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Anyone interested in building muscle, getting stronger, and improving their balance and ability to perform athletically and generate lots of force should consider training with the landmine barbell attachment. In my opinion, there’s no better fusion of free and machine weights. You get the freedom of free weights, but along a spectrum of available pathways. You have boundaries you can’t cross, but total freedom within those lines. Plus, landmine training introduces variety and fun into the weight room. Many people discount those factors, or even claim they’re actively harmful to a workout, but variety and fun can make training more consistent. And as long as the workouts are effective, consistency is king.

If you hate exercising, you’ll eventually find excuses to give up.

How to Set Up a Landmine Workout

There are two types of landmine setups.

You can stick one end of a barbell in the corner of the room, wedging it into the intersection of two walls. This leaves the other end free to load with weight and lift and move, using the end in the corner as a pivot point.

You can get a landmine attachment that attaches to the squat rack, power cage, or weight plate laying on the ground. You slot one end of the barbell into the landmine attachment and load the other end with weight, then lift it. Using an attachment allow you greater range of motion and better pivoting than using the corner, but both methods are effective.

Once you’ve got the setup going, you can start doing the landmine exercises. I recommend the following ones.

1. Landmine Press

The landmine press is a multifaceted exercise that serves multiple purposes, strengthening both the deltoids and smaller supportive shoulder muscles, improving shoulder stability and mobility, and even acting as a rehab tool. Depending on how you focus your energy during the movement, you can target the delta, triceps, traps, and your core musculature. For people with shoulder pain issues, the landmine press is a great way to strengthen the most common culprits—rotator cuff and serratus muscles. Many people who have trouble loading their shoulders with heavy overhead barbell or dumbbell work due to limited mobility or previous injuries find they can get a great shoulder workout with the landmine press. In fact, I’d say it’s the safest “open chain” shoulder exercise, a bit of a happy medium between free weights and machines. ,

There are two “main” variations of the landmine press. The strict landmine press aims to isolate the primary shoulder muscles, promote shoulder stability and build raw strength (including core strength). Get into a half-kneeling position with one knee down and the other foot planted flat on the ground in front of you. Hold the end of a loaded barbell (with the other end anchored in a landmine attachment or corner) in the hand on the same side as the kneeling leg. Keep everything tight and press the barbell upward in a controlled manner, keeping your elbow under your hand and minimizing torso movement. Lower the weight back to the starting position and repeat the process for as many reps as you want, then switch sides.

The second variation emphasizes full shoulder extension to target the assisting musculature around the shoulder joint. You start the same way—kneeling, one foot on the ground in front of you, bar in hand on the kneeling side—but when pressing up you focus on fully extending your reach, upwardly rotating your scapula and really engaging the traps, serratus, and rotator cuff muscles in addition to the deltoids.  the same half-kneeling position, but this time, focus on fully extending the shoulder overhead, allowing the scapula to upwardly rotate, and engaging the serratus anterior, trapezius, It’s a great way to get strong and get healthy. Go heavier for strength, lighter for rehab.

The two variations exist on a spectrum, and you can certainly incorporate aspects from both versions into your workouts.

2. Landmine Push Press

Push presses are a more dynamic or “athletic” version of the strict press that encourages power development and incorporates the lower body, including glutes, quads, and calves. By using the push, you can load more weight onto the bar and focus on speed and strength rather than just strength. Anyone interested in generating lots of force in a short amount of time can benefit from the landmine push press.

The landmine push press is p
erformed standing in a staggered stance. Hold the barbell with one hand on the same side as the back foot. Slightly bend the knee of the back foot and then explode upward, pushing with the back leg and pressing the bar overhead. 

The staggered stance is a more athletic stance, and using the back leg to push makes it a unilateral movement. In my opinion, unilateral lifts translate well to athletic movements—most dynamic movements in sports or the real world are unilateral rather than bilateral. Think running, sprinting, throwing a punch, swinging a baseball bat.

3. Landmine Curtsy Lunge

Like any other lunge, the landmine curtsy lunge is a nice unilateral movement that loads the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Where it differs is in the direction you’re lunging. Instead of just lunging up, you lunge up and against. You lean into the bar, pressing into it as you rise up from the lunge, creating an interesting stimulus for the glutes and quads you can’t get with other lunge variations.

Stand next to the bar, your body parallel to it, holding it with two hands or letting it rest in the crook of your inner arm. Keeping your elbows tucked in and your posture straight and upright, lunge by taking the inside leg and reaching it back and to the outside, as if you’re curtsying. Try to minimize the amount of weight the curtsying leg bears. Come back up by pressing through the ground. You may find it’s more natural to “lean” toward the bar, pressing into it. That’s by design and I mean you’re doing the exercise correctly.

4. Landmine Row

The one armed landmine row is a deceiving total body exercise. In addition to hitting the rear deltoids, lats, biceps, rhomboids, and erector spinae, it’s also a challenge for your grip, since the end of the barbell is so much thicker than a dumbbell. It’s almost as good a core and grip workout as it is a back and arm workout.

To perform the landmine row, face away from the bar with your feet about shoulder width apart, your hips hinged, your back flat, and the bar on the outside of your legs. Bend your knees slightly and hinge your hips and reach back with your butt until you can grab the bar with one hand, then row it up. To engage your back muscles, think of shooting your elbow up toward the sky. To make it more of an arm workout, think about engaging and flexing your bicep.

If you have trouble activating your lats and rear delts during traditional rows with barbells or dumbbells, you may find it easier to engage those muscles with the one arm landmine row. The “elbows up to the sky” cue really takes.

