One of the biggest misunderstandings in the muscle building world is that of compound exercises vs. isolation exercises for strength & mass.

Despite all the literature on the superiority of multi-joint (compound) movements over body part training, many men and women continue to center their training sessions around single-joint (isolation) movements.

This isn’t just about getting as big as possible, piling on muscle and becoming roaring huge. It’s also about building fitness and strength in the musculoskeletal system, and developing an overall sculpted, defined or toned appearance.

Not every person, including men, wants to be bulging with muscle. However, even in this demographic, the issue of isolation vs. compound exercises still applies.

For instance, let’s take a woman who has no strength training background.

She’s a little bit chubby, not “fat,” and lacks muscle tone. She’s soft and not strong, not fit. One of her hot buttons is the flabbiness of her upper arms. She wants to look great in a sleeveless shirt.

Her trainer has her go through a litany of triceps-isolating exercises all throughout the session: one elbow extension move after another, and variations of triceps kickbacks.

When you think about it, the variety of elbow pressing motions is quite abundant.

This client believes she’s getting a thorough, effective workout that will change the shape of her arms and shoulders because of all the different body positions her trainer is having her take on, such as leaning her chest into an inclined bench, pulling dumbbells up to her chest, and then kicking the dumbbells behind herself.

Another exercise is facing her back to the cable machine stack, body lunging forward, and, hands above her head, doing elbow presses with both hands on the handle.

She believes this will work because it’s one rep after another, dozens and dozens of reps with just the triceps. What could work better, right?

Here’s the problem:

Because the routines involve only the elbow joint, only so much weight can be moved. The triceps by themselves are not major force producers.

However, add the chest and shoulder muscles to the mix, and the amount of weight that can be moved skyrockets.

Three muscle groups are now joining forces, and the sum of these three groups has a proportionately greater impact on the body than does just moving the triceps (or the shoulders).

Body part training is time consuming in order to generate results, especially that of building a lot of size. This isn’t to say that isolation work should be avoided. It’s actually a nice adjunct to a compound-centric program for refining muscle shape.

The woman in this case will get better, and faster, results by focusing the session on compound movements such as a seated chest press and an incline dumbbell press.

Using weights heavy enough for an 8-15 rep max, she will feel her triceps broiling, while at the same time, her chest and shoulders will get hit.

The result, over time, will be a proportionately sculpted or toned upper body, and a much stronger upper body, than if she did mostly single-joint routines.

So yes, compound and isolation exercises can coexist in the same program, even in the same session, but most of it should be multi-joint, with isolation work at the end of the session.

Compound training is done with heavier weights than is single-joint training, so thus, multi-joint moves should be done first. Snuffing out the triceps on a ton of isolation reps and then trying to execute one’s best sets of a bench press will be disastrous.

Another reason to focus on compound training is that these movements mirror everyday movements. For example, how often does one need to execute a leg extension in everyday life, or a hamstring curl, triceps kickback or inner thigh movement?

On the other hand, think of all the times you’ve had to squat to pick a heavy item off the floor, push against something heavy, or maintain a pulling resistance (holding a leash bent-arm on a large dog that wants to run when you want to walk is a perfect example of a rowing-type motion, involving multiple muscle groups including the core and legs!).

Great Compound Routines For Building Everyday, Functional Strength, That Will Also Build Sexy Lean Muscle

1. Clean & Press

A barbell or dumbbells can be used. Pick the weights from the floor as in doing a deadlift, bring them to shoulder height, then press overhead. Reverse the movements to the start position, then repeat for 8-15 reps.

2. Hang Clean & Press

Hold a barbell straight-armed in front of yourself, palms facing you and reverse curl it to shoulder level, then press overhead. Lower to start position and repeat for 8-15 reps.

3. Squat & Press

Holding dumbbells at your sides, squat deeply, stand, then press the weights overhead. Lower them, then squat deeply again; do 8-15 reps. A deep lunge position can be substituted for the squat.

4. Renegade Row

Do a pushup with both hands on dumbbells. While in the up position, row a dumbbell to your chest with the right arm, return to the floor, do another pushup, row with the other arm, do another pushup, and so on – pushups come after every single row, rather than after both arms have rowed.

Dumbbells should be heavy enough to make this feel difficult all the way through, for a total of 10-20 pushups.

5. Classics

Deadlift, barbell squat, farmer walk, bench press, lat pull-down, seated row, chin-up, pull-up, parallel bar dip, seated dip, all for 8-15 reps.

Compound Exercises Vs. Isolation Exercises For Fat Loss

Once again, multi-joint movements reign supreme.

The more muscles that are exercised, the higher the energy expenditure during the movement and also in the hours following the movement.

How many calories can just the triceps burn doing kickbacks with 20 pounds?

Now, how many calories can the triceps burn, when they are assisting the chest muscles with a bench press of 170 pounds? A lot more.

Compound lifts with heavy weights, even moderate loads, spur elevated production of human growth hormone and testosterone, which are powerful fat burners, and these hormones circulate at elevated levels for hours after the training session.

Compound and isolation exercises can coexist nicely in a training regimen, but emphasis should be on the multi-joint movements, even if the goal is just to tone up.

To learn more about how to make compound routines work their best for burning fat, building muscle and getting as fit as possible, you’ll want to check out No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte, a former marathon runner who built his physique up to rippling muscle with proven techniques.

He also provides in-depth information about what foods to eat and avoid for building lean mass and slashing fat.

Many bodybuilders and people working at building muscle subsist on switching off between the so-called bulking phase and cutting phase.

