Gorilla Chin/Crunch

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Abdominals
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lats
Equipment: BodyOnly
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Hang from a chinning bar with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle and your hands about 12 inches apart with an underhand grip. Pull yourself up with your arms and crunch your knees up at the same time. You should finish the chin and crunch at the same time. When fully contracted, your note will be at the bar and your knees will be pulled up to your chest. Slowly reverse the movement and return to the starting position. You can also do this with a dumbbell or medicine ball between your feet or with a weight attached to a dip belt around your waist. When you have mastered this, try hanging from only one arm and grasp your wrist with your free hand. This works more of your obliques.

Glute Kickback

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Glutes
Other Muscles Worked: Hamstrings
Equipment: BodyOnly
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: While on the floor on all fours, extend one leg and with the foot cocked to a point that places it in line with the head. Then raise it to a 45-degree angle with the foot elevated above the head. The key to maximum results is to concentrate on contracting the glutes throughout the full range of motion.

Gironda Sternum Chins

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Lats
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Middle Back
Equipment: Other
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Many have dubbed this the single best lat exercise ever invented! This involves leaning back throughout the entire movement. In this variation, the lower portion of the chest should touch the bar. Begin by grasping the pull-up bar with an underhand grip, approximately shoulder width apart. Now hang with your arms fully extended. As you pull yourself to the bar, have your head lean back as far away from the bar as possible and arch your spine throughout the movement. At the upper end of the movement, your hips and legs will be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. You should keep pulling until your collarbone passes the bar and your lower chest or sternum area touches it. By the time you've completed the concentric portion of the movement; your head will be parallel to the floor.

Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Lats
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Middle Back
Equipment: Cable
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Either standing or seated on a high bench, grasp two stirrup cables that are attached to the high pulleys. Grab with the opposing hand so your arms are crisscrossed about you and your palms are facing forward. Keeping your chest up and maintaining a slight arch in your lower back, pull the handles down as if you were doing a regular pulldown. The range of motion will be more of an arc. During the movement, rotate your hands so that in the bottom position your palms face each other rather than forward. Return slowly to the starting position and repeat.

Front Two-Dumbbell Raise

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Shoulders
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Isolation

Tips: Same as the Front Dumbbell Raise but with both arms at the same time. Can also be done with a barbell

Front Raise And Pullover

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Chest
Other Muscles Worked: Triceps, Shoulders
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: This is a mixture of the barbell pullover and a front raise on bench. Lie on a flat bench and grab a barbell using a grip about 15 inches apart, Place the bar on your upper thighs and lock your arms. Now raise the weight over your head. This is the first part of the exercise. Now continue the same movement behind your head as far back as possible like the reverse of a pullover. Now return the dumbbell to the starting position again in the same motion.

Front Plate Raise

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Shoulders
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: Other
Mechanics Type: Isolation

Tips: Works the front of your shoulders. While standing, hold a barbell plate in both hands at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Your palms should be facing each other. Keep your arms straight and locked or nearly locked during the entire exercise. Start with the plate down near your waist as far as you can go, then slowly raise the plate until it is a little above shoulder level. Slowly lower the plate back to the starting position and repeat.