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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Chest
#1 Beginner
#2 15-Minute
#3 At Home
#4 Dexter Jackson
#5 Omar Deckard
#6 Ronnie Coleman
#7 Peter Putnam
Chapter 2: Delts
#8 Beginner
#9 15-Minute
#10 At Home
#11 Gunter Schlierkamp
#12 Bob Cicherillo
#13 Johnnie Jackson
#14 Darrem Charles
Chapter 3: Back
#15 Beginner
#16 15-Minute
#17 At Home
#18 Back Thickness
#19 Garrett Downing
#20 Dorian Yates
Chapter 4: Legs
#21 Beginner
#22 15-Minute
#23 At Home
#24 Shawn Ray
#25 Milos Sarcev
#26 Jay Cutler
Chapter 5: Biceps
#27 Beginner
#28 15-Minute
#29 At Home
#30 Gustavo Badell
#31 Lionel Brown
#32 Ahmad Haidar
Chapter 6: Triceps
#33 Beginner
#34 15-Minute
#35 Dexter Jackson
#36 Troy Alves
#37 Darrem Charles
Chapter 7: Abs
#38 Beginner
#39 15-Minute
#40 15-Minute
#41 At Home
#42 Kris Dim
#43 Stan McQuay
#44 Rashid “Roc” Shabazz
Chapter 8: Combination Routines
#45 Upper Body Beginner
#46 Upper Body Advanced
#47 Upper Body 20-Minute
#48 Upper Body At Home
#49 Power & Strength
#50 Full-Body Advanced
Chapter 9: The Muscle & Fitness Every Body Training Manual
Workouts #51-#92: A complete guide to increasing the intensity of your
training, including workouts for every bodypart.
Chapter 10: Coming On Strong
Workouts #93-#101: A primer on building maximum power through heavyduty lifting.
Chapter 11: Cardio Blitz
A month’s worth of fat-burning cardio workouts to augment your weight
training.
Chapter 12: Basic Nutrition
Use these 10 dietary and supplement guidelines to add muscle mass faster.
Chapter 13: The 113 Best Bodybuilding Foods
From the basics to the best breads, meats, snacks, fast foods and beverages, this
listing of the best muscle-friendly foods will help you shop and eat right.
Index of Exercises
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
You can apply what you find in 101 Workouts a number of different ways. For example:
1) Create an all-new bodypart training split based on your goals and your situation. For example, if you
only can work out at home: Monday, Chest (p. 6) & Triceps (p. 78); Tuesday, Legs (p. 52); Wednesday,
Off; Thursday, Back (p. 36) & Biceps (p. 66); Friday, Shoulders (p. 22) & Abs (p. 94).
2)Introduce some much-needed changes to your current training program. Sometimes, the best way to
kick yourself into gear and beat boredom is to try something new. If it’s back day, turn to the back
chapter on page 32 and choose one of the six workouts you’ll find there, just for today. Or maybe your
chest flat-out isn’t growing, so give them a nudge with a routine from an eight-time Mr. Olympia
champion on page 12. There are numerous possibilities within these pages.
3)Choose one of the full-body routines, starting on page 112 and 114, and do it 1-3 times per week. Or
pick an upper-body workout from Chapter 8 and a leg workout from Chapter 4 and do each 1-2 times
per week (for example, Monday and Thursday do the upper-body routine, and Tuesday and Friday
perform the legs routine).
4)Perhaps you don’t want to overhaul your whole training routine but only tweak it a little. In that case,
try some new exercises. With 170 fully illustrated moves in this guide, you can trade out an exercise or
two in your current workout. Variety is a key to growth, whether in the form of new exercises, set and
reps schemes, or training techniques. You’ll find plenty of new ideas on all those fronts in 101 Workouts.
All told, there are years worth of workouts in this book, making it one of the most valuable fitness
resources you’ll ever own.
CHAPTER ONE
CHEST
WHETHER YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF a beginner or more advanced lifter,
this chapter, like this entire book, will give you plenty of workout options. From
the specially designed starter program on page 2 — useful whether you’re brandnew to the gym or returning after a long layoff — through the pro-caliber
bodybuilder workouts on pages 8 through 15 you’ll find just the program that fits
your needs. Even if you don’t belong to a gym, we’ve got you covered, as 2006
Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler demonstrates a workout you can do at home, with
nothing more than a barbell set, dumbbells and an adjustable bench.
With that in mind, turn the page. It’s time to choose a pectoral-building plan
and put it to work for you.
CHEST: BEGINNER
#1
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Smith-Machine
Incline Press (or)
3
15, 12, 10
Decline Barbell Press*
3
15, 12, 10
Machine Pullover
2
10
Pec-Deck Flye
2
10
Push-Up — or —
2
10
Parallel-Bar Dip*
2
10
* On your first and last exercise, switch back and forth between the two listed
options, workout to workout.
FOR MOST GUYS, “CHEST DAY” IS THE BEST day of the week, trainingwise. Here we set you on the right path in your chest quest with a machine-heavy
routine that primes your pectorals for more specialized training down the road.
Some things to keep in mind…
As a beginner, err on the light side when choosing a weight. If you can’t finish
the listed reps, you’ve gone too heavy and need to drop down on the next set.
As a note for here and throughout the book, if you see a decreasing rep
scheme, pyramid up the weight each set; and if the reps are the same set to set,
choose one challenging weight and use it for all the listed sets of that exercise.
DECLINE BARBELL PRESS
START: Lie back on a bench set to about a 30-40-degree decline. Grasp the
barbell with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Lift the bar
from the supports and hold it over your lower chest, arms extended.
MOVE: Lower the barbell to your chest, touching down to your lower pecs
lightly before pushing the bar back up to full extension.
SMITH-MACHINE INCLINE PRESS
START: Position yourself on an incline bench set at about 45 degrees so that the
bar touches the top of your chest just below your collarbone. Once your position
is set, get up and load the bar, then lie back onto the bench and grasp the bar
with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
MOVE: Press the bar straight up, stopping just short of elbow lockout. Feel your
pecs contract to bring your arms up above your torso. Pause at the top and lower
the bar under control to your upper chest.
PEC-DECK FLYE
START: Sit in a pec-deck station, placing your elbows and upper arms on the
pads. For best results, position your arms so that your elbows fall just below your
shoulders, and limit the stretch to just behind your chest.
MOVE: Squeeze your pecs to bring the pads together in front of your chest. Flex
your chest hard at the moment in the exercise when your elbows are together
and always lower the weight under strict control. Don’t bounce.
PUSH-UP
START: The traditional “drop-and-give-me-50” push-up is done with a flat back
and hands just outside your shoulders (on steps or the floor).
MOVE: Press to full extension, keeping your elbows pointing out, and lower
under control. Don’t sag in the middle.
MACHINE PULLOVER
START: Sit in a pullover machine, grasping the handles with both hands while
placing your elbows against the elbow pads.
MOVE: Bring the handles down in front of your torso, pause for a moment, then
return back to the start under full control. To keep your pecs active, put more
emphasis on pushing the bar down with your hands, rather than leading with
your elbows pressing against the pads. In addition, actively flex your entire chest
as you pull the bar down; using this “flexing” technique on all your chest
exercises will help you develop the mind/muscle link that in time gives you
pinpoint control over your muscles and their actions.
PARALLEL-BAR DIP
START: Grasp the bars with your arms extended and locked. Lean forward,
bend your knees and cross your legs.
MOVE: Keep your elbows out to your sides as you lower yourself down,
dropping until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor. Squeezing your
palms toward each other in an isometric fashion, begin pressing back up until
your arms are again fully extended. Be sure to keep leaning forward or the
exercise focus will shift more to your triceps.
CHEST: 15-MINUTE
#2
EXERCISE
Smith-Machine
Flat-Bench Press
— superset with —
Neutral-Grip Flat-Bench
Dumbbell Press*
Seated Chest Press
Exercise-Ball
DB Flye
SETS
REPS
3
12, 10, 8
3
2
8
15
2
12, 10
— superset with —
Exercise-Ball Push-Up
2
To failure
* For the Smith-machine press, pyramid the weight up, choosing a higher
weight for each set; on the dumbbell press, choose a challenging weight and
stick with it for all three sets.
DO YOU ALWAYS FIND YOURSELF SHORT ON time? Not a problem,
because here’s a fast yet challenging 15-minute routine that hits your chest from
multiple angles for a complete workout.
The first two exercises and the last two are supersets, which are two exercises
for the same bodypart done back to back with no rest in between. For instance,
on your first set you’ll do the Smith-machine flat-bench press for 12 reps, then
immediately pick up two dumbbells for 8 reps of the neutral-grip flat-bench
press.
Rest 30-60 seconds between supersets (by the way, this general guideline
applies to all supersets within this book).
NEUTRAL-GRIP FLAT-BENCH DUMBBELL
PRESS
START: Grasping two dumbbells, lie on a flat bench and turn your wrists so they
face each other, hands at each side of your torso.
MOVE: Press the dumbbells upward, allowing them to naturally move toward
each other at the top (without touching). Then reverse the move back to the
start, getting a good pectoral stretch at the bottom.
SMITH-MACHINE FLAT-BENCH PRESS
START: Load the appropriate weight, lie back on the bench and grasp the bar
with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
MOVE: Keep your elbows pointing outward as you press the bar straight up.
Pause at the top, then lower the bar until it lightly touches your chest. If you
reach failure without a spotter, simply rack the bar on the closest hook.
EXERCISE-BALL DUMBBELL FLYE
START: This exercise is similar in execution to the flat-bench flye, except that
here your body works harder to keep you stabilized. Grab two dumbbells and lie
back on a ball so that you face the ceiling. Extend the dumbbells out to each side
of your body, maintaining a slight bend in your elbows to protect them from
hyperextension.
MOVE: Without altering the angle in your elbows, bring the dumbbells up in an
arc toward each other, stopping just short of touching over your chest. Lower
them back along the same path to the start. To get more upper-chest emphasis,
lower your hips toward the floor and perform in the same manner.
SEATED CHEST PRESS MACHINE
START: Position the handles of the machine so they line up with your mid to
upper chest, sit back in the seat and grasp the handles with an overhand grip.
MOVE: Press the handles straight out in front of you until your arms are fully
extended but not locked, then slowly bring your hands back toward your chest
without letting the weights touch the stack.
EXERCISE-BALL PUSH-UP
START: This one will really work your shoulder stabilizers and improve your
strength, balance and muscular coordination. Make sure the ball is fairly secure,
and with your hands on the ball and feet on the ground, get into push-up
position.
MOVE: Keeping your body straight as a plank, lower your chest to the ball by
bending your elbows (let them point outward as you descend). Once you reach
the bottom, press yourself back up to the start.
CHEST: AT HOME
#3
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Incline Barbell Press*
4
15, 12, 10, 8
Incline Dumbbell Flye**
3
8, 10, 12
One-Arm Dumbbell Flat-Bench Press**
2
8, 10
Decline Bench Dumbbell Flye**
3
10, 12, 15
Pyramid up the weight each set. * For these exercises, start with the heaviest
weight you can, and drop the weight on each successive set.
WHETHER YOU ALWAYS WORK OUT AT HOME, or you have an
adjustable bench, a barbell and dumbbells at home for days you don’t feel like
schlepping to the gym, we offer you effective workouts with minimal equipment.
Don’t do the incline barbell press at home unless you have a spotter; if you’re
by yourself, substitute this with dumbbell incline presses, which are just as
effective.
If your bench doesn’t decline, try putting a 45-pound plate under one end of
the bench (don’t stack plates more than one high, for safety reasons).
INCLINE BARBELL PRESS
START: Lie on an incline bench and grasp the racked barbell with a just-outsideshoulder-width grip, palms facing the ceiling. Lift the bar off the rack and raise it
until your arms are fully extended.
MOVE: Bend your elbows to lower the bar to just below your neck; at the
bottom, your elbows should be out and away from your body but slightly in front
of your shoulders. Contract your chest muscles and extend your elbows to press
the bar up until your elbows are almost locked out.
INCLINE DUMBBELL FLYE
START: Set an incline bench at a 45-degree angle. Grasp a pair of dumbbells and
sit on the bench so that your back is flush against the pad. To start, raise the
weights directly over the center of your upper chest so that your arms are nearly
straight, palms face each other and the dumbbells touch.
MOVE: Keep your elbows bent slightly throughout and begin lowering the
dumbbells out and down to your sides in an arc. When your upper arms are in
roughly the same horizontal plane as your torso, your palms should face the
ceiling. Retrace the same path to raise the weights, squeezing them together by
forcefully contracting your chest muscles.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL FLAT-BENCH
PRESS
START: Grasp a dumbbell and lie face up on a flat bench. Extend your arm to
lift the weight directly above your chest.
MOVE: Bend your elbow to lower the dumbbell to a point just outside of but in
the same horizontal plane as your chest. Your elbow should be out to your side
and slightly in front of your shoulder joint. Press the weight back up and in by
simultaneously squeezing your pec and fully extending your arm. Finish your
reps and repeat with your other arm.
DECLINE-BENCH DUMBBELL FLYE
START: Lie on a decline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand. To start, raise
the weights directly above the lower half of your chest so that your arms are
nearly straight, your palms face each other and the dumbbells touch.
MOVE: Keep your elbows bent slightly throughout and begin lowering the
dumbbells out and down to your sides in an arc. When your upper arms are in
roughly the same horizontal plane as your torso, your palms should face the
ceiling. Raise the weights back up in an arc, retracing the path of descent.
CHEST: DEXTER’S WORKOUT
#4
EXERCISE
Flat-Bench Barbell Press
Hammer-Strength
Incline Machine Press
— superset with
Cable Crossover
Smith-Machine
Incline Press**
— superset with —
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Flye
SETS
4*
REPS
6-10
3
6-10
3
6-10
3
6-10
3
8-10
Does not include four warm-up sets of 10-12 reps with a lighter weight. * See page
2 for description.
WINNER OF MULTIPLE ARNOLD CLASSIC titles during his professional
bodybuilding career, Dexter Jackson has risen to elite status in the sport. At 5’6”,
225 pounds, “The Blade” beats larger competitors with his amazing symmetry
and crisp conditioning.
In his chest routine, Dexter takes advantage of supersetting to really burn in
the muscle detail.
For pressing movements, he likes using an explosive upward motion and a
controlled descent. On flyes, he uses a methodical, even cadence throughout.
He’s also a fan of machines for their stability — when moving heavy weight, a
fixed range of motion brings a welcome level of safety to the exercise.
FLAT-BENCH BARBELL PRESS
START: “Barbell presses are the quintessential mass-builder,” Dexter says. “I
always put them first in my routine so I can go as heavy as possible.” Lie faceup
on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grasp the barbell with an overhand
grip, your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
MOVE: Unrack the bar and slowly lower it toward your chest. Keep your wrists
aligned with your elbows and your elbows pointed out to your sides. When the
bar just touches your chest, press back up explosively, driving the weight away
from you until you almost lock it out.
HAMMER-STRENGTH INCLINE MACHINE
PRESS
START: Adjust the machine so your back rests comfortably against the pad and
your feet are flat on the floor. The handles should be aligned right at or just
below shoulder level when you sit down.
MOVE: Using an explosive motion, concentrate on flexing your pectorals as you
press the handles away from you. Avoid locking out your elbows at the top.
“Don’t forget to squeeze your chest hard at the peak of the contraction,” Dexter
says. “Just because you’re not locking out doesn’t mean you can’t concentrate
and contract at the top.” Slowly reverse the motion — for full development,
contracting the working muscles on the ascent and controlling the descent is an
absolute necessity — and go right into the next rep.
CABLE CROSSOVER
START: Attach handles to the upper or lower pulleys on a cable machine. Stand
in the direct center of the machine with your knees slightly bent, your focus
forward and your stance stable. Shift your weight to the front to help maintain
your position during each rep. Grasp the handles with your palms facing each
other and bend your elbows slightly.
MOVE: In a simultaneous downward/inward motion, bring the handles to a
point in the front of your midsection, keeping your arms slightly bent. Pause a
moment and squeeze out a peak contraction before slowly allowing the handles
to return to the start position, resisting the weight as you do so.
FLAT-BENCH DUMBBELL FLYE
START: Lie on a flat bench with your feet on the floor and your back pressed
against the pad. Begin with your arms straight up from your shoulders, and the
weights directly over your chest. Your palms should face each other and your
elbows should be slightly bent.
MOVE: Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about
shoulder level or slightly above, then bring your arms back toward the midline of
your body, focusing on using the center of your chest to draw them back
together. “My repetition speed is the same on both the positive and negative
portions for flyes,” Dexter notes.
CHEST: OMAR’S WORKOUT
#5
EXERCISE
Flat-Bench Barbell Press*
Incline Dumbbell Press
Pec-Deck Flye
Dumbbell Pullover
* Find a description of this exercise on page 8.
SETS
3
2
4
3
3
REPS
warm-up
10, 6
12-15
10-15
6-8
CALIFORNIA’S OMAR DECKARD KNOWS SIZE. Competing at a massive
260 pounds, the 2006 NPC USA superheavyweight and overall champ built his
foundation by training like a powerlifter. Now his routine reflects a mix of those
strength-lifting concepts and the higher-rep sets needed to bring about a muscle
pump.
“Your first exercise is the most important one in your workout because that’s
when you’ll be able to push yourself the hardest,” Omar says. “Choose mass
movements like the bench press [to start].”
To build your pecs, a squeeze at the apex of every rep is vital.
INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS
START: Lie squarely on the incline bench, which should be set at a fairly low
angle. Hold the dumbbells just outside your shoulders.
MOVE: Forcefully press the weights up in an arc until your arms are fully
extended above your chest. Reverse the motion, being sure not to overstretch
your shoulders by lowering the weights below chest level.
PLY-DECK FLYE
START: This version of the pec-deck flye machine has handles instead of elbow
pads. (Both versions of the pec deck are effective, acceptable choices.) Adjust the
seat so that your shoulders, elbows and hands are on the same horizontal plane
after you grab the handles.
MOVE: With your back squarely against the pad, forcefully bring the handles all
the way together, making sure to keep your elbows up to make the movement
more efficient and to reduce the risk of injury. Reversing the motion, allow the
handles to go back to a point at which you feel a strong stretch in your pecs
before beginning your next rep.
DUMBBELL PULLOVER
START: Lying across a flat bench, keep your glutes low, which affords you a
greater stretch.
MOVE: Holding the inside edge of a dumbbell at arm’s length overhead, allow
the weight to go behind you, keeping your arms straight, stretching your pecs
and lats but keeping your hips down. Reversing direction, pull the weight back
up, breathing out only after reaching the uppermost position to ensure that your
core is stable throughout the movement.
CHEST: RONNIE’S WORKOUT
#6
EXERCISE
SETS
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press
3*
Incline Dumbbell Press
3
Cable Crossover —
3
superset with —
3
Low-Pulley Cable Crossover
3
* Does not include two light weight warm-up sets of 15 reps each
REPS
15, 12,10
15, 12, 10
15, 12, 10
15, 12, 10
15, 12, 10
WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR CHEST TRAINING, who do you want to look
to for advice? How about a man who has won the most prestigious title in
bodybuilding not once, but eight straight times? Coleman ruled the Mr. Olympia
from 1998 to 2005, a dominating streak that tied him for the all-time best mark
with Lee Haney.
“Get the heavy stuff out of the way first,” Ronnie says of pec training. “For
example, for chest I start with flat-bench dumbbell presses. Compound moves
like presses do a better job of warming up the whole chest than isolation
movements like crossovers.”
“Never lock out at the top of a lift,” he adds.
FLAT-BENCH DUMBBELL PRESS
START: Sit on a flat bench and place a pair of dumbbells on your thighs. Lie
back and carefully bring the weights out to the sides of your chest, your elbows
bent 90 degrees.
MOVE: Push the dumbbells straight up over your lower chest, stopping just
before your elbows lock. Don’t let the dumbbells touch at the top of the
movement. Rather, maintain the tension on your pecs by holding the weights
apart. Lower them until they touch the outer edges of your lower chest and
repeat.
INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS
START: This exercise also appears on page 10. Sit on an incline bench set to 45
degrees or lower and hold a pair of dumbbells on your thighs. Bring the
dumbbells up to shoulder level as you lean back.
MOVE: Push the dumbbells straight up over your upper chest, stopping just
before your elbows lock, then lower the weights until they nearly touch the outer
edges of your upper chest and repeat.
CABLE CROSSOVER
You can find the description for this exercise on page 9.
LOW-PULLEY CABLE CROSSOVER
START: Stand between a pair of low pulleys. Grab each pulley handle, letting
your arms extend out to your sides, palms up.
MOVE: While keeping about a 20-degree bend in your elbows, pull your hands
up in front of you until they meet at chest height. Squeeze your pecs for a count
of one before letting your hands follow the same arc back down.
CHEST: PETER’S WORKOUT
#7
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press
2*
15
Incline Dumbbell Flye (not shown)
3**
8-12
Incline Barbell Press
3-4
6-12
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press
3
8-20
Dip
2
10-12
Cable Crossover***
2
8-12
* Warm-up sets with very light weight not taken to failure
** Used to both warm up and pre-exhaust the chest; see page 7 for exercise
description.
*** Peter may do the dumbbell pullover instead.
AT 5’6”, 193 POUNDS, PETER PUTNAM has a classic physique. The
Tennessee resident, who is on the cusp of breaking into the IFBB pro ranks as of
this writing, possesses a symmetrical blend of muscle from head to toe, including
a stellar set of pecs crafted with the help of this routine.
The workout includes presses, flyes and dips, all which hit the chest in a
slightly different fashion.
Peter also isn’t afraid to strip off a little weight if it helps. As he explains, “My
goal each set is to reach a target number of reps. For instance, if I’m aiming for
10 reps and can do only six, I’ll quickly strip off some weight and do four more.”
INCLINE BARBELL PRESS
START: This exercise is also featured on page 6. Grasp the bar with an overhand
grip outside shoulder width. Unrack it and hold it directly above your face. Keep
your upper back and glutes pressed against the bench, feet flat and spread on the
floor or platform for balance.
MOVE: Slowly lower the bar to your upper chest, coming to a complete stop
without bouncing the bar off your chest. Quickly reverse direction and explode
the weight back up to full extension without locking out.
CABLE CROSSOVER
This exercise is described on page 9.
DIP
START: Get up on a set of parallel bars with your palms facing in, arms
extended. Keep your head straight and eyes forward, raise your feet behind you
and lean forward slightly.
MOVE: Bend your elbows to lower your body, feeling a stretch in your pecs at
the bottom. Pause when your arms reach 90-degree angles, but avoid going too
low to reduce shoulder stress. Press back up strongly to full arm extension
without locking out at the top.
FLAT-BENCH DUMBBELL PRESS
The description for this exercise can be found on page 12.
CHAPTER TWO
DELTS
FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHOULDERS, it’s imperative you attack your
delts from all angles. The muscle is made up of three parts, or heads: the front
(anterior) head, the middle head and the rear (posterior) head.
Standing and seated presses will hit all three of those heads, while various
raises focus on each individual area. It’s simple — front raises hit the anterior
delts, lateral raises attack the middle heads, and bent-over raises target the rear
heads. Follow a workout that covers all those bases, and you are on track for wide
and strong shoulders.
Inside this chapter are workouts that bring those elements together in a
variety of ways, giving you multiple options that will all lead to the same solid,
measurable results.
DELTS: BEGINNER
#8
EXERCISE
Smith-Machine
Shoulder Press
Wide-Grip Upright Row
One-Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise
One-Arm Dumbbell Front Raise
One-Arm Bent-Over
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
SETS
REPS
3
2
2
15, 12, 10
12
10
10
2
10
IF YOU’RE JUST STARTING OUT, YOU NEED A workout that is wellrounded, but doesn’t go too far in intensity or volume (that will come later, when
your body is better equipped to handle it). This routine will introduce you to five
basic exercises. As you learn, don’t worry about how much you lift — especially
with shoulders, proper form will benefit you a lot more than simply moving a
massive amount of weight. Other tips to keep in mind:
Momentum is the enemy of delt training — control the weights to ensure
other muscles don’t take over.
The latter three exercises can be done in any order; ideally, the sequence
should be changed regularly.
SMITH-MACHINE SHOULDER PRESS
START: Position an adjustable bench to 90 degrees, and place it within the
apparatus so that the bar lowers just in front of your face. Grasp the bar outside
shoulder-width and unlatch it from the safety supports.
MOVE: Lower the bar to about chin height, then flex through your shoulders
and forcefully press it up. Keep your elbows under the bar during each rep.
WIDE-GRIP UPRIGHT ROW
START: Stand holding a barbell in front of you with a slightly wider than
shoulder-width grip and your arms extended. Bend your knees slightly.
MOVE: Lift the bar up close to your body, concentrating on flexing your your
delts, until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Lower the weight under
control to full elbow extension.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL FRONT RAISE
START: Stand holding a dumbbell in your right hand as you did for lateral
raises. Start with the dumbbell in front of you, lightly touching your thigh.
MOVE: Lift the dumbbell straight in front of you until your arm is parallel to the
floor. Slowly lower the weight and repeat. Complete all reps, then switch arms.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE
START: Stand holding a dumbbell in your right hand with your arm by your
side. Hold onto a solid structure with your left hand for support.
MOVE: With your elbow fixed in position, lift the weight up until your arm is
parallel to the floor, then return to the start. Repeat for reps, then switch arms.
ONE-ARM BENT-OVER LATERAL RAISE
START: Lean forward at the waist, place your left hand on a bench for support,
and hold a dumbbell in your right hand with your arm extended. MOVE: Raise
the weight straight out to the side until your arm is parallel to the floor. Repeat
for reps and switch arms.
DELTS: IS-MINUTE
#9
EXERCISE
(PERFORM AS A CIRCUIT)
Standing Cable Reverse Flye
Standing Behind-the-Back Cable Raise
Standing Rope Cable Raise
—or —
SETS
REPS
4
4
4
15, 8, 10, 12
15, 8, 10, 12
15, 8, 10, 12
Standing One-Arm Cable Raise
4
15, 8, 10, 12
Do the three exercises in this circuit back-to-back-to-back with no rest in
between; between each circuit, rest 30-60 seconds. After a warm-up circuit of
light weight, go heavier and drop the weight each successive set.
FOR A KILLER SHOULDER SMACK IN 15 minutes flat, head to the cable
station. Start with rear delts, then move on to the middle delts, and finally blast
the front delts. This order is deliberate, as most people’s rear-delt development
lags behind, while the front delts are the strongest of the three because of the
additional work they get during presses on chest day.
Perform these as a circuit, moving from exercise to exercise with no rest.
These are built on a reverse-pyramid system where, after one warm-up set,
you start with your heaviest weight and drop the poundage io%-20% or so each
subseauent set.
STANDING CABLE REVERSE FLYE
START: Stand in the center of a cable crossover apparatus. Start with hands
crossed in front of you at shoulder height with the left high cable in your right
hand, the right in your left hand.
MOVE: Using your rear delts, pull your elbows out and back as far as possible,
then return to the start.
STANDING ROPE CABLE RAISE
START: Stand with the low pulley just behind you, the cable running through
your legs. Hold the rope with a neutral Cpalms facing each other) grip.
MOVE: In a smooth motion, lift the rope straight out in front of you, keeping
your arms straight throughout.
STANDING BEHIND-THE-BACK CABLE
RAISE
START: Having the cable go behind your back instead of to the front helps
eliminate cheating. Take a step forward so the cable runs behind you without
hitting your body.
MOVE: Keeping your torso erect and arm straight, lift the handle out in an arc
until your hand is level with your delt. Lower back to the start.
STANDING ONE-ARM CABLE RAISE (DHANDLE)
Use this one-hand variation of the rope cable raise if you have one delt that’s a
lot stronger than the other — this way, that stronger side can’t compensate for
the weaker one by pulling more of the load.
DELTS: AT HOME
#10
EXERCISE
Incline-Bench
Rear-Delt Flye
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Seated Dumbbell Press
Standing EZ-Bar
Upright Row
* Plus two warm-up sets of 15-20 reps.
