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.

Many men as well as women are very guilty of improper bicep curl technique. These mistakes are common not only with dumbbell workouts, but also with the barbell bicep curl and the “preacher” machine.

Whether you’re looking to gain huge guns, moderate-size muscles, greater curling strength or a nicely sculpted biceps muscle group, cheating will keep you from achieving your best results.

Proper bicep curl form is an absolute must for hypertrophy, strength gains and overall smart conditioning of the body.

Common Mistakes With Bicep Curls Technique

1. Preacher Machine Rise

As the weight is lowered, the trainee (almost always a man) rises from the seat. This cheats him of the negative or eccentric phase of the lift. The negative/eccentric phase is the lowering or release of the weight.

During this phase, the muscle belly lengthens against resistance (the resistance of controlling the weight as it’s lowered).

When one rises, significant load is transferred from the biceps to the legs, thereby stripping the arms of a very important element of the lift: the eccentric phase.

This kind of cheating is known as muscle substitution pattern.

Exercise physiologists believe that most muscle cell damage occurs during this negative portion, and in order to build muscle, it must be torn down or damaged.

Performing just the positive (concentric) phase isn’t sufficient to cause much hypertrophy (muscle growth).

Cheating like this will also prevent good strength gains. Strength means efficiently raising as well as lowering a weight.

Solution: Remain seated at all times. If you cannot lower the weight without rising, then the weight is too heavy.

2. Incomplete Negatives

This occurs with the preacher machine, free dumbbell and free barbell curl. The trainee lowers the weight only part-way, sometimes only half-way when using the preacher equipment, before curling it back up again.

This deprives many muscle fibers from work and fools the trainee into believing he (or she) is stronger than he actually is.

The funny thing is, most people would never consider doing a lat pull-down, seated row or bench press only half-way; so why do a preacher, dumbbell or barbell bicep curl only half-way?

Think of this as working only half the muscle tissue. There’s no sense to this if you want muscle growth or attractive tone.

Solution: Reduce the load so that it’s possible to lower the weight into a full negative. This means that the forearms almost touch the pad before doing the next repetition with the preacher version.

For free weights, the arms get lowered to almost straight, just shy of a complete hang, before doing the next rep.

3. Hyperextending The Back During Standing Curls

This is another muscle substitution pattern and is sometimes done to the extreme, in which the exerciser is literally rocking his entire body back and forth with each lift and release of the barbell or dumbbells.

Some of the load is transferred to the lower back, depriving many biceps muscle fibers from being trained. Excessive arching of the back during curling may even injure an already weak lower back.

Solution: Stand against a wall to prevent the back arch, or sit against a high back support. If you can’t complete the concentric portion this way, then reduce the load.

4. Elbow Digging

This mistake is almost always committed by women when they use dumbbells. They plant their elbows into their waist above the hip bone, so that the entire back of the upper arms is against their abdomen and chest.

This locks up the upper arm in an unnatural way and imposes limits on how much weight can be lifted. Even if a woman only wants to tone and thus use lighter weights, elbow digging is still bad bicep curl technique.

Solution: Use a mirror and position elbows on either side of body throughout the routine. Elbows should not be against any portion of the body.

5. Upper Arm Traveling

This is seen amongst men and women, in which the upper arms travel forward and away from the body as the weight is curled.

This is a muscle substitution pattern that transfers some of the load to the shoulders. In an attempt to get the weight lifted as high as possible, the trainee is forced to do some shoulder flexion.

Solution: Keep the upper arms in a vertical position at all times, and keep them still; don’t let them move. By keeping them still, this isolates the biceps. It’s perfectly fine if the weight cannot be lifted equal to shoulder height.

6. Floppy Wrists

This occurs with the preacher machine that has the built-in handles.

The exerciser allows wrists to extend quite a bit as the curl progresses, so by the time the arms are fully bent, the handle is no longer being gripped; instead, it rests nearly at the ends of the fingers while the wrist is bent at nearly 90 degrees to the forearm.

