Progressive overload — doing more than you did last time, session to session — is the method you’ll employ to get stronger and bigger. To see results, you’ll need to be consistent in the gym, follow a thoughtful workout plan, and develop muscular endurance — the ability to ward off fatigue during sets and recover more quickly between workouts. Here’s what you need to know.

What Is Muscular Endurance?

Muscular endurance refers to how long you can do a set of an exercise before you hit failure from fatigue. 

Many people measure this by the number of reps they can get to. Another way to measure muscle endurance is by tracking the time you can hold a position, like a plank. 

Muscular endurance training typically uses shorter rest times to challenge your muscle fibers differently than heavier resistance training and longer rest periods.

Types of Muscular Endurance

There are three main forms of resistance training involving some kind of muscular endurance. Isometric, isotonic, and isokinetic forms of physical activity all offer unique challenges to add to your muscle endurance routine. Isometric and isotonic moves pop up the most in workout programs.

• Isometric: Isometric exercises and contractions have you produce force without a change in the length of your targeted muscle. For example, a plank produces force at the abdominals to prevent your back from arching, but you stay locked in one position.
• Isotonic: Isotonic exercise refers to the mass majority of resistance training performed in the gym. It is where repetitions are performed with consistent resistance, like during a bodyweight squat.
• Isokinetic: Isokinetic exercise is a slightly rarer type of training and may require special equipment. Isokinetic exercise is when you maintain a specific pace and resistance of each repetition, regardless of the position, through the range of motion, such as an isokinetic leg extension.

Why Is Muscular Endurance Important?

Even if your primary goal is to gain muscle size and strength, improving your muscular endurance will help. It’ll give you a baseline of strength, is a fantastic tool for training your stabilizers, and improves technique.

Establish a Strong Training Foundation

Beginners are in for quite a treat in the gains department when starting in the gym. The first several months (and even years) contain rapid gains. That said, you’ve still got to spend time learning the fundamentals and building up a base of strength.

Using a muscular endurance-style program is a great way to start building your form and strength levels from the ground up. From fueling hypertrophy to getting stronger at key movement patterns and strengthening individual muscle groups, higher repetition sets that use full-body exercises and calisthenics are some of the best ways to set yourself up for long-term success.

You’ll Become More Stable

Large muscle groups are responsible for producing lots of force during exercise. The back squat, for example, demands massive effort from your glutes, quads, and hamstrings to get you back up to standing position. However, your stabilizers (like your transverse abdominis and erector spinae) support these larger muscles, providing a secure base from which to produce their force.

The health benefits of this increased stability are big across your entire body. Muscular endurance is a key component of joint stability, helping your joints handle the movement patterns associated with big strength efforts. In this way, high-rep bodyweight exercises can help you stave off potential plateaus or injuries. 

Improve Your Lifting Technique

The more repetitions you perform with proper form, the more ingrained the technique becomes. From managing injury risk to practicing tough movement patterns, there’s a lot to gain from being as technically sound as possible.

Muscle endurance facilitates what’s called greasing the groove (a powerlifting saying that refers to practicing a specific lift over and over) because you’ll perform a lot of reps with (relatively) light weights. Think: around 60 percent of your one-rep max, for upwards of 15 reps (depending on your experience level and the exercise — more on that below). You’ll experience the feeling of fatigue under a specific movement pattern. The end result: you’ll better understand the warning signs of technique breakdown in the future.

Yes, even if you want to get big and strong, building up your muscular endurance will help. It’ll give you a baseline of strength to start with, is a fantastic tool for training your stabilizers, and improves technique to boot.

Best Muscular Endurance Exercises

• Push-Up
• Bodyweight Squat
• Pull-Up
• Dead Hang
• Sit-Up
• Overhead Carry
• Plank
• Step-Up
• Walking Lunge
• Kettlebell Swing

1. Push-Up

[Read More: One-Month Push-Up Workout Plan for More Push-Ups]

The push-up is a quintessential upper-body exercise. It combines the major pushing muscles (shoulders, chest, and triceps) and your core into a highly effective movement. While it usually starts as a strength or skill exercise, as you gain strength, it can become an effective endurance-builder for your torso muscles. 

How to Do It: 

1. Reach your arms straight ahead of your body while in the standing position. Pin your shoulders back and down — this is your grip width.
2. Get on your knees and place your hands on the floor in the grip positioning you just established.
3. Brace your core and pop up onto the balls of your feet with straight, locked out legs. Have your feet shoulder-width apart or close together for a bigger challenge.
4. Stabilize your whole body and bend your elbows under control. Once you reach approximately 90 degrees of elbow flexion, push back up to the starting position.
5. Repeat for repetitions.

[Check out our push-up guide for everything you need to know.]

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Perform them from the knees instead of the balls of your feet. Alternatively, do them on an incline using a bench, or slowly scale the height of your incline using a Smith machine. Another option is to set up a band on the squat rack safety arms and use the band to reduce resistance as you lower yourself into each repetition.
• Make it Harder: Extend the range of motion or adding resistance. Place your hands on a slightly elevated surface (bumper plates work well here) to create a deficit push-up. Likewise, have someone place a light plate on your back to add resistance.

2. Bodyweight Squat

[Read More: The Best Glute Workout Exercises, With Tips From Our Experts]

You likely do it every day in one way or another, even if it’s just to settle in for a Netflix marathon on the couch. The squat is one of the most beneficial and popular exercises out there. It recruits an absolute ton of muscle mass and requires a solid amount of coordination. While you build the muscular endurance of your lower body, bodyweight squats serve as a foundation for endless squat variations in your future.

How to Do It: 

1. Set your stance by placing your feet hip-to-shoulder width apart with your toes straight ahead or slightly turned out to comfort.
2. Place your hands in a cross-arm position, with your left arm on your right shoulder and vice versa.
3. Brace your core, tighten your legs, and lower yourself into the bottom position.
4. Once your hips break parallel with the floor, push back up to the starting position. Repeat for repetitions.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Make the bodyweight squat easier by using a plyo box as a target for your depth. Alternatively, reduce the difficulty by grabbing a set of TRX straps to help stabilize you throughout the range of motion as you build your endurance.
• Make it Harder: Up the ante by adding resistance. The natural progression of your bodyweight squat is the goblet squat — simply grab a dumbbell.

3. Pull-Up

[Read More: The Best Shoulder Exercises, + 4 Workouts From a CPT]

Pull-ups might be intimidating, but they’re well worth the effort. From inspirational movie montages to gains with minimalist equipment, the pull-up offers a ton of upper-body muscle mass and strength building. They won’t come easy, but cranking them out will bring you unprecedented back strength (and bragging rights).

How to Do It: 

1. Grab a pull-up bar using an overhand grip just outside of shoulder width.
2. Perform a dead hang and stabilize against any unnecessary body sway. This is your starting position.
3. Set your shoulder blades back and down to stabilize your shoulder joints. 
4. Brace your core and pull with your arms, lats, and traps. 
5. Raise yourself to the bar and lower yourself back to the starting position under control.

[Check out our pull-up guide for everything you need to know.]

Modifications

• Make it Easier: A change of grip placement makes a huge difference in your stability and muscle emphasis. Try an underhand grip or neutral grip to help build towards overhand pull-ups. You may also use assistance from a resistance band.
• Make it Harder: One of the easiest ways to make your pull-ups harder is by adding resistance. Attach a plate or two to a dip belt to hang from your waist and test out weighted pull-ups.

4. Dead Hang

Your grip is an often unsung hero of training. Without a strong and durable set of hands and forearms, you won’t be able to hold onto the weight during many heavier-loaded exercises. Thankfully, training the dead hang is a straightforward way to build up your grip. You literally just have to hang on.

How to Do It: 

1. Grab onto a pull-up bar using a double-overhand grip with your hands about shoulder-width apart.
2. Lower yourself into a stationary dead hang position, with no body sway.
3. Hold this isometric contraction for as long as possible.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Apply a band to your dead hang in a similar way you would for a band-assisted pull-up. Reduce the overall body weight challenge to your hand grip and build it up from there.
• Make it Harder: Try to perform your dead hang training using towels wrapped around the bar instead of the straight bar itself. Loop a towel around the bar (one for each hand) and hang from them instead.

5. Sit-Up

Sit-ups are oft-maligned as a vanity exercise naively done to help develop a six-pack. But sit-ups, done properly, can be a fantastic way to establish core muscular endurance. With no equipment needed, you can lie down and bang out some core durability from anywhere.

How to Do It: 

1. Lie down on your back with your legs bent to about 45 degrees and keep your feet flat on the floor.
2. Keep your chin tucked and contract your abdominals to bring your upper body into a sitting position. Press your feet into the floor.
3. Squeeze your abs and slowly return to the starting position.

[Check out our sit-up guide for everything you need to know.]

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Try placing your heels on a bench and creating a 90-degree angle at your knees to reduce the resistance you feel during the sit-up.
• Make it Harder: Extend the range of motion of your sit-ups by performing them on an exercise ball instead of flat ground. Arch your back around the exercise ball to increase the distance of each rep.

6. Overhead Carry

[Read More: The Best Forearm Exercises for Strength, Plus 4 Workouts]

Shoulder stability is one of the most important factors in long-term upper-body training success. Your rotator cuff is often the target of smaller band-based exercises but is also pumped up quite significantly by using muscular endurance exercises. The overhead carry integrates your shoulder stabilizers beautifully into a core exercise that fits into your workout.

How to Do It: 

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells.
2. Place a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand and raise them to a locked-out overhead position.
3. Protract your shoulder blades straight up and hold this position for the duration of the carry.
4. Walk forward in a controlled fashion, bracing your core and maintaining a locked-out shoulder until you cannot maintain that position any longer.

[Check out our overhead carry guide for everything you need to know.]

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Start with something simple such as just the weight of your arms. Aim to hold them fully locked out in protraction for a predetermined step count to build your base.
• Make it Harder: Make the overhead carry harder by using a kettlebell turned upside down (in the “bottoms-up kettlebell” position). Hold the handle in your hands with the bell portion facing upwards as you walk.

7. Plank

[Read More: The Best Ab Exercises, Plus 4 Ab Workout Routines From a Trainer]

The plank may be one of the most recognizable exercises in any program. From yoga lovers to powerlifters, pretty much every athlete has used one form of plank or another. The plank recruits your major muscle groups to stabilize against spinal extension for an extended period of time. That’s good, because it’s perhaps one of the most important postural endurance components for life and lifting alike.

How to Do It: 

1. Set up in a push-up position face down on the floor.
2. Clasp your hands together to make a triangle out of your forearms, with your forearms resting on the ground. Alternatively, you can keep your hands on the ground with your arms straight out.
3. Brace your shoulders, abs, quads, and glutes.
4. Pop up onto the balls of your feet and hold full body tension for as long as possible.

[Check out our plank guide for everything you need to know.]

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Perform the plank from your knees or using an elevated surface for your hands or forearms to reduce the resistance experienced by your core.
• Make it Harder: Widen your feet placement, arm placement, or both to increase the challenge of your plank.

8. Step-Up

[Read More: The Best Leg Exercises for Muscle & Strength, According to a PhD]

A step-up is an often slept-on training tool — but don’t step away from it too soon. From strength training to muscular endurance, the step-up is a pretty low barrier-to-entry exercise that has tremendous benefits. Individually challenging each leg and incorporating core, coordination, and stamina…what’s not to love?

How to Do It: 

1. Set up a step-up platform that allows your leg to reach about 90 degrees of knee bend on each repetition.
2. Step onto the platform one foot at a time, lifting yourself onto the surface with one leg and then bringing the second leg along with it.
3. Step down in the same sequence as you stepped up originally.
4. Repeat for even repetitions per side, alternating the lead leg on each repetition.

[Check out our step-up guide for everything you need to know.]

Modifications

• Make it Easier: To reduce the coordination needed, perform all repetitions on one leg before alternating to the opposite side. However, this might fatigue your leg more quickly. Perform your reps next to a wall or stable squat rack to use for balance support.
• Make it Harder: Add resistance to your step-ups to increase the challenge. Try holding onto a dumbbell in each hand or in the goblet position.

9. Walking Lunge

[Read More: The Best Adjustable Dumbbells for Your Home Gym]

You know what they say: Death, taxes, and lunges. The walking lunge breaks up your lower body resistance training into unilateral efforts. Benefits abound. From mobility and single-leg stability, you’ll also build strength and coordination. Without much complexity at all, the walking lunge is a cardiovascular and muscle endurance tool all at once.

How to Do It: 

1. Stand tall and place your hand on your hips.
2. Tighten your legs, brace your core, and take a long stride forward.
3. Aim to maintain about 90 degrees of knee bend in the lead leg per repetition. 
4. Stand back up by driving through both legs, with most effort on the lead leg.
5. Bring your back leg back to center between each repetition. Alternate which leg takes the forward stride per repetition.

[Check out our walking lunge guide for everything you need to know.]

Modifications

• Make it Easier: If you struggle with stability or coordination, try the reverse stationary lunge modification first.
• Make it Harder: The walking lunge has endless modifications to increase the challenge, most of which include adding load. Try using dumbbells and kettlebells in various positions (from alongside the body to an overhead or front rack position) to make them more difficult.

10. Kettlebell Swing

Kettlebell swings are a legendary exercise for muscular endurance. They take the core movement pattern of a hip hinge and transform it into one of the most wildly effective full-body exercises around. From your posterior chain to your heart, nothing escapes a good kettlebell swing workout.

How to Do It: 

1. Grip a kettlebell by the handle using both hands.
2. Stand tall and brace your core. Set your foot stance shoulder-width apart. Place your feet straight forward or slightly turned out.
3. Slide your hips backward into the hinge position. Snap the bell back behind you like you’re hiking a football (but don’t let go). Keep the bell above your knees, with your forearms contacting your inner thighs. 
4. Explosively contract your hips, glutes, and hamstrings to propel the kettlebell forward.
5. Maintain your brace and, once your softly bent arms reach chest height, allow the kettlebell to drag you back into the bottom position. Guide the bell back between your legs again and repeat for repetitions.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Try breaking your kettlebell swing sets up into smaller bursts as you refine your technique and build your confidence.
• Make it Harder: Make the kettlebell swing harder by using two bells at the same time. You can also do alternating swings by starting the lift with one arm, then switching hands mid-swing.

How to Program for Improved Muscular Endurance

You could just bang out high-rep set after high-rep set. But circuit training takes a toll on your muscle’s ability to recover. Program wisely for the most bang for your proverbial buck.

Manipulate Your Rest Periods

Typical weight room sessions — think, deadlifting days — are high-intensity with long rest periods and heavier loads. The goal is to build as much strength or muscle as possible. That makes sense for getting strong.

But many strength athletes have one fear (aside from cardio training): that shortening the rest periods and using correspondingly higher reps and lighter weights will somehow make you weaker and smaller. Rest assured: it won’t.

[Read More: How to do 100 Push-ups a Day, Advice and Programming from a CPT]

Using shorter rest periods and higher repetitions lets you focus more on building endurance than max-out strength, sure. But research has started to point out that given enough effort, even lactate and aerobic training styles help with muscle building along the way. (1)

The tl;dr? Use lighter weights, around 60 percent of your max, or just your body weight to max out your reps and build that endurance. But as long as you’re cranking up the effort, you stand to gain muscle and even strength, too.

Use Multi-Joint Movements

There’s no way around it — you almost always need multi-joint exercises (like the ones on our list) for full-body development. And full-body includes your heart. Compared to single-joint moves, multi-joint movements like the ones we’re recommending here can boost your cardiovascular endurance, too. (2) 

[Read More: The Best Cable Machines for Small Spaces, Bodybuilders, and More]

So, make sure you’re not just thinking of muscular endurance as endless sets of high-rep cable curls (though those are cool, too). Get that full-body involvement in, and you’ll be setting yourself up for all-around success.

Also Program Isolation Movements

OK, it’s true: sometimes coaches contradict ourselves. While the best muscular endurance exercises are definitely those multi-joint moves we’re mostly talking about, you don’t want to only program them into your weight training.

Instead, make sure you’re peppering in isolation-style exercises like dead hangs and sit-ups, too. These can go a long way toward building that specific endurance in muscle groups that might otherwise get neglected or overpowered by bigger muscles and movements. 

[Read More: The Best Online Personal Trainers]

Unless an athlete is ready to try some pre-exhausting routines, I almost always recommend that my clients do their compound, multi-joint exercises first in their workout. That way, you’ll crank out pull-ups when you’re fresh and can save the single-joint curls for when you’re a bit more exhausted.

Don’t (Repeat: Don’t!) Neglect Your Grip

Your back and glutes are strong enough to crank out a CrossFit-style, high-rep deadlift workout. But…your grip tells a different tale. Don’t let your grip become the roadblock to your muscular endurance getting to the next level.

Use moves like dead hangs, pull-ups, kettlebell swings, overhead carries, and weighted walking lunges to really get a grip (get it?) on your endurance. With the exception of pull-ups — which you may want to do fresh — save these for the end of your sessions. You don’t want to pre-exhaust your grip and force your deadlift session to a halt before your bigger muscles feel it.

Sample Muscular Endurance Workout

Muscular endurance workouts take on many forms. Sometimes it’s all about long slogs on the treadmill. But in terms of strength training, you’re really able to lean into your creativity. One of the best ways to capture both local muscular and cardiovascular endurance benefits is by setting up a resistance training circuit.

The Workout

Here, I’ve chosen exercises for you that flow into each other seamlessly. They should account for full body engagement while not needing a ton of awkward transition movements in between. 

As a bonus, I’m giving your cardiovascular system a workout, too. (Starting with swings and lunges? Yeah. That’ll do it.).

• Kettlebell Swing: 1 x 30 repetitions
• Walking Lunge: 1 x 15 repetitions per leg
• Pull-Up: 1 x AMRAP
• Dead-Hang: 1 x max time
• Push-Up: 1 x AMRAP
• Plank: 1 x max time

Note: Perform this circuit as many times as possible within 30 minutes, resting as minimally as possible between rounds.

How Often to Do This Workout: This workout is full body and involves a lot of eccentric repetitions (for example, kettlebell swings and walking lunges). This means you’ll likely have a lot of soreness the day after. Start by performing this workout no more than twice per week.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Try using some of the exercise modifications provided above to allow higher repetition counts on your AMRAPs. For example, use incline push-ups or neutral grip pull-ups, especially as the rounds go on.
• Make it Harder: Set a hard rest period timer of 30 seconds between rounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Training for muscular endurance is something of a rare goal among bench press beasts and squat devotees. Here are some frequently asked questions to clarify what you need to know if you want to get started.

Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.

References

1. Mang, Z. A., Ducharme, J. B., Mermier, C., Kravitz, L., de Castro Magalhaes, F., & Amorim, F. (2022). Aerobic Adaptations to Resistance Training: The Role of Time under Tension. International journal of sports medicine, 43(10), 829–839. 
2. Paoli, A., Gentil, P., Moro, T., Marcolin, G., & Bianco, A. (2017). Resistance Training with Single vs. Multi-joint Exercises at Equal Total Load Volume: Effects on Body Composition, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Muscle Strength. Frontiers in physiology, 8, 1105.

The post What Is Muscular Endurance? (Plus the 10 Best Muscular Endurance Exercises) appeared first on BarBend.

“In my line of work, I’ve seen so many injuries come down to the client not working through a full range of motion,” Babenko says, which means being flexible enough to access those ranges and strong enough to control them. That’s why you need mobility training — here are 12 of Dr. Bo’s favorite exercises for mobility. 

12 Best Mobility Exercises, From a DPT

1. Crocodile Breathing
2. Single-Leg Supine Leg Raise
3. Single-Arm Kettlebell March + Reverse Lunge
4. 90/90 Hip Rotation
5. Thoracic Foam Rolling
6. Cossack Squat
7. Shoulder CAR
8. Sciatic Nerve Floss
9. Dead Hang
10. Banded Hip Mobilization
11. Kang Squat
12. Kettlebell Windmill

Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.

1. Crocodile Breathing

“Deep belly breathing is the ultimate way to start any training session,” says Babenko. This rhythmic breathing technique will not only regulate your nervous system and prepare your mind for the workout to follow, but also serves as some introductory practice to proper abdominal bracing. 

How To Do It

1. Lie face-down on the floor and cross your arms in front of you, placing your forehead on the back of your palms.
2. Exhale fully until you feel your torso empty of air.
3. Inhale slowly and deeply, thinking about filling your body with air from your chest to your tailbone. 

