Are you looking to build a powerful physique? Would you like to create a torso that would make Zeus envious? There are a couple things you need to do then. You must of course supply your body with the proper nutrients to build and reshape muscle. That really should be a given,
but for some reason people often forget this simple step. Taking in plenty of protein, high quality carbs and healthy fats is essential. That is half of the equation. The other half is the fun stuff, what I love to do and I’m guessing since you are reading this you love to too! Lift some more serious weight! This sounds simple and can be; however, don’t fall into the trap many novices do and stunt your power potential!
You’re probably asking, “What trap do many novices fall into? “Well, let me ask you this, “What exercise does 99% of the Male Gym-go’er population love to do the most?” I’ll give you a second to think about it. . . . . . . . . . . OKAY that’s long enough. Did you come up with Bench Press? Chances are you did and if you are like me you too love to Bench. In the words of SEINFELD, “Not that there is anything wrong with that.” Bench Press is a fine exercise to build the Chest and Triceps; but, many novices neglect the opposite movement: pulling! The result is that the novice falls into the trap of way too many pushing and not enough pulling exercises.
At first glance, one might say “WHO CARES!” HA! I like it, but you should care! The reason is without doing the appropriate pulling exercises, you will stunt your power potential! Why is that? The reason is simple. Your body is a system of levers. When your levers are out of balance (Strength Wise) you risk injury and reduce maximum output. When your Levers are in balance you are better able to reach your full potential. This is because you’re bio-mechanically balanced posture puts you in a better position to work from AND your musculature opposite the working muscle groups can play a stabilizing role. An example of this is when on the Bench Press, the Lats and Rhomboids act as a stabilizing platform from which you work. Does that make sense?
Also let’s not forget simple aesthetics. Have you seen the guy that does nothing but Bench Press and Bicep Curls? Come on, I know you have seen him. If you look at him closely, you will notice he has an excessive Perma-Bend in his arms and his Shoulders HUNCH AND ROUND forward. Do you know why that is? The chest and biceps musculature is tight and not balanced by the opposite musculature. Lack of flexibility in the trained muscle and lack of strength on the opposite musculature (Lats, Rhomboids, Traps, Rear Delts and Triceps) causes this obvious imbalance in the physique.
As we touched upon briefly earlier, eating right is imperative. With that in check let’s get into how to balance the upper body for maximum power! Of course the pushing exercises such as Bench Press, Incline Press, Shoulder Press, Push-Ups and Chest Flies are great for the front side of the body. Now to maximize your power potential you must pull with power! What does this mean? You must put the same emphasis on your pulling movements that you do on the pushing movements. I am sure to do just as many pulling exercises as pushing in every training plan. I also diligently tend to the intensity of each to be sure both are balls to the wall! If you want both areas to develop equally you must train them equally in quantity and intensity.
Now you know the basics of creating this Greek-God like Physique allow me a moment to specify the exercises necessary:
Lat Pull-down: The lat pull-down is a great exercise to hit the, uhmmm, you guessed it: LATS! It’s a basic exercise where you engage the lats and pull the bar to the top of the chest ensuring maximum squeeze between the shoulder blades with each rep. There are a few variations that you can do that will change the emphasis of each movement. You can experiment with different grips such as Wide, Medium, Narrow, Overhand and/or Underhand. Traditional thinking says that a wider grip is good for adding width whereas a narrower grip is good for adding thickness. I say try them all and see what you feel the most!
Seated Row: For adding mass in the rhomboids (middle of the back) not much is better than a ROW. This as you probably already know is the exact opposite movement of the Bench Press so is obviously an awesome option to be sure you are getting a good movement in to balance the physique. Though there are many options of Rowing, one of my favorites is the Low Cable Row. While sitting you grip the bar and pull it to the stomach as you squeeze the shoulder blades together. Like the Lat Pull-down you have plenty of grip options as well. I find a wider grip with palms down puts more emphasis on the rear-delts while a narrower grip hits the Lats and Rhomboids.
Upright Row: For total shoulder development (especially the neglected rear delt and trap complex) not much rivals the Upright Row. This is an exercise you can move some serious weight with and get awesome results. Focusing on pulling the ELBOWS up & back with give you the development you are looking for.
Straight Arm Press down: This exercise is done with the Lat Pull-down bar. This is a good lat Isolation movement. The triceps are working in an isometric fashion but it’s the Lats that are responsible for moving the weight. Done properly you will feel the burn as you shred up the lats!
To perform these power balancing exercises you need a Lat-Pulldown assembly and a Low-Row machine. That is unless you can find them together. Some companies have this option. One of the more popular home gyms right now, Powertec, has a Lat Tower Accessory that can handle serious weight and allows you to do the previously mentioned exercises. For a price that is reasonable, especially when you compare it to other pieces on the market, it gets you through the day with a solid workout.
No matter what equipment you use to get it done just get it done. Balance the musculature of your body. Perform pushing and pulling exercises with equal quantity and intensity. The result will be a body less likely to become injured and more likely to reach maximum power potential! What’s more, you will be creating a physique that is aesthetically pleasing. If you aren’t doing this already, get started today and create the body to make all the Greek Gods jealous!
