Tag: Workout

Lower Body Warm-Up Exercises

Lower Body Warm-Up for the Squat and Deadlift

The Mathias Method Strength System emphasizes the importance of a proper warm-up before you begin any strength training routine or workout program. This is to help decrease pain, prevent injury, and fully prepare your body for the workout ahead. This page will go over our Lower Body Warm-Up Exercises for the Squat and Deadlift.

Get our complete How To Warm-Up Properly for Strength Training Guide today! And learn why you should NOT do cardio to warm-up before any weight training workout!

Lower Body Warm-Up Exercise for the Squat and Deadlift

Squat and Deadlift Warm-Up Routine

First, do a complete full-body dynamic warm-up routine before you start these Lower Body Squat and Deadlift Warm-Up Exercises.

Then, the next part of the Mathias Method Strength System’s warm-up includes these workout specific warm-up exercises. These are done after your full-body dynamic warm-up stretches, and before your muscle activation techniques.

This Lower Body Warm-Up Routine will include a few full range-of-motion exercises and mobility stretches for the glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, back, biceps, and calves. Together these will help prevent injury and increase strength as you teach your body how to move properly for strength.

When you are done with these lower-body warm-up exercises, move onto our muscle activation techniques for the Squat and Deadlift.

For all of our specific workout based warm-up routines, you can check out our How To Warm-Up Properly Guide.

Other Warm-Up Routines

Full Body Dynamic Warm-Up Routine
Upper Body Warm-Up Exercises
Muscle Activation Techniques
Dumbbell Shoulder Warm-Up
Olympic Weightlifting Warm-Up Stretches

See all of our Mobility Stretches or Strength Training Exercises.

Lower Body Warm-Up Exercises

Note: Yes, many of these exercises will seem and look “dorky”. However, they ALL have a purpose!

Lat Stretch

Reps: 10-30 seconds

Purpose: Improve Shoulder Flexion and Latimus Dorsi Function.

Grasp a stable object, near your head height, with an underhand grip (palms up).
While maintaining a neutral spine and hips square, extend the same side leg behind you as you lean forward until you feel a stretch in your lat.
With your arm and leg fully extended keep a forward torso lean as you attempt to push your head through, in front of your arm.
Work through the tension in this position by internally and externally rotating your torso.

Note: If you can flex your arm beyond your ear then this movement is not necessary.

Bicep Stretch

Reps: 10-30 seconds

Purpose: Improve Elbow and Wrist Extension, Wrist and Arm Flexor Functions.

Start with your fingers spread, externally rotate your hand and place your palm flat against a wall, shoulder height or below.
Then, initiate the stretch by leaning your bodyweight into your hand and slowly lower your body until you feel a stretch in your wrist flexors.
Next, turn your body away from your hand until you feel a stretch in your biceps brachii or anterior deltoid.
To further increase the stretch, turn your head away from your hand.
Move in and out of these tense positions under control while maintaining pressure against the wall.

Squat & Extend

Reps: x 3

Purpose: Improve Hip, Knee and Ankle Joints Mobility.

With a shoulder width stance, raise the balls of your feet and place your fingers of each hand underneath.
From this position, go into a full depth squat with your knees outside of your arms.
Next, force your knees into extension until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
Hold each position for at least 2 seconds.

Dynamic Hamstring Stretch

Reps: 10 total steps

Purpose: Improve Hip Flexion and Hamstring Complex Function.

Standing erect, take a short step forward and, while maintaining a neutral spine, lean forward and reach your hands out in front of your toes until you feel a stretch in your hamstring complex.
Hold this stretch for 2 seconds before using your hamstrings to flex out of the stretch.
Then, take another short step and repeat with the other leg.

Deep Lunges

Reps: 10 total steps

Purpose: Improve Hip Extension and Hip Flexor Function.

Standing erect with a neutral spine and hips square.
Then, take a moderate-long step forward and lunge until your knee is hovering slightly over the ground or you feel a stretch in your anterior thigh.
Hold this position for 2 seconds before flexing out of it and stepping forward.
Repeat with the other leg.
To increase the stretch you can twist your torso towards your forward knee or laterally flex your torso with your arms overhead in the same direction.
Do not allow your knee to travel in front of your toes at any point.

Dynamic Pigeon Stretch

Reps: 10-30 seconds

Purpose: Improve Hip External Rotation and Glute Function

Find flat raised surface, between the knee and hip height.
Place the lateral side of your lower leg against the raised surface parallel to your shoulders.
Extend and internally rotate your opposite leg behind you until you feel a stretch in your glute.
Flex in and out of the base position by pressing your leg down against the raised surface, holding the bottom and top positions each for 2 seconds.