2. Single-Leg Supine Leg Raise

According to Babenko, grounded core exercises like the leg raise are a phenomenal way of utilizing what’s called reciprocal inhibition — activating one muscle to signal an opposing muscle that it’s okay to relax. This move will train your core and may help improve hamstring flexibility. 

How To Do It

1. Lie on your back with one buttcheek scooted up against the pillar of a squat rack or door frame.
2. Hike that leg up with your knee locked until you feel a stretch in your hamstring.
3. Lift your shoulders off the floor slightly and compress your ribcage to activate your abs.
4. With the other leg’s knee locked, gradually lift it until it aligns with your suspended leg and then slowly lower it back down. 

3. Single-Arm Kettlebell March + Reverse Lunge

“This drill provides great ‘return-on-investment’ for the hips, and is one I personally do almost every morning,” Babenko says. The standing marches will actively engage your core and hip flexors, while the reverse lunges will then lengthen those tissues for a balanced stimulus. 

Hip flexor training is often overlooked. This is one of the best mobility exercises for runners because it trains the muscles you use when you perform each stride on the track, court, or street.

How To Do It

1. Rack a kettlebell on one side of your body in the front rack position.
2. Brace your core and hold your non-working arm out to the side or at your hip for balance.
3. Perform standing marches, bending your knee and lifting it up to waist height, alternating legs.
4. Then, step backward into a reverse lunge position, alternating legs once again. 

4. 90/90 Hip Rotation

[Read More: How to Do the 90/90 Stretch to Squat Heavier and Move Better]

For Babenko, “owning” a joint’s full range of motion is everything. You can use the 90/90 hip rotation to develop active control over both of your hip joints simultaneously. “The internal rotator muscles of the hip are hard to access and control for most,” Babenko says. The hip control required for this move makes it one of the best mobility exercise for athletes. 

How To Do It

1. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and tucked up to your chest.
2. Sweep your right knee down and push your right foot out and around behind you, pulling that hip into internal rotation.
3. Open the other leg and place the outside of that knee on the ground.
4. Both of your legs should be on the floor, knees bent at 90 degrees each.
5. Reverse the motion, switching hip positions slowly using your hip muscles.

5. Thoracic Foam Rolling

“Undoing the damage from the day”, as Babenko calls it, is one of the best ways to improve overall performance and ensure proper shoulder function. Thoracic foam rolling pulls your spine into extension, lengthening your abs, pecs, and anterior shoulder muscles in the process, which may grow tight after long periods of sitting or slouching. This is also one of the best mobility exercises for seniors who may struggle to mobilize their spines.

How To Do It

1. Sit down with the foam roller up against your tailbone and your legs either straight out in front of you or bent at the knee.
2. Slowly “slide” down into a supine position, until you’re either leaning fully against the roller or are arched over it with your upper back on the ground as well.
3. Identify trigger points or painful areas in your mid or upper back and roll back and forth over them, breathing deeply. 

6. Cossack Squat

Think of Cossack squats as a single-leg mobility exercise that also enhances stability and control. This move is excellent for stretching out the insides of your thighs if you have trouble opening your hips. Also, the Cossack squat might just be the best ankle mobility exercise you’ve never done. Give it a shot:

How To Do It

1. Stand in a wide sumo stance with your knees locked and your toes pointing slightly outward. 
2. Extend your arms in front of your body or cross them at your chest.
3. Slowly push your hips back and sideways, sinking into a squat position on one side while using your other leg as a kickstand for balance.
4. Reverse the motion, return to the starting position, and then squat deep into the opposing side. 

7. Shoulder CAR

In physiotherapy, “CAR” stands for “controlled articular rotation” — a fancy way of rotating a limb around a fixed point. The shoulder CAR takes your shoulder through its full range of motion and, according to Dr. Babenko, is one of the best ways to improve shoulder mobility. 

How To Do It

1. Take a half-kneeling position adjacent to a wall. The leg closest should the wall should be your “down” leg.
2. For extra stability, place a foam roller between the inside of your “up” knee and the wall.
3. Extend your wall-side arm out along the wall with your elbow straight.
4. Slowly glide your arm up the wall in an arc motion, passing your head and extending behind your body. 

8. Sciatic Nerve Floss

[Read More: The Best Stretches to Do Before a Run, According to a CPT]

Babenko remarks that this is a particularly good mobility exercise for runners, skiers, or anyone who may mistakenly believe that they have tight hamstrings when the underlying cause may be neural in nature. Nerve “flossing” refers to performing a dynamic stretch that mobilizes neural tissue and treats associated symptoms. (2)

Editor’s Note: If you’re experiencing nerve-related pain or conditions like severe tingling or numbness, consult with a doctor right away. 

How To Do It

1. Stand upright with a staggered stance, placing one foot a few inches in front of the other, making contact with the ground with only your heel.
2. Hinge forward, dropping your head towards your forward foot without bending your knees.
3. As you drop down, actively sweep your arms forward as though you were scooping up the air. 

9. Dead Hang

“Accumulating time in a hanging position has all sorts of benefits,” Babenko says. Namely, dead hangs both improve shoulder mobility while also providing some axial decompression — they allow gravity to apply very mild traction to your spine, countering the compressive forces applied by moves like the squat or overhead press. Oh, and you’ll also get a free grip exercise along the way. 

How To Do It

1. Reach up and grab ahold of a stable horizontal bar with a shoulder-width, overhand grip.
2. Slowly suspend yourself from the bar, hanging freely without swaying.
3. Allow your shoulders to pull upward towards your ears as you hold your lower body motionless.

10. Banded Hip Mobilization

Babenko notes that one of the most common restrictions he sees in his practice is limited hip extension and internal rotation. “Using a heavy band to get the hip opened up with some overhead reaching incorporated is something I use with almost 90% of my clientele,” he says, as a way of stretching out a tight anterior chain. 

How To Do It

1. Tie a heavy resistance band around a stable structure like the frame of a squat rack at around knee height.
2. Place one leg into the loop of the band, then hike it upward into your groin. The band should wrap around directly under your buttcheek.
3. Take a knee, placing the banded knee on the floor and your opposite foot flat in front of you.
4. Allow the band to pull your hip into extension until you feel a strong stretch along the front of your thigh. 

11. Kang Squat

The ability to breathe in the bottom of a squat position is key to proper posture and bracing, Babenko says. By incorporating a hip hinge as well, you can loosen your posterior chain and warm up your entire lower body at once. 

How To Do It

1. Unrack an empty barbell and place it on your upper back as you would for a back squat.
2. Assume your standard squat stance, then hinge backward into a deep good morning position.
3. From the hinged position, sink your butt down and drive your knees forward to fall into the bottom of a deep squat.
4. Pause, exhale, then reverse the motion, deliberately shooting your hips up and back until you’re in the hinged position once again. 

12. Kettlebell Windmill

Your shoulder blade sits flush against the back of your ribcage and is the most mobile area in your upper body, which means there’s a large range of motion you need to stabilize. The kettlebell windmill not only stretches your posterior chain, but requires you to isometrically contract your upper back and shoulder girdle to suspend a weight overhead in the process. 

How To Do It

1. Hold a kettlebell above your head with one arm and take a staggered stance with your legs slightly out of alignment. 
2. Maintaining a locked elbow in your upper arm, slowly and gradually tilt your torso to one side, reaching down toward the floor with your other arm. 
3. Lower yourself until you can touch the floor or until you feel a strong stretch throughout your hip and lower back. 

3 Mobility Workouts To Try

If you’re struggling with your mobility, even the best exercises in the world only get you halfway there; you need to know how to organize them into mobility workouts of their own. 

Mobility Warm-Up

If you associate mobility exercises with your warm-up, you’re not wrong. So how do you warm up… for your warm-up? Research indicates that if you’re warming up with mobility exercises directly prior to your workout, you should focus on deliberate, dynamic movement. Save static stretches for after your session if you can help it. (3) 

[Read More: 4 Bodyweight Warm-Up and Cool-Down Mobility Drills]

Here’s how you’d typically ease into your mobility routine at the very start of a session: 

1. 5-10 minutes light cardio on the treadmill, elliptical, stepper, or skipping rope
2. 2-4 joint-specific mobility exercises that involve the muscles you’re using that day

Mobility Workout for Squats

Squats (and all of their variations) are some of the best leg exercises you can do, but proper squat form isn’t always easy to achieve. Mobilizing and warming up for squats at the start of your lower-body workout can make all the difference when you get under the barbell; you need to perform some of the best hip mobility exercises out there, and you can find those right here:

Mobility Workout for Beginners

Improving your flexibility is essential to hitting the ground running with a new fitness routine. To perform mobility exercises safely, you need the appropriate range of motion. A few different bodyweight exercises aimed at beginners will do the trick; 

Mobility Workout for CrossFit 

CrossFitters need robust mobility throughout most of their joints. Weekly WODs contain many different compound exercises or gymnastics movements that require exceptional mobility. To ensure you’re primed for performance before the clock starts running, hit this sequence, consisting of some of the best shoulder mobility exercises out there:

[Read More: 4 Mini Band Exercises to Improve Your Shoulder Mobility]

What Is Mobility & What Are the Benefits?

Mobility and flexibility are close cousins, but they aren’t the same thing. Mobility refers to your ability to move your body’s joints through a specific, desired range of motion. Flexibility, on the other hand, typically refers to how pliable and stretchy your soft tissues — muscles, primarily — are.

Think of it like this: You need mobility in your ankles, knees, and hips to perform a deep squat. To bend over and touch your toes, you need flexible hamstrings. Now that you’ve got the lay of the land (of your own body), let’s go over some of the benefits of mobility training:

Become a Better Athlete

The ability to change direction quickly without sacrificing speed and quickness is important for a lot of sports and daily life activities. When your muscles are less stiff, your movements are easier and smoother. This translates into better movement mechanics on and off the platform. And the more efficiently you can move, the more effective your workouts will become.

Injury Prevention

Whether you’re running, lifting, jumping, or changing directions in daily life, you’re putting a lot of stress on your joints and muscles. When a joint moves through its full ROM, it improves its ability to absorb force. Therefore, a more mobile joint is generally a safer joint.

[Read More: Mobility Drills to Help You Through Lifting Sticking Points]

When your body has mobility restrictions, it will compensate and find a way to get the movement done. This leads to muscles and joints up and down the kinetic chain trying to do the work of your restricted joint. Over time, this can lead to injuries and pain. 

Better Strength and Hypertrophy Potential

Good joint mobility, including wrist mobility, ensures that you can move as efficiently as possible during your lifts. You won’t be improperly compensating for small ranges of motion, so you’ll be able to channel the forces you need to lift most effectively. 

When you do that, you’ll be able to move heavier loads. This ability leads to more strength and better muscle-building potential. 

[Read More: Wrist Mobility Drills to Do at Work and Before Lifting]

For example, if your hip mobility is limiting your squat or deadlift, you’re not strengthening all parts of the movement and leaving gains on the table. Improving mobility through mobility exercises for weightlifting is therefore a great way to get stronger without weights.

Mobility Training Tips 

It’s all well and good to know that you need to do mobility training. It’s trickier to actually ensure that you’re doing it effectively. Here’s how to get started with your mobility exercises.

• Exercise Selection: Prioritize exercises that match your current limitations and are connected to whatever lift you’re doing on any given day
• Sets and Reps: Sets and reps vary. Generally, you’ll want to perform enough of a mobility exercise to feel a mild to moderate challenge or stretch, but not so much that you tire yourself out before a workout or irritate an existing injury. 

Focus on Breathing

Whatever you do, don’t hold your breath. It’s tempting — especially if you’re panicking in a new range of motion — to stop breathing during mobility workouts. But instead, match your movements with your breath. 

[Read More: How to Level-Up Your Daily Movement, According to Dr. Kelly Starrett]

Every time you inhale, imagine making your body longer. When you exhale, sink deeper into the position you’re in. This can give you something to focus on, and it will also signal to your body that it’s safe to relax into its current uncomfortable position.

Start Gradually

Even if you’re very experienced with mobility training, avoid going from zero to 60 immediately. Begin each set somewhat tentatively, and gradually — with each breath — sink into a deeper range of motion.

[Read More: Stretches and Warm-ups to Improve Ankle Mobility]

The same holds true for mobility training on a macro level. Start by getting yourself acclimated to two or three movements, performed with smaller rep counts and holds. Only once you feel comfortable should you add more time, reps, and exercises to the mix. Think of it as progressive overload and ramp-up sets for mobility exercises.

Be Consistent

It might be tempting to skimp on your warm-up or your mobility-specific training sessions. If that sounds like you, try integrating mobility exercises into your rest times between strength sets. You won’t have to schedule in extra time — you’ll be taking rests in between sets anyway. 

By working mobility into your rest periods, you’ll prime your muscles for the next set and make mobility training a habit. Hopefully, intra-set mobility exercises will get you increasingly comfortable with mobility training generally, such that you can integrate it into broader aspects of your fitness routine.

How To Track Mobility Training Progress

People often mistakenly think of mobility exercises as a type of fitness band-aid — something you apply to heal an issue and then discard. But the reality is that mobility training is training, and you need to progressively overload it the same way to see real results. 

[Read More: The Best Foam Roller Exercises for Mobility and Better Movement]

If you’re wondering how to track your mobility progress over time, there are a few ways to go about it. Ask yourself these questions: 

• Can you access more of your range of motion without the assistance of a partner or from a weight?
• Are movements or actions that were once restricted or uncomfortable now tolerable or easy?
• Do you experience less discomfort in positions that were once challenging to maintain? 

You can, in some cases, also measure your mobility progress more literally. Common mobility screens like shoulder dislocations with a PVC pipe or the knee-to-wall test for ankle dorsiflexion may apply. However, the best way to measure your mobility over time is to work through a progressive plan under the guidance of a qualified clinician.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. Gabbett TJThe training—injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder?British Journal of Sports Medicine 2016;50:273-280.
2. Peacock M, Douglas S, Nair P. Neural mobilization in low back and radicular pain: a systematic review. J Man Manip Ther. 2023 Feb;31(1):4-12. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2022.2065599. Epub 2022 May 18. PMID: 35583521; PMCID: PMC9848316.
3. Page P. Current concepts in muscle stretching for exercise and rehabilitation. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2012 Feb;7(1):109-19. PMID: 22319684; PMCID: PMC3273886.

Featured Image: baranq/Shutterstock

The post The 12 Best Mobility Exercises, PT-Approved appeared first on BarBend.

Luckily, the solution to both of these problems is the same — training your lower back muscles. Your lumbar spine isn’t as delicate as you think, and challenging it with exercises that strengthen the lower back as a whole can help reduce some pain symptoms while also helping you perform better in the gym.

Here are 15 exercises to strengthen the lower back for the gym or that you can do at home. Note that these movements aren’t a cure; if you’re suffering, consult your doctor. But if you simply want to reduce some nagging aches here and there, these lower back moves are a great place to start. 

15 Best Lower Back Exercises

For Strength

1. Deadlift
2. Romanian Deadlift
3. Bent-Over Barbell Row
4. Good Morning
5. Back Extension
6. Kettlebell Swing
7. Glute-Hamstring Raise
8. Jefferson Curl

For Back Pain Relief

1. Cat-Cow Stretch
2. Partial Curl-Up
3. Lying Leg Raise
4. Plank
5. Bird Dog
6. Superman
7. Side Plank

Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.

1. Deadlift

The deadlift is the standard for lower back training in the gym. Deadlifts allow you to train your lower back through a large range of motion and to resist large external forces. A strong deadlift requires a strong lower back — so use one to build the other. 

How To Do It

1. Load a barbell with weight plates and stand a few inches from the shaft with your feet under your hips.
2. Hinge over, pushing your butt backward and bending your knees slightly to help you reach the bar. Grab it with a narrow, overhand grip.
3. Ensure your back is flat from tailbone to collarbone. Inhale and brace your core.
4. Push down into the floor with your legs.
5. As the bar passes your knees, thrust your hips forward to come to a standing position. 
6. Complete the exercise by allowing the bar to fall freely back to the floor, but keep your hands on the bar to guide it down.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can reduce the range of motion by performing rack pulls or lifting off of blocks.
• Make It Harder: Try the stiff-leg deadlift to apply more load to your lower back. 

2. Romanian Deadlift

Romanian deadlifts are essentially just the top half of a deadlift. This is your basic hinge exercise and is meant to train your posterior chain with a simple technique that you can easily load for more intensity. 

How To Do It

1. Stand upright holding a barbell in your hands with your feet under your hips.
2. Take a breath and unlock your hips, pushing your butt backward.
3. Allow the bar to glide down your thighs until it reaches your kneecaps; you should feel a strong stretch through your backside here.
4. Reverse the motion and return to a standing position. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Use lifting straps to take your grip strength out of the equation.
• Make It Harder: Try a snatch-grip deadlift to elongate the range of motion. 

3. Bent-Over Barbell Row

The barbell row is a back exercise, not a lower back exercise — this move is one of the best upper back exercises and works almost all of the muscles in your back to some degree. The muscles around your lumbar spine are tasked with the important duty of isometric, or motionless, contraction, so you can row the weight safely. 

How To Do It

1. Hinge over with a barbell in your hands using a shoulder-width overhand grip until the bar is hanging directly in front of your kneecaps. 
2. Your torso should be almost parallel to the floor. Once you’re set, take a breath.
3. Brace your core and row the weight into your belly.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: If you want a lower back dumbbell exercise, do dumbbell rows instead, using one arm to brace against a bench and reduce the load on your lower back.
• Make It Harder: Try the Pendlay row variation for a greater challenge, or pause at the top of each barbell row repetition for a moment.

4. Good Morning

The good morning exercise replaces holding a barbell in-hand with placing it on your back as you would for a back squat. This simple adjustment changes the physics of the movement, making light weights feel heavier. Use this one as an efficient way to train your lower back without lifting heavy. 

How To Do It

1. Unrack a barbell from a squat stand or power rack as if you were going to perform a standard back squat.
2. Take a close, hip-width stance, then slowly shoot your hips back behind you and descend into a low bow.
3. Your torso should end up nearly parallel to the floor before you reverse the motion and squeeze your glutes to return to a standing position.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can replace the barbell on your back with a dumbbell or medicine ball held tightly to your chest.
• Make It Harder: Try pausing at the bottom of each rep. 

5. Back Extension

Most gyms have a back extension station somewhere. Look for a slanted bench with a thigh pad and foot plate. This machine allows you to train hip extension (which uses your lower back muscles to some degree) without needing weights, and is a great introductory movement for lower back training. 

How To Do It

1. Place your thighs against the pads of a back extension machine. Ensure that your Achilles tendon is right under the ankle pad.
2. Cross your arms, then slowly hinge down until your body forms a 90-degree angle.
3. Contract your glutes and hamstrings to come back to the starting position.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Stack the “front” end of the machine up on some weight plates to change the angle and reduce the load on your back.
• Make It Harder: Hold a weight plate to your chest to load the exercise. 

6. Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing uses dynamic momentum to pull you into a hip hinge and load your lower back at the same time. Swings are both a great lower-back-builder and an awesome conditioning tool. They really amp up your heart rate once you get into a good rhythm. 

How To Do It

1. Set up by putting a kettlebell between your feet and take a shoulder-width stance, or go slightly wider.
2. Hinge down, grab the kettlebell, and hike it back between your legs before explosively thrusting your hips forward.
3. As the kettlebell elevates upward to chest height and falls again, brace your core and push your hips back once more as the bell sweeps behind you. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Start out doing one or two reps at a time and take short breaks to reset your form.
• Make It Harder: Try single-arm or even staggered-stance kettlebell swings.

7. Glute-Hamstring Raise

Think of the glute-hamstring raise, or GHR, as a mix between a back extension and a Nordic hamstring curl. This move requires you to stabilize your lower back while your hamstrings and glutes pull you into and out of hip extension. This back exercise is something you’d try out after you’re comfortable with a standard back extension. 

How To Do It

1. Hop into the bench and place your feet against the plate, securing your shins between the pads.
2. Your kneecaps should be pressed firmly against the crescent thigh pads and bent at a 90-degree angle; your torso should be fully upright.
3. Cross your arms at your chest and slowly tip forward by straightening your knees only. Do not lock or unlock your hips. 
4. Once your body forms a straight horizontal line, let yourself bend at the hips so your head falls down toward the floor.
5. Reverse the motion, first using your glutes and lower back to straighten your body out.
6. Firmly push your knees into the pad to contract your hamstrings and return to an upright position. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Grasp the handles of the station for support as needed.
• Make It Harder: Hold a weight plate to your chest. 