What Is A Bulking Phase?

This is when the trainee is in a period of gaining muscle, and the trainee takes in a calorie surplus to ensure that the muscle cells are never short on performance fuel, and even more so, recovery fuel.

A calorie surplus guarantees that the muscles will be well-fed, and thus, responsive to the training stimulus. Oftentimes, a trainee during this period won’t have the cleanest diet.

A diet that’s not so “clean” means that it includes more than an occasional indulgence in junk food such as French fries, fast food sandwiches, pastries, candy, sausage, etc. In an attempt to stock up on calories, the athlete consumes fattening and high-sugar foods.

After all, it’s pretty tough to load up on only clean foods like tuna fish, steel cut oats, chicken breasts, barley, brown rice, apples, broccoli and green salads — typical fare of the serious trainee who’s trying to lean out.

During the bulk-up period, an individual may experience major muscle growth. However, there is a price to pay for this: fat growth, too.

The result is a thick or bloated appearance, and often, a gut; no six-pack whatsoever. Invisible are cuts, muscle insertion points, striations and much-coveted veins in the arms.

The bulking and cutting cycle for some trainees is a six months on, six months off program. For others, the bulk portion lasts until a goal lean mass weight or size is reached, or until the trainee realizes he or she has also gained a lot of fat.

The fat surplus that hides the new muscle necessitates the cutting phase. During this time, the athlete eats as “clean” as possible, and restricts calories to the extent that muscle growth is at risk for ceasing while he or she leans out.

Enough food is eaten, however, to maintain the muscle mass that was achieved during the calorie surplus period. So while the new muscle size is maintained, the fat that accumulated along with it gets stripped off.

As the individual progresses deeper into this phase, the cuts, definition, six-pack and vascularity start appearing. Wonderful, right?

Not so fast; there is a price to pay for all of this aesthetic glory: ongoing hunger! The trainee must battle urges to eat “normal” foods while socializing.

While everyone is enjoying lasagna dripping with cheese, the trainee tries to convince himself he’s enjoying that can of tuna and the tossed salad with only half a tablespoon of dressing in it.

Egg whites and oatmeal every morning are a drag. So is all the bland protein powder and steamed asparagus. People dread the cutting phase diet.

There Just Has To Be A Better Way–And There Is

It’s called the clean bulk. Bulking and cutting phases are not necessary. For some people, the two-phase approach works better than the clean bulk.

However, some trainees just don’t realize how effective the clean bulk can be. This is a year-round plan; it is the same plan every day throughout the year.

There are no phases, no calorie counting or keeping track of carbohydrates or fats. This plan is conducive to ongoing hypertrophy plus maintenance of a lean appearance.

Here Is How This System Works:

One enjoys a calorie surplus on weight training days, without going overboard, of course. This doesn’t mean that every lifting day is a pass for junk food eating.

It means that on lifting days, it’s okay to have a reasonable calorie surplus, and most of the food should be whole in form.

So instead of breaded cod, potatoes and broccoli that came from a frozen box that one microwaves, these foods are purchased in whole, fresh form and prepped at home.

On an extra hard training day, the athlete can have some pizza or a slice of pie with a little ice cream, but this doesn’t mean one-quarter of the pie or enough pizza for three adults, either.

Enjoying one’s favorite fattening or sugary foods remains on the fringe, but it can be done year-round. To offset the calorie surplus that occurs year-round on training days, one takes in negative calories on non-weight days.

This doesn’t mean one must count every calorie, but rather, one gets a feel or a sense of what would be a negative caloric intake — negative enough to offset surplus days and maintain leanness, but not so negative that it disrupts recovery from the last workout.

Because the surplus days occur on every training day, a bulk (hypertrophy) is always in progress. Because negative calories occur on every non-training day, this consistency will prevent fat gain.

The trainee thus appears buff every day of the year and never feels deprived of favorite foods. Due to this balance, there is no need for any cutting phase workout routine.

Anybody who is serious about building lean mass and slashing body fat should read No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte: a complete training guide for building muscle.

In it are in-depth nutrition plans for all goals, and plenty of sample menus to take the guesswork out of what should, and should not, be eaten during a muscle building and fat loss program.

In type 2 diabetes, a person’s pancreas produces insulin, and oftentimes, a normal amount. The problem is in the muscle cells, specifically, the insulin-receptor sites on muscle cells.

In type 2 diabetes, the impairment is in the receptor sites’ ability to uptake glucose (blood sugar) from the insulin that transports it to these receptor sites.

There may be plenty of these receptor sites, but enough of them are impaired to create a deficient glucose supply to hungry muscle cells.

Or, most of the receptor sites may be working properly, but there’s a shortage of them. Either way, the muscle cells end up getting stiffed of their fuel supply: glucose.

Exercise has long been urged by physicians as a way of controlling this disease, because it lowers blood sugar. Because the receptor sites are inefficient at receiving glucose, the glucose level builds up in the blood, causing chronically high blood sugar.

Over time, this will cause cardiovascular damage and increase the risk of several conditions including dementia, heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Exercise helps prevent persistently high glucose levels because it forces muscles to be more efficient at uptaking glucose.

When the receptor sites are “good at” receiving this fuel from the hormone insulin, they are non-resistant, or sensitive, to insulin.

When the uptaking ability (also known as glucose metabolism) is impaired, this is known as insulin resistance; the sites are insensitive to insulin. What can be done to improve insulin sensitivity?

Training With Type 2 Diabetes For Building Muscle

Type 2 diabetics should include strength training in their lifestyle, with the goal of increasing lean mass.

