(Sports Fundamentals Series) David Sandler - Fundamental Weight Training-Human Kinetics (2010) PDF

Fundamental
Weight
Training
David Sandler
Human Kinetics
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sandler, David.
Fundamental weight training / David Sandler.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-8280-8 (soft cover)
ISBN-10: 0-7360-8280-8 (soft cover)
1. Weight training. I. Title.
GV546.B87 2010
613.7'13--dc22
2009052430
ISBN-10: 0-7360-8280-8 (print)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-8280-8 (print)
Copyright © 2010 by Human Kinetics, Inc.
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This publication is written and published to provide accurate and authoritative information relevant to the
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should be sought.
Illustrations on pages xi and xii are reprinted, by permission, from National Strength and Conditioning Associa-
tion, 2008, Essentials of strength training and conditioning, 3rd ed. (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics), 68.
This book is a revised edition of Weight Training Fundamentals, published in 2003 by Human Kinetics.
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E4797
F or my wife, Debbie, whose tireless efforts to support my crazy ideas
have allowed me to learn, teach, and practice my craft. And for my
son, Jack, you are my inspiration to be the best I can at whatever I do.
I love you both very much!
Contents
Exercise Finder vi
Acknowledgments x
Key to Muscles xi
Chapter 1
Introduction to Weight Training . . . . . . 1
Chapter 2
Weight Room Language and Protocol . . 7
Chapter 3
Types of Resistance Training . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 4
Warm Up, Stretch, Cool Down . . . . . . 35
Chapter 5
Chest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Chapter 6
Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Chapter 7
Shoulders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Chapter 8
Traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
iv
Chapter 9
Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Chapter 10
Core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Chapter 11
Glutes and Hips . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Chapter 12
Quads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Chapter 13
Hamstrings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Chapter 14
Lower Legs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Chapter 15
Program Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Chapter 16
Sample Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
About the Author 211
v
Exercise Finder
Exercise Target area Page no.
Glutes and hips
Hamstrings
Lower legs
Shoulders
Quads
Chest
Traps
Arms
Back
Core
Static stretches
Biceps stretch ✓ 43
Calf stretch ✓ 39
Groin stretch ✓ ✓ 40
Hamstring and lower back
✓ ✓ 40
stretch
Hip flexor stretch ✓ ✓ 41
Pec stretch ✓ ✓ 41
Quadriceps stretch ✓ 39
Rear deltoid and upper back
✓ ✓ ✓ 42
stretch
Triceps stretch ✓ 42
Upper back stretch ✓ ✓ 43
Dynamic stretches
Chain breakers ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 45
Duck walk ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 46
Knee-to-chest walk ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 45
Lateral push-up walk ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 48
Lunge and reach ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 44
Mountain climbers ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 48
Overhead squat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 47
Spider-man ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 49
Stationary inchworm ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 47
Trunk rotations ✓ ✓ 46
Machine-based strength
Adductor cable lift ✓ ✓ 146
Back extension ✓ ✓ 122
Cable cross ✓ ✓ 60
Cable curl ✓ 104
Cable (or machine) pec fly ✓ ✓ 58
Cable reverse-grip triceps pull-
✓ 113
down
vi
Glutes and hips
Hamstrings
Lower legs
Shoulders
Quads
Chest
Traps
Arms
Back
Core
Machine-based strength (continued)
Front pull ✓ ✓ ✓ 69
Hip extension ✓ ✓ 143
Hip flexor cable lift ✓ ✓ 147
Lat pull-down ✓ ✓ ✓ 67
Leg extension ✓ 157
Leg press ✓ ✓ 140
Leg press heel raise ✓ 176
Low-cable kickback ✓ ✓ 144
Lying leg curl ✓ 164
Scapular retraction ✓ ✓ 92
Seated calf heel raise ✓ 178
Seated leg curl ✓ 166
Seated row ✓ ✓ ✓ 64
Side-cable lift ✓ 145
Single-leg curl ✓ 167
Straight-arm pull-down ✓ ✓ ✓ 71
Triceps push-down ✓ 98
Dumbbell strength
Dumbbell bench press ✓ ✓ ✓ 55
Dumbbell curl ✓ 96
Dumbbell pec fly ✓ ✓ 59
Dumbbell pullover ✓ ✓ 70
Dumbbell row ✓ ✓ ✓ 66
Dumbbell squat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 156
Dumbbell triceps kickback ✓ 111
Front raise ✓ ✓ 81
Isolated dumbbell curl ✓ 102
Lateral raise ✓ ✓ 82
Lunge ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 158
Overhead triceps extension ✓ 112
(continued)
vii
Exercise Finder (continued)
Glutes and hips
Hamstrings
Lower legs
Shoulders
Quads
Chest
Traps
Arms
Back
Core
Dumbbell strength (continued)
Rear deltoid fly ✓ ✓ 83
Shoulder press ✓ ✓ 78
Side bend ✓ 125
Single-arm bench press ✓ ✓ ✓ 56
Supine triceps extension ✓ 107
Unstable bench press ✓ ✓ ✓ 57
Wrist curl ✓ 100
Barbell strength
Barbell shoulder press ✓ ✓ 80
Bench press ✓ ✓ ✓ 52
Bent-over barbell row ✓ ✓ ✓ 72
Close-grip bench press ✓ ✓ ✓ 110
Front squat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 154
Incline bench press ✓ ✓ ✓ 54
Preacher curl ✓ 105
Reverse-grip barbell curl ✓ 106
Romanian deadlift ✓ ✓ ✓ 128
Shoulder shrug ✓ 88
Single-leg squat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 155
Squat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 152
Straight bar curl ✓ 103
Supine triceps extension ✓ 107
Upright row ✓ ✓ 90
Wrist curl ✓ 100
Body-weight strength
Bench dip ✓ ✓ ✓ 109
Chin-up ✓ ✓ ✓ 68
Crunch ✓ 120
Dip ✓ ✓ ✓ 108
Elbow to hand plank lift ✓ ✓ ✓ 131
Fire hydrant and rotational fire
✓ ✓ 129
hydrant
viii
Glutes and hips
Hamstrings
Lower legs
Shoulders
Quads
Chest
Traps
Arms
Back
Core
Body-weight strength (continued)
Heel raise ✓ 174
Lateral plank raise ✓ ✓ ✓ 132
Plank ✓ ✓ ✓ 130
Pelvic raise ✓ 126
Reverse crunch ✓ 127
Single-leg heel raise ✓ 177
Single-leg squat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 155
Squat heel raise 179
Stability ball leg curl ✓ ✓ ✓ 169
Step-up ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 142
Superman ✓ ✓ ✓ 133
Twisting crunch ✓ 124
Walking lunge ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 159
Resistance tubing, partner, and other methods
Ankle inversion and eversion ✓ 181
Axe chop ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 135
Scarecrow row ✓ ✓ ✓ 91
Standing rotational twist ✓ ✓ 134
Toe pull ✓ 180
Wrist roller ✓ 114
ix
Acknowledgments
T o make a list of all those who have impacted my life and contributed to
my learning would be a futile effort, and some people would inevitably be
unintentionally left out. Rather, I would like to acknowledge all of the students
I have had the pleasure of teaching, all of the athletes I have had the joy of
coaching, and the clients I have had the opportunity to train. Without you and
your hard work, this book would never have materialized, as your enthusi-
asm motivated me to find a better way. I would also like to thank the schools
I have learned from and taught at. Knowledge is simply a vehicle—without
fuel, it won’t work. You have taught me how to turn water into gasoline, and
I am forever indebted.
I would also like to thank all of the teams, media production companies,
equipment manufacturers, magazines, certification organizations, and spon-
sors for inviting me in to join in your triumphs and allowing me to learn and
grow with the diverse and constantly changing fields of health, fitness, and
sports performance. I wish to separately express my sincere gratitude to the
world’s largest sports and fitness weekend event co-founders, Jim Lorimer
and its namesake Arnold Schwarzenegger and their family that is collectively
known as The Arnold Sports Festival, for bringing fitness to the world and
believing in my ability to lead your educational efforts.
And lastly, on behalf of my brother, Mike, and sister, Lori, I want to thank
our parents, Joyce and Steve, for their incredible support and never-ending
patience with everything we have tried to do.
x
Key to muscles
Deltoid
Pectoralis major
Biceps brachii
Rectus abdominis
Brachialis
External oblique
Brachioradialis
Finger flexors
Tensor fasciae latae

Adductor longus
Gracilis
Sartorius
Rectus femoris
Vastus lateralis Quadriceps
Vastus medialis
Tibialis anterior
E4797/Sandler/fig f1.a/360439/pulled
(continued)
xi
Key to Muscles (continued)
Trapezius
Infraspinatus
Teres major
Triceps brachii
Latissimus dorsi
Finger extensors
Gluteus maximus
Semitendinosus
Biceps femoris Hamstrings
Semimembranosus
Gastrocnemius
Soleus
E4797/Sandler/fig f1.b/360440/pulled
xii
chapter
1
Introduction to
Weight Training
G ood, you’ve decided to begin a weight training program. You’ve made the
right move by choosing to do it properly. When exercises are performed
correctly, resistance training can have terrific results, such as increasing
strength, power, and muscular endurance; improving balance and coordina-
tion; and decreasing body fat. When poor technique is used, however, or no
attention is paid to proper form, resistance training can lead to injury.
For most people, exercise presents many challenges, and adding a weight
training program makes the task even harder. You’ve already completed the
first step by picking up this book—you’ve chosen to get started! So now it
is time to take control of your body and get in shape, not only to look and
feel good but also to be able to perform both normal daily tasks and athletic
movements.
Embrace weights and they will reward you far more than any other form
of exercise can. Increase muscle density, and you will burn more calories.
Increase muscle appearance, and you will feel better about yourself. Increase
muscle size and endurance, and just about everything you do, such as walk-
ing up a flight of stairs, will feel easier. It is a win–win situation when weight
training is part of your life.
Weight Training Basics

Much of the lore surrounding weight training is based on modern principles
from bodybuilding; early weight training dates back thousands of years, when
humans were not only performing feats of strength but also training for them.
However, it is only in the last two decades that we have come to realize that
weight training can promote health and well-being. Because of its long and
varied history, if you try to search for a single definition of weight training,
you will find many. If you try to search for a single philosophy of weight train-
ing, you will find many. And if you try to search for a single program that can
match your needs, well, good luck, because you will find thousands!
Additionally, a number of common myths surround weight training, includ-
ing that it is dangerous, reduces flexibility, and can stunt growth. However,
research has proven time and again not only that those statements are false
1
but also that the opposite may be true. In fact, weight training is one of the
safest forms of physical activity, having a much lower injury rate than other
common recreational activities like basketball, tennis, golf, or running. As
long as you follow some simple guidelines, your weight training experience
can be injury free.
Moreover, weight training can help prevent injuries that can be caused by
other sports and activities. Whether you are playing a sport or walking on
an icy street, injuries can occur at any time. Stronger bones, muscles, joints,
and connective tissue will make you more resistant to the acute injuries that
occur during falls or during collisions with opponents, but the real benefits
of weight training come in the prevention of the chronic shoulder, knee, and
back pain that can make everyday life more difficult.
Muscle imbalances resulting from undertraining or overuse appear to
be a common cause of injury. Most sports and many of our daily activities
force us into a position where one side of the body is used more than the
other, leading to muscle imbalances. Muscle imbalances cause the body to
move incorrectly, resulting in excessive strain on some muscles and joints.
Some studies have noted that a muscle imbalance of greater than 10 percent
between the right and left sides of the body increases the risk of injury by
20 times. Training the right and left sides separately using resistance tubing,
dumbbells, and unilateral machines, which allow for each limb to move
individually, can correct many of these imbalances and decrease your risk
of developing chronic injuries and aches. But in general, a full-body weight
training program will certainly reduce your risk of injury.
Since many people assume weight training “bulks you up,” it is often
neglected, misunderstood, and when finally applied, done incorrectly. Weight
training alone will not increase muscle size significantly (known as hypertro-
phy) unless you are on a program that applies specific techniques and prin-
ciples for building muscle. This is good news for those looking to use weight
training for health reasons but who do not wish to bulk up. Weight training
can be used to improve muscular endurance, which tends to produce a more
slender look and provide more regularly usable strength for everyday tasks,
such as walking or yard work. If you are interested in improving your sport
performance, weight training can improve strength and power, giving you
that added edge over your opponents. In any case, everyone should engage
in physical activity that includes a weight training program. But again, to see
these specific results, your program must be designed to match your goals.
To understand the value of weight training, it is necessary to understand
how the body works. The human body is more complex than any machine
ever built, and it may be impossible to understand it completely. Over the
past 100 years, research has unveiled some pretty cool stuff about the overall
benefits of weight training, and we have come to better understand why our
bodies increase in size, strength, and power when using external loads for
resistance.
We know that when we weight train, we place a stress on the specific muscle
being used, which causes microdamage to the muscle’s internal structures
2 Fundamental Weight Training

The Anti-Aging Remedy
There is a relationship between muscle size and strength and car-
diovascular health and energy levels. This does not mean that you
need to develop huge muscles to become strong or have a marathon
runner’s heart—even small increases in muscle size will dramatically
increase strength. As one ages there is a steady decline in muscle
mass and strength, which leads to chronic aches and pain, difficulty
performing daily activities, and a loss of independence and quality
of life. This deterioration in performance can start as early as age 30
and increases every year. We now know through research and prac-
tice that a moderately intense full-body strength training program
performed two or three times per week can delay and even reverse
the physical signs of aging. And even better news: It’s never too late
to start a weight training program. Muscle mass and strength can
increase in people well into their 80s. There are many retired people
who after taking up strength training are physically stronger and
more fit than they were in their youth.
(e.g., the protein filaments myosin, actin, troponin, and tropomyosin). With
adequate rest and nutrition, the damage is not only repaired to withstand
the same stress but also fortified to battle even greater stresses. This was
scientifically proven in the early 1920s when a physician by the name of Hans
Selye discovered that all living tissue undergoes a general adaptation process
whereby after infection or stress, the cellular activity increases, forming bar-
riers and strengthening surrounding tissue so that it will be able to handle
future stress. Whether scientifically understood at the time or not, the prin-
ciple was applied to training as far back as mid-500 BC by Milo of Crotona, a
farmer who lifted a calf every day while it grew to become a full-grown cow.
It is considered the first application of one of our founding exercise principles
(see the section “Gradual Progressive Overload”).
In the past few years, we have gained more insight into the tiny details of
muscle physiology and have begun to combine laboratory animal research
with human practical applications. We have found that muscle responds
similarly in everyone, male or female, young or old, and that differences in
results between persons are likely due to the type of training applied. Initially,
much of the debate over size and strength gains focused on genetics; it is
now understood that the specific nature of the training protocol is the most
important factor.
This new information bodes well for all of you who label yourselves “hard
gainers.” No matter when you begin your weight training program, you can
expect to see remarkable results over time with the right training program.
Introduction to Weight Training 3

Train hard, train properly, and you will see favorable results. The key is to
decide what results you would like to achieve and then set out on your journey
so that your destination matches your goals.
To get the specific results you want, you also need a plan and a commit-
ment to working out. Many infomercials would have you believe that you
can see results by working out for as little as a few minutes a couple of times
per week, but it is not that easy. No you do not have to become an exercise
addict. Neither do you have to make complete life-altering changes. But you
do have to make a point of hitting the gym a few times a week for at least 30
minutes. Ideally, though, your workouts will be 60 to 75 minutes, including
your warm-up and cool-down. Although you can get results with less, the
best way to achieve success is to do it right. There really is no fast track, but
there is a smart track that ensures success in the long run.
The amount of exercise needed to produce results is a hotly debated topic.
One of the key ingredients in your exercise prescription is figuring out the
right amount so that your body can recover, rebuild, and prepare for the
next workout.
Weight Training Principles

If you are to derive any real benefits from training, you need to understand
the underlying principles of weight training. These principles provide guid-
ance and a foundation for any well-designed training program.
Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type (FITT)

FITT is the guiding principle by which all exercise programs are created.
The variables of frequency, intensity, time, and type refer to the number
of times you exercise, how many times you perform specific exercises, the
length of the workout, and which exercises you perform. When developing
your exercise program, almost everything you do within the program itself
and during your day and week as a whole will have an effect on the outcome
of your training program. If you exercise too frequently, you will not make
the proper gains and may succumb to overtraining, a physiological term for
your body’s inability to recover properly. And if you work out too few times,
you likely will not see any results from your efforts because your body hasn’t
been stressed enough to adapt.
On average, the weight training portion of your workout should last no
more than one hour, and you should choose 10 to 12 exercises per workout.
Training three times a week is ideal; however, any number of times a week
is better than no times a week. Although a more advanced lifter may train
four or five times a week, it is important to respect your body’s ability to
recover. Take at least 24 and preferably 48 hours of rest between workouts
training the same body areas. As you will see in the exercise chapters, you
can use a variety of equipment for resistance, including dumbbells, plate
weight barbells, machines, resistance tubing, and even your own body
weight.

Gradual Progressive Overload
Gradual progressive overload (GPO) follows two individual principles: over-
load and progression. The overload principle states that the body must receive
a stimulus greater than it is used to in order to gain any major benefits. That
doesn’t mean the body will not benefit from using a lesser stimulus; however,
greater adaptation takes place when the stress is larger than normal. Overload
can be in the form of increasing the resistance (or intensity level), duration
(length of time) of activity, frequency of activity, and type of activity, or a
combination of any of these variables.
Now wait a moment. Don’t just rush off to the gym, load up the bar with a
ton of weight, and try to lift it. Remember, your body isn’t prepared to handle
a lot of weight, especially if you are a beginner. The principle of progression
says to start gradually and add a little to each workout. That means either
increasing the weight used by a small amount, usually 5 to 10 pounds (2.5
to 5 kg), or trying to perform a few more reps (with perfect form, of course).
The most common reason for injury is progressing too fast, so before you
make any increase in your workout, be sure that you have truly mastered the
previous weight and are really ready to move on. The decision to increase
either weight or reps depends on your desired outcome.
Individuality and Specificity

Okay, so you’re ready now. Or are you? Let’s say you want to go exercise with
your buddy. Is your friend the same age, height, weight, and build as you? If
not, then you must realize that there will be some differences in how much
weight you use, how you perform the exercises, and the benefits you each
receive. This difference is known as individuality.
The principle of individuality simply recognizes that everyone is different
and that exercise programs should be designed with these differences in mind.
Before you begin to exercise, you need to understand that everyone has differ-
ent physical attributes, abilities, interests, motivations, and improvement rates.
All of these factors should be considered when developing a training routine.
In addition to individualizing your workouts, you need to choose equip-
ment and techniques that will help you achieve the results you want. This is
called the specificity principle. Your body will respond and make improve-
ments that are specific to the type of stimulus placed on it. In other words,
to see specific results, you must target the muscle you want to develop or
the sport-specific skill you want to improve.
The body is an amazing piece of machinery, and it responds to how it is
treated. Individual muscles or groups of muscles adapt specifically to the type
of training done. For example, if you want to increase the size of your biceps
muscle, you should do arm curls. Although this sounds like common sense, it
is often not practiced in the weight room. If you walk into the typical weight
room, you will see people doing all kinds of crazy things, many of which do
not follow the principle of specificity. If you can’t see a direct benefit from an
exercise, then there probably isn’t one.
Introduction to Weight Training 5

Although the recommended exercise prescription is one to three sets of
8 to 12 reps of a variety of exercises covering all your muscle groups, spe-
cific individual goals need to be considered. If one set program worked for
everyone, we would all be doing it and there would be no need for different
training programs. In chapter 16 you will find programs for specific goals,
but those too may need tweaking to fit your exact needs.
Adaptation
You have a great chance right now to help yourself for the rest of your life.
Because your body will adapt to the weight training you do, you can obtain
several benefits. Resistance training offers lifelong benefits. You can expect
improvement in muscle strength and endurance, increases in muscle size,
stronger bones, and improvement in your overall appearance and feeling of
well-being. Lifting weights will even help you burn more fat. Your body will
make these specific adaptations in response to your properly progressed
weight training routine. Adaptation is also the reason why people gain weight
and lose strength and flexibility when they do nothing.
When you weight train, the adaptation your body undergoes is directly due
to the application of the FITT principle and the specific nature of how you
apply it. This concept is often called SAID (specific adaptation to imposed
demand). Your body will improve only in the areas that you try to develop.
So if your program does not address all of your body parts at least some time
within your workout week, only the parts you train will show results. If you
have ever seen guys with large upper bodies walking around on what appear
to be popsicle stick legs, you can see that they missed a few exercises, and
so their legs don’t show any adaptation or improvement.
Recovery
One of the most important exercise concepts is often the most overlooked and
underplanned. Your body will need a break, but only if you work out hard. For
those who work out here and there, trying to hit a workout in between several
off days, this doesn’t apply to you. But for those knocking it out of the park
every time, you will need some rest. Your ability to do the next set is a func-
tion of how hard you work on the set before and how you want your body to
adapt. If you are looking for endurance, you want short breaks, but if you are
looking for strength, your rest between sets should be considerably longer.
Beyond the sets is the entire workout. How much time you need to recover
is again a function of the intensity you work at and the overall volume. The
greater the work, the longer the rest you will need. The 24 to 48 rule is more a
generalization as it has been known to take super heavy lifters 96 hours to a full
week to recover from an intense training session. The exact amount of rest is
still unknown; however, a few symptoms can tell you whether you should have
taken a break sooner. The telltale signs that recovery is not working for you are
much like those of being sick: weakness, tightness, general uneasiness, increased
heart rate, shortness of breath, and inability to focus and function as normal. In
other words, if the quality of your workouts is decreasing, you are not recovering.

chapter
2
Weight Room
Language and
Protocol
N o doubt your first time in a gym may be a bit overwhelming. Even sea-
soned gym goers get that uncomfortable feeling when something new
is introduced. You probably have questions such as “What do I wear?” and
“Where do I go?” and you may wonder if people will be staring at you and
thinking you look out of place. Chances are good that you will feel like the
new student at a school. Don’t worry. We have all been there. Most people
are not even paying attention if they are serious about their own training.
Someone who’s staring is either a trainer looking to pull you in as a client or
a person wasting time and probably no one you need to worry about. Start-
ing a weight training program at a gym is intimidating and is the number one
reason why people don’t work out! This chapter arms you with the basics so
you understand what to wear, what to say, and most important how to act so
that you are not easily identified as a newbie.
Learning the language of the gym can also help you feel more comfort-
able and allow you to communicate clearly. Much of the terminology used
by weightlifters has developed from the anger, frustration, happiness, and
success people have experienced in the gym. Some terms are part of the
basic language of exercise. Many describe particular techniques or strate-
gies. Others are simply words lifters use to describe how they feel when they
lift weights. Learning this language, like any, can be difficult because new
words are added daily, exercise names are modified, and the language isn’t
the same everywhere. But no matter how you say it, as long as you under-
stand the essentials, you will get by fine whether at home in your local gym
or when traveling.
Clothing and Accessories

The great thing about weight training is that you don’t need to rush off to the
store to buy new clothes the way you would for some other sports. Except
for a few guidelines, pretty much anything goes. Wear loose, comfortable
clothing to permit easy movement, allow full range of motion, and increase
7
overall comfort. A good pair of shoes will absorb pressure at the ankles,
knees, and lower back during leg work and standing exercises. If you wear
jewelry, make sure it cannot get caught in any moving parts of the machines
you use, or better yet, just leave it at home. Rings, in particular, can pinch
fingers, possibly causing blisters.
A pair of gloves that fit well will prevent the development of calluses. Gloves
serve no other functional purpose in weight training. Not wearing gloves will
force your hands to toughen up against the bar’s knurly surface. So the deci-
sion to wear them or not is a matter of personal preference.
Avoid using wrist straps, knee wraps, and belts. These devices tend to
prevent strengthening of the wrists, knees, and trunk. When extra support
is given to weak joint areas, those areas do not develop the strength they
need. Such crutches are needed only when you have an injury; otherwise you
will not benefit from their use. True, the initial few workouts will potentially
make your wrists and knees sore, but this will also be the time when you
strengthen them to withstand further stresses.
Quite interesting and generally unknown is that a belt serves as a wall
for the abdominal muscles—not your back muscles—to press against. This
raises the pressure in your trunk and forces your lower back to stabilize.
Although weak abdominals is the reason most often cited for using belts,
the longer you use a belt, the longer it will take to strengthen your back and
abdominals. Having said that, it is advisable to use a belt when lifting very
heavy weights to ensure that you have enough support, but for routines using
light to moderate weights, a belt is not necessary.
Wearing the right clothes and shoes will get you started on the right track,
and the rest of this chapter will finish preparing you for other characteristics
of gym culture. However, don’t forget that before you hoist that first barbell,
you will need to prepare your body for action. In chapter 4, you will learn
about warming up, cooling down, and stretching. All three elements are vital
to a good exercise program.
Gym Etiquette
Understanding the unwritten rules of the gym will help you know what to
do and what not to do and will make you a favorite of the staff and other
gym members. Plus, you will feel more comfortable when you begin training
because you will reduce the number of unfriendly interactions. The following
rules will help you navigate the gym floor as if you’ve been lifting for years.
•• Avoid walking in front of anyone who is completing a set. No matter
how tempting it may be, never do this. It is very distracting to the
person lifting. Walk behind the person, or wait until the set is over. Yes,
the person lifting may be standing right in front of the rack of weights
(and he shouldn’t be standing there—see the next rule), but you, being
the well-mannered gym patron that you are, will wait your turn.
•• Provide plenty of space. You are not the only person in the gym. If
you are standing in front of the entire dumbbell rack, step back, move

to the side, or take your dumbbells to another area. Let others have
access to the equipment. Don’t crowd an area, either. Make sure to give
people a little extra personal space, both for safety and for comfort.
•• Look before you leap. As this old saying goes, you need to think about
your next move. Remember, safety is first and foremost. Before you
pick up a bar and start walking, take a look around. Almost all gym
accidents happen because people just don’t pay attention to their
surroundings.
•• Clean up the equipment. C’mon, nobody else wants your germs or
needs to bathe in your sweat. Do your part by keeping your bench
clean. Most gyms offer a towel and have cleaners available if you make
a mess, but if not, at least bring your own towel.
•• Share and be polite. “Can I jump in?” is a common question heard in
gyms. If you can’t let someone else use the equipment in between your
sets, chances are you are not lifting hard enough. You need a rest, they
need to lift; this seems like an obvious compromise.
•• Spot rather than stare. It is easy to stand around and watch someone
squirming about on a bench. Don’t wonder what is going on, either help
or move on. Yes, some people do some strange things. Some are cor-
rect, and some are not, but keep in mind what comes around, goes
around. You wouldn’t want to be the freak show everyone else was
looking at, would you?
•• Rack your weights. If everyone did this, the gym would be clean and
you wouldn’t spend 10 minutes looking for another 5-pound (2.5 kg)
plate. Treat a gym like your own home; picking up after yourself makes
it better for the next person. And for those of you who lift super heavy,
take the time to unload the leg press. Besides, if you are that strong, it
should be a piece of cake for you.
Basic Weight Program Language

To get the most out of your workout, you need to understand the basic lan-
guage of lifting weights. Like any activity, knowing the basic terminology will
help you plan your workout better and reach your goals sooner.
Reps and Sets

The repetition—the execution of a movement in both directions—is the foun-
dation for improvement and the basis for each exercise. A single repetition
(rep for short) consists of an eccentric contraction (the negative portion of
a movement in most cases) in which the muscle lengthens and a concentric
contraction (the positive portion of the movement) in which the muscle
shortens. For example, with a simple dumbbell curl for the biceps, flexing
your arm while pulling the weight up toward your shoulder from your waist
is the concentric action, while lowering the weight back down (opening up
your arm) is the eccentric action.
Weight Room Language and Protocol 9

Performing repetitions in succession without a break between them is
considered a set of repetitions. However, what truly defines a set is the break
taken between each grouping of consecutive repetitions. A set may be pro-
longed with a momentary pause that may last even a few seconds to catch
your breath, helping you get a few more reps, but the full set is the point when
the weight is finally put down. That break, or rest period, indicates the set
has ended. Rep and set notation is written as X sets of Y reps. For example,
three of 10 means three sets of 10 repetitions.
Before you begin to exercise, however, you need to understand that
the manner in which you perform reps will have an impact on how your
muscle develops. Probably the single most important thing to remember
is that every rep needs to be done properly. For success, you must strive
to execute the perfect rep on each and every attempt. This prevents you
from developing bad lifting habits, reduces your chances of injury, and
improves your chances of developing quality musculature. This most basic
concept will come back to haunt you if you are not careful. Once you have
perfected your technique, it is important to understand how a simple change
in how much or how often you lift can make a huge difference in your rate
of achieving your goals.
Load and Resistance

Load and resistance are the scientific terms to describe an externally applied
force that the body must overcome. The term weights has been used as the
catchall term for all resistance and is often confused since there are so many
ways to create resistance to challenge the body. Thus the term resistance
training is more accurate than weight training in that it refers to any and all
external ways of creating a load for the body to lift. The term load itself is
more accurate as it refers directly to the work required to perform a task.
Furthermore, the word lifting as part of weightlifting is also a bit of a misno-
mer in that, unless you are referring specifically to an external weight that
moves against gravity, not all exercises require lifting. Some are pushes,
and some are pulls. If this all sounds a bit complicated, don’t worry; in the
exercise chapters you will see how many different ways an external load can
be applied. Many programs in today’s training routines use medicine balls,
resistance tubing, and your own body weight in addition to the plate-loaded
barbells, dumbbells, and fancy resistance machines.
Rest
We all know what rest is, so to include it in this list of terms may seem
unnecessary. However, rest is essential for building an effective program,
determining the amount of resistance you need, and seeing your hard work
pay off through proper recovery. Chapter 15 further discusses the impor-
tance of rest, but for now, know that when you need to rest helps determine
if you’re working at the proper intensity. If you don’t need a rest between
your three sets of 12-rep exercises, then you are not working hard enough.

