Brett Williams, Ebenezer Samuel,  C.S.C.S.

For this basic gym necessity, you shouldn't settle for anything other than perfect form.Let Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> and associate fitness editor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bdwilliams910/" id="b23081f0-4742-33dd-a36e-3bfced744bd1"> Brett Williams </a> guide you through the move's subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential.

Just remember to make sure you have enough room to jump around and get sweatyyou don't want to slip up and hit the deck too hard.

Eb says: When you're doing burpees, think of getting off the ground as "efficiently" as possible. Note that I didn't say "quickly." If you focus only on quickness, but you're not hitting efficient positions, you're going to leak and waste energy. By default, you won't get up as quickly as you want to. And if you're wasting a ton of energy on each rep, it'll slow you down and fatigue you faster as you pile up reps and work time.

Eb says: Never be a jellyfish on the ground when doing burpees. Remember that that straight-body position, which you hit once when you put your hands and feet on the ground and then again when you lower your chest to the ground from there, is meant to be a plank. That means your abs are fired up and your glutes are contracted. You'll be much faster through both phases if you keep your core fired up, and you'll be protecting your spine and staving off any lower back injuries, too.

Eb says: Always think "feet wide" when doing burpeesas in, at least shoulder-width apart at all times. Essentially, you want your feet constantly at a width from which you can jump. So when you lower your torso to the ground, and you're in that plank, they're wide. When you leap your feet back towards your hands, they're wide, too. Do this, and when it's time to jump, you won't have to waste any time getting into optimal position to jump -- because you're already there.

Eb says: Own the jump on the burpee. That doesn't necessarily mean jumping sky-high, but it does mean really jumping (as opposed to the bunny hops I see too many people doing. Explode from your ankles, knees, and hips on every jump. A burpee is a valuable opportunity to train triple extension (the same thing that athletes train, and the same thing you train when you're doing a power clean), so don't waste that in the quest to do zounds of reps faster than everyone else.

Once your master the basic form, try these variations for another challenge.

This variation is all about the jump. Start as you would for a standard burpeesquat down with your hands on the ground inside your feet, kick back into a pushup position with your feet wide and hit the deck. Then leap your feet forward,but focus even more on exploding upwards out of the hole than you typically would in a normal rep. As you leap, bend your knees and bring them to your chest, tucking at the top, before extending your legs to land safely.

Youll slow down and focus more on your time on the floor with this variationwhich can be a great tendency-breaker if youre rushing through your standard reps. Youll also add some back work to the burpee, engaging lats and rhomboids when you lift your hands off the ground and squeeze your shoulder blades. If theres a criticism with the burpee, its that the move can batter your shoulders, but the hand-release moment helps offset that. Move through the first steps of the standard burpee, but pause once your chest hits the deck. Raise both hands off the floor for a full beat, then press back down into the floor to raise up through the jump.

Swap out the pure explosiveness of the standard burpee for a more controlled jump lunge. Go through all the first steps of the exercise, but once youre back on your feet, hop and cycle one leg forward, the other back, allowing your knee to lightly tap the ground (for your own sake, avoid slamming the floor). Immediately jump and switch your legs to the opposite side and repeat.

This one is a toughie. Youll do the entire exercise on one leg, challenging your balance and unilateral strength. Understandably, you might not squat as low as you would in a standard rep to get into position. Make sure to move more slowly and deliberately here to stay steady on that one foot and focus on control; dont let your knee cave inwards at any point.

The Switch will put your coordination to the test, especially when you string several reps together in a set. Go through all of the movements of the standard burpeebut instead of jumping straight up, jump to turn around 180 degrees, land cleanly, and jump straight back to face the front.

Youll need even more floor space to take on this variation, but youll be doing something people dont do often enough and incorporating lateral work into your training. Youll perform a standard rep, until you get to the jump. Instead of leaping upwards, spring laterally to the side. Immediately squat down into the next repbut then, instead of using your jumps to travel even further around your gym, leap back to the starting spot.

Want to master even more moves? Check out our entire Form Check series .

Burpees are a brutal workout staplebut are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

How to Do Perfect Burpees

Okay, so there is one little wrench in your hard body plan this year. The coronavirus pandemic and resulting quarantine period has dramatically altered the ways that we engage with fitness, health, and well, everythingso unless you've been training at a fully-stocked private home gym, you've had to approach your workouts differently over the past few months. And depending on where you live, there might not be too many opportunities to put your gains on display in public anytime soon. For many, though, public places are about to start reopening, just in time for the sun to start heating up.

Thats where this page comes in. Before you dive into the ocean, lake, or pool, dive deep into these workouts, which are optimized to push you toward your best summer body. Youll find everything you need here, conveniently categorized by muscle group. That means arm workouts for , thatll make your six-pack pop, chest moves for , thatll finish out your V-taper, and to deliver major glute gains. Just need a good sweat? Weve got that covered, too, with a series of .

These workouts will get you where you want to be, pushing you toward your muscle goals in the most efficient ways possible. Some of these sessions use a full gym's worth of equipment, but, given the circumstances, most are designed to be completed with minimal gear you probably have at home. Need a specific plan to begin with no weights whatsoever? Begin with <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a32447270/bodyweight-beach-body-workout/" id="a6f8051e-115e-3609-ac59-0ca3877f3850"> this 4-week home bodyweight plan </a> first.

And if youre already in fun-in-the-sun shape, all of these workouts and exercise will push you to another level, etching details onto the muscle youve already built.

Enough yapping. Your summer of muscle awaits.

This ones about more than beach abs. A trim, ripped waistline doesnt just look good when youre out in the sun. It protects your spine, bulletproofs your lower back, and makes you stronger all-around (translation: Youll build the rest of your beach body that much faster). Youll need more than crunches to build those abs though. Start with these moves.

Summer is coming. And you know what that means. Beach season is here, and that means shirts are optional. If youve been putting in your gym work throughout the winter and early spring, you just may be all ready to show off your hard-earned muscle. But if you havent, dont sweat. Theres still time to build your best body ever.

