Isometric - Stand with your back against a wall. Raise your arms to shoulder height and bend your elbows so that your hands are at your chest. Push your arms back against the wall. Hold for 10 seconds.

Stretch - Stand erect and clasp your hands behind your back. Lower your clasped hands as far down behind your back as you can. Now force your shoulders as far back as possible while at the same time extending your chest out. Hold for 10 seconds.

Stretch - While seated with your hands on your hips, turn your head to the right as though straining to look over your right shoulder. When you feel the muscles of your upper right back contract, hold for a second and then turn to your left and contract the muscles on the left for a second. Perform 6 repetitions. On the last repetition, stretch and hold for ten seconds in both the right and left positions.

Isotonic - Put your hands in front of your chest, right palm towards you, left palm away from you. Clasp the fingers of your hands together and pull your left arm far towards your right side while providing resistance with your left arm. Then pull your right arm far to the left while providing resistance with your right arm. Perform ten repetitions and then perform an isometric contraction from the left side and then the right side. Hold each for 10 seconds.

Isometric - While seated, bring up one knee and clasp your hands around it. Now pull back as forcefully as possible while flexing your lats. Hold for 10 seconds. Switch knees and repeat.

Stretch - Wide lat spread. Place your fists against your abdomen, palms down. Spread your elbows straight out to the sides. Push against your abdomen while flexing your latisimus dorsi, or performing a "wide lat spread". Hold for 10 seconds. This exercise also works your pectoral muscles.

Isometric - From a standing position, crouch down slightly and lean forward, placing your hands on your knees, fingers pointing inwards and elbows pointing straight out to the sides. Push back on your knees while flexing your lats. Hold for 10 seconds.

Isometric - While seated, lean forward, bend your arms so that your hands are up near your shoulders and place your elbows over your knees. Push back against your knees while flexing your lats. Hold for 10 seconds.

Isometric - Iso Chinup - Position 1 - Drape a towel over the top of an open door, towards the edge of the door. Stand facing the edge of the door and then reach up and take hold of the towel with both hands on either side of the door. Take hold of the towel so that the crooks of your arms are at approximately cheek level and the palms of your hands are facing you. Now pull on the towel as though you were going to lift yourself off the ground. Utilizing approximately 90 percent of your strength (100 percent would lift you off the ground), hold that position for a full 30 seconds. As well as developing the muscles of your back, this exercise also builds your arms, pectorals, and abdominals. If you are particularly tall, you can drop down a bit or do this exercise on your knees. In an office, this exercise can be done by placing your hands over the top of a high partition.

Position 2 - wide grip - Standing in front of a door, reach up and place your hands on either end of the top of the door and perform the iso chinup from this position. If the edge of the door is too hard on your hands, then place a towel across the top of the door.

Position 1 places the primary stress on your biceps, as well as your lower lats, and position 2 places the primary stress on your upper lats. You could perform the iso chinup from both positions, one or the other, or alternate between days.

This exercise could be performed on a chinup bar, if you have one. Or, you may prefer simply doing chinups (see the "Additional Exercises and Routines" page). You could also drill a hole in the middle of a three foot wooden dowel for an eyebolt and then hang it from a large hook secured high on a wall (if you do this, make sure that a guide hole is drilled straight and dead center of a wall stud for the hook.

Contributed by Dr. Crunch

ALTERNATIVE: If you don't feel like dealing with all of the above, simply reach up with one hand, grasp the top of a door, and pull down, holding for ten seconds. Repeat with the other arm.

Isotonic - Sit towards the edge of a chair, place your feet together and spread your knees apart. Turn your torso to the right and place the palm of your left hand around your right knee with your fingers wrapped around the outside of your right knee. Now pull your right knee towards you while providing resistance with your right leg and, at the same time, flexing your left lat as you pull. Perform 10 repetitions. This will also develop the muscles of your forearm. Isometric - Next, with your right knee spread out and your left arm straight, place the palm of your left hand on the outside of your right knee, fingers pointing downwards. Pull against your right knee with your left hand while, at the same time, flexing your left lat. Do not allow your right leg to be moved. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat with your right hand on your left knee.

Isotonic - Sit near the edge of a chair, back straight, feet together, and place the edges of your fists, palms down, against the insides of your knees. Keeping your arms straight, push your knees apart while providing inward resistance with your legs against your fists. Perform 10 repetitions. Isometric - Next, put your knees together and attempt to push them apart with your fists. Hold for 10 seconds. This exercise also works your shoulders and triceps.

Alternative: Perform this exercise with the palms of your hands, thumbs down, pushing against the insides of your knees.

Isotonic - Clasp the fingers of your hands together behind your head, right palm facing away from you, left palm facing towards you. Using your right hand, pull your left arm as far to the right as possible while resisting with your left arm. Now pull your right arm as far to the left as possible while resisting with your right arm. Perform 10 repetitions. Now perform a 10 second Isometric of the same exercise from both the left and right sides.

Ok. So Rudolph Valentino is demonstrating this exercise. So what?

Isometric - Raise your arms straight up overhead as high as you can and as far back as you can. With your right palm facing upward and your left palm facing downward, clasp the fingers of your hands together and then attempt to pull your hands apart. Hold for 10 seconds. Switch hands and repeat.

Isometric - Back row/dead lift. While seated, lean forward, wrap your arms underneath your legs, up against the undersides of your knees, and clasp your hands together. Attempt to lift your legs with your arms. Lift from your shoulders. Try to avoid putting undue stress on your lower back by placing the emphasis on lifting up, around your shoulders. Hold for 10 seconds.

Isometric - Shoulder Shrug. This is for your trapezius muscles. Draw your shoulders up as far as possible, back a little bit, and pull them in towards your neck until you feel your traps isolate and contract, and then hold that position for ten seconds.

Isotonic - This is also for your trapezius muscles. Lock the fingers of both hands behind your back. Shrug one shoulder at a time while pulling down and providing resistance with the other arm. Perform ten repetitions on each shoulder.

Contributed by Chris Yurczak

Website: Steel City Self Defense

VRT (Visualized Resistance Training) - Extend both arms straight out in front of you and take hold of the two thick ropes that are there. Trust me. They're there. These two ropes loop through two heavy duty pulleys and are secured to the heaviest weight you'll ever have to lift in your entire life. Now, pull these ropes towards you as you lift this mammoth weight. Tense every muscle in your back, shoulders, and arms as you pull with every ounce of strength you possess. Pull until your fists are alongside your rib cage and the weight is successfully hoisted. Now you can let go.