Psst, you don’t need heavy weights to have an effective workout—you just need a band. Resistance bands are portable, inexpensive, versatile, and most importantly, functional. published in Sports Med found that resistance bands can help increase your muscular strength.

In this workout, we breakdown how to use bands to strengthen and sculpt your arms through a simple at-home exercise routine.

Start with two sets of each of these exercises. Over time, build up to performing three sets of each exercise. As you get stronger, trade in looser bands for thicker ones to increase the difficulty of each movement.

Resistance Band Arm Workout

1. Resistance-Band Biceps Curls

You’re likely used to performing bicep curls with dumbbells. However, by using a resistance band during this exercise, you can focus on the full range of motion this movement requires, maintaining tension with the band as you curl up and lower down.

How to do it:

1. Stand upright with good posture. Step on the middle part of the resistance band, with your feet distanced at least hip-width apart.

2. Hold one handle in each hand with your palms facing upward.

3. Keeping your elbows tucked into your sides, curl the band up to your shoulders by bending your elbows.

4. Hold this position at the top for 2 to 3 seconds. Make sure to squeeze your biceps.

5. Slowly lower the band back down by straightening your elbows.

6. Perform 8 to 12 reps.

2. Overhead Triceps Extensions

This exercise strengthens the triceps, which are the muscles in the back of your upper arms. By focusing on these, you’ll improve your ability to perform pressing or pushing exercises, such as push-ups, dumbbell chest presses, and barbell bench presses.

How to do it:

1. Stand with both feet planted on the middle section of the resistance band.

2. Grab one handle of the band with both hands, one on each side of the handle. Leave the other handle and the other half of the resistance band on the floor.

3. Position the handle behind your neck and below the base of your head.

4. Point your elbows forward and keep your biceps tucked in next to your ears. Press the band straight up behind your head, fully extending your arms.

5. Squeeze your triceps in this locked-out position. Slowly lower the handle back down to the original starting position, behind your neck. Your upper arms should remain fixed in the same position the entire time. Only move your lower arms.

6. Complete 8 to 12 reps.

3. Resistance-Band Overhead Presses

Even though this exercise is typically done with weights, it can be just as effective using a band. (Especially on those days when you don’t want to drag yourself to the gym.) This movement is one of my go-tos for strengthening the deltoids in the shoulders.

How to do it:

1. Stand with both feet planted on the middle section of the resistance band.

2. Grip a handle in each hand. Slowly bring each handle up to your shoulders with your palms facing forward. This is the starting position for the exercise.

3. Keep your back straight, glutes tight, chest up, and core engaged.

4. Press the handles of the resistance band all the way up until your arms are fully extended overhead.

5. Pause for 2 seconds at the top.

6. back down to shoulder height.

7. Complete 8 to 12 reps.

4. Bent-Over Resistance-Band Rear Delt Flies

The bent-over rear delt fly is one of the best resistance band exercises for the back of the shoulders (the posterior deltoids). It also helps strengthen the upper back muscles, such as the rhomboids and upper traps.

How to do it:

1. Stand with both feet planted shoulder-width apart on the middle section of the resistance band.

2. Grab one handle in each hand with a neutral grip position. Your palms should face each other.

3. Hinge from your hips. Keep your back straight as you sit your hips back and lower your torso towards the floor. Engage your core and glutes to help maintain a straight and stable spine.

4. Extend your arms and straighten your elbows. Your arms should reach for the ground a few inches in front of your feet.

5. As you inhale, pull the handles of the band outward and upward until your arms are in line with your shoulders or slightly further back. Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together as tightly as possible. You can allow a soft bend in your elbows.

6. Pause at the top position for 2 to 3 seconds.

7. Slowly lower your arms back down until your hands meet back in the middle. Your arms should be extended down in front of your body.

8. Perform 8 to 12 reps.

5. Band-Resisted Push-Ups

If regular, bodyweight push-ups have become too easy, consider adding resistance. This is an advanced movement, but you can also opt to do it from your knees. Push-ups primarily strengthen your pectoral muscles, but they also target your triceps and deltoids.

How to do it:

1. Get down into the lowered position of a push-up with a resistance band crossing over your upper back and down the sides of your arms.

2. Tuck the ends of the resistance band and the extra slack under each hand until the band is taut.

3. Once the band is tucked under your palms, press them firmly into the resistance band to anchor the band. Slowly press up to the traditional starting position of the push-up by straightening your elbows. During this motion, you should feel a lot of resistance from the band.

4. Pause for 2 to 3 seconds at the top.

5. Slowly lower your chest back down toward the ground by bending your elbows.

6. Begin the next rep by pressing up against the resistance of the band again.

7. Complete 6 to 20 reps.

6. Resistance-Band Lateral Raises

This exercise works the deltoid muscles in your shoulders. If you have multiple sets of resistance bands, opt for a lighter one, as most people lack mobility in their shoulder abduction.

How to do it:

1. Stand in the center of a resistance band, spacing your feet about hip width-apart.

2. Hold a handle in each hand with your arms down at your sides. Your palms should be facing inward.

3. Keep your core and glutes engaged. Maintain a straight back. Lift your arms up and out to the sides, forming the letter T. Your elbows should remain straight.

4. When your arms are parallel to the floor, pause and hold at the top position for 2 to 3 seconds.

5. Slowly lower your arms back down. Remember to keep your elbows straight.

6. Perform 8 to 12 reps.

7. Resistance-Band Forward Raises

This exercise strengthens the anterior portion of your deltoids, the section of the muscle that builds your arms’ forward mobility.

How to do it:

1. Stand in the center of a resistance band with both feet, spacing them about hip width-apart.

2. Hold a handle in each hand. Extend your arms down in front of your body. Your palms should face toward your thighs.

3. Engage your core and glutes. Keep your chest up and maintain a straight back. Lift your arms up in front of your body until they are straight out in front of your chest. Your elbows should remain straight.

4. When your arms are parallel to the floor, pause and hold at the top position for 2 to 3 seconds.

5. Slowly lower your arms back down in front of your body. Remember to keep your elbows straight.

6. Perform 8 to 12 reps.

Interested in other workout ideas? Check out a great core workout here.

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After over a year of the pandemic, it’s no surprise that many of us are in . But not only our minds have been affected—the many months we’ve spent cooped up indoors have also had an undeniable impact on our bodies. (As anyone who has been working from their closet or kitchen table can attest.) We spoke to several doctors about the aches, pains, and irritations that our bodies have developed��during this period of isolation. If you’re hurting and hobbling as you re-emerge into society, you’re not alone. Here’s a survey of the damage, along with some potential remedies.

Broken Toes and Aching Feet

For many of us, more time at home meant more time spent barefoot or wearing only socks. And the longer that our little piggies are exposed, the greater the odds of a painful crash into furniture. “By far, the one thing that has really skyrocketed at foot and ankle clinics in terms of numbers is toe injuries,” says Ettore Vulcano, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon at Mount Sinai in New York. (He also saw many people with “,” the painful, inflamed digits that occasionally accompanied COVID infections.)

Foot and ankle surgeons also reported an increase in plantar fasciitis—inflammation around the base of heel—and achilles tendonitis. Both of these can be brought on by tromping barefoot on hard surfaces or by being sedentary for long periods of time. Even brief daily exercise can go a long way in avoiding these aches. “Leaving the home for a half hour walk is extremely important,” Vulcano says.

And if you’ve been padding around barefoot, it may be time to invest in some cushy house slippers. They could even prevent a trip to the emergency room: Vulcano says that foot tendon lacerations also increased during the pandemic—the result of dropping kitchen knives during our quarantine cooking adventures.

Breakouts and Hair Loss

Masks have helped significantly to slow the spread of the virus, but they’re not always friendly on our skin. Mount Sinai dermatologist Shoshana Marmon says there’s been a rise in lower face breakouts, or what’s been dubbed “maskne.” Plus, constant hand washing and sanitizing have��led to an increase in eczema flare ups.