Note: If you feel pain in your knee, then you likely have tight peroneals (lateral calf muscles) and should free your foot by allowing it to hang off the edge of the flat surface until they are better mobilized.

Lower Body Warm-Up Exercises: Calf Mobility

Single Leg Calf Stretch

Reps: 1-2 minutes each.

Purpose: Improve Ankle Dorsi-flexion and Calf Function.

With your knee fully extended, place the ball of your foot on a raised surface, high enough to feel a stretch in your calf.
Allow your heel to sink down as you put your weight on your foot.
Actively move around in this position by flexing in and out of it, forcing your knee into further extension, or pulling your toes towards your face.

Weighted Deep Squat Calf Stretch

Reps: 2 minutes

Purpose: Improve Ankle Dorsi-flexion and Calf Function.

While holding a barbell, place it just above your knee caps and go into a full depth squat.
Ensure that your heels are down in this position, and only rise slightly as you push the weight and your knees forward.
Move around in this position to create change, by flexing the opposing muscles and moving under control.
You may put more stress on one side by leaning the barbell to that side or placing all the weight on one side at a time.
Use this stretch sparingly as it is more intense than non-weighted mobility techniques.

After completing these lower-body warm-up exercises for the squat and deadlift, do our Muscle Activation Techniques. Then you will be fully warmed up and ready to Squat 500+ and Deadlift 600+!

All Warm-Up Routines

Full Body Dynamic Warm-Up Routine
Upper Body Warm-Up Exercises
Lower Body Warm-Up Exercises
Muscle Activation Techniques
Dumbbell Shoulder Warm-Up
Olympic Weightlifting Warm-Up Stretches

See all of our Mobility Stretches or Strength Training Exercises.

For all of our specific workout based warm-up routines, you can check out our How To Warm-Up Properly Guide.

lower body deadlift warm-up exercises

Dynamic Warm-Up Exercise Routine for Weight Training

Dynamic Warm-Up Exercises

First, the Mathias Method Strength System begins by emphasizing the importance of a proper warm-up before you begin any strength training routine or workout program. This is to help decrease pain, prevent injury, and fully prepare your body for the workout ahead. This page will go over our basic dynamic warm-up exercises for weight training workouts.

Get our complete How To Warm-Up Properly for Strength Training Guide today! And learn why you should NOT do cardio to warm-up before a weight training workout!

A Dynamic Bodyweight Warm-Up

Before every workout, always start with this short and simple dynamic bodyweight warm-up to see how your body is feeling for the day. Begin by simply going through a few full-range of motion bodyweight exercises to lubricate your joints and check for any minor muscle pain that you may need to work on.

If you do feel some muscle or joint pain during any part of your warm-up, you can start by trying to massage your tight tissues and see if that fixes the issue.

After you get some movement going and feel out your body for the day, do a few basic mobility exercises to stretch out any tight tissues that may be preventing you from getting into better, stronger lifting positions. For example, if you have tight hamstrings or ankles that prevent you from reaching full depth during the squat, do some mobility work to help correct it, or you may try some cycling workouts when you’re having knee pain. In any case, it’s always advisable to try and prepare your body for the challenges ahead.

It would also be a good idea to have a basic stretching routine that you do before every workout. You can customize the routine to you and what you need to mobilize based on your workout for that day.

For all of our specific workout based warm-up routines, you can check out our How To Warm-Up Properly Guide.

More Warm-Up Routines

Upper Body Warm-Up Exercises
Lower Body Warm-Up Exercises
Muscle Activation Techniques
Dumbbell Shoulder Warm-Up
Olympic Weightlifting Warm-Up Stretches

See all of our Mobility Stretches or Strength Training Exercises.

Dynamic Warm-Up Exercises

Note: None of these Dynamic Warm-Up Exercises are static. They are all controlled, moving, active stretches.

Toe Touch & Reach

Reps: 10 total

Purpose: Improve Hip Flexion, Hamstring Complex Function, Hip, and Knee Joint Mobility.

With your feet shoulder width apart, keep a neutral spine and bend from the hips until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
From this static position hold for 5-10 seconds and then actively extend your knees and reach both hands towards the floor just in front of your toes.
Hold this position for at least 2 seconds before reversing the motion by engaging your hamstrings to raise your torso slightly, and repeat.
Do a total of ten 2 second holds.

Note: If you have enough hamstring flexibility to keep a neutral spine with your knees extended and you can touch the floor then this mobility exercise is not necessary for you.

