Three exercises. Properly coached.

Setup & Steps

1. Hold a dumbbell vertically against your chest, elbows tucked under.
2. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out 10–15°.
3. Inhale, brace your core, then sit your hips back and down.
4. Descend until elbows brush the inside of your knees.
5. Drive through mid-foot to stand, exhaling at the top.

Coaching Cues

• Knees track over the second toe — not collapsing inward.
• Chest stays proud; the dumbbell does not pull you forward.
• Heels stay planted throughout the rep.

Common Mistakes

• Letting the knees cave inward under load.
• Rising onto the toes at the bottom.
• Rounding the lower back at the bottom of the squat.

Setup & Steps

1. Stand holding a barbell at hip level with a double-overhand grip.
2. Soften your knees slightly; do not bend them further during the rep.
3. Hinge at the hips, pushing your butt straight back behind you.
4. Lower the bar along your thighs until you feel a strong hamstring stretch.
5. Drive your hips forward to return to standing, squeezing glutes at the top.

Coaching Cues

• Bar stays in contact with your legs the entire descent.
• Spine stays neutral — no rounding of the upper back.
• Movement is at the hips, not the knees.

Common Mistakes

• Squatting the weight down instead of hinging.
• Letting the bar drift away from the legs.
• Hyperextending the lower back at the top.

Setup & Steps

1. Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers spread, on the floor.
2. Extend legs back, body in a straight line from head to heels.
3. Engage core and glutes; do not let hips sag or pike.
4. Lower until your chest is roughly a fist-width from the floor.
5. Press back to full elbow extension while maintaining the line.

Coaching Cues

• Elbows tracking at ~45° from the ribs, not flared to 90°.
• Whole body moves as one rigid unit.
• Shoulder blades retract slightly on the way down, protract at the top.

Common Mistakes

• Letting the hips sag (loss of core tension).
• Performing partial-range reps that never reach full chest depth.
• Flaring elbows wide, stressing the shoulders.