The pandemic also��brought a spike in hair shedding, because the body sometimes responds to stress by shunting resources away from our scalps, explains Marmon.

Communities hit hardest by the pandemic have seen bigger surges in hair loss. In a study of two hospitals in New York City serving low-income, racially diverse communities that experienced especially high mortality rates from the virus, patient . “Seeing loved ones get sick, losing jobs… there are multiple ways you can develop this type of hair loss,” says Marmon, who is also a senior author of the study.

Hair loss generally occurs two to four months after a stressful event. Fortunately, per Marmon, it almost always reverses in six months.

Neck, Back, and Shoulder Strain

When the pandemic hit, those of us who were able to work from home had to quickly cobble together work stations. The result was often less than ideal. “I can’t remember how many times I talked to people who were working in a closet,” says Mark Benden, an ergonomics expert with Texas A&M University. On top of that, , intensifying the strain, says Benden. “It may not just be that your monitor is too high or your keyboard is improperly positioned or you’re using the wrong mouse, it might be that you’re having all this other stress manifesting��itself physically in our neck,��shoulders, and arms.”

We also moved less, in part due to the short commute from bed to couch.��Accordingly, complaints of neck and shoulder pain have risen across the past year, says Benden. But this isn’t only due to our desktops. Many of us now spend four to six hours a day��staring down at our smartphones—a position that also leads to pain.

There isn’t an ideal body position for computer work, says Benden. Sure, adjustments like moving your monitor so it’s at eye level can help. But the key is avoiding holding still for too long. Benden suggests the “20, 8, and 2” rule—20 minutes of sitting, broken up with eight minutes of standing and two of walking. “Building in that variety and change is really important,” says Benden.

Worn and Chipped Teeth

When Tricia Quartey-Sagaille’s dental practice opened back up after New York’s lockdown, she noticed an alarming trend: almost daily, she’d see patients with jaw pain or chipped teeth caused by clenching or grinding, up from only about one such patient a month before the pandemic.

Many people channel prolonged stress into teeth clenching and grinding at night. According to an American Dental Association survey published in March, dentists saw in clenching and grinding, cracked or chipped teeth, and jaw pain compared to pre-pandemic stats.

Quartey-Sagaille says those problems have yet to subside at her practice. “The most common stress is childcare,” she says of her patients. “Being at home all day long with the kids … that still has not gone away for a lot of people.”

And even if you aren’t waking up with your mouth locked or your jaw aching, you may be unknowingly grinding��away, says Quartey-Sagaille. The only way to be sure is with a dental exam, where your dentist may recommend a night guard.

Blurring Vision

In a survey by the American Optometric Association, 83 percent of eye doctors said they noticed during the pandemic. Our sanitizing regimens also hurt our eyes; in the same survey, doctors reported an increase in chemical burns from cleaning products. Dry eyes, headaches, and eye strain all increased during the last year. Some eye issues ease when we give our peepers a break, but other times the solution is simply a stronger prescription.

To prevent the need for ever-thicker lenses, optometrists promote the 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes working at a computer, stare at a point 20 feet away for 20 seconds. And .

A Distorted View of Ourselves

Hours of staring at ourselves during Zoom meetings have only given us more time to scrutinize our faces for imperfections. Front-facing computer cameras can also distort facial features in unflattering ways, leading to what dermatologists have dubbed “Zoom dysphoria,”��a preoccupation with perceived defects in appearance, exacerbated by the surge in video calls.

In a study published in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, more than half of the dermatologists surveyed saw during the pandemic. Of those, 86 percent said that patients reported seeing themselves in video conferencing as a reason for their visit. Especially when we sit close to a camera, it tends to stretch parts of our face and squish others based on their relative distance to the lens, so many people in video calls were staring at skewed renderings of their faces. “People were forced to not only look in the mirror, but actually what I refer to as a circus mirror,” says Shadi Kourosh, a dermatologist with Harvard Medical School and senior author of the study. She thinks many of those who consulted cosmetic surgeons may not even realize that their computer camera causes such distortions, giving them a false idea of how they actually look. Increased time on social media worsened the situation, Kourosh says. After looking at our distorted face for hours, we’d then turn to our phones and compare ourselves to highly edited images on Instagram.

An improved camera and lighting can help. But even better: spend less time scrolling, manage stress, get some sunshine, and move your body. For many of the lingering physical effects of the pandemic, that’s the common prescription.

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There’s a lot to love about sliders. The versatile disc-shaped exercise tools that you place under your hands or feet during bodyweight moves��add dynamic movement to your strength workout. This increases core engagement and amps up the difficulty of basic exercises like planks��by activating more muscles at once.

Sliders are small, portable, and work well on a number of surfaces, including wood, carpet, and linoleum,��making them an easy addition to your at-home gym or travel workout kit. Plus, they’re affordable, at about $8��.

Below, , a Boulder, Colorado–based strength and conditioning specialist, running coach, and elite marathoner, shares a six-move slider workout for outdoor athletes. She incorporates sliders into her workouts about once a week��and designed the below routine to activate the glutes and core, two major muscle groups that are critical for everything from hiking to swimming. The routine also targets the hamstrings, inner thighs, and shoulders and��incorporates some stability work. Do this workout before or after your main workout as supplemental strength training, or try it��on its own��for a standalone burst of strength work.

The Workout

You’ll break the following six moves into three sets of two exercises. Perform each set three times, resting as much as you need between each round to maintain��good form. After three rounds, rest for two minutes before moving on to the next set.

Set 1: 20 single-leg reverse lunges (10 each side),��10 body saws

Set 2: 20 single-leg squats��(10 each side),��10 pikes

Set 3: 10 double-leg eccentric hamstring bridges, 20 mountain climbers

The Moves

Single-Leg Reverse Lunge

What it does: Instead of stepping your leg back into a lunge, you slide it, which allows you to better focus on engaging the standing glute. The slow-fast tempo—you lower into the lunge with control, then explode back up—builds both strength and power in your lower half.

How to do it: Stand up tall with your feet hip-distance apart and your hands clasped in front of your chest. Place one foot��on the slider. This is the starting position. Over the course of two to three seconds, push the slider backward and bend your knee to lower into a lunge. Make sure your standing leg doesn’t cave inward: keep your hips, knees, and ankles all in one line. Pause when your leg forms a 90-degree angle. Squeeze your standing glute and quickly reverse the movement to return to the starting position—this should take about a second. This is one rep. Make it harder by holding a or ��at your chest.

Volume: 10 reps, then switch sides and repeat

Body Saw

What it does: Works the stabilizer muscles in the core and shoulders by adding dynamic movement to a plank.

How to do it: Lower into a forearm plank with your feet on the sliders. Your chest, hips, and ankles should be in one long, straight line. Engage your glutes and brace your core. Staying in plank position, shift your body weight as far forward as you can over the course of two seconds, bending deeper into the elbows and moving forward through the shoulders. Pause, then slowly shift your body weight��back as far as you can over the course of two seconds. That’s one rep. Make sure your hips stay elevated as you shift back and forth. Increase the challenge by slowing the tempo.

Volume: 10 reps

Single-Leg Lateral Squat��

What it does: Targets the gluteus medius—a small, important stabilizer toward��the side of your butt—by emphasizing controlled yet explosive lateral movements.

How to do it: Stand up tall with your feet hip-distance apart and your hands clasped in front of your chest. Place one foot��atop the slider. Bend your standing knee—the leg that is not��on the slider—and drop your hips back into a squat as you keep your other leg straight and slide it out sideways. Squat down slowly over the course of two to three seconds, lowering as far as you can without letting the heel of the standing foot leave the ground. Pause at the bottom of the squat. Squeeze your standing glute to quickly reverse the movement over the course of one second. That’s one rep.

