6 Coaches Weigh Ins

7/28/2019 6 Coaches Weigh Ins

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6 Coaches Weigh ins

6 Coaches Weigh in on Shoulders

So far in this series we've addressed ways to turn you into apull-up maestroand build

a set of perfectpillowy pectorals.

That brings us to the next topic for discussion, the "best in shoulders."

In ancient times, had Mongol General asked Conan the Barbarian, "What is best in

shoulder training?" the young Cimmerian likely would've answered "Heavy military

pressing three times a week, plus upright rows and lateral raises until you hear the

lamentation of the deltoid muscles."

And such a plan can work, had you been dealt the winning hand to press heavy, hard,

and frequently. Some of us, however, would be reduced to aching, moaning, poster

children for ibuprofen if we tried such a system.

The body is enormously forgiving when it comes to putting up with abuse, but when it

comes to shoulders its patience is surprisingly thin. Push it too far and your

comeuppance will be a lifetime of lame workouts and a shoulder that clicks and

creaks like your 80-year-old grampa's trick knee.

Our coaches have plenty of creative ways to get bigger, stronger shoulders without

compromising your long-term aspirations. Here are a few.

Tony Gentilcore

I almost decided to take a mulligan on this topic because I have a different perspective

than most, taking more of a "tough love" viewpoint.

We work with a lot of overhead athletes at Cressey Performance, in particular baseball

players. In addition we train "Regular Joes," and we address, work around, and(hopefully) fix plenty of shoulder issues ranging from the acute problem like AC joint

issues and external/internal impingement to the more "oh shit factor" scenarios like

shoulder separations and post surgery situations.

Needless to say, we work with plenty of people who come in with shoulder pain, and

it's sometimes frustrating that some (not all) view it as a proverbial right of passage or
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badge of honor, as if living with daily pain comes with the territory for someone who

lifts.

While there's some semblance of "risk" involved in the gym and many will

undoubtedly have a few bumps and bruises along the way (we're lifting weights here,

not doing origami), just "dealing" with pain and sucking it up isn't an option in mybook.

That said, not many things short of a heart attack or raging case of explosive diarrhea

can derail one's progress in the gym like a banged up shoulder. And it's not a matter of

just gritting your teeth and working through it.

While overhead pressing is the gold standard as far as shoulder development is

concerned, the truth of the matter is many guys shouldn't be overhead pressing in the

first place.

Now relax. This isn't to say that I'm against overhead pressingfar from it! It's just as

a coach, and as someone whose job it is to keep people healthy and performing

optimally, you have to earn the right to overhead press.

Point blank, most guys move like crap. It's just the nature of the beast, as we simply

don't move around as much as we used to. And while I'm not a fan of making gross

generalizations, it's fair to assume that many of you reading can't extend your arms

over your head without some form of compensation, and overhead pressing just

doesn't feel good.

And if that's the case, well, it might be time to start implementing more "user

friendly" overhead pressing into the mix, like the landmine press.

The landmine press serves a few advantages:

It's a pseudo overhead press that doesn't tax the joint nearly as much as astandard overhead press.

The exercise lends itself as a great core movement as the anterior core has toresist extension, and the offset loading also provides an anti-rotary

component.

In the half-kneeling position you're also eliciting a nice hip flexor stretch onthe trailing leg.

There are a few minor technicalities that need to be addressed as well:


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Make sure you're bracing your core throughout and that you're squeezing theglute of the trailing leg as hard as you can.

"Dig" the toes of the trailing leg into the ground you shouldn't be plantarflexed.

Don't allow the elbow to go past the body during the eccentric portion. I couldget all geeky here, but just know that it's not a good idea.

While not as sexy as the standard overhead press, the landmine press is definitely a

more viable option for those with pesky shoulders. Give it a try today!

Dan Trink

The right approach to shoulder training for you is a lot like Hugh Jackman's acting

career: you either fall into the Wolverine-esque, bad ass, explosive, don't-be-a-pussy,hoist-some-heavy-weight-over-your-head camp, or you're more suited to the sensitive,

depends-on-acromion-type, the-shoulder-is-a-delicate-joint, I'm-just-going-to-stay-

home-and-watch-Les Miserables-for-3-hours group.

Depending on your shoulder health and training history, both of these approaches are

valid.

But given that the overhead press is my favorite lift, I own every X-Men on Blu-Ray,

and I'm not that keen on watching a movie whose title roughly translates to "The

Miserables," I'm going to assume your shoulders are healthy and you want to get thembigger, stronger, and more explosive.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, it's hard to beat a pair of full, round shoulders.

They not only help fill out your T-shirt, but also make your waist seem that much

smaller by comparison.

As far as strength and performance go, you'd be hard pressed to find an upper body

movement that doesn't involve the shoulder joint in some way, so keeping your

deltoids and rotator cuffs strong and healthy should be a top priority.

Shoulders tend to be composed of mixed muscle-fiber types, meaning they respond

well to explosive power movements, exercises in the strength and hypertrophy ranges,

as well as higher rep, strength-endurance protocols.


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So when I'm in a training phase that uses body part splits, I'll often use a variety of rep

ranges and movements on my shoulder day to stimulate both strength and size gains.

A typical program may look something like this:

Exercise SetsReps Rest

A Barbell Push Press 5 3 90 sec.

B1Seated Neutral Grip Dumbbell Overhead Press4 8 60 sec.

B290-degree Cable External Rotation 4 8 60 sec.

C1Single-Arm Cable Lateral Raise 3 10-12*60 sec.

C2Bent-Over Reverse Dumbbell Fly 3 10-12 60 sec.

D1Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise 1 15 none

D2Standing Dumbbell Front Raise 1 15 none

D3Standing Dumbbell Overhead Press 1 15

* per arm

The "D" exercises are to be done as a sort of mechanical drop set. You pick one set of

dumbbells and move from one exercise into the next with no rest in between.

Give that routine a shot. If that doesn't make your shoulders bigger and stronger, thenmaybe you're one of Les Miserables.

