Making the Cut (36 page)

Starting Position:
Stand in the middle of the Back Extension station. (You will find one in any gym.) Facing the large flat pad, lean forward until your upper thighs are on the pad with your hip-bones just above the pad. Then place the backs of your ankles (just above the heels) under the smaller pad. Beginners, place your arms across your chest. Advanced exercisers, place your hands behind your head with your thumbs behind your ears. This adds extra resistance to the exercise.

Performance Description:
When in position, inhale and slowly lower your upper body at the waist until it is almost perpendicular to the floor. Then exhale, and slowly lift your upper body back to the starting position. Hold for a beat, and repeat. For advanced exercisers, hold a weight plate against your chest to increase the resistance, or let it hang down with straight arms.

Tips:
Be careful not to raise your torso beyond the point where your spine is straight and your back is flat. Control the movement, and do not swing your body to cheat the exercise.

Back Kick with Shoulder Press

Muscles Targeted:
shoulders, chest, triceps, lower back, glutes, hamstrings, abs

Performance Description:
Stand on your left leg with your right leg off the ground, and your right knee pulled up toward your chest. Hold a 5-pound dumbbell against your chest with both hands, keeping your elbows in tight next to your rib cage. Slowly bend at the waist, and press your right heel straight back behind you as if you were back-kicking someone standing directly behind you in the stomach. Simultaneously push the weight plate straight forward until your arms are fully extended. Your entire body should be parallel to the floor, except for your left leg, which should be perpendicular to the floor. Hold for a beat, then retract your limbs back to the starting position. Complete a full set on the right leg, and then switch sides.

Bench Dip

Muscles Targeted:
triceps, front head of shoulder, chest

Starting Position:
Stand with your back to a sturdy bench or chair. Bend your legs as if to sit (but don’t!), and place your palms on the front edge of the bench. Position your feet in front of you so most of your body weight is resting on your arms.

Performance Description:
Keeping your elbows tucked along your sides, inhale and bend your arms. Slowly lower your body until your upper arms are parallel with the floor. Your hips should drop straight down toward the ground, always staying near the bench. Hold for a beat, then exhale and straighten your arms back to the starting position.

Tips:
Be careful not to lower your body too far, or you will overstress your shoulders. Do not lean forward or away from the bench, which also creates stress on your shoulders.

[variations]

Bench Dip with Feet on Body Ball

Stand with your back to a sturdy chair. Place your legs straight out in front of you, resting your heels on a Swiss ball and your palms on the front edge of the bench. Keeping your elbows tucked in along your sides, bend your arms and slowly lower your body until your upper arms are parallel with the floor. Your hips should drop straight down toward the ground. Hold for a beat, then exhale and straighten your arms back to the starting position. This variation of the Bench Dip adds more resistance to the exercise because you are supporting more of your body weight with your arms. Additionally, by resting your legs on the body ball, you’re incorporating more of your core muscles to help you stabilize your body. For a real challenge, you can place one foot on the ball and hold the other straight out in the air.

Bicep Curl

Muscles Targeted:
biceps

Starting Position:
Stand with your feet a shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forward.

Performance Description:
Exhale, and keeping your elbows locked firmly against your rib cage, curl both arms toward your shoulders three-quarters of the way up. Hold for a beat, focusing on squeezing your biceps. Inhale, then slowly lower your arms back to the starting position.

Tips:
Stand up straight, and use slow, controlled movements. Be careful not to swing the weights. Do not lift your elbows when you raise the weights, or you will engage your shoulder muscles without isolating your biceps.

[variations]

Concentration Curl

Hold a dumbbell in your right hand, and sit on the edge of a bench or a chair with your feet a few inches wider than your hips. Lean forward from your hips, and place your right elbow against the inside of your right thigh, just behind your knee. The weight should hang down near the inside of your ankle. Place your left palm on top of your left thigh. Now, exhale and bend your right arm, curling the dumbbell three-quarters of the way up toward your right shoulder. Hold for a beat, then inhale slowly and lower the weight. The Concentration Curl really isolates the biceps by taking any assistance from the back and shoulders out of the equation. Be careful not to cheat by leaning back for help when you are lifting the weight.

Hammer Curl

Stand with your feet a shoulder width-apart, arms at your sides. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing the sides of your body. Exhale, and keeping your elbows locked firmly against your rib cage, curl both arms toward your shoulders three-quarters of the way up. Hold for a beat, focusing on squeezing your biceps. Inhale, then slowly lower your arms back to the starting position. Try to imagine you are hammering nails into a board with two large hammers. This version of the Bicep Curl focuses attention on the forearms, as well as some muscles that reside underneath the biceps.

Incline Bicep Curl

Grab a pair of dumbbells, and hold one in each hand. Sit on a workout bench inclined at 45 degrees with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Let your arms fall at your sides with your palms facing forward. Exhale, and keeping your elbows locked firmly against your rib cage, curl both arms toward your shoulders three-quarters of the way up. Hold for a beat, focusing on squeezing your biceps. Now, inhale and slowly lower your arms back to the starting position and repeat. This modification of the basic Bicep Curl stretches the muscle while strengthening it.

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