Summer's Almost Here. Get Your Body Ready Now.

Gyms and fitness clubs are closed, and even low-contact meetup groups like run clubs are cancelled due to the widespread adoption of <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/a31444651/social-distancing-coronavirus/" id="e2d282cc-91da-3347-a73d-113bd144086d"> social (or physical) distancing principles </a> . But you can still keep up with your training at homeas long as you have some ingenuity, drive, and hopefully, a few pieces of equipment.

To help everyone out there trying to crush their home workouts, Samuel filmed his own home training session to serve as a guide, or at the very least an inspiration. He might have access to more equipment than you do, but that doesn't mean that you can't follow his advice and make as many adjustments as possible to make it work for you.

Get ready to smash your upper body with this back, chest, and shoulders with this pull-push focused session. Watch the video above for the full routine, and check out these tips from Samuel below. Want more? Check out <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a31900146/at-home-isolation-workout-upper-body/" id="1273bd7a-86b0-3922-a098-8a4128bcc20d"> his first routine here </a> .

Pullups are great, but mastery of the horizontal pull is even more critical to shoulder health (and a precursor to mastery of the pullup anyway). Under a table can work, and my shed worked well for me once I added a chair.

You can replicate the shed idea in your house using your door jamb. Just get a chair, or a table for your feet. That'll help get your torso closer to parallel to the ground, creating the angle you need to get quality pulls. There's a grip challenge here, too, but don't run from it. Attack it.

Decline pushups (I honestly prefer to call them incline pushups since they replicate the incline bench press angle, but I'm never going to beat the world on that) are a solid and simple way to level up the pushup, but doing them with your hands on the floor costs you the last few degrees of range of motion.

If you're working at home, a staircase is a better option; it'll let you get a more full range of motion and thus have to push up over more range as well.

When Short On Load, Add Tempo and Pauses Every Set, Not Reps

You can't increase the weights you're working with at home, which leads many to fall into the trap of training with intervals, and then you wind up training only with HIIT. That's good for sweat, not good for muscle-building.

If you want to pile on muscle, you need to find other ways to ramp up challenge. One of the best ways to do that is via tempo adjustments. Start with, say, a standard set of 20 pushups. On your next set, add a pause to each pushup. On your next set, add a halfway pause. It's much more effective than just doing more pushups, and it'll improve your pushup technique and your body's awareness of technique as you go.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has upended just about every aspect of our livesand for everyone who usually makes working out a top priority in their daily schedule, like Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> , the last few weeks have been especially frustrating.

Challenge Your Upper Body With This Pull-Push Home Workout

To help everyone out there trying to crush their home workouts, Samuel filmed his own home training session to serve as a guide, or at the very least an inspiration. He might have access to more equipment than you do, but that doesn't mean that you can't follow his advice and make as many adjustments as possible to make it work for you.

Get ready to smash your upper body with this chest, triceps, and shoulder push day. Watch the video above for the full routine, and check out these tips from Samuel below.

Eb says: When you're short on pure load, you need to make the weights you have go far. One way to do that is by utilizing aggressive tempos and pauses. Pausing at the bottom of, say, a bench press rep means I zero out elastic energy and have to work that much harder to press the weights up.

It's also building shoulder stability. Using slower negative tempos also creates challenge. It's also all building mind-muscle connection that I can use to better effect when I return to the gym.

Sequence Your Chest Work Differently

Eb says: When I'm in the gym training chest, I almost always start with a flat bench press. Why? Because over the course of my workout, I can load it more aggressively than any other motion, and you want your strongest, heaviest motion to come first to create a greater hormonal response.

But when I'm home, even my heaviest bells aren't going to match how I can aggressively load my flat bench press. So instead of starting with my most loaded move, I start with my most challenging move, the incline press. That way, by the time I'm at the flat press, I'm fatigued and can get more out of a lighter weight (which is still the most weight I currently have at home).

Eb says: Once you're past the big, multijoint moves, when you move into the isolation portion of chest at home, giant sets can be a huge help. After the incline press and the flat press, I've gone heavy and I just want to flush blood into the muscle. I can't really load my flies as much either, and I don't have my normal gym setup.

The better idea: Set a large number for an overall rep-load, then work through it as fast as possible (while still maintaining good form), ignoring set numbers of sets and reps. It'll flush the target muscle with blood even with a light weight or resistance band, and works with pushups too.

Eb says: Resistance bands are your friend when training at home. They serve multiple purposes, and can be added to basic exercises with dumbbells to increase load and challenge. They're also great for those giant sets, and they very often challenge your muscles in those muscles' strongest range of motion, at peak contraction, thanks to their variable resistance curve.

<a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/g25593220/best-resistance-bands/" id="92f65910-ced1-3835-ad65-beda0c5cbe6b"> Grab a set for your home gym now </a> . Bonus: They're not selling out like toilet paper. Yet.

Crush Your Upper Body With This At-Home Workout

This Challenging At-Home Workout Will Crush Your Upper Body

While it shouldn't be your most pressing concern, that likely means that you'll have to skip out on going to your local gym. Fitness facilities have been <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a31190271/coronavirus-gym/" id="6d3341d6-6c0d-38f0-a7de-088d9fea8ff0"> bracing for the impact </a> of the pandemic from the beginningespecially <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a31407908/group-fitness-coronavirus/" id="06211c1b-1575-3a59-a538-28cfdb621a0b"> those that are focused on group classes </a> and while most haven't shut down yet, you might not be willing to risk your overall health for a workout.