5. Landmine Single Leg RDL

The landmine single leg Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a classic hip hinge and hip extension movement. Depending on what you emphasize, you can target the glutes, the hamstrings, or all of the above. Whatever you do, the landmine single leg RDL will strengthen the muscles and movement patterns that make you stronger, faster, and perhaps even better at jumping. That’s because the hip extension is the source of  human power. Any kind of jump, sprint, throw or swing involves a hip extension. And I’ll go even further. Unilateral hip extension is the key to human power; the single leg RDL on a landmine setup trains it.

It’s easy to do. Stand with feet shoulder width apart facing the bar. Standing on one foot, hinge at the hips to lower yourself and grab the bar with two hands (or you can try one). Keep your back flat and let your off leg drift behind you for counterbalance as you hinge. Pull through the foot to extend your hips and bring the bar up, really feeling the glutes and hamstrings. Keep the arms straight throughout the exercise.

The single leg RDL is also crucial for anyone worried about balance and avoiding falls. If you can lift a heavy barbell using one side of your hips while using the other side to stabilize, you’ll be less likely to take a spill.

6. Landmine Twisty Squat

Regular squats don’t work very well on the landmine. If you try to have the weight perfectly centered over the midline as you would in a normal squat, when you rise up the weight gets ahead of you, floats out in front. It’s all wrong. Enter the twisty squat. The twisty squat works everything a classic weighted squat works, but there’s a twist to it. You start from a slightly staggered stance with the bar situated over the back foot and instead of just going down and back up, you go down and on your way back up you pivot on the back foot to “twist” as you rise.  If you like, you can even throw in a press at the top, maybe even with a calf raise. Again, this is the beauty of the landmine attachment: it opens up another plane of motion for business.

7. Landmine Twist

The landmine twist trains rotational strength, overall structural stability, and resistance to rotational forces.

To do the landmine twist, stand with feet hip shoulder width apart facing the bar head on. Grasp the end of the barbell with both hands, arms extended and elbows straight. Slowly rotate to the left, lowering the bar in a smooth, controlled arc while keeping your arms straight. Pivot on the ball of your opposite foot as you lower the bar. Return the bar to the starting position and lower it to the other side. Repeat.

The landmine twist is the ultimate rotational exercise. When you lower the bar in one direction, you’re resisting rotation with the other side. When you raise it, you’re training rotation. Every direction you go is a workout for both sides in different ways. While it is effective, that also means there’s no real “rest.” You’re constantly under tension, so exercise caution when doing this exercise. Go lighter than you think to start.

There are dozens of other landmine exercises you can do, but these 7 are the foundation for any good landmine training program. Start with those and see where they take you.

Have you ever tried landmine presses or landmine training in general? I’d love to hear about it. Let me know down below.

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After years of near-victories, Hadi Choopan finally scored bodybuilding’s greatest accomplishment when he won the 2022 Mr. Olympia. According to one of Choopan’s elite peers, the Iranian athlete will add another Olympia notch to his belt in November 2023 in Orlando, FL.

On Apr. 30, 2023, fellow professional bodybuilder William Bonac appeared on a podcast with Muscle and Fitness. After Bonac discussed his goals concerning a rest-of-year pause in competition plans, the two-time Arnold Classic champion (AC) made clear that he believes Choopan is a shoo-in to repeat and win the 2023 Mr. Olympia.

Bonac’s primary rationale behind backing Choopan for another Olympia victory is that he thinks the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League is veering away from a size focus for its top athletes. With a greater aim on a chiseled physique and overall symmetry, it’s here that Bonac explains such criteria could potentially be beneficial to Choopan’s repeat chances.

In fact, with former 212 competitors like Derek Lunsford starting to thrive in the heavier Men’s Open class, Bonac (who began his own competitive career in the 212 division) maintains that’s because aesthetic is becoming more vital for Mr. Olympia success. Notably, Choopan’s first professional victory was in the 212 division at the 2018 Portugal Pro before transitioning to the Men’s Open division in 2019.

“A lot of 212 guys are doing very good in the [Men’s] Open class,” Bonac said. “That’s something that I’ve noticed. They’re extremely good, maybe because they don’t look as big as Big Ramy [Mamdouh Elssbiay], those ‘mass monsters.’ I think [the judges are] trying to go away from that. Not to say they are little guys, you understand. I also see that they are rewarding the taller guys. The few taller guys we have with beautiful aesthetics, that’s a good thing as well.”

When prompted by legendary trainer Miloš Šarčev, Bonac didn’t mince his words.

The athlete thinks Choopan is the current cream of the bodybuilding crop when it comes to being shredded.

“He’s [Choopan] next level,” Bonac explained. “Even with the pump up, when you stop pumping up, then he will come alive. The more he pumps up, the freakier he gets … I think honestly … last year or the year before the [2021] Olympia that he didn’t win, he looked way better. If he came in with that shape even now, that wasn’t even his best shape and he won it. So, I’m sure he’s going to take another title if he brings the condition that he brought the year before.”

Between Choopan, Lunsford, and Nick Walker, among others, the modern Men’s Open division seems more stacked than ever on paper. If Choopan is going to take home another Olympia title, it won’t come without worthy resistance. Though, if his training and physique are indeed as elite as Bonac professes, an extended reign at the top of bodybuilding might be inevitable.

Featured image: @hadi_choopan on Instagram

The post William Bonac Believes Hadi Choopan Is a Lock For 2023 Olympia Repeat Title appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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Some lifters will only consider training their abs with high-repetition bodyweight exercises. If they do add resistance, it’s often with exercises performed on highly stabilized machines, excessively heavy movements with compromised technique, or basic cable crunch variations that don’t allow the abs to perform as efficiently as possible. That’s when it’s time to head into the cable station and hit your core with something new.

