Men's Fitness Guide - Issue 18 2022

HANG CLEAN 4

WHY DO IT? Starting with the bar b
at mid-thigh height helps you c
master the move safely, but as your legs
aren’t so involved you’ll have to lift lighter. b

How to do it a 51

Hold a barbell with an overhand
grip, feet shoulder-width apart.

Rise onto your tiptoes, shrug your
shoulders and pull the bar up, leading
with your elbows.

Once the bar reaches your shoulders,
squat under it and rotate your
elbows forward so you catch the
bar on your ngers and the front
of your shoulders.

Reverse back to the start position.

KETTLEBELL CLEAN

WHY DO IT? This move will
increase your strength and
stability, as well as improve your form
on the clean.

How to do it a

Stand with your feet hip-width apart,
with the kettlebell between your
feet, turned sideways

Bend down and grip the kettlebell at
the end of the handle with one hand.

Drive through your glutes, and use
the momentum to bring the kettle-
bell up to rest on your shoulder.

Keep the kettlebell close to the body
and send it up in a straight line.

52

5ISOLATION LIFTS
UTILISE ISOLATION MOVES
SRUPLELFIEVENDID
ISOLATION

Target speci c muscles with isolation
moves for more impressive growth

Compound lifts should certainly After all of that, you will be tired,
form the backbone of your but your biceps and triceps may still
training regime, as they recruit the most have a little energy left in them. So to
muscle groups. But that doesn’t mean break down even more muscle ibres
you need to consign all isolation moves and encourage greater muscle growth,
to the scrapheap completely. you could inish the session with sets
To remind you, isolation moves are of isolation lifts, such as EZ-bar biceps
those lifts that cause movement at only curls and lying triceps extensions.
one joint, while compound moves are Unlike compound moves, where
multi-joint exercises that work multiple your risk of injury is higher if you’re
muscle groups. Consequently, isolation tired, these isolation moves can be
lifts work less well at quickly adding a performed safely.
lot of muscle mass across your body,
but they are ideal when you want to Extra push
target a speci ic muscle to try and coax
extra growth. Putting in that little extra e fort can
One way these single-joint moves can completely exhaust those target
be used successfully is as a ‘ inisher’: muscles, so force your body to grow
an exercise performed at the end of them back bigger and stronger.
a workout to really fatigue the target
muscles. Take, for example, an arms Over the next few pages we’ll
workout where the majority of the highlight some of the best isolation
session is built around compound lifts, exercises for each of your major muscle
such as chin-ups, pull-ups, bent-over groups, allowing you to safely but
rows and close-grip bench presses. e fectively push your muscles harder
to promote faster gains. What’s not
to like?

53

BICEPS

EZ BAR BICEPS CURL

Blitz your biceps with this
classic isolation move

WHY DO IT? A biceps curl can
also be performed with a barbell
or with a dumbbell in each hand, but
using an EZ-bar, which has a zigzagged
middle, allows you to turn your hands
inwards slightly. That takes some of the
strain off your wrists and allows the
focus of the weight to be solely on your
biceps, forcing them to work harder
throughout the move.

How to do it

Stand with your shoulders back
and feet close together, and hold
an EZ-bar using an underhand
grip – with your hands just outside
your hips.
Keeping your elbows tucked in to
your sides, curl the bar up towards
your chest, stopping just before
your forearms reach vertical.
Lower back slowly to the start.
Avoid rocking back and forth to
generate momentum.

54

SINGLE ARM UTILISE ISOLATION MOVES5
PREACHER CURL
55
Work each arm
separately for growth

WHY DO IT? Resting your upper
arm on a preacher bench stops
you from using momentum and forces
your biceps to do all the work. Training
each arm individually also prevents
your dominant arm carrying more of
the load, resulting in balanced growth.
Fully straighten your arm at the bottom
of the move and squeeze your biceps at
the top for maximum muscle gains.

How to do it

Hold a dumbbell in one hand and
rest that upper arm against the
preacher bench.

Curl the weight up until your
forearm is vertical.