Unless you have <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a30185884/home-gym-awards-2020/" id="c231de78-175e-3182-abf8-ce686959d2f4"> a killer home gym </a> , that you'll have to adjust your fitness routine to match the equipment at your disposal. No need to worrythere are endless options available to you if the only place to get your sweat on is in your living room. Don't know what to do? There's an app for that (or more accurately, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/technology-gear/g23007883/best-fitness-apps/" id="31e02ec4-b220-3fd8-a9b9-f96ae595d405"> 22 that we recommend </a> , since we're counting). Better yet, our <a href="https://go.onelink.me/TAq2/mharticle" id="ed74fa27-7334-3a57-a10e-16c2999dc155"> All Out Studio </a> streaming platform, where you can follow programs like <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a28377123/don-saladino-superhero-4-week-program/" id="13527961-6d92-3ea1-a6cd-044cd8f038f2"> Superhero Shred </a> , <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a30474601/weight-lifting-rules/" id="327055d5-7822-3dd6-a0ec-1a56320d9001"> The New Rules of Muscle </a> , and <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a28594021/kettlebell-abs-workout/" id="09f151a3-1dd4-3204-a049-0cd60c4e7b24"> Kettlehell </a> to get your fitness class fix with some of the world's best trainers.

If you're looking for even simpler ways to stay in shape inside, our favorite bodyweight workouts can be completed just about anywhere, anytime, at any fitness level. Don't spend your time inside on the couch doing nothingget up, get moving, and stay healthy.

BEING STUCK AT HOME can suck. But with the <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/a31158940/coronavirus-covid-19-what-to-know/" id="f1ef6f38-5905-353e-a03c-43a9541bbb5d"> COVID-19 coronavirus </a> causing companies to shut down workplaces and governments to urge people to stay away from crowds, you could wind up spending the majority of your time at your place of residence for the immediate future.

30 Home Workouts to Stay Fit When You're Stuck Indoors

For this grip, you shouldn't settle for anything other than perfect formespecially because it's such a killer position. Let Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> and associate fitness editor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bdwilliams910/" id="b23081f0-4742-33dd-a36e-3bfced744bd1"> Brett Williams </a> guide you through its subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential.

Before you grab a kettlebell and swing it up into the rack, take note that it's extremely important to pay attention to the grip. Using the proper form is essential to make sure you're getting the most out of the exercises you doparticularly because of how easy it is to hold the bell lazily and put your wrists and shoulders in danger. Let's break down everything you need to know.

Eb says: The key thing to understand about the front rack is that at its core, it's a position of work. Every muscle in your upper body should be working and firing to help you maintain a proper front rack, from abs keeping ribcage down to forearm muscles fighting the kettlebells to keep your wrists straight, to mid-back muscles working to keep your arms close to your body. It shouldn't be easy. You should have full-body tension just holding a front rack, let alone doing squats or any other maneuver.

Eb says: One of the key mistakes people make with the front rack involves letting their elbows flare out wide. It's convenient to do this because it makes the rack less strenuous, and it lets you use your upper arms as a sort of "shelf" to sit the kettlebells. But what you actually want to do is squeeze your elbows tight toward your torso; doing this will help you get your forearms vertical.

This will also essentially get your shoulder external rotators firing, another plus. You won't always have fully vertical forearms, especially once you start using bigger kettlebells. But you always want to think about actively squeezing your elbows together, because it'll put you in good body position.

Eb says: The kettlebells will bend your wrists so they can shift outwards. Actively fight this. Squeeze and grip the kettlebells hard, and work to turn your wrists in as much as possible; this will actively tense your forearms.

That's a good feeling and habit to develop, and it'll help you develop forearm strength in this move.

Eb says: At the start of each set, you want to work through a checklist for the front rack (strong wrists, tight elbows, pull the arms back to the body), but don't stop working through that checklist either.

During your set, every few reps, think about resetting your front rack, and reevaluating to make sure you're owning the rack. The more you do this, the better you'll get at establishing your front rack, and the more you learn how to create, generate, and maintain the full-body tension you're supposed to get out of the move.

How to Do the Kettlebell Front Rack the Right Way

The kettlebell front rack can be a game-changing position that can add an extra element to your workouts, but are you sure you're even holding the weights correctly?

How to Use the Kettlebell Front Rack to Get Stronger on Leg Day

For this movement, you shouldn't settle for anything other than perfect formespecially because it's such a killer exercise for a prime muscle group. Let Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> and associate fitness editor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bdwilliams910/" id="b23081f0-4742-33dd-a36e-3bfced744bd1"> Brett Williams </a> guide you through the move's subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential.

Before you grab a set of dumbbells, hit the bench, and get pressing take note that it's extremely important to pay attention the movement here. Using the proper form is essential to make sure you're getting the most out of the exerciseparticularly because of how easy it is to cheat the angle and how common it is for guys to put their shoulder health at risk. Let's break down everything you need to know.

Eb says: You'll see a lot of people arching their backs when they bench-press period and it's that much more important on the incline press. If you're aiming to hit the clavicular fibers of your chest (your upper chest), you need to create a wider upper arm angle relative to torso. The incline press does that if you keep your core tight and don't arch your back.

But arching your back closes that upper arm angle (and cuts the distance of the actual press too), and that defeats the purpose of the press. So keep your core tight and glue your butt to the bench. These are common bench-pressing rules in general, but they need reinforcement when you're on the incline press.

Eb says: One of the most common mistakes on the incline press occurs when people slightly press out in front of them instead of pressing straight up. This happens because they misunderstand the purpose of the press. Again, you're here to open up the upper arm angle relative to torso, not to just simply lie on the bench in different fashion.

So set up for this the way you would for any bench press: Dumbbells directly above shoulders, then drive your shoulders hard into the bench (to tighten your shoulder blades). Turn your elbows slightly forward and you're ready to go.

Eb says: Yes, it's great to touch the dumbbells to your chest, but don't fixate on that idea. Depending on your shoulder mobility, you may or may not be able to do this. Your goal should be to lower the dumbbells as until your elbows are below your shoulders at least, and you should be able to own and control this position.

