We have translated several important knowledge from scientific language into human language that will help you grow muscles as efficiently as possible.
We believe that almost everyone who reads fitness texts understands that exercise can increase both strength and muscle size. However, there is a clear difference between strength training and training aimed specifically at increasing muscle size.
How muscles grow
Weight training itself does not cause muscle growth. But the load received during training causes fatigue and stimulates physiological mechanisms, which, mainly during rest, cause the muscles to increase. Growth occurs as a result of an increase in the thickness of muscle fibers and the volume of fluid in muscle cells.
Growth capacity muscle mass depends on gender, age, weight training experience, genetics, amount and quality of sleep, nutrition and fluid intake, and even stress levels can affect the ability to gain weight. For example, work overload or insufficient sleep can significantly reduce muscle growth, despite proper training and nutrition.
Mechanical and metabolic stress
There is no doubt that if you regularly and correctly lift iron, this leads to an increase in muscle volume and strength, however, scientists still have not decided what exactly causes muscle growth.
Training causes two specific types of stress: mechanical (micro tears in the muscles - read more: “”) and metabolic (launching chemical processes recovery due to energy expended by the muscles), and they both can provide the necessary stimulus for muscle growth.
The challenge for research is that both mechanical and metabolic stress act in tandem, and isolating the effects of each separately on muscle growth is not easy.
“Slow” and “fast” muscle fibers
To design an exercise program to maximize muscle growth, you need to understand physiology.
There are two main types of muscle fibers: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. Fast-twitch fibers are larger in diameter than slow-twitch fibers and, accordingly, occupy a more prominent place in your muscles.
“Slow” fibers are also classified as aerobic, due to their high oxidative abilities, which enable them to contract over a long period of time. They are best suited for long-term activities that require minimal effort (such as long-distance running).
Fast-twitch muscle fibers have a high firing threshold as well as a high conduction velocity and are better suited for fast efforts (which is why sprinters look athletic compared to distance runners). In other words, these are the fibers you need to successfully jerk a heavy barbell.
Repeated effort method. If you want to grow, do sets to failure
It's not enough to just lift weights at high reps unless it causes muscle failure. The body stores and uses energy very efficiently, so repeating exercises with a constant load can limit the amount of mechanical (roughly speaking, they will tear badly) and metabolic stress (little growth hormones will be released) on the muscles and minimize the results of the workout.
Simply put, to maximize muscle growth, it is advisable to do exercises until muscle failure (I can’t do it anymore!)
3 types of training
Scientists Zatsiorsky and Kremer in 2006 identified three fundamental types of training: the maximum effort method, the dynamic effort method and the repeated effort method. The first two methods are good for their purposes, but are not the most effective for muscle growth.
1. Maximum effort method
This method uses significant weights to increase the activity of “fast” muscle fibers (which we wrote about in more detail above). Roughly speaking, the maximum effort method is associated with lifting the maximum possible weight (and therefore a small number of repetitions per set).
The main stimulus from the maximum effort method is mechanical (aimed at creating micro-tears in the muscles), myofibrillar hypertrophy with a significant increase in strength and a moderate increase in muscle mass.
The maximal effort method is effective for developing strength, but it is not the most effective means of increasing muscle mass.
2. Dynamic force method
Dynamic force training does not use maximum weight, but rather focuses on moving the weight as fast as possible to stimulate the motor units.
This method is most effective for increasing the rate of force development and contractile power required in many sports or dynamic activities. However, it does not provide enough mechanical or metabolic stress to the muscles needed to stimulate growth.
3. Repeated Effort Method
The repeated effort method does not involve maximum loads, but the need to do exercises until muscle failure occurs (when it is no longer possible to perform any further repetitions in the approach).
The last few repetitions, which have to be done through the burn, can involve all the fibers in the target muscle into contraction and cause significant overload. When using the repeated effort method, slow motor units are activated at the beginning of the approach, and as they tire, the “fast” muscles will also be activated.