The half-kneeling Pallof press is a challenging, progressive core exercise derived from the basic standing Pallof press. The unique ground-based position challenges different musculature on both sides of your body while coordinating your torso, core, and legs with different tasks.

Here’s a review of all the elements you need to know about building total-body stability and core strength with the half-kneeling Pallof press.

Half-Kneeling Pallof Press

• How to Do the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press
• Half-Kneeling Pallof Press Mistakes to Avoid
• How to Progress the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press
• Benefits of the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press
• Muscles Worked by the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press
• How to Program the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press
• Half-Kneeling Pallof Press Variations 
• Frequently Asked Questions

Half-Kneeling Pallof Press Video Demonstration

Author James Shapiro explains the half-kneeling Pallof press and offers in-depth guidance for exercise technique, common mistakes, as well as several simple and effective ways to adjust the exercise.

How to Do the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press Step By Step

Following these detailed instructions to position yourself up for the half-kneeling Pallof Press will optimize your results. You will need a cable pulley system or a long resistance band with an anchor point that will not move, such as a squat rack.

Step 1 — Set Up Your Equipment and Position

Being relatively comfortable is a priority since you’re in a half-kneeling (one-knee down) position Use a pad to cushion your knee if you don’t like the surface you are kneeling on. Set the pulley or band height so that the resistance runs in-line with your sternum — above your hips and under your chest — when you’re in the kneeling position.

Stand sideways to the cable and assume a half-kneeling position with the foot of your outside leg flat on the ground and the knee, shin, and toes of your inside leg on the ground. Your outside leg should have a roughly 90-degree angle relative to your hip and knee. Set the heel of your outside leg directly underneath the same side knee and set the knee of your inside leg underneath your hip.

Form Tip: Tucking the toes of your inside leg down (aiming your shoelaces to the ground) will add an extra level of lower-body bracing and activation. If you keep that foot pointed up on its toes, you might experience less hip stabilization and glute activation.

Step 2 — Brace with the Weight

Grab the cable or band with both hands and interlock your fingers. Slowly pull the handle to the center of your sternum. With your lower body in position, drive your shoulders down pull your elbows to your sides to brace your total-body position before initiating the movement.

Keep your outside leg strong by engaging your glutes and activating your shoulders prior to the press. You should be able to maintain these key positions throughout the entire exercise.

Form Tip: The half-kneeling Pallof press is not an evenly distributed movement toward the body. The rotational forces being applied by the resistance are biased more toward the side closest to the band’s anchor point. This means you need to work even harder with the side farthest from the anchor point (the outside half of your body) to stay in line and balanced. This is also why it’s essential to perform reps equally on both the left and right sides.

Step 3 — Press and Pause

Keep your lower body stable as you press your hands in a straight line, from the center of your sternum, away from your body until your arms are locked out. Pause briefly in the locked out position.

This is the hardest point of the movement — when your arms are farthest away from your body. The greatest amount of anti-rotation occurs when the arms are extended and the hands are the furthest point away from the sternum. Pausing in the arms-locked position will maximize tension through your core.

Form Tip: Do not try to exceed the muscular stress your body can maintain. If you start to feel that you’re shifting away from pressing in a straight line as your arms extend, do not go further just to get “more” out of the exercise. At that point, it’s likely you’ve lost some of your initial brace and need to return to the starting position. If necessary, stop before lockout to maintain position.

Step 4 — Return to the Starting Position

Bring your hands back to your sternum in a controlled manner. Repeat steps two through four — brace, press and pause, return — for your intended repetition scheme before carefully returning the weight back to the anchor point.

Form Tip: There is no need to speed through the half-kneeling Pallof press. With a reduced and lowered base of support, plus a greater emphasis on core control, you need to be careful and deliberate with each individual repetition. Focus on quality movements instead of piling up a quantity of repetitions.

Half-Kneeling Pallof Press Mistakes to Avoid

A successful half-kneeling Pallof press requires a lot of moving parts and internal communication. Steer clear of these common mistakes to maximize your performance and results.

Leaning Too Far Forward or Backward

One common issue with half-kneeling positions is that people sometimes have a hard time understanding what a “neutral hip position” actually is. Either their torso leans too far forward because their lower body is positioned wrong or they lean back too much “for balance” and create too much extension through their low back.

Avoid it: Think about keeping your upper body as tall as possible when entering the half-kneeling Pallof press. When you look down, you should see your hips are under your shoulders and above the knee of your lower leg. If you start to see an angle form between your torso and front thigh, you’re likely pushing your hips back.

Allowing Your Outside Knee To Collapse

Your outside knee might experience some movement during the pressing motion as your core is activated and your body fights against the resistance, however your knee can actually be the last place a lot of people focus on.

If your outside knee collapses inward toward the weight, it is demonstrating a lack of coordination from your glutes and obliques. Loss of coordination and strength from the internal obliques on the outside portion of your body can lead to more torso rotation toward the inside leg.

Avoid it: Be attentive to not push your knee out excessively. Having your inside-leg toes tucked under and engaging your glutes will help your outside leg maintain stability. An additional cue is to focus on how much ground pressure you are developing — feel power coming up from your outside foot. Pushing through the big toe of your outside leg can keep your hips and ankle in more efficient alignment. 

Having Your Arms Fall “Off-Center”

Finding an imaginary line on the floor or focusing on a spot on the wall may initially be hard, but it’s possible when you don’t have any tangible landmarks to aim for while pressing away from your chest.

Once you’ve picked a target, your arms should not be moving excessively “off-center”. If they do, it indicates you have either lost the brace position or you’re using too much resistance. Being in a half-kneeling position only amplifies either of these two common faults because your stability is challenged that much more.