Tim Henriques

If a 20-30 year-old dude with no significant issues came to me and said he wanted

bigger and stronger shoulders, this is what I'd tell him to do:

Seated Dumbbell Military Press. This blasts the front and middle delts as well as the

triceps. I like the seated version for two reasons. One, the weight lifted with mosttrainees when seated is equal to or even greater than when standing, and two, the

seated is more forgiving of minor postural issues. I usually put the seat back one notch

from fully upright, which still makes it all shoulders. Two to four warm-up sets, 1-3

work sets.


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Lean-Away Lateral Raise. Grab something sturdy, lean away from it, and raise the

dumbbell to the side. Most people go too high on this movement just go to 90

degrees, but since you're leaning 90 degrees it won't seem as extreme as in a normal

standing lateral raise.

This is also a significantly easier variation, so weight should be 5-15 pounds heavierfor an equal number of reps. Start with your weaker arm and perform equal reps on

each side for 3 work sets after 1 warm-up set.

Lateral Raise Machine. The classic machine, the elbows-bent position allows you to

go heavier, which is good for size and strength. Machines often get the thumbs-down

from coaches but the skill required for a lateral raise is minimal anyway, so it's less of

a negative than switching from a bench press to a chest press. Do 3 work sets after 1

optional warm-up set.

Power Rear Delt Raise. Perform a bent over rear delt raise with the palms facing eachother and bend the elbows on the way up. I tell people to pretend they were smacking

something with their elbows (not hands) as they rise up. This allows you to almost

double your strict rear-delt-raise weight. Do 3 work sets after 1 optional warm-up set.

Perform the above workout once a week, assuming you're hitting chest/back/arms etc.,

hard at least once a week as well. For the weekly weight and rep progression, follow

the guide below (weights included for illustrative purposes only):

Exercise Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

Dumbbell Military Press 50lb 1x8 50lb 1x1050lb 1x1255lb 1x8 55lb 1x1055lb 1x12

Dumbbell Leaning Lateral Raise25lb 3x1225lb 3x1625lb 3x2030lb 3x1230lb 3x1630lb 3x20

Lateral Raise Machine 80lb 3x1280lb 3x1680lb 3x2090lb 3x1290lb 3x1690lb 3x20

Rear Delt Raise 35lb 3x1235lb 3x1635lb 3x2040lb 3x1240lb 3x1640lb 3x20

Dean Somerset

The public can generally tell if someone lifts by looking at their shoulders. A

physique that blocks a lot of sun typically requires big, broad shoulders, the type that

inspire boys to take their vitamins and women to toss their panties.

The downside of shoulder training, however, is that a lot of stuff has to happen behind

the scenes to get the best benefits.


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When the delts contract, their job is to essentially rotate and pull the humerus out of

the socket, while the rotator cuff works in opposition to keep it in place and provide a

counter-force instead of just letting the humerus glide all over the place.

Since most trainees have rotator cuffs that are woefully ineffective, the average lifter

will do a better job at developing impingement instead of building a set of boulders.

I talked about the requirements and progressions to use to get solid and strong for

overhead pressing in thisarticlegive it a read to see some of the big stuff necessary

to get the ball rolling before diving into the rest of what I'm talking about.

One of the best lessons I ever learned training shoulders is that full range of motion

and effective range of motion aren't the same.

Take the classic lateral dumbbell raise, for example. Full range of motion would

involve bringing the weights all the way up so that the back of your hands almosttouch above your head with straight elbows. While it would be politically incorrect to

point and laugh were you to see that in action, you certainly would be justified.

Instead, try bringing the weights up so that the hands are slightly beneath the height of

the shoulder. The deltoids are still stimulated, but the scapula isn't being subjected to

an additional range of motion that leads to more activation of the upper trapezius, and

it also limits the chance of rubbing down the supraspinatus tendon between the

humerus and acromion process. This essentially helps limit impingement.

Another big-bang tip for training shoulders was that eccentric action is much harderon the shoulder than concentric. Every client I've ever trained has said that pressing

the weight up is always less of an issue with regard to pain as bringing the weight

back down, lending to my belief that eccentric action takes a lot more force and power

production to do than concentric which means a lot of people will burn out their

ability to control and stabilize the weight on the eccentric and wind up scraping

something important in the stabilizing soft tissues.

As a result, I'm a big proponent of jerk-pressing or even military pressing (when

appropriate to do so), but using either a drop-catch to the shoulders or simply

dropping the weight if bumper plates are available to limit the eccentric stress on theshoulder.

You can use any tool you want to get the job done barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells,

elastics, whatever you likeas long as you do them with enough stability through the

spine, mobility of the shoulder joint, and enough control through the rotator cuff to
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hold it all together. If you can say that, you can build some gi-normous delts that will

make your tailor cringe.

Ben Bruno

I'll throw myself under the bus a little bit and admit that I hopped aboard the "anti-

isolation" bandwagon for a couple of years and skipped all direct shoulder training,

thinking my bench press variations, push-ups, rows, and chin-ups were all I needed to

build impressive delts.

Chalk it up to being young and dumb, I guess.

Not surprisingly, my shoulders are somewhat of a weak point for me now and I'm left

playing catch up. Go figure.

It should really be common sense, but if you want to build impressive delts, you really

need to work your delts. Groundbreaking, I know.

Horizontal pressing, rows, chin-ups and the like will give you decent shoulder

development, but come on, who wants to be just decent?

For optimal shoulder development from both a strength and muscle-building

standpoint, you need to be doing some kind of overhead pressing. You may be

worried that overhead pressing will shred your shoulders, but if you're smart with

your programming and exercise selection, and you're also including plenty of pullingin your repertoire to balance out the pressing, it isn't anywhere near as dangerous as a

lot of people make it out to be.

The good old-fashioned overhead press is a great place to start if your shoulders and

lower back are okay to do it. If not, a more joint-friendly option may be more

appropriate.

My favorite choices in this regard are neutral grip presses with theDead-Squat Baror

football bar, angled presses with the landmine, or overhead presses with dumbbells

and/or kettlebells.

You don't have to go crazy on the volume 3-4 sets of 5-8 should do the trick. If

training shoulders twice a week (a good starting place) doing the overhead press one

day and a more joint-friendly press the other would be a good place to start.
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If size is your goal, it's also wise to include some lateral raises into the mix. I've

started doing them with the landmine and I absolutely love them, much more so than

dumbbells or cables. Once you try them you'll see where I'm coming from. Three sets

of 12 of these will have your shoulders begging for mercy.