The method of repeated effort and performing an exercise to failure is most effective for muscle growth, says science. It is important to work until failure. If the load is insufficient or the approach is not performed to failure, stimulation of the “fast” motor units (as you read above, they are the ones that mainly give volume to the muscles) does not occur or the necessary metabolic conditions that promote muscle growth are not created.
Sleep and recovery are just as important as training and nutrition itself.
Rest is the most underrated element of training. No matter how long you endured the pain of those last reps or how diligently you sourced protein and calories from your diet, it's not as important as the time it takes for nutrients and hormones to promote muscle protein synthesis after exercise.
Exercise and food are an important part of the equation muscle growth, but not all. Adequate recovery is very important - it is necessary to give the muscles enough time to replenish glycogen reserves and undergo the processes of reconstruction and creation of new muscle tissue.
The recovery required for muscle growth is 48–72 hours between training sessions for a particular muscle group. This scientific argument, by the way, speaks in favor of split training - when each muscle group receives the main load, for example, once a week.
Inducing mechanical and metabolic stress during your workouts in the gym will only make sense while the hormones and substances necessary for muscle growth are released during REM sleep. This means that a full night’s sleep is important for muscle growth after training. Inadequate sleep and recovery will ruin your efforts in the gym and at the dinner table. Moreover, lack of sleep can increase adrenaline and cortisol levels, which can also reduce the ability to form new muscle tissue.
Lack of sleep, poor appetite, long-term illnesses, and loss of growth as a result of exercise are all symptoms of overexertion that can significantly impact a person's ability to achieve their fitness goals.
“Underrecovery” is another reason to think about overexertion. “To promote muscle growth, rest time (active rest) is necessary to allow for full recovery,” says Schoenfeld (2013).
Training program for gaining muscle mass
Number of repetitions
Science suggests that for maximum muscle growth, select the weight so that you do 8-12 repetitions until muscle failure - it’s good that almost every trainer in the gym seems to know this simple fact. True, now, unlike you, not everyone knows why exactly.
Amount of rest between sets
Short to moderate rests between sets (30 seconds to 2 minutes) can cause significant metabolic stress.
Number of approaches in each exercise
According to scientists, performing 3-4 approaches provides the most effective mechanical tension for all muscles involved.
Travel speed
Scientists recommend performing movements with maximum effort faster - 1-2 seconds (for example, lifting a barbell), and the eccentric phase of the exercise (for example, lowering a barbell) for a longer period (2-6 seconds). Slower execution of the eccentric phase is necessary to ensure sufficient mechanical tension - it is this “easier” phase of movement that is most important for muscle growth. “From a hypertrophy perspective, eccentric contraction has a greater impact on muscle development. In particular, eccentric exercise has been associated with greater increases in protein synthesis” (Schoenfeld, 2010).
Free weights or machines
Scientist Schoenfeld argues that each type of weight plays a role in optimal muscle growth: “Free weights that involve a large number of muscles help increase muscle density, while the stabilization provided by the machines allows individual muscles to be more stressed.”
Preparing for serious training
When training for muscle growth with a large metabolic and mechanical effect, it can cause serious muscle damage and is recommended for people with at least one year of training experience.
It is necessary to start with a dynamic warm-up, loading the core muscles (abs, stabilizer muscles and others) to prepare the muscle tissue for the stress of high-volume training.
Exercise order
It is preferable to start training with complex movements with free weights to engage the maximum number of muscles (for example, squats with a barbell, deadlifts are best done at the beginning of training), and during the course of the session gradually move on to machines that affect individual muscles.
Extreme exercise
The last exercise in each workout must be performed in a weight-loss machine: after all repetitions of the approach to failure, the weight is reduced and the maximum possible number of repetitions must be done with it until failure.
Weight loss approaches can cause significant mechanical and metabolic stress and cause significant discomfort and should be performed at the end of the session.
It is important to dose the load that is necessary for you, because “overload” can be no less harmful to muscle growth than “underload.” For example, in the program recommended by scientists for muscle growth (see below), cardio load is limited. According to Schoenfeld, "too much energy expenditure can reduce muscle growth."
The exercise program presented below is based on the latest scientific research related to increasing muscle mass.