8. Jefferson Curl

[Read More: The Best Online Workout Programs For Coaching, Cardio, Value, And More]

Your spine is designed to curl and straighten using the musculature in your lower back, but most people don’t intentionally expose themselves to this range of motion on a regular basis. This is an advanced lower back exercise, so proceed with caution, but the Jefferson curl can be tremendously effective at strengthening your lumbar spine. 

How To Do It

1. Stand atop a plyo box or low riser with a standard, hip-width stance. 
2. Hold a very light weight in your hands.
3. Slowly curl your body towards the floor by deliberately rounding your spine from top to bottom.
4. Hang your arms down low and curl your back until your hands are lower than your feet. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Stand on flat ground if your flexibility isn’t quite there yet.
• Make It Harder: Use progressive overload and work with heavier weights over time, but remember to preserve your technique. 

9. Cat-Cow Stretch

The cat-cow stretch is a basic bodyweight exercise for back pain and stiffness. The idea is simple; slowly and deliberately moving your spine through flexion and extension increases blood flow and reduces tension. 

How To Do It

1. Get down on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
2. Slowly arch your back, sinking your belly button down towards the floor without moving your arms or legs.
3. Reverse the motion, rounding your spine as much as possible.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can try doing this move on your elbows rather than your palms.
• Make It Harder: Try this one in a push-up position with your legs straight. 

10. Partial Curl-Up

[Read More: The Best Lower Chest Exercises for Building Strong and Full Pecs]

The partial curl-up exercise for back pain focuses on engaging your abdominal muscles. The goal here isn’t to do a complete sit-up, which may trigger back pain for some. Instead, you simply use your abs to curl your upper torso off the ground, strengthening your core in the process. 

How To Do It

1. Lie on the ground on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted on the floor.
2. Cross your arms over your chest.
3. Exhale and contract your abs to curl your shoulders and head up off the floor.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Place your hands on the floor by your hips for stability. 
• Make It Harder: Hold a weight plate to your chest.

11. Lying Leg Raise

Your lower back muscles work together with your abs to form your core. To train this area comprehensively, you need to work the muscles in the front of your body as well. The lying leg raise is a great introductory core exercise for ab training that may also help alleviate tension or tightness in your lower back.

How To Do It

1. Lie on the floor with your legs fully extended and your feet together.
2. Inhale, then exhale while lifting your feet off the ground and keeping your knees locked.
3. Lift your legs until your feet point at the ceiling and your lower back is flush against the floor.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Bend your knees when you perform this exercise to reduce the weight applied to your abs.
• Make It Harder: Use ankle weights or try doing this move one leg at a time while holding the other leg suspended in the air. 

12. Plank

The standard plank is a bread-and-butter core exercise that also teaches you to stabilize your spine and may alleviate discomfort in your lower back. This move should be your first stop when learning to train your core for back health.

How To Do It

1. Assume a push-up position with your knees locked and feet together. Then, get down onto your elbows.
2. From here, exhale fully and contract your butt to lock your hips into extension.
3. Your body should form a straight line from shoulder to ankle — hold this position without allowing your lower back to sag down.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can do planks on your knees if it is too challenging to do with straight legs.
• Make It Harder: Have a friend put a small weight plate on your lower back to add some extra resistance, or scoot your hands forward to perform the long-lever plank. 

13. Bird Dog

Bird dogs are a great way to introduce some basic instability to your core and lower back. By lifting opposing limbs off the ground, you challenge your abdominals to brace and stabilize both your pelvis and spine in a non-threatening and easily-modifiable environment.

How To Do It

1. Get into a quadruped position, placing your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Hold a neutral spine; don’t dip your lower back.
2. Extend opposite limbs backward and forward, reaching your right arm out while simultaneously kicking your left leg back.
3. Hold this position for a beat, then return to the starting pose. Repeat with the opposite limbs. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You don’t need to lift your arm and leg up all the way and point them forward and backward. 
• Make It Harder: Try lifting your non-moving knee off the ground slightly. 

14. Superman

The Superman exercise is an entry level lower back movement. This drill trains you to engage your lower back and glute muscles together without the threat of instability or the load of an external weight. It’s a great priming exercise that can help you learn to use the muscles in your back properly. 

How To Do It

1. Lie flat on the floor on your stomach with your legs straight and your arms extended past your head, palms on the ground.
2. Exhale and use your lower back to lift your palms and toes off the ground just slightly.
3. Hold the position for a moment, then slowly let your limbs back down to the floor. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try just lifting your legs or arms one at a time, instead of moving all four limbs at once.
• Make It Harder: Hold the extended position for several seconds each time.

15. Side Plank

The side plank is deceptively challenging because it forces the muscles around your spine to contract against forces you don’t typically encounter. In plain language, this move helps you keep your spine and pelvis in alignment while also building core endurance. 

How To Do It

1. Lie on the floor on your side, propping your torso up with your elbow and laying your top-side arm flush against your body.
2. Exhale, contract your core, and lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from shoulder to ankle.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can do this move with bent knees instead of straight legs to make it easier.
• Make It Harder: In the side plank position, slowly lift your top leg up off of your bottom leg and suspend it in the air.

3 Lower Back Workouts To Try

You probably don’t need to dedicate an entire day in the gym to just your lower back. What you can do, though, is combine back pain relief exercises with strength-building movements for your lower back and get a good workout in as a result, no matter your goals.

Lower Back Warm-Up

Even if you’re not training your lower back specifically, you’ll want to warm up lower back for anything involving heavy lifting. This ranges from squatting and deadlifting to snatching and even to overhead and bench pressing.

Exercises like planks, hip extensions, bird dogs, and the superman train your stabilizer muscles to get ready for larger heavier compound exercises.

Research suggests that a combination of core exercises in multiple planes of motion can help get protect the lower back during lifting. (1)(2) Some of these lower back protecting exercises are listed below in the form of a lower back warm-up:

• Cat Cow: 60 seconds
• Dead Bug: 10-15 per side
• Glute Bridge: 30 seconds
• Cable Wood Chop: 10-15 per side
• Side Plank: 15-45 seconds per side
• Repeat circuit one to two times

Research suggests that athletes who follow a dynamic warm-up directly with their actual workout experience less stiffness, so don’t be afraid to complete this back warm-up routine and then jump straight into your session. (3)

Lower Back Workout for Pain Relief

Remember: No individual workout will cure a back injury, and even the right exercises done too quickly or with too much effort can worsen a problem they were intended to fix. Think of this back pain workout as a taste test; perform the movements gently and assess what you can tolerate, then consider trying something more advanced at a later date.

Lower Back Workout for Strength

Many of the same exercises for lower back pain also double as strength-builders if you make some simple adjustments or add load. If you aren’t experiencing back pain and want to ensure your spine stays strong and healthy, try this workout:

Lower Back Workout for Beginners

Many people — even some experienced gymgoers — struggle with the idea that it is safe to load their lower backs in the first place. Your lumbar spine may contain delicate parts like your vertebral discs, but the erector spinae muscles are strong and resilient … if you train them to be. If you’re new to lower back training, give this introductory workout a try:

Lower Back Exercises for Athletes

If you’re an athlete, lower back health is paramount. The unpredictable forces applied to your spine from sports are different from what you get in the relative “safety” of the weight room.

[Read More: The Best Mobility Exercises, PT-Approved]

As such, you need to train your lower back to withstand load from various directions, while also retaining enough back mobility to handle whatever your sport throws at you. Here are a short list of our favorite lower back exercises for athletes:

• Jefferson Curl
• Back Extension
• Russian Twist
• Wood Chopper
• Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
• Side Bend

How To Avoid Pain When Training Your Lower Back 

Keeping your lower back safe during weight training is a critical part of both longevity and immediate safety. The last thing you want to do is throw your back out when you’re getting ready to go for a new personal record.

First things first: consult a doctor, physical therapist, or another qualified health professional if you’re concerned in any way about your lower back during lifting. But once you have the all-clear to work out, here are some tips and tricks for keeping yourself as safe as possible.

1. Use Picture-Perfect Form

Throughout your training session, maintain an emphasis on good form. Squats and deadlifts are two movements in particular that rely heavily on your lower back to provide structural integrity and support. With these movements, keep your form absolutely locked in. Avoid rounding your back at the bottom of your squat and maintain a neutral spine during your deadlifts.

[Read More: The Best Upper Chest Exercises for Building Muscle + Full Workouts]

Granted, what looks like perfect form for your gym buddy may be different than what it is for you. Everything from limb length and body type to a lifter’s personal preferences and injury history will impact what an effective stance looks like from person to person. That said, once you know what form is healthiest and most effective for you, stick with it — with each and every rep.

2. Don’t Just Lift Weights

Protecting your lower back is also about reducing any pain that you already have. Work with a doctor, physical therapist, or another qualified health professional to address any back pain you might have.

[Read More: The Best Chest Exercises for Building Muscle, Plus 4 Full Workouts]

That said, if you’re physically able and cleared to do so, consider taking walks in addition to your strength training routine. (4)(2) Integrating walking into your program may help reduce symptoms of back pain more than resistance training alone. (4)(2)

When combined with exercises designed to emphasize lumbar stability, walking also seems to help provide lower back pain relief due to increased muscular endurance. (2)

3. Train Your Core

Traditional ab exercises aren’t always working your lower back directly. But research suggests that strengthening your deep abdominal muscles — like your transverse abdominis — can help relieve lower back pain. (5)

[Read More: The Most Effective Workout Splits, Created by Our Experts]

Work on stabilizing your core to support your back as much as possible. (1)(2) Side planks, oblique twists, wood chops, bird dogs, bridges, and dead bugs might be particularly helpful here. (1)(2)

Benefits of Training Your Lower Back

The lower back’s muscles provide the foundation for you to get stronger, help prevent you from getting injured, and allow the bigger muscles to do their job. Here are other important benefits of training the lower back.

Improved Posture

A stronger lower back will make it easier to maintain an upright posture, especially during the workday when many people are sitting for hours on end. Plus, lower back strength means you’ll generally be less prone to the standard aches and pains associated with yard work, playing with your kids, and shooting hoops with your friends.

Increased Strength

The erector muscles run along the spine. They play an important role in spinal stability and prevent unwanted movement by keeping the spine neutral under load. This comes in handy while squatting and deadlifting, but also running, jumping, or even bending over to pick up your wallet.

[Read More: Build Your Own Iron Paradise With The Best Home Gym Equipment]

Think of the lower back muscles as the foundation of a house. The stronger the foundation, the longer the house will stand. Having a stronger lower back means you’ll be more stable during heavy lifts and athletic movements, which will come in handy to athletes as wide-ranging as CrossFitters and strongwomen.

The lower back plays a role in extending the hips during the lockout portion of squats and deadlifts. It also works to keep the spine neutral during deep hinges (like good morning and deadlift) and the bottom of a squat, where the shear and compressive forces can harm the lower back.

Injury Prevention

We’re going to preface this one by saying that you should see a doctor if you’re having any lower back pain. Direct lower back training should not be seen as a solution to lower back pain. However, a stronger lower back may be better equipped for the general physical stressors that everyday life brings. Think of lower back training as a (possible) pain prevention plan.

What Muscles Make Up the Lower Back

Your lower back contains important muscles and five lumbar vertebrae (L1-L5). Understanding how they work is important to maintaining a healthy and resilient lower back to keep you lifting longer and stronger.

[Read More: The Anatomy of Your Back Muscles, Explained (and How to Train Them)]

Here’s a breakdown of the anatomy of the lower back.

Vertebrae

The lower back region has five vertebrae, denoted L1-L5. As a group, the lumbar vertebrae produce a lordotic curve and have the largest bodies of the entire spine. This increase in size reflects the responsibility of the lumbar spine in supporting the entire upper body. L1-L5 allows movements such as flexion, extension, and lateral flexion but prevents rotation. (6)

Erector Spinae

Three lower back muscles form a column, known as the erector spinae. The erector spinae is located posterior and laterally to the spinal column and runs from the lower back and hips to the cervical (neck) spine. Aesthetically, the erector spinae are the tenderloin-looking muscles that run vertically next to the spine. These three muscles are:

• Spinalis: The spinalis is the smallest muscle here and is the nearest to the spinal column. Its functions are turning side to side, and it helps control your head when you’re looking up.
• Longissimus: This is the middle part and the largest muscle of the three muscles. Its functions are lateral flexion and extension of the spine and help turn your head from side to side.
• Iliocostalis: The Iliocostalis is the furthest away from the spine and begins at the sacrum. Its functions are lateral flexion and spinal extension.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. Akhtar MW, Karimi H, Gilani SA. Effectiveness of core stabilization exercises and routine exercise therapy in management of pain in chronic non-specific low back pain: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Pak J Med Sci. 2017 Jul-Aug;33(4):1002-1006.
2. Suh JH, Kim H, Jung GP, Ko JY, Ryu JS. The effect of lumbar stabilization and walking exercises on chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Jun;98(26):e16173.
3. Green JP, Grenier SG, McGill SM. Low-back stiffness is altered with warm-up and bench rest: implications for athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Jul;34(7):1076-81.
4. Lee JS, Kang SJ. The effects of strength exercise and walking on lumbar function, pain level, and body composition in chronic back pain patients. J Exerc Rehabil. 2016 Oct 31;12(5):463-470.
5. Amit, K., Manish, G., & Taruna, K. (2013). Effect of trunk muscles stabilization exercises and general exercises on pain in recurrent non specific low back ache. Int Res J Med Sci, 1(1), 23-6.
6. Joshua A. Waxenbaum; Vamsi Reddy; Caroline Williams; Bennett Futterman. Anatomy, Back, Lumbar Vertebrae

Featured Image: fizkes / Shutterstock

The post 15 Exercises to Strengthen the Lower Back & Prevent Pain, Plus 3 Workouts appeared first on BarBend.

Here, I’ll give you the best active stretches for your running muscles as you relax for a few minutes post-workout, and let you know how to put them into your own stretching routine.

7 Best Post-Run Stretches

1. Wall Calf Stretch
2. Half-Kneeling Quad Stretch
3. Runner’s Lunge
4. Supine Hamstring Stretch
5. Supine Inner Thigh Stretch
6. Supine IT Band Stretch
7. Figure-Four Piriformis Stretch

1. Wall Calf Stretch

[Read More: Try These 8 Stretches to Improve Ankle Mobility]

Your calf muscles do a lot of work on your runs and can quickly tighten up. Taking a few minutes to do the wall calf stretch after a run improves blood flow. Tight calves may restrict ankle mobility and cause foot discomfort; stretching them may ease both.

How to Do It: 

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart, facing a wall or sturdy object. Place your hands on the wall.
2. Step your right foot back behind you. Try to keep the right leg straight and the right heel on the floor. 
3. Bend your left knee toward the wall and lean forward. You’ll be stretching your right calf. Hold for 30 seconds and breathe deeply.
4. Step your right foot forward. Step your left foot back to switch sides and repeat. 

Modifications

• Make it Easier:
  • Bend your front knee less.
  • Bend your back knee.
  • Let the heel of your back foot come off the ground.
  • Place your back foot on a half-foam roller, plate, or yoga block.
• Make it Harder:
  • Perform the downward-facing dog yoga pose for a deeper calf stretch that also stretches your upper body.
  • Place your heels on a half-foam roller and perform a forward fold.
  • Stand on a sturdy yoga block and perform a forward fold.

2. Half-Kneeling Quad Stretch

[Read More: The Best 8 Stretches to Do Before a Run, According to a CPT]

Your quadriceps often get overworked on runs, especially if you go uphill. Tight quads can cause hip and knee pain; stretching them out (and foam rolling) may help. The half-kneeling quad stretch doubles as a hip flexor stretch, but you’ll hold the top position instead of leaning forward. Performing it this way also engages your glutes and stretches your feet.

How to Do It: 

1. Begin in a tall kneeling position with your toes tucked — you may already feel the quad stretch here. Step your left foot forward and keep your right knee down, like the bottom of a lunge position. Keep both knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Tuck your hips and squeeze your glutes. You’re stretching your quadriceps on your right leg. Hold for 30 seconds.
3. Step your left foot back to a tall kneeling position. Step the right foot forward to switch sides to stretch your left leg. Hold for 30 seconds.

Modifications

• Make it Easier:
  • Add a pad under your back knee.
  • Untuck your toes on your back foot to stretch the top of the foot and less intensity on the ankle.
  • Avoid the Floor: Perform a standing quad stretch.
    • If you can’t reach your back foot in a standing quad stretch, place it on a chair behind you.
• Make it Harder:
  • Place your back foot on a wall for the more intense “couch stretch.” 
  • Lift your back foot off the ground and bring it toward your glutes. Try to grab it with your hands. 

3. Runner’s Lunge

[Read More: 5 Minute Mobility: This Stretching Routine Is Perfect When You’re Low on Time]

The runner’s lunge (or low lunge) may feel more like an exercise than a stretch, but it’s not meant as an intense lunge workout. It’s a deeper hip flexor stretch than the half-kneeling quad stretch. Adding a reach or side bend stretches your upper body, as well.

How to Do It: 

1. Begin in a high plank position. Step your right foot forward and place it next to your right hand. Keep your left leg straight.
2. You’re stretching deep in your left quadriceps and hip flexors. Hold for 30 seconds.
3. Step your right foot back to the plank position. Step your left foot forward next to your left hand. Keep your right leg straight.
4. Hold for 30 seconds, stretching your right side.

Modifications

• Make it Easier:
  • Place your hands on sturdy yoga blocks to shorten the range of motion.
  • Drop your back knee down to relax your back foot.
• Make it Harder:
  • Lower to your forearms for a lizard pose.
  • Make it the world’s greatest stretch. If your right foot is forward, keep your left hand on the ground and reach your right arm up, twisting open through your chest. Repeat on the other side.
  • Lift both hands off the ground for more leg work. You can also add a side bend here.

4. Supine Hamstring Stretch

[Read More: The Best Squat Stretch Routine: Great Exercises to Prepare for Squats!]

Although running is a quadriceps-heavy activity, your hamstrings also assist in flexing (bending) your knees and extending your hips. Runners often have tight hamstrings, which can pull on their lower backs, causing pain or discomfort. Doing an assisted static hamstring stretch after a run increases blood flow to the area and may help.

How to Do It: 

1. Lie on your back. Place your right foot on the floor. Loop a yoga strap, long resistance band, or towel under your left foot. Straighten your left leg. Hold one side of your strap in each hand. 
2. Inhale, then exhale and lift your left leg. Pull your left thigh toward you as far as you can while keeping the leg straight. Hold for 30 seconds and breathe deeply.
3. Lower the left leg down. Loop your strap under your right foot to switch legs and repeat.

Modifications

• Make it Easier:
  • Avoid the Floor: Perform a standing forward fold to stretch your hamstrings. Bend your knees if you need to.
  • Supine Version: Keep your knee slightly bent. 
• Make it Harder:
  • To make it an active stretch, skip the assistance, perform an active straight leg raise, and hold at the top for 30 seconds. 
  • Place your hands on each side of your thigh instead of using a band.

5. Supine Inner Thigh Stretch

[Read More: Mobility Exercises and Stretches to Improve Your Clean and Front Squat]

Your inner thighs (or adductors) are commonly neglected muscles that play a significant role in running performance. Warming them up and strengthening them outside your runs is essential; stretching them afterward helps them relax. This inner thigh stretch is similar to the hamstring stretch, but you hold your leg out to the side.

How to Do It: 

1. Lie on your back. Place your left foot on the floor. Loop your strap, band, or towel around the sole of your right foot. Lift the leg to your hamstring stretch.
2. Place both ends of the strap in your left hand. Lower the right leg out toward the right side while you pull gently with the left hand. Resist letting it fall all the way open. Go far enough to feel the stretch in your inner right thigh. Hold for 30 seconds.
3. Return to the starting position. Switch the strap to your left foot and repeat on your left side. 

Modifications

• Make it Easier:
  • Avoid the Floor: Hold on to a wall and perform a static lateral lunge for 30 seconds on each side.
  • Supine Version: Lie next to a wall so the foot of the stretching leg can rest on it, making the stretch more passive. 
• Make it Harder:
  • Perform without the strap, using your strength to add resistance and hold the stretch.

6. Supine IT Band Stretch

[Read More: Stretches That Can Help Your Posture]

The iliotibial band, known as the IT band, is a common culprit in running injuries. When the IT band gets too tight, it can cause referred hip and knee pain. Stretching and foam rolling can help, but strengthening your glute medius is also necessary. This stretch lengthens the IT band by crossing your leg across your body as you lie down. Getting into it right after your hamstring or inner thigh stretch is simple.