Avoid it: You can either reduce the resistance, which should allow you more overall control, or you can slightly reduce the range of motion to a stay in a more easily controlled position. The half-kneeling position is a very demanding variation for any movement let alone an anti-rotation core movement.

Hips Falling To The Side

Poor oblique control paired with a lack of adductor (inner thigh) activation from your outside leg will lead you to have your hips falling to the side. Some of the functions of your obliques (side abs) include rotation, flexion, and lateral flexion — performing those movements as well as resisting them.

As you press forward, you may notice your hips potentially falling to the inside if you’re not strongly stabilizing the adductors of your outside leg.

Avoid it: Imagine you’re slightly crunching your obliques prior to your brace and press — just imagine, don’t actively crunch sideways. With your obliques and core fully engaged prior to pressing, you can expect little-to-no movement at your hips.

How to Progress the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press

Progressing through the half-kneeling Pallof press comes in a variety of ways. Using a band or cable pulley system can be a preference or a factor of accessibility depending on your available equipment. When the basic half-kneeling Pallof press becomes mundane or “easy,” challenge yourself with these small adjustments.

Pause Repetitions

Changing your tempo (speed of movement) is one of the best initial ways to progress a standard half-kneeling Pallof press, outside of changing your sets and reps. You can challenge your core with a longer pause in the lockout position before returning your hands to your sternum. You can also add multiple pauses for a second or less at specific points throughout the range of motion to make each repetition longer, creating more time under tension. 

Increasing Repetitions Performed

Performing any anti-rotation exercise depends on the strength and endurance of your entire core musculature working together. Increasing the number of repetitions performed puts a strain on your core and challenges your local and overall muscular endurance. Making small incremental jumps in repetitions will also increase the amount of time worked and is a form of linear progression.

Benefits of the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press

The list of benefits the half-kneeling Pallof press holds may persuade you to add it into your workouts even if it may not look like the most interesting exercise. The research and evidence demonstrate the effectiveness of this exercise for relieving pain, supporting strength development, and improving sport performance. (8)

Reducing Lower Back Pain

One of the primary sources of work absence and disability is lower back pain (LBP). (1) With sedentary lifestyles, bad ergonomics, and poor posture, it shocking to see that more than 50% of people in the United States are affected by lower back pain that can lead to physical therapy or disability. (12)

By using the half-kneeling Pallof press to train the muscles responsible for improving the stability and endurance of your lumbar spine and hips, you can either reduce, eliminate, or prevent pain and discomfort in your lower back.

Increasing Your Strength

Performing compound (multi-joint) exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, overhead pressing, and bench press requires minimal movement where there should be stiffness. Many hear the word “stiffness” in a gym setting and attach a negative connotation. However, in places where there should be stiffness — such as your low back and spine — stiffness can simply mean wanting to be as stable as possible.

The effects of abdominal bracing have been shown to increase the strength and power of trunk and hip extension. (10) A core program that includes the half-kneeling Pallof press can stimulate intra-abdominal pressure, which helps to create that much-needed stability, and results in improved force output. 

Sport Performance Improvements

Athletes who play sports are going to be rotating through their spine to generate force when they change direction, move sideways, jump, throw, or swing. Having the ability to generate core stiffness in certain athletic positions can also lead to great force application and prevent “energy leaks” (losses of strength and power) from occurring when attempting athletic movements. (5)(9)

Athletes who engage in core training with exercises like the half-kneeling Pallof press may see improvements in their athletic skill, agility, and power while maintaining a healthy spine. (2)(4)

Muscles Worked by the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press

Even though it has the word “press” in the exercise name, the half-kneeling Pallof press does not fall under traditional pressing exercises which would train your chest or shoulders. The press portion of the exercise is used to increase the lever arm and more strongly challenge your core stabilizers. You’re not actively lifting the weight during the pressing movement, so your chest and shoulders are not significantly recruited.

This means the muscles in your hips, core, and a few intrinsic muscles of your back get utilized a lot more than muscles of the shoulders, pecs, and triceps.

Obliques and Transverse Abdominis

Your internal and external obliques — found on each side of your abdominal wall — maintain abdominal tension, increase intra-abdominal pressure, and coordinate to rotate your trunk.

This buildup of intra-abdominal pressure reinforces the transverse abdominis (your “primary” abdominal muscle) to stabilize your spine and pelvis. (6) Coordination between all of these muscles help to keep your spine and trunk stable and relatively stationary during he half-kneeling Pallof press as you press with your hands away from your body. (11)

Hip Musculature

In the half-kneeling position, your hips work isometrically to activate and integrate your core muscles. Your hamstrings and glutes are firing to maintain hip extension on your inside leg while holding a neutral hip position. Your outside leg has the TFL (tensor fasciae latae, a hip muscle) to assist the leg in hip flexion. Your inside leg is relying on a neutral position that counteracts the hip flexion of the outside leg. These muscles work in concert to prevent your hips from tilting sideways, forward, or backward during the exercise.

Intrinsic Back Muscles

People often misinterpret “core muscles” to mean only those located where we can see them — on the front of our body. However there are smaller intrinsic muscles located on our back, near our spine, or with attachment to our ribs.

The erector spinae, semispinalis, quadratus lumborum, and multifidi are a few that play a part during the half-kneeling Pallof press. These muscles are designed to extend the spine, laterally flex the spine when contracted unilaterally, maintain posture, and stabilize the low back. (7)

How to Program the Half-Kneeling Pallof Press

The half-kneeling Pallof press is considered a “supplemental” or accessory exercise and doesn’t necessarily need to be the primary movement for your workout. Understanding where the half-kneeling Pallof press can be programmed will determine its effectiveness in your program. Also note, if you’re familiar with performing the standing Pallof press, use less resistance with the half-kneeling exercise due to the change of position.