If your goals are more strength-oriented, then laterals aren't as important, but theycertainly won't hurt your cause.

Be sure to include some sort of rear delt work, too. If the thought of doing rear delt

work is toobodybuildery for you, think of it as "shoulder pre-hab" if that makes you

feel better about it. Same shit really.

Either way, it's good to include some of it for optimal shoulder health and

development. You don't have to go crazy with it, but 3 sets of 10-12 of one of the

following exercises would be a good way to finish up an upper body workout:

Band Pull-Apart Dumbbell External Rotation Rear Delt Fly Face Pull Tthe 3-way ring finisher, my personal favorite. Following those guidelines should have you well on your way to big and

healthy shoulders.

Bryan Krahn

Shoulders are a fickle beast. If you're one of the blessed few born of the rightgenetic stock, your shoulders will grow just fine as you chase bench press and

barbell row PRs. At worst all you'll require is some additional work for the

posterior and lateral headand some bodybuilders don't even need much of

that.

But you're likely mortal. You don't wear a cape and punch out villains for alivingyou wear khakis and punch a keyboard. What works for the gifted few

isn't suited for you.

In my experience, the first variable to manipulate to shock new shouldergrowth is frequency. So if you're currently hammering your shoulders like agood boy once a week, then double that to twice a week.

However, the shoulders are still relatively delicate, so I wouldn't shoulder presstwice a weekonly once a week at most, and only if you're cleared to do it.

Dean Somerset had some excellent variations to get you primed for shoulderpressingherestart at step one and move to the next variation after four

workouts. Performing these presses after chest work, when the shoulders are
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warm and full of blood, is another wise idea and is the hallmark of training

economy.

The other shoulder day is when you strap on your fanny pack and break out theold-school bodybuilding techniques. Perform lateral raises and rear delt raises

for drop sets, strip-sets, or pair different lateral raise variations together into a

superset or giant set like this one:

Exercise Reps Rest

A1Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise6-8 10 sec.

A2Standing Lateral Raise 8-10* 10 sec.

A3Heavy Partial Lateral Raise AMRAP**none

A4Band Pull-Apart ***

* You'll probably have to drop the weight by about 10%.** As many reps as possible. Use heavy dumbbells and crank the "reps" to 20

or so. Perform just partial reps; you might start with half-reps and finish with

the weight barely moving (and in excruciating pain). The key is maximum

tension (and pain tolerance).

*** 2 minutes and repeat twice.

Another great variation for this second workout is Dr. Clay Hyght's InfamousDelt Triad, originally publishedhere. To save you the trouble it looks like this:

The Infamous Delt TriadExercise SetsReps

A1Lateral Raise 3 12-15

A2Front Raise 3 12-15

A3Overhead Dumbbell Press3 12-15

Rest about 90 seconds between each round (superset). Sure, there's still some shoulder pressing, but as the third exercise in a superset

your training loads will be decidedly anemic and won't cause your rotator cuff

to rip through your skin and splat against the mirror like a scene from the next

reboot to the Alien franchise.

As for rear delts, perform those on back day and simply do whatever JohnMeadows sayshere. Actually, doing whatever Meadows says is fine advice in
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most cases in life, whether it's bodybuilding, making babies, or growing facial

hair that scares your mama.

Get Your Width On

The saying goes, the shoulders make the man. Or was it the clothes makes theman? Perhaps it was manly shoulders make buying clothes a pain in the ass?

Let's run with that one.

Just remember, the best system is the one that works for your specific needsand goals. If you have a bum shoulder or participate in a sport with a lot of

shoulder activity, then you want to exercise caution when choosing a routine;

those who are healthy and just want to grow some delts can afford to be a bit

more cavalier.

Respect your body, stick to your goals, and train with passion. The results willsoon follow.

6 Coaches Weigh in on Chest Training

In the first installment in thisseries, we addressed a variety of ways to turn you into a

pull-up machine and build a back that gets attention. The next topic for discussion is

the "best pec exercises."

Some guys are seemingly born with the ability to build massive, thick pecs.

Everything they do makes their chest pump upbench presses, flyes, pullovers, even

push-ups leave their t-shirts stretched at the seams.

However, other guys ain't so lucky. Low rep, heavy work leaves them with little more

than a triceps pump and achy shoulders, while higher-rep work delivers a burn but not

much else in the way of size or strength.

Levers, genetics, and work capacity all play a role in how it shakes down, but that

doesn't mean you can't maximize the efficacy of your programming. So if your goal is

to build a set of man boobs on par with the great Arnold (Arnold of the 1970's and

80's, not the latest frumpy reboot), here are 6 different rationales and

recommendations.
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Bret Contreras

My favorite chest exercise is the medium grip bench press not too close, not too

wide. This is because I love powerlifting and seek a bigger bench, and I've found that

this grip-width allows me to train my bench three times per week with no issues.

However, if seeking maximum pectoral hypertrophy, exercises that allow for a slight

pec stretch during their performance reign superior:

Flat and incline dumbbell presses Flat and incline dumbbell flies Weighted dips Weighted push-ups from handles

These exercises are also inherently more risky for the shoulder joint, so caution should

be employed.

If you want to obtain a chest pump, bottom-half chest movements work well. For

example, try busting out sets of 20 reps of bottom-half push-ups from handles or

bottom-half bodyweight dips. Cable crossovers work well for this purpose, too.

Other pec training tips:

Studies show that narrow-width push-ups work the pecs better than wide-width push-ups, and one study showed that close-grip incline presses worked

the upper pecs better than wide-grip incline presses, which is consistent with

its role as a shoulder flexor. Don't underestimate narrower grip pressing for

pec hypertrophy, especially considering that it's better tolerated by most

folks.

Lots of old-school guys including Arnold liked dumbbell pullovers for pecs. Arecent study showed that it worked the pecs better than the lats. Consider

throwing this exercise in from time to time, as it may activate certain fibers

that don't get targeted through pressing movements. I much prefer using a

dumbbell compared to a barbell for pullovers. When conducting my EMG experiments, I learned a valuable lesson, which you

can check out in thisarticle. Essentially, benching like a bodybuilder with 225

pounds activated the pecs to a greater degree than benching like a powerlifter

with 275 pounds. That surprised me!
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If you experience shoulder issues with bench pressing movements, don't giveup. There's probably a variation that you can perform pain-free, such as close-

grip bench presses, floor presses, or neutral grip dumbbell bench presses

where you don't go down too far and limit the stretch. When you find your

variation, stick with it exclusively and avoid the temptation of going back tomore risky exercises.

