Build massive back muscle that will get you noticed and keep you healthy.

Sumo deadlifts, conventional deadlifts, beyond the range (from a deficit), rack pulls - it doesn’t matter, just do them. The back not only works antagonistically to stabilize the torso (and spine) it works to lock out the weight to finish the movement. Deadlifts, by definition, are an exercise where you can move big weight.

Modifications:

Implement: barbell, trap bar, dumbbells
Stances: Conventional, wide
Range of Motion: Beyond the range (deficit), partial – rack pulls
Overloaded: Bands, chains, straight weight

If you take a look at recent Mr. Olympia’s, Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Dexter Jackson and Phil Heath you will notice one common theme - incredibly built backs. Not just in sheer size, but also thickness and detail displayed in their mid-backs. This truly sets them apart from the pack. Sure, there are other pro bodybuilders that can equal them in terms of massive back size and width, but not in that gnarly detail that makes their backs look like off road test tracks.

3 Reasons It's Tough to Fully Develop the Mid-Back

1. We're are not able to see our back while we train it. This can make it tough to forge that mind/muscle connection that can be so important in the quest to build truly carved muscle mass.

2. Many trainees are guilty of using very poor form while training their back. Instead of really trying to “feel” the stretch and squeeze of every rep, weights are jerked and pulled from point A to B by whatever means necessary. This can leave the back severely under-worked, under-detailed, and undersized.

3. It takes specific exercises, body positioning, and angles of pull to effectively target the mid-back area. Not every back exercise hits the middle/low trapezius and the rhomboids (which basically make up the “mid-back”) as effectively as it hits the lats.

Behind Back Shrug

I learned this exercise by watching Lee Haney train during his Olympia years. I have seen a lot of guys do barbell shrugs behind their back, but never the way Haney did them. I personally feel that Haney’s consistent use of this movement was at least partially responsible for the great detail he showed in his rear, upper traps, and mid-back.

Stand in front of a loaded barbell and take a shoulder width grip. Lift the weight upward by performing a half shrug, half upright row, with the goal of getting the bar to about the height of your low back. To get the bar to this position you might have to slightly arch your back as you lift the weight, which will help you clear your rear end. Keep your lower back muscles tight to avoid injury, and make sure to get a good squeeze at the top. This exercise can be performed on a Smith machine as well.

Seated Cable Row with Rope

Use a rope attachment at a seated cable row station. Position yourself on the bench with your knees slightly bent and your torso vertical. Pull the rope toward the neck as you bring your elbows up, out to the sides and back. Make sure the upper arms remain parallel to the ground to effectively activate the mid-back musculature, while minimizing lat recruitment. Before initiating each rep, allow the mid-back to stretch by keeping the torso vertical, and simply releasing the shoulders forward. Squeeze the shoulder blades together tightly at the peak contraction point.

Bent Lateral Dumbbell Raise

This exercise is not only excellent for mid-back detail and development, but for beefing up the rear delts as well.

Bend over at the waist so that your torso is basically parallel to the ground. Make sure there is a slight bend in the knees to take some pressure off the low back. Pick up a pair of light dumbbells and allow them to hang down in front of you. With your arms almost completely straight, raise your arms out to the sides in a path that is perpendicular to your torso. At the peak of the movement your elbows should be at shoulder height, and you should aggressively squeeze your middle back. This is not an exercise where heavy weight should be used, or form will be compromised. This movement can be performed seated, standing, lying face down on an incline bench, and on certain chest flye machines.

Mid-Back-Mastering Workout

Behind Back Shrug…2 x 7-9

Rope Seated Cable Row…2 x 10-12

Bent Lateral DB Raise…2 x 13-15

Eric Broser is a lifetime Drug Free Pro Bodybuilder and has been involved in the health and fitness industry in just about every facet for over 24 years. He has penned over 200 articles on training/supplements/nutrition, and has authored four books on the subject of rapid and effective physique transformation. Eric is the pioneer of the world-renown POWER, REP RANGE, SHOCK training method and is one of the most sought after personal trainers/contest preparation coaches in the field by athletes, bodybuilders and members of the entertainment industry

Take a good, hard look at your pecs, then use these Arnold-approved tips to improve them.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

People always seem to mention my chest when discussing my bodybuilding physique. You might say it was my best body part. You could also say that I’m something of an authority on the subject, considering how well-developed mypecs were.

As such, I’d like to discuss improving weak points in your chest. Problem is, many people think overall lack of size is their only weakness, when they should consider other aspects as well. Let’s address some typical pec shortcomings.