Supplementing Your Main Compound Lift

Performing the half-kneeling Pallof press at relatively lower intensities can be beneficial to those who lack proper core bracing during heavier sets of their squats, deadlifts, bench pressing, or overhead pressing. (3)

Fatiguing your core is not a smart or effective approach before performing compound movements. However, performing the half-kneeling Pallof press with lower intensities (staying away from muscular failure) and lower volume (such as two sets of 10 to 12 reps) can reinforce and maintain core tension for your primary training movements.

Low Intensity Recovery Days

Adding the half-kneeling Pallof press to recovery workouts or low intensity days can be an effective way to prepare your body, and your central nervous system, for the more intense workouts during your training week. Performed at low to moderate volume — such as two to four sets of eight to 12 reps — can help prime your body for the next day. It can also help with small “power leaks” with your strength-based movements.

Positioned in a Core Circuit

Many experienced lifters have found that training multiple core movements together as a form of circuit training amplifies the intensity of each exercise, compared to performing separate exercises by themselves. Pairing up other core exercises such as suitcase carries, hollow body holds, or deadbugs can amplify the intensity of the half-kneeling Pallof press.

Half-Kneeling Pallof Press Variations

Challenging yourself with the half-kneeling position can be difficult, but definiely not impossible. Below are a few variations of the half-kneeling Pallof press that increase with difficulty and should be progressed slowly. Demonstrations can be reviewed in the technique video at the beginning of the article.

Pallof Press and Lift

Moving your arms away from your center-mass is the driving force behind the anti-rotational benefits of the Pallof press. The farther the leverage moves from your center, the more difficult it will be.

Adding a lift above your sternum, to eye-level or higher, further challenges your whole body to remain stable while engaging your serratus and shoulder stabilizers even more. Start small, as even a little movement will yield exponential difficulty to the exercise.

Pallof Perturbation Press and Hold

When your goal is to brace and maintain position, your body will work even harder when forces are trying to move you, rather than forces being manipulated more passively. This advanced exercise variation is performed with a small weight plate and a resistance band attached to an anchor point, rather than with a cable pulley.

Attach a relatively light resistance band to the anchor point and slide a five-pound weight plate halfway down the band. Step out farther from the anchor position than normal and assume a half-kneeling position.

Focus on a rapid, almost explosive, press and hold the locked out position. The momentum of the movement should sling the plate forward and back. This forward and backward disturbance will try to push your body out of position. Work hard to maintain full-body tension, with core stiffness and a strong position, as the weight plate slowly comes to rest.

Isometric Split Squat Pallof Press

This variation increases lower body involvement while decreasing your base of support, which further increases the stability requirement. Start off in the half-kneeling position, brace, and press your arms in front of your chest. Then the hard part begins.

Hold the locked out position, and push from the ground with both legs until your back knee is slightly off the ground. Briefly hold this isometric split squat position before gently returning the knee back to ground. Keep your arms locked and repeat the split squat position for repetitions. 

FAQs

References

1. Chang, Wen-Dien et al. “Core strength training for patients with chronic low back pain.” Journal of physical therapy science vol. 27,3 (2015): 619-22. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.619 
2. Hibbs, Angela E et al. “Optimizing performance by improving core stability and core strength.” Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 38,12 (2008): 995-1008. doi:10.2165/00007256-200838120-00004
3. Huxel Bliven, Kellie C, and Barton E Anderson. “Core stability training for injury prevention.” Sports health vol. 5,6 (2013): 514-22. doi:10.1177/1941738113481200 
4. Kibler, W Ben et al. “The role of core stability in athletic function.” Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 36,3 (2006): 189-98. doi:10.2165/00007256-200636030-00001
5. Luo, Shengyao et al. “Effect of Core Training on Skill Performance Among Athletes: A Systematic Review.” Frontiers in physiology vol. 13 915259. 6 Jun. 2022, doi:10.3389/fphys.2022.915259
6. Lynders, Christine. “The Critical Role of Development of the Transversus Abdominis in the Prevention and Treatment of Low Back Pain.” HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery vol. 15,3 (2019): 214-220. doi:10.1007/s11420-019-09717-8
7. Malátová, Renata, Jitka Rokytová, and Jan Stumbauer. “The use of muscle dynamometer for correction of muscle imbalances in the area of deep stabilising spine system.” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine 227.8 (2013): 896-903.
8. McGill, Stuart M.. “Core Training: Evidence Translating to Better Performance and Injury Prevention.” Strength and Conditioning Journal 32 (2010): 33-46.
9. Samson, Kim M. et al. “A Core Stabilization Training Program for Tennis Athletes.” Athletic Therapy Today 12 (2007): 41-46.
10. Tayashiki, Kota et al. “Effect of abdominal bracing training on strength and power of trunk and lower limb muscles.” European journal of applied physiology vol. 116,9 (2016): 1703-13. doi:10.1007/s00421-016-3424-9
11. Willson, John D., et al. “Core stability and its relationship to lower extremity function and injury.” JAAOS-Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 13.5 (2005): 316-325.
12. Wu, Aimin et al. “Global low back pain prevalence and years lived with disability from 1990 to 2017: estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.” Annals of translational medicine vol. 8,6 (2020): 299. doi:10.21037/atm.2020.02.175

Featured Image: James Shapiro Performance / YouTube

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On May 1, 2023, powerlifter Reece Fullwood shared an Instagram video of himself capturing a 412.5-kilogram (909.4-pound) raw with sleeves back squat during the 2023 Global Powerlifting Committee-Great Britain (GPC-GB) Welsh Championships. The strength feat is an all-time raw World Record in the 125-kilogram division.