Rest is crucial between sets for recovery to go on to the next set, and simply
by manipulating a few seconds here and there, you can completely change
your workout.
Volume
Another important concept is how much work you are going to do per set,
per exercise, and per workout. The total amount of work you perform can
actually be measured, and it is kind of neat to see how much you really lift.
It is not uncommon for the average male to lift the equivalent of the amount
of furniture in an entire house during a workout! You can calculate volume
using the following equation:
weight × reps × sets = volume
You simply multiply the weight lifted by the number of reps by the number
of sets. For example, someone who uses 100 pounds (45 kg) for a bench press
exercise for three sets of 10 reps lifts 3,000 pounds (1,350 kg) of weight (100 ×
10 × 3). Volume is a relative piece of information, though. Coaches use total
volume for developing specific programs as well as helping with tapering
(the gradual reduction of total volume in a workout to help with recovery)
for competition. But for the average person, volume is a cool number that
gives you an idea of how much total work you did in a training session. Since
volume really depends on the person and the type of exercise and rest peri-
ods that are chosen, it is a difficult tool to use at first. In general, the greater
the volume in a particular program, the faster you will see results, assuming
your body can recover effectively. If your body cannot recover, then your
volume is too high.
Lifting and Training

Terminology
When you walk in to a gym or fitness facility for the first time, you should be
familiar with some general terms, as no doubt an aggressive salesperson or
trainer will tackle you with terms that will make you feel as if you missed a
whole developmental stage of your life. Knowing what you are doing is half
the battle. Understanding some general lifting and training terminology will
help you understand what people are saying, will help you feel more comfort-
able when working out, and of course, will prevent you from looking as if you
have never been in a gym.
•• Abduction refers to moving a limb away from the midline of the body.
For example, if your arm is down at your side and you move it out and
up to shoulder height (so your armpit makes a 90-degree angle), your
arm is now abducted.
•• Adduction refers to moving a limb toward the midline of the body. For
example, if your arm is up at shoulder height (your armpit makes a

90-degree angle) in the abducted position and you bring it back down
toward your side, you are adducting it.
•• Alternative resistance devices are any type of external way to pro-
duce resistance that is unconventional from that of a machine or free
weights, such as specialized tubing, medicine balls, stability balls, and
other objects.
•• Concentration exercises are specific single-joint exercises that isolate
a particular muscle. Most commonly, the biceps, triceps, hamstrings,
and quadriceps have variations of their normal movements that call for
specific isolation.
•• Extension is the act of increasing the joint angle. For example, if you
are sitting and you lift a leg straight out in front, you are extending the
knee.
•• Flexion is the opposite of extension. This is a confusing term because
we use the word flex to describe “making a muscle,” as in flexing the
biceps. The anatomical term and gym jargon are slightly different. Ana-
tomically, flexion is decreasing the joint angle. The gym term probably
arose from the fact that you flex your arm (make the joint angle smaller)
to make your biceps bulge (flex the muscle).
•• Group training is any training session that has more than one partici-
pant. Gone are the days of the original aerobics classes. Today’s classes
incorporate tubing, balls, dumbbells, bicycles, and other devices. Also,
personal training has developed from the standard one-on-one session
to small groups (similar to that of an athletic program at a high school or
college) to ease individual budgets while increasing trainer’s hourly rate.
•• Free weight is the catchall term for anything that is not a machine.
Dumbbells, barbells, and plates are free weights. Generally, free weight
plates are added to bars to increase the total resistance, but some
machines also allow for additional weight to be added. Don’t let the
name fool you, though; they are certainly not free when it comes to the
price. Although inexpensive plates and bars are available at a variety
of sporting goods stores, high-quality equipment is expensive. In fact,
rubber-coated special plates and those used by Olympic and high-level
athletes can cost more than $5 per pound (per .5 kg). The bars them-
selves can run more than $1,200 each.
•• Isolateral is a fancy term that means each arm or leg moves individu-
ally. Iso stands for isolation, and lateral refers to either side.
•• Locking out refers to completing the entire repetition and finishing with
the joint or joints fully extended. Although some people are against
locking out, if done gently, you increase your total range of motion,
increasing the overall length and shape of your muscle. You should
never “snap” into place, but a soft lock is definitely recommended.
•• Machines are anything that either has preloaded weight or can add
external weight while maintaining a specific line of movement for

control and stabilization. Machines that move in a set path provide
greater stabilization and focus more on isolating specific muscles.
Some companies believe that this specific line is too strict and have
created machines that work along multiple paths, forcing other mus-
cles to get involved as well as creating greater variation for the lifter.
The multiple paths approach attempts to make a machine more like a
free weight. Some machines work well this way while others do not,
making the machine more cumbersome and the movement more dif-
ficult to perform. Since both isolation of muscle and incorporating mul-
tiple muscles are desired, a training program should use both fixed
machines and those with adjustable settings. Machines that use pul-
leys and cables allow for greater range of motion, which in turn allows
the lifter to create many different exercises using the same machine.
However, with a cable you need better technique and control; thus the
true beginner should focus on machines with a set path of motion.
•• Multijoint (or compound) exercises involve more than one joint and
are oriented more toward sport and real-life movement since they are
not isolated. For example, a lat pull-down involves the same muscles
of the elbow as the dumbbell curl as well as the muscles that cross the
shoulder joint. Multijoint exercises are the preferred choice when time
is limited or when looking for a movement-based approach rather than
isolation.
•• Personal trainer, facility manager, group fitness manager, and floor
staff are all fancy terms given to gym staff members. True personal
trainers have certifications or college-level education in exercise sci-
ence and training. They can be a great source of information when you
are looking for help, a few ideas, or full-scale training services to push
yourself beyond your own means. However, be careful when joining
large-chain gyms that have all kinds of fees and offer many services
in an expensive building with high-end equipment. Many of the staff
are merely pawns of the sales game looking to sell you anything they
can. Although this is not true of all facilities, be wary, be armed, and
understand what you are getting into. Take your time, and pick a train-
ing center where you feel most comfortable.
•• Plate-loading machines are ones where you have to put the weight on
yourself. Generally, there will be a bar or pole to place plates on, and
you select your load by increasing the number of plates you add.
•• Single-joint (or isolation) exercises focus on the muscles of a single
joint. A dumbbell curl involving the muscles surrounding the single
elbow joint is the best example. These exercises are best for working
specific hard-to-grow muscles or to specifically isolate a particular
muscle.
•• 21s are just one of many ways to add variety to your training routine.
The number refers to the total number of reps. Specifically, you perform
7 reps of half of the movement, 7 of the other half of the movement, and

7 of the complete movement one after another. This approach is gener-
ally used when doing arm curls but can be used for any part of the body.
•• Weight stack, adjustable, and pin-loading machines are common
machines that have a preset weight stack, and you select the actual
load you are looking to lift. The pin is a tool that helps you select the
appropriate weight by placing it in the stack at the weight level you
desire; it is easily adjustable if the weight is too light or too heavy.
Gym Jargon
Once you are a regular at the gym, you may hear many words that sound
as if they are related to training, but the exact meaning may be unclear if
you’re new to weight training. Welcome to gym jargon, a language started
mostly by pumped-up behemoth bodybuilders and powerlifters that is now
common in most gyms. Like any language, at first it seems awkward, but
many of the terms are descriptive, and since the true science behind weight
training came long after people started doing it, little thought went into the
creation of new words. The list of terms that follows will give you a good
introduction to the jargon you’re likely to hear in the gym. When you have
a clear understanding of gym jargon, you should have no trouble standing
up to the 300-pound, 6-foot-5 (135 kg, 195 cm) monster and asking for a spot
or politely telling him to rack his weights. Then flex your tiny pistols and get
back to work on making the perfect peak.
•• Arnold is the man who fashioned the art of building muscle and brought
it to the popularity it is today. He stands alone as the only person in the
world of muscle who needs no last name—besides it is hard to spell. If
you’re still not sure who this is, you may know him better as Governor
Schwarzenegger.
•• Cannons (also known as guns, wings, bazookas, and jacks) describe the
upper arms. Generally, the larger the arm circumference, the greater
the size of your gun. Wings means that the size of your arms is birdlike.
Why that has anything to do with lifting, I’m not sure. Similarly, the
origin of the term jacks is unclear, but it could be from the fact that a
jack is used to lift something, and you lift with your arms. Gym jargon
can be confusing, even irrational at times, but you will end up using
these terms in time—everyone does.
•• Cheat reps are a way to complete a repetition without help from a spot-
ter but with help from other muscles. Usually, a cheat is in the form
of a bounce or momentum used to get over the sticking point. These
can be ugly and very dangerous to both the lifter and those around
him. Notice I said him; women rarely use cheat reps, preferring to focus
more on precision.
•• Crush it is used as hyperbole to create aggression and inspiration to
make one lift harder and stronger. It means to crush the set or rep,

not the weight itself (that would be nearly impossible). You may hear a
training partner, coach, or spotter yell, “Crush it!”
•• Cut (and chiseled, shredded, sliced, and diced) refers to a person’s over-
all percentage of body fat. Those with superior skills at dieting and
perfectly trimming their fat to make their muscles pop are considered
to be among the very few that receive these super terms. In the body-
building world, you generally need to have a body fat of less than 6
percent if you truly want to be considered chiseled. In fact since this is
such a difficult level to achieve (and certainly not something I suggest
you attempt), we further use terms such as “cut like glass”—something
difficult to do and very precise. Those lean enough are considered to
have paper-thin skin, so nearly every vein in the body is visible. What
this really means is that their subcutaneous fat is almost nonexistent.
•• Cuts, lines, and hardness are also terms for being lean but generally
refer to the specific quality of a muscle and its shape. You may have
nice lines or hardness in one area but are still not shredded enough to
be considered super lean.
•• Help is a word you seldom like to hear in a gym since it means you
may be in trouble. It is especially bad to hear when you are pinned
underneath a bar during a heavy lift. It is also a way to describe forced
reps, generally to refer to a set that was completed with a little extra
influence from the spotter. Keep in mind that forced reps, a method of
training to get an extra couple reps in your set, is a form of help. Requir-
ing a spotter to provide a little extra help to complete the set is a good
thing. Requiring a group of people or a forklift to lift the entire pile of
weight off you is not.
•• It’s all you is a good way to tell your training partner that he is lifting
all the weight himself, and you are there only if a true spot is needed.
Although in some cases this acts as a nice motivator, often it results in
the spotters getting much bigger forearms and trapezius muscles as
they tend to be lifting quite a bit more than needed, making it all them!
A spot is designed to help a lifter continue and complete a set not so the
spotter gets a workout. It is common to see many guys trying to lift very
heavy weight in the gym, while often their partners are doing quite a bit
of the work. If this is the case, you are lifting too much weight. In other
words, if your training partner is developing pulling muscles (such as
traps when lifting upward) faster than you are developing your push
muscles (as in a bench press), then you need to cut back on the weight.
•• Master Blaster is the name given to pioneer fitness magazine legend Joe
Weider, who began writing and training before most of you were even
born. The term is often given to others to describe their talent as the
king of a domain.
•• Peak usually refers to the fully flexed biceps muscle poking out of
your shirt like the apex of a mountain. It can be used to describe

other muscles or the moment in your workout where you reached
your maximal weight or effort.
•• Pins (along with wheels, poles, and dogs) is used to describe the legs.
Pins may be large, as when referring to the legs as bowling pins, which
are more round at the bottom, or small, as when referring to something
like the thinness of a safety pin. Again, if you are confused, so are the
people who started using these terms. Wheels is used to describe the
legs as a whole since like a car’s wheels, they are the parts that roll
you along. The term is often used to describe the training day, as in
“I’m training wheels today.” If your legs are small in relation to the rest
of your body, they may be referred to as toothpicks, chopsticks, poles,
pins, or anything small and thin. Generally if your legs are large, you
may be given the name Quadzilla. People usually use the word dogs in
a sentence referring to a hard-core leg pump: “My dogs are barking.”
•• Pump refers to increasing blood flow to the muscles, which makes them
bulge and, when lean enough, may bring out veins. It is typically used
when a person believes she has gotten a really good workout. Men like
to get a good pump, and that is obvious, but women do as well if they
want their arms or legs to look shapely when wearing a sleeveless top
or a skirt.
•• Squeeze and flex are terms used to create maximal tension in the muscle
to force it to bulge as much as possible. Bodybuilders will squeeze at
the fully flexed position to enhance the feel and get a better pump.
•• Sticking point is the point in an exercise where your leverage is at its
worst possible point. Typically it is midway through a lift but varies
depending on many factors. You always have a sticking point because
of the anatomical makeup of your body and the biomechanical factors
that dictate movement. When the weight is light enough, you will not
notice the sticking point; but as the weight increases, it will be evident,
and you will want to do what you can to overcome it.
•• Sweep is the roundness that a large outer thigh makes sweeping from
the hip down to the knee. Although you want a defined leg, when not
flexing, it should be lean and rounded.
•• Taper and V describe the shape of the upper body as it narrows from the
shoulders to the waist. If you have those pesky love handles, it is unlikely
that you will be considered to have this shape. Although the taper or V
shape is usually used to describe men’s torsos, it also forms the top por-
tion of the hourglass figure often used when describing women.
•• Washboard, cubes in the tray, and six pack specifically refer to the abdom-
inal region and being able to see the individual parts of the entire front
abdominal muscle. Interestingly, there are eight parts of this abdominal
muscle (known as the rectus abdominis), but since most people never
get that lean and a six pack is well known, the term eight pack never
made it except to describe a pack of batteries or hot dog buns.

chapter
3
Types of Resistance
Training
D eciding which exercises to perform in a workout can be a tricky task.

Chapters 5 through 14 present many of the most common exercises for
various parts of the body, and in chapter 15, you will select how to put your
program together and decide which body parts, specific muscles, or move-
ment patterns to focus on. Surprisingly, those decisions may be easier than
deciding what method of resistance training you will use to perform the
exercises you select. Since there are many ways to perform the same exer-
cise, the choice is truly yours because no one method is better than another.
The principle of individuality as described in chapter 1 says that no two
persons are the same, and thus you will find that some exercises feel and
work better for you than others. In some cases, you will find an exercise
uncomfortable or just not enjoyable. Fortunately, since there are so many
ways to get the job done, there is an option that will work for you.
The philosophies about how to approach your workout are as diverse as
the exercise selection. By learning the different resistance methods, you
create more options when it comes to building your program. One specific
exercise may be performed using several forms of resistance, creating many
new exercises of which one should work for you. Additionally, when you tie
in the principles in chapter 1 with methods and types of exercise combina-
tions, you can achieve the look you want and the perfect workout for you. So
whether you work out at home, in your office, or in the gym, there is definitely
a solution to help you achieve your goals. This chapter helps you navigate
the waters of the weight room and choose the right exercises.
Tools
Every occupation or sport has its tools necessary for performance. The world
of weight training also has its shed of handyman resources. And like any great
craft, the larger your shed and the fuller it is, the more options you have. But
before you go filling your toolbox with unnecessary equipment, it is wise to
understand what you really need, especially if you are a beginner. Unfortu-
nately, there are many equipment manufacturers with gimmicky devices that
claim they can do it all for you. Most of these items end up being a clothes
17
Comparing Different Types of Resistance
Type of resistance Pros Cons
Barbell free Develops balance Requires a partner
weight Works stabilizer muscles Requires skill or technique that may
Presents a challenge for most take a long time to learn
Does not isolate muscles
Dumbbell free Is excellent for rehab Requires skill

weight Allows for working out alone May cause lost emphasis of exercise in
Allows for movement in any direction trying to balance the weight and move
evenly
Simulates just about any movement
Isolateral machine Allows for weaker arm or leg to be developed Does not allow for good development
individually of stabilizer muscles
Is excellent for rehab
Isolates muscles
Allows for working out alone
Bilateral machine Is excellent for rehab Does not allow for good development
Isolates muscles of stabilizer muscles
Allows for working out alone May not provide enough of a
challenge for some
Cable-pulley Is excellent for rehab Requires stabilization, increased

machine Allows for working out alone technical skill, and strong core
musculature
Allows for movement in any direction
Isokinetic machine Causes muscles to produce maximal force throughout the Is very expensive and highly
entire range of motion at a specific controlled velocity impractical
Body weight Develops the muscle completely along the entire strength May not provide enough resistance
curve May provide too much resistance in
Is an excellent additional way to help with endurance certain movements
training
Manual resistance Develops the muscle completely along the entire strength Requires two people
curve Does not allow for easy measurement
Can be applied to any of the above or by itself of strength gains
Is probably the best method for training Does not provide a visual of the weight
Requires knowledge of how to
properly apply the resistance
Resistance tubing Are excellent for rehab Do not allow for easy measurement of
and bands Allow for working out alone strength gains
Allow for movement in any plane May not provide enough resistance
Simulate just about any movement Change strength curve over stretch
(starts out easier, gets tougher)
Are excellent for explosive lifting
Do not provide a visual of the weight
Medicine ball Adds variety Is hard to control

Is excellent for increasing range of motion Does not allow for easy measurement
Is excellent for core muscle development and explosive of strength gains
weight training Does not isolate muscles
Kettlebell Is excellent for rehab Requires skill

Allows for working out alone May cause lost emphasis of exercise in
Allows for movement in any direction trying to balance the weight and move
evenly
18
hanger or find a permanent home under your bed. Fortunately, all you need
is your body, perhaps a little resistance tubing or a few dumbbells, and if you
want, a gym membership.
With so many choices, it is often difficult to decide what to do each time
you hit the gym, but that in itself is what makes your program both interesting
and effective. In some cases your choice of equipment is dictated by the gym
itself or your financial position, but most important is how you choose to exer-
cise, not what you exercise with. High-end machines, souped-up treadmills
and bikes, and super-clean lockers do not guarantee better results, although
the latter does make your experience more enjoyable. Instead, what is most
important is knowing what you want to achieve in your training program. In
fact, your most powerful tool is your mind. If you know why you are choos-
ing a particular exercise, if you perform the movement properly, and if you
believe in your actions, good results are inevitable. This means that despite
the shortcomings of your home gym or the plethora of machines at your fit-
ness club, you have to choose which tool is right for the job, and if there isn’t
one, make one that is. If a simple hammer were all that is needed to drive in
a nail, why are there so many different kinds?
Free Weights
Free weights consist of barbells (see figure 3.1), which are long bars, and
dumbbells, which are shorter barbells that are usually intended for use with
one hand. Barbells and dumbbells may have fixed or adjustable weights.
Many gyms have several kinds of barbells, including cambered bars, which
Figure 3.1 Common types of barbells include a straight bar, full bar,
trap bar, and cambered bar.
Types of Resistance Training 19

are bent in the middle to allow for a different hand grip, and trap bars, which
are specifically designed for floor-to-waist lifts (figure 3.1). Trap bars center
the weight over your line of pull instead of out in front. They have a diamond
shape in the middle that the lifter stands in, allowing for a neutral grip (palms
in toward your sides) and for the bar to travel straight up and down. Specially
shaped bars that fit on the ends of pulley machines and allow for different
grips are also available. A full-length gym barbell weighs about 45 pounds
(20 kg). Shorter barbells generally weigh about 20 pounds (9 kg).
In general, bars are knurled (the k is silent), meaning they are textured
rather than smooth to allow for better grip. Olympic-style bars have a deep,
smooth groove that can help you line your hands up properly. Most Olympic
bars have two areas of deep knurling, roughly 32 inches (81 cm) apart from
each other in the middle of the bar. These act as perfect guides for spacing
your hands differently. The decision of where to place your hands is based on
the goal of the exercise, but in general, you want to take a slightly wider than
shoulder-width grip, which for many has their pinkies touching the deep knurl.
Standard non-Olympic-style free bars have 11/8 - inch (3 cm) diameter ends
on which weight plates fit. Olympic free weight bars have sleeves that create
a larger 2-inch (5 cm) diameter end for Olympic plates to fit on. The sleeves
are designed to allow the weight to spin so that as you move the weight
through an arc motion, you create less stress against your wrist. With both
types of free bars, the plates that are added need to be held on with collars
so the plates don’t slide off if you become slightly off balance. The 11/8 - inch
collars come standard, but Olympic bar collars come in a variety of styles.
The most common gym style is the simple lightweight clip-on type that fits
on the end of the bar by squeezing the ends of the collar clip together (see
figure 3.2). Competition-style collars are heavy duty to hold back very heavy
weights, and each weighs 5 pounds (2.5 kg) on its own. Regardless of the
type, collars are a must. Many gym accidents have occurred as a result of
the weights sliding off one side of a bar. Both standard and Olympic plates
range from 1.25 pounds (.5 kg) to 100 pounds (45 kg). In international compe-
tition and Olympic lifting, plates are measured in kilograms and range from
.5 kilograms to 25 kilograms. Plates come in a variety of shapes, with some
having handles, rubber coating, or specific colors.
Unlike bars with adjustable weights, fixed barbells are locked in place and
do not allow the weights to spin, do not need collars, and usually range from
10 pounds (5 kg) to more than 150 pounds (70 kg). Fixed dumbbells also come
in a variety of shapes and can range from 1 pound (.5 kg) to more than 200
pounds (90 kg) each.
Fixed and adjustable benches and racks complement free weights, improv-
ing safety and increasing the variety of exercises that can be performed. Fixed
benches for the bench press and incline bench press are standard in most
training facilities, as are flat and adjustable utility benches that can be moved
around the room. Most benches are 16 to 18 inches (40-45 cm) high, which
fits most people, but if you are shorter or taller you may find some benches
or their positions uncomfortable. If you are uncomfortable, chances are you

Figure 3.2 Many gyms use a simple clip-on type collar clip to hold
weight plates in place.
will not benefit from the exercise. You have two choices: Find a way to fit, or
choose a different exercise. Shorter persons can place large 45-pound plates
(or any thick plate) under their feet, giving them that little extra height. Taller
people, unfortunately, may just need to find a different exercise.
A power rack completes the free weight equipment list and is designed for
doing squats and other heavy-duty lifts. Since the racks come with built-in
supports and safety stops, they can be useful for many other lifts by simply
pulling up an adjustable bench.
The advantages of free weight lifting are that it provides considerable chal-
lenge and develops balance and coordination, making this one of the best
choices for overall strength development. Free weights generally offer more
exercises and can increase range of motion. Additionally, exercises using
dumbbells work arms independently so that essential balance skills can be
developed. The disadvantages of free weight exercises are that several require
a spotter to assist, and if you are a beginner, the added balance challenge
may initially be too great to develop proper lifting technique.
Weight Machines
The past 15 years have seen an explosion in the number of weight machine
manufacturers around the world, and equipment manufacturers have
begun creating a wide array of machines that are very different from the

straight-motion machines developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Although old-school machines did work well, their limited adaptability in both
function (how the exercise is performed) and fit (who can use the machine)
meant that not everybody could use them in their programs. Now because
of the variety available, it is almost impossible to find an argument against
machines.
Machines have become very popular in fitness clubs because they are safe
and require little instruction, allowing the ratio of lifters to supervisors to be
quite high. Machines are designed to help with body position, technique, and
stabilization as they follow a specific movement path. Most are designed for
bilateral movement in that both limbs, either your arms or legs, move together
simultaneously. Most machines are plate loaded or stack loaded. Plate-loaded
machines use the same weight plates as free weight bars, while stack-loaded
machines come with a complete set of weights built in. Generally, plate-loaded
machines allow smaller weight increments as well as heavier loads than most
stack machines but offer similar forms of resistance.
Some machines use pulleys, cam systems, and various cables, while
others just pivot or rotate against the load. Machines are very good at
isolating muscle groups by providing a strict line of pull, making specific
muscle building much easier. But now, many machines offer a cabling system
that allows for a free range of motion, and some require you to stand and
activate your core musculature. Isolateral machines use independent limb
systems that simulate dumbbell movements, allowing you to work one leg
or one arm at a time. Fixed-line machines have the advantage of not needing
a spotter, while standing pulley machines offer the independence of free
range of motion.
In a clinical setting, where rehabilitation takes place, you will find a
variety of very specialized machines that are designed to measure and
control for speed, force production, balance, and other physical charac-
teristics. In particular, isokinetic machines, which control speed of move-
ment—allowing for maximal force production along the entire movement
path—are used almost exclusively for research testing and specific weak-
ness. Although these machines provide the most accurate way to address
muscle function, their cost and complexity make them unrealistic for use
in a gym setting.
A popular plate-loading device is the Smith machine. Essentially, it is
similar to a barbell used in a rack except that the barbell is fixed within the
confines of the machine. The full-size barbell tracks straight up and down.
This specially designed machine allows you to perform more difficult free
weight barbell exercises, such as the squat and lunge (seen in chapters 11
and 12), while helping control the weight by providing a set path to help with
balance. There have been several variations of the Smith machine since its
original design, making it even more adaptable and allowing for even more
exercises to be performed. The advantage is that it works like a barbell with
the safety and control of a machine.

Body Weight and Manual Resistance
A long time ago, pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups were considered strengthen-
ing exercises and were and still are commonly used by the military and law
enforcement. For some reason, probably the invention of really cool weightlift-
ing equipment, we have forgotten that our own body weight is often enough
resistance to force us to struggle.
If you can do only a few push-ups, it would seem logical that push-ups
themselves may be a good choice for upper body strengthening. If you cannot
do a single push-up, then a modified version (from your knees) may work
well and eventually help you do a regular one. If you are training at home,
your body plus possibly a dumbbell or some resistance tubing may be all the
resistance you need to make a challenging program. And for a gym-based
program, a set of body-weight squats may be the perfect extra endurance
kicker to follow a nice set of barbell squats.
Take it one step further and use your strength and body weight to provide
resistance for someone else, and you are now doing something called manual
resistance. Two people working together can make an excellent team provided
they both understand how to help one another. When performing manual
resistance training, one person is the spotter and provides the resistance
while the other person does the lifting. The person providing resistance can
use his own body weight as leverage and needs to provide just enough to
make it challenging while also keeping the exercise moving along properly.
Manual resistance is basically the opposite of spotting in that you want to
push or pull to create resistance opposite to the direction of the movement.
The addition of manual resistance to regular exercises allows you to add a
little extra challenge. Both body-weight training and manual resistance have
been used for decades and should not be overlooked, especially for beginners.
Alternative Forms of Resistance Training

Over the past several years, the number of alternative forms of resistance
training has grown significantly and includes a wide variety of equipment.
New types of resistance equipment are being created all the time. As a result,
describing every possibility here would be impossible. When determining
whether to use any new types of equipment, the most important consider-
ations are safety and effectiveness. If the equipment meets both of these
standards and you are interested in adding it to your exercise routine, then
go for it. Alternative forms of resistance training equipment that have become
popular and that you may encounter at the gym include resistance tubing
and bands, medicine balls, and kettlebells.
Resistance Tubing and Bands

Resistance tubing is inexpensive and can be used anywhere, which makes
it a clear choice for home-based training and fieldwork. For the most part,
tubing with handles at each end works best (see figure 3.3). This is readily

Figure 3.3 Various type of resistance tubing and bands are available.
available at local stores or online, and you will need little modification to
make exercises beneficial. You may also consider tubing with no handles
(you can remove one or both), which may make it easier to tie one end off
but more difficult to hold.
With a little creative thinking, you can hook tubing around a post or
combine it with a broomstick to simulate almost every free weight exercise
found in your gym. Additionally, since tubing comes in a variety of sizes and
resistance, this equipment can be modified for just about any movement
and to fit any person. It is superior for standing movements, core rotational
exercises, and explosive movements and can be found in just about every
gym or strength room across the country. The only drawbacks of this method
are that it is difficult to track strength gains and heavy lifters may find that
there is not enough resistance.
Giant elastic bands (figure 3.3) have also found a place in training programs
both as a stand-alone training tool and as additive resistance to normal bar-
bell routines to increase resistance as well as deliver resistance in a different
plane. These larger bands create considerably more resistance and may be
more appropriate for stronger people or those looking for a greater challenge.
As a stand-alone, the bands function similarly to tubing, although you will
have to get a little more creative to fix them securely.
Medicine Balls
Using weighted objects for training dates back to the early 1900s; however,
more recently, the use of medicine balls (often referred to as med balls) has
gained in popularity both in athletics and in health clubs. Med balls are

Figure 3.4 Med balls come in a variety of sizes.
typically made of hard rubber or leather and come in a variety of sizes (see
figure 3.4), from 2 pounds (1 kg) up to as much as 30 pounds (15 kg). They
have become a great training tool for large groups or those working out at
home or with kids.
Above all, medicine balls add variety to the same old routines. Depend-
ing on how the medicine ball is applied to the conditioning program, it can
serve many purposes. It can be used to develop flexibility and emphasize
stretching, muscular endurance, strength, or power. As a pure strength
builder, medicine balls are not heavy enough for most people to produce an
overload inside the 5 to 8 rep range, but for power, where speed of execution
is the goal, medicine balls present a very realistic challenge. Although power
training sounds more athletic, for those looking for more lifelike movement
patterns, using med balls explosively improves overall fitness, coordination,
balance, and control. Another advantage is that med ball training can be
done alone or with a partner, and although it is hard to measure gains (simi-
lar to tubing), the challenge of controlling the ball improves core strength
and stability and adds a lot of variety to your normally dull routine. Since
med balls are portable, they can be used anywhere and from any position
(standing, sitting, or lying).
Kettlebells
Another extremely popular alternative training tool that has recently gained
much attention is kettlebells (see figure 3.5). They are similar to dumbbells
except are solid in form, with a thick handle attached to a solid ball. Kettle-
bells can be used the same way as dumbbells for regular strength exercises

Figure 3.5 Kettlebells come in a variety of sizes.
such as curls or presses. They can also be used for more explosive exercises
such as cleans and snatches. Kettlebells are not new. In fact, they are one
of the older training tools that we have stolen from ancient Roman times.
Kettlebells made their mark in the late 1800s, then dropped off the map for
nearly 100 years before being brought back in the late 1990s and becoming
iconic for some training advocates.
The shape of kettlebells adds variety to normal dumbbell exercises. One
factor that differentiates kettlebells from dumbbells is their handle thickness
and location relative to the weight, making grip strength and control an addi-
tional challenge that you need to get used to before increasing weight and
progressing moves. Since a kettlebell’s center of gravity is not in the handle
(unlike a dumbbell’s), the weight is more difficult to control, making fore-
arm and shoulder rotator cuff muscles work harder than if using a similarly
weighted dumbbell. Thinner grip and small lightweight kettlebells are avail-
able, but using those defeats this unique training advantage of kettlebells. To
properly use a kettlebell, you should try to prevent it from falling into your
hand. In other words, you should keep the bell up and solid rather than let it
flop around. If you allow kettlebells to be loose in your hands, they will smack
into your wrists frequently, which could be painful.
Although kettlebells have seen a resurgence, they are merely another
tool in your shed. Don’t forgo your mainstay exercises to use the kettlebell
more. Enthusiasts will have you believe that kettlebells are very different
from dumbbells; although they do offer some advantages, kettlebells and
dumbbells can be used interchangeably for most exercises. As a training
tool, they certainly add variety, but because they come only in fixed weights,
they make true progressive resistance training difficult to achieve if you use
them exclusively.

