The March issue of FLEX launched the Brute Strength Program. Here is a guide to proper exercise form for all the movements included in the Brute Strength Program.
While performing these exercises, inhale during the negative phase and exhale during the positive. Note that, depending on the exercise, the negative phase may precede the positive and vice versa.
PUSH WORKOUTS
Bench Press Start Lie on a bench and position your body so that the bar is directly above your eyes. Grasp the bar, spacing your hands about six inches beyond each shoulder. Lift the bar from the uprights (preferably with the help of a spotter) and move it to a point above the centerline of your chest.
Negative phase Lower the bar in a controlled manner until it touches your upper chest.
Positive phase Without bouncing the bar, raise it at a slightly quicker pace than that used during the negative phase. Don’t lock out your elbows.
Incline Dumbbell Press Start Rest a pair of dumbbells on your knees while sitting on an incline bench. Hoist the dumbbells to your shoulders while leaning back into the bench. You may require assistance getting heavier dumbbells into position.
Positive phase Push the dumbbells upward in a straight line to a point just short of elbow lockout. Do not bang the dumbbells together at the top of the movement. Instead, keep the spacing between them consistent throughout.
Negative phase Lower the dumbbells along the same line, going as low as you can without feeling joint discomfort.
Shoulder Press Start Sit on an Olympic shoulder-press bench (or on a bench with back support in a squat rack). With the bar positioned in front of you, take a grip that’s slightly beyond shoulder width and remove the barbell from the rack.
Positive phase Push the barbell up over your head without locking out your elbows.
Negative phase Lower the barbell along the same path, stopping before it reaches the top of your sternum.
Upright Row Start Grasp a barbell, spacing your hands slightly narrower than shoulder width. You may adjust hand spacing according to your specific level of wrist and shoulder mobility.
Positive phase Raise the bar upward, keeping it close to your torso, until it reaches shoulder level.
Negative phase Lower the barbell along the same path in a controlled manner.
Lying Triceps Extension Start Rest a cambered barbell on your thighs while sitting on a flat bench. In one smooth motion, tip your body backward (until you’re lying flat) and bring the bar toward your chest. Press the bar up and away from your chest to arms’ length.
Negative phase With upper arms rigid, lower the barbell toward your forehead, bending only at the elbows. Stop before the bar touches your head.
Positive phase Push the barbell back to arms’ length.
Dip Start Raise yourself up onto a pair of dipping bars.
Negative phase Lower your body as far as you can without feeling stress on your shoulder joints. For most trainers, this is when the upper arms are nearly parallel with the floor.
Positive phase Push upward using only pec and triceps strength. Do not resort to kicking for added momentum. Keep your elbows close to your body to stress your triceps; pointing your elbows out stresses your pecs more.
Hanging Leg Raise Start Hang from a chinup bar, spacing your hands at shoulder width.
Positive phase Bending your knees slightly, raise your feet as high as you can. Don’t swing your legs.
Negative phase Slowly return to the start position. Again, do not swing.
LOWER-BODY WORKOUTS
Squat Start Position yourself under a bar in a safety rack or squat rack so that the bar rests comfortably on your shoulders and traps. Walk backward a few steps away from the bar supports and plant your feet firmly, approximately shoulder width apart and with toes pointing out slightly.
Negative phase Inhaling, lower yourself while keeping your back straight and vision focused ahead. Try to pinch your scapulae back to help ensure an upright posture. Squat to a point slightly below where your thighs are parallel with the floor. Pause for a split second.
Positive phase While exhaling forcefully, explode up without using momentum as an assist. Make sure your back is kept straight and your visual focus never drops below eye level.
Leg Press Start Sit in a leg press station and place your feet on the platform according to your needs. Closer foot spacing stresses outer thighs, wider spacing focuses on inner thighs. Placing your feet higher on the platform targets hams and glutes, placing them lower hits the teardrops on the front of the quads.