Fullwood wore a lifting belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps to help him earn the milestone. In the caption of his Instagram post, Fullwood wrote that his body weight at the time of the lift was 125 kilograms (275.5 pounds) exactly. The 2023 GPC-GB Welsh Championships took place on Apr. 30, 2023, in Swansea, Wales.

According to the all-time leaderboard on Open Powerlifting, Fullwood’s raw record accomplishment officially surpasses a notable peer in the 125-kilogram class by 1.4 kilograms (3.3 pounds)

The second-heaviest squat, 411 kilograms (906.1 pounds), belongs to Phillip Herndon, whose previous World Record mark stood for only about six weeks. At the time of this article’s publication, Herndon still possesses the raw World Record squat of 395 kilograms (870.8 pounds) in the 110-kilogram division.

In addition to eclipsing Herndon’s squat World Record in the 125-kilogram weight class, here’s an overview of Fullwood’s all-time raw competition bests:

Reece Fullwood | All-Time Raw Competition Bests

• Squat — 412.5 kilograms (909.4 pounds) | All-Time 125KG Raw World Record
• Bench Press — 212.4 kilograms (468.4 pounds)
• Deadlift — 362.4 kilograms (799.1 pounds)
• Total — 948.9 kilograms (2,171.5 pounds)

Per his personal page on Open Powerlifting, Fullwood has a relatively limited sanctioned competitive history. Including two appearances in the GPC-GB Welsh Championships (2019, 2023), Fullwood has participated in just three official powerlifting competitions to date. He has never lost a contest and once competed in the 139.7-kilogram division during a first-place performance at the 2022 GPC-GB Tattooed and Strong.

In another post on his Instagram, Fullwood seemed to take heart in his latest GPC-GB performance. While nursing an apparent elbow injury with nerve damage, the athlete came in with modest goals and surpassed his wildest individual expectations.

“Goal for the competition [the 2023 GPC-GB Welsh Championships] was not to get injured, break or tear anything, don’t be [expletive], and take a legitimate shot at an all time World Record Squat, to as good of a standard as I could execute!” Fullwood wrote. “I’m satisfied with the results given the condition I went into this competition knowing I wouldn’t be able to put together a competitive bench press. My elbow didn’t break, pec didn’t tear off. Came away with a few small strains and a big smile on my face!”

Featured image: @reecefullwood on Instagram

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Every late April, powerlifter and strength icon Rudy Kadlub celebrates his birthday in one of the most appropriate ways — he bests his personal record (PR) deadlift. Each year, Kadlub adds one pound to his loaded barbell to mark the occasion. He stayed true to his word after his latest triumphant revolution around the sun.

On Apr. 28, 2023, Kadlub’s 74th birthday, he shared an Instagram video of himself capturing a 237.7-kilogram (524-pound) raw deadlift for a PR. When added together, the five and two in “524” comprise the seventh-decade portion of Kadlub’s latest birthday. After taking a hearty sip of whiskey, the athlete made his first rep look so smooth onlookers urged him to crush another repetition, which he accomplished with relative ease. Kadlub wore just a lifting belt to help with his lift and achieved his PR from a conventional stance with a mixed grip.

At his age, Kadlub lives a life dedicated to fitness and strength. He is the co-owner and CEO of Kabuki Strength, a fitness equipment manufacturer based in Oregon. Kadlub’s business partner, Chris Duffin, referred to Kadlub’s birthday PR deadlift as a “Kabuki annual event.”

As a competitive powerlifter, according to Open Powerlifting, Kadlub has officially featured on sanctioned lifting platforms in various Masters divisions since November 2006, when he began competing at 57 years old. The athlete’s most recent ventures have been as a 100-kilogram athlete in the Masters 70-74 division since May 2019. Kadlub’s most notable performance might have been a World Record-laden result with wraps at the 2021 International Powerlifting League (IPL) Drug Tested World Championship.

Here’s an overview of Kadlub’s top stats with wraps from that contest:

Rudy Kadlub (100KG) With Wraps | 2021 IPL World Championships

• Squat — 204.9 kilograms (451.9 pounds) | All-Time World Record
• Bench Press — 142.5 kilograms (314.1 pounds) | All-Time World Record
• Deadlift — 232.5 kilograms (512.5 pounds) | All-Time World Record
• Total — 577.9 kilograms (1,274.2 pounds) | All-Time World Record

A longer video shared on Kadlub’s page details his personal journey en route to his latest deadlift PR. The clip showcases Kadlub’s training facility for other athletes. It also features Kadlub hitting a massive 233.1-kilogram (514-pound) raw deadlift while apparently saddled with an undisclosed illness just one week before his birthday PR.

At this stage of his fitness career, Kadlub probably has little else he needs to transcend in terms of expectations. As he says in the video of his latest PR pull, the powerlifter may well shift things around, in terms of goals for Spring 2024.

Featured image: @rudykadlub on Instagram

The post Rudy Kadlub Deadlifts 237.7 Kilograms (524 Pounds) For 2-Rep PR On 74th Birthday appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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On Apr. 28, 2023, the Giants Live organization used two comprehensive Instagram posts to reveal the lineup of strongman competitors for the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic (GLSC). The growing tentpole strength contest is scheduled to take place on Jul. 8, 2023, in London, England, and will feature 12 elite strongmen, including the two-time defending (and inaugural) champion Oleksii Novikov. This year’s GLSC is only the third iteration of the competition.