Independent Arm Movement
An easy and productive way to add variety to your workout is to
use dumbbells, kettlebells, or tubing. Unlike weight machines, these
methods can be used anywhere. They are available in nearly every
gym and can even be used in your home. The movements for doing
the exercises should be the same as they would be with barbells
or weight machines, but dumbbells, kettlebells, and tubing allow
each arm to freely move in its own path. This means two things.
First, you must use good technique to keep the movement following
the proper path. Second, you can alter your arm position so that
the movement will be more comfortable. For example, in the bench
press, your palms could be turned toward each other instead of
facing in the same direction if that is an easier grip for you. Remem-
ber, when you use alternative methods, the stabilization normally
provided by the weight machine or barbell must be provided by
you. Decrease the weight and get control of the dumbbells before
you try the tricky stuff.
Technique
Using proper lifting technique is very important. Chapters 5 through 14 explain
the proper technique for exercises, but we need to discuss the execution of
a rep itself. Every rep needs to be perfect. A properly executed rep consists
of moving the weight through a joint’s entire range of motion (unless you are
injured). A joint’s range of motion is the distance the joint can move before
bone contacts bone or muscle contacts muscle. For example, when your arms
are down at your sides, your elbow joint is fully extended; when you bend
your elbows to make your biceps bulge, your elbow joint is fully flexed. At the
fully extended position, your arm cannot open any more because the bones
of the upper and lower arm hit each other. At the fully flexed position, the
biceps makes contact with the forearm.
No matter what speed the weight moves, each rep should be perfect. This
is probably the most important lesson to take into the weight room. There
should be absolutely no cheating, which follows the old saying of “quality,
not quantity.” Cheat reps, or shortened-range reps, decrease overall muscle
involvement and decrease your muscle’s ability to grow evenly. The shape
of your muscle, although mostly genetic, is partially determined by the per-
formance of each rep.
A perfect rep generally requires a two-second concentric phase followed
by a three- or four-second eccentric phase of each complete rep. Once you
have perfected technique, then you can increase rep speed. If you are trying

to lift explosively, the weight should be light enough to do the rep properly.
Before doing any advanced movements, you must master the skills of the
basic exercises. In resistance training, your form should always be perfected
before increasing your weight. If you use the motto that “technique comes
first,” you will stay injury free and see the greatest improvements.
Grip
There are different ways to grip the bar, a handle, or your resistance tubing.
In general, a thumb-lock grip, shown in figure 3.6, is the safest and most
effective. You wrap your fingers around the bar and your thumb around the
opposite way so that your thumb locks in against your fingers. The open
grip, commonly called the false grip, has your thumb on the same side as
your wrists. By not squeezing your grip tightly and resting the bar on your
hands instead, you reduce the work by the forearm, but you also increase the
danger considerably in that the bar or dumbbell can easily fall out of your
hands. Additionally, false grips have been known to cause wrist soreness,
and therefore the thumb-lock grip is best.
Along with the grip itself is the position that your hand is in during the lift.
You may turn your palms out and away from you (pronated hand position) or
turn your palms up and in toward you (supinated hand position) or somewhere
Figure 3.6 The thumb-lock grip is a safe and effective way to grip
weight equipment.

in between (neutral hand position). Hand positioning and distance, as well as
foot position on lower body exercises, have considerations for both anatomy
and comfort. Anatomically, changing position may change how a muscle is
activated, although for the most part, the intended primary muscle of an
exercise is still the most activated. From a comfort standpoint, choose the
most comfortable position first, then try changing things up after you have
mastered the technique.
Spotting
Anytime you’re lifting weight over your neck, a spot is a good idea. Have your
partner help with lifting the bar off the rack and with re-racking when you
finish your reps. The spotter should stand at the head of the bench with a
solid base of support and use both legs and arms to help lift. Make sure the
person spotting you is capable of lifting the entire weight if you get into real
trouble. It is not recommended to have spotters at either side help with lift-
ing unless someone is also in the middle; only very advanced lifters would
require this kind of spot. Additionally, the goal of the spotter is to ensure
safety and to help out if necessary. As a spotter yourself, provide enough of
a spot to help but not to do all the work, unless the lifter requires more of
a spot. As a lifter, if you are finding a need for a spot early on in your reps
(before the last rep or two), you are lifting too heavy and should consider
backing down on the weight.
Training Philosophies
If there were only one right way to do anything, there would be no need for
continued research, as we would all do the exact same thing every day. But
in the true spirit of discovery, we don’t believe we have found the perfect
way to exercise, or for that matter, the perfect way to live healthily. In weight
training, we have sound scientific principles, we have theoretical principles,
and we have a few ideas for things that seem to work. And yes, there is a gray
area. For the most part, we use these principles like a recipe rather than a
specific set of instructions. In other words, there is room for interpretation
and adjustment, like increasing spice content. And as long as you don’t stray
too far, you won’t screw things up too badly.
Training Movements and Muscles

Since the human body moves in many different ways and rarely by contract-
ing only a single muscle at a time, your training program should reflect the
multidimensional ways that we move and the multiple muscle actions that
make it possible. The question then becomes, do we want to train move-
ments, or do we want to train muscles? One school of thought suggests that
you can mimic a particular movement by creating an exercise in the gym
and training it under a loaded or resisted condition. Then when you execute
the movement (e.g., while playing a sport), you will perform better. The

other school of thought is to train muscles to have greater strength, power,
or endurance while continuing to practice your sport movement and skills
separately. Although each has merit, I support the latter approach. Train your
muscles or train your sport movement and skills, but don’t try to train them
at the same time in the same motion. Generally, machine-based training has
a fixed path of movement and focuses on muscle shape and quality, while
free weights and other resistive devices have more movement options. The
more movement directions or planes that a piece of equipment can provide,
the more balance and control you need, which in turn requires more muscle
to help stabilize the body.
Real-life movements from sports or daily activities are nearly impossible
to duplicate with weight lifting. Most of our movements are reactions to pre-
vious movements, either a preconceived stimulus or one that is completely
unknown. So, since we are at the mercy of something that is about to happen
at every moment of every day, we need to make sure we prepare for every-
thing, both known and unknown. That means your program should do both
and use a variety of equipment to achieve a complete training program.
Single and Multiple Sets

Without a doubt, the question of how many sets to perform has become the
greatest debate in weight training. The issue is whether to follow a high-
intensity training (HIT) approach, which advocates performing only one set
per exercise, or a more traditional multiset approach. Without starting a full-
scale war, both single-set and multiset weight training have been shown to
improve strength and muscle size in all groups of people, from young adults
to senior citizens and athletes alike. Although it is generally accepted that
performing multiple sets produces greater gains in trained individuals, and
beginners do better with single sets, several scientific research publications
note that experienced lifters have shown great improvements with single-set
workouts. The qualifying item probably lies within the performance of the set
itself. Single and multiple sets each offer specific advantages.
In many cases, training is restricted by time. If that is the case, a one-set
system may be all that can be done. Additionally, single-set exercise pro-
grams can offer more variety than a multiset program. In a multiset system
you may perform the same biceps curl exercise for three or four sets, but in
a single-set system you can do three or four different biceps curl exercises.
A strong argument for multiple sets is that repetitive practice is a key
stimulus in making gains. Just like in sport, where you continue to practice
to get better, increasing the overall amount of work you do in weight train-
ing increases your chances of making faster gains. However, if single sets
are taken to failure, true overload does occur, especially if you grind out a
few more reps.
If you believe the old adage that submaximal effort produces submaximal
results, then any set that does not adequately tax your muscles will not
produce maximal results. So if you are not working hard enough, neither is
better. And once again, since your goal is the driving force behind your training

program, the most logical method is a combination of both systems because
some exercises may provide benefit with one set while other exercises will
need multiple sets to provide any benefit.
Max- and Single-Rep Sets

Maximum lifting implies heavy weights and only one to three repetitions per
set. Maximum lifting is a good way to find your one-repetition maximum (1RM)
but not a very good way to train. Furthermore, the rest time between sets
needs to be long enough so that the workouts themselves have a low work
output and require a long time to complete. Generally, 1RM training should
be used only by trained people looking to find their true max strength or rela-
tive muscle strength or force-generating capacity. In fact, even powerlifters
and Olympic lifters rarely train at pure max levels (using single reps) except
in competition. A routine for strength, hypertrophy, or endurance is better
suited to most people.
However, for those interested in seeing their progress, one-rep maxing
does represent both a challenge and a goal that helps motivate. As long as
one-rep maxes are performed infrequently and with care, they can be used
as an effective training gauge. Keep in mind that in order to see continued
improvement, foundational strength training using five-rep sets or greater is
best. Use the following steps to find your one-repetition maximum. For safety,
use a spotter or a machine. If you use a machine, your max will be 10 to 15
percent heavier than with the free weight version because the machine con-
trols the movement, reducing the need for your body to stabilize the weight.
1. Perform one set of 10 reps with 50 percent of your estimated 1RM. Take
a three-minute break.
2. Perform one set of 5 reps with 75 percent of your estimated 1RM. Take
a three-minute break.
3. Perform one set of 2 reps with 85 to 90 percent of your estimated 1RM.
Take a three-minute break.
4. Perform one set of 1 rep with 95 percent of your estimated 1RM. Take a
three-minute break.
5. Add 5 to 10 pounds (2.5 to 5 kg) for 1 rep on each consecutive set, resting
for three to five minutes between sets, until you can no longer perform
the rep without help.
The major disadvantage in this type of lifting is that adaptation is mostly
neurological. Lifters who perform 1RMs feel as if they are getting stronger
and bigger, but the reality is that they are only weakening their overall
capability. Strength and size are built by increasing total work, meaning that
more reps are needed for overall improvement. Building a solid base is the
most important aspect of weight training. If you perform single-rep maxes
regularly, it would be like putting up roofs without a house to build them on.
Furthermore, since technique is important and lifting heavy weights tends to

No Pain More Gain
One of the most persistent myths in strength training is that muscle
soreness represents progress and that if you are not sore the next
day you did not work hard enough. This is based on the notion that
breaking down the muscle, causing tiny microscopic tears, is the
catalyst for increasing muscle strength and size. This is an overly
simplistic approach to a series of very complex physiological changes
at the cellular level involving many hormones, growth factors, and
nutrients. There is little scientific evidence suggesting that soreness
is a true measure of training success. Although it is common to be
sore for a few days when you take up a training program for the first
time, attempting to be sore after every training session will quickly
lead to overtraining and a variety of injuries, particularly tendinitis
and joint swelling, because tendons and ligaments do not recover as
quickly as muscles do from the stress of training.
encourage competition, people often lose sight of the goal of exercise in favor
of throwing up big numbers. Leave the single-rep work to those competing,
and if you are considering lifting as a career, get some help from an Olympic
lifter or powerlifter before doing heavy-duty single-rep maxes.
Explosive Lifting
Another hotly debated topic lies in the speed and execution of each exercise.
In sport, explosive movement is a normal part of everyday life, making it obvi-
ous to some that lifting should also be explosive; however, others believe that
explosive movement should be left for the playing field. This debate gives
rise to two important questions. Does performing a weightlifting movement
quickly build better explosive power than performing a weightlifting move-
ment slowly? If explosive lifting does build better explosive power, does
that explosive power transfer to movements out of the gym? Advocates for
explosive training believe there is a direct transfer to on-field performance.
Those against explosive lifting think it is dangerous and that momentum
takes away from the lift itself.
In reality, both options can be beneficial, but it depends on the applica-
tion and on your goal for training. If the goal of your weightlifting program
is to place your muscles under tension to help them grow, then allowing
other body parts to help in the lift completely degrades the value of your
movement-specific repetition. In this case, explosive lifting would most likely
be counterproductive. For true bodybuilding programs, slower reps would be
more useful. However, this doesn’t mean explosive lifting isn’t valuable. In fact,
I advocate explosive lifting for all people, not because there is necessarily a

direct transfer to other movements, but because it teaches muscles to con-
tract faster, which is something everyone needs given that most everyday
movements take under half a second to complete (like standing up from a
seated position). As you will see in chapter 15, it is wise to change up your
routines every few weeks, so you may employ a few faster lifts mixed with
your slower, more controlled reps.
The concerns over safety with explosive lifting are not as serious as detrac-
tors may make them seem. As with all exercises, using the proper technique
is essential to ensure safety. Additionally, a proper progression from slower
lifting to faster lifting should be used. Once you have control of a movement
and use proper form, you can begin to move the weight quicker. When lifting
fast, be careful not to lock out too quickly. At the end range of the movement,
slow down and use a soft lock when fully extending the joint.
Muscle Memory and Confusion

Your body adapts to an exercise very quickly; one of the reasons this book
provides different exercises is to allow you to change them when needed.
Varying the exercises will keep you from becoming bored and reduce the
likelihood of overuse injuries that may occur when the same exercise is done
for too long. Some people take the idea of change to the extreme and think
that if the muscle gets too comfortable with a specific movement, they will
not continue to see results, and thus muscle must be constantly “confused”
by regularly changing up the exercises.
Since muscle does need help to remember how to do things and the catalyst
for change is repetitive stimulus, changing things too frequently will actually
confuse your muscles so much that they will never get good at anything—and
results will take even longer. It is important to stimulate your muscles with
regular exercise and allow them to get stronger and gain control of a particular
movement before changing it. See the periodization section in chapter 15 to
learn more about how to adjust training programs over a long period of time.
Balance
Balance can be divided into two major subcategories: static balance and
dynamic balance. Static balance, often referred to as stability, is used to hold
or maintain a body position. Gymnasts use static balance to hold a cross on
the rings or to support themselves on the parallel or uneven bars. A basketball
or hockey player needs static balance when trying to hold a position in front
of the net or in the low post. Static balance requires the ability to react to an
external force that is attempting to upset your equilibrium. This requires both
a high level of isometric strength as well as a certain amount of anticipation
and preparation that comes with playing experience.
Dynamic balance is the ability to maintain body positions during motion
and is often referred to as body control. Jumping, landing, cutting, corner-
ing, accelerating, and decelerating all require a certain amount of balance.
Athletes who have the ability to start, stop, and change direction very quickly

and under control not only have excellent speed and power but also have
superior dynamic balance. Dynamic balance plays an important role in injury
prevention. Many knee injuries occur when the upper body continues in one
direction while the lower body is going in the other direction; this causes
a loss of balance and control and excessive shear or torque on the knee,
resulting in an injury. Through better body control, dynamic balance helps
the athlete correct body positions that may result in injury. Both static and
dynamic balance should be part of a regular training program.
Balance occurs as a result of both skill training and specific balance train-
ing. Regardless of how much balance training you do, if you do not know how
to move and position your body in sport or you do not possess strength from
the ground up, you will never have good balance. Although balance training
tends to focus on the skill itself, your training program should focus on all
aspects of movement for life and sport. Spending your entire workout on an
unstable surface will not meet all your needs. Furthermore, many balance
training advocates believe your core is the center of movement, which is not
entirely correct. It is not possible to initiate movement from the core; rather,
all movement is started by the feet pressing into the ground and then contin-
ues up through a chain of linking muscle systems (called the kinetic chain),
of which your core is the main linking system. Balance training has become
synonymous with core training in popular media outlets, but really the two
are independent. Often balance training has been improperly applied, caus-
ing persons to reduce the weight they use in an attempt to increase stability.
The opposite should be the case—increase the weight you can handle in
unstable conditions.

chapter
4
Warm Up, Stretch,
Cool Down
I magine going on a trip and not packing. Unless you plan to buy everything
you will need while traveling, that would not be a smart choice! Before you
do most tasks you prepare by getting ready. Weight training is no different.
Sure you can begin lifting without warming up, but if you are well prepared,
you will have a better workout. Just like giving your car a good detailing and
tune-up, stretching will make your body move better and keep it healthier
longer. And once you have had that perfect workout, you want those hard-
earned reps to pay off, so you need to cool down to help start that recovery
process sooner than later. All of these little extras help improve the overall
quality and benefit of your workout and should not be left out. This chapter
shows you how to keep your engine tuned and your body rolling and will help
you make the most out of every workout.
Warming Up
The warm-up is one of the most important parts of a workout or precompeti-
tion routine. Although originally thought to primarily be a means of preventing
injury, it is now commonly accepted that the main purpose of the warm-up
is to improve performance, with injury prevention taking a secondary role.
The positive effects of the warm-up occur because of several physiological
mechanisms such as increased muscle temperature, cardiac adaptations, and
injury prevention. And for athletes, the warm-up serves as mental rehearsal
of the event they are about to engage in.
An increase in body temperature is one of the main physiological adap-
tations to warming up. Increased body temperature stimulates vasodila-
tion (an increase in the size of arteries) in the working muscle, increasing
blood flow through the muscle and improving cardiac function. In addition,
the increase in body temperature speeds up nerve conduction, prepping
the muscles for their upcoming task. For those with high blood pressure
or other cardiac-related issues, the warm-up can prevent serious heart
conditions. Instead of shocking the system with the onslaught of heavy-
duty exercise, you give your heart a chance to catch up to the task slowly,
35
decreasing the possibility of sudden heart trauma. In fact, research has
shown that light jogging alone can reduce abnormal EKG readings that
may arise during training since jogging slowly increases heart rate and
normalizes blood flow.
Preventing injuries, such as muscle strains, may no longer be the
primary purpose for warming up, but it is still a potential benefit. Most
coaches agree that warming up can help prevent injuries, but most of the
evidence is anecdotal, and very few, if any, studies can show that warm-
ing up decreases the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries. Since most
musculoskeletal injuries occur because of strength or flexibility imbal-
ances, and researchers cannot set up a study that would deliberately try
to injure someone, it is unlikely that we will truly understand the impact
of the warm-up on injury prevention. However, it seems logical that if you
slowly introduce greater stress to a muscle rather than subject it to rapid
punishment while cold, it will stand a better chance of both performing
well and staying injury free.
For advanced athletes, the warm-up offers time to mentally prepare for
battle. Many athletes talk to themselves or mimic movements they will per-
form during the competition. A diver may go through her rotations, and a
figure skater preps for the double Axel jump. In any case, slow progressive
warm-ups improve overall circulation in both athletes and beginners and
prepare the body for the task while also giving athletes time to mentally
focus.
For athletes and weekend warriors alike, the warm-up is crucial before
exercise and sport so that you are both mentally and physically alert. The
moment you are called to sprint, jump, or just move quickly, you’ll be glad
that you had a solid warm-up, not only to reduce the chance of injury but
also to help those muscles fire more rapidly. Go to any sporting event and
watch athletes before their contest. You will no doubt see most, if not all,
warming up.
Static and Dynamic Warm-Ups

When they think of warm-ups, most people figure that a light walk or jog
on a treadmill should do the trick. In most cases, and especially for general
activity, this would be fine. But for some people, extended warm-ups involv-
ing both stretching and specific movements may also be necessary. A static
warm-up is usually in the form of stretching, although stretching alone does
not really warm up the body and should really be done after the warm-up
itself. Static refers to stationary, nonmoving activity, which is the norm when
holding a specific stretch. Dynamic warm-ups are more common in athletic
programs and include exercises such as jumping jacks, body-weight lunges
or squats, and other forms of active movements. Dynamic movements are a
great addition to both outdoor and home-based programs and can be used
when exercising large groups or in small spaces.

Quick Full Body Warm-Up
Jumping jacks 20 reps
Hamstring and lower back stretch (page 40) 15 sec. hanging down in a forward bend
Lunge and reach (page 44) 5 reps per leg
Quadriceps stretch (page 39) 15 sec. per leg
Stationary inchworm (page 47) 10 reps (out and back makes 1 rep)
Pec stretch (page 41) 15 sec. (against wall)
Lateral push-up walk (page 48) 5 reps (5 hand steps out and back makes 1 rep)
Upper back stretch (page 43) 15 sec. (with partner or grabbing on to pole)
Overhead squat (page 47) 10 reps (with any stick or body bar)
Exercise Sets as a Warm-Up

A warm-up for strength training should not only include some form of mild
exercise to elevate heart rate but also prepare the muscles for the weight
they are about to lift. You can warm up with resistance tubing or body
weight. If you are lifting heavier weight, it is best to do some light calisthenic
exercises, such as push-ups or body-weight squats, or some light resistance
rows before you begin your heavy sets. If you are doing a true heavyweight
strength workout, then performing a set or two of the movement with lighter
weight is also recommended. For example, if you are going to do the bench
press exercise, a warm-up set with 50 percent of the weight you plan to use
for your workout sets is advised. Don’t shock the muscle with a heavy weight;
a quick warm-up set will prep your neurological system and let the muscles
know what they are about to get into.
Stretching
During a stretch, the muscle is elongated past its normal resting length. This
loosens up the muscle, which has become tight during rest. Before any type
of exercise, a good stretch will help the muscles get ready by keeping them
from cramping or tightening. Stretching is also a good indicator of residual
soreness or injury. If stretching causes sharp pain, or if you cannot stretch as
far as usual, then avoid exercising that muscle group. Be sure to stretch only
after performing a good warm-up or cool-down. Never stretch a cold muscle.
Always stretch all muscles before and after exercise, whether or not that
muscle group is being trained. Often a muscle will tighten up or spasm in a part
of the body other than the area being trained, causing discomfort. For example,
the hamstrings may cramp up while the lifter performs a bench press. Cramp-
ing in an area not being worked often occurs during weightlifting because, as
the body strains to lift the weight, muscles other than those directly involved
in the lift tighten up to help the body create the necessary force.
Warm-Up, Stretch, Cool Down 37

Are You Double Jointed?
The term double jointed means that someone has a large range of
motion at a joint. No one really has two joints in one place. Generally, a
double-jointed person is able to hyperextend a joint without someone
else’s help, causing an exaggerated stretch of the muscle and joint.
The main muscle groups that need to be considered in a stretch-
ing routine are the quadriceps, hamstrings, groin (adductors and
abductors), lower back, triceps, and pectoralis major and minor
(pecs). Secondary areas include the calves (especially if you jog),
neck, shins, biceps, forearms, latissimus dorsi (upper back), and the
joints of the ankle, wrists, knees, and shoulders. Ideally, you should
stretch all muscles every day. However, if time is limited, stretching
only the primary muscles is fine. Be sure to stretch muscles you are
training both before and after your workout.
A good warm-up stretching routine does not need to take long, but
it must incorporate all the major muscle groups in the body. Whether
you use static or dynamic stretching, the routine should take only 10
minutes at the most. Before stretching an injured area, consult your
physician; stretching and exercising an injured area may not be wise.
In the past few years, stretching has gained much attention in the athletic
community. Many kinds of stretches can be performed, but they all fall under
three main categories: static, dynamic, and ballistic. In static stretching, you
move to a joint’s maximum range and hold the stretch for as little as 2 seconds
to as long as 60 seconds. A dynamic stretch slowly moves through a stretched
position and can be done passively (without help) or actively (with help). The
move from an unstretched position to the maximum stretched position usually
takes about 10 to 20 seconds. Ballistic stretching uses a bouncing motion to
move from an unstretched position to a stretched position. This method of
stretching is used by athletes and advanced lifters; beginners should avoid
it until they have developed sound stretching technique. At first, ballistic
stretching should be attempted only with supervision. Once technique is
mastered, progress from your dynamic stretch to a more explosive stretch a
little at a time rather than just going full bore and risking injury.
New research suggests that ballistic stretching may be more beneficial than
static stretching before a strength training session, and some researchers have
speculated that static stretches may actually weaken your strength. However,
much research still reports the benefits of static stretching. Since the science
is not conclusive at this point, your best option is to use a dynamic warm-
up that includes static stretching. This way you get the best of both worlds:
improvements in flexibility over time from static stretching and preparation
of the neurological system for fast muscle firing from ballistic stretching.

Static Stretches
For static stretches, you slowly move into the stretch position (the point
where you feel slight tenderness or pain) for a given muscle and hold it for
10 to 30 seconds. Some stretching advocates recommend holding a stretch
for 60 seconds or more, but there is no proof that longer is better. Overtime,
you will become more flexible, and you will be able to increase your range
of motion. During a stretch itself, you may feel your muscles loosen up, and
you may be able to stretch a little further.
Calf Stretch
Lean forward against a wall with your legs in lunge
position. Bend your front leg and place your weight
on it. Stretch the back of your back leg, keeping your
back heel on the ground. This stretch also stretches
the hip flexors.
Quadriceps Stretch
You can do this stretch either standing or lying
on your belly. Bend your knee and grab your foot,
pulling your heel to your buttocks. For an advanced
stretch for your rectus femoris and hip flexors, pull
your leg back during the stretch.

Hamstring and Lower Back Stretch
Sit on the ground with one leg extended and the other bent, the bottom of
your foot touching the knee of your extended leg. This is the modified hur-
dler position. Reach toward the foot of your extended leg, tucking your head
down. For an additional calf stretch, grab hold of the toes of your extended
leg, and pull back on them as you stretch forward.
Groin Stretch
Sit on the ground with the bottoms of your feet touching each other. Press
your knees down with your elbows as you pull your heels toward your groin.

Hip Flexor Stretch
This is an advanced stretch. Kneel
with one knee on the ground and the
other knee bent, with the foot flat.
Lean toward the front leg. Keep the
upper body upright or even slightly
backward. For added stretch, press
your hands against the knee, pushing
your upper body backward.
Pec Stretch
Stand next to a wall, in a doorway, or next to a
machine. Extend your arm to the side and contact
the wall, doorframe, or machine with your hand.
Lean forward to get a stretch through the pectoralis
major by creating resistance against your hand.

Triceps Stretch
Raise your arm overhead, flex your elbow, and reach
down your back. Use your other arm to pull back
on the elbow for additional stretch.
Rear Deltoid and Upper Back

Stretch
Reach across your body at chest height with one
arm. Grab that arm at the elbow with your other
hand, and continue to pull your arm across your
chest.

Upper Back Stretch
Stand upright about 3 feet (1 m) in front of a
pole or machine. Reach out and grab the pole
or machine with both hands, bending at the
waist. Press down on the pole or machine,
stretching your upper back. This will also
stretch your pecs.
Biceps Stretch
Fully extend your arm out in front, with your palm
and forearm turned up. With your other hand, grab
the hand of the outstretched arm, and gently pull
back on your fingers.

Dynamic Stretches
A dynamic stretch uses the same basic principles as the static stretch except
that instead of holding the stretch, you move back and forth between the
start position and your end range in a slow controlled fashion. The general
recommendation is to perform 5 to 10 reps per stretch. Some exercises in
this book, such as walking lunges, are similar to dynamic stretches when
performed with no weight. Long range of motion dynamic stretches make
good warm up moves if you are going to do faster paced, less controlled
activity like playing a sport.
Lunge and Reach

Start with your legs split forward to back about
three feet (1 m) apart. Begin by descending
until your lead leg is parallel with the ground.
As you descend to your lunge position, raise
your arms over your head as far as possible.
Stand back up, bringing your arms back down.
This can be done while walking or stationary,
and a rotation component can be added by
twisting the upper body at the waist.

Knee-to-Chest Walk
Stand facing the direction you intend to walk. Shift
your weight to your left leg. Pull up on your right
knee, bringing it to your chest. Hold the position for
a second before returning to the start. Take a step
forward, and repeat on the opposite leg. Keep your
head and chest up, looking forward and maintaining
an erect posture. For an extra challenge, you can
extend up onto the toe of your standing leg while
holding the other leg at your chest.
Chain Breakers
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-
width apart. Extend your arms out as far as
possible to your sides at shoulder height. In a delib-
erate moderate-speed motion, squeeze your arms
together, coming across your chest until they cross
completely so that your left arm is past your right
shoulder and vice versa. Squeeze at the fully closed
position, then open back up to the start.

Trunk Rotations
Stand with your feet about twice as wide as shoul-
der width. Extend your arms out to the sides at
shoulder height. Rotate your upper body as far
as possible (90 degrees) to the left so that your
hips point forward but your chest is perpen-
dicular. Maintain your extended arm position.
Rotate back to the start, and continue past for
a full 180-degree twist in the other direction.
Continue rotating back and forth under control.
For a greater stretch you can add a trunk bend,
making complete body circles, but you may be
more comfortable with your hands on your hips.
Duck Walk
Start by standing tall with your feet about shoulder-
width apart and your hands locked behind your
head. Squat down as far as possible (keeping your
hands behind your head). From this deep squat
position, stay low and walk forward. For an added
challenge, you can rotate 90 degrees in either direc-
tion and walk sideways.

Overhead Squat
Start by standing tall with your feet about
shoulder-width apart and arms fully extended
overhead. Squat down as deep as possible, press-
ing your arms upward to maximize your stretch.
Stand back up and repeat. Maintain a tight torso
position throughout the movement.
Stationary Inchworm
Start in the push-up position. Keeping your legs
fixed and straight the entire time, “walk” your hands
backward toward your feet, sticking your butt into
the air. Get as close as you can to your feet with your
legs straight, then walk your hands back out to the
starting position. Repeat for 10 reps. For an added
challenge, continue moving by walking forward as
you come back up.

Lateral Push-Up Walk
Start in a regular push-up position. Keep your feet fixed to the floor in the same
position. Shuffle your hands five “steps” to the left while pivoting on your fixed
feet. “Walk” back to the center, then take five “steps” to the right and then back
to the center. Repeat for 10 reps on each side. You can also perform this exer-
cise while allowing your feet to move. Shuffle with both your arms and feet five
full steps in each direction. Keep your torso tight during the entire exercise.
Mountain Climbers
Start in the push-up position. Keep your torso tight and arms fully extended.
Keeping your left leg extended, bring your right knee up to your side even
with your chest while staying parallel with the ground. Move your right leg
back to the start position while simultaneously bringing your left knee up to
your chest. Keep an even, slow pace.

Spider-Man
Using the mountain climber position, step forward with one leg but instead
of bringing your knee even with your chest, bring it outside your shoulder.
As your knee reaches your armpit, walk your opposite hand forward while
pressing back on the front leg. At the same time, move your opposite leg up
toward its same-side armpit while extending the other leg backward. This is
a difficult warm-up exercise to get the hang of, as it demands core strength
to keep your body parallel to the ground.

Weight Training and Flexibility
Flexibility is usually defined as the range of motion about a joint or
group of joints in a system. This definition is somewhat inadequate,
however. Joint range is based on bone shape and the stretch and
pliability of connective tissues (cartilage, tendons, and ligaments).
Although part of your ability to be flexible is genetic, you can become
more flexible through a dedicated, regular routine of stretches.
Stretching slowly increases the range of motion about the joint.
Contrary to popular belief, weight training does not reduce flex-
ibility as long as you perform stretching exercises on a regular basis.
Weight training may actually improve flexibility if practiced regularly
because it increases the strength and pliability of tendons, ligaments,
and the joints themselves. It increases muscle strength and prevents
injury by improving the tendon’s ability to stretch as well as increasing
its strength, which prevents tearing and overrotation or dislocation
of a joint. Weight training also helps increase the tendon’s ability to
return to its normal shape after deformation. Think of a rubber band
that, over time, loses its ability to return to its original shape after
being stretched. Training keeps tendons pliable over time so they
return to their resting length after being stretched.
Resistance training will help you bring the area of the body
being stretched into position and hold the position. Without muscle
strength and endurance, you can’t hold the position as long. Weight
training decreases the chances of injury during flexibility training,
but remember, no form of training can prevent all injuries.
Cooling Down
If you finish your workout and your heart rate is still elevated, it is a good
idea to bring it back down slowly. A cool-down increases the body’s ability
to return to normal after exercise by preventing the blood from pooling in
certain areas. If you have ever gotten dizzy when standing up (known as
orthostatic hypotension), it is because your blood has pooled in your lower
body, leaving the brain in demand for some oxygen. Although this is normally
nothing to worry about, it can be dangerous, as some people have passed out
while trying to stand up. A safe way to bring your exercise heart rate back
down is to do a cool-down.
Your cool-down can be similar to your warm-up. Perform 5 to 10 minutes
of a slow, rhythmic exercise, followed by 10 minutes of a full-body stretching
routine. For example, a light bike ride and stretch make a perfect end to a
hard workout.

chapter
5
Chest
O ne of the most noticeable parts of the body, the chest is responsible

for many arm movements such as throwing, pushing, and hitting. A
strong, well-defined chest is the hallmark of a great training program. The
major chest muscles are the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. These
strong muscles move the arms across the body and toward the waist. The
pecs allow for several different movements, and there are several different
ways to strengthen them.
All pressing movements require your pecs, triceps, and anterior deltoids
to play a role in the movement. So trying to isolate your pecs is not always
easy. That also means that grouping exercises together to prevent overtrain-
ing will be an important part of your workout week. If you really want great
upper body development, you will need to use both the pressing movements
and the isolated pec exercises found in this chapter.
The main lift, and perhaps the single most practiced exercise, is the bench
press. No other exercise is more heralded than this spectacle of strength and
prowess. The bench press works not only the pecs but also several other
muscles. In addition to developing the chest, the bench press helps develop
many of the muscles that act on the shoulder joint, including the anterior
deltoid and the triceps.
51
You Can Do It!
Bench Press
The motion of the bench press resembles an upside-down push-up. This
exercise requires a great deal of concentration and arm coordination. Though
the free weight version of the bench press is described here, some gyms may
have a machine bench press option. It is important that you follow proper
technique and start with a weight you can handle.
1. Lie on the weight bench. Grab the bar, hands shoulder-width or a little
wider apart. Keep your feet on the floor. Keep your shoulders, buttocks,
and head against the bench at all times. To relieve the pressure on your
lower back, it should have a slight arch. You should be able to slide your
hand under your lower back.
2. Inhale deeply, and remove the bar from the rack. Pause for two counts,
then begin to lower the weight toward your chest.
Starting position Remove the bar

3. Lower the bar steadily, and pause for two counts when it touches your
chest. The bar should cross at or slightly above your nipples.
4. To begin the ascent, rapidly drive the weight up, maintaining a constant
speed. Exhale as you lift the weight. Continue to lift the weight until your
arms are fully extended. The bar will naturally follow an arc and end
up just over your neck. Although many people think locking the arms
is bad, it is important to move the bar through the complete range of
motion. A gentle lock is acceptable and ensures that you have completed
the upward motion.
There are several variations of the bench press and many other chest
exercises. Each exercise works the pecs and supporting muscles slightly
differently. Remember, specificity requires that you choose exercises that
reflect your needs and goals.
Lower the bar Extend your arms
Chest 53
More to Choose and Use
Incline Bench Press

The incline press works the upper pecs a little more than the flat bench press.
1. Set the bench at about a 45-degree angle. Decreasing the angle puts
more emphasis on the middle chest and front shoulders; increasing the
angle puts more emphasis on the upper chest and middle shoulders and
triceps.
2. Lower and raise the weight as you did in the bench press. The bar should
touch a little higher on your chest, near your collarbone.

