Personal trainer Bojan Milohanović

Everybody “knows” how to train, right?

Until the force stops coming straight at them🤔

Most are comfortable producing force forward and backward.

Now...
Pull them laterally → Ask them to hinge →
Stand on one leg → Control rotation → Keep the pelvis organized → Keep the trunk strong → Produce force back into the floor without using the arm to rescue the movement…

And suddenly, “strong” becomes a very different conversation😱

I changed the line of force where the cable now creates a lateral and rotational demand while I’m hinging so the movement becomes a conversation between⬇️

Foot pressure + Single leg stability + Hip control + Posterior chain loading + Trunk control + Rotation + Force production.

➡️ The hinge loads the glutes and hamstrings in a lengthened position
➡️ The lateral cable wants to pull my body away from its base
➡️ The trunk has to control that force
➡️ The hip has to manage the pelvis

From the bottom, I don’t pull the weight up with my hand…

I PUSH THE FLOOR AWAY😎

➡️ The foot creates the foundation
➡️ The hip produces the extension
➡️ The trunk transfers the force.
➡️ The arm simply connects me to the resistance

The ones who “know” how to train sometimes confuse the difference between moving a weight and controlling a movement🤷🏻‍♂️

Human beings don’t live in one plane…
We bend, Reach, Turn, Rotate, Catch ourselves,
Change direction…

So why would we only prepare our bodies for forces that arrive perfectly straight?

Strength is important💪🏻…

But strength you can control from different positions, directions and planes is what becomes capability👊🏻

Health within. Strength beyond.

🧠 Train the Mind | 💪 Build the Body | ⚡ Lead the Life

“BE CAPABLE” PART 2 - LOWER BODY + CORE

1. BOX DROP → REACTIVE JUMP
3x5 each leg / Rest 90 sec
This is your reactive power / force absorption component.

2. SQUAT
4×6-8 / Rest 2-3 min

3A. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT +
3×6-8/leg
3B. SKATER BOUND
3×5-6/side / Rest 90 sec after the pair

4A. SINGLE RDL
3×8/side
4B. ISO LUNGE SIDE THROWS
3×6/side / Rest 90 sec after the pair

CORE BLOCK
5A. PALLOF PRESS
3×6-8/side
5B. SUITCASE CARRY
3×2030 meters/side / Rest 90 sec after the pair

Strong legs are great…but what can you actually do with them?

Can you produce force, absorb it, jump (more importantly, land well), move laterally, stabilize on one leg, rotate while producing force, resist rotation when something is trying to pull you out of position…? 🤔

Squat +Lunge + Leg press + Rdl build the foundation…well today, we’re asking the foundation to perform a little bit😅⬇️

➡️ Strength gives us the ability to produce force
➡️ Jumps teach us to express that force quickly
➡️ Landings teach us to absorb and control it
➡️ Skaters challenge us laterally
➡️ Single leg work exposes asymmetries and demands stability
➡️ Rotational work teaches the hips, trunk and upper body to transfer force together
➡️ Carries train your core thst needs to create movement when movement is required, and prevent movement when stability is required

💯 Train so that the body is able to move:
Forward / Backward / Sideways / Up & Down /
Rotate / Resist / Accelerate / Absorb / Stabilize /
Carry…😱

You are supposed to last…Not 12 weeks…Not until summer😏

For LIFE😎

Build strength first.
Then teach your body how to use it.

BE CAPABLE.
DON’T JUST LOOK CAPABLE.

Health within = Strength beyond🤩

🧠 Train the Mind | 💪 Build the Body | ⚡ Lead the Life

PREP 5-7 minutes
Woke up stiff, with limited time and with only 8min drive to the gym i decided to warm up at home😬

⬇️DON’T just look capable…BE capable⬇️

1. POWER - Explosive Step Over PushUp
3×6-8 each direction / Rest 90 sec

2. MAXIMAL STRENGTH - Deadlift
4×4- 6 / Rest 2-3 min

3A. STRENGTH - Seated Military Press +
3×6-8 / Rest 30 sec, then⬇️
3B. POWER/COORDINATION- Step back Pull
3×8-10 / Rest 90 sec

4A. STRENGTH/CONTROL - Bent Over Row +
3×6-10 / Rest 30 sec, then⬇️
4B. BALLISTIC HIP POWER - Kettlebell Swing
3×10-12 / Rest 90 sec

5. MUSCULAR ENDURANCE - Isometric Hold
3×20-30 sec / Rest 60sec

6. CARDIO CAPACITY / COORDINATION
SkiErg + Alternating Reverse Lunge
4-6 rounds
30-45 sec work / 30-45 sec recovery

There’s a big difference between training a body for one summer…and building a body you can rely on for the REST OF YOUR LIFE😉

I want strength + power + endurance + mobility + coordination + cardiovascular capacity.