Volume: 10 reps on��each side

Pike

What it does: Engages deep midsection muscles by requiring the core to drive the entire movement.

How to do it: Get into a forearm plank position with your feet on the sliders and chest, hips, and ankles in one long, straight line. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core. This is the starting position. Keeping your legs straight, slowly raise your hips as high as you can over the course of two seconds,��using��your core to bring your feet toward��your hands.��Pause, then slowly reverse the movement to return to the starting position over the course of two seconds. When you come back to the starting position, make sure your hips stay in line with your chest and ankles. Up the challenge��by placing both feet on the same slider.

Volume: 10 reps

Double-Leg Eccentric Hamstring Bridge

What it does: Strengthens the hamstrings. This eccentric move—meaning the muscle is lengthening under load—is especially important for anyone who hikes or runs downhill,��since it mimics the way the hamstrings engage during��downward movement.

How to do it: Lie��on your back with your knees bent and your��feet about hip-width distance apart and flat on the ground about six to eight inches from your hips. Let your arms rest at your sides. Place a slider under each foot so that the center of the slider is under your heel. This is the starting position. Press through your heels to lift your hips until they are in a straight line with your quads. From here, slowly straighten your legs over the course of six to eight��seconds,��so that you wind up with your heels on the ground, legs fully extended, and pelvis still lifted off the ground. Keep your hips as high as possible. Once your legs are fully straight, lower your hips to the ground. That’s one rep. Make it harder by lifting both arms straight up.

Volume: 10 reps

Mountain Climber

What it does: Strengthens the shoulders and builds core stability and strength.

How to do it: Get into a high plank position with your feet on the sliders and your chest, hips, and ankles in one long, straight line. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core. This is the starting position. Keeping your upper body still and your core engaged, quickly slide one knee straight up toward��your chest and back out. Repeat with the other knee. That’s one rep. To target your obliques—the muscles on the sides of your stomach—slide your knee into your chest diagonally.

Volume: 20 reps

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When it comes to muscles, small can be mighty. Glutes and quads may seem like the MVPs of running, skiing, and cycling, but stabilizers—the tiny muscles that support your joints—play an important role, too. According to Chris Dellasega, strength coach for the USA Cycling men’s track program, treat­ing them as an afterthought can increase your chance of injury. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and many times that weak link is a stabilizer,” he says. Here, Dellasega shares a five-move routine that targets these underappreciated workers.

External Rotation

Why:��To correct shoulder-muscle imbalances and prevent rotator-cuff injury, important for climbers and swimmers.

How:��Lie on your side with one arm folded under your head, knees bent 90 degrees, shoulders and hips stacked. Holding a light to medium-heavy weight in your top hand at belly-button level, bend your elbow 90 de­grees and pull your shoulders back and down. Brace your core. Keeping your wrist straight, el­bow bent, and upper arm close to your side (but not touching), raise the weight for one count, aiming for your fist to be pointed straight up to the ceiling. Slowly lower it back down for four counts. Do three sets of 10 to 12 reps on each side.

Powell Raise

Why:��To stabilize the scapula, which will improve running posture and your ability to hold ��in cycling.

How:��Lie on your side with your arm folded under your head, knees bent 90 degrees, shoulders and hips stacked. Pull your shoulders back and down. Grab a light to medium-heavy weight and hold it just above the ground in line with your face, arm mostly straight and wrist neutral. Raise the weight for one count until your arm is pointed straight up to the ceiling. Lower for four counts until your arm is parallel to the floor. Do three sets of 10 to 12 reps on each side.

Standing Calf Raise

Why:��To strengthen the calves and reduce knee and ankle injuries. Crucial for runners.

How:��Place the balls of your feet on a platform, ideally four inches tall or higher. Slightly bend your standing leg. Hold a medium-heavy to heavy weight in your standing-leg hand and grab onto a fixed object like a railing or the back of a chair with your other hand. Drop your standing heel below the top of the platform for one count; pause at the bottom for two counts. Press through your big toe to raise your foot up as high as you can for one count. Do three sets of 12 to 15 reps on each leg.

Single-Leg Curl

Why:��To strengthen the hamstrings and help reduce the risk of knee injury.

How:��Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Place one heel on top of an exercise ball and raise your other leg straight up, slightly bending your knee. Raise your hips while keeping them parallel to the floor, dig your heel into the ball, and roll it toward your butt for two counts. Reverse the movement for three counts. Do three to five sets of six to eight reps on each leg.

Stir the Pot

Why:��To strengthen the smaller trunk muscles that stabilize the spine, helpful for protecting the lower back from injury.

How:��Get in a straight plank position with your forearms on top of an exercise ball, feet shoulder-width apart. Tense your entire body, dig your forearms into the ball, and use them to roll the ball clockwise for 20 to 40 seconds while holding the rest of your body as still as possible. Rest for 10 to 15 seconds, then repeat for another 20 to 40 seconds, rolling the ball counterclockwise. Do three sets.

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Lightweight, affordable, and compact, resistance bands make it easy for almost anyone to get a full-body workout at home. That’s why they’re a staple for Seth Keena-Levin, an alpinist and coach with the training platform . You can work in any plane of motion and make precise tension adjustments, so they’re great for mimicking the demands of outdoor activities. To boost performance and prevent injury, Keena-Levin suggests running through this beginner-friendly workout two or three times a week. Cycle through the entire sequence three to five times, with a one- to two-minute rest between each circuit. You will need a mini band (small, with a flat profile) and a heavy-duty band (longer and thicker).

Lateral Leg Extension

Why: Works the glutes, which promotes knee stability and prevents common overuse injuries.

How: Loop a mini band around your legs just below the knees. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with light tension on the band. Kick one leg back diagonally as high as you can in a slow and controlled motion, keeping your knee extended and your ankle and toes flexed. To add intensity, move the band to your ankles. Perform 10 to 15 reps with each leg.

Alternating Y’s

Why: Develops scapular (shoulder bone) stability, which helps prevent shoulder and elbow injuries.

How: With your feet shoulder width apart, gently engage your glutes and core, and pull your shoulders back and down. Grasp one end of a heavy-duty band in your right hand and bend at the elbow to bring it to your right hip. Hold the other end in your left hand and raise your arm up and out to the side, until your biceps is by your ear. Complete 10 to 15 reps, then repeat with the right arm.

Door Openers

Why: Develops grip strength and wrist and shoulder stability.

How: With your arms by your sides and your elbows at 90 degrees, hold one end of a mini or heavy-duty band in each hand, palms down. With light tension in the band, turn your palms up, then down. After 8 to 12 reps, flip your grip and perform the same motion in the opposite direction. This will work your muscles both eccentrically and concentrically.

Forward Lunge with Knee Drive

Why: Targets your posterior chain and hip flexors, and mimics sustained uphill movement.

How: Secure a heavy-duty band to the leg of a couch and loop it around your hips. Maintain a forward lean through your upper body and step your right leg forward into a lunge, knee bent 90 degrees. While straightening your right leg to a standing position, kick your left knee up toward your chest. Step your left leg back to return to a lunge before returning to the starting stance. Do 15 to 20 reps per leg.

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“You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe,” said the late Canadian strength coach and author Charles Poliquin. In other words, it doesn’t matter how strong you are if you don’t have a solid base to produce and transfer power. Stability must precede force production, he explained, and that stability comes from the core.

Core musculature is much more than the abs, it’s everything around the torso, front and back, superficial and deep. That includes the transverse abdominis, one of the deepest abdominal muscles, which wraps around the lower torso like a girdle.��The TA stabilizes the hips and the spine, and creates a sturdy foundation to transfer force between the lower and the upper body. Strengthening it will make you more resilient to injury and can alleviate��. But it can be hard to train.

