Resistance Training: Sport Specific

The following conventional weight training exercises can develop overall strength that is further refined by adding sport specific movements:

Latissimus Dorsi (Upper Back):

Pull-ups or Pulldowns: Wide and Medium grip, narrow with palms facing you, V-Bar, parallel grip.

Narrow Rows: One Arm DB Rows (with opposite leg and arm on a bench), Low Pulley Row, Chest Supported Rows with Barbell or Dumbbells.

AVOID: Unsupported Rows with Dumbbells, Barbell, t-bar or "corner rows." Rounding the back, leaning or rocking back on pull-downs, "kipping" to complete pull-ups.

Rear Deltoids:

Wide Rows: Supported Barbell or Dumbbell Wide Rows, one arm dumbbell, Pulley Wide Rows with back stabilized.

Rear Laterals: Machine, one arm using Dumbbell, one arm using machine, two arms on a high bench using Barbell or two dumbbells.

AVOID: Unsupported rows or bent-over laterals, rounding the back, rocking the body.

Deltoids/Anterior Deltoids (Shoulders):

Lateral Raises: Standing, Seated, Full ROM, Short ROM(minimize trapezius involvement), Elbow laterals(DB held in the crook of the elbow), Cable (one arm or two arm), Incline laterals, Side-lying laterals.

Overhead Presses: Dumbbell, Military press.

AVOID: Behind the Neck Presses, Any exercise that causes clicking in the shoulder, Excessive Trapezius involvement. Always train the opposite muscle group (Lats, rear deltoids) equally for joint balance.

Pectoralis Major (Chest):

Chest Presses: Flat Barbell Bench Press, Flat Dumbbell Bench Press, Incline Barbell Press, Incline Dumbbell Press, Decline Bench Press, Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
Flies: Flat, Incline Decline, Decline.

Cable Cross-overs: Standing (using high pulleys), Flat bench, Incline bench, Decline bench using low pulleys.

Push-ups: Conventional, Modified (on knees), Feet elevated, Hands elevated.

AVOID: Bouncing weights off the chest, Ultra-deep Flies, Cross-overs or Presses, Slamming dumbbells together, Locking elbows hard, always train the opposite muscle group (Lats, rear deltoids) equally for joint balance.

Trapezius/Rhomboids:

Shrugs: Barbell, dumbbells, calf machine.

Rear Shrugs: Rowing machine wide handles, High Bench with Barbell, High Bench with Dumbbells.

AVOID: Rolling shoulders around rather than straight up shrugs

Triceps:

French Presses: Lying, E-Z Curl bars, Barbells, Cables.

Tricep Extensions: Standing, Sitting, Barbell, EZ Curl Bar, Dumbbell, Kickbacks
Cable.

Standing Tricep Pushdowns: Leaning away, Standing against machine, Facing
V-handle, Straight Bar, Rope Handle, EZ Handle, Reverse Grip, One Arm, Close-Grip

Bench Press:

Bench Dips: Feet on floor, Feet on bench, Bodyweight only, added weight on lap.

AVOID: Bouncing weights off the chest, Locking elbows hard, Excessive depth on Bench Dips

Biceps/Brachialis:

Curls (Standing): Barbell, EZ Bar (with or without Arm Blaster), Standing Dumbbells (Supinated or non-Supinated/ Alternating or Simultaneous), Cable (handles straight, curved, rope, 0ne hand, two hands).

Seated (Dumbbells only): Alternating or Simultaneous, Supinated or non-Supinated,
Incline Dumbbell: Supinated or non-Supinated.

Hammer Curls (Dumbbells or rope handle on low pulley): Standing or Seated, Alternating or Simultaneous.

AVOID: Preacher Bench Curls: Danger of hyper-extended elbows, Wide grip on Barbell or dumbbell curls with hands wider than shoulders, Rocking or leaning back to curl the weight, always train the opposite muscle group (triceps) for joint balance.

Quadriceps/Gluteus Maximus:

Squats: 90 degree Squats, Half Squats, Bench Squats, Front Squats, Wide Stance Squats (works inner thighs), Hack Squats, Smith Machine Squats.

Leg Presses: 90°, Partials, Narrow Stance, Wide Stance (Thigh Adductors), High Leg Press.

Lunges: Forward, Backward, Walking: The balance on these is difficult.

Step-ups: Alternating, One Leg, Not too high of a platform.

AVOID: Squats, Lunges, Step-ups or Leg Presses with knees at any angle less than 90°. Not aligning the knees in the same direction as the toes. Leg Extensions: Not useful in surfing, can be hard on the knees, especially with knees at any angle less than 90°, always train the opposite muscle group (Hamstrings) equally for joint balance.

