What are your finishers?

I sometimes max out on push ups for chest after everything, isometic squats for thighs, and other stuff. What are your finishers?

Chris Shugart wrote a good article about this in a previous issue of t-mag. It was also in the 2nd printed version of t-mag. He suggested stadiums, pulling or pushing cars, farmers walk and a few others.

Check it out!

I already read that when it came out. I am looking for other ideas for specific bodyparts or motions.

Here is a finisher I perform occasionally on my hip dominant leg (hamstring, glutes) day. Kneel on a bench or pad on the floor, have a spotter hold your ankles - preferably someone as heavy as you, then keeping your body straight from knees to head lean forward. Lower youself as far as you can (the goal being just above the floor), pause, then raise back up. Start with a 3111 tempo and as you get better you can increase the range of motion and eccentric time.
Just a note - these are hard! I weigh 190 and have a pretty good set of wheels, but I still haven’t got my range of motion all the way down to the floor. Nor can I do very many partial reps! Enjoy and I am sure when you have trouble walking (sitting, standing, etc) because of the DOMS this created, you will think pleasant thoughts of that F#%*ing guy on the T-Mag Forum who explained this exercise. - Matt Slaymaker

I a at the point where I am re-evaluating my output to response performance. That is, with whatever, burns, drop sets, finishing moves, am I going to improve any more than if I completed my desired task?
I am going to start a Staleyesque routine.
Monitoring my performance and the like. If I my goal is 6 reps with a specified tempo, I am going to consider that the stopping point, where I cannot perform the rep with that specified tempo. I am going to call my stopping point of an exercise where my performance of a set stops at a point below my goal reps by a few reps. example, on sets of 10 as a goal, stop when my 8th rep is my last successful rep at the specified tempo. for sets of low reps I am considering stopping, for instance on sets of 2-6, when two successive sets are a rep or 2 below my objective performance tempo.
I am considering this because of 1)improved focus during a workout and 2) with the law of repeated efforts, gain is inevitable. I don’t want it to become so rigid that the workouts cease to be fun, and the flip side of that coin as well.

I’m pretty convinced it is a bad idea to use a low percent of
1RM as a “finishing” exercise, e.g., doing pushups after a
chest workout. Training below 50% 1RM, or this may even
be 60% 1RM, just isn’t productive for mass or strength and
can even be counterproductive.

To me, the only reason to make a given exercise a
“finisher” is because, if used earlier, it would impede an
overall-more-effective exercise. For example, I use a
machine that is something like an arm cross, but lying down
and you do a bear hug with your elbows against the pads.
Works very well as an isolation movement for the pecs.
Obviously I prefer to do this last, after bench presses, rather
than first. But I don’t do it with low percent 1RM.

Similarly, if you are doing deadlifts, you might do good
mornings, seated good mornings, or back extensions as
the final exercise. It would not be smart to use one of these
as the first exercise. The same principle applies to several
things. But other than that, there is nothing special about the
last exercise: no need for a special “finsher” per se.

It’s just a
matter of doing productive exercises in the most productive
order.

Matt me and my workout partners sometimes do that exercise for hamstrings. We do it the way you described but with our hands behind our heads, back arched, head looking up. I’ve never seen anyone even come close to getting all the way down to the floor and coming back up…Has to be one of the hardest movements there is.

I once worked out at a small gym in San Francisco that had a piece of equipment for sissy squats(ha ha),it has a place to brace your ankles and another to rest the top of your calves to allow you to go back, essentially doing the reverse of the movement your describing. a good burn on the quads after squats.Im not sure its great for knees but I never had a problem,although I only did them for a couple of months.

Kelly,
I guess that I ddin’t explain arm position in my post, but just like a situp you can vary the resistance with where you hold your arms. Over your head would be the hardest position! As far as going all the to the floor, I saw a powerlifter (actually Iowa State University’s Strength Coach) do a set of 5 all the way to the floor with ease! I was amazed! - Matt Slaymaker