Upper Body Training

You have not grown up to stay small . With this attitude, many of us train our eyes every day, hunting for the perfect body. But whether it is in the gym with state of the art equipment, or at home in the garage with a rusty dumbbell set, you have many hundreds of exercises to choose from. As a result, many of us waste precious time and energy on exercises that do not put much effort on the muscles where you want more muscle mass. Any successful bodybuilder or power-lifter can tell you that there are only a few exercises that have been used for decades to build mass. The rest of the exercises are fun to do, but can never be used to replace these basic exercises.

In this blog we discuss the best "tried and tested" exercises for more muscle mass . 

Part 1: the upper body

1. Bench press

Simple as it may seem, but by far the most popular exercise in the gym, this classic is the way to work on your muscle mass. The reason for the popularity of the bench press is that with this exercise you tackle a number of very important muscles, namely the pectoralis major (chest), anterior deltoid (shoulders) and the triceps.

Requirements : weight bench and dumbbell set

Sets and Reps : 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps. Warm up first with a light weight or only with the rod.

Technique : injuries often occur in bench pressures, so it is very important that you perform this exercise in a technically correct manner. Take the rod 10 to 15 cm wider than shoulder width. Bring your shoulder blades together, and make your lower back hollow so that you rest on your upper back. Put your feet far apart for maximum stability and then bring the rod down to your chest. Lower the rod completely to the chest, and as soon as the rod touches your chest, push it up again with full force. It does not matter how fast the bar goes up, if the movement is as explosive as possible. Make sure that the movement is straight up, and that the bar stays above your chest.

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2. Incline press

The incline press , or slanted bench press, is the best way to train the top of your chest muscles and gain more muscle mass. Because your body is slightly directed upwards, the rod makes a slightly smaller angle with respect to your chest, so you train more on the top of the chest. In jargon this is also called " training your top ". You will notice that you can push less with the incline press than with the flat bench press. Often this is about 2/3 of the weight that you use in the flat bench press.

Requirements : weight bench with adjustable backrest and dumbbell set

Sets and Reps : 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps

Technique : for a maximum result, you use the same technique to a large extent as with the bench press. So: grip 10 to 15 cm wider than shoulder width, hollow back and wide position with the legs for maximum support. Bring the rod to the top of your chest, and then push the rod full of explosive upwards. Keep your bottom on the bench during the exercise.

3. Military press

Where you took part of the shoulder with the incline press, you can take it full at the military press. The military press is therefore the shortest route to an impressive shoulder . To build maximum muscle mass with this exercise, it is important that you perform this standing , and therefore not sitting. You will find yourself standing with this exercise putting your whole body to work, from your palm to your heels. If you have not done this exercise so often, start with a light weight. If you are advanced and the military press really does heavy, it is advisable to use a belt that you put on your stomach and lower back.

Requirements : dumbbell set and possibly belt

Sets and Reps : 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

Technique : Grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder width. The position of the feet is right next to each other, slightly narrower than shoulder width. Bag your knees, pick up the bar with the well- defined grip (palms facing down), and place it on your chest so that your palms face forward. Tighten your core and your buttocks to prevent hyper-extension of your spine. Now push the rod straight upwards until your arms are straight. After this you let the rod drop back to the starting position on your chest.

4. Weighted dips (weighted dips)

The dip is an exercise that should not be missed in any workout. With the dip you train several important muscles: the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid and the triceps. When you can easily do 10 normal dips, it is time for the next step to create real muscle mass: "weighted dips", or weighted dips. You can add extra weight to yourself in different ways. The most obvious is to use a weight vest . If you do not have a weight vest, clamp a dumbell between your crossed legs, that works fine too.

Requirements : dipping bars or dip station , and weight vest / dumbell

Sets and Reps : 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

Technology : important is that the grip on the dipping bars is slightly wider than shoulder width. Come from the floor and stretch your arms completely. This is the starting position. Now lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor (ie in horizontal position). Make sure that your elbows remain with your body; so do not let them out.

5. Weighted pull ups (weighted pull ups)

Just like the dip, the pull-up is a tried and tested exercise, which should not be missed in your workout. In the pull-ups you train many muscles but mainly the latissimus dorsi , or the wing muscle . Too often the workout is only aimed at training the front of the body, and the pull-up is simply neglected. However, the real men are distinguished by the pull-ups , which fit well in your ears! No wings = no V-shape. For maximum mass training it is important to add weight to your pull ups. This can be done by using a weight vest. If you do not have a weight vest, clamp a dumbell between your crossed legs, that works fine too.

Requirements : chin-up bar , weight vest (or dumbell)

Sets and Reps : 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps

Technique : Grasp the pull-up bar wide (minimum) shoulder width with a well-defined handle. Extend the arms and come loose from the ground. This is the " dead hang " starting position. Now pull up and try to go to the bar with your chest. This means that your chin is above the bar anyway. Do not try to go to the bar with your shoulders, which can lead to shoulder injuries. So: chest to the rod and shoulders backwards. Keep your elbows facing the ground. If you have been above the bar with your chin, you will drop back to the "dead hang" position. from this position with outstretched arms, you do your next rep.

6. Bent Over Row (BOR)

The Bent Over Row, or simply the "BOR" in fitness jargon, is a very important mass exercise that should not be missing in any training schedule. The BOR is more or less the counterpart of the Bench Press : where you use the Bench Press to increase the pushing force (the "push") in the upper body, use the BOR to increase the pulling force (the "pull") in the upper body to increase. The muscles you train with the BOR are the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboid muscles and the biceps.

Requirements : dumbbell set

Sets and Reps : 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

Technique : the BOR you come across in many different variations, but if you want to go for maximum muscle building , we advise you to stand in the " power position ": feet on shoulder width, knees slightly bent, a pronounced grip slightly wider than shoulder width , upper body bent over at a 45-degree angle to your legs, and a hollow back. Now pull the barbell straight up to your plexus. You can also pull the bar to your belly button, or alternate both. Then you lower the rod again, and then pull it up again. Keep your elbows close to your body. Remember that your back remains in the same position and throughout the entire exercise , otherwise the risk of back injuries increases. Do you want to grab more biceps in this exercise? Then do the BOR with a scooped grip instead of a well-trained handle.

"This Skinny Kid With Asthma Achieved a 452 lbs Bench Press & Packed On 75 Pounds Of Muscle Mass In The Process!" Click Here to find out how.