Dumbbell Bench Press
This movement emphasizes the muscles that help stabilize the shoulders.
The weights will feel awkward when you do the dumbbell bench press for
the first time. Controlling them is the key.
1. Lie on your back on a flat bench. Dig your shoulders into the bench, and
pull your shoulder blades together. This tightens your body, lending
additional support to the shoulders.
2. Start with a dumbbell in each hand, palms turned forward, the dumb-
bells over your chest, and your elbows away from your body.
3. Press the dumbbells by extending your arms.
4. Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position. If you feel the dumb-
bells getting squirrelly on you, try to bring the dumbbells together when
you press them.
Chest 55
Single-Arm Bench Press
When looking to increase your challenge, try performing single-arm varia-
tions of the flat and incline bench presses. When using dumbbells, the bench
press starts at the chest, unlike the barbell version, which comes off the rack.
1. To get the dumbbells to the starting position, rest the dumbbells on your
knees while you are seated at the end of the bench. Lie backward on the
bench, and pull the dumbbells while simultaneously raising your knees
up to push the dumbbells back toward you as you lie down. Tighten your
torso, and use the same body position as for the incline press.
2. While keeping one dumbbell on your chest, press the other one straight
up until your arm is fully extended. Pause for two counts then lower.
3. You have the option of alternating arms or completing all your reps with
one arm first. Generally, alternating ensures that both arms fatigue at a
similar rate.
For a more difficult challenge, instead of resting the nonmoving dumbbell at
your chest, try keeping it locked out at arm’s length while pressing and lowering
the other dumbbell. To alternate this version, start by pressing both dumb-
bells up, then lowering and raising one, then lowering and raising the other.

Unstable Bench Press
Unstable training is more sport specific and for advanced lifters, but trying
these same lifts on a stability ball will increase your challenge significantly.
Although some people use this exercise for core development, the added
difficulty is at your shoulder girdle and will both train and challenge your
rotator cuff muscles. Remember, though, if your goal is to increase pec size
and strength, training on an unstable surface is not the way to go. Also, before
you attempt to do any move on an unstable surface, you should be able to
perform its stable version flawlessly.
1. Start by grabbing a pair of dumbbells (use lighter ones than you would
use on a stable surface) and sitting at the base of a stability ball.
2. Bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height. Walk your feet out from the
stability ball so that you make a bridge, with your shoulders and back
on the ball, your torso extended, and your feet flat on the ground, your
knees at 90 degrees.
3. Press the dumbbells up to arm’s length while maintaining a tight torso.
Hold for two counts and bring back down. You can perform single-arm
versions of this exercise as well.
Chest 57
Cable (or Machine) Pec Fly
The pec fly is another exercise that isolates the pecs. It allows for greater
range of motion than the bench press. With the cable or machine fly, the arms
are extended out to the sides at chest height, with the elbows straight out or
bent 90 degrees depending on the machine you are using.
1. If you are using a cable machine or your machine has handles, grab the
handles and extend your arms leaving a slight bend at the elbow. For
a machine with pads, turn your palms so they face forward, and place
your arms against the pads so that your lower arm, hands, and elbows
are in complete contact..
2. Squeeze the handles or pads toward each other, applying equal force to
both. In the fully contracted position, the handles or pads should come
directly in front of you. (Touching them together is fine.)

Dumbbell Pec Fly
The dumbbell pec fly is more difficult than the machine pec fly because it
requires you to stabilize your upper body and create the path the dumbbells
follow rather than having a fixed line.
1. Lie on a flat weight bench with your arms fully extended over your chest.
With the dumbbells in your hands, turn your palms inward and touch
the dumbbells together.
2. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, pull the dumbbells apart until
your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
3. Pause for two counts at the bottom position.
4. Using a bear-hugging motion, return the dumbbells to the top.
Chest 59
Cable Cross
The cable cross is perhaps the most flamboyant of chest exercises. It is a
good way to work the pecs and can be performed one arm at a time.
1. Stand in the middle of the cable machine, with arms extended to the
sides at shoulder height. Position one foot ahead of the other to create
stability.
2. Grab the machine handles, palms down, and pull toward the middle of
your body, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Keep a slight bend in your
knees, and lean slightly forward.
3. Cross palms or bring your hands together about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30
cm) in front of your belly button.
4. Release the handles upward and backward to return to the starting position.

take it to the gym
Train Smart
Veteran bench pressers know a few tricks for successful benching. The
ultimate goal, especially for men, is to load up the plates, trying to hit the
legendary three-plate pinnacle—three 45-pound (20 kg) plates per side, plus
the 45-pound bar, totaling 315 pounds (140 kg). Although that may not be in
your sights now, it may be in your future. Don’t try to lift like the veterans
until your technique is solid and you have developed sufficient strength.
Grip all barbells and dumbbells in a monkey grip, with your thumb wrapped
around the bar or dumbbell. Placement of your hands on the bar is also
important. Generally, a narrow grip involves the triceps more, whereas a
wider grip involves more of the pecs.
The key to good technique is to get into a solid, tight position on the bench.
Keep your body in contact with the bench throughout the entire pressing
movement. Use your feet for support; placing them on the bench reduces sta-
bility and decreases the emphasis on the working muscles. Position your feet
a little wider than shoulder-width apart and slightly back. Pull your shoulders
back to form a solid base, and keep them in check throughout the movement.
Control the descent of the weight. A controlled descent allows the muscles
to build up elastic energy that will help lift the bar back up. As you begin to
drive the weight up, push your body back into the bench and flatten your
shoulders. Don’t bounce the weight off your chest or use momentum to move
the weight, as this can lead to injury and loss of control.
train at home
Practice Your Push-Ups
If you are not heading down to the gym and still want to get a great workout
for your chest, you have several ways to do it in your own home. First, never
forget the power of your own body weight as resistance. Push-ups are great
standbys and still used in most strength programs. If you are very strong, try
elevating your legs by putting them on a bench or chair so that more body
weight is forward. Another great way to increase the difficulty is to perform
the reps with your hands very close together or very wide apart.
If you have difficulty with regular push-ups, you can modify the push-up
to make it easier. To reduce the amount of body weight you must support,
place your feet on the floor and your hands on a chair or on a step to take a
more upright position. If you want to increase the challenge, you can use a
balance disc or med ball as the base support for your hands. This method
allows you to target the same muscles and perform the same general move-
ment. This is a great addition at the gym as well. And if you have resistance
tubing, fix the middle of the tubing around a bedpost or banister, grab the
handles with your back against the rail, and perform your reps standing up.
Special resistance tubing is available that can be hooked to a doorknob.
Chest 61
give it a go
Create a Chest Routine

The bench press is a great stand-alone exercise, but when it’s combined with
other exercises, you can reach new levels in chest development. The bench
press is easily coupled with the pec fly. To show your pecs who’s boss, try a
pre- or postexhaust training routine (see page 188 and 189). Simply perform
a set of pec flys immediately before (preexhaust) or after (postexhaust) the
bench press. Allow only enough rest between exercises to move to the next
exercise.
For additional variety, try alternating between exercises within your work-
out or within your training week. For example, perform flat bench presses one
workout and incline bench presses the next. Perform cable crosses between
bench presses and incline presses. The combinations are limited only by your
imagination. The bench press incorporates so many muscles that you are
bound to work your chest well. Remember, muscles will begin to tire when you
perform multiple sets of several exercises. Adjust your weights accordingly.
Don’t be afraid to change things. You don’t always have to start with the
bench press on Monday. Try one of the popular combinations shown in the
table. Routine 1 is good for general fitness, routine 2 is appropriate for strength
development, and routine 3 is a good change of pace.
Exercise Number of sets Reps per set Rest between sets
Routine 1
Bench press 2 12 90 sec.
Incline bench press 2 10 90 sec.
Cable cross 2 12 60 sec.
Routine 2
Dumbbell pec fly 2 12 90 sec.
Single-arm bench press 2 10 90 sec.
Routine 3
Incline bench press 2 10 90 sec.
Dumbbell pec fly 2 12 60 sec.
Dumbbell bench press 3 15 90 sec.

chapter
6
Back
O ne important strategy for weight training is to balance your muscle build-

ing to prevent orthopedic problems. Therefore, while training the chest,
it is essential to train the back as well. Upper back exercises involve pulling
movements. In all pulling movements, the latissimus dorsi (lats), rhomboids,
trapezius (traps), rear deltoids, and teres major are worked, as well as the
biceps and other arm flexors. In fact, many routines incorporate both upper
back and biceps work on the same day. When working the back, concentrate
on initiating all movements with the back muscles and not the biceps. Biceps
involvement is inevitable, however, and so you should account for this when
you plan your exercises so you do not overwork your biceps. Consider work-
ing your biceps on the same day as your back, or allow for plenty of recovery
between your back day and your biceps training day.
Since pulling movements are a function of many muscles and not just
the lats, the decision of where to place your hands and how the movement
should be performed will control how your back is isolated and whether or
not your biceps or rear deltoids contribute. The more help the movement
gets from other muscles, the less likely you are to isolate the lats. This is
both good and bad. If you are looking to improve lat size and shape, then
you should choose more isolation exercises; if you are looking more for sport
performance improvement, you should welcome the additional arm activity
to help increase pulling strength.
The main exercise for the upper back is the seated row, which is the per-
fect complement to the bench press. Proper execution of this lift will not
only help with anchoring a tug-of-war contest but also improve your overall
upper body shape.
63
You Can Do It!
Seated Row
For maximal lat involvement, the seated row is best performed using a cable
system. However, upright machines offer stability and some offer lower back
support, making them slightly easier to train with for beginners. Your initial
hand position will dictate which muscles you emphasize. With your arms
beside you and your elbows in close, you will emphasize the lat muscles
slightly more. If you use a bar attachment on the cable, placing your elbows
out to the sides (armpits forming a 90-degree angle), you will place greater
emphasis on the rear deltoids and rhomboids. In either case, all muscles are
worked in every position, and the actual movement itself remains the same.
Cable machine starting position
Pull handles back

1. Concentrate on your body position. Get yourself properly set in the
machine. Make sure your form is tight. Plant your feet firmly on the
ground or against the supports to increase your stability (your bal-
ance or ability to control the weight). Since the cable machine provides
no support for your upper body, you must keep your body positioned
correctly. Look forward, and sit upright with your chest out. Contract
your abs, and do not bend at the waist. The handles should be at arm’s
length when your arms are completely extended.
2. Grab the handles and slowly pull them to your chest. During the move-
ment, pull your shoulder blades together.
3. Pull back as far as you can, then pause for two counts. Do not use the
momentum created by bending at your waist to pull the handles back.
4. Return the weight to the starting position by slowly allowing the weight
to extend your arms. Fight against the resistance as your arms extend.
Machine starting position Pull handles back
Back 65
Dumbbell Row
A great way to isolate your lats, focus on form, and create better overall upper
back development is to use a dumbbell and concentrate on one arm at a time.
1. Rest your right hand and knee on a flat bench, in line about two feet
(.6 m) apart. Use your left leg to keep your balance. Keep a straight back,
eyes looking at the ground. Do not raise your head.
2. Grab the dumbbell with your left hand, arm extended.
3. Pull up and back, keeping your upper arm tight to your left side as you
pull the weight up to your waist. The motion is similar to sawing wood.
4. Slowly extend your left arm, returning the dumbbell to the starting posi-
tion. Do not jerk the weight up or rotate the body during the lift. If this
happens, you are lifting too much weight.

Lat Pull-Down
The primary variation of the seated row is the lat pull-down, which—you
guessed it—works the lats.
1. Sit in a lat pull-down machine with your arms extended overhead. Hold
the bar in a monkey grip, hands about twice shoulder-width apart, palms
turned away from you. Your arms should form a V overhead. Lean slightly
back from the waist to prevent hitting yourself in the head with the bar.
2. Bring the bar down to the top of your chest. (Some lifters pull the bar
behind their heads, but this position often compromises the upper neck
and causes the lower back to round. Both are major flaws. If you choose
to pull the bar behind your head, maintain proper position by keeping
your chest up and your head facing forward.)
3. Return the bar to the starting position.
Back 67
Chin-Up
Another variation is the chin-up.
1. Hang from a chin-up bar, arms fully extended, palms turned toward you.
Your elbows should be in direct line with your shoulders. Your hands
should grip the bar about shoulder-width apart.
2. Pull yourself up so that your chin passes the bar and your collarbone
(or clavicle) is nearly even with the bar.
3. Slowly lower your body to the starting point. If you have trouble lifting
your body weight, then perform front pulls. Work on full range of motion,
and in time, you will be able to chin your body.

Front Pull
If you have trouble chinning your body, try the front pull on a lat pull-down
machine.
1. Sit in the machine. Grab the overhead bar, arms fully extended, palms
turned toward you, hands about shoulder-width apart.
2. Pull the bar past your chin and down toward your collarbone, hold for
a brief moment (or a two count), then slowly return the bar to the start
by fully extending your arms.
Back 69
Dumbbell Pullover
Another great exercise is the pullover. The dumbbell pullover requires
paying strict attention to form. This is an isolation movement; the only joint
that should move is the shoulder. Throughout the exercise, keep your arms
extended, with elbows slightly bent. Do not flex and extend your elbows
during the movement.
1. Stand a dumbbell on the floor at the head of a weight bench. Lie on the
bench with your head at the end near the dumbbell. Reach back and
grab the dumbbell with both hands, elbows slightly bent. The dumbbell
should be about even with your head at the starting position with your
arms extended but with a slight bend in the elbows. (The initial move-
ment to raise the dumbbell from the floor to the starting position may
be a bit difficult. You can pull your arms in to get the dumbbell off the
ground.)
2. Pull the dumbbell over your face. For obvious reasons, it is wise to have
a firm grip on the dumbbell. The dumbbell will track in an arc from the
floor to a position over your face.
3. Hold for two counts at the top before returning slowly and under control
to your starting position.

Straight-Arm Pull-Down
If you want to isolate your lats, virtually eliminating biceps muscles, this
exercise is your answer.
1. Stand straight up (with a slight bend in your knees) facing a high pulley
system with a straight bar attachment. Fully extend your arms overhead
(taking a step or two backward if needed), and grab the bar with an open
grip, palms facing down.
2. Pull the bar to shoulder height, with your arms fully extended in front of
you. Keeping your arms locked (elbows completely extended), pull down
toward your body. Start with light weight, and get used to the movement
and body position. Don’t shrug or push with your arms; instead, try to
isolate the lats and pull the bar down toward your waist.
Back 71
Bent-Over Barbell Row
If you want to take your training to a new level, try this pure strength move
commonly used by athletes and bodybuilders. You will need an Olympic
barbell to get the most out of this exercise.
1. Start by standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width, with
the barbell across your shins. Reach down and grab the barbell with a
thumb-lock grip, palms facing backward. (For an even greater challenge,
try the reverse-grip version, where you use a palms forward hand posi-
tion to emphasize the biceps’ contribution to the pulling motion.)
2. Stand up with the weight, give a slight bend in the knees, and lean for-
ward so that your torso is just above parallel with the ground.
3. Pull the bar to your waist by squeezing your shoulder blades together
(retracting the scapulae, or contracting your rhomboids) and contracting
your lats. As you pull upward, your elbows should flare out to the sides
between 45 and 60 degrees. Your full rep is complete when the barbell
touches your upper abdomen.
4. Lower the bar under control while exhaling.

take it to the gym
Earn Your Wings
Lifters who have exceptionally large, flared out, V-shaped lats are said to
have “bat wings,” referring to the way a bat’s wings flare to the side. To truly
develop bat wings, focus on your back. A trick used by many lifters is to retract
the scapulae (pull the shoulder blades together) before initiating the move-
ment. By doing this, you not only involve the tough-to-work rhomboids but
also position the lats so they bear the load more evenly and decrease biceps
involvement. Concentrate on initiating the movement with your upper back.
Deciding whether to keep your arms in or out and which grip to use is more
a decision of outcome and function than comfort. If you want to develop lats
more fully, you need to increase the range of motion as much as possible and
reduce the reliance on your biceps and other helper muscles. Taking a wide
grip will increase the work on the lats, but from a strength training perspec-
tive you will likely be weaker. If looking to develop strength as the primary
goal, keep your elbows in and increase the resistance. Additionally, when you
keep your arms in, your improved leverage reduces the activity of the rear
deltoids by using more middle trapezius help. Your choice of position should
be based on your goal. If you are training for shape and look (overall appear-
ance and functional strength), then you need to perform both variations;
otherwise, decide which functional needs best suit you, and work through it.
Proper alignment is also very important. Keep your chest up and your
head facing forward. Looking down or up will cause your back to round and
involve other muscles in the lift, decreasing the overall contribution of the
back muscles. Getting into a tight position—maintaining good posture, limit-
ing extraneous movement, and keeping control—for any lift is essential. The
back is no exception.
Remember that when working the upper back, the lower back must con-
stantly support the movement. To perform exercises correctly, maintain
proper back alignment. Stick your chest out, and keep your chin up—this
will keep the lower back from rounding. Do not initiate upper back exercises
with the lower back. Often lifters perform seated cable rows by leaning for-
ward and jerking at the waist. This action prevents the lats and other back
muscles from working through the entire range of motion. However, a bend at
the waist to start, with a gentle leaning backward, may actually increase lat
activation and also decrease the compressive load on the lower spine. Using
the lower back and biceps to gain momentum during seated rows takes the
work off the latissimus dorsi and decreases the rate of development.
Back 73
When lifters have worked up to heavier weights, they may use straps to hold
onto the bar. When lifting, grip strength in the forearms and hands usually
fatigues before any other muscles. Straps present an attractive alternative to
allow people to lift heavy. Many people say that straps relieve the grip muscle
work and favor isolation of the lats, but generally they allow for a few more
reps because they reduce the grip work. That sounds like a benefit, but if
you increase your grip strength along with your back, you increase forearm
strength and size as well as back strength. By allowing your grip strength to
develop, you improve not only your overall pulling strength (which is more
applicable for sport performance) but also your rate of progression. In some
cases, straps allow the lifting of heavier weights but can also encourage bad
form. Remember the principle of progression; you sacrifice form and develop-
ment when you try to progress too quickly.
train at home
Pull Your Way to Stronger Lats
Hitting the lats is hard work and even harder without proper equipment.
However, you can give yourself a great workout at home if you can find a way
to do pull-ups or assisted pull-ups. The best option is to purchase a pull-up
bar that attaches to a door frame (there are good ones now that are very
sturdy). Another way to do pull-ups at home is by opening a door and fixing
a rope (or belt or towel) around both doorknobs, leaving the rope ends free.
Straddle the door with your legs, lay back at arm’s length, grab the rope ends,
and perform pull-ups as you would normally do by digging your heels into the
floor and using them as the pivot point. For safety, be sure you can maintain
a firm grip on the rope (or belt or towel) and that it is securely attached to
the doorknobs.
Another method is to have a partner assist by standing over top of you
while you are lying on the floor. (You should be lying between the partner’s
legs.) Grab your partner’s hands or a towel your partner is holding, and pull
yourself up so that your body pivots on your feet. Although the range of
motion is short, it is better than nothing. If those methods do not appeal to
you, then you can use resistance tubing in a manner similar to the pressing
motions in chapter 5. Stand facing a pole of some kind, hook the middle of
the tubing around the pole, and complete the pulling motions described in
this chapter.

give it a go
Build Your Back

Since the back is a critical body part, it should be exercised on its own as
much as possible. Although you can’t completely eliminate the biceps from
back work, you can reduce their contribution by concentrating on using the
back muscles to begin each movement. Move slowly and deliberately. Jerking
the weight will activate the biceps first and may lead to grip fatigue.
One practical way to accomplish a complete back workout is to use a vari-
ety of pulls in your program. I recommend incorporating both the seated
row and the lat pull-down into your workouts. A great way to target the back
muscles from every angle is to perform fewer sets of each individual exercise
but include more exercises. For a real challenge, try using the pullover in a
pre- or postexhaust routine (see chapter 15 for more on pre- and postexhaus-
tion) with the lat pull-down as shown in sample routine 3.
Routine 1
Bent-over barbell row 3 8 2 min.
Straight-arm pull-down 2 12 90 sec.
Front pull 2 10 90 sec.
Routine 2
Seated row 3 10 90 sec.
Lat pull-down 2 12 90 sec.
Dumbbell row 2 8 90 sec.
Routine 3
Dumbbell pullover 2 10 60 sec.
Reverse-grip bent-over barbell row 2 8 90 sec.
Back 75
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76
chapter
7
Shoulders
T he deltoids are actually three distinct muscles with three different func-
tions. The anterior (front) deltoid raises your arm to the front of your body
and pulls your arm across your body. The medial (middle) deltoid elevates
your arm perpendicularly to your body (known as abduction) to move your
arm out away from the side of your body. The posterior (rear) deltoid pri-
marily pulls your arm back. The deltoids work in concert with the rotator
cuff, a collective name that describes four small, deep muscles that hold the
shoulders in place. These muscles allow the arm to rotate at the shoulder.
When improper technique is used or the shoulder is overused, the muscles
of the rotator cuff are often the ones that feel it.
Although many people love the idea of having boulders for shoulders,
overworking these muscles can lead to problems. Remember, both the rotator
cuff muscles and the deltoids will be worked during any upper body move-
ment. The anterior deltoids work during pushing movements such as bench
presses. The posterior deltoids work during pulling movements. The medial
deltoids are worked in all exercises in which the arms are out away from your
body in the abducted position. When trained properly, the deltoids can be
both appealing and physically functional.
77
You Can Do It!
Shoulder Press
The king of shoulder exercises is certainly the shoulder press, also known
as the military press. This exercise can be performed using dumbbells, a
barbell, or a machine.
1. Sit on a weight bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Lift the dumb-
bells to your shoulders, palms facing forward, elbows in line with your
shoulders.
2. Push the weights up until your arms are fully extended.
3. Gently lock your elbows. Pause for two counts at the top of the motion.
Keep your torso tight and your chest and chin up during this exercise.
4. Return the weights to the starting position at your shoulders. Resist the
momentum as the weights descend.
Overtraining the shoulders is the most common symptom of using too
much weight too quickly. It is better to underdo it than to overdo it. Do not
compromise your lower back in order to use more weight. Do not use momen-
tum or bounce the weight during the movement.
Starting position Push weights up

A great way to isolate shoulders so your weaker side can catch up is to
perform alternating single-arm dumbbell presses. By alternating pressing
movements and keeping the dumbbell under constant tension, the body
continually rights itself, improving both the size and shape of the deltoid
while forcing the rest of the body to develop strength in the support and
balance muscles. When you perform the single-arm version, be sure each
rep is individual and deliberate. Although tempting, do not get into a bicy-
cling type of pattern. If you use a bar, you can lower it behind or in front of
your head. Beginners should keep the bar in front to reduce neck strain on
the cervical disc area and to prevent possible shoulder impingement. Once
you have good technique and range of motion (and as long as you have no
shoulder problems), you can lower the weight behind your head. The more
posterior the bar or dumbbells travel, the greater the emphasis on the middle
(medial) deltoid muscles.
Pause at top Return weights to shoulders
Shoulders 79
Barbell Shoulder Press

The barbell shoulder press can be performed while sitting on a weight bench
or while standing, although the sitting position is recommended for beginners.
1. Hold the bar with your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart
so that the bar touches the top of your chest.
2. Push the bar overhead, fully extending your arms. Lean back only far
enough to allow the bar to pass in front of your head.
3. Once at the top, pause for two counts, then lower the bar back down
under control. Oh, and watch your head—it may get in the way. (You
also can start this exercise with your arms fully extended, lowering the
weight to your chest as the first movement.)

Front Raise
The front raise targets the anterior deltoid.
1. Sit on a weight bench, arms at your sides, hands holding the dumbbells
slightly to the front of your body. Your palms should be facing back.
2. Raise the dumbbells straight out in front of you until your arms are
about shoulder height.
3. Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position. You also can perform
this exercise with a barbell. Using an incline bench increases the range
of motion. For greater range of motion, use an incline bench and lean
back against it to lengthen the distance the dumbbell has to travel.
Shoulders 81
Lateral Raise
The lateral raise, also called the side raise, isolates the medial deltoid. You
can perform this exercise sitting on a weight bench (as shown) or standing.
Standing requires a little more discipline and technique to maintain good
posture and eliminate the tendency to cheat by throwing the weight up using
the legs rather than forcing the shoulders to do their job. Experienced lifters
can use either technique, but if you are just starting out, the seated position
will force tighter form and isolate the deltoid muscles better.
1. Sit comfortably on the bench with your chest and head up. Grab a pair
of dumbbells and hold them at your sides with your arms fully extended.
Turn your palms toward you.
2. Raise your arms laterally until they are parallel with the ground, forming
90-degree angles at your armpits. Keep your elbows slightly bent.
3. Lower the weights to the starting position.

Rear Deltoid Fly
The rear deltoid fly works the posterior deltoid and requires a little more
patience. Start with a set of dumbbells resting on the floor on either side of
the end of a bench.
1. Sit at the end of the bench and lean forward so that your upper back is
parallel with the floor and your chest meets your knees. Keep your head
in line with your back by looking at the floor. Drop your arms straight
down, and grab the dumbbells with your palms facing each other.
2. Raise your arms to the sides and away from your body until they are
parallel with the floor. Keep your elbows slightly bent.
3. Pause for two counts at the top of the movement, then return the weights
to the floor. Try to keep the weights suspended from the floor between
reps to keep the tension on the muscles the entire time.
Shoulders 83
take it to the gym
Deltoids: Boulders for Shoulders
For men, broad shoulders may be a defining measure of manliness. For women,
well-defined shoulders may provide better posture and confidence. Focusing
on these hard-to-work muscles is the key to developing size. However, be care-
ful not to overtrain. The most important concept to remember is that less is
better than more. Since these muscles are used during almost every upper
body exercise, often one or two sets of isolated shoulder work are plenty
when mixed with other exercises. If you train your shoulders on their own,
be sure to allow adequate rest between workouts. Try to use dumbbells as
much as possible. Dumbbells not only develop your ability to stabilize and
balance the weight, strengthening the rotator cuff, but also provide a greater
range of motion.
Working the shoulder muscles can lead to back problems if you aren’t
cautious. Contract your abdominal muscles during the movement, and keep
your head and chest up. Use lighter weights, and make your movements more
defined. Do not use momentum to move the weights. Dropping your body to
help lift the weight will only decrease the shoulder muscle involvement. Since
safety is of the utmost concern, using perfect form and minimizing lower back
involvement are imperative. The most common error in weight training is to
allow the body to bend and the lower back to round.
Gravity may be your worst enemy in performing overhead lifts. More than
one lifter has gotten a good headache while performing shoulder presses,
so be sure to clear your head. If you begin to feel yourself failing during the
lift, lower the weight. Continuing after failure can do serious damage to the
shoulder capsule.
train at home
Train Your Shoulder Boulders at Home
If you are a little older, you may remember the days when you or your brother
could do push-ups standing on your head. If you have a no-fear approach and
have considerable strength, shoulder pressing your weight while inverted
against a wall for support is a great exercise, but be careful since this approach
requires some balance and flexibility. For the rest of you mere mortals, try
doing shoulder presses with resistance tubing. Standing on the middle of the
tubing (or fixing it under a chair if you are sitting) and pressing the handles
from shoulder height up will give you a good workout. You can take that same
position and lighten the bands for both front and side raises. To get to your
rear delts, you can use the rear deltoid fly and complete a reverse fly by pulling
your arms backward while they are fully extended and perpendicular to your
body. The scarecrow row (see chapter 8) will also target your rear deltoids.

give it a go
Dig Those Delts

If you are prepared to work out more than three times a week, these shoul-
der routines will give you a good challenge. Routines 2 and 3 show a sample
posterior and anterior combination routine for chest and back days.
Routine 1
Dumbbell shoulder press 3 8 2 min.
Front raise 2 10 60 sec.
Rear deltoid fly 2 12 60 sec.
Routine 2
Barbell shoulder press 3 10 2 min.
Front raise 2 10 90 sec.
Routine 3
Single-arm dumbbell press* 2 12 90 sec.
Lateral raise 3 12 90 sec.
*Refer to page 79 for more about performing the single-arm dumbbell press.
Shoulders 85
86
chapter
8
Traps
A hallmark of bodybuilding success is to have traps, or trapezius muscles,

that touch the ears, although your aspirations may not be as high. There
are three distinct parts of the trapezius, classified by location. The upper
portion, the one most people are familiar with, helps you perform shoulder
elevations (e.g., when you shrug your shoulders). The middle portion helps
stabilize the scapulae and also aids in pulling your arms in by performing
scapular retraction (squeezing your shoulder blades together). The bottom
portion helps in depressing the shoulder blades, which is generally not a
common function. However, if you’ve ever spent too much time in front of a
computer and your shoulders started hunching up, you may have used your
lower traps to pull your shoulders down to stretch the neck and upper trap.
The lower trap is also what allows you to keep your arms at your sides if you
happen to be hanging upside down.
The traps are responsible for maintaining proper posture of the middle and
upper back, the neck, and the shoulder blades. The traps are also important
for reducing long-term injury. Don’t be afraid to do trap work for fear of looking
like a Neanderthal. In fact you stand a better chance of not looking like one
if you work your traps. Increasing the strength of the upper back, scapulae,
and neck muscles keeps tight posture and may reduce some of the “hunching
over” (kyphosis) that sometimes occurs later in life. Working the traps can
help maintain function and independence down the road.
The traps also help you perform the upper back exercises in chapter 6.
Traps aid in pulling motions and help pull the shoulder blades together. The
traps rarely function alone, so isolating them is difficult. However, there are
a few neat ways to target these muscles.
87
You Can Do It!
Shoulder Shrug
The shoulder shrug is definitely the most popular and easy to execute trape-
zius exercise. You can execute the exercise with either a barbell or dumbbells.
The key to successful performance is tight form and relying on the traps to
do the work. Avoid using your legs to initiate the movement.
1. To perform shoulder shrugs with a barbell, stand with feet about shoul-
der-width apart, knees gently locked. Hold the barbell at arm’s length
down in front of you with your hands about shoulder-width apart, palms
turned toward you. (You also can perform this exercise while holding
the barbell behind your back.)
Starting position
Lift your shoulders

2. Lift your shoulders, squeezing your traps up toward your ears.
3. Pause for two counts at the top, then lower the bar back to the starting
position.
To perform shoulder shrugs with dumbbells, stand with feet about shoulder-
width apart, knees gently locked. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your
sides with your palms turned toward you. Lift your shoulders, squeezing
your traps. Pause for two counts at the top of the movement, then return the
weights to the starting position.
Starting position for barbell behind back
Starting position with dumbbells
Traps 89
Upright Row
The main trap exercise besides the shoulder shrug is the upright row. The
upright row primarily works the traps, but they get a lot of help from the medial
deltoids. Because the upright row puts pressure on the shoulder capsule, do
not perform this exercise if you have shoulder problems.
1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold the bar-
bell in front, palms turned toward you.
2. Pull the barbell straight up, shooting your elbows out to the sides. The
bar should follow along your ribs until it hits the top of your chest.
3. Pause for two counts at the top of the movement, and shrug before slowly
lowering the bar back to the starting point. Do not begin the motion by
shrugging first or you will place the brunt of the load on the deltoids.
Remember, the traps work during many upper back exercises. The shoulder
shrug and upright row are enough to give the traps a little extra work when
combined with upper back exercises in a sound weight training program.

