Sometimes you’re either ill-equipped or you just can’t “click” with a certain free weight movement; you can’t find your groove with it doing it the way everyone else seems to be able to do it. Well, “free weights” are called “free” for a reason—monetary reasons unfortunately not among them. Unlike machines that lock you into place and force you into moving a way that may or may not be natural or appropriate per your anthropometry, free weights allow freedom of movement. And sometimes, opportunity to innovate. Here’s a couple of tricks I picked up on my own. I do all my training at home and I had to get creative to be able to effectively train two areas that I couldn’t hit effectively with free weights hitherto.

The perfect machine-free standing calf raise

Training calves with barbells or dumbbells is a bitch. Unless you’re willing to get a little unorthodox. I’ve tried them with a low bar back squat position, a high bar back squat position, a safety bar, and a clean (front squat) position. None worked out great. The center of mass is too high and it’s too easy to lose your balance to hit the calves effectively. Dumbbells may seem like a viable alternative in theory, but put them into practice and see why they’re not. They’re awkward to hold onto and the center of mass is too low to keep your balance. “Why not grab onto the rack and hold one dumbbell with the opposite arm while doing one-legged calf raises?” Tried it. It’s okay, but takes too long to train each calf one at a time.

The solution I found is to use a zercher grip. The center of mass is absolutely perfect, and allows you to really “hug” the weight to your body and go heavy with no balance issues. You still have to stabilize yourself, which is a plus of doing free weight calf raises over machines. I don’t just feel these in my calves. They thrash those, make no mistake, but they also hit my hams, glutes, core, the whole posterior chain. The fact that zercher holds in and of themselves are great for your arms is a happy bonus. They might take some getting used to, but even if you do have a calf raise machine handy, zercher calf raises might just be a more athletic mass builder that target the calves primarily.

The perfect reverse wrist curl

Oh, those pesky forearm extensors. Always found them to be an awkward muscle group to hit. I always see guys in books and online articles doing these the same way. Forearms either over a bench/preacher bench or over the knees, whether with a barbell or a dumbbell. To me, this isn’t just an ineffective way to target those muscles, it’s downright uncomfortable! I get clicking in my wrist in that postition, no matter whether it’s a barbell or dumbbell, and it just doesn’t feel right. Well, let’s solve this.

This may look a little silly, but if you’re training on your own who gives a shit? Here’s how to hit those fuckers effectively and pain-free. Lie down on your side on the floor. Rest your head on your free hand if you like. I call this the draw me like one of your French girls position. Yes, like a Playboy centerfold. Put your other arm on the edge of a bench above you with just your hand hanging off it, as though you’re in a position where you just won an arm wrestling match. Your entire arm will be sideways and parallel relative to the horizon. Put a dumbbell in that hand and go at it. The difference will be immediate. It’ll be more comfortable—not just because you’re lying down lol—and you’ll be able to feel (and see!) the “meat” of your forearm extensors doing all the work.

Anyone else ever have to get creative? Let’s hear it