The Best Exercises For Muscle Growth
Big muscle groups need compound heavy exercises in order to receive the right amount of stress and stimulus for growth. I have listed the major muscle groups and my choices for exercises that help build the most amount of muscle mass. Follow these recommendations and incorporate those movements and you will see for yourself that big weights build big muscles.
Back – Barbell Rows, Pull-Ups and Deadlifts – The back is composed of numerous smaller muscle groups and it takes a lot of heavy work from different angles in order to develop it significantly. Barbell rows when performed heavily engage most of the back muscle and create a deep and thick muscle look. The chin ups help create wide lats and the typical v-shape of the back. The deadlift is the king of the heavy exercises and when performed heavily it works all the back muscles. Incorporating those 3 exercises into you back routines will be sufficient to create a powerful and wide back.
Legs – Squats and Leg Presses – Squats are the king of all exercises and the most important exercise for developing big legs. Leg-presses are ideal because you can train with extreme weights and isolate the back from the movement so that you can focus only on the legs. The hamstrings are also worked from the squat and leg press if they are performed deep enough.
Chest – Barbell Bench Press – Needless to say every big chest is being built with the help of the bench press. The variations of the bench press (incline/decline) are also great for muscle growth.
Shoulders – Dumbbell Presses – For me dumbbell presses are the best shoulder exercise since they develop roundish shoulder appearance and help create the 3D illusion of the shoulder. Combine with some side lateral raises and you can get round and big shoulders that remind of apples and oranges.
Biceps – Barbell Curls – The heavy barbell curls work great for the development of the biceps. After all this is the primary exercise that Arnold used to build his biceps. That also happens to be my favorite exercise. You can do it with straight barbell or EZ-bar. I personal y prefer the EZ-bar because it puts less pressure on the wrists.
Triceps – Close-grip Bench Press and Skull Crushers – The close grip bench is heavy enough to cause triceps growth. I also start my arms routine with heavy close-grip bench press. You can try narrow overhand – standard grip, or you can try wide underhand grip – this way it is harder, but it works the triceps even better. The skull crusher is perfect for isolating the triceps, while simultaneously using sufficient weights.
Keep training hard and heavy! No easy way out!
