How to get a body like Glen Powell: Chest and back workout

The set-up

• Find a rack that allows you to set your pin height.
• Set the height of the pin to a height where you can maintain a neutral spine. Generally a good starting point can be setting the pin just below the knee.
• Stand with your feet underneath the bar at approximately hip-width apart.
• Grab the bar just outside your hip width.
• Sit your hips back, lift your chest and brace.

The movement

• Maintaining a neutral spine, perform a hip thrust action to stand up with the bar.
• Once standing, sit your hips back and lower the bar until the bar meets the rack.
• Keep the arms straight throughout the movement.
• Keep the bar close to you throughout to help keep the back engaged.

Trainer tips

• Ensure you come to a deadstop at the bottom of each rep to maximise the movement.
• You should feel like you are pushing through your heels and this may be difficult to feel in standard running shoes with a cushioned heel. Consider replacing these.
• Use straps to prevent grip becoming a limiting factor when performing this exercise.
• Progression through lowering the pins to increase the range can be a great alternative to loading the exercise further.

The set-up 

• Pick up the dumbbell using a neutral grip and sit on the bench with them resting on your thighs, close to your hip crease.
• Position your feet shoulder-width apart, under or behind your knees and flat on the floor.
• Lean back against the bench, using your thighs to help get the dumbbells into position, level with your chest and then up to a stacked position, with the wrist, elbow and shoulder all aligned.
• Point your chest upwards (but keep the ribcage tucked down) towards the ceiling and tuck your shoulder blades down into your back pockets.
• Your shoulders and glutes should be touching the bench, and there will be a small gap between your lower can and the bench.
• This is the start and end position for each rep.

The movement

• From the stacked position at the top, “pull” the dumbbells down towards your chest with the arms at an angle of 45-60 degrees to your torso.
• You have reached the end of your range-of-motion when you can no longer lower the dumbbells without the shoulder rounding forwards.
• Pause before reversing the motion, under control, to return to the start position.
• Pause again before repeating for the desired number of reps.
• On the last rep, lower the dumbbells to your chest, tuck your elbows in and sit forwards using your legs to generate momentum. You can also ask a training partner to take one dumbbell from you at a time.

Trainer tips

• Make sure that the dumbbells do not clang together at the top of the movement.
• Ensure that you do not ‘shrug’ the weight up at the top. This reduces shoulder stability and increases the risk of injury. Focus on keeping the shoulder blades tucked down throughout.

The set-up

• Grip the cable attachment with a neutral grip and sit down on the bench with your upper thighs securely positioned under the padding.
• Sit up as tall as possible (keeping the ribcage tucked), with your arms fully extended above your head but avoid shrugging your shoulders up to your ears.
• This is the start and end position for each rep.

The movement

• Keeping your torso still, initiate the movement by dropping your shoulder blades down into your back pockets (closing the gap between your armpit and your hips). Think ‘taking the elevator down’ not ‘pinching’ when it comes to the shoulder blades.
• Draw the elbow downwards vertically (not backwards), maintaining the same torso position and high chest throughout.
• You have reached the end of your range-of-motion when your elbows cannot travel any further without your shoulders rotating inwards and upper back rounding.
• Pause for a moment and focus on contracting the lats by squeezing your elbows into your sides.
• Reverse the motion, under control, to return to the start position.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Trainer tips

• Imagine you are taking your shoulder blades up and down like an elevator; allow them to move through their full range of motion rather than yanking the bar with your arms.
• Avoid using cable attachments that are narrower than your shoulders as this can restrict your range-of-motion.
• Use lifting straps to avoid grip becoming a limiting factor in the movement.
• Watch how far the weight stack travels on each rep as a reference point for your range-of-motion. If this shortens significantly between the first and last rep, the weight is too heavy.
• The arm muscles will contribute to this movement, but they should not be doing all the work. Focus on drawing the weight down using the back only; the arms should simply assist in the movement.

The set-up 

• Select a seat height that allows your hands to be just lower than shoulder height when you set up.
• Set the handles in line with your shoulders or where you can maintain shoulder position.
• Sit in an upright position with your chest up.
• Grab the handles and extend your arms straight.

The movement

• Maintaining the same posture, keep your arms wide and move the handles in a curved motion.
• Keep moving the cables until your hands are in line with your shoulders.
• Slowly reverse the motion to the start position and repeat.

Trainer tips

• Think about engaging the chest to start the motion to avoid the use of the shoulders.
• Keep your arms wide to maintain tension.
• Not going further than in line with the shoulders keeps tension on the chest throughout the set.

The set-up

• Using an adjustable cable machine, set the cable just above head height and attach the EZ bar.
• Grab the bar with straight arms, and facing towards the cable machine, step back.
• Lean your body inwards and sit your hips back so your torso is around 45 degrees to match the line of travel of the cable pull.
• Have a slight bend in the knees to allow you to distribute your weight and maintain balance.

The movement

• Keeping the arms straight, pull the cable in an arc.
• This arc should start with the bar above your head and finish with your hands and bar in contact with your thighs.
• Reverse the movement under control to the start position.

Trainer tips

• Sit your weight on your heels to maintain balance.

The set-up 

• Set the farmer’s handles just outside shoulder-width and load the weight.
• Starting from a deadlift position, pick up the handles.
• Pinch the shoulder blades back and keep the hands slightly away from your sides.

The movement

• Maintaining posture, walk with the handles for your set distance, aiming to keep the handles still.
• Continue to walk until you hit your correct distance keeping the same contraction between your shoulders.

Trainer tips

• Looking slightly up, like you are trying to look beyond the horizon, can help maintain your upright posture.
• Using straps can be a great way to overload the lats once the movement becomes too challenging for the forearms.
• Performing this as an alternative to a ‘metcon’ can be a great way to include conditioning into workouts.
• If you don’t have access to farmer’s handles, heavy dumbbells are a good alternative.