
|
|
|
|
Nick Nilsson is the Director
of Online Operations for Staley Training Systems. He has
a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been
inventing powerful new training techniques for more than
17 years.
Nick is the author of a number
of bodybuilding eBooks (listed below) all available by clicking
here and has written for a variety of publications
including Men's Fitness, Reps, Musclemag, Bodybuilding.com
and many others. He can be contacted at nick@staleytraining.com.
|
|
|

Articles
New!
- One-Legged
Glute Deadlifts - An Exercise That Will Kick Your Butt
By
Nick Nilsson
|
Direct
glute training is VERY important for a variety of
reasons...lower body power, explosiveness, posterior
chain, and, of course, vanity...heck, I wrote a
book completely about building bigger glutes! I
recently (and totally by accident - I was actually
trying to do something else) discovered a variation
of the stiff-legged deadlift that targets the glutes
like a LASER beam...
|
|
 |

Power
Rack Dips - What To Do When You Don't Have Dipping Bars
By
Nick Nilsson
The
dip should be a staple of any complete
strength and muscle-building routine.
It's one of the best upper-body movements
you can do. But what do you do if you
don't have dipping bars in your gym? Are
you doomed to miss out on all the incredible
benefits this exercise has to offer? Not
anymore...
|
|
 |

One
Shoulder Barbell Squats - A TOTAL-Body Ab Exercise
By
Nick Nilsson
Here's another
entry into my long list of exercises that
work the abs while not looking at all like
an ab exercise! This
one is basically a squat...so how does it
work the abs? Very well, thanks! Seriously,
though, this exercise is EXTREMELY effective
at targeting the stabilizing and core strength
aspects of the abs. You'll be doing a barbell
squat but instead of supporting the bar
across your back in a "normal"
fashion, you will instead be resting it
on one shoulder, standing perpendicular
to the bar.
|
|
 |

Swiss
Ball Reverse Hyperextensions
By
Nick Nilsson
The
Reverse Hyperextension is a GREAT lower back
and posterior chain exercise (the muscles
that run along the back of the body). If you've
got lower back issues, it can be very useful
for deloading the spine and getting some traction
on the area. Typically, you need to have a
bench designed for the exercise...and that's
usually where the problem with this exercise
starts...not many gyms have a Reverse Hyper
bench!
|
|
 |

Side
Ball Push-Ups...A New Twist on a Classic Chest Exercise
By
Nick Nilsson
This is
one that is so completely obvious once
you see it in action, you'll probably
kick yourself if you've never tried
it before. It's going work your pecs
MUCH harder than regular push-ups, especially
if your triceps or shoulders have a
tendency to take over the movement.
|
|
 |

One
Arm Sandbag Cleans For Explosive Power
By
Nick Nilsson
Heaving
a sandbag up off the floor with one
arm and catching it is basically this
exercise. It's not fancy but it's
a GREAT way to build power through
your whole body.
To do
this one, obviously, you'll need a
sandbag...
|
|
 |

Heavy
Dumbell Slides - Good, Honest, Core Work...
By
Nick Nilsson
This one
isn't going to look like any ab exercises
you've ever seen...unless you've seen
my Dumbell Crawling exercise...then
you might be familiar with the concept.
Basically,
you're going to grab 2 heavy dumbells
(I'm using 125 lb dumbells in the demo)
and you're going to slide them forward
then backward across the floor. Nothing
complex about this one...basically,
we're mimicking manual labor here :)
|
|
 |

Dumbell
and Machine Squats
By
Nick Nilsson
| If
you're in the market for a leg exercise that will
REALLY push the limits of your leg capabilities,
the Dumbell and Machine Squat is an incredible one.
I don't use machines a lot but when I do, it's generally
to make things HARDER not easier... |
|
 |

One
Dumbell Shoulder Press
By
Nick Nilsson
This version
of the shoulder press resembles a "strongman"
type of movement where you're treating
the dumbell like an odd-shaped object
rather than a dumbell.
It a front-delt
accentuated type of exercise, similar
to an Arnold Press but without rotating
elbows around because they're set on the
dumbell (you'll see what I mean).
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Plank
One Arm Dumbell Rows
By
Nick Nilsson
|
This
is a great exercise for not only working the back
but developing core strength and stability as well.
You're
basically combining a one arm dumbell row with what
looks like a one arm plank exercise (the ab exercise
where you rest on your elbows and toes while keep
your body straight).
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Foot-To-Hand
Kettlebell Raises
By
Nick Nilsson
This
is a unique core exercise that
I think you'll really enjoy. It
not only challenges the core but
also your balance as you're performing
the exercise.
It also ties the hip flexors in
to the movement, which is useful
(ironically enough) because so
many people do crunches and do
everything they can to take the
hip flexors out of abdominal movements,
that sometimes the hip flexors
are actually UNDERdeveloped.
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Close
Grip Push-Ups to Bodyweight Extensions
By
Nick Nilsson
Let me warn
you up front, this is a TOUGH tricep exercise.
It combines two of the very best bodyweight
tricep exercises you can (other than dips)
into an alternating-rep (inset superset)
exercise.
You can do
this one with your feet on the floor to
make it easier, just fyi...I'm using a bench
to set my feet on because I'm insane and
wanted to make things as hard as possible,
apparently...
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Weighted
Abdominal Planks For Rock-Solid Core Strength
By Nick
Nilsson
|
The plank is a classic
ab exercise. Simple...uses just bodyweight...very
effective. If you haven't seen it, basically lay
flat on your stomach on the floor then hold yourself
up on your forearms, keeping your body straight
like a plank.
Now it's time to kick
it up a notch, because you know me...I'm all about
taking the easy way out and doing things like a
"normal" person...
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Bicep
Superset - Preachers To EZ Curls
By Nick
Nilsson
|
This is one my favorite
"quick and easy" supersets for biceps
because you don't have to change weights or stations
or anything like that. It'll give your biceps a
great growth stimulation!
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