Outer Pecs

If your outer pecs aren’t fully developed, your chest will lack that crucial fullness for which I was famous. My favorite way to hit the outer chest was with dumbbell flyes performed to specifically target this area. First, lower the dumbbells as far as possible without risking injury - go for maximum stretch at the bottom. Then, when returning to the top, stop about three-quarters of the way up to focus all your effort on your outer pecs; coming up to where the dumbbells touch slightly disengages this area. Dips are great for hitting the outer pecs as well. Go as deep as possible and stop three-quarters of the way up.

Also, take as wide a grip as you can (outside of shoulder width) when doing barbell incline and flat-bench presses to target your outer chest. Again, lower the bar all the way to your chest, then stop three-quarters of the way up to the top

Inner Pecs

Cable crossovers are especially effective for targeting your inner pecs, since you maintain tension on your muscles when your hands touch. At this point, it’s very important to squeeze your pecs, whether you cross the handles or not; this helps create that distinct line in the middle of your chest.

You can use dumbbell flyes and barbell presses to work the inner pecs as well. With flyes, bring the weights together at the top and squeeze your pecs hard for 2-3 seconds. On presses, simply move your hands to shoulder width or slightly closer, and keep your elbows out and away from your body.

Upper Pecs

You might think I’m going to suggest doing incline presses and flyes, but there’s much more to it. On inclines, I used to change the angle of the bench every set. I started at 15 degrees, then went up to 25, then 35, then 50 degrees. I often did two, sometimes three, sets at each angle. That way, no part of my upper chest escaped training.

I also firmly believe in incorporating heavy days to develop maximum size in the upper pecs. Once a week, I did extra-heavy inclines, no more than five or six reps per set. To complement that, I worked as many muscle-shocking principles into my routine as I could: forced reps, rest/pauses, drop sets, etc..

Q: What's the optimal grip width to use to target the triceps on the close-grip bench press?

A: The traditional bench press usually refers to a flat-bench press performed with a grip that's shoulder-width or wider. The primary muscular emphasis is on the chest. The close-grip bench press, on the other hand, typically refers to any grip that's narrower than shoulder width, which greatly increases the emphasis on the triceps. But where between shoulder-width and hands-touching is optimal? That's a debate that many disagree on.

Too Close for Comfort

Some bodybuilders take the name of the exercise too literally and bring their hands so close that they almost touch. They often reason that the closer the grip, the greater the triceps involvement must be. While a grip this close does target the triceps, it also negatively impacts the wrists and elbows. The excessive joint stress could lead to injury, especially if you press heavy weight (and the heavy weight is more difficult to balance).

Close Enough

Many bodybuilders use what's affectionately known as the "thumb grip": They place their hands at the point where their extended thumbs meet at the tips (about 6 inches apart for most guys). This is as close as you'll ever want to go. It hits the triceps well, but you may still find it stressful on the wrists and elbows.

Just Right

Few bodybuilders realize that a grip just less than shoulder-width apart is close enough for the close-grip bench press. It effectively targets the triceps just as well as any closer grip yet dramatically reduces the stress placed on the wrists and elbows. Plus, you'll find that you can press more weight than a closer grip would allow, which means better overload on the triceps. Just be sure to keep your elbows in close to your sides to minimize chest involvement.

Close to You

Because bodybuilding is an individual thing, experiment with different grip widths until you find the one that's comfortable for your wrists and elbows but feels the best on your triceps. If you can't find a grip width that "feels" best, stick with a shoulder-width grip for optimal mechanics, wrist comfort and maximal triceps development.

Chains in chest workouts aren’t just for bench-press lockouts. Branch Warren popularized another purpose: weighting down his dips. The Texan had long been known for barbarically hardcore workouts, but once photos of him dipping with three giant chains swallowing his head hit the bodybuilding world, his take-no-prisoners training style reached legendary status. Since then, people have been dipping with iron around their necks instead of dangling from their waists.

A “necklace” has advantages over a belt. First, it’s easier to get on and off. This is a boon during dropsets—you can merely shed a chain and keep dipping without a pause. Second, a weight draped over your traps makes it easier to lean into reps and target your pecs. In contrast, a weight dangling between your legs pulls you straight down, so it’s harder to lean forward—a plus when doing triceps dips, but a minus on chest day.

Oh, and knocking out dips the Warren way looks really badass.

Chain Dip Tip Sheet

■ Most chains weigh 30–60 pounds. Use one you can get at least eight full reps with.

