Pull-ups and dips: Superhero body in 18 weeks

Training programsMiscellaneous

Primary goal:

building muscle mass
Type:
for a specific muscle group
Training level:
beginner
Number of workouts per week:
4
Equipment needed:
other
Audience:
men and women

Author:

Eric Brown

Pull-ups and dips are underrated but very important bodyweight exercises. The proposed 18-week protocol allocates a special training day for them.

Superset to start

“One of the main explanations for the effectiveness of the chest-back program is that almost all chest exercises are pushing exercises, and back exercises are pulling exercises.
In rows that load the lats, the chest rests, and vice versa - the lats rest in chest exercises. This alternation of rest and exercise ensures a constant flow of blood to the muscles... When working on the chest and back at the same time, there is an incredible feeling of muscle growth and an increase in their volume” (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Using supersets involves grouping two or more exercises, which are performed without interruption. There are two types of supersets: when exercises are grouped on one part of the body and when exercises on different parts of the body are combined. Arnold liked both options. He especially often used supersets to train the chest muscles.

“There are several advantages of alternating the load on the chest and back muscles,” Arnold said more than once:

1. Time saving; training goes much faster.
2. Ability to lift heavier weights to gain mass and develop strength.
3. Pumping effect and high-quality pumping of muscles (both chest and back) for their complex load; the muscles are filled with blood for a longer time.
4. High muscle density due to working with extreme weights.

In his seminal work, The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, Arnold explains in detail the benefits of using chest-back supersets.

What is a superset?

The words “superset” or “super series” mean a method of conducting classes in which each subsequent exercise is performed with minimal rest after the previous one. For example, as soon as an athlete has completed a set of pull-ups on the bar, he should immediately proceed to perform, say, dips, after the second exercise he can begin to perform the third, or he can rest. This type of training will be called a superset on the horizontal bar and uneven bars.

Why do experts recommend building your workouts to include supersets? The answer is simple, it has been theoretically proven and experimentally tested that the practice of such hard training contributes to a more effective development of muscle mass and endurance than following conventional gentle training.

Use supersets

This is not a new idea, but supersets will help the widow reduce the time she spends in the gym, allowing her to do more work in less time, giving her an incredible feeling of fullness in her muscles. There are no strict rules for creating your own supersets, but most often they consist of a combination of two exercises on the antagonist muscles.

Let's look at how this is done using the example of the chest-back ligament.

Supersets were popularized by Arnold Schwarzenegger and have repeatedly led him to victories in numerous competitions. The superset recommendations described below will allow you to achieve the kind of upper body volume that the great Arnie would approve of.

If you plan to do this workout today, don't wear a T-shirt that is too tight unless you want to rip it. Get ready, an incredible pump awaits you!

In the classic sense, a superset is when you perform the first exercise, and then immediately (after catching your breath if necessary) move on to the second exercise. Both of these exercises together make up one set of your superset.

Move on to the next superset after completing all sets of the previous one. Rest no more than 90 seconds between sets; if 60 seconds is enough for you, rest less.

Superset 1: Bench press with medium grip / pull-ups

It may seem more logical to you to start with the bench press in combination with the lat pulldown, but the proposed implementation is better for two reasons. Firstly, the incline bench press develops the upper pectoral muscles, and, you see, there is not a single athlete who could complain about an overdeveloped upper chest. Secondly, there is nothing better than pull-ups for developing a wide and powerful back.

If you cannot freely perform pull-ups with a wide grip, still try not to replace this exercise with lat pull-downs. Use your partner's help, let him support your feet. Whatever you do, try to stay within your target rep range.

If you cannot lower the bar low enough due to a weak shoulder sprain or previous injury, then stop a few centimeters from your chest in a position where your shoulder joints feel comfortable. Use restraints if necessary to protect you from injury.

Superset 2: Dumbbell Flat Press/Dumbbell Bent Over Row

I love this combination because both exercises work well together. When we pump the pecs with dumbbells rather than a barbell, we force each arm to work separately and this allows us to engage many stabilizer muscles. As you perform, focus on the negative portion of the movement, slowly lower the dumbbells, and then actively but control the weight back up. Use the peak contraction method at the point of maximum tension.

Don't give in to your ego when you're in the gym. If your barbell weight is 90kg, that doesn't mean you should use two 45kg dumbbells for this exercise, they're not the same thing.

