60 Days to Fit: The Workout Plan | Muscle & Fitness -
EMG research suggests that, compared to a seated dumbbell press, during a standing barbell press, there's significantly greater muscle activation of both the middle and front delts during a standing barbell press. In Your Training: "This should be one of your primary presses on either shoulder or push day," says Hyde. While delts can usually be trained in a slightly higher rep range, this movement should be done similar to a bench press.
Vary the reps from strength three reps per set to hypertrophy reps per set. Best: Front squat. Why It's Number 1: "Front squats top the list for a couple of reasons," says Hyde. Bar positioning during a front squat is held high on the anterior delts and there's minimal change in back angle, which allows for more recruitment and activation of the quads [than other kinds of squats].
Bar positioning during a back squat will force the hips to travel farther backward, shifting a greater tension toward the hip extensors glutes.
Since quad exercises are more prone to putting added stress on the knee, Hyde also points out that front squats exhibit a lesser shearing and compressive force across the knee joint. In Your Training: "Use the front squat as a primary movement for a quad-focused leg workout," says Hyde. If you lack flexibility, it's okay to either cross your arms over the bar or use lifting straps to hold the bar in a pseudo front-rack position.
Best: Barbell bench press. Major Muscles Worked: Pectoralis major and minor, anterior deltoid, triceps, serratus anterior. Why It's Number 1: Here's where you start on chest day, at least most of the time. Several EMG studies have concluded that not only does the barbell bench press activate the pecs to a greater degree than incline presses, decline presses, and flyes, but it's also superior for targeting the triceps brachii.
In Your Training: Put the bench press at the front of your workout for heavy sets in lower rep ranges. Your grip width impacts the amount of bar you can move. Research suggests a grip in which your forearms are 90 degrees to the floor completely perpendicular when the bar is in the down position.
Best: Dumbbell curl. Why It's Number 1: "While using a barbell allows you to lift heavier weight, it can also lead to muscle imbalances if the stronger side takes over," says Hyde.
Dumbbell curls can allow for a more natural movement and greater range of motion, and give you the option of varying your hand position—supinated throughout, neutral like hammer curls, and neutral to supinated as you turn the weight up as you curl—which can alter the activation of the different biceps heads to slightly different degrees.
In Your Training: Do biceps moves after multijoint pulling exercises for back if you're training them on the same day. If you follow a body-part split with a dedicated arm day, try loads in the heavier end of the muscle-building rep range for sets of 8. Best: Bent-over barbell row.
Major Muscles Worked: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rear delt, rhomboid, teres major, lower back, biceps. The overhand grip reduces biceps activation, and I've found there are a number of ways in which it can be done. My favorite has always been the Yates-style row, named after former Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates. I've also done them using Ronnie Coleman's style, in which you're angled about 45 degrees above the horizontal plane.
Using a bit of momentum is fine so long as it is controlled, especially on the negative. In Your Training: Again, do heavy sets in lower rep ranges, about or reps. The Smith-machine version is a good substitute; it locks you in the vertical plane, but your body has to be in the exact precise position relative to the bar. You can also try the reverse-grip version for a change, which puts slightly more emphasis on the lower lats and biceps.
Why it's Number 1: "One of the biggest series of published EMG data by a group out of Hamburg, Germany, found that that the lying hamstring curl with your thighs elevated and a forced contraction of the glutes activated the glutes best," says Hyde. It's basically simulating the stride you'd make as a sprinter which can be done standing or on all fours. As you reach an extended position, you'll recruit the glutes.
Really focus on squeezing the glutes, and don't just speed through the reps. Reps should be in the hypertrophy range with a slow and controlled tempo. Best: Weighted parallel-bar dip. Why It's Number 1: "Published EMG evidence tends to point out that dips done for triceps, in which you maintain a more vertical body position and restrict elbow flare, elicit a very high amount of triceps activation," says Hyde.