■ If you can get more than 15 reps, use a heavier chain or add a second one.

■ Make your final set a dropset. Get as many reps as you can, shed the chain, then keep going weight-free.

■ If you’re strong enough, you can do multiple drops, shedding a chain each time you reach failure, before ending with only your body weight

Warren's Chest Routine

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Incline Barbell Press	3	8-10
Bench Press	3	8-10
Dumbell Bench Press	3	8-10
Cable Crossover	3	12-15
Chain Dip	3	20-25

Warren's Career Highs

2011-12: Two-time Arnold Classic champ

2009: Mr. Olympia, 2nd place

7: Pro shows won

QUESTION: Is heavy weight with low reps the best way to train chest? Or lighter weights with moderate to high reps?

The simple yet somewhat convoluted answer: All of the above. The workout below is designed to help you build sizeand strength simultaneously.

The heavy weight and weekly progression in the amount of weight used in the 5x5 portion of the training will add pounds to your bench, while the relatively high volume, rest-pause technique on dips, and stretching of the pecs on flyes will all work synergistically to add slabs of muscle to your chest.

Chest Routine

Exercise Sets Reps

Bench Press 5*, ** 5

Barbell Incline Press 4** 10

Dips 100†

Incline Dumbbell Flye 4 15ƒ

* Not including warm-up sets.

** Start with heaviest set first, then decrease weight by 10 pounds on each subsequent set.

† Do 100 reps in as little time and as few sets as possible.

ƒ Use a tempo of three seconds on the negative phase and one second on the positive.

Show Progress

The key to gaining size and strength for any muscle group (not just chest) is to lift heavier weights as you go. But there’s no need to increase poundage substantially overnight; a gradual progression is your best bet to avoid overtraining and plateaus. In this routine, start your first working set of bench and incline presses with five pounds more than you did the previous week. This will keep your strength levels and muscles growing steadily.

Bench Press

Tuck your elbows in toward your sides as you lower the bar. This will decrease shoulder rotation and take stress off the shoulder joints, decreasing the chance of a pec tear and also allowing you to lift more weight by improving your leverage.

Barbell Incline press

Use an adjustable bench with a 15-30-degree incline (unless a 45-degree bench is all you have access to) – this will hit the upper chest best. Steeper angles focus too much on the anterior delts.

Dips

Put your head down and lean forward to emphasize the chest. Keeping your head up and staying upright will focus more on your triceps. Be sure to get a good stretch at the bottom and lockout out fully at the top.

Incline Dumbbell Flye

Strive for a deep stretch at the bottom of the movement to make room for new growth by keeping your elbows out and descending slowly. This is the one exercise in this routine where it isn't necessary (or desirable) to go heavy.

Joe B. from Little Rock, Ark., sent us his chest workout to review. After one look at it, we knew he needed professional help, so we called in Mike Wunsch, program design specialist for Results Fitness in Newhall, Calif. Wunsch analyzed and revised Joe’s program to get him back on track for big gains. See the original workout below and the new one on the next page.

Joe's Old Workout

Joe’s old workout had him doing way too much work. At 156 total reps, this routine would be increasingly hard to recover from, and it was probably setting him up for a shoulder injury to boot. Wunsch cut back on the volume and upped the intensity.

“He doesn’t need to hit his chest muscles from all the angles,” Wunsch says. “He needs to hit them with all the body’s movement patterns.” That means pressing horizontally, vertically, and with a rotational component for maximal muscle recruitment and balance. Every area of the chest will still get worked.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 6
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 6
Decline Bench Press	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 6
Cable Crossover	5	8-10

The Evaluation

Joe can keep the bench press as his main lift, followed by a neutral-grip overhead press as an assistance lift—this variation works the muscles that support the bench press in a more joint-friendly position. Then he’ll attack the chest with a rotational component in the T-pushup. This not only trains the pecs and shoulders in a way Joe won’t be used to, but he’ll also get some pulling in to counteract all the pressing (although he’ll still need to do plenty of pulling movements on his back day).

He can finish with dips, which are more effi cient than the decline press and crossover combined. These lifts work more overall muscle, creating a greater hormonal response for muscle gain and safer, more balanced training.

The M&F-Approved Program

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	4	6 (3 Minutes Rest)
Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Overhead Press*	3	12 (90 Seconds Rest)
Feet Elevated T-Pushup (Each Side)**	3	6 (60 Seconds Rest)
Cable Dip	2	AMAP (90 Seconds)

*Hold the weights with your palms facing each other.