How to Do It: 

1. Lie on your back. Place your right foot on the floor. Loop your strap, band, or towel around the sole of your left foot. Lift the right leg to your hamstring stretch.
2. Place both ends of the strap in your left hand. Keep your bottom foot still. Gently pull the right leg across your body until you feel the IT band stretch in your outer hip. Hold for 30 seconds.
3. Return to the starting position. Loop your strap around your right foot to switch sides and repeat.

Modifications

• Make it Easier:
  • Avoid the Floor: Perform a standing IT band exercise. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Cross your left foot in front of your right ankle. Reach your right arm up and stretch your upper body up and over to the right to feel the right IT band stretch.
    • Begin with the same foot position, but perform a forward fold with your upper body instead of the side stretch.
  • Supine Version: Lie next to a wall so the crossing foot can rest on it.
• Make it Harder:
  • Lose the assistance to make it an active stretch. 

7. Figure-Four Piriformis Stretch

[Read More: How Deep Stretching Promotes Emotional Release]

The piriformis is a muscle in your glutes that can get tight and cause issues in runners. Your glutes and hamstrings work together to extend your hip. Since your glutes also help stabilize your hips and knees and can contribute to running performance, strong, active glutes help you power forward faster. Weakness often goes with tightness, so be sure to incorporate strength training for your piriformis and glutes outside of your run routine.

How to Do It: 

1. Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor, knees pointing up.
2. Place your right ankle on your left thigh. Let your right knee open to the side, creating the “figure four” position.
3. Place your hands behind your left thigh. Pick up your left foot. Pull your leg toward your body as you continue pushing your right thigh away from you. Resist pushing through your knee. Squeeze your right hip and glute to feel the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds.
4. Lower back down to the starting position, switch legs, and repeat on your left side. Hold for 30 seconds. Inhale and exhale deeply.

Modifications

• Make it Easier:
  • Avoid the Floor: Sit in a chair (or on a weight bench) with your feet flat on the ground. Place the right ankle on the left thigh, letting the right thigh move toward the floor. Create the same piriformis stretch in this position.
  • Supine Version: Stop after the first step. Some people may feel the stretch without lifting their legs off the ground.
    • If you can’t reach your thigh with your hands, loop a towel or band behind your thigh to assist.
• Make it Harder:
  • Place your hands in front of your shin instead of behind your thigh to deepen the stretch.
  • Perform a pigeon pose for a more intense piriformis stretch.
  • Perform a standing figure-four pose. Stand on one foot, cross your ankle to your opposite thigh, bend your standing knee, and sit your hips back until you feel the stretch. Repeat on the other side.

Sample Post-Run Stretching Routine

Let’s put it all together. This post-run stretching routine takes you from standing to kneeling to a lunge and finishes with lying on your back. The figure-four stretch often feels intense and may feel more accessible after doing your other leg stretches.

The whole thing should take you 10 to 12 minutes. If you’re in a rush, doing one set of each is still better than nothing and will take less time.

[Read More: The 12 Best Mobility Exercises From a Physical Therapist (+ Tips)]

Equipment Needed: You’ll need a wall or sturdy object to hold on to, an exercise mat or towel to lie on, and a yoga strap or resistance band to assist in stretching. You may also want a chair or bench for some of the modifications.

Modifications

• Make it Easier:
  • Substitute standing or sitting modifications if you don’t want to or can’t get onto the ground — maybe you want to do it after a run in the park and don’t have a mat. Here’s a quick refresher:
    • Replace half-kneeling quad stretch with standing quad stretch.
    • Replace supine hamstring stretch with standing forward fold.
• Replace supine inner thigh stretch with static lateral lunge.
  • Replace supine IT band stretch with standing IT band stretch with reach.
  • Replace figure-four piriformis stretch with seated figure-four stretch.
• Make it Harder:
  • Try the more advanced versions of each stretch:
    • Replace wall calf stretch with downward facing dog.
    • Replace half-kneeling quad stretch with couch stretch.
    • Lower your forearms to the ground in runner’s lunge.
    • Perform the supine hamstring, inner thigh, and IT band stretches without assistance.
    • Try the figure-four piriformis stretch without assistance or from standing on one leg and sitting your hips back. 

Benefits of Stretching After Running

Why stretch after running? Here’s what the science says.

• May speed up lactic acid removal, which could potentially reduce soreness. (1)
• Improves blood flow through the rest of your body to prevent the blood from pooling in your running muscles that you just worked hard. (2)
• Gives your heart rate a chance to return to resting to improve heart rate recovery. (1)
• Allows your blood pressure and body temperature to return to normal, especially if you take a run on a hot day. (3)
• A chance for mental relaxation and to unwind from your tough run.
• Mixed research on whether post-run stretching prevents injuries, reduces soreness, increases range of motion, or improves running performance. (1)
• The placebo effect of post-run stretching makes you feel like you’re improving your recovery. Some studies show this mental effect does boost recovery markers. (4)

Frequently Asked Questions

Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.

References

1. Van Hooren B, Peake JM. Do We Need a Cool-Down After Exercise? A Narrative Review of the Psychophysiological Effects and the Effects on Performance, Injuries and the Long-Term Adaptive Response. Sports Med. 2018 Jul;48(7):1575-1595. 
2. American Heart Association. (2024, January 16). Warm Up, Cool Down. Heart.org.
3. Seeley AD, Giersch GEW, Charkoudian N. Post-exercise Body Cooling: Skin Blood Flow, Venous Pooling, and Orthostatic Intolerance. Front Sports Act Living. 2021 May 17;3:658410. 
4. Cook CJ, Beaven CM. Individual perception of recovery is related to subsequent sprint performance. Br J Sports Med. 2013 Jul;47(11):705-9.

The post The 7 Post-Run Stretches for Your Cool-Down (+ A Stretch Routine From a Personal Trainer) appeared first on BarBend.

BarBend may be all about clanging and banging some heavy weights, but our editorial staff is packed to the brim with experts on everything exercise — including bodyweight training and how to optimize it to meet your goals.

Here are 15 of our expert-verified picks for the best bodyweight exercises for beginners, advanced athletes, and everyone in between. 

Recent Updates: On Apr. 16, 2024, BarBend Senior Writer Jake Dickson updated this article to better utilize the existing exercises and incorporate them into user-friendly workout content. Read more about BarBend‘s process for exercise and workout prescriptions here.

15 Best Bodyweight Exercises

1. Push-Up
2. Squat
3. Inverted Row
4. Chin-Up
5. Glute Bridge
6. Bear Crawl
7. Mountain Climbers
8. Burpee
9. Triceps Dip
10. Pull-Up
11. Plank
12. Wall Walk
13. Broad Jump
14. Lunge
15. Step-Up

1. Push-Up

The push-up is one of the most basic and effective moves for improving upper body strength. And it really couldn’t be easier to do. You get on all fours, keep your back straight, and repeatedly lower yourself down and up — working the chest, triceps, and shoulders. Your core will also benefit, as the push-up is a moving plank that stabilizes your entire body.

[Read More: A One Month Push-Up Training Program for Beginners (3 Days Per Week)]

The push-up is an exercise you can do anywhere with no equipment. It activates your core from front to back and strengthens your entire torso in the process. 

How To Do It

1. Get into a plank position with your feet together and hands underneath your shoulders.
2. Keep the abs tight and your butt just slightly up.
3. Lower yourself under control until your chest is about an inch from the floor.
4. Hold for a beat, and then drive yourself back up.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Do push-ups on your knees rather than with straight legs.
• Make It Harder: Put a weight plate or similar heavy object on your back. 

2. Squat

The squat is regarded as one of the best movements — loaded or unloaded — for improving mobility and taxing your legs. Some even refer to the squat as the king of all lifts. You should be squatting if you want to sprint faster, jump higher, lift heavier, and look better. 

[Read More: The Science-Backed Benefits of Squats You Should Know About]

You’ll improve mobility as the squat has your body move through multiple planes of motion to complete the exercise. Moreover, you stand to gain more leg muscle as the squat targets your glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and hip flexors. 

How To Do It

1. Stand tall with your feet in a comfortable stance. The width and toe angle is entirely individual, so take time to find out what your body feels best doing.
2. Extend your arms in front of your torso as a counterweight, then slowly sit your pelvis downwards.
3. Sink as deep as possible while keeping a straight back before standing back up.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Place your heels on a 1-2” elevation to make it easier to squat. 
• Make It Harder: Try doing single-leg bodyweight squats. 

3. Inverted Row

Think of an inverted row as pull-up lite. You’re pulling less of your body weight, so it’s easier to do for beginners while virtually recruiting the same muscles as a pull-up. The inverted row is technically a horizontal rowing movement, as your body is parallel to the floor, making it comparable to cable rows. 

[Read More: The Best Upper Back Exercises For Strength, Size, and Posture]

That said, it’s a lower impact than both of those moves since you’re not using weight to stress your muscles but are instead fighting gravity. Advanced trainees can bust out many reps to further tax their backs.

How To Do It

1. Lay a barbell into the hooks of a power rack, and set a few feet off the ground.
2. Lay under the bar so the barbell is over the chest.
3. Extend your arms up and grab the bar. 
4. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and row your chest to the bar or as close as possible.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: The more upright your torso is, the easier the move will be.
• Make It Harder: Place a weight plate in your lap. 

4. Chin-Up

This pull-up variant has you supinate the hands (turn them inward) when pulling your chin to the bar. Like a pull-up, the chin-up recruits the back muscles — the lats, rhomboids, and traps — but with more emphasis on the biceps. Because of the extra bodyweight biceps exercise, most people are generally stronger in this position and can pump out a few extra reps. 

The chin-up teaches you to control your entire bodyweight, build a stronger (and broader) back, and even throws in some “free” biceps training as well. Economically, pull-up (or chin-up) bars are quite affordable for your home gym. But you can also get them done just about anywhere that has a stable surface to hang from.

How To Do It

1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your palms facing towards you, set about shoulder-width apart.
2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull up until your chin is at or above the bar. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try jumping chin-ups and resisting the negative portion. 
• Make It Harder: Add a pause at both the bottom and top of each rep. 

5. Glute Bridge

This exercise is popular among trainers to target the glutes while reducing potential back or knee pain. You can also load the glute bridge to increase your glute strength, which will carry over to your squat and deadlift, or perform sets of them unweighted as a warm-up.

The glute bridge allows you to train your glutes without directly loading your spine. Other benefits include substantial carryover to your squat or deadlift performance, without overly taxing your hamstrings in the process. 

How To Do It

1. Lie on the floor with your heels planted firmly on the ground.
2. Contract the core and pull the belly button and ribs into the body.
3. Drive through your heels to lift the hips and lower back off the floor until your torso and legs form a straight line.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Place your hands on the ground next to you to help your balance. 
• Make It Harder: Try it one leg at a time.

6. Bear Crawl

Crawling isn’t just for babies. By getting on all fours and slowly crawling forward — keeping your back straight and your knees under your hips and an inch off the floor — you’re teaching the body how to move as one unit. Your core will burn from stabilizing the torso, your quads will engage from propelling your feet forward, and your shoulders will work hard to move your arms. 

[Read More: The Best Full-Body Bodybuilding Workout for Beginner to Advanced Lifters]

Crawling forward one leg at a time will improve your coordination, and you stand (or crawl, that is) to gain some extra range of motion in your shoulder, hip, and ankles as well. 

How To Do It

1. Get on all fours, with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees directly underneath your hips.
2. Now, raise the knees an inch off of the ground.
3. Keeping your back straight, simultaneously move your right hand and left foot forward a few inches.
4. Then, repeat on the other side. Keep repeating to crawl on.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try a motionless bear plank before adding movement.
• Make It Harder: Wear a weighted vest for extra resistance. 

7. Mountain Climbers

How To Do It

1. Start in a push-up position with your elbows and knees locked out.
2. Bring one leg up towards your chest by bending your knee and flexing your hip.
3. The moment you place that foot on the ground under your torso, rapidly kick that leg back to the original position, bringing the opposite leg up at the same time.
4. Alternate kicking each leg. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Slow down your pace and deliberately move one leg back and forward at a time. 
• Make It Harder: Try it with ankle weights.

8. Burpee 

You may shudder at the word, but the burpee is the ultimate calorie burner. With several variations, the burpee can be great for beginners or challenge the fittest of athletes. This full-body bodyweight exercise can be seen in gyms almost everywhere and is popular in the CrossFit Games because this high-intensity movement allows you to do more work in less time.

[Read More: Does Cardio Burn Fat? The Anatomy of a Fitness Myth]

Not only do burpees burn a ton of calories while performing them, but they’re also great at stimulating excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), meaning you’re burning more calories for the rest of the day. (1)

How To Do It

1. Stand straight up with your feet shoulder-width apart and your eyes forward.
2. Squat down with your chest up.
3. Drop your hands to the ground and quickly snap your feet behind you, so you are in a plank position.
4. Lower your chest to the floor like you would during a push-up and press back up.
5. Snap your feet back to your squat position and lift your hands off the ground.
6. Stand back up and jump, raising your arms overhead. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Skip the jumping part and just come to a standing position.
• Make It Harder: Wear a weighted vest or hold two light dumbbells. 

9. Triceps Dip

If you want to do bodyweight exercises at home to build your upper body strength, the dip is one of your best options. Working with proper dip bars is preferable, but you can certainly do this move in the comfort of your own home and strengthen your arms and shoulders in the process. 

How To Do It

1. Sit on the edge of an elevated surface like a chair or a bench and put your palms on the edge, fingers facing forward.
2. Extend your legs in front of you so your heels are on the ground.
3. Press through your palms and lift your body to hover above the ground.
4. Slowly drop your torso while bending your elbows until you reach the end of your range of motion. Push yourself back up until your arms are extended.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Perform chair dips if you aren’t ready to suspend your whole body weight.
• Make It Harder: Pause at the bottom or hold a small dumbbell between your ankles.

10. Pull-Up 

The pull-up is one of the harder bodyweight exercises you can do because of the required upper body strength. Even though this exercise targets a big muscle like the lats, weak arms, and shoulders can seriously debilitate your ability to perform even one rep. Plenty of progressions are available to master the pull-up, making it possible for anyone to get their game up.

Performing a compound exercise allows you to get more bang for your buck. Studies suggest compound exercises may benefit your VO2 max and general fitness more than isolation moves. (2) You can also expect the pull-up to improve your overall upper body strength, contributing to better lifts, stability, and posture.

How To Do It

1. Find a pull-up bar that is high enough so that your feet don’t touch the ground when you hang on it.
2. Grab the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Pull your shoulders down and away from your ears to engage your lats.
4. Squeeze your core and use your back, arms, and shoulders to pull your body up until the bar is at chest level. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try doing pull-up negatives until you can get your first rep.
• Make It Harder: Try a wide-grip pull-up. 

11. Plank

One of the more popular core exercises is the plank, but it doesn’t only work the core. Holding a plank can also target other major muscle groups in your body. If done properly, the plank can produce many benefits, including improved strength, stability, and posture in the trunk and hips. 

Benefits of the plank include a stronger core and more protected spine (as well as better posture). It goes without saying but a strong core is absolutely essential for compound exercises as well. The plank also has some logistical perks, since you can perform them basically anywhere regardless of your experience level. 

How To Do It

1. Lie prone on the floor.
2. With your elbows bent, raise yourself off the ground such that you’re suspended by your forearms and feet only.
3. Squeeze your shoulder blades, tuck your hips slightly, and lock your knees out.
4. There should be a straight line from the base of your neck to your ankles. Hold for time.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try planking with your knees on the floor.
• Make It Harder: Try slowly lifting one of your feet off the floor and alternating while you plank. 

12. Wall Walk 

Climbing up walls isn’t just for Spider-Man. Wall walks recruit your back, arms, shoulders, and core and can help improve balance and stability. Often seen in CrossFit gyms and at the Games, wall walks are a high-intensity way to build strength and get your heart rate up. Performing wall walks can expose and remedy weaknesses in your movement integrity, especially in the core or shoulder. 

[Read More: The Best Ab Exercises, Plus Ab Workout Routines]

The wall plank is great for developing general upper body strength, and you can also use them as a progression pathway toward more complex drills like handstands, handstand walks and push-ups.

How To Do It

1. Lie on your stomach with your hands close to your sides and feet touching the wall behind you.
2. Press your body off the ground and climb your feet up the wall by stepping one foot at a time. 
3. “Walk” all the way until your arms are fully extended and your belly button is as close to the wall as possible.
4. Walk back down the same way you came. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try walking only halfway up the wall rather than moving into a full handstand.
• Make It Harder: Add a handstand push-up at the end of each rep.

13. Broad Jump 

Plyometric training can produce benefits pertaining to physical fitness, overall health, and muscle strength. Research suggests that regular plyometrics can positively affect agility, speed, jumping, and overall performance. (3) Broad jumps involve jumping and absorbing force, increasing your heart rate and teaching your body how to land properly and effectively. 

Explosive exercises like the broad jump also recruit fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are used for sprinting, jumping, and other short explosive movements. Studies suggest these muscles are more responsible for producing more power and may aid in heavy lifting. (4)

How To Do It

1. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Push your hips back while loading the weight in your heels and swing your arms back to help prime for forward momentum.
3. Drive your hips forward as your feet leave the ground and jump as far forward as you can.
4. Land with a soft bend in your knees and absorb the weight in your heels. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Start with vertical jumps.
• Make It Harder: Pause in the “loading position” before jumping. 

14. Lunge

The lunge may get less love than the squat, but it is an effective way to target the legs and glutes. This unilateral exercise can improve your balance and stability and requires core activation. With plenty of different lunge variations —walking, forward, reverse, lateral, curtsy, and jumping — you can recruit other muscles, improve function, and add more variety to your workout.

[Read More: 5 Lunge Benefits For More Muscle and Improved Movement]

The lunge helps develop better balance and coordination, which translate into everyday activities. Lunges also provide some great glute stimulation, even without weights. Finally, unilateral exercises like the lunge can help improve muscle imbalances. 

How To Do It

1. Stand with your feet hip width apart — this will help you keep a strong and stable base when you step.
2. Keep your chest up and core tight as you step straight forward, bending both knees to 90 degrees or to your range of motion.
3. Press through the heel you stepped with to reset in your starting position. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try stationary lunges, holding on to a supportive surface if necessary.
• Make It Harder: Pause at the bottom of each rep. 

15. Step-Up

The step-up might seem self-explanatory, but don’t let the simplicity of this exercise fool you. It requires strength and balance and is easily modifiable to accommodate any fitness level. The step-up recruits the muscles in the lower body responsible for walking, running, bending your knees, hinging at your hips, and squatting. Doing this exercise regularly can help improve your lifts and your life.

[Read More: The Seven Biggest Benefits of Unilateral Training]

The step-up recruits some of the same muscle used to squat and deadlift, so it can improve these lifts. Unilateral exercises can also promote balance and stability and improve muscle imbalances.

How To Do It

1. Stand in front of a stable surface like a bench or a box.
2. Place your working leg on the elevated surface, brace your core, and push yourself up.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Start with a low, 8 to 12-inch surface. 
• Make It Harder: Hold a dumbbell in each hand or wear a weight vest. 

Our 3 Favorite Bodyweight Workouts

An expert-crafted list of full-body bodyweight exercises is all well and good, but what are you supposed to do with this knowledge? You design bodyweight workouts, of course. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered on that front. Here are a few of our favorite workouts you won’t need any fancy equipment to perform:

Lower-Body Bodyweight Workout

Lower-body workouts are hard; doubly so if you don’t have access to a gym full of machines, cables, or free weights. But don’t fret, you can still strengthen your legs with just your bodyweight. Try this workout on for size.

• Broad Jump: 3-5 reps
• Burpee: 5-10 reps
• Lunge: 5-10 reps
• Squat: 10-20 reps
• Glute Bridge: 10-20 reps

Perform this workout as a circuit, moving from one exercise to the next with little to no rest. Completing all five exercises counts as one round. Rest three to five minutes and perform up to 4 additional rounds.

Upper-Body Bodyweight Workout

Want to add muscle to your upper body without getting too bulky? Or are you simply sick of the weight room and want a fresh spin on your upper-body workout routine? In either case, give this workout a spin.