“The transverse abdominis is not an easy muscle for most people to fire because it’s so deep and it doesn’t move anything,” says��, climber,��coach, and author of��Training for the Uphill Athlete. With exercises like crunches, it’s easy to see the six-pack at work and feel the burn, which might be part of the appeal. But the transverse abdominis is an anti-movement muscle—when you flex it, it keeps the core rigid so it doesn’t bend or twist. Which is why��the humble plank, an isometric hold, is the single most effective training exercise for it.

This versatile, do-anywhere, bodyweight move��is endlessly modifiable. The below list of variations, organized from��easiest to most difficult,��is far from exhaustive, but these will offer��you plenty of options to challenge yourself with over the years.

The Plank Variations

Choose a few plank variations with different target muscles to mix into your strength or core routines. Aim for two to three sets of 30-second to one-minute holds (per side, when applicable). Once you can hold a plank variation for more than a minute with good form, either progress to a more difficult variation or add resistance with a weight vest. Try them on a flat palm (easier) or a fist (harder because it demands more wrist stability).

Focus on form and a straight spinal position. Stop as soon as your form breaks (your hips sag, tilt, or raise, for example) since you’ll begin compensating with other muscle groups,��increasing the risk of injury. Body position is often hard to sense, so plank in front of a mirror or with a friend who can watch to make sure you’re in line.

Modified Forearm Plank (Knee Plank)

What it does: Engages the same muscle groups as a full forearm plank (below), but with a shorter lever length, which decreases the difficulty. This is a great starting place if you’re coming back from an injury or extended time away from physical activity.

How to do it: Start on all fours. Place your forearms parallel to each other on the floor, with your elbows directly below your shoulders. Gently walk back your knees until your torso and upper legs form a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Engage your core and your glutes to hold this position. Keep your neck in line with your spine, and your hips level and square—no arching, sagging, or tilting.

Forearm Plank

What it does: Builds strength and stability in core muscles, including the back and deep layers like the transverse abdominis, through an isometric hold.

How to do it: Kneel and place your forearms shoulder-width apart on the floor, with your elbows below your shoulders. Extend both legs directly behind you with your feet together and your toes tucked under so that your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head. Keep your core engaged, your back flat (no��sagging, arching, or tilting the hips), and your head up so that your neck is in line with your spine. Hold this position.

Front Plank

What it does: This variation is similar to the forearm plank, but requires more shoulder, arm, and wrist stability, especially if you do it on your fists instead of your palms. It’s also a great launching point for more challenging variations.

How to do it: Place your hands��directly below your shoulders��on the floor,��with your arms straight. Extend both legs directly behind you with your feet together and your toes tucked under so that your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head. Keep your core engaged, back flat, hips level, and neck in line with your spine. Hold this position.

Side Plank (Low)

What it does: Strengthens the core with an emphasis on��the obliques.

How to do it: Start on your side with your bottom forearm on the floor and elbow bent to 90 degrees, directly below your shoulder. Straighten your legs and either stack or stagger your feet heel to toe (staggering will make it easier to balance). Then lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head. Raise your free arm vertically toward the ceiling. Hold this position, then repeat on the other side.

Side Plank (High)

What it does: Strengthens the core with an emphasis on��the obliques. This builds more shoulder, arm, and wrist strength than the low version.

How to do it: Start on your side with your arm straight and your hand directly below your shoulder. Straighten your legs and either stack or stagger your feet heel to toe. Then lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head. Raise your free arm vertically toward the ceiling. Hold this position, then repeat on the other side.

To make it harder and also increase shoulder activation, hold a dumbbell in your upper hand. Slowly bring the weight down to touch the floor next to your supporting hand, raise it again, and repeat.

Glute Side Plank

What it does: Primarily targets the obliques and the��gluteus medius (a stabilizer muscle at the back of the hip).

How to do it: Start in a low side plank position on your forearm (described above), but with your bottom knee bent to 90 degrees (this generates better glute activation on both sides). Engage your core and lift your hips so that your torso forms a straight line. Keep your hips level and square. Then raise your upper leg as high as you can. Keep the upper leg straight and imagine driving your bottom knee into the floor. Hold this position, then repeat on the other side.

Copenhagen Plank

What it does: Targets the same muscle groups as a side plank (above) while firing up the hip adductors (inner thigh).

How to do it: Lie on your side with your upper foot elevated on a bench, chair, or coffee table. Your lower foot should float freely below without touching or weighting anything. If the bench is short, place your forearm on the floor, with your elbow directly below your shoulder. If the bench is tall, place your hand on the floor below your shoulder and keep your supporting arm straight. The idea here is to choose the arm position that will keep your body as close to horizontal as possible. Then lift your hips to enter a side plank. Your body should form a straight line from your feet through your hips and up to your shoulders. Hold this position, then repeat on the other side.

This one is easy to overdo, which can stress the hip adductors. If it feels too difficult, you can make it easier by positioning the bench farther up your leg, closer to your torso, which reduces the leverage. Modify as necessary.

Clockwork Plank

What it does: By removing one point of ground contact, this variation challenges core stability and increases the difficulty of��a standard front plant. It’s also an easier progression to longer-duration three-point planks.

How to do it: Start in a front plank (described above), with your arms straight and your hands directly below your shoulders. Place your feet one to two feet apart. Maintain a rigid body position from your head to your heels. Then raise one arm straight in front of you, without rotating your shoulders or hips, and hold for five to ten seconds. Return to all fours, then lift the other arm for five to ten seconds, followed by a leg, then the other leg, and so on. Continue alternating between all four limbs, holding each in the air for five to ten seconds, for the duration of the plank variation.

Three-Point Plank (Leg Raise)

What it does: Increases the difficulty of the clockwork plank, which alternates between limbs.

How to do it: Start in a front plank with your feet one to two feet apart. Maintain a rigid body position from your head to your heels. Then raise one leg as high as you can without rotating your shoulders or hips. Hold this position for the duration of the plank, then repeat with the other leg raised.

Side-Kick Plank

What it does: When you swing your raised leg out to the side, it acts as a lever that wants to rotate your hips, so your core must work harder for asymmetrical anti-rotational stability.

How to do it: Perform a three-point plank with a raised leg, as described above, but swing one leg out to the side as far as you can (keep it straight and parallel to the floor), for the duration of the plank. Repeat on the other side.

Three-Point Plank (Arm Raise)

What it does: Increases the difficulty of��the clockwork plank variation, which alternates between limbs. Most will find the three-point plank with an arm raised more difficult than a leg raised, since it places more stress on the supporting arm.

How to do it: Start in a front plank with your feet one to two feet apart. Maintain a rigid body position from your head to your heels. Then raise one arm straight in front of you, without rotating your shoulders or hips. Hold this position, then repeat with the other arm raised.

Two-Point Plank

What it does: Strengthens the entire core, and trains anti-rotational stability and cross-body coordination.

How to do it: Start in a front plank with your feet one to two feet apart. Maintain a rigid body position from your head to your heels. Then raise your opposite arm and leg simultaneously, as high as you can without rotating your shoulders or hips. Keep your core and glutes engaged to avoid hip sag. Hold this position, then repeat with the other arm and leg raised.

Make it harder by bending your supporting arm into a half push-up.

Knee-to-Elbow Plank

What it does: Introduces a little core flexion and extension into a two-point plank, while training cross-body coordination and control.

How to do it: Start in a two-point plank, as described above. Once you’re stable with good form, slowly draw in your raised leg and raised arm to gently tap your knee with your elbow beneath your chest. Reverse the movement back to a two-point plank position. Repeat continuously for the duration of the plank variation, then do it again with the opposite arm and leg raised. Focus on form and slow, controlled movement.

Swimmer Plank

What it does: Increases the stability demand and difficulty of a two-point plank, while training focus and coordination.