Attention: RM – repeated maximum
Day 4. Rest or low-intensity cardio exercise
What needs to be done in order to have a beautiful and Of course, the first thing you need to do is develop a foundation from which the figure of your dreams will subsequently be sculpted. mass is the foundation every bodybuilder should start with. There is no point in immediately starting to dry out - after all, in order to make the muscles beautiful and sculpted, they first need to be pumped up.
must be fulfilled subject to several conditions. This:- Clear lesson schedule.
- Compliance
- Sufficient time for rest.
It is worth remembering that if you intend to study seriously, then failure to comply with even one of these rules can delay you on the path to your goal. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
Class schedule
A mass training program implies a clearly established training schedule. It should indicate the days of training and rest, as well as the exercise system for each lesson. The most popular schedule among bodybuilders is one that includes three workouts per week. This option is ideal for beginners and intermediate athletes. With this method of training, the muscles have time to fully recover by the next session. Mass training (3 days) allows you to evenly distribute all the main
For bodybuilders more high level it is possible to use a four- or five-day split. Such frequent training is necessary in order to thoroughly work out each muscle group.
Nutrition
In order for muscle training to bear fruit, you need to start eating right. And this is not only about excluding alcohol, fast food and other foods from the diet. junk food. For the bodybuilder proper nutrition has a slightly different meaning than for an ordinary person.
It goes without saying that you need to eat correctly and often - at least 6 times a day. In addition, when gaining weight, it is important to drink plenty of water, especially during training.
Sports nutrition
In the world of bodybuilding there is great amount all kinds of food products and additives. For more effective weight gain during training, it is best to consume the following types:
- Gainers.
- Proteins.
- Amino acids.
Amino acids are also suitable for all types of people. They accelerate muscle growth and recovery after training.
Rest
A mass training program will be of no use without adequate recovery time. The same muscle group should not be trained more than once a week - overtraining will cause the exercises to do more harm than good. If you experience symptoms such as loss of appetite, soreness, or weight loss, you should stop exercising for a while.
Any fitness room provides a huge selection of all kinds of machines and exercises. But not all of them are equally useful for gaining weight. Of course, each of them will have a good effect on your body in its own way, but it’s still worth paying attention to basic exercises. Basic mass training includes those exercises that involve several muscle groups at once. These include:
- Bench press.
- Deadlift.
- Squat with a barbell.
Regardless of the schedule on which you practice, these exercises must be included in the program.
Bench press
It is the simplest, but at the same time one of the most effective exercises. It can be performed in two ways - with a wide or narrow grip, but in this article only the first option will be discussed.
In the first case, the main load falls on pectoral muscles, the front deltoids and triceps are also involved. The grip width is determined individually for each person. You should know that the wider the grip, the shorter the distance of the barbell from the top point to the chest, and the more the pectoral muscles are involved. But don’t take it too wide; choose the optimal position from which you can do this exercise a set number of times. Despite its apparent simplicity, there are several nuances in implementation.
Firstly, this is the number of approaches and repetitions. To build muscle mass, the best option is to perform 3-4 sets of 6-8 repetitions. It is important to increase the weight from approach to approach. If the weight is correct, the final reps should be performed with a little help from the spotter.
Secondly, when performing the bench press, you can adjust the position of the bench. So, if the legs are higher than chest level, the lower bundle of pectoral muscles will be activated. If, on the contrary, the chest is above the level of the legs, then the upper beam will be used.
A prerequisite when performing a bench press is that the bar must touch the chest at its lowest point. Only after this can you begin to squeeze it to its original position. It is also necessary that the feet and buttocks are pressed tightly and do not move during the exercise.
Deadlift
No mass training program can be considered as such without deadlifting. This exercise is the most complex of the bodybuilder's arsenal. When performing it, absolutely all muscle groups are involved, but it only works if the technique is followed correctly.
Many novice athletes do not use this exercise in their training due to the fact that they allegedly can injure their back. However, every exercise is dangerous in some way, and you are more likely to get injured without deadlifting. If you do not chase maximum weights, follow the technique and use a fixing belt, then the risk of injuring your back is minimized.