And i also want it to be FUN.

Pushing, Pulling , Pressing and Repeat is great but eventually, even a great program can become boring if the body and brain are never challenged in different ways.

So move, Change direction, Explode, Hold, Rotate, Accelerate, Move laterally, Coordinate your upper and lower body…Get your heart rate up and still ask your body to move well.

Be functional …And YES…add some FUN😬

The gym is just THE TOOL⬇️
➡️ We use the controlled environment of the gym to prepare our body for the uncontrolled demands of life😎

Because you don’t know what life is going to ask from you tomorrow⬇️
➡️ You might have to lift something heavy
➡️ Catch yourself when you lose balance
➡️ Move sideways
➡️ React quickly
➡️ Carry your child
➡️ Run for something
➡️ Absorb an unexpected force…

This is how I train and how I train my clients.

If you want to learn how to train for more than just appearance and understand why you’re doing what you’re doing…REACH OUT😎

🧠 Train the Mind | 💪 Build the Body | ⚡ Lead the Life

Same destination. Different roads. 🛣️

Imagine you’re driving to the same destination, but having options of 3 different routes… Highway, The mountains or through the city…

You still arrive at the same place, but the journey is completely different.😬

Different turns, speed, fuel consumption, wear on the car.

Its the same in this video example…

Yes… you feel your lats in all 3 exercises, so it’s completely understandable why many believe they’re the same… and honestly…

I used to think that too.🤷🏻‍♂️

When we first start training, we judge an exercise by one thing:

“Can I feel the muscle?“
“So these must all be doing the same thing.”

It sounds logical…buuuut

Feeling a muscle only tells you that it’s involved.

It doesn’t tell you how it’s being challenged.😱

And that was one of the biggest lessons I learned over the years, with the help of deeper studies of biomechanics.😎

Muscles don’t recognise exercise names, meaning your body doesn’t know you’re doing a “lat pulldown”…

Your body understands FORCE, JOINT POSITION, LEVERAGE, WHERE THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OCCURS THROUGHOUT A MOVEMENT

That’s why these 3 exercises can all train your lats…yet each creates a different mechanical challenge.

A different line of pull, shoulder position, resistance profile, contribution from the surrounding muscles.

Same destination…Different road😬

This isn’t about proving that one exercise is better.

It’s about understanding WHY each one exists, and once you understand the reason you stop searching for the “best exercise” and start choosing the RIGHT exercise for your GOAL.😉

After more than two decades 👀 of coaching, I’ve realised something that goes far beyond the gym.

Most people don’t struggle because they aren’t trying hard enough, but because nobody ever helped them understand WHY!

When something makes sense…good decisions become much easier…Not only in training…

But in life as well.😊

Understanding > Confidence > Better decisions >
Better results

My goal is always to…Make it make sense!

🧠 Train the Mind | 💪 Build the Body | ⚡ Lead the Life

#

🍦 The Pre Ice Cream Workout 😉

If you are anything like me😬… it’s a MUST😅

Complete: 4-6 Rounds
Rest: 120+ Seconds

A1. Kettlebell Swing Walk
* 10 walking swings (Left leg forward)
* 10 walking swings (Right leg back)

⬇️ immediately into

A2. Walking Plank with Slides
* 20 m forward
* 20 m back

⬇️ immediately into

A3. Isometric Banded Crunch Press
* Hold the crunch position
* 10 band presses to the left
* 10 band presses to the right

⬇️ immediately into

A4. Underhand Band Pull
* 10 explosive pulls (Left arm)
* 10 explosive pulls (Right arm)

THE WORKOUT:
✅ Starts with a powerful dynamic movement to elevate heart rate.
✅ Transitions into locomotion and core stability while fatigue begins to build.
✅ Then moves into an isometric trunk challenge when the core is already working.
✅ Finishes with an explosive anti rotation pull that demands full body stability under fatigue.