But if you can't touch your shoulders, it's OK. Once your elbows have dipped below your chest and you've proven you own this position, press back up explosively. You're here for the press back up explosively, and the squeeze at the top of each rep. If you wanted to stretch your chest fibers? You'd just do a chest stretch.

The dumbbell incline press can be an essential addition to your training routine to help build a bigger, stronger upper chest, but are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

How to Do the Dumbbell Incline Press

For this movement, you shouldn't settle for anything other than perfect formespecially because it's such a killer exercise for a key muscle. Let Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> and associate fitness editor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bdwilliams910/" id="b23081f0-4742-33dd-a36e-3bfced744bd1"> Brett Williams </a> guide you through the move's subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential.

Before you grab a dumbbells, set up on the bench or preacher curl station, and get pumping on those reps, take note that it's extremely important to pay attention the movement here. Using the proper form is essential to make sure you're getting the most out of the exerciseparticularly because of how common it is for guys to get lazy with the position, especially in regard to maintaining constant tension through the movement. Let's break down everything you need to know.

Eb says: There should be zero space between your underarm area and the bench. Close the space and make it tight. This will prevent you from leveraging and it will also insure that you're using a consistent upper arm angle throughout the curl. It insures that your upper arm mirrors the angle of the bench, and that's what we need here.

Eb says: One of the most common errors in the preacher curl, especially as you start to try pushing more weight, is the elbow rising off the preacher bench. Glue your upper arm to the bench, from elbow through armpit. Keep. It. There.

Once the elbow is rising off the bench, you're no longer focusing the curl on the biceps; instead, your front deltoid is trying to drive the motion. That's taking tension off your biceps, and it's also compromising your front shoulder, which simply can't handle as much load as the larger biceps muscle. Don't let this happen.

Eb says: It's tempting during preacher curls to use body English to drive the dumbbell upwards. When the biceps gets tired, you start to rock backwards and essentially sit your torso lower, trying to use your shoulder as a fulcrum and drive the weight up. Head this off before you even start a sit.

After you've hit our other key setup points, sit down low, engaging your glutes, hamstrings, and abs. Not only does that help make the preacher curl (which is an isolation move) a full-body exercise, but by starting low and creating that engagement, you can't involve those muscles more when the set wears on; they're already involved.

Eb says: Don't rush preacher curls. This isn't an explosive curl. It's a smooth, constant-tension motion. Feel the stretch at the bottom on each rep; linger there. Then work to feel your biceps "drawing" your forearm upwards, using a patient, controlled contraction instead of a hyper-explosive one.

Blow Up Your Biceps With the Preacher Curl

The preacher curl can be an essential addition to your training routine to help build big arms and make your biceps pop, but are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

Before you grab a dumbbells, plop down on the bench, and get pumping on those curls, take note that it's extremely important to pay attention the movement here. Using the proper form is essential to make sure you're getting the most out of the exerciseparticularly because of how common it is for guys to get lazy with the position, especially in regard to elbow placement. Let's break down everything you need to know.

Eb says: The most common mistake you see with the concentration curl comes in the initial setup: Many people try to wedge their elbow into their thigh. But doing basically lets you use both knee and elbow as one big fulcrum, essentially making the curl easier and taking tension off the biceps.

Avoid this by wedging your upper arm into your thigh, thinking of driving the meatiest part of your triceps in there. You'll have to hinge your waist forward a bit more to do this, but you'll get more out of the entire curl.

Eb says: Once you're in this position, you're responsibility is to maintain this position. Your upper arm should, for the life of each set, be perpendicular to the ground and stay perpendicular.

You'll be tempted to lean back as you curl, just as you are on nearly every curl. But fight to keep your upper arm perpendicular to the ground the entire time. Watch yourself in a mirror if possible to check technique.

Eb says: One of the biggest problems guys have with the concentration curl (and any curl, really) is a tendency to chase an arbitrary endpoint. You may think you have to get the dumbbell to touch your shoulder, for example. Don't do that.

Curl up only as high as you can before you start to feel your triceps losing contact with your thigh. As long as your forearm is higher than parallel to the ground, you'll be engaging your biceps. If you try to go beyond this point and your elbow starts shifting forward, all you're doing is taking stress and focus off the biceps.

How to Do Concentration Curls the Right Way

The concentration curl can be an essential addition to your training routine to help build big arms and make your biceps pop, but are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

For this movement, you shouldn't settle for anything other than perfect formespecially because it's such a killer exercise that can serve as a simple addition to your training plan. Let Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> and associate fitness editor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bdwilliams910/" id="b23081f0-4742-33dd-a36e-3bfced744bd1"> Brett Williams </a> guide you through the move's subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential.

Before you grab a pair of dumbbells, hit the deck, and get to pressing, take note that it's extremely important to pay attention the movement here. Using the proper form is essential to make sure you're getting the most out of the exerciseparticularly because the way that you lie on the ground is more complicated than just flopping down. Let's break down everything you need to know.

Eb says: You're on the floor for a floor press, but you're not lying down on the job. You still want to create tension through your core and glutes, just as you would when on the bench press, because you're using this to train your bench press.

Don't relax on the floor. Stay tight.

Eb says: The floor press isn't an excuse to skip out on the good eccentric contractions. Slowly lower the dumbbells (or barbell), letting your elbows touch the ground softly. If you don't do this, you're missing out on one of the best parts of the movement.

Once you learn it, you get to go heavy with the floor press, challenging yourself with potentially greater loads than you might normally bench, and owning the negative gives you a chance to assert control over that load. That'll translate to greater control when you do the classic bench with larger weights.

Eb says: The floor press is a great way to work on heavy-weight lockouts at the elbows for your standard bench press. Take advantage of that and be powerful and strong firing upwards on every rep.

Explosion is key, so don't be slow. If you're too slow, you're wasting the opportunity to hone your bench press.

