Dumbbell Row to a Buffer Back
A muscular back is one of the ultimate symbols of power, as well as a very useful group of muscles to develop for athletic performance. In total, the dynamic bent-over dumbbell row works 13 separate muscles, including the middle trapezius, the lower trapezius, the rhomboids, and the biceps. With the help of this magnificent exercise, which is one of my favorites, you too can have a powerful back like the one in the picture to the right.
But before you can perform this great exercise, you are going to need some equipment. Most importantly, you will need a pair of dumbbells or a barbell (I will discuss this variation later), as well as a bench to support yourself on. You can purchase some pretty good adjustable dumbbells You can buy some great adjustable dumbbells here, but personally i would just become a member of a gym.
The dumbbell bent-over row is really a very simple exercise to perform. To begin, kneel over the side of a bench by placing your knee and the hand of supporting arm on the bench. Position your foot of the opposite leg slightly back to the side. Grasp dumbbell from floor. Pull the dumbbell straight up until the upper arm is just above horizontal. Slowly lower back to the starting position and you have succussully completed one rep. Throughout the exercise lift in a slow and controlled motion, making sure that you do not rotate your torso in an attempt to throw up the weight. For strength gains, perform this exercise with 5 sets of 3 repetitions of lifting a heavy weight. To gain mass, you should instead lift with 3 sets of 12 repetitions.
You now know how to perform one of my favorite back exercises (along with the pull-up). For extra variation, mix up your workout by performing this exercise with a barbell. The advantage of this variation is that you do not need a bench to support yourself. To assume the starting position, bend your knees slightly and bend over the bar with your back straight. Grasp barbell with a wide overhand grip. Then proceed to pull the bar up to your waist, and then lower the bar back down to starting position with your arms fully extended.
Build the Body of a Greek God
The statue of Doryphoros by Polykleitos displays the perfect proportions of a Greek God. Who doesn’t want to have a body like this, with ideal proportions and a great set of abs. To achieve such a perfect body, one must workout eight different muscle groups to match this statue.
1. Neck Workout
It may seem strange, but you will need to workout your neck to match the massive 19 inch neck of Doryphoros.
Exercise #1: Dumbbell Shrug.While grasping the dumbbells tightly, and your arms at your side, relax your shoulders. Now raise your shoulders as high as you can go. Now slowly return to the starting position while relaxing your trapezius and your shoulders. Again, try to use a weight that you can do 3×8.
Exercise #2: Upright Row. Begin by holding a barbell in an overhand grip and your hands comfortably apart. Let the weight hang directly in front of you. Lift the bar straight up, keeping the bar close to your body. Lift until your elbows and forearms are level with the ground. Lower the weight slowly to the starting point. Make sure you have good form as this exercise can be dangerous if done improperly. Also do 3×8, but make sure the weights are to heavy (don’t hurt yourself).
2. Bicep Workout
In order to match this statue’s 16.5 inch biceps, you will need to really work those biceps pretty hard.
Exercise #1: Close Grip Chin-Up. First of all, get a pull-up bar. Grip the bar with your palms facing you and with your hands spaced an inch or two apart. Using your arms, pull your body up until your chin is above the bar. Then lower yourself down until your arms and shoulders are completely straight. With this exercise, its impossible to say how many reps you should be doing. Instead, you should do as many chin-ups as you can until failure to lift your chin above the bar, and then do two additional sets of that. Video instruction here.
Exercise #2: Concentration Bicep Curl. Siting on the bench grasp dumbbell between feet, place back of upper arm to inner thigh. Raise elbow slightly by leaning into leg. Slowly raise the dumbbell to the front of the shoulder, and then lower it back down to starting position. Do 5 sets of 3 repetitions (the weight should be something heavy for you).
Concentration Bicep Curl
3. Chest Workout
With a chest measurement of 52 inches, this statue has some serious pectorals.
Exercise #1: Bench Press. Do this classic exercise with either a barbell or dumbbells, with instructions for the dumbbells here. For best results, do 5 sets of 3 reps with heavy weight.
Exercise #2: Push Ups. For extremely detailed instructions on how to do push ups the right way, go here. As with close grip chin-ups, there is no set amount of repetitions you should be doing, as it varies by person and strength. But a really great website to check out is http://www.hundredpushups.com/. Here you can find a good plan to get really good at push ups.
4. Forearms Workout
The forearms are an often overlooked part of the body but still play an important role in establishing your look as a Greek god (14.5 inches).
Exercise #1: Wrist roll. Tie one end of a 30-inch rope to a broomstick that’s been shortened to 18 inches. Tie the other end to a five-to 10-pound weight. Hold the stick horizontally in front of you using an overhand grip, then roll it to raise and lower the weight. Repeat the exercise as many times as you can.
Exercise #2: Wakeboarding. Not only is wakeboarding an extremely fun sport, but it also will help you develop extremely strong forearms. This is because the muscles that help you hold on to the wakeboarding handle are located in your forearms. Just trust me, your forearms will be on fire after a solid wakeboarding session.
5. Buttocks Workout
While it may seem ridiculous, these 47.5 inch buttocks are no laughing matter.
Exercise #1:The only exercise you need to really develop those glutes is the squat. The squat is performed by bending the legs at the knees and hips, lowering the torso between the legs, and then reversing direction to stand up straight again. As far as repetitions go, try doing 3 sets of 15, and then if that gets to easy start doing them with a barbell behind your shoulders.
6. Calves Workout
To match Doryphoros’ calves, you will need an impressive measurement of 19 inches.
Exercise #1: Calf Raise. To perform this simple exercise, raise your heels by extending the ankles as high as possible. Lower heels by bending ankles until calves are stretched. Repeat. Perform this exercise in a 3×15 format, and if this becomes easy do it with a barbell behind your shoulders.
7. Waist Exercise
Due to the discus, a sport commonly practiced in ancient Greece, Doryphoros has a truely massive waist (40.5 inches) largely composed of his buff obliques.
Exercise #1: Cable Wood Chop.
Start with your feet wider than shoulder width and your toes slighty pointed outwards. Grab the handle with both hands just above your shoulder. Rotate your body downwards towards your opposite knee. Make sure that you keep your arms straight and rotate through the trunk. Extend through your knees and hips and rotate your body back up to the starting position.
Exercise #2: Twisting trunk curl. Lie on the floor with your lower legs on a chair seat. Slowly curl your upper torso off the floor; but at the top of the movement, slowly twist to the right, bringing your left elbow toward your right knee. Untwist and lower yourself, then curl up and twist to the left. That’s one repetition. Do two to four sets of 20-25 repetitions.
8. Thigh Workout
To finish off your Greek God body, you will need to get some 26.5 inch thighs.
Exercise #1: Leg Press. Pick a weight you can press only about a dozen times. After the twelfth repetition, quickly reduce the weight by 20 percent and do 6-8 more. If you are up to the challenge, drop the weight an additional 20 percent and pound out 6-8 more.
Exercise #2: Lunges. To perform the lunge, the individual stands with their feet shoulder-width apart, and then steps forward, landing with the heel first. The knee should be exactly at 90 degrees and directly over the toes. The motion is continued until the back knee is nearly touching the ground. Then they return to their starting position by driving upward forward with the front leg, and repeat the exercise by stepping forward with their other leg.
So there you have it, 8 muscle groups to develop to get the godlike body you’ve always wanted.
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