This doesn’t mean that someone with this condition needs to bulk up. It means the goal of adding more muscle tissue. This can be done without appearing bulked up.

However, for type 2 diabetics who are wondering if they can bulk up, or if it’s safe to work at bulking up, here is great news: Yes, there is no reason why they can’t pursue the goal of building big muscles.

Weight training with diabetes is safe, as long as the trainee ensures a steady supply of carbohydrates to prevent blood sugar from diving, and as long as other guidelines are met, such as working out the same time every day and keeping track of glucose readings before, during and right after the workout.

Why Do Exercise And Diabetes (Particularly Lifting Weights) Go Hand-In-Hand?

Here is what the June 2008 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism states: “Physical activity is like a ‘secret weapon’ to help fight the diabetes.

When you exercise, your body becomes more sensitive to insulin. This means that it takes less insulin to manage your diabetes.”

Let’s take this a step further: specific type of exercise. Weight lifting is better than aerobics or cardio for diabetes exercise.

A report in the June 2009 Circulation: American Heart Association Journal states: “Unlike aerobic training, higher intensities of resistance training (3 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions at 75 percent to 85 percent of 1 repetition maximum) have not only shown benefits but also have been well tolerated by patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.”

The mere contraction of muscle fiber pulls in blood sugar molecules; muscle contractions against moderate to heavy resistance help stabilize blood sugar levels. Bigger muscles mean a bigger storage tank for glucose.

Plus, lifting moderate to heavy weights increases the number of insulin receptor sites on muscle cells.

Another thing to consider is that this disease tends to diminish the supply of blood to the extremities, which is why a diabetic can have a foot injury, even a deep cut on the foot, and not feel the pain.

Numb fingertips and toes are one of the symptoms of diabetes, though sometimes, a person has no symptoms. This numbness is from restricted blood flow (and can also be caused by nerve damage).

Hitting the metal hard forces blood to surge to the extremities, which is exactly what the diabetic needs.

Yet another reason that diabetics need to build muscle is because this disease can cause loss of muscle tissue.

When muscle cells are shorted of their fuel supply (glucose), they begin feeding off of each other (catabolism, the opposite of anabolism).

This is why diabetes and weight loss often go together, the lost weight being not just fat, but muscle. Lifting weights will valiantly fight this process.

Weight Training And Diabetes: Best Exercises

The July 2011 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reports that the more muscle mass someone has, the lower the risk of developing insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is what happens in type 2 diabetes, though a person can have insulin resistance and not be considered diabetic, but rather, prediabetic (depending on blood glucose readings).

Extrapolate from this report, however, that the more muscle mass that a type 2 diabetic possesses, the more helpful all that muscle tissue will be to the condition.

Thus, ideal exercises are the big compound lifts, because they allow the most weight moved because several muscle groups at the same time get recruited:

• Deadlift
• Barbell squat
• Leg press
• Bench press
• Chin-up/pull-up
• Lat pull-down
• T-bar row, seated row

This list is just a start. Someone with type 2 diabetes can find more compound exercises to do, such as the military press and bench dips, which will contribute to gaining lean muscle.

For a very helpful guide to putting on lean muscle, whether you have diabetes or not, are a beginner, intermediate or advanced trainee, check out No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

A former marathon runner turned fitness model, DelMonte presents 29-week training programs for building muscle to your desired size, as well as slashing stubborn body fat. This book also includes many sample menus for supportive nutrition.

Sometimes the latest gimmick is to sell personal training; gimmicks aren’t always the most effective way to build lean muscle, and training while struggling to maintain balance falls into this category.

You’ve seen it: A personal trainer has a client standing on one foot while pressing weight overhead. People at gyms notice this and believe that the personal trainers are on to some new, groundbreaking workout technology.

It isn’t long before men and women, who’ve never had a personal trainer, are duplicating these strange maneuvers, even inventing ones of their own.

For example, a trainee stands on a mushy dome surface (forcing him or her to wobble), while pulling handles towards their chest for rows.

This fad has gone as far as people attempting to kneel on a stability ball while performing rowing motions at a cable machine or pressing dumbbells overhead.

Unstable surface training (depending on its character) has a strong place in the world of rehab exercises following injury, and as a fun way to warm up or cool down from a strength training session.

As far as building lean mass, it is inferior to traditional weight lifting methods. This is because the unstable or precarious nature of the balance board, air cushion, stability ball or one-leg base forces the trainee to reduce the workload.

What could be a 60 pound overhead press on a stable floor becomes a 40 pound overhead press on an air cushion.

What could be an 80 pound single-arm cable row on a stable floor becomes a 60 or even 50 pound single-arm cable row while kneeling on a ball.

It’s easy to see how the potential for building muscle is stiffed.

What About The Core?

Proponents of this kind of training insist that it develops core (lower back and abdominal) strength better than do classic core-targeting exercises.

Research does not support this claim. Core strength and conditioning are beautifully developed by training on stable surfaces.

It’s not the surface that determines the efficacy of core training, but the base exercise.

Chin-ups, and pushups (on a stable surface) will hit the core real nicely, and far more effectively, than will standing on one leg doing biceps curls or standing on an air cushion while doing barbell rows.

Lifting As Heavy As Possible Promotes Muscle Growth

If one wants to build chest muscle for strength, what is the purpose of placing one’s feet on a stability ball during pushups, when this method shifts muscle work to maintaining balance?

If one wants to build back muscle, he or she needs to pull as heavy as possible for an appropriate rep range, such as 8-12.