**Wear a weight vest or hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest your feet on a bench or step. Perform a pushup and then rotate your body 90 degrees to one side, raising one hand overhead so your body forms a T shape.

Get big or get strong. So many guys think training style has to be a black-or-white choice: high volume bodybuilding workouts for muscular shape and size, or heavy, lower-volume workouts for strength. Power bodybuilding eliminates this hard-line choice and allows you to satisfy the requirements for both of these coveted training adaptations.

Since I was young, I trained with really strong dudes, but I never wanted to look like them. The training system I developed fueled my four Mr. Natural Universe wins and enabled me to hit raw PRs in the squat (775), bench (600), and deadlift (785). Raw, in powerlifting parlance, usually means that you don’t wear a squat suit or bench shirt. Raw, to me, means no belt, knee wraps, or elbow sleeves. If I can’t wear it if I were to get into a fight, then I don’t wear it in the gym. And contrary to what many people believe about the price you have to pay for years of heavy lifting, in nearly 30 years of training this way, I’ve never suffered a lifting-related injury, and my joints feel great.

This month I want to show you my chest workout, which serves as a perfect introduction to the concepts of power bodybuilding. Like a powerlifting workout, reps are kept low to allow you to use the heaviest possible weight. You’ll also rest 3–5 minutes between sets, letting you make a full recovery and continue lifting heavy throughout the session. The volume necessary to satisfy the bodybuilding portion of this equation comes from the number of total sets used; though you’ll do only four exercises in total, you’ll do 28 sets, including warmups. These workouts tend to run long (90-plus minutes) but allow you to chase everything you want at the same time. Get after it, Beast.

Power Bodybuilding Chest Workout

Directions: Rest 2–4 minutes between warmup sets and 3–5 minutes between working sets.

Exercise	Sets	Reps	O'Hearn's Weight
Incline Press
Warmup Sets	4	10, 8, 8, 5	135, 225, 315, 365
Working Sets	7	4	425
DB Flat Bench
Warmup Sets	3	5	100, 130, 160
Working Sets	4	10	180
Incline DB Flyes
Warmup Sets	3	5	80, 100, 125
Working Sets	3	10	150
Pullovers	4	15	125

Build a Strong Chest With the Strength Band Pec Flye

Strength bands can give you a hell of a workout, even when they’re not attached to a heavy barbell or dumbbell. One of the best features of M&F strength bands by Bodylastics is the ability to augment traditional lifts, but once you attach a set of handles, you're entering another world.

In this workout, the traditional pec flye gets a simple twist with a set of strength bands. Rather than lifting pin-selected weight stacks in a cable crossover station or pec deck, the strength band pec flye puts your pecs under constant tension, stressing the muscle fibers of your chest in a whole new way. And as research has shown time and again, regularly changing things up is essential for sustained growth.

The Workout

READY

Attach the handles to each side of the band and loop it through one corner of a power rack or other stationary object.

SET

Face away from the rack and stand upright in a staggered stance. Spread your arms. You should be far enough away from the rack that there is slight tension in the bands.

Contract your pecs hard and bring your hands together, keeping your elbows extended throughout the movement. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for reps.

Every guy loves to train arms, and every guy—at one time or another—has been stymied by the two biggest arm- training pitfalls: 1) using high reps instead of heavy weight, and 2) thinking a good pump equals a good workout.

When I first started out, I was guilty of both. I’ve since learned that heavy weight is the surest path to muscle growth, and that a pump, in and of itself, is useless without muscle stress. You need to remember that the biceps and triceps are small muscles; they don’t require the same training volume that your legs, chest, and back do. This is especially true if you do heavy workouts for the squat, bench, and deadlift—like the power bodybuilding workouts I’ve provided in past issues. The biceps get a lot of secondary work when you’re doing a heavy back workout, and the triceps get plenty when you’re benching and overhead pressing.

With that in mind, the workout I provide here is real simple: It’s three exercises for biceps and three for triceps, all performed in straight sets with no supersetting. Make each set as heavy and intense as possible. If you feel you still need more volume, try a few dropsets on the final exercise for biceps and triceps.

Biceps

EXERCISE SETS REPS

Straight-Bar Curl 4 8

DB alternating Curl 4 8

Preacher Curl 4 12

Triceps

EXERCISE SETS REPS

Close-Grip Bench Press 4 6

Tate Press 4 8

Rope Pushdown 4 12

Arm Yourself with This Biceps-Blasting Workout

Seems like everyone's out to find a newer, better way to train their biceps. Drop sets, weird splits and awkward exercises are all part of the trial and error guessing game. But novel training methods don’t necessarily equate to shirt-busting results.