[Read More: The Best Upper Body Exercises and Workout Routines]

• Push-Up: 3 x 15-20
• Inverted Row: 3 x 12-15
• Triceps Dip: 3 x 12-15
• Chin-Up: 3 sets to failure

Full-Body Bodyweight Workout

Calisthenics are actually one of the best ways to perform full-body training sessions. Working with your own weight tends to require the use of more muscles than you’d get from a barbell or dumbbell exercise. Here’s our go-to full-body bodyweight workout routine:

[Read More: How to do 100 Push-ups a Day, Advice and Programming from a CPT]

• Step-Up: 8-12 reps
• Push-Up: 10-20 reps
• Bear Crawl: 5-10 paces
• Burpee: 5-10 reps
• Chin-Up: AMRAP

Perform these exercises as a circuit, moving from one to the other with little to no rest.

How To Train With Bodyweight Exercises 

With weights, you progress by lifting more absolute load or the same amount of weight for more reps. You don’t have that option for bodyweight movements, so you’ll have to rely on additional volume above all. Start by finding how many reps you can do of a bodyweight exercise before your form really breaks down. 

Exercise Selection

Don’t try to perform 15 different bodyweight movements per day. The rules of exercise selection are the same; cluster movements together to double down on muscular stimulation, or pick one for each body part to train yourself from head to toe. For example, a lower-body calisthenics day could contain squats, walking lunges, and box jumps.

Sets and Reps

Once you’ve established your limit, perform multiple sets of 3 – 5 reps shy of that limit. If you can do 12 pull-ups, hit three sets of eight. 

[Read More: The Most Effective Workout Splits, Created by Our Experts]

Each week, or workout session, add one to two reps to each set. Once you reach your max reps for all three sets, drop the rep count back to your starting number and add a set. You can also alter the tempo of each movement to make the reps more challenging.

Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises

There’s a lot of upside to training with nothing but your own body. Here, we’ll breakdown all of the pros of utilizing the moves above, from the positive effects they have on your movement to the fact that they require nearly zero equipment.

Easy and Accessible

You might want a exercise mat to protect your knees or elbows, but other than that, bodyweight training requires basically no equipment. No matter where you are, you can always bust out a circuit of push-ups, squats, and glute bridges. 

You can also get creative with how you structure a bodyweight workout at home. Try this deck of cards workout:

1. Assign one move to a suit — so push-ups for spades, squats for clubs, burpees for diamonds, and inverted rows for hearts. 
2. Draw a card and perform the move associated with that suit for the number of reps on the card; or 11 reps for face cards and 15 for aces. 
3. Aim to rest as little as possible. If you’re a bit rusty, cut the deck in half. 

Improved Mobility

Most bodyweight moves mimic everyday life. You squat to get out of a chair; you lunge when you walk up the stairs; you technically perform a pull-up when closing the garage door. Most movement patterns can be broken down into six basic categories — a vertical pull, vertical push, horizontal pull, horizontal push, knee-based movement, and a hip-based movement. Here’s an example of each:

[Read More: The Best Mobility Exercises From a Physical Therapist (+ Tips)]

By performing bodyweight exercises, you’re improving your proficiency in these patterns and making yourself stronger in these positions. Barbell work accomplishes this as well, of course, but with the obvious caveat that you must have access to weights in the first place. 

Unparalleled Convenience

Unlike powerlifters or strongman competitors who need specialized equipment for their training, bodyweight aficionados can go hard just about anywhere. Since you’re forgoing the barbell for your own body weight, calisthenics-based routines can be performed wherever you have enough physical space.

This makes bodyweight training convenient in a way that other activities can’t match. If you spend a lot of time traveling or don’t have access to a commercial gym, a good bodyweight routine can help you stay strong and gain muscle. 

Scalable for All Levels

You may think that squatting or doing a push-up with your bodyweight is the ground floor for all exercise, but that’s not the case. A true beginner can squat to a chair, hang from a pull-up bar to build their base, or elevate their hands for push-ups on the edge of a couch. 

And when you eventually outgrow the basic variations above, there are ways to make bodyweight moves harder. Push-ups can be performed with one arm, squats can be turned into 1-½-rep squats, and you can elevate your legs for inverted rows. 

Frequently Asked Questions

References 

1. Podstawski, Robert, Markowski, Piotr, & Clark, Cain C. T. International Standards for the 3‐Minute Burpee Test: High‐ Intensity Motor Performance. Journal of Human Kinetics. 2019; 69 doi: 10.2478/hukin-2019-0021
2. Paoli, Antonio, Gentil, Paulo, & Moro, Tatiana. Resistance Training with Single vs. Multi-joint Exercises at Equal Total Load Volume: Effects on Body Composition, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Muscle Strength. Frontiers in Physiology. 2017;8 doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.01105
3. Slimani, Maamer, Chamari, Karim, & Miarka, Bianca. Effects of Plyometric Training on Physical Fitness in Team Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review. Journal of Human Kinetics. 2016; 53. doi: 10.1515/hukin-2016-0026
4. Karp, Jason R. MS. Muscle Fiber Types and Training. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 2001; 23(5). 

Featured Image: LarsZ / Shutterstock

The post The 15 Best Bodyweight Exercises, + Workouts and Tips From a CPT appeared first on BarBend.

Yet we often find ourselves turning back to the humble dumbbell. Dumbbell exercises aren’t just for beginners; upper-body dumbbell exercises can help you build muscle even after years of gym experience, and you can certainly gain strength by using dumbbells as well. 

We really can’t speak highly enough about them, but what we can do is offer you 14 of our favorite dumbbell exercises for muscle gain and strength development: 

14 Best Dumbbell Exercises

Recent Updates: This article was originally written by Jake Dickson, BarBend’s Senior Writer. Dickson revisited the list on Mar. 1, 2024, to review and update the movements so they better reflect BarBend’s contemporary best practices regarding exercise prescriptions. Read more about that process here. 

1. Dumbbell Bench Press

[Read More: How to Do a Dumbbell Bench Press, With Expert Tips & Video Guide]

If the standard push-up is a bit too easy for you, you might need to look beyond calisthenics for building up your chest. Any variation of a chest press will work just fine, but dumbbells specifically offer a few unique benefits to chest growth (and strengthening) that you can’t get from a barbell or a plate-loaded machine.

How To Do It

1. Sit on the end of a weight bench with the dumbbells resting on your knees. 
2. Brace your core and lean backward onto the bench, simultaneously straightening your arms as you settle into the starting position.
3. Lower the dumbbells slowly down until they graze your chest and then return them to arm’s length.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can do this movement on the floor as a way of limiting your range of motion, or tuck your upper arms to your sides to reduce shoulder discomfort. 
• Make It Harder: Try holding your feet up in the air while you bench to give your core a workout. 

2. Dumbbell Row

[Read More: The Best Biceps Exercises for Your Next Workout, Plus Expert Tips]

It may be hard to see your back without the assistance of a mirror, but, thankfully, a pair of dumbbells can help you build it just fine. The dumbbell row (and its many, many variations) is a staple back exercise.

Making dumbbells your weapon of choice is wise as well — something pro physique athletes and strength enthusiasts alike are aware of.

How To Do It

1. Support your torso with your non-working arm and the corresponding knee on a bench. 
2. Grab the dumbbell and row it by pulling your elbow up and back towards the crease of your hip.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: If you have an adjustable bench, set it to a medium incline and rest on your elbow to support your weight.
• Make It Harder: Try doing rows without using a bench at all, hinging over and keeping your torso steady just by bracing your abs. 

3. Dumbbell Shrug

[Read More: The Best Forearm Exercises for Strength, Plus 4 Workouts]

There’s really only one reliable way to beef up your traps or neck, and that’s the shrug. Simply elevating and depressing your shoulders is an easy enough motion to learn, the real question involves what equipment you should turn to to get the job done. We like dumbbells because they let you work each of your trap muscles independently. 

How To Do It

1. Stand upright with a pair of dumbbells in each hand. 
2. Lean slightly forward. 
3. Strongly contract your traps by elevating your shoulders up to your ears, holding for a moment, and then lowering them back down.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can perform shrugs sitting down instead of standing if needed. 
• Make It Harder: Ditch the lifting straps and hold the weights with a thumbless grip to test your forearm strength. 

4. Dumbbell Pullover

There are a few exercises out there that are just a bit too useful. If you find a movement that works multiple opposing muscles at once — such as the pullover — you should stick with it, if not just for efficiency’s sake. Luckily, the dumbbell is the perfect tool for performing (and perfecting) the pullover. 

How To Do It

1. Lie on your back on a bench with your arms above you, hands clasping the plate of a dumbbell. 
2. Slowly lower it back behind your head until your arms are roughly parallel with your torso. 
3. Return the dumbbell to directly above your head. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Do these on the floor instead of on a bench to limit your range of motion if you don’t have flexible shoulders. 
• Make It Harder: Pause in the bottom of each rep with the weight behind your head. 

5. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

The hinge is one of your most foundational and essential movement patterns. You perform it on a daily basis whether you know it or not — bending over to pick up a child, or lift a crate, or even sinking into a respectful bow.

Training the hinge with the dumbbell Romanian deadlift also helps you develop your hamstrings, calves, lower back, and glutes. Dumbbells are a fantastic choice if you want to make the Romanian deadlift part of your workout routine.

How To Do It

1. Stand with a pair of dumbbells in your hands and your weight slightly shifted into your heels. 
2. From here, break at the hips and shoot your butt backward. 
3. Allow the dumbbells to fall down your thigh until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor.
4. Reverse the motion, squeezing your backside to stand back up.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Standing with your shins up against the side of a bench can help you learn to push your hips back rather than doing a squat. 
• Make It Harder: Try the B-stance dumbbell RDL, using one leg as a support kickstand and shifting the majority of your weight to the other leg. 

6. Dumbbell Flye

You don’t have to be enamored by heavy pressing to successfully add muscle to your chest. Your pecs’ other main anatomical function is humeral adduction, which is fancy phrasing for bringing your arm in toward your torso.

The dumbbell flye exercise accomplishes just that, and this happens to be one of the best dumbbell chest workouts you can do. 

How To Do It

1. Lie on your back on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight above you. 
2. Open your arms slowly, palms to the ceiling, while keeping your elbows mostly straight.
3. Drop your arms out to the side until they’re roughly parallel to the floor.

7. Dumbbell Lunge

Squats are all well and good, but you can walk your way to strong, shapely, and powerful legs with lunges.

By putting one foot in front of the other, literally, and loading yourself up with a pair of dumbbells, you can stimulate almost every muscle in your lower body at once and train your balance to boot. 

How To Do It

1. With a dumbbell in each hand, take a broad step outward in front of you and bend your knees to sink into a high split squat position. 
2. From here, push into the floor with your forward leg, and bring your back leg forward. 
3. Then, do the same motion with the opposing leg. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Stand next to a horizontal rail and gently clasp it with one arm to assist your balance.
• Make It Harder: Try deficit lunges, stepping forward onto a low elevated surface like a bumper plate or riser. 

8. Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Dumbbells are the tried-and-true default tool for arm growth in most gyms, and for good reason. You can work your biceps independently to even out imbalances and prioritize the strongest contraction possible.

[Read More: Hammer Curls Vs. Biceps Curls — Which is Better for Building Bigger Arms?]

When it comes to building the brachialis, which lies underneath your biceps proper, your first and only stop should be the dumbbell hammer curl. 

How To Do It

1. Stand upright with a pair of dumbbells in your hands and your arms tucked to your sides. 
2. With control, bend your elbow and curl the weights upward, keeping your wrists in a neutral position, palms facing inward. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can perform this dumbbell biceps workout sitting down if necessary. 
• Make It Harder: Stand with your back up against a wall and keep your elbows in contact with the wall at all times to prevent swaying or momentum. 

. Dumbbell Skull Crusher

Skull crushers are great for beefing up the backside of your upper arms, but plenty of people find them uncomfortable to perform for one reason or another. This dumbbell triceps exercise can sometimes be awkward or painful on the wrist or elbow joints.

How To Do It

1. Lie on your back on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and your arms straight above your head. 
2. Bend at the elbow and lower the weights down toward your head, keeping your upper arms stationary. 
3. Reverse the motion and squeeze your triceps to straighten your arms.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Do this move on the floor to limit your range of motion. 
• Make It Harder: Get an adjustable weight bench and set it to a low incline. This will adjust the resistance profile of the exercise, making it more challenging. 

10. Dumbbell Woodchopper

[Read More: The Most Effective Workout Splits, Created by Our Experts]

Don’t laugh, we’re serious — the dumbbell woodchopper is a fantastic dumbbell ab workout when you want to get away from your standard core workout fare. This movement is also multiplanar, meaning your core muscles have to work to stabilize your spine as you move in multiple directions. As far as core workouts with dumbbells go, we love this one. 

How To Do It

1. Stand upright, holding a single dumbbell with both hands at one side of your hips.
2. Swing the weight up and across your body, as though you were swinging a golf club or trying to throw it behind your opposite shoulder. 

11. Goblet Squat

Heavy, barbell-based back squats are second-to-none for leg growth and maximal strength. However, they can be intimidating to say the least. Or, you simply can’t get ahold of a squat rack in a crowded gym.

In either case, the goblet squat is at your disposal. It’s a fantastic beginner’s squatting exercise, and can also torch your quads if you’re in a hurry. 

How To Do It

1. Stand upright, holding a dumbbell aloft in front of your chest by the plate. 
2. From here, find your squat stance and sit downward slowly as low as you can go. 
3. Try to maintain an upright torso and balance the dumbbell in the same place. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can goblet squat to a chair or box if you aren’t ready to do full-depth squats yet. 
• Make It Harder: Pause in the bottom of each rep and brace your core to stay upright. 

12. Arnold Press

[Read More: The Best Shoulder Exercises for Building Muscle]

Named after bodybuilding legend himself Arnold Schwarzenegger, this dumbbell shoulder exercise is tailored perfectly for engaging all three sections of your delts. Moreover, the Arnold press is a pressing variation you flat-out can’t perform with a barbell, so we think it deserves some points for novelty.

How To Do It

1. Sit upright in a seat or bench with a pair of dumbbells in each hand. 
2. Your arms should be bent with the weights held in front of your face, palms facing you. 
3. Rotate your arms outward and up, pressing your arms overhead. 
4. Reverse the motion, rotating your arms back into the starting position to complete the rep. 

13. Renegade Row 

Combining your upper body work with some core training is wise if you’re trying to shave time off your workout routine. Luckily, you can utilize dumbbells to build up your lats and forge an ironclad set of abs at the same time with the renegade row. 

How To Do It

1. Assume a standard push-up position, but instead of your palms pressed against the floor, they should be gripping a pair of dumbbells that are resting on the floor. 
2. Alternate your arms as you row one dumbbell up to your trunk while keeping the other arm straight. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can do renegade rows from a kneeling position if you aren’t ready to support yourself in a full plank just yet. 
• Make It Harder: Pause at the top of each rep, holding your upper arm snugly to your torso for a few seconds. 

14. Lateral Raise

For healthy, functional, and aesthetic shoulders, you need to train all three of the deltoid’s heads. To hit the middle, or lateral, aspect of your shoulder, you have to perform the lateral raise. It’s the only practical way. What piece of equipment is ideally suited for the lateral raise? A pair of dumbbells. 

How To Do It

1. Stand upright with a pair of dumbbells in each hand down at your sides. 
2. From here, slowly raise your arms outward and upward until they’re roughly parallel with the floor, palms pointing down.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Bend your elbows to 90 degrees to reduce the tension on your shoulder joints.
• Make It Harder: Set an adjustable bench to a nearly-upright position and lean against it. This will remove your ability to use momentum during the exercise. 

3 Dumbbell Workouts To Try 

Want to put these moves into action? We’ve got you covered. Designing dumbbell workouts for muscle growth, strength, or any other fitness goal isn’t easy, so we’re taking the guesswork out of the equation. Here are a few of our favorite dumbbell-based workout routines:

Warm-Up

First things first, you’ll need to warm up, no matter what sort of workout you’re doing. 5 to 10 minutes of easy cardio exercise will get your blood pumping, so start there. Afterward, be sure to perform at least one ramp-up set before doing any dumbbell compound exercises. 

Upper-Body Dumbbell Workout 

Dumbbells let you work your arms or legs unilaterally, which ensures that your muscles grow at the same rate, without one side picking up slack for the other. Try this upper-body dumbbell workout to increase hypertrophy and build new muscle mass:

• Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 6
• Dumbbell Row: 3 x 8 
• Dumbbell Hammer Curl: 2 x 12 
• Dumbbell Skull Crusher: 2 x 12
• Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 3 x 15 

Dumbbell Leg Workout

Want to work your legs? You don’t have to do barbell squats. As long as you have access to some decently-heavy dumbbells, rest assured that you can train your legs without needing to head to the squat rack. 

• Goblet Squat: 3 x 10
• Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 3 x 10
• Dumbbell Lunge: 2 x 12
• Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise: 2 x 20

Home Dumbbell Workout

If you want to workout at home but only have one pair of dumbbells, don’t worry. We have a workout for you. This workout is designed to be performed as a circuit; do these moves back-to-back with little to no rest in-between. 

Note: This workout is designed to be performed with a pair of 15-to-35-pound weights. If you have a heavier pair, consider changing up the rep ranges as needed.

• Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 20 reps
• Dumbbell Floor Press: 15 reps
• Dumbbell Renegade Row: 15 reps
• Dumbbell Skull Crusher: 8 reps
• Dumbbell Hammer Curl: 8 reps 

Benefits of Dumbbell Training

Dumbbells are for everyone — first-time gymgoer and professional athlete alike. If you’re wondering why they’re so widely used in the fitness industry, rest assured that they’re far from a fad. 

They aren’t the be-all, end-all of exercise equipment, but working with dumbbells provides more than a few unique benefits that you should be mindful of.

Corrects Muscle Imbalances

By their very nature, dumbbells allow you to work each of your arms or legs independently — as well as the corresponding muscles that move those joints.

[Read More: The Best Online Workout Programs For Coaching, Cardio, Value, And More]

This allows you to identify, attack, and remedy any imbalances or side-to-side weaknesses you may have. While a barbell or fixed-path machine can sometimes mask these issues (since you’re moving a single piece of resistance with both your arms, for example), dumbbells will quickly show you where your weak spots are so you can take the right actions against them. 

Targets Weak Points

As the dumbbell is a single-side implement, you can think of it as more of a scalpel than a hammer. Barbell exercises are wonderful for stimulating a lot of muscles quickly and with high loads.

However, barbells can’t hold a candle to the precise stimulation and resistance offered by a dumbbell. You’d find it difficult, for instance, to properly target your side delts with another type of free weight.

Independent Movement

When working with adjustable dumbbells, your limbs have more freedom and less restriction than if you used another implement. This can be particularly helpful when performing exercises such as the bench press, where your individual anatomy strongly impacts your form.

No one is perfectly symmetrical side-to-side; dumbbells allow your body to move as it was designed to, rather than having to adhere to a rigid or cumbersome path. 

Teaches Motor Control

Single-arm (or leg) exercises do a lot more for your body than just stimulating the muscle or muscles in question. 

When you load one limb at a time, your body still has to stabilize and control the transfer of force between the weight itself and the surface you’re in contact with. In practical terms, this means that a single-arm press will tax your core as it attempts to stabilize your spine, providing some “bonus” ab training. 

This principle holds true for any movement you opt to perform with, or on, one limb. 

Builds Plenty of Strength

If your priority is maximal strength above all else and at any cost, you should probably spend a lot of time with the barbell — especially if you’re aspiring toward a strength sport like powerlifting.

Barring that, you shouldn’t forsake dumbbells in your pursuit of getting stronger in general. They’ll work just fine for strength, even if you aren’t lifting comparably heavy weights as you would in a similar barbell-based movement. (1)

Use Dumbbells to Lift Well

The equipment you use in the gym is less important than the sets and reps you select, which are less important than having motivation to be consistent in the first place.

That said, the devil is in the details when it comes to maximizing your fitness potential. Dumbbells shouldn’t make up your entire routine (though they certainly can) at all times, but they’re versatile, customizable, and easy to use. 

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. Heinecke, M. L., Mauldin, M. L., Hunter, M. L., Mann, J. B., & Mayhew, J. L. (2021). Relationship of Barbell and Dumbbell Repetitions With One Repetition Maximum Bench Press in College Football Players. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 35(Suppl 1), S66–S71. 

The post Best Dumbbell Exercises for Muscle Gain, Plus 3 Workouts appeared first on BarBend.

We’ve got the best stretches to do before a run to warm up all your running muscles. We’ll explain each of them and give you a sample warm-up routine you can do before every run to set you up for miles. 