Pulling-actions while quavering on one leg or kneeling on a ball will force the trainee to use lighter resistance than his back and arm muscles are capable of moving. This means not as much new muscle growth or strength will occur.

The same goes for kneeling on a Swiss ball while pushing tension tubing or pulley handles away from the chest.

If one wants a stronger or bigger chest, one must push the heaviest load possible, which is not feasible while shaking to keep balance throughout the set.

Again, these funky moves are good for warming up, for instance, standing on the flat side of a dome and squatting while holding light dumbbells.

A warm-up involves lighter weights anyways; nobody does warm-ups with the intention of building muscle.

Warming up on the dome will not only prepare the lower body for upcoming barbell squats or deadlifts, but will give the core more of a workout than doing light-dumbbell squats on a stable surface.

However, as far as the meat and bones of a strength training session of compound routines, the exercises should be done on as stable a surface as possible.

A stability ball is okay for doing chest dumbbell presses upon, but it’s crazy to attempt this with only one foot on the floor.

Further, though the ball in this situation may feel more comfortable to the trainee than a bench, at some point the trainee should incorporate bench work for chest routines, whether it’s a flat bench or incline bench, to allow movement of the heaviest weight.

Traditional Routines That Hit The Core

As far as strengthening the core and improving neuromuscular efficiency, the following routines will get the job done when a stable surface is used:

• Deadlift
• Squat
• Walking lunge
• Leg press
• Bench press
• Pushup
• Pushup row with dumbbells (big time!)
• Pull-up and chin-up
• Barbell row and T-bar row
• Clean & press

People who don’t do pull-ups have no idea how much the core is engaged on the controlled release of a pull-up!

A study that was carried out at Appalachian State in North Carolina showed that traditional compound exercises actually engage the core much more than does unstable surface training.

Why tamper with what’s been proven over and over by research? Nothing beats compound routines on stable surfaces for building lean muscle.

If you’re serious about building strength and lean muscle, you should consider reading No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

In it are beginner and intermediate/advanced 29-week programs that change every week, plus simple-to-follow nutrition plans for building muscle and losing body fat. Even people struggling to gain mass will find this book very helpful.

Should you do cardio before or after weights? This question must first be qualified by figuring out what goal is the most important to you.

Most everyone wants to be as lean as possible (low body fat percentage), yet at the same time, have a good amount of muscle packed onto their frame.

Some individuals pack muscle on fairly easily (mesomorphs), while others struggle dearly (ectomorphs).

Some lose fat easily with diet and exercise (mesomorphs); some even wonder if their body has any fat (ectomorphs); and some struggle to lose excess fat (endomorphs).

“Body type” isn’t the only variable when it comes to muscle gain and fat loss. How one works out, and how many calories they consume, also play a big role.

The answer to “cardio or weights first” is different for different trainees.

The confusion over cardio before weights or after assumes that the trainee, for whatever reasons, cannot separate cardio days from weightlifting days.

With that in mind, here is what the trainee should do, depending on fitness goals.

Maximal Muscle Building

The scheme should be cardio after weights. The reason is obvious; you want your muscles to be as “fresh” as can be, prior to heavy training.

No prior aerobics means that muscle fibers will be able to gorge on a hefty supply of glycogen—stored sugar in muscle cells—to subsidize a workout for optimal hypertrophy.

Cardio before weights would thwart this game plan, as the aerobic exercise would suck up a lot of the glycogen.

There’s a psychological component involved too. One can mentally deal with the idea of running on a treadmill or pedaling the elliptical following heavy bench presses, squats, deadlifts and T-bar rows.

However, try feeling good imagining yourself sinking your teeth into heavy barbell squats, deadlifts, bench presses and T-bar rows after wearing yourself out on a treadmill.

Maximal Fat Loss

The scenario gets very interesting with this goal.

The ideal scheme isn’t cardio after weights.

It isn’t weights before cardio, either.

It’s inserting bits and pieces of cardio in between weightlifting sets!

This can be referred to as integrated concurrent exercise.

How Is This Done?

An example would be to stick in a 30-60 second sprint on your favorite cardio equipment between every weightlifting set. Thus, after the bench press, hop on the treadmill and run 10 mph for a minute.

Do another bench press set, then hop on the treadmill and repeat; or, get on the revolving staircase and put the speed at high to force yourself to run the steps for 30 seconds, then return to the bench press (or dumbbell row, chin-up, leg press, etc.).

The entire workout consists of this pattern. It will burn more fat than if you lift before cardio or lift after the aerobics. Research from the University of California at Santa Cruz and the University of California at Berkley showed this.

This protocol resulted in a greater after-burn (accelerated metabolism) than did the other two protocols. In fact, the integrated concurrent exercise group burned about 10 times more fat over the 11-week study period.

Did They Gain Muscle?

They had an 82 percent greater increase in muscle mass than did the other two groups! How could this be? The researchers believe that the integrated approach enhanced recovery time, leading to a perception of less soreness.

What often occurs after strength training is a phenomenon called DOMS: delayed onset muscle soreness, believed to be caused by microscopic tears in the connective tissue.

If the repair process is sped up, then trainees will go into each workout feeling more recovered, and thus, able to work harder and lose more fat and gain more muscle.

Happy Medium

What if the goal is equal between fat loss and muscle building? Or what if an already very lean person wants to gain only a moderate degree of muscle rather than get huge?

The weights or cardio first factor may boil down to personal preference.

If you feel better, including psychologically, pedaling hard on a stationary bike before lifting barbells and dumbbells, then this will probably work better for you simply because, psychologically, it’s more inviting.

