One of my personal claims to fame in this industry as a bodybuilder and coach has been my keen ability to both find ways to make basic exercises more effective and to tweak various movements so that they affect the target muscle in a somewhat unique manner.SEE ALSO:10 Substitutes for Crowded Gym MachinesThe following exercises are great muscle builders as is, but with just slight manipulations, they may prove to work even better. Here are 15 of my favorite exercise tricks that will invariably lead to better muscle-building and body-chiseling results.
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Barbell Curl
A very common complaint I hear from lifters about barbell curls is that it often pumps up the forearms more than it does the biceps. If this pertains to you, try doing your curls with the wrists cocked down, which will prevent the forearm flexors from engaging to such a large extent.SEE ALSO:7 Curls for Bigger Biceps
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Seated Calf Raise
As someone who was born with very poor calf genetics, I have had to fight for every centimeter of muscle on my lower legs. The seated calf raise works the outer soleus muscle rather effectively, but through experimentation I have found that by simply leaning my torso forward, rather than sitting straight up, every rep provides a much more concentrated and intense contraction, which leads to enhanced growth.SEE ALSO:5 Moves for Bigger, Stronger Calves
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Lying Leg Curl
One of my favorite hamstring movements is the lying leg curl, but not done in the usual manner with chest flat on the pad. Rather, I keep my torso elevated by holding myself in a semi-pushup position, which creates a more intense squeeze on every rep. It’s like concentration curls for the hams.SEE ALSO:4 Best Exercises for Stronger Hamstrings
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Lat Pulldown
This is a terrific exercise for hitting the lats and all of the muscles tied into the mid-back. However, it can be hard on the shoulders and/or neck when done in the conventional manner. I suggest performing this movement while facing away from the weight stack, sitting as far forward on the seat as possible. This should allow you to pull in a straight line from stretch to contraction without having to awkwardly bend your neck forward.SEE ALSO:Back-Up Plan for Wider Lats
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Hyperextension
This great lower back exercise can be easily turned into an amazing hamstring exercise by pushing your heels against the pad throughout the set, which will keep the hams under constant tension. The key is to “pull with the hams” while letting the low back relax. Do not fully hyperextend, and only go high enough to feel a tight squeeze in the back of the legs.
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One-Arm DB Row
In my gym these have been dubbed “Merlin Rows.” Instead of positioning yourself with one knee on a bench and one leg behind you, set an incline to about 45 degrees and lay forward onto your chest. Row the DB with one arm while the other wraps underneath the bench to keep your torso set in place. This is a great lat isolator.SEE ALSO:Get Rows Done in a Crowded Gym
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-Degree DB Preacher Curl
This movement is fantastic for working both the biceps and brachialis, which can assist with creating a greater “peak.” However, if you want to make this exercise even more interesting, try doing one set with the hand grasping the middle of the DB; a second set grasping right up against the inner plate; and a third set grasping right up against the outer plate. With each set you will feel a unique strain on the biceps.SEE ALSO:4 Classic Exercises to Build Your Biceps
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Angled Single Leg Press
The leg press is an excellent machine for helping to build huge thighs. The one-legged version makes this exercise even more challenging. A great way to tweak this movement is to angle your torso and working leg inward at about a 45-degree angle while you press. This change in position will recruit more of the vastus lateralis of the outer thigh as well as providing a crushing blow to the side of the glutes.SEE ALSO:7 Moves to Work Your Legs to Exhaustion
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Close-Grip Bench Press
When you are after pure mass in the triceps, the CG Bench Press will serve your needs well. However, I have a great way to turn this general builder into a more targeted movement for the long head of the tris. Use the Smith Machine for safety and isolation purposes. Rotate your hands inward so that your elbows rotate outward. Let the bar carefully rest in your palms instead of grasping as normal. Lower slowly in line with upper pecs until forearms contact the biceps, then push to just before lockout on each rep.SEE ALSO:10 Worst Bench Press Mistakes
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Lat Pulldown Curl
The best way to add “peaks” to the biceps is by developing the underlying brachialis maximally. This exercise smashes the brachialis and also provides a great squeeze through the entire upper arm. Sit in a lat pulldown and grasp the bar with an underhand grip. Lean back just slightly and hold that position while you curl the bar down and back behind your head. The only movement should be at the elbows.SEE ALSO:6 Moves for Sick Lats
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Reverse-Grip Smith Bench Press
If you are having a tough time thickening your upper pecs, give this movement a try. Studies show that it activates the clavicular pectorals to an even greater degree than incline presses! Lie on a flat bench and use a shoulder-width underhand grip. Lower the bar to about nipple level and focus on pushing the bar up and back to force the upper pecs into action.