Pre-Run Stretches

1. Dynamic Quad Stretch
2. Dynamic Hamstring Stretch
3. Dynamic Wall Calf Stretch
4. Forward Lunge
5. Side Lunge
6. Front-to-Back and Lateral Leg Swing
7. High Knees
8. Butt Kick

1. Dynamic Quad Stretch

Why Do It: Your quadriceps play a key role in running — they straighten your knees and assist in hip flexion and knee stabilization. Warming them up by doing these movements in a dynamic quad stretch helps prepare them for proper running form. 

How to Do It:

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Stand near a wall if you need support. 
2. Shift your weight onto your left foot. Touch the wall with your left hand. Bend your right knee and bring your right foot toward your right glute. Grab your right ankle with your right hand. Feel the stretch in your quads and hip flexors. Hold for two to three seconds.
3. Step your right foot down. Repeat for 10 more reps.
4. Turn around to switch sides and perform 10 dynamic quad stretches on your left quad.

How Often to Do This Stretch: You can do this stretch before every run. 

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Hold on to something stable for more balance rather than just touching a wall. 
• Make it Harder: Perform this without the wall for a balance challenge.

2. Dynamic Hamstring Stretch

[Read More: The 17 Best Lower Body Exercises to Level-Up Your Leg Day]

Why Do It: When you run, your hamstrings work with your quads and perform the opposite functions — bending your knees and extending your hips. Warming them up in a dynamic hamstring stretch is crucial to a holistic pre-run warmup for your lower body. They can also help loosen up your lower back.

How to Do It:

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. 
2. Step your left foot forward with your left heel on the ground and toes pointing up. Elevate your foot on a yoga block, box, or chair for extra-tight hamstrings. Hang your arms by your sides.
3. Hinge your hips back and keep a slight bend in your right knee. Keep your core engaged and back straight. Feel the stretch in the back of your right leg and scoop your arms down toward your left foot. Stand back up and reach your arms up. Relax your arms by your sides and return your left foot to the starting position.
4. Switch legs to perform on your right side. Alternate for eight to ten reps per side.

How Often to Do This Stretch: Perform this stretch before every run.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Elevate your foot on a chair.
• Make it Harder: Hold for two to three seconds at the bottom with your back straight and core engaged.

3. Dynamic Wall Calf Stretch

Why Do It: Your calf muscles assist in ankle plantarflexion; in other words, they help lift your heel and propel your foot forward when you run. Stretching (and strengthening) your calves can affect your gait and improve your running form. Tight calf muscles can also restrict ankle mobility, so a pre-run dynamic calf stretch may boost their range of motion.

How to Do It:

1. Stand upright and face a wall. Place both hands on the wall.
2. Step your right foot back behind you. Keep your right leg straight and your heel down.
3. Bend your left knee toward the wall. Feel the stretch in your right calf. Hold for two to three seconds.
4. Step your right foot forward. Switch legs, stepping your left leg back to stretch your left calf. Hold for two to three seconds. Continue alternating sides.

How Often to Do This Stretch: Perform this stretch before every run to warm up your calf muscles.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Take a smaller step back or bend your front knee less.
• Make it Harder: Take a bigger step back.

4. Forward Lunge

[Read More: How to Balance Running and Strength Training, No Matter Your Goals]

Why Do It: Next, we’ll get into some warm-up exercises to really “activate” your muscles in addition to dynamically stretching them. The forward lunge works multiple muscle groups that you’ll use in running while stretching your quadriceps on your back leg. They also help activate your glute medius on your front leg to stabilize your knee — another important muscle for running performance.

How to Do It:

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Engage your core to stand tall.
2. Step your left foot forward. Keep your left foot on the floor and lift your right heel. Bend both knees to a 90-degree angle. Keep your right leg a little bit more straight if necessary. Squeeze your glutes. Feel the stretch in your right quadriceps. 
3. Straighten both legs and return your left foot to the starting position. Step your right foot forward to repeat the forward lunge on your other side.
4. Continue alternating sides.

How Often to Do This Stretch: You can do these before a run or as part of a strength training workout to support running performance. 

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Bend your knees less or hold on to something for support.
• Make it Harder: Progress to walking lunges, staying in the same sets and reps scheme.

5. Side Lunge

Why Do It: The side lunge, or lateral lunge, is a great warm-up exercise that activates and strengthens your glute medius on your working leg while stretching your adductors (or inner thighs) on the other side. The glute medius and adductors tend to be neglected muscles; both are key to running performance. The side lunge also works your entire lower body in the frontal plane of movement.

Equipment Needed: You’ll need enough space to step out to the side. 

Sets and Reps: Perform one to two sets of six to eight lunges per side.

How to Do It:

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Reach your arms out in front of you or clasp your hands at your chest.
2. Step your left leg out to the side. Bend your left knee as you hinge your left hip back, and let your torso come forward.
3. Push off the floor to stand back up and return your left foot to the starting position. 
4. Switch legs and repeat with your right leg. Continue alternating side lunges.

How Often to Do This Stretch: Do these before a run, or load them up and incorporate them for some unilateral training on leg day.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Shorten the range of motion, and don’t hinge and bend too much.
• Make it Harder: Continue bending your knee and hinging your hip to sit as low as possible.

6. Front-to-Back and Lateral Leg Swing

[Read More: The 6 Best Hamstring Stretches to Add to Your Routine]

Why Do It: Leg swings — both front-to-back and lateral — are a fantastic addition to your pre-run warm-up. They increase blood flow and move your hips through their full range of motion in two planes of movement. Your hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, and adductors stretch and engage while loosening up your lower back, engaging your core, and preparing your body for the running movement pattern. 

How to Do It:

1. Stand upright beside a wall or sturdy object — a squat rack works well. Shift your weight onto your right foot. Place your right hand on the wall or object. Squeeze your glutes and engage your abs.
2. Swing your left leg forward and backward, and keep it straight. Go as far as you can while maintaining your balance. Continue for 12 reps. Turn around to switch sides and repeat.
3. Perform lateral leg swings next. Shift your weight onto your right foot and place your right hand on the wall. Swing your left leg across your body toward the wall and out to the side. Continue for 12 reps.
4. Turn around to switch sides and perform lateral leg swings with your right leg.

How Often to Do This Stretch: You can perform these before every run.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Bend your knee slightly on the swinging leg or decrease how high you go.
• Make it Harder: Place your hands on your hips to challenge your balance and build stability on the standing leg.

7. High Knees

[Read More: How To Build Stamina for Running: 6 Tips + Benefits]

Why Do It: High knees are a great warm-up exercise that raise your heart rate and increase blood flow. They strengthen your hip flexors and core while preparing your body for the running movement pattern. High knees work multiple muscle groups and build coordination in your lower body.

How to Do It:

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Reach your arms out in front of you, or hold on to something for more support. 
2. Shift your weight onto your left foot. Bring your right knee up to tap your right arm. Step your right foot back down. Bring your left knee up to tap your left arm. Step your left foot back down.
3. Continue alternating high knees slowly with plenty of core control.
4. Increase your speed once you are comfortable. Go quicker to raise your heart rate.

How Often to Do This Stretch: Perform these as fast as possible before a run where you’re working on beating your time or running a faster mile.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Hold on to something for balance and keep going slowly. Don’t raise your knees as high.
• Make it Harder: Go as fast as possible while maintaining balance, getting your knees as high up as possible.

8. Butt Kick

[Read More: The 10 Best Leg Stretches to Bolster Your Lower Body Training]

Why Do It: Butt kicks are another heart rate-raising warm-up exercise that will activate your hamstrings as your quadriceps stretch. Many people tend to have overactive quadriceps, so butt kicks are a great addition to your pre-run warm-up to make sure your hamstrings are equally firing. They’ll also work your glutes and increase blood flow to your lower body like a jogging pattern.

How to Do It:

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Engage your abs and squeeze your glutes. Bend your elbows at your sides.
2. Shift your weight onto your right foot. Bring your left heel to your left glute as you swing your right arm forward and left arm back. Step your left foot down. Kick your right heel to your right glute, swinging your arms again.
3. Continue alternating butt kicks and swinging your opposite arms. Go slowly to find your balance.
4. Pick up the pace so you feel you are jogging in place. Make a complete butt kick on each rep.

How Often to Do This Stretch: You can perform these before every run, especially when working on speed.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Take it slow and focus on the hamstring contraction.
• Make it Harder: Go as fast as possible, maintaining control.

Benefits of Stretching Before a Run

Dynamic stretching before a run helps prepare your cardiovascular system, muscles, joints, and tissues for what’s to come. Here are the top benefits of adding a warm-up to your run routine.

Raises Heart Rate

One of the first physiological changes that occur when you begin movement is your heart rate rises. If you’ve been sitting at work and then start sprinting, you’re going from your resting heart rate too close to your max heart rate. It’s not always a bad thing, but dynamic stretching, especially dynamic warm-up exercises like lunges, high knees, and butt kicks, increases your heart rate gradually.

Your body temperature also rises, which helps to literally “warm up” your muscles.

Increases Blood Flow

As your heart rate increases and temperature rises, your blood flow also improves. Dynamic stretching increases blood flow to the muscles you’re stretching, which can lead to better running performance. (1)(2)

There is a popular claim that stretching before a run helps prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), but the evidence is limited. However, if you’re already sore, boosting blood flow to sore muscles before your run may help ease some stiffness.

[Read More: Jogging Vs. Running — What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter?]

Static stretching, where you hold a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds without moving, is commonly done during a cool-down and may better help alleviate soreness. Evidence is also mixed on whether post-run stretches in a cool-down reduce soreness, but the common element is that blood flow improves, which is still a plus for muscle health. (3)

Warms Up Your Range of Motion

Another common claim is that stretching increases your range of motion. A more helpful way of thinking about it is that performing dynamic stretching and sports-specific activities before a run warms up the range of motion you’ll be using. You’re rehearsing the movement you’ll be doing, which may help improve running performance.

• A 2019 study found that dynamic stretching increased flexibility and reduced hamstring stiffness while increasing the range of motion at the knee. (4)
• A 2012 study found that a dynamic warm-up increased quadriceps strength and flexibility of the hamstrings. (5)

May Reduce Risk of Injury

Unfortunately, running injuries are relatively common and can keep you out of your run routine longer than you’d like. Dynamic stretching may reduce your risk of injury, but again, evidence has been mixed on this popular idea. 

Running injuries can occur when some muscles aren’t firing as they should, leading to your joints taking on more impact. Improper running form can also increase your risk of injury to your ankles, knees, and hips.

A commonly overlooked muscle, the glute medius, is a frequent culprit. It’s a muscle in your glutes responsible for helping control your pelvis, externally rotate your hip, and stabilize your knees. 

[Read More: The 8 Best Foam Roller Exercises For Your Legs]

A systematic review and meta-analysis investigated this issue. It compared studies that measured glute medius activation in people suffering from common running injuries, including Achilles tendinopathy and patellofemoral pain syndrome. The analysis found that people with patellofemoral pain syndrome (knee pain) had significantly less glute medius activation while running. (6)

Strengthening your glute medius (and glutes, hips, and legs in general) outside of warm-ups is also key to preventing running injuries. Focusing on warm-up exercises that target your glutes, like forward, walking, or side lunges, may also help.

Sample Running Warm-Up

A good dynamic warm-up includes some dynamic stretching, muscle activation, and movement preparation for the specific activity you’ll be doing — in this case, running. (7)

Here’s a sample pre-run warm-up.

• Dynamic Stretching:

• Muscle Activation:

• Movement Preparation:

Should You Stretch Before Every Run?

If you’re going from zero activity to running, doing dynamic stretches before every run is important. 

If you’re doing a quick sprint workout at the end of a lifting session, your muscles and body are already pretty warm. You may not need to go through an entire pre-run warm-up, but a few exercises for movement preparation could still be beneficial.

FAQs

Let’s close out with some frequent questions about a pre-run stretching routine.

References

1. Craig Leon , Hyun-Ju Oh & Sharon Rana (2012) A Purposeful Dynamic Stretching Routine, Strategies, 25:5, 16-19,
2. Park HK, Jung MK, Park E, Lee CY, Jee YS, Eun D, Cha JY, Yoo J. The effect of warm-ups with stretching on the isokinetic moments of collegiate men. J Exerc Rehabil. 2018 Feb 26;14(1):78-82. 
3. Van Hooren B, Peake JM. Do We Need a Cool-Down After Exercise? A Narrative Review of the Psychophysiological Effects and the Effects on Performance, Injuries and the Long-Term Adaptive Response. Sports Med. 2018 Jul;48(7):1575-1595. 
4. Iwata M, Yamamoto A, Matsuo S, Hatano G, Miyazaki M, Fukaya T, Fujiwara M, Asai Y, Suzuki S. Dynamic Stretching Has Sustained Effects on Range of Motion and Passive Stiffness of the Hamstring Muscles. J Sports Sci Med. 2019 Feb 11;18(1):13-20. 
5. Aguilar AJ, DiStefano LJ, Brown CN, Herman DC, Guskiewicz KM, Padua DA. A dynamic warm-up model increases quadriceps strength and hamstring flexibility. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Apr;26(4):1130-41.
6. Semciw A, Neate R, Pizzari T. Running related gluteus medius function in health and injury: A systematic review with meta-analysis. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2016 Oct;30:98-110. 
7. Behm DG, Chaouachi A. A review of the acute effects of static and dynamic stretching on performance. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011 Nov;111(11):2633-51. 

The post The Best 8 Stretches to Do Before a Run, According to a CPT appeared first on BarBend.

With that in mind, here are 11 of the best triceps exercises and provide knowledge on how to train the muscle to help you improve your bench press strength and build a meatier pair of arms.

11 Best Triceps Exercises

1. Close-Grip Bench Press
2. Dip
3. Triceps Pushdown
4. Skull Crusher
5. Floor Press
6. Overhead Triceps Extension
7. Standing Landmine Press
8. Diamond Push-Up
9. Push Press
10. Cross-Body Cable Extension
11. Cable Kickback

Recent Updates: This article was originally written by Mike Dewar, a veteran BarBend contributor and coach. Dewar has a number of certifications as well as a Masters degree in Exercise Physiology. On Mar. 26, 2024, BarBend Senior Writer Jake Dickson updated the exercise selections in this article to better reflect BarBend’s evolving standards for training content. You can read more about that process here! 

Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.

1. Close-Grip Bench Press

[Read More: The Bench Press Programs to Build a Bigger, Stronger Chest]

This compound triceps exercise has you lift a bar with your hands set shoulder-width apart. This bench press variation shifts the load more to your triceps. You won’t be able to lift as much weight with the close-grip bench press, but you’ll strengthen your triceps. 

The arms-in form you need to target your triceps will take the onus off of your shoulder joint. More muscle mass on the back of your arms will directly carry over to the lockout, or top portion, of your standard bench press. 

How To Do It

1. Set yourself up similar to a flat bench press, with your hands set inside shoulder-width and your elbows tucked into the body. 
2. Pull the bar out of the rack and stabilize it over your chest. 
3. Pull the elbows inwards as the bar descends to the chest. 
4. Once you have touched the chest, press through the palms, feel the triceps engage, and lift the weight back up.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: If you prefer dumbbell triceps exercises, this move can be performed with dumbbells as well. 
• Make It Harder: Try pausing at the bottom of each rep with the bar on your chest. 

2. Dip

Performing regular dips on a set of parallel bars instead of angled bars or rings will recruit your triceps more as arms will be tucked in, not flared out. Your shoulders should feel better, too, since they’re in a more neutral position throughout the exercise. 

You’ll also be more stable as the bars are closer together than angled dipping bars or rings. Lastly, we like dips since they can be done effectively with just your body weight. 

How To Do It

1. Grab the parallel bars with your torso upright (with a slight lean forward) as you are suspended. 
2. Have your elbows almost fully extended to support this position. 
3. With the chest up and shoulder blades squeezed together, bend at the elbows as you lower yourself downward until the elbows reach 90 degrees. 
4. Press yourself upwards until you fully extend the elbows and repeat.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: The bench dip or chair dip are great options to help you progress toward doing full bodyweight dips. 
• Make It Harder: Add weight by wearing a dip belt or holding a small dumbbell between your ankles. 

3. Triceps Pushdown

[Read More: The Best Cable Machines for Small Spaces, Bodybuilders, and More]

You can really isolate your triceps with the triceps pushdown. To perform the pushdown, you either grab a resistance band or a cable pulley, step back, so the band or cable is taut, and then push it downward by flexing your triceps. Since just your triceps are moving the weight, you can better hone in on them. 

We think the pushdown is one of the best tricep exercises for mass because it completely isolates the muscle, which leads to great pumps and plenty of hypertrophy.

How To Do It

1. Set the cables or band at a high anchor point. With your body facing the band, place your feet together and elbows to your sides (by your ribs). 
2. The chest should be up, and the back flat, with the hips angled slightly forward. 
3. Grab the handles or band and fully extend the elbows to push the handles or band down, making sure to keep the elbows slightly in front of the shoulders.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Play around with different cable attachments until you find the one that is most comfortable for you. 
• Make It Harder: Try a drop set at the end of your pushdown workout. 

4. Skull Crusher

[Read More: The Best Dumbbell Arm Workouts for Strength, Size, and Time-Saving]

This triceps exercise variation has you lower a barbell (or dumbbells or cable pulley or kettlebells) to your forehead to stretch the triceps muscle. 

You’ll be able to isolate the triceps with the skull crusher, but in a position that also allows you to move heavier weight than you could with a pushdown. As a result, the skull crusher is a great free weight triceps exercise.

How To Do It

1. Start by lying back down on a bench, with the hands supporting a weight (a barbell, dumbbells, or various cable attachments) at the top of the bench pressing position. The back and hips should be set up identical to a bench press. 
2. Pull the elbows back slightly so that they are pointing behind you (rather than directly vertical) as you bend the elbow joint, lowering the bar handle or loads towards your head.
3. The bar should nearly make contact with the forehead. Feel the stretch on the triceps and partially on the lats. Push the bar back up.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Do this move on the floor or work with dumbbells instead of a barbell.
• Make It Harder: Lie on an adjustable bench with the backrest set at a low (10 to 20-degree) incline. 

5. Floor Press

[Read More: The Best Home Gym Flooring and Expert Buying Guide]

This is a popular bench press variation among powerlifters who need to strengthen the top portion of the lift. By pressing a barbell from the floor, you’re limiting your arms’ range of motion.

This means you can typically press more weight, which equates to a stronger bench press and stronger triceps. The floor press is also a suitable work around if you can’t bench with a full range of motion due to an injury or, even, because all the benches are taken in a busy gym. 

How To Do It

1. Lay down in front of a power rack and extend your arms. Take note of where they end and adjust the hooks so that the barbell sits where your hands reach. 
2. Get back under the now-loaded barbell and plant your feet firmly on the floor. 
3. Grab the bar with your typical types of bench press grip. Lift the bar out of the rack, and lower the barbell to your sternum. Keep your elbows tucked in at 45 degrees. Press back up.

6. Overhead Triceps Extension

Triceps extensions are performed with a variety of tools and in a variety of postures. When performing overhead triceps extensions with a resistance band, the extra stretch on the band provides ample tension from the get-go and only gets harder as you extend the elbows. 

This movement is great for both muscular hypertrophy and lockout strength. It’s also one of the only long head triceps exercises out there. If you prefer cable triceps exercises, you can do this one with a cable instead.

How To Do It

1. With the band underneath the middle of both feet, step forward with one foot and bring the handles of the band up behind your ears. 
2. Standing tall and keeping your elbows tucked in, extend the elbows until lockout, and pause for a second. 
3. Slowly lower down to the starting position and then repeat.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try this move one arm at a time if you have inflexible shoulders. You can also do it seated if necessary. 
• Make It Harder: Try one-and-a-half reps to emphasize the stretched position. 

7. Standing Landmine Press

If you can’t train your triceps pain-free, the standing landmine press can come in clutch. The nature of the implement used increases scapular stability and control. 

The grip and upper arm position will also likely allow you to train around elbow or shoulder discomfort and still get a good session in.

How To Do It

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold the end of the barbell just in front of your shoulder. Brace your core and lats and grip the barbell tight. 
2. Then, press to lockout by extending the elbow and reaching forward at the end of the movement. Slowly lower back down and repeat.

8. Diamond Push-Up

Like the close-grip bench press, the hand placement of the diamond push-up shifts more of the emphasis on the triceps. Due to the narrower base of support, you’ll get increased core stability while training the chest, shoulders, and triceps. 