Superset 3: Crossover/Close Grip Lat Pulldown

It is normal if you feel tired at this stage, especially if you are new to this type of back and chest training. Exercising on a cable machine will give you a little respite, but this does not mean you can relax or work half-heartedly.

When performing a crossover exercise, try to stretch and contract the pectoral muscles as much as possible at the extreme points of the amplitude. Doing this exercise will help fill your muscles with blood and nutrients.

When performing a lat pulldown, similarly focus on contracting your back muscles at the bottom of the movement. Lower the implement very slowly in a controlled manner.

4 superset. Push-ups/hyperextension

While these chest and back exercises are great when done with just your body weight, you can make them more difficult by lifting one leg during push-ups or picking up extra weight when doing hyperextensions.

Hyperextension is an exercise that involves the hip joint. The lumbar region should not be overloaded. Focus on working and contracting the upper gluteal muscles.

And finally, a pullover

Arnold regularly did this exercise, rightly believing that it allowed him to enlarge his chest. Lower the weight slowly, counting to five, and raise the weight quickly, counting to one. Contract the muscles at the top as hard as possible before lowering the weight again.

Supersets for one muscle

These are two exercises that train the same muscle from different angles or with different biomechanics. Such super series activate muscle fibers much more strongly than regular sets. That is, much more muscle fibers are involved in work during the approach. This means that the muscles will noticeably increase in mass.

In separate articles I will provide illustrated examples of supersets. But here, as an example, I will simply list several pairs of exercises that can be used in the form of super series (two sets).

For the latissimus muscles

Note! Super series for one muscle (two sets), although they help grow muscles and improve relief, very significantly interfere with the development of one-time strength. This is exactly the case when you need to clearly know what you want from training at the moment - one-time strength or muscle mass

It is not always possible to increase these parameters simultaneously

This is exactly the case when you need to clearly know what you want from training at the moment - one-time strength or muscle mass. It is by no means always possible to increase these parameters simultaneously.

Anatomical structure of the rhomboid muscle

The rhomboid muscle is located directly under the trapezius and is the connecting bridge between the scapula and the spine in the upper torso. It also takes part in connecting both shoulder blades to each other, along with the trapezius muscle. The rhomboid muscle is also responsible for lifting the shoulder blades, holding them in a fixed position and connecting them to each other.

The rhomboid muscle is responsible for beautiful posture and the absence of stooping.

This back muscle is the curator of beautiful, correct posture. This is the main muscle that gives the shoulder blades a stable position at the back. This muscle tissue originates from the branches of the thoracic vertebrae of the upper part of the sternum and runs all the way to the lower angle of the shoulder blades, when viewed from top to bottom. The anatomy of the rhomboid muscle tissue suggests its small and large varieties.

Table No. 1. Varieties of the rhomboid back muscle.

How to do chest supersets: recommendations from advanced athletes

In order for chest muscle training to give maximum results, you need to understand that each exercise for the pectoral muscles is aimed at performing a specific task.

This can be building muscle mass, when it is important to use maximum weights in training

Or maybe your goal is to improve and define the appearance of your breasts? In this case, it is necessary to focus on the superset technique. If it is necessary to enlarge the chest and “finish off” the muscles, then this is a different task, but the technique of execution is also important here, as in all other cases.

The entire superset for the pectoral muscles should be performed 4 times. In this case, the rest should be no more than one and a half to a couple of minutes between series. There should be no rest between exercises. In order to pump up the pectoral muscles, the duration of the cycle should be a couple of weeks. For proper muscle development, they need proper rest. This should not be forgotten.

Back and chest workout in one day

Athletes who have been bodybuilding for one to three years should create a program of basic exercises to gain further progress from their training. It is better to give preference to those that are capable of maximally stimulating muscle growth.

The training includes:

• Wide grip pull-ups (3-4 x 8-12);
• Bent-over barbell row (3-4 x 8-12);
• Bent-over dumbbell row (3-4 x 8-12);
• Barbell bench press (3-4 x 8-12);
• Incline Dumbbell Press (3-4 x 8-12);
• Dumbbell flyes (3-4 x 8-12);
• Chest Stretch Pullover (3-4 x 8-12).

The recommended duration of such a lesson, during which the program should be fully worked out, is from 60 to 70 minutes. Pauses between approaches vary from 30 seconds to 1 minute. It is best to start each new exercise with a warm-up set or increase the weight using the pyramid method.

