1. Alternating Reps of Closed and Open Chain Exercises For Back
To fully work a muscle for maximum strength and growth, you need to come at it in two different ways...closed chain and open chain. This technique targets the back with both methods.
Unconventional Training with Nick Nilsson
Training Techniques for Gaining Strength
If you've hit a plateau in your strength, more of the same regular training is not going to help. You need training techniques that force your body to new levels of power and strength.
2. Band Position Spotted Front Squats
The Front Squat is one of the most effective yet most underused exercises that you'll hardly EVER see anybody doing in the gym. This assistance exercise technique will help you improve body position during the front squat.
3. Increase Your Bench Press Instantly With This Shoulder Blade Retraction Drill
If you want a bigger bench press (and minimize the chance of shoulder injury), one of the biggest "non-secrets" is getting your shoulder blades tucked in tight behind your back before and during the press. This one simple tip can dramatically improve your strength and shoulder stability in the movement.
4. Contralateral Antagonistic Dumbbell Shoulder Press
With this technique, you can be literally 5-10% stronger in a dumbbell shoulder press...INSTANTLY. This will help you get bigger and stronger shoulders FAST.
5. Upper Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up
This warm-up technique looks absolutely INSANE. However, it is EXCELLENT for warming up the shoulder complex, biceps, triceps and the upper body in general. As well, it's incredibly good for activating your nervous system, specifically the "cross-connections" between the two sides of your brain.
6. Elevation Change Squat Negatives For Building Strength
Working on the eccentric portion of the squat movement is a fantastic way to develop strength in the squat exercise, especially out of the hole. This setup allows you to perform negative-focused training on your own without having to add and remove weight plates to reset the exercise in between reps.
7. Range-of-Motion Trap Bar Deadlift Drop Sets
This method utilizes full-range reps of deadlifts, followed immediately by lockout reps in a shorter range of motion to overload the top part of the range of motion of the exercise. This develops lockout strength, overall muscular endurance while conditioning your body to withstand heavy loading.
8. Weight Releaser Kettlebell Yoke Bar Squats
Training with weight releasers is incredibly effective for developing strength in the squat by using more weight on the negative, releasing the weight at the bottom, and using less weight on the way up, exploding out of the bottom.
9. Crotch Stuffer Deadlifts...Add 30-70 lbs to Your Deadlift Instantly
This one looks stupid and a little bit insane...but it can seriously add 30 to 50 or even up to 70 lbs to your deadlift the moment you first try it..and it feels better on your lower back. And I'm not even kidding or exaggerating about that.
10. A Simple PNF Stretch For Better Front Squat Positioning
This quick stretch, done right before you do Front Squats can help you get into and maintain a better position during the exercise. This helps you lift more weight with better form.
11. Weight Increaser Band Squats For Building Instant Power Out of the Hole
Instead of using weight releasers to REMOVE weight out of the bottom of squat, we're going to strategically use bands to INCREASE weight in the bottom of the squat, resulting in massive muscle activation and power building out of the hole.
12. Weight Increaser Bench Press For Building Explosive Power Out of the Bottom
This method will build serious explosive power out of the bottom of the bench press, training your body to be able to lift more weight by activating more motor units and muscle fibers all at once.
13. Build Monster Grip and Hand Strength Using a Kettlebell as a Cable Handle
Instead of using a kettlebell as resistance, you're going to use it as apparatus...specifically as a big, round, bulbous cable handle for pulldowns or pushdowns. This open hand position works grip and hand strength extremely hard, in addition to the target muscles of the primary movement.
14. A Fast and Easy Shoulder Mobility Drill For Better Squat Positioning
This quick method, done right before you do Back Squats can help you get into and maintain a better position during the exercise, improving your form and your strength.
15. Two-Phase Deadlifts For Overcoming Stubborn Sticking Points
If you want to truly maximize your deadlift, you need to CRUSH your sticking points. This simple two-phase method will help you blast through two of the main sticking points you might encounter in your deadlift.
16. Bench Zercher Pin Squats For Core and Upper Back Strength
One of the best ways to improve your overall strength in the squat and deadlift is to increase core and upper back strength. This Zercher Squat variation allows you to use maximum weight in order to best strengthen those potentially weak links.
17. My Secret Quick-and-Easy Warm-Up Method
This is the method I use at the start of just about every warm-up that I do. It takes just a few seconds to complete, yet can have a big effect on the quality of the rest of your training.
18. Band-Bounce Squats For Building Power Out of The Hole
This technique uses a unique assist from a band to help you power out of the bottom of the squat. You'll have the full load on your back on the way down, then you'll use the band help explode out of the hole.
19. Reverse Band Eccentric Bench Press For Building Bench Press Strength FAST
Don't settle for using only as much weight on negatives as you can handle on the weakest point of the bench press. The reverse band technique allows you to maximize loading of the exercise from top to bottom to build a bigger bench press FAST.
20. Zottman Squats For Demolishing Your Legs
The phrase "just squat, bro" is in effect with this technique, where you're going to do TWO kinds of squats in each rep, putting massive overload on the legs on the way down and the way back up.
21. 3 Finger Exploding Forearm Technique For a Vise-Like Grip
Destroy the weak links in your grip strength by focusing the loading on the 3 smaller fingers. This simple method preferentially strengthens those 3 fingers without compromising your overall grip.
22. Elbow Band-Plate Hanging Front Squats For Exercise-Specific Strength
If you have issues with your upper body tipping forward during front squats, this technique is going to address that by adding direct resistance hanging from your elbows.
23. Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation
This warm-up technique looks a bit nuts but it's fantastic for getting the entire lower body (and some of the upper body!) warmed up for the work to come. As well, it's incredibly good for activating your nervous system, specifically the "cross-connections" between the two sides of your brain.
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About Nick Nilsson
Flying in the face of conventional wisdom, he’s known around the world as the "Mad Scientist of Muscle” for a reason.
An expert in kinesiology, physiology and anatomy, Nick helps people just like YOU create the body you want, especially when nothing else seems to do the trick.
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