They looked like super-heroes (albeit with some meat on their legs). It didn't matter which angle you saw them from- the front, the back, the side- they looked thick and indestructible. They had squared shoulders, were up to their ears in traps (literally), and thick back musculature. I wanted that.
Over the course of the years I toyed around with dozens, if not hundreds, of programs guaranteed to make you look like 'so-and-so'. Some insisted that full-body routines were the best bet. Others said that hitting your muscles from every imaginable angle was the best way. Hell, I even tried the super-slow training; you know, where each rep takes like 3 weeks to complete.
Well, some worked better than others, but it wasn't until I started incorporating these 5 movements into my training that I really started to see the results I was after.
Quick tangent: I hear it all the time. "Get strong as hell on the bench press, squat, and deadlift and eat a lot." Ok, I agree to an extent. Yes, you absolutely need to get stronger on the three basic movements and their variations. No way around it, Bub! BUT, strange as it sounds, not everyone is built the same. Some people need to incorporate variations of basic movements to continue to see progress. With that said, I am not saying that people should stop benching, squatting, and deadlifting. I'm saying that, in addition, you should incorporate some variations of the basic, compound lifts to really take your physique to the next level End tangent.
These 5 exercises will not only make you look like a beast, but you'll be more athletic, you'll lose fat, and you'll be building some... wait for it... functional muscle! Without further adeu:
1. Hang Clean /Hang Snatch - Ok, I know that not many people think to use the Olympic lifts for building mass, but you know what? There's something to be said for moving a relatively heavy weight as fast as you can and having to stabilize it over your head. Give these a consistent shot for 6 weeks or longer. Trust me, the next day you'll be brutally sore in your traps, upper back, possibly lateral/rear delts, hamstrings, glutes, and jaw (to avoid this last one, make sure to move yo' head out of the way upon the initial lift). Don't worry if you can't lift much weight on this one. It's a highly technical lift that takes years of coaching to perfect. We're using it for the sole purpose of building some muscle and training our bodies to move a weight quickly.
2. Tire Flips- I have never been as sore as I was the day after my first time flipping a heavy tire. Hole. Lee. Crap. You'll be sore in your forearms. You'll be sore in your back. You'll be sore in your calves. You'll be sore just about everywhere. This full-body power move is not only sport-specific, but unless you're trying to move it fast, it aint goin' nowhere, boy. It stands to reason that the more muscle involved in an exercise, the better the anabolic stimulus, and thus the better return for your energy-investment. You'll be shrugging and pulling and squatting and pushing and fighting with this hunk-o-rubber and trust me, it'll beef you up...fast!
3. Push Presses- Having big shoulders looks pretty cool, huh? If you're the guy in the gym who builds his shoulders using lateral raises but is about as wide as a Bic pen, then give these a shot. Added bonus: your bench press will improve because your shoulders, an assistance muscle used in the bench press, will become stronger, thus allowing you to press
more weight! No brainer.
4. 1-Arm Dumbbell or Corner Row- We've hit the traps and delts, now let's handle our upper back. I don't care what you say, a big back looks badass. Not only does it look cool, but it'll help you curl more, bench more, squat more, alleviate shoulder pain, etc. No, form doesn't need to be super strict here, but we do want to use as much of a rowing motion as possible. Pack on some weight and you'll pack on some mass. I've gone as high as 180 for 13 reps. The guy in the video, Matt Kroc has gone as high as 300 for 10!
5. Sled Rows- These have slowly become one of my favorite exercises for building upper back/trap/lat mass. Get your back into a stretched position and then extend your hips and pull as hard and as fast as youcan. Really squeeze the hell out of your shoulder blades. Now, why is this such a cool exercise? You can do it practically everyday with minimal soreness. Why? There is no eccentric, or lowering, portion of the exercise. High-frequency back training == one big back.
Wrap up:
There you go. Five new exercises to add to your toolbox. Try out
different set/rep schemes, set up "challenges", try different grips,
whatever. Get creative with your training and you'll never get bored
or stop progressing ever again. Sure, you'll hit bumps in the road here
and there, but if you've got variations upon variations of exercises you
should be set for a pretty long time!
Grow stronger,
Tony
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