Here's a sample chest routine:

Exercise SetsReps

ACompetition Style Bench Press (with pause)5 5,3,1,1,1

BIncline Dumbbell Press 2 8

CCable Crossover 2 12

DBottom-Half Push-Up from Handles 3 20

Ben Bruno

Choosing my favorite chest exercise is toughthere's a few that bug my shoulders so

I discard those, but that aside, I like a bunch of em'.

I'm not married to any one exercise and I like to switch it up from time to time (every4-6 weeks or so) to keep from stalling and getting bored.

I think the bench press is the best overall upper bodystrength builder, but in terms of

the best chest builder, it's not one of my personal favorites I've never really felt it in

my chest all that much and it starts to piss off my shoulders when I do it too much.

As far as chest development goes, my top five personal faves would be:

Ring flyes/push-ups

Low incline dumbbell press Incline bench press Dumbbell floor press One-arm dumbbell press

However, if you forced me to narrow it down to one, it'd probably be ring flyes at

least today.


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Why ring flyes? If you've done them before then you know exactly why. If you

haven't, try them and I think you'll see where I'm coming from. I've never had an

exercise fry my chest so badly.

They're very advanced though, and they may not jive with those with certain shoulder

issues. BUT, if you can't do them for whatever reason, ring push-ups are just about asgood and are much more user-friendly, so that'd be my next recommendation.

In the video below, I show both ring flyes and ring push-ups with bent-arm flyes in

betweenwhich is a great exercise in its own right and is also a great progression to

work towards full flyes.

If you're able to crank out full flyes, this makes for a hell of a mechanical drop-set

that's guaranteed to have your chest hating you the next day (and probably the day

after too).

Ask me my favorite chest exercise next month though and you very well might get a

different answer. And that's okay. I think for optimal chest development, it's best to

use a variety of different exercises.

Still, I don't like using a bunch of different exercises in the same workout. I've done

that in the past, but I tend to get better results sticking to one chest exercise per

workout and hammering the hell out of it (4-6 sets) and then switching to a different

exercise the next workout.

I'll press 2-3 times a week, so that's 2-3 different exercises per week. So I'm stillgetting plenty of variety, I just break it up so that I can give each exercise a full effort

when I'm fresh, and it allows me to hit the chest with greater frequency because I

usually don't get too sore.

Tony Gentilcore

While it's borderline blasphemous for me to admit it, and at the expense of inciting

people to reach for their pitchforks, I really (and I mean really) dislike benching.

Due to lousy leverages (namely, long arms) I've never been good at bench pressing,and I've had to fight tooth and nail throughout my training career to get to (and

maintain) a "respectable" number. And by "respectable," what I really mean is that

300-pound barrier that many guys set as their benchmark (pun intended).

My best bench press is 315 pounds, and I in no way consider that an Earth shattering

numbernor all that impressive. But it ain't too shabby either, especially taking into


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consideration that it's raw, that my leverages make it so that I'm better suited to

deadlift, and that I don't really ever place a priority on my bench numbers.

But, you know, chicks dig the bench press, and I'd be remiss not to go into some detail

on how I like to attack it when I along with my athletes and clients want to attempt

to bench a Mack truck.

As noted above, while some guys can just look at a barbell and get stronger, I really

have to work at it to see marked improvement.

That notwithstanding, one protocol I've been using as of late with great success is

something I snaked from strength coach Jamie Smith, from Total Performance Sports

in Everett, Mass.

For one, I think if someone's goal is to get stronger (and by extension, bigger) you

have to work in the low(er) rep ranges, albeit still include some "money" sets whereyou try to get as many reps as possible. This latter point not only makes you hate life,

but it's fun as hell to boot.

For simplicity sake, let's just state that 5 reps is the "holy grail" where you get a nice

blend of both strength and hypertrophy training.

Using Prilepin's Chart (which is a chart that depicts the optimum number and range of

reps given a certain percentage to increase strength), we can see that when working in

the five-rep range, one should be using 75-80% of their 1RM.

A. Bench Press 3 x 5

Set 1: 5 reps at 70% 1RM

Set 2: 5 reps at 75% 1RM

Set 3: 5+ reps at 77.5% 1RM (for as many reps as possible)

Now that's nothing new, but here's where Coach Smith's system separates itself.

In that last "money" set (where you go balls to the wall and perform as many reps as

you possibly can), add 2.5% to your cluster set for every rep you complete above five(see below).

So let's say your current 1RM is 300 pounds and you calculate your numbers as

follows:


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Set 1: 5 reps at 210 pounds

Set 2: 5 reps at 225 pounds

Set 3: 5+ reps at 232.5 pounds (rounded up to 235, because only Momma's boys round

down)

With that last money set you were able to eke out 8 reps (an additional 3 reps abovethe goal of 5). That means we're going to add 2.5 % to our cluster set.

B. Bench Press Cluster @77.5% 1x1 (x5)

Figuring out the percentages, since you performed 3 additional reps (2.5% each rep),

you'll add 7.5% to 77.5% for a final load of 85% of your 1RM.

So now you're going to perform one cluster set of five singles at 255 pounds (85% of

1RM) with 20-30 seconds rest in between each rep.

Of course, this percentage can either increase (upwards of 90+ % of 1RM, which is

ideal for strength gains) or stay around the same depending on how many reps you get

on that last set above.

The beauty is that it's a system that allows guys to ramp up their reps (money sets),

but also not shy away from low(er) rep training which helps improve strength levels

like nothing else.

Tim Henriques

The best exercise for chest mass is undoubtedly the bench press.

To build size you need to choose exercise(s) that let you use considerable weight

combined with significant isolation on the working muscle. The bench press is

exceptional on the weight side of things, and pretty good on the isolation side as well.

Now to build strength you need exercises that allow you to use a lot of weight

combined with a high level of skill. Most people can use the most weight on the bench

press compared to other full ROM pressing exercises, and the bench press (being afree weight in three-dimensional space) requires a good amount of skill to perform

well.

