Build a Solid Foundation of Muscle First.

If you’ve just started bodybuilding, your first task should be to build up a solid foundation of muscle that you need to shape into a balanced quality physique. You won’t achieve this by overtraining certain parts of the body. You have to lift heavy, grind it out week after week, and choose the right exercises to build muscle.

You’d be surprised how many bodybuilders get this wrong. Some train for two, three, or even four hours a day, yet only a small percentage choose the right exercises for maximum muscle gain. Be the lifter that gets it right the first time!

Ten Exercises to build muscle that everyone should include in their resistance training program

1. Dumbbell Flyes

Grab hold of two dumbbells and lie down on a weight bench. Hold the dumbbells over your chest with your arms fully extended and your palms facing each other. Slowly lower your elbows out to the sides while keeping a slight bend in your arms. It should take you four seconds to completely lower the dumbbells to the sides of your chest. Hold this stretch position for two seconds before raising the dumbbells back up to the starting position. Repeat for at least eight repetitions, and then move to your next exercise.

                                                                                         

2. Decline Bench Press

You will need a decline bench of some sort in order to perform this exercise properly. Take the barbell off the uprights and hold it for a moment at arm’s length. (can also be performed with dumbbells) Slowly lower the weight (making a conscious effort to keep your elbows wide) to your clavicle. Pause here for a second or two, and press the barbell back up to the starting position. Repeat for at least eight repetitions. If you have a partner to assist you, then continue and perform two forced reps and two negative reps. Rest for one to two minutes, and then move on to your next exercise.

                                                                                         

3. Pullover Bench Press.

This is an excellent upper body developer and works directly on the often ignored Serratus anterior muscles just below the pecs. It can be performed with either a barbell or a dumbbell. Lie down on your back on a weight bench, and grab hold of a weighted barbell. Your head should be fully extended behind you so that your biceps are seemingly “plugged into” each ear. From this full stretch position, slowly raise the barbell, keeping your elbows slightly bent, from behind your head to on top of your sternum. Once the bar is resting across your chest, immediately begin to “bench press” it up to arm’s length (as you would in a regular bench press). Slowly lower the barbell back to your sternum and back down to the floor in four seconds. Pause briefly in the position of full stretch before beginning the movement again. Repeat for at least eight repetitions and then reduce the resistance and immediately perform a second set.

                                                                                         

4. Leg Extensions

As you may know, this exercise is unparalleled for the isolation of the quadriceps. Other exercises can work the quads as thoroughly, but none as efficiently. The reason is that there are no “weak links” in this movement – it is powered solely by the strength of your quadriceps. Sit down upon a leg-extension machine and place your feet under the roller pad. Slowly, begin to contract your thigh muscles until the resistance at your feet is mathematically parallel with your knees. Hold this position of full contraction for a two-count before lowering the resistance in four seconds back to the starting position. Repeat for at least fifteen repetitions.

                                                                                         

5. Lunges

Grab a moderately weighted barbell and place it across your shoulders as if about to squat with it. However, instead of performing squats, you will now step forward with your right leg as far as you can until your left knee touches the ground. Pause briefly in this position before pushing with your right leg to return to your initial position. Repeat the movement right away, but this time with the opposite leg. Continue this movement, alternating legs for at least 15 reps per leg. Lunges work your entire leg, but the lower that you descend, the more gluteal and bicep femoris fibers are activated.

                                                                                         

6. Standing Calf Raises

Step underneath the shoulder pads of a standing calf raise machine so that your heels are on the required block and almost touching the ground. From this full stretch position, slowly contract your calves until you are entirely on your toes. Hold this position for two counts before lowering yourself in four seconds back to the starting position. Repeat for at least 15 repetitions.

Standing Barbell Calf Raise

If you don’t have access to a calf machine, we can perform calf raises with a barbell. Take a loaded barbell from the rack, step onto a thick board, or, for some people, barbell plates, obtain your balance, and then push up with your toes to the fullest extension, contract calves, and then lower, so heels drop below the level of toes to stretch and overextend the muscles. Exercise with slow deliberation, continuing with reps until the lower legs are unable to complete the exercise. Many top trainers continue with partial movements to produce that much loved ‘burn.’ Normal reps would be 15 to 20 with 3 to 5 sets. Increase poundage as often as possible. Use a change of foot and toe placement, so different stress is placed on various calf areas. For example, the inner calf will be most affected by turning toes facing outwards and heels inwards. The opposite position, i.e., heels out and toes inwards, throws the main action on the outside of the calf.

                                                                                         

7. Seated Cable Rowing

You will need a pully attachment to perform this exercise. Grasp the handle (or handles in some gyms) and lean forward at the waist, thereby starting the movement from a position of full extension. Slowly contract your lats, thereby drawing your elbows behind your torso when you have drawn your elbows as far behind you as possible; hold this position of full contraction for a count of two before lowering the resistance slowly, in four seconds, back to the starting position. Repeat for at least eight reps.

                                                                                         

8. Deadlifts

These are an excellent developer of the Erector Spinae muscles of the lower back. Its muscle-building abilities do not stop at the lower back. Deadlifts work almost every muscle in the body and stimulate phenomenal growth. Bend over from the waist and with an over and under grip (one hand grasping the bar from over the top, while the other grasps from underneath) and grab hold of a relatively heavy barbell. Your hands should be approximately 14″ apart. With your hands tightly clenches, lift your torso to an upright position using only your lower back or Erector Spinae muscles as Prime mover. Hold the full-contracted position for a two count before returning the weight back to the floor in four seconds. Repeat for at least eight repetitions.

                                                                                         

9. Standing Supinating Dumbbell Curls

This exercise fulfills the primary function of the biceos brachii muscle; supination. To begin, pick up two moderately weighted dumbbells and hold them at your sides. Slowly curl both of them up towards your shoulders. When you start this exercise, your palms should be facing one another, but when the dumbbells have reached your shoulders, your plans should be facing away from each other (or at least supinated as much as physiologically possible). From this position of full contraction, slowly lower the dumbbells in four seconds under control back to your sides. Repeat for at least eight repetitions.

                                                                                         

10. Bench Dips

This is actually an excellent upper body developer, but the majority of the focus is on the triceps brachii of the upper arm. You will need two benches for this movement; one to place your hands on and another to place your feet on. The bench for your arms should be just slightly behind your back so that the secondary function of the triceps (to draw the arm down and behind the mid-line of the body) is fulfilled.

Place your feet on the bench in front of you (ideally, the bench should be higher than your hips) and your arms in a locked out position; slowly break the lock in your arms and lower yourself in four seconds to a position of full stretch; where your hands are almost in contact with your arms pits. Just behind in such close proximity to your armpits should be incentive enough to get you to push yourself back up to the starting position. (but if it’s not, think of all the muscle growth you will be stimulating with every rep that you perform proper form during this exercise). Repeat for at least eight repetitions,