This cheat tactic removes the grip element from the equation, making the curl easier.

Solution: Keep wrists aligned with the forearm. This means that an imaginary line that’s drawn along the underside of the forearm would be parallel to the palm.

This alignment should be maintained throughout the entire lifting up of the weight, as well as the release or negative portion.

Follow all of these proper bicep curl techniques to achieve whatever goals you have, be they maximum muscle growth, firmness and rounder shape, or simply being stronger.

When doing a barbell curl, consider using an E-Z bar rather than the standard straight bar, to minimize wrist strain.

For a comprehensive look at biceps workouts for building muscle, you’ll want to read No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

This complete muscle-building and fat-burning book also covers all the exercises you need for becoming as lean and as muscular as possible, with 29 programs that change every week.

Pulling routines should be part of every muscle-building program, and usually, people who want to build muscle do, indeed, include classic pulling exercises in their workouts.

Pulling movements are a crucial component to muscle-building because they work so much of the upper body, primarily the middle back musculature, biceps and forearms.

A physique isn’t complete without an impressive display of back musculature, popping biceps and brawny forearms.

Advantages To Using Different Cable Machine Handles For Pulling Routines

a) Minimizes injury. Doing all of your pull-downs with a wide, pronated (palms forward) grip may cause inner elbow strain or rotator cuff strain.

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and their tendons that are integral to shoulder function, and lat pull-downs do require shoulder joint motion.

Including the use of different cable attachments will minimize the risk of any kind of injury.

b) Variety makes workout sessions more exciting. You may not realize it, but using a new cable machine attachment for a change just may make your workout more interesting.

You may find that you like the “feel” of the new handle better than the one you’ve been using for so long.

c) Varies the pattern of muscle fiber recruitment. A pronated grip recruits less of the biceps and more of the forearms.

But a neutral grip (palms facing each other) shifts recruitment a little more to the biceps and changes forearm recruitment.

It’s always a good idea to recruit as wide a range of muscle fibers as possible, for overall maximum muscle growth.

d) Eliminates waiting for the first-choice attachment to be available.

If you’re fixated on only one type of cable machine handle, this will disrupt your routine because sooner or later, that handle will be in use at the exact moment you’re ready to use it, even if the gym has more than one of these handles.

Rather than wait around for an available one, grab another and get to work. Dependency on only a certain kind of cable attachment will interfere with premeditated rest times in between sets.

The many different kinds of cable machine attachments enable you to use a pronated grip, neutral grip and supinated (palms facing yourself) grip, as well as vary the distance between the hands.

Lat Pull-Downs

The lat pull-down is typically done with the lat bar attachment.

This is the long bar that curves down at either end, and the farther apart one’s hands are, the more emphasis that’s placed upon the latissimus dorsi muscles of the back—the ones that contribute to the “V taper.”

The lat pull-down, however, can also be done with other cable machine attachments, such as the V handle and Pro-Style bar.

The Pro-Style bar is shaped like a standard lat bar, bending down at its ends, except that the ends consist of handles that you can grasp with a neutral grip.

Many agree that this has a much more comfortable or ergonomic feel than the pronated grip.

The V handle involves a neutral grip, but with hands much closer together, though V handles also come in varying widths. The closer the hands are together, the more weight you can pull down for a given palm position.

For maximum weight pulled and minimum risk of rotator cuff strain, supinate palms and place them close together. This will emphasize biceps more than any other hand position. This is actually a chin-up motion.

Seated Rows

These are usually done with a V handle, or a straight bar with neutral grips at the end. However, why not do seated rows with a supinated grip for a change, to increase emphasis on the biceps?

An E-Z bar attachment is best for this, because the curve will reduce wrist discomfort. Seated rows can also be done with a pronated grip on a straight bar for extra forearm involvement.

Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows

Though these don’t involve cable machines, they can involve altered hand position. Most people pull the weights up with a neutral palm (facing their opposite arm).

