The STACK Exercise of the Week helps you improve your overall sports performance—including strength, speed, conditioning and flexibility.

The Exercise

Barbell Complex

Who Does It

Tiki Barber, former NFL All-Pro RB

Sports Performance Benefits

The barbell complex includes six exercises that will build upper- and lower-body strength as well as explosive power. Performing these exercises one after the other will also elevate your heart rate, building muscular endurance and burning more calories.

How To

Perform one set of five reps of each exercise. Rest 90 seconds and repeat the circuit a total of three times.

Deadlift

• Squat down and grasp the bar with slightly-wider-than-shoulder-width grip
• Position the bar close to your shins
• Fully extend your elbows, stick your chest out and look straight ahead
• Simultaneously extend your hips and knees to stand up
• Squeeze your glutes to complete the movement
• Repeat this sequence in reverse to lower the bar to the ground

Bent-Over Row

• Start with the barbell close to the floor
• Assume a hip-width stance and grasp the barbell with a shoulder-width grip
• Bend your knees slightly and bend at your waist until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor
• Pinch your shoulder blades together and pull your elbows back to row the bar to your chest
• Lower the bar to the starting position

RDL

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold the barbell at your thighs with your arms straight
• Sit your hips back and slightly bend your knees to lower the bar
• Continue bending your hips to lower the bar to mid-shin level, or as low as flexibility allows
• Forcefully extend your hips to stand up

Hang Shrug

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a barbell at your thighs with your arms straight
• Bend your knees slightly
• Extend your knees and forcefully shrug your shoulders as high as possible
• Relax your shoulders to return to the starting position

Hang Clean

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a barbell at your thighs with your arms straight
• Bend your knees slightly
• Move your chest over the bar and push your hips back
• Explosively jump up by fully extending your hips, knees and ankles while forcefully shrugging your shoulders to propel the bar upward
• Keep the bar close to your body as you pull it up to your chin with your elbows high
• Drop under the bar with your knees bent, catching the bar on the front of your shoulders with your elbows forward
• Extend your knees and hips to stand up
• Lower the bar down the front of your body to return to the starting position

Front Squat

• Assume an athletic stance with your feet shoulder-width apart
• Rest the bar across front of your shoulders with a clean grip
• Keeping your back straight and knees behind toes, sink your hips back and lower into squat position until your thighs are parallel to the ground
• Explode up by driving through your heels and extending your knees and hips to return to the start position

Coaching Points

Deadlift

• Keep your core tight and back flat
• Explode up
• Do not straighten your knees first

Bent-Over Row

• Keep your core tight and back flat
• Bent your knees slightly
• Keep your torso in the same position throughout the movement

RDL

• Keep your core tight and back flat
• Bend your knees slightly
• Keep the bar close to your shins and thighs

Hang Shrug

• Keep your core tight and arms straight
• Explode up

Hang Clean

• Keep your core tight
• Propel the weight with your lower body, not your arms
• Keep the bar close to your body

Front Squat

• Rest the bar across your shoulders
• Keep your core tight and back flat
• Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground
• Explode up