This type of training was used by Arnold Schwarzenegger. He became the first bodybuilder to use supersets. When other bodybuilders from the golden era of bodybuilding used split systems, lagging behind athletes using high-volume training methods, Schwarzenegger succeeded with supersets. One important point must not be missed. Supersets on antagonists are too draining, suitable only for athletes with many years of training experience, and are not intended for beginners. If a beginner decides to follow such a program, then after a few weeks he will become overtrained. Only those athletes who have been bodybuilding for several years should choose this method.

The one-day back and chest training program using supersets involves performing the following exercises:

• Bench press + wide grip pull-ups (3-4 supersets of 8-10 reps per exercise;
• Incline dumbbell press + bent over barbell row (3-4 supersets of 8-10 reps each set);
• Dumbbell flyes + T-bar rows (3-4 x 8-10);
• Dips + close grip pull-ups (3-4 x 8-10);
• Pullover for stretching the pectoral muscles (3-4 sets of 8-10 repetitions).

It is recommended to start working weights only after warm-up supersets. After each exercise within one superset, pause for 5-10 seconds. However, before each subsequent superset, take a one-minute rest break.

This kind of antagonist training is truly exhausting. Regardless of experience, even bodybuilders with many years of experience are strongly discouraged from doing this in every session. The high degree of exhaustion caused by such training can lead to the opposite effect. Excessive “passion” with supersets on the chest and back will not allow progress to be made, but will only provoke the onset of a plateau, which the athlete wants to avoid by training antagonists.

The optimal frequency of training according to such a system involves alternation, that is, after a day of supersets, regular training follows, and then supersets again, and so on. This will allow you to continue to progress and achieve new results.

Video “Chest and back training with supersets”

This program focuses on the back and chest. Biceps and triceps are less loaded, deltoids and abs are even less loaded.

This program is prohibited for beginners due to the heavy load on the back (deadlift). It is recommended to be performed in order; the elements of the exercise are designed so that at the beginning of the workout you perform the most difficult elements that require a lot of effort and which later you will not have enough strength to perform. There is a nuance to the order of performing pull-ups and deadlifts; it is better to do pull-ups first, which will reduce the future load on the vertebrae, but if your back is fine and you are equipped with good equipment. You can initially perform deadlifts, then pull-ups.

Every day at the beginning of the workout we warm up our joints; it’s better to ride a bike to the gym, which warms up the muscles before the upcoming workout. At the end of the workout, hang for 20-30 seconds to straighten the vertebrae. When you exercise with heavy weights, your vertebrae move slightly toward each other, causing your height to decrease. Therefore, this point should be mandatory if you do not want to stop your growth yet. The weight should be calculated at your discretion, as they say “to each their own.”

The program looks like this:

What to consider when working out in the gym?

Cure for muscle stagnation, or meat in Korean

To get the most out of your gym experience, consider the following tips:

• Perform all exercises on the machines using the correct technique. To do this, it is advisable to spend the first three classes in the gym with a personal trainer. He will show you how to properly exercise on the machines and perhaps give tips on improving the program.
• Do not overload your body under any circumstances. If you do not have proper physical training, during the first 2 weeks of losing weight, do only 50% of the number of repetitions of exercises and circles specified in the training program.
• Cardio is a great option for warming up. It is advisable to start with walking, speed up and slow down every 5-10 minutes. Warm-up time – 30 minutes.
• During training to burn fat, you can drink water only in small sips and in between laps.

Actually, the programs described above are enough to get your body in order and even start the path to sports results. By increasing working weights, you can improve for quite a long time, having only ten exercises in your arsenal. Having mastered them fully, you will begin to understand the mechanics of the movements of the human body and will be able to independently plan your workouts in the gym.

Dream Interpretation - Chest

When you dream that you have white and very healthy breasts, it means joy and health. A bony, hairy chest promises a man profit and benefit, and a woman a tangible loss. If a man dreams that he has the same full breasts as women, this shows him as a weak and fearful person and predicts for him the melancholy and grief caused by the illness of his children. A woman who dreams that her breasts are dry should expect that her children will be unwell for some time. If she has no children, then she will become poor and will cry a lot from grief and melancholy. When an old man dreams that there is a wound on his chest that his friend inflicted with a saber, then this portends bad news. If young people dream the same thing, it means friendship. Bloody abrasions on the chest mean infertility. Seeing one's chest wide and full in a dream means to the one who saw the dream that his life will be long and rich, depending on the fullness in the dream.

