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19/10/2021 | Andrew Tracey Andrew Tracey is a long time collaborator with Bulldog Gear. A coach, writer and current fitness editor of Men’s Health Magazine, he has been in and around the fitness industry for the past 16 years. Having enjoyed and endured a number of disciplines from endurance racing, to strongman, to Crossfit AT enjoys getting neck deep in the practice just as much as the theory. |
Dumbbells have been a staple in resistance training for generations, and for good reason; they're effective.
But if endless curls, presses and lunges are starting to err on the side of monotony, we've got three fresh new moves, to help you build muscle, boost your core strength and stability (and more importantly, fill your sleeves).
Working your lats, the anti rotational muscles of your trunk as well as the stabilising muscles of your shoulders, the renegade crawl is a powerful movement that teaches your body to work as a unit.
Perfect as a warm-up/ primer or even a high volume midline finish.
If you’re short on space, try alternating between 2 forwards ‘reps’ followed by 2 reps in reverse.
Taking ‘Renegade Crawl's' locomotive benefits and (literally) turning them sideways, this hybrid movement works you through some lesser utilised planes of motions aka stuff you don’t do a lot with a barbell.
Hitting your trunk, anti rotational muscles and shoulders, plus your chest with the addition of a push-up on every 'step', this move is another perfect warm-up/ primer, a good high volume midline finisher or even a great low intensity option for active recovery days, when you're just looking to get some blood flowing.
Try and aim for 100 immaculate reps for quality, not time.
Perfect for accessory/ hypertrophy work, the banded squeeze curl optimises that gun work with two simple twists:
-Squeezing the heads of the dumbbell forces your forearms to work overtime, this will drive up tension in the biceps through irradiation, forcing them to recruit more muscle fibres.
You may think of your weight bench as more of an ‘accessory’ than a piece of kit in it’s own right. But if you think your bench is designed solely for, well, ‘benching’, you’re not using it to it’s full potential.
Add some of these movements into your rotation and upgrade your bench game.