Scarecrow Row
Trapezius isolation is difficult; however, a great way to get the rear delts fired
up along with your traps is this move that takes its name from the body posi-
tion used to perform it.
1. Affix the middle of a piece of resistance tubing around a solid object
or pole, and stand facing it while grabbing the handles in either hand.
(This exercise can be performed with a pulley machine using separate
handles attached to the same pulley by chains.) Raise your arms up in
front, forming a 90-degree angle at your armpits so that your arms are
parallel with the ground. Turn your palms toward each other, and step
back so that the tubing is taut.
2. Keeping your arms fully extended, squeeze your shoulder blades
together, and pull your hands apart and arms back and out to your sides
so that you form a T with your body. This is the scarecrow position.
3. Hold for two counts before returning to the starting position.
Traps 91
Scapular Retraction
This exercise is a great way to target your middle trapezius muscle, and
although the range of motion is very short, scapular retraction is both thera-
peutic and effective.
1. Face a cable machine either standing or seated. Using a straight bar
attachment at chest height, fully extend your arms and take an overhand
grip. Take up the slack by positioning your body so that your arms are
locked out front and the cable is taut.
2. Keeping the arms locked while fully extended, squeeze your shoulder
blades together. Hold for two counts, then release your blades all the way
open so that the resistance pulls your arms out, rounding your upper
back as much as possible. Again, don’t let this short range of motion fool
you; this is a good exercise, especially if you have shoulder instability.

take it to the gym
Focus on the Motion
As you execute shoulder shrugs, think about the movement you make when
indicating “I don’t know” to work on isolating the trapezius muscles. The
motion is exactly the same. Remember to pull your traps to your ears and
squeeze tightly. You can also try verbalizing when you get to the top of the
movement to increase your motivation.
If you lift heavy weights, you can use straps to hold onto the bar, par-
ticularly if your grip strength is weak. In this case, straps may be necessary
since your traps can handle quite a bit of weight and often a lot more than
your wrists can. Remember, though, that straps impede your development
of grip strength, so if your grip strength can handle heavy enough weights to
wear your traps down without using straps, then do not get in the practice of
using them. In addition, avoid using your legs when you lift. Use of momentum
will prevent proper development of the traps. Control the execution of the
movement, pausing for two counts to allow the traps to develop, decrease
the contribution of the deltoids, and prevent strain of the rotator cuff.
Many so-called experts will tell you to roll your shoulders forward and back
at the top of the lift. This is not necessary and will not increase the emphasis
on the traps. Worse yet, it may put the shoulder in a bad position. Although
they are uncommon, shoulder dislocations have occurred when lifters tried
to roll the shoulders.
train at home
Home-Based Trap Development
Mechanically speaking, your traps are in a good position to lift quite a bit of
weight. Whether you are strength training or looking for shape or endurance,
performing shoulder shrugs at home is both easy and recommended. The
same exercise you would perform with a barbell or dumbbells can be done
with resistance tubing. If you are standing, grab the handles and hold the
middle of the tubing to the ground with your foot. Perform the same shrugs,
pulling straight up with your shoulders and keeping your arms locked at full
length. To perform the exercise seated, you can lock the tubing around your
feet out in front, maintain an erect or slightly backward leaning position, and
perform the same shrugging motion by pulling on the handles.
Traps 93
give it a go
Training the Traps

Trapezius variations are not very complex, but keeping things simple is often
more desirable. The mini routines will address the needs of your training
program and help maintain proper posture. Often trap work is performed
on the same day as shoulder work (e.g., rear deltoid fly).
Routine 1
Shoulder shrug 3 10 90 sec.
Scapular retraction 3 12 60 sec.
Upright row 2 8 90 sec.
Routine 2
Routine 3
Scapular retraction 2 15 60 sec.

chapter
9
Arms
B ecause your arms are involved in virtually every task you do on a daily
basis, having a little extra arm strength and endurance is an asset that
nobody can argue. Often look and shape is the main reason young men train
their arms, but vanity alone is not the only reason to target them for men or
women. In a relatively short time, with a few simple exercises, you will get
that nice shape. If size is not your thing, don’t worry; increasing bulk takes
considerably longer and requires discipline and training volume.
Your arms are composed of the larger triceps muscle group in the back,
the biceps muscles in the front, and your forearms. The triceps muscle group
is responsible for extending the arm at the elbow. The triceps is involved
in many throwing and pushing activities. As the name implies, the triceps
muscle has three heads, all similar in function. While there is evidence that
each muscle head can be trained individually with specific exercises, most
research indicates that genetics rather than training may be responsible
for any differences. For beginners, focus on good execution of all extension
exercises. A common goal is to make this muscle have a horseshoe-like
appearance when it is contracted.
The biceps are the most flexed and visible muscles of the body. In many
cases, the biceps are the focal point of a lifter’s routine. Interestingly, this
two-headed muscle is not the only one that flexes the arm. Two other strong
flexors, the brachialis and brachioradialis, work when you target this area.
Contrary to popular belief, no single exercise can develop the biceps’ specific
shape. Hard work and some help from genetics are necessary.
The forearms contain many muscles that flex the wrist and fingers. Eating
spinach has been shown to increase forearm size in some cartoon characters,
but most people need to perform gripping-type exercises to see improve-
ments. The forearms get a lot of work during many pulling exercises if done
without using lifting straps.
95
You Can Do It!
Dumbbell Curl
The easiest biceps exercise to perform is also one of the best ways to target
the biceps. The dumbbell curl can be performed sitting or standing, alternat-
ing arms or moving both together.
1. Stand with your arms fully extended down at your sides. Grab the dumb-
bells with your hands semipronated (palms facing toward each other),
with your thumbs facing forward.
2. Slowly begin to flex your arms by contracting your biceps. The dumb-
bells should follow an arc as the angle at your elbows decreases. Your
elbows should be fixed at your sides during the entire movement.
Starting position Contract biceps to lift dumbbells

3. Bring the dumbbells to your shoulders, and squeeze your biceps tight for
two counts. During the movement, twist the dumbbells so your palms
face toward your shoulders to maximally activate the biceps. Slowly
lower the dumbbells back to your sides.
Keeping your hands semipronated during the movement will focus more
on the brachioradialis, giving the front of the lower arm more of a challenge.
Supinating (turning the wrists out) on the way up has been shown to activate
the biceps more fully, so for big biceps training, turn your palms up and out
as you come up.
Bring dumbbells to shoulders Lower the dumbbells
Arms 97
You Can Do It!
Triceps Push-Down
The triceps can be worked in several ways. One of the easiest and most
effective ways is to use a cable machine to perform the triceps push-down.
This exercise may have its own station in the gym, or you can use the lat
pull-down area. Select a bar attachment that is comfortable for your grip.
Although many lifters think different types of bars hit the triceps differently,
most research says otherwise.
1. Stand and grab the bar with your hands at chest height and with the
palms facing forward. Your arms should be fully flexed, with your elbows
against your sides. Your hands should be approximately shoulder-width
apart. (If you use an inverted-V bar, your hands will be slightly closer.)
Starting position Press arms down

2. Lock your elbows at your sides, and press the bar down until your arms
are fully extended. The motion should be in a single plane. Keep your
elbows in during the entire movement.
3. At the bottom position, squeeze your triceps.
4. Slowly return the bar to the starting position. Some lifters return the
bar only to about waist height before beginning the next rep, but you
want to use as large a range of motion as possible, so bring the bar all
the way back up to chest height. Before you begin the next rep, your
elbow angle should be as small as possible.
Squeeze triceps at bottom Return to starting position
Arms 99
You Can Do It!
Wrist Curl
This easy exercise works both sides of the arm. You can use either dumb-
bells or a barbell; however, the barbell’s length makes it more difficult to
manipulate. You can work one arm at a time or both arms simultaneously.
1. Kneel next to a chair or weight bench with your forearms resting on the
chair or bench and your wrists hanging over the edge.
2. To work the flexors on the inside of the arms, rest the outsides of your
forearms on the chair or bench. Grab the dumbbells with your palms
facing up. Slowly raise and lower the dumbbells by flexing and releasing
your wrists. Make each movement deliberate, and go through the full
range of motion.
Starting position to work flexors
Raise dumbbells

3. To work the extensors on the back side of your arms, rest the insides
of your forearms on the chair or bench. Grab the dumbbells with your
palms facing down. Slowly raise and lower the dumbbells by flexing and
releasing your wrists.
The variety of exercises that work this muscle group is rather meager. One
variation that works your grip is hanging wrist work. Grab very large dumb-
bells and hold them at your sides for as long as you can. Another variation
is to use a slightly lighter dumbbell and roll it to the ends of your fingers and
back up. In other words, open your hand until the weight reaches the ends
of your fingers, then curl your fingers and roll the dumbbell back into your
palm. Perform this exercise with extreme caution; if you drop the weight,
your toes may never forgive you. A third variation is to buy a set of grippers.
Hold the grippers in your hands and squeeze them tightly.
Starting position to work extensors
Raise dumbbells
Arms 101
Isolated Dumbbell Curl

In the isolated dumbbell curl, one arm is worked at a time.
1. Sit on a weight bench. Press the back of your working arm against
your inner thigh. Begin with the dumbbell in your hand, your arm fully
extended.
2. Slowly flex your arm, lifting the weight to your shoulder.
3. Pause at the top of the movement, and squeeze your biceps. Return the
weight to the starting position.
For variation, turn your palm inward as if you were holding a hammer,
and follow the same curling motion, keeping your lower arm in this position
throughout the movement. This curl targets the brachioradialis slightly more
and is known as the hammer curl.

Straight Bar Curl
Probably the most common curl is the standing curl, also known as the
straight bar curl. This exercise can be done with a standard straight barbell
(straight bar curl) or a cambered E-Z bar (standing curl). Avoid lower back
injuries by making the biceps work harder—don’t lean back.
1. Stand behind the barbell. Lock your hands around the bar, palms up,
hands spread a little more than shoulder-width apart. Stand holding the
barbell, arms fully extended.
2. Slowly raise the barbell to your shoulders. The weight follows an arc
until the arms are fully flexed.
3. Lower the bar to the starting position under control; it should take about
3 to 4 seconds to lower it.
For variation, start with your hands spread wider on the bar, six inches
(15 cm) or so from your body.
Arms 103
Cable Curl
The cable curl can also be done using a single handle fixed to a low pulley
position on a machine.
1. Grab the handle with both hands, and pull it up to the extended-arm
starting position. Force yourself to keep your elbows in at your sides.
2. Slowly flex your arms, raising the handle to your shoulders.
3. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement. Slowly return to the
starting position.
For variation, use a single handle and try the hammer curl position (see
page 102).

Preacher Curl
The preacher curl makes a great isolated movement and can be performed
using a preacher bench or with a machine. This exercise does a good job of
isolating the arm by fixing it and preventing cheating by using other muscles.
If you use a preacher bench, you can use either a cambered E-Z bar or a
straight bar. If you use a machine, make sure your elbows are lined up prop-
erly with the machine.
1. If you use the preacher bench, lean over the bench, fixing your armpits
tightly to the bench. For a machine, grab the handles on the machine,
palms up, arms extended.
2. Slowly flex your arms, bringing the handles or bar to your shoulders.
3. Pause for two counts at the top of the movement, and squeeze your
biceps. Slowly return to the starting position.
Arms 105
Reverse-Grip Barbell Curl
Although targeting the biceps is best done in isolation with a supinated (palms
up) grip, reversing your hands so that your palms face down (pronated grip)
requires you to grip harder to keep the weight from falling out of your hands.
This works the brachialis slightly more as well as incorporates a little more
help from wrist flexor muscles. The motion in reverse-grip curling is the
same as when standing or seated at a preacher bench. The range of motion
is slightly short, and learning to grip and hold the bar takes a little getting
used to at first. You can select either a straight bar or E-Z curl bar based on
your comfort. If you are short on time and want to kill two birds with one
stone, this is a good choice for your biceps and forearms.
1. Grab the bar with an overhand grip so that your palms are facing down.
Take a slightly wider than shoulder-width stance, with a slight bend in
your knees.
2. Lift the bar so it’s across the tops of your thighs, and fix your elbows
tight to your body.
3. Flex your arms, bringing the barbell from your thighs to your chest.
4. Hold for two counts at the top before returning to your starting position
at your thighs.

Supine Triceps Extension
The supine triceps extension, also known as the skull crusher, nose breaker,
or head caver, targets the triceps effectively when performed properly. You
can use a barbell or dumbbells for this exercise. If one is available, consider
using a cambered bar because it is more comfortable to grip.
1. Lie on your back on a weight bench. Grab the bar, and bring it to a posi-
tion just behind your head. Your elbows should point straight forward
and up. The angle at the armpits should be just past 90 or up to 120
degrees. Your palms should be up.
2. Fully extend your arms. When your arms are fully extended, the weight
should be over your chin, not over your eyes. Keeping the arms in proper
position keeps the tension on the triceps.
3. Hold for two counts at this fully contracted position before returning to
the starting position just behind your head. Some people prefer to bring
the weight to their foreheads (hence the name skull crusher), but for both
safety and longer range of motion, behind the head is your better choice.
Arms 107
Dip
The dip is definitely the king of triceps exercises. Dips also work the chest
and front deltoids. To do dips, you need to have plenty of strength and bal-
ance. The great thing about doing dips is that you use your own body weight.
If you can’t complete a full set of dips, then do as many as you can. In time,
you will be amazed at how easy they are.
1. Hoist yourself onto the parallel bars with your body between them. Start
with your arms fully extended by your sides.
2. Bend your elbows, slowly lowering yourself between the bars until your
elbows form a 90-degree angle.
3. Pause for two counts, then return to the starting position by pushing
down against the bars.

Bench Dip
If you have trouble performing dips on parallel bars, the modified bench dip
is a good alternative.
1. Begin with your feet on a flat bench and your legs fully extended. Your
arms should be shoulder-width apart with your hands on the bench
directly behind you, fingertips facing forward. This is a slightly awkward
position, and you will feel a stretch across your chest.
2. Bend your elbows, slowly lowering your body until your elbows form a
90-degree angle.
3. Pause for two counts, then return to the starting position by pushing
your arms downward.
Arms 109
Close-Grip Bench Press
Although we discuss chest training in chapter 5, getting a little help from the
pecs may be just the added edge that your triceps need. The close-grip ver-
sion of a bench press does not completely isolate the triceps but does a very
good job at making them the primary target when your hands are positioned
close to each other.
1. Using the same form as for your regular bench press, move your hands
in closer together. Traditional wide-grip bench pressers (such as pow-
erlifters and strongmen) find that a shoulder-width grip is close enough.
Others may want to use a grip that is about 6 inches (15 cm) apart. Some
lifters bring their hands together so that they are touching, but this
position may be too stressful for some.
2. Take the bar from the rack as you would for a regular bench press. Make
sure your body is tight.
3. Inhale deeply, expanding your chest, and begin to lower the weight.
As you lower the weight, keep your elbows in rather than flared out to
the sides. Bring the barbell closer to your sternum than for the regular
bench press.
4. Pause at your chest for two counts, and then press upward, exhaling
and returning to the starting position. As you are pressing, concentrate
on using your triceps, and keep your elbows tight to your chest rather
than flared out to the sides.

Dumbbell Triceps Kickback
Another popular exercise is the dumbbell triceps kickback. In this exercise,
you work one arm at a time. Keep your elbow high throughout the movement.
1. Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Lean
forward and place your nonlifting hand on a knee for support. Maintain
a flat back. Grasp the dumbbell firmly in your lifting hand. Point your
elbow toward the ceiling.
2. Extend your lifting arm back as far as comfortable. Full extension should
feel slightly uncomfortable; if it doesn’t, your elbow may not be high
enough.
3. Pause for two counts at the top, then return to the starting position.
Arms 111
Overhead Triceps Extension
A variation of the dumbbell triceps kickback is to perform the same move-
ment overhead.
1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, or sit on a weight bench. Keep
your back flat. Hold the dumbbell in one hand. Bring your lifting elbow
up next to your ear.
2. Point your elbow toward the ceiling. Fully extend your arm. The dumb-
bell will travel behind your head to the overhead position.
3. Pause for two counts at the top before slowly lowering the bar back
behind your head to the starting position. Don’t rush here. You may
want to move your head slightly forward or to the side to avoid an ugly
collision!

Cable Reverse-Grip Triceps Pull-Down
Although not a common exercise, this variation of the triceps push-down can
be performed with one arm at a time or with both arms together. Use either
a handle (for single arm) or a straight or bent bar attachment (for both arms)
on the same cable triceps push-down machine. At first, you will need lighter
weight because this exercise will feel a little funny as you get used to the grip,
but you should feel your triceps working over time to get the weight moving.
1. Face the pulley stack, keep your elbow in tight to your sides, and use a
reverse grip (palms up), starting with the handle at chest height.
2. Pull the bar down, extending your arm fully.
3. Pause at the fully extended position, and then return to the start.
Arms 113
Wrist Roller
A great way to hit just about all of the wrist muscles is to “roll” them out.
These can be done anywhere, and although there are specific devices to do
this movement, you can make a wrist roller quite easily. To make your own,
you need some rope and a dowel, broomstick, or even PVC tubing. Make the
dowel, which becomes the handle or bar, about 12 inches (30 cm) long. Tie
one end of a rope around the middle of the dowel. Let the rest of the rope
hang down, and tie the other end around a dumbbell or through the hole of
an Olympic plate.
1. Grab the dowel with a hand on either side of the rope. Extend your arms
out in front of you, maintaining a slight bend at the elbows.
2. Alternate hand action to create a rolling action on the bar so that the
rope rolls onto the dowel. Keep going until the weight meets the dowel.
3. Roll the rope back out (and the weight down) slowly and under control
using the opposite motion. Increase the resistance so that it is difficult but
not impossible to get the weight up to the top and back without fatiguing.

take it to the gym
Building Better Biceps
A trick for standing exercises is to bend your legs slightly, taking pressure off
your lower back, and stagger your feet to create more balance. As the weight
gets farther from your body during the movement, you will need more force
to overcome its relative weight. You need good balance and control.
One of the biggest mistakes lifters make is to start the movement by launch-
ing the bar or dumbbell with momentum. Creating momentum at the waist
causes the lifter to lean back, moving the tension from the biceps to other
muscle groups. Lifters often cheat at biceps exercises when it gets most dif-
ficult, usually at the 90-degree angle. However, working through that sticking
point will truly enhance overall improvement in the biceps. The desire to cheat
by launching the weight with momentum is natural, but the best results will
come if you force yourself to work harder when it gets harder.
Developing the biceps takes time and patience. Don’t give up on them.
Any pulling exercise will work these muscles. If you are having a difficult
time developing these muscles, try isolating your arm muscles by inserting
an arm-only day into your training program once a week. No single exercise
can effectively target a specific area of the biceps, so your keys to success
are performing a variety of exercises and using a full range of motion.
Another good tip is to get a spotter to assist you. Don’t be afraid to get some
help. Instead of using momentum and cheating through the tough areas, get a
buddy to help you a little, and force your body to remain upright during the lift. To
really work your biceps, try 10 reps with a heavy weight, forcing the last few reps.
Tips to Tone Triceps

Proper execution is the key to success. During triceps exercises, the less
you move your elbow back and forth, the more you emphasize the triceps.
Maintaining proper posture is a must. To keep proper posture, contract your
abs and keep your chest up. Many lifters note that the abs feel as if they work
during triceps exercises. This is a good thing because it means that proper
body posture is being used.
To get a true horseshoe-like appearance in your triceps, use the entire
range of motion. That means using a smaller dumbbell and lighter weights.
When you extend your arms, use a gentle lock at your elbows; do not snap
them into a full lockout. Use a thumb-lock grip. A loose grip will prevent
overexertion, but you need to be able to hold onto the barbell or dumbbell.
The most important tip, however, is to make sure that the plates are secured
to the barbell or dumbbell. You will quickly learn why supine triceps exten-
sions are called nose breakers if a plate falls off while you are performing one.
Although injuries are rare, olecranon bursitis (swelling in the elbow) may
occur if you overdo it. If your elbow is sore, do not do triceps exercises. If you
feel a slight pain during a particular exercise, try a different hand grip. It is
not uncommon to find that some exercises bother the elbow but others don’t.
Arms 115
Get a Grip!
Do not neglect grip work in your training, especially if you play tennis, golf,
baseball, softball, or any other sport that requires you to hold a hitting
implement. The heavier the weight you use and the slower you perform the
movement, the greater the training effect will be.
Using dumbbells with spinning plates allows the weight to move properly,
but if you don’t have dumbbells with spinning plates, don’t worry. For the most
part, if the dumbbell plates are secure, then wrist curls are safe. It is difficult
to do any major damage unless you really overwork your wrists. The first few
times you do these exercises, you may get sore, but in time the soreness will
go away and your grip strength will improve dramatically.
train at home
Home-Based Pipe Training
For those of you looking to get in shape, you have several options for work-
ing out your arms at home. If you are looking for a quick pump, you can get
that swollen look without the gym. If you take a good look around, you’ll
discover a variety of home training tools, and when you understand the
way a muscle is worked, you can find a method to stress them enough to
create a challenge.
Using the straight bar curl position, you can curl resistance tubing to
work your biceps. The best way to make use of the tubing is to grab the
handles on either side and stand on the middle. For your triceps, pull the
tubing up to your shoulders, extend your elbows overhead, and perform
arm extensions overhead (triceps extensions). Don’t forget about your own
body weight. Doing push-ups with your hands together will get a good tri-
ceps burn. There are also plenty of heavy objects in your house that you
can curl. Grab either end of a rolled towel with someone else or an object
hanging from the middle. Pull upward on the towel handles, creating a curl-
like movement for the biceps.
Training your forearms at home is also an easy task. If you have made your
own wrist roller you are set, but another option is to grab nearly any object
in your house that is heavy enough to make your forearms work. Popular
items include soup cans, heavy pots, heavy books, and even your kids. While
holding the object, squeeze tightly and curl your wrists upward, then reverse
the position and extend your wrists backward.

give it a go
Show Off Your Guns

Your arms will get worked every time you pull, push, and grip anything. Whether
hitting a hard bench press, carrying a child, or doing work around the house
or yard, the arms are contributing to the strength required for those tasks. So
why isolate them? For some, the thought of having chiseled arms just feels good.
Certainly, the biceps and triceps can be separated, and you can work one over
the other if you think you need that little extra, but training your entire arm
means you will get that perfect shape, nice lines, and the strength you need to
carry out your everyday tasks. If you hit them hard, your pistols will grow and
ultimately become full-fledged guns. But even if that is not your goal, each of
these mini workouts make a good training session to build that much-needed
strength. Be careful, though; working your guns hard may result in a super
pump, and it may take hours before your arms become usable again, but this
is also a good time to show them off. These routines are designed to be quick,
efficient, and straight to the point. Choose one routine, complete each set before
moving to the next exercise, and your arms should get everything they need.

Routine 1
Supine triceps extension 2 10 90 sec.
Dip 2 10 90 sec.
21s* 2 7, 7, 7 90 sec. between
full sets
Cable curl 2 10 60 sec.
Wrist curl (palms down to work 3 10 60 sec.
extensors)
Routine 2
Close-grip bench press 2 12 90 sec.
Triceps push-down 2 8 60 sec.
Straight bar curl 2 12 90 sec.
Isolated dumbbell curl 2 each arm 8 60 sec.
Wrist curl (palms down to work 3 12 60 sec.
extensors)
Routine 3
Overhead triceps extension 2 each arm 8 90 sec.
Cable reverse-grip triceps pull-down 2 each arm 12 60 sec.
Reverse-grip barbell curl 2 8 90 sec.
Dumbbell curl 2 12 60 sec.
*For each set, perform 7 reps of half of the movement, 7 reps of the other half of the
movement, and 7 reps of the complete movement one after another.
Arms 117
118
chapter
10
Core
S ome trainers suggest that the core is its own independent part of the body.
However, when you move, lift, pull, carry, throw, kick, punch, or hold any-
thing, you push your feet toward the ground and transfer that force to your
legs or arms via the connecting structures of your core. Thus, training the
core is important, but it’s not more important than strengthening the lower
body. Additionally, the term core is often used to refer only to the abdominal
region, but really your hips, abs, lower and upper back, and even pecs can
act as part of your core. Since the pecs, lats, and hips are covered in other
chapters, this chapter focuses on abdominal and lower back muscles.
The main role of the abdominal muscles is trunk flexion (allows you to sit
up) and pelvic stabilization (allows you to dance without falling over). The
main abdominal muscle that runs down the middle of your body is the rectus
abdominis. The obliques on the sides of your body allow you to twist. The
transverse abdominis runs across your abdominal region to provide support
for posture and movement.
Soreness and injury in the lower back can have a profound effect on train-
ing, sport performance, and everyday life. Nearly 80 percent of all people
will experience back problems at some point in their lifetime. Although most
injuries are just strains, major problems can also occur. Many injuries can
be prevented by strengthening the lower back muscles, so light back work
should be incorporated into all programs.
Several myths exist about how to train the core. First, spot reduction—
losing weight in one specific area of the body—is a fallacy. Second, you don’t
need expensive machines to work your abs or back. Third, you don’t have to
have a six-pack to have strong abs.
Most movements in daily life and sporting activity require the simultane-
ous contraction of both the abs and lower back. As a result, combined core
exercises are becoming more popular. The “more to choose and use” section
of this chapter presents a variety of these types of exercises on pages 124
through 135. Since the core musculature often contracts to stabilize the entire
body, static hold exercises seem to do a good job at increasing core strength.
But again, you should do a combination of both static and dynamic exercises
to benefit both appearance and function.
119
You Can Do It!
Crunch
For many years, this exercise was called a sit-up, but it has been modified to
prevent neck and lower back injuries. Research shows that crunches, also
known as curl-ups, activate all abdominal muscles as much as any other
exercise. In fact, crunches cause greater activation of the abs than most ab
machines advertised on TV.
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and together or slightly apart, your
feet flat on the ground about shoulder-width apart. You can perform this
exercise with your hands by your sides. If you place your hands behind
your head, do not pull on your neck when you curl up. The extra strain
may damage the neck vertebrae.
Starting position with hands at sides
Curl up

2. Curl your trunk up to the point at which the middle of your back comes
off the floor, but keep your lower back touching the floor. Perform the
movement slowly. Jerky movements will bypass the abdominal muscles
in favor of the much stronger hip flexors.
3. Squeeze at the top position for two counts, then slowly return to the
starting position.
Once you have progressed to the point where you can perform many
repetitions without losing proper form, you can increase the intensity of the
crunch by extending your arms to your sides.
Starting position with hands behind head
Curl up
Core 121
You Can Do It!
Back Extension
Back extensions, also called hyperextensions or hypers, work the lower back
from a bent-over position. Straightening the body involves contracting the
lower back muscles (as well as the glutes and even the hamstrings). Most gyms
have a special bench for back extensions that places your body parallel to
the ground. Another type of back extension bench positions your body at a
45 degree angle. For either bench, you can do the exercise with no resistance
except body weight. To add more resistance, you can attach resistance tubing
around your upper back or use a specially designed bench (if your gym has
one) that allows you to adjust the resistance.
Starting position
Extend upward

1. Position yourself on the bench so that the front of your legs are resting
on the main pad of the bench with your hips just past the end of the
bench and your feet fixed firmly in the supports. Lower your torso down
so that the top of your head is pointing to the ground and so your legs
and torso form about a 90 degree angle. Position your arms behind your
head, beside you, across your chest, or extended out in front of you.
2. Squeeze your lower back muscles while extending upward until your
body is straight.
3. Hold at the extended straight position for two counts. Slowly return to
the starting position.
Starting position for alternative Extend upward

bench
Core 123
Twisting Crunch
The most popular variation of a crunch is a twisting curl-up, which activates
the obliques a little more. Slow, precise movement is the key. If you move too
quickly, you won’t work the abs.
1. Lie on your back, knees bent. Put your hands behind your head or over
your ears and flare your elbows out to your sides.
2. Curl up, but twist at the waist as you near the top of the movement,
moving one elbow toward the opposite knee.
3. Repeat on the other side.

Side Bend
The side bend also concentrates more on the obliques.
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
2. With a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight at your sides, slowly lean
side to side, accentuating the range of motion. Both sets of obliques will
work in each direction as you lower and raise.
If you prefer, you can work one side at a time. Hold one dumbbell, and place
the other hand behind your head for optimal balance.
Core 125
Pelvic Raise
The pelvic raise is safe and effective at increasing the work on the lower abs
while still working your entire abdominal region, although you should not
perform this exercise if you have a sore back.
1. Lie on your back. Raise your legs, crossing your ankles and bending your
knees slightly. The soles of your feet should point toward the ceiling.
2. Contract your abs, raising your buttocks off the ground.
3. Hold at the top of the movement for two counts. Don’t expect a lot of
movement; the actual amount may be only a few inches (several cen-
timeters). Do not try to increase the movement by thrusting your hips
into the air.

Reverse Crunch
Although there is little proof that the lower abs can be truly isolated, it cer-
tainly feels that way when performing this crunch variation. Without a doubt
it does tax the entire abdominal muscle wall, and provided that your lower
back is injury free, it is a great way to target your abs.
1. Lie on your back with your head, shoulders, and butt against the ground.
Raise your legs off the ground, crossing your ankles and bending your
knees to 90 degrees.
2. Pull your knees toward your chest, pulling your buttocks off the ground
by squeezing your abs.
3. Hold for two counts then return to the start.
Variations include the double ab crunch and the med ball crunch. The double
ab crunch combines the actions of the curl-up crunch and the reverse crunch
so that you are simultaneously pulling your chest and hips off the ground and
bringing your knees to your elbows. Some people call this the clam crunch
because the motion resembles a clam closing. The other variation is to trap a
med ball or small stability ball between your hamstrings and calves. Then do
your reverse crunch with the ball behind your knees during the movement.
Core 127
Romanian Deadlift
A full deadlift is an exercise practiced by powerlifters for sheer strength.
Coaches and trainers prefer to modify the deadlift by using a version known
as the Romanian deadlift that takes a little pressure off the lower back. The
Romanian deadlift requires good foundational strength and extremely good
technique. The key is to keep the bar as close to your body as possible. If the
bar travels too far away from your body or your form deteriorates, you may do
considerable damage to your back. Do not do this exercise if your back is sore.
1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, perpendicular to the
barbell, the bar resting on the floor across your shins. Bend at your
waist, keeping about 10 to 20 degrees of knee flexion. Grasp the bar just
wider than shoulder-width, with the palms turned toward you. Keep
your arms fully extended during the entire movement. Stick your chest
out, and pull up on the bar to reduce any slack in your legs or arms.
2. Slowly pull the bar up, keeping your arms locked and your back flat. Pull the
bar along your legs until it is at waist height, with your arms fully extended.
Keep the bar as close to your body as possible during the entire lift.
3. From the extended position, slowly lower the barbell; do not drop it. Proper
control is essential. The torso should remain tight during the entire lift.
For a body-weight variation, use the same movement but without the bar-
bell. Use only the weight of your upper torso for resistance.

Fire Hydrant and Rotational Fire Hydrant
The position of this exercise forces your abdominal and lower back muscles
to engage to stabilize your hips. Although this is often considered a core exer-
cise, you can also use it to work on your glutes and surrounding hip muscles.
1. Place your hands and knees on the floor so that your weight is evenly
dispersed. Position your back so it is parallel to the floor and perfectly
straight.
2. Raise the knee of your right leg out to your side. The movement is aptly
named after the position a male dog takes when he is relieving himself.
Hold your knee out to the side at 90 degrees for two counts before returning
under control. Don’t allow your torso to rotate at all during the movement.
A rotational fire hydrant refers to rotating the hip (not the torso). The
exercise is performed the same way as the regular fire hydrant, except that
you perform small circles with your hip when your knee is up and out to the
side. Keep your knee at 90 degrees during the movement. Another option is
to make larger circles with your knee at a 45-degree angle. Perform two or
three circles, then bring your leg back down and repeat for 9 more reps (10
in total) before switching legs.
Core 129
Plank
The plank is a great total core exercise requiring co-contraction (simultane-
ous firing) of the stabilizing musculature to maintain proper balance. This is
a static exercise that should be held for 30 seconds to a minute.
1. Start by lying facedown on the ground with your weight on your elbows
and forearms. Be sure your elbows are directly under your shoulders
and not tucked under your chest.
2. Lift your body off the ground, forming a bridge so that your weight is
on your forearms and toes. Keep your torso as tight as possible. Don’t
raise your buttocks or let your torso sag; instead, make a completely
straight line (a plank) with your body.

Elbow to Hand Plank Lift
Since almost everything we do in life has a moving component, a great way
to activate your core in a dynamic (moving) strengthening exercise is to take
the regular plank and perform transfers (a fancy term for moving from one
level to another). Perform 10 to 20 repetitions.
1. Start with your body in plank position (weight on your forearms and
toes, with the torso in a straight line).
2. Keeping your torso perfectly tight, press up on one hand and then the
other and extend your arms to move into push-up position.
3. Hold at the top for two counts, and then lower yourself back down to
your elbows one hand at a time.
4. Repeat this sequence, keeping a good rhythm that increases speed but
maintains a tight plank.
Core 131
Lateral Plank Raise
The lateral plank raise is definitely an advanced core exercise requiring
considerable balance and strength. This exercise expands on the previous
planks by introducing an unstable base on only one foot and one hand. You
can do your reps to the same side or you can alternate, just make sure you
don’t wobble back and forth. A good target goal is 10 reps per side.
1. Start in a regular push-up position.
2. Rotate your weight to the right and roll onto your right foot. Simultane-
ously place your weight on the right hand, and raise your left arm out
to the side.
3. In the finish position, your body forms the letter T, with your left arm
fully extended and pointing to the ceiling; the entire front of your body
is perpendicular to the ground.
4. Lower yourself back to the push-up position under control.