How to do it: Start in a two-point plank, as described above. Once you’re stable with good form, slowly draw your raised knee up to the elbow of your supporting arm while you simultaneously bring your raised arm down along your side (keep it straight). Slowly reverse the movement back to a two-point plank position. Repeat continuously for the duration of the plank variation, then do it again with the opposite arm and leg raised. Focus on form and slow and controlled movement.

Iron-Cross Plank

What it does: Trains long lines of lateral tension through the arms as well as compressive chest strength.

How to do it: Start in a front plank then slowly walk out your hands to the sides into an iron cross-like position until your body hovers just above the floor, or as far as you can with good form. Hold this position. Maintain a rigid body position from your head to your heels.

Mega Plank

What it does: Trains full-body strength and stability through long lines of tension, from the toes to the fingertips, in an extended body position—one of the most important core exercises for rock climbers.

How to do it: Start in a front plank, then slowly walk out your hands in front of you until your body hovers just above the floor, or as far as you can go with good form. Maintain a rigid body position from your head to your heels for this plank variation.

Follow Along

For an in-depth look at some of these movements, and to learn how to incorporate them into a circuit of your own, check out the video below.

The post 16 Plank Variations to Strengthen Your Core appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

Muscular power—the product of force and velocity—is one of the most important fitness qualities, but it’s��often misunderstood and neglected, explains , a human-performance specialist for Red Bull (and ski racer��Lindsey Vonn’s personal trainer up until her retirement).��Developing muscular power��is more nuanced than regular��strength training, but that doesn’t mean you should leave it out of your routine.��If you’re not already training upper-body power, don’t sell yourself short. Round out your routine with these moves, recommended by Bunt.��

How to Train Power

There’s a spectrum between force and velocity: on one end, there’s pure force, like isometric exercises where speed is negligible, such as��a front plank��or one-rep max lifts; on the other end, there’s pure speed, movements��like��sprinting or jumping. “When we train power, the goal is to generate as much force as possible in the least amount of time,” Bunt��says.

The crux is to fine-tune the balance between these two components to optimize power. To make it even more complicated, different exercise methods and��, calculated as a percentage of an individual’s one-repetition maximum (1RM), target different areas along the force-velocity curve. (For a more thorough explanation of this concept, check out this earlier story.)

For everyday athletes, however, there’s no need to get bogged down with the details, Bunt says. “The absolute most important part of this training is the intent to move with maximal effort and as quickly as possible,” he says. Think of power training more like cooking,��rather than an exact science. Aim for the right measurements, but rest assured, if you’re a little off on this or that, as long as you have all the ingredients and put in the effort, you’re going to see results.��

The Workout��

Bunt splits power training into two main categories: force-bias exercises (more resistance, slower) and velocity-bias exercises (less resistance, faster). The best way to program power work is to split these into separate training sessions that are��two to four days apart from one another, he says, but it’s also reasonable to combine both categories in a single session, with reduced volume (eliminate one set from each exercise, and choose only one force-bias exercise per session, which should be done last). Either way, aim to target power two to three days per week.

You’ll want to become��familiar with the concept of your 1RM, or the greatest amount of weight you can lift in a specific move. For example, if the heaviest medicine ball you can use for a single rotational throw is 30 pounds, and Bunt recommends you use between 10 and 60 percent of your 1RM, that means you’ll want to opt for somewhere between 3��and 18 pounds.

Perform these moves at the beginning of your workout session, right after the warmup. “You want to be as fresh as possible,” says Bunt, “because if you have any fatigue, you’re not going to be able to produce the highest power you can, and therefore won’t stimulate the adaptations to push your potential.”

The rep ranges are low so you can keep the quality as high as possible. Rest for as long as you need to fully recover between sets. “The second you start performing submaximal reps, you’re not developing power,” says Bunt. “The key is to perform these moves with maximal quality and intention.”

Tools You’ll Need:��

• Box or bench
• Pull-up bar
• Resistance band
• Medicine ball

The Moves

Plyo Push-Up Progression (Velocity-Bias Power)

What it does: Trains velocity-bias power in the chest, triceps, shoulders, and back muscles, while engaging the core for stability.

How to do it: Start with the first exercise in the progression below. Even though this��might feel easy from a strength-building perspective, the purpose is to train velocity-bias power, and for that, you need to move as fast as possible while maintaining good form. If the resistance is too high, you’ll swing toward strength-bias power, which we’ll target later on. Progress to the next level once you can complete all four sets with a consistent pace and good form.

Incline Plyo Push-Up (Easiest): Assume a��standard push-up position, with your hands on an elevated surface, such as a plyo box or a bench (the higher, the easier). Start with your arms straight, your hands below your shoulders, and your body in a rigid plank from heels to head. Then bend your elbows, keeping them tight along your sides��to rapidly lower yourself until your chest is about an inch or two from the bench. Immediately push up��with explosive effort��to fully extend your arms and launch your hands off the bench. Land with soft elbows, and drop directly into the next rep. Maintain a consistent pace and a rigid plank throughout the movement.

Plyo Push-Up (Harder): Perform the exercise as described above, but with your hands and feet at the same level on the floor. Clap at the apex of the push-up for an added challenge.

In-Out Plyo Push-Up (Most Difficult): Begin in a standard push-up position on the floor, with your hands shoulder width apart and your feet together, or no more than 12 inches apart. Bend your elbows to rapidly lower until your chest is about an inch or two from the floor, then explosively push up to launch your hands and your feet off the floor. In the air, move your hands and��feet out to the sides (around 6��to 12 inches), landing with soft elbows in this winder stance. Immediately drop into the next rep, push back up, and in the air return to the narrower position. Continue alternating between the standard and wide positions each rep. Maintain a consistent pace and a rigid plank throughout the movement.

Load: Bodyweight.

Volume: Two to four sets of five to six reps. Rest for a minute or two between sets.

What it does: Develops rotational velocity-bias power in the core, with emphasis on the��oblique muscles.

How to do it: Hold a medicine ball with both hands, and stand perpendicular to a wall, between three and six feet away (the closer you are, the easier). Enter an athletic stance, extend your arms in front of you at chest height, then rapidly rotate your torso to throw the ball into the wall. Catch it on the rebound, reverse the movement, and repeat. Complete all reps on one side, then switch to the other.

Load: 10 to 60 percent of your 1RM.

Volume: Two to four sets of five to six reps on��each side. Rest for a minute or two between sets.

What it does: Trains forward-flexion velocity-bias power in the core, with emphasis on the abs.

How to do it: Lie on your back on the floor in a standard sit-up position, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Have a partner stand a short distance from your feet to catch the ball. If you don’t have a partner, you can bounce the ball off a wall, but be prepared for a quick rebound. Hold the medicine ball in both hands, and extend your arms overhead so that the ball rests on the floor above your head. Then sit up quickly and throw the ball to your partner, keeping��your arms overhead. Your partner should immediately return the ball. Catch it, reverse the movement, and repeat. Once you get the hang of it, have your partner toss the ball off-center to either side to train lateral core stability.��

Load: 10 to 60 percent of your 1RM.

Volume: Two to four sets of five to six reps. Rest for a minute or two between sets.

Assisted Pull-Up (Velocity-Bias Power)

What it does: Trains velocity-bias power in the upper body, primarily targeting the lats and the biceps, as well as the forearms, shoulders, upper back, and core.

How to do it: ��a resistance band to the center of a pull-up bar, and place a knee or foot in the bottom loop to take some of the load off your arms. Grip the pull-up bar with your hands shoulder width apart, palms facing away. Hang with straight arms and engaged shoulders. Then, as fast as you can,��pull up until your chin is over your hands. Pause for a second, then slowly lower back to straight arms. Repeat. Keep your core and shoulders engaged and your body still throughout the movement (i.e., no swinging or kipping to cheat).