** Plus one warm-up set of 8-10 reps.
SETS
4*
REPS
15-20
3
3**
3
15-20
6-7
15-20
DUMBBELLS ARE WELL-SUITED FOR TRAINING the delts, making
shoulders the perfect at-home workout. Here, we’ve built a routine around three
very effective dumbbell moves, along with a basic barbell exercise (demonstrated
here with an EZ bar, which is also a great option if you have one).
Control is vital in this routine. Don’t throw the weights around — perform
the up and down slowly and deliberately.
Don’t dawdle. To finish in i5 minutes or less, keep rest periods to about 30
seconds max between sets.
INCLINE-BENCH REAR-DELT FLYE
START: Set an incline bench at a low angle. Grasp two dumbbells and sit
backward on the bench, so your chest is pressed against the seatback andyour
legs straddle the seat, feet flat on the floor if possible. Flip your wrists so your
thumbs point down and your palms face back.
MOVE: Maintaining a slight bend in your elbows, squeeze your shoulder blades
to lift the weights out to your sides until your elbows move just beyond the plane
of your back. Your palms should face rearward at the top of the movement.
Lower to the start position and immediately begin the next rep.
DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE
START: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each
hand in front of your hips, palms facing in.
MOVE: Maintain a slight bend in your elbows as you lift your arms out to your
sides. Lead with your elbows and, when they reach shoulder height, pause before
slowly lowering to the start position.
SEATED DUMBBELL PRESS
START: Sit erect on an adjustable bench, feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell
in each hand with a pronated (palms facing forward) grip. Your elbows should
be just slightly below the level of your shoulders, wrists directly in line with your
elbows.
MOVE: Keeping your shoulders shifted back, press the weights overhead in an
arc, but don’t let them touch at the top. Slowly lower to the start and repeat.
STANDING EZ-BAR UPRIGHT ROW
START: Stand with your knees slightly bent and hold an EZ-bar in front of your
thighs with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Lift your chest
slightly and draw your shoulders back.
MOVE: Bend your elbows to pull the bar up to just past shoulder height, keeping
your elbows above the level of the bar throughout. At the top of the move, where
the bar is really close to your chin, squeeze your shoulder blades together. Pause,
then straighten your arms to return to the start position.
DELTS: GUNTER’S WORKOUT
#11
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Seated One-Arm
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
4
15, 12, 8-10, 6
Seated Dumbbell Press
4
12, 8-10, 8, 6
Dumbbell Upright Row
4
15, 12, 8, 5-6
Incline-Bench Rear-Delt Flye
4
15, 10-12, 10-12, 10-12
Gunter also includes Smith machine full-and partial-range presses in his
Gunter also includes Smith machine full-and partial-range presses in his
shoulder workout, either near the beginning (after seated lateral raises) or as a
final burnout exercise.
IF BODYBUILDING CONTESTS WERE JUDGED solely on popularity,
Gunter Schlierkamp would never lose. With his easygoing smile and incredibly
approachable demeanor, the German giant has won countless fans the world
over. He used this particular routine in preparation for his 2002 GNC Show of
Strength victory.
“In the past, I’d try to go much heavier but I’d lose my form,” Gunter says.
“Now I concentrate more on feeling the muscles. [If I happen to fall back into
bad habits] I go 10-20 pounds lighter on the next set.”
SEATED DUMBBELL PRESS
See description for this exercise on page 23. As a note, when doing seated
dumbbell presses, it does help to have a spot to get the weights into the starting
position — especially for your heavy sets. Otherwise, place the flat end of the
dumbbellson your quads and using one leg at a time, raise your knee toward
your chest to bring the dumbbell to shoulder level.
SEATED ONE-ARM DUMBBELL LATERAL
RAISE
START: Gunter likes to begin with this middle-delt exercise instead of the heavy
presses he used to do, and his shoulder twinges are a thing of the past. Sitting
erect at the end of a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, angle the thumb on
your working arm down, pinkie up. Maintain this hand position throughout the
movement to place stress on your delt.
MOVE: Power the weight up, keeping a slight bend in your elbow. At the top,
with your elbow just above shoulder height, reverse direction and lower the
weight under control. To keep stress on the muscle, stop short of fully relaxing
your arm before beginning the next rep. Repeat for reps, then switch arms.
DUMBBELL UPRIGHT ROW
START Stand with your chest lifted, holding the weights in front of your thighs,
palms facing your legs and elbows slightly bent.
MOVE: Bring your elbows up and out to your sides as you lift the dumbbells,
keeping your wrists straight. When your elbows reach shoulder level, the inside
plates of the dumbbells at your armpits, reverse direction and lower the weights
under control to the start.
INCLINE-BENCH REAR-DELT FLYE
START: This exercise is also shown on page 22. Gunter straddles an incline
bench and leans his chest against the pad. “You want your torso to be almost
parallel to the floor so you hit your rear delts as you lift the weights out to each
side,” he says. At the start, his arms hang down with a slight bend in his elbows.
MOVE: Leading with his elbows, Gunter lifts the dumbbells out to his sides to
shoulder level. He explains that it’s important to bring your elbows straight out
from the shoulder rather than lifting them rearward, which would recruit more
of your upper back than your rear delts.
DELTS: BOB’S WORKOUT
#12
EXERCISE
Seated Machine Press
Bent-Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise
SETS
3*
3
3
REPS
12-15
12-15
12-15
Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise**
EZ-Bar Upright Row
* Does not include 2–4 warm-up sets of 12–20 reps.
** This exercise is shown on page 111, or turn to page 31 for the seated version.
ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE BOB CICHERILLO? Persistent. After 13 years
battling for his pro card in the amateur ranks, Cicherillo finally broke through at
the 2000 NPC USA Championships. He brings the same state of mind to the
gym, training hard ‘n’ heavy for that polished look.
“When training shoulders, use your chin as a guide,” Bob instructs. “I begin
and end my overhead presses at my chin, and bring upright rows to a point just
underneath my chin.”
He also gives delts their own training day, rather than pairing them with
chest, triceps or another bodypart, to give them his utmost attention.
SEATED MACHINE PRESS
START: “I like to begin my workout with a power motion like overhead presses
to get the muscles moving and the blood going,” Bob says. “I sit on a bench with
a back and grasp the bars with my hands just outside shoulder-width apart, or
even a bit wider.”
MOVE: “I begin with the bar precisely at chin level and use my chin as a guide
throughout the exercise. I press the weight up and over my head at a steady rate
of speed — not too fast, and nothing explosive. I come to a full extension
overhead without locking out, then slowly come back to the start, lowering the
weight only to chin level.”
BENT-ARM DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE
START: “I begin with the dumbbells to the sides of my thighs with my palms
facing my body,” Bob says. “It’s nearly impossible to cheat because this position
totall isolates the middle delt and keeps you from using your back or traps to
help with the lift.”
MOVE: Slowly raise the dumbbells up and out, making sure your elbows are
always higher than the weights. Pause a moment at the top before slowly
returning to the start.
EZ-BAR UPRIGHT ROW
START: “Standing with my knees slightly bent, I hold the bar with my shoulders
down and my focus forward,” Bob explains.
MOVE: “Leading with my elbows, I lift the bar straight up, keeping it close to my
body, until my wrists come underneath my chin. I pause a moment and squeeze
hard in this top position before slowly lowering the bar back to the start.”
DELTS: JOHNNIE’S WORKOUT
#13
EXERCISE
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Seated Overhead
SETS
3*
REPS
10-12
Seated Overhead
Dumbbell Press
Dumbbell Front Raise
Incline-Bench Rear-Delt Flye
* Not including two light warm-up sets of 15-20 reps
4
3
3
12
10-12
15
A BODYBUILDER WITH THE STRENGTH TO back up his prodigious size,
Texan Johnnie Jackson is a powerlifting veteran who finally broke through for a
long-deserved pro bodybuilding title in 2006, the Montreal Pro championship.
Here are some of his hard-earned lessons on shoulder training:
“Warming up properly before any routine is important, but it’s particularly
crucial on shoulder day because these joints are mosre susceptible to injury,”
Johnnie warns. “Do a 5-10-minute general warm-up followed by a few light sets
of laterals.”
He also recommends training delts and chest on different days. “When you
work your chest, your shoulders are already getting a workout,” he says.
DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE
See description for this exercise on page 22. The key to this move is control —
use the contraction of your delts to lift the dumbbells to shoulder level, and not
momentum built from rocking your upper body or bouncing your knees.
SEATED DUMBBELL PRESS
See description for this exercise on page 23. In this variation, Johnnie uses a flat
bench instead of the more standard low-back chair, with his feet placed wide for
maximum balance. Using a flat bench requires you to really squeeze the muscles
of your core throughout the movement to maintain an upright posture, and to
keep your spine safe and stabilized.
DUMBBELL FRONT RAISE
START: Stand holding a pair of dumbbells with a palms-down (pronated) grip,
arms hanging straight down, and hands at your sides or in front of your thighs.
MOVE: Keeping your arm straight, raise one dumbbell to shoulder level in front
of you. Hold at the top momentarily before slowly lowering back to the start
position. Repeat with the opposite arm.
INCLINE-BENCH REAR-DELT FLYE
START: This exercise is also presented on page 22, but here, you use a different
grip. Grasp a pair of dumbbells and lie facedown on the bench so that your upper
chest and front delts are above the top of the bench, arms hanging straight down
and elbows slightly bent, palms facing each other.
MOVE: Raise the dumbbells out to your sides as high as possible, contracting
hard through your rear delts and middle back before returning to the start.
DELTS: DARREM’S WORKOUT
#14
EXERCISE
Seated Overhead
Barbell Press
Alternating Dumbbell
Front Raise
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Seated Bent-Over
Lateral Raise
SETS
REPS
3
10, 8, 6
3
3
10, 8, 6
10, 8, 6
3
10, 8, 6
TRINIDAD-BORN DARREM CHARLES HAS battled in the pro ranks since
1992, and the aesthetic veteran has six IFBB titles to his credit, including two
Toronto Pro Invitational championships and the 2006 Atlantic City Pro trophy.
Here’s how he grills his delts for maximum growth.
“Start your routine with presses, because they work a greater amount of
muscle and you can use more weight for greater muscle stimulation,” Darrem
explains.
“I typically take rest periods of 60-90 seconds, but the length of time isn’t
determined as much by the clock as by the bodypart,” he says. “I rest just enough
so that I can complete the next set with the best form possible and reasch falure
at the target rep.”
SEATED OVERHEAD BARBELL PRESS
START: Sit back firmly against the bench, feet spaced wide and flat on the floor
for balance. With your head facing forward — you never want to turn it, extend
it backward or flex it forward during the set — grasp the bar a couple of inches
outside shoulder width with a palms-forward grip. Your elbows point straight
down in the bottom position, with the bar a little lower than chin level.
MOVE: In a strong, smooth motion and without jerking, press the bar overhead
to just short of full arm extension. Lower under control but don’t allow the bar to
touch your upper chest; this helps to ensure you don’t bounce it at the bottom to
gain momentum going into your next rep.
ALTERNATING DUMBBELL FRONT RAISE
START: Stand erect with your back straight, holding the dumbbells in front of
your thighs with an overhand grip. Keep a very slight bend in your elbows
throughout the exercise and bend your knees a bit for better balance.
MOVE: In a strong motion, raise one arm straight up and almost overhead.
Lower under control and repeat with the opposite arm.
DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE
This exercise is described on page 22. It’s also a part of the workout on pages 28–
29. Why? It’s one of the best exercises you can do for your shoulders. Targeting
the middle head of your three-headed deltoid muscle, the dumbbell lateral raise
can help you increase your V-taper, expanding the size of your delts outward.
Combined with a tight midsection, a wide-delt, small-waisted frame is the
bodybuilding ideal.
SEATED BENT-OVER LATERAL RAISE
START: Sit at the end of a bench and lean forward from the waist, feet in a
narrow stance and in front of you. Grasp both dumbbells with a neutral grip,
holding them directly under your legs with your elbows slightly bent.
MOVE: Keeping that bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to your sides in
an arc as high as you can, maintaining the bent-over position. Hold momentarily
at the top, then slowly return to the start.
CHAPTER THREE
BACK
THE BACK IS A POWERFUL AND COMPLEX muscle group, but that doesn’t
necessarily mean it’s overly complicated to train. Dedicate quality time to it
during your weekly workout schedule, and incorporate the basic movements into
your routine, and you’ll be sure to reap serious dividends in the form of growth
and strength.
Essentially, working the latissimus dorsi muscles (which fan across each side
of your back) and the muscles of your mid and upper back requires two types of
moves: Rows and pull-ups/pulldowns.
You’ll find a variety of rowing and pulling exercises throughout the following
workouts, each providing a specific angle and motion to stimulate the back
slightly differently; such variety is key for well-rounded results.
BACK: BEGINNER
#15
EXERCISE
Bent-Over Barbell Row
Wide-Grip Seated Cable Row
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Wide-Grip Pulldown To Front
SETS
3
2
2
2
REPS
15, 12, 10
12
12
12
YOU’LL NEVER BUILD A THICK, STRONG BACK unless you create a
foundation with basic, tried-and-true exercises. This routine combines four of
the best. Use this for at least three months, once per week, before moving on to a
more advanced program.
For the bent-over row, start light and increase the weight slightly set-to-set.
For the remaining three exercises, choose a weight with which you can get 12
reps but is challenging enough that you couldn’t get more than 2-3 reps beyond
that if you continued the set.
BENT-OVER BARBELL ROW
START: Bend forward from the hips, keeping your torso just above parallel to
the floor and your chest lifted to maintain the natural arch in your back. Take an
overhand grip on the bar, hands just outside shoulder-width.
MOVE: Strongly pull the bar into your abs, contract your lats and middle-back
muscles hard, then slowly lower the bar all the way down to full arm extension.
WIDE-GRIP SEATED CABLE ROW
START: Sit at a row station and take a shoulder-width, palms-down grip on a
straight-bar cable attachment. Bend your knees slightly and keep your back
straight.
MOVE: Pull the bar all the way to your upper abs and squeeze your lats. Then
slowly return the bar to the start, leaning forward just a bit to stretch your lats,
but not so much that it causes you to round your lower back.
WIDE-GRIP PULLDOWN TO FRONT
START: Take a wide grip on the bar and position yourself on the seat with your
chest up. Lean back slightly.
MOVE: Squeeze your lats to initiate the movement, pulling the bar down in a
smooth motion to nearly touch your upper chest. Hold the peak contraction for
a moment, then slowly return the bar all the way up to get a good stretch through
the working muscles. Don’t rock back and forth as you rep — stay nearly upright
throughout.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW
START: Grasp a dumbbell in one hand and rest your free hand on a bench,
keeping your chest slightly lifted as you bend forward from the hips, one foot just
ahead of the other for balance.
MOVE: Keeping your torso stable throughout the movement, pull the dumbbell
all the way up to touch your chest, moving your shoulder backward as your
elbow comes toward the ceiling. Then lower the dumbbell straight down to the
start position.
BACKS AT HOME
#16
EXERCISE
Pull-Up*
One-Arm Dumbbell Row*
Palm-Rotation Row
SETS
3-4
3-4
3-4
REPS
10
10-12
10-12
Bent-Over Reverse-Grip Row
3
10, 8, 6
* If you have a pull-up bar at home; otherwise, go right to the second exercise.
BIG BACKS ARE BUILT WITH BIG ROWS. This routine includes three
rowing variations, all designed to develop muscle from your mid-back out to
your lats, providing ample width and depth in the process.
If you don’t have a pull-up bar at home, but you do most or all of your
workouts there, consider installing one. No other bodyweight exercise is as
valuable in a training regimen as the tried-and-true pull-up. You can also use the
bar during your arm workouts — a close, reverse grip is a great move for not
only for your back but for your biceps as well.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW (KNEE ON
BENCH)
This move is the same as the one-arm row depicted on page 35, but instead of
keeping both feet planted on the floor, you’ll place the knee opposite your
working arm on a flat bench. You should try both styles to determine which feels
most comfortable to you; both are equally effective at hitting the intended target.
PALMROTATION ROW
START: Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip and straighten
your arms. Bend over and bend your knees, keeping the arch in your back tight
and your chest out throughout the exercise.
MOVE: Lift the dumbbells to each side of your torso, twisting your palms as you
go so your palms face forward at the top. Your elbows should be moving straight
toward the ceiling as they bend. From the top, reverse the movement, twisting
your hands into the palms-back position at the bottom.
BENT-OVER REVERSE-GRIP ROW
START: Bend at your hips and, keeping the arch solid in your lower back, grasp
a barbell with a shoulder-width (or slightly wider) reverse grip.
MOVE: Bring the barbell straight up toward your abdomen, driving your elbows
straight upward. Your shoulders should rotate slightly back on the ascent. Pause
for a second at the top, squeezing your back muscles hard, then lower the bar
back to the start. Don’t let the bar touch down to the floor between reps.
Although the athlete is shown here using a raised box, it’s not necessary, as you
can also easily do this exercise from the floor.
BACK: MIKE’S WORKOUT
#17
EXERCISE
Reverse-Grip Pulldown
T-Bar Row
Seated Cable Row
Hammer-Strength Row
* The first two sets are warm-ups.
** Per side.
SETS
4*
2
2
2**
REPS
12-15, 12-15, 6-8, 6-8
6-8
6-8
6-8
HAWAIIAN MIKE DRAGNA DOESN’T TAKE THE laid-back island-style
approach to his back workout. This IFBB pro goes nose-to-the-grindstone with
four moves designed to add slabs of thickness while carving in the topographymap detail coveted by bodybuilders (and anyone who wants a more impressive
rear view).
“Concentration is key when training your back,” Mike states. “Always focus on
your back muscles when pulling the weight instead of letting your arms do the
work.”
REVERSE-GRIP PULLDOWN
START: Place your legs snugly under the pads on a pulldown machine and
position your hands approximately 8 inches apart on the bar, palms facing you.
MOVE: Keeping your torso perpendicular to the floor and your back slightly
arched, slowly pull the bar downward, focusing on your back muscles the entire
time, until the bar touches your chest. At this point, squeeze your shoulder
blades together for maximal contraction. Return to the starting position,
extending your arms completely at the end of each rep to achieve a full stretch.
T-BAR ROW
START: With your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent, take a
wide, overhand grip on the handles. Keep your back arched throughout the
movement.
MOVE: Slowly move through a full range of motion, pulling all the way to your
chest at the top and lowering to a full stretch at the bottom.
SEATED CABLE ROW
START: Using a narrow-grip handle, keep your knees slightly bent with your
feet flat on the platform in front of you for stabilization.
MOVE: With your torso perpendicular to the floor and your eyes straight ahead,
pull the handle toward your midsection, again focusing on driving your elbows
back until the handle touches your navel. After squeezing your shoulder blades
together at the peak of contraction, slowly return to the starting position, leaning
slightly forward with your arms extended at the end of each rep to stretch your
lats completely.
HAMMER-STRENGTH ROW
START: Adjust the seat so that your forearms are parallel to the floor and your
chest touches the pad in front of you.
MOVE: Hold onto the grips with both hands while pulling with only one side.
(Keeping hold with the opposite hand keeps your torso stable during the
contraction.) Concentrate on the muscles of the middle back as you pull the
handle toward your chest as far as possible without rotating your torso.
Complete a full range of motion by slowly lowering the weight until your arm is
fully extended. “You can either alternate arms every other rep or do each side
separately,” Mike suggests. “Try changing up your routine by incorporating
both.”
BACK: GARRETT’S WORKOUT
#18
EXERCISE
Pull-Up
T-Bar Row*
Seated Cable Row*
Hammer-Strength Row Machine*
Close-Grip Pulldown
Pulldown to Front**
Dumbbell Shrug
*See exercise descriptions on page 39.
**See exercise description on page 35.
SETS
4
5
4
4
4
4
4
REPS
10-12
8-10
10-12
8-10
10-12
12-16
10-12
KNOWLEDGEABLE, PERSONABLE AND impressive from any angle, IFBB
pro Garrett Downing knows what it takes to get the most out of his back
workout. This back-and-trap combo program is multi-faceted, leaving no corner
of the Southern Californian’s back untouched.
Garrett does his pull-ups “dead-hang” style, where he lets his arms go
completely straight between reps. That way, he gets a complete range of motion.
Cutting reps short on the pull-up by not coming all the way down makes it
easier, but easier is definitely not better in this case.
“Always hit a different area of your back by alternating exercise choices and
order,” Garrett says.
PULL-UP
PULL-UP
START: “I usually use straps [not shown] to reinforce my grip, because although
I’m strong enough to hold myself, my grip sometimes just goes,” Garrett says. “I
hang from the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.”
MOVE: With a slight arch in your lower back, pull yourself up without using any
extra body momentum, then lower yourself back to the start. “At the top, I like to
barely touch my chest to the bar, which helps to ensure I go through a full range
of motion,” Garrett adds.
CLOSE-GRIP PULLDOWN
START: Attach a hammerstyle bar to a pulldown station and sit in the seat,
grasping the handles so your palms face each other.
MOVE: “I smoothly pull the weight down to my chest, keeping my back arched a
little bit to make sure all the emphasis is on my lower lats,” Garrett says. “With
this movement, like most back exercises, it’s not really about the weight but more
about getting your form down, and squeezing and contracting. I just rely on
good technique and squeeze through the entire movement.”
DUMBBELL SHRUG
START: Garrett finishes off his back with trapezius work. “Shrugs are always
last; if I did them in the beginning, it would adversely affect the rest of my
strength movements,” he explains. Grasp two heavy dumbbells and stand in a
comfortable, shoulder-width stance.
MOVE: “I hold the dumbbells at my sides, and let them extend as far downward
as I comfortably can,” he says. “I’ll let them drop down to my thighs, then I’ll pull
my shoulders straight up toward my ears and hold for a two-count before slowly
lowering the weights.”
BACK: DORIAN’S WORKOUT
#19
EXERCISE
Machine Pullover
Reverse-Grip Pulldown
Bent-Over Barbell Row
One-Arm Machine Row
Seated Cable Row
SETS
1*
1**
1**
1
1
REPS
6-8
6-8
6-8
6-8
6-8
Seated Cable Row
1
6-8
Weighted Back Extensiont†
1**
8-12
Deadlift
1**
6-8
* Also do 2 warm-up sets.
** Also do 1 warm-up set.
† This move is like the back extension on page 105, except you hold a weight
plate to your chest during the exercise. See the machine pullover on page 3; and
the deadlift on page 53.
SIX-TIME MR. OLYMPIA CHAMP DORIAN YATES was nicknamed The
Shadow. Could it be because his billowing lats cast darkness for miles whenever
the mighty Brit walked onto a bodybuilding stage? This is the back workout
Yates used in preparation for his final Olympia win in 1997.
“I train my back separately — never with [other bodyparts],” Dorian says.
“When you work out with really heavy weights and out-of-this-world intensity,
doubling up bodyparts is impossible.”
“If you can’t pause with a weight in the fully contracted position, you’re going
too heavy,” Dorian says. “Don’t let momentum be the force that moves your
weights; be a master of form.”
REVERSE-GRIP MACHINE PULLDOWN
START: Dorian uses a Hammer-Strength machine for this move. Set yourself
firmly in the machine, set the pads onto your knees and take a reverse grip on the
handles.
MOVE: Pull the handles down toward your chest, using a moderate rate of speed
to minimize cheating, ensuring that your lats bear the brunt at every point
during the movement. Contract your lats at the bottom, and control the weight
during its ascent to the top position. Don’t let the weight touch down between
reps, to keep the tension on throughout the exercise.
WIDE-GRIP SEATED CABLE ROW
START: For full description, see page 35.
BENT-OVER BARBELL ROW
START: For full description, see page 34.
ONE-ARM MACHINE ROW
START: Dorian includes this exercise in his back arsenal because it enables him
to work one side at a time, allowing for a fuller range of movement over freeweight rows. Sit with your upper body against the pad and grasp one handle.
MOVE: Pull the weight back without twisting your torso until your elbow is as
far back as possible and you feel your lat under maximum stress. Release the
weight slowly to complete the rep.
BACK: DAVID’S WORKOUT
#20
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Pull-Up
4
12
8-10 + 6-8
Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Barbell Row
1
+ 4-6*
Seated Cable Row
1
8-10 + 6-8 + 4-6*
Dumbbell Pullover
3
to failure
David chooses only two exercises from the above group (among others) to
construct a workout that’s short on sets but high on intensity.
*Start with a very heavy weight that you can lift for just 8-10 reps, take a 15breath rest, then continue with 6-8 more reps, followed by another 15-breath
rest, and finish with 4-6 reps.
^Pyramid up the weight on successive sets, reaching failure at 8-10 reps.
POSSESSING ONE OF THE MOST FLAWLESS physiques ever seen in the
IFBB pro ranks, David Henry hasn’t let his relatively small frame stop his
progress. At s’s”, 205 pounds, he has made a habit out of beating men much
bigger. Here’s some advice from the 2005 Olympia Wildcard Showdown champ.
“I may do as few as two exercises for my entire back routine,” David admits.
“with the high-intensity work I do with heavy weights, I’ve found a combination
that really works.”
“I use a logbook because it gives me something to shoot for,” he says. “I make
it a point in each workout to beat at least one exercise, either in weight, reps or
both.”
PULL-UP
START: This exercise is also shown on page 40. David places his hands about 6
inches outside shoulder width. He uses an overhand grip to keep the stress on his
lats, and forgoes straps.
MOVE: Without swinging his body, David pulls himself up until his hands are
aligned with his ears. He lowers his body under control and goes right into the
next rep.
REVERSE-GRIP BENT-OVER BARBELL
ROW
START: David loads a barbell and places his feet shoulder-width apart, grasping
the bar with an underhand grip just outside his thighs. With his back straight, he
bends forward about 45 degrees, and he maintains this strict position throughout
the exercise.
MOVE: Using strict form, David pulls the bar to his midsection, exhaling at the
top. He squeezes his mid-back muscles hard before controlling the descent.
SEATED CABLE ROW
START: This exercise is also shown on page 39. David attaches a close-grip
handle to the cable and sits erect on the bench, his feet pressed against the
footplate and his knees slightly bent.
MOVE: David arches his back and leans farther forward than most bodybuilders
because he feels it stretches his lats better. As he pulls the weight to his body, he
pushes his chest out and brings the handle to his midsection, moving his elbows
as far back as he can while squeezing his shoulder blades together. He holds the
peak contraction briefly before lowering the weight under control, feeling a full
stretch in his lats.
DUMBBELL PULLOVER
START: An exercise also used for chest (it’s in the workout on page 11), David
performs pullovers at the end of his back workout for a final pump and extra
stretch. He lies across a flat bench, supporting his upper back and neck, with the
top of his head just hanging off. Holding the upper inside plate of a heavy
dumbbell with his hands shaped like a V for security, he extends his arms
directly above his body.
MOVE: David lowers the dumbbell behind his head to stretch his lats, then pulls
it back over his upper chest (as shown). Since he uses a weight close to his own
bodyweight, he drops his hips to lower his center of gravity — this prevents him
from being pulled off the end of the bench.
CHAPTER FOUR
LEGS
LEG DAY CAN BE BRUTAL AND INTENSE. For some, it’s actually a
memorable rite of passage to throw up during leg training because of the sheer
workload and physicality of the exercises involved; such anecdotes fill
bodybuilding lore, with guys telling their tale proudly of the day they pushed
themselves to the limit and beyond.
Hopefully, we haven’t scared you away yet. Because as hard and difficult it
may be to work your legs to the max, it’s also one of the most rewarding
endeavors in bodybuilding. While many of your brethren in the gym sport a nice
pair of arms, a big chest or wide shoulders, scant few have well-built thighs and
calves to stand on. To craft your own will set you apart from the crowd, and you
can do just that by using one or more of the following six programs. All you need
to add is the desire to give each set and rep your best effort — bringing a bucket
along is optional.
LEGS: BEGINNER
#21
EXERCISE
Smith-Machine Squat
Leg Extension
Lying Leg Curl
Standing Calf Raise
SETS
3
2
2
2
REPS
15, 12, 12
10-12
10-12
15
IF YOU’VE NEVER WORKED LEGS BEFORE, this routine is just what you
need for a good start. Created around machine moves, it allows your body to
gradually adapt to the new muscle stimulus you’re giving it.
