Stuck on a new exercise?

If you're learning a new exercise or trying a PR on weight, you can try a few things to break past your "sticking point"*Show more

*For example, the bottom part of a bench press. Or the top part. Depends on the individual.

1.) You can use lighter weight (or an easier exercise) and hold that sticking point for time.

For example, if you're trying to 1RM bench press at 315lb, you can try holding 200lb at joint angle for time.

Or if you're training pull-ups and you're stuck at the middle position, you can find an easier variation (like a horizontal pullup or row) and hold that for time.

Something you can hold for 20-30 seconds is a decent starting point. Increase and decrease as needed. This helps build control.

This is sometimes called Yielding Isometrics.

2.) You can use a HIGHER weight than what you can lift. Push or pull on this as hard as you safely can.

To use the previous bench press example, find a power rack, Smith machine, or some way to position the bar where you can reach it but you can't move. Be smart and safe with this. Then push against the bar for 6-20 seconds. It should not move much at all.

If you're training pull-ups you can weigh yourself down like I show in the video and pull in the same way. If you're not able to do one arm pull-ups yet, you can simply just try this with one arm.

6-20 seconds is a reasonable place to start. This helps max out your force output but also gives you some extra time to settle in to the position.

This is something called Overcoming Isometrics

(some might say Pin Isometrics, but in our case, pins may not be involved, so the name might not fit).

3.) You can use a lighter weight (like method one) and just do partial reps through your trouble spot.

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This probably shouldn't be the bulk of your training, but can help you bust through certain plateaus!

Personally, finding the right exercise for me was important to learning the human flag. It went from almost no progress to full flag in a few weeks.

Among other things, "joint-angle specific" training can help target weak points in your movement. For example. Different muscles are often emphasized differently through a full range of motion.

#hybridcalisthenics