Freak Fitness

THREE KEY EXERCISES FOR MAXIMUM MASS

One of the most common questions I’m asked is “How do I get bigger?” Even though proper nutrition, use of ergogenic aids, adequate recovery, and intense weight training are all equally important, I wanted to use this issue to identify three key exercises that I feel should be the core of any well intended mass phase.

Barbell Squat
If you want bigger legs, you have to squat. It’s that simple! And I’ve heard all of the excuses as to why not to squat: “Squatting hurts my knees,” “Squatting hurts my lower back,” or “My legs are too long to squat.” All of this is BS! Get your ass off the leg extension machine and have a qualified strength and conditioning specialist show you what a full squat looks like (hint: at the bottom of your squat, the crease of your hip has to descend below the top of your knee), assess your body mechanics, and then apply that information to instruct you on where to place the barbell across your back (it’s lower than you think), show you proper foot position (it’s wider than you think), and show you that in almost all cases it was your lack of flexibility (start stretching those hamstrings) and improper exercise technique that was limiting you.

Barbell Deadlift
No other exercise recruits more muscle than the deadlift. No other exercise allows you to lift as much weight, and thus no other exercise can match the deadlift in stimulating gains in overall strength and size. Now, I hear many of you again complaining about how dangerous the deadlift can be for your lower back. My answer is, stop pulling with a rounded back! If you maintain proper body position, the deadlift can be the safest and most effective exercise you can do. If the weight is too heavy for you, it simply doesn’t move off the floor. For the conventional barbell deadlift, position your feet directly below your hips, start with the bar touching your shins, use your lats to keep the bar close to you as you stand, and never ever stop pulling! It’s a slow lift, and once you get near maximum loads, it will take a fierce level of focused aggression to stand tall with a new PR.

Standing Overhead Barbell Press
The standing overhead barbell press recruits more muscle than any other pressing movement. Pressing a weight overhead recruits every major muscle group and everything in between. Again, proper technique is important to minimize risk of injury and maximize muscle fibre recruitment and hypertrophy stimulation. The correct starting position is when the barbell is in the rack position (bar resting on front delts/upper pecs), hands gripping the barbell just outside shoulder width with elbows positioned directly underneath the barbell. As you press the barbell overhead, your elbows should remain underneath your hands all the way until full lockout is achieved at the top. The correct finished position is when your elbows are fully locked out with the barbell overhead, and when seen from the side, the barbell is lined up with the midline of your body. I’ve watched so many people perform partial reps, professing that it maintains constant tension on the delts, but in most cases their rep range is limited to only how far momentum has propelled the barbell.

In summary, by correctly and regularly performing these three key exercises, you will generate a strong stimulus for your body to add mass and increase strength as no other movements can. Big athletes lift big weights in these exercises. It’s that simple. Now go grow!