Shaking the shoulders

Superset 1: Dumbbell Lateral Raises/Cable Cross Rows

When performing lateral raises, tilt your wrists slightly downward. Dumbbells should be taken with an overhand grip. Try to avoid transferring the load to the front of your body. When performing cross rows on blocks, alternate your top hand on each lift.

I like to do this superset at the beginning of my workout because it's ideal as a warm-up. In addition, I must admit that the middle and rear deltoid muscles are my weak points. Therefore, I put this superset at the beginning, when I am still full of strength and energy.

Shoulder superset 2: Barbell press/chin row

When doing this, use a wide grip to stimulate the rear deltoids the most, not the front ones. Roll your shoulders forward and lift the barbell to the middle of your chest.

Try to keep the barbell close to your body. When performing a front press, grab the barbell with an underhand grip and lift it to eye level.

Street workout - Paul Wade push-ups

If your shoulders tolerate the previous exercises well, add more intensity! Lie on the floor in a push-up position, push up, and then quickly jump to your feet and start swinging your arms (imagine that you are about to make a jump and help yourself with your arms). The only thing is, try to complicate the basic exercise a little: instead of bringing your palms together, actively work with your hands, try to touch your back with them. This small change will spice up the banal push-up.

Don't rest between sets, work non-stop. You've done 1 set - good, immediately start 2. Continue moving until you achieve 10 sets of 10 repetitions. Make sure you perform the exercise correctly! By the way, this is a great cardio workout!

1 superset for arms: standing biceps curl (curved barbell) / French bench press

Now the fun begins. Before starting this superset, rest for about five minutes. Give your body some rest time to release tension before performing arm exercises.

Your goal for this superset is to control your weight; Don't let your weight dictate your terms. If you can feel your lower back and anterior deltoid muscles while doing the lifts, then you are doing everything right. For the French bench press, I prefer dumbbells - this way the load is evenly distributed on each triceps, and I can be sure that my muscles are receiving the necessary tension.

Dream Interpretation - Human Back

The back carries various negative meanings. Sometimes we see someone else’s back, this is a sign of separation. To feel someone behind one’s back is to be exposed to some danger. Including an attack from one’s own unconscious. To hide behind someone’s back is to experience fear, to seek power support. If someone's back interferes with your view, there is a possibility that your past is interfering with your life today. But if not noticing your back in a dream is very likely, then with regard to hair there is no such oversight. We always remember if we paid attention to hair. Their appearance is usually associated with our thoughts. Combing hair in a dream means putting thoughts in order. Seeing disheveled hair means confusion in thoughts. Hair length also matters

If you see yourself or someone else have lush long hair, this is the personification of yours or someone else’s spiritual strength, confidence. While a short haircut symbolizes the limitation of thoughts and even superficial judgment. Sometimes hair is the personification of not only spiritual strength but and vital energy, health. Therefore, losing hair in a dream can mean loss of health or social status. The back in a dream indicates that something is happening secretly from you. Seeing someone else’s hunched back behind your back means worries, secret enemies. A lover’s back means separation, betrayal on his part.

Jump sets

The second name is alternating approaches. The scheme is very similar to the super series. Two antagonist exercises are also selected, but the method of performing them is different. Firstly, jump sets are designed to develop the strength qualities of an athlete, which means that the number of repetitions in each approach does not exceed 12. Secondly, the elements that make up the set are alternated in different ways.

Between elements you need to rest for 1.5–2 minutes so that the muscles have time to restore ATP reserves.

The advantages of this training scheme:

• increasing strength abilities;
• muscle mass growth;
• overcoming a plateau;
• reduction of training time;
• stimulation of the hormonal system.

Examples of jump sets

All elements in jump sets are performed in a power style. Therefore, pauses of 1.5–2 minutes are required between exercises. Options:

• Legs (quadriceps and hamstrings): squats with a barbell (1 set) + lying leg curls in a machine (3 sets) + squats with a barbell (2 sets);
• Chest-back: bench press + pull-ups + bench press + pull-ups + bench press + pull-ups.

