Day 6: Advanced Lower

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Form Tips

• Start in a regular squat stance (feet shoulder-width apart)
• Descend into a squat (thighs parallel to ground or slightly below)
• Explosively drive through your feet to jump as high as possible
• Extend fully at the top (jump)
• Land softly on the balls of your feet
• Immediately descend into the next squat
• Maintain rhythm - this is continuous jumping

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Explosive Training

• Power: Rate of force development
• Fast-twitch muscle fibers: The ones with the most growth potential
• Athletic performance: Jumping, sprinting, explosiveness
• Muscle definition: Plyometrics help with muscle hardness and definition

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Landing Mechanics

• Critical for knee safety:
  • Land softly (imagine landing on eggshells)
  • Land on balls of feet first, then heels
  • Allow knees to bend to absorb impact
  • Don’t let knees cave inward on landing
  • Don’t land with locked knees (injury risk)

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Common Mistakes

• Not jumping high enough (this is about POWER)
• Landing too heavily (increases injury risk)
• Not going deep enough in the squat
• Knees caving inward on landing
• Losing rhythm and pausing between jumps

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Form Tips

• Same as Day 2 (Tuesday), but with 4 sets instead of 3
• Stand 2-3 feet in front of bench/chair
• Place rear foot on elevated surface
• Hold dumbbells at sides (5kg recommended)
• Lower back knee toward ground
• Pause for 2 full seconds at the bottom
• Drive through front heel to stand

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Why Again?

• Increased weekly volume: 7 total sets (3 Tuesday + 4 Saturday) for maximum growth
• Neural adaptation: The more you practice, the better you get
• Muscle memory: Repeated exposure to movement patterns
• By now (Day 6), you should have better form than Tuesday

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The Extra Set

• Today you’re doing 4 sets instead of 3
• This increases total volume
• Make sure to maintain quality on all 4 sets
• If form breaks down on set 4, reduce weight slightly

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Progressive Overload Focus

• Try to match or exceed Tuesday’s reps
• Or use the same weight with better form
• Or try adding 1kg to the dumbbells

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Form Tips

• Start in downward dog yoga position
• Hands shoulder-width apart, feet hip-width apart
• Hips pushed high in the air (inverted V shape)
• Keep legs as straight as possible
• Bend elbows to lower head toward ground
• Head should travel in a straight line down
• Press back up to starting position

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Pike Push-up Geometry

• Your body should form an inverted V or triangle
• The steeper the angle (higher hips), the harder the exercise
• This mimics an overhead press motion
• More shoulder emphasis than regular push-ups

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What You’re Working

• Primary: Anterior deltoids (front shoulders)
• Secondary: Lateral deltoids, triceps, upper chest
• Benefits: Bodyweight shoulder strength, prepares you for handstand push-ups

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Progression Path

• Beginner: Pike push-ups (today’s version)
• Intermediate: Feet elevated pike push-ups
• Advanced: Wall-supported handstand push-ups
• Elite: Freestanding handstand push-ups

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Common Mistakes

• Not keeping hips high enough (turns into regular push-ups)
• Bending knees excessively
• Not lowering head all the way to ground
• Flaring elbows too wide (keep them at 45 degrees)

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Form Tips

• Stand with dumbbells in front of thighs, palms facing your body
• Keep a slight bend in elbows (don’t lock out)
• Raise dumbbells straight in front of you
• Lift until arms are parallel to ground (shoulder height)
• Pause briefly at the top
• Control the descent - don’t drop the weights
• Lower slowly over 2-3 seconds

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Eccentric Control

• Concentric (lifting) builds strength
• Eccentric (lowering) builds muscle size
• Taking 2-3 seconds to lower maximizes time under tension
• Don’t rush this phase - it’s where the growth happens

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What You’re Working

• Primary: Anterior deltoids (front shoulders)
• Secondary: Lateral deltoids, upper chest
• Benefits: Shoulder development, improved posture

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Form Variations

• Palms down: Standard, most common
• Palms facing each other (neutral): Slightly easier on shoulders
• Alternating arms: One at a time for better focus
• Both together: Both arms simultaneously (today’s version)

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Common Mistakes

• Using too much weight (leads to swinging)
• Raising weights above shoulder height (engages traps instead)
• Leaning back to help lift the weight
• Dropping the weight instead of controlling the descent
• Locking out elbows (increases injury risk)

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Form Tips

• Same exercise as Day 2 (Tuesday)
• Stand on edge of stair or raised surface
• Balls of feet on edge, heels hanging off
• Hold dumbbells for resistance (optional)
• Lower heels below the level of the stair (full stretch)
• Push up onto toes as high as possible
• Pause and squeeze at the top for 1-2 seconds
• Lower with control

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The Pause and Squeeze

• At the top of each rep, squeeze your calves HARD
• Hold for 1-2 full seconds
• This peak contraction is essential for calf development
• Think “squeeze like you’re trying to cramp your calves”

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Calf Training Frequency

• Day 2: 4 sets of 25 reps
• Day 6: 4 sets of 20 reps (with pause)
• Total weekly volume: 8 sets

• They’re used to high volume (you walk on them all day)
• They recover quickly
• They need frequent stimulation to grow

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Progressive Overload

• Since Tuesday, try to:
  • Use heavier dumbbells (add 1-2kg)
  • OR add 2-3 reps per set
  • OR increase pause duration to 3 seconds
  • OR try single-leg calf raises