News From Alexander Cortes
Exercise Index – Lu Raises For Shoulder Strength & Mobility
Alexander Cortes - Jan 28th 2023 1:36pm ESTI’ve been asked about this exercise a lot, it was popularized by the Chinese Olympic Lifting Champion Lu Xiaojun. This is not a new exercise that he invented, it’s existed in training literature since the 1920s, Bill Pearl describes it in his Keys to the Inner Universe book. What’s it good for? It’s a lateral […]
Exercise Index – Lu Raises For Shoulder Strength & Mobility
Alexander Cortes - Oct 29th 2022 5:23am EDTMy best writings are seen by my loyal email subscribers (37500+). Join my free Newsletter. Thanks for visiting!I’ve been asked about this exercise a lot, it was popularized by the Chinese Olympic Lifting Champion Lu Xiaojun. This is not a new exercise that he invented, it’s existed in training literature since the 1920s, Bill Pearl […]
Exercise Index – Lu Raises For Shoulder Strength & Mobility
Alexander Cortes - Sep 30th 2022 12:53pm EDTI’ve been asked about this exercise a lot, it was popularized by the Chinese Olympic Lifting Champion Lu Xiaojun. This is not a new exercise that he invented, it’s existed in training literature since the 1920s, Bill Pearl describes it in his Keys to the Inner Universe book. What’s it good for? It’s a lateral […]
Exercise Index – Lu Raises For Shoulder Strength & Mobility
Alexander Cortes - Sep 30th 2022 11:57am EDTMy best writings are seen by my loyal email subscribers (37500+). Join my free Newsletter. Thanks for visiting!I’ve been asked about this exercise a lot, it was popularized by the Chinese Olympic Lifting Champion Lu Xiaojun. This is not a new exercise that he invented, it’s existed in training literature since the 1920s, Bill Pearl […]
Exercise Index – Angels Of Death For Fighters With Upper Back Pain
Alexander Cortes - Sep 30th 2022 11:53am EDTMy coach @hyenamuaythai asked me for an exercise for upper back pain, and this is one I recommended. Thoracic pain is common in combat sports, striking does require a rounded over posture by default, and over time this can lead to muscular pain. Add in the physical stress of fighting and potential injury, and you’ve […]
Static Stretching 101
Alexander Cortes - Sep 30th 2022 10:31am EDTStatic stretching is popular, but people rarely do it correctly, for static stretching to work, you need to hold a stretch for 2 to 5 minutes, this allows the nervous system to relax, which allows muscle tissue to gradually lengthen as your nervous systems acclimates to the muscle being stretched. This takes at least two […]
The Best Warmup Ever
Alexander Cortes - Sep 1st 2022 2:36pm EDTMy best writings are seen by my loyal email subscribers (37500+). Join my free Newsletter. Thanks for visiting!Over the past decade I have seen warming up becoming increasingly complex, fitness professionals will have their clients perform a large variety of exercises, there’s an assumption that nothing can be done until the warming up process is […]
The Best Warmup Ever
Alexander Cortes - Aug 19th 2022 7:11am EDTOver the past decade I have seen warming up becoming increasingly complex, fitness professionals will have their clients perform a large variety of exercises, there’s an assumption that nothing can be done until the warming up process is complete, but in many cases the exercises performed are completely removed from the actual work out its […]
Exercise Index – TRX Pushups (bad) VS Rings Pushups (good)
Alexander Cortes - Aug 19th 2022 6:11am EDTOver a decade ago I became TRX certified, and I remember being taught the TRX push-up as part of the exercise repertoire, at the time the exercise felt awkward but I could not logically explain why. As I became more educated in biomechanics, I realized the problem, the anatomical function of pectoral muscle is to […]
Exercise Index – Back Training Biomechanics, The Significance Of Elbow Position
Alexander Cortes - Aug 8th 2022 10:21am EDTBiomechanics can be a confusing subject, but I always believe in making it simple for clients, people don’t need to know super specific anatomy, but they should know body positioning and how that affects an exercise. When training your back, using a wider grip with your elbow higher will always recruit more upper back. This […]
Exercise Index – High Incline Smith Machine Press For Stable Pain-Free Pressing
Alexander Cortes - Aug 8th 2022 9:21am EDTCredit to @dante_trudel, his original DogCrapp training guide online had this exercise in it as one of the recommended shoulder builders I don’t know why this exercise isn’t more popular. It’s stable, easily customized, you can move lots of weight, and it’s a great strength and mass builder. Yet I rarely see it done in gyms. […]
Exercise Index – Front Kicks And Pankration (Ancient Greek Teeps???)