Load: 10 to 60 percent of your 1RM. When calculating your 1RM for pull-ups, remember to include your bodyweight as well as any additional load. (So if a 150-pound woman’s��1RM for a pull-up is her bodyweight plus a 50-pound plate, the ideal weight range for this exercise would be between 20 and 120 pounds, meaning she should still opt to use a resistance band to alleviate the load.)��Choose the appropriate type��of resistance band for assistance, and even double up��if necessary. Progress the exercise by switching to lighter bands.

Volume: Two to four sets of five to eight reps. Rest for a minute or two between sets.

Pull-Up or Weighted Pull-Up (Force-Bias Power)

What it does: Trains force-bias power in the upper body, primarily targeting the lats and the biceps, as well as the forearms, shoulders, upper back, and core.

How to do it: Grip the pull-up bar with your hands shoulder width apart, palms facing away. Hang with straight arms and engaged shoulders. Then, as fast as you can,��pull up until your chin is over your hands. Pause for a second, then slowly lower back to straight arms. Repeat. Keep your core and shoulders engaged��and your body still throughout the movement (no swinging or kipping to cheat).

Load: 50 to 70 percent of your 1RM. Wear a weighted vest or a loaded backpack, or hang weights off a climbing harness to achieve the appropriate level of resistance. Progress the exercise by increasing the load.

Volume: Two to four sets of two to six reps. Rest for a minute or two between sets.

Box-Drop Plyo Push-Up (Force-Bias Power)

What it does: Trains force-bias power in the chest, triceps, shoulders, back, and core. The elevated hand position increases the eccentric force when you drop into a push-up.

How to do it: Place two Pilates steps, four-to-eight-inch plyo boxes, or stacks of textbooks on the floor slightly wider than your shoulder width. Start in a��standard push-up position, as described above, with your hands on the steps or boxes. Then drop into a push-up on the floor between the boxes, with your elbows tight along your sides. Rapidly lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, then immediately and explosively push up,��landing your hands on the boxes, back in the starting position. Repeat.��

Load: Start with bodyweight. If that feels too easy, wear a weighted vest.��

Volume: Two to four sets of five to six reps. Rest for a minute or two between sets.

The post 6 Simple Moves to Boost Your Upper-Body Power appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

Climbers know how to pull hard—and that’s about it. Except for mantle moves, rock climbing rarely utilizes the big pushing muscles of the upper body, such as the triceps, the pectoralis major (the chest), the serratus anterior (your sides, under the armpit), the anterior deltoid (the front of the shoulder), and the upper trapezius (the upper back). Over time��this can lead to a significant muscular imbalance, an increased risk of��overuse injuries, and limitations in��overall performance.

“A good [muscular] balance definitely helps you to be more efficient and powerful in your climbing,” says��, a climber, former gymnast, and the author of��. Pushing exercises to compliment pulling strength, however, are often missing from climbers’ training routines.

The parallettes, a miniature version of the parallel bars gymnasts use, are an excellent tool for opposition training. Parallettes also eliminate wrist extension, required for some floor moves, making them��a good option for anyone with tight forearms. Plus, the bars are.

While��parallettes are most beneficial for climbers and bodyweight practitioners, Low says,��they’re still a worthy��training tool for anyone who wants to develop upper-body and core strength, stability, and proprioception (a sense of where your body is and how it moves through space). He recommends these three movement progressions on the parallettes.

The Workout

Do these moves once or twice per��week when you’re climbing frequently,��and two to three times per week during the off-season to build strength. Beginners should aim for a total of six sets (two sets of three exercises��each, or three sets of two exercises of your choice), while more advanced athletes can add additional sets to progress. The parallettes are mainly limited to pushing-type movements, so mix in these moves with other��pulling,��core, or��leg exercises to create a well-rounded, full-body workout.

Start with the first move in each progression, and increase��the number of reps before moving to the next. If you have trouble fully bridging the gap, do as many reps as you can with the harder progression, even if that’s just one or two, then revert to the previous progression to finish out the set��if needed. “This will add a bit more volume, to get a stimulus on your body to make that adaptation,” Low explains.

“The devil is in the details,” he adds. “If you get stuck with exercises for a week or three and can’t progress, you might need to either decrease the load, to allow your body to recover from fatigue, or you may need to potentially change up your programming—your sets and reps��or rest times—in order to start progressing again.”

The Moves

“Learn the bail techniques first before going crazy with the handstands,” says Low. Find a safe place—a padded gym floor, soft carpeting, or grass is ideal—and use a spotter if you can. Practice without the parallettes at first. Kick up into��a handstand, then try forward rolls (tucking your chin to your chest) and sideways cartwheels to safely exit. When you’re comfortable with those techniques on the floor, add in the parallettes and keep practicing until you have your escape routes dialed.

Handstand Push-Up Progression

What it does: Strengthens the entire shoulder, the triceps, and the trapezius muscles in the upper back, along with the core. “Climbing and pulling primarily use��the lower and mid traps, but not a lot of the upper traps. This movement helps hit that zone and adds balance to the scapular muscles,” says Low. It also trains stability, balance, and proprioception.

How to do it: Don’t worry—you don’t need to be able to do a handstand to start this progression! But as you work up to the handstand push-up on the parallettes, start��practicing your handstand��on the floor, too. Consistency is key.

Pike Push-Up: Place the parallettes shoulder width apart or slightly wider, and grab the centers of the bars. Enter��a��downward-facing-dog yoga position, with your toes on the floor, your legs straight, and your hips high so that your body forms a slight��A-frame. Then bend��your elbows to lower your head between your hands. Go as far as you can comfortably while maintaining good form. Push back up for one repetition, and repeat. Keep your back flat throughout the movement. Elevate your feet on a box or a chair (for a more pronounced A-frame)��to make it harder.

L-Handstand Push-Up with Wall: Place the parallettes a leg’s length away from a wall, and start by standing with your back to the wall. Grab the bars, and walk your feet up the wall until your legs are roughly parallel to the floor and your torso is vertical. From this position, complete the push-ups��as described above. As you get stronger and more comfortable in the inversion, gradually place your feet higher on the wall.

Handstand Push-Up with Wall: Next, place the parallettes against the wall. Stand facing the wall, bend to grab the bars, then kick up into a handstand so that your body is straight, vertical, and upside down. Place your heels against the wall for support. Do between five and twelve push-ups.��When you’re done, slowly lower your feet to the floor. Gradually try to use the wall less and less for support, until you’re comfortable enough to move away from the wall.

Handstand Push-Up: Place the parallettes shoulder width apart or slightly wider, and grab the centers of the bars. Kick up into a handstand, find a central balance point, with your hips stacked over your shoulders, and slowly bring your legs together until they’re both straight, overhead, and pointing toward the sky. Once settled, perform the push-ups with the greatest range of motion your shoulders can handle.

Volume: Two to three sets of five to twelve reps. Rest for three minutes between sets.

Pseudo-Planche Push-Ups

What it does: “This pushing movement helps to activate pretty much every single opposition muscle for climbing,” including the triceps and muscles in��the chest, back, and��core, says Low.��It also helps people work toward , which is a benchmark bodyweight move.��

How to do it: Place the parallettes shoulder width apart, and grab the centers of the bars. Put your toes up on a chair or a bench, and start in a��standard push-up position, with your arms straight and your body in a rigid plank, parallel to the floor. Then enter a forward-lean position, so that your hands are directly under your hips, or as close as you can get them while maintaining good form. (If that’s too difficult, start��with your hands below your shoulders, and gradually progress into a forward-lean position with your hands below your hips). From here, perform push-ups, with your elbows tracking backwards and tight to the body. Move slowly and in control.

Volume: Two to three sets of five to twelve reps. Rest for three minutes between sets.

L-Sit-to-Handstand (Press Handstand) Progression

What it does: Strengthens the entire body, especially the core, hip flexors, shoulders, and back, and trains body control and awareness.