If your mindset is to attack the squat rack and dumbbell presses with “fresh” muscles, and then conclude with a hard run, then that’s probably your best approach.

In other words, there is no one-size-fits-all answer in many cases. There is a bell curve of training goals. Most people want to build muscle and lose fat without looking hulked up.

The fringes want to build gigantic muscles, or just tone and firm up. Both those fringe groups, however, want to have a low body fat percentage as well.

Even if slashing body fat isn’t a priority, a trainee seeking only moderate hypertrophy may simply prefer the environment of integrated concurrent exercise, finding it mentally easier to handle.

To find out what kind of program will work best for you, whether your primary goal is busting fat or building lots of lean muscle mass, you’ll want to read No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program provides 29 training programs that change from week to week, and covers all sorts of hypertrophy and fat burning approaches, plus includes meal plans to support your training.

The primary chest muscles are also known as the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, and these are very important muscles for women to train.

Even though working the chest muscles is something that’s usually associated with men, these are one of the most important muscle groups for women to focus on.

Top Reasons Chest Exercises For Women Are Crucial

1) The pectoralis muscles comprise a large muscle group. Strength training a large muscle group is very important for fat loss, because large muscles require more energy for exercise, as well as more energy for recuperation, than do small muscles.

If a woman skips chest workouts, she will sabotage fat loss goals.

2) Working the “pecs” requires work from the shoulders and arms. Many women seek to tone, shape or sculpt their shoulders and arms, not realizing how helpful chest workouts would be for reaching this goal.

The pecs are recruited when a force is pushed away from the chest at a 90-degree angle to the chest (give or take with the angle). In order for this action to occur, joint action at the shoulders (called adduction) must happen.

However, at some point along the action, the shoulder adduction turns into elbow extension and shoulder flexion.

These next two joint actions require work from the triceps (back of the upper arms) and the anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder), respectively.

A chest workout not only works the pecs, but also the back of the upper arms and front of the shoulders.

This is why women who do pushups and bench presses have nicely sculpted shoulders and firm upper arms, not to mention a tight-looking chest.

3) Tight, trained chest muscles will positively affect the appearance of a woman’s breasts. There is a reason why women who have “buff” physiques never have sagging, limp or “swingy” breasts.

Strong, trained pec muscles support breast tissue, creating more upright, firmer breasts. Conversely, women with drooping, unattractive breasts never have buff physiques.

4) Strength training the chest creates a stronger upper body. A strong upper body is very important for women because it creates more independence in daily living without having to wait for a man to come around and perform a task that requires some “elbow grease.”

5) Chest routines often recruit the “core” muscles (lower back and abs). Pushups in particular do this, especially when combined with a rowing movement using dumbbells.

Best Chest Workouts For Women

Bench Press (Flat And Inclined)

Though this exercise is associated with the big broad chests of men, women need to realize that men get huge chests only from lifting huge amounts of weight.

Benching 100 pounds isn’t going to produce a big chest; ask any man. However, working up to a 100-pound bench press for repetitions will strengthen and tone a woman’s entire upper body, plus burn lots of fat.

Dumbbell Press

Another great chest workout for women, this can be done on a bench as well as stability ball.

Hand position can be neutral grip (palms facing each other), prone (palms facing forward) and even supine (palms facing head). In fact, the press can begin with a neutral grip and transition to a prone grip at the top.

Chest Exercises For Women Should Always Include The Pushup

Beginners can do these off their knees; off their feet but with their hands elevated, such as off of bench; or while standing with hands against a wall bar.

Horizontal Press

This can be done with seated pressing equipment using weight stacks or weight plates, or with tension bands.

With tension bands, loop the midpoint around a stable anchor at about mid-body height. Take handles and stand with back facing anchor point.

Step enough away from the point and push hands out so that arms are straightened.

For best results, lower into a forward stance: one foot ahead of the other like at the start of a lunge, and do the presses from this position. Resistance is increased by moving further from the anchor point.

Now you know why women should work their chest muscles. These chest routines are compound; they work several muscle groups at once.

To learn how often you should train with weights, plus how many sets and repetitions, rest times, etc., you’ll want to read No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program will show you the many ways to create a strength training program for maximal fat-burning and for creating your best looking body ever, complete with nutrition and meal planning information.

Cable crunches are one of the most popular abdominal exercises. It’s also one that seems to attract several specific mistakes committed by men and women striving to achieve attractive abs and waistlines.

Maybe you’re wondering how one can commit an error with such a seemingly simple exercise.

Errors are common, so here are the top cable crunch mistakes to avoid when performing the exercise while kneeling:

1. Bowing Down To A Statue

Think of how a person bows down to a statue and imagine that person repeating the motion.

Perhaps one’s idea of a statue bow differs from person to person, but the point is, many trainees grab the hand attachment (usually the rope), and rock up and down by merely pivoting the lower back up and down.

A crunch is a curling motion, and in a statue bow there is no curling motion. The trainee’s back is actually straight or almost straight the entire time. He or she is working out alright—the lower back only—not the abs.

A great tip-off that one is bowing to a statue is that the “crunch” is concluded by the elbows touching the floor.

Solution: The kneeling rope cable crunch is an inverted floor crunch. So trainees must ask themselves if a video were shot of them performing a kneeling cable crunch, would it look like an upside-down floor crunching exercise?

Keep the back about parallel with the floor and maintain a lower back arch. “Curl” the upper body into a crunching motion so that your head gets closer to your thighs, just like it does in a standard floor crunch.

You know you’re doing this correctly when the elbows are heading towards your thighs rather than the floor. Try to drive the elbows into the thighs, and you can’t help but do this right.