13 of 16
Incline Side Laterals
This exercise is awesome for building the side deltoids, but only when done correctly. Most lifters try to go too heavy and end up working more lower back and traps than lateral shoulders. Try performing this movement while standing and leaning the upper body against an incline bench set at about 80 degrees. This removes the possibility of cheating and will force maximal contractions from the side-delt fibers. SEE ALSO:Bigger Shoulders with the Landmine Lateral Raise
14 of 16
Behind-Back Smith Shrug
Building huge traps right on the top gives the physique a thick and powerful appearance. However, creating density in the mid and lower traps will make the entire back look like a moving map of the Rocky Mountains! The Smith Behind-the-Back Shrug is terrific for hitting this hard-to-reach area. Stand in front of the bar and lean your torso forward about 30 degrees. Take a shoulder-width grip and perform a combination upright row/shrug all at once and soon your back will take on a 3-D look!
15 of 16
Kneeling Cable Front Raise
I love to finish off my shoulder routine with this little “gem,” as it provides the kind of contraction that makes the delts feel like they are made of granite. Kneel in front of a low cable fixed with a short, straight bar. Keep your arms straight at all times and lift in an arc that begins at the upper abdomen and finishes with the bar overhead. Always lower slowly, and then lift aggressively to the top.
16 of 16
Barbell Pullover
The Pullover is one of the best mass-building exercises for the upper body. It can be utilized during a back workout to help widen the lats, or during a chest workout to build thickness and density in the pecs. When targeting the lats, it is best to keep the arms a bit straighter, while a slightly greater bend is preferred when pounding the pecs. Additionally, I recommend lowering the weight further back away from the head to pull harder on the teres minor and upper lats, while lowering more straight downward toward the floor will force greater chest activation.
One of my personal claims to fame in this industry as a bodybuilder and coach has been my keen ability to both find ways to make basic exercises more effective and to tweak various movements so that they affect the target muscle in a somewhat unique manner.
The following exercises are great muscle builders as is, but with just slight manipulations, they may prove to work even better. Here are 15 of my favorite exercise tricks that will invariably lead to better muscle-building and body-chiseling results.
Barbell Curl
A very common complaint I hear from lifters about barbell curls is that it often pumps up the forearms more than it does the biceps. If this pertains to you, try doing your curls with the wrists cocked down, which will prevent the forearm flexors from engaging to such a large extent.
As someone who was born with very poor calf genetics, I have had to fight for every centimeter of muscle on my lower legs. The seated calf raise works the outer soleus muscle rather effectively, but through experimentation I have found that by simply leaning my torso forward, rather than sitting straight up, every rep provides a much more concentrated and intense contraction, which leads to enhanced growth.
One of my favorite hamstring movements is the lying leg curl, but not done in the usual manner with chest flat on the pad. Rather, I keep my torso elevated by holding myself in a semi-pushup position, which creates a more intense squeeze on every rep. It’s like concentration curls for the hams.
This is a terrific exercise for hitting the lats and all of the muscles tied into the mid-back. However, it can be hard on the shoulders and/or neck when done in the conventional manner. I suggest performing this movement while facing away from the weight stack, sitting as far forward on the seat as possible. This should allow you to pull in a straight line from stretch to contraction without having to awkwardly bend your neck forward.