Many mistakes are often made when performing this exercise. Moreover, they are performed not only by beginners, but also by experienced athletes. For example, it is important to know that deadlifts must be performed from the bottom position. That is, there is no need to place the barbell on any racks before starting the exercise.
It is important to do the first lift from the floor using your hips to push - lifting the barbell using only your back can easily cause injury.
Another common mistake is that many people do not consider it necessary to lower the barbell to the floor. Remember - this is as important as touching the bar to your chest when performing a bench press.
Squats
It is the main exercise for pumping up the lower body. It allows you to increase strength and promotes rapid muscle mass gain.
The main mistake of all beginners is that they simply squat down. When performing this exercise, you need to move the buttocks back and move your knees slightly to the side. This reduces the load on the lumbar region and makes the exercise more effective and safe. It is also worth using a fixing belt.
Another common mistake, mainly among beginners, is the position of the bar. It is necessary to place the barbell only on it, otherwise you can easily injure the cervical vertebrae.
For different people The grip can be adjusted individually. But mainly you need to keep your hands in a position slightly wider than your shoulders. This can be a problem for high-level bodybuilders with developed shoulder areas or for people with limited mobility in their joints.
At home, the process of gaining weight will be much more difficult and lengthy. Still, you mostly need to work out in the gym, but don’t despair if this is not possible. Although progress from home workouts will require more time, this is compensated by the fact that you do not have to go anywhere and spend extra money on the gym. But it will also require much more motivation - at home it will be much easier for you to give yourself some slack. If there are no problems with this, then some exercises for home training will be listed below.
Working out at home for bulking is different from working out at the gym, but you can still notice some similarities. For example, the bench press can be replaced with regular push-ups. Vulture in in this case will be replaced by your own weight.
Push-ups can be performed in several ways:
- Classic push-ups. They will develop the pectoral muscles and engage the triceps a little.
- Push-ups on supports. Hands should be placed on some kind of stands (for example, stools), legs should also be placed on some kind of support. In this exercise, it is important to achieve maximum repetition amplitude. It works the pectoral muscles in more detail.
- Standing push-ups. This exercise is performed standing on your hands, with your legs leaning against the wall. These push-ups work the shoulder muscles.
- Narrow push-ups. The palms should be placed almost touching each other. This exercise works well on the triceps of the arms.
There are several types of exercises that will help you work out your lower body at home:
- Squats. Classic squats will help pump up the quadriceps area of the legs, and will also slightly engage the biceps and buttocks. When performing squats, it is important to ensure that your knees point in the same direction as your toes.
- Lunges. A great exercise that can be done in the gym or at home. It can be performed either with dumbbells or using only your own weight. It works the entire lower body - from the buttocks to the calves.
If you have a horizontal bar at home, you can further develop the muscles of your arms and back with it. Regular pull-ups develop the shoulder area and the muscles of the biceps and triceps of the arm well. The wider the grip when performing, the more the latissimus dorsi and shoulder blade area will be involved.
You can then perform the main load on your biceps.
Every bodybuilder knows that before starting to work on body contour, it is important to gain the necessary mass. This, of course, is not about extra pounds, gained due to an increase in body fat as a result of leading a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition. To get a beautiful body you don't need fat mass, but muscular.
Not only professional athletes, but also thin men are interested in increasing muscle mass.
Training should be carried out no more than 3 times a week. The body must have a rest break to restore muscles and add weight to them. This break should not be less than 72 hours. If it seems that the muscles do not have time to recover, then you can reduce the number of workouts to 2 days a week.
It is better to spend no more than an hour a day in the gym. If you exercise longer, you will become overtired, and the reverse process will occur—muscle burning.
The duration of the break between approaches should be 1-4 minutes. They are enough to restore strength. A long break will reduce the effectiveness of the exercises; the muscles will return to their state before the start of the workout.
Many people don't know: muscle fiber growth occurs not during active training, but during rest. Therefore, you need to ensure that you get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep inhibits muscle growth.
It makes sense to keep a training diary, recording the working weights there. Every 14 days, the load should progress: the weight should increase so that the muscles do not get used to it and do not stop growing. Even a small increase in weight (by 100 g) is already progress.
