The Landmine

The name is stupid, but the move is awesome. I guess I could change the name, but it's totally "in there" now. You don't need any special equipment, just a bar in the corner. The point of this move is to go slowly and resist what the bar wants your torso to do.

Coach Stevo's Top Tips

• Slow and steady.
• Lock your whole body down.

Deadlift

The deadlift is perhaps the most misunderstood movement in the trainer's arsenal. Most fear it, some avoid it, and nearly everyone does it wrong. But it is the quintessential "hinge" movement and there are few exercises that build more raw strength not mention build all the muscles that make you hotter (The woman in the picture is over 50 years old). It's also one of the basic human movements that you will need until the day you die (anytime you pick up something off the floor you are deadlifting). I have videos here of PhDs doing it with dumbbells, models doing it with kettlebells, and a 14 year old girl doing it with an old-school barbell. And in case you want to nerd out, there's Bret Contreras breaking the move down for a full 7 minutes.

Coach Stevo's Top Tips

• Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pack your shoulder before you touch the bar.
• Push your butt way back and load the hamstrings.
• Lock your core.
• Hinge at the hips.
• Lift with your hamstrings and glutes, stabilize with your upper back.
• As soon as the weight crests your knees, drive your hips forward HARD.

Dumbbells (PhD)

Kettlebells (Model)

Barbell (14 year-old girl)

Complete Form Breakdown

Front Squat

The Front Squat is the introduction that I like to give most people to barbell squatting once the goblet squat has been mastered. It's important to remember that barbells are a little less forgiving and lot louder when you drop them. Start with the handsfree version shown below and do those for a few weeks. If you have the wrist flexibility, work up to the pictured form. If your arms start to droop, lower the weight. If your wrists hurt, lower the weight. If your form suffers at all, drop the weight. The video at the bottom is a very good tutorial about what "good" and "bad" front squatting looks like.

Coach Stevo's Top Tips

• The bar rests on your shoulders, not on your wrists.
• Your fingertips touch the bar, not your palms.
• Focus on keeping your torso as upright as possible.
• How far down? All the way down.

Hands Free

Good Form Breakdown

Hip Thrust

The Hip Thrust is the Mack Daddy of glute exercises. It will take you a few weeks of diligent glute activations to learn the range of hip extension to do them safely, but you will be rewarded with an exercise that will change your lower body forever. The key to this movement is getting the full range of motion. Your torso should be close to vertical when you bottom out and your hips should be all the way at the top of their extension (with no lumbar spine movement!) at the top. Go ahead and hold it up there for a beat. The sexy will thank you.

Coach Stevo's Top Tips

• No, it doesn't hurt your pelvis.
• Do not rush this exercise. Activations first.
• Lock the core! Do not cheat and use your spine to complete the lift.
• Master bodyweight before you move to the bar.
• Invest in a Hampton Thick Bar-Pad.

Bodyweight

Barbell

Full Instructional Video from the Inventor of the Hip Thrust

Overhead Press

Also known as the "military press," this exercise can be performed with kettlebells, dumbbells, or a barbell. Dumbbells is the most foolproof, barbell the most dangerous, but kettlebells require more range of motion and mobility.

Coach Stevo's Top Tips

• Do not perform seated.
• Squeeze your glutes and abs hard.
• Pack your shoulders
• Always lock out at the top.