How to do it:

L-Sit: Crouch between the parallettes, and start with a normal grip on the bars and straight arms. Press down on the bars, and push your shoulders away from your��ears to lift your legs off the floor, then pull them into your chest. Slowly extend your legs until they are straight and parallel to the floor��or higher. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds, or as long as possible.

If the full L-sit is too challenging, try extending only one leg at a time, or keep them both bent as you build up strength.

Frog Stand (Crane Pose): Start with your hands on the bars, and bring your feet up behind your hands. Press your knees against your upper arms, then lean forward to shift your weight onto your arms until your feet lift. Find your balance, and lift your hips as high as you can. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds, or as long as possible. Keep your hips high, your wrists straight, and your bodyweight centered over your hands. Slowly rock back into a squat to get out of the stand.

Frog Stand to L-Sit: Enter the frog stand��described above, and bring your knees together and off your arms. Then slowly (over five seconds if you can manage it), rotate your body and extend your legs into an L-sit. Hold the L-sit for another second or two. Then bring your feet to the floor, step back up into the frog stand, and repeat. This works the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement, which is an efficient way to build strength. Move slowly and in control.

Frog Stand to Handstand: Enter the frog stand, then raise your legs overhead into a handstand. Stack your hips over your shoulders, find a central balance point, and slowly bring your legs together until they’re both straight and vertical. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds,��or as long as possible. Then slowly lower your feet to the floor to work the eccentric phase.

L-Sit to Frog Stand: Start in an L-sit, as described above. Then pull your knees into your chest, and lean forward to bring your knees up onto the backs of your upper arms. Keep your shoulders and knees high so you can get into the frog stand. This move works the concentric (lifting)��phase of the movement, which is more difficult than the reverse.

L-Sit to Handstand: Now it’s time to put it all together. Start in an L-sit, pull your knees into your chest as you lean forward, then raise your legs to stack your hips over your shoulders. Find a central balance point, and slowly bring your legs together until they’re both straight, overhead, and pointing toward the sky in a handstand. Slowly reverse the movement back to an L-sit, and repeat.

Volume: Two to three sets of five to twelve reps (or eight-to-ten-second holds, where applicable). Rest for three minutes between sets.

The post Want to Get Strong? Train Like a Gymnast. appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

Until recently, 1,000-fill down has been a rare commodity. Jackets that included it were��always few and far between. But this year, there will be more of it than normal, giving weight weenies new options for ultra-packable warmth. Don’t get too excited, though: quantities will be limited, and prices will be steep��relative to what we’re used to.��Mountain Hardwear, for example, initially only made��2,000 of its flagship�� ($375), whereas��you can likely snag its��bestselling , and for $50 less. Is��the extra fill power, and two-ounce weight savings, really worth the hunt?

Down Math

Calculating fill power is a helpful way to judge the weight-to-warmth factor of different down jackets. Fill power is a measurement of the quality of the down, and it’s��the approximate��volume in cubic inches of one ounce of down.��So one ounce of 650-fill down takes up approximately 650 cubic inches of space, one ounce of 850-fill down works out to 850 cubic inches, etc. It’s important to note that fill power does not necessarily equate to warmth. Here’s what the numbers mean: Because 1,000-fill��down is high in volume, it’s��not as��dense as other fills��and has more room to trap air within the plumage. A jacket with��650-fill down takes up less volume than one with 1,000-fill down,��so it’s denser and has less space for warm air. But when it comes to warmth, what really matters is��how much��of that down is stuffed into the jacket.

We’ll use Mountain Hardwear’s Ghost Whisperer UL as an example. This��jacket features two ounces of 1,000-fill down (this important measurement is��frequently noted��alongside the overall weight of many jackets on the product page,��though not every brand lists it), which means the volume of the down is roughly 2,000 cubic inches. Keep in mind that warmth is tied to volume. So a jacket with 2,000 cubic inches of 800-fill down should be just about as warm as an otherwise identical jacket filled with 2,000 cubic inches of 1,000-fill down, like the Ghost Whisperer UL—the 1,000-fill version will just be lighter.

But how much lighter? Using a little high school algebra, we can work backwards, dividing��the Ghost UL’s 2,000��cubic inches of down by 1,000 fill to determine that the down weighs two ounces. How does that compare to an 800-fill jacket? The same 2,000 cubic inches (meaning the jacket is exactly as warm)��divided by 800 fill yields 2.5 ounces. Even a 650-fill jacket of the same warmth weighs only three ounces. In smaller jackets, the weight difference from 1,000 fill to 850 might be minimal, though the difference could be larger in products like sleeping bags, which use tens of thousands of cubic inches of down.

So��while fill power definitely shaves ounces for those looking to slim down their kit, the weight��difference in many jackets is minor, and real��weight savings are��likely to come down to everything around the down. If manufacturers spend��big bucks filling their jackets with 1,000-fill down, it’s likely because they’re trying to make them superlight. That means they’ll also try to keep the weight of the fabrics, zippers, and other features to a minimum. But if weight is less of a concern, they might boost durability and function and use cheaper down.

How I��Tested

I took these jackets��backpacking, ice climbing, and backcountry skiing across the West between the fall of 2019 and the summer of 2020.��Temperatures ranged from the low fifties��to bitter single digits below zero. Given the variety of jackets��and their differing warmths, each generally��fell into its own optimal activity��and temperature ranges. (The latter is a��subjective assessment based on my body, what I was��wearing with the jackets, and the activity of the day.)

Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer UL ($375)

Best For: Nerds obsessed with ultralight tech
Weight: 6.7 ounces (men’s medium)
Down Weight:��2��ounces
Optimal Temperature Range:��50 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit

There may never have been a more fully featured down jacket at this weight—or��at least��I’ve yet to see it. Largely thanks to the featherweight nylon face fabric (or outer layer)��that lends its name to the jacket, the Ghost Whisperer line has been able to claim that title for a while. But the brand’s newest iteration swaps out 800-fill down for the primo��1,000 fill and replaces ultralight ten-denier face fabrics with��a downright paper-light��five-denier version, bringing the ’s weight to that of a billiard ball.����

That��lightweight warmth was enough to take the chill off shoulder-season summits or while making breakfast on summer backpacking trips in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, when��temperatures were in the low fifties. It makes for a toasty midlayer (it fits great under a ski shell) during the colder months, but it’s probably not going to be my only puffy on chilly ski tours (adding a parka would be nice for frigid transitions). And at this level of warmth, the difference between the UL and the 8.8-ounce 800-fill version is really only going to be noticed by picky ounce counters. Cost aside, the weight savings may or may not be worth the paranoia that comes from brushing this jacket against a branch. I babied mine and still saw a few small snags while bushwhacking.

��

Eddie Bauer Centennial Collection MicroTherm 1000 ($399)

Best For: Moving while bundled up
Weight: 9.6 ounces��(men’s medium)
Down Weight: 3.2 ounces
Optimal Temperature Range:��50 to 30��degrees Fahrenheit

The�� only features just over an ounce of additional down compared to��the Ghost UL, but Eddie Bauer��took few chances on the face fabric with a sturdy (for this category) 20-denier material. Plus, stretchy fleece panels under the arms boost flexibility and breathability.

This jacket��kept me slightly warmer than the Ghost Whisperer. I stayed��comfortable into temperatures in the high forties��without moving. The underarm panels didn’t seem to compromise warmth��but were a welcome feature while moving above the tree line during fall hikes up Bear Peak in Boulder, Colorado,��with early-morning temperatures in the high forties. The face fabric still deserves some caution around sharp objects, but I felt confident jamming it into my backpack or wearing it while walking over and around��blowdown.