2. Pulling With The Arms

The trainee pulls with the arms because the arms are separated from the trainee’s head.

This sets him or her up for a muscle substitution pattern of using the arms and shoulders to create the curling motion, rather than relying mostly upon the core (lower back and abdominal muscles).

The heavier the weight used, the more the person outright pulls on that rope with the hands, creating a false sense of abdominal strength.

Solution: Keep hands or forearms pressed against the side of the head. This will prevent using the arms to pull at the rope. Don’t move the arms at all. Only the lower back and abdominals move.

3. Kneeling On The Heels

Again, imagine a standard crunching motion on a floor. The legs are either straight up (vertical), or, they are bent at the knees 90 degrees. Feet may or may not be crossed; that doesn’t matter.

What matters is the 90-degree bend. This practical position should apply to the upside-down version: crunching using a cable. Sitting on one’s heels interferes with an efficient curling motion, and reduces workload on the lower back.

Solution: Keep thighs vertical. Beware that you may gradually start sinking your hamstrings towards your calves as the set progresses, and without realizing it, end up nearly kneeling on your heels for most of the set.

Every time you curl, look at your legs. If the thighs have lost verticality, restore them back to this position by simply shifting upper body forward; don’t remove knees from the floor.

4. Incomplete Range Of Motion (ROM)

A person may have the preceding components all in place, yet still execute incomplete ROM in that the elbows are not as close to the thighs as they can be.

The rule is this: When you reach what seems to be the limit in terms of how crunched you can get your body, how close you can get the elbows to the thighs, don’t stop trying at that point.

Continue with the idea of closing in just a few more inches, and you will clearly feel this extra bit of effort coming from the abs. This makes all the difference in the world.

Variation: Oblique Cable Crunches.

The same rules above apply, except that one elbow at a time is driven towards the opposite thigh. One side can be done all at once, or sides can be alternated in a given set.

What about a standing cable crunch? It’s possible to do the statue bow with this, but the upright nature allows a trainee to check reflection in a mirror. Do you look like your crunching? Or does your motion more resemble that of a good-morning?

Remember to keep the forearms glued to the sides of the head to avoid pulling the rope with the arms.

5. Weight Load

Many people make the mistake of using too much weight, and this prevents a full crunch. Too little weight, however, actually counteracts proper body position by “pulling” the trainee forward.

Experiment with the weight stack to see what’s heavy enough to keep you from pitching forward, yet light enough to allow ROM and a fierce burn in the abs.

This is one abdominal routine in which the ideal rep range is 20-40. If the weights are too heavy to do much more than 15 reps, they’re also probably too heavy to complete full ROM.

For complete workouts involving how to work crunches and other abdominal exercises into a muscle building and fat burning regimen, you’ll want to read No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

This program contains step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions for 29 programs for anybody who wants to build their leanest, buffest physique. Also included is a complete nutrition guide for fat loss and muscle support.

Never underestimate the Smith machine when it comes to strength and mass gains in the major muscle groups.

Why Use The Smith Machine?

This equipment consists of a tracked barbell that moves up and down in a linear path, thus eliminating the need to control it beyond one dimension; the barbell remains fixed in a vertical direction.

Any apparatus like this is generically referred to as the Smith machine. Free barbell routines are touted as being the most effective for building muscle. However, one may become bored with the same barbell routines.

A tracked barbell device can really test your limits, even though the release of the weight (“negative” or lowering action) typically feels easier than when it’s done with a free barbell.

Try the following upper body routines and you won’t think that the negative is so easy anymore.

1. Stability Ball Bench Press

The ball eliminates the hassle of centering a bulky bench under the bar. Just roll the ball in place, easily centering it by eye, and begin bench pressing as you normally do.

The amount of weight used will be less than what you normally use, but practice good form with an 8-12 rep max, and you will get an excellent workout. The ball will also prevent the cheat move of arching the back off of a bench.

2. Shoulder Press

This too can be done off a stability ball, and adjusting your position beneath the bar can be done very speedily.

As in the bench press, the weight load will be less with the Smith machine, but take your time on the negative and use enough weight to make more than 12 reps impossible.

There’s no such thing as a routine being too easy with the Smith machine if you put enough weight on the equipment.

3. Close-Grip Bench Press And Shoulder Press

Again, use the ball, and place hands very close together for greater emphasis on the triceps muscles. The Smith machine makes close-grip presses easier on the wrists than when using a free barbell.

4. Barbell Row

This is the same as a free barbell row. Just make sure the low back is always arched.

5. Upright row

Perform as in the free barbell version.

6. Shoulder Shrug

Grip barbell and start shrugging, holding the top of the movement for a solid second before releasing.

7. Deadlift

Yes, one can get a good deadlift routine with a tracked barbell. Depending on your height, you will need to stand on something to get a full range of motion.

Otherwise, the barbell won’t go down far enough and you’ll end up doing only a partial trunk flexion. One can stand on a step aerobics platform or a small stool.

However, depending on the model of the equipment and one’s height, straightening out on the stool (full back extension at the top of the deadlift) will result in one’s head making contact with the equipment.

Do a practice rep with no weight first to see if this happens, then adjust accordingly.

8. Modified Pull-Up/Chin-Up

Get beneath the bar and hang straight-armed from it, body and legs straight, heels on floor. Keeping entire body straight, pull yourself up as high as possible. The higher the bar is, the easier it will be to pull up.

9. Standard Pull-Up

Why do this on a tracked barbell? Because the regular pull-up/chin-up stations are occupied, and perhaps you want to superset squats with pull-ups.