However, for a new spin on this classic pulling routine, face your palm straight ahead to work more of the biceps, or, face palm towards your behind to work more of the lats.

Think outside the box. Don’t always use the same cable machine attachments, grip positions or hand widths. Spruce up your pulling routines with some variety.

For complete programs involving all the great pulling exercises as well as routines for other major muscle groups, you’ll want to consider reading Vince DelMonte’s No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program.

Inside are proven 29-week programs plus meal plans for men and women seeking to build lean muscle and burn fat.

You’ve certainly seen the tire flip event in strongman competitions, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make this incredible exercise a regular part of your muscle-building program.

A tire flip workout is a deadlift, squat, bench press, shoulder press and lunge all rolled into one. Oh, and the abs get a total workout as well.

Why Do Tire Flips?

To be honest, it’s just so tempting to simply say because they’re cool to do!

Flipping a huge, heavy tire is one of the ultimate, if not the ultimate, display of strength – the ultimate compound exercise. A compound exercise works several muscle groups at once.

Flipping a tire is a “compound-compound” exercise, in that several compound movements are performed all in one sweep.

No muscles are neglected in this super multi-joint exercise.

Even the calves get their share of the load, so for those of you with stick calves who are bored with monotonous calve raise routines, as well as anybody seeking to build lots of rock-hard muscle—give a tire flipping workout a try.

There’s No Such Thing As Being Too Weak To Do A Tire Flip Workout

When you hear of “tire flipping,” you’re likely picturing a person squatting, grabbing the implement, rising and pulling the tire, then pushing it into an upright position, then knocking it over.

However, this isn’t the only way to work out with a tire. Novices can also flip in pairs, and/or use light tires – tractor tires can be as light as 80 pounds.

Beginners can even start with a regular car tire. This exercise is not limited to big bruisers.

Just make sure you warm up first, preferably with some squats, squat jumps, walking lunges, pushups and light deadlifts. Toss in some chin-ups as well if these are fairly easy to you.

Keep the warm-up just that: a warm-up, because a tire flipping workout should be brutal if you’re serious about building muscle.

Before beginning a tire flipping drill, make sure that you have:

• Spot-on deadlift technique
• Spot-on barbell squatting technique
• Excellent pushup form
• Experience with walking lunges

Flipping a tire involves making transitions with force output, and it’s during these transitions that things can get hairy. Never conduct this workout in bare feet; always wear appropriate workout footwear.

Basic Tire Flip

If the tire is flat on the ground, your start position is like that of beginning a Sumo deadlift. Feet are far apart, hands between feet and gripping beneath the tire.

You may find it necessary to squat to 90-degrees to get a good starting hold. Now rise from this squat, maintaining the same kind of correct form that you would with a deadlift.

If the tire is high enough in terms of dimension, you’ll naturally press your chest or even the front of your shoulders into it as you bring it up (resembling a football player pushing against a sled).

It’s during this phase that the calves will be working hard. Lifting a knee so that the top of the thigh presses into the tire is very helpful in boosting the implement upright, especially as you transition to the next phase.

At some point you’ll need to transition from pulling upward deadlift style, to pushing outward as in a seated chest press. The transition usually occurs after the tire has passed waist level.

Fingers are initially pointing downward, and you must release the hands and switch them so that fingers are pointing upward, as they would if you were pressing against your front door to keep an intruder out.

As the chest press proceeds and the feet push against the ground, the tire will become upright. Knock it down and begin all over again.

The tire is too heavy if you can flip it only two times before having to rest. It’s too light if you can flip it 15-20 times without taking a break. Aim for 5-12 flips in a row.

How To Apply Progressive Overload

If you have access to various tire weights, that’s great, because you can then use heavier and heavier tires. But chances are you won’t have this luxury.

Getting stronger means getting bigger. Thus, your goal is to get stronger with tire flips so that your muscles will increase in size.

• Work on increasing the number of flips you can do in a row. If the only tire you have access to means a 2 rep max, then work with that; work on going three times before resting, then four, and so on.