How would i cue this:
✔️ Move continuously between exercises
✔️ Prioritize control over speed
✔️ Keep the trunk braced throughout every movement
✔️ Breathe with intention…don’t hold your breath
✔️ Maintain quality even as fatigue increases (if you need to reset in between reps pls DO SO)

Finisher:
20min Cardio of your choice in Zone 2

💯Not every workout has to be about lifting heavier.

Sometimes it’s about moving better, staying athletic, building conditioning, and challenging your body in multiple planes of motion…

And all before you enjoy that weekend ice cream. 🍦💪🤩🥳

🧠 Train the Mind.
💪 Build the Body.
⚡ Lead the Life.

Shoulder elevation isn’t “more range”… it’s often LESS lat. 👀

To clarify:
➡️ Your lats DO NOT stop working just because your arm goes overhead.
➡️ In fact, they’re in one of their most lengthened positions there.
➡️ The problem starts when you let the cable pull your shoulder into elevation.
➡️ At that point, you’re no longer just increasing shoulder flexion, you’ve changed the position of the scapula.

As the shoulder hikes toward your ear:
❌ The scapula elevates
❌ The lat shortens at its upper attachment
❌ Passive tension in the stretched position decreases
❌ You lose the ability to maintain continuous mechanical tension

Then, when you initiate the pull, the first muscles that naturally take over are the upper trapezius and other scapular elevators/depressors to reposition the shoulder before the lat can produce its strongest pull.🤷🏻‍♂️

The goal is NOT to freeze the scapula because normal scapulohumeral rhythm still occurs during overhead movement.

💯 The goal is to avoid excessive passive shoulder elevation caused by the cable.

Instead:
✅ Let the arm travel overhead until you feel a full lat stretch
✅ Keep the chest proud and the rib cage controlled
✅ Maintain slight active shoulder depression instead of allowing the shoulder to be pulled upward
✅ From that stretched position, initiate the movement by driving the upper arm down through the lat, NOT by shrugging first

Research consistently shows that training muscles in lengthened positions while maintaining tension is highly effective for hypertrophy.

💯 But that benefit depends on keeping the target muscle LOADED , not allowing surrounding muscles to steal the work.😏

Sometimes the biggest difference in an exercise isn’t changing the exercise…

It’s changing 5 centimeters of shoulder position.😬

🧠 Train the Mind
💪 Build the Body
⚡ Lead the Life

Spinal Flexion ✔️
Posterior Pelvic Tilt ✔️

All three variations have them…

Which one should you choose? 🤔

1️⃣ The Acrobatics Variation
This is the most advanced progression.

Yes, your abs are working as you’re performing spinal flexion and posterior pelvic tilt.

But now you’re also demanding far more from your body than just your core.

You’re challenging:
➡️ Body awareness
➡️ Compression strength
➡️ Shoulder stability
➡️ Grip endurance
➡️ Coordination
➡️ Gymnastic control

At this stage, the movement becomes as much about skill as it is about abdominal strength.

2️⃣ The Momentum Variation
Again…Yes your abs are still working.

But the moment you swing your legs behind your body, you create momentum that helps initiate the lift.

That means part of the movement is now assisted by physics instead of being produced entirely by your muscles, which means:

➡️ Less continuous muscular tension
➡️ Less control.
➡️ More energy transferred through momentum.

It’s not wrong, just simply a different strategy.

3️⃣ The Controlled Variation
💯This is the one I personally use most often when the goal is maximizing abdominal tension:

➡️ No swing
➡️ No unnecessary momentum
➡️ Just a dead hang
➡️ Followed by a controlled posterior pelvic tilt and spinal flexion

Now every centimeter of the movement has to be created by your core.

The abs remain under tension throughout the entire repetition.

In this movement the muscles, not momentum😉, are doing the work.

None of these variations are wrong.

They simply produce different adaptations based on what are you trying to develop.💪🏻

Option 1:
✅ If you want to improve gymnastic ability, body awareness and advanced control😱

Option 2
✅ If you want to move more weight or perform higher repetitions with some assistance you
will naturally use momentum😬

Option 3
✅ If you want to maximize abdominal tension and control😎

Stop asking which exercise is best and start asking what it’s best at. 🔥

🧠 Train the Mind.
💪 Build the Body.
⚡ Lead the Life.

Mixed Grip… Right or Wrong? 🤔

The answer isn’t as simple as “yes” or “no.”