In Your Training: To work in a muscle-building rep range, you're probably going to need a belt that allows you to hang added plates from your waist. Doing endless reps with just your body weight won't elicit much of the muscle-building effect you're after. As with any multijoint triceps exercise, do heavy dips first in your workout, adding weight so you can train toward the lower end of the target rep range of Best: Romanian deadlift.
Because the hamstrings cross the knee and hip joints, you need to include movements that work each, since no single movement works the entire muscle maximally. The RDL mainly works the hamstrings from the hip joint, so make sure you also include a knee-joint hamstring exercise like a leg curl in your routine as well to ensure complete overall development, advises iSatori VP of marketing Craig Stevenson. Sunday off In addition, remember how the modified 4-day version broke up the second set of workouts by putting one of the rest days between them to enhance recovery?
Well, this version takes that to the next level by breaking up BOTH sets of workouts so that you never train on consecutive days ever. Each week ends up rotating between four total workouts per week and three total workouts per week. This is great for people who like the idea of working out more often AND working out less often to improve recovery.
Well, almost perfectly. You see, despite this big list of positives, there are a couple of potential negatives. The other potential problem is also scheduling related.
For some people, this could also be hard to manage and fit into their weekly schedule. But if you can… then this split is absolutely perfect for you.
Again, ALL of these options are already highly proven and guaranteed to work extremely well. But if you need the weekends free, go with Option 1 classic 4-day. So what happens? They try and fail to make a 4-day split work. They miss workouts. They end up quitting altogether.
And all because they were too stubborn to do what was truly ideal for them and best suited for their schedule. So, if 3 days is best for you, please avoid being a dumbass and just use the 3-day version.
I highly recommend it if you have a schedule flexible enough to make it work. In this case, go with one of the other three options instead. One will train your entire upper body to some degree chest, back, shoulders, biceps, and triceps , and one will train your entire lower body to some degree quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and abs as well. You will then end up doing two or about two of each workout per week depending on exactly which variation of the split you decide to use.
This is meant to be a flat barbell bench press. I recommend having a spotter if possible. Besides being important for obvious safety reasons, not having one may make you afraid of trying for an additional rep, and this could hinder your progress.
Pretty much any type of row would be fine here, so pick your favorite bent over barbell or dumbbell rows, t-bar rows, chest supported rows, various Hammer Strength machine rows, whatever. Technically, any type of incline press would be just as good here. Barbell, dumbbell, machine Hammer Strength makes an incline chest press that I love. But, my first choice recommendation would definitely be the incline dumbbell press.
If you happen to have any preexisting shoulder problems that make incline pressing uncomfortable, try using a neutral grip where your palms face each other.
These are to be done in front of your head… never behind the neck. With dumbbells seated or standing, one arm at a time or both together , with cables, with a lateral raise machine if your gym has a decent one. Just pick your favorite. Pick your favorite. I recommend using a double overhand grip for these as opposed to a mixed grip which would be one hand over, one hand under. Also, this is meant to be done in a 45 degree leg press.
You can really pick any one you want. Pick your favorites and keep it simple. Additional details here. These are meant to be done using an overhand grip and always do them in front of your head… never behind your neck. If you are unable to do pull-ups, you can do lat pull-downs or some form of assisted pull-up instead still using an overhand grip.
Seated cable rows are definitely my first choice though. Nothing more to add here really. These can be done on a flat bench or a low incline if you prefer. Technically, any sort of chest isolation exercise would be equally effective here, so if you happen to prefer some kind of cable or machine fly instead, you can feel free to do that.
You could technically do any other type of curl instead if you wanted to, though. These can be done on a flat or decline bench. Also, if preferred, some kind of overhead triceps extension exercise would be perfectly suitable in its place. It will be easier and safer to learn how to balance yourself properly. If your gym only has one kind, do it one leg at a time in the A workout, and both legs together in this workout. Not much more to add here.
However, other equally effective versions of this program also exist. I also hope you actually put this program into action. So… you know… be sure to actually do that. Specifically, more sets and a slightly lower rep range is used for the primary compound exercises, and a higher rep range is used for the secondary compound exercises.
