Are you looking to develop a chest, shoulders and back that would make Arnold of yesteryear consider you a threat on the stage? Would you like to develop strong shoulders while adding ripped mass to your arms at the same time? The journey for results like this is as simple as pushing and pulling your way to MASS. To develop a massive chest you need to push some serious weight. For the "barn door" back you must pull a ton. For shoulders that resemble boulders you must press and lift a truck load of cumulative weight. You can get there with high reps using challenging weight or low reps tossing around extreme weight... no matter how much weight you move, you have to move it frequently and with extreme intensity. You must push to temporary muscle fatigue. Why "temporary fatigue" instead of "muscle failure" you ask... because Failure is NOT an Option!
There are multiple ways to push and pull a lot of weight. There are some factors to consider when choosing what tools to use for this style of training. If you are lifting by yourself or just want to push to COMPLETE temporary fatigue you need to stay safe.
ProNOTE: Injury due to unsafe training practices is a great way to set back a training program for months. Be sure to lift with proper form and in such a fashion that your able to push to you ultimate limit and remain injury free.
One great option for striving for this level of intensity and remaining safe during the program is to use a machine. With the use of machine you can work as hard as absolutely possible and have no need to worry about getting pinned under a barbell. Often when working out a person will skip the last rep because of fear of being caught under the weight without someone to help out. With the right equipment that is not the case. Push to and through the last feasible rep and then just let the handles rest where they may.
You may be saying, "Using dumbbells I won't get caught under the bar." This is true and I love using dumbbells as well. However there is still a concern with dumbbells. The concern is that you can still drop the weight on yourself. Consequently many people still avoid going after that last rep. What's more is that the small stabilizer muscles may be fatigued while the major muscles may be able to hammer out another rep; but, the balance just isn't there. To get around this a machine keeps the weight in the proper movement path for you allowing you to focus all your energies on moving the weight! Moving more weight through more reps will result in adding more lean mass.
ProNOTE: Train all muscle groups from major groups to stabilizers for longevity in your training career.
One great benefit of the dumbbells that you won't find on most home machines is the iso-lateral movement (each hand operates independently). This is awesome because it keeps the body in balance one side versus the other. Many manufactures have omitted this feature for residential training equipment. However, specialty companies made their own innovations. The result is a machine that allows you to push to complete Temporary Muscle Fatigue while balancing the body via Iso-Lateral movement. All the while you are avoiding potential injury from other training methods that may prove unsafe especially when no spotter is available.
You may be wondering exactly what exercises you can perform to attain an upper body precision. Here is a list of the gym quality movements you can do on a versatile equipment.
- Bench Press
- Incline Bench Press
- Decline Bench Press
- Shoulder Press
- Dual Row
- Single Arm Row
- Shrugs
- Stiff Leg Dead Lifts
These are the basic tried and true exercises that will build mass and shape a great upper body. The presses will pack on beef to the pecs and delts. The rows and dead lifts will load the backside of your body with slabs of lean mass. What you may not have thought of is that during all the pushing and pulling you are also training your biceps and triceps. The majority of the mass in the arms is a result of heavy pushing and pulling exercises just like those you will be doing on your Multipress.
Sample Upper Body Routine
Monday
Incline Press 5×10
Decline Press 5×10
Alternating Bench Press 5×10
Alternating Shoulder Press 5×10
Tuesday
Dual Row 5×10
Stiff Leg Dead Lifts 5×10
Single Arm Rows 5×10
Shrugs 5×10
Thursday
Shoulder Press 3×15-20
Bench Press 3×15-20
Alternating Decline Bench Press 3×15-20
Alternating Incline Press 3×15-20
Friday
Single Arm Row 3×15-20
Shrugs 3×15-20
Dual Rows 3×15-20
Stiff Leg Dead lift 3×15-20
This program is ideal for chiseling the upper body you are looking for; however, you may decide to take your physique to even another level later.