There are a million good chest routines for both size and strength. For size I like the

classic bodybuilding style routines train your chest 1-2 times a week for 12-20 sets

total per week.


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Hitting chest hard on one day (say Monday, haha) with 3-4 exercises and then

"cheating" and hitting shoulders and triceps with a chest element again (i.e., close-grip

bench and dips) on Thursday or Friday works great.

Instead of outlining a routine, here are some good tips to use in the gym:

If you're weak out of the bottom, pause each rep for a second on your chest. To stay tight and keep the focus on the pecs, touch your T-shirt, not your

chest. (Jennifer Thompson shared that little gem with me.)

To train for size use constant tension. Touch your chest as suggested above,then press up three-quarters of the way, then come back down. Ideally have a

partner put their hands out so you know where three-quarters is and it's

consistent. Easier to do, of course, but good for size.

For strength, a good tip no one talks about is to roll the wrist forward (flexit) slightlyjust before/during your sticking point. The wrist will usually extenda bit on the way down so reverse that position as you press.

This keeps the bar moving and allows you to work through your sticking point. It also

goes well with flaring the elbows out at the right time, but don't do this if you use a

suicide grip. To reiterate, this is a very slight movement your knuckles might move

1 centimeter forward, but it's worth trying.

The negatives of the bench are that it can be harder on the shoulders so make sure

your form is good, and if your shoulders are already jacked ,then you'll need to find a

substitute. Neutral (semi-supinated, or palms facing each other) grip dumbbellpresses, board/floor presses, push-ups and even machines can all have their place in

your routine and tend to be more joint friendly.

Dan Trink

Trying to convince the average gym-goer not to put too much focus on chest

development is like trying to convince your buddy not to go into the Champagne

Room with his life savings during his bachelor party you may be right, but you're

not going to get very far. So, if you're going to blast those pecs, you may as well be assmart as possible about it.

When it comes to building both strength and size in your chest, it's hard not to begin

by discussing the bench press and its variations (dumbbell bench press, incline bench

press, etc.).


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I usually recommend performing these movements with a neutral grip whenever

possible by using tools such as a log bar. The hand position allows for a greater range

of motion than the more typical pronated grip while providing less stress on the

shoulder joint.

When moving to straight barbell benching, I always cue the "tucked elbow" (elbowsclose to the rib cage) rather than the "flared elbow" position that most people want to

use. If you're new to keeping your elbows tucked, you may have to sacrifice some

load at first but your shoulders will thank me later. Not to mention, you'll end up with

diesel triceps, so there's that.

A few additional barbell benching tips: start with your eyes directly under the bar so

you don't clip the bar catches as you're pressing. And be sure keep your feet on the

floor and your ass, upper back, and head on the bench throughout the entire set. Not

doing so makes you look like a 16-year-old kid on his first day at the YMCA.

I do like to program chest flyes in hypertrophy phases as they isolate the pecs quite

well, allow for a variety of angles, and can supply a large amount of volume without a

ton of joint stress. I almost exclusively use cables for my flye variations such as high-

to-low, low-to-high, parallel, and lying flat on a bench.

Finally, I'd be negligent if I didn't recommend attending to your posterior deltoid and

rotator cuff strength and health to offset some of the effects of overdoing it on

pressing movements. Make sure exercises such as face pulls, Powell raises, reverse

flyes, and cable external shoulder rotations are part of your program.

And now that you've got a Superman chest and bullet-proof shoulders, you're ready to

take on those bouncers in the Champagne Room and rescue your buddy. Remember,

friends don't let friends fall in love in strip clubs.

Bryan Krahn

It's no secret that 90% of males have an undying obsession with the bench press.

Maybe it's because the bench press was the first exercise we all performed in the gym,

or perhaps it's because "How much ya bench?" is the second most commonly heard

question among teen weightlifters (after "Yo, can I get a spot?").

Benching is a vital lift for powerliftinghello, it's one of the big 3 but for building a

symmetrical chest most lifters can do better.


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For one, the flared approach most bodybuilders bench with can be murder on the

shoulders. Most of us who work out plan on doing it for the next 50 years or so, and

bench pressesespecially the flared elbow variety don't rate very high on the

"exercises I think I'll be dominating at age 90" list.

Second is most guys, even bodybuilders, bench too heavy. Maybe it's the stigmarelated to a powerful bench press and the whole "Bench Press Mondays" thing, but

even the most "no sets below 12 reps" bodybuilder will find themselves dipping into

the low-rep ranges on the bench press. And that's where injuries happen.

Finally, bodybuilding is all about symmetry, and in the vast majority of guys with

imbalanced pecs, it's the upper pecs that require extra attention. And this is where the

flat bench press must take a back seat to better options.

Variations of the incline press are ideal for bodybuilders lacking an upper chest. They

not only target the portion of the pecs closer to the clavicles, contributing to thecoveted "Look ma, I can balance a beer on my boobs" look, but according to John

Meadows, they also serve to help "fill out" the anterior delts, leading to a broader,

more superhero-like appearance up top.

The question is, what degree of incline is best, a steep incline or more moderate one?

While the answer for bodybuilding purposes is probably "the angle you've never done

before" we do know that the difficulty increases as the incline angle increases, which

we can exploit through mechanical advantage drop sets. In other words, decreasing

the incline as the pecs fatigue.

So here's a Frankenstein mash up of two classics: Vince Gironda's 8 x 8 "honest

workout" system method and the mechanical advantage dumbbell press routine

popularized by Charles Poliquin in The Poliquin Principles. If this doesn't give you an

upper pec pump then you need to contact Heidi Montag's plastic surgeon for a new set

of wonder twins.

You're going to do 8 sets of 8 reps of incline dumbbell presses using three different

incline angles. How many sets of each angle you do depends on the point where your

performance drops below 8 reps per set.

Set the incline bench at 60-65 degrees and do a set of incline dumbbell presses for 8

reps, using approximately 70% of your 1RM. In other words, you'll be leaving some

reps in the hole, which will feel easy at first.


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Now rest just 30 secondsthat's crucialand do a second set of 8 reps. Don't be

surprised if that light weight suddenly got a significantly harder. Rest 30 seconds and

do another set of 8 reps.

