Best Exercise To Improve Capability Of Handling Heavy Amps

As a retired Primary Care Physician I would recommend starting with a Physical Therapist, particularly one with experience in Occupational Medicine.  The major health risk here would be blowing your back out.  Even if you don’t do serious structural damage to your back such rupture a disc, you could do soft tissue muscle damage to the back that will cause painful spasms and limit you.  Strength training alone won’t do it.  Gyms are filled with muscle bound studs with chronic back pain.  Stretching exercises for your back and proper lifting techniques are more important.  I would also suggest using whatever equipment is available or that therapist may recommended to help lifting .  Lifting a 109 pound amp from the floor and carrying it might look impressive to onlookers and boost your ego but I foresee a lifetime of misery with back pain unless you take precautions 

As a longtime gym rat who originally started lifting to combat chronic back pain, I recommend deadlifts, bent rows (both dumbbells and barbell) and a lot of core exercises.  

I will add that whenever you are lifting something heavy, don't attempt to "jerk" the weight up and make sure you are warmed up in general. 

bad knee, bad back, bad shoulder, 30 surgeries, bad attitude: make friends, or hire others, don’t try doing it yourself, my wife helps me move mid weight stuff, I wait for friends for heavier than that,

Get good, strong friends...haven't moved my heavy mono blocks since purchase 5+ years ago, and had 2 friends help...otherwise speak to a trainer, there is no group of exercises that fits all, especially if you're older or not in good shape, be careful...

I’m 68, have been in shape all my life, and have always moved heavy things. but at 60 I realized I was losing strength. by 65, my kids were finally raised. My first sport is running so I got back into the moutains, hiking at first and now running ultras.

But while I could focus on running in my 30s, running up to 80 miles/week without weight work, now I need to cross train to keep my strength up and my body balanced. I’ve gone to the gym off and on all my life and done the "light weight, more reps" routine and never felt like I got much out of it.

A year ago I took a friend to the gym who is a serious lifter. He gave me a few tips and the biggest one was to increase the weight, lower the reps. So I did and started making progress. Now a year later I’ve about doubled the weight I’m lifting. I just changed to more weight again, reducing my reps to 6-10.

for moving heavy amps you need core strength, arm strength, and moderate leg strength, and a back that won’t spasm on you. Here is my 45 minute workout:

stretch and roll on foam roller for 5 min to loosen up.

3 minute plank for core

3 sets curls, now up to 80-100 lbs

3 sets lat pulldowns or assisted pull ups--up to 120 lbs

4 sets bench press. I’ve moved to free weights and doing 135 lbs for workout.

a few more things for specific muscles assoicated with running.

3 sets tricps pulldowns 45 lbs

2:00 plank

stretch and roll again.

I don’t do much for my legs at the gym since I run so much but if I wasn’t a running I’d do leg presses or squats, hamstring curls, and leg extensions for my quads.

I do practice squats without any weight. It is important to practice your balance squatting and stretch so you can squat without taking your heels off the ground.

If you have pain in any of these exercises, it is generally related to form. watch others or ask experienced lifters for tips.

Jerry