Alwyn Cosgrove

The seesaw push up.

Put your hands on a bar that won't stay still and the whole game changes.

Now it's not just a press. It's a fight to keep the bar level. One side dips, the other has to answer. Every rep is anti-rotation, shoulder stability, and grip — paid for in real time.

Instability isn't the gimmick. The control is the point.

Most people train push ups on a floor that never argues back. This argues back.
Program it.

16 weeks post surgery!

While we do a lot of "cool" exercises at the bulk of what we do with our athletes is very basic.

Our beginner squat progression starts with goblet squats, moves to double kettlebell front squats before moving to barbell front squats. I like using a box to have consistency in depth. (It's easy to move up 5lbs in weight but unintentionally cut depth an inch).

( doing 155 for 5 reps - about 1.25x bodyweight)

The Tall Kneeling Cable Bar Lift.
One of the most useful core exercises you're probably not doing.

Here's what it does:
In split stance or half kneeling you get stability from the legs. Tall kneeling removes that, forcing the core and hips to have to fight harder.

The cable pulls diagonally — from your shoulder to the opposite hip— making your core resist rotation while your shoulders move overhead. Anti-rotation, anti-extension, and overhead stability.

Regression is to widen the space between the knees or move back to half kneeling.

Key thing to watch is we want as little movement as possible through the core to make it a true stability challenge.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀⁣
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Stupid name. But one of the best shoulder exercises you've never programmed.⁣
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Here's what it actually does.⁣
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Lying face-down on an incline bench, you row, externally rotate, then press overhead. Three movements. One rep. It hammers the rear delts, the rotator cuff, and the lower traps — the three things most lifters train poorly, late, or never.⁣
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Translation? Healthier shoulders. Better posture. A pressing pattern that still works at 60.⁣
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And it humbles everyone. The 225-lb bencher reaches for the 5s.⁣
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Program it before your shoulders make you 😉

Some athletes aren't cleared for pushing or pulling overhead for various reasons.
A simple adjustment you can make, (while hopefully working on clearing up any restrictions), is to adjust the angle and use unilateral options.

For example - switching from an overhead press to a half kneeling landmine press, or in this case using a 45 degree half kneeling cable pulldown in place of pull ups can be very effective.

No exercise is mandatory - we always have options to regress or lateralize.

The Reach, Roll, and Lift improves scapular stability, activates the lower trap and enhances shoulder mobility. ⁣

We like to think of it as an exercise to develop strength at end ranges of motion⁣
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Progression is to move to a foam roller, and eventually the floor (basically just increasing the forward flexion of the athlete so we can challenge ROM more)⁣

In the version here, we allow a little lateral roll of the ball before rolling the hand over.
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Traditionally used as a rehabilitation exercise, we use it as a "filler" movement between sets of heavier strength exercise.⁣
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