Flex Flex UK - January 2018 | Page 30

LIFT TRAINING STYLES What follows are some of the best small-angle methods for diversely attacking each body part. Legs From narrow to sumo- style, barbell squats can be done with a variety of stances. Hack squats, Smith machine squats, and leg presses can be performed with both different stance widths and your feet positioned anywhere from under your hips to far out in front. You can arrange your toes in, out, and straight during leg extensions, leg curls, and any calf exercise. Back Pulldowns and cable rows can be done with a variety of grips, from very wide to parallel and narrow. Similarly, you can also alter your grip on barbell SMALL-ANGLE TIP SHEET A portable, adjustable bench can be positioned at a variety of angles for exercises you may not have considered, such as pulldowns (facing away from the cable). A Smith machine bar set at varying heights is great for body-weight-inverted rows or triceps extensions. A kind of dropset can be done by repeatedly changing the angle but not the resistance. For example, progress from dumbbell presses on an incline to flat to a decline without resting. this is a progression from harder to easier, such as dumbbell chest presses that go from a high incline to a low incline to flat to a low decline to a high decline. In that way, you can use the same weight as you progress, and with adequate rest between sets, you can get the same or more reps each time. Let’s go over a small-angle progression for pulldowns. Start with a wide grip. The next set use a shoulder-width grip. Then switch to a parallel grip on a medium-length bar. Finally, clip on a V-handle for your final set. The changes in hand and arm position will work the upper back in a subtly distinct way each set and activate more fibre than four sets performed the same way. 28 FLEX | JANUARY 2018