Squeeze your biceps at the top of
the move before lowering slowly
back to the start.

TRICEPS

EZ BAR SKULL CRUSHER How to do it

Build upper-arm mass by Lie at on a bench, holding an EZ-bar
isolating your powerful triceps above you with straight arms.

WHY DO IT? you need to manage Slowly lower the bar towards the top
It isolates your the weight safely as you of your head by bending your elbows,
triceps, forcing them to lower it towards your which should stay pointing directly to
work hard throughout head. (Otherwise you may the ceiling.
the move: to control the find out where the ‘skull-
weight down then raise crusher’ comes from). Without arching your back, slowly
it back up. Start by using return the bar to the start position by
a light weight, because straightening your arms.

56

TRICEPS UTILISE ISOLATION MOVES5
PUSH DOWN
57
Work your triceps with
this cable move

WHY DO IT? The advantage of
using a cable machine is that there
is resistance throughout the whole
move, forcing your triceps to work
hard to manage the weight on the way
up as well as on the way down. Keep
your elbows close to your sides so the
emphasis stays on your triceps.

How to do it

Stand tall at a cable machine, with
a double rope handle or straight bar
handle attached at head height.

Keeping your elbows tucked in,
press the handle down without
leaning forward.

Squeeze your triceps at the bottom
of the move before slowly returning
back to the start.

CHEST AND SHOULDERS

CABLE CROSSOVER

Sculpt your chest with
this e ective move

WHY DO IT? Truly isolating
your chest muscles can be hard,
because your arms and shoulders
nearly always get in on the act. But
using cables rather than dumbbells
as resistance ensures that there is
constant tension throughout the
move, which forces your chest
to work hard throughout.

How to do it

Stand in the middle of a cable
machine with your feet together,
holding a D-handle attachment in
each hand, and with the cable set
above shoulder height.
Keeping a natural arch in your back,
your core braced and upper body
still, bring your hands down in an
arc to meet in front of your chest.
Pause brie y and squeeze your chest
muscles before returning slowly, and
under full control of the weight, back
to the start position.

58

LATERAL RAISE UTILISE ISOLATION MOVES5

WHY DO IT? The lateral raise is 59
effective at isolating the deltoids,
the three muscles that make up the
shoulders. However, because the
shoulder joint is the most delicate in the
body, keep the weights light and control
the move from start to finish.

How to do it

Stand tall with your core braced
and your feet slightly apart. Hold
a light dumbbell in each hand with
palms facing one another.

Keeping a slight bend in your
elbows, raise the weights out to
the sides to shoulder height, using
your muscles and not momentum.
Pause at the top, then slowly lower.

SHRUG

WHY DO IT? Shrugs have a
limited range of motion, but that
means you can use heavy dumbbells
to build a solid set of traps.

How to do it

Stand tall, holding a heavy
dumbbell in each hand, keeping
your core braced and a natural
arch in your back.

Shrug your shoulders towards your
ears, keeping your arms straight
and the dumbbells by your sides.

Hold for a second at the top posi-
tion, before slowly lowering
the weight back down.

LEGS

SEATED LEG EXTENSION How to do it

Isolate your quads with this Sit on the machine, following its instructions
must-do machine move to position yourself correctly and safely.

WHY DO IT? The best way to isolate Ensure that your knees are aligned with the
your powerful quad muscles is to use a leg lever to reduce the risk of injury and that your
extension machine, rather than free weights. This shins are against the padded bar.
machine provides stability for your upper body and
the movement path is fixed, meaning all your energy Keeping your back against the seat and your
can be focused on working the quads to the max. core braced, extend your knees to straighten
your legs and raise the bar up.

Return slowly to the start.

60

SEATED UTILISE ISOLATION MOVES5
HAMSTRING CURL
61
WHY DO IT? The same
principles apply here: the
machine provides the stability and
fixed movement pattern so you can
work your hamstrings to total fatigue.

How to do it

Position yourself safely on a leg curl
machine, following its instructions,
with the top bar sitting comfortably
below your knees and the bottom one

at against the bottom your calves.