What muscles can be pumped on the same day as the pectoral muscles? One muscle group per workout

Working one muscle group per training session is common among bodybuilders. The main argument against it is that each muscle group is not worked enough times during the week - there is too much rest between working each group

However, this is not true, taking into account that the volume of load is important, and not how many times a week a particular muscle group is trained. The main advantage of this type of training is that you can focus all your attention on one muscle group and really stimulate it, and then give it a full week to fully recover. It all really simplifies the training process, and there is solid science behind it all. rationale. This is why athletes 40 years of age and older can gain muscle mass no less effectively than younger ones. Numerous studies show that working a muscle group every 5-7 days is the optimal frequency for stimulating muscle growth. The main concerns are that you can become weaker

However, there is no need to worry because proper recovery is the best way to increase strength. The main thing to remember is that you should not do any extra work, because there will only be one or two days of rest per week. This means that on chest day you only need to train your chest. The same applies to all other muscle groups. Naturally, there will be partial overlaps (overlaps). For example, when you do a bench press, the chest, anterior deltoids, and triceps are naturally loaded. The idea is that on chest day you only do bench presses or other chest exercises. And don’t do isolation exercises for the triceps, such as French presses. This is an exercise for the arms and therefore you need to save it for arm day.

The importance of performing super abdominal moves

Working out the abdominal area is a very important factor that needs to be given priority attention. After all, its correct development gives not only a visual effect - “cubes”, but also the correct formation of the entire muscular system. In the case of the abdominal area, a superset on the press will allow you to hypertrophy the rectus abdominis muscle and maximally work out all its areas - lower, middle and upper

In the case of the abdominal area, a superset on the abs will allow you to hypertrophy the rectus abdominis muscle and maximally work out all its areas - lower, middle and upper.

The abdominal muscle area consists of several groups:

• rectus abdominis muscle;
• external obliques;
• internal obliques;
• transverse abdominis muscle.

The success of all athletic activities depends on the uniform development of a set of muscle zones.

Therefore, it is recommended to pay special attention to the press, and divide the series of supersets into several techniques. More often they use a simple method of working out the rectus abdominis muscle, in which a series of 2-3 exercises achieves significant strengthening of one muscle structure. But the training schedule must additionally include a comprehensive superset of 7-8 exercises for circular training of the entire abdominal area

But the training schedule must additionally include a comprehensive superset of 7-8 exercises for circular training of the entire abdominal zone.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=g-bARWiPZXY

Description of the workout

Take your chest training efficiency to the next level! There's no denying that the high-tonnage bench press is the king of mass gain in the chest area, but by adding new variations in force vectors, arm positioning, and technique, we can be more effective and achieve more impressive results.

A well-thought-out training plan that targets muscle hypertrophy is a great starting point.

Giving it your all in the gym, completing extra reps and crushing your muscles will definitely get you the results you want! Our goal is to maximize this result and raise training productivity to the next level, and for this you need to not only puff under the barbell, but also think with your head. Incorporate these techniques to take your chest training and results into new orbit.

Biceps and triceps workout

Arm training using supersets is used for different purposes.

With the help of two sets, they work both on increasing the muscle mass of the arms and on their relief.

BRIEFLY ON THE TOPIC:

Easy options can be used even by beginners. Although this method will benefit intermediate and advanced athletes more.

It is best used when the body has already adapted to power loads and needs a new type of stress to stimulate further muscle growth.

The total duration of use of supersets is 4-6 weeks.

Then the body needs rest from such an extremely intense load. To do this, you can return to classic schemes.

Training frequency:

1. If you are working on increasing the volume of your arms, then the optimal frequency of pumping with supersets is once a week
2. If you work on relief - 1-2 times a week.

The number of exercises, approaches, repetitions and working weight depend on your goals.

Loads for muscle mass:

• Typically, this is three supersets per workout.
• Performed in 2-4 approaches
• Average rep range – 8-12 reps
• Working weights 60-75% of 1 repetition maximum (RM)

Terrain training:

• Only 3-5 two sets per hand are performed
• Approaches – 3-5
• Repetitions – 10-20
• Working weights 50% of 1RM

Complex

Supersets are very often (very noticeably in the gyms) confused with complex/combined sets, especially in the context of the buttocks. Supersets are always performed on antagonist muscles, and combination sets are performed on the same muscle.

What a hall there is - go online. Most articles describe complex sets, but call them supersets: that’s understandable, there are an order of magnitude more requests for supersets! In fact, complex sets are such a convenient way to pump. Read more about this in the article Full and partial amplitude. Work within the amplitude. Pumping

Despite the erroneous beliefs of many, the effect of combination sets is much greater than that of supersets.

