Beginner to Intermediate TRX Chest and Triceps Workout 2

Here is another TRX workout for the chest and triceps that is fairly manageable for most trainees and can be done in about 15 minutes with a TRX (I use a Woss Trainer: http://www.woss.com/woss-trainers/)  and a flat piece of ground:

4 rounds with no rest between exercises and 2:00 rest between rounds:

• 15 Pushups
• 10 TRX Flyes
• 15 Pushups
• 5 TRX Skullcrushers*

*I have a hammer-grip accessory on my Woss trainer that I like to use for these

After completing the 4 rounds, throw this in for a little extra triceps work (1:00 rest between sets):

• 3 sets of 10 Close-grip Pushups

Remember: When it comes to the TRX, the difficulty of  each exercise is based on the angle of your body in relation to the floor (i.e. if you lean forward more, it will be more difficult) Also, don't cheat yourself on the pushups! Lower your body until your shoulder joints are parallel or lower than your elbow joints and fully lockout your elbows at the top.

Photo credit to Tribesports

Beginner to Intermediate TRX Chest and Triceps Workout 1

This is a good chest and triceps workout that you can knock out relatively quickly (about 15 min.) with just a TRX (I use a Woss Trainer: http://www.woss.com/woss-trainers/) and a flat piece of ground.

3 rounds with 1:00 rest between exercises and rounds:

• 20 Pushups
• 15 TRX Chest Presses
• 10 TRX Flyes
• 5 1-arm TRX Pushups

Simple! After completing this circuit I threw this in for a little extra triceps work (also 1:00 rest between sets):

• 3 sets of 15 TRX Skullcrushers*

*I have a hammer-grip accessory on my Woss trainer that I like to use for these

Remember: When it comes to the TRX, the difficulty of  each exercise is based on the angle of your body in relation to the floor (i.e. if you lean forward more, it will be more difficult) Also, don't cheat yourself on the pushups! Lower your body until your shoulder joints are parallel or lower than your elbow joints and fully lockout your elbows at the top.

Photo by James Michelfelder

Post-Squat/Leg Day Kettlebell Complex

This is a single kettlebell complex that I came up with for doing at the end of a squat/ leg day workout. It’s good for adding in a little bit of extra training volume, evening out any imbalances that exist between your legs/hips, working on core stability and anti-rotation and getting in some conditioning work. Always exercise control over the kettlebell, but perform each exercise at a fast pace. If you find this complex easy, it probably means you’re not using a heavy enough kettlebell or you’re performing the exercises too slowly.

Source: Shahtraining.com

Rest for 45 seconds between each exercise

1.       One-handed OH Walking Lunge                        12 steps holding KB in RIGHT hand

2.       One-handed OH Walking Lunge                        12 steps holding KB in LEFT hand

3.       One-handed KB Squat                                       8 squats, KB held in racked position in RIGHT hand

4.       One-handed KB Squat                                       8 squats, KB held in racked position in LEFT hand

5.       One-handed KB Swing                                      15 swings holding KB in RIGHT hand

6.       One-handed KB Swing                                      15 swings holding KB in LEFT hand

*Note: OH stands for overhead, KB stands for kettlebell

If you're looking to make this complex more difficult, I would recommend either lowering the rest period to 30 seconds or completing each exercise for both hands before resting (i.e. performing the one-handed squat holding the KB in the RIGHT hand for 12 reps, performing the one-handed KB squat holding the KB in the LEFT hand for 12 reps and then rest for 45 seconds).

Hack Squatting for the Deadlift

I'm gonna be honest, I had all but forgotten about the barbell hack-squat. You never really see anybody doing them and they're really not a flashy exercise. But you know who I did see doing them? A guy in his early 20's, weighing about 220 lbs that can deadlift over 600 lbs for a set of 2 with no belt, straps, etc. When you seem somebody that can move weight like that, you take notice! I had to try them for myself...