The Bow Exercise

Reps: 10-30 seconds

Purpose: Open breathing pathways, Increase Thoracic Extension, and Release Tension.

While standing erect, interlock your fingers together behind your head, and pull your elbows as far behind you as you can.
Begin by pressing your hips forward, with your knees slightly bent, and lean as far back as you can while maintaining balance.
Keep your glutes activated to support the connection to the ground and increase hip extension.

Torso Twist & Reach

Reps: 10 total

Purpose: Improve Spinal Rotation, Scapular Protraction, and Retraction Function.

While standing erect with a vertical spinal alignment and feet shoulder-width apart, twist your torso to each side while reaching your opposite hand towards the opposing side horizontally.
Allow your scapula (shoulder blade) to protract and retract during these motions.
As you twist to the left, your right hand will reach past your body to the left as if to touch the side wall and visa versa.

Side Bend & Reach

Reps: 10 total

Purpose: Improve Shoulder Abduction and Spine Lateral Flexion Function.

With your feet shoulder-width apart, bend laterally while reaching your opposite hand, palm away, overhead.
Do not rotate your torso forward or back.
Hold for 1 second before returning to the start position.
Do a total of 10 repetitions.

Chest Open-Close

Reps: 3 total

Purpose: Improve Scapular Protraction and Retraction Function, Thoracic Spine Mobility.

Set-up standing erect with your arms spread out laterally.
Begin by protracting your scapula (shoulder blades) forward, rounding your thoracic spine and wrapping your arms around an imaginary ball in front of you until you feel a slight stretch in your back.
Then reverse this motion by retracting your shoulder blades, extending your thoracic spine, and opening your arms until you feel a slight stretch in your chest.
Hold each position for 1-2 seconds.
Do 3 repetitions.

Hip Circles

Reps: 10 total

Purpose: Improve Hip Joint Function and Synovial Fluid Lubrication.

With feet shoulder width apart, create a large circle with your hips in both directions.
Do a total of 10 repetitions.

Hip Open-Close

Reps: 1-3

Purpose: Check Hip Function.

Set-up standing erect with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Begin by bringing one knee across to the opposite side of your body and slowly create a large circle going in front of your body, up and over to the outside of your body.
Then slowly reverse this motion by raising your knee from the lateral side of your body, up and inward creating another circular motion back to feet shoulder-width apart.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Paleo Chair

Reps: 30+ seconds

Purpose: Improve Spinal Decompression, Ankle Dorsi-flexion, and Hip Flexion Mobility.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and toes straight or turned out slightly.
Brace your core and externally rotate (twist) your knees out during the entire movement while clenching your toes into the ground.
Begin the motion by opening your hips and descending into a full depth squat while keeping your feet flat. (Note: Only go as deep as you can while keeping your heels down.)
Pause in the bottom position for time to gain and maintain the necessary flexibility.

Calisthenics Warm-Up Exercises

After completing these basic Dynamic Warm-Up Exercise Routine you will know how your body feels for that day. If you need too, take a few minutes to stretch any of your tight muscle groups before you do your Daily 30 Bodyweight Warm-Up Exercises:

Reps: Do 1-3 rounds.

Purpose: Teach Proper Movement Patterns, Increase Muscular Temperature, Increase Heart Rate and Peripheral Blood Flow.

After your Dynamic Warm-Up and Calisthenics Warm-Up Exercises, move onto your Training Specific Warm-Up Routines. Read more…

All Warm-Up Routines

Full Body Dynamic Warm-Up Routine
Upper Body Warm-Up Exercises
Lower Body Warm-Up Exercises
Muscle Activation Techniques
Dumbbell Shoulder Warm-Up
Olympic Weightlifting Warm-Up Stretches

See all of our Mobility Stretches or Strength Training Exercises.

For all of our specific workout based warm-up routines, you can check out our How To Warm-Up Properly Guide.

Articles, Strength Training May 5, 2019December 27, 2023

The Most Important Exercise You Can Do In The Gym

This short gym tip video, taken with my friend Zackary, will teach you about the most important exercise you can do in the gym today! Remember to SUBSCRIBE to these videos on YouTube and enjoy!

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I hope you enjoyed that video on how to do dumbbell curls for big arms! Guys and girls all love them, and so will you!

If you want to learn how to do even more of the best strength training exercises (in much greater detail), check out our exercise guide! We teach you only the most effective exercises for building strength and muscle in full detail.

Our exercise guide includes How To:

Just don’t forget to do…

If you want to get the t-shirt Zack and I are wearing, go to StrengthWorld.store!

Also, check out our last video, the 2019 Core Strength Plank Challenge! Give it a shot and let us know how you do!