Don’t go overboard on your weight selection. As a beginner, lighter is better;
it’s more vital that you learn good form early. Once you teach yourself bad
habits, they’re very difficult to unlearn.
LEG EXTENSION
START: Adjust the seat back (if so equipped) and footpad so your knees are at
the edge of the bench and your ankles are just below the footpad/rollers. Sit back
against the back pad, if applicable.
MOVE: Grasp the handles or the bench edges behind your hips and keep your
upper body stable as you straighten your legs in a smooth movement until fully
extended. Contract your quads at the top and lower under control. For full
benefits, don’t let the weight touch down between repetitions. Keep the motion
fluid and concentrate on feeling the muscle work.
SMITH-MACHINE SQUAT
SMITH-MACHINE SQUAT
START: Stand with the bar across your shoulders and traps, grasping it just
outside your shoulders. Twist the bar to unrack it.
MOVE: With your chest high, head up and back slightly arched, bend your
knees and hips as if you’re sitting back in a chair until your thighs are parallel to
the floor. Reverse the motion by driving through your heels and pressing your
hips forward to return to the starting position.
LYING LEG CURL
START: Lie facedown on a leg-curl machine and position your Achilles’ tendons
below the padded lever, your knees just off the edge of the bench. Grasp the
bench or the handles for stability. Make sure your knees are slightly bent to
protect them from over-extension.
MOVE: Raise your feet toward your glutes in a strong but deliberate motion,
squeezing the muscles at the top, then lower to the start position. Keep your hips
down on the bench; letting them rise to get more leverage will take emphasis
away from the hams. A good mental trick on hamstring moves is to think of
them like the biceps of your arm; on each rep, you want to flex them into a tight
ball, then release.
STANDING CALF RAISE
START: Stand squarely beneath the shoulder pads of the calf-raise machine,
with the balls of your feet at the edge of the foot rest. (Note: This version is
performed using the Smith machine.)
MOVE: With your legs straight, lower yourself to stretch your calves, then rise as
high as you can, squeezing the muscles.
LEGS: ADVANCED
#22
EXERCISE
Barbell Squat
Leg Press
Smith-Machine Squat
Leg Extension
Hack Squat
SETS
4
4
2
4
3
REPS
12, 10, 8, 6
8-12
20
12
12, 10, 8
ONCE YOU’VE BUILT A BASE OF MUSCLE AND strength with the beginner
workout on the previous two pages, you’ll be ready to step up to this challenging
program. It includes five exercises that target the quads; we recommend doing
this training session early in the week, then tackling a hamstring-focused routine
later, like Jay Cutler’s ham blast on pages 58–59. (Quads on Monday and hams
on Thursday should do the trick.)
To avoid overtraining, you’ll want to stick to the prescribed set and rep
ranges. Don’t do more; instead, put as much effort as you can into each set, then
go home and grow.
BARBELL SQUAT
START: Step under the bar with a shoulder-width stance, and keep your elbows
back to form a ridge along your upper back where the bar can sit. LIft the bar off
of the supports.
MOVE: With your chin up, bend at the knees and let your glutes track backward
to lower yourself. When your thighs are parallel to the floor, reverse direction,
driving up forcefully through your heels to a standing position. In this workout,
start very light to warm up, doing 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps before doing the working
sets listed in the workout box.
LEG PRESS
START: Place your feet on the platform in a shoulder-width stance. Extend your
knees (but do not lock them out) to lift the platform slightly, then disengage the
safety handles.
MOVE: Lower the platform, bringing your knees toward your chest. At the
bottom, press forcefully through your heels to raise the weight back up. Make
sure your lower back stays firmly on the pad throughout the exercise.
SMITH-MACHINE SQUAT
START: This is the same exercise described on page 48, but you’ll perform it a
little differently in this workout. Instead of doing full, complete reps, do these as
one-half-rep “pulses” to really burn out your quads after the heavy squats and leg
presses. Sometimes referred to as partial reps, “pulses” can be tacked on to the
end of a set as a final burnout to reach failure or, as in this case, as a stand-alone
exercise within a workout.
LEG EXTENSION
START: This exercise is also shown on page 48. Adjust the machine so your back
is fully supported and your legs rest comfortably over the edge of the seat; the
footbad should touch just above your ankles. Grasp the handles on both sides.
MOVE: Flex hard through your thighs, squeeze your quads at the top of the
move, then slowly return to the start position, stopping just before the weight
stack touches down — not letting the stack touch down helps keep constant
tension on your quadriceps.
HACK SQUAT
START: Stand with your feet slightly forward of your body and adjust your torso
so the pads rest comfortably on your shoulders.
MOVE: Lean into the machine so our back is entirely supported and unlock the
weight stack, slowly squatting down until your hips and knees are at or just
below 90-degree angles. From here, stand back up by pressing through your
heels to lift the sled. Come almost to a full extension at the top without locking
out your knees before descending again into your next repetition.
LEGS: AT HOME
#23
EXERCISE
Walk/Jog 3 minutes on treadmill
Barbell Squat
— superset with
Dumbbell Step-Up
Traditional Deadlift
— superset with —
Mountain Climber
SETS
REPS
12, 10, 8
3
10 per leg
12, 10, 8
3
30-60 seconds
NOT ONLY CAN THIS WORKOUT BE DONE at home, but it’s fast and
efficient as well. Also, you get the benefits of the best two exercises ever invented:
squats and deadlifts. This heavy-duty regimen will help you get noticeable results
in a hurry.
Set up for both exercises in the first superset before beginning. This means
having the step-up box and dumbbells next to the rack before you start your
squats. (On the second superset, you need nothing except your own body for the
mountain climbers, so any potential equipment problems are eliminated.) If you
don’t have a power rack at home, substitute dumbbells for the barbell.
BARBELL SQUAT
Refer to the description on page 50 for the instructions on how to do this
exercise. Some additional tips to keep in mind: Maintain the arch in your lower
back by tensing your abs and back muscles; don’t let your knees track out past
your toes as you drop your hips; and when you stand, press through your heels
for maximum power.
DUMBBELL STEP-UP
START: Place a knee-high step in front of you and grasp a dumbbell in each
hand. Stand with your feet in a comfortable shoulder-width stance.
MOVE: Step forward with one leg onto the step and drive through that thigh to
bring your body upward. Bring the trailing leg to the top of the step and stand on
the box, then step back with the opposite leg to the floor and lower yourself. Be
sure to keep your lower back in its natural arch and your upper body upright
through the whole movement. (If you prefer, instead of alternating legs, you can
complete all reps for one leg, then do all your reps for the other — in this case,
your working leg steps onto the bench and also steps back to the floor.)
TRADITIONAL DEADLIFT
START: The deadlift is often thought of as a back exercise — and it is, but it’s
also an incredible leg-builder, as you’re essentially dropping into a squat in the
bottom position. Grasp a barbell with a mixed grip (one palm forward, one back
— this helps you maintain your grip on the barbell during the exercise). Bend
deeply at your knees, look up and make sure you maintain the natural curve in
your lower spine. (In fact, the minute you start losing control over your lower
back and round forward, stop the set!)
MOVE: Keep your abs pulled in tight and tense your entire body, then drive
through your heels to straighten your knees and bring your hips forward until
you’re in a standing position. Once standing, bring your shoulders back slightly
and pause. Lower the barbell along the same path (close to your body all the way
down) to the floor. Touch the plates lightly to the floor and begin your next rep.
As a final note, don’t make the common mistake of using too much lower back;
bend deeply at the knees on each rep, and, as mentioned above, keep your lower
spine arched.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
START: Get into a push-up position, placing both hands about shoulder-width
apart on the floor and set your feet so you’re on your toes.
MOVE: Without moving your hands, bring one leg forward, then start
alternating your foot position, pushing up off the floor with your feet and
switching foot position, one forward, one back, as quickly as you can for the
prescribed time.
LEGS: SHAWN’S WORKOUT
#24
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Unilateral Leg Extension*
4
20
Barbell Lunge
4
12
Leg Press (or)
4
15
Hack Squat
4
15
Leg Extension
4
12
* See exercise description on page 56.
This is just a sample workout from Shawn; a firm believer in instinctive
training, he changes his workout each time he goes to the gym.
ARGUABLY THE BEST PRO BODYBUILDER TO have never won the Mr.
Olympia — he finished in the top 5 for 12 years straight (1990-2001) — Shawn
Ray is a guy you want to listen to when training advice is being dispensed.
“I never map out my leg workouts, and that’s probably why my workouts are
so fresh,” Shawn says. “The most consistent thing I do on leg day is a few light leg
extensions first to warm up the muscles and get the blood moving.”
Although Shawn performs regular hack squats, he also likes reverse hack
squats, where you stand in a regular hack machine backward.
BARBELL LUNGE
START: Adjust a barbell across your shoulders and traps so it rests comfortably,
and focus your gaze forward. Start with both feet together, abs tight and back
straight and strong.
MOVE: From this standing position, step forward with one foot, leading with
your heel, and lunge down toward the floor, maintaining control over the speed
of your descent. Lower yourself until your opposite knee almost touches the
floor, then push back off your lead foot, returning to the start position. Complete
all repetitions on one side before switching to the other.
LEG EXTENSION
Check out page 48 for instructions on how to perform this exercise correctly.
Also on leg extensions, you can try slight variations in your foot positioning to
target different areas of your quadriceps muscles. Experiment by doing a set with
your toes pointed outward, and then with your toes pointed inward. Using a
variety of foot positions isn’t necessary, but if you want to mix your training up a
bit and keep your quads guessing, work in a few variations from workout to
workout.
LEG PRESS
This exercise is described on page 50. Shawn also has a few more pointers for you
to help you get it right. “I see a lot of people pressing on their knees with their
hands to move the weight back up,” he says. “Let your legs do all the work or
you’re cheating yourself of the full potential of the exercise.” He also
recommends getting as full of a range of motion as you can without letting your
lower back come off the pad — that’s a key point, however, because letting your
lower back curl up puts you at risk for a lower back strain or injury.
HACK SQUAT
This exercise is shown and described on page 51. Shawn uses it interchangeably
with leg presses — you’ll find leg presses allow you to use a lot more weight
because of the biomechanical advantage of the machine, but hack squats are
valuable, too, because they can really tax your thighs. He’s careful to keep a
steady cadence during each set. “I’m pretty consistent on my rep speed,” Shawn
notes. “I keep constant tension on my legs and maintain a continual motion
throughout the set.” In addition, concentrate on pressing through your heels, just
as you do on a standard squat, to best activate the target muscles.
LEGS: MILOS’ WORKOUT
#25
EXERCISE
Unilateral Leg Extension
Barbell Squat
Unilateral Leg Press (or)
Leg Press (both legs)**
Hack Squat***
SETS
3
5*
3
3
3
REPS
15, 12, 10
10, 10, 8, 6, 5
10, 10, 8
10
10
* The first two sets are warm-ups.
** Milos alternates weekly between unilateral and two-legged leg presses. For
two-legged press description, see page 50.
*** On unilateral leg press weeks, Milos does drop sets instead of straightweight sets of hack squats. For hack squat description, see page 51.
MILOS SARCEV, THE MAN WHO HAS competed in more pro bodybuilding
shows than anyone in history (72 in a span of 12 years), knows a thing or two
about mental toughness. He’s also come back from a devastating knee injury in
2002. Workouts like this show he has no intentions of letting up.
Warm up is key. “I alway begin my leg workout with 10 minutes of cardio,
then I move to leg extensions to further warm up my muscles,” Milos says.
Change is good, he adds. “It’s insanity to do the same thing over and over and
expect results. Change your routine often to keep making progress.”
UNILATERAL LEG EXTENSION
START: Adjust the machine so your back and legs are fully supported. Hook
both feet underneath the roller, but use only one at a time to lift the weight.
MOVE: Inhale and slowly contract your working quad to lift the roller until your
leg reaches full extension. Exhale and squeeze for one count at the top before
slowly lowering to the start. Complete all reps on one leg before switching to the
other.
UNILATERAL LEG PRESS
START: Place one foot high on the platform, keeping the other flat on the floor
for stability, and unlock the handles.
MOVE: Slowly lower the platform toward your body, keeping your foot flat and
your back pressed into the seat until your knee comes close to touching your
shoulder. Press back up forcefully and stop just before locking out your knee.
Repeat for reps, then switch legs. “I see so many people doing 1,000-pound, oneinch leg presses,” Milos says. “That won’t help you develop anything but a big
ego. [Use] a full range of motion.”
BARBELL SQUAT
Also shown on pages 50 and 52, there’s a reason the squat keeps popping up in
this chapter: It’s the single best leg exercise, and perhaps the single best overall
exercise you can do. Unfortunately, because it’s so challenging, a lot of people
shy away from it. There’s also a nasty rumor that never seems to die that squats
are dangerous and hard on your lower back — if you use perfect form and have a
healthy back, that’s simply not the case.
LEGS: JAY’S WORKOUTS
#26
EXERCISE
SETS
Lying Dumbbell Leg Curl*
2-3
One-Legged
Machine Curl
2-3
Romanian Dumbbell Deadlift
5
* Perform 2-3 warm-up sets before performing the 2-3 working sets.
REPS
8-12
10-12
8-12
* Perform 2-3 warm-up sets before performing the 2-3 working sets.
THE 2006 MR. OLYMPIA CHAMP, JAY CUTLER, defied the odds and beat
the man who many thought couldn’t be beaten, eight-time Mr. O Ronnie
Coleman. Over the years, Jay has simply stuck to his plan and kept his goal in his
sights. He has the same meticulous nature when it comes to his training; this is
one of his workouts that he crafted to really focus in on his hams.
Form is first, Jay says: “Hams don’t respond as much to heavy weight as they
do to tight form.”
Include stiff-legged and curling moves in all of your hamstring routines. “This
ensures you work the hams from both the hip and knee joint.”
LYING DUMBBELL LEG CURL
START: Place a dumbbell at the foot of the bench so you can clamp it between
your feet before you lower yourself down (or, if you have a training partner, he
or she can help you by putting the dumbbell in place when you lie down). “I lie
facedown on a bench with my kneecaps just over the edge,” Jay explains. “I place
my hands on the floor or grasp the front legs of the bench for stability. In the
start position your body should be in a straight line, with your hips down and
your hamstrings almost fully extended — keep just a slight bend in your knees.”
MOVE: Allow the tops of your quads to dig into the bench as you slowly bring
the weight up until your lower legs are fully upright. Don’t bring the weight
much beyond that or you’re going to lose tension on your hams. When you get
to the fully upright position, squeeze and hold for a count of one. Then as you
come back down, hold your hamstrings tight as you let the weight stretch them,
fighting against gravity. Keep lowering the weight until your lower legs are just
short of parallel.
ONE-LEGGED MACHINE CURL
START: Using either a standing or supported one-legged curl machine, step into
the machine with one leg under the pad.
MOVE: Bring the weight up slowly, stopping at the point where you feel a
maximal contraction in your hamstrings. “Some guys bring the weight up really
fast and let it bounce off their butt, then catch it on the way back down. That’s
terrible form, and it’s a good way to pull a hammy or throw out your lower
back,” Jay cautions. At that point of maximal contraction, squeeze and hold for a
count of one, then slowly lower the weight. Avoid letting the weight touch down
to the stack at the bottom.
ROMANIAN DUMBBELL DEADLIFT
START: Stand on a bench or box, and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Your
shoulders should be rotated back, and your lower back should be in its natural
arch.
MOVE: Maintaining the arch in your lower back and holding your hamstrings
taut, bend from the hips, feeling a stretch in your glutes and hams. “You want to
avoid relaxing your hamstrings,” Jay cautions. “That transfers the effort to other
bodyparts and reduces hamstring stimulation.” Lower your upper body and keep
your head up as you allow the dumbbells to naturally come out to your sides.
Then bring your torso back up, going through the same track of motion in
reverse.
CHAPTER FIVE
BICEPS
A MAGNIFICENT SET OF BICEPS, LIKE the ones displayed here by pro
bodybuilder Gunter Schlierkamp, are a universal aim of any man who has ever
picked up a barbell, from the novice to those champions at the top levels of the
game. They’re a showcase muscle, connoting power, strength and physical
perfection.
However, as idealized and revered as a swelled set of arms may be in popular
culture, the path to contructing them is simple, and can really be narrowed down
to just one word: Curl.
Okay, that’s not all there is to bigger biceps, but curling is the main mode of
exercise. Of course, there are numerous methods and variations of curling, all
with their own advantages, and we detail each of them on the following pages
within these six workouts for biceps development.
BICEPS: BEGINNER
#27
EXERCISE
Standing Barbell Curl
EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
Alternating Incline Dumbbell Curl
Forearms:
Reverse Wrist Curl
Wrist Curl
SETS
3
2
2
REPS
12, 10,10
10
10
1
1
12
12
THIS BEGINNER BICEPS ROUTINE IS BUILT around three can’t-miss
movements. If you want big bi’s, you’ll want to get familiar with these excercises
and keep them close at hand as you build your arm-training arsenal.
In all your biceps moves, do your best to eliminate momentum. Don’t rock
your body forward to initiate a rep, and don’t swing the weights up.
This workout also includes forearms; building strength in your forearms helps
on numerous other exercises, especially for back.
STANDING BARBELL CURL
START: With your knees slightly bent and your feet about hip-width apart,
grasp a barbell with a shoulder-width, underhand grip. Let the bar hang to your
thighs. Keep your abs pulled in and your elbows stationary.
MOVE: Without swaying, slowly curl the bar in an arc toward your shoulders as
you exhale. Pause at the top of the movement, squeeze your biceps and slowly
lower the bar almost to the start. Don’t lift the bar completely to your shoulders,
and don’t let it touch your thighs at the bottom in order to keep continuous
tension on the biceps.
EZ-BAR PREACHER CURL
START: Position the seat height so your armpits are flush against the pad. Place
your feet forward to help stabilize your body, and grasp the EZ-bar with an
underhand grip so your little fingers are higher than your thumbs (your palms
supinate out). This helps keep your elbows in and better isolates the lower biceps.
MOVE: Slowly raise the bar to shoulder level, pause and squeeze your biceps,
then lower the bar to just short of elbow lockout.
REVERSE WRIST CURL AND WRIST CURL
START: Grasp a straight bar with an overhand grip, hands about 10 inches
apart. Kneel on the floor along one side of a fla bench. With your forearms on
the bench, let your hands and wrists hang over the edge.
MOVE: Curl your hands up as high as possible, then lower the weight to the start
position. To maximize your range of motion, keep your thumbs on the
underside of the bar. Repeat for reps, then use an underhand grip with your
hands about 4 inches apart (thumbs under the bar) and perform the same
movement.
ALTERNATING INCLINE DUMBBELL
CURL
START: Set an incline bench to about a 45-degree angle. With a dumbbell in
each hand and using a neutral grip (palms facing each other), let your arms hang
straight down below your shoulders.
MOVE: Keeping your elbow still, slowly bring your right hand up, turning your
hand as you lift so your palm faces your shoulder. Pause and squeeze the biceps
at the top, then lower the weight slowly to the start. Repeat with your left hand to
complete one rep.
BICEPS: 15-MINUTE
#28
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Two-Arm High-Cable Curl
3
10
Standing Cable Curl With Rope
2
10-5-5-To failure*
Reverse EZ-Bar Curl
3
10, 8, 6**
* Each of the two sets is a drop set. Do 10 reps, drop the weight, do 5, drop the
weight, do 5, drop one more time and go to failure. Don’t rest between drops;
rest one minute before starting the second set. The second time through, you’ll
use less weight for each set.
** Pyramid up the weight each set.
** Pyramid up the weight each set.
WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE TIME ON YOUR side, the cable apparatus can be
your best friend. Easy to use and adjust, and with myriad options built in, cables
can provide a rock-solid workout.
The high-cable curl is basically a double-biceps posing shot against resistance.
Take advantage of the feel of this by squeezing your biceps hard as you slowly
approach the peak of every rep. Done quickly and ballistically, you won’t get
much from this, but if you take the time to do it deliberately, the pump can be
unbelievable.
The three different grips used in this routine (palms up, palms facing and
palms down) attack your arms from three important angles.
TWO-ARM HIGHCABLE CURL
START: Grip D-handles attached to the upper pulleys of a cable station, with
your body in “T” formation.
MOVE: Curling the handles in, supinate your forearms slightly so that your
pinkies, rather than your knuckles, come closest to your ears, and squeeze your
biceps hard before fully extending your arms back to the start.
STANDING CABLE CURL WITH ROPE
START: Grasp a rope handle attached to the low pulley of a cable machine, with
your palms neutral, knees slightly bent and feet shoulder-width apart. Grab the
rope right at its ends, not higher up, to ensure that you can peform the exercise
through a full range of motion.
MOVE: Flex your arms and bend your elbows powerfully, keeping them
stationary at your sides as you do so. Bring your hands all the way up to your
shoulders (as close as you can without shifting your elbows forward) and pause
for a second at the top. Lower the rope, stopping short of fully extending your
arms to keep constant tension on the muscles, and go right into the next
repetition.
REVERSE EZ-BAR CURL
START: Take a shoulder-width stance, knees slightly bent and back straight, and
grasp an EZ-bar with an overhand grip. (In the photo shown, the athlete’s
thumbs aren’t wrapped around the bar, but for better safety and control we
recommend that you do put your thumbs under the bar.)
MOVE: Curl the weight up, contracting forcefully at the top, then lower the bar
under control to a point just shy of full extension, maintaining tension in your
arms. As shown in the photo to the left, if you have one handy, a spotter can help
you through a few forced reps at the end of a set when you can’t complete
another rep with good control on your own.
BICEPS: AT HOME
#29
EXERCISE
3-Grip Barbell Curl
SETS
3
REPS
6
3-Grip Barbell Curl
3
6
per grip per set
8, 6, 6*
Seated Barbell Curl
3
Dual Dumbbell
Hammer Curl
2
10, 8*
Multi-Angle Incline
Dumbbell Curl
4**
8-10
* Pyramid up the weight each set.
**Set 1: 30-degree angle; Set 2: 45-degree angle; Set 3: 60-degree angle; Set 4: 90degree angle.
A LITTLE CREATIVITY CAN GO A LONG WAY when you work bi’s at
home. With a few twists to some old favorites, this routine packs a huge punch
and is worthy of home or gym use.
The basic movement of any biceps exercise is a curl, but there are two
significant ways you can alter your attack for complete development. One is
through different grips (for instance, the three overhand grips of the first
exercise, or the palms-facing grip of the hammer curl); and the other is through
putting your biceps on stretch, as in the incline curl, which can lead to a stronger
contraction during the lifting phase of the rep.
3-GRIP BARBELL CURL
START: Stand upright and grasp a barbell with a slightly wider than shoulderwidth, underhand grip.
MOVE: With your elbows fixed at your sides, curl the bar until your forearms
are vertical. Lower until your arms are fully extended. Complete 6 reps, rest a
minute, then adjust your grip to shoulder-width for 6 more reps. Rest again and
adjust so your hands are 4-6 inches apart, and perform 6 reps.
SEATED BARBELL CURL
START: Load a barbell with 10-20 pounds more than you can do for 6-8 reps of
regular barbell curls. Sit on a short-back bench or an adjustable bench set to 90
degrees and rest the bar on your thighs.
MOVE: With an underhand, shoulder-width grip, curl the weight toward your
shoulders, keeping your torso perpendicular to the floor (don’t lean back). Slowly
lower the weight and repeat. To keep constant tension on your biceps, don’t let
the bar rest on your thighs between reps. Stop it just before it touches your legs.
DUAL DUMBBELL HAMMER CURL
START: Stand erect, holding a pair of dumbbells by your sides with your palms
facing each other.
MOVE: Curl both dumbbells toward your shoulders without turning your wrists
or letting your elbows move forward. Extend your elbows to slowly return to the
start.
MULTI-ANGLE INCLINE DUMBBELL
CURL
START: Grasp a pair of dumbbells and lie back on an incline bench set at about
30 degrees, allowing your arms to hang straight down toward the floor by your
sides. Use a neutral grip, with your palms facing in.
MOVE: Keeping your shoulders back and upper arms in a fixed position
perpendicular to the floor, lock your elbows at your sides and curl both
dumbbells toward your shoulders. Turn your pinkies up and continue to curl
until you reach a peak contraction in your biceps. Reverse along the same path
and repeat for reps. For subsequent sets, adjust the incline bench to 45, 60 and
finally 90 degrees for the fourth set.
BICEPS: GUSTAVO’S WORKOUT
#30
EXERCISE
Standing Barbell Curl
Seated Alternating
Dumbbell Curl†
Cable EZ-Bar Curl
Two-Arm High-Cable Curl
* Doesn’t include two warm-up sets of 15 reps.
SETS
5*
REPS
10-15
5
5
10-15
10-15
10-15
5
† Can be alternated with preacher curls (see page 62).
GUSTAVO BADELL’S BEEN A MAINSTAY AT THE top of the pro
bodybuilding ranks since 2004. That year, the Venezuelan-born athlete stormed
into third place at the Mr. Olympia, a feat he replicated in ‘05. His 2005 Ironman
and 2006 San Francisco Pro victories cemented his reputation as a threat to win
any contest he enters.
“I squeeze my biceps throughout the range of motion,” Gustavo says. “This
helps you get ‘in touch’ with the muscles, and helps prompt growth.”
He also suggests mixing things up. “If one week I start with barbell curls, the
next week I’ll begin with dumbbell curls,” Gustavo explains.
STANDING BARBELL CURL
START: This exercise is also described on page 62. Stand in front of a barbell
placed either on the floor or on a rack at thigh height. Grasp the barbell with an
underhand grip at approximately shoulder width. (Holding the bar with a
narrower grip will better stress your outer biceps; taking a wider grip will hit the
inner head more.)
MOVE: Lift the bar from the floor. From a dead hang position, curl it in an arc
toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Forcefully
contract your biceps at the top of the movement, and return the bar to its
original position in a controlled manner.
CABLE EZ-BAR CURL
START: Attach an EZ-bar to a low cable pulley. Grasp the inner camber to focus
more work on the outer head of the biceps, or the outer camber to emphasize
your inner bi’s.
MOVE: Stand upright with your knees slightly bent and maintain a natural curve
in your spine. Brace your elbows against your sides and curl the bar to your
shoulders. Hold and squeeze your biceps for a second at the top before lowering
the bar along the same arc, but at a slightly slower pace than you used in the
positive portion of the movement.
SEATED ALTERNATING DUMBBELL
CURL
START: Place two dumbbells on either side of a flat or adjustable bench set to
the upright position. Grasp the dumbbells with your palms facing your body.
MOVE: Curl one dumbbell toward your shoulder while keeping your elbow
stationary and close to your body, rotating your palm outward as you do so. At
the top, your palm should face your shoulder Flex your biceps at the top, then
slowly return the dumbbell to the start position, reversing the wrist rotation.
Repeat with the opposite arm.
TWO-ARM HIGHCABLE CURL
START: This exercise is also shown on page 64. Attach D-handles to the high
pulleys at a cable station. Grasp the handles with your palms up, raising the
weight stacks in the process.The cables should be in line with your upper arms to
maximize the range of motion. Shorter individuals should raise their elbows;
taller people should hold their upper arms closer to parallel to the floor.
MOVE: Curl the handles toward your head. Hold the fully contracted position
for a second, as if performing a double biceps pose, and slowly return to the start.
You can also train one arm at a time.
BICEPS: LIONEL’S WORKOUT
#31
EXERCISE
Seated Alternating
Dumbbell Curl
EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
Standing Barbell Curl
One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
*Not including two warm-up sets of 20 reps.
SETS
REPS
4-5*
4-5
4
4
8-10
8-10
8-10
8-10
IF YOU SAUNTERED INTO WORLD-FAMOUS Gold’s Gym in Venice in
2006, you may have run into a man intensely focused on a bodybuilding quest.
