Short answer: Together squats and deadlifts offer a very powerful formula that can result in decent development of the upper leg as they allow the lifter to overload the quads, glutes and hamstrings with progressively heavier loads. Nonetheless, naturals promised miracles will have to readjust their expectations as the promoters of 5×5 routines and the […]
Short answer: Theoretically, 5×5 routines are not inherently bad for building an aesthetic physique. But the poor nutritional advice, the unnecessary hype, the elitist attitude, the false claims, the egos of the coaches, the broscience and the needless glorification of barbell strength surrounding the 5×5 method often play a number on people who don’t know […]
Short answer: The shoulders participate actively in pressing and pulling exercises. Many lifters develop decent deltoids without doing isolation work or dedicating a special day to the muscle group. But the high market share of the shoulder in big compound lifts does not make direct work obsolete. In some cases, extra focus on the area […]
Short answer: Biceps curls are a very potent and mighty functional exercise. The 5×5 sycophants demonized it with an ulterior motive in mind – to dress their “revolutionary” barbell routines as superior for naturals. But curls are and will always be the go-to biceps builder. When implemented properly into a routine, curls are not a […]
Short answer: The chin-up is a pull-up variation done with a supinated/underhand grip (palms facing towards you). Subsequently, the biggest arm flexors i.e. the biceps receive a significant market share in the exercise. The contribution of the biceps combined with the ability to scale the chin-up forever by adding weight, turn the movement into a […]
Short answer: Dips are a very effective overall chest exercise, but they do not emphasize the upper chest because the pressing happens at a downward angle facilitating the recruitment of the lower pectoral fibers rather than the uppers. The clavicular head [upper chest] participates in the exercise, but not nearly as much as it does […]
Short answer: If your shoulders are healthy and flexible enough to assume the bottom position of the dip, the exercise is safe. Nonetheless, it would be naive to think that dips cannot cause issues – mechanically, they’re not the most shoulder-friendly exercise. People with a history of shoulder problems should be cautious. Issues may also […]
Purpose. This post contains a blueprint for building the biggest latissimus dorsi muscles [lats] achievable naturally through pull-ups. Pull-ups – The Perfect Candidate The following properties make pull-ups the logical choice when selecting a movement for lat construction: 1. Simplicity. The best muscle-building exercises are simple. The more complicated a movement is, the less suitable […]
Short answer: In most cases, the classic barbell squat is a very adequate quadriceps builder that can get you to your maximal quad potential. The strongest points of the squat are its closed-chain nature and the convenience that it offers in terms of programming. The squat allows you to overload the quads with very heavy […]
Short answer: The traps can be developed without shrugs as many back exercises (e.g., deadlifts, rows, overhead presses…etc.) hit the area. Nonetheless, shrugs are the most straightforward method to stress the zone and trigger a hypertrophy response. If you are dedicated to building the best trapezius, that you can, some form of shrugging could be […]
Short answer: The overhead press hits the entire shoulder girdle, and in some cases, it can be sufficient as a solo exercise. When done with proper form, the movement activates all heads of the shoulder, although the front deltoid is always doing the heavy lifting. Using too much weight and turning the overhead press into […]
The key to more muscular legs as an ectomorph, or any other body type for that matter, is the performance of basic, compound exercises that hit the primary movers of the thighs (quadriceps and hamstrings) directly and without detrimental limitations and “distractions” coming from the stabilizing muscles. The logical choices are high-bar back squats, leg […]