Superman
Quickly becoming a common staple in many exercise programs, the aptly
named superman focuses on total core activity. It starts with a dynamic
contraction to get to the superman position and then requires strong static
stabilization to maintain the hold.
1. Lie facedown on your belly with your arms extended past your head
and legs fully stretched out.
2. While simultaneously contracting your glutes, hamstrings, and shoul-
ders, lift your arms and legs off the ground. You should be balanced on
your midsection and forming an exaggerated position that resembles
Superman flying.
3. Hold for two counts, then return to the ground. When raising up, your
entire torso should be tight, and both your knees and upper arms should
come off the ground.
An alternative to the superman is the super T. The action is the same except
that your arms are out to your sides rather than overhead.
Core 133
Standing Rotational Twist
Since most daily activities involve standing, moving, and twisting, a great way
to train the core, work on balance, and increase overall strength is to use
resistance while performing a movement that incorporates the entire core.
1. Grab a med ball, a dumbbell, tubing, or a pulley cable system. Stand
upright with your legs about twice as wide as shoulder width. Extend
your arms directly out in front while grabbing the implement. Keep your
arms locked and extended at shoulder height.
2. Rotate at the hips so that your entire upper body is facing sideways.
3. Twist back and forth to activate the entire torso.

Axe Chop
This is another great standing exercise that requires the entire body to
participate. You can do this exercise with med balls, dumbbells, tubing, or a
pulley cable system. Axe chops are a tough exercise and should be performed
slowly at first until the move is perfected.
1. Stand upright with your legs about twice as wide as shoulder width.
Extend your arms overhead while grabbing the med ball. Keep your
arms locked and extended.
2. Rotate from shoulder to opposite knee, going across the body as if you
are chopping wood. Keep your body tight, and bend over at the waist
to perform this move.
Core 135
take it to the gym
Slow Down to Tone the Abs
To train your abs better than ever, remember this one piece of advice: Slow
down the movement. During crunches, imagine one end of a chain is attached
to your rib cage, and someone at the other end is cranking you up one link
at a time. Allow yourself to be slowly pulled up, completely contracting your
abs one segment at a time. By slowing down the movement, you force the
abs to work harder by removing the momentum generated by other muscles.
Keep your torso erect, and don’t tuck your chin into your chest. To develop
abdominal endurance, perform more reps. If strength is your goal, increase
the resistance by altering your arm position or adding weight. Having a gym
buddy press against you while you try to do crunches may be a good chal-
lenge. Advanced lifters can use medicine balls for an additional abdominal
challenge.
Do not work the abs when your back is sore. Take your time, and be
patient. Being able to see your six-pack may take much longer than its actual
development.
Don’t Break Your Back

Safety is the biggest concern for all back exercises. Perform all back exer-
cises slowly. During straight-leg deadlifts, keep the bar close to your body.
The farther the bar is from your body, the more tension will be placed on
the lumbar discs, and the harder you will have to work to control the weight.
When you finish a set, you may want to stretch your lower back and take a
slightly longer rest period. For a quick stretch, grab hold of a machine or post,
extend your arms, and round your upper back by leaning away from the pole.
As with all exercises, proper technique is a must. Contract the abs to keep
your torso erect; this will help stabilize your entire body. Do not use a weight
belt when performing back exercises unless a physician tells you to do so.
Back exercises strengthen your core; the belt will reduce this effect. Respect
your lower back; do not work your back if it is sore. If the soreness persists
for more than two days, see a physician.

train at home
Core Training Creativity
There is no excuse for flabby abs! Since most ab and back exercises use
just your body weight, you can do your core exercises virtually anywhere.
Your home can become the perfect gym, but creating additional resistance
requires a little imagination. Instead of dumbbells, use soup cans or other
heavier objects. In fact, give yourself a challenge by selecting an expensive
vase and trying to keep it from falling. If it does, however, I take absolutely
no responsibility for damages! Using towels, tubing, and other forms of resis-
tance along with a couch or bed, you can do every exercise in this chapter
in your home. For those wanting a real challenge, try a plank with a young
child on your back. Get imaginative, but try to focus on those all-important
core muscles, and your flabs will turn to abs in no time.
Core 137
give it a go
Do More for Your Core

You can add core routines to the end of your workout, do them alone, or
intersperse core exercises throughout your workout. These mini workouts
are designed to strengthen your body for both static movements, postural
activity, and functional daily dynamic movements. Routine 1 is a floor-based
routine that can be done anywhere, anytime, such as right before bed. Rou-
tines 2 and 3 combine several elements that may be added to your leg or
back training days.
Routine 1
Crunch 2 12 60 sec.
Reverse crunch 2 12 60 sec.
Twisting crunch 2 12 60 sec.
Superman 2 12 90 sec.
Routine 2
Plank 2 1 30-sec. hold 90 sec. between
per set holds
Lateral plank raise 3 each side 8 60 sec.
Rotational fire hydrant 3 each side 10 60 sec.
Routine 3
Romanian deadlift 2 12 90 sec.
Back extension 2 10 90 sec.
Axe chop 2 10 75-90 sec.
Standing rotational twist 2 each side 10 75-90 sec.

chapter
11
Glutes and Hips
E veryone wants to have a tighter backside. The gluteus maximus, gluteus

medius, and gluteus minimus, collectively referred to as the glutes,
make up the major muscles of the buttocks. These muscles along with the
hamstrings help pull the leg back. The gluteus medius, with the help of a
few other muscles such as the tensor fasciae latae and the sartorius on the
outer thigh, moves the leg to the side. Several other muscles, including the
gracilis and adductor magnus of the inner thigh, bring the leg back in. The
psoas major and iliacus muscles at the front of the hip help bring the knee
to the chest. The entire group of muscles acts on the hip for both movement
and stabilization.
Infomercials promoting home machines have led many to believe that
glute, hip, and leg muscles can be individually targeted to burn off excess fat.
Furthermore, some machines tout that they can isolate the glutes, making
them firmer and tighter. Sorry to burst that bubble, but spot reduction is
a fallacy. And as far as tighter glutes, even most health club butt-blaster
machines work the quadriceps muscles of the leg first rather than the hip
muscles. Only isolated hip extension, adduction, and abduction can truly
target the glutes. Since the gluteus maximus is responsible for hip extension,
one major movement can hit the glutes hard and work all of the surround-
ing musculature.
139
You Can Do It!
Leg Press
Before the creation of the leg press, the squat—heralded as the king of all
exercises—was a mainstay for all strength- and mass-building programs.
However, since the squat is not easy to learn, we’ll begin with the leg press.
The squat is covered in chapter 12 with the quadriceps exercises, but it
requires significant contribution from the glutes. There are several different
kinds of leg presses, but all will work the muscles adequately. The key is to
select a machine that is comfortable and takes pressure off your back. Leg
presses work just about every muscle in the lower body, although the glutes
and adductors will work the most.
Depending on the machine, the movement may begin with your knees at
your chest or your legs fully extended. In either case, when the legs are flexed,
the thighs should be parallel with the footpads. During the extension phase,
you can gently lock your knees; do not snap your knees into place.
Starting position
Slowly extend legs

1. For a machine that starts with the legs flexed, begin with your feet higher
up on the footpads, toes pointing out slightly. Foot position is vital for
proper alignment during the lift and for emphasizing specific muscles.
Pointing the toes out helps the body follow its normal path and prevents
the knees from bending and pinching in. The farther apart your legs are,
the more the adductors will have to work during the movement.
2. Slowly and steadily extend your legs. Do not bounce at the top. Do not
let your knees track past your toes. The lower legs should be perpen-
dicular to the footpad. Contract your abs and lower back to keep your
body stable. Maintain an erect posture. Do not let your lower back round,
and keep your head up and chest out.
3. Pause for two counts at the top of the movement to keep momentum
from rushing the flexion stage. Slowly bend your knees, bringing them
close to your chest. The flexion stage may be slightly faster than the
extension, but it should still be under control.
Pause at fully extended position
Return to starting position
Glutes and Hips 141

Step-Up
Balance, coordination, and athleticism sum up the requirements for this
important exercise. Since most people need to negotiate stairs on a daily basis,
at first this exercise seems pretty straightforward, and it may be hard to see
how it can benefit. When done correctly, this movement will get help from
the quads but can be a punisher for your hips. Taking a normal step or adding
steps to an aerobics class does not do a great job of firming and strengthen-
ing the hips, unlike a true strength step-up. Aim for standard bench or box
heights, which fall between 12 and 18 inches (30 and 45 cm). You can use a
bench or any device if you can get a firm base of support for at least one leg.
1. Start with one leg up on top of the box so the thigh is parallel with the
ground. Lean forward slightly while pushing downward on the leg on
the box. Do not push off of your back foot.
2. Raise your entire body up until your leg is fully extended. Your trail leg
should drag along the box at first for stability, but as you get comfortable,
you will want to keep it out of the way to really emphasize the action of
the glutes on the lead leg.
3. Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position. At this point
you can either alternate legs or continue to work the same leg until a
complete set is accomplished. If you choose to work one leg at a time,
don’t bounce off your back leg; rather, take control and force the lead leg
to do as much as possible. To create a bigger challenge, use dumbbells
or even a barbell when you do this move.

Hip Extension
Most hip extensor machines can be adjusted for a larger range of motion.
The larger the range of motion, the more the glutes are involved. Set the
roll pad as far up as possible so that your knees are close to your chest.
Machines that require you to lie down generally work both legs at the same
time. Machines that require you to stand work one leg at a time. Whether
standing or lying, as long as the hip has a long range of extension, your glutes
will get the necessary work.
1. Lie on the bench with the roller pad under your knees. Move your body
under the pad so that your knees are at your chest.
2. Press down on the pad, extending your hips and legs completely. Keep the
torso erect during the movement, and do not thrust the legs back violently.
3. Pause for two counts at your point of full hip extension (your body fully
extended) before returning the legs to the starting position.
Glutes and Hips 143

Low-Cable Kickback
A low pulley attached to a multistation cable machine can be used for a variety
of exercises to work the glutes and hips. The low-cable kickback and three
other low-pulley exercises (side-cable lift, adductor cable lift, and hip flexor
cable lift) are referred to as the four-way hip. For the low-cable kickback, add
a low pulley strap to a multistation cable machine so that the pulley is on the
floor. A simple belt will do if no special strap is available.
1. Stand facing the weight stack. Hook the pulley around the ankle of your
working leg. Use the other leg for support.
2. Pull the strapped leg back against the resistance. Maintain proper pos-
ture throughout the lift. The greater the range of motion, the more the
glutes will be worked.
3. Return to the starting position by slowly bringing your leg forward.

Side-Cable Lift
You can also use the low pulley to target the outer thigh, working the adduc-
tors, abductors, and hip flexors.
1. Stand next to the weight stack, and hook the pulley around the ankle of
your outside leg.
2. Pull your leg to the side, away from your body.
3. Slowly return to the starting position, resisting the weight as you lower
your leg.
Glutes and Hips 145

Adductor Cable Lift
The low pulley can also be used to work the adductors of the inner thigh.
1. Stand beside the weight stack. Hook the pulley around the ankle of your
inner leg.
2. Pull your leg across your body, away from the weight stack.
3. Slowly return to the starting position, resisting the pull of the weight.

Hip Flexor Cable Lift
Most people do not consider working the hip flexors since they are not as
visible as the buns, and they do not hold extra fat. But they are important
for everyday function and should not be overlooked. For stability, position a
bench on your nonworking side and rest your hand on it.
1. With the low pulley on the cable machine, turn away from the weight
stack. Hook the low pulley around the ankle of your working leg.
2. Kick your working leg straight out in front, working the hip flexors.
3. Slowly return to the starting position.
Glutes and Hips 147

take it to the gym
Help Your Hips
Strengthening the entire hip capsule will improve all aspects of balance and
strength. Toning these muscles will not only give your hips and backside a
nice shape but also help increase speed and strength for lower body activities.
Having strong muscles around the hip also decreases the potential for hip
fractures later in life. The key to tight buns is to work deep into the muscle
and increase the range of motion. If leg presses are too hard on your knees,
try the isolated single-leg movements. Don’t jerk the weight; use smooth,
regular contractions. Work the hip in all four directions instead of focusing
on having a tight backside or thigh.
During leg presses, technique is important. Try to push yourself away from
the weight rather than push the weight away from you. Your focus shifts from
fear of being crushed by the weight to dominance over the weight. Addition-
ally, make sure the machine is adjusted properly for you. If it doesn’t feel
right, then it probably isn’t. Have someone familiar with the machine adjust
it for you.
Foot placement during leg presses determines which muscles will be
worked the most. If your feet are close together, generally you will work the
outside of your thighs more. If your feet are wide apart, you will emphasize
the inner thighs, hamstrings, and glutes. Although the difference may be
small, changing your foot position will help improve overall hip stability and
add variety. If you are primarily using the leg press or even a squat for hip
strength and shape, then take the wide stance every time.
In most cases, the movement in weight training should be at a regular,
smooth, and even pace for ultimate muscle strength and shape. However,
athletes can use a more explosive approach, forcing the hips to respond
more rapidly and increasing overall power in strides and jumps. Once your
technique is well perfected, pick up your rep pace, gradually at first, until you
are capable of performing your reps with maximal speed. You don’t have to
always perform explosive reps, nor should you; however, incorporating a few
faster moves into your program will help improve your overall stride and put
a jump in your step when you hit those stairs.
You will have to endure some pretty tough workouts to see good definition
in the glutes and legs. Trembling legs are just a minor symptom of hard work.
Make it through these initially difficult workouts, and your training volume
will improve—and so will your results. However, be smart and listen to your
body. If your back is sore, discontinue these exercises. Patience is a virtue.
You didn’t get out of shape in a day, and you won’t get back into shape in a
day. Think of this area as a long-term project.

train at home
Target Your Tush
As we have seen before, modifying your regular exercises by using resistance
bands is a great choice for home-based programs. Using a band for your
four-way hip work (inner, outer, front, back) might be easy in your house, but
exercises such as leg presses may be much more difficult. Your body weight
is enough to give you a real challenge, though, so body-weight exercises are
the rule for the hips and quads when working at home.
In the case of trying to isolate your tush, it may be hard to find an exercise
that does not incorporate your legs, but that’s okay. When working at home,
just alternating foot position in general exercises may do the trick. For many,
using weight and performing deep knee squats that are lower than parallel
will be quite a challenge, but it is easier when using body weight. Taking a
wide stance forces the adductors to get more involved, but when you hit
parallel or below, your quads rely on your glutes to get you up—you can’t
extend your hips without them (the glutes). So the number one exercise for
home-based training is wide-stance deep squats because they work both
your butt and quads, but more important, they provide a serious challenge
for even the strongest of individuals.
Using proper upper body squat position (see chapter 12 for more informa-
tion), start with your legs twice as wide as shoulder width or even wider. As
you descend, push your butt backward until your body reaches parallel or
just below. At the bottom, drive hard into the ground, bringing your hips in
on the way up until you are fully extended. Pause for two counts, and then hit
11 more grueling reps. If you can’t go deep, work on it, but at the very least
try for a few reps and really feel your tush scream.
Glutes and Hips 149

give it a go
Combo Leg Routines

For a complete hip and lower body workout, simply do a few sets of leg
presses plus the four-way hip exercises (low-cable kickbacks, side-cable lifts,
adductor cable lifts, and hip flexor cable lifts). However, several other com-
binations include the quadriceps and hamstrings. The table shows several
good routines. Routine 1 is a good general program for overall lower body
development. Routine 2 works a few extra muscles and may be a good way
to work everything if you are short on time.
Routine 1
Leg press 2 8 2 min.
Step-up 2 each leg 12 90 sec.
Hip extension 2 each leg 10 60 sec.
Hip flexor cable lift 2 each leg 10 60 sec.
Routine 2
Step-up 2 each leg 8 2 min.
Leg press 2 12 2 min.
Adductor cable lift 2 each leg 12 60 sec.
Side-cable lift 2 each leg 12 60 sec.
Routine 3
Hip extension 2 each leg 10 90 sec.
Side-cable lift 2 each leg 10 90 sec.
Adductor cable lift 2 each leg 10 90 sec.
Hip flexor cable lift 2 each leg 10 90 sec.

chapter
12
Quads
M uscle balance doesn’t refer only to balance front to back. It also refers to
balance top to bottom. Some lifters focus so much on upper body devel-
opment that they neglect their chopstick-like legs. The quadriceps (or quads)
in the upper legs are made up of four muscles. The vastus lateralis, vastus
medialis, and vastus intermedius all help extend the lower leg at the knee.
The rectus femoris crosses two joints: the hip, where it helps in hip flexion,
and the knee, where it helps extend the lower leg. Although the quad muscles
don’t originate at the same point, they all come together at the kneecap.
There is much speculation about whether or not each individual quadri-
ceps muscle can be isolated or stressed to a greater extent. Any evidence
supporting the idea that you can develop your outer or inner quad muscles
separately is mostly anecdotal at this point. However, solid research has
shown that you can emphasize one quadriceps muscle over the others. The
general method thought to target one of the quadriceps muscle heads more
than another is to adjust the position of your feet. If time is of the essence,
focus on the lifts themselves rather than manipulating your foot position.
But if you have a little time, give it a try. Turning your foot outward may in
fact engage your vastus medialis (inner quadriceps) more, while turning your
foot inward may enhance vastus lateralis (outer quadriceps) activation. But
remember, executing the lift correctly is always more important than trying
to isolate a particular head.
151
You Can Do It!
Squat
The squat, the king of all lifts, works the quads hard. Before attempting squats,
you need proper base strength. Those with poor strength or flexibility should
practice squats without weights before progressing to light weights. Beginners
can learn the correct technique by using no weights and squatting down to
a chair or box. For experienced lifters, after proper progression and regular
training, squats can produce fabulous results.
Setting up and spotting may be the most important factor in making this
lift work for you. You should always squat in a rack with safety stops to catch
the weight if you fail, and you should have a spotter who can properly assist
you. In general, spotting for lighter than maximal loads is best done by having
the spotter apply a small force to the bar itself rather than interfere with
the lifter. For heavier loads, your partner should stand directly behind you,
giving you just enough room to descend properly, and should be braced to
help with the lift by providing support around your waist and chest. If a big
spot is needed, your partner will need to press his body up against yours and
cross his arms across your chest to help you stand back up. Spotting this lift
takes practice, and because of the close physical proximity of the lifter and
spotter, you may prefer to have someone you know help you.
When lifting very heavy loads (which should be performed only by
advanced lifters), you may need to have more than one spotter. If the weight
is too heavy for you to lift even with a spotter, do not attempt the lift with the
idea of bailing and using the safety stops to catch the weight.
1. To ensure safety, you should always enter the rack moving forward (from
the opposite side where the weight is racked), take the weight off the rack,
back up, do your set, and then walk back forward to rack the weights.
When removing the weight from the rack, position the barbell across your
traps and shoulders using a thumb-lock grip. Once you are set with the
bar, stand up and take two small shuffle steps backward to clear the rack.
Keep your head up, chin pointing forward, and chest out throughout the
entire exercise. Your lower back will be slightly arched. Place your feet
wider than shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing out slightly.
2. Inhale deeply, and contract your abs and back muscles to stabilize your
body. Begin to lower your body by thrusting your hips back. (A common
mistake is to begin the movement by bending your knees, which can
easily pull you out of position.)
3. Continue to lower your body by moving your hips back and bending at
your knees and waist. Lower yourself until your thighs are nearly parallel
to the floor. Keep your body tight and upright, and don’t let your knees
track past your toes. During the squat movement, your back should be
flat, your chest and chin should be up, and you should be looking for-
ward, not down. Do not let your back round at any time during the lift.

4. Pause for two counts at the bottom of the movement. To return to the
starting position, exhale and powerfully thrust your hips under your
body. Finish the rep by locking your knees, as long as you control it. Do
not pop into a lockout.
From time to time it is a good idea to change your base of support when
performing squats. By moving your feet out, you get a little more glute and
adductor muscle (groin) activity, resulting in greater interior hip support.
By moving your feet in closer, you get more outer quad (vastus lateralis) and
abductor work, which strengthens the entire hip and knee. The execution
of these advanced positions is identical to the standard squat, but you may
have to adjust your range of motion to match your new body position. Also,
these foot positions should be used only when sufficient back strength has
been developed because they tend to increase the stress on the lower back.
Perform your normal set of squats for two or three sets, then perform one
additional set of each foot variation for complete glute and quad development.
Starting position Lower until thighs are nearly parallel with

floor
Quads 153
Front Squat
At first glance, this exercise appears to simply move the bar from the back
to the clavicle, but this little modification changes everything. When the bar
is on your back, you can lean forward at the waist to counterbalance. This
forward lean engages the hips, but seasoned lifters know that to isolate the
quads, they need to remove the hips from the lift as much as possible. Because
of bar position on the front squat, you are forced to take a more upright
position (otherwise the bar would fall off or pull you forward), reducing hip
demand and increasing quad load. Beginners will want to learn this exercise
on a Smith machine or similar system before moving on to free weights. For
this exercise, the bar should be adjusted on the rack at a height just lower
than your clavicle so that you can step under it and stand up with enough
room to clear the rack itself. As with regular squats, you can adjust your foot
positions to emphasize different muscles.
1. Position yourself so that the bar is across your clavicle. Try to take a
slightly wider than shoulder-width grip with your hands. People with
greater arm mass or less flexibility may need to use the crossover method
in which the arms cross over the top of the barbell so that each hand is
on the opposite shoulder. If you can hold the bar in each hand, set the
bar across your palms facing upward, and then close your grip. If you
use the crossover method, your palms will face down and hold the bar
into your shoulders across your clavicle. This position is not ideal, so
the shoulder must help hold the bar.
2. Descend by bending your knees rather than starting with your hips as
you would with the regular squat. Maintain a more upright position by
increasing your knee-bend angle and keeping your torso tight.
3. Lower until your legs are parallel with the ground, and then return to
the starting position. Again, as for all lifts, do not bounce at the bottom.

Single-Leg Squat
Talk about a serious quad burn! This is one tough exercise that should be
attempted only after you have mastered the technique of a regular squat.
Although the movement for this exercise is similar to the squat, since the legs
are isolated, it is harder to get hip activity because the glutes prefer to work
in pairs when it comes to standing up from a deep position. You want to take
a more upright position to further reduce hip demand and increase quad load.
This exercise is primarily a body-weight movement, but adding dumbbells,
barbells, or other forms of resistance is encouraged. Before adding resistance,
as with any exercise, make sure your technique is perfect. Do 15 reps on one
side and then switch to the other side. Listen to your quads beg for mercy.
1. Position yourself so that one leg can rest on a bench behind you. Your
other leg has all your weight and is out in front as if you are doing a lunge.
2. Descend by bending your knee rather than starting with your hip, and
maintain as upright a position as possible.
3. Keep your torso tight at all times, and go as deep as possible before
pausing for two counts and returning to your starting position.
Those who have both great balance and strength can try to do this move-
ment without supporting the nonworking leg. If you go without support, you
can opt for the nonworking leg behind, giving you a slightly forward lean and
less range of motion, but the true test is placing your nonworking leg straight
out in front and going as deep as possible.
Quads 155
Dumbbell Squat
Arguably, this exercise could go with hips or legs. Much of the emphasis will
depend on where the dumbbells are hanging and how your torso is positioned
(hip angle). If you take a narrow stance and hold the dumbbells close to your
body, staying as upright as possible, your quads will let you know that they
are the primary muscles working. Take a wider stance and get the dumbbells
out in front a little (almost like the deadlift position), and Mr. Glutes will take
charge. As for any squat, body control is the most important consideration.
1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and hang them beside you to emphasize your
quads more. Grab a single dumbbell and hang it between your legs,
taking a wide stance for a hip-dominant squat.
2. Descend under control to as deep as comfortable.
3. Pause for two counts, and return to the start.

Leg Extension
A leg workout is not complete without a few hard-fought reps on the leg
extension machine. A leg extension machine can work each leg individually
or both legs together, although it seems to be more challenging and beneficial
to work both legs together.
1. Adjust the machine’s seat so your knees are lined up directly with the
machine arm’s axis of rotation and your shins rest against the pad (legs
start at about 90 degrees). Note your settings so you can use them later.
If the machine has a belt, use it; you will need it when you work hard.
2. Push against the pad until your legs are fully extended and parallel to
the ground. Either gently lock your knees or do not lock them at all. Keep
the tension on your thighs the entire time. Do not throw the weight up;
your body should remain in the machine.
3. After a brief pause, lower the weight back down slowly under control.
Don’t let the weight drop because this will decrease the work done by
your quads.
Quads 157
Lunge
If you don’t have access to a leg extension machine, lunges are a good choice.
This lower body exercise has become popular with those looking to tone,
tighten, and shape their legs. Lunges are often done by athletes and weekend
warriors looking to gain balance and strength. Stationary lunges will tone
the legs as well as train stability and balance. This exercise may look easy,
but don’t let it fool you.
1. Stand upright with your arms at your sides, one dumbbell in each hand.
(Instead of dumbbells, you can use a barbell. Place the barbell across
your traps and shoulders, using a thumb-lock grip.) Step forward with
one foot a comfortable distance (about three feet or one meter). Keep
your legs shoulder-width apart to help you balance the weight.
2. Bend the forward knee until the thigh is parallel to the floor and the
rear knee just skims the ground. The lead knee should not track over
the toes.
3. Pause for two counts at the bottom. Push back on the lead foot to return
to the starting position.

Walking Lunge
Walking lunges are an advanced version of the stationary lunge. Do not per-
form walking lunges until you have mastered stationary lunges. The walking
lunge has the same starting position as the stationary lunge.
1. Stand upright, arms at your sides, a dumbbell in each hand or a barbell
across your shoulders. Step forward a comfortable distance (about three
feet or one meter), keeping your legs shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend the forward knee until the thigh is parallel to the floor and the
rear knee just skims the ground. The lead knee should not track over
the toes.
3. Pause for two counts at the bottom. Lean slightly forward to generate
forward momentum for the next rep.
4. Take a step forward with the back leg a comfortable distance, and bend
the knee until the thigh is parallel to the floor. Continue for several steps.
Quads 159
take it to the gym
Tips for Quad Training
Two main tips can help you build your quads safely and effectively. First, do
not use a belt, wrap, or special device to help you lift. Using a belt cheats the
abdominal and lower back muscles out of their responsibility to protect and
serve. Second, when you use a barbell, make sure the bar travels vertically up
and down with little or no horizontal movement (except for walking lunges).
Horizontal movement in either direction indicates flaws in technique.
When you are starting out, don’t be afraid to use just your body weight to
learn correct technique before moving on to weights. Don’t feel that you have
to lift huge weights to reap the benefits of weight training. More important
than using heavy weights is controlling the weight and using proper tech-
nique. Make sure you have established good balance and technique before
lifting with heavy weights.
train at home
Attack Your Quads in Your Quarters
Several of the exercises shown in this chapter make good home-based exer-
cises. Body-weight squats, lunges, and single-leg movements are all you need
to get your body, and in particular your quads, in shape. Instead of using
dumbbells, you could do these exercises with your kids on your back, wear-
ing a backpack loaded with soup cans or other heavy items, or by placing
the middle of a length of resistance tubing under your feet and holding the
handles out to the sides at shoulder height. Find the method that works for
you to help you perfectly shape those thighs.

give it a go
Tone the Thighs

The table shows a few good programs that work the quads. Remember, work
hard, play later.
Routine 1
Squat 2 8 2 min.
Single-leg extension 2 each leg 12 90 sec. between

same leg
Leg press (see chapter 11) 2 20 90 sec.
Routine 2
Front squat 2 8 2 min.
Walking lunge 2 8 each leg 2 min.
Leg extension 2 12 90 sec.
Routine 3
Single-leg squat 2 each leg 10 2 min. between
same leg
Dumbbell squat 2 12 90 sec.
Lunge 2 each leg 8 90 sec.
Quads 161
162
chapter
13
Hamstrings
T he hamstrings, the muscles that run up the back of the thigh, are crucial
for support. They are the knee flexors, so they function opposite to the
quadriceps. The three hamstring muscles cross both the hip and knee joints,
making them responsible for both flexing the knee and pulling the leg back
at the hip. These muscles act heavily in hip extension (see chapter 11) when
the quads are not in optimal position. So although they compete against one
another at the knee, if the knee is not needed, then the hamstrings will fire
to help the glutes extend the hip.
The hamstrings, often referred to as the hammys or hams, are often
neglected and undertrained and, as a result, are the most commonly strained
muscle in the body. Proper development of the hamstrings will balance the
body and reduce strain on the lower back. Lower back problems are often
associated with weak and inflexible hamstrings. At first, when working the
hamstrings, your lower back will likely get sore because those muscles will get
a little extra work in some exercises. In time, the lower back will get stronger,
and the hamstrings will make even greater gains.
163
You Can Do It!
Lying Leg Curl
The most popular exercise for the hamstrings is definitely the lying leg curl. If
possible, use a machine that allows for a slight bend in the hips. This decreases
the likelihood of cheating and improves the isolation of the hamstrings. You
can work each leg individually, but as with leg extensions, this exercise is
more beneficial if you work both legs at the same time.
Staring position
Knees must be properly aligned with machine

1. Lie facedown with your legs fully extended in the machine. The pad
should rest just beneath your calf muscles. The position of your knees
with respect to the machine arm’s axis of rotation is extremely impor-
tant. Line up your knees with the middle of the cam’s axis of rotation.
This ensures proper distribution of resistance from the machine.
2. With constant, even force, lift your heels to your buttocks, and squeeze
your hamstrings and glutes at the top position. Hold for two counts,
then release.
3. Lower the weight back to the starting position under control.
Lift heels to buttocks
Return to starting position
Hamstrings 165
Seated Leg Curl

Many people prefer working the hammys in a seated position for comfort.
From a strength standpoint, you are stronger seated than lying because of
a slightly shorter range of motion. This is a great alternative to the lying leg
curl and is much easier to get in and out of or to use advanced techniques,
such as drop sets or slow training.
1. Begin with your legs straight out in front. The pad should rest against
the Achilles tendons beneath your calf muscles.
2. Pull your legs back toward your buttocks as far as you can and hold.
3. Return to the starting position under control.

Single-Leg Curl
If you like a challenge, try a standing single-leg curl. This exercise comple-
ments the four-way hip described in chapter 11. Add a low pulley strap to a
multistation cable machine so that the pulley is on the floor. (Another option
is to do the lying leg curl with one leg at a time. Many gyms even have a
single-leg curl machine.)
1. Stand facing the weight stack. Hook the pulley around the ankle of your
working leg. Use the other leg for support.
2. Bend the knee of the working leg, bringing your heel toward your but-
tocks. Maintain proper posture and balance. If necessary, hold onto
something stable to keep your balance.
3. Pause for two counts at the end of the movement before returning to
the starting position under control.
Hamstrings 167
Straight-Leg Deadlift
Chapter 10 shows how the deadlift helps with the lower back and the glutes,
but the simple modification of straightening your legs and either locking or
almost locking your knees will virtually eliminate quad help, placing much
greater emphasis on the hamstrings Keep in mind though that since the
movement bends the waist, the lower back will also get a heavy workout. It
is best to use light weight such as small dumbbells while you are learning
proper technique. You need to teach the hamstrings how to fire while giving
your back a break. When you have the technique down, you can safely add
heavier weight.
1. Position the dumbbells or bar in front of you, across your shins (as in the
deadlift). Keeping your legs straight (knees locked), bend at the waist
and grab the weight.
2. To start the movement, extend at the waist by squeezing your hams and
pulling up on the dumbbells. Keep the weight as close as possible to
your body, and lift the weight up to waist height. Keep your arms locked
at full length during the entire movement.
3. Pause at the top for two counts, and lower the weight back under control.
Do not drop the dumbbells.