Since 2003, Lionel Brown had been battling for his IFBB pro card, only to come
up just short time and time again. But those close losses, while hard to swallow
for the Southern Californian, in the end only made him stronger, propelling him
to his heavyweight victory at the 2006 NPC Nationals and elevating him to that
long-coveted professional status.
“I flex my beceps between sets to keep the blood in them,” Brown says. “I’ll
stretch them between sets too. Anything to get more blood flowing in.”
SEATED ALTERNATING DUMBBELL
CURL
This exercise is described on page 69.
EZ-BAR PREACHER CURL
START: This exercise is also shown on page 62. Adjust the armrest portion of
the bench so it fits comfortably under your armpits. Grasp an EZ-bar on either
the inner or outer cambered portions and sit on the seat. (A narrow grip places
more stress on the outer head of the biceps; a shoulder-width grip distributes the
stress more evenly.)
MOVE: Curl the bar in a controlled fashion to the point where your forearms are
just short of vertical — by stopping here, stress remains on the biceps. Squeeze
your bi’s at the top and return to the start position. In the down position, keep
your arms slightly bent to relieve stress on the elbows.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL PREACHER CURL
START: Grasp a dumbbell and drape your arm over either a standing or seated
preacher bench. Hold the weight with an underhand grip and a rigid wrist.
MOVE: Keeping your shoulder down, raise the dumbbell in an arc toward your
face, making sure not to flex your wrist. Stop just short of bringing your forearm
perpendicular to the floor. Squeeze at the top, then return to the start position.
STANDING BARBELL CURL
This exercise, the number-one staple movement of biceps training (hence why it
is featured multiple times in this chapter), is described on page 62 and 68.
BICEPS: AHMAD’S WORKOUT
#32
EXERCISE
Alternating
Dumbbell Curl
Standing Barbell Curl
Concentration Curl
— or —
Two-Arm High-Cable Curl
*Does not include 2-3 light warm-up sets.
SETS
3-4*
REPS
8-10
3-4
3-4
8-10
8-10
BORN IN BEIRUT, LEBANON, AHMAD HAIDAR originally wanted to be a
Greco-Roman wrestler just like his uncle, who won a bronze medal in the 1980
Moscow Olympics. However, after being told he needed more strength, Ahmad
hit the gym, and a new passion was born. Now based in Florida, the 5’7”, 220pound personal trainer and pro bodybuilder is a world-class example of pure
proportion and aesthetics.
“I’m a big believer in instinctive training,” Ahmad says. “That means
listening to your body’s cues, going hard when you feel strong and choosing
exercises that you feel are working well for you.”
ALTERNATING DUMBBELL CURL
START: Stand and hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides, palms facing inward.
MOVE: Curl one weight upward while slowly rotating your palm toward the
ceiling. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement and begin to lower the
weight, reversing the wrist movement. Just before you completely lower the
weight, begin curling with the other arm.
STANDING BARBELL CURL
START: This exercise is described on page 62 and 68. Ahmad stresses two things
when curling to maximize your results: Concentrate on pulling only with your
biceps — feel them contract on every rep — and keep any excess body motion to
a minimum.
CONCENTRATION CURL
START: Place a dumbbell at the foot of a bench and sit over it. Bend slightly at
the waist and support yourself with one hand on the same-side knee. Brace
yourworking elbow against the same-side inner thigh and grasp the dumbbell.
MOVE: Curl the dumbbell toward your upper chest, stopping a couple inches
before making contact. Hold the top position for a second, resisting the pull of
gravity. Lower the weight along the same arc and repeat for reps before switching
arms.
TWO-ARM HIGHCABLE CURL
START: This exercise is also featured on page 64 and 69. Stand between a pair of
high-cable pulleys. If the pulley height is adjustable, try locking them in at
around shoulder height, as opposed to a point above your head like shown here.
This allows you to experience a greater stretch at the start of the movement.
MOVE: Grasp the pulley handles and simultaneously curl them in toward your
ears, hold for a count of two, return to the start in a controlled manner and
repeat.
CHAPTER SIX
TRICEPS
WE’VE OFTEN POINTED OUT IN THE pages of Muscle & Fitness that the
triceps make up two-thirds of the overall size of your upper arm — and, despite
that fact, the smaller biceps usually account for a disproportionate amount of the
average guy’s workout. Biceps get all the glory and attention, but smart lifters
know that, to really make solid gains in the guns department, putting the proper
focus on the triceps is key.
The following workouts will help you do just that, incorporating tried-andtrue movements such as lying and seated extensions, dips, cable pressdowns and
close-grip benches, among others. From beginner to advanced, you’ll find a
workout that fits your goals and fills your shirtsleeves perfectly.
TRICEPS: BEGINNER
#33
EXERCISE
Close-Grip Bench Press
Machine Dip
Cable Pressdown (straight-bar attachment)
Close-Grip Push-Up
SETS
3
2
2
1
REPS
15, 12, 10
10
10
8-10
TURNING YOUR TRICEPS INTO WELL-DEFINED horseshoes (the shape
the muscle takes when developed) means moving some good old-fashioned
heavy weight. First, though, you need to learn these key moves to lay a
foundation.
Don’t let your hands touch together on the close-grip press — if your grip is
too close you’ll put unnecessary stress on your wrists.
Stand straight up on the cable pressdown; don’t lean forward to complete
your reps.
MACHINE DIP
START: Grasp the handles with your palms facing your body. Keep your feet flat
on the floor, and your glutes, back and shoulder blades pressed against the
support pad.
MOVE: With your arms close to your sides throughout (elbows pointed straight
back behind you), press the handles down to just short of lockout. Then slowly
bring the handles back up so your elbows are at about chest level.
CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS
START: Lie faceup on a flat bench and grasp the barbell with your hands 6-12
inches apart.
MOVE: Press the bar directly over your chest to just short of lockout. Lower the
bar slowly, keeping your elbows as close to your sides as possible. At the bottom
of the movement, your elbows should be a little lower than your shoulders. Keep
the motion controlled, and don’t overarch your back to get the bar up.
STRAIGHT-BAR CABLE PRESSDOWN
START: With a slight bend in your knees, stand erect facing a high-cable pulley.
Grasp a short straight bar with your hands placed 6-8 inches apart palms-down,
and bend your elbows to 90 degrees.
MOVE: Keeping your elbows stationary near your sides, slowly straighten your
arms. Pause at full extension and squeeze your triceps, then slowly return to the
start position.
CLOSE-GRIP PUSH-UP
START: Lie facedown on the floor in a push-up position, placing your hands a
few inches apart. Raise your body by extending your arms and coming up on
your toes.
MOVE: With your forehead facing the floor and your abs pulled in, lower your
body by bending your elbows. Stop the motion when your upper arms are about
parallel to the floor, and reverse to the start. Avoid the tendency to lock out your
elbows at the top and rest, instead keeping continuous tension on your triceps.
TRICEPS: AT HOME
#34
EXERCISE
Close-Grip Dumbbell Press
One-Arm Dumbbell Extension
Bench Dip
SETS
4
3
3
REPS
12, 10, 8, 6,
10-12
10
YOU HAVE ALL KINDS OF DUMBBELL, barbell and bodyweight variations
of triceps exercises to choose from for use at home. Any of these particular three
can be swapped out for another non-machine move found in this chapter when
you want to introduce a little variety. In the meantime, tri this one on for size.
The close-grip dumbbell press is a perfect replacement for the barbell version
when you don’t have a spotter handy at home or in the gym.
If you’re up for the challenge, go for failure on all three bench-dip sets.
CLOSE-GRIP DUMBBELL PRESS
START: Lie back on a flat bench, holding two dumbbells at your chest with a
hammer-style (palms-facing) grip.
MOVE: Press the dumbbells straight overhead until your arms are straight,
flexing your triceps to initiate and complete the move. Don’t let the dumbbells
come together at the top — keep a couple of inches between them all the way up
and all the way down. Bring the weights back down toward your chest and
repeat. If you’d like to work stabilizer muscles along with your tri’s, attempt this
move one arm at a time.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL EXTENSION
START: Lie on a flat bench and hold a dumbbell in one hand, palm facing down.
Extend your elbow so the dumbbell is straight up toward the ceiling. MOVE:
Without letting your upper arm move (it should continue pointing straight up),
bend at the elbow to bring the dumbbell down across your body toward the
opposite side of your chest. Stop your downward motion when your elbow
reaches 90 degrees — don’t let the dumbbell touch down to your chest — and
reverse to bring your arm back up into the start position.
BENCH DIP
START: Get into dip position, placing your hands at the edge of a flat bench and
straightening your elbows.
MOVE: Bend your elbows to drop your lower body below the level of the bench.
Stop when your elbows reach 90 degrees (don’t let your glutes touch down to the
floor), then straighten your arms to return to the start.
TRICEPS: DEXTER’S WORKOUT
#35
EXERCISE
SETS
Parallel-Bar Dip
4
Pressdown*
4
Rope Pressdown
3
Lying EZ-Bar Extension†
4
*Excludes two warm-up sets for 15 reps.
†Excludes a warm-up set for 10-15 reps.
REPS
to failure
10,10, 6-8,6-8
8-10
8-10, 8-10, 8-10, 6-8
BACK ON PAGE 8, WE INTRODUCED YOU to Dexter Jackson, showing you
one of the workouts he’s used to create a strong, symmetrical set of pectorals.
Here, we present the four-pronged workout he’s used to create his amazing
triceps.
“You can easily overtrain griceps since you also use them when working chest
and shoulders,” Dexter warns. “consider training tri’s at the end of one of these
bodypart sessions when they’ll already be warmed up and ready to go.”
Pace is important, he says. Control the negative portion of every rep to
stimulate maximum growth.
PARALLELBAR DIP
START: “To start, I grasp the bars and raise myself off the floor to a point where
my hips are slightly above the bars, my torso is upright and my elbows are as
close to my body as possible,” says Dexter. “I keep my knees bent slightly and my
feet crossed for added stability.”
MOVE: Slowly lower yourself until your elbow joints reach 90 degrees, then
pause and contract your triceps to press back up to just short of lockout. Don’t
lean too far forward, which shifts the emphasis from your triceps to your chest.
PRESSDOWN
Here, Dexter uses a close grip on a cambered “EZ-bar” style cable attachment,
instead of the straight-bar shown on page 77. Both are good alternatives for
pressdowns; you can also try a V-bar attachment for similar results.
LYING EZ-BAR EXTENSION
START: “I lie down on a flat bench, keeping my feet flat on the floor about
shoulder-width apart,” says Dexter. He grasps an EZ-bar with a medium-close
grip, a little less than shoulder width.”
MOVE: “Keeping my shoulders on the bench, my elbows in and my upper arms
perpendicular to my body, I slowly lower the bar, controlling it all the way down
to my forehead. Then I explode up to the top and lock out, getting a good
squeeze.”
ROPE PRESSDOWN
START: “Using the same stance as with the straight-bar pressdown, I grasp the
rope handles right near the ends with a neutral grip,” Dexter explains. To start,
his arms are bent about 90 degrees.
MOVE: Flexing the triceps, press down until your arms are at full extension,
holding that extended position just long enough to get a good muscle
contraction. Then slowly and under control, bring the rope back up, stopping so
the bottom of the rope handles travel no higher than your mid-chest.
TRICEPS: TROY’S WORKOUT
#36
EXERCISE
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Extension
1 Lying EZ-Bar Extension
Rope Pressdown
—superset with—
Dumbbell Kickback
*Each arm
SETS
4
4
4
REPS
10-12
10-12
10-12
4
10-12*
BACK IN 1985, 18-YEAR-OLD TROY ALVES was a full-scholarship baseball
player at Glendale Community College in Arizona. While the center fielder had
skills and a powerful throwing arm, he also had another passion: Weight
training. And when an injury prematurely ended his baseball dreams,
bodybuilding rose to the forefront. Now, the 40-year-old Phoenix resident is an
established IFBB pro. This is one of his favorite triceps routines.
To boost the intensity at the end of each superset, do 5-10 half-reps of
pressdowns in the bottom half of the range of motion.
SEATED DUMBBELL OVERHEAD
EXTENSION
START: Sit on a low-back chair and press a dumbbell overhead, holding it with
both hands, palms cupped against the upper inside plate.
MOVE: Keeping your elbows close to your head, slowly bend them to lower the
weight behind your head. After a good stretch at the bottom, lift the dumbbell
back up to full extension.
LYING EZ-BAR EXTENSION
This exercise is described on the previous page.
DUMBBELL KICKBACK
START: Stand next to a bench and lean forward at your waist, placing your
inside hand and knee on the bench for support. Grasp a dumbbell in your
outside hand with a neutral grip, bend your elbow and bring your upper arm
next to your body, parallel to the floor.
MOVE: Keeping your upper arm in place, straighten your elbow, hold the
contraction for a second, then return to the start.
ROPE PRESSDOWN
You can find the description for this exercise on page 81. “Keep both of your
wrists firm throughout the exercise,” Troy says — this precaution will keep any
unneccessary torque off of your wrist joints and help you focus the contraction
directly on the triceps mucles.
TRICEPS: DARREN’S WORKOUT
#37
EXERCISE
Rope Pressdown
Lying EZ-Bar Extension
Dumbbell Kickback
SETS
4
4
3-4
REPS
12, 10, 8, 6
12, 8,8 6
To failure
DARREM CHARLES, WHO IS ALSO FEATURED on page 30-31 in the delt
chapter, works his triceps thoroughly to keep them in balance with his softball-
sized biceps. This routine helps him accomplish that goal — and it can do
wonders for your arms as well.
A typical triceps workout shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes, according to
Darrem. “Hit your tri’s hard, then give them rest,” he says.
He also uses partials at the end of his workout occasionally. “For instance, on
pressdowns, do 10 full reps, then pump out some one-quarter reps until your
tri’s are absolutely burning.”
ROPE PRESSDOWN
This exercise is featured on page 81 and 83; however, here Darrem demonstrates
an alternate version where you face away from the weight stack and place your
back against a pad, which helps eliminate body movement. “To get maximum
results out of each set, try holding your arms at the bottom of the movement in
the straight and locked position for a full two seconds,” he suggests. “It’s not
easy, but it’s the difference between simply performing a rep and making every
rep count.”
LYING EZ-BAR EXTENSION
START: This move is also described on page 81. “Use a flat bench and an EZbar; have a training partner hand you the weight,” Darrem says. “Find a hand
position that’s most comfortable within shoulder-width distance.” Lift the bar
almost straight overhead, so your arms are just slightly angled back.
MOVE: Lower the bar from the overhead position down toward the upper part
of your forehead — only your forearms should be moving, while your shoulders
and upper arms remain stationary. Control is crucial on this move; if you don’t
have a spotter and you suddenly reach muscle failure, you can bail by leaving
yourself enough bench room above your head (not shown in these photos) to set
the bar down. You can also try this on a decline bench.
DUMBBELL KICKBACK
This exercise is described on page 83. “Control the motion to ensure that your
triceps do all the work, and take each set to failure,” Darrem says. “Once the
muscle begins to fatigue, I’ll continue with partial reps — I don’t stop until the
muscle is completely depleted of strength and my triceps are on fire.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
ABS
IS THERE ANY OTHER BODYPART THAT connotes a lean and fit physique
like a well-defined set of abdominals? That question is rhetorical, of course. Abs
are aim-number-one of just about anyone who starts working out in the quest
for a better body. While crafting a stellar midsection is a lot about a dedicated
cardio program — at least 3-5 20-50 minute sessions per week at an intensity
high enough to cause you to break a sweat (but not so high as to leave you
gasping for breath) — and a clean consistent diet plan, training plays a decided
role.
Think of cardio and diet as the keys to stripping away the bodyfat, and the
focused ab workouts as your method for carving out the details of your
abdominal muscles. The following routines will help you accomplish that goal.
ABS: BEGINNER
#38
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Scissor Kick
2
10-15
Curl-Up
2
10-15
Side Jackknife
2
10-15
AS WE MENTIONED ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE, abs are an incredibly
popular bodypart to train, and there’s little doubt why: Everyone wants a sixpack. Here’s how you can get started on the way to yours.
This routine is built to work your lower abs first, followed by your upper-ab
region and finally the sides of your midsection, mainly the obliques. Lower abs
come first because they’re usually the weakest part of most people’s midsections.
More is not necessarily better; don’t overextend yourself in your first few
sessions by adding sets or reps.
SCISSOR KICK
START: Lie on your back with your arms by your sides, palms facing down, legs
extended with a slight bend in your knees.
MOVE: Lift your heels off the floor about 6 inches, then make small, rapid,
alternating up-and-down scissorlike motions as you lift each leg about 45 degrees
into the air and lower each until your heel is a few inches off the floor. While the
pace of the scissor motion is fairly rapid, take about two seconds total to
complete the full upward and downward movements.
CURL-UP
START: Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent about 60
degrees. Position your arms next to your hips, palms down.
MOVE: Curl your torso up, sliding your hands toward your feet as your shoulder
blades lift off the floor. Slowly return to the start postion. To decrease difficulty,
keep your hands close to the floor. If that’s still too tough, rest your hands on the
floor.
SIDE JACKKNIFE
START: Lie on your right side, keeping your left leg over your right one, bending
your knees slightly. Place your right hand in a comfortable position; rest your left
hand behind your head.
MOVE: As you pull with your obliques, bring your torso and left leg together.
Hold the contraction briefly and lower slowly. Do reps to both sides to complete
one set. Tip: Try holding your floor-side hand on your obliques to feel them
contract; this keeps your mind on the muscle action.
ABS: 15-MINUTE
#39
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Leg Raise
3
20
Hanging Knee Raise
3
20
Decline-Bench Crunch
3
20
Twisting Crunch
3
20
UNLIKE LARGER BODYPARTS SUCH AS BACK, legs or chest, the abs don’t
take a significant amount of time to train. You can easily get a first-rate workout
in 15 minutes — this one is perfect for someone on the go.
Do these exercises as a circuit — start with 20 reps of the lying leg raise, then
do 20 hanging knee raises, followed by 20 crunches on a decline bench, and
ending with 20 twisting crunches. Then repeat the circuit after a brief 30-second
rest.
If you’re a more advanced trainer, BB start with hanging leg raises instead of
raises off of the floor.
LEG RAISE
START: This hits the harder-to-define lower portion of your abs right off the bat.
Lie down, head on the floor, and place your hands under your glutes to stabilize
your torso.
MOVE: Begin the movement with your legs extended about 6 inches above the
floor. With your knees soft — i.e. not locked out — raise your legs up toward the
ceiling, then lower them slowly to the start position. Make sure you concentrate
on feeling the negative on the downward motion, and keeping tension on the
muscle every inch of the way. This is a great warm-up for the next exercise in the
circuit, hanging knee raises, which also focus on the lower abs.
HANGING KNEE RAISE
START: Place your elbows within hanging sleeves as shown (if your gym has
them) and begin the move with your torso completely straight and knees slightly
bent. You can also simply grasp a pull-up bar with both hands to do this exercise.
MOVE: Lift your legs, bending your knees on the way up while slightly rounding
your lower back and bringing your glutes forward. When your quads reach a
point just above perpendicular to your torso, pause, then reverse direction and
repeat.
DECLINE-BENCH CRUNCH
START: Lie flat and stretch out your abs before beginning the movement. Your
hands should be behind your head, your elbows pointed out. Keep a loose grip
behind your head and focus on holding your elbows out so you don’t use your
hands to jerk your neck up, which people tend to do when their ab muscles are
fatigued. Stay focused on keeping your neck aligned with your spine throughout
the movement.
MOVE: Raise your torso just short of sitting up to maintain stress on your abs,
pause briefly, then slowly lower your torso about three-quarters of the way down
before starting the next rep.
TWISTING CRUNCH
START: Lie on your back, knees bent, arms extended a few inches off the floor
alongside your hips.
MOVE: Raise your left shoulder blade off the floor as you reach with your left
arm across your torso to your right knee, return to the start and do the same for
the opposite side. Continue alternating, right side, then left, until you complete
the set.
ABS: 15-MINUTE
#40
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Ab Wheel
3
To failure
Rope Crunch
3
20
Hanging Leg Raise
3
15
Seated Knee-Up
3
10
THIS 15-MINUTE ROUTINE MAKES USE OF one of the more unique devices
found at the gym — an ab wheel. If you don’t have access to this device, never
fear — a standard crunch or, if you’re more advanced, a double crunch as shown
on page 97, would make a good substitution.
You can do this as a circuit or each exercise separately; if you do the latter,
keep rest to no more than 20 seconds between sets.
AB WHEEL
START: This is a hard exercise, and the idea is to thrash your abs right away,
making the final three moves that much more challenging to complete. If you’re
not strong enough for this workout, try doing the exercises in reverse order
instead. To begin, center the ab wheel about 4-6 inches in front of your knees,
which are slightly apart. Your arms should be straight down from your
shoulders, elbows slightly bent.
MOVE: Slowly roll the wheel out in front of you. Stretch all the way out; your
torso should end up about 6-8 inches off the floor at the bottom.
ROPE CRUNCH
START: Facing the cable station on your knees, grasp the ends of the rope and
bring your hands down to the top of your head, where they remain fixed
throughout the movement.
MOVE: Bring your elbows toward your knees, squeezing your abs as you exhale,
and return under control to the start. Try to keep your hips stable throughout so
you can focus on contracting and stretching your abs.
HANGING LEG RAISE
START: These hit the whole abdominal wall, with emphasis on the lower-ab
region. Place your hands roughly shoulder-width apart on the bar and hang in a
vertical position, torso erect.
MOVE: Contract your abs while lifting your straightened legs up to horizontal,
then slowly lower your legs until your body returns to vertical before beginning
the next rep. Perform every rep this way — slowly and with control. The faster
you perform it, the more momentum builds, which lessens the tension on your
abs.
SEATED KNEE-UP
START: Sit crosswise, glutes slightly off the bench, hands gripping it just outside
your hips. Lean back and raise your legs off the floor, knees slightly bent, to start.
MOVE: After leaning your torso forward while bringing your knees toward your
chest, crunch your abs at the top, then slowly return to the start position.
ABS: AT HOME
#41
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Hip Thrust
3
20
Straight-Leg Crunch
3
20
Reverse Crunch
3
20
Crossover Crunch
3
20 per side
Do all four exercises as a circuit with no rest between movements. After you finish the circuit, rest 30
seconds and repeat two more times.
WHETHER YOUR “HOME” IS ALONG beautiful South Beach in Miami (where
these photos were taken), or in a slightly less specacular locale, the same truth
applies — you can do these moves almost anywhere, meaning you have no
excuse to miss any more ab workouts.
This is a circuit, which means you go from exercise to exercise with no rest in
between. So you’ll do 20 hip thrusts followed immediately by 20 straight-leg
crunches, and then the reverse crunch and crossover in short order. Rest 30
seconds and repeat the sequence again twice.
REVERSE CRUNCH
START: Lie faceup on the ground with your hands extended at your sides, feet
up and thighs perpendicular to the ground.
MOVE: Slowly bring your knees toward your chest, lifting your hips and glutes
off the ground, and try to maintain the bend in your knees throughout the
movement. Return under control.
STRAIGHT-LEG CRUNCH
START: Lie faceup on the ground with your legs straight up in the air, which
requires your lower abs to work isometrically. Cup your hands behind your head.
MOVE: Curl up as high as you can to bring your shoulder blades up,
simultaneously pressing your lower back into the ground. Don’t pull on your
head in an effort to go higher.
HIP THRUST
START: Lie faceup on the ground with your arms spread slightly, palms down to
provide balance. Lift your legs to nearly perpendicular to the ground.
MOVE: Raise your hips and glutes straight up off the ground by using your
abdominals — imagine trying to touch the ceiling with the soles of your shoes —
then lower your hips back to the start position.
CROSSOVER CRUNCH
START: Lie faceup on the ground, knees bent about 60 degrees and feet flat.
Cross your left ankle over your right knee. Cup your hands behind your head.
MOVE: Curl up as high as you can, bringing your shoulder blades off the
ground, simultaneously trying to bring your right elbow across your body
toward your left knee. Do all your reps for one side before switching to the other.
ABS: KRIS’ WORKOUT
#42
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Decline-Bench Crunch
4-5
20-60
Hanging Knee Raise
4-5
20-60
Standing Cable Crunch
4-5
20-60
Double Crunch
20-60
* Kris never locks himself into a particular rep range. Instead, he goes by intensity and feel, doing more
reps or sets if he feels his abs need a deeper burn.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RESIDENT AND IFBB pro Kris Dim knows a
thing or two about well-defined abs, as you can see from these photos. I His
workout is not for the faint of heart, as he’ll work up to 60 reps per set, burning
and etching each ridge of his adbominal wall.
“With ab training, consistency is the key,” Kris says. “Abs can recover pretty
quickly, so you can hit them several times a week. Pick three or four exercises
that you can really feel and go get it.”
To avoid imbalances in your abs, Kris suggests mixing up the order of your
exercises every workout.
DECLINE-BENCH CRUNCH
START: This exercise is also featured on page 91. Lie faceup with your lower legs
secured under the pads of a decline bench angled at 30-45 degrees. Place your
hands lightly at the sides of your head.
MOVE: Keeping your body centered on the bench and without pulling on your
head, curl up slowly until your torso and thighs are roughly 90 degrees. Hold this
position for a count before slowly returning to the start position.
HANGING KNEE RAISE
START: This exercise is also featured on page 91. Grasp a high bar with an
overhand grip, your arms fully extended. Keep your feet together directly below
your hips and your eyes focused forward.
MOVE: Without using momentum, contract your lower abs to raise your thighs
to a point just above parallel to the floor. Hold for a count, then slowly return
your legs to the start position, again without swinging your body.
STANDING CABLE CRUNCH
START: Attach a neutral-grip handle to the high-cable pulley. Stand with your
back as close to the weight stack as possible, lean forward slightly and pull the
handles down behind your head.
MOVE: Forcefully contract your abs against the resistance, bringing your upper
body toward the floor. Hold the peak contraction when your upper body is
parallel to the floor, then slowly return to the start.
DOUBLE CRUNCH
START: Lie faceup on the floor with your feet together and legs extended,
holding them approximately 6 inches above the floor. Support your head lightly
with your hands.
MOVE: Crunch upward and bring your knees in toward your chest
simultaneously. Your glutes should come off the floor slightly. Exhale at the top
before lowering your legs and torso to the start position at the same time.
ABS: STAN’S WORKOUT
#43
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Hanging Leg Raise
4
20
Crunch
4
20-30
V-Up on Bench
3
20-30
Standing Oblique
Cable Crunch
20
3
Per side
2006 NPC NATIONALS LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT champ Stan McQuay has
the abs every man envies: Ripped and deeply etched, a flawless example of what a
midsection can look like with good training and a solid diet. He may have
genetics to spare, but his program can help even those not as blessed get results,
if they’re willing to put in the hard effort required.
If grip strength is an issue, Stan suggests wrist straps to help you do the
hanging leg raise.
Stan works his abdominals five days a week, at the end of every weighttraining workout.
HANGING LEG RAISE
The description for this exercise can be found on page 93.
CRUNCH
START: Lie on the floor with your knees bent, feet and lower back flat.
MOVE: With your hands cupped loosely behind your neck, contract through
your abs to lift your shoulders and upper back off the floor. Hold the top for one
count before slowly lowering back to the start, making the negative portion of
the rep as slow and deliberate as the positive portion.
V-UP ON BENCH
START: Sit in the middle of a bench with your hands grasping the edges and
your feet off the ground.
MOVE: Bring your knees into your chest while keeping your back straight and
abs tight, simultaneously curling your upper body forward to form a “V.” Return
your legs and torso to the start position and repeat for reps.
STANDING OBLIQUE CABLE CRUNCH
START: Attach a D-handle to the upper pulley, standing a few feet M away with
your right side and arm facing the weight stack. Grip the K handle with your
right hand, palm up, and bring it toward your temple, firmly holding it in this
relative position throughout.
MOVE: Contract though your obliques, pulling down through your ribcage and
serratus muscle, pausing a moment at the peak contraction before slowly
returning to the start. At the top, you can hyperextend slightly to get a good
stretch through your side before beginning the next repetition.