However, it is important to remember that such sets are extremely difficult and intense. Try working with your usual weights, and you will feel that they clearly need to be reduced

Complex sets turn even light weights into heavy weights.

Complex sets are a great way to increase intensity, but are only suitable for the experienced. And you shouldn’t use this technique in every workout, otherwise you’ll get overtrained.

Combined sets are performed as follows: first come the exercises that use multi-joint movements - basic, and only then those that work one joint - isolation.

Here are examples of such combined sets:

For girls and women

For legs and buttocks

To train your legs and buttocks in the gym or at home, it is better to choose the following supersets (which, according to the rules, are actually called combined):

1. The ideal squat for the buttocks and elastic butt + Reduction+breeding of the legs in the simulator
2. Glute bridge + Romanian single leg deadlift with barbell or dumbbells
3. deadlift + barbell bending

Hamstrings: lying leg curls + standing single leg curls.

Quadriceps: narrow leg press + lunges with dumbbells.

Shin: standing calf raise + sitting calf raise.

For back, chest and shoulders

Back:

1. pull-ups behind the head with a wide grip + pull-downs behind the head with a wide grip,
2. Bent-over barbell row with a wide grip + seated row with a wide grip,
3. sitting block row to the waist with a narrow grip + deadlift,
4. deadlift + hyperextension.

Front delts: barbell row to the chin + lifting dumbbells in front of you.

Pectorals + middle deltoids: barbell press + dumbbell lateral raises.

Rear delts: bent over dumbbell flyes + dumbbell flyes lying face down on a bench.

For arms - biceps and triceps

Biceps: standing biceps curl + concentrated biceps curl.

Triceps: French bench press + pulley press.

For the press

1. “Upper press”: incline sit-ups + crunches,
2. “Lower abs”: hanging leg raises + reverse crunches,
3. sitting torso turns + standing torso turns. These abdominal exercises can be performed at home,
4. serratus and intercostal muscles: crunches on a block + hanging leg raises with rotation.

For men

We want to surprise both the weak and strong half of humanity: the above-described exercise options and training programs for the back, legs, shoulders, chest, and abs are suitable for both men and women. All exercises are universally unisex, so do them with confidence. All prohibitions are only in our heads.

Cunning

These are diametrically opposed movements that must be taken into account when creating your training program.

Sometimes this order is changed - first single-joint movements, and then multi-joint ones. This technique helps to pre-fatigue the muscle before starting the main work (it is used to “punch” the muscle - “Concentration in training: shake your butt with your head”). In this case, the muscle will more acutely perceive the training load in subsequent multi-joint exercises.

Here is an example of such a combined set: Gluteal swings + Leg press in the simulator

How to perform a superset on legs and buttocks for girls

It’s probably not worth reminding that there should be rest between approaches. Just like between exercises. This is obvious and everyone knows about it. Rest between exercises should be at least two minutes. Between approaches, rest is at least a minute. The number of repetitions when performing a regular exercise should be from twelve to fifteen times. When performing a superset on the legs and buttocks for a girl, you should be guided by slightly different rules. The weight should be less than the working one. But the number of repetitions should be increased to twenty to twenty-five times. When doing this, the muscles receive a strong load. If physical fitness allows, then the rest between approaches should be reduced to thirty seconds. With this exercise, the muscles work very actively to the limit of their capabilities. Sets for the buttocks and legs can include regular exercises alternating with supersets. In this case, more active calorie burning occurs.

Reduction of arms in the Peck Deck simulator.

Why on the list: Most beginners find it difficult to train using dumbbells or cable machines at the very beginning because their arms must be “locked” in a slightly bent elbow position throughout the entire exercise.

Fortunately, Peck Deck simplifies this task because it allows you to work in only one motion vector. So this exercise is a great training movement and you can get a great muscle pump without having to balance the weight.

EMG data shows that pectoral and anterior deltoid activation is statistically similar between the Peck Deck and the Barbell Press, meaning that even if you work in different rep ranges for each exercise, you will still get more pectoral activation using this machine.

In Your Workout: Finish your chest workout with this isolation exercise, working in the 10-12 rep range. Do drop sets and partial repetitions, pumping out the maximum from your muscles, training until complete muscle failure.

Pushups

Push-ups are a universal exercise that has virtually no contraindications or disadvantages as such. It is highly effective as a general strengthening, preventive and rehabilitation exercise.