Continue this process until you fail at or below 8 reps, whereupon you'll decrease the

incline to 50-55 degrees and repeat using the same weight. Your performance the nextset should improve a bit (depending on your conditioning), thus allowing you to get at

least 8 reps.

Rest 30 seconds and repeat until your reps drop below 8 again, whereupon you'll drop

the incline another notch, to 40-45 degrees. Stay at this angle until you've completed

all 8 sets.

If this is too easy you bang out all 8 sets at the first incline level then either the

weight is too light (go heavier next time), you didn't adhere to the rest intervals, or

your rep speed is too fast (a 2020 tempo is ideal).

This system involves considerable volume and delivers a great pump, which, if you've

been paying attention, builds muscle like nobody's business. It also hits multiple

angles and taps into a variety of motor units while avoiding the pattern overload

problems that come with high volume pressing routines.

One last thing: as Dan Trink says, don't flare your elbows tuck them close to your

ribcage, which will spare your shoulders and ignite your triceps.

Pump It Up!

Okay Sport, you should be well equipped to start building a set of heroic pecs that will

make your fellow gym rats green with envy.

Just remember, there's no set "best system" so just pick a program and run with it for a

predetermined amount of timesay 4-6 weeks and don't change anything. After

you're done, evaluate your strength/development and try the next routine on the list.

Life is too short to not fill out the pec portion of your prized wife beater shirt

changeyour routine and get on the fast track to exceptional pec development.

6 Coaches Weigh in on Pull-Ups


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Strength training can get complicated. Sure, in the beginning it's simpleat least it

should be, because basically anything will work, for a while.

Then, progress slows from gazelle-like to glacial. Adding just five pounds to the

barbell or the scale becomes a hard-fought battle.

So you decide to start checking out what the experts in the field recommend. And

that's when shit gets complicated.

They contradict each other. Some contradict themselves. They slap qualifiers into their

recommendations ("this is what I do 60% of the time") or worse, say the dreaded "it

depends."

High reps, low reps, slow tempos, no tempos, isolations, complexes; it seems like the

only thing they agree on is that to get stronger, you need to lift weights.

However, rather than get all stressed out or snake-bit by analysis paralysis, the smart

thing to do is to simply look for similarities between the recommendations cause the

stuff the experts all agree on is the stuff that should make up 90% of your focus. The

other stuff is extraneous, situational, or just not worth worrying about.

Case in point: pull-ups. Every coach who's ever been published (and a few thousand

who haven't) recommends pull-ups for building a bigger, stronger, healthier upper

body. That's a pretty good indication that you should be doing them, too.

But why are they so awesome? And what are the best ways to improve at them? Hereare 6 different rationales and recommendations.

Bret Contreras

Pull-ups are my favorite upper body pulling movement. Along with being arguably

the best lat builder in existence, they also work a lot of other muscles surrounding the

scapulae and pelvis.

Furthermore, if you control the amount of anterior pelvic tilt exhibited during the pull-up by bracing the abs, it's also an incredible low-ab exercise, and the elbow flexors get

worked considerably during pull-ups as well.

The lats are often-overlooked spinal stabilizers, and strengthening them can lead to

higher squat and deadlift numbers due to increased core-stability. Not to mention any


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smart powerlifter will tell you the lats are responsible for the initial bench press range

of motion off the chest.

Technique

The most common errors in pull-up performance are skimping on range of motion andutilizing excessive momentum.

A proper pull-up starts in the dead-hang position, but tension should be controlled at

the bottomdon't just "hang" on the ligaments.

The typical "shoulders back and down" advice is not needed for pull-ups; the scapulae

need to upwardly rotate and some scapular elevation allows for better upward

rotation.

But you should have dynamic scapular stability in mind, meaning that the scapularmuscles are not relaxed at any portion of the movement, and are always under varying

degrees of tension, thereby supporting the load on the scapulae.

Keep the chest up, pull through your elbows (think of the hands as just "hooks"), and

envision "pulling the bar toward your body." These tips tend to clean up issues with

form. A proper pull-up ends when the bar touches the upper chest it's not enough

just to get the chin over the bar!

As the movement rises, the scapulae will downwardly rotate and depress slightly.

Keep the core stable the lumbopelvic hip complex (LPHC) will want to do all sorts

of things to make the movement easier. Typically you'll see lumbar hyperextension

and anterior pelvic tilt, perhaps as a counterbalance strategy to shift more of the load

forward. Don't let this happen.

Brace the glutes and abs and keep the core tight. Some movement is okay, but not too

much. You'll also see hip flexionlifters will swing the knees up for momentum and

as a counterbalance. Don't let this happen either.

And if you want to do Kipping pull-ups, do Kipping pull-ups

just don't pretend thatthese are pull-ups; they're different exercises, sort of like the military press and the

push-press. If you're going to do pull-ups (or military presses), be strict and

disciplined.

Pull-ups are typically performed pronated, chin-ups supinated, and neutral grip pull-

ups (palms-facing-each other, like a hammer curl). Ring pull-ups involve wrist


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rotation from slight pronation to slight supination, and these are likely the "joint-

friendliest" variation.

Beginning and Improving

Beginners can learn pull-ups by performing band-assisted and eccentric-only pull-upsuntil they're able to perform a proper concentric repetition. Advanced lifters can attach

weight with a dip belt or perform self-assisted one-arm pull-ups.

Is there a secret to increasing pull-up performance? Yes, and it involves variety and

frequency. Some days do them loaded; other days use just bodyweight. Some days do

iso-holds at various ranges; other days do full range dynamic repetitions. Some days

do more volume; other days push your sets with more intensiveness.

Be sure to mix around the grips, hand spacing, loads, and velocities, and your pull-up

performance will improve.

Ben Bruno

Pull-ups have always been my favorite upper body exercise. While most guys look

forward to "Bench Mondays," I look forward to "Pull-up Monday." And Tuesday.

And Wednesday. And, well you get the idea.

You might say I'm obsessed, and you'd be right. I love including pull-ups in a

muscle-building program for a few reasons.

There's no better exercise for building the lats. That's obviously huge for back

development, but the lats also play a crucial role in virtually all the major lifts

deadlifts, squats, presses, etc. meaning strong lats will help you pack on more

muscle all over.

