Bodyshop: the one-exercise workout

Men's Fitness, March, 1999 by Dan Wagman

Tip: From the deadlift to the hang clean, you're now going to put the first phase of the clean and jerk together in one explosive movement.

1. Repeat steps one through five of the deadlift, but when the bar reaches a point just above your knees, slide smoothly into steps one through five of the hang clean (positions A, B and C).

2. Breathe in before you pull, and start to exhale once the bar reaches neck level and you're ready to rack it.

Push press

Muscles involved: Shoulders, triceps

Tip: Unlike what you'd do in a typical press, the objective here is to get the bar overhead in an explosive manner.

1. Place the bar on a squat rack slightly below shoulder level (not shown).

2. Position yourself under the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width and the bar resting high on your chest and across your shoulders (position A).

3. With your wrists hyperextended and your upper arms parallel to the floor, flex your hips and knees slightly (position B).

4. Immediately follow with an explosive extension of your hips and knees, allowing your heels to leave the ground.

5. As you reach full extension, press the bar forcefully and explosively overhead to lockout (position C).

6. Inhale before you initiate the movement, and start to exhale as you move through the hardest part of the upward movement.

Clean and jerk

Muscles involved: All of the above

Tip: You've mastered each component of the clean and jerk; now it's time to put it all together. You're basically doing all of the above exercises one after the other in a smooth motion, like a wave crashing onto a beach. Maintain strict form throughout for maximal muscle involvement and minimal injury potential.

1. Stand in front of the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend down to grasp the bar with an overhand grip.

2. As you bend down, keep your back slightly arched by keeping your shoulders back and your chest out.

3. Bend down until your thighs are about parallel to the floor, keep your feet flat and take a deep breath (position A).

4. With your arms fully extended, elbows pointing out, shoulders over the bar and shins close to the bar, begin to pull by extending your knees and hips and raising your upper body (position B).

5. Keep the bar close to your body, look straight ahead and maintain the arch in your back.

6. As the bar reaches a point just above your knees, thrust your hips forward, start shrugging your shoulders and raise your heels powerfully off the floor (position C).

7. Keep shrugging your shoulders as high as possible, pulling the bar up to neck height (position D).

8. As you reach neck height and rotate your arms under the bar, bend your knees to catch the bar, keeping your upper body erect and your back slightly arched (position E).

9. Come to an upright position, take another deep breath and bend your knees. As you explode upward, locking out your knees, you'll also raise your heels off the floor in a powerful drive of the bar overhead (positions F and G).

10. Exhale as you lock out (position H).