ABS: ROC’S WORKOUT
#44
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
3
10-failure
Decline-Bench Oblique Crunch
3
15
Exercise-Ball Crunch
3
50, 75, 100
3
10-failure
3
15
Tri Set:
Hanging Leg Raise
Hanging Oblique Raise
—superset with—
Rope Double Crunch
ATLANTA’S RASHID “ROC” SHABAZZ WON his IFBB pro card in 2004 by
taking first place in the light-heavyweight division of the NPC Nationals. To craft
his serious set of abs, he relies on a serious set of exercises, including a tough triset and a sizzling superset that will help you squeeze every last detail out of your
midsection.
Roc suggests training your abs right after doing cardio. “You’re warmed up,
you’re sweating and you’re exhausted,” he says. “At that point, 20 minutes of ab
work will produce a great burn.”
HANGING LEG RAISE
START: this exercise is described on page 93. Here, however, instead of holding
onto the bar “pull-up” style, Roc makes use of elbow supporters — using these or
wrist straps can increase how long you’re able to hang, thus allowing you to get
more reps. If your forearms usually give out before your abs, they are a great tool.
DECLINE-BENCH OBLIQUE CRUNCH
START: Position the bench at a 30-45-degree decline. Secure your feet beneath
the rollers and lie faceup with your torso, shoulders and head just off the bench
and your hands lightly behind your head.
MOVE: Inhale and contract your abdominals to lift your upper body. Curl your
shoulders up to raise your torso, stopping just short of a 90-degree bend at your
hips. Exhale as you twist toward your left side and then your right. Return to
center and lower your torso halfway back down, keeping tension on your abs,
then repeat the upward curl and twists.
EXERCISEBALL CRUNCH
START: Sit upright on an exercise ball and walk your feet out in front of you
until your lower back is supported by the ball. Bend your knees and space them
slightly wider than hip-width apart. Place your feet flat on the floor and use them
to help stabilize your body and the ball. Place your hands lightly behind your
head.
MOVE: Contract your abdominals to lift your shoulder blades off the ball. Lower
to the start position and repeat.
ROPE DOUBLE CRUNCH
START: Lie faceup on a mat in front of a low-cable pulley with a rope
attachment, facing away from the machine. With your arms bent, grasp the rope
over your head, hands together. Hold a dumbbell between your feet and slightly
bend your legs.
MOVE: Simultaneously raise your shoulder blades off the mat and your knees
toward your midsection (hence, the “double” crunch), keeping the angles
consistent in your knees and elbows. Exhale as you crunch, then lower your
shoulders and legs back to the start position. On each successive set, increase the
weight on the cable stack.
HANGING OBLIQUE RAISE
START: Set up as you did for the hanging leg raise. If you didn’t use wrist straps
or elbow pads for that exercise, you’ll want them now — frequently, the most
difficult part of this movement is maintaining your grip on the bar.
MOVE: Bend your knees and slowly raise them toward one side of your body.
Lower your legs back to the start, then slowly raise them to your other side. Don’t
jerk your knees up — lift and lower them at a steady, controlled pace. One knee
raise to the left and right counts as one rep.
CHAPTER EIGHT
COMBINATION ROUTINES
ALTHOUGH MOST BODYBUILDERS divide their workout sessions by
bodypart, you may find it more convenient — or more challenging in some cases
— to use a more synergistic partial-or full-body workout system. This chapter
contains numerous combinations, with four upper-body focused routines, a fullbody power workout, and an all-around advanced regimen.
Even if you normally follow a traditional split, where you break up your
bodypart workouts over 3-5 days of the week, doing a rugged combination
routine every once in a while is a perfect way to alleviate the monotony and
reinvigorate your growth efforts. For instance, once a month you can insert the
workout on page 114 into your normal split — it requires nothing but a set of
dumbbells, a flat bench and your best effort.
UPPER BODY: BEGINNER
#45
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Chest-Press Machine
2
12
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
2
12
Seated Machine Press
2
12
Back Extension
2
15
Cable Pressdown*
2
12
Machine Curl
2
12
Barbell Wrist Curl**
1
12
Supported Crunch
2
15
Hammer-Strength
* See full description on page 77
** See full description on page 63.
PAIR THIS UPPER-BODY ROUTINE WITH THE legs workout on page 48 for
a complete program. You can do each workout either once or twice per week.
For instance, on Mondays and Thursdays, do this workout; on Tuesdays and
Fridays, perform the beginner leg workout.
Splitting your body over multiple workouts, instead of following a full-body
program, allows you to hit all your bodyparts with more energy. A full-body
program is still effective and time efficient (which is why we present a few later in
this chapter), but if you have the option, use an upper/lower or a bodypartdriven split.
Your first time through this workout, choose extremely light weights and
concentrate on getting accustomed to the equipment and the movements.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW
See description on page 36.
HAMMER-STRENGTH CHEST-PRESS MACHINE
START: Situate yourself on the bench so that when you grasp the handles, your
elbows are in a direct line with your hands. Keep your chest forward as much as
possible.
MOVE: To raise the weight, forcefully push the handles to full extension (just
short of elbow lockout), then reverse the motion. Don’t let the weight rest at the
bottom. Keep your elbows out away from your body, not pressed to your sides,
to increase the action of the pecs and decrease the involvement of the triceps.
SEATED MACHINE PRESS
See description on page 26.
BACK EXTENSION
START: Lie facedown on a back-extension bench with your heels under the
footpads.
MOVE: With your body straight, head neither flexed forward nor extended
backward, and your arms crossed over your chest, lower your torso so your body
forms an angle that approaches about 90 degrees. Use a smooth motion to rise
back up to the starting position.
MACHINE CURL
START: Place your upper arms against the pad snugly and grasp the handles.
MOVE: Curl as high as you can without your elbows leaving the pad, then lower
to a point just before the weight stack touches down.
SUPPORDTED CRUNCH
START: Lie on your back with your knees flexed to 90 degrees, your ankles and
feet resting on a flat bench and your hands behind the base of your neck for
support.
MOVE: Lift your shoulders off the floor and crunch your ribs and hips toward
each other. Hold for a beat, then reverse the motion. Don’t allow your shoulders
to touch the floor until the end of the set.
UPPER BODY: ADVANCED
#46
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Power Pull or Hang Clean
4
10, 8, 8, 5
Push Press
4
10, 8, 8, 5
Drop Push-Up
3
10, 10, 8
Weighted Pull-Up*
3
10, 8, 5
Standing Barbell Curl**
3
10, 8, 5
Hanging Leg Raise
3
10
* Perform just like pull-ups on page 40, but use a special belt to attach a 25, 35, or a 45-pound plate to
your waist. ** See description on page 62.
PUSH YOURSELF TO THE LIMIT WITH THIS challenging high-energy
routine. This workout can be used in conjunction with one of the leg routines in
Chapter 4, or it can be used as a one-time shocker. If you’re in the training
doldrums, this will knock you right out of them by introducing your body to
some very different types of exercises.
If you’re not already familar with some or all of these moves, go light and take
extra care to learn the form. Any of these can be a valuable addition to your
current program if you learn how to do them correctly the first time. Getting
sloppy, though, will only leave you open for injury.
POWER PULL
START: Hold a barbell across your thighs with a shoulder-width or wider grip.
MOVE: Keeping your back in its natural arch, bend your knees and hips slightly
to assume the start position. Forcefully extend your hips and push off the balls of
your feet to initiate the upward movement of the bar. Shrug your shoulders and
bend your elbows to pull the bar up under your chin.
HANG CLEAN
This is a bit more complicated than the power pull. Begin in the same position as
a power pull and raise the bar in the same manner as in that exercises, but once
you’ve shrugged as high as you can, quickly bend your knees and rotate your
elbows under the bar so that you catch the weight on your front delts. (This
position will resemble the start position of the front squat.) Return to the start
position.
DROP PUSH-UP
START: Arrange two steps about three feet apart. Place a hand on each step and
assume the starting position by raising your torso into the up position of a pushup.
MOVE: Lift your hands off the steps so that your torso falls toward the floor,
absorbing the impact of the descent with your hands and assuming the down
position of a push-up. Immediately explode up and off the floor to return to the
starting position. Increase the step height as you improve your power and
strength.
PUSH PRESS
START: Assume a front-squat starting position.
MOVE: Bend slightly at the knees and then explode upward onto the balls of
your feet, simultaneously pressing the bar overhead. Hold this position for a split
second before returning to the bent-knee position.
HANGING LEG RAISE
See description on page 93.
UPPER BODY: 20-MINUTE
#47
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
2
10
Dumbbell Bent-Over Row*
2
10
Seated Dumbbell Press
2
10
Dumbbell Shrug
2
10
Alternating Dumbbell Curl
2
10
Lying Dumbbell Extension
2
10
Crunch or Reverse Crunch
2
20
Incline Dumbbell Press
— superset with
— superset with
— superset with —
* Like the bent-over barbell row on page 34, except you hold two dumbbells instead of a bar.
SPEED IS BUILT INTO THIS ROUTINE VIA supersets, where you do the
moves listed back to back with no rest in between. This training protocol allows
you to hit two opposing muscle groups at the same time.
Have the weights and benches (if applicable) set up for your second exercise
before you begin your first. For the incline press, have your weights for the row
right next to the bench, so you can jump right from one to the other.
For the final exercise, you can either do the crunch and reverse crunch as its
own compound set if adding a few extra minutes isn’t an issue for you, or you
can switch off between the two moves, workout to workout.
INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS
See description on page 10.
SEATED DUMBBELL PRESS
See description on page 23.
DUMBBELLSHRUG
See description on page 41.
ALTERNATING DUMBBELL CURL
See description on page 72.
LYING DUMBBELL EXTENSION
See description on page 81. Instead of an EZ-bar, use dumbbells (as shown).
CRUNCH
Crunch description is on page 99; reverse crunch description is on page 94.
UPPER BODY: AT HOME
#48
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Barbell Row
3
8-12
Incline Dumbbell Press
3
8-12
Flat-Bench Press
2
8-12
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
2
8-12
Seated Dumbbell Press
3
8-12
3
8-12
— superset with —
— superset with —
— superset with
Mixed Grip Barbell Shrug
Bent-Over Lateral Raise
8-12
— superset with —
Upright Row
2
8-12
Alternate Dumbbell Curl
2
8-12
— superset with—
Dumbbell Kickback
2
8-12
Seated Knee-Up
2
20
— superset with —
Crunch
20
Example of a superset: Do the barbell row for 8-12 reps, followed immediately (no rest) by 8-12 reps of the
incline press. That’s one superset. Then rest 30-90 seconds and repeat the process. Once you complete
three supersets, move onto the next superset combo — flat-bench presses and one-arm rows. The Incline
Dumbbell Press is on page 10; the Crunch is on page 99.
LIKE THE 20-MINUTE WORKOUT, THIS program takes advantage of
supersets. However, if workout time isn’t a concern for you, you have the option
of doing all of these exercises as straight sets rather than supersetting them.
Either way, this workout will build some serious muscle.
Yes, this workout says “At-Home,” but don’t be afraid to take this bad boy to
the gym with you. It is a solid program for either locale.
SEATED DUMBBELL PRESS
See description on page 23.
MIXED-GRIP BARBELL SHRUG
START: Grasp a barbell with a mixed grip (one hand over, one under) to help
you with a heavier weight.
MOVE: The shrug is a simple up-and-down movement; don’t roll your
shoulders — it doesn’t provide any added muscular stimulus and actually
increases the chances of injury. When shrugging, keep your arms as straight at
possible as you try to touch your traps to your ears.
BENT-OVER LATERAL RAISE
See description on page 31. For this version, stand instead of sit.
UPRIGHT ROW
See description on page 23. (Replace the EZ-bar with a barbell.)
BARBELL ROW
See description on page 34.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW
See description on page 35 and 36.
FLAT-BENCH PRESS
See description on page 8.
DUMBBELL KICKBACK
See description on page 83.
SEATED KNEE-UP
See description on page 93.
POWER & STRENGTH
#49
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
1 High-Pull Snatch
4
10, 10, 8, 6
Power Dumbbell Raise
4
10, 8, 8, 6
Deadlift
3
10, 8, 6
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press
3
10, 8, 6
Barbell Good Morning
2
10
Close-Grip Dumbbell Press
2
10
Alternating Dumbbell Curl
2
10
The Deadlift is on page 53; the Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press is on page 12; the Close-Grip Dumbbell Press
is on page 78; and the Alternating Dumbbell Curl is on page 72.
PURE, BRUTE STRENGTH IS BORN FROM THE kind of power moves you’d
observe in an Olympic-lifting training facility. These aren’t your typical massbuilding exercises that target a specific muscle group while trying to minimize
ancillary involvement. They require explosive precision, and an all-out
engagement of multiple muscle groups in order to complete the lift. The result is
dense, thick-to-the-bone muscle development.
If possible, do this routine with a partner, who can keep a watchful eye on
your form.
If you want to take it to another level after
3-4 weeks, add an extra high-power 3-rep set to the first four exercises.
HIGH-PULL SNATCHHIGH-PU SNATCH
START: Stand holding either dumbbells or a barbell at arms’ length. Then bend
at your knees and waist so that the weight rests at knee level.
MOVE: Extend at your ankles, knees and hips, as if jumping, to lift the bar up to
your neck, pulling your elbows back at the top. Rather than stopping here, raise
the weight overhead in one continuous motion by rolling your wrists back and
pushing the bar overhead. Lower the bar to return to the start position.
POWER DUMBBELL RAISE
START: Stand erect holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides, knees slightly
bent, feet shoulder-width apart and toes slightly pointed out.
MOVE: Bend your knees slightly and then straighten them as you raise the
dumbbells up toward your armpits. As the weights approach that position, push
off the balls of your feet.
BARBELL GOOD MORNING
START: Stand with a barbell resting across your traps.
MOVE: Keep your knees loose and lean forward at the waist until your torso is
almost parallel to the ground, maintaining a neutral spine position as you
descend. Return to the start position. On this exercise, it’s essential you maintain
a tight, arched lower back; if your back rounds at any point during a repetition,
you put your spine at risk for injury.
FULL BODY: ADVANCED
#50
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
+ Overhead Press
3
10, 8, 6
Dumbbell Push-Up + Row
3
10, 8, 6
+ Upright Row
3
10, 8, 6
Dumbbell Pullover + Press
3
10, 8, 6
Woodchopper
3
15, 12, 10
Dumbbell V-Sit
3
12, 10, 8
Alternating Dumbbell Curl
2
10, 8
Dumbbell Kickback
2
10, 8
Dumbbell Squat
Dumbbell Deadlift
Rest 1-3 minutes between sets.
JUST BECAUSE THIS IS AN ADVANCED workout doesn’t mean you need any
fancy machines. Yes, with minimal equipment — just dumbbells and an
adjustable bench — you can thoroughly thrash your body, top to bottom, and
spark it to grow like never before. In this workout, we’ve combined top-notch
exercises to create multi-dimensional compound wmoves that’ll energize your
neural pathways and engage your muscles in new, innovative ways.
Take plenty of time to complete this workout the first few sessions. Be patient
with the exercises, err on the side of lighter weights at the start, and take ample
rest periods — up to three minutes — between sets. As you get more adept at the
moves, work on gaining strength in the lifts and shortening your rest period
down to 60-120 seconds.
DUMBBELL SQUAT + OVERHEAD PRESS
START: Hold two heavy dumbbells at shoulder level. Keep your lower back
arched, feet just outside shoulder-width apart, toes pointed out slightly.
MOVE: Squat down, holding the dumbbells in position. Pause at the bottom
(thighs parallel to the floor), then drive back up to the start. When your knees are
almost fully extended, press the dumbbells overhead. Slowly lower the dumbbells
back to shoulder level and begin the next rep.
DUMBBELL PUSH-UP + ROW
START: Place two dumbbells about shoulder-width apart on the floor. From a
push-up position (feet 1-2 feet apart), align the weights directly below your
shoulders and grip them securely.
MOVE: Press up until your elbows are fully extended. Shift your bodyweight to
your right arm and row the left dumbbell up to your left side, then lower it and
repeat with the other side. Complete the push-up (lower yourself down) to
complete one rep.
DUMBBELL DEADLIFT + UPRIGHT ROW
START: Grasp two heavy dumbbells with an overhand grip (palms facing your
quads), feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, chest raised, shoulders
retracted and your low back slightly arched.
MOVE: Complete a traditional deadlift, bending at your knees while lowering
your hips toward the floor; at the bottom, you should be in a full squat. As you
drive through your legs to return to the start position, extend the movement by
adding an upright row. Keep the weights close to your body, pulling them higher
than mid-chest level. Your elbows should be higher than your hands during this
portion of the movement. Slowly lower the weights to your sides.
WOODCHOPPER
START: Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and grasp a light
dumbbell in both hands, holding it outside and above your right shoulder. Flex
your knees slightly, taking an athletic “ready” position. Pull your abs in and keep
your elbows bent slightly.
MOVE: Pull the dumbbell diagonally across your body until it’s beside your left
hip. Reverse direction, returning to the start. Repeat for reps, then switch sides.
Move deliberately but not explosively (about 2-3 seconds on both the concentric
and eccentric portions of each rep). Don’t flex forward with your spine when
doing this or any rotational work for the obliques.
DUMBBELL KICKBACK
See description on page 83.
DUMBBELL PULLOVER + PRESS
START: Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and lie faceup on a flat bench with your
feet planted on the floor. Extend your arms toward the ceiling from your
shoulders, elbows slightly bent and palms forward.
MOVE: Let the weight of the dumbbells slowly pull your arms behind your head
as you twist your wrists inward. At the bottom, the dumbbells will be just below
the level of the bench. Contract your pecs and lats to pull your arms back up to
the start, then bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells toward the outside of
your chest. Press them back up and begin the next rep.
ALTERNATING DUMBBELL CURL
See description on page 72.
DUMBBELL V-SIT
START: Lie faceup on a flat bench. Hold a relatively light dumbbell with both
hands, arms fully extended overhead.
MOVE: Contract your abs to flex yourspine, slowly drawing yourhips and
shoulders off the bench. Crunch hard until your feet and hands point at the
ceiling, and your body is n a “V” position. Return to the start.
CHAPTER NINE
OVER THE PRECEDING EIGHT chapters, we have extensively covered every
major bodypart from head to toe, in an effort to give you multiple choices to plan
your complete training attack. Here, we revisit all the bodyparts again, but with
some added twists and turns that’ll help you take your physique to the next level.
This chapter doesn’t only pertain to a certain segment of you reading this
book, but rather to every single one of you. To you, the one who wants to add
thickness to his chest and shoulders. And to you, the one with the legs that need
to catch up with his upper body. Or you, sir, needing to add strength to your
back musculature, and you, the one who’s looking to get lean for an upcoming
reunion or a holiday at the beach.
The bottom line: There are so many workouts contained here in Chapter
Nine — 42 in all, to be exact — that you’re certain to find a plethora of training
nuggets and workout techniques regardless of how long you’ve been training.
And also keep in mind, the techniques you find in this chapter can be applied
to other workouts throughout this book. The beauty of a weight workout is that
it’s extremely malleable, and can take on different forms as your aims change,
your strength increases, and your development rolls along.
Your goals, whether revolving around size increases, strength improvements,
definition and/or simply improving various trouble spots — every last one of
them — are addressed in this “training manual.” Get ready to work hard … then
watch that hard work turn into results.
TRAINING MANUAL
BIG BY DESIGN
Before getting into the nuts and bolts of this 42-workout extravaganza, the
following general pointers will help lifters of all levels.
FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS. If there’s one all-encompassing message we
need you to hear, it’s use your gut and go on feel. Odd that we would begin our
dialogue with what seems like generalized advice, but over your bodybuilding
career, nothing will serve your interests better than your personal experiences
since you learn what works — and what doesn’t — for your body.
CHANGE YOUR GOALS. Over the course of the next training year, harness
your objectives across the fundamental goals of strength, hypertrophy and
getting lean, as opposed to focusing on only one of these goals exclusively; this
will add variety to your program and reduce your risk of injury and overtraining.
CONFUSE YOUR BODY. When it comes to training, change is a good thing.
From month to month and even week to week, continually alter the number of
sets and reps you do as well as the amount of weight you lift, and don’t be afraid
to change up your exercise selection and order and rest periods. Doing so will
keep your muscles guessing and promote further growth.
OVERLOAD YOURSELF. To make continuous changes, you need to force
your body to work harder from one workout to the next. You can accomplish
this in a number of ways, namely by adding weight to your lifts, doing more reps
and sets with a given weight and by modifying your rest periods. This training
manual will manipulate all such variables within and between workouts for each
bodypart.
WHERE TO BEGIN
Throughout this chapter, you’ll experience workouts geared for every bodypart,
and many of them have advanced techniques built in to help you take your
training to new levels and growth to new dimensions. But, generally speaking,
certain elements need to become ingrained in your mind as you approach your
next training cycle. They are:
EXERCISE CHOICE AND ORDER. If hypertrophy (muscle growth) is your
top priority, multijoint (compound) exercises — those involving more than one
joint and multiple muscle groups — like the bench press and squat should be
performed first in your workout, before single-joint (isolation) exercises such as
cable crossovers and leg extensions. (The one exception to this rule is a technique
called pre-exhaustion, which we’ll explain later on.) These exercises involve more
muscles and are typically the ones with which you can lift the most weight, so it
makes sense to attempt these kinds of lifts first in your routine when you’re fresh.
SETS & REPS. When designing a program, you need to evaluate the number
of sets you do for each exercise and muscle group, as well as the total number of
sets per workout. It’s a lot to keep track of, but knowing your volume of work
and finding the amount that works best for you, while at the same time adhering
to proven and accepted numbers of reps and sets, will ultimately lead you down
the road toward a bigger, stronger body.
Depending on your goals and objectives as well as your fitness level and
experience, the number of sets you do per muscle group and total number of sets
per workout could vary from 3-24 and 10-40, respectively. Obviously, the key is
to find the right balance of high-and moderate-intensity sets for maximum gains.
Training too long and too hard can cause overtraining and injury; if you’re
constantly doing more than 20 sets per muscle group and 40-plus sets per
workout, such high volume — especially if performed at a high intensity — could
lead to diminished gains.
In terms of the number of reps you do per set, we suggest you follow some
general guidelines depending on your training goals. If you want to gain
strength, keep your reps between one and six. If hypertrophy is your goal, your
reps should fall between eight and 12. Finally, if getting lean is your objective,
shoot for sets in the 12-20 range. But remember, always change up the number of
reps you use from time to time to prevent stagnation, regardless of your goal.
THE REST OF THE STORY
The extensive collection of bodypart routines you’re about to encounter contains
a variety of rest schemes, ranging from no rest to a few minutes worth, but again,
some basics on the all-important element of recovery need to be discussed before
you utilize any of the modified rest periods.
The time taken between sets and exercises depends on your goals and objectives,
the amount of weight you’re lifting and the type of energy your body needs to
successfully accomplish the set. While we won’t explore those metabolic
pathways in detail, the different goals of strength, hypertrophy and endurance all
require the replenishment of adenosine triphosphate (known as ATP, this is
essentially the energy source that fuels muscle cells).
If your goal is muscle size, your accompanying rest period between sets would be
1-2 minutes. If strength is your objective, your rest periods will be longer, from
3-5 minutes or more at times. And if you’re looking to improve muscular
endurance and/or get lean, limiting your rest periods to less than a minute will
work best.
TRAININO MANUAL
PRINCIPLES OF
ADDING SIZE
THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES various intensity techniques built into routines to spark muscle growth. If
any such methods are foreign to you or you’ve tried them without success, perhaps a crash course into
the meaning behind them and the proper way to attack each one is in order.
PRE-EXHAUST The goal with pre-exhaustion is to fatigue the target muscle so it fails on the compound
exercise at about the same time as or before the assisting muscle group(s). With chest, for instance, a
typical pre-exhaust regimen would start with a few sets of pec-deck flyes (an isolation exercise), which
work only the pec muscles. With the chest muscles and only the chest muscles pre-fatigued, you’d move
on to the bench press. This compound movement calls into play not only the pec muscles but also the
front delts and triceps as assisting muscles. With your pec muscles already pre-exhausted, they’ll be the
ones to fail first on this exercise as the front delts and triceps will be fresh. If your chest wasn’t preexhausted with pec-deck flyes, the front delts or triceps may have given out first, leaving the chest
muscles short of being fully worked. And the point of chest training is to stress to the max the targeted
muscle group.
DROP SETS Doing drop sets means that upon reaching failure in the set, you immediately reduce or
drop the weight and continue the set past your muscles’ normal limits. Pushing your muscles with a
lighter weight will increase growth hormone levels and elicit further muscle breakdown and growth. The
main factor for drop sets is to keep the time between sets as short as possible; after you fail at a particular
weight, begin the next set immediately. You can vary the weight you drop each set, ranging from
10%-30%, but try to find an ideal amount for you so you get the kind of results you desire.
RESTPAUSE This involves stopping during a set, resting for a short period, then continuing for a few
more reps with the same weight before another short rest period. This lift-rest-lift scheme can be
performed any number of times, but the key is to select an appropriate weight to elicit the most effective
gains. When using the restpause method, choose a weight with which you can perform five reps (5RM).
Do 2-3 reps, rest 15-20 seconds, then perform another few reps. Don’t perform each set to failure; stop
short of muscle fatigue on each mini set.
FORCED REPS Pushing your muscles past their limits is critical to gaining muscle size and strength.
Forced reps allow you to continue a set beyond the point at which you typically would have to stop. An
attentive spotter helps you get a few more reps at the end of your set (after failure) by helping to get the
weight just past your sticking point, making you do most of the work. Research shows that forced-rep
training increases growth hormone levels significantly more than standard sets.
NEGATIVES Negative reps are a great way to make gains, but they’re best employed at the end of a set
when your muscles are fatigued. An attentive, experienced spotter is critical here. Once you’re unable to
complete any more positive reps, perform negatives by resisting the weight on the eccentric (negative)
portion of the lift, then allow your spotter(s) to assist you on the concentric (positive) portion. When you
can’t resist the weight on the negative, terminate the set.
SUPERSETS Supersets are working sets of two different exercises with no rest in between. For example,
you can superset a biceps curl with either a triceps pressdown or another biceps exercise in back-to-back
fashion. In either case, do a set of the first exercise, then without resting, immediately begin the second.
You can also superset three exercises (tri-set) or more (giant set), doing each exercise consecutively
without rest (see below).
TRI-SETS AND GIANT SETS These are the same as supersets, only with more than two exercises
involved. A tri-set, as the name implies, involves doing three exercises back-to-back-to-back without
resting. Typically, the three exercises are for the same bodypart, but they don’t have to be; you could
choose a chest-shoulders-triceps tri-set, for example. A giant set simply entails doing four or more
exercises consecutively without resting.
PARTIAL REPS This involves doing reps in only one portion of the range of motion. Oftentimes partials
are performed at the end of a set, working through only the top half of the move. But partials can also be
performed during the bottom half or middle of a rep. One way to perform partials is at the end of, say,
barbell curls. When you can no longer lift the bar all the way up, do only the first-half or quarter of the
motion until you can’t even do that anymore. This will help take your muscles past the point of
exhaustion and spur new growth.
GETTING STRONG & LEAN
Some of the programs here have been designed to help you either gain strength
or get lean. The get-lean programs include both low reps, which help keep your
metabolism high after you’ve finished training, and high reps, which burn more
calories during training. If getting lean is your goal, follow the rep ranges
carefully, choosing a weight that elicits failure in the rep range listed. Eating a
proper diet is key, too.
50%, 75%, 100% METHOD. For those whose goal is all-out strength, we’ve
designed a template for various bodyparts just for that purpose. It involves first
knowing your three-and seven-rep maximums (3RM and 7RM) and working
within that range for multiple sets at intensities of 50%, 75% and 100% of your
3RM and 7RM. While strength work can be done in numerous rep ranges, the
logic here is that three reps will build pure strength while seven develops both
strength and mass. Once you’re comfortable with the format, you can apply this
technique to a variety of exercises, compound and isolation alike. In all the
strength and size programs here, you’ll train the particular bodypart twice a
week.