Before each workout, you need to prepare your muscles and joints, preventing the risk of injury. To do this, warm up and stretch. As a warm-up, you can jump rope, do push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, and squats.
You need to work only with weights that you can lift. All exercises must be performed correctly, otherwise there will be no result.
The mass training program is effective because only one muscle group is trained in one session. The basis of the program consists of basic exercises that can involve maximum amount muscle fibers.
Training program for gaining muscle mass
Day 1
The training complex begins on Monday. On this day, the muscles of the chest and biceps are pumped:
- Bench press with a wide grip while lying on a bench located at an incline. In the first approach, a person warms up, so the weight should be taken twice as light as the worker. The remaining 4 approaches are already performed with working weight. The number of repetitions is 8-12.
- Bench press with a wide grip on a flat bench. This type of exercise is included in their classes by those who have been practicing for more than one day. Beginners should skip this step. The number of approaches and repetitions is identical to the previous exercise.
- Raising arms with dumbbells to the sides while lying on a bench at an incline. Perform 3-4 approaches 12-15 times.
- Barbell curls for biceps in a standing position. Perform 3 sets and 10 repetitions.
- Raising dumbbells for biceps from a standing position. Do 10 repetitions and 3 sets. As in the first exercise, the first approach is a warm-up - light weight is taken.
- Wide grip dips. Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
Rest and 2nd day
On Tuesday and Wednesday there is rest. Training resumes on Thursday. On this day you need to work on the muscles of your shoulders and back:
- Deadlift (barbell exercise). The first approach is with light weight, the remaining 3-4 are with working weight. Number of repetitions – 8-12. It is recommended to do it once every 14 days.
- Pull-up on the horizontal bar. Very effective for the back: makes it wider. It is recommended to do 3 sets of 12 repetitions. Beginners who find it difficult to do pull-ups can skip this step of the workout.
- Bent-over barbell row. It is done once every 14 days, alternating with deadlifts.
- Barbell chest press in a seated position. This is a key exercise for working your back muscles. The first approach is training, the other 4 are with working weight. Repeat 10-12 times. If desired, the exercise can be performed standing.
- Barbell row to the chin. The same amount of exercise is performed as the chest press. These two exercises can be alternated.
- Close grip dips. You need to do 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
- Reverse bent over dumbbell raises. This exercise should definitely be included in each workout, 3-4 approaches, 12-15 repetitions each.
Rest again and day 3
On Friday and Saturday the muscles are given a rest, and on Sunday they get back to work. On this day they train the triceps and legs:
- Squats with a barbell held on the shoulders. The first approach is with half the usual weight, the remaining 4 are with working weight. 8-12 repetitions.
- Leg press on the machine. 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
- Straight-legged rows with dumbbells. It trains the back muscles of the thighs well. Do 4 sets and 8-12 repetitions.
- Lying leg curls are the most important exercise for training the hamstrings. Repeat 8-12 times, 4 approaches are done.
- Close grip barbell press. This is where the triceps work. Perform 6-8 repetitions or 8-12. Approaches – 3-4.
- The French press is a popular exercise performed with dumbbells or a curved barbell in a lying position. The projectile is clasped with your hands at the break point of the neck. The arms should be perpendicular to the body. As you inhale, the weight lowers, the elbows bend, and the projectile touches the forehead. As you exhale, the bar returns to its starting position. The exercise is performed 12-15 times, 3-4 approaches are done.
- Bent over arm extension. You need to place one leg bent at the knee on the bench, bend over, rest on the bench with one hand, and take a dumbbell in the other. The arm with the dumbbell must be extended and bent. The main thing here is not the weight of the dumbbell, but the correct execution technique. You need to feel the triceps working. Number of approaches – 4, repetitions – 12-15.
Nutrition for gaining muscle mass
To effectively gain muscle mass, you need to organize your nutrition correctly. The key point is the presence in the food consumed required quantity protein and carbohydrates. If there is a lack of protein in the body, there will be no muscle growth, regardless of the quality and frequency of training. If you don't have enough carbohydrates, your body won't have the energy it needs to perform exercise.