If you want big guns, you need to work them like you want them to grow. Don't stop when they're tired- hit 'em some more. The reason why most new-age “functional” trainers and trainees lack sizeable arms is that they don’t hit them hard enough. Not that you should overtrain your biceps, but please feel free to exhaust them into submission every now and then. Building up your biceps involves two key ingredients: increasing the training load and making sure your muscles are exposed to a sufficient number of reps. The below routine is designed to do both.

You’ll increase biceps size and strength by alternating between sets of higher and lower reps while increasing and decreasing the weight accordingly for a generous 14 sets per workout. And you’ll finish off by grinding out two “pump sets” of 10 reps with shorter rest periods. Combine this routine with another bodypart if you dare, but if you can find time to do these mini-workouts on their own, make it so to increase the focus on your biceps and really see your efforts pay off.

After 4-6 weeks of this twice-a-week biceps regimen you should see a marked improvement. If you can, go for another couple weeks, as each additional workout will only add to your arm circumference. Remember, it takes time to seesuper-sized guns, and the bi’s are only one half of the equation (your triceps make up the other half). But if you can consistently hit your arms with volume and intensity week in, week out, biceps workouts won’t be so much of a guessing game.

The Workout

Day 1

Exercise Sets Reps* Rest

EZ-Bar Curl 4 12, 6, 12, 6 90 sec., 2 min., 90 sec., 2 min.

Seated Hammer Curl 4 12, 8, 12, 8 90 sec., 2 min., 90 sec., 2 min.

Cable Straight-Bar Curl 4 10, 5, 10, 5 2 min.

Single-Arm Dumbbell 2 10, 10 1 min.

Preacher Curl

Day 2

Exercise Sets Reps* Rest

Cable Straight-Bar Curl 4 12, 6, 12, 6 90 sec., 2 min., 90 sec., 2 min.

Single-Arm Dumbbell 4 12, 8, 12, 8 90 sec., 2 min., 90 sec., 2 min.

Preacher Curl

EZ-Bar Curl 4 10, 5, 10, 5 2 min.

Seated Hammer Curl 2 10, 10 1 min.

*Adjust weight accordingly – heavier weight for lower reps, lighter weight for higher reps.

To most guys, getting bigger biceps equals doing more curls, but if it were really that simple, everyone would haveguns like Mr. Olympia. The curl may be the king of the biceps builders, but it’s not the only way to work them hard—and we’re not about to suggest more chin-ups or rows, either. There’s a gymnastics move called the Maltese cross hold that, with a little modification, absolutely smokes the biceps, and works the chest, too.

How To Do It:

The normal Maltese hold that gymnasts do has you suspend yourself on rings, parallel to the floor, with your arms extended by your sides. Obviously, this is brutally difficult and requires tremendous strength and years of practice. But performing the move standing gives you plenty of benefits.

While it may look like a chest exercise alone, the modified Maltese cross hold stresses the biceps, as they prevent your elbows from extending. Various straight-arm holds like this are one of the reasons gymnasts have such impressive arms, and, of course, they provide some extra work for your chest and shoulders.

Attach rings or a suspension trainer overhead and set the handles at shoulder width, just above hip height. Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, grasp the handles. Tense your whole body—particularly the lats, abs, and glutes— and reach your arms out to your sides. Keep a slight bend in your elbows and lean forward until you feel a stretch in your pecs. It will look like the bottom position of a flye. Try to hold it for 3–5 sets of 10–30 seconds.

Quick Tip:

Make sure you’re warmed up, then start with your body on a steep angle. You can risk an elbow injury if you try to push it too hard on Maltese cross holds.

Other Options

Two more unconventional biceps builders:

1. KETTLEBELL CURL

Hold a kettlebell in each hand and squeeze the handles as you curl so the bell doesn’t hang during the curl but stays in the same plane as your wrist. When you get tired, let the kettlebell drop against the back of your wrist and continue curling as normal.

2. DRAG CURL

Hold a barbell at arm’s length and draw your elbows back as you curl so that you drag the bar up the front of your body. The movement should be very strict.

We can’t stress enough the importance of great triceps in your quest for overall arm development. Making up an enormous percentage of your upper arms, thick triceps separate the men from the boys. More times than not, when we marvel at someone’s arms it’s 75% because of how dedicated he has been to his tri’s. Have you balanced your triceps and biceps training? If not, let’s turn that trend around. Here’s a workout that’s certain to get your triceps truckin’ and up to speed with your bis.