SAMPLE SPLIT
BODYPART & OBJECTIVE
DAY 1 Chest #51, Tri’s #76
DAY 2 Legs #83, Calves #87
DAY 3 Rest
DAY 4 Shoulders #62, Abs #91
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
This chapter contains (count ‘em) 42 workouts to make you stronger, leaner…better. You might ask,
“But how do I put it all together to fit my needs?”
Answer: You put the following pages to work for you! No matter your current fitness level, we’ve
given you the tools to carve your personal masterpiece. Here’s a guide on how to cherry-pick from these
42 routines to assemble your complete workout.
Let’s say you’re an avid weightlifter with aspirations for some serious size and strength. You want
ripped shoulders, a big chest and great arms. Your quads are a good size but you really need to bring up
your hamstrings, and we won’t even mention your calves. Last, you need to add some width to your
back. Based on these goals, your week might look like our sample split above. Structure your split based
on your individual physical needs just by selecting from our menu of numbered workouts. Forty-two
different routines and who only knows how many training splits? The possibilities are endless.
M&F TRAINING MANUEL
CHEST
DUMBBELL PULLOVER
THE RIGHT MOVES. We’ll work your chest from an incline, which hits your
upper pecs, from a decline to work your lower chest, and with multi-angle, flyetype movements to work the outer and inner chest muscles. Other isolation
exercises are incorporated to round out your chest routine.
PERFECT FORM. Powerful yet controlled movements are what a massive,
strong chest needs. Controlling the eccentric movement (accentuated when you
train with negatives) is essential for maximum muscle-fiber breakdown and
ensuing growth, as are explosive yet controlled concentric (positive) movements
as you attempt to move as much weight as possible.
TROUBLESHOOTING. For many bodybuilders, upper-chest development is
the limiting factor in achieving a complete chest, most often attributed to not
enough time spent doing incline work or never beginning routines with inclines
— always flat bench — when pecs are at their freshest. Hence, we’ve included a
routine specifically for the northern border of your pecs.
INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS
OBJECTIVES
#51
MASS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Incline Barbell Press
4
12, 12, 10, 8
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press
4
6, 10, 12, 12
Decline Bench Press
4
6, 8, 8, 10
Pec-Deck Flye
4
10, 10, 12, 12
Rest 1-2 minutes between all sets.
^First set is a warm-up not done to failure. After you’re properly warmed up, use a weight that allows you
to fail at the rep range listed.
#52
UPPER CHEST DEVELOPMENT
» METHOD: DROP SETS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Incline Dumbbell Press
4
8/, 10/, 12/, 12/
Incline Cable Flye
4
6/, 8/, 10/, 10/
Machine Chest Press
3
10, 12, 15 1
Decline Push-Up
3
to failure
“/” indicates a drop set. After you reach failure on your first set, reduce the weight 1 and continue for as
many reps as possible, resting up to two minutes between sets. 1 Rest 2-3 minutes between drop sets and
1-2 minutes between straight sets. 1
#53
LOWER CHEST DEVELOPMENT
» METHOD: PRE-EXHAUST + SUPERSETS
EXERCISE
Decline Cable Flye
SETS
REPS
3
8, 12, 15
—superset with—
Bodyweight Dip
3
Cable Crossover
4
to failure
6, 10, 12, 12
—superset with—
Bench Push-Up
4
to failure
Bench Push-Up
4
to failure
Rest two minutes between supersets.
#54
GETTING LEAN
» METHOD: FORCED REPS*
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Decline Press*
5
6, 6, 10, 15*, 15*
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Flye*
4
6, 10, 12*, 15*
Incline Hammer Press
4
6, 6, 15*, 15*
Dumbbell Pullover
5
6, 8, 12, 15*, 20*
Decline Push-Up
3
to failure
Rest no more than 45–60 seconds between six-rep sets and 30 seconds between 10–20-rep sets.
*Have a spotter assist you on 2–3 more reps past failure.
SHOULDERS
OVERHEAD BARBELL PRESS
THE RIGHT MOVES. To build well-developed shoulders, you must work them
with heavy, compound presses along with isolation exercises for each of the three
delt heads. The anterior or front delt head is heavily worked during chest
exercises, but it still needs individual attention through isolation moves. The
middle and rear heads need specific work with both compound and isolation
moves to ensure balance.
PERFECT FORM. Thoroughly warming up your shoulders is imperative before
heavy training since this joint is vulnerable and injured often. Underdeveloped
deltoids can lead not only to aesthetic imbalance but to injury and diminished
performance even on non-shoulder-specific moves.
TROUBLESHOOTING. The rear delts are probably the least trained of all the
shoulder muscles. Work them with reverse pec-deck flyes and bent-over lateral
moves. If training rear delts doesn’t fit into your shoulder routine, put it into
your back repertoire. Just don’t neglect these muscles.
OBJECTIVES
#57
MASS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Overhead Barbell Press
4^
6, 8, 10, 12
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
4
6, 8, 10, 12
Wide-Grip Upright Row
4
8, 8, 12, 12
Bent-Over Lateral Raise
3
12, 12, 15
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3
6, 12, 12
Rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
^First set is a warm-up not done to failure. After you’re properly warmed up, use a weight that allows you
to fail at the rep range listed.
#58
REAR DELT FOCUS
» METHOD: TRI-SETS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Tri-Set:
Bent-Over Lateral Raise
3
6, 8, 10
Reverse Pec-Deck Flye
3
6, 8, 10
Standing Reverse Cable Flye
3
6, 8, 10
Seated Dumbbell Press
4
6, 8, 10, 12
Front Cable Raise
4
8, 10, 12, 15
Rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
#59
MIDDLE HEAD FOCUS
» METHOD: NEGATIVES + DROP SETS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Seated Lateral Raise
3
8/, 12/, 15/
Arnold Press
4
6/, 6/, 12/, 12/
Arnold Press
4
6/, 6/, 12/, 12/
Smith Behind-the-Neck Press
4
8, 8, 10^, 10^
Bent-Over Cable Lateral Raise
3
10, 12, 12
“/” indicates a drop set. After you reach failure on your first set, reduce the weight and continue for as
many reps as possible, resting up to two minutes between sets.
Rest 2–3 minutes between drop sets and 1–2 minutes between straight sets.
Rest up to three minutes between all other sets.
^After you can no longer perform any positive reps, resist the negative for 3–5 seconds while
your spotter assists you on the positive portion. When you can no longer resist the weight on the negative,
the set is over.
#62
GETTING LEAN
» METHOD: SUPERSETS + HIGH-/LOW-REP SCHEME
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
4
6, 6, 15, 20
Front-Overhead Barbell Raise
4
6, 6, 15, 20
Overhead Dumbbell Press
4
6, 6, 15, 20
Upright Row
—superset with—
—superset with—
Seated Bent-Over Lateral Raise 4 6, 6, 15, 20
Rest no more than 45–60 seconds between six-rep sets and 30 seconds between 15–20-rep sets.
FRONT-OVERHEAD BARBELL RAISE
BACK
T-BAR ROW
THE RIGHT MOVES. Variety is crucial. Heavy compound moves like the bentover row are necessary for your biggest gains, yet isolating and targeting the
upper and lower lats are imperative for creating detail in your back.
PERFECT FORM. Especially in bent-over exercises where your low back can be
compromised, it’s critical to maintain a natural arch in your back with your abs
tight and your chest up. During back training, utilizing correct form helps
cultivate your best gains and reduce the risk of injury.
TROUBLESHOOTING. Multiple handgrips and hand-widths are the keys to
back symmetry and balance. If your back lacks width, train using a wide grip.
Conversely, if your middle back is lagging behind, narrowing your grip will help
do the trick.
STRAIGHT-ARM LAT PULLDOWN
OBJECTIVES
#63
MASS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Front Pulldown
4^
8, 8, 12, 12
Bent-Over Row
4
6, 8, 10, 12
T-Bar Row
3
6, 10, 12
Barbell Shrug
4
12, 10, 8, 6
Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
3
10, 12, 12
Rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
^First set is a warm-up not done to failure. After you’re properly warmed up, use a weight that allows you
to fail at the rep range listed.
#64
WIDTH
» METHOD: PRE-EXHAUST + TRI-SETS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown (pre-exhaust)
3
15, 10, 8
Tri-Set:
Two-Hand Bent-Over Dumbbell Row
4
8, 10, 12, 12
Wide-Grip Seated Row
4
8, 10, 12, 12
Front Pulldown
4
12, 10, to failure, to failure
Dumbbell Shrug
4
10, 12, 15, 10
Incline Barbell Shrug^
3
8, 10, 12
Rest 2–3 minutes between tri-sets and 1–2 minutes between straight sets.
^Have a partner hand you a barbell at the start of the set and take it from you at the end.
#65
MIDDLE BACK
MIDDLE BACK
» METHOD: PARTIAL REPS*
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Neutral-Grip T-Bar Row*
4
6, 8, 12, 15
Close-Grip Seated Row*
3
6, 10, 12
Rack Pull
4
8, 10, 10, 15
Close-Grip Pull-Up*
3
12, 10, 8
Incline Dumbbell Shrug
4
6, 6, 12, 12
Rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
*Perform partial reps at the end of your last two sets, working only until failure. The rack pull is
inherently a “partial,” as it’s the top portion of a full deadlift. Perform in straight-set fashion, choosing a
weight that allows you to fail at the reps listed.
#66
GETTING LEAN
» METHOD: HIGH-/LOW-REP SCHEME + SHORTENED REST PERIODS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Single-Arm Cable Row
4
6, 6, 12, 20
Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Row
4
6, 6, 15, 20
Dumbbell Pullover
4
6, 6, 15, 20
Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
4
6, 6, 20, 20
Pull-Up
3
to failure
Rest 45–60 seconds between six-rep sets and 30 seconds between 12-20-rep sets.
BICEPS
THE RIGHT MOVES. The key to having great guns is to train with a variety of
movements, such as incline curls, preacher curls and standing curls, in addition
to hammer curls and reverse curls, to thoroughly work the brachialis and
brachioradialis muscles. It’s always good to finish with wrist curls I and reverse
wrist curls to hit the forearm flexors and extensors i (see page 63).
STANDING DUMBBELL CURL
PERFECT FORM. Like other bodyparts, the biceps need special attention paid
to rep speed and proper form. Because you’re standing for many of the exercises,
it’s important to maintain a tight core by keeping your abs tight, low back arched
and knees slightly bent.
TROUBLESHOOTING. If you already have good size on your arms but need to
work on your inner (short) biceps head, concentrate on training your biceps
from the elbows-elevated position, as with preacher curls, and with wide-grip
barbell or EZ-bar curls.
SCOTT CURL
OBJECTIVES
#69
MASS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Barbell Curl
4^
6, 10, 12, 12
Dumbbell Preacher Curl
4
8, 10, 10, 12
Hammer Curl
4
10, 10, 12, 12
Reverse Curl
3
8, 10, 12
Rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
^First set is a warm-up not done to failure. After you’re properly warmed up, use a weight that allows you
to fail at the rep range listed.
#70
SHORT (INNER) HEAD FOCUS
» METHOD: NEGATIVES*
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Scott Curl
4
6, 10, 12*, 15*
Preacher Curl
4
6, 6, 8*, 10*
Wide-Grip Barbell Curl
3
8, 10, 12
Standing Dumbbell Curl
3
10, 12*, 12*
Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl
3
8, 10, 12
Rest up to three minutes between sets of negatives.
*After you can no longer perform any positive reps, resist the negative for 3–5 seconds while your spotter
assists you on the positive portion. When you can no longer resist the weight on the negative, the set is
over.
#71
LONG HEAD FOCUS
» METHOD: FORCED REPS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Incline Dumbbell Curl*
4
6, 6, 12, 12
Close-Grip Barbell Curl*
3
10, 10, 12
Standing Cable Curl*
4
6, 8, 12, 12
Hammer Curl
3
10, 8, 6
Rest two minutes between sets in which you use forced reps. Otherwise, rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
*Have a spotter assist you on your last few reps to get 2–3 more reps than you could have otherwise
achieved on your own.
#72
GETTING LEAN
» METHOD: HIGH-/LOW-REP SCHEME
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Seated Dumbbell Curl
4
6, 6, 15, 20
Concentration Curl
4
6, 6, 20, 20
Reverse Curl
3
6, 12, 20
Machine Preacher Curl
3
6, 6, 15
Rest 45–60 seconds between six-rep sets and 30 seconds between 12–20-rep sets.
TRICEPS
THE RIGHT MOVES. Hitting the muscle from different angles is again crucial,
not only for variety but because putting your arms in different positions involves
specific muscles of the triceps. For instance, training triceps from the armsoverhead position involves more of your triceps long head (the big belly on the
back of your arm), pressdowns engage the lateral head and reverse-grip
pressdowns call on primarily the medial triceps head.
45-DEGREE LYING TRICEPS EXTENSION
PERFECT FORM. On all triceps moves, it’s important to keep your upper arms
stationary as much as possible and to avoid letting your elbows flare out. This
will keep your deltoids and pecs out of the movement, in turn isolating the
muscles you’re trying to work.
TROUBLESHOOTING. Let us guess… you train chest with triceps, right? Then
you probably also have trouble putting meat on them. The two pair up nicely, as
the tri’s are greatly involved during chest moves, but if your triceps are a
weakness, they need serious devotion when you’re at your freshest. Work tri’s
alone or with biceps from time to time, allowing them out of the shadow of your
well-developed chest.
SINGLE-ARM OVERHEAD DUMBBELL EXTENSION
OBJECTIVES
#75
MASS
EXERCISE
45-Degree Lying Triceps Extension 5^
SETS
REPS
12,
8, 8, 10, 10
45-Degree Lying Triceps Extension 5^
12,
8, 8, 10, 10
Triceps Pressdown
3
8, 10, 12
Close-Grip Bench Press
4
8, 8, 10, 12
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Extension
3
8, 10, 10
Two-Hand Dumbbell Kickback
3
8, 8, 10
Rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
^First set is a warm-up not done to failure. After you’re properly warmed up, use a weight that allows you
to fail at the rep range listed.
#76
LONG HEAD FOCUS
» METHOD: TRI-SETS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Overhead Cable Extension
4
6, 8, 12, 15
Tri-Set:
Two-Hand Overhead Dumbbell Extension
4
6, 8, 10, 12
Lying Triceps Dumbbell Extension
4
6, 8, 10, 12
Triceps Pressdown
4
10, 12, 15, 20
Dumbbell Kickback
2
8, 12
Rest 2–3 minutes between tri-sets and 1–2 minutes between straight sets.
#77
LATERAL HEAD FOCUS (outer head portion of the horseshoe)
» METHOD: FORCED REPS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Close-Grip Bench Press*
3
8, 10, 12
Cable Pressdown
4
10, 12, 12, 15
Reverse-Grip Bench Press*
4
6, 8, 10, 12
Overhead Dumbbell Extension*
4
8, 8, 10, 10
Rest two minutes between sets in which you use forced reps.Otherwise, rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
*Have a spotter assist you on your last few reps to get 2–3 more reps than you could have otherwise
achieved on your own.
#78
GETTING LEAN
» METHOD: HIGH-/LOW-REP SCHEME + SHORTENED REST PERIODS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Single-Arm Reverse Pressdown
4
6, 6, 15, 15
Dumbbell Kickback
4
6, 6, 15, 15
Single-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extension
4
6, 8, 10, 20
Triceps Dip
4
12, 10, to failure, to failure
Rest only 30–45 seconds between sets.
LEGS
THE RIGHT MOVES. You’ll hit compound exercises like the squat, hack squat
and leg press, as well as isolation exercises like the leg extension and leg curl both
to finish off your workouts and to pre-exhaust your legs for added intensity.
PERFECT FORM. Because legs are so demanding, focus on using safe form
throughout each session. Principles of rep speed remain constant — explode
through the positive rep, control the weight on the negative and squeeze your
muscles at the top for a peak contraction. Having an attentive spotter on many of
these moves, especially those with heavy weight and low reps, is highly
recommended.
TROUBLESHOOTING. Even avid bodybuilders who have decent legs often
have weak hamstrings from relying too heavily on leg curls for development.
Because the hams attach across the knee and hip joints, the leg curl won’t hit the
glute-hamstring tie-in as effectively as the romanian deadlift. Include both a leg
curl and deadlift in your routine and your hamstrings will catch up to your quads
in no time — plus you’ll prevent muscle-imbalance injuries.
BARBELL LUNGE
LYING LEG CURL
GLUTE-HAM RAISE
OBJECTIVES
#81
MASS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Barbell Squat
4^
6, 10, 12, 12
Leg Extension
4
8, 10, 10, 12
Leg Curl
4
8, 10, 12, 15
Romanian Deadlift
4
10, 10, 12, 12
Rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
^First set is a warm-up not done to failure. After you’re properly warmed up, use a weight that allows you
to fail at the rep range listed.
#82
GETTING LEAN
» METHOD: SUPERSETS + HIGH-/LOW-REP SCHEME
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
4
6, 6, 15, 20
Hack Squat
4
6, 6, 20, 20
Narrow Smith-Machine Squat
3
6, 6, 15
Smith-Machine Lunge
3
6, 6, 15
Leg Extension
3
6, 10, 20
3
6, 10, 20
Leg Press
—superset with—
—superset with—
—superset with—
Leg Curl
Rest 45–60 seconds between six-rep sets and 30 seconds between 10–20-rep sets.
#83
HAMS + GLUTES FOCUS
HAMS + GLUTES FOCUS
» METHOD: GIANT SETS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Giant Set:
Squat
4
10, 10, 12, 12
Lunge
4
10, 10, 12, 12
Romanian Deadlift
4
8, 8, 12, 15
Glute-Ham Raise
4
8, 8, 12, 15
Seated Leg Curl
3
10, 15, 15
Rest 2–3 minutes between giant sets and 1–2 minutes between straight sets.
#86
QUADS FOCUS
» METHOD: FORCED REPS*
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Leg Press*
4
6, 8, 10, 15
Leg Extension*
3
10, 12, 12
Sissy Squat
4
8, 10, 12, 12
Hack Squat*
4
10, 10, 12, 15
Rest two minutes between sets in which you use forced reps.
Otherwise, rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
*Have a spotter assist you on your last few reps to get 2–3 more reps than you could have otherwise
achieved on your own.
CALVES, ABS
THE RIGHT MOVES. You’ll train your calves from both standing and seated
positions, targeting the gastrocnemius and soleus, with varying intensities to
maximize growth. Your forearms will also be held to a high degree of work as we
attack reverse curls, hammer curls and wrist curls. As for abdominals, these need
to be trained using a variety of standard moves like crunches but also reverse
crunches, which involve the lower portion of the abs to a greater degree, and
oblique-specific moves to target the areas off to the sides of the rectus abdominis.
PERFECT FORM. You can’t get sloppy on these exercises; dedicate yourself to
performing them as strictly, if not more so, as you do your other favorite
exercises. All three muscle groups tend to be primarily comprised of slow-twitch
muscle fibers, meaning they fatigue at a slower rate than the fast-twitch fibers of
other bodyparts. For this reason, you’ll train them in slightly higher rep ranges to
elicit muscular fatigue.
TROUBLESHOOTING. If you have less-than-stellar calves, do more seated calf
movements, which stress the soleus muscle that runs below and underneath the
more visible gastrocnemius. Without a thick, strong soleus, your calves will never
have the fullness you desire, and you’ll be stuck as “one of those guys” with a
great upper body and no calves.
DOUBLE CRUNCH
AND FOREARMS
DONKEY CALF RAISE
OBJECTIVES
#87
CALVES MASS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Standing Calf Raise
4
10, 15, 20, 25
Seated Calf Raise
4
10, 12, 15, 20
Donkey Calf Raise
4
8, 12, 15, 25
#88
FOREARMS MASS
» METHOD: SUPERSETS + HIGH-/LOW-REP SCHEME
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Reverse Barbell Curl
4^
8, 10, 10, 12
Hammer Curl
4
8, 8, 12, 12
Behind-the-Back Barbell Wrist Curl
4
8, 10, 12, 12
Seated Reverse Barbell Wrist Curl
3
10, 12, 15
^First set is a warm-up not done to failure. After you’re properly warmed up, use a weight that allows you
to fail at the rep range listed.
#89
GETTING LEAN ABS
» METHOD: HIGH-REP SCHEME + SHORTENED REST PERIODS + GIANT SETS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Giant Set:
Crunch
4
15, 15, 25, 25
Reverse Crunch
4
12, 15, 20, 25
Kneeling Cable Crunch
3
15, 15, 20
Double Crunch
3
to failure
Rest only after all four exercises of the giant set have been completed.
After each giant set, rest no more than one minute before beginning your next set.
#90
UPPER ABS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Decline Crunch
4
12, 15, 15, 15
Lying Cable Crunch
4
10, 10, 12, 15
V-Up
4
12, 12, 15, 20
Rest 30–60 seconds between sets.
#91
LOWER ABS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Hanging Knee Raise
3
15, 15, 15
Reverse Crunch on Incline Board
4
12, 15, 15, 20
Hip Thrust
3
to failure
Rest 30–60 seconds between sets.
#92
GETTING LEAN FOR
FOREARMS + CALVES + ABS
» METHOD: SUPERSETS + HIGH-/LOW-REP SCHEME
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
4
6, 6, 15, 20
Leg-Press Calf Raise
4
6, 6, 20, 20
Behind-the-Back Wrist Curl
3
6, 6, 25
Seated Calf-Raise Machine
3
6, 6, 25
Double Crunch
3
15, 20, 25
Machine Crunch
4
15, 15, 20, 20
Reverse Cable Curl
—superset with—
—superset with—
Rest no more than 45–60 seconds between six-rep sets and 30 seconds between 15–25-rep sets.
CHAPTER TEN
COMING ON STRONG
HERE’S A LOADED QUESTION FOR YOU: How many insanely strong guys
do you know who are skinny? We’ll help you count ‘em — not one. That’s
because they often skip the machines and cable routines and get down to
business with nothing but a barbell and some plates (and plenty of ‘em). To help
make you one of them, we devised a program that’ll develop strength through
the entire body, not to mention the gains in mass that are sure to follow. You’ll
do this by employing a wide variety of barbell exercises, most of them multijoint
moves, to stimulate each muscle group from a variety of angles.
Barbell-only work is a great way to mix up your training, and some of our
exercises are ones you might never have thought of, but will effectively shock
your muscles into getting bigger and stronger. You can do all these moves in a
power rack, which saves time and offers safety, especially for those who train
solo. It’s also ideal for the guy who trains at home and doesn’t own dumbbells, or
if you don’t want to mess around with adjustable dumbbells between sets.
BASIC TRAINING
One cornerstone of this program is fully utilizing the power of the stabilizer
muscles, which assist the prime movers in a given exercise. In a bench press, for
example, the pecs are the prime movers and the rotator-cuff muscles are
stabilizers, helping to balance the weight so you can smoothly follow the
movement path. On flat or incline dumbbell presses, your rotator cuffs keep the
weights from moving forward and back, and from deviating too far away from or
toward I each other. With a barbell, your rotator cuffs don’t have to do that extra
work, since your hands remain in the same position. This allows you to use
substantially more weight — and gain more strength — than when using
dumbbells. Think about it: You may be able to press 300 pounds with a barbell
once, but chances are you can’t do the same with a pair of 150-pound dumbbells.
We break the body down into three workouts — workout 1 is “push” day
(chest, delts and tri’s); workout 2 is legs and abs; and workout 3 is “pull” day
(back, traps, bi’s and forearms) — so you train just three days a week, hitting
each muscle group once. Each two-week phase progressively ratchets up the
weight and decreases the reps as you go to failure on each set. Attack this
program with tenacity and consistency and you’ll see a dramatic boost in
strength (and size) over six weeks. Fellow gym members will notice you’re much
stronger, and it won’t mean they think you’ve been bypassing the shower.
Program Contents
WEEKS 1-2
Start out strong with this routine p. 141
WEEKS 3-4
Build your momentum p. 143
WEEKS 5-6
Time to go balls to the wall p. 145
BENT-OVER ROW (OVERHAND WIDE GRIP)
Stand with your feet shoulder-I width apart, holding a loaded barbell. Bend
forward at the hips so that your torso is close to parallel to the floor. (Your grip
on the bar will be either underhand or overhand and shoulder-width, or
overhand and wider than shoulder-width.) Start with the bar hanging straight to
the floor, arms extended. Contract your back muscles to pull the bar up to your
midsection, leading with your elbows. Squeeze the contraction for a count or
two, then slowly lower the bar back down.
Road to Strength
WEEKS 1-2
#93
Workout 1: Push Day (Chest + Delts + Tri’s)
EXERCISE
Incline-Bench Press (shoulder-width grip)
SETS
REPS
2
8–10*
Incline-Bench Press (wide grip)
2
8–10
Decline-Bench Press
3
8–10
Flat-Bench Press
3
8–10
Standing Shoulder Press
3
8–10*
Upright Row (wide grip)
2
8–10
Upright Row (close grip)
2
8–10
Front Raise
2
8–10
Reverse-Grip Bench Press (shoulder-width grip)
3
8–10*
Seated Triceps Extension
3
8–10
Lying Triceps Extension
3
8–10
#94
Workout 2: Legs + Abs
Front Squat
3
8–10*
Back Squat
3
8–10
Hack Squat
3
8–10
Alternating Lunge
3
8–10
Romanian Deadlift
3
8–10
Standing Calf Raise
3
10–12
Seated Calf Raise
3
15–20
Barbell Rollout
2
12–15
Barbell Crunch
2
10–12
#95
Workout 3: Pull Day
(Back + Traps + Bi’s + Forearms)
Bent-Over Row (overhand shoulder-width grip)
3
8–10*
Bent-Over Row (overhand wide grip)
3
8–10
Bent-Over Row (underhand grip)
3
8–10
Decline-Bench Pullover
3
8–10
Shrug
2
8–10*
Shrug
2
8–10*
Behind-Back Shrug
2
8–10
Standing Curl
3
8–10*
Preacher Curl
3
8–10
Reverse-Grip Curl
3
8–10
Rest 2–3 minutes between all sets.
*Do 2–3 light warm-up sets for the first exercise for each bodypart except abs.
INCLINE SPIDER CURL
Lie facedown on an incline bench and grasp a barbell with a shoulder-width,
palms-forward grip, arms extended and hanging straight down. Keeping your
upper arms perpendicular to the floor, curl the bar as far as you can and squeeze
your biceps hard at the top. Lower the bar slowly, stopping just short of lockout.
INCLINE FRONT RAISE
Sit on an incline bench grasping a barbell with a shoulder-width, palms-down
grip, arms extended. Starting with your hands just over your thighs, contract
your delts to lift the bar up and back, keeping your elbows straight, until it’s over
your face. Slowly return to the start position.
SEATED TRICEPS EXTENSION
Sit on a low-or high-back bench holding a barbell overhead with a shoulderwidth, palms-forward grip. From an arms-extended position, lower the bar
behind your head by bending only your elbows until they’re beyond 90 degrees.
Press the bar back up overhead by flexing your triceps.
WEEKS 3-4
#96
Workout 1: Push Day (Chest + Delts + Tri’s)
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Flat-Bench Press (shoulder-width grip)
2
5-7*
Flat-Bench Press (wide grip)
2
5-7
Decline-Bench Press
3
5-7
Underhand Press-Raise
3
8-10
Seated Shoulder Press
3
5-7*
Incline Front Raise
3
8-10
Upright Row (wide grip)
3
5-7
Upright Row (close grip)
3
5-7
Close-Grip Bench Press
3
5-7
Incline Triceps Extension
3
8-10
Decline Triceps Extension
3
8-10
#97
Workout 2: Legs + Abs
Back Squat
3
5–7
Front Squat
3
5–7
Hack Squat
3
5–7
Alternating Lunge
3
8–10
Romanian Deadlift
3
8–10
Seated Calf Raise
3
15–20
Standing Calf Raise
3
8–10
Barbell Crunch
2
10–12
Barbell Rollout
2
12–15
#98
Workout 3: Pull Day (Back + Traps + Bi’s + Forearms)
Bent-Over Row (underhand grip)
3
5–7*
Bent-Over Row (overhand wide grip)
3
5–7
Bent-Over Row (overhand shoulder-width grip)
3
5–7
Decline-Bench Pullover
3 8–10
Behind-Back Shrug
2
5–7
Shrug
2
5–7*
Seated Curl
3
5–7
Incline-Bench Spider Curl
3 8–10
Reverse-Grip Curl
2 8–10
Rest 2–3 minutes between all sets.