Leg Smith Machine Workouts

10. Squat

The nice thing about a tracked barbell is that it allows you to place feet more forward, whereas with a free barbell, there’s only one place to set the feet relative to the bar, or else you’ll fall.

11. Lunge

A lunge with the Smith machine can be done with the same leg forward for the entire set, or with alternating legs.

12. One-Leg Squat

The Smith machine is ideal for learning to do 90-degree one-leg squats.

13. Leg Press

Place a mat below the bar and place the middle of the soles of the feet against the bar. Experimentation is necessary to figure out which position works best, regarding just where one’s buttocks will be in relation to the bar.

The more that the buttocks are past the bar (making knees more directly beneath it) as opposed to directly under it, the more buttocks (gluteus maximus) recruitment will occur.

A leg press with the Smith machine is a truly dynamic way of working the legs because it allows the trainee to get maximum range of motion (provided he or she is flexible enough).

Use light weights at first to get the feel of this version, especially since it may feel that the bar will slide off the feet. It’s a matter of getting used to this; once one is acclimated to this unfamiliar way of pressing weight, the feet will become more secure.

Esoteric Smith Machine Exercises for Building Muscle and Busting Boredom

Here are some unusual but highly effective Smith machine workouts.

14. “ATG” Squat

ATG stands for “ass to the ground.” When done with a Smith bar, the ATG squat kills. The beauty is that the distance of the feet from the bar can be varied, making for different patterns of neuromuscular recruitment.

15. One-Arm Bent-Over Row

Position yourself alongside the bar (which is set low on the equipment) as you would for a dumbbell bent-over row. Then pull the bar up with one hand, while the other hand rests on a bent thigh.

A variation is to straddle the bar with your legs and pull the bar up with one hand, or with two hands. As in the bent-over dumbbell row, make sure the lower back is always arched; do not round it.

16. One-Arm Alternating Shoulder Press

Place bar low enough so that you can stand beneath it (you’ll need to squat somewhat) and push it upward for a full range of motion shoulder press.

Do repeatedly with one arm at a time, or alternate. If you alternate, switch the arms at the top of the movement so that the other hand must “catch” the bar as it’s beginning to drop on the track.

This maneuver will require some conscientious head repositioning for each rep.

17. Modified Pull-Up/Oblique Twist Hybrid

Hang in the start position of a modified pull-up (straight armed), but with only one arm. As you pull yourself up with the right arm first, twist body so that the left arm can touch an imaginary object far over to your right above the bar.

Lower in a reverse motion. All the reps can be done on one side first, or alternating.

18. Muscle-Up

Of all the Smith machine workouts, this is the most difficult: a pull-up that morphs into a dip.

Do a pull-up as high as possible, then transition shoulders and arms so that you can then press upward to get the torso above the bar. Though this move is often seen being done with a pair of rings (like what gymnasts use), it can be done with a bar.

Smith machine exercises for building muscle and busting boredom really come in handy when other equipment is tied up, and if the bar is loaded enough, you can really challenge muscle fibers and spur hypertrophy.

Try the Smith apparatus sometime; you may even come up with several funky routines that are not mentioned here.

Free weights, of course, should always be the mainstay of a muscle building program.

If you’re serious about building lean muscle and burning fat, you’ll learn all the great free weight routines and how to put together the best training programs in No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

There are 29 programs in an easy-to-follow format, plus loads of information on nutrition for training support.

Do you know the mighty 5? That is, the top 5 back workouts for growing your biggest, meanest back possible?

If you’re tired of being skinny, saddled with stubborn fat, or just plain average looking, it’s time to commit to the top 5 back exercises – routines that will transform your body.

The biggest guys have one thing in common: They do compound lifts—exercises that hit several muscle groups at once. The more muscles you hit at once, the more weight you can lift.

The more weight you can lift, the more muscle you’ll build and the more fat you’ll burn.

Best Back Exercises For Mass

• Deadlift
• Dumbbell bent-over row
• Lat pull-down
• Wide grip seated row
• Barbell row

1. Deadlift

Not only is this ultra-compound movement perhaps the most efficient overall mass builder, but it’s also one of the best lower back exercises.

A strong low back is crucial for handling other heavy compound moves like the squat or tire flip.

Because so much weight can be lifted with a deadlift movement, a lot of muscle cells get fired by the nervous system. All that firing away means a lot of muscle growth or hypertrophy.

It also means that the levels of growth stimulating hormones get jacked up.

That’s a bargain: lots of muscle fiber activation plus greater production of anabolic hormones in the body like testosterone—the perfect brew for muscle growth.

2. Dumbbell Bent-Over Row

Here is one of the best upper back exercises. The cool thing about the bent-over dumbbell row is that you can vary the upward tracking of your arm.

Track it up with your hand closer to your face, and you recruit more upper back fibers.

The middle and low back still get hit plenty, however, especially with heavy weight, a controlled lowering (negative), and a full range of motion (lower all the way to get a stretch in the back before coming back up).

3. Lat Pull-Down

There’s a reason why guys with humongous backs are often seen doing lat pull-downs with tons of weight.

Though the pull-up is often considered one of the great exercises for back muscles, the caveat is that this movement is not practical for heavy people.

However, even the heaviest person can have a seat and pull down tremendous loads of weight. Widest-grip lat-pulls will supercharge the latissimus dorsi muscles and contribute to the much coveted “V taper” shape.

To make the lat pull do the best job, release the bar with control. Don’t let it fly up. Plus, keep buttocks on the seat during the release.