Photo courtesy of T-nation.com

I believe this exercise to be extremely beneficial to the conventional stance deadlifter for a number of reasons. First off, I think it's a great way to train for solid initial leg drive, as it really does put a lot of stress on the quads. Though it does isolate the quads to some extent, the hamstrings and glutes are still working at full-force. If anything, I've found that the hack squat makes it really easy to push through the heels, as you can't roll forward onto your toes since the bar is behind you and it therefore ensures that your hamstrings and glutes are taking on their fair share of the work. Lastly, it makes it easy to maintain the integrity of a neutral spine because you've got to pinch your shoulder blades tight and keep your chest up to be able to pull the bar straight up; if you don't have our shoulder blades tight and your chest up the bar is going to run straight into your ass and you won't be able to complete the full range of motion. And what happens when your shoulder blades are pulled back tight and your chest is up? Well, it makes it a whole lot easier to make sure that your lower back isn't working overtime.

This "forgotten" exercise is one that I think needs to make a comeback in the powerlifting and bodybuilding communities!

Beginner to Intermediate TRX Full-body Workout

Here's a sample TRX class that I put one of my morning bootcamps through. If you're looking for a place to start with TRX training, this is a pretty good place. There are a couple of slightly more advanced movements [Alligators, Clock Press, TRX Plank (pushup position)], but even a relatively new trainee can make a good, safe effort at it.

Sample TRX Workout
*This was done all the way through once, so 1 set of each exercise.

Exercise	Movement	Reps/Time
1.       Lateral Lunge	Knee-dominant	10 each leg
2.       Row	Horizontal Row	10
3.       Bilateral Squat	Knee-dominant	10
4.       Front Raises	Isolated Shoulder Extension	10
5.       Curtsy Lunge	Knee-dominant	10 each leg
6.       Chest Press	Horizontal Press	10
7.       Alligators	Isolated Shoulder Extension/Flexion	10
8.       Triceps Extensions	Isolated Arm Extension	10
9.       Bicep Curl	Isolated Arm Flexion	10
10.   Pull-aparts	Horizontal Abduction	10
11.   Clock Press	Horizontal Press	10
Core Work
1.       Mountain Climbers	Hip Flexion	6 reps each leg (12 total)
2.       TRX Reverse Plank	Plank	30 second hold
3.       TRX Fallouts	Plank/Shoulder Flexion	12 reps
4.       TRX Plank (pushup position)	Plank	30 second hold

My New Favorite Bench Press Ancillary Lift: Incline Close-grip Bench Press

The incline close-grip barbell bench press is by far my new favorite ancillary lift for the bench press. I just started doing them about a month ago after watching a Dave Tate seminar off of elitefts.com and have already noticed a big difference in my bench, mostly in how stable I feel in the bottom of the bench press and the lock-out.

If for whatever reason you don't have a way to do incline barbell bench press in your gym, you can always do incline dumbell bench press with your elbows tucked in tight and holding the dumbells with a neutral grip.

Not only has the incline close-grip bench really helped my stability and lockout, but it's also a fantastic way to build tricep strength and size. Since the triceps are usually the weakest link in the bench press, this is a great exercise to focus on. Big triceps are strong triceps and strong triceps are (most always) big triceps.

This is a pretty good example of the exercise.

**I think it's worth noting that the grip does NOT need to be a ton further in than a medium-grip bench. There's really no advantage to moving your hands in closer than having them over your shoulders.

Links to Dave Tates seminar: http://www.articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/supplemental-strength/

Deadlifting PR (for Reps)

This video is actually a bit old by this point, but it was taken while training with the Chad Smith's Juggernaut 2.0 program, with which I really did see some big improvements in my squat and deadlift. I was weighing in around 205 lbs. at this time and am hoping to surpass this PR in the next 5 weeks, as I'm entertaining the idea of competing again in August, 2014. Thanks for watching!