The amount of protein consumed in grams should be at least 2 times the weight of the person engaged in weight gain. That is, if he weighs 80 kg, then he needs to eat at least 160 g of protein daily.
The amount of daily calorie intake should be 2500-3000. Meals should be fractional - in small portions, but often, approximately every 3-4 hours. The consumption of foods rich in fats should be minimized, eating mainly boiled food. Until the middle of the day, you need to eat high-carbohydrate foods, since in the morning you need to charge your body with energy, and in the afternoon you need to eat foods rich in proteins.
A slim, fit figure is the key to health, Have a good mood, attractiveness and self-confidence. This is why you should always look good. But what if you don’t have time to workout in the gym? Work out at home!
Yes, it’s possible to get in shape without leaving home. Especially on initial stage training, when the muscles do not need professional trainers and too heavy weights.
We will help you understand all the nuances of training at home and create the right program for gaining muscle mass.
How to build muscle mass at home
To gain muscle mass at home as quickly as possible, you need to learn several important rules:
Regular does not mean exhausting. Three workouts a week for 40-50 minutes are the best option for both beginners and “experienced” athletes. The main thing to remember is that it takes a week for a muscle to fully recover, that is, seven days should pass between the first and second training for a particular group.
You can build muscle mass at home only if you follow a diet. It is necessary to provide the body with energy - carbohydrates and fats, and building material– protein.
An athlete's diet must contain proteins. chicken egg, cottage cheese, lean meat, poultry, fish, cereals, nuts, legumes, mushrooms.
The athlete's body's need for protein is 1.8 - 2.3 g per kilogram of weight, here it is written what to eat and when, calculations of the body's needs and a menu are given.
If this standard is difficult to meet with food, then you need to think about buying protein or gainer.
During sleep, the body recovers, which is why proper rest is as important a part of a weight gain program as nutrition and training. In this case, the athlete’s sleep duration should be at least 8 hours, the recommended norm is 9-11 hours.
To provide your body healthy sleep You need to go to bed at the same time, rest on an empty stomach, and do not exercise before bed.
- Adaptation to new conditions
The body's ability to adapt to changed conditions can negatively impact an athlete's progress. That is why a training program at home should be drawn up taking into account the muscles’ adaptation to the level of load.
- Inventory
To work with weights, you need to purchase a bar, dumbbells, and plates different weights. You can also install a horizontal bar at home, buy or make weights for your legs and arms, and fill an old backpack with something heavy, such as sand. Otherwise, all you need is comfortable, breathable clothing and a water bottle.
Workout program for gaining muscle mass at home
Each workout should begin with a 15-minute warm-up, which will prepare the muscles for intense work and further growth. Warming up should warm up the muscles, increase blood flow to the muscles, “accelerate” the pulse and reduce the risk of injury. Moreover, unlike the main training program, warm-up does not involve working on a specific muscle group - it must prepare the entire body.
Day one: working deltoids, chest, back, biceps and triceps
Day two: abs, lumbar muscles
Day three: gluteal muscles, legs
The above program is just a drop in the ocean of opportunities that open up for an athlete who strives to improve his form.
Detailed review best exercises for building muscle mass and their effects on various muscle groups. Why waste time at the gym? Bringing real change!
Any training program consists of many exercises and approaches. If you do not develop a training plan with a specific goal and do not use advanced training methods, then all your efforts will be in vain. To gain muscle mass and develop strength as quickly as possible, you need to choose only the best exercises.
The exercises discussed in this article are the best of the best. You may notice that they are divided into three categories:
- Barbell exercises
- Exercises with dumbbells
- Bodyweight exercises
Opening the DailyFit website, we will see that the vast majority of “mass” training programs involve the use of barbells and dumbbells. For each muscle group, barbell and dumbbell exercises should be performed first. After them, you can move on to exercises on simulators and blocks. Despite the usefulness of some exercises on machines and blocks, most of them are inferior in effectiveness to their counterparts with free weights.
The bench press with a barbell or dumbbells is better than the Smith machine press. Deep squats with a barbell are more effective than leg presses. And pull-ups on the bar are superior in effectiveness to the pull-down of the upper block to the chest.