• Once you get up to 10 or even 15 in a row, add the element of speed. See how fast you can complete these reps. Or, you can work on speed right from the get-go.

• Increasing the number of flips in a row, and flipping as quickly as possible without pausing, are goals to work towards for progressive overload.

What if you reach a point where you’re up to 15 quick flips in a row?

Ideally, you’ll want to use a heavier tire, but if one is not available, here are some ways to add intensity:

1. After every flip, immediately jump into the tire’s hole both feet at a time and then immediately jump back out, over the tire and onto the ground ahead of it.

Quickly scramble to the other side and flip again. Or flip from the side you landed on. Add that jumping in and out between each flip.

2. Wear a waited backpack.

3. Pre-fatigue yourself with chin-ups, squats or deadlifts.

4. Pre-fatigue yourself with the tire wall push. Set tire upright smack against a wall. Pull it towards you, release, then quickly push it back into the wall.

The more delayed the release, the more pushing you’ll need to do. If you push hard enough the tire will bounce back off the wall so that you won’t have to keep pulling it towards you; you’ll just be repeatedly pushing.

5. A variation of the above is for two people to push the tire back and forth towards each other, the pivot point being where the tire remains on the ground as the top is shoved back and forth between the two trainees.

6. Pre-fatigue: Prop one side of tire up at an angle on a sturdy support; stand in the hole, grab under the hole and pull the propped-up portion towards you for a standing row workout.

7. Flip the tire up a slight hill. Use steeper grades as you get stronger.

Tires Aren’t Just For Flipping

An entire workout session can be designed around a single tire.

Here are more tire exercises:

• Stand in the hole, then leap out and land both feet on the tire, legs in a complete squat. Leap back into the hole and repeat for reps.

• Place feet on tire and do elevated pushups.

• Have finger holes drilled into the tire at opposite ends. Stand in the hole, grab tire through the holes and lift off the ground, then set down, and so on for reps.

• Repeat the above except after you pick the implement off the ground, walk, holding the tire straight-armed. Walk till you can no longer walk.

• Do shoulder shrugs with fingers in the holes.

• With smaller tires, you can do tossing exercises. Toss the tire overhead behind you as hard as you can.

Or “pass” the tire out in front of yourself, similar to how a basketball is passed. Run to retrieve it and repeat, over and over.

Tire exercises are so effective that they need not be done more than once a week to be a very useful component of your muscle-building regimen.

For more details about how to do compound workouts for maximal muscle-building, you can read No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

This book provides all the information you need for building lean muscle mass, whether you’re brand new to physique transformation, at an intermediate level, or even advanced and seeking the highest level of physique development possible. Meal plans are included.

Nearly every time the topic of building leg mass comes up, one exercise gets hailed: the squat. “The only way or most effective way to build leg mass is the free barbell squat” – or is it?

A free barbell squat is when the barbell is literally free, not part of a tracked system, and the trainee supports the barbell entirely on his or her own.

Can You Get Big Legs Without Squats?

You most certainly can. Not everyone’s body is compatible with squats, especially the free barbell version, even though the free barbell version continues to reign as the No. 1 recommendation for serious quadriceps hypertrophy.

What Creates Big, Rock-Hard Muscle In The Legs?

• Heavy weights
• Progressive overload

This is the formula for growing impressive quads and hamstrings. Building legs without squats is very possible as long as you subject the muscle fibers to heavy weights and progressive overload, high tension and high volume.

It really doesn’t matter which equipment you use, whether it’s a free barbell, a Smith machine, a hack machine or the leg press equipment. If you push hard enough to stimulate muscle fibers, they will get stronger and bigger.

Leg Workout Without Squats: Decline Leg Press

The leg press is actually a tipped-over squat. The exact same joint motions occur in a leg press routine as in a barbell squatting routine: hip flexion and knee flexion.

The difference that’s often cited by those who view leg presses as inferior to squats for building size, is that squatting engages the core (lower back and abs).