Slowly contract your hamstrings to
bring the padded bar towards you.

Return slowly to the start position.

SEATED CALF RAISE

Training the calves every step you take each day.
can be hard using free Instead, use a machine to fully
weights, because you need to isolate your calves without
go really heavy to fatigue these the injury risk that comes with
muscles that are used to hard using a very heavy barbell or
work – they’re responsible for set of dumbbells.

How to do it

Sit on a seated calf raise machine, following its instructions
to position yourself correctly and safely.

Place the top of your toes on the platform. There should be
a slight bend in your knees in this start position.

Push your toes away to raise the weight.

Pause brie y before returning back to the start, ensuring
you go through the full range of motion to really work this
hard-to-grow muscle.

FIX YOUR WEAK SPOTS

Proud of your prominent biceps and big chest?
They might be impressive, but if you don’t work your
other muscles you’ll end up with an unbalanced body

1 MISSING MUSCLE: 2 MISSING MUSCLE:
ROTATOR CUFF FOREARMS

This muscle critical shoulder Guaranteed to and shoulders, your
doesn’t need to stabiliser, you’ll help with your grip strength is incre-
be big, but it does need ward off injury and grip, strong forearms dibly important. With-
to be strong, so you increase your power can also help the out a strong grip, not
neglect it at your peril. output. Include a set overall development only will you severely
A weak rotator cuff of internal rotation of your arms and assist limit your ability to lift
can lead to injury and exercises before every with many heavy heavy, but you’ll also
put you out of action training or sports compound lifts, such as increase your risk of
for months. But if you session, to both warm pull-ups and deadlifts. shoulder injury.
improve your stability up and strengthen So if you want to build
by working this the rotator cuff. bigger biceps, triceps

KEY MOVE KEY MOVE

Barbell Cuban Press Collar Grip Strengthener

WHEN? WHEN?

Do this at the start of your shoulder workout Do this after your heavy sessions when your
with a light weight, to thoroughly warm up grip is already fatigued, to work the forearm
this delicate muscle group. muscles even harder.

3 MISSING MUSCLE: CALVES

Ask any gym-goer if classed as an endurance muscle, KEY MOVE
they train their legs, and building them takes a two-
and they’ll probably answer a pronged attack. Aim for some Seated Calf Raise
variation of, “Of course!” with an straight-leg calf raises for the
offended look. Ask them how calf, and a bent-knee version WHEN? Do this at the end
much of that time is spent on to hit the soleus, which is the
their calves, however, and the deep-lying calf muscle that of your leg session. Aim for
look is more likely to be one of connects your knee to your foot. three sets of at least 12 reps.
embarrassment. The calves are Go heavy – these muscles need
the engine of the body, working stimulating.
tirelessly no matter what you’re
doing. Because of that, they are

62

VARY YOUR EXERCISES6

1
2

3
63

FIX YOUR WEAK SPOTS

4 MISSING MUSCLE: 5 MISSING MUSCLE:
TRAPEZIUS REAR DELTOIDS

Your trapezius Exercises that mimic a This muscle – the often place too much
muscles – or shrug will strengthen back part of your emphasis on the front
‘traps’ – sit either side your upper traps, while shoulders – is key to deltoid so ignoring the
of your spine, below your lower traps work in achieving wide, strong rear part of this muscle
your neck. They are conjunction with your and impressive upper group can cause
responsible for neck and lats to perform pull-ups body because big rear imbalance and injury.
shoulder strength, and and lat pull-downs. Traps deltoids give width and
working them can give are important to assist mass to your upper
you an impressively in developing other back. You also need to
wide physique. They’re muscles, such as lats and train these, along with
activated by the rear deltoids. Include the rotators, to improve
shrugging motion and shrugs in your back or shoulder stability.
move your scapulae shoulder workouts to Benches and other
up, down and back. develop these muscles. pressing exercises

KEY MOVE KEY MOVE

Dumbbell Shrug Bent-Over Lateral Raise

WHEN? WHEN?