Advantages of push-ups

• Helps develop endurance.
• Tones all the muscles of the body.
• Develops and strengthens the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
• Strengthens ligaments.
• Develops the muscles of beginner athletes.
• One of the safest for health.
• Relevant at any age and for any gender.

Flaws

• Cannot be performed with injuries to the elbow joints.
• Not effective for experienced athletes in mass-building training.

What muscles can you train on the same day as your shoulders? For gaining muscle mass

According to sports medicine recommendations, strength training should be performed at least twice a week. During this time, you will develop the main muscle groups: chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs, anterior and posterior thigh muscles.

Remember that 48 hours of rest is necessary for any muscle recovery

Do not forget that to gain weight you need to pay attention to high-quality protein nutrition and appropriate calorie intake

What to train with in the gym to gain weight? You should not load a large number of muscles at the same time, but the muscles involved should work to their maximum, if possible without affecting another large muscle group.

In this case, the body will specifically restore certain areas without wasting building material to bring the entire body back to normal.

Training opposing muscle groups is one of the most common types of strength training. At the same time, in one session they do exercises on antagonistic muscles, which ensure the movement of joints in opposite directions. Simply put, you work on the front and back of a specific area of ​​the body on the same day.

Since you will need rest for the stressed muscles, it is convenient to train on a different part of the body the next day.

Advantages of this method:

• The target muscle group works to the maximum. You won't be able to achieve the same effect by training your whole body at once. By focusing on a different area each time, you will get results faster.
• Research shows that you engage muscle fibers more actively when you work or at least stretch antagonist muscles in the same session. This means that the chest press will be more effective after the mid-back stretch.
• Training antagonistic muscles ensures that you work both sides of the body evenly, maintaining a balanced development of the figure.

The disadvantages of this type of training include the fact that you will only work each muscle group once a week. Sample schedule for four workouts per week:

• Monday: chest and back.
• Tuesday: anterior and posterior thigh muscles, abs.
• Thursday: biceps, triceps and shoulders.
• Saturday: chest and back.

Next Monday, do thigh and abdominal exercises and continue the rotation further.

Another option for targeted muscle loading is to divide large muscle groups by day. Thus, one day you train the chest and triceps, the next day - the back and biceps, the next workout - the legs and shoulders.

The shoulders can be worked together with the pectoral muscles. This method of training is also convenient for a busy training plan.

Keep in mind that to improve performance and relieve stress on the nervous system, the training strategy must be periodically changed. For example, do exercises for the biceps together with the pectoral muscles, and the back with the triceps. This will diversify your workouts, relieve psychological fatigue and give impetus to further gain muscle mass.

Eating habits and sleep

Since supersets on the horizontal bar and uneven bars are an extremely energy-intensive type of training, every athlete who practices them must eat right. Thus, an athlete’s diet must include fish, meat and dairy products, as well as fruits.

If we talk about special sports nutrition, experts recommend taking a set of essential amino acids, creatine and beta-alanine (it helps remove lactic acid from muscles), as well as protein, before and after training.

Muscles recover and grow only during the night's rest, so any athlete should get enough sleep (8 hours of sleep).

Weight Loss Benefits

The advantage is that the muscles relax not only directly during rest, but also when you train antagonist muscles. Those. you can get a lot of work done in a workout, which means you can burn more calories and lose weight faster! It is precisely because basic exercises do not allow muscles to recover effectively while training the antagonist muscle that they are not recommended for use as exercises for supersets.

But contrary to popular opinion, for effective muscle growth, they do NOT need to be shocked and surprised: How often do you need to change your training program or why muscles do NOT need to be surprised. So if you're using supersets to surprise your muscles, don't

Whether there will be supersets for mass or for relief depends on a simple fact: working weight. If you want to build muscle, then choose low- and medium-rep training with weights from 70% to 100% of your maximum with 1 light workout once every 2 weeks, if you are on a calorie deficit and want to lose weight, it will be easier for you to do moderate and high-repetition mode, with weights from 40% to 70% interspersed with heavy training. But fat burning or weight gain, remember, depends on your diet, period!

Oh, yes, and we cannot load only part of the muscle. No. No way.

Let's start with the fact that the need to train different parts of the muscles can arise only in one case - when these different parts of the muscles perform different movements. For example, it makes sense to separately pump the front, middle and rear deltoid muscles, the lower and middle parts of the chest, and so on. However, it is impossible to load different areas of the muscle performing the same movement! The entire muscle contracts, transferring force from one bone to another.