4. Wide Grip Seated Row

One of the best back exercises for mass, this movement allows variation in hand position (as does the lat pull-down).

A wide grip forces recruitment of more latissimus fiber, and the hands can be palms down, palms facing each other and palms up (the last variation for the most biceps recruitment).

Many trainees lean way back as they pull the bar towards them. This muscle substitution pattern takes work away from the targeted muscles.

If you must lean way back, the load is too heavy. Do not tilt back more than a little past vertical, and keep an arch in the lower back at all times.

5. Barbell Row

It’s easy to see why this is one of the best back exercises for giant muscle growth, because the movement of the upper body is the antagonist of the bench press; that is, the muscle groups work to pull, whereas the bench press works to push.

And of course, the bench press is a top builder of chest mass. It stands to reason that the reverse of this is a top builder of back mass.

Stand with feet shoulder width or wider apart, knees slightly bent; keep back parallel to floor; keep lower back arched, and pull a heavy barbell up to your chest all the way with palms facing you. Always lower with control.

Mass Building Formula

• Use as heavy a weight as possible in these top 5 back exercises.
• Increase the weight every time you can do more than 10-12 repetitions.
• Don’t stray from proper form.
• Do 2-3 sets of each twice a week.

For all the great compound routines for every major muscle group, you’ll want to read No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

It’s packed full of information about gaining as much mass as possible with a variety of approaches, plus what kinds of exercise burns the most fat, as well as what foods to eat, and what foods to avoid, for best results.

The V crunch is a super way to tone, tighten and strengthen the core muscle group, which includes the lower back (erector spinae) and abdominis rectus muscles.

Why Are V Crunches Important?

Because a strong core is required for other compound routines such as pull-ups, barbell rows and squats. Furthermore, a strong core is visible with low body fat in the form of a six-pack or, at a minimum, definition in the area of the abdominal muscles.

There is no need to waste time on dozens and dozens of V crunches when this classic isolation exercise can be varied so that only 8 reps are super intense.

1. Don’t Hold Onto The Bench

This is the first step in driving up the intensity of this single-joint exercise.

Fold arms in an X across the chest; press forearms to chest without folding them; or extend arms out in the air either in front of yourself or out to the sides.

Holding onto the bench is a crutch that takes challenge off the abs and lower back. For best results, the core needs to do as much work as possible.

2. Bring Knees As Close To The Chest As Possible

Many people execute incomplete range of motion by bringing the knees only 75 percent of the way in.

Thighs should, at a minimum, come very close to connecting with the chest.

In fact, imagine that there is a gob of paint on the top of each thigh, and you must transfer some of that paint to your chest.

You’d have to fight pretty hard to make the thighs touch the chest.

It’s very difficult to make actual contact, and attempts to do so will immediately be felt in the abdominal muscles. And this is if the knees are not together.

3. Keep Knees Together

Now try to transfer the imaginary paint. Keeping the knees together takes the difficulty level up a notch or two.

The struggle to get the thighs as close as possible to the chest will force the abdominals to work pretty hard, and the trainee will feel this.

4. Hold The Crunch For Two Or More Seconds

When you reach the maximum crunch angle (thighs as close to chest as possible), hold this position—don’t let it slide—for two seconds or more before releasing.

Make just these changes alone, and your usual 50 crunches of incomplete range of motion with hands on bench, and knees spread apart, will be pretty challenging—and outright difficult for some trainees—for just 8 reps.

To get killer abs with V crunch intensity techniques, one must begin with these changes, but then advance even further. This is only the foundation.

5. Hold Leg Extension For Two Seconds

This will strengthen the lower back even more.

6. Add A Medicine Ball

Place a 2-pound ball between the calves and execute the crunches.

The closer the ball is to the feet, the more difficult the exercise, because this makes the resistance arm further away from the force arm and fulcrum, which are the trainee’s trunk and lower back, respectively.

If at this point, you can exceed 8 reps without too much difficulty, increase intensity by:

• Using a heavier medicine ball
• Straining even more to touch thighs to chest
• Holding the crunch position for 10 seconds

Increasing intensity doesn’t stop here, however.

The following changes will make this most classic of stomach crunch exercises even harder:

• Wedge a small dumbbell between the feet so that the end portion of it pokes through the opening between the inner feet.

• Perform the crunches on the round side of a BOSU board. A BOSU board is the dark blue half-ball that most gyms now have, in which the round side is soft, and the underside is flat.

• Perform the crunches on the flat side of a BOSU board.

All of these possible changes provide plenty of opportunity to create an 8 rep-max for an abdominal crunch.

A few of these techniques can be transferred to a V crunch machine:

• Fold inward as much as possible
• Hold the crunching position for several seconds
• Keep knees as close together as possible
• Better yet, don’t even use the hand bars
• Keep arms straight above you for every repetition

The machine, however, is not an ideal abdominal tool because it tempts users to pile on weight, and the trainee ends up jerking into a crunch position by pulling the handles hard.

A muscle substitution pattern in which the muscles of the arms and shoulders take work away from the core.

Frequency And Sets

Two to three times a week, two to three sets of 8 reps, are all that one needs to do. Crunches are just one element to getting a six-pack.

Low body fat percentage is the other part of the equation, and only with an overall strength training and cardio training program can one achieve a gorgeous six-pack and sizzling physique.

This information is in No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte, which anyone seeking a lean chiseled physique will find very helpful.

DelMonte also explains which weight routines build the most muscle and burn the most fat, and which foods to eat and avoid to get major results as quickly as possible.