2019-09-01_Shape

Arthur Belebeau

SEPTEMBER 2019 54 SHAPE.COM

PERFECT

MOVE

Alexander Charles

is the creator of the Resist

strength class at Equinox

gyms in New York City

“Core engage-

ment is crucial

throughout

this move, plus

your biceps

remain under

tension from

curl to finish.”

Hover your phone’s camera
over this smart code to
see Charles demo his sig-
nature exercise. “This move
is challenging,” he says,
“so feel free to alternate your press with
your raise to get the hang of it first.”

1

INCREASING TENSION is a good thing in reps. As a

fitness pro at Equinox, Alexander Charles is a master at

programming for any workout tool, but he’s partial to

resistance bands. “The beauty of bands is that as the move-

ment ascends, the tension grows,” he says. “ You control

how far you take it.” That’s why he loaded this static lunge

press-lift combo with a band: As you lower into a lunge,

with the band under your front foot, you’re either curling

or overhead-pressing one end of the band and pulling the

other out to shoulder height. “You’re using so many mus-

cles at once—your shoulders, obliques, and legs—as you

work your balance,” Charles says. You can typically curl

more weight with biceps than you can lift with the medial

deltoid in your shoulder, but the band allows for both to

be challenged. “You can shorten the band on the biceps-

curl side, giving your shoulder side raise extra slack to

work with,” he says. “Remember, you set the tension.”

Now watch it in action

“You tap your

motor skills

by having to

level your

body to deal

with the

imbalance of

the tension.”

“While the resistance

of a dumbbell stays

the same, bands

provide variable

resistance—great for

growing strength.”