At the end of your session, perform three sets At the end of your workout, perform three
of 8 to 12 reps with a heavy weight to target sets of 10 12 reps with a light weight – focus
this powerful muscle. on the mind-muscle connection.

6 MISSING MUSCLE: 7 MISSING MUSCLE:
HAMSTRINGS GLUTES

Underdeveloped you’re performing Building your in, or even take over,
hamstrings intense exercise such glutes has far some of their roles if
leave your legs weak as sprinting. As your more than cosmetic they’re not up to the
and prone to injury hamstrings are the benefits. When working job. This substitution of
but regular hamstring muscles that help properly, your glutes movement often leads
exercises and stretches propel you forward, are the most powerful to loss of muscle mass,
will make these building bigger group of muscles in the pain and ultimately
muscles strong and hamstrings will also body. They’re so crucial injury, so it’s vital to
flexible, which in help to increase to movement that train them. Do so by
turn will prevent you your running speed . other muscle groups including squats, lunges
pulling them when are equipped to assist and step-ups.

KEY MOVE KEY MOVE

Seated Leg Curl Single-Leg Glute Raise

WHEN? WHEN?

Aim for three sets of 8 reps after lunges to Do three sets of 8 10 reps around the middle
isolate your hamstrings. After hitting your of your lower-body workout.
legs with squats and deadlifts, finish off your
leg routine with three sets of seated leg curls,

64

VARY YOUR EXERCISES6

4
5
7

6
65

SETS AND REPS

If you don’t know how many sets and reps you should
be performing, your progress is at risk of stalling. Here
are the basics for every training goal

Know your range

Sets and reps are the bread and butter of your 1 5 REPS
workout. As soon as you lift a weight, even if
it’s only once, you’ve completed a rep – and a set. AIM Increase in your muscle strength and power.
But doing one lift on its own is not the best way to WEIGHT 85 100 per cent of one-rep max.
build muscle. WHY? Low-rep sets of heavy weights build
Instead, you need to lift a weight a certain strength and power, because they recruit and
number of times, rest for a given amount of time, fatigue your fast-twitch muscle fibres. They’re
then repeat this process a certain number of times. responsible for your muscles’ explosiveness,
The most effective sets and reps range for and this approach makes them grow back bigger.
building muscle is three to four sets of 8 to 12 reps This rep range also improves the communication
of a given move. That’s because this approach pathway between your brain and the muscle,
subjects your muscles to enough resistance and helping it to react and contract faster and with
time under tension to ignite the muscle-building more force.
response.
To work out which weight you should be lifting, 6 7 REPS
you need to know your one-rep max (use our
formula on p25), which is the maximum amount AIM Optimal compromise between an increase in
of weight you can lift for a single rep. muscle strength and size.
Percentages of that number determine WEIGHT 78 83 per cent of one-rep max.
the weight you should be lifting for each rep, WHY? Sets in this rep range will still work your fast-
twitch muscle fibres and improve the brain-muscle
What are they? connection, but performing extra reps will also
fatigue your muscles more thoroughly, resulting in
REPS improvements in strength and size.

An abbreviation of ‘repetition’, one rep is the 8 12 REPS
completion of a given exercise from start to
AIM Increase in muscle mass.
nish. The optimal muscle-building range is WEIGHT 70 77 per cent of one-rep max.
between 8 and 12 reps per set. WHY? The most effective way to build muscle
mass is for each set to last between 40 and
SETS 70 seconds. Sets of 8 to 12 reps are the perfect
rep range for this, because the weight is heavy
A set is a given number of reps performed enough to fatigue the muscles thoroughly, but still
consecutively without rest. Three to four sets of manageable for you to maintain correct form.
8 to 12 reps is the most e ective way to increase
muscle mass. 13+ REPS

TRAINING AIM Increase in your strength-
endurance, with some muscle-mass gains.
WEIGHT 60 69 per cent of one-rep max.
WHY? Using lighter weights combined with a
higher rep range recruits your slow-twitch fibres.
Sets in this rep range improve the ability of these
fibres to deal with lactic acid and the other waste
products that accumulate during exercise.

66

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