While we are fortunate to have supplementation, better equipment, and more researched diets to increase our own growth, looking back into history can provide clues as to how these former strongmen got their strength. Old school strongmen made it work with what they had to build muscle and promote their own athletic endurance. While this exercise is still done today, the longevity of it goes to show just how effective the side plank really is. For increased difficulty, you can elevate your feet. Holding a straight line with your body, have one foot stacked on top of the other and the same side hand as the only point of contact for the ground. Great for your abs, this is essentially just a side plank. Be careful with this one and go slow since your head does have quite a lot of weight to hold. With your feet facing forward and you laying on your back, lift yourself into a bridge position so your feet and neck are the only points of contact on the ground. Your weight will be on your head and feet and your back will be arched. The wrestler’s bride is a funny looking exercise but can really work to strengthen the neck to keep stability and avoid injury ( 4). It is key to really work against the resistance of your hands and knees to feel this strange exercise at work. Press against your inner thigh and squeeze your knees to resist the pressure of your hands. Cross your arms so your right hand is on your left knee and left arm is on your right knee. Sit with your legs out in front, bent up at the knee.
This is an unusual exercise but works to target the inside and outside of the thigh. Lift the kettlebell over your head and bend your arm so it rests on the back of your shoulder, lift the kettlebell up extending your arm, pause, and lower. You can do this sitting or standing and is a great isolation exercise for the triceps with all the benefits of a kettlebell ( 3). You should feel this as a result of the tension created and make sure to keep that tension all the way through.Īn exercise still used today, this is a great triceps workout that will decrease the amount of stress on the elbow and shoulder joints. Bend your arms up so your right hand is going to the right shoulder but put resistance between the left arm and right arm.
Standing tall, place your left hand into your right with your arms down by your sides. While we mostly think of bicep curls as done with traditional dumbbells, this can be done with both arms for equal muscle balance. Bodyweight Biceps CurlsĪn interesting bodyweight exercise for your biceps, this can be done for any desired number of reps for an interesting take on a bicep curl. Here are some of the unconventional exercises old school strongmen did for muscle growth. While most were genetically gifted, like strongmen of today, they worked hard to see muscle growth and explosive power work to their benefit. While old school strongmen worked with traditional exercises like deadlifts, squats, and bench presses, they were able to find interesting ways to build muscle. Great bodyweight exercises are the bodyweight squat or pushup. With no weights to knock you off balance, they can improve your stability and flexibility and reduce your risk for injury ( 2). The benefit is you can increase strength, endurance, and explosive power by naturally working muscles like your core. A wall sit or a plank are examples of isometric training.īodyweight movements are perfect for those with no equipment and those looking to save time. Staying in one position can help improve strength for those in a confined area or with pain in certain areas.
FULL ISOMETRIC WORKOUT FULL
These are great ways to include both upper body and lower body muscles at the same time for an all-around full body workout. Isometric training is great to place demand on your muscles without expanding or compressing them ( 1). Staying connected to the ground allows for increased stability and a great starting off point for a solid muscle-building workout. Whether that be a deadlift or a sled pull, generating force allows for multiple muscles and their connective joints to work harder. Ground Based Compound MovementsĪny exercise involved with lifting or dragging something while working multiple muscle groups is great. Much of the same movements we focus on today were used back then and these are important to understand when it comes to our own muscle growth and training techniques.