Because of this, you may not be able to do as many reps as in your usual push-up, but your triceps will love it. You can also utilize diamond push-ups as an at-home triceps exercise.

How To Do It

1. Making a perfect diamond with your hands is not necessary, but the idea is to keep your hands close to focus on the triceps. Adjust your hand position to see what works for you. 
2. Perform a push-up with control while keeping your core and glutes tight to keep your spine neutral. 
3. Keep your elbows tucked alongside your ribcage, without flaring, during the entire movement.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can do this one on your knees or with your hands not quite touching to make it easier. 
• Make It Harder: Try decline diamond push-ups by elevating your feet slightly. 

9. Push Press

With enough weight on the barbell, just about any pressing movement can be considered a triceps exercise as well. Overhead pressing is fantastic for overall upper-body strength, but your performance may not be limited by your triceps specifically.

By using your leg drive to power through the first half of the lift — where your shoulders do the most work — the push press helps you apply tons of mechanical tension to your triceps. Sets of five reps have never felt so hard.

How To Do It

1. Unrack a barbell from a squat rack and hold it in the front rack position with a loose grip and your feet planted under your hips or slightly wider.
2. Dip into a half squat; sink down until your knees come in line with your toes, but not much deeper.
3. Aggressively reverse the motion and push into the floor hard as if you were going to jump.
4. Your entire lower body should extend, at which point tilt your head back and allow the bar to fly off your shoulders.
5. As the bar passes your head, press with your arms to lock it out firmly overhead.

10. Cross-Body Cable Extension

[Read More: The Ultimate 10-Week Powerbuilding Workout Routine for Mass and Strength]

When it comes to triceps training, cables are your best friend. While free weights are in no way inherently dangerous, plenty of folks find it easier and more comfortable on the elbows to perform high-intensity training on the arm with exercises like the cable cross-body extension.

Bodybuilders in particular adore this movement for its hypertrophic potential; few exercises will allow you to apply so much stress to your triceps with such little weight. You also get the benefits of working each triceps separately during a simultaneous double-armed set. This saves time while not allowing one arm to pick up the slack of the other. 

How To Do It

1. Stand between two cable trees with each shoulder-height attachment in your opposite hand; your right hand should hold the left attachment, and vice versa.
2. Take a step or two backward to pull the plate stack up and apply some tension to the cable. Your forearms should be crossed in front of your body forming an “X” shape.
3. From here, extend your elbows while keeping your upper arms tucked to your sides or slightly behind your body.

11. Cable Kickback

As dumbbell triceps workouts go, the kickback is less than ideal. Its biggest hindrance is the inconsistent resistance curve; your reps are very easy at the beginning and too difficult at the end.

Working with cables instead of a dumbbell resolves this issue and transforms an otherwise mediocre movement into a killer triceps exercise. Use this one to cap off your next arm workout and see for yourself. 

How To Do It

1. Set a cable fixture at around waist height and grab the attachment in your palm. Use your non-working arm to brace yourself against the cable tree itself.
2. Tip over so your torso is roughly parallel to the floor and stagger your feet. 
3. Tuck your upper arm back and against your torso.
4. Use your triceps to extend your elbow.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: If you can’t hinge over, do this move standing up with your elbow pushed back behind your torso slightly. 
• Make It Harder: Try it with two cables at the same time. 

4 Triceps Workouts To Try

Yes, your triceps will get plenty of action from your best chest exercises and shoulder exercises. But when you’re aiming to bust through some next level shirt sleeves, try the best triceps workouts out there to give your arms the boost they need.

[Related: The Best Weight Benches on the Market]

Triceps Workout for Beginners

As a beginner, targeted arm training may not be necessary to reap some gains in the gym. That said, if you’re looking to add triceps mass specifically, remember as a beginner that it is important to prioritize frequency and mindful practice over lifting the heaviest weights possible. Strength training is a long road, so set yourself up for success by building good habits early. 

Perform this workout with higher training frequency and less intensity (meaning weight on the bar) for at least three to four weeks of consistent training. You can do this workout two to three times per week with the rest of your workout split. 

• A1. Close-Grip Bench Press: 3 x 10-12 reps
• B1. Cable Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 x 15
• C1. Cable Triceps Pushdown: 3 x 15

Triceps Workout for Muscle

To elicit muscle growth, you want to perform this workout with relatively high intensities and at a frequency of up to three times per week. That said, you’re only able to train as hard as you can recover, so prioritize your nutrition and rest so you can properly recover between intense workouts. 

• Skull Crusher: 3 x 12-15, followed by 2 x 8 – 10 at a slightly heavier weight
• Weighted Dip: 3 sets at an RPE 8 with a moderate weight
• Cable Overhead Extension: 3 x 15 
• Cable Single-arm Kickback: 3 x 15
• Push-Up: 3 sets of as many repetitions as possible

Triceps Workout for Strength

You’ll hit two strength-focused workouts per week. In total, you’ll accumulate 29 sets for your triceps. You’ll also be lifting in a combination of rep ranges — six to 10 so you’re handling larger weights, and then 12 and up to ensure you build a fatigue resistance.

[Read More: The Most Effective Workout Splits, Created by Our Experts]

Assuming you want stronger triceps for a bigger bench press, the first two movements of each day are a bench press variation. Specificity is king, so if you want a stronger bench press, you need to bench press. 

Big Bench Press Accessory Day 1

• A1. JM Press: 3 x 10 / 2 x 6, rest 2-3 minutes between sets 
• B1. Cable Triceps Pushdown: 3 x 12-15
• C1. Weighted Triceps Dip: 2 x 8, 2 x 6, rest 2-3 minutes between sets

Big Bench Press Accessory Day 2 

• A1. Pin Press or Floor Press: 3 x 6 / 2 x 4, rest 2-3 minutes between sets 
• B1. Skull Crusher: 3 x 8-10, rest 2-3 minutes between sets
• C1. Overhead Cable Triceps Extension: 3 x 15 reps
• C2. Cable Triceps Kickback: 3 x 15 reps
• C3: Push-Up: 3 x AMRAP

Triceps Workout for Bodyweight

You’ve got options when it comes to building your triceps on any free weights. You’ll rely on high rep sets to near-failure since adding more weight to the bar isn’t an option.

Pick one workout and perform it a few times per week — minimum two times, maximum four times. “RIR” stands for reps in reserve and seeing “2 RIR” means you should stop two reps short of mechanical failure. As you progress, aim to add reps to your sets. Ideally, you can do more reps while still feeling as though you’re two reps from failure. 

For Beginner Calisthenics Athletes

• A1. Bench Dip: 3 sets x 2 RIR
• B1. Elevated Push-Up: 3 sets x 2 RIR
• *C1. Pike Push-Up: 3 sets x 2 RIR

*Bring chin or neck to bar or stair upon descent allowing elbows to brush the sides of one’s ribs

For Advanced Calisthenics Athletes

• A1. Bodyweight Triceps Dip: 3 sets x 2 RIR
• B1. Handstand Push-Up: 3 sets x 2 RIR
• C1. Elevated Bodyweight Triceps Extension: 3 sets x 2 RIR
• D1: Push-Up: 3 sets x AMRAP

Triceps Warm-Up

Especially if you’re going to do a heavy triceps workout, make sure you’re not going in cold. Even if you’re going to focus mainly on your chest or shoulders, your triceps will need to be ready for a hefty ride. Here’s a solid triceps dynamic warm-up to integrate into your program before your upper body workouts.

How To Train Your Triceps

Depending on your workout split, you’ll want to either include short triceps-specific workouts at the end of days focused on bigger upper body exercises or simply take an extra rest day while you’re in the process of building your arms.

• Exercise Selection: To build strength, prioritize free-weight, compound triceps exercises like bench presses. To isolate your triceps for growth, include cable triceps exercises as well and perform most sets to nearly failure.
• Sets and Reps: We tend to prefer lower reps (5 to 8) for compound exercises like presses or dips, and higher reps in the 12 to 20 range for isolation moves. 

Choose Your Volume

Most evidence-based recommendations regarding optimal training volume fall between 10 and 20 “working” sets per muscle, per week. (1) If you’re used to hitting it hard in the gym, this may seem like a light load.

[Read More: The Best Online Workout Programs For Coaching, Cardio, Value, And More]

However, the good news is that you can probably get the same, or better, arm gains without committing to multi-hour workouts. Mind also that compound lifts do factor into this benchmark; if you perform plenty of heavy bench or overhead presses twice a week, you probably don’t need 15 sets of triceps extensions on top of it all. 

Find the Right Angle

It pays to be flexible in your pursuit of eye-popping, shirt-busting triceps. Yes, you need good mobility in your elbows and shoulders for some arm exercises, but you should really open yourself up to a wide array of exercises and angles during your workouts if you want to maximize your gains.

As a three-headed muscle, certain sections of your triceps will work harder than others on certain exercises based on your posture and leverages at any given moment. (2) For example, the long head of the muscle gets the most love when your arm is extended behind your head.

Go Overhead

Some compelling research has shown that overhead extensions, when your arm is raised up behind your head, can be more effective at both long head emphasis and overall triceps growth — even more than traditional press downs. (3)

Mix in at least one overhead-based triceps exercise every time you train your arms and the results will likely speak for themselves. 

Benefits of Training Your Triceps

Bigger, stronger triceps make you, well, bigger and stronger. You aren’t going to win and bodybuilding shows if your guns are only loaded in the front. Your triceps may also be the limiting factor the next time you try to test your 1-rep max on the bench press. There are plenty of good reasons to prioritize your triceps in the gym. 

Better Pressing Strength

Your triceps fight half the battle on all pressing movements, whether you’re on the barbell bench press or working with dumbbells. If your elbow extensors are underdeveloped or weak, don’t expect to lock out any of your max-effort reps. Some extra triceps work is a great way to safeguard yourself against missing a max attempt.

Balanced Physique Development

Well-developed arms may not win bodybuilding shows on their own, but if your triceps are lacking on the physique stage, it can bring down your entire physique. Even if you don’t have competitive aspirations, doing nothing but biceps curls and neglecting your tris is no way to build an impressive physique.

Your triceps make up the majority of overall muscle in your upper arm, and that’s before training. That means plenty of untapped hypertrophic potential. If you want to look symmetrical and proportional, carving out those horseshoes is an absolute must. 

Triceps Anatomy

The triceps are made up of three muscles (hence the name, tri-ceps): The lateral head, the long head, and the medial head. All three of these muscles attach to your elbow and are responsible for extending your elbow.

The triceps are involved in the latter half of most pressing exercises. Think about how you bench press. Your pecs work hard at first to get the barbell off of your chest, but once your arms break 90 degrees, your triceps flex to extend your forearms and fully extend your arms. The same is true for an overhead press.

FAQs

References

1. Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of sports sciences, 35(11), 1073–1082. 
2. Kholinne, E., Zulkarnain, R. F., Sun, Y. C., Lim, S., Chun, J. M., & Jeon, I. H. (2018). The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension. Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica, 52(3), 201–205. 
3. Maeo, S., Wu, Y., Huang, M., Sakurai, H., Kusagawa, Y., Sugiyama, T., Kanehisa, H., & Isaka, T. (2022). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. European journal of sport science, 1–11. Advance online publication. 

Featured Image: Bojan Milinkov/Shutterstock

The post The 11 Best Triceps Exercises and Workouts, Recommended by a CPT appeared first on BarBend.

Whether you’re overhead pressing or bench pressing, you’ll be contracting your triceps hard as you lock out the lift. Stretching is the flip side of that contraction, and you’ll want to get more stretch time in when it’s time to use every aspect of your training — including recovery — to maximize your numbers. Here, we’ve put together the five best triceps stretches to get you the best of both strength and flexibility.

Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.

The 5 Best Triceps Stretches

The triceps brachii are a three-headed muscle group found on the back side of your upper arm. It primarily performs elbow extension but also plays a role in shoulder extension as well. Here are five stretches to best hit your triceps from every angle.

1. Cross-Body Triceps Stretch
2. Overhead Triceps Stretch
3. Assisted Overhead Triceps Stretch (Towel Stretch)
4. Single-Arm Cable Cross-Body Triceps Extension
5. Single-Arm Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

1. Cross-Body Triceps Stretch

[Read More: The Best Arm Exercises to Add to Your Workout Routine]

The cross-body triceps stretch is a classic, nearly instinctive stretch for many people. It is a simple but effective addition to any warm-up or cooldown for your upper body exercises. As stretching exercises go, it doesn’t require much time, effort, or skill to weave into your routine.

How to Do the Cross-Body Triceps Stretch

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with a tall but relaxed posture.
2. Take your right arm and extend it straight ahead of your body with your palm facing down.
3. Using your left hand, help draw your right arm across your body without rotating your thoracic spine.
4. Continue to draw your right arm across your body until you feel a light stretch across the back of your arm.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Experiment with where you grab onto your working arm with your free hand in order to accommodate larger chests and shoulders. Aim to move in a way that enables a stretch across the back of your upper arm.
• Make it Harder: Actively press into your free hand with your working arm. This will activate your triceps muscle and start incorporating upper body strength into an otherwise fairly passive stretch.

Coach’s Tip: Try the cross-body triceps stretch with both a flexed or extended elbow for slightly different sensations. Also, try it with your palm facing down or facing your body.

2. Overhead Triceps Stretch

The triceps are located on the back of your upper arm and mainly work to extend your elbow. But one of the three heads of the triceps actually crosses the shoulder as well. The long head of triceps therefore benefits from your arm getting overhead, like during the overhead triceps stretch.

How to Do the Overhead Triceps Stretch

1. Stand with a tall posture and your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Raise your left arm above your head with your hand facing forward.
3. Bend the elbow of the raised arm so that the hand slides behind your back. Your elbow should still be facing the ceiling.
4. With your right hand, pull your left elbow towards your head to feel a light stretch on the triceps. Repeat on both sides.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: If you struggle with overhead mobility in your workout program, try using a wall to assist with the overhead triceps stretch. Instead of getting completely overhead, choose an arm height that works for your mobility and lean it against the wall for a stretch.
• Make it Harder: Perform this while holding a PVC pipe in both hands, pressing the backs of your elbows against a plyo box or wall. Press your upper arms into the surface to increase the intensity of the stretch.

Coach’s Tip: As much as possible, avoid flaring out your rib cage during this stretch. Focus on your current range of motion, rather than artificially producing a deeper range by putting your torso in jeopardy.

3. Assisted Overhead Triceps Stretch (Towel Stretch)

[Read More: The Best Bodybuilding Arm Workout, Customized to Your Experience Level]

It might be difficult to hit the regular overhead triceps stretch. Whether you’re just starting to work on your mobility or you’re lacking range of motion because your arms are simply too huge, the assisted overhead triceps stretch (or towel stretch) is a lifesaver.

How to Do the Assisted Overhead Triceps Stretch (Towel Stretch)

1. Stand with a tall posture and your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold a towel in both hands with your arms extended straight ahead of your body and your palms facing down.
3. Raise your arms above your head. From here, choose one arm to stretch and use the opposite side to lightly pull down on the towel.
4. Allow the stretching side to bend the elbow and be drawn into a stretch.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Use a lighter resistance band or a lightly-gripped towel to use minimal resistance. 
• Make it Harder: To increase the stretch, use a heavier resistance band or intensify your grip on the towel.

Coach’s Tip: A band is a great alternative to use if you do not have a towel handy.

4. Single-Arm Cable Cross-Body Triceps Extension

Structured stretching is not the only time that you’re able to help mobilize your muscles. Properly performed resistance exercise with eccentric control and full range of motion is a fantastic way to get a double dose of gains. The muscle is working for growth but also taking advantage of the load and positioning to encourage increased mobility.

How to Do the Single-Arm Cable Cross-Body Triceps Extension

1. Adjust the height of a cable stack machine such that the pulley sits around armpit height.
2. Using a single triceps rope attachment, grab the implement and face away from the machine so your hand is making a fist and facing down.
3. Take a subtle step forward so the cable stack is not resting on the plates.
4. Brace and extend your elbow against the resistance of the cable stack. Aim for as much elbow flexion on each repetition as possible.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Use a dual rope attachment and perform this as a triceps pushdown with both hands. You won’t get as big of a stretch between each rep, but you’ll still build mobility with less of a balance challenge.
• Make it Harder: With each rep, pause at both the top and bottom of your range of motion.

Coach’s Tip: For even more triceps stretch, take advantage of reciprocal inhibition for a greater benefit to your mobility. Think of contracting your biceps when you are at the bottom of each rep.

5. Single-Arm Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

[Read More: New Study Suggests Overhead Triceps Extensions Build More Muscle Than Pushdowns]

Stretching your triceps and growing your triceps go hand-in-hand using the single-arm overhead cable triceps extension. The overhead position helps to target the long head of the triceps and stretching the triceps is almost guaranteed because of the position of your upper arm. Be sure to use a controlled full range of motion for the best results.

How to Do the Single-Arm Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

1. Adjust the height of a cable machine such that the pulley sits at the bottom position.
2. Using a single rope attachment, grab the implement and raise it above your head. Fully lock out your shoulder and elbow.
3. Adjust your position to be standing side-by-side with the cable stack, your working arm should be on the side of your body furthest from the machine.
4. Slowly lower your hand behind your head similar to the overhead triceps stretch technique. Contract your biceps in the bottom for a brief second before extending your elbow back to the starting position.

Modifications

• Make it Easier: Set the pulley a little higher up than the bottom position so that the cable won’t be quite as intensely taut at the end range of motion.
• Make it Harder: Slightly increase the weight and pause briefly at the end of your range of motion with each rep to really lean into the stretch.

Coach’s Tip: Choose a weight that you’re able to stabilize. Loaded exercises in the overhead position may be tricky so start light and work up.

Why You Should Stretch Your Triceps

Stretching your triceps is a fantastic part of any wellness routine. From temporarily relieving tension or perceived soreness to improving your range of motion, stretching your triceps has a ton of potential carryover benefits to your lifts.

Many of the best triceps exercises place your upper arm in overhead or unstable positions. This helps to mobilize and stabilize your upper back, shoulder blades, and even your latissimus dorsi (or lats). Stretching also requires negligible increases to your equipment or time commitments to training — so it won’t feel like you’re piling on too much.

[Read More: Build Bigger, Stronger Arms with These 9 Triceps Extension Variations]

Whether you add triceps stretches to your dynamic warm-up, cooldown, or within the workout itself, many of your best choices are extremely accessible. Most triceps stretches are performed with just your body weight and can be simply woven into your exercise selection in the weight room.

What the Science Says About Stretching

Stretching has started to get a lot more attention within the research space. Improving flexibility is usually the area of interest here, but more recently there have been whispers that stretching may be beneficial for muscle growth as well.

For Muscle Growth

Maximizing muscle growth is the goal for a significant portion of lifters, so tinkering with newer techniques or methods with the promise of more gains is always welcome. Loaded stretching (1) or performing exercises in a more stretched muscle position has started to receive greater research focus due to some interesting data. (2) 

[Read More: Try These 6 Unique Bodybuilding Arm Exercises to Spark New Muscle Growth]

Some studies seem to suggest potential benefits for muscle gain from performing exercise in a more lengthened muscle position, such as an overhead triceps extension. (3) Although promising, much more research needs to be performed across many muscle groups and exercise positions to fully flesh out any benefits for muscle growth compared to other positions.

For Flexibility

Flexibility is one of the most common rationales for using stretching in any program. Many forms of stretching (static stretching, dynamic, or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation or PNF stretching) have been shown to improve the range of motion in the short term immediately after their completion. (4)

Aside from the immediate range of motion improvements, chronic stretching (particularly static stretches) has also been shown to be beneficial for improving muscle range of motion at the calf. (5)

[Read More: 14 Triceps Exercises to Improve Your Bench Press and Overhead Strength]

Given the relatively low effort and time investment required, static stretching appears to be a viable option for improving both immediate and long-term flexibility.

When to (and Not to) Stretch

Stretching is an extremely time-and-location-friendly tool for your repertoire. You’re able to stretch essentially anywhere — from downtime watching your favorite show to loaded stretching during your training sessions themselves, with or without a personal trainer.

There has been some concern about static stretching in particular and its supposed negative impact on performance if completed immediately before strength training. While early studies suggested that long-duration static stretches may reduce performance (6), this information was seemingly misinterpreted. 

[Read More: 8 Great Triceps Exercises You’re Probably Not Doing]

A good amount of research since then has helped to clarify this topic. Generally, shorter duration stretches shouldn’t hurt training performance when performed immediately before exercise. (7) So yes, you may be able to do some of these stretches before blasting out those push-ups.