The floor press is an underrated addition to your training routine that can help to build a strong chest and boost your standard bench press, but are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

Build a Stronger Chest With the Floor Press

Before you walk up to the box and get prepped to step, take note that it's extremely important to pay attention the movement here. Hitting the proper form is essential to make sure you're getting the most out of the exerciseparticularly because of how easy it is to use inefficient, wasteful movements. Let's break down everything you need to know.

Eb says: If you make this a simple step up onto the box, you're missing the point. This is a move that's meant to be unilateral, focusing intently on the front leg. You're going to work on driving almost solely off that front leg, the bent leg on the box, and powering up.

To execute that properly, you need to disengage that back leg as much as possible. Do that by taking away your ability to drive off that back leg and flexing your foot. Try to lift your toes off the ground at the start and maintain that feeling; then you won't drive off that back leg and you'll focus on your front leg (and quad drive) that much more.

Eb says: You don't want to finish hunched over, or think you've finished solely because both feet are on the box. Finish by standing tall and squeezing those glutes.

Finish on one leg. Don't put your back leg on the box. Instead, stand tall on the one leg that drove you to the top of the box, then squeeze your glutes to drive your hips into extension, the same glute squeeze you'd use to finish a deadlift or squat.

Eb says: Take advantage of the chance to use a slow, controlled eccentric lower when you're coming off the top of the box. It's easy to turn this into some crazy aerobic move, where you're just flying up the box and coming down, but again, then you miss the single-leg training advantages.

So slowly lower yourself, again, putting pressure on the leg that started on the box. You'll find yourself hinging forward at the torso a bit, and that's OK. But take your time for the full strength benefit here.

How to Do Step Ups to Build Serious Leg Strength

The step up is an underrated addition to your training routine that can help to build unilateral lower body strength, but are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

Before you take to the bench and slide yourself into place, take note that it's extremely important to pay attention the movement here. Hitting the proper form is essential to make sure you're getting the most out of the exerciseparticularly because of the subtle details with the position and what you need to do to make sure you're actually getting work in. Let's break down everything you need to know.

Be Picky About What's Off the Bench

Eb says: This is a half-bench press, but it's more than that. You want to be very intentional about the parts of your body that are off the bench and how you set up on the bench. You need to set up with your butt near the bottom edge of the bench, so your legs can't brace against the bench and take strain off your core. Then you'll also want one full glute, one half of your torso, your spine, and half your head off the bench.

Be intentional about getting these off the bench and feel how it changes your body's balance demands; if you don't, you'll instantly make the move too easy. The best way to get in this position; hold the weight in your working hand overhead, then shimmy off the bench into proper position.

Eb says: Once you start doing reps, you've got to active fire off with your glutes. This isn't just about squeezing your glutes; it's about squeezing them as hard as possible. Your knees are going to want to cave in at the bottom of every rep because that's the path of least resistance, but you want your knees driving open aggressively.

So squeeze your glutes hard, as if doing a squat. Videotape yourself if you can, watching your technique to make sure your knees stay strongly open and your feet stay grounded to the floor.

Eb says: Don't let the dumbbell come to rest on your chest at the bottom of your reps; make sure it's an inch above your chest. You want the bottom position of each press to be a position of work for your core, and making sure you're an inch above the ground. You'll need to control the weight in this position, both with your chest and with your abs and glutes.

How to Do the Half-Bench Single-Arm Press

The half-bench single-arm press is a valuable addition to your training routine that can help to strengthen your chest, but are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

Pump Up Your Chest and Abs With This Bench Press Variation

This maneuver from Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> takes major focus on your positioning and contracting your abs. The decline situp hellset will burn you outbut it will set you up to shred your core.

"This move is all about bracing your abs, obliques, and lower back muscles at once, but it's a study and exploration into subtlety while you are bracing," says Samuel. "If you have lower back issues, you'll want to be cautious of this exercise (although working on it with light weights, or even know weights at all, will help you learn that your torso can create spinal stability in a variety of different ways)."

To pull off the decline situp hellset, you'll need a decline bench and a set of dumbbells. Just don't go too heavySamuel recommends that most people only work with around 5-pounders for a good challenge. Check out this option from Bowflex if you want to try it out at home.

<ul><li> Set up on a decline bench, holding the weights directly overhead. Position yourself so that your shoulders are slightly higher than your hips. </li><li> Reach straight back with one dumbbell. Hold in position for one second. </li><li> Return to the starting point, then repeat the motion with the other dumbbell. </li><li> Alternate reps for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds. </li></ul>

"Every single time you reach a dumbbell backwards, you're creating a longer lever arm that your core most stabilize, forcing a greater challenge for your entire core," Samual says. "There's a specific way to resist this long lever: Right before you reach backwards, contract your abs hard and tight. Maintain this contraction for as long as you're reached back; release for a moment when you move the dumbbell overhead."

Just make sure to work light as a rule, and don't overextend. "Reach back only as far as you can," Samuel advises. "If you're just starting out, your arms may only reach back a few degrees; the stronger you get, the closer you'll get to creating a straight line from hand through hips. Work in your own shoulder mobility (and know that, gradually, you're enhancing your true shoulder mobility with this move, reaching back while still keeping your ribcage tight since your abs are tightly contracted)."

Work continuously for 30 seconds, then rest for another 30 seconds. Your core will be toast after 3 full sets.

For more tips and routines from Samuel, check out our full slate of <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/eb-and-swole/" id="c4fbc3c7-3c4c-3234-adb0-ae190ebefff7"> Eb and Swole </a> workouts. If you want to try an even more dedicated routine, consider Eb's <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/247461?source=_ed_&amp;utm_campaign=_ed_&amp;utm_content=a29771821&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=menshealth.com" id="aa7b275b-e11a-3d27-a2ca-4ef84522c767"> New Rules of Muscle program </a> on our <a href="https://go.onelink.me/TAq2/mharticle" id="cea5d785-1886-3b54-afa4-a4434b6ae344"> All/Out Studio app </a> .

When you're working your core, you don't always have to isolate one single muscle to get focused results. Sometimes, attacking multiple muscle groups can be just as challenging.