Stability Ball Leg Curl
This exercise will take your hammys for a ride while forcing your core muscles
to maintain a solid posture. Isolating hamstrings is tough, but this exercise
is a good candidate, as the position makes it very hard for the glutes to help
out. Both your abs and lower back muscles will need to work overtime to
keep your torso tight. This exercise is a screamer, but when you get good at
it, you will be very happy with both your hamstrings and core development.
1. Lie on your back with your buttocks at the base of a stability ball. Place
your legs on top of the ball and dig your heels in. Getting comfortable
with the ball takes practice. Try positioning your feet at the far side, and
allow your calves to touch while you gain control and balance.
2. Make a bridge by picking your glutes up off the ground. Keep your body
straight, legs fully extended, so that your body, the ball, and the floor
form a triangle. Your weight will be on your shoulders and heels.
3. Pull the ball toward your butt with your heels by contracting your
hamstrings.
4. When fully flexed, hold tight for two counts before letting the ball back
out to the starting position.
Hamstrings 169
take it to the gym
Focus on the Hams
In your quest for muscle balance, don’t forget to work the hammys. The ham-
strings are used during any lift that flexes the knee or extends the hip, such
as straight-leg deadlifts, but you cannot assume that your hams get enough
work from these exercises. Isolate the hamstrings in order to train them
properly. Control your movements, and squeeze at the top of the movement.
And don’t rush.
The lying leg curl is the best at isolating the hamstrings and preventing
strains. It is okay to squeeze your buttocks and pull your hips slightly off the
bench when doing leg curls. The most important thing to remember is to use
as large a range of motion as possible and squeeze tightly at the contracted
position. If you want a real challenge, point your toes. This little modification
eliminates the help of the calf muscles and makes the hamstrings work harder.
train at home
Hit Your Hammys at Home
Hamstrings are tough to isolate without specialized equipment like a leg curl
machine. Working them at home means modifying either the straight-leg
deadlift or single-leg curl so you can perform them with equipment you have
at home. You can also perform the stability ball version of the leg curl. You
can perform a straight-leg deadlift using resistance tubing. Place the middle
of the tubing under both feet, and extend up the same way as you would with
the regular exercise. You will have to grab the tubing low near your ankles
and not with the handles so that you can create the proper resistance. For the
single-leg curl, you can fix one end of your tubing around your ankle and the
other around a solid object on the floor and do your single-leg curl movement.
For a real challenge, you can do a body bridge leg curl (similar to the sta-
bility ball leg curl) by lying on your back on a smooth flooring surface. For
cushion, place a pillow under your head, and place a towel under your feet so
you can slide them. Bridge up onto your shoulders and heels, with your legs
almost completely extended. Slide your heels back to your buttocks while
maintaining the bridge by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings. Return to
the start under control. This is a tough exercise but will yield impressive
results with a little practice.

give it a go
Training the Hamstrings

Full range of motion is the key to great-looking hams. Although the best way
to isolate the hams is to do leg curls, many exercise combinations will cer-
tainly work them well. Definitely do not neglect your hamstrings; they do get
a blast on nonspecific exercises, but you need to address them separately.
If you are an athlete, it is even more important to make sure your hamstring
strength is adequate to reduce the likelihood of injury, so make sure to do at
least one hamstring-specific exercise in every leg routine.
Exercise Number of reps Reps per set Rest between sets
Routine 1
Lying leg curl 3 10 90 sec.
Stability ball leg curl 3 10 90 sec.
Routine 2
Straight-leg deadlift 3 10 2 min.
Single-leg curl 2 each leg 10 90 sec. between same leg
Routine 3
Seated leg curl 2 8 90 sec.
Lying leg curl 2 8 90 sec.
Single-leg curl 1 each leg 10 No rest between legs
Hamstrings 171
172
chapter
14
Lower Legs
T he muscles on the back of the lower leg are known collectively as the
calves. Advanced lifters who have bulked up these muscles call them
cows. Two major calf muscles, the gastrocnemius and the soleus, and a
host of other muscles help plantar flex the foot (the movement similar to
stepping on the gas in your car). The gastrocnemius (the larger muscle) can
develop the heart-shaped appearance so highly desired by bodybuilders
and is involved in foot and knee actions. The soleus lies under the gas-
trocnemius. Both muscles can press the foot down strongly and are very
important in jumping.
Do not forget the muscles on the front of the lower legs. Although many
lifters hardly work them, these muscles are extremely important. Without
them, you would not be able to lift your foot upward (dorsiflexion). The
main dorsiflexor is the anterior tibialis. These are the muscles that pre-
vent you from tripping over your own feet. Many athletes employ a quick
four-way ankle circuit to improve overall ankle stability and help reduce
ankle injuries.
173
You Can Do It!
Heel Raise
This exercise is often inaccurately called the calf raise or toe raise. Both
names refer to raising the wrong body part. To attack the calves properly,
you need to raise your heels off the floor while pivoting on the balls of your
feet. The exercise can be done on a machine or on a step. If you use the step,
your own body weight probably will be sufficient resistance, but if you want
to increase the intensity, pick up a couple of heavy dumbbells and hold them
at your sides. For safety, you may need to place a heavy weight plate on the
opposite side of the step to ensure it doesn’t pop up when you add your
weight to the other side.
Starting position Press up onto your toes

1. Stand with your tiptoes on the edge of the step or machine. The balls of
your feet should be secure on the surface, with your heels hanging off
the edge.
2. Drive your toes into the ground. Your heels will move up. Pivot on
the balls of your feet. Keep pressing your toes until your feet are fully
extended. Keep your legs straight during the entire movement; since
the gastrocnemius muscle crosses two joints, if the knees bend, the
emphasis shifts to the soleus.
3. Hold at the top for two counts before slowly returning to the starting
position.
Proper foot alignment for starting position Proper foot alignment for raise
Lower Legs 175

Leg Press Heel Raise

Take some pressure off your lower back and shoulders by doing a version of
the heel raise at a leg press machine.
1. Position yourself in a leg press machine by sitting back and putting your
feet on the pad. Instead of placing your feet flat on the pad, hang them
off the bottom by placing the balls of your feet against the pad.
2. Perform your heel raise by pushing against the balls of your feet to
raise the weight then lowering back down as far as possible. You can
leave a slight bend in the knees or extend your legs fully. You may even
be able to keep the leg press machine in the safety position during the
movement.

Single-Leg Heel Raise
Another excellent variation of the heel raise is the single-leg heel raise. This
exercise is similar to the heel raise except, to add more resistance, all the
weight is on one foot.
1. Stand on the edge of the machine or step with your heel hanging over
the edge as in the heel raise. Cross your nonworking leg behind your
working leg.
2. Press your toes to lift up your heel.
3. Pause at the top of the movement, squeezing your calf tight. Then, lower
back past parallel as deep as possible before beginning the next rep.
Try to maximize your range of motion.
Lower Legs 177

Seated Calf Heel Raise
The seated calf targets the soleus by removing some of the powerful pulling
action of the gastrocnemius. The range of motion for the seated calf is much
shorter than for the standing heel raise, although the movement is similar.
1. Sit in the seat of the machine with your knees bent, the resistance on
your thighs rather than your shoulders. Place your feet on the foot bar,
with your heels hanging over the edge.
2. Press your toes into the foot bar to lift your heels.
3. Pause for two counts at the top of the movement. Then, lower yourself
back down under control to your starting position.

Squat Heel Raise
Another way to target the calves and mostly the soleus is to get down into a
squat position similar to a catcher in baseball. Although the range of motion
is short, the burn can be intense and can provide additional strengthening
of the support structures of the ankle.
1. Get in the squat position, with feet flat on the floor.
2. Simply roll up onto your tiptoes and hold for two counts, then lower
back down.
Both balance and flexibility are needed to perform this exercise, but you
can always hold on to something for additional support. At first getting in this
position may seem dangerous, but improving your flexibility and strengthen-
ing your knees and ankles will prove quite useful later in life.
Lower Legs 179

Toe Pull
Since you will be working your calves, and body balance is so important,
working the front of your leg is a must. The toe pull strengthens the front of
the lower leg. As its name implies, the motion of the exercise is to pull your
toes toward your leg. A few gyms have a toe pull machine, but you can per-
form toe pulls without a machine by using a partner or tubing.
1. Sit comfortably on a bench with your legs stretched out, your heels hang-
ing over the edge. If you do not have a bench, you can sit on the floor.
2. Point your toes as much as you can, and have your partner grab your
toes. (To use tubing, affix one end to an immovable object and the other
around your toes.)
3. Flex your feet, pulling against the resistance created by your partner (or
the tubing). Do not pull your legs back; instead, concentrate on perform-
ing the motion from the ankle joint.

Ankle Inversion and Eversion
Although preventing ankle rolls in athletics is unlikely, increasing strength will
keep the roll from becoming an injury. Turning your feet out (eversion) and in
(inversion) under resistance will complete the four-way circuit to strengthen
your ankles. Again, remember that strengthening the muscles surrounding
the ankle requires that the motion come from the ankle joint.
1. Sit on the floor, and extend your legs out in front. Hook a section of tubing
around your foot, or use a partner to create resistance by pushing or
pulling in the direction opposite to your movement.
2. Stretch the tubing to the outside of your ankle by placing it around the
middle to top of your foot. Pull your foot inward (inversion) by flexing
at the ankle; hold for two counts and return.
3. Pull your foot outward (eversion) by flexing at the ankle; hold for two
counts and return.
Lower Legs 181

take it to the gym
Developing Heart-Shaped Calves
The key to success in developing your calves is to realize that they work like
any other muscle. For some reason, many lifters assume they need to per-
form hundreds of reps to achieve the desired look, but in reality, the largest
contributing factor to shape is genetics. Don’t sweat it. Your calves will tone;
it may just take some time.
Since these muscles are part of an efficient lever system, they can lift con-
siderably more weight than an exercise such as a biceps curl. Even though
the calf muscles are not that big, their anatomical mechanics (how they are
positioned on your leg) make them strong and thus difficult to train effec-
tively. Use heavier weight, but perform the same number of reps as you would
for any other body part. Use the full range of motion, and perform each rep
under control. Work the muscle in a smooth action from start to finish. Do
not jerk your heels upward. That is a no-no. Muscles work best when they
are continuously stressed through the entire range of motion.
Calf muscles are easily strained, so before training your calves, warm them
up and stretch them out. If they feel tight, do not train them. If you plan to
perform long-duration aerobic activity such as running later that day or on
the following day, work the calves lightly or not at all.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that foot position variations may target the
inner and outer portions of the gastrocnemius more effectively. Currently,
these theories have not been proven conclusively. Feel free, however, to try
pointing your toes in to work the outer head or pointing your toes out to
work the inner head.
train at home
Work Your Calves on Your Couch
Considering the fact that couch lounging has created a society of overweight
people, it is nice to know that you can actually improve your strength while
watching TV. Almost all of the exercises in this chapter can be performed at
home using resistance tubing or a training partner. But here is a simple way
to catch up on your local news and build better-looking calves. While sitting
upright with your feet on the floor, place a couple of books under your toes
and press down on your knees (or if you have kids, have them sit on your lap)
to create resistance. Then perform a seated heel raise as you normally would.
Unless you can create enough resistance, this move will not be as effective
as hitting the gym, but it is certainly more enjoyable.

give it a go
Toning the Calves

You can work the calves in two ways: with legs extended or legs flexed. How
you choose to get to that position is up to you. As long as you can create
enough resistance, it is recommended to work the calves in both ways during
each workout. If you are short on time, use one way for one workout, then the
other way for the next workout, alternating every other workout.
Generally, size is the goal for most lifters. For hypertrophy, go for 12 reps
with no more than 90 seconds of rest between sets (60 seconds is preferred).
If you can, perform another set for a total of three sets in all.
Routine 1
Heel raise 2 12 90 sec.
Seated calf heel raise 2 12 90 sec.
Toe pull 3 12 60 sec.
Routine 2
Heel raise 2 10 90 sec.
Toe pull 2 10 60 sec.
Ankle inversion 2 each foot 10 60 sec.
Ankle eversion 2 each foot 10 60 sec.
Routine 3
Squat heel raise 2 12 90 sec.
Leg press heel raise 2 12 90 sec.
Ankle inversion 2 each foot 12 60 sec.
Ankle eversion 2 each foot 12 60 sec.
Lower Legs 183

184
chapter
15
Program Design
I f you have tried a weight training program in the past, you may have watched
someone in a gym or asked for guidance from someone you hoped had a
good idea of what to do. Most likely you were told to do three sets of 10 reps of
a basic set of exercises using machines if you were a beginner or free weights
if you were more advanced. Thirty years ago, this method of programming
was the backbone of the traditional resistance program. However, over the
last decade or so, the world of weight training has changed dramatically. The
field of resistance training is now surrounded by an entire industry filled with
gimmicks purporting tremendous gains. This industry also includes numerous
self-proclaimed experts who have their own prescriptions for what works best
in the weight room. Equally confusing is the mess of contradicting scientific
evidence explaining what does and doesn’t work. The result is that the aver-
age weightlifter is left with many questions: How much weight should I use,
and how many reps and sets should I perform? Does exercise order matter?
Why are some exercises better than others?
Amid the commercial hype and the enshrined lifting rituals (which may
be based more on tradition than science) exists a limited number of well-
designed research studies that have examined the previous questions with
scrutiny and credibility. From these studies we have learned that muscles
must be challenged and that the best long-term adaptations occur when a
regular program is followed and all muscle groups are addressed. Further,
specific adaptations are achieved when muscles are given specific exercises
with varying loads and both high and low repetition schemes. Higher reps (15
plus) develop endurance, moderate reps (8 to 12) develop overall size, and
lower reps (3 to 8) develop power and strength. And finally, rest is needed
to see effort pay off.
Certainly, specific exercises help achieve specific results, but the ideal
combination and total volume (total amount of work done measured by
sets × reps) for an entire workout is unknown. With so many new exercises
being developed, it is hard to decide which ones to use. However, it appears
there is no right or wrong way to work out as long as you adhere to proper
technique and form. This may seem frustrating if you are looking for a black-
and-white solution, but the shades of gray keep practitioners and researchers
on their toes as they continue to provide new challenges for those engaging
in exercise. One clear answer is that there are no shortcuts; hard work is the
key to success.
185
Methods for Creating Training
Programs
The decision to start a weight training program is based on an end goal.
So training without purpose is like looking for buried treasure without a
map—your likelihood of success is slim. Since each person has a unique
goal and since adaptation is specific to the stress, there are several methods
of constructing a workout program. Each training method has different set,
rep, and resistance variations. If you follow the overload principle, you must
make sure that the resistance becomes difficult by the last one or two reps
of each set. No matter how many reps are required, the resistance should be
challenging once you are familiar with the exercise. If you use weights that
are too light, it will take longer to see results. If you use weights that are too
heavy, you risk burnout, overtraining, and injury.
Training for Muscular Endurance

To gain muscular endurance, you have two choices. You can either extend
the set by completing more repetitions or rest for a shorter amount of time
between sets. Generally, a set of 12 to 20 reps should last at least 30 seconds
but not more than 90 seconds. A prolonged set will encourage lactic acid
buildup. This causes that familiar burning sensation and ultimately leads to
fatigue. Although lactic acid buildup tends to get a bad rap, if you learn to
push through the burn and tolerate the pain, your body will become more
accustomed to handling it and further build your muscle’s endurance capac-
ity. So the next time you feel the burn, go for a few more reps.
Aim for one to three sets of 15 to 25 repetitions, resting for 30 to 60 seconds
between sets. Another alternative is to perform three to five sets of 10 to 15
reps, resting for 15 to 30 seconds between sets.
Training for Muscular Strength

If strength is your goal, you need to use relatively heavy resistance to per-
form fewer repetitions per set, and you’ll need to rest for two to three min-
utes between sets. The goal of this type of training is to increase the overall
strength of a muscle or group of muscles. Strength training usually includes
exercises that work the major muscle groups, such as the bench press, seated
row, and squat. The catalyst for strength gain, however, is not the number of
reps but how hard you work in the lower rep range. If you can easily get 6 to
8 reps and choose to stop, you will not build strength effectively. Neither will
you help your strength efforts if the weight is too light and you do more reps.
Your last few reps should stop you dead in your tracks and either require a
spot to get another rep or force you to stop completely.
For best results, perform one to three sets of 6 to 8 repetitions, resting for
two and a half to three minutes between sets.

Training for Muscular Size
Most people who work out want to improve their overall appearance. For
men, increasing muscle size is usually the number one goal. Women usually
want to become leaner or more toned. Whatever your goal, the results you
want take time, and in all cases, size and muscle density are necessary if you
wish to have a figure with muscle definition.
Hypertrophy is the technical term for building size, increasing mass, or
bodybuilding. Despite popular myth, using very heavy weight as in strength
training does not promote size increases as rapidly. Hypertrophy training
falls somewhere between strength and endurance training. Training for
hypertrophy involves a moderate number of reps with moderate to heavy
weight and average rest periods. For those of you afraid to build size rapidly,
especially women, don’t worry—a few weeks or even months of hypertrophy
training will increase muscle size, but getting tree trunk legs and boulder-
sized biceps takes many years. Instead, if you are working out to see some
definition, to get a few “cuts” in your arms, or to look good at the beach, this
is the strategy for you.
The optimal way to increase size is to perform one to three sets of 8 to 12
repetitions (usually 10 to 12), resting for 90 seconds between sets.
Training for Power

Power training is explosive in nature and requires very quick movements
using as much weight as possible while still lifting explosively. The advantage
of explosive training for sport, although still under investigation, appears to
be substantial in athletes playing sports where explosive contact is a regular
part of the game. Contact sports such as football have seen some of the best
improvements. However, because of the inherent risk, the average person who
is looking to get in shape, tone up, and look good probably need not spend
time doing explosive lifting. Only skilled lifters and sport-specific athletes
should engage in power training.
If you are considering performing explosive movements, use your own
body weight, and make sure someone keeps an eye on your form. For true
power development, use light to moderate weight for three to five sets of 3
to 5 reps, lifted as explosively as possible.
Types of Routines
To add variety and challenge to your basic program, try a few of the following
modifications. Just as you can choose from different exercises and modes
of resistance, you can choose from several different ways to train. Use the
guidelines described in this section to determine reps and sets, the type of
weight used, and the order of exercises. These are some of the more popular
training methods.
Program Design 187

Supersets and Multisets
If you want an efficient workout that provides maximum benefit in minimum
time, this is the method for you. In a superset, you perform two exercises
one after the other, with little or no rest in between. This method has a dis-
tinct advantage in reducing overall exercise time and increasing muscle size,
although it is not recommended if your primary goal is to develop strength.
Complete the first set of the first exercise, then move on to the next exer-
cise without resting. The second exercise should work the opposite muscle
group. For example, for a leg superset, begin with leg extensions, and then
move on to lying leg curls with no rest between sets. Essentially, you recover
from the first exercise during the second exercise, although this recovery is
not complete.
A multiset joins three or more exercises. For example, an arm multiset might
include triceps push-downs, dumbbell curls, and lateral raises. The longer you
continue without rest, the more likely you will fatigue. If you are performing
more than one superset or multiset, rest for one to two minutes before begin-
ning the next superset or multiset. Here are some popular superset groups:
•• Leg superset: leg extension, lying leg curl
•• Upper arm superset: supine triceps extension, dumbbell curl
•• Upper back and shoulder superset: shoulder press, lat pull-down
•• Upper back and chest superset: bench press, seated row
For each exercise, try two or three sets of 10 to 12 reps. For example, for
the leg superset, perform a set of 10 to 12 leg extensions followed by a set of
10 to 12 lying leg curls, with no rest between exercises. Rest briefly before
beginning the second set of leg extensions.
If you want some challenging multisets, check out the triple exhaust rou-
tine in chapter 16.
Circuit Training
Circuit training extends the multiset idea. All the exercises in a particular
circuit follow one another with little rest. If you want to perform more than
one circuit, rest three to five minutes between circuits. Circuits decrease
time spent in the gym and increase muscular endurance. Hypertrophy will
occur over time. You can alternate between upper and lower body exercises
or between front and back exercises or both. See chapter 16 for some great
sample circuits, or you can create your own.
Preexhaust Training
As the name implies, in preexhaust training, the lifter forces a muscle or group
of muscles to become exhausted before moving on to another exercise that
works the same muscle. Preexhaust training adds variety and challenge to a

routine. Begin with an isolated single-joint exercise, then perform a double-
or multijoint movement that works the same muscle group. Smaller muscles
usually fatigue before larger ones, so the larger muscles in the multijoint
movement are not entirely worked. The fatiguing smaller muscles usually
cause the set to end early.
Although it can seem confusing, preexhaust training makes a lot of sense.
Let’s look at an example. Consider the typical weekend warrior or bodybuilder
who begins his chest routine with the bench press. Pecs are the major muscle
group involved, but the triceps and front deltoids are worked as well. Since
the weakest links in the bench press are the deltoids and triceps, they usually
fatigue first. The weaker muscles lose their force capability, causing the set
to end before the pecs have had a chance to break down completely. The net
result is that the pecs don’t reach complete exhaustion and require further
concentrated exercises. So our warrior moves on to pec flys, cable crosses,
or another pec exercise, but he can’t seem to get that maximum burn.
The solution is preexhaust training, and here’s how it can be implemented
in the example. Let’s use the same exercises (bench press and pec fly) but
reverse the order and superset them. In other words, we preexhaust the pecs
with a pec fly set to failure, then immediately follow it with a bench press.
When our warrior finishes the set, his pecs should be adequately exhausted.
Also, as he continues through the rest of his workout using preexhaust train-
ing, he will find his delts and triceps don’t limit his pec workout. All three
muscle groups receive an equal amount of work.
Another variation of preexhaust training is to complete all sets of the
preexhaust isolated single-joint exercise before moving on to the multijoint
exercise and completing its sets separately rather than supersetting them.
Both methods of preexhaust training are effective, but doing both variations
in a workout creates even more variety. Here are some of the most popular
combinations:
•• Chest: dumbbell pec fly followed by bench press
•• Upper back: dumbbell pullover followed by lat pull-down
•• Shoulders and upper arms: supine triceps extension followed by shoul-
der press
Postexhaust Training
Postexhaust training is similar to preexhaust training except that the exhaus-
tive movement follows the initial movement. A postexhaust exercise is usually
a single-joint movement that isolates a particular muscle group. This move-
ment follows a multijoint or main core movement.
The rationale behind this method of training is threefold. First, perform-
ing a postexhaust exercise immediately after a major movement increases
the likelihood of overloading that particular muscle group, especially if a
smaller stabilizer muscle limits maximal performance, as in the bench press
example. Second, postexhaust training increases the ability to isolate a muscle
Program Design 189

or muscle group that needs the extra work, especially if it is hard to train or
develop. Third, postexhaust exercises are a form of conditioning because
the length of a normal set is extended by 30 seconds or more. This makes
it a valuable method for muscular endurance training. Here are some of the
most popular combinations:
•• Chest: bench press followed by dumbbell pec fly
•• Upper back: lat pull-down followed by dumbbell pullover
•• Legs: leg press followed by leg extension
Drop Sets
The drop in drop sets, also known as strip sets or burn sets, refers to the
act of decreasing resistance. A drop set is performed as an extension of the
initial set of an exercise. During the drop, resistance is removed by removing
plates in free weight exercises or lowering the weight in machine exercises.
The lifter completes a prescribed number of reps to a point of relative failure,
the weight is immediately decreased, and the lifter continues for another set
of reps until failure. The number of drops varies depending on the goal of
the exercise and the lifter’s ability to tolerate the pain. The drop should be
about 20 percent of the initial weight each time, but it varies depending on
the lifter’s tolerance.
Popular drop exercises are bench presses, rows, triceps exercises, biceps
exercises, and leg extensions. For example, if you started with 150 pounds (70
kg) for a bench press, you might perform one set of 8 reps with the 150 pounds,
then drop to 120 pounds (55 kg), then to 90 pounds (40 kg), and finally to 60
pounds (30 kg). With the 120 pounds and each subsequent drop, you should
expect to do no more than four or five reps and possibly only one or two.
Negative Training
Negative training emphasizes the eccentric portion (when the muscle length-
ens) of the lift. The advantage of negative training is that the lifter can use
more weight, causing the body to adapt to the increase in weight. The disad-
vantage is that it increases the risk of injury and requires a spotter. Negative
training can be done with free weights or machines.
Negative training can be performed in two ways. In the first way, the
lifter does a normal set until fatigued, then finishes with negative sets. To
do this, you would have your spotter help with the positive, or concentric,
portion of the lift, then you would lower the weight (the negative portion of
the lift) slowly under control. This method works well because a person is
as much as 20 to 40 percent stronger in the eccentric phase. The concentric
movement will cause fatigue before the eccentric movement. Therefore,
to achieve a good eccentrically fatigued state, the negative portion can
be worked for additional reps while the spotter helps the lifter during the
concentric portion of the exercise. Exercises such as bench presses and

shoulder presses, leg extensions and leg curls, and most pulls work well
with this type of routine.
The second way to train is called negative emphasized. As the name implies,
the rep is normal except that the negative portion is exaggerated by increas-
ing the time the lifter takes to lower the weight. Emphasized negatives are
the most popular, safest, and most productive exercises of the two because
they are controlled by the lifter. In a negative rep, it should take at least five
seconds to lower the weight. Any faster and the lifter is not truly working
against the weight to slow it down.
For negatives to work properly, the lifter needs to exert maximal force
against the weight (just as when pushing it up) to slow the weight down;
otherwise it will drop like a rock, and the negative will be ineffective. If the
amount of weight is correct, the lifter’s maximal effort will still cause the
weight to descend. If the weight is too heavy, the lifter’s effort against it will
not last long enough to create a benefit, or the weight will just drop. If the
weight is too light, the lifter will take too long to lower it and may not exert
enough force. Too light a weight is not as bad as too heavy a weight.
No matter which method of negative training you use, the result will be
greater development from a single set and greater fatigue from eccentric
exercise. The most popular exercises for negative training are the machine
bench press, dumbbell curl, and leg extension.
Forced Repetitions to Exhaustion

For forced repetitions, the lifter is forced to complete more reps than she
can complete on her own. A spotter assists the lifter in performing the
forced reps, but the spotter provides only a little help. If the spotter needs
to help a lot, then the weight is too heavy or the set is over. Forced reps
are crucial for developing ultimate strength. This method also prevents
cheating and keeps the emphasis of the exercise and the tension on the
specific muscle or muscle group. Some good exercises for forced reps are
the bench press, supine triceps extension, dumbbell curl, leg extension,
and lying leg curl. Avoid forced reps with very technical lifts such as the
squat and lunge.
Slow Training
Slow training is good for developing both hypertrophy and muscular endur-
ance. There are several versions of slow training. In one version, known as
super slow training, the exercise is performed at a very slow pace, taking
30 to 60 seconds to complete a single repetition. This method is difficult to
perform and often boring. Although advocates of super slow training believe
it is a good method, there is little evidence to support this theory.
Other methods of slow training provide both a strong stimulus for improve-
ment and a great challenge. A great method of slow training is to use a
5-second concentric phase followed by a 5- to 10-second eccentric phase of
Program Design 191

a single repetition. You can further enhance slow training by adding an iso-
metric hold at the end of the concentric movement. Taking a leg curl as an
example, perform a 5-second concentric contraction, hold for 5 seconds at
the top of the movement (fully contracted), then perform a 5-second eccentric
movement. Multiple reps can be performed (usually five).
Pyramid System
There are three versions of this training, with three kinds of pyramids,
giving rise to nine different pyramid combinations. Figure 15.1 illustrates
the possible pyramid scenarios. To pyramid up, you can increase the
weight and decrease the reps, increase the reps and decrease the weight,
or increase both weight and reps. To pyramid down, decrease weight and
increase reps, decrease reps and increase weight, or decrease both. For a
real challenge, try pyramiding up and down. This can be done one of three
ways: increase weight and decrease reps up, then decrease weight and
increase reps down; increase reps and decrease weight up, then decrease
reps and increase weight down; or increase both weight and reps up, then
decrease both down.
A good pyramid ensures that the lifter will get strength, size, and endur-
ance benefits as well as fully exhausted muscles if performed with the right
amount of weight and rest. The major drawback with a pyramid is that the
lifter has to save strength for later sets and therefore, if the weight is not
properly dialed in, may never get in a truly good set.
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Concentration (or Blitz) System
In the concentration, or blitz, system, the entire workout concentrates on a
specific body part or movement. Sometimes as many as 6 sets are performed
for each exercise and as many as 30 sets for the body part. For bodybuilders,
this type of routine helps them focus on a weaker or smaller part that needs
development. However, muscle group or body part concentration is not going
to benefit an athlete training for sport performance. Training a specific move-
ment or exercise may have merit if constant repetition of the same movement
occurs during play. Concentration training typically requires several sessions
per week to train the entire body and thus is not practical for the general
population. Remember, this is truly hard-core training. Extreme muscle sore-
ness will occur in most people. Here is a sample blitz training routine:
•• Straight bar curls: 6 × 12
•• Isolated dumbbell curls: 6 × 12 each arm
•• Preacher curls: 6 × 12
•• Cable curls: 6 × 12
Split Training
Almost all training, except for a full-body workout, uses some form of split
training. In split training, certain muscles, muscle groups, or body parts
become the focus. This method is effective if your schedule allows a few more
sessions per week in the weight room. If you split a workout for the upper
body from a workout for the lower body and perform each on separate days,
you create a split routine.
You can take it a step further and split upper body exercises or lower
body exercises. For example, you may work the chest, triceps, and shoulders
one day and the back and biceps another day. Another variation of the split
routine is to split your workout into morning and evening sessions, perhaps
working the lower body in the morning and the upper body in the evening.
This can be effective if you have other demands on your time. Advanced lift-
ers perform even more elaborate splits.
Whatever type of split you use, make your routines time effective and goal
specific. Here are some common split routines:
•• Upper body/lower body
•• Chest, triceps, shoulders/back and biceps/legs
Push and Pull

Push–pull training incorporates split training, supersetting, or both. You may
train push movements one day and pull the next day, or train both push and
pull movements on the same day by alternating in the form of a superset or
by resting between sets. On the other hand, if time is an issue and you want
to create muscular balance, you could complete an entire push exercise for
Program Design 193

Push–pull 1
Shoulder press 2 10 90 sec.
Push–pull 2
Circuit 2-3 circuits 3 min. between circuits
Shoulder press 1 10 60 sec.
all its prescribed sets before moving on to the pull exercise or vice versa. For
example, a lifter may do three sets of bench presses followed by three sets
of seated rows. The advantage of a push–pull routine is that both sides of a
body part get worked, resulting in symmetry and balance between front and
back. Often lifters spend too much time working specific muscles and forget
about the importance of muscle balance for avoiding injury.
Putting Your Program Together

So, what should you do? The answer lies in the type of training program you
want and the quality you are looking for. Each training method requires differ-
ent variations with respect to sets, reps, and resistance. The fact that there are
so many different training methods is ample proof that a training program is
unique to the lifter. The key to figuring out what is best for you is to practice,
using the principles discussed in this chapter and in chapters 1 through 4.
Work hard and use proper technique. The results you achieve are a function of
the quality of the repetition and the degree of adaptation in your muscles. You
can achieve your desired results by manipulating the number of sets and reps
and the amount of rest. If you are properly following the overload principle,
the resistance should become difficult by the last one or two reps of the set.
Recall from chapter 3 the importance of performing the perfect repetition.
So no matter which exercise you choose and which program method you
follow, every rep needs to be perfectly repeated for the entire set. When you

can successfully complete all the reps and sets of a particular exercise, only
then is it time to increase the weight for your next workout.
You can choose from several hundred exercises with various modifica-
tions. With each exercise, you can use a machine, free weights, dumbbells,
resistance tubing, or other form of resistance. In addition, each machine may
vary in speed or leverage based on its cam or computer system. Each form of
resistance has its advantages and disadvantages (see the table on page 18).
Whichever mode you choose, make sure the exercise is specific to what you
are trying to achieve and each rep is as perfect as possible.
Deciding which type of training program to use may be challenging. Your
goals undoubtedly will change in time or even soon after you begin working
out. Understanding the contents of this book and how to perform different
exercises gives you the tools to keep up with your constantly changing life.
Perhaps time is on your side now, and you have plenty of time to work out.
At some point you will be very short on time and need to make changes.
You may want to increase size today but build better muscle endurance in
the future. The great thing about weight training is that you can continually
make changes. You can add mini challenges to push yourself to reach your
goals, surpass them, and make new ones.
Program design is something even the best coaches in the world continu-
ally challenge. If you put 20 coaches in a room and ask them to develop a
program for soccer players, you will get 20 different programs. Each person
has a unique perspective, and with that comes a unique stamp of approval.
Choose your exercises and develop your program based on your goals. Draw
yourself a map of where you are and where you want to be, and write yourself
a set of directions by creating the perfect workout—for you! You can also
follow our basic programs presented in chapter 16, but by all means make
changes so that you see results.
If after 4 weeks you see no change in strength, size, endurance, or general
health, take a gut check and make sure you have been working hard; if so, you
need to reevaluate your program and make changes. You now understand
how many reps you need for a particular outcome. You now understand the
importance of rest. And you now have hundreds of variations of exercises from
which to choose. Follow the simple rules of progression and overload, create
variety, and respect rest. If you work hard every set, your goals will be reached.
Periodization Is Not Just

for Athletes
Generally after 8 weeks (although some find that even 12 or more weeks of the
same exercises is beneficial), your muscles will be screaming for change, either
from boredom or overuse. In advanced lifters, usually 4 or 5 weeks is all the
body can handle before change is required. In some cases injury or overtraining
occurs, but for most, the gains reach a plateau and slow considerably, stop, or
even reverse. The method of changing routines is part of the basis of periodiza-
tion, a term that describes how exercise is prescribed over a longer training cycle.
Program Design 195

