It’s been refreshing to see the resurgence of certain exercises within our community over the past 2 years or so. A lot of thanks to all the Gang at “Testosterone” and to Coach Davies for taking us all to the “Dark Side”. A lot of these movements (Cleans, Jerks, Snatches, etc.) used to be the staple of the 'ole time bodybuilders, but somehow fell out of favor. Anyway…
I’d like you guys comments on a couple that seem to be of value, but have lost some of their “popularity”:
1)Leg Extensions Somehow gained the reputation as a “shaper”. But like any exercise, I think the key is a)pushing the weight and b)holding and squeezing with the movement.
2)Barbell Shoulder Presses (Military Presses/Front Presses)Seems like they could be a serious Mass movement, especially for the anterior delts. I’m thinking of incorporating them in my program.
Any thoughts on these two (or any others) that are excellent exercises that have fallen “out of favor?”
1)Afterall all these years in the gym, Leg Extensions are still a exercise I dig. Yeah, the squat is king, but I still get the best pump after a couple of brutal sets of leg extensions. And yes, full range of motion is key as well as the contraction at the top of the movement.
2) For years, my shoulder routine was built around sometype of pressing movement and I always seemed to gravitate towards the Military Press. Be it on a Smith Machine or using a plain old barbell w/plates. Lately, have been using the Arnold Press.
I don't think they have fallen "out of favor" due to lack of interest - but I think to due to "laziness" (for lack of a better word). I see more and more people performing lateral raises, for example than pressing exercises. And I also see people just sitting back on the leg extension, while performing each rep in such a lazy and half-assed way. You have to work hard on either the leg extensions or shoulder presses to have any effect on your physique.
Plus, I have been training quite awhile, it's been great to pursue in my routines more "powerlifting" movements like cleans, deads, etc.
Though I am not a huge fan of leg extensions, I feel that barbell/dumbell shoulder presses are the best way to build mass for the delts…problem is, I see so many people that don’t use even CLOSE to a full range of motion on overhead presses, and therefore, make it more of a tricep exercise than a delt builder.
Wow - thank’s for unbelievable compliment, that is an amazing honor. So many lifts have lost there popularity because as Patricia noted because to perform them properly is just plain hard. BTW-have I got a fun old exercise for you in an upcoming article : ) In faith, Coach Davies
Just a note about leg extentions: I’m using them for a high-rep exercise at the end of my leg day (after squats and hack squats, of course)in the current hypertrophy phase I’m in. People say it’s just a knee exercise and does nothing for the rest of the quad, but I’ve found that by laying back instead of sitting up (on the plate loading machine that can also be used for leg curls), the recuts femorus is stretched and I feel a burn through the entire quad. If you are trying to develop the vastus group, sitting up is a great way to do it, but I like the lying version for overall quad development.
Unless a person has an injury of some sort I’d rather see them do sissy squats or one legged squats in place of leg extensions. Having said that I do think they have some value especially in cases where the vastus medialis needs to be strengthened or balanced with the vastus lateralis. Doing 1 legged leg extensions using only the top 1/3 of the movement at a slow tempo one can really concentrate on hitting the v.m. I also feel the leg extension has some value in assessing the strength of the knee.
Ahhh…the 'ol leg extension. Just can’t seem to get away form this one. It has always been a part of my quad. training. It seems to primarily work the vastus medialis (vmo) for me. When done properly (form,form,form), the contractions at the top of the movement are extremely intense. Staple exercise.
Over head barbell press: For deltoid mass, this one is one of, if not the best. As long as you treat the medial/posterior heads equally (not many do), you’ll end up with some nicely rounded, injury free deltoids.
It seems like many of the individuals I see just aren’t willing to do the tough exercises. Anterior/front db raises aren’t going to get it done.
I like leg extensions but I never do them. Maybe my brain was so inocculated with squats, deads, oly lifts and other compound movements.
I can't even remember when I've last done a leg extension or leg curl for another matter.
As for barbell shoulder presses, I have fallen in love with these. Push presses, push jerks, seated military, and any other version are much preferred by me over bench and incline presses.
As a side note, I have greatly enjoyed incorporating lifts that I would have never thought of without both Coach Davies and Pavel. One arm snatches, swings, turkish get-ups, one arm presses, bent presses and a host of others are all core exercises in my program.
I think the clean and push press is a great movement for overhead work. I’ve also been doing snatch grip behind-the-neck presses with some good results (requires quite a bit of shoulder flexibility, though).
Leg Extensions- I laughed out loud when I read Jason’s post about liking the exercise yet rarely incorporating them. I beleive they have their place. I recently used them due to the fact I had a broken hand, and exercises were limited.
Military Press- I like this exercise a lot for delts. I am using a Bradford Press in my 5x5 training now.
I feel that any time spent doing leg extensions is time that could be better spent doing another set of squats. The barbell shoulder press, however, is a fine exercise (that I did just this morning, in fact). Lateral raises (side and rear) are ok for shoulders, but you can’t neglect the presses.
For shoulders, my favorite is a two part combo: a hang clean followed by an overhead press, performed in sequence. One rep is: pull and clean to shoulders, press overhead, lower to shoulders, lower to hang position, all with control and minimal leg involvement. I use my legs slightly to help get through those last reps sometimes with heavier weight.
So far I’ve just been doing them in a standing position. What you describe is a great movement, but incredibly tough - I can barely press out a 45lb bar in that position. Any recommendations you could give? I’d love to be able do the version you describe because I think it would help my snatch immensely.