This Scorching Hellset Will Light Your Abs on Fire

You'll be using the same basic setup as the <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a27480644/inverted-row-form/" id="3bacc6c6-fccb-3d10-a098-296d2cd7b059"> inverted row </a> , which is one of the top ways we love to build back and core strength using just your bodyweight. But Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> , adds a grip element to make the towel inverted row hold even more challenging.

"Few iso holds fire up as much of your entire body in as natural a sequence as this one," Samuel says. "Mid-back muscles, abs, and glutes (all key postural muscles and muscles we can almost never overwork) have to be active here, and your forearms, underutilized by a lot of exercises, also must be completely engaged."

The most underrated aspect about this movementand other variations of the inverted rowis how effective it is at working your core. But if you think about the positioning, this makes sense.

"Essentially, what we're doing is taking a plank position and flipping it completely upside down," says Samuel. "Like a plank, your entire core must work in unison to help you create a completely straight line from shoulders through feet. But unlike a plank, where you can somewhat cheat, sagging in the middle but still "think" you're working, you can't sag in the middle at all here."

To take on the workout, you'll need a barbell positioned on a squat rack, a bench or platform for your feet, and a towel.

<ul><li> Start underneath the bar, with your legs extended straight out to elevate your feet on top of the bench or platform. Loop the towel around the bar and grip it tightly with both hands. </li><li> Pull yourself up and hold in a straight body position parallel with the ground. That means you're squeezing your core and glutes to keep your torso straight, while also squeezing your shoulder blades together and locking in your forearms. </li><li> Hold in position for 30 seconds </li></ul>

While you're probably most focused on your back and forearms while you struggle to hold yourself up, it's important to remember that you'll only be able to get the most out of the move with proper full body posture. "In order to maintain a fully straight line, core and glutes must be fully on the entire time; it's the only way to hold your torso in proper place," emphasizes Samuel.

While you're working to accumulate 30 total seconds of hold time in each set, don't necessarily expect to hang on for an unbroken half-minute. You can drop out of the hold, catch your breath a few seconds, then keep working toward your 30 seconds of work. Try 3 reps of the towel inverted row hold for your next workout.

For more tips and routines from Samuel, check out our full slate of <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/eb-and-swole/" id="c4fbc3c7-3c4c-3234-adb0-ae190ebefff7"> Eb and Swole </a> workouts. If you want to try an even more dedicated routine, consider Eb's <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/247461?source=_ed_&amp;utm_campaign=_ed_&amp;utm_content=a29724098&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=menshealth.com" id="a9ddcdeb-a66f-34bf-a59f-e8509154a1df"> New Rules of Muscle program </a> on our <a href="https://go.onelink.me/TAq2/mharticle" id="cea5d785-1886-3b54-afa4-a4434b6ae344"> All/Out Studio app </a> .

If you want to improve core strength and hone better total-body rowing form, here's a perfect way to do it. Just make sure that you don't leave your hand towel in your gym bagyou'll need it for more than just wiping off your sweaty palms.

Crush Your Back and Abs Using Your Bodyweight and a Towel

Ramp up the <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a27007443/time-under-tension/" id="f2adb78d-271d-3051-a10a-868c4e320b4c"> time under tension </a> and give your triceps a challenge with this killer finishing superset from Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> Just make sure to focus on your muscles, because positioning in the triceps gravity press to JM press is key.

"One of the keys to training triceps is making sure that the triceps is working and actively squeezing both in the straight-arm position and as it's getting there," says Samuel. "But it's very easy to miss that, either because we align our joints to face gravity, as we do at the top of a traditional skullcrusher, when we set our arms fully perpendicular to the ground, or because of momentum."

Samuel advises that this exercise is all about the angles. "There are several ways to create more tension on our tris, most of which involve shifting our upper arm angle so that it's not perpendicular to the ground," he says. "One other underrated way to avoid it: force our arms to straighten while keeping our forearms fully parallel to the ground. This insures that our forearm lever constantly faces gravity, so our triceps never get to relax."

To take on the superset, you'll need a weight bench and a pair of dumbbells. Check out this set from Bowflex if you want to try it at home.

<ul><li> Start laying on the flat bench holding the dumbbells with a neutral grip (palms facing each other). Keep your abs tight and your elbows in line with your torso, making sure that your forearms are parallel to the ground. </li><li> Slowly press the dumbbells overhead, focusing to keep your forearms parallel to the ground. </li><li> At the top of the rep, straighten out your arms completely before returning to the starting position, maintaining your arms parallel to the ground. </li><li> Repeat for 6 to 8 reps. </li><li> After completing the gravity press, finish with 4 to 6 JM presses, pushing at about a 93 degree angle relative to your torso. </li></ul>

To do this right, you need to be focused on more than just your arms. "Make sure you use your abs to keep your ribcage tight on this as well," says Samuel. "It'll work even if you don't, but by keeping them tight, you'll work within a more natural shoulder range of motion."

Take on the superset for 3 on an arm day to finish off your tris. Just make sure that you don't go too heavy, because this will be much tougher than you think. Samuel advises working with dumbbells 5 to 10 pounds lighter than a good skullcrusher weight.

For more tips and routines from Samuel, check out our full slate of <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/eb-and-swole/" id="c4fbc3c7-3c4c-3234-adb0-ae190ebefff7"> Eb and Swole </a> workouts. If you want to try an even more dedicated routine, consider Eb's <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/247461?source=_ed_&amp;utm_campaign=_ed_&amp;utm_content=a29472172&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=menshealth.com" id="87b088ce-bfb9-32a1-a301-e0d589ffa057"> New Rules of Muscle program </a> on our <a href="https://go.onelink.me/TAq2/mharticle" id="cea5d785-1886-3b54-afa4-a4434b6ae344"> All/Out Studio app </a> .