They're a good barometer for overall body composition. If your pull-up performance

starts to tank as you start packing on weight, you're probably getting fat.

I also love them in a fat loss program because they're highly metabolic while alsoserving as a great incentive as you get leaner, your pull-up performance will

improve dramatically.

So how do you improve your pull-up performance? Well, that depends on your

starting point and your goals.


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Beginning

For beginners, I like what I call the "pay the toll" method. When I was younger I used

to have a pull-up bar in the doorway going into my closet. Every time I opened the

door to take something out, I'd do a set (i.e., pay the toll).

If I felt good, I'd crank out as many as possible; if I didn't, I'd just bust out a few. It

never felt too hard, but over the course of the day (and weeks and months), it really

added up and my pull-ups got a lot better.

If you don't have the option of a pull-up bar at home, you can adapt the idea and just

bust out a bunch of sets between other exercises while you're at the gym, but it's best

to spread them out over the course of the day if possible.

Improving

Once you're better at pull-ups, you need to determine your goal. Do you want to get

better at weighted pull-ups, do you want to increase how many pull-ups you can do in

one set, or do you just want a jacked back?

When I was at my strongest on weighted pull-ups I actually wasn't that great at

cranking out higher rep sets, but when I've been at best reps-wise, my weighted pulls

suffered a bit. So pick your goal first.

For weighted pull-ups, I'd start with a great template I got from pull-up Jedi Harry

Selkow of the Elitefts Q+A staff. Do pull-ups twice a week, with one day beingweighted to work on strength, and the other day being just bodyweight to groove the

pattern without beating yourself up too much.

For increasing max reps, I've found doing a few sets of max reps 4-6 days a week

works the best. Frequency is key here, so don't do more than a couple sets a day, but

give those sets all you've got.

Some people don't like the idea of going to failure, but I've found going to failure to

be very helpful in this instance. However, going to failure will tank your subsequent

sets, which is why I don't recommend doing a lot of sets.

For getting a jacked back, the best prescription is just to do a shitload of pull-ups. This

means higher volume and higher frequency. So here you'd want to avoid failure and

accumulate more submaximal sets.


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One of the best and simplest ways to do this is to crank out easy-ish sets between sets

of your other exercises. "Easy-ish" means 40-60% of the total reps you can do in one

set.

Other Notes

I wrotepull-ups, but I really don't care which grip you use. In fact, I think it'sbest to rotate pronated, supinated, neutral, rings, etc. If you have shoulder

and/or elbow issues, rings will typically be the most comfortable, followed by

neutral.

If you're extremely strong on weighted pull-ups, you may want to start playingaround with harder variations as opposed to just adding more and more

weight, as that may start to take a toll on your elbows, wrists, or shoulders.

There are many different variations you could use, so be creative. I have tonsof them on myYouTube pagef you want some different ideas.

For one hell of a core workout, try doing them with your legs and torsocompletely straight, as if you're doing a plank.

Dean Somerset

Pull-ups are a highly revered exercise amongst gym-goers and strength coaches,

which is why I try to incorporate some variation or another with the majority of my

clients.

A dead-hang pull-up (not a kipping version) is one of the toughest exercises you can

do and requires a lot of strength from the scapular stabilizers, shoulders, and biceps.

Many people that spend their days grinding away in the cubicle mines show up

woefully unprepared to perform even one, which is why we see pull-ups where the

neck disappears into the ears and shoulders.

For those who can do a pull-up, the best way to get better at them is through sheer

repetition. After each exercise you do, get in a set of pull-ups for the maximum

number of reps you can do, then proceed to the next series of exercises, and repeat asyou go through your entire workout. Do this until you can get to 10 reps in a set, and

then start incorporating the phase below.

For those looking to get stronger in their pull-ups, try loading a belt and using the max

weight possible to get 3 reps, and perform 5-7 sets on a weekly basis. Do this until

you've exceeded 1.3 times your bench press weight.
https://www.youtube.com/user/bruno082985?feature=mheehttps://www.youtube.com/user/bruno082985?feature=mheehttps://www.youtube.com/user/bruno082985?feature=mhee


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For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds and can bench press 225 pounds, 1.3 times

your body weight would be roughly 292 pounds, meaning getting a weight belt with

about 90 pounds around your waist for 3 reps.

For those who aren't yet able to get to a full pull-up, heavy lat pulldowns in a kneeling

position, eccentric pull-ups (focusing on a 3-5 second lowering), and isometric holdsare a great way to develop the strength and motor patterns necessary to get to a full

pull-up. A beginner's workout would look something like this:

Exercise SetsReps

AEccentric Pull-Up 5 5*

BKneeling Lat Pulldown5 5**

CIsometric Hold 3 Max Time***

* 3-5 second lowering; jump to get to the top

** plus one set at 15 reps for building endurance

*** get to within 5 seconds of previous set

Once you can make it to 80% body weight for a pulldown and can easily control your

eccentric chins, start trying to complete full reps.

Tony GentilcoreAsking me all the reasons why I feel pull-ups are awesome is on par with asking me

why Brooklyn Decker is kind of attractive.

For starters, while the bench press gets all the glory, you'd be hard pressed to find an

exercise that gives you more bang for your training buck (especially in the upper

body) than the pull-up.

There are plenty of dudes out there who have pecs and abs, and quite frankly it doesn't

really impress me. I mean, all you have to do is open up any Abercrombie and Fitchcatalog (don't worry, I won't judge you) or walk down any beach and you'll see

numerous guys walking around who looks sorta cut up.

When I see someone with a thick and wide upper back, though, that gets my attention.

It's something you don't see quite often, and it's usually indicative of someone who's

more than likely yoked up all over.


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Secondly, as a gym owner, and as someone who's often supervising dozens of athletes

at once, I tend to appreciate movements that don't require a lot of equipment. With

pull-ups, all I need is a body and a bar. Simple.

Next, and maybe even more important, pull-ups do a bang-up job at keeping the

shoulders healthy. There are plenty of guys out there who can crush ten repsequivalent to their bodyweight on the bench press (usually a lot more), yet often

struggle performing one pull-up! This is lame.

