Atlas Stone Trainer
Trains the Spinal Erectors.
- Equipment
- An atlas stone trainer and either a box or a barbell in a rack
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
- Stand over the loaded stone trainer with the feet a little wider than the base and hinge down to grip its handle or wrap the arms around it.
- Pull it into the chest and lap it: sit back and roll it onto the thighs, sitting deep so the thighs make a shelf.
- Reposition the hands around it, hugging it tight.
- Drive the hips forward and stand up hard, letting it roll up the chest.
- Extend fully and place it on the platform or over the bar.
- Step back and reset before the next repetition.
Common mistakes
- Lifting straight from the floor to the platform. The lap is a separate step; skipping it is a rounded-back pull with nothing to hold onto.
- Rounding the back on the pick. The first pull is the hardest position for the spine; the chest stays close and the hips lift.
- Lapping on the knees. The trainer sits deep in the lap close to the hips; perched on the knees, it rolls off.
- Bending over the platform. The hips drive forward and up to place it; leaning over means the hips stopped early.