Your triceps workouts might be getting stale, as you move from cable pushdowns to kickbacks to close-grip pushups in an uninspired rush to get a pump. But your arms' largest muscles deserve better.

Smash Your Triceps With This Gravity-Fighting Finisher

For this movement, you shouldn't settle for anything other than perfect formespecially because it's such a killer exercise that can serve as a highlight of your training plan. Let Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> and associate fitness editor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bdwilliams910/" id="b23081f0-4742-33dd-a36e-3bfced744bd1"> Brett Williams </a> guide you through the move's subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential.

Before you hit the floor and start pumping yourself up and down, take note that it's extremely important to pay attention the movement here. Hitting the proper form is essential to make sure you're getting the most out of the exerciseparticularly because of the subtle details with the right hand placement that make it really effective. Let's break down everything you need to know.

Eb says: Like any good pushup, a close-grip pushup starts with strong plank form. The more rigid your torso is and the more you create a straight line from shoulders through feet, the more load you're actually going to have to push up.

A sagging core means you don't get to challenge your tris as much. So start with a sturdy plank, and squeeze your abs and glutes to keep it sturdy throughout every rep.

Eb says: You'll see a lot of people bring their hands close to each other, so they touch and form a diamond shape; they think this is the only way to stimulate their tris. Don't do that.

Remember: Your triceps is responsible for extending your arm at the elbow, so all you need to do on your pushups to prioritize your tris is keep your elbows from flaring out so you don't over-involve your chest. To do that, simply set your hands up ever-so-slightly tighter than shoulder-width.

Eb says: The key thing that makes the close-grip pushup different from a standard pushup is what you're going to do with your elbows. To insure that the triceps drive the press up, we want to keep your chest as under-involved as possible.

Do that by keeping your elbows practically glued to your torso both as your lowering into the rep and then, more importantly, as you're pressing up. Aim to let your arms move only in the sagittal plane (so out in front of you). The more you stick to that, the more you'll be isolating your triceps for maximum growth.

The close-grip pushup is a valuable addition to your training routine that can help to pump up your arms, but are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

How to Do a Close-Grip Pushup the Right Way

You should be targeting the muscles with workouts like this finishing series from Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> The Bulgarian pause superset gives you a chance to force your glutes to work overtime for growth.

"This move is all about pushing your glutes to fireand then stay hyper-involved in your squatting," says Samuel. "You can never have enough glute strength or power, and you'll develop it here."

The positioning of the pulse Bulgarian is the key to making that happen. "By utilizing a vertical shin angle on the front leg, we insure that the move is driven by our hamstrings and glutes, and they have to work super-hard to drive you into a standing position," Samuel says.

To take on the Bulgarian pause superset finisher, you'll need a set of kettlebells and an elevated platform like a bench for your foot. If you need a set to try this at home, check out this option from CAP Barbell.

Your Leg Day Needs This Glute-Smashing Finisher

<ul><li> Start with the kettlebells in a front rack position with your foot up on the platform. <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a28351443/bulgarian-split-squat-form/">Check here for some tips</a> on getting into position for the Bulgarian split squat. </li><li> Bend your knee to squat down, lowering until your front thigh is parallel to the ground and keeping the shin of your planted foot in a vertical position. Raise up slightly then back down to pulse, then stand up to complete the rep. </li><li> Perform 8 to 10 of those pulse squat reps. </li><li> Immediately step forward into a square stance. Perform 6 to 8 reps of pause squats, waiting for a count before standing back up. </li><li> Repeat on the opposite leg. </li></ul>

The toughest part of the series might be the final reps at the end. "You're shifting from a unilateral move to a bilateral move and operating with uneven fatigue, so when you descend into that first rep, you should feel off-balance; use the pause to reorganize how you're applying full-body tension," says Samuel. "Once you do that, you'll get to appreciate the beauty of this superset: It's supercharging your squats. You'll find yourself firing up with great acceleration and power, partly because you're now operating with two legs, and partly because of the glute stimulation you created during the pulse Bulgarian work."

Add the finisher to your leg day with 3 sets through the whole series.

For more tips and routines from Samuel, check out our full slate of <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/eb-and-swole/" id="c4fbc3c7-3c4c-3234-adb0-ae190ebefff7"> Eb and Swole </a> workouts. If you want to try an even more dedicated routine, consider Eb's <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/247461?source=_ed_&amp;utm_campaign=_ed_&amp;utm_content=a29427505&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=menshealth.com" id="5f732f2e-ed28-34c6-a39a-d7f993efe0e1"> New Rules of Muscle program </a> on our <a href="https://go.onelink.me/TAq2/mharticle" id="cea5d785-1886-3b54-afa4-a4434b6ae344"> All/Out Studio app </a> .

Big arms are great, and no one is going to turn up their nose to a strong, broad back. But if you really want to put in some high-reward work in the weight room, you'll target your glutes. They're the biggest muscle in your body, and giving them some extra love will do more than just fill out your pants. The <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a28764499/what-are-glutes/" id="9388502b-f1c7-3564-a8e4-b7626932f43f"> glutes are key </a> for explosive, powerful movements, and if you're do...

That's why this kettlebell squat drop series from Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> is so effective. The exercise forces you to focus your mental energies on every single movement, so you can't just clock out and push through the reps.

"This squat series is all about messing with the mind," says Samuel. "On the surface, it seems like a basic dropset: Start with a heavy weight front squat, lighten the weight, then work a few more reps. But the technique on the back end of things challenges you a lot more than you think."

The move is so taxing on the brain because of the unexpected effects that come when you drop one of the kettlebells.

"Your body (and mind) are ready for the lighter weight. But they're unprepared for the unilateral positioning that arrives in the dropset," says Samuel. "Your core already put in work during the standard front squat reps, but now it has to fire up in a new way, and your hips are challenged to maintain even more balance. Living in that thighs-parallel-to-the-ground position with that unilateral load during the pause adds to the abdominal burn."