When
Can You Have TOO Much Training Variety?
By Nick
Nilsson
|
Yep, seems like a
strange question for someone like ME to be asking!
After all, with all the lunatic stuff I come up
with, you'd think I'd be a proponent of doing something
different every single day!
Oddly enough, even
though I have a TON of unique exercises, I have
training sessions where I do nothing but basic stuff
and don't even TRY to come up with new twists on
anything.
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Band
Supported Dips to KILL Your Upper Body
By Nick
Nilsson
|
Let me just start
by saying, even if you're STRONG with dips, this
exercise is going to challenge you like you're never
been challenged with a dip before. To
give you an idea, I can do 50 reps of bodyweight
dips but 5 reps on this version is tough.
But don't let that
scare you! You're going to LOVE this one. This is
GREAT exercise for the entire upper body.
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

In-Rack
Dumbell Split Squats
By Nick
Nilsson
|
The dumbell
split squat is one of my favorite leg exercises
- you can really work this one till you fall down
- I like it better than squats for hitting the thighs
hard, in fact.
This
variation of it gives you a few benefits on top
of the split squat on the floor - with a tradeoff...stability...
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Kneeling
Sandbag Shouldering
By Nick
Nilsson
|
So it's no secret
that I like using equipment that offers multiple
exercises. When it comes to THAT, the sandbag is
one of the kings of the hill. I HIGHLY recommend
grabbing one of these, if you don't already have
one. I have a bag filled with 70 lbs of sand. It
can be used for a TON of exercises (click
here to grab yours) and is EXTREMELY functional...this
exercise is no different!
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Front
to Back to Wide Stance Squats
By Nick
Nilsson
|
This technique is
basically a "variation drop set", though
you could also call it a giant set (3 or more exercises
in a row with no rest). You're going to be doing
3 different types of squats, using the different
leverages of each variation as the drop instead
of reducing weight. It's a pretty straightforward
concept once you see it in action...
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Barbell
Weighted Chin-Ups
By Nick
Nilsson
|
Need some extra resistance
for your Chin-Ups? This is a unique way to do it
that adds a balance component and requires hamstring
strength, making the exercise more of a total-body
type of exercise.
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

MAX
Range Dumbell Squats
By Nick
Nilsson
|
Let me just start
by saying when I say MAX range, I mean MAXIMUM range!
With this exercise, you are going to be using a
bench and dumbells to achieve a range of motion
in the squat far greater than what you normally
would use.
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Heavy
Dumbell Swings
By Nick
Nilsson
|
This is partly an
ab exercise, partly a leg exercise, partly a shoulder
exercise, partly a back exercise and very a much
a total-body exercise. The concept is simple...pick
up a single dumbell then swing it up as high as
you can in front of you! There are some tricks to
it, though...
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

"Forehead
on Bench" Rowing
By Nick
Nilsson
|
This is a technique
that solves several problems at once when it comes
to rowing with barbells and dumbells. The first
problem is how to maintain proper body position
when doing a barbell or dumbell row. The next problem
is how to work your neck without specifically setting
aside time to work your neck. This technique adds
direct neck work into your back work.
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

How
To Do Barbell Cheat Curls
By Nick
Nilsson
|
The Barbell Curl is
the king of bicep exercises. You want big biceps,
you do barbell curls. But when you get to a certain
level of development, the standard strict barbell
curl doesn't always give your biceps enough growth
stimulation to get the job done. That's
where the Barbell Cheat Curl comes in. Here's the
key...you're not cheating just to use more weight.
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Front
and Back Grip Straddle Deadlifts, a.k.a. Jefferson Lifts
By Nick
Nilsson
|
The deadlift is without
question, one of THE very best exercises you can
do. There are a ton of different variations of the
deadlift a person can do. I've got a good one for
you to try out!
This version of the
deadlift turns everything 90 degrees. Literally!
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |

Stiff-Legged
Deadlift Top Partials
By Nick
Nilsson
|
The Stiff-Legged Deadlift
is an exercise I'm sure you'll recognize. If you
don't recognize it, then this is not really a good
exercise for you to try because it's going to thoroughly
overload the top range of motion of it with VERY
heavy weight!
This is a really powerful
technique - it's your basic top-range partial movement
but done using the top range of the Stiff-Legged
Deadlift (if you read the title, you may have figured
this out already...)
|
Click
here to keep reading...
|
 |
|
|
|