But if your goal is supersizing your quads, you do not need to engage your core. You need to engage your quads!

The leg press works for quadriceps hypertrophy. Recall the last time you saw a guy pushing tons of plates on the leg press equipment.

And this doesn’t mean bringing the sled down only four inches and then pushing it back up.

This is about someone who lowered the sled quite a bit, creating at least a 90-degree bend in the knees. And on the equipment was practically the gym’s entire supply of 45-pound plates.

What kind of legs did this guy have? Yes, that’s right: They were huge!

Oftentimes, these guys will do many sets on the leg press, and are hardly ever seen near the squat rack. As you get stronger on the leg press, your legs will get bigger.

You force your legs to grow stronger by increasing the weight pushed over time. In order for muscles to accommodate increases in weight, they must get stronger, which means they must get bigger.

Every single person who can leg press giant amounts of weight has impressive thighs.

Don’t assume that their muscle development comes mostly from squats, because, as mentioned previously, sometimes these individuals are rarely seen performing heavy squats.

Avoidance Of Squatting Can Be For Several Reasons:

1) Many tall people report that squats are very uncomfortable.

2) Another objection comes from those with low back issues; some people do suffer lower back pain from squats.

Even minor low back issues will take the spotlight when a person tries to do heavy squatting.

3) Another issue is upper leg to lower leg length ratio.

People with relatively short lower legs (or people with “long thighs”), may find barbell squats (especially free) quite uncomfortable, as this type of proportion impedes efficacy of lowering into a true 90-degree squat while supporting a heavy weight.

This last problem is non-existent with a leg press. The leg press also does not put pressure on the low back like the squat does. Plus, the leg press apparatus can accommodate any height.

It only makes sense that you will build a lot more muscle doing a routine that you’re comfortable with, versus one that hurts or is just plain awkward.

Motivation will be lacking if one forces himself through sets of uncomfortable squats.

In fact, barbell squats also serve up the potential for creating discomfort in the shoulders, due to having to keep the hands on the bar.

The best way to build the legs is to stick with what your gut tells you that you should do as far as comfort and compatibility with your body’s proportions and natural mechanics, and if that’s the leg press and not the barbell squat, then stick with the leg press.

This doesn’t mean you must totally avoid squats. You can do them as a warm-up or cool-down, or as a medium-intensity set for some variety, or with dumbbells.

Leg Press Tips:

• Always keep feet flat on the sled; do not push with the balls of the feet.

• Always bend legs to at least 90 degrees.

• Keep feet shoulder width or wider apart, and be aware that the higher your feet are up on the sled, the more that the recruitment will shift towards the buttocks.

• Make sure that buttocks do not lift off the seat as you lower the sled. If they do, warm up with very light weights and a deep leg press to stretch the lower back.

Leg Workout Without Squats: Weighted Walking Lunges

Have you ever seen a guy doing walking lunges holding a ton of weight? What did his legs look like? That’s right, they were pretty well-built.

When lunges are performed with solid form, deep and deliberately, not rushed or sloppy, the quad and hamstring muscles will be called into some serious action and will grow in response.

The weights can be dumbbells or kettlebells, held with straight arms at one’s sides – and heavy weights at that.

At first this won’t be possible, but by applying progressive overload, you’ll force your legs to get stronger and bigger.

Walking Lunge Tips:

• Keep back straight, erect; don’t hunch over

• Take your time; don’t rush

• Go as deep as possible

• The more extended that the back leg is (hip extension), the more hamstring recruitment.

• Focus on using heavy weight rather than for how long you can lunge walk; this is to build strength (and hence size), not endurance.

Building Legs Without Squats With Leg Extensions And Hamstring Curls

Though these are isolation exercises, they actually fare quite well for hypertrophy.

Again, every person you’ve ever seen lifting practically the entire leg extension stack of weights (a true lift rather than jerking up the weights with momentum), had glorious quads.

The hamstrings are a powerful muscle group and can be trained to curl enormous amounts of weight, and the beauty of the hamstring curl is that the risk of joint injury is exceedingly low.