A mixed grip has helped countless lifters pull incredible weights for decades, and i think the biggest lift ever was done in a mixed grip.🤷🏻‍♂️

So no… I’m not saying it’s wrong.

I personally prefer a double overhand or hook grip whenever possible… and here is Why⬇️

💯 Your anatomy doesn’t change, muscles, bones, tendons and joints stay exactly the same

➡️ What changes is the alignment and mechanics of the upper body

➡️ With one hand pronated (overhand) and the other supinated (underhand), each shoulder, elbow and forearm begins from a different rotational position, which creates a naturally more asymmetrical setup before the lift even starts

➡️ On the supinated side, the biceps tendon is placed under greater stress…

Does that mean mixed grip is dangerous?

Absolutely not.

💯 This can be avoided if you actively squeeze the triceps on the supinated side to help lock the elbow and reduce any tendency to flex it under heavy loads…

My philosophy has always been…
EARN THE RIGHT TO PROGRESS!

Before looking for ways to lift more weight, first prove that you can control the weight you already have.

💯 Master the basics first.

Master the overhand grip first.
The setup, your positioning, technique, awareness.

Then, if a hook grip or mixed grip helps you lift heavier while maintaining quality movement, you’ve earned that progression.

Don’t use advanced variations to compensate for foundations that haven’t been built yet👀

At the end of the day…

The best grip is the one that allows you to lift safely, efficiently, and consistently OVER MANY YEARS, not just the one that lets you lift the most weight today. 😎

🧠 Train the Mind 💪 Build the Body ⚡ Lead the Life

Better to pull DOWN… or BACK? 👀

That tiny change completely changes the mechanics.

A small change in elbow position and the direction you pull the rope changes the mechanics of the exercise.

1️⃣ Rope straight DOWN:
✅ Elbows naturally drift slightly away from the body
✅ Arms stay more diagonal
✅ More shoulder stabilization is required
✅ Great exercise…but slightly less isolated

2️⃣ Rope DOWN and BACK toward your hips:
✅ Elbows stay locked beside the torso
✅ Shoulder movement is minimized
✅ The cable stays farther from the elbow joint for longer
✅ This maintains a larger moment arm through more of the movement
✅ More consistent resistance during elbow extension
✅ Easier to keep tension exactly where you want it

Both variations train all three heads of the triceps.

The difference is how efficiently the resistance challenges the elbow throughout the movement.

That’s why many lifters feel a stronger contraction when pulling the rope slightly toward the hips rather than only pushing straight down.

Does that mean the first version is wrong?

Nope😬

If it feels great…your elbows are comfortable…
You can progressively overload it without excessive shoulder engagement…Keep doing it.

Different arm lengths, shoulder structures, mobility…can all make one variation feel better than another.

The goal isn’t to copy someone else’s technique.

The goal is to understand why one variation may work better for you.😉

Train smarter…Not just harder😎

🧠 Understand the mechanics… and the muscles will follow.

💪 Train the Mind | Build the Body | Lead the Life

Most people think a bigger stretch comes from lowering the dumbbells further…Not necessarily🤷🏻‍♂️

🧠 Why upper back support:
✅ A small thoracic support helps maintain chest elevation
✅ Your sternum stays lifted instead of collapsing
✅ Your pec fibers begin from a longer position
✅ Your shoulders stay in a better pressing position
✅ Less energy is wasted stabilizing your torso
✅ More tension stays where you actually want it
✅ Better stability often means better technique, especially as fatigue sets in
✅ More consistent loading in the lengthened position may enhance one of the most powerful drivers of muscle growth: mechanical tension at long muscle lengths.

Of course we want the neck stable and in neutral position… hence the towel😉

Can you maintain this position without a thoracic support?

Absolutely!

But it requires a much higher level of:
✅ Body awareness (proprioception)
✅ Thoracic extension control
✅ Scapular stability
✅ Postural endurance throughout the set

As the load gets heavier and fatigue sets in, maintaining that elevated chest position becomes increasingly difficult. The body naturally seeks stability, and for many people that means the chest gradually collapses and the shoulders begin to contribute more.🤷🏻‍♂️

A simple thoracic support doesn’t replace good technique, it helps you MAINTAIN good technique.

The idea isn’t to make the exercise easier…but to make the target muscle work harder. 💪

Sometimes you just need to improve the SETUP…Not change the exercise😎

🧠 Train the Mind | 💪 Build the Body | ⚡ Lead the Life