Negative phase Release the support pins and hold onto the seat handles. Lower the platform toward you, going as far as you can without raising your hips off the seat. Pause for a moment at the bottom.
Positive phase Push the weight away, making sure that your knees follow a straight path and do not wobble.
Leg Extension Start Sit in a leg extension machine and hook your feet under the extension pads.
Positive phase Holding the seat handles, extend your legs (pressing against the pads) until they are straight. Squeeze and hold the top position for a count of one.
Negative phase Slowly lower the weight while keeping constant tension on your quads. Do not return the weight stack to its resting position until you complete all the reps in a set.
Leg Curl Start Lie face-down on a leg curl machine with the curl pads positioned behind your ankles.
Positive phase Holding the handles, contract your legs by bending them at the knee, while keeping your hips against the bench.
Negative phase Slowly lower the weight while keeping constant tension on your hamstrings. Do not return the weight stack to its resting position until you complete all the reps in a set.
Standing Calf Raise Start Enter into a standing calf machine, making sure that the shoulder pads are at least six inches below your shoulder height.
Positive phase Holding the handles, push up against the pads by rising up on your toes. Squeeze your calves at the top of the movement.
Negative phase Slowly lower yourself while keeping your calves tight. Stretch your calves at the bottom before returning to the top position.
PULL WORKOUTS
Deadlift Start Stand with your feet about 24″ apart facing a barbell on the floor. Bending at your knees and hips, grasp the bar. Use a deadlift grip (i.e., one side overhand, the other underhand), with your hands spaced slightly wider than your feet. Keep your back flat.
Positive phase As you raise the weight, keep your back straight and focus on driving your heels through the floor. At the top of the movement, you should be standing erect with your knees unlocked. Pause for one second.
Negative phase Return the weight along the same path through which you lifted it, but don’t let it touch the floor until the set is complete.
Chinup Start With your hands spaced slightly beyond your shoulders, hang from a chinup bar.
Positive phase Pull yourself up until your chin meets the bar. Do not kick or use body motion to assist in lifting yourself.
Negative phase Lower yourself along the same path until you are hanging at the bottom of the movement. Allow your lats to stretch at the bottom.
Barbell Row Start Stand facing a barbell on the floor. Bend at your hips, knees slightly bent. Using a grip slightly beyond shoulder width, pick up the barbell. Raise your torso a few degrees so that the bar does not touch the floor when it’s resting at arms’ length.
Positive phase Bring the barbell up to the lower part of your sternum, just below your chest. Do not jerk the weight.
Negative phase Lower the weight, making sure to stretch out your lats at the bottom of the movement.
Pulldown Start Take a medium-wide grip (about six inches beyond each shoulder) on a lat pulldown bar. Lower yourself into the seat, securely bracing your thighs under the cross supports.
Positive phase With shoulders back and chest up, pull the bar to the front of your neck and contract your lats.
Negative phase Control the weight stack as you lower it, making sure to feel a stretch in your lats at the top of the movement.
Standing Curl Start Pick up either a straight or a cambered barbell with a palms-up grip. Your hands should be spaced at shoulder width.
Positive phase Moving only your lower arms, curl the bar up to your shoulders without leaning backward for assistance. Squeeze and contract your biceps at the top of the movement.
Negative phase Lower the weight again, keeping tension in the biceps at all times.
Preacher Curl Start Sit on a preacher curl bench with the seat adjusted so that your upper arms rest comfortably on the arm pad. Lift the barbell off its support.
Positive phase Curl the bar up, stopping when your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. Flex your biceps for a count of one at the top.
Negative phase Lower the weight along the same path, keeping tension in the biceps at all times and stopping just before elbow lockout.
Standing Cable Crunch Start Attach a rope to a high pulley station. Grasping both ends of the rope, take a step backward.
Positive phase Curl your body forward, using only your midsection, not your hips, to lower yourself. Let your hands rest against both sides of your head at ear level.
Negative phase Raise your torso, keeping tension on the abdominal region at all times and stopping before the weight stack returns to its resting position.