People who can leg curl massive amounts of resistance have bulging hamstrings.

Leg Extension Tips:

• Point feet outward for more emphasis on the vastus lateralis muscle: the outside quad muscle.

• Always keep feet 90 degrees to your shins, so that in the extended position, toes are pointing to ceiling.

• Lower the weight with control; don’t let the weights drop.

• Always warm up; never dive into heavy leg extensions

Hamstring Curl Tips:

• Equipment in which you are lying on your stomach works best.

• Bring pad all the way to your buttocks and squeeze there for a second before releasing.

• Release with control; don’t let the weights drop.

• Do not raise chest off the pad as you lower the weights; this is a big cheat move and will work against you.

What About Deadlifts?

If you suffer from lower back pain from squats, heavy deadlifts are not a good idea.

Otherwise, some argue that the deadlift is superb for building great legs, while others insist that the deadlift primarily hits the back, and thus, isn’t a top exercise for maximal leg hypertrophy.

The deadlift is such a super overall exercise, however, that it should be included in everyone’s program, even if light resistance must be used to prevent low back pain.

With proper nutrition, progressive overload, heavy weights and consistency, you can build big legs with just leg presses, weighted walking lunges, leg extensions and leg curls.

For more information about the best ways to build lean muscle mass, whether you’re a beginner with weight workouts, intermediate or advanced, consider reading No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte, a former marathon runner who transformed a very skinny body into a rock-hard machine of solid muscle.

The book contains 29-week programs and explains in-depth the most effective approaches to building lean mass, and includes meal plans.

Over the past several years, the concept of “muscle confusion workouts” has made its rounds in the fitness world as a super way to accelerate muscle growth.

Just What Are Muscle Confusion Workout Routines Anyways?

Proponents of this approach to accelerating hypertrophy claim that it’s the result of introducing varied workout routines in an unpredictable manner to your body, thereby “shocking” the muscles into becoming bigger to accommodate unexpected demands.

Whew! Sounds great on paper, but…it’s really all a bunch of hype and has made some fitness gurus very wealthy.

Because fitness gurus have made muscle confusion workout routines the bases of their workout DVDs, personal trainers all over have jumped on this marketing bandwagon and have “sold” this concept to unsuspecting clients.

In fact, so prevalent now is this idea of keeping the muscles confused, that some personal trainers casually answer, “It’s to confuse your muscles,” when an inquisitive client questions the reasons behind a strange new routine.

And it works. When a client hears “muscle confusion workouts,” this sounds legit and even scientific, and therefore is taken as a logical explanation for that new crazy routine.

As mentioned already, the concept of shocking the muscles actually sounds good in theory, but it is flawed. Muscles respond to tension only, and they also respond to volume. And that’s it.

Muscles “Guess” Only At Tension Loads And Volume Loads

They can’t be tricked because they know what their job is. Their job is to either push, pull, lengthen, shorten or absorb stress while unchanged in length.

You cannot confound muscle fibers by making them do what they were designed to do: generate force.

Let’s Take A Look At Back Routines As An Example Of Why This Approach Is Flawed

There are many, many back routines: seated rows, barbell rows, bent-over dumbbell rows, lat pull-downs, chin-ups, pull-ups, T-bar rows, tension tube rows.

Within these many exercises are sub-variations, such as distance the hands are placed from each other on a barbell, palm position (such as facing your body or away from yourself), and grip angle (as determined by cable machine handle or resistance machine handle choice).

Now, according to muscle confusion advocates, the way to mystify your muscles would be to:

1) Switch up the sequence of your back routines
2) Replace back routines you’ve been doing a while with new ones you’ve been avoiding.

So, if you normally follow the sequence of lat pull-down, T-bar row and bent-over dumbbell row, then you’ll supposedly shock your muscles by performing the bent-over dumbbell rows first, followed by the lat pull-down and then the T-bar.

