- Do some deadlifts for a perfect compound exercise. Keep the force of the lift in your legs and back.
- Boost your upper body strength with a pull up. If you can’t do one, that’s okay! You can build those muscles with dead hangs and inverted rows, and work your way up.
- To target your chest, delts, and rhomboids, use a lat pull or seated cable row machine.
Deadlifts
Grow your legs, traps, and forearms with deadlifts. The deadlift is a perfect compound exercise that helps you build major mass in your lower body and back. To do it, stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and the middle of your feet directly under a weighted barbell. Exhale, grip the bar overhand and power your hips forward, pulling the bar up towards the hips. Then, inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to starting position. Do 6-10 reps per set. Aim for 2-3 sets (resting 2-3 minutes between sets). Before lifting, bend your knees slightly and position your hips so your back is parallel with the floor. Keep the force of your lift in your back and legs and engage your core as you lift. Muscles targeted: calves, core, erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, traps
Pull Ups
Build your upper body strength with a standard pull up. Pull ups are a terrific pull workout that you can do with just your body weight. To do a pull up, grab onto a pullup bar with your hands shoulder-length apart. Then, pull yourself up, contracting your biceps and shoulder blades until your chin reaches the bar. Pause at the top before you slowly lower yourself back down. Do 6-12 reps per set for 2-4 sets, resting 1-2 minutes between sets. If you can’t do a traditional pull-up, that’s okay! Lots of people (including bodybuilders) can’t. Work your way up to one with other pull exercises like inverted rows. Muscles targeted: biceps, core, forearms, late, rear deltoids, rhomboids
Bent-Over Rows
Improve your posture and shape your back with bent-over rows. To do a bent-over row, bend over and grab a weighted barbell (or 2 dumbbells) with an overhand grip. Keep your torso parallel with the floor. Then, drive your elbows behind your body and retract your shoulder blades, moving the bar up toward your belly button. Pause, squeeze your delts, then, slowly lower the weight back down and repeat. Perform 3-4 sets for 10-12 reps, resting 1-2 minutes between each round. You don’t need to lower the bar all the way to the floor. Just straighten your arms so the weight falls at about shin level. Muscles targeted: biceps, forearms, lats, posterior delts, traps, rhomboids, spinal erectors
Lat Pulldowns
Target the largest muscles in your back with cable pulldowns. Find a lat pulldown machine and grab a seat, reaching your arms up to grab the bar. Lock your thighs under the leg pads. Then, exhale and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull the bar down towards your chin, stopping when it falls right above your chest. Exhale as you steadily release the bar back to the top. Perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, resting 1-2 minutes between each set. To target your lats even more, pause as you lower the bar, squeezing your back muscles for 1-2 seconds before releasing. Don’t lean back or use momentum to yank the bar down. Lead the pull with your elbows and sit with upright posture. Muscles targeted: biceps, chest, delts, forearms, lats, rhomboids, traps
Bicep Curls
Do a curl variation for the perfect bicep workout. Bicep curls are simple, and you can customize them to build different parts of your arm. For a standard curl, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold one dumbbell in each of your hands. With your palms forward, curl the weight up to your shoulders, keeping your elbows locked at the sides of your body. Pause at the top, squeezing your biceps for 1-2 seconds. Then, exhale as you slowly lower your arms back down. Perform 8-12 reps and 3 sets per arm, resting 1-2 minutes between each set. To target your biceps more directly, try a preacher curl. Sit at a preacher curl bench and curl the weight with your arms fully extended, flat against the bench’s pad. You can also incorporate sets of 21s into your bicep workout. For 21s, curl 7 reps, but only bring your biceps up 1/3rd of the way to your shoulders. Then, perform 7 more reps with your biceps 1/3rd of the way up as your starting position. Finish with 7 reps of the full motion. You can use a barbell for curls, too, but dumbbells are recommended since they prevent you from subconsciously using your dominant arm to control the movement. This’ll help create symmetry in your arm muscles so they’re more functional and look totally hunky. Muscles targeted: biceps, forearms
Hammer Curls
Try hammer curls to target your elbow flexors too. Stand in the same position as a normal bicep curl, but with your palms facing each other. Then, squeeze your bicep and bring the weight towards your chest, raising your elbows until your lower arms touch your upper arms. Perform 8-12 reps and 3 sets per arm, resting 1-2 minutes between each set. Muscles targeted: biceps, forearms
Dumbbell Pull-Overs
Boost your pecs and upper body flexibility with a dumbbell pullover. To crush this exercise, lay down on a stable weight bench with your feet on the floor, holding one dumbbell in each hand directly above you (with your palms facing each other). Then, inhale and extend the weights back behind—but not below—your head. Hold this position for 3-4 seconds. Then, bring the dumbbells back up to their starting position. Perform 10-12 reps. Aim for 3-4 sets (resting 1-2 minutes between sets). Keep your elbows slightly bent and lower the weight as slowly as possible, so you’re not using momentum. Muscles targeted: chest, lats, triceps
Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
Try a single-arm row to provide stability while building your upper back. Place 1 leg on a flat weight bench (at a 90 degree angle), with that same-side hand on the bench directly under your shoulder. Keep your other leg on the ground next to the bench and use your available hand to lift the dumbbell from the floor, moving your elbows past your back without turning your hips or shoulders. Then, slowly lower the dumbbell back to the ground. Do 6-12 reps. Try to hit 3-4 sets on each side. Rest 1-2 minutes between each set. Pause at the top of the motion and remember to engage your core. Keep your back parallel to the floor in your starting position. This exercise can easily be performed at home with smaller dumbbells, because it doesn’t require much weight to simulate muscle growth. Muscles targeted: biceps, forearms, lats, posterior delts, rhomboids, spinal erectors, traps
Shoulder Shrugs
Grow your traps with shoulder shrugs. Shrugs are a guaranteed way to build your upper body. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. With a dumbbell in each hand, exhale and contract your shoulder blades as you raise your shoulders up to your ears. Hold this contraction for about 5 seconds before lowering your dumbbells back down. Perform 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps, resting for about 1 minute between each set. It’s important to use dumbbells instead of barbells for this exercise. Dumbbells have less stability, which forces your body to compensate and engage more muscle groups. Muscles targeted: delts, forearms, rhomboids, traps
Cable Face Pulls
Target your lats and delts with rope pulls. Connect a cable rope to the top pulley of a cable machine and grab it with your thumbs facing down. Keeping your arms straight, pull the rope towards your face, spreading each side of the rope just past your ears. Pause. Then, slowly extend your arms to return the rope to its original position. Do 8-12 reps of this. Try to get 3-4 sets done (resting 1-2 minutes between each set). Before pulling, turn your hands slightly so your palms face each other and the ends of the rope face downward. Flex your arms right as you pull the rope past your ears. Do 8-12 reps of this. Try to get 3-4 sets done (resting 1-2 minutes between each set). Muscles targeted: rear delts, rhomboids, traps
Chin Ups
Chin ups are a pull-up variation that work your biceps more. For a chin up, grip a pull up bar with your arms close together (shoulder-width apart or tighter) and your palms facing you. Then, pull yourself up just as you would if you were performing a pull-up. Aim to complete 3 sets of 6-10 reps, resting 1-2 minutes between each set. Muscles targeted: biceps, chest, forearms, lats, rear delts, rhomboids
Seated Cable Rows
Use the row machine for some upper body action. Find a cable row station with a close-bar grip and sit on the flat bench with your knees slightly bent. Keeping your stomach perpendicular, grip the bar with both hands and your palms facing each other. Then, pull your shoulder blades together and arch your back as you pull the bar towards your stomach. Pause and squeeze your back muscles. Then, slowly release the bar. Do 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps. Rest about 2 minutes between each set. Be careful not to add too much weight. The seated cable row may seem like you can go heavy quickly, but breaking form could cause you to injure your back. Start light and build from there. Muscles targeted: biceps, lats, rear delts, rhomboids, traps
Barbell Hip Thrusts
Condition your glorious glutes with barbell hip thrusts. For this sensational compound exercise, sit on the floor with your back against a bench and your hips directly underneath your weighted barbell. Then, exhale and drive through your feet to lift the barbell so your stomach and thighs are parallel to the floor. Pause, and inhale as you slowly lower the bar back down. Do 6-10 reps per set. Aim for 2-3 sets (resting 2-3 minutes between sets). Keep your chin tucked down to your chest when you lift. Otherwise, you may overextend and put unnecessary pressure on your lower back instead of your lower body. If you’re lifting heavy, use a barbell pad so the bar doesn’t dig into your thighs or that precious area above them. Muscles targeted: glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps
Glute-Ham Raises
Build your posterior chain with glute-ham raises. Find a glute-ham machine and adjust it so your thighs are pressed firmly against the pads. Then, extend your knees and move your body forward until your back is parallel with the floor. From there, engage your hamstrings and pull yourself right back up without using your hands. Do 15-20 reps for 2-3 sets. Rest for 2-3 minutes between sets. Muscles targeted: calves, glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors
Good Mornings
Build back and core strength with good mornings. To say good morning the bodybuilder way, stand feet shouler-width-apart with a weighted barbell on your upper traps. Exhale and hinge forward, bending your knees and pushing your hips back (like you’re nudging something with your butt). Keep lowering until your spine is almost parallel to the floor. Then, keeping your core engaged, lift your upper half back up. Perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, resting 2-3 minutes between each set. Start super light if you haven’t done this exercise before. If you’re nervous about injury, you can hold a kettlebell in front of you instead of using a barbell. Remember to arch your back as you lower. Muscles targeted: core, erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings
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