Stretch Those Arms

Arm stretches aren’t always top of mind for the iron-obsessed gym rat, even if arm muscles are. But stretching is an easy way to warm up, improve range of motion and blood flow, and even potentially increase muscle gain.

As a good rule of thumb, perform all exercises with a full range of motion and pepper in some longer muscle-length exercises every once in a while for good measure. From bodyweight static stretching to loaded stretching performed within your workout – it’s easy to capitalize on some often-forgotten gains.

FAQs

Triceps stretches are a great way to improve mobility and overall training session performances, these are some frequently asked questions that you may have.

References

1. Nunes, J. P., Schoenfeld, B. J., Nakamura, M., Ribeiro, A. S., Cunha, P. M., & Cyrino, E. S. (2020). Does stretch training induce muscle hypertrophy in humans? A review of the literature. Clinical physiology and functional imaging, 40(3), 148–156. 
2. Wolf, M., Androulakis-Korakakis, P., Fisher, J., Schoenfeld, B., & Steele, J. (2022). Partial vs full range of motion resistance training: A systematic review and meta- analysis.
3. Maeo, S., Wu, Y., Huang, M., Sakurai, H., Kusagawa, Y., Sugiyama, T., Kanehisa, H., & Isaka, T. (2023). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. European journal of sport science, 23(7), 1240–1250. 
4. Behm, D. G., Blazevich, A. J., Kay, A. D., & McHugh, M. (2016). Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: a systematic review. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 41(1), 1–11. 
5. Medeiros, D. M., & Martini, T. F. (2018). Chronic effect of different types of stretching on ankle dorsiflexion range of motion: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Foot (Edinburgh, Scotland), 34, 28–35.
6. Ogura, Y., Miyahara, Y., Naito, H., Katamoto, S., & Aoki, J. (2007). Duration of static stretching influences muscle force production in hamstring muscles. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 21(3), 788–792. 
7. Kay, A. D., & Blazevich, A. J. (2012). Effect of acute static stretch on maximal muscle performance: a systematic review. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 44(1), 154–164.

The post The 5 Best Triceps Stretches to Push Your Presses to the Next Level appeared first on BarBend.

So, if you’re in the market for some of the best chest exercises out there, look no further than this list. These are 17 of our favorite chest exercises for muscle, strength, injury prevention, and just about everything in-between.

17 Best Chest Exercises

1. Flat Bench Press
2. Incline Bench Press
3. Decline Bench Press
4. Dip
5. Dumbbell Bench Press
6. Dumbbell Floor Press
7. Incline Dumbbell Hex Press
8. Chest Flye
9. Cable Press-Around
10. Decline Push-Up
11. Close-Grip Bench Press 
12. Svend Press
13. Push-Up
14. Cable Crossover
15. Plyo Push-Up
16. Dumbbell Pullover
17. Close-Grip Push-Up

Recent Updates: This article was initially written by Mike Dewar, CSCS. It was edited by Alex Polish, Senior Editor and a certified personal trainer. On Apr. 9, 2024, this article was updated to better align with BarBend‘s commitment to issuing science-based guidance regarding exercise and workout prescriptions. You can read more about that process here.

1. Flat Bench Press

The bench press should be a staple in your routine for more chest size and strength, since compared to most other chest exercises, you can load the bench press up with a relatively heavy amount of weight. Beyond that, benching is necessary for powerlifters, since it’s one of the three lifts judged in a powerlifting meet.

How To Do It

1. Lay back down on a bench, arch your lower back slightly, and plant your feet on the floor.
2. Pull your shoulder blades together to enhance stability and upper back strength.
3. Grab the bar and squeeze the hand hard to flex the arm and grip muscles maximally. 
4. With the load unracked, think about pulling the barbell to the body to touch the sternum/base of the chest.
5. Press the weight upwards, making sure to keep your back tight, and shoulder blades pulled together.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: If you have one, try doing the bench press with a Swiss barbell to make it more comfortable on your joints. 
• Make It Harder: Suspend your feet in the air while you bench to get a core workout. 

2. Incline Bench Press

The incline press is somewhat of a hybrid of an overhead press and flat bench press, and so pressing a barbell (or a pair of kettlebells or dumbbells) from an incline recruits more of the muscle fibers in the upper chest and taxes the shoulders a bit more. 

How To Do It

1. Adjust a weight bench so it is at a 45-degree angle and set up similarly to that of the flat bench press.
2. Unrack the loaded barbell and begin to pull the load downwards to line with the upper chest (a few inches below the clavicle).
3. With the shoulder blades pulled together and elbows angled at about 45 degrees.
4. Push the barbell upward.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try a narrow grip if you experience shoulder pain, or limit your range of motion by not touching the bar to your chest.
• Make It Harder: Try pausing at the bottom of each repetition. 

3. Decline Bench Press

[Read More: 5 Bench Press Programs to Build a Bigger, Stronger Chest]

This pressing variation is typically less strenuous on your shoulders than the standard bench press because of the shifted shoulder angle. You’ll also be able to target your inner chest from a different angle, which is important when you’re looking to develop a well-rounded musculature. 

How To Do It

1. Start by securing your feet into a decline bench set up and secure your upper back and hips to the bench (similar to the flat bench press). 
2. Unrack the weight and pull the load downwards toward the sternum while keeping the shoulder blades pulled together.
3. Press through the barbell to lock out your elbows. Be sure not to allow the elbows to flare excessively out.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can also do this exercise with dumbbells if you don’t have a decline bench station.
• Make It Harder: Try adding chains to your bar for some dynamic tension.

4. Dip

The dip is another bodyweight gem. It comes out toward the top of this list and is also one of the best arm exercises out there — the dip really is a powerhouse. You’ll also seriously recruit your triceps, which are essentially involved in all pressing movements, so working them in tandem with the chest will help strengthen the synergistic muscles in unison. 

How To Do It

1. Grab the dip bar firmly and get yourself in the top of the dip position, with your upper back tight and shoulder blades squeezed together.
2. Angle your torso slightly forward and allow your elbows to bend as they slightly tuck inwards towards the sides of the torso. 
3. Lower yourself down until your elbows bend at about 90 degrees.
4. When ready, press through the handles and bring your body upright into the top of the dip position.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Use an assisted dip station with a knee pad or loop a resistance band around the dip bars to give you a bit of elastic assistance.
• Make It Harder: Work up to doing weighted dips with a dip belt attached during this upper back exercise.

5. Dumbbell Bench Press

The dumbbell bench press doesn’t allow you to go as heavy as its barbell counterpart, but there’s a lot to like about this move. For one, you’re controlling two dumbbells, which works your chest (and the smaller stabilizer muscles around your shoulder joint) differently than the bench press. 

Like all chest exercises with dumbbells, this move has a secret weapon — if you have a weaker side, this move’s unilateral nature allows one side to catch up to the other.

How To Do It

1. Sit up on a flat bench and then hinge forward to pick up each dumbbell.
2. Place each weight on a knee and get set.
3. Lean back and then drive the dumbbells back towards you (carefully) with your knees, simultaneously pressing the weights over your chest.
4. Lower the weights, keeping your elbows tucked in at 45 degrees until your elbows break 90 degrees. 
5. Then, drive the dumbbells back up. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try a neutral grip to take some tension off your shoulders. 
• Make It Harder: Practice a three to four-second tempo while lowering the weights down to your chest. 

6. Cable Press 

The cable press allows you to to train your pecs through their two primary anatomical functions; arm adduction and shoulder flexion. In simple terms, the tension of the cable pulls your arm both backward and out to the side, doubling down on the stimulus to your pecs. 

How To Do It

1. Set up an adjustable weight bench a few feet in front of a cable station with the seat elevated high.
2. The cables should be fixed with D-handle attachments and set to around shoulder height when you sit on the bench.
3. Stand behind the bench, grab each handle, and step around the bench to sit in it.
4. Simulate a chest press position while holding the handles with your elbows bent and out to the sides.
5. Perform a chest press, driving the handles forward and inward toward your midline. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Set the bench between the two cable attachments rather than in front of them to reduce your range of motion and make this chest and shoulder exercise easier to set up.
• Make It Harder: Play with the angle of the bench seat, you may find that a slightly lower incline makes the movement more challenging on your pecs. 

7. Incline Dumbbell Hex Press

[Read More: Build Strong and Full Pecs With the Best Lower Chest Exercises]

To build the best pair of pecs you can, you need to do more than slam presses on a flat bench (though that’s certainly a good starting point). Upper chest exercises to bias the top fibers in your chest can help a lot.

The incline hex press accomplishes several things at once. You can train your triceps and front delts simultaneously, you can contract your chest isometrically and dynamically, and you can also engage your upper chest throughout. 

How To Do It

1. Lie on a low-to-medium incline bench with a pair of dumbbells above your head.
2. Tuck your inner arms against your torso and clasp the sides of the dumbbells together.
3. Squeeze them tightly and lower your arms down until the bells touch your chest.
4. Reverse the motion, ensuring the dumbbells don’t come apart at any point.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try a low incline here to reduce the load on your shoulders. 
• Make It Harder: This exercise is well-suited for drop sets, so grab multiple pairs of dumbbells. 

8. Chest Flye

The chest flye — commonly called dumbbell flyes or cable flyes, depending on which implement you’re using — is a popular bodybuilding exercise to stretch the muscle fibers and pump up the muscle. Using dumbbells will also help improve your body’s ability to coordinate as you’re forced to stabilize each weight independently. 

How To Do It

1. Lie back on a bench (either flat, decline, or incline), with a dumbbell in each hand.
2. With a slight bend in your elbows, lower your arms out to your sides slowly and with control.
3. Reverse the motion, driving your upper arms against your torso as you return the weights to the starting position. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Do this move on the floor to ensure your arms don’t sink too deep below your torso.
• Make It Harder: Try the chest flye on a low incline bench to really challenge your upper pecs.

9. Cable Press-Around

To make the most of your chest training, you should include exercises that take your pecs through their full range of motion. Neither flyes nor presses satisfy this requirement perfectly, but the cable press-around does. It also includes a rotational component and can stimulate your pecs in a whole new way if you can get the technique right. 

How To Do It

1. Stand facing at a 45-degree angle away from a cable handle set at around waist height.
2. Grab the handle and allow it to pull tension across your chest.
3. With a slightly bent elbow, sweep your arm around your torso.
4. Squeeze your pecs hard. Pause for a beat at the end, and then reverse the motion.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can perform this move while seated instead of standing.
• Make It Harder: Try doing a drop set for each of your arms. 

10. Decline Push-Up

Push-ups aren’t just a beginner chest exercise. Modifying the movement by adjusting the angle of your body can emphasize different parts of your chest. By elevating your feet on a weight bench or plyo box, you’ll find that the decline push-up is far more difficult than the default move. 

How To Do It

1. Get into a push-up position with your feet elevated on a low plyo box or weight bench.
2. From here, unlock your elbows and lower your body down toward the floor.
3. When your elbows are behind your torso and you feel a deep stretch across your chest, push into the ground with your palms to return to the starting position. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try lowering the elevation of your feet by supporting them on a bumper plate. 
• Make It Harder: Add a weight plate to your upper back or hold a resistance band in your hands to make this move harder.

11. Close-Grip Bench Press 

Performing the close-grip bench press will bias your upper pecs, triceps, and shoulders. The narrow grip is also a bit more comfortable for most folks, especially if performing the regular bench press irritates your shoulders. 

How To Do It

1. Set up in a bench press station with your eyes directly under the barbell and your feet planted on the floor. 
2. Grip the bar with a narrow, shoulder-width (or slightly closer) grip. 
3. Unrack it from the station by pulling it straight out until your arms are extended directly over your shoulders.
4. Lower the bar down to your torso while keeping your upper arms tucked tightly to your sides.
5. Reverse the motion, pressing up and back until the bar is over your shoulders once again.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Try the close-grip floor press to limit your range of motion if needed.
• Make It Harder: Pick your feet up and place them on the end of the bench to ratchet up the stability requirement. 

12. Svend Press

Of all the free-weight chest exercises, this one might look the silliest. But it’s certainly effective. To avoid dropping two plates on your toes, you need to squeeze the weights together continuously. That alone will get those pecs activated.

Then, you’ll extend your arms to squeeze the chest together even more. The Svend press is low-impact and thus easier to handle than doing even more heavy pressing. It also requires little equipment (making it the best chest exercise at home because you won’t need to wait for a bench to open up in a busy gym.)

How To Do It

1. Start by taking two smaller weight plates (five or 10-pound plates) and pressing them together between your hands. 
2. Your arms should be extended outwards in front of you.
3. While actively pinching the plate together and not letting them slip apart (constant tension), pull the plates towards your sternum as you keep your chest up and shoulder blades pulled together.
4. Flex your chest and press the weights back outwards. Keep the plates pressed together and the inner chest muscles engaged.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Start with a yoga block instead of a weight plate. 
• Make It Harder: Press two change plates together rather than using one alone. 

13. Push-Up

Alongside the dip, the push-up is the ruler of bodyweight chest exercises. Because you’re working out with just your body weight, your joints won’t be under as much stress as weighted movements. You can also really do a lot of pushups in a short amount of time, so you’ll accumulate more muscle-building stimulus overall. 

How To Do It

1. Get into a plank position, with your hands underneath your shoulders, back flat, and feet together.
2. Screw your palms into the ground. You should feel your chest tighten.
3. Hold this position, and then slowly lower yourself until your chest is about an inch from the floor.
4. Now, drive back up through the palms of your hands. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Perform push-ups with your body inclined by bracing against a low bench or box, or do kneeling push-ups instead. 
• Make It Harder: Try doing push-ups with a weight plate on your upper back.

14. Cable Crossover

The cable crossover and cable flye are mostly the same exercise. You may choose to cross your hands over one another at the end of each repetition, but most of the value from this chest exercise comes from the deep, lengthened stretch it puts your pecs in. Crossovers (or cable flyes) make for one heck of a finisher during your chest workouts. 

How To Do It

1. Fix two D-handle attachments to the carabiners of two adjacent adjustable cable stations such that the handles are set around shoulder height. 
2. Grab each handle while facing away from the cable stack and take a step forward to pull the weight taut. 
3. With your elbows mostly straight, draw your arms around and forward toward your midline.
4. If you choose to, you can cross your hands over one another to form an “X” shape with the cables. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Lowering the cables to around the nipple or even hip height may make this move more comfortable for your shoulders.
• Make It Harder: Try doing crossovers one arm at a time, crossing your working arm past your midline and toward your opposite shoulder. 

15. Plyo Push-Up

[Read More: 8 Push-Up Variations for Power, Strength, and Size]

When you get into the higher push-up rep ranges, you’re training muscular endurance and not just muscle-building. Enter the plyo push-up, one of the more difficult push-up variations to perform.

You’ll primarily be training power rather than run-of-the-mill endurance. Performing the plyo push-up will activate your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which have tremendous potential for growth. This isn’t just important for aesthetics. More powerful muscles can directly carry over to your bench-pressing prowess.

How To Do It

1. Get into a push-up position with your hands underneath your shoulders.
2. Lower yourself to the floor.
3. Explosively push yourself up, with your hands leaving the ground.
4. Slightly bend your elbows on the way down to better absorb the force.
5. Rapidly descend into another push-up. Repeat.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: You can do these from a kneeling position to make them easier. 
• Make It Harder: Try landing both a frontal and behind-the-back clap while you’re in the air.

16. Dumbbell Pullover

[Read More: The Best Dumbbell Chest Workouts for Beginners, Strength, and More]

The dumbbell pullover is one of the best dumbbell chest exercises you can do, simply because of the unique setup and execution. This is one of the only chest-building moves that targets your upper pecs while also stimulating your lats and triceps as well. Classical bodybuilders revered the pullover for its ability to shape a v-tapered torso — try it out for yourself and see why. 

How To Do It

1. Lie down on a weight bench, either normally or perpendicular to the bench with your pelvis just off the floor.
2. Hold a dumbbell in your hands directly above your face.
3. With your elbows mostly straight, guide the weight back behind your head until your arms are perpendicular to the floor.
4. Reverse the motion, contracting your pecs and pulling the weight back into view above your face. 

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Laying on a decline bench will slightly reduce the range of motion required in your shoulders.
• Make It Harder: Try this move with a straight-bar cable attachment rather than a dumbbell. 

17. Close-Grip Push-Up

[Read More: Build a Titanic Torso with These Bodybuilding Chest & Back Workouts]

Because of the reduced base of support, the close-grip push-up is a bit more challenging than standard push-ups. But you’ll be training the pectorals from a different angle for better muscle development. Since your shoulders are more internally rotated and less externally rotated, you’ll take some of the pressure off your shoulder joints. 

How To Do It

1. Get into a plank position. Keep your hands close together, back flat, and feet wider than hip-width.
2. Screw your palms into the ground. Try to feel your chest tighten.
3. Slowly lower yourself until your chest is about an inch from the floor and your upper arms are touching your sides.
4. Drive back up until lockout. Reset and repeat.

Modifications

• Make It Easier: Do these on your knees instead of with straight legs. 
• Make It Harder: Try adding a weight plate to your upper back. 

4 Chest Workouts To Try

There’s no all-in-one “best” chest workout; it all depends on your goals and what you want out of your pec training. Want to build a pair of pecs you can balance a beer can on? We’ve got you covered. Need to bring up your bench press max ahead of your next powerlifting meet? You should probably get comfortable with the barbell. Try out 

Chest Workout for Strength

A good strength-focused chest workout begins on the bench press. The barbell bench press allows you to lift tremendous amounts of weight for progressive overload, and is also the standard by which most people measure true chest strength. 

Afterward, follow your benching up with a few smartly selected accessory movements, and you’re off to the races:

Chest Workout for Mass

You might be able to lift heavy, but if you’re not training for chest hypertrophy, it might not look that way. If you really want to target your chest for size, you’ll want to choose moderately heavy weights and focus on time under tension, and achieving an adequate range of motion. Your chest has a lot of dimensions, so you’ll want to emphasize each chest angle with your training.

Chest Workout for Beginners

If you’re a gym newbie, you’re in the unique position to benefit a lot from a low amount of stimulus. What this means in practical terms is that you won’t need the kind of high-volume, comprehensive training that a lifter with several years of training under their belt requires to progress.

[Read More: 6 Chest Exercises Without Weights That Build Size and Strength]

Hitting this workout once, maybe twice per week is more than enough to start building up your chest.

Bodyweight Chest Workout

Endless, regular push-ups aren’t the only way to work your chest without equipment. Yes, a lot of push-ups will be involved. But you’ll also vary the types of push-ups, speed, range of motion, and angle. Just make sure your form is spotless throughout. You can perform this workout two or three times a week, depending on your experience level and comfort with bodyweight movements.

Perform these exercises back-to-back as a circuit, with little to no rest in between. Repeat the circuit three times in total, resting up to four minutes between rounds. 

Chest Muscles

Your chest (or rather, the anterior compartment of your torso) houses your pecs … duh. But there’s more going on under the skin than you think, and more muscles at play as well.

[Read More: The Anatomy of Your Chest Muscles, Explained (and How to Train Them)]

Here are the major players you’ll work during any well-rounded chest workout:

• Pectoralis Major: This two-headed muscle connects from your clavicle and sternum onto your upper arm bone and is primarily responsible for arm flexion and shoulder adduction.
• Pectoralis Minor: This smaller pec muscle connects from your ribcage to your shoulder blade and assists the pec major in performing its duties.
• Serratus Anterior: The serratus anterior isn’t directly attached to the chest, but it sits on the lateral sides of your ribcage and performs many of the same functions. Namely, protracting your shoulder and flexing your arm forward.

Benefits of Training Your Chest

Chest training isn’t just for the vain-of-heart beach bro or a competitive powerlifter. A well-developed pair of pecs is a statement and are surprisingly functional in real-world scenarios — for athletes of all genders.

Functional Pressing Power

A big bench press is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to chest training. Sure, throwing up two or three wheels on the bench is impressive. But strong pectoral muscles also assist in real-world or sport-related scenarios, such as performing push-ups for time, shoving an object or opponent away from you, and much more. 

Upper Body Aesthetics

Many athletes come into the game searching for muscles that aren’t just functionally strong — they also want said muscles to look like they’re strong. For a lot of athletes, the chest can be a tricky area to build muscle mass. But by deploying smart training strategies for chest hypertrophy and selecting from the exercises we’ve listed here, you’ll be well on your way to accomplishing your pectoral dreams.

FAQs

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