This great lower back exercise can be easily turned into an amazing hamstring exercise by pushing your heels against the pad throughout the set, which will keep the hams under constant tension. The key is to “pull with the hams” while letting the low back relax. Do not fully hyperextend, and only go high enough to feel a tight squeeze in the back of the legs.
One-Arm DB Row
In my gym these have been dubbed “Merlin Rows.” Instead of positioning yourself with one knee on a bench and one leg behind you, set an incline to about 45 degrees and lay forward onto your chest. Row the DB with one arm while the other wraps underneath the bench to keep your torso set in place. This is a great lat isolator.
This movement is fantastic for working both the biceps and brachialis, which can assist with creating a greater “peak.” However, if you want to make this exercise even more interesting, try doing one set with the hand grasping the middle of the DB; a second set grasping right up against the inner plate; and a third set grasping right up against the outer plate. With each set you will feel a unique strain on the biceps.
The leg press is an excellent machine for helping to build huge thighs. The one-legged version makes this exercise even more challenging. A great way to tweak this movement is to angle your torso and working leg inward at about a 45-degree angle while you press. This change in position will recruit more of the vastus lateralis of the outer thigh as well as providing a crushing blow to the side of the glutes.
When you are after pure mass in the triceps, the CG Bench Press will serve your needs well. However, I have a great way to turn this general builder into a more targeted movement for the long head of the tris. Use the Smith Machine for safety and isolation purposes. Rotate your hands inward so that your elbows rotate outward. Let the bar carefully rest in your palms instead of grasping as normal. Lower slowly in line with upper pecs until forearms contact the biceps, then push to just before lockout on each rep.
The best way to add “peaks” to the biceps is by developing the underlying brachialis maximally. This exercise smashes the brachialis and also provides a great squeeze through the entire upper arm. Sit in a lat pulldown and grasp the bar with an underhand grip. Lean back just slightly and hold that position while you curl the bar down and back behind your head. The only movement should be at the elbows.
If you are having a tough time thickening your upper pecs, give this movement a try. Studies show that it activates the clavicular pectorals to an even greater degree than incline presses! Lie on a flat bench and use a shoulder-width underhand grip. Lower the bar to about nipple level and focus on pushing the bar up and back to force the upper pecs into action.
Incline Side Laterals
This exercise is awesome for building the side deltoids, but only when done correctly. Most lifters try to go too heavy and end up working more lower back and traps than lateral shoulders. Try performing this movement while standing and leaning the upper body against an incline bench set at about 80 degrees. This removes the possibility of cheating and will force maximal contractions from the side-delt fibers.
Building huge traps right on the top gives the physique a thick and powerful appearance. However, creating density in the mid and lower traps will make the entire back look like a moving map of the Rocky Mountains! The Smith Behind-the-Back Shrug is terrific for hitting this hard-to-reach area. Stand in front of the bar and lean your torso forward about 30 degrees. Take a shoulder-width grip and perform a combination upright row/shrug all at once and soon your back will take on a 3-D look!
Kneeling Cable Front Raise
I love to finish off my shoulder routine with this little “gem,” as it provides the kind of contraction that makes the delts feel like they are made of granite. Kneel in front of a low cable fixed with a short, straight bar. Keep your arms straight at all times and lift in an arc that begins at the upper abdomen and finishes with the bar overhead. Always lower slowly, and then lift aggressively to the top.
Barbell Pullover
The Pullover is one of the best mass-building exercises for the upper body. It can be utilized during a back workout to help widen the lats, or during a chest workout to build thickness and density in the pecs. When targeting the lats, it is best to keep the arms a bit straighter, while a slightly greater bend is preferred when pounding the pecs. Additionally, I recommend lowering the weight further back away from the head to pull harder on the teres minor and upper lats, while lowering more straight downward toward the floor will force greater chest activation.