*Do 2–3 light warm-up sets for the first exercise for each bodypart except abs.
STANDING CALF RAISE
Stand on a block underneath a barbell set to shoulder height in a power rack.
Rest the bar across your shoulders and traps and use a palms-forward grip. Flex
your calves to rise as high as you can on the balls of your feet. Hold this position
for a second, squeezing your calf muscles, then slowly return to the start.
INCLINE-BENCH PRESS (WIDE GRIP)
Lie faceup on an incline bench set at 45 degrees with a rack and grasp the bar
with a shoulder-width or slightly wider grip (depending on what the sets calls
for). Start with the bar straight over your upper chest and your arms extended
but not locked out. Lower the bar to your chest, then press it up forcefully to the
start position.
WEEKS 5-6
#99
Workout 1: Push Day (Chest + Delts + Tri’s)
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Flat-Bench Press
3
2–4*
Incline-Bench Press (shoulder-width grip)
2
2–4
Incline-Bench Press (wide grip)
2
2–4
Decline-Bench Press
3
2–4
Standing Shoulder Press
3
2–4*
Upright Row (wide grip)
2
8–10
Upright Row (close grip)
2
8–10
Front Raise
2
8–10
Reverse-Grip Bench Press
3
2–4*
Close-Grip Bench Press
3
2–4
Lying Triceps Extension
3
8–10
#100
Workout 2: Legs + Abs
Back Squat
3
2–4*
Front Squat
3
2–4
Hack Squat
3
2–4
Alternating Lunge
3
8–10
Romanian Deadlift
3
8–10
Standing Calf Raise
3
10–12
Seated Calf Raise
3
15–20
Barbell Rollout
2
12–15
Barbell Crunch
2
10–12
#101
Workout 3: Pull Day (Back + Traps + Bi’s + Forearms)
Bent-Over Row (overhand shoulder-width grip)
3
2–4*
Bent-Over Row (overhand wide grip)
3
2–4
Bent-Over Row (underhand grip)
3
2–4
Decline-Bench Pullover
3
8–10
Decline-Bench Pullover
3
8–10
Shrug
2
2–4*
Behind-Back Shrug
2
2–4
Standing Curl
3
2–4*
Preacher Curl
3
8–10
Reverse-Grip Curl
3
8–10
Rest 2–3 minutes between all sets.
*Do 2–3 light warm-up sets for the first exercise for each bodypart except abs.
UNDERHAND PRESS-RAISE
Sit erect on a flat bench, holding a barbell in front of you at upper chest level
with a shoulder-width, palms-up grip. Bend your elbows to about 90 degrees.
Press the bar up and in front of you until it’s just above your head. Maintain the
bend in your elbows throughout the movement and squeeze your upper pecs at
the top.
HACK SQUAT
Stand in front of a barbell loaded with the appropriate weight with your feet
shoulder-width apart. Bend slightly at the hips and, keeping your back flat and
chest out, bend your knees to grasp the bar with a shoulder-width, palms-down
grip just outside your feet. Maintaining good posture, contract your quads and
glutes and then, with an explosive movement, stand up until your knees are just
short of lockout.
SEATED CURL
This exercise is also shown on page 67. Sit on a bench with a barbell in your lap;
you should be able to use significantly more weight than with standing curls.
Grasp the bar with a shoulder-width, palms-up grip. Keeping your upper arms
stationary, curl the bar as high as you can and squeeze your bi’s at the top. Lower
the bar until it almost touches your thighs (your elbows will be bent only about
90 degrees in the start position).
BARBELL ROLLOUT/CRUNCH
Load a bar on the floor in front of you with 25-45-pound plates. With your feet
hip-width apart, bend at your hips and grasp the bar with a shoulder-width,
palms-down grip, then rise up on your toes. Slowly roll the bar forward until
your body is fully extended. Keep your shoulders over your hands. Pause in the
extended position, then drive your hips toward the ceiling as you pull the barbell
toward your feet. For the barbell crunch, simply perform a crunch while holding
a barbell above you with your arms extended.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CARDIO BLITZ
GOOD NEWS — CARDIO DOESN’T HAVE to be a boring chore. The problem
arises when you treat it as an afterthought to your workout, tacking on 20-30
minutes of plodding on a treadmill with no consideration to your ultimate goals.
With such monotony, it’s no wonder so many guys steer clear of cardio like it
was a Butt Blaster machine.
So what’s a better option? Well, you can continue skipping out on cardio, but
follow that route and eventually the only thing that’ll be ripped is the waistband
of your favorite pants.
Our four-week cardio blast — which can work for you whether the above
sounds familiar, or if you’ve been a dedicated cardio aficionado for years — is
designed to catapult you into a full-fledged fat-burning mode. For optimum
results, you’ll do some form of cardio six days a week in addition to your usual
weight workouts.
The best part? It’s far from boring, with multiple modes of activity to choose
from, and variety built into each session that isn’t just for show — it’ll help kick
start your body’s fat-burning efforts much more effectively than aimless steadypace workouts. Try it, and watch your fitness levels soar.
THE PROGRAM
We’ve selected five cardiovascular activities, each with individual targets, and
scheduled them over the next 31 days. As you accomplish each day’s session, you
can cross that box off your calendar. Each week will become progressively more
challenging as you move from the stationary bike to the StepMill, then to the
treadmill and jump rope and ending with outdoor weighted-vest runs.
Each discipline has its benefits. The bike helps improve outer quad and ham
mass as well as leg strength. The StepMill boosts intensity and glute, ham and
calf development, while the treadmill tends to burn the most fat. The jump rope
further taxes the calves (think of it as negative-rep training) and helps develop
power, agility, rhythm and balance. And the weighted-vest runs? Well, they bring
an array of benefits including increased calorie burn and even added leg mass.
Do this cardio plan in the morning or after you lift, just don’t miss a day if
you can help it. Finally, there’s no need to monitor your heart rate here. Not only
are the monitors on the machines not accurate, but it’s nearly impossible to
measure your own pulse while working at a high intensity. This is an all-out
cardio blast, so if you have a history of heart complications, stick with the steady
program prescribed by your doctor.
Okay, break’s over. Follow this program with consistency and you’ll soon
jettison fat stores while growing both fitter and stronger. Just the results you
wanted, right?
DAY 1-7 THE BIKI
Great for the quads, especially the outer sweep, this brutal cycling program will
make you limp home. Each day of your bike week will get progressively more
difficult, giving you a pump comparable to leg day. You’ll crank up the resistance
right from the start, so reading your favorite novel or focusing on the closedcaptioning of the news will be out of the question. Give yourself a five-minute
warm-up on the manual setting at the beginning of each bout of exercise, then
follow the specific guidelines for each day.
NOTE: You’ll need to know what the maximum resistance level on your
particular bike is, as you’ll work at various percentages of that number
throughout each session.
DAY 1
Time
5-min.
warm-up 10 min.
10 min.
5-min. cool-down
% Max Resistance
10%-20%
50%
75%
10%-20%
DAY 2
Time
5-min.
warm-up 10 min.
10 min.
5-min. cool-down
% Max Resistance
10%-20%
50%
100%
10%-20%
DAY 3
Time
5-min.warm-up
15 min.
10 min.
5-min.cool-down
% Max Resistance
10%-20%
50%
100%
10%-20%
DAY 4
Time
5-min. warm-up
10 min.
15 min.
5-min.cool-down
% Max Resistance
10%-20%
75%
100%
10%-20%
DAY 5
Time
5-min. warm-up
15 min.
15 min.
5-min.cool-down
% Max Resistance
10%-20%
50%
100%
10%-20%
DAY 6
Time
5-min. warm-up
20 min.
20 min.
5-min. cool-down
% Max Resistance
10%-20%
75%
100%
10%-20%
DAY 7
REST
DAY 8-14 STEPMILL
Feel like climbing a few flights of stairs? Then this is the machine for you. The
StepMill, which is great for building the glutes, quads and hamstrings, is a
nonstop uphill battle that you’re sure to come to respect rather quickly. This
week, monitor your sessions with slow (25% of maximum), medium (50%) and
fast (80%-100%) steps. You’ll also be required to skip steps from Time to Time,
so be sure to watch for those directions. Make sure you know the highest setting
to determine your intensity. Let’s get climbing.
DAY 8
Time
5-min. warm-up
10 min.
10 min.
5-min. cool-down
%Max speed
25%
50%
80%-100%
DAY 9
Time
5-min. warm-up
10 min.
15 min.
5-min. cool-down
%Max speed
25%
50%
80%-100%
25%
DAY 10
Time
5-min. warm-up
30 min.
5-min. cool-down
%Max speed
25%
80%-100%
25%
DAY
11
Time
5-min. warm-up
10 min.
15 min.
5-min. cool-down
%Max speed
25%
50% (skip a step)
80%-100%
25%
DAY 12
Time
5-min. warm-up
15 min.
15 min.
5-min. cool-down
%Max speed
25%
50% (skip a step)
80%-100%
25%
DAY 13
Time
5-min. warm-up
20 min.
20 min.
5-min. cool-down
%Max speed
25%
80%-100%
50% (skip a step)
25%
DAY 14
REST
DAY 15-21 TREADMILL
Ah, the treadmill. The old standby. If you usually avoid it like 5 o’clock traffic,
it’s Time for you to get acquainted. Gauge yourself much like you did on the
StepMill with slow-, medium-and fast-paced sessions, and vary the incline from
day to day. NOTE: Your gym might have an array of brands, so choose one and
stick with it throughout the week. You’ll be hitting some good strides, and the
more comfortable you are with the platform length, belt surface and screen
module, the safer, not to mention the smoother, your workouts will be.
DAY 22-28 JUMP ROPE
If you can jump rope for minutes on end, then you’ve got something good going.
Not only does the jump rope help build cardiovascular endurance, shed fat and
build your legs, but it’s a great upper-body shocker as well, hitting your hands,
wrists, forearms, biceps and shoulders with a great burn. JUMP TO IT For each
jump-rope session, you’ll jump for one minute, then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat
that cycle until the allotted Time is up. For instance, on Day 25, after your fiveminute slow walk warm-up, your schedule calls for 16 minutes of fast jumping.
To do this, you’ll jump fast for 60 seconds, rest 30 seconds and so on until 16
minutes has elapsed. That equates to 11 one-minute periods of jumping, with 30
seconds of rest between each.
Time
5 min.
5)2 min.
5 min.
5)2 min.
10 min.
5)2 min.
5 min.
Speed/Revolutions per minute (rpm)
slow walk
slow jump rope (60 rpm)
jog
slow jump rope (60 rpm)
jog
slow jump rope (60 rpm)
slow walk
DAY 23
Time 5 min.
5)2 min.
5 min.
10 min.
5 min.
10 min.
5 min.*
Speed/Revolutions per minute (rpm) slow walk
moderate jump rope (75-85 rpm)
jog
moderate jump rope (75-85 rpm)
jog
moderate jump rope (75-85 rpm)
slow walk
DAY 24
Time
5 min.
10 min.
5 min.
10 min.
10 min.
10 min.
5 min.
Speed/Revolutions per minute (rpm)
slow walk
fast jump rope (125-150 rpm)
jog
fast jump rope (125-150 rpm)
jog
fast jump rope (125-150 rpm)
slow walk
DAY 25
Time
5 min.
16 min.
5 min.
16 min.
5 min.
16 min.
5 min.
DAY 26
Time
5 min.
16 min.
5 min.
16 min.
5 min.
16 min.
5 min.
DAY 27
Time
DAY 22
Speed/Revolutions per minute (rpm)
slow walk
fast jump rope (150 rpm)
jog
fast jump rope (150 rpm)
jog
fast jump rope (150 rpm)
slow walk
Speed/Revolutions per minute (rpm)
slow walk
fast jump rope (165 rpm)
jog
fast jump rope (165 rpm)
jog
fast jump rope (165 rpm)
slow walk
Speed/Revolutions per minute (rpm)
DAY 27
5 min.
16 min.
10 min.
15 min.
10 min.
16 min.
5 min.
DAY 28
slow walk
fast jump rope (175-200 rpm)
jog
fast jump rope (175-200 rpm)
jog
fast jump rope (175-200 rpm)
slow walk
REST
DAY 29-31 OUTDOOR RUN WITH WEIGHTED VEST
You’ve reached the final stretch in your cardio blast, and it involves the great
outdoors and a weighted vest – an excellent addition to most cardio-training
sessions that dramatically increases the intensity. The X-Vest, shown here, comes
in varying resistance levels and the weights are removable so you can take off
weight and continue when you begin to fatigue. (It’s kind of like a drop set for
cardio.) See thexvest.com for sizes and weight selections. Don’t have a vest? A
heavy-duty backpack will do fine — just add 10-pound plates to the bag to reach
your desired level of resistance.
DAY 29
Time
5-min. warm-up
5 min.
5 min.
10 min.
5 min.
5-min. cool-down
Speed
slow walk without vest
jog with vest
fast walk with vest
jog with vest
fast walk with vest
slow walk without vest
DAY 30
Time
5-min. warm-up
5 min.
5 min.
10 min.
10 min.
5-min. cool-down
Speed
slow walk without vest
jog with vest
fast walk with vest
jog with vest
fast walk with vest
slow walk without vest
DAY 31
Time
5-min. warm-up
10 min.
10 min.
10 min.
10 min.
10 min.
Speed
slow walk without vest
jog with vest
fast walk with vest
jog with vest
fast walk with vest
sprint intervals without
1-min. rest/walk,
repeat for 10 minutes
slow walk without vest
5-min. cool-down
CHAPTER TWELVE
BASIC NUTRITION
BODYBUILDERS, TRAINERS AND DIET gurus alike (at least those worth their
salt) will tell you that bodybuilding is more than 50% nutrition. We tend to
agree, especially where the novice is concerned. Beginners or those heading back
into the gym after a layoff can expect to make some serious gains in strength and
mass from the training programs in this book, but not without a solid nutrition
program. Bottom line, the more serious you are about your nutrition, the more
serious your gains will be. In fact, if you combed the literature on weightlifting,
you’d quickly learn that relatively little research has been done on training
techniques for boosting muscle mass and strength compared to the tons of
studies on the effects of nutrition and dietary supplements. Said research shows
that paying attention to macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat),
calories, meal timing and certain supplements will have a huge impact on your
results.
But because you don’t have time to do all the combing yourself, we’ve boiled
it down to 10 basic nutrition and supplement rules that every beginner should
learn now and maintain indefinitely. Follow these rules and stick to your lifting
program, and soon that “beginner” label will no longer apply to you.
RULE #1 FOCUS ON PROTEIN
Consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight on a daily basis.
Protein provides the amino acids that are used as the building blocks of muscle
protein. Although the recommended daily allowance for protein is set at less
than half a gram per pound of bodyweight for the typical person, research shows
that athletes, especially those concerned with muscle mass and strength, need
roughly double that amount. Beginners should actually try to get in about 1.5
grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day for the first six months of
working out, since this is when your muscles will respond the most rapidly to
training. For the 180-pounder, this means 270 grams per day at the outset and a
bare minimum of 180 grams daily thereafter.
Your protein choices should come mainly from lean animal proteins such as
chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs and dairy. These are the most complete protein
sources, meaning they provide your body with every essential amino acid,
defined as those your body cannot manufacture on its own.
RULE #2 CARB UP
Eat about 2-3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight each day. Protein
is the most critical macronutrient for muscle growth, with carbohydrates a close
second. Carbs are stored in your muscles as glycogen and both keep your
muscles full and large and fuel them during workouts. To gain mass, the 180pound beginner will need 360-540 grams of carbs daily.
For most meals, stick with slow-digesting carb sources such as whole grains,
oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans, fruit and vegetables. (For all other times of day,
see Rule No. 7.)
RULE #3 DON’T AVOID FAT
About 20%-30% of your total daily calories should come from fat. And unlike the
sedentary general population who are advised to eliminate their saturated fat
intake, 5%-10% of your fat calories should be saturated because higher-fat diets
(particularly those higher in monounsaturated and saturated fats) appear to
maintain testosterone levels better than low-fat diets. Maintaining optimal levels
of testosterone, don’t forget, is paramount for building muscle mass and strength
and for avoiding fat gain.
Choose red meats such as steak and ground beef for your saturated fats (these
also provide quality protein); avocados, mixed nuts, olive oil, olives and peanut
butter for monounsaturated fats; and fatty fish (salmon, trout, catfish), flaxseed
oil and walnuts as good sources of essential, omega-3 polyunsaturated fats.
RULE #4 CALORIES COUNT
To build muscle, consume 20 calories per pound of bodyweight per day. You
must stay in a positive calorie balance (taking in more calories than you burn) to
gain quality mass. If you burn more calories than you consume (a negative
balance), your body will go into conservation mode and won’t support new
muscle growth. That’s why a 180-pounder should get roughly 3,600 calories
daily. Keeping Rules 1, 2, and 3 in mind, 20%-30% of these calories should come
from protein, 40%-60% from carbs and 20%-30% from fat.
RULE #5 EAT FREQUENTLY
Eat a meal that contains quality protein and carbs every 2-3 hours to ensure a
steady supply of energy and amino acids for muscle growth all day long, helping
you gain mass and stay lean. The key is to keep every meal approximately the
same size. If you pig out with a 1,200-calorie lunch, you’ll be less likely to eat 2-3
hours later and liable to gain the wrong kind of weight, since calories in excess of
what the body can process at a given time are often stored as bodyfat. Aim for at
least six meals per day and shoot for eight, which for the 180-pound guy would
consist of 500-600 calories per meal.
RULE #6 SHAKE IT UP
Pre-and postworkout, get in at least 20 grams of protein in convenient shake
form. Protein shakes are considered supplements, but we like to think of them as
important meals to be consumed at critical times during the day. While your diet
should consist mostly of unprocessed whole foods, at times a protein shake is a
much better option. An example is 30 minutes immediately before your
workout. To prepare your muscles for the ensuing training session, as well as to
get a head start on the muscle recovery process, drink a shake with 20 grams of
either whey protein or a mix of whey and casein along with 40 grams or so of a
slower-digesting carbohydrate (see Rule No. 7). Then, in the 60-minute window
immediately postworkout, down another 20-40 grams of liquid protein (mix in
water for convenience) and 60-100 grams of fasterdigesting carbs (again, see Rule
No. 7).
RULE #7 EAT THE RIGHT CARBS AT THE RIGHT TIME
Eat a slow carb 30 minutes preworkout and mainly fast carbs postworkout. As
stated in Rule No. 2, you should select slower-burning carbs for most meals,
including before you train. Research shows that when athletes eat slowerdigesting carbs, they not only have more energy and less fatigue during exercise
but they burn more fat while training and experience less hunger throughout the
day. Good slow-carb choices include fruit, whole-grain bread and oatmeal.
Postworkout, choose fast-digesting carbs such as white bread, a plain bagel or
baked potato or a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, etc.). This will spike levels
of the anabolic hormone insulin, which drives the carbs you eat into muscle cells,
where they’ll be stored as glycogen to be used for your next workout. Insulin also
helps amino acids get into the muscle cells to build muscle protein. It’s critical to
delivering creatine to the muscles (see Rule No. 9) and increases muscle protein
synthesis, one of the major processes by which muscle fibers grow. Normally,
you want to keep insulin levels in check for a variety of health reasons, but
immediately following a hard training session is one time when an insulin spike
is desirable.
RULE #8 EAT BEFORE BEDTIME
Before going to bed every night, consume 30-40 grams of a micellar casein
protein shake or 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese, as well as 2-3 tablespoons of
flaxseed oil, 2 ounces of mixed nuts or 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter. When
you sleep, you essentially fast for 7-9 hours (or for however long you sleep). With
no food available, the body goes to your muscle fibers for amino acids to fuel
your brain. For the individual looking to get bigger and leaner, this is not a good
thing. The answer isn’t to get less sleep but rather to eat the proper foods
immediately before bedtime. Slow-digesting proteins and healthy fats are your
best bet. These foods help slow digestion and provide a steady supply of amino
acids for fuel, thereby minimizing the body’s tendency to use muscle. Casein, the
major protein in milk, is a good option — either from a protein shake or 1 cup of
low-fat cottage cheese.
RULE #9 USE CREATINE
Include 3-5 grams of creatine with your pre-and postworkout shakes. One of the
most effective supplements to buy is creatine. Many scientists, doctors and
nutritionists agree that creatine works great for most athletes regardless of age or
gender. After hundreds of studies have been conducted on the supplement, the
consensus is that it’s not just effective but also safe. Taking creatine in
monohydrate, ethyl ester or any other form can help you gain up to 10 pounds of
lean muscle, boost your strength in the gym by 10% and produce a significantly
greater pump during your workout, all with zero side effects, in just a few weeks.
RULE #10 USE BETA-HYDROXY-BETA-METHYLBUTYRATE (HMB)
Take 1-3 grams of HMB with food in the morning, before and after workouts
and before bed during your first three months of training. Besides creatine,
which is good for bodybuilders of all experience levels, another great supplement
for beginners is HMB, a metabolite of the branched-chain amino acid leucine.
HMB prevents muscle breakdown and stimulates muscle growth, particularly in
beginning trainees. (Research shows that HMB’s effectiveness is not as
significant for experienced bodybuilders.) After you reach the three-month
mark, switch to 5-10 grams of leucine at those same times.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE 113 BODYBUI FOODS
EIGHT-TIME MR. OLYMPIA LEE HANEY probably said it best: “To build
muscle you must train like a horse, which means you can’t eat like a bird.”
Following a proper nutrition program is fundamental to aiding your gym efforts.
If you had identical twins doing the same gym work but one followed a
bodybuilding-friendly diet and the other just ate “whenever and whatever,” the
former would grow bigger and stronger faster. Here we list the prime
bodybuilding foods and their macronutrient profiles. With this info you can
compile your own diet based on your goals, which could range from building
mass to getting lean, or maybe maintenance. And we accept that from time to
time you’re going to eat TV dinners, burgers and potato chips. That’s why we’ve
included the least harmful of the not-so-good foods, so there’s at least a damagecontrol factor working in your favor when you splurge. That’s what this list is: a
realistic selection that will allow you to eat the foods that’ll make you grow, and
occasionally indulge a little without sabotaging your physique.
YOUR BODY BUILDING BASICS
THESE WHOLE FOODS, REGARDLESS OF THE BRAND NAME, ARE
WHAT YOU SHOULD BUILD YOUR DIET AROUND
Meat, Eggs, Seafood, Dairy
Beef Jerky (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 1 oz.
116 calories, 9 g protein, 3 g carbs, 7 g fat
A handful of protein for on-the-go snacks
Egg Whites (GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 large egg white
17 calories, 4 g protein, 0 g carbs, 0 g fat
You lose some protein by discarding the yolk, but the fat’s gone, too
Eggs (Whole) (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 1 large whole
74 calories, 6 g protein 0 g carbs, 5 g fat
The yolks are packed with B vitamins and even some protein, not to mention
choline, which aids muscle strength and brain power
Flank Steak (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 8 oz.
352 calories,
48 g protein, 0 g carbs,
6 g fat
One of the leanest cuts you can find
Ground Beef (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 8 oz.
392 calories, 48 g protein, 0 g carbs,
392 calories, 48 g protein, 0 g carbs,
22 g fat (90% lean)
If you’re concerned about dietary fat, choose 93% or 97% lean, but know this:
The fat in beef helps keep testosterone levels high
Ground Turkey (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 8 oz.
340 calories, 40 g protein, 0 g carbs, 18 g fat
When dining out, choose the turkey burger if it’s available
Low-Fat (1%) Cottage Cheese (MB, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 8 oz.
163 calories, 28 g protein, 6 g carbs, 2 g fat
This slow-digesting quality protein is great for a late-night snack
Salmon (Atlantic) (MB, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 8 oz.
416 calories, 45 g protein, 0 g carbs, 24 g fat
High in fat, but it’s the healthy kind that actually helps you burn fat
Skinless Chicken Breast (MB, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 6 oz.
185 calories, 39 g protein, 0 g carbs, 2 g fat
High in protein, extremely low in fat and carbs — the quintessential
bodybuilding food
Skinless Chicken Thigh (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 1 thigh
82 calories, 14 g protein, 0 g carbs, 3 g fat
When you’re trying to add weight, any chicken (white or dark) is good
Top Sirloin Steak (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 8 oz.
288 calories, 48 g protein, 0 g carbs, 8 g fat
A lean beef that’s high in protein
Tuna (MB)
6 oz. canned light
191 calories, 42 g protein, 0 g carbs, 1 g fat
A convenient superhighprotein, zero-carb snack
SERVING SIZE:
Turkey Breast (MB, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 6 oz.
189 calories, 42 g protein, 0 g carbs, 1 g fat
Almost no other protein is this lean
Vegetables
Asparagus (GL)
SERVING SIZE: 20 spears
60 calories, 6 g protein, 12 g carbs, 0 g fat
Packed with antioxidants, it helps you drop water weight
Baked Potato (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 1 medium
161 calories, 4 g protein, 37 g carbs, 0 g fat
To build muscle, you need starchy carbs. The fast-burning carbs in white
potatoes make them great postworkout, and the folate content helps build new
muscle
Broccoli (GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
31 calories, 3 g protein, 6 g carbs, 0 g fat
One of the most nutrientdense foods around. Broccoli contains a phytonutrient
that blocks some estrogens and can help boost testosterone
Brussels Sprouts (GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
38 calories, 3 g protein, 8 g carbs, 0 g fat
A surprisingly good source of Vitamin C
Carrot (GL)
1 medium
25 calories, 1 g protein, 6 g carbs, 0 g fat
SERVING SIZE:
25 calories, 1 g protein, 6 g carbs, 0 g fat
The beta-carotene helps suppress postworkout inflammation
Cauliflower (GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
28 calories, 1 g protein, 3 g carbs, 0 g fat
A low-calorie vegetable that makes you feel full; great when dieting
Corn (MB)
1 cup canned
133 calories, 4 g protein, 30 g carbs, 2 g fat
Not the best choice for those going low-carb
SERVING SIZE:
Green Beans (GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 can (14.5 oz.)