Spinal Erectors:

Deadlifts: Conventional, Sumo-style, Lock-outs, Double overhand grip.

Back Extensions: Horizontal, 45 degree, Floor Kneeling Alternating Leg and Arm Raises, Exercise Ball Leg Extensions and Arm Extensions.

AVOID: Stiff-Legged Deadlifts (especially with waist less than 45° from horizontal), Back Hyper Extensions

Hamstrings:

Leg Curls: Seated, Lying, Standing.

AVOID: Letting the knees go straighter than 180°, or causing pain, Stiff-Leg Deadlifts, Pointing toes out or in.

Calves:

Calf Raises or Presses: Standing CR on machine, Donkey CR (machine or with a rider on your back), Seated CR, Leg Press Machine Calf Press, and Cybex Rotary CP.

Bodyweight only on a block: Two legged Standing CR, One Leg Standing CR.

AVOID: Bouncing, Cutting range of motion short.

Tibialis Anterior (front of shin):

Toe Raises: heels elevated, foot pulls up: Bodyweight, Shin machine

Abdominals:

Lower Rectus Abdominus: Pelvic Tilts: Knees up, Feet Up, Roman Chair, Hanging.

Internal/External Obliques: Twisting Crunches, Russian Twists, Leg Twists, Side Bends, Side Crunches.

Upper Rectus Abdominus: Crunches: Feet down, On the ball, Knees Up,.

AVOID: Sit-ups, Leg Raises (especially with locked knees), fast reps bouncing. Standing or seated waist twists with a bar or stick are ineffective.

Neck:

Neck Extension and Neck Flexion: Beginners may only need to use the weight of their own head. Later, resistance can be applied by a partner or using a head harness with weights attached or attached to a cable machine. There are also specific neck machines made by Nautilus and other companies.

Neck Lateral Flexion: Same methods and cautions as above.

AVOID: Fast reps, using other muscles to assist, Extreme range of motion. Forearms/wrists: Important for gripping.

Wrist Flexion:

Wrist Curls: Barbell, Dumbbells, Cable, Seated, Supported, One Arm or Both Arms,

Spring handled Grippers: There are many commercial versions of these, which specifically develop the muscles of the hands involved in holding on to an object. These muscles are also developed by many barbell and dumbbell exercises, especially those involving; Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius and Low Back.

Wrist Extension:

Reverse Wrist Curls: Barbell, Dumbbells, Cable, Seated, Supported, One Arm or Both Arms.

Wrist Radial Flexion: One side loaded adjustable dumbbell, Cable Rope Handle.
Wrist Ulnar Flexion: One side loaded adjustable dumbbell, Cable Rope Handle.

These exercises are used for people who have difficulty controlling the weights due to wrist weakness. Load weight discs only on one side of the adjustable dumbbell and grasp the other side with your hand and move the hand sideways towards the radius (thumb side of the wrist) or towards the ulna (pinky finger side of the wrist). These can also be performed with a rope handle attached to a pulley.

Rotator Cuff: People who have had previous rotator cuff injuries should do these, those who feel instability when doing free-weight upper body exercises and those who have done extensive machine training should do these exercises. Anyone else who is starting out and is doing mostly machine exercises should also do these as a preventative measure.

External Rotation: Dumbbells, Cables, Elastic Bands.

Internal Rotation: Dumbbells, Cables, Elastic Bands.

Thumbs down Front or 45° from Front Raises: Dumbbells, Elastic Bands.

AVOID: Over-training or over-straining these muscles, Heavy weight and low reps, Rocking the body to move the weight.

Multi Muscle Exercises: These exercises either spread the work among several muscle groups or can emphasize a particular muscle over another depending on how they are performed.

Dips: (Elbows pointing out develops chest more, elbows pointing in develops triceps more); Bench Dips (feet elevated or on floor), Bar Dips.

Pull-overs (Lats, Pecs, Serratus Anterior, Triceps): Barbell, Dumbbell, Cable, Machine, Arms Bent, Arms Straight.

Olympic Lifts and their derivatives (Quads, Gluteus, Hamstrings, Trapezius, Spinal erectors, Wrist Extensors: Clean and Jerk, Snatch (the two Olympic lifts), Power Cleans, Power Snatches, High Pulls (different grip widths), Power rack Pulls and Jerks from various heights, Upright Rows (with barbell or dumbbells, different grip widths), Jerk Presses.