Mont Bell Plasma 1000��($439)

Best For: Shoulder-season backpacking
Weight: 8.4 ounces (men’s medium)
Down Weight: 3.4 ounces
Optimal Temperature Range:��45 to 25��degrees Fahrenheit

While the ��down weight��of the Mont Bell is similar to that of the Eddie Bauer, the baffle design of the�� stacks the down a little thicker, making it noticeably puffier and warmer than the Mountain Hardwear��or Eddie Bauer��jackets. It was my go-to puffy for winter backpacking trips in the desert: I��took it down Little Death Hollow to the Escalante River in Utah, where morning temperatures��didn’t creep beyond the high thirties. It was also a comfortable jacket for ski transitions on days when the mercury dipped to the low thirties. The seven-denier face fabric feels a little crinkly��and lightweight and was just as delicate as the Ghost Whisperer’s—I grazed the cuff over a coarse boulder while hiking along the Escalante and introduced a small tear—but the warmth-to-weight ratio of the Plasma is nearly the best of the jackets I��tested. The whole thing packs down to slightly smaller than a 32-ounce Nalgene.

Rab Zero G ($550)

Best For: Super-cold adventures
Weight: 10 ounces (men’s medium)
Down Weight: 4.05 ounces
Optimal Temperature Range:��35 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit

Bigger puffies like Rab’s are where the value of 1,000-fill down becomes more apparent. With additional��down on the inside (it uses more than twice the down of the Ghost Whisperer), the weight difference between a similarly warm 800-fill jacket could be a lot more obvious. The Zero G was warm enough as an ice-climbing belay jacket or a puffy for full-on winter backpacking up Montana’s Hyalite Canyon. The trade-off, though, is that additional��1,000 fill makes this the most expensive jacket I��tested—by more than $110.

The Zero G quickly became my preferred winter puffy on days when the digits��dropped well below freezing.��Thanks to a ten-denier face fabric, it stayed surprisingly intact (I put one small nick in the body with an errant ice screw in my backpack), even though it saw more use than any of its competitors.��

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Lower-back pain is miserable and all too common: roughly experience it at some point in their lives.��But widely accepted methods of coping with that discomfort, like avoiding exercise, might actually make things worse.

“Your body is designed around short-term survival instincts, so when you have pain, you try to avoid it,” says , a British Columbia–based physical therapist,��trainer, and cofounder of��. It might seem logical to avoid exercise-related discomfort by eliminating certain movements altogether. But this can propel you into a cycle of inactivity, leading to weaker muscles and more soreness and pain over time, he explains. To break the cycle, you have to train, even if it hurts a little—it’s one of the best things you can do for the lower back.

If you’ve sworn off deadlifts and bent-over rows, it’s time to get reacquainted. There are plenty of variations that can help you ease into these exercises��without aggravating your back. Below, Spinelli shares a weighted full-body routine��designed to build strength,��boost confidence, and help you progress��to other exercises over time.

Spinelli recommends doing this routine three times per week. Start with one set of each��of the following moves. As you get stronger and your��discomfort decreases, gradually increase the number of sets, capping it off at four. Shoot for six to twelve��reps in each set,��but choose your volume (and your weight) based on form: stop when you still have three to four good reps in the tank. As you get more comfortable with the exercises, you can experiment with stopping one or two reps short of failure.

The key to this workout is paying attention to your body. Try evaluating��your pain on a scale of one to ten, Spinelli recommends, and keep it below a three while you work out. If a certain exercise hurts, decrease��the range of motion, perform��fewer sets or reps, or reduce��the weight. If your pain worsens (to a level five or above), increases as you work through your reps, is heightened after your workout, or continues��after a 24-hour period, you should back off. If you’re rehabbing��an acute injury, check in with a physical therapist��before beginning this routine.

The Moves

Bird Dog

What it does: Gently builds control and strength��in the lower back by challenging��your trunk to resist rotation and arching at the lumbar��spine. Slowly moving your arms and legs between reps strengthens the glutes and rear shoulder muscles, which help lessen the load on your��lower back.

How to do it: Begin on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Brace your core, and lift your opposite arm and leg off the floor until they’re��straight and��level with your torso. Hold there briefly��(three to five seconds)��before returning your hand and knee to the floor. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg, keeping your hips and shoulders square. Maintain a neutral spine from the crown of your head to your tailbone; avoid sagging or arching your back. If this variation is too easy, do the move from a plank position.

Volume: One to four sets of six��to twelve��reps on��each side.

Deadbug

What it does: Strengthens the abdominals��with your pelvis tucked, which can help relieve lower-back stress.

How to do it: Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Press your lower back into the floor to fire up your abdominals. Then lift both knees until your shins are parallel to the floor. Extend both arms toward the ceiling. Keeping your lower back pressed into the floor, slowly lower one arm backward��and straighten the opposite leg. Only lower as��far as you can without allowing your lower back to lift��off the floor. Return to the starting position, making sure your knees don’t��creep toward your chest. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg. If pressing your lower back into the floor is uncomfortable,��allow��a small arch, but keep it consistent throughout the move. Gradually work your way��down to the floor as��you get stronger.

Volume: One to four sets of six��to twelve��reps on��each side.

Romanian Deadlift

What it does: Builds strength in the glutes and hamstrings. This variation offers similar��benefits to other deadlift variations, but it’s gentler on the back because you’re not pulling the weight off the floor with every rep. Starting this��exercise from the top helps you build strength without stressing your��lower back��and will help you eventually progress to traditional deadlifts.

How to do it: Stand in an athletic stance, with your feet hip-width apart, holding two kettlebells or dumbbells��in front of your thighs, with your palms facing your body��and your arms straight. Choose your weight according to your rep scheme. Start lighter than you think you need,��and work your way up.��To get into the starting position, consider moving your weights to a bench first��and then lifting them into position��rather than lifting them directly from the floor. This will help protect your back.

Bend your knees slightly, sit back into your hips, and hinge forward at the waist to slowly lower the weights. Let them��skim against your thighs, and stop when you feel a slight pull in your hamstrings. Choose your depth based on what feels approachable for your body. Return to a standing position, and squeeze your glutes at the top. Repeat. You should feel your glutes and hamstrings light up during this move.

Volume: One to four sets of six��to twelve��reps.

Three-Point Dumbbell Row

What it does: Strengthens the back, shoulders, and arms.��This variation on the more traditional bent-over row puts��less stress on the lower back, Spinelli explains, by using three points of contact to provide more support. This allows you to better isolate your middle and upper back muscles without loading your lower back.

How to do it: Start in a three-point stance, with your right��knee and hand on a bench. Your right��hand should be positioned directly under your right��shoulder, and your right��knee directly under the right��hip. Your left��leg should be extended, with your foot flat on the floor. Grip a dumbbell or kettlebell��in your left��hand, with your left��arm fully extended toward the floor. (Choose your weight according to your rep scheme, as explained above.) Keeping your chin tucked and your back flat, pull the weight toward your rib cage, keeping your arm tight against your body. Then��lower the weight with control until your arm is fully extended. Keep your core engaged and your spine neutral throughout the entire movement. Repeat.

Volume: One to four sets of six��to twelve��reps on��each side.

Goblet Stationary Lunge

What it does: Builds strength through the legs’ major muscle groups. Many other lunge variations involve moving your feet between reps, which places stress on your��back as you stabilize through various positions. Plus, for people with lower-back pain, holding weight in front of your body tends to be more comfortable than holding it behind your body or on your shoulders (as in back squats).

How to do it: Begin standing with your feet hip-width apart, holding a kettlebell or dumbbells��against your chest with both hands in a��goblet position. Slowly take a big step back with one foot, and lower your back knee to just an inch or two off the floor. Your legs should both be at 90-degree angles.��Make sure your front knee is directly above and laterally in line with your front ankle. Allow your weight to be more heavily distributed on��your front leg. Then��drive through the midfoot of your front foot, and push yourself back up to standing, with both legs extended. Without moving your feet, bend your front knee to drop into your next rep.

Volume: One to four sets of six��to twelve��reps on��each side.

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