It tends to be ideal for people who want to build muscle including on their shoulders without doing any shoulder pressing. There are 3 different versions of it included. There are 5 different versions of it included.
6 Week Workout Program To Build Muscle (With PDF).
Fast track your muscle gains with the aid of EMG analyses by choosing the single-best exercise for each body part. Discover the best overall movement no workout routine should be without! If gym exercises could compete head-to-head like your favorite college football teams, we might finally and unequivocally be able to determine the best possible movements for every body part, bar none.
Alas, since exercises can't exactly hit the field, we have to dig a little deeper to pit them against one another. To create this particular list of best muscle-building movements, we utilized EMG analysis—an electrodiagnostic technique that measures muscular electrical activity—scoured recent scientific research, examined which movements allow you to best overload the target muscles, and took into account the opinions of leading experts.
Cumulatively, these panelists have decades of in-the-trenches experience coaching elite amateur and professional athletes. In other words, what you see here are the stand-out movements—the best of the best—for each muscle group. These are the exercises you absolutely, positively must include in your training if your goal is to maximize muscle size. Once you've learned them, do them first in your workout when your energy levels are highest.
Then, load them appropriately with very heavy weights so you can also focus on maximizing strength, which ultimately helps you build more size. Best: Standing barbell overhead press. Major Muscles Worked: Middle and front delts, trapezius, triceps, upper pectoralis, serratus anterior. Why It's Number 1: According to Hyde, standing barbell presses should be a staple of every lifter's shoulder routine. EMG research suggests that, compared to a seated dumbbell press, during a standing barbell press, there's significantly greater muscle activation of both the middle and front delts during a standing barbell press.
In Your Training: "This should be one of your primary presses on either shoulder or push day," says Hyde. While delts can usually be trained in a slightly higher rep range, this movement should be done similar to a bench press. Vary the reps from strength three reps per set to hypertrophy reps per set. Best: Front squat. Why It's Number 1: "Front squats top the list for a couple of reasons," says Hyde.
Bar positioning during a front squat is held high on the anterior delts and there's minimal change in back angle, which allows for more recruitment and activation of the quads [than other kinds of squats]. Bar positioning during a back squat will force the hips to travel farther backward, shifting a greater tension toward the hip extensors glutes. Since quad exercises are more prone to putting added stress on the knee, Hyde also points out that front squats exhibit a lesser shearing and compressive force across the knee joint.
In Your Training: "Use the front squat as a primary movement for a quad-focused leg workout," says Hyde. If you lack flexibility, it's okay to either cross your arms over the bar or use lifting straps to hold the bar in a pseudo front-rack position. Best: Barbell bench press. Major Muscles Worked: Pectoralis major and minor, anterior deltoid, triceps, serratus anterior. Why It's Number 1: Here's where you start on chest day, at least most of the time. Several EMG studies have concluded that not only does the barbell bench press activate the pecs to a greater degree than incline presses, decline presses, and flyes, but it's also superior for targeting the triceps brachii.
In Your Training: Put the bench press at the front of your workout for heavy sets in lower rep ranges. Your grip width impacts the amount of bar you can move. Research suggests a grip in which your forearms are 90 degrees to the floor completely perpendicular when the bar is in the down position. Best: Dumbbell curl. Why It's Number 1: "While using a barbell allows you to lift heavier weight, it can also lead to muscle imbalances if the stronger side takes over," says Hyde.
Dumbbell curls can allow for a more natural movement and greater range of motion, and give you the option of varying your hand position—supinated throughout, neutral like hammer curls, and neutral to supinated as you turn the weight up as you curl—which can alter the activation of the different biceps heads to slightly different degrees.
In Your Training: Do biceps moves after multijoint pulling exercises for back if you're training them on the same day. If you follow a body-part split with a dedicated arm day, try loads in the heavier end of the muscle-building rep range for sets of 8.
Best: Bent-over barbell row. Major Muscles Worked: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rear delt, rhomboid, teres major, lower back, biceps. The overhand grip reduces biceps activation, and I've found there are a number of ways in which it can be done. My favorite has always been the Yates-style row, named after former Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates.
