The classic pushup works your chest in one standard direction. But what if you could challenge your chest in more ways, racking up pushup reps and time-under-tension all at once?
The pushup is one of the gold-standard bodyweight exercises, a move you can take with you anywhere that, when done correctly, blasts your abs and glutes, and builds muscle and strength in your chest, triceps, and shoulders (and, to some extent, the rest of your body, too).
There are thousands of exercises on today's fitness landscape, and a plethora of different training disciplines these days, and all of that can make it incredibly challenging to build yourself the perfect workout. Sure, you may know all the moves, but how do you make it all fit together? Where does the cardio go? Which exercises are best for lifting heavy? It's a lot of guesswork.
When you think back exercises, you general think of rows and pullups. And for good reason too. Rows are a key back move that helps offset the pushing positions of everyday life. And the pullup is one of the gold-standard exercises in fitness.
Forget kettlebells, medicine balls, and ropes. The no-nonsense path to muscle starts with dumbbells. Think about it: Even mighty Peloton integrates dumbbells for strength building. Youll rely on them during this workout, a four-day-a-week total-body session thatll add strength, boost endurance, and blast fat in 25 minutes a day.
The classic lateral raise is a tried-and-true way to build size on muscle on the outer (or lateral) head of your shoulders, a staple exercise in any hardcore, shoulder-growing routine. It's also a move that invites a lot of momentum and cheating.
The most critical element of the biceps curl is the squeeze at peak contraction. Getting a good squeeze at the top of a biceps curl rep helps your biceps feel like they're going to bust out of your arm. It's often a moment that gets wasted though: It's tough to hold a good, strong biceps curl squeeze, much easier to let your shoulder get involved, or momentum the weight up.
The traditional single-arm dumbbell row is one of the best exercises you can do for your back. Its also an exercise that, for all the wrong reasons, often relies on a bench.
Yes, you want to bench press, squat, and deadlift. But before you get into those complex movements, you should warm up. Thing is, you don't want that warm up to take forever. Yes, a 20-minute dynamic warmup with multiple moves is sometimes ideal. But you don't always have time for that.
Yes, your average, standard pushup can help you build chest size and strength, but if there's an issue with it, here it is: It only blasts your chest in one plane. Your muscles are meant to have strength and lend stabilization laterally as well, instead of just pushing you off the ground.
There are plenty of ways to push your chest to the limit with bodyweight, which is why you can build strong, well-proportioned pecs without using any weights at all. Two key weapons are volume and time-under-tension.
Yes, you can still build the summer muscle and strength that you want, even if you dont have access to a gym. You just have to get creative and resourceful.
You could do specific exercises for your abs, obliques, and lower back muscles. Or you could train them all at once. And if you want a core that both looks the part (read: a six-pack!) and performs like it, you're better off doing the latter.
The row is one of the most fundamental strength training exercises out there, critical for growing the back muscle that your body needs. It also strengthens something else, too: Your biceps.
One of the greatest challenges of bodyweight training is finding ways to overload your body. Yes, pushups and squats can challenge you, but, after awhile, you get comfortable moving your own bodyweight.
You want a ripped, chiseled core, the kind that looks great when you take your shirt off, and also lends you stability and strength in all situations. And building that core is a two-step process.
One of the best triceps-building moves you can do at home with no equipment is the classic bodyweight skullcrusher, a move that starts in plank position, then has you essentially straightening your arms to attack your triceps. But if there's a weakness to the move, it's this: You don't get a ton of stretch on your triceps.
Biceps curls and hammer curls can help you build overall arm size and strength. But if you really want to build biceps peaks, the large, baseball-like masses that make your arms truly stand out, then you have to add in other curl variations too.
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