52 calories, 3 g protein, 12 g carbs, 0 g fat
Convenient source of phytonutrients
Peas (MB)
1 cup
118 calories, 8 g protein, 21 g carbs, 1 g fat
A good source of fiber and even some protein
SERVING SIZE:
KEY
(MB) An M&F massbuilding Favorite
(GL) A great food when trying to lose bodyfat
(PR) Eat this 30–60 minutes preworkout
(PO) Eat this within an hour postworkout
Sweet Potato (MB, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 medium
103 calories, 2 g protein, 24 g carbs, 0 g fat
An ideal slow-burning carb
Tomato (GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 medium
22 calories, 1 g protein, 5 g carbs, 0 g fat
A great source of the antioxidant lycopene
Zucchini (GL)
1 Cup sliced, boiled
29 calories, 1 g protein, 7 g carbs, 0 g fat
Another low-cal, low-carb food that helps you feel full
SERVING SIZE:
Fruit
Apple (MB, GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 large
110 calories, 0 g protein, 30 g carbs, 0 g fat
A great source of carbs preworkout
Avocado (MB, GL)
SERVING SIZE: ½ medium
145 calories, 2 g protein, 8 g carbs, 13 g fat
No need to stay away from this high-fat fruit. The fat is healthy and avocados
can help boost thyroid hormone levels
Banana (MB, GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 medium
105 calories, 1 g protein, 27 g carbs, 0 g fat
A great preworkout carb source blended in your protein shake
Blueberries (MB, GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
83 calories, 1 g protein, 21 g carbs, 0 g fat
Their phytonutrients boost brain power
Cantaloupe (MB, PO)
SERVING SIZE: 1 medium
188 calories, 5 g protein, 45 g carbs, 1 g fat
A good postworkout carb to accompany your whey protein shake due to its fast
rate of digestion
Grapefruit (GL)
SERVING SIZE: ½ large
53 calories, 1 g protein, 13 g carbs, 0 g fat
Research shows that eating grapefruit can aid fat loss
Orange (MB, GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 large
86 calories, 2 g protein, 22 g carbs, 0 g fat
A good preworkout carb source; its Vitamin C can help boost nitric-oxide (NO)
levels to give you a better pump
Raspberries (GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
64 calories, 1 g protein, 15 g carbs, 1 g fat
Raspberries contain a ketone that promotes fat-burning
Strawberries (MB, GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup 46 calories,
1 g protein, 11 g carbs, 0 g fat
A good snack food that provides a powerful punch of antioxidants and Vitamin
C
Bread, Cereal, Rice
Bagel (MB, PO)
SERVING SIZE: 1 medium plain
289 calories, 11 g protein, 56 g carbs, 2 g fat
A great fast-absorbing postworkout carb source
Brown Rice (MB, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup, medium grain
218 calories, 5 g protein, 46 g carbs, 2 g fat
Go brown whenever possible; it has more fiber and nutrients than white rice
Cheerios (MB, PO)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
111 calories, 4 g protein, 22 g fat, 2 g fat
This fast-burning carb makes a great postworkout snack CHAPTER THIRTEEN
English Muffin (MB, PO)
SERVING SIZE: 1 plain
134 calories, 4 g protein, 26 g carbs, 1 g fat
A good breakfast carb to quickly restore glycogen levels depleted while sleeping
Multigrain Bread (MB, GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 slice
65 calories, 3 g protein, 12 g carbs, 1 g fat
Make sure the multigrain you buy is whole-grain
Oatmeal (MB, GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup cooked, plain
147 calories, 6 g protein, 25 g carbs, 2 g fat, 4 g fiber
This heart-healthy slow-burning carb keeps insulin levels steady, which helps
prevent fat gain
Pita Bread (MB, GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 large, wheat
170 calories, 6 g protein, 35 g fat, 2 g fat
Going with wheat pita is a better option than plain
White Rice (MB, PO)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup, medium grain
242 calories, 4 g protein, 53 g carbs, 0 g fat
Sticky white rice makes a great postworkout carb
WholeWheat Bread (MB, GL, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 slice
70 calories, 3 g protein, 13 g fat, 1 g fat
Whole wheat means slow-burning carbs, which keep insulin levels low and
prevent fat gain
Wild Rice (MG, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
166 calories, 7 g protein, 35 g carbs, 1 g fat
A slower-burning carb than other rices — great for long-lasting energy
Nuts
Almonds (MB, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 oz.
169 calories, 6 g protein, 5 g carbs, 15 g fat
The perfect snack; research shows they aid fat loss
Cashews (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 1 oz.
163 calories, 4 g protein, 9 g carbs, 13 g fat
When eating mixed nuts, go easy on the cashews — they’re the highest in carbs
Mixed Nuts (MB, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 oz.
168 calories, 5 g protein, 7 g carbs, 15 g fat
A good source of healthy fat Look for the lower-salt versions
Peanut Butter (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 1 Tbsp.
94 calories, 4 g protein, 3 g carbs, 8 g fat
A delicious source of health fats and protein
Walnuts (GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 oz. (English)
185 calories, 4 g protein, 4 g carbs, 18 g fat
One of the few nuts that’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids
Protein Powder
Whey Protein (MB, PR, PO, GL)
SERVING SIZE: 1 scoop (typical whey protein product)
80 calories, 20 g protein, 1 g carbs, 0 g fat
The ultimate convenience protein, and a key pre-and postworkout ingredient
BEST DELI MEATS
NOT EVERYONE HAS TIME TO COOK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.
ENTER THE SUPERCONVENIENT PACKAGE OF COLD CUTS
Healthy Choice Deli Meats
SERVING SIZE: 2 oz.
60 calories, 9 g protein, 1 g carbs, 1.5 g fat (deli counter cooked ham)
these at the deli counter, not the refrigerated deli section
Hormel Natural Choice Deli Turkey
SERVING SIZE: 4 slices
60 calories, 10 g protein, 1 g carbs, 1 g fat
“Minimally processed” and “no artificial ingredients”
Oscar Mayer Reduced-Fat Turkey Ham (50% Less Fat)
SERVING SIZE: 28 g
35 calories, 5 g protein, 1 g carbs, 1.5 g fat
Oscar Mayer wieners and bologna, bad; this, good
Best Sandwich Cheese
Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese
SERVING SIZE: 1 slice
50 calories, 4 g protein, 0 g carbs, 2 g fat, 2 g fiber
Find
Fifty percent less fat and 30% fewer calories than regular Swiss cheese. Go
ahead, have two slices
BEST FOODS IN A CAN
A MEAL THAT LIVED IN A CAN FIVE MINUTES AGO PROBABLY
SHOULDN’T BE YOUR FIRST CHOICE FOR DINNER, BUT THESE
FOODS WON’T DO YOUR PHYSIQUE ANY HARM
Best Beans
Amy’s Organic Retried Black Beans
SERVING SIZE: ½ cup
140 calories, 7 g protein, 20 g carbs, 3 g fat, 6 g fiber
Loaded with fiber and appreciable protein
Best Canned Fruit
Dole Pineapple Chunks in 100% Juice (PR)
SERVING SIZE: ½ cup
60 calories, 0 g protein, 15 g carbs, 0 g fat, 1 g fiber
Whey protein and a can of pineapple make a great pretraining meal
Best Canned Veggies
Del Monte No-Salt-Added Cut Green Beans
SERVING SIZE: ½ cup
20 calories, 1 g protein, 4 g carbs, 0 g fat, 2 g fiber
We like the lower sodium
Best Chili
Hormel Chili with Turkey and Beans
SERVING SIZE: 1 can
400 calories, 34 g protein, 52 g carbs, 6 g fat, 10 g fiber
Turkey instead of beef keeps the fat content in check
Best Soup
Progresso Chicken Noodle 99% Fat-Free
SERVING SIZE: 1 can (19 oz.)
200 calories, 12 g protein, 24 g carbs, 4 g fat, 2 g fiber
Protein content is respectable for soup
BEST BEVERAGES
SURE, WATER IS THE BEST ALL-AROUND BEVERAGE,
BUTSOMETIMESYOU NEED SOME CARBS AND PROTEIN WITH YOUR
LIQUID REFRESHMENT
Best Carton of Milk
Horizon Organic 1% Low-Fat Milk (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
100 calories, 8 g protein, 12 g carbs, 2.5 g fat
Good source of protein and calcium, two keys to building mass
Best Juices
POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice (PO)
SERVING SIZE: 8 oz.
160 calories, 0 g protein 40 g carbs, 0 g fat
Rich in antioxidants, which are great for enhancing muscle recovery.
Pomegranate juice has also been found to boost NO levels
Tropicana Essentials Fiber Orange Juice
8 oz.
120 calories, 2 g protein 29 g carbs, 0 g fat, 3 g fiber
The Vitamin C was always there, but this has fat-burning fiber, too
SERVING SIZE:
V8 100% Vegetable Juice
SERVING SIZE: 8 oz.
50 calories, 2 g protein, 10 g carbs, 0 g fat, 2 g fiber
A fraction of the calories and sugar in fruit juices
Best Low-Calorie Drink
Crystal Light
SERVING SIZE: 1 packet (mixed in water)
5 calories, 0 g protein, 0 g carbs, 0 g fat
Practically no calories but not devoid of taste
Best Sports Drink
Gatorade Endurance Formula (PO)
SERVING SIZE: 32 oz. bottle
200 calories, 0 g protein, 56 g carbs, 0 g fat
The classic sports beverage is still as good as they come for postworkout
replenishing
BEST BREAKFAST FOODS
BREAKFAST CAN TURN INTO A CHEAT MEAL REAL FAST. CONSIDER
THESE ITEMS DAMAGE CONTROL
Best Bacon
Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey Bacon
SERVING SIZE: 15 g
20 calories, 3 g protein, 0 g carbs, 0 g fat
Tastes good and it won’t give you a heart attack
Best Cold Cereal
General Mills Total (PR)
SERVING SIZE: % Cup
100 calories, 2 g protein, 23 g carbs, 0.5 g fat, 3 g fiber
Only 5 g sugar per serving which beats most cold cereals
Best HotCereal (non-plain)
Cytosport Muscle Milk ’n Oats (MB, PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
300 calories, 30 g protein, 34 g carbs, 6 g fat, 4 g fiber
Good for the hardgainer
Best Pancakes
Aunt Jemima WholeWheat Pancakes (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 54 Cup (makes 1-2 pancakes)
120 calories, 4 g protein 26 g carbs, 0.5 g fat, 3 g fiber
A good complex carb to go alongside your eggs
Best Premade Breakfast Sandwich
Morningstar Farms Breakfast Sandwich with Cheese
SERVING SIZE: 1
280 calories, 28 g protein, 35 g carbs 3 g fat, 5 g fiber
Being vegetarian keeps the fat content down
Best Waffles
Kashi GoLean Waffles
SERVING SIZE: 2
170 calories, 8 g protein 33 g carbs, 3 g fat, 6 g fiber
Low-carb dieters should limit themselves to one waffle instead of two
Best Yogurt
Stonyfield Farm Organic Low-Fat Plain Yogurt (MB, PR) SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
120 calories, 10 g protein, 18 g carbs, 2 g fat, 3 g fiber
Flavored yogurts are full of sugar. Stick with plain
BEST BREADS, PASTA & RICE
THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO WHEN TRYING TO SHED FAT IS
SCARF DOWN EMPTY CARBS. THESE GRAINS ARE ANYTHING BUT
EMPTY. THEY ALL HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON: PLENTY OF FIBER
Best Bagel
Thomas’ Hearty Grain 100% WholeWheat Bagels (MB, PR) SERVING SIZE: 1
270 calories, 12 g protein, 55 g carbs, 2 g fat, 8 g fiber
Trying to shed fat? Save half the bagel for tomorrow
Best English Muffin
Orowheat 100% WholeWheat English Muffins (MB, PR) SERVING SIZE: 1
130 calories, 6 gprotein, 26 g carbs, 1.5 g fat, 4 g fiber
Smear peanut butter on this for a high-energy snack
Best Loaf
Ezekiel 4:9 Bread (GL)
1 slice
80 calories, 4 g protein, 15 g carbs, 0.5 g fat, 3 g fiber
Unlike most breads, this one contains complete proteins
SERVING SIZE:
Best Pastas
Barilla Plus (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 2 oz.
200 calories, 1 0 g protein, 38 g carbs, 1 g fat, 2 g fiber
Flax flour bumps up the heart-healthy omega-s
Nature’s Path Lifestream Spaghetti (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 2 oz
208 calories, 9 g protein, 36 g carbs, 3.5 g fat, 8 g fiber
Made with organic wholewheat flour and brown flax meal
Best Pizza Crust
Boboli 100% WholeWheat Thin Crust
SERVING SIZE: ½ shell
150 calories, 7 g protein, 27 g carbs, 3 g fat, 4 g fiber
Regular Boboli has a fraction of the fiber
Best Rice
Uncle Ben’s Whole-Grain Brown Rice (MB)
SERVING SIZE: ¼ cup
170 calories, 4 g protein, 36 g carbs, 1 g fat, 2 g fiber
White rice, however, is a great postworkout carb
Best Tortilla
Mission Multigrain Flour Tortilla (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 1 fajita size
110 calories, 3 g protein, 17 g carbs, 3 g fat, 4 g fiber
A full-size tortilla can easily set you back 300 calories
BEST SNACKS
SNACK TIME HAS RUINED MORE PHYSIQUES THAN HAPPY HOUR.
STICK TO THESE CONVENIENT EATS AND YOU’LL BE FINE
Best Chips
Kettle Bakes Lightly Salted Potato Chips
SERVING SIZE: 1 oz.
120 calories, 3 g protein, 21 g carbs, 3 g fat, 2 g fiber
Not only are these light on the salt, but the fat, too
Tostitos Multigrain Tortilla Chips
SERVING SIZE: 1 oz.
150 calories, 2 g protein, 18 g carbs, 8 g fat (1 g sat), 2 g fiber
than Tostitos regular tortilla chips
More fiber
Best Convenient Veggies
Green Giant Fresh Baby Cut Carrots
SERVING SIZE: 3 oz. (about 14)
40 calories, 1 g protein, 9 g carbs, 0 g fat, 2 g fiber
An easy way to satisfy your recommended veggie intake
Best Cottage Cheese
Horizon Organic Low-Fat Cottage Cheese (MB, GL) SERVING SIZE: ½ cup
100 calories, 13 g protein,
4 g carbs, 2.5 g fat
High in protein, low in carbs and fat
Best Fruit Snack
Mott’s Healthy Harvest Apple Sauce (PR)
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
50 calories, 0 g protein, 13 g carbs, 0 g fat, 1 g fiber
If you prefer your fruit wet instead of dry
Best Jerky
Oberto Natural Style Beef Jerky (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 2 oz.
160 calories, 22 g protein, 14 g carbs, 2 g fat
Like cottage cheese (high protein, low carbs), only less perishable
Best Low-Cal Dessert
Jell-O Sugar-Free Gelatin
SERVING SIZE: 19.5 oz. (1 individual container)
10 calories, 1 g protein, 0 g carbs, 0 g fat
10 calories, 1 g protein, 0 g carbs, 0 g fat
The gelatin equivalent to Crystal Light — you can knock yourself out with this
stuff when you crave something sweet
Best Nuts
Blue Diamond Almonds
SERVING SIZE: ½ cup
180 calories, 6 g protein, 6 g carbs, 14 g fat (1 g sat), 3 g fiber The words
“honey roasted” mean “more sugar.” When it comes to nuts, the plainer and
less salty, the better
Planters Dry-Roasted Unsalted Peanuts
SERVING SIZE: 28 g
160 calories, 8 g protein, 6 g carbs, 14 g fat (2 g sat), 2 g fiber
find these at most gas stations. Now that’s convenience
You can even
Best Peanut Butter Power Butter (MB)
2 Tbsp.
182 calories, 16 g protein, 7 g carbs, 12 g fat (2 g sat), 3 g fiber This blows
away regular peanut butter with its added egg whites as well as flaxseed and
flaxseed oil
SERVING SIZE:
Best Popcorn
Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop Organic Popcorn
SERVING SIZE: ½ bag
120 calories, 4 g protein, 26 g carbs, 2 g fat, 5 g fiber
Orville’s regular buttered popcorn has 12 g fat per serving
Best Pudding
Instone HighProtein Pudding (MB)
SERVING SIZE: 1
100 calories, 20 g protein, 2 g carbs, 2 g fat, 1 g fiber
Regular puddings don’t hold a candle to Instone in terms of protein and carbs
Best String Cheese
Sorrento Stringsters Reduced Fat String Cheese
SERVING SIZE: 1
70 calories, 8 g protein, 1 g carbs, 4 g fat
Nice to know one of the best snack foods ever comes in low-fat form
Best Trail Mix
Eden Trail Mix
SERVING SIZE: 3 Tbsp.
140 calories, 5 g protein, 10 g carbs, 11 g fat, 4 g fiber
Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, roasted almonds and more, all organic
BEST FAST FOODS
YOU’RE CRUNCHED FOR TIME AND PULL OVER AT A FAST-FOOD
JOINT. YOU CAN STILL EAT (RELATIVELY) CLEAN
Best Dessert
Wendy’s Fix ’N Mix Frosty
SERVING SIZE: small
270 calories, 5 g protein, 44 g carbs, 8 g fat
On a strict diet? Frosty also comes in a “junior” size with about half the calories
Best Salads
Burger King Tendergrill Chicken Garden Salad
SERVING SIZE: 1
230 calories, 32 g protein, 11 g carbs, 8 g fat, 3 g fiber
Fewer carbs and less fat than McDonald’s version
McDonald’s Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken
SERVING SIZE: 1
290 calories, 31 g protein, 23 g carbs, 10 g fat, 6 g fiber
290 calories, 31 g protein, 23 g carbs, 10 g fat, 6 g fiber
No, you can’t supersize that
Best Sandwiches
Burger King Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich (no sauce)
SERVING SIZE: 1
400 calories, 36 g protein, 49 g carbs, 7 g fat, 4 g fiber
A Whopper has a whopping 39 g fat
KFC Tender Roast Chicken Sandwich (no sauce)
SERVING SIZE: 1
300 calories, 37 g protein, 28 g carbs, 4.5 g fat, 2 g fiber
Loaded with protein with modest fat and carbs
McDonald’s Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich
SERVING SIZE: 1
420 calories, 32 g protein, 52 g carbs, 9 g fat, 3 g fiber
By the way, McNuggets = McDeadly. Six have 15 g fat
The Add-Mass Basics
USE THIS SAMPLE DIET TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN MENU
FOR GAINING MASS
BREAKFAST
3 egg whites plus 3 whole eggs
1 banana
1 cup oatmeal
MIDMORNING
8 oz. low-fat cottage cheese
8 oz. low-fat cottage cheese
1 slice wholewheat bread
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
LUNCH
8 oz. ground beef
1 wholewheat pita
1/2 cup peas
PREWORKOUT
1 scoop whey protein mixed w/ water
1 cup strawberries
2 slices wholewheat bread
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
POSTWORKOUT
2 scoops whey protein mixed w/ water
1 bagel
1 cantaloupe
DINNER
6 oz. chicken breast
2 sweet potatoes
1 can green beans
LATE EVENING
12 oz. low-fat
cottage cheese
1 cup oatmeal
The Get-Lean Basics
ONCE YOU’VEPERUSED OUR LIST OF FOODS, CHECK OUT THIS
EXAMPLE OF HOW TO WORK THEM INTO AN EASY ONE-DAY,
GET-LEAN MEAL PLAN
BREAKFAST
2 egg whites plus
2 whole eggs
1 cup oatmeal
MIDMORNING
6 oz. chicken breast
1 medium sweet potato
1 cup broccoli
LUNCH
8 oz. salmon
1 cup cauliflower
1/2 cup (cooked) brown rice
PREWORKOUT
1 scoop whey protein mixed w/ water
1 banana
POSTWORKOUT
1 scoop whey protein mixed w/ water
1 large baked potato
DINNER
8 oz. top sirloin
Salad with olive-oilbased Italian dressing
LATE EVENING
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (flavor with two packets of Splenda if desired)
Best Sides
KFC Mashed Potatoes (no gravy) (MB, PO)
SERVING SIZE: 1
cup 110 calories, 2 g protein, 17 g carbs, 4 g fat, 1 g fiber
Gravy adds another 30 calories you don’t need
Wendy’s Chili
SERVING SIZE: large
330 calories, 25 g protein, 35 g carbs, 9 g fat, 8 g fiber
At less than $2, this is a great nutritional bang for your buck
Wendy’s Plain Baked Potato (MB, PO)
SERVING SIZE: 10 oz.
270 calories, 7 g protein, 61 g carbs, 0 g fat, 7 g fiber
Just say no to adding butter, sour cream or a fat-laden salad dressing
Best Subs
Subway Club Sandwich
SERVING SIZE: 6-inch
320 calories, 24 g protein, 47 g carbs, 6 g fat, 4 g fiber
Includes wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and
olives
Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich
SERVING SIZE: 6-inch
370 calories, 26 g protein, 59 g carbs, 5 g fat, 4 g fiber
Includes wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and
olives
Best Taco
Taco Bell “Fresco Style” Spicy Chicken Soft Taco
SERVING SIZE: 1
180 calories, 10 g protein 21 g carbs, 7 g fat, 2 g fiber
The Bell’s 14 other “Fresco Style” items are also less than 10 g fat
BEST FLAVOR ENHANCERS
SALADS, SANDWICHES, BAKED POTATOES —ALL FOODS THAT
WERE PERFECTLY HEALTHY UNTIL YOU TOPPED THEM WITH
CONDIMENTS. THE KEY IS CHOOSING THE RIGHT ONES
Best Bagel Spread
Sabra Go Mediterranean Hummus
SERVING SIZE: 1 oz.
80 calories, 2 g protein, 4 g carbs, 7 g fat, 1 g fiber
Only 1 g of Sabra’s fat is saturated
Best Butter
Smart Balance Omega-Plus Buttery Spread
SERVING SIZE: 1 Tbsp.
80 calories, 0 g protein, 0 g carbs, 9 g fat
Trans-fat free, with added plant sterols to help lower cholesterol levels and
omega-3 fats
Best Cream Cheese
Kraft Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese
SERVING SIZE: 1 oz.
60 calories, 3 g protein, 2 g carbs, 4.5 g fat
» Half the fat and a third fewer calories than the regular stuff, hut it tastes just
as good
Best Mayo
Hellmann’s/Best Foods Light Mayonnaise
SERVING SIZE: 1 Tbsp.
45 calories, 0 g protein, <1 g carbs, 4.5 g fat
Half the calories and fat of regular mayo
Best Pancake Syrup
Maple Grove Farms Sugar-Free Syrup
SERVING SIZE: ¼ cup
30 calories, 0 g protein, 11 g carbs, 0 g fat
Put it on your wholewheat hotcakes and waffles — in moderation
Best Salad Dressing
Wishbone Italian Dressing
SERVING SIZE: 2 Tbsp.
90 calories, 0 g protein, 3 g carbs, 8 g fat
The carbs are negligible and the fat is nearly all healthy unsaturated (7 g)
Best Sour Cream
Horizon Organic Low-Fat Sour Cream
SERVING SIZE: 2 Tbsp.
35 calories, 1 g protein, 3 g carbs, 5 g fat
Regular sour cream has nearly twice the calories
INDEX OF PICTURED EXERCISES
ABS
Ab Wheel 92
Barbell Rollout/Crunch 147
Crossover Crunch 95
Crunch 99, 109
Curl-Up 89
Decline-Bench Crunch 91, 96
Decline-Bench Oblique Crunch 100
Double Crunch 97, 136
Dumbbell V-Sit 117
Exercise-Ball Crunch 101
Hanging Knee Raise 91, 97
Hanging Leg Raise 93, 98, 100
Hanging Oblique Raise 101
Hip Thrust 95
Leg Raise 90
Reverse Crunch 94
Rope Crunch 92
Rope Double Crunch 101
Scissor Kick 88
Seated Knee-Up 93, 111
Side Jackknife 89
Standing Cable Crunch 97
Standing Oblique Cable Crunch 99
Straight-Leg Crunch 95
Supported Crunch 105
Twisting Crunch 91
V-Up on Bench 99
Woodchopper 116
BACK
Back Extension 105
Bent-Over Barbell Row 34, 43, 140
Bent-Over Reverse-Grip Row 37
Close-Grip Pulldown 41
Dumbbell Pullover 11, 45, 124
Hammer-Strength Row 39
One-Arm Dumbbell Row (knee on bench) 36, 104, 111
One-Arm Dumbbell Row (standing) 35
One-Arm Machine Row 43
Palm-Rotation Dumbbell Row 37
Pull-Up 40, 44
Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Barbell Row 45
Reverse-Grip Machine Pulldown 42
Reverse-Grip Pulldown 38
Seated Cable Row 39, 45
Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown 129
T-Bar Row 39, 128
Wide-Grip Pulldown To Front 35
Wide-Grip Seated Cable Row 35, 43
BICEPS
3-Grip Barbell Curl 66
Alternating Dumbbell Curl (standing) 72, 109, 117
Alternating Incline Dumbbell Curl 63
Cable EZ-Bar Curl 69
Concentration Curl 73
Dual Dumbbell Hammer Curl 67
EZ-Bar Preacher Curl 62, 70
Incline Spider Curl 141
Machine Curl 105
Multi-Angle Incline Dumbbell Curl 67
One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl 71
Reverse EZ-Bar Curl 65
Scott Curl 131
Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curl 69, 70
Seated Barbell Curl 67, 147
Standing Barbell Curl 62, 68, 71, 72
Standing Cable Curl With Rope 65
Standing Dumbbell Curl 130
Two-Arm High-Cable Curl 64, 69, 73
CALVES
Donkey Calf Raise 137
Standing Calf Raise 49
Standing Calf Raise (barbell) 143
CHEST
Cable Crossover 9, 13, 14
Decline Barbell Press 2
Decline Bench Dumbbell Flye 7
Dip 15
Drop Push-Up 107
Dumbbell Pullover 11, 45, 124
Exercise-Ball Dumbbell Flye 5
Exercise-Ball Push-Up 5
Flat-Bench Barbell Press 8
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Flye 9
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press 12, 15
Hammer-Strength Chest Press Machine 104
Hammer-Strength Incline Machine Press 8
Incline Barbell Press 6, 14
Incline-Bench Press (wide grip) 144
Incline Dumbbell Flye 7
Incline Dumbbell Press 10, 12, 108, 125
Low-Pulley Cable Crossover 13
Machine Pullover 3
Neutral-Grip Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press 4
One-Arm Dumbbell Flat-Bench Press 7
Parallel-Bar Dip 3
Pec-Deck Flye 3, 11
Push-Up 3
Seated Chest Press Machine 5
Smith-Machine Flat-Bench Press 4
Smith-Machine Incline Press 2
DELTS
Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise 30
Bent-Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise 27
Bent-Over Lateral Raise 111
Dumbbell Front Raise 29
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 22, 28, 31
Dumbbell Upright Row 25
EZ-Bar Upright Row 27
Front-Overhead Barbell Raise 127
Incline-Bench Rear-Delt Flye 22, 25, 29
Incline Front Raise 141
One-Arm Bent-Over Lateral Raise 19
One-Arm Dumbbell 19
Front Raise
One-Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise 19
Seated Bent-Over Lateral Raise 31
Seated Dumbbell Press 23, 24. 28, 108, 110
Seated Machine Press 26, 105
Seated Overhead Barbell Press 30, 126
Seated One-Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise 24
Smith-Machine Shoulder Press 18
Standing Behind-The-Back Cable Raise 21
Standing EZ-Bar Upright Row 23
Standing One-Arm Cable Raise (D-handle) 21
Standing Cable Reverse Flye 20
Standing Rope Cable Raise 21
Upright Row 111
Wide-Grip Upright Row 18
FOREARMS
Reverse Wrist Curl 63
Wrist Curl 63
HAMSTRINGS
Glute-Ham Raise 135
Lying Dumbbell Leg Curl 58
Lying Leg Curl 49, 135
One-Legged Machine Curl 59
Romanian Dumbbell Deadlift 59
QUADS
Barbell Lunge 54, 134
Barbell Hack Squat 146
Barbell Squat 50, 52, 57
Dumbbell Step-Up 52
Hack Squat 51, 55
Leg Extension 48, 51, 55
Leg Press 50, 55
Mountain Climber 53
Smith-Machine Squat 48, 51
Unilateral Leg Extension 56
Unilateral Leg Press 57
TRAPS
Mixed-Grip Barbell Shrug 110
Dumbbell Shrug 41, 109
TRICEPS
45-Degree Lying Triceps Extension 132
Bench Dip 79
Close-Grip Bench Press 76
Close-Grip Dumbbell Press 78
Close-Grip Push-Up 77
Dumbbell Kickback 83, 85, 111, 116
Lying EZ-Bar Extension 81, 82, 85
Lying Dumbbell Extension 109
Machine Dip 76
One-Arm Dumbbell Extension 79
Parallel-Bar Dip 80
Pressdown 77, 80
Rope Pressdown 81, 83, 84
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Extension 82
Seated Triceps Extension 142
Single-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extension 133
COMBOS
Barbell Good Morning 113
Dumbbell Deadlift + Upright Row 115
Dumbbell Pullover + Press 117
Dumbbell Push-Up + Row 115
Dumbbell Squat + Overhead Press 114
Traditional Deadlift 53
Hang Clean 106
High-Pull Snatch 112
Power Dumbbell Raise 113
Power Pull 106
Push Press 107
Underhand Press-Raise 145