Want your body to look something a bit closer to that...?
Ask almost any young guy out there if they
would like to have even just a bit more muscle on their body and the certified answer is always a definitive: YES.
Weightlifting is a great way to release your week’s angst whilst simultaneously
gaining all the health and aesthetic benefits that come with picking heavy
objects up, and putting them back down repeatedly.
However, a lot of guys perhaps feel a bit
intimidated by the whole weightlifting world, not knowing where to start or
what works. The best types of lifts are the 'big movements' which are often called 'compound lifts': This meaning that they engage more than one muscle. Here are my top 10 exercises that give your body the best workout
possible to boost your testosterone levels and make some serious muscle gaiinnnssss:
(A link to detailed video tutorials on how to perform each of these exercises can be found at the bottom of this article)
1) DEADLIFT:
Perhaps stated as the most manliest of lifts, the deadlift
very simply requires the picking of a barbell up from the ground, up towards your
hips. It primarily works out your lower back/core, which is perhaps the most
important part of your body to develop when lifting weight for its balance and
stabilizing qualities. Notorious as being the lift that activates most, if not all, of the
muscles in your body and provides a huge testosterone release… What’s not to
love!? Makes you feel like a manly, hairy, grunting cave man picking up a giant
log you just felled.
2) SQUATS:
The absolute KING of leg
exercises. Practically every person who has those muscular, striated quads, do squats regularly. Squats work
out your quads primarily, but also your core/lower back, hamstrings and abs for
stability. This exercise often intimidates a new lifter, but not to fear, with
a few points in mind and a little practice, you will be a squatting master:
- Stand with your legs around shoulder length apart (or wherever is comfortable)
- Squat down like you’re trying to sit on a small chair below you.
- Push through your HEELS and NOT your toes.
- Let your knees track forward and slightly outwards over your toes.
- Rest the bar on the top of your traps, NOT your neck.
[REMEMBER]: If you don’t have a barbell and
weights to work with, just pop a girl on your shoulders. Much more
entertaining... so long as you don't drop the girl!
3) BENCH PRESS:
If you went round a gym and
asked everyone’s main favourite exercise, the bench press seems to always come
up a winner. It’s perhaps one of the only lifts you’ve heard of before, and
stereotypically it’s the one you see people doing in the movies. Lie flat down
on a bench, gradually bring the barbell down towards your torso and then in one
smooth motion push it back up towards the roof. You can apply the same
technique with using dumbells, but careful about trying to control and
stabilize your arms! Trains your chest, triceps and front deltoids (shoulders).
Looks badass, feels good, and grows you a pair of big, broad chesticles.
WARNING – Girls may or may not get jealous
at the size of your chest area compared to theirs.
4) WIDE GRIP PULL-UP:
Just in case you
didn’t know, red bull’s advert is a lie: It doesn’t give you wings. However,
mankind has found a brilliant alternative: Wide Grip- Pull ups. Ever wondered
how some dudes have that insane V taper shape from their shoulders to their
hips? That, my friends, is the magical work of the wide grip pull up. Just put
your hands on the bar above you at a slightly wider than shoulder grip, and
then pull your whole body up so your chin becomes level with the bar! Sounds easy... but is actually very tough.
5) DIPS:
Unfortunately we aren’t talking
about KFC’s godly sweet chilli dip here… This is another bodyweight exercise
that is often looked at as the counter part to the pull up. Hold the bars on
either side of you with your hands. Hover yourself in the air, and then let
your body drop down as your elbows flex and bend. Then, push yourself back up
into the original position. Requires good upper body strength, and will develop
you some huge triceps as well as partly working out your front shoulder head.
6) LEG PRESS:
A brilliant complementary exercise to the squat, as well as being
able to load the weight up damn high from the get go: the leg press. Sat down
in a seat, your place your feet flat against the metal/rubber pad and let the
weight come towards you. You then push (like squats from the heels) back up to
the original position. All your leg muscles get a workout here, and since leg
muscles are some of the biggest in your body, it's brilliant to promote a natural testosterone release. You might want to turn the music up a notch on your iPod for this one, since it requires a large amount focus and energy!
7) BARBELL ROW:
Row row row your boat gently
dow… Forget rowing your boat: Row a big-ass heavy barbell and get that ripped
back that you want! The barbell row is another notoriously, manly exercise where
you can get into your masculine essence and give your muscles a blast of a
workout. Training all your back muscles as well as providing you with bulging
biceps, I personally couldn’t recommend a more rewarding exercise. Hold the
barbell in your hands with an overhand grip, with your knees slightly bent and your
back bent at a slightly more than 45 ° angle. Now pull the bar up towards your body
like you’re rowing a boat, and then let it gradually return to its start
position. (Optionally you can add a grunt during every rep for extra manly gains)
8) SHOULDER PRESS:
One of the most desired
aspects of a guy’s physique: Those big BOULDER SHOULDERS. Creating those top
points to your V taper, developed deltoids (shoulders) is a MUST. Stand up,
hold the barbell about shoulder width apart with your hands. Rest the barbell
on the top of your chest. Push directly upwards and hold the bar in the air
above your head with your arms fully extended. Return to original position. A
very simple exercise but it requires a large degree of balance and strength.
Trains all your deltoid heads as well as your triceps… and at the same time you look like an
Olympic lifter: What’s not to like?
9) CALF RAISE:
One part of the physique
that people regularly miss out are the calves! This is a massive mistake since your
whole body will look out of proportion without developed calves. Now, the good
news is that they are only a small muscle group and do not need to be trained
too often. However, when you do train them, the exercise that will grow them
from baby calves into fully grown cows is the calf raise! Either done from a
seated or stood position, start with your toes on the edge of the platform and
then push upwards like you’re standing on your tiptoes. From there, feel the burn as those baby cows grow.
10) TRICEP PUSHDOWN:
Triceps are the part
of the arm that really gives it size. Although the tricep pushdown
exercise only targets the triceps singularly, it's such a fun exercise to kill the rest of the energy off in this muscle and pump it full of blood. As the name suggests; you push down the rope/handle attached to the cord engaging the triceps. Always a favourite to add in at the end of a workout to develop that horse-shoe tricep!
As always, stay safe doing these
lifts. STOP training on injured body parts or anything that doesn’t feel
‘right’ . Watch the tutorials I have linked in this article and start with a
very small weight you are comfortable with to perfect your technique/form. And on this
ending note:
Let the GAINS begin!
Nick S
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