While I don't have any concrete scientific data to back up this claim (other than the

fact that I actually train people for a living), I've found that when one's bench press

1RM is fairly close to their pull-up 1RM, I rarely see any shoulder injuries. Or at least

they're a lot less prevalent.

So with that out of the way, let's say you're reading this article and know you're not

that great at pull-ups and want to increase the total number you can do.

You're lucky if you could bang out five reps, maybe ten if someone threatened to club

a baby seal.

One of the best strategies I've used with my athletes and clients is something called

"Greasing the Groove," which many other prominent coaches like Dan John have

used.

Here's the deal:

Find out what your max total number is now. Lets say it's four. One rep of a pull-up is

pretty damn close to a max effort lift for you, and is going to be really taxing on the

body.

Instead of trying to "muscle" out 3-4 reps at a timeand failing miserably try to

shoot for 1-2 reps every hour or so. Do a rep or two, and continue on with your life.

That way you know you're assured quality rep(s) each and every time, and you're not

going to tire yourself out.

Hell it doesn't even have to be every hour. Tell yourself you're going to crush a fewpull-ups every time you hear that Gangham Style song on the radio. By the end of the

day, you'll have easily done like 587 reps!

The point is, by the end of the day, no matter what criteria you set ("x" number per

hour, "x" number every time your girlfriend tells you to take the trash out), by the end

of the day you'll have gotten in a fair number of reps you otherwise wouldn't have.


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Note: For those who can do anywhere from 5-15 repswhatever that number may be,

cut it in half, and perform that many reps every hour or two.

Do this for 2-3 weeks, and retest. I guarantee you'll smoke your original number.

Tim Henriques

Pull-ups are awesome, and there are 3 keys to dominating them.

Number one is a lower bodyweight. When you drop a few pounds your pull-up scores

improvethere's less baggage to hold you down.

The second key is technique, or knowing how to get just a bit of leg/hip drive to

propel the body upward without the pull-up looking like a penguin suffering a grand

mal.

The third key is maximal pulling strength. There's a big relationship between maximal

strength and single-set endurance in the same movement (i.e., a 400-pound bencher

will beat a 300-pound bencher in the 225 pounds for reps contest every time). If you

can increase your 1RM on pull-ups, the reps go up, assuming you follow the other two

keys at the same time.

Here are two programs for you to try:

Program 1

The first program is set up assuming you're going to a gym. Once you can do 8 or

more pull-ups with good form you should add weight to make it tougher.

The joy of this is that once the program instructs you to take the extra weight off, even

it's just 10-20 extra pounds, your bodyweight feels very light. Train pull-ups for

strength twice a week:

Training Day 1

Exercise SetsReps

APull-Up (Weighted)

4 5

Increase the weight each set, plus 1 backdown set of 8-12 reps. For example,


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bodyweight (BW) x 5, BW+20 x 5, BW+35 x 5, BW+50 x 5, BW+10 x 10.

BDumbbell Row 4 12, 10, 8, 6

Training Day 2

(ideally 2-4 days after Day 1)

Exercise SetsReps

A

Pull-Up

5 5

Straight weight, using half of the top weight on Day 1; for example, BW+25 x 5 reps, for 5 sets.

B

Negative Pull-Up*

3 3

For example, BW+75 x 3 reps, performed for 3 sets.

* There are three ways to perform negative pull-ups: You can just add extra weight

(more than your top set of 5) and then climb up and lower yourself slowly; you can do

manual resistance negatives, where you put a belt on and have a partner drag you

down slowly; and finally, you can attach bands to yourself and to the floor and thenlower yourself as the bands pull you down. Each negative is about a 4-6 count, and try

to maintain control throughout the ROM.

Program 2

This program is super simple and a gym isn't required, although obviously a pull-up

baror at least an exposed rafter in your shed so you can bang out reps like a

greased-up Stallone inRocky 4is.

First, perform a test to see how many bodyweight pull-ups you can do. Four to fivetimes a week, perform half of that number, but no more. Each week add 1 rep to each

set. Retest after a month or so to see where you are.

You can continue this method for as long as it's working. You don't have to increase

your daily reps even if your retest puts your max significantly higher.

For example, let's say your maximum pull-ups is 16:


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Week 1: 4-5 times a week, perform 1 set of 8 pull-ups




Retest and repeat, starting at 12 reps.

It's worth noting that this method works great for almost all bodyweight exercises like

push-ups, dips, sit-ups, etc. So if you really suck at something (can only do 8 reps or

less), go up 1 rep every other week. If you're great at something (50+ reps), go up 2-3

reps a week.

Dan Trink

The pull-up (and its variations) are awesome for developing the upper and mid-back,

lats, biceps, and forearms, which is great for the trainee looking to improve aesthetics,

as well as offering sizeable carry-over to lifts such as the deadlift, bent-over row, the

Olympic lifts, and even the bench press.

It's also stood the test of time being a staple in many fitness tests, from elementary

school all the way up to the military. In a sentence, it's hard to think of another upper-

body pull that's as effective as the pull-up.

The best way to develop pull-up strength really depends on where you're starting.

If you're beginner (capable of only doing two or less pull-ups) I would start with slow

negativesjumping up to the top position and lowering yourself slowlyas this will

ultimately lead to the ability to do full concentric and eccentric reps. I've done this

with many female clients with great success.

If you're someone who's decent at pull ups-and looking to add reps, don't

underestimate low rep, weighted pull-ups to increase pull-up strength, and ultimately

capacity.

Finally, consider some assistance work such as trap-3 raises, external rotations, andother posterior chain, mid-back, and lower trap exercises. You don't have to go heavy

on these, but learning to tap into those muscle groups and getting them activated

during your pull-ups will help you not only do more pull-ups, but also better quality

pull-ups.


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Go For The Pull!

Obviously the previous recommendations vary considerably, so choosing the right

approach basically boils down to good old trial and error.

Pick one program, run with it for a predetermined amount of timesay 4-6 weeks

and don't change anything. After you're done, evaluate your strength/development and

try the next routine on the list.

The bottom line is, as long as properly performed pull-ups appear in your program,

you can't help but grow!

That's it, 6 different coaches, 6 different approaches. If, after reading all this info you

can't up your pull-up totals, you just don't want it bad enough.

6 Coaches Weigh Ins

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