Below we look at the seven best exercises. If your goal is to increase muscle mass, then these exercises should definitely find a place in your training program.
7 Best Exercises for Gaining Mass
Squats. Squats are the main exercise for gaining mass and developing strength. It is impossible to imagine an effective training program without deep squats. To perform this exercise you need a barbell and racks (or a power rack). Squats not only load the leg muscles, but also affect the top part bodies. Like hormonal atomic bomb, squats tear down all the muscle fibers in the body, forcing them to grow and strengthen, repetition after repetition.
Deadlift. The second most effective exercise after squats is (with a minimal margin) the deadlift, which allows you to build up kilograms of muscle and develop bearish strength. Deadlifts, like squats, are performed with a barbell.
Dips. Dips are often rightly called “upper body squats.” Push-ups work the shoulder muscles and triceps intensively. This is for the upper body. Push-ups are performed on parallel bars.
Pull-ups. In pull-ups, even the strongest and most toned athletes cannot perform a large number of repetitions. Pull-ups are a great exercise for the biceps. It is recommended to include pull-ups in your training program instead of such ineffective exercises as, for example, lat pull-downs.
Bench press. The bench press is a fundamental upper body exercise. There are a number of highly effective variations of this exercise, including the flat barbell or dumbbell press and the positive incline barbell or dumbbell press.
Army press. As with the bench press, there are several great variations of the military press. This includes almost all modifications of the bench press while standing or sitting with a barbell/dumbbells. Also, don’t forget about the Arnold Press and the Head Press. Another popular overhead press variation is the barbell chest clean.
Traction. Rows (both barbell and dumbbell) are great upper back exercises. One of best options rows are the good old bent-over T-bar rows. Despite the fact that exercises on machines and blocks are considered ineffective, seated horizontal block rows load the back muscles very well.
The best exercises for individual muscle groups
Now that we have met the most effective means building muscle mass, let's look at what exercises need to be performed for a particular muscle group. Our list will include some representatives of the “seven best exercises”.
5 most effective exercises for developing chest muscles
- . The “dad” of all exercises for building muscle in the upper body. The bench press has become so popular that almost all athletes set aside a separate day for it - usually Monday.
- . The choice of many professional bodybuilders.
- . Push-ups - "upper body squats" - will become great addition to the bench press or incline press.
- . This variation of the bench press allows you to diversify your chest workout.
- . A great alternative to the incline bench press.
Not included in this list due to the fact that this exercise has a very short range of motion, with most of the load shifting to the triceps.
5 most effective exercises for developing back muscles
- . No exercise can compare to the deadlift in building a truly powerful back. Holding a heavy barbell in a backbend puts enormous stress on the latissimus dorsi muscles.
- . A much more effective exercise than pulling the upper block to the chest. If you can do one repetition, try to do a second. After completing two repetitions, try to do three! If even one repetition is difficult for you, switch to pull-ups with your feet on the floor (or on the bench).
- . It is impossible to imagine a basic back workout without heavy lifts, the list of which is headed by bent-over barbell rows.
- . A great alternative to bent-over barbell rows, especially if you want to reduce the risk of stress on your lower back.
- . Performing this exercise in an explosive manner effectively targets the trapezius and mid-back.
5 most effective exercises for developing shoulder muscles
- . For many years this exercise considered essential for building huge shoulders.
- . The technique of this exercise is reminiscent of the military press, performed in an explosive (weightlifting) style.
- . Yes, yes, everything is correct. The bench press is a great exercise for developing the anterior deltoids. Basically, if you do a few bench presses on chest day, you probably won't need to do anterior delt exercises on shoulder day.
- . One of the best shoulder exercises. However, do not forget that the barbell should not be lowered below the point at which the arms become parallel to the floor.
- . Due to the natural positioning of the arms, this exercise is considered the least traumatic for the shoulder joints.
5 most effective exercises for developing leg muscles
- . This is the main exercise for gaining mass.
- . Another great option for building huge legs. The front squat has a tricky technique, but mastering it is worth the effort.