Where did the theory come from that you can load different areas of one muscle? During the training process, various pain sensations actually arise, differing both in nature and in the place of occurrence. However, this does not mean that some part of the muscle received more load, and some less. The occurrence of pain in a certain part of the muscle only indicates that there are more receptors in this place that record changes in the muscles. For example, receptors that detect muscle stretching are located at the ends of the muscles, at the points of their connection with the tendons, as well as in the tendons themselves.

For this reason, when you stretch a hamstring, you may feel pain in your hamstrings, although the hamstring will be stretched all the way from the origin to the end of the attachment. Similar sensations will be observed when other muscles are affected - the entire muscle will be stretched, and pain will be observed only in a separate part of it (at the point where it passes into the tendon). Thus, subjective sensations of pain in a specific area of ​​the muscle do not mean that this part received more load.

Exercise training program

• Cardio:
• Elliptical trainer
• Interval running 2-3 kilometers on a track: 400 meters at an average pace + 200 meters walking or easy running.
• Exercise bike 4-6 kilometers: 500 meters at a medium load for you + 500 at a light load and alternate.

Day 1:

for the back and chest: bent over row + chest press. for the hamstrings and buttocks: squats + lunges / step-ups + crossover leg raises / seated calf raises + sumo squats / leg abductions + leg press / deadlift + seated leg extension. outer and inner thighs: abduction and extension of legs while sitting on a machine + lateral swings with weights (in a crossover)

Day 2:

For the muscles of the whole body: deadlift. For shoulders: dumbbell chest press + dumbbell side swings while seated. For the abs: hanging leg raises + crunches.

Day 3:

for hamstrings and calves: squat with dumbbells + standing calf raises + deadlift. on the pectoral muscles and back: barbell press from a lying position + pull-down of the upper block to the chest (wide grip) dumbbell fly in a lying position upside down.

Types of sets in bodybuilding to increase muscle mass

1. Superset.
   In this case, the athlete chooses a pair of exercises that work opposite muscle groups. This could be, for example, biceps and triceps. Perform exercises without rest between sets.
2. Two-set.
   This type involves the use of two exercises of the same type. They should be performed without a pause between sets.
3. Partial repetitions.
   When an athlete runs out of strength and is no longer able to perform a repetition at the maximum amplitude, then the barbell should be pressed to a third of the amplitude.
4. Drop set.
   Here the bodybuilder reduces the weight during sets. Most often, a maximum of 3 steps of weight loss is done. Such sets are an excellent tool for stimulating muscle growth. This way you shock your muscles and make them grow faster. You should only switch to this intense training method when you feel energetic enough. Remember that such a technique is work at the limit of one’s capabilities, which means that such training should not be carried out at every training session.
5. Rest-pause.
   It is best to understand the effect of this type of set using the example of squats. If your norm is one hundred kilograms for twelve repetitions, then after you complete them, you hang the barbell, but do not leave the rack. After inhaling eight to ten times, pick up the weight again and do maximum repetitions. Then you repeat everything again. Such stress leads to the fact that the muscles respond with their own hypertrophy, which means that the muscles increase.
6. Set is different.
   When performing biceps curls, you can use a regular grip and a reverse grip. All repetitions should be done without a pause between different grips - as if in one set. The same lift can be done with dumbbells with three grips - palms up, down and directed towards the body. By performing all 3 movements for maximum repetitions, you get a set of different grips. One such set is enough - most often they don’t do it again.
7. Forced approach.
   This type is also included in the group of sets in bodybuilding for increasing muscle mass. When you have already completed the required repetitions and can no longer continue, a partner or coach helps you do a few more repetitions.
8. Refusal approach.
   This is a complex that includes several types of sets under the banner of the refusal approach.
9. Cluster sets.
   This option works perfectly for hypertrophy. Two exercises are used, aimed at one muscle group, they alternate with a pause between approaches. By doing a total of six sets of a pair of exercises, you can achieve impressive results in muscle growth.
10. Variable load approaches.
    The ideal technique for performing the exercise is important here, and the athlete must be in excellent health. The point here is to add additional weight to the bar for seven to eight reps without lowering the bar.

Tables of height and weight for boys by year from 1 to 18 years: norms of child indicators in accordance with WHO