I've also done them using Ronnie Coleman's style, in which you're angled about 45 degrees above the horizontal plane. Using a bit of momentum is fine so long as it is controlled, especially on the negative. In Your Training: Again, do heavy sets in lower rep ranges, about or reps. The Smith-machine version is a good substitute; it locks you in the vertical plane, but your body has to be in the exact precise position relative to the bar. You can also try the reverse-grip version for a change, which puts slightly more emphasis on the lower lats and biceps.
Why it's Number 1: "One of the biggest series of published EMG data by a group out of Hamburg, Germany, found that that the lying hamstring curl with your thighs elevated and a forced contraction of the glutes activated the glutes best," says Hyde. It's basically simulating the stride you'd make as a sprinter which can be done standing or on all fours.
As you reach an extended position, you'll recruit the glutes. Really focus on squeezing the glutes, and don't just speed through the reps. Reps should be in the hypertrophy range with a slow and controlled tempo. Best: Weighted parallel-bar dip. Why It's Number 1: "Published EMG evidence tends to point out that dips done for triceps, in which you maintain a more vertical body position and restrict elbow flare, elicit a very high amount of triceps activation," says Hyde.
In Your Training: To work in a muscle-building rep range, you're probably going to need a belt that allows you to hang added plates from your waist. Doing endless reps with just your body weight won't elicit much of the muscle-building effect you're after. As with any multijoint triceps exercise, do heavy dips first in your workout, adding weight so you can train toward the lower end of the target rep range of Best: Romanian deadlift. Because the hamstrings cross the knee and hip joints, you need to include movements that work each, since no single movement works the entire muscle maximally.
The RDL mainly works the hamstrings from the hip joint, so make sure you also include a knee-joint hamstring exercise like a leg curl in your routine as well to ensure complete overall development, advises iSatori VP of marketing Craig Stevenson. In Your Training: "Place this as your first hamstring exercise of the day," says Hyde. If you've never done RDLs before, watch yourself in a mirror from the side. Your goal is to have minimal changes in knee angle and to really force your hips backward.
Keep your shoulders locked in, a big chest, and really fire the glutes on the way up. A good rule of thumb for how far back to stick your glutes is to keep reaching until your hammies start to quiver. Best: Donkey calf raise.
Why it's Number 1: "The same German group that reported on the glute exercise also found that the donkey calf raise had the greatest activation of the calves," says Hyde. If your gym doesn't have the machine version of this exercise, it's time to get close to your training partner and perform these the way Arnold did—with someone on your back—to ensure you place sufficient overload on the target muscle.
In Your Training: "Do this exercise after you've completed all work for quads and hams. Since the gastrocnemius is recruited indirectly into many leg movements, you don't want them fatigued before you do these exercises," says Hyde. One training suggestion: Go higher rep and really force the eccentric on these! Best: Barbell back squat. Why It's Number 1: "The barbell back squat tops the overall list for several reasons," says Hyde.
A massive body of research demonstrates the ability of squats, specifically done between reps, to significantly increase testosterone levels. Adds iSatori athlete Jason "Big J" English, "Squats are single-handedly one of the most important exercises for total-body strength, mass, and balance. Utilizing squats is most important in every aspect of any sport. So do them with intensity! In Your Training: "Current research suggests that placing squats earlier in your workout may transiently increase testosterone throughout the workout," says Hyde.
Shoot for a moderate load— percent of your 1RM, or a weight you can do for about reps—with high volume keeping your total number of sets high. Limit rest periods to 1. Despite what research and our panel of experts say, everyone has their own opinion as to what's the best exercise. If you really feel a particular movement is better, who are we to tell you otherwise? List it in the comments section below and tell us why! Bill Geiger, MA, has served as a senior content editor for Bodybuilding.
View all articles by this author. Standing Barbell Overhead Press. Front Squat. Barbell Bench Press. Dumbbell Curl. Bent-Over Barbell Row. Weighted Parallel-Bar Dip. Romanian Deadlift. Barbell Back Squat. About the Author.
