Get Back to Basics With a Bodybuilding Session To Give You Wings
You arms are attention seekers. They make eyes at you when you're walking around the gym and, because you can see them staring, it's only natural that you get them as pumped as possible. We all do it.
What is obvious to everyone else working out around you, though, is that a broader, mightier back is the definition of a solid physique. You might not see it when you take a glance in the mirror, sure. Those show-stealing arms are hard to ignore but that does not make any less of a training truth.
Guz Vas Tostes is here to light the way. The MH Elite trainer and head of training at WIT may do a lot of CrossFit coaching but when he gets the chance, he loves a bit of good ol' bodybuilding. We'll just let Gus speak:
"Bodybuilding means isolation and there are few things to focus on. The first is getting the tension in the muscles right. Muscles can’t count, remember. So if you’re doing 12 reps as you are here, you need to use a weight that means you are totally fatigued on that final rep. If you can do another 3-4 reps, the weight was too light. If you can only manage 7-8, you’ve gone too heavy. You need to be dying for that twelfth rep! That’s how you get results.
"Secondly, just make sure you take enough rest. There is no magic amount of time – however long you personally need to make every set as good as the first. You have to give your body time to process that lactic acid. Respecting the rest is vital.
"The final thing is to think about the muscles you are working to truly isolate them. Take the cable row in this session for example – you’ve got to think about your shoulder blades pulling that weight, not just your arms. For back workouts, you’ve got really think about squeezing your back. Otherwise you’ll overload your biceps before your back gets any action!"
There are three supersets in this session – two moves that you do back-to-back with no rest. Do 12 reps of each (get that weight spot on, remember) then rest for as long as you need to go again. Do 4 sets of each pair of moves. Get it right and you'll have to walk out of the gym doors sideways...
1) Seated cable row (hammer grip) + straight bar lats pull-down (pronated)
2) Behind the neck pull-down + seated DB bent-over back fly
3) DB single arm row + inclined bench DBs back fly
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