Alexander Cortes - Aug 7th 2022 1:10am EDTPankration is an ancient martial art which mixes wrestling and boxing. The sport can be traced as far back as the second millennium BCE in the territory of ancient Greece. In Pankration, which is over 2500 years old, fighters were allowed to throw kicks, the exact technique of how they through them we do not […]
Exercise Index – Chest Supported T-Bar Row For Building A Big Back Without Spinal Stress
Alexander Cortes - Aug 4th 2022 6:17am EDTThis is one of the main rowing exercise I recommend, along with the horizontal row and the dumbbell version. No spinal stress, super stable, and you can adjust it for anyone’s structure. All the same biomechanical principles apply as any other row: elbows at 90 degrees, line of resistance aligned with the muscles you want […]
Exercise Index – Inverted Rows For All Around Muscle Growth For Back
Alexander Cortes - Aug 4th 2022 4:15am EDTI’ve been programming this exercise since year 1 of my personal training career. It works for all body types, it can be progresses or regressed myriad ways, and it’s an effective all around muscle builder for the back, particularly the upper back and upper lats. It’s what I consider a self correcting exercise: it does […]
Exercise Index – Single Arm Pulldowns For Lat Development
Alexander Cortes - Aug 4th 2022 2:46am EDTSome years back I was experimenting with doing seated pulldowns on a 45 degree angle, and I maxed out the weight on the stack. As an experiment, I tried this single arm version you see here. It worked better than the bilateral version did. Because of the 45 degree angle of the weight and sitting […]
Exercise Index – Horizontal Back Extension
Alexander Cortes - Aug 4th 2022 12:46am EDTBefore the 45° hyperextension became so popular, this was the premiere exercise to strengthen the spina erectors, unfortunately horizontal back extension machines are very uncommon today, but if you have one I suggest utilizing it. It’s a simple exercise that can be regressed or progressed readily. Once you’ve gotten strong with Bodyweight, add weight at […]
Exercise Index – Jefferson Curl
Alexander Cortes - Aug 3rd 2022 7:16am EDTJefferson Curl is a unique old schoold Deadlift move specifically done for spinal strengthening. Recently, Ben Patrick of ATG group revitalized it. It’s a fantastic movement for building bodily integrity. The core point of the exercise is, you’re NOT going to keep your spine flat. Instead, you’re going to round your spine as you descend […]
How To Avoid Bicep Tendinitis While Doing One-Arm Rows
Alexander Cortes - Aug 3rd 2022 6:16am EDTThis exercise is very popular, and it’s done wrong nearly all of the time. Pulling the weight with your hand and trying to pull it to the shoulder is the incorrect form. As is the ballistic movement of jerking the weight. Lifting this way inevitably leads to some kind as of inflammation/joint aggravation. It’s a […]
Flexibility and Mobility
Alexander Cortes - Aug 2nd 2022 6:46am EDTFlexibility is the ability of a muscle to lengthen, and the ability of a joint to be taken through its full range of motion (or beyond). Mobility is your overall ability to move. Flexibility and mobility are confusing subjects, but the scientific reality of improving them is incredibly basic. To improve muscle length and joint […]
Exercise Index – Seated Good Mornings for Spinal Erector Strength and Groin Flexibility
Alexander Cortes - Aug 2nd 2022 3:46am EDTGood mornings are a controversial exercise with a funny name. They’ve been around for decades, as far back as the early 1900s. Supposedly the name comes from the exercise resembling the good morning bow done in schools in some East Asian cultures, although this is entirely apocryphal. The exercise at one time was called barbell […]
Exercise Index – Isometrics for Elbow Tendon Stregth and Tendinitis Rehab
Alexander Cortes - Aug 2nd 2022 2:47am EDTIsometrics allow applying of maximum mechanical tension to a tendon with no change in muscle length (relatively speaking). Because of this, isometrics can be effective for rehabbing tendons and muscles (by applying mechanical tension), and they work around the pain response that is often experienced from a full range of motion dynamic exercises. After reading @jaketuura’s […]
Exercise Index – Dead Hangs, For Posture and Spinal Health
Alexander Cortes - Aug 2nd 2022 1:46am EDTDead Hangs as discovered by Dr. John Kirsch are immensely effective for shoulder rehabilitation because they strengthen the acromiohumeral joint through elongation and progressive reshaping of the acromion process. This creates more subacromial space for the tendon. Contrary to conventional belief, the dead hang relieves impingement over time. Said simply, they decompress the shoulder joint. […]
ARTHUR JONES AND THE RISE OF MACHINES
Alexander Cortes - Jul 21st 2022 8:26pm EDTMy best writings are seen by my loyal email subscribers (37500+). Join my free Newsletter. Thanks for visiting!Arthur Jones is forgotten about today, but anyone who has ever used ANY machine in a gym has used one of his inventions Jones was the first person to recognize that machines could be SUPERIOR to free weights […]
ARTHUR JONES AND THE RISE OF MACHINES
Alexander Cortes - Jul 2nd 2022 12:51pm EDTArthur Jones is forgotten about today, but anyone who has ever used ANY machine in a gym has used one of his inventions Jones was the first person to recognize that machines could be SUPERIOR to free weights for muscle building Jones loved muscle building, but hated the false machismo that many men had with […]
Simple Rehab Protocol To Recover Quickly From Injury
Alexander Cortes - Jun 17th 2022 8:26am EDTStart with Isometric Exercises 30 seconds, anywhere from 4-10 sets. Isometrics must be done at joint angle that specifically strengthens the affected tissues. Then do Heavy Isotonics This means lifting, Heavy as possible, SLOW rep speed, stable exercises only And finally, do Explosive/Elastic Exercises Must already have done 1,2 and demonstrated progression. Rate of Force […]