At the time of this article’s publication, here are the confirmed competitors for the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic:

2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic Roster

• Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine) | Defending GLSC Champion
• Mitchell Hooper (Canada)
• Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine)
• Tom Stoltman (United Kingdom)
• Pavlo Nakonechnyy (Ukraine)
• Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou (Burkina Faso)
• Luke Stoltman (United Kingdom)
• Kevin Faires (United States)
• Eddie Williams (Australia)
• Evan Singleton (United States)
• Rongo Keene (Australia)
• Spenser Remick (United States)

There is no shortage of worthy contenders for the 2023 GLSC title. Six World’s Strongest Man (WSM) finalists and three WSM champions are littered all over the lineup. Knowing this fact, even without a confirmed events list or schedule at the time of this writing, it might be easy to figure out who should be favored to excel at the London competition.

The biggest name to watch might be Mitchell Hooper, who just won the 2023 WSM for his first victory at strongman’s flagship competition. The Canadian athlete is scorching hot performance-wise. His WSM victory included, Hooper has won five of his last six contests while qualifying for the podium in nine straight competitions.

Then there’s Tom Stoltman, who finished as the runner-up in the 2023 WSM after a status as the former reigning two-time WSM champion (2021-2022). According to Strongman Archives, Stoltman has featured in just two strongman contests over the past approximate calendar year, with the other being a sixth-place result at the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC).

Finally, as the last competitor with a WSM title on their resume, the athlete who should probably be a massive favorite based on his rap sheet is Novikov. Besides his status as the only-ever winner of the GLSC, Novikov has only missed the podium on two occasions out of 20 competitions dating back to his WSM championship in November 2020. Novikov is most recently coming off a runner-up finish in the 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) and a third-place result at the 2023 WSM.

With a deck featuring so much strongman star power, the outcome of the 2023 GLSC seems to be up in the air. At the very least, it should make for an exhilarating show of power and prowess at the sport’s highest level.

Featured image: @giantslivestrongman on Instagram

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On Apr. 27, 2023, recently retired strongman Nick Best shared a clip of himself working out on a seated iso-lateral row machine with six 45-pound plates affixed on each side. Best is shown rowing 244.9 kilograms (540 pounds) for eight repetitions. Best is also seen rowing five 45-pound plates per side (totaling 204.1 kilograms/450 pounds) for 10 reps and four 45-pound plates per side (totaling 163.3 kilograms/360 pounds), also for 10 reps.

According to the caption of Best’s post, the row machine routine at this high weight comes on the heels of an early-January 2023 nephrectomy — surgical removal of either of the kidneys. Best had previously posted on Instagram detailing his necessary kidney removal due to a diagnosis of stage one renal cell carcinoma.

By his standards, Nick Best has seemed to keep it somewhat easy in the weight room lately. While he’s still posting regular training updates that likely require massive power and strength from his home facility, Best has dialed it back in some official respects.

After placing second at the 50+ Masters World’s Strongest Man contest during the latest Official Strongman Games (OSG) in November 2022, the strength icon retired from strongman competition. Shortly after, it appears Best put plans into motion about needed maintenance on his body before he could continue with his usual weightlifting.

Some of Best’s other recent training sessions are aligned with the established precedent of a seasoned strength star.

In mid-April 2023, Best completed 52.1-kilogram (115-pound) dips for 10 reps and combined them with 47.6-kilogram (105-pound) dumbbell bench presses during a chest day workout. Before that, Best had a leg day where he completed a top back squat of 332.5 kilograms (735 pounds) while wearing a lifting belt and knee wraps. If the athlete lost any strength after his recent kidney operation, it’s not apparent how it affected him based on these examples of his lifts.

Best turned 54 in November and hasn’t shown any evident signs of slowing down. After all, shining in powerlifting still seems to be present in his front-view mirror. Even despite his operation and a devastating lat injury from Spring 2021, he resembles an athlete with the intent to continue picking up (pun intended) where he leaves off.

Featured image: @nickbeststrongman on Instagram

The post Nick Best Crushes It with Heavy Back Training 6 Months After Kidney Surgery appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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Roughly a year ago at the time, James “Flex” Lewis officially retired from competitive bodybuilding. A seven-time 212 Mr. Olympia champion (2012-2018), Lewis finished his career widely regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. These days, with the icon perhaps looking to scratch that competitive itch, he may well return to a stage. That is, for the right incentives.

On Apr. 24, 2023, in a video career discussion shared on Lewis’ YouTube channel, the athlete breaks down his feelings about a potential return to professional bodybuilding. Lewis maintains that for a seven-figure offer (at least $1 million), he would consider competing and donning his posing trunks again.

After Lewis retired, it opened the door to former 212 competitor Derek Lunsford receiving a special invitation to compete in the Men’s Open at the 2022 Mr. Olympia. Lunsford would take home a runner-up finish at the contest. Lunsford’s absence as one of the heir apparents to Lewis’ former 212 title reign could mean there’s another opening for the icon to step back in.

However, considering the commitment at a training and nutritional level, Lewis wouldn’t just return to professional bodybuilding seamlessly. As competitions like the 2023 Masters Olympia re-enter the fray for experienced veterans, Lewis’ return would have to come at the right price — a payday of at least $1 million. (Note: Lewis, at age 39, would not be eligible for the Masters Olympia until the 2024 edition when he’s 40 and meets the contest’s age requirement.)

“Obviously, my name has been thrown in the mix this year [for the 2023 Masters Olympia], and I said, ‘Let me dispel this right now, I’m on my own journey, it’s definitely back to the stage,’” Lewis said “… If there was a monetary draw for me, I’m all in. For me, it has to be a seven-figure monetary draw. It has to be because for me to walk away from what I’m doing right now, that’s what my sacrifice is, unfortunately.”

