Workout of the Week

Lower body strength and stability

Martin Brown, MP Ambassador and Powerlifter, shares his top workout.

Warm Up - 5 mins of light cardio work to raise heart rate

Mobility - Some shoulder rotations and dislocations with a mini band plus bodyweight lunges, squats, fire hydrants and mountain climbers

Main Workout

Safety Squat Bar Free Squat wih suspended weight on bands: (weight x sets x reps)

Exercise - Using a safety squat bar (or normal bar if you don't have access to a SSB) have a mixture of bar and hanging weight from a couple of pairs of small bands quadrupled over the ends of the bar. Squats are performed as normal with full range of motion and focusing on technique at all times.

Warning: Perform in a power rack using safety bars. A couple of competent spotters are also strongly advised.

Aim - to work up to 3 sets of 3 reps at around 90% of maximum effort. This should be around 60% bar weight and 30% hanging weight off the bands.

70kg bar weight x 2 x 10
70kg bar weight + 40kg suspended x 3
110kg bar weight + 40kg suspended x 3
70kg bar weight + 80kg suspended x 3
110kg bar weight + 80kg suspended x 3
110kg bar weight + 100kg suspended x 3 (belt on here)
150kg bar weight + 100kg suspended x 3 x 3


Ghetto Glute Ham Raises using Lat Pulldown with a Band Assisting

Exercise - Facing away from the pulldown machine, kneel on the seat and place your heels under the knee pad. Keeping your hips straight, gradually lower your body until you are parallel to the floor, then squeezing hamstrings and glutes pull your torso back up straight again. Wrap a band around the top of the pulldown and hold it over your head around your chest for support and assistance in the exercise.

Aim - 3-4 hard sets of 6-10 reps.

Mini band x 3 x 8


Kneeling Ab Crunches on Cable Pulldown

Exercise - Kneeling on the floor below a heavy cable stack using a rope attatchement held over each shoulder perform crunches through a full range of motion.

Aim - 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps stopping short of failure

6 plates x 10
8 plates x 3 x 10

Standing DB Side Bends

Exercise - Holding a single dumbell in one hand when standing, bend to the weighted side until the dumbell reaches just below the knee. Return to standing by contracting the opposite side obliques. Do not lean forward or backward during this exercise.

Aim - 2-4 sets of 10-15 reps not to failure

50kg x 3 x 10 each side

Cool Down - 5 mins gentle foam rolling and stretching plus MP Recovery drink...

It focuses on the strength and stability of the legs, hips and core, with additional work to strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, and all the major core muscles that support the hips.

The use of bands to 'hang' weight off the bar is a great tool for developing stability and strength. As the weight is not fixed to the bars movement path a large demand for stability is placed upon the body to resist the multi-directional pull from the swinging weights. This will absolutely kick your ass if you don't keep very tight and secure whilst you squat.

The assistance work was done at a moderately high intensity level avoiding failure. For the purposes of strength development it is better to stop just before failure than actively try to reach failure or beyond. It should be difficult but you shouldn't need a spotter helping you with any reps.

Discuss on the MP Forum.