This alteration in order should mystify the muscle fibers and they will grow faster and bigger in response.

Better yet, if you just chuck these three routines and replace them with, say, seated row, barbell row and pull-ups, you’ll really baffle your muscles.

Again, Sounds Like A Logical Outcome, But Here Is The Flaw

No matter what the sequence or type of exercise, the common denominator remains unchanged. And that is the joint action of pulling!

The joint action of pulling occurs when the bones of the back, called the scapulae (singular, scapula), retract (pull in towards each other).

A pulling motion may also involve different scapular actions, but they all involve adduction: that of the bones moving towards the midline of the body—in this case, the spinal column.

So whether you are pulling tension tubes towards you while standing on a wobble board, or leaning over and pulling a barbell up towards your chest, the same joint motion occurs: pulling or scapular adduction.

Where, Then, Is This Confusion?

Your muscles only know pull, pull, pull in a back routine sequence.

They do not know of any changes in sequence of routines, or of old routines replaced by new ones. They only know of pull, pull, and pull.

This same understanding applies to other joint motions, such as scapular abduction (the bones move away from the spine).

This is the main joint action in chest exercises like the bench press, pushups and seated chest press.

So if you’ve been doing bench press and dumbbell press this whole time and not experiencing mass gains, the solution isn’t to “trick” your muscles by abandoning the flat bench press and dumbbell press in favor of the seated chest press and decline bench press.

After all, the joint action will not change! In all four exercises, the same muscles will get worked: mainly the pectoralis major and minor, and serratus anterior. Same joint action; same muscle groups.

The secondary joint action of elbow flexion (which works triceps) also occurs in all four exercises. It’s push, push, push, no matter what. There is no confusion.

But What About People Who Swear That After Switching Up Their Program Or Varying The Exercises, They Grew A Lot Of Muscle?

This can be explained by boredom being replaced by something new for a change.

A change in routine will produce a favorable psychological effect in the trainee, creating a new-found energy and enthusiasm.

Naturally, this upgrade in enthusiasm will effect the workout. The trainee will push harder, excited at trying chin-ups for the first time, or perhaps enjoying the funky feel of bent-over dumbbell rows.

This resurrection of motivation will result in a harder workout, which of course will then promote hypertrophy.

Even if you normally do your back with biceps, and think that switching it to back and triceps will confuse your muscles, this won’t happen, because despite the change in muscle-group pairing, the very same joint actions will still occur: scapular adduction and elbow extension (triceps work).

If you’re still begging for a way of how to confuse your muscles, change up the tension and volume.

In short, lift heavier weights. Having to move a heavier weight than last time will give your muscles a good jolt and force them to get bigger.

Increase the volume by performing lat pull-downs right after your chin-ups: a compound set (two routines in a row that work the same muscle group). Muscles respond to progressive overload—lifting heavier and heavier weights over time.

Some personal trainers really do believe in the concept of shocking muscles, and it’s easy to believe this idea because it is so easy to explain in simple English.

But if there truly is a way to provide shock to muscle fibers and make them grow, it is to heap onto them a heavier weight, i.e., drive up the tension.

You’ll want to consider reading No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte, because he goes in-depth about how to manipulate tension and volume for maximum hypertrophy.

This is an ideal source for both beginners and intermediate/advanced individuals who are seeking to build lean muscle mass.

The standard free or Smith barbell squat can get quite dull after awhile, and when motivation sinks, so do results.

You may even know a few squat variations and think that’s all there is, such as pointing the feet outward or doing squats lunge-style under the barbell.

But that’s only the beginning. Just wait till you read what can be derived from the basic squatting motion!

The Many Variations Of Squats

It’s a well-known fact that the squat is one of the best exercises for hypertrophy, fat-burning, strength and toning, but even the king of kings can get boring sooner or later.

1. Sumo Squat

This shifts some muscle fiber recruitment to the inner thighs. The weight load determines if the result will be toning or building.

Benefit: A good exercise for those wishing to tone the inner thighs, though regular use of heavy weights will build the inner thighs.

