knee function. It is not inherently dangerous, provided good form and appropriate loading is used. Make sure to keep your knee aligned with your toes and keep your shins in a vertical plane — do not let them cave in. Use variations with lesser knee angles at first as you develop basic strength and mobility.
You shouldn’t be afraid of letting your knees go past your toes. It is a natural and safe occurrence of knee flexion when performing any kind of squatting motion. However, the relation between your toes and knees will depend on your goal.If you want more quadriceps recruitment, let your knee travel past a bit more. If you want to emphasize your glutes, avoid it. Most importantly, if you have pre-existing knee injuries or if the exercise is painful, use a variation that won’t let your knee travel past your toes.
Can beginners do reverse lunges?
Of course. Beginners shouldn’t be afraid of this exercise. The added body awareness and agility benefits will pay in the long run and carry over to their health and proficiency in other exercises. Start with bodyweight lunges and, when you’re confident enough, start incorporating some weight.
Can I make lunges the main exercise of my leg workout?
You can. Some studies have actually shown no significant difference in terms of strength and power development between the squat and the lunge. (8) Rotating between unilateral and bilateral exercises as main lifts, or incorporating both in your routine, is a great strategy because they both have their own benefits.
Bilateral exercises often allow you to move heavier weights, which can help to build strength, while unilateral exercises address total-body coordination and help to address muscular imbalances or asymmetries.
Go in Reverse for Advanced Results
People usually avoid unilateral exercises because they seem harder to perform, but they offer too many advantages to be skipped. So put your best foot backwards and include the reverse lunge in your programming if you want bigger, stronger legs. You’ll end up being a more well-rounded, athletic, and balanced lifter.
References
Speirs, Derrick E.1,2; Bennett, Mark A.3; Finn, Charlotte V.4; Turner, Anthony P.2 Unilateral vs. Bilateral Squat Training for Strength, Sprints, and Agility in Academy Rugby Players, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: February 2016 – Volume 30 – Issue 2 – p 386-392 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001096
Araujo CG, de Souza e Silva CG, Laukkanen JA, et al Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals. British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 21 June 2022. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2021-105360
Sanghoon Parkq,Chulsoo Chungl, Jaebum Park,, Jonghyun Yang, Siddhartha, Bikram Panda, Jiseop Lee, Prabhat Pathak Comparative Analysis of Lunge Techniques: Forward, Reverse, Walking Lunge 34rd International Conference on Biomechanics in Sports, Tsukaba, Japan, July 18-22, 2016.
Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo & Burgos, Carlos & Henríquez-Olguín, Carlos & Andrade, David & Martínez, Cristian & Álvarez, Cristian & Castro-Sepulveda, Mauricio & Marques, Mário & Izquierdo, Mikel. (2015). Effect of Unilateral, Bilateral, and Combined Plyometric Training on Explosive and Endurance Performance of Young Soccer Players. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29. 1317–1328. 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000762.
Kumar, Satheesh & Perumal, Suriya & Subramani, Arumugam. (2020). Influence of Zercher Squat Exercises on Back Strength and Leg Strength among College Basketball Players. Journal of Information and Computational Science. 10. 45-50. 10.12733/JICS.2020.
Appleby BB, Newton RU, Cormack SJ. Kinetics and Kinematics of the Squat and Step-up in Well-Trained Rugby Players. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Jul;33 Suppl 1:S36-S44. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003055. PMID: 30707142.
Neto WK, Soares EG, Vieira TL, Aguiar R, Chola TA, Sampaio VL, Gama EF. Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review. J Sports Sci Med. 2020 Feb 24;19(1):195-203. PMID: 32132843; PMCID: PMC7039033.
Scott, Shaul. (2016) Which is Better for Building Strength, Power and Agility: Squats or Lunges? Mountain tactical Institute.
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
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Warrior Fit Testimonials
First, I want to say thank you for convincing me to do Tabata! I was struggling to lose weight and Finally I found something that helped! I really appreciate your coaching! - Craig T.
Ever since I was convinced to do Tabata I have seen huge results, I lost 6 pounds and gained energy in the first 3 weeks. I have been working out for 3 months before I decided to do Tabata and I struggled to lose weight.
At first I thought "How am I losing weight by bringing my heart rate up then cooling down then bringing it up again?" I don’t know how it works but it does!
Thank you!! - Theresa F.
The first day of Tabata, I wondered WHAT AM I DOING - I AM 56 !! Five weeks later I knew that it was what I needed. I learned that I could push myself well beyond my comfort zone and feel good later. I have a marked improvement in physical as well as emotional endurance. - Lyn C.
When I was first told about Tabata I was very excited from the word go, however that excitement stemmed from the fact that I had no clue what it meant. I missed the first week of class b/c I was traveling for work so when I came in during the 2nd week I had some making it up to do.
It was hard at first b/c my body wasn't used to working out at such a fast pace, but once I got into a rhythm I started to feel very good. These classes are no joke. If you stick with it you will leave there feeling stronger, healthier and overall better about yourself and what you've accomplished.
I would recommend these classes to anyone. Darrin is a great trainer and he'll keep you going with his energy.
- Jami L.
Warriors Fit Audio
Warrior Fit uses High Intensity Music to get ya Moooovin' So we can all "Get Our Sweat On"
The link below will give ya a freeee shot at Audible plus a couple audio books just to try it out and if you haven't used audio books on your commutes you are missing out. Get pumped up before you get to where you are going and exercise your mind. I use it Everyday. Go get yours now!
If you get injured, your average health care professional will tell you that “the body will take care of itself.” They’ll say to “eat healthy” and “rest up” and “take ibuprofen.”
Love it or hate it, remote work is here to stay. The old model of reporting to cubicles or corner offices from 9 to 5 is out. Collaborating with far-flung colleagues from the comfort of your bedroom is in.
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For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
Book your class NOW!
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