To do the kettlebell squat drop series, you'll need a pair of evenly-weighted kettlebells. Check out this option from Yes4All if you want to take it on at home.

These Brain-Busting Squats Builds Stronger Legs

<ul><li> Start out holding both kettlebells in a front racked position, with your feet square. </li><li> Perform 8 reps of standard squats. </li><li> Drop both kettlebells directly in front of you. </li><li> Pick one up, and immediately pick one up and bring it into racked position. </li><li> Perform 4 to 6 reps of single-arm pause squats, holding the bottom position for 1 second. </li></ul>

If you really want to challenge your core, too, you'll need to make sure you're holding the weight the right way. "Make sure to aggressively own your front rack positioning during all stages of this," Samuel advises. "The kettlebells shouldn't be resting on your shoulders; work to create a near-vertical force angle through your forearms and wrists and be strong with the bells. If you have a mirror, use it for this one; it'll keep you honest about battling to keep your shoulders and torso square instead of tilting to one side."

Take on the kettlebell squat drop series with 4 sets, switching arms on each set (so you wind up with 2 sets on each side).

For more tips and routines from Samuel, check out our full slate of <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/eb-and-swole/" id="c4fbc3c7-3c4c-3234-adb0-ae190ebefff7"> Eb and Swole </a> workouts. If you want to try an even more dedicated routine, consider Eb's <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/247461?source=_ed_&amp;utm_campaign=_ed_&amp;utm_content=a28898121&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=menshealth.com" id="e8f24e92-a30f-37e7-a67d-bd610fdae096"> New Rules of Muscle program </a> .

Squats are, by and large, one of the most uncomplicated styles of exercise you can do in the gym. Yes, they're a compound lift, and you need to make sure that your <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a27257795/barbell-back-squat/" id="7091358e-d45a-3e24-ae1c-ddd34e860124"> form is solid </a> and you're <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a749793/how-deep-should-you-squat/" id="c6ea61ea-17a3-3eb0-a667-69beb46189bf"> hitting the right depth for your body </a> but at...

Challenge Your Mind as Much as Your Legs With This Squat Series

This workout from Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> is an uncomplicated method to both change up the angle of a classic core crusher, the situp, and to add a load.

"This one's mechanically simple on the surface (decline situp, then punch one kettlebell upwards), but there's a lot more core challenge than that going on under the hood," says Samuel. "You're getting a strong bracing test for your entire core when you own that torso-parallel-to-the-ground position, and you'll battle some underrated anti-rotation as you control yourself back down to that position after each upwards punch. You're also testing your own pure shoulder flexion too, since that punch occurs with a closed ribcage that's incredibly busy thanks to the situp."

To take on the decline kettlebell core crush, you'll need a decline bench and some weights. Samuel says you can use either dumbbells or kettlebells, depending on your preference. If you need a set, check out this kettlebell option from Yes4All. Just be prepared to use lighter weights than you'd otherwise expectthe ab challenge might be tougher than you think.

<ul><li> Set up on the decline bench, with your legs braced at the top. </li><li> Hold the weights near the top of your chest in both hands, and brace your core to keep your lower back off the bench so that you torso is parallel to the ground. </li><li> Squeeze your abs to perform a situp. At the same time, press one of the weights straight up, keeping your torso as tall as possible. Make sure the opposite side weight is in a strong rack position. </li><li> Repeat with the other arm. </li></ul>

The name of the game here is patience. "Aim to live for a 1-count in that torso-parallel-to-the-ground position, and let the kettlebells create challenge here," says Samuel. "You do this by holding the kettlebells near the top of your chest. The closer those kettlebells get to your abs, the shorter the lever for your core and the easier the exercise becomes."

Just make sure to concentrate on the lowering portion of the movement, since it's harder than it looks to get back to parallel. "The bells are coming down in imbalanced fashion, Samuel says. "One is already at your chest, but the other is being lowered to your chest, bringing with it extra downward force. You'll need to lock your core in more than you may think to keep your hips and shoulders tightly square to the ceiling."

Add the decline kettlebell core crush to your workout for 3 sets of 10 to 12 total reps. Focus on moving deliberately to make the most out of the workout.

For more tips and routines from Samuel, check out our full slate of <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/eb-and-swole/" id="c4fbc3c7-3c4c-3234-adb0-ae190ebefff7"> Eb and Swole </a> workouts. If you want to try an even more dedicated routine, consider Eb's <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/247461?source=_ed_&amp;utm_campaign=_ed_&amp;utm_content=a28556684&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=menshealth.com" id="31fd8895-eb6c-382a-ad1d-bdc595574cfa"> New Rules of Muscle program </a> .

Want better abs? Diversify your routine and add some weight to your core movements to build them up stronger.

Build a Better Core With This Decline Kettlebell Abs Crusher

For this movement, you shouldn't settle for anything other than perfect formespecially because it's such a simple, essential exercise that can serve as one of the centerpieces of your training plan. Let Men's Health fitness director <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="482748e5-76f8-3b61-a9b2-a546d2a0b408"> Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> and associate fitness editor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bdwilliams910/" id="b23081f0-4742-33dd-a36e-3bfced744bd1"> Brett Williams </a> guide you through the move's subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential.

Before you grab a kettlebell and start pressing, take note that it's extremely important to pay attention the movement here. The way you hold the weight and your positioning is essential to make sure you're getting the most out of the exerciseso let's break down everything you need to know.

Eb Says: One of the biggest mistakes of any shoulder press is arching your back and flaring your ribcage. This effectively changes the angle of the press ever-so-subtly, and depending how big your arch is, it may shift some force generation from your shoulders to your chest. You're here for shoulders though, and the way to reinforce that is by keeping your ribcage tight to the body. You do that by squeezing your abs tight. Performing the bottoms-up press from a half-kneeling stance can also help, and it'll help protect your lower back, too.

The bottoms-up kettlebell press is a valuable addition to your training routine that can help build strong shoulders, but are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

Brett Williams, Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.

Articles written by the author