TRICEPS PRESSDOWN

Target: Triceps
(emphasis on lateral head)

An excellent move to begin your triceps workout, the pressdown begins filling your arms with a good pump to warm up the joints and prepare the triceps for battle. Even though this is the first exercise, by your last set, select a weight that allows for failure at the designated rep range. On your last two sets, flip your grip to involve more of the triceps’ medial head. For variety, try different grips or use a rope attachment; don’t get stuck in a rut using the same attachment every time.

Start: Stand in front of a high-pulley cable and grasp a straight bar with an overhand (pronated) grip. With your knees slightly bent, lean forward at the waist and position your elbows close to your sides, holding your forearms parallel to the floor. Look forward, keeping your back flat and your abs tight.

Action: Flex your triceps and press the bar toward the floor until your arms are fully extended. Squeeze your tri’s and hold for a brief count before returning to the start position.

WEIGHTED BENCH DIP

Target: Triceps

This is a great move, but typically you need a partner to place weight across your lap. If you don’t have a partner, sit on one bench and set the weight across your lap, then put your hands in position. Next, place one foot at a time on the opposite bench before you press upward onto your hands and move your glutes off the bench. At the end of the set, sit back up on the bench and remove one foot at a time from the opposite bench.

Start: Position two benches a few feet apart and parallel to each other. Sit on the middle edge of one bench facing the other. Place your hands just outside your hips on the bench, cupping it with your fingers. Place your heels on the opposite bench and press yourself upward so your body forms an “L” in the top position.

Action: After a partner places a weight plate across your lap, slowly lower your glutes toward the floor until your arms form 90-degree angles. Pause, then forcefully press yourself back up to the start position

SMITH MACHINE CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS

Target: Triceps

In another compound move for the triceps, the shoulder-width grip allows for more stress to be placed on the tri’s than during a standard bench press. Be careful not to go too narrow with your grip to avoid undue stress on the wrists without putting any additional force on the triceps. The key is to keep your elbows in close without allowing them to flare out. The beauty of the Smith machine is that it provides a defined path of motion, so once you find the plane that hits your triceps best, you can stick to that path through-out the set.

Start: Lie faceup on a flat bench placed inside a Smith machine with your feet flat on the floor. Grasp the bar with a narrow (about shoulder-width) overhand grip. Rotate and press the bar up slightly to unrack it, then hold it above your chest with your arms extended.

Action: Lower the bar to your lower chest, keeping your elbows close to your body. Don’t bounce the bar off your chest; rather, when it approaches an inch or so away from your chest, pause and press it back up to the start position. Squeeze your triceps and chest at the top.

OVERHEAD DUMBBELL EXTENSION

Target: Triceps
(emphasis on long head)

The overhead extension is awesome for building size and thickness in your triceps. By raising your arms overhead, you stretch the triceps’ long head, meaning it can contract more strongly than when your arms are fixed by your sides. While you can do this movement one arm at a time, here you use both hands and go heavier with only one dumbbell. Start with the weight on one knee, then kick it up to your shoulder before pressing it overhead to begin the set. At the end of the set, reverse the sequence, coming down to your shoulder and then to your knee.

Start: Sit erect on a low-back bench, feet flat on the floor or on the footpads. Grasp the inner plate of a dumbbell with both hands and hold it overhead at full arm extension, keeping your elbows alongside your ears. Wrap your thumbs around the bar. Keep your head straight and your lower back pressed into the backpad.

Action: Bending only at your elbows, lower the weight behind your head until your arms form 90-degree angles. Hold for a brief count, then press back up to full arm extension and squeeze your triceps hard at the top.

DUMBBELL KICKBACK

Target: Triceps

Now, let’s add some detail to those arms and provide a great finishing pump to boot. Don’t worry about going heavy during this move; trying to do so could put undue stress on your shoulder joints. Instead, select a weight that you can easily manage as well as hold and squeeze at the top of each rep. For variety, also try the cable kickback.

Start: Grasp a light dumbbell with one hand and place your other hand on a stable surface. Lean forward until your torso is almost parallel to the floor and stagger your feet. Raise your upper arm to parallel to your torso and keep it pressed into your side. Keep your back flat.

Action: Holding your upper arm in place, raise your forearm straight back to full extension. Don’t allow your elbow to drop as you return to the start position.