This is one of my very favorite
"secret weapon" total-torso training exercises.
It covers pretty much every major part in your upper body
in just one movement (or should I say TWO movements in one!).
It's a relatively simple-looking
concept on the surface...you'll be doing a single-arm dumbell
bench press while at the same time doing a single arm cable
pulldown/row.
As you're pushing the dumbell
UP, you're pulling the cable DOWN.
So you're hitting the two
biggest parts of the upper body in one shot there (including
biceps on the pull and triceps on the press, along with
aspects of the shoulders on both).
What you might not see at
first glance is the INCREDIBLE core cross-tension you'll
get when you execute a push and a pull. You see, in order
to stabilize the core while doing two opposing movements,
your deep core muscles (obliques and transverus) will be
pushed to the limit.
This is honestly one of THE
best core exercises I've ever come up with, never mind all
the other upper body stuff going on. It's going to develop
incredible core strength without any hint of a crunch or
sit-up.
I can promise you, if you've
never done heavy cross-core tension training before, your
deep abdominal muscles will be feeling it for DAYS. So start
with more moderate weights than I'm using in the demo here
and work up to it.
Here's how to do it...
First, you'll need a flat
bench, a high pulley with a single handle and a dumbell.
Set the bench lengthwise beside the high pulley and the
dumbell in front of the bench.
I'm using a 95 lb dumbell
and about 120 lbs on the pulldown part. You'll need to do
a little practice to get the weight balance right for yourself.
The dumbell should be something you can control pretty easily
- then balance the pulldown part according to the dumbell
you're pressing.
Pick up the dumbell in your
right hand, sit on the end of the bench and rest the dumbell
on your right thigh.
Now reach up and grab the
single cable handle.
Move your butt forward off
the bench and lay back so only your shoulders are on the
bench.
Your upper arm should be resting
on the bench and your left shoulder will be stretched up
and off the bench. Get ready to push and pull!
Start the press and at the
same time start the pull. They should be simultaneous. THIS
is where you'll start to feel the incredible cross-tension
on the core!
With the pulldown/row, you'll
want to keep your elbow coming down in beside your body...not
a wide-grip row position, more like a close-grip row.
Press all the way up and pull
all the way down as far as you can.
Now just lower the dumbell
and let the cable come up and repeat! I like to keep to
lower reps on this one - the core responds better to lower
reps and resistance so as I mentioned, start with moderate
resistance but definitely work your way up.
On each rep, you can rest
your upper arm on the bench, similar to a floor dumbell
bench press. It's not a full-range press, but you'll find
you won't really care by the time you're done a set :)
To finish the exercise, let
your upper arm rest on the bench and release the cable handle.
Reach over and stabilize the
dumbell with the left hand, too. Then just shift your legs
around to a kneeling position, then move the dumbell to
the floor (easier to see in the video).
That's one side!
I recommend taking a rest
period in between that and switching up to work the other
side. Your core especially will need it. You'll get more
out of the other side by waiting for some recovery (at least
a minute to 90 seconds) before hitting the opposing movements.
It's going to look exactly
the same only with sides reversed. I just shifted the bench
over to the other side because I have a wall in the way.
If you have a wall, you can just move the dumbell to the
other side of the bench and leave the set-up as-is. You'll
just be facing the other way.
Get the dumbell onto your
lap then reach up and grab the cable handle.
Get your butt off the bench
forward then lay your shoulders on the bench.
Press up with your left and
pull down with your right.
Repeat for 5 or 6 reps.
All done!
I would suggest two sets on
each side and you'll be pretty well all done with your upper
body training for the day. It's not only a great timesaver
but KILLER core training as well.
If you've never really felt
your deep abdominal muscles after training THIS exercise
is going to change that!