In the approximate year since his retirement, Lewis has maintained a steady influence in the bodybuilding and strength community over various media platforms — even recently serving as a social media correspondent during the 2023 World’s Strongest Man. His status as a legendary Olympia champion seems to offer him a measure of respect for his opinions and thoughts on the current state of the sport.

Being such a big name on paper, Lewis compared his ideal payday to compete as a bodybuilder again to that of more traditional sports.

“I truly think bodybuilding was as fruitful as many of the other sports in the world like golf and basketball and football,” Lewis said. “The contracts these guys are getting paid, it’s insane … Nobody [in bodybuilding] was ever really able to carry the torch into the realm it could be to potentially be one of the sports that are getting huge contracts for sponsorships … Where you’re able to win a show and it’s a seven-figure win for a show or you get seven-figure sponsorships because bodybuilding is, if not one of the hardest sports in the world … It’s 365/24/7. You’re always thinking about what you’re eating and what you’re training.” 

The 2023 Masters Olympia has an overall prize purse of $229,000. Lewis now joins seven-time Mr. Olympia champion (2011-2017) Phil Heath as the latest iconic bodybuilder to maintain they would return if the compensation was incredibly lucrative.

Lewis’s position seems to be gaining more steam in the bodybuilding world. As some of the elite athletes continue to push their bodies to the limit, and the sport appears to be growing in popularity, the stars of the sport might want bigger paydays. At the very least, something like that could potentially lure Lewis back to the stage to shine once again.

Featured image: @flex_lewis on Instagram

The post Flex Lewis Would End His Retirement and Consider a Comeback For Seven-Figure Offer appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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Research of the Week

Meat and livestock are good for the world.

In people with hearing loss, hearing aids may reduce dementia.

Myo-inositol and selenium restore thyroid function to people with autoimmune thyroiditis.

The Medieval Catholic Church effectively splintered state power to retain its own.

Media headlines have gotten more negative over time.

New Primal Kitchen Podcasts

Primal Health Coach Radio: Oliver Wood

Primal Kitchen Podcast: Katy Whalen on the Pitfalls of Perimenopause and Female Aging

Media, Schmedia

What can we learn from a 6000-year-old farm?

A battle over butter rages on.

Interesting Blog Posts

Human height in prehistoric Europe.

Anti-depressants and suicide in young people.

Social Notes

Play.

Everything Else

Eat like a pig to lose weight.

Runners should be lifting heavy things rather than doing plyometrics.

The vulva in Paleolithic art.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Well, well, well: Look what’s responsible for deforestation in the EU.

Another biomarker to track?: Plasma viscosity and heart disease.

Not good: Melatonin gummies often have way more melatonin than advertised. They also contain CBD for some reason.

Another longevity hack: Young plasma, old rats.

Interesting test: Do you pass?

Question I’m Asking

What “old person” tests do you track to make sure you’re staying young and fit?

Recipe Corner

• Sriracha ranch dressing. Might have to steal this one.
• Make your own natto.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Apr 22 – Apr 28)

• Easy Camping Meals You Can Prepare at Home—Eat well.
• Dehydrating Food at Home: How to Get Started—How to.

Comment of the Week

“‘Do you think lab meat will take off?’

Let me paraphrase: ‘Do I think lab meat should be jettisoned into outer space?’

Yes, yes, I do. The sooner, the better“

-Amen.

The post New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week—Edition 219 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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On Apr. 25, 2023, Russel Orhii shared an Instagram training clip of himself capturing a 337.5-kilogram (744-pound) raw back squat for two reps. According to a floating caption in the video, the strength feat is a personal record (PR) for the elite competitor. This lift sees Orhii adding 8.61 kilograms (19 pounds) to a raw squat double PR from late March 2023.

The athlete wore knee sleeves, a lifting belt, and utilized wrist wraps to help him finish off this massive squat milestone.

The other vital portion of Orhii’s lift caption is that he notes his “next meet is gonna be crazy.” At the time of this writing, Orhii has not clarified when that sanctioned competition will come or that he was even training for a specific contest.

According to his page on Open Powerlifting, Orhii’s last meet was the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Korea Winter Showdown. The athlete took home a first-place result in the first-ever appearance as a 90-kilogram competitor in his extended career. Orhii’s total of 885.2 kilograms (1,951.6 pounds) was not only his all-time raw competition best, it was the highest of any competitive powerlifter during the 2022 calendar year.

He additionally scored all-time raw competition bests on his bench press (195 kilograms/429.9 pounds), deadlift (350 kilograms/771.6 pounds), and squat (340 kilograms/749.5 pounds).

Orhii is on a seven-competition winning streak and has not fallen short of first place since a runner-up finish in the 2018 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships. The sterling powerlifter is a two-time International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Champion (2019, 2021) in the 83-kilogram division. Orhii has been competing as a powerlifter on sanctioned lifting platforms since November 2015, when he debuted as a Junior athlete.

Whenever Orhii does take to his “next meet,” it seems abundantly clear he’ll be prepared for any obstacles. At least, judging off his Instagram training clips.

Recent weeks have seen Orhii capture a 347-kilogram (765-pound) raw deadlift with ease, as well as capturing a three-rep squat with 306.1 kilograms (675 pounds) and an eight-rep bench press with 160.1 kilograms (353 pounds) with from mid-April 2023.

Orhii is not one to approach his lifts and competitive ventures in a timid fashion. His precedent suggests that he goes full steam ahead whenever it’s applicable. For this superstar powerlifting, another resounding performance in his next powerlifting contest might as well be written down in pen.

Featured image: @russwole on Instagram

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