Please leave your comments below! Let us know what you thought about the most exercise important you can do in the gym! Also, tell us what you think is more important, if any! If it is not curls, then what is it?!

Powerlifting for Men

Powerlifting for men is different than powerlifting for women. This is because women are generally able to handle more workloads relative to their one rep maximum, versus men. Men are genetically stronger so they can handle heavier weights, but cannot do as much work compared to women who do strength training.

This means that women can handle more work and frequency of training, while men require less work and need more time to recover from weight training. At the same intensity relative to their one rep maximum, women can, and should, do more repetitions, while men cannot, and should not.

When programming a powerlifting workout for men there should be more sets and fewer repetitions. When programming a powerlifting workout for women there should be fewer lets and more repetitions.

For example, for a squat workout, men should do 8 sets of 3 reps using 80% of their one rep max, while women should do more like 6 sets of 5 reps at the same intensity. The workout for men would total 24 reps while for women it would total 30 reps.

The main difference between powerlifting for men, versus powerlifting for women, is men get big and bulky with strength training while women get slim and sexy, or more toned. This is due to hormonal differences. Men naturally have a lot more free testosterone than women which makes any sort of new muscle stimulus lead to growth. For women, the same stimulus still leads to growth, but at a much slower rate. So women tend to just burn fat with weight training workouts instead of growing.

Of course, with strength training, women can become stronger than men. It just takes longer due to slow growth rates.

Get stronger than ever with a Custom Powerlifting Program made just for you!

Or check out our FULL POWER Powerlifting Program!

Example Powerlifting Workout For Men

This is an example powerlifting workout for men based on the Mathias Method Strength System.

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Create Your Own Workout Program

Powerlifting Squat Workout For Men

Warm-Up & Technique Work:

Weighted Chin-Ups – x 25 total

Box Jumps 3-5 x 3

Pause Squat (<50%) 3 x 5

Main Lifts:

Squat 8 x 3 at 80%

*Overload Set 1 x Daily Max

Deadlift 4 x 6 at 60%

Accessory Work:

Dumbbell Rows 4 x 6-8

Dumbell Curls 4 x 8-10

Side Planks 3 x 45 sec.

Mobility Work 10+ min.

To learn everything you need to know about strength training and powerlifting for men, get our complete Mathias Mathias Method Strength System Guide!

How to Powerlift for Men

As you can see, powerlifting for men is pretty simple. However, how you do your workouts is just as important, if not more so, than what you do. It is all in the details because the details can make or break a lifter.

That is why we created the Mathias Method Strength System. To teach powerlifters and athletes the most effective ways to build strength.

All you have to do is follow the system to know you are getting the best results. You can apply it to your current powerlifting program, or get one from us.

Get a Custom Powerlifting Program >>

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Rotator Cuff External Rotation Exercise 7

Rotator Cuff Exercises for Strength

The shoulder joint is the most movable joint in the body and can obtain an injury relatively easily if not treated properly. Knowing this, doing Rotator Cuff Exercises to build strength around your shoulder girdle is crucial for complete shoulder health.

Purpose

Increase Rotator Cuff Musculature Strength
Improve Shoulder Integrity

Prime Movers

Infraspinatus (Shoulder)
Teres Minor (Shoulder)

The rotator cuff musculature is composed of multiple small muscles that hold the shoulder joint into its socket. If these muscles are weak or out of balance then your shoulder health is compromised and you are at high risk for injury.

With this in mind, doing some shoulder mobility and rotator cuff work will allow you to move better and get stronger.

Commonly, our shoulders have enough, or even too much, internal rotation strength from things like Bench Pressing. To correct this, we need to increase the external rotation strength to help establish balance.

Rotator Cuff External Rotation Exercise 5

Rotator Cuff External Rotation Exercise 4

Rotator Cuff External Rotation Exercise 3

rotator cuff external rotation exercise 2

Rotator Cuff External Rotation Exercise 9

Rotator Cuff External Rotation Exercise 8

Rotator Cuff External Rotation Exercise 6

How To Work The Rotator Cuff Properly

To work the external rotators of your shoulder, you must go through an external rotation of the humerus, or upper arm bone, with appropriately added resistance.
It is best to use a band or cable with light resistance to keep constant tension on the muscle while doing many repetitions.
Begin by grasping a band, or single cable attachment, with one hand. Have the band or cable anchored near hip height.
Go through multiple movements that include external rotation of the humerus such as with your elbow out horizontally from your shoulder to where you rotate your hand back over your shoulder, or to your side where you rotate your hand out laterally.

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