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Standing cable fly"You got a reaction, didn't you?" The White Stripes, Blue Orchid Whenever I do this exercise at the gym, I imagine myself as The Incredible Hulk. Minus the green skin. And ripped clothes. Oh, and I don't growl. I might grunt now and then (the shame!) but I most certainly do not growl. This cable fly will primarily work your pectorals but you'll also work your deltoids and lats, as well as a small handful of other muscles in your arms and back. And ladies, remember that old ditty from grade school, "I must, I must, I must increase my bust"? When you were pushing your hands together you were working your pecs. To think, you started your bodybuilding career at such a tender age! I like to perform this exercise with one leg forward, one leg back so I can work my abs. I'll switch legs after one set. If I'm going for that third set I'll position myself like this guy. Only difference is that I wear a shirt to the gym. Big surprise there! Bicep curls"'Cause it makes me that much stronger/Makes me work a little bit harder" Christina Aguilera, Fighter
Bicep curls are much like bicycling riding. Very basic, very easy. No offense to any elite riders out there, of course. But my point is that this very simple exercise will give you those poppin biceps that you've always wanted. And even if you don't want poppin biceps, you'll still have a nice round muscle to show off once you've worked at it for a bit. It's easy to vary this exercise, too. Sit, stand, with rubber bands, with barbells, with dumbbells, on a cable machine... you can curl damn near anywhere with anything. Take a look at this gal performing a bicep curl. After the page loads move your cursor over the picture. You'll see the actual movement. For giggles, move it back and forth over the picture really quick. Cheap laugh, but I'm short on material right now. Pull-UpsI'll occassionally get this weird itch to do something. Anything. Challenge myself.
So I up and decided that I wanted to do one pull-up--just one--in good form.
I had tried to do one (or two or three) before and failed brilliantly. Short of an assisted pull-up machine at the gym, I jumped up and grabbed the wide grips that were positioned between the cable machines and swung there, feeling (and looking) like a monkey. My attempt at a pull-up was short lived after I began giggling at how ridiculous I looked.
But then I got serious about it. I made public statements about my goal, and I gave myself 6 months to condition myself enough so I could actually do it. Imagine my surprise when I was able to pull it off in a month.
I recognized my weaknesses--apart from the obvious--and set to work. A little determination will get you to a lot of places. I added more weight to my upper body routine, which included lat pull downs, low rows, bicep curls, chest press, standing cable and machine flys. I knew that in order to pull off a wide armed pull-up my lats had to become much stronger, and that would come in time. But my biceps weren't all that bad.
Using a step to get me high enough to reach up, I gave the close-hand grips a shot and voila! Up I went! I was so surprised that I stayed up there for a few seconds, looking dumbfounded. The view was surprising from up there. I could see lots of possibilities.
Naturally, I tried two. I'll freely admit that two needed work. I discovered that my ability to do a pull-up hinged greatly on when I did them. If I tried them after I had done 3 sets of chest presses I was toast. So I try to get them in right away when I hit the weight room. I'll maybe get two in (right now I can't do more than two in a row), take a break and then try for one or two more. It's plenty of hard work, but I'm committed to keep at it. And if it ever gets to be too much, I can alway get up there and hang like a monkey. I'm pretty good at that!
Pull-up inspiration:
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