An in-depth discussion of periodization is beyond the scope of this book,
but a quick understanding of the concept may help your training for the rest
of your life. Periodization is based on an idea from a medical doctor in the
1920s who was trying to combat disease. He found that after stress, the body
goes into a rebuilding phase and gets stronger. Over time, the body adapts
and prepares for the next stress. Called the general adaptation theory, this
suggests that cells undergo changes when stressed; if you continue stress-
ing the system and changing the stress, the body continues to adapt. Since
muscles are cells, this is also the basis for how muscle grows and develops.
Every time we work out, we stress our muscles, forcing them to respond by
adapting by either increasing size, strength, speed, flexibility, endurance,
or all of these factors. But over time and regular training, the program will
eventually become stale and the body may become overtrained or even
injured. Thus the idea behind periodization is to prevent that staleness,
reduce overtraining, and continue to make gains to keep the body healthy.
The principle of periodization is to systematically make small changes by
altering some or all of the following factors: the number of sets, number of reps,
length of rest, frequency of workouts, and types of exercises. The key word is
systematically, although it is nearly impossible for a beginner to predict how
the body will respond and what changes will be necessary. Seasoned trainers
and strength coaches, however, can do this with some degree of certainty
based on their past experiences, and thus a college football strength coach
has a good idea of how his players will progress over their four-year playing
career. For you, the beginner, or even advanced lifter, this means that when
you feel as if things are boring, you notice you are not making gains, or you
simply think it is time to change things up, do so! Keep track of your changes,
and over time you too will become good at predicting training cycles.
In its basic form, periodization means shifting workouts from endurance to
strength or hypertrophy and from hypertrophy to strength or power. In fact,
there are endless combinations, but generally a periodized program looks
at a full year of training (called a macrocycle) and builds smaller programs
within (known as mesocycles and microcycles) that change every 4 to 12
weeks. For athletes, the meso- and microcycles may be structured by the
particular demands of the sports season. For others, the cycles may vary
based on school years, vacations, sickness, and anything that would disrupt
normal daily routine for more then a few days.
There is no need to get complicated, but before starting your training
routine, you should consider your long-term goals. Perhaps you will find that
a strength program is a good start, but endurance or size training may be
something you will want later on. When you feel your body wanting something
else, that is the time to make the change. To learn more about implementing
periodization in your training, see Designing Resistance Training Programs,
Third Edition by Steven Fleck and William Kraemer. For the time being, consider
developing a training program that changes within 4 to 8 weeks, and see how
your progress continues—and how much better you feel when you stick to your
weight training program because it continues to challenge and reward you.

chapter
16
Sample Programs
C hoosing the correct sequence of exercises, the number of sets and reps,
and how much weight is only one part of successful weight training. Being
dedicated and pushing yourself to reach and exceed your potential are other
essential factors for success. Without them, you are spinning your wheels.
But remember, too, that working hard does not have to mean boring. You can
have fun with your program. In fact, you need to if you want to make exercise
a regular part of your daily life.
In the beginning, it is important to exercise at least three times per week to
get your engine started and to make weight training a habit. Do yourself and
your body a favor by finding the time to work out, even if you can squeeze
in only a few minutes. Unfortunately, there is no way to get around working
hard, but you can have periods when you don’t do as much or reduce your
intensity, such as during holidays, breaks, or just a general need for a rest.
Once you have been training for a while, maintenance plans are sufficient,
and thus you can reduce the number of times you exercise and still reap the
rewards. When you can reduce your efforts and go to a maintenance phase
is still under debate scientifically, but the general rule is that you need to be
working hard for several months before considering dropping off for anything
more than a few days or a week. There is no better feeling than the strength
and confidence you will gain. The world is your oyster—so go get that pearl
and reach your potential!
The following programs are meant to be challenging. Adjust the weights
accordingly, and track your results so you can measure your success. Feel
free to modify any workout to meet your needs. A good workout design is
one that helps you obtain your goals. Don’t be afraid to go against conven-
tion and hit a few extra sets of arm curls if bulgier biceps are your thing. If a
program has a barbell bench press and you only have dumbbells, make the
substitution and move on. But most important, keep safety in mind. More
is not better; only better is better. And remember, the harder you work, the
sorer you may become, so don’t overdo it. Otherwise, you may not be able
to raise your arms overhead the next day.
197
Overall Body Workout
For most people, a total-body workout is the best choice. If you have a full
schedule or do other physical activity, then this type of workout is for you. A
total-body workout should take 30 to 60 minutes to complete. If you perform
only one set per exercise, it may take less time. Remember, perform a good
warm-up and stretch before beginning the workout. The more generalized
your workout, the longer it will take for those individual muscles to make
gains. When you hit a full-body workout, you do not zero in on individual parts
but on your body as a whole, which improves overall fitness and strength.
You should lift weights before other activity such as aerobics if your primary
goal is to improve muscle strength and size. For general health, however, it
doesn’t matter which you do first.
General Workout
This is the standard workout that most health club and general fitness enthu-
siasts advocate. It is a great starter workout that covers all the basics to get
you up and running and improve overall health and fitness.
Exercise Sets Reps Rest

Bench press 2 12 60-90 sec.
Machine pec fly 2 12 60-90 sec.
Shoulder press 2 12 60-90 sec.
Seated row 2 12 60-90 sec.
Triceps push-down 2 12 60-90 sec.
Dumbbell curl 2 12 60-90 sec.
Leg press 2 12 60-90 sec.
Leg extension 2 12 60-90 sec.
Lying leg curl 2 12 60-90 sec.
Heel raise 2 12 60-90 sec.
Total-Body Supercircuit
Perform one set of 12 repetitions for each of the exercises in these circuits.
Perform the exercises in order, with minimal rest between them—only
enough to set up the next machine. You may choose to perform any one of
the three circuits. When the circuit is complete, take a breather for about
two minutes, and then attempt a second circuit. If you feel especially good,
try a third circuit. If you choose to do more than one circuit on a particular
day, go through each circuit only once.

Circuit 1 Circuit 2 Circuit 3
Perform 12 reps per exercise Perform 12 reps per exercise Perform 12 reps per exercise
Bench press Bench press Lunge
Leg press Seated row Incline bench press
Seated row Shoulder press Leg press
Lying leg curl Dumbbell curl Lat pull-down
Shoulder press Triceps push-down Single-leg curl
Leg extension Leg press Lateral raise
Triceps push-down Seated leg curl Heel raise
Heel raise Leg extension Supine triceps extension
Dumbbell curl Heel raise Toe pull
Seated calf heel raise Seated calf heel raise Dumbbell curl
Crunch Crunch Ab circuit (15 reps each exercise):
Crunch
Twisting crunch (each side)
Pelvic raise
Back extension Back extension
Rest about 2 min. Rest about 2 min. Rest about 2 min.
Resistance Training 101 and 102

Another great way to target the total body is to use a combination of machine
and free weight exercises. We call this the basics, so keep in mind the empha-
sis should be placed on technique, not weight lifted, and sets should not be
taken to muscular failure. Alternate between workout 1 and workout 2, and
allow at least 48 to 72 hours of rest between workouts.
Workout 1 Workout 2
Complete 15 reps per set Complete 15 reps per set
Rest 90-120 sec. between sets Rest 90-120 sec. between sets
Exercise Number Exercise Number
of sets of sets
Dumbbell squat 3 Leg press 3
Machine seated row 3 Lat pull-down 3
Machine bench press 3 Modified push-up 3
Dumbbell shoulder press 2 Lateral raise 2
Dumbbell curl 2 Cable curl 2
Triceps push-down 2 Dumbbell triceps kickback 2
Crunch 2 Twisting crunch 2
Superman 2 Superman (opposite arm and leg) 2
Sample Programs 199

Body-Weight Circuits
Body-weight circuits are great when you need to work out at home or just need
a change from the gym. Don’t use having kids as an excuse not to work out.
If you’re a parent, your children can do this workout with you. Each exercise
within the circuit can be performed for repetitions or time. Beginners should
start with approximately 12 to 15 reps per exercise or as many reps as can be
performed in 30 seconds. To increase the intensity of the workouts, perform
more reps, increase the duration of each set within the circuit, or perform
multiple circuits with little to no rest in between.
Beginner circuit Intermediate circuit Advanced circuit

12-15 reps per exercise 15-20 reps per exercise 20 or more reps per exercise
Squat Walking lunge Single-leg squat
Superman Squat Walking lunge
Modified push-up Modified push-up Squat
Bench dip Bench dip Wide-hand push-up
Crunch Plank Close-hand push-up
Plank Crunch Lateral plank raise
Jumping jacks (30 sec.) Superman Crunch
Fitness Enthusiast Workout

If you’re looking to step it up a little, this routine is for you. It’s perfect for
anyone looking to push a little harder while getting it all done on the same
day. Perform this routine three times per week. Try sticking with the exercise
order prescribed to maximize your gains.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

6-10 reps per set >8-12 reps per set 12-15 reps per set
Rest 1-2 min. between sets Rest 1-2 min. between sets Rest 1-2 min. between sets
Exercise Sets Exercise Sets Exercise Sets
Squat 3 Walking lunge 3 Leg press 3
Lying leg curl 2 Seated leg curl 2 Single-leg heel raise 2
Seated calf heel raise 2 Heel raise 2 Lying leg curl 2
Bench press 3 Machine bench press 3 Dumbbell incline bench press 3
Dumbbell row 3 Lat pull-down 3 Cable seated row 3
Dumbbell shoulder press 2 Alternating front raise 2 Lateral raise 2
V-bar triceps push-down 2 Supine triceps extension 2 Dumbbell triceps kickback 2
E-Z bar curl supersets Dumbbell curl supersets Hammer curl supersets
Crunch 3 Crunch 3 Crunch 3
Superman (opposite supersets Pelvic raise supersets Superman supersets
arm and leg)

Great Pyramid
Using the pyramid technique, this workout hits all rep range, rest interval, and
weight combinations. The trick is to manage your sets, reps, and weights so
that you maximize recovery. This workout can be added to a standard whole-
body training program in place of one workout per week or can be performed
for a week or so just for a change of pace. Beginner and intermediate trainees
should pyramid up (set one through set three for beginners or set one through
set four for intermediate lifters). Advanced lifters can perform one or two full
pyramids (which contain three sets up and three sets down) when going up
and down, or as many as four pyramids (three sets up or down) when going
just up or just down.
Great pyramid 1 Great pyramid 2

Complete 3 sets of the pyramid and then rest* Complete 3 sets of the pyramid and then rest*
Reps for Reps for Reps for Reps for Reps for Reps for
Exercise set 1 set 2 set 3 Exercise set 1 set 2 set 3
Leg press 15-20 10-15 6-10 Squat 15-20 10-15 6-10
Bent-over barbell row 15-20 10-15 6-10 Lat pull-down 15-20 10-15 6-10
Bench press 15-20 10-15 6-10 Dumbbell incline 15-20 10-15 6-10
bench press
Lateral raise 15-20 10-15 6-10 Barbell shoulder press 15-20 10-15 6-10
Straight bar curl 15-20 10-15 6-10 Supine triceps 15-20 10-15 6-10
extension
Dumbbell triceps 15-20 10-15 6-10 E-Z bar preacher curl 15-20 10-15 6-10
extension
Rest 60 Rest 90 Rest 2 Rest 60 Rest 90 Rest 2
sec. sec. min. sec. sec. min.
*Experienced lifters can perform a 4th set using only the first 3 exercises in each pyramid. Complete 2
to 6 reps per exercise for this set, and take 2 min. rest.
Sample Programs 201

Preexhaust or Postexhaust Routine
In this challenging routine, perform 10 to 12 repetitions of the first exercise and
8 to 10 of the second, with no rest between each pair. For the triple exhaust,
switch to the third exercise and perform 6 to 8 reps, again with no break,
before taking your break in between each set. You may alternate upper and
lower body exercises or perform the upper, then the lower. Perform one or
two sets of each pair or trio. More than two sets is not necessary because, if
executed properly, you will get a very good workout, as your total volume is
already doubled. Be careful on the triple exhaust—it is not easy, and fatigue
sets in fast. Be prepared to decrease the weight you would normally use for
these exercises.
Double exhaust
Preexhaust Postexhaust
Rest 90 sec. between pairs Rest 90 sec. between pairs
Exercise Reps Exercise Reps
Dumbbell pec fly* 10-12 Bench press 10-12
Bench press 8-10 Dumbbell pec fly* 8-10
Leg extension 10-12 Leg press 10-12
Leg press 8-10 Leg extension 8-10
Dumbbell pullover 10-12 Lat pull-down 10-12
Lat pull-down 8-10 Dumbbell pullover 8-10
Heel raise 10-12 Lying leg curl 10-12
Lying leg curl 8-10 Heel raise 8-10
Supine triceps extension 10-12 Shoulder press 10-12
Shoulder press 8-10 Lateral raise 8-10
Crunch 10-12 Crunch 10-12
Back extension 8-10 Back extension 8-10

Triple exhaust
Preexhaust Postexhaust
Rest 90 sec. between trios Rest 90 sec. between trios
Exercise Reps Exercise Reps
Dumbbell pec fly* 10-12 Bench press 10-12
Bench press 8-10 Dumbbell pec fly* 8-10
Cable cross 6-8 Incline bench press 6-8
Leg press 8-10 Leg extension 8-10
Lat pull-down 8-10 Dumbbell pullover 8-10
Heel raise 10-12 Lying leg curl 10-12
Lying leg curl 8-10 Heel raise 8-10
Seated calf heel raise 6-8 Seated leg curl 6-8
Shoulder press 8-10 Lateral raise 8-10
Crunch 10-12 Crunch 10-12
Back extension 8-10 Back extension 8-10
*The machine pec fly may be done instead of the dumbbell pec fly.
Dumbbell Circuits
Dumbbell circuits are perfect to perform in a busy gym or at home if you have
a few dumbbells and a bench. For each exercise, select dumbbells you can
perform 12 to 15 reps with. Perform each exercise in the circuit with little or
no rest in between. Beginners should do one or two circuits, resting three
minutes between each; advanced lifters may take shorter rests and perform
as many as five circuits. Make sure you emphasize good technique even as
you fatigue. Circuits can be done two or three nonconsecutive days per week.
Beginner circuit Intermediate circuit Advanced circuit

12-15 reps per exercise 12-15 reps per exercise 12-15 reps per exercise
Squat Lunge Lunge
Dumbbell bench press Dumbbell row Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
Dumbbell row Dumbbell incline bench press Alternating dumbbell bench
press
Lateral raise Dumbbell shoulder press Dumbbell row
Isolated dumbbell curl Dumbbell triceps kickback Front raise and lateral raise
Supine triceps extension Hammer curl Overhead triceps extension
Dumbbell curl
Rest 3 min. Rest 3 min. Rest 3 min.
Sample Programs 203

Split Routines
Splits are the most popular way to work out. They are more challenging and
help isolate specific areas. For the split to be effective, you should work out
at least two times a week. Advanced bodybuilders may work out as many as
six times a week, but to stay safe and prevent overtraining, don’t plan more
than four weight training sessions a week. With split routines, you need to rest
your muscles 24 to 48 hours before you work the same group of muscles again.
Two-Day Repeat
This workout is designed for the person who likes to work out and challenge
the body to work overtime. Day 1 and day 2 are repeated again later in the
week, so you will perform each routine twice during a week. Additionally,
twice a week you will add leg work on either day 1 or day 2, but not both.
Day 1 Day 2
Rest 2 min. after each of the first 4 exercises and Rest 2 min. after each of the first 4 exercises and
then 90 sec. after each of the other exercises then 90 sec. after each of the other exercises
Push exercise Sets Reps Pull exercise Sets Reps
Bench press 3 8 Seated row 3 8
Incline bench press 3 8 Lat pull-down 3 8
Shoulder press 2 8 Lat pull-down (palms turned in) 2 8
Dip 2 10 Straight bar curl 2 10
Machine pec fly 2 10 Preacher curl 2 10
Supine triceps extension 2 10 Dumbbell curl 2 10
Triceps push-down 2 10 Crunch 3 12
Lateral raise 2 10
Leg workout for day 1 or day 2
Rest 2 min. after each of the first 3 exercises and then 90 sec. after each of the other exercises
Exercise Sets Reps
Leg press 3 8-12
Leg extension 3 8-12
Lying leg curl 3 8-12
Heel raise 3 8-12

Four-Day Supersplit
The following routine is a traditional bodybuilding split. If you have four days
to work out each week for at least four weeks, this routine will make you look
great. It focuses on individual body parts, getting everything covered within a
week and still giving you time to live your normal life. Even beginners can do
this one because there is adequate rest time. Advanced lifters can increase
the number of sets, while beginners can perform one or two sets of each
exercise. In between workout days, take a much-needed rest, as the goal is
to push as hard as possible on those days you are working out.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4

Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps for each exercise Complete 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps for each exercise
Rest 90 sec. after each set Rest 75 sec. after each set
Dumbbell Incline bench Leg press Bench press Single-leg press
press
Dumbbell bench press Leg press Incline bench press Lunge
Dumbbell incline pec fly Seated leg curl Cable cross Single-leg curl
Dumbbell shoulder press Heel raise Machine pec fly Seated calf heel raise
Shoulder shrug Dumbbell row Machine shoulder press Wide-grip lat pull-down
Supine triceps extension Close-grip lat pull-down Overhead triceps extension Lat pull-down (palms turned in)
Triceps push-down Straight-arm lat pull-down Cable reverse-grip triceps Machine seated row
pull-down
Crunch E-Z bar preacher curl Twisting crunch Cable curl
Twisting crunch Barbell biceps curl Plank Alternating dumbbell curl
Challenge Yourself
If you get bored with your usual routine, try one of the following programs to
add variety and provide a challenge. They are specific routines with a given
set of instructions. Of course, these routines can be modified to fit your needs
or your imagination.
Several of these routines are specific to target those weak areas. Although
the general rule of thumb is to start with the larger muscle groups and prog-
ress down to the smaller ones, if you have a particularly weak area or just
want to make a certain part of your body better, you have to target train.
Don’t be afraid—we all want to look good, and target training is the way to
get there. Even though spot reduction of fat is impossible, you can definitely
tighten the muscles in a particular area, so even that extra fat may look a
little better.
Sample Programs 205

Bad to the Core
Perhaps one of the most overrated body parts is the abdominal region.
Without trimming the fat, no exercise on this planet will help you achieve
the six-pack look. But a solid foundation of core work, including both your
back and abs, will help reduce injury, improve posture, and improve overall
health. But more important, you can brag later about how hard you trained
your core, which is the new buzz word when it comes to exercise.
Day 1 Day 2
Rest 90-120 sec. between sets Rest 90-120 sec. between sets
Exercise Sets Reps Exercise Sets Reps
Plank 3 8 Elbow to hand plank lift 3 8
Lateral plank raise 2 10 Lateral plank raise 2 10
Fire hydrant 2 12 Rotational fire hydrant 2 12
Back extension 2 12 Back extension 2 12
Crunch 3 15 Reverse crunch 3 15
Pelvic raise 2 10 Standing rotational twist 3 10
Side bends 2 10 each side Stability ball leg curl 3 10
Axe chops 2 12
Reach Your Peak

Everybody wants bigger or well-toned arms. The peak workout will increase size
and definition in both the biceps and triceps, giving your arms the appearance
you’ve always wanted. This workout should be performed a maximum of two
times per week. Sets should be taken to or near muscular failure. Using short
rest intervals (around 60 seconds) between sets will maximize growth. Don’t
neglect the other muscle groups in the body while doing this workout. Make
sure you perform leg, back, chest, and core work at least once during the week.
Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Complete 10-12 reps per set Complete 10-12 reps per set Complete 10-12 reps per set
Rest 60 sec. between sets Rest 60 sec. between sets Rest 60 sec. between sets
Exercise Sets Exercise Sets Exercise Sets
Dumbbell curl 2 Barbell biceps curl 3 E-Z bar preacher curl and 3
dumbbell curl supersets
Triceps push-down 2 E-Z bar preacher curl 2 Barbell biceps curl 3
Cable curl 2 Dumbbell isolation curl 2 Cable curl 3
Dumbbell triceps kickback 2 Overhead triceps extension 3 Supine triceps extension and 3
bench dip supersets
Hammer curl 2 Triceps push-down 2 Triceps push-down 3
Bench dip 2 Cable reverse-grip triceps 2 Overhead triceps extension 3
push-down

Build the Base
By the name, it sounds like a sheer mass builder. Ladies, don’t be scared;
for you, it will be more of a leg and butt toner while making sure your lower
back and abs get some good work. The key is to push yourself with heavy
weights rather than take a circuit-style approach with minimal rest and
lighter weights.
Day 1 Day 2
Rest 2-3 min. between set Rest 2-3 min. between set
Exercise Sets Reps Exercise Sets Reps
Squat 3 8 Single-leg squat 3 8 each leg
Step-up 2 10 Dumbbell squat 2 15
Lunge 3 10 each leg Walking lunge 3 8 each leg
Straight-leg deadlift 2 8 Single-leg extension 2 12
Leg curl (depending on what they have at 3 12 Stability ball leg curl 3 10
their gym)
Heel raise 2 10 Single-leg heel raise 2 12 each leg
Seated calf heel raise 2 10 Single-leg heel raise 2 12 each leg
Crunch 3 12-15 Twisting crunch 3 12-15
Back extension 3 12-15 Back extension 3 12-15
Sample Programs 207

Leg-Acy
This routine will leave a lasting impression. Repeat this program at least
twice if not three times. When you finish, your legs will feel like jelly, making
it hard for you to stand. If not, repeat for another round! Continue reps until
failure, and always use perfect technique.
Rest after
No.* Supersets** Reps Notes superset
1 Leg extension 10 For each rep, count 1 sec. up and 2 sec. down 90 sec.
Seated leg curl 10
2 Leg extension 5 Use 1/2 to 3/4 the weight used in set 1 90 sec.
Seated leg curl 5 For each rep, count 5 sec. up, hold 5 sec., and count 5
sec. down
Maintain form and time for the entire set
3 Leg extension 6 Use 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 times the weight used in set 1 3 min.
Seated leg curl 6 Negative training: spotter lifts weight to top position, and
lifter lowers it using a 4 count
4 Adductor cable lift 12 For each rep, count 2 sec. up and 3 sec. down 2 min.
Side cable lift 12
Hip Extension*** 12
Lunge 12 each leg
5 Lunge 12 For each rep, count 2 sec. up and 3 sec. down 3 min.
Adductor cable lift 12
Side cable lift 12
Hip Extension*** 12
6 Heel raise 10 For each rep, count 2 sec. up and 3 sec. down 30-60
Seated calf heel raise 10 If you do not reach failure at the 10th rep, use more weight sec.
7 Heel raise 10 For each rep, count 2 sec. up and 3 sec. down 30-60s
Seated calf heel raise 10 If you do not reach failure at the 10th rep, use more weight
*If you need the work, repeat either the 4th or 5th set. If you need more calf work, you can repeat the
6th and 7th supersets.
**Do not rest between the exercises in each superset.
***If a good hip extension machine is not available, perform a cable hip extension in its place.
Butt and Thigh Blaster

All ladies getting ready for bathing suit season know all too well the objective
of this workout: to hammer the butt and thighs for some serious toning (with
the aid of a little fat loss too, of course). The butt and thigh blaster workout can
be performed by people of any training status; however, beginners should not
train to failure and should perform the workout only one or two days per week
(separated by at least 72 hours). More advanced trainees can consider performing
this workout up to three times per week, provided muscle soreness is not exces-
sive. Rest intervals should be kept short, around 60 to 75 seconds between sets.

Beginner workout Intermediate workout Advanced workout
Rest 60-75 sec. between sets Rest 60-75 sec. between sets Rest 60-75 sec. between sets
Exercise Sets Reps Exercise Sets Reps Exercise Sets Reps
Hip extension 2 12-15 Hip extension 2 12-15 Hip extension 3 12-15
Lying leg curl 3 10-12 Single-leg curl 3 10-12 Straight-leg 3 8-12
deadlift
Leg press 3 8-10 Single-leg press 3 8-10 Step-up 3 8-10
Side-cable lift 2 12-15 Squat 2 10 reps per Leg press (1 leg 3 10-12
Body-weight squat supersets exercise at a time)
Adductor 2 12-15 Walking lunge 2 20 each

cable lift leg
Body-weight 2 20
squat
Tug o’ War
This routine is a push–pull nightmare that will leave you exhausted without the
rope burn. Designed primarily to build strength, athletes will do this for several
circuits; however, for a solid upper body burn, anyone can do this workout.
No. Exercise Reps Notes Rest

1 Bench press 6 Begin with a weight with which you 3 min.
Seated row 6 can perform 10 reps
Shoulder press 6 For each rep, count 2 sec. up, hold
Lat pull-down 6 for 4 sec., and count 2 sec. down
Triceps push-down 6
Cable curl 6
2 Bench press 6 Use 2/3 the weight used in set 1 2 min.
Seated row 6 For each rep, count 2 sec. up, hold
Shoulder press 6 4 sec., and count 2 sec. down
Lat pull-down 6
Triceps push-down 6
Cable curl 6
3 Bench press 6 Use 2/3 the weight used in set 2 Rest 3 min.
Seated row 6 For each rep, count 2 sec. up, hold Repeat this set
Shoulder press 6 4 sec., and count 2 sec. down Rest 5 min.
Lat pull-down 6
Triceps push-down 6
Cable curl 6
4 Dumbbell pec fly 10 This superset will exhaust the muscle 60 sec.
Dumbbell bench press 10 going into set 5, so choose your
weight carefully
5 Rear deltoid fly 10 This superset will exhaust the muscle 60 sec.
Dumbbell row 10 going into set 6, so choose your
weight carefully
6 Dumbbell triceps kickback 10 Your muscles should feel a bit Rest 3 min.
Dumbbell curl 10 fatigued by now, so choose your Repeat sets 4,
weight carefully and go for it! 5, and 6
Sample Programs 209

Dumbbell Complex
Dumbbells are a great way to add variation to your routine. The movement
is the same, although you will need to watch your form and keep your body
stable. Immediately move through each exercise, taking only 30 seconds’ rest
before moving to the next one. As you continue through this routine, you will
probably need to increase your rest time. Don’t let this one fool you—it is a
truly challenging routine. This supercircuit pulls out all the stops.
First circuit Second circuit Third circuit: supersets*

Perform 12 reps of each exercise Perform 12 reps of each exercise Perform 12 reps of each exercise
Rest 30 sec. between exercises Rest 30 sec. between exercises Rest 30 sec. between supersets
Dumbbell bench press Dumbbell bench press Squat (dumbbells held at shoulders)
Dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell row Squat (dumbbells held at shoulders) Dumbbell straight-leg deadlift

Dumbbell upright row
Dumbbell shoulder press Dumbbell row Dumbbell bench press

Dumbbell triceps kickback or
overhead extension
Dumbbell upright row Dumbbell straight-leg deadlift Dumbbell row

Dumbbell curl
Dumbbell triceps kickback or Dumbbell shoulder press Single-leg heel raise (dumbbells
overhead triceps extension hanging at sides)
Crunch (dumbbells held at shoulders)
Dumbbell curl Single-leg heel raise (dumbbells

hanging at sides)
Squats (dumbbells held at shoulders) Dumbbell upright row
Dumbbell straight-leg deadlift Crunch (dumbbells held at shoulders)
Single-leg heel raise (dumbbells Dumbbell triceps kickback or

hanging at sides) overhead triceps extension
Crunch (dumbbells held at shoulders) Dumbbell curl
*Perform the first set of the first movement, and then perform the first set of the second movement
before taking a rest.

About the Author
David Sandler has served as science advisor for Spike TV’s Jesse James Is a
Dead Man series, Fox Sports’ Sport Science series, and National Geographic’s
Fight Science, Super Strength, The Science of Steroids, and Humanly Possible
shows. He is president and cofounder of StrengthPro Inc. and a member of the
advisory boards for Muscle and Fitness Magazine, Muscle Mag International,
Reps, Maximum Fitness, and Performance Training Journal of the NSCA.
Sandler has been a strength and conditioning consultant for two decades
and presented at almost 300 lectures worldwide with organizations such as
the NSCA, ACSM, AFPA, AAHPERD, IFPA, SWIS, ECA, and SCW Fitness. He was
the recipient of the Faculty of the Year Award in 2005 for the International
Fitness Professionals Association (IFPA).
Sandler has also authored or coauthored 5 books, over 20 scientific articles,
and more than 150 articles in power and strength training magazines, includ-
ing Muscle and Fitness, Men’s Health, and Oxygen. As a former world-class
powerlifter, Sandler focuses his research in strength and power development.
211
You’ll find other outstanding strength training resources at
www.HumanKinetics.com/strengthtraining
In the U.S. call 1-800-747-4457

Australia 08 8372 0999 • Canada 1-800-465-7301
Europe +44 (0) 113 255 5665 • New Zealand 0800 222 062
HUMAN KINETICS
The Premier Publisher for Sports & Fitness
P.O. Box 5076 • Champaign, IL 61825-5076 USA

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Fundamental

About the Author 211

Glutes and hips

Glutes and hips

Exercise Target area Page no.

Glutes and hips

Glutes and hips

Tensor fasciae latae

Weight Training Basics

2 Fundamental Weight Training

Introduction to Weight Training 3

Weight Training Principles

Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type (FITT)

4 Fundamental Weight Training

Individuality and Specificity

Introduction to Weight Training 5

6 Fundamental Weight Training

Clothing and Accessories

8 Fundamental Weight Training

Basic Weight Program Language

Reps and Sets

Weight Room Language and Protocol 9

Load and Resistance

10 Fundamental Weight Training

Lifting and Training

Weight Room Language and Protocol 11

12 Fundamental Weight Training

Weight Room Language and Protocol 13

14 Fundamental Weight Training

Weight Room Language and Protocol 15

16 Fundamental Weight Training

D eciding which exercises to perform in a workout can be a tricky task.

Dumbbell free Is excellent for rehab Requires skill

Cable-pulley Is excellent for rehab Requires stabilization, increased

Medicine ball Adds variety Is hard to control

Kettlebell Is excellent for rehab Requires skill

Types of Resistance Training 19

20 Fundamental Weight Training

Types of Resistance Training 21

22 Fundamental Weight Training

Alternative Forms of Resistance Training

Resistance Tubing and Bands

Types of Resistance Training 23

24 Fundamental Weight Training

Types of Resistance Training 25

26 Fundamental Weight Training

Types of Resistance Training 27

28 Fundamental Weight Training

Training Movements and Muscles

Types of Resistance Training 29

Single and Multiple Sets

30 Fundamental Weight Training

Max- and Single-Rep Sets

Types of Resistance Training 31

32 Fundamental Weight Training

Muscle Memory and Confusion

Types of Resistance Training 33

34 Fundamental Weight Training

Static and Dynamic Warm-Ups