Place feet very far apart and point them outward as much as possible, then proceed with the exercise.

A lighter weight than what you use for standard squats is necessary, since the inner thigh muscles aren’t as strong as the quadriceps.

2. Lunge Squat

Legs are positioned lunge-style for this, and a sub-variation would be to switch forward and back legs with each repetition.

Benefit: Great for people who love lunges, and one of the targeted areas is where the buttocks (gluteus maximus) ties into the hamstring group of muscles, the so-called “glute-ham tie-in.”

3. Free Barbell Squat Holding Weight In Front Of Body

Hold barbell with straight arms before yourself, then lower your body. As you do so, arms will need to bend to accommodate the barbell; biceps will get hit with this, especially if you go past 90 degrees.

This type of squatting requires quite a bit of arm and shoulder work.

Benefit: Gives the shoulders, biceps and forearms a workout as well.

4. Flat-Side BOSU Ball

The BOSU ball or board is that blue half ball with a black flat undersurface. Place the device flat-side up and stand on it.

Some people will struggle to do just body weight squats, especially deep, while others will quickly adapt. This can be done with a barbell across the back or while holding dumbbells at one’s sides.

Benefit: Hones balance skills and offers a fun diversion from the more usual routines.

5. Dumbbell Squats

The weights can be held at one’s sides with straight arms, or in front, which requires an arm bend as one lowers. A sub-variation would be to maintain the arm curl as you come up.

Benefit: Also works shoulders, and biceps if the dumbbells are held in front of body.

6. Smith Machine Foot Placement

Place feet much further out than usual for a different pattern of fiber recruitment.

Benefit: Offers a variation in the pattern of muscle fiber recruitment, and thus, a different feel for the trainee.

7. Tempo And Holding Points

Squats can be varied by speeding up or slowing the reps.

Benefit: There are different benefits, depending on what is done.

The addition of a cardio component is one benefit, if the trainee does the following: Load the Smith bar with what you think would be your 25 rep max.

Now work this as rapidly as possible, making sure you hit 90-degrees each time, and no pausing at the top.

Do 20-25 reps, rest only 45 seconds, then go again—do five sets like this with only 45 seconds in between.

This takes 5-6 minutes and will leave you pummeled…a super way to conclude heavy weight training at the squat rack.

Another derivation would be to hold the squat position for a 3-count, or go up more slowly than usual.

The benefit here is that this can help one bust past a weight-load plateau.

8. Pulsing

From the bottom of the movement, go up just several inches and then back down; pulse up and down with just a several-inch range of motion for a time-based period or rep-quantity.

Benefit: Great for warming up, cooling down, or for those who prefer lighter-weight squats.

9. One-Legged

This can be done with a Smith machine or stability ball against a wall.

Benefit: Targets more of the gluteus maximus (main buttocks muscle).

Other variations with barbell squats (though these can also be done with dumbbells) include going up on the toes at the top of the movement for some calve work, or adding a small jump at the top of the movement—which would require using a much lighter weight load.

The jump style works much better with dumbbells.

Another variant would be to add a good-morning at the top of every repetition—which, again, would require a much lighter barbell than usual.

Finally, at the top of every rep, step onto a plyometric stool and back down while still supporting the weight. This, too, will necessitate a lighter resistance.

For those seeking to build huge muscles, you won’t want to focus on squat variations that require a much lighter weight, but the benefits of these modifications include:

• Serving well as warm-ups
• Drills in between normally super-heavy squats
• Tack-ons after heavy sets for a superset
• Upper body involvement
• Cool-down sets at the end of a brutal standard squat or deadlift workout.
• A refreshing change from a monotonous regimen

Beginners or individuals seeking a toned look rather than very hypertrophied can get away with putting more time into these kinds of routines.

This is because the novice body is very quick to respond to lighter-weight compound exercises, and a toned appearance does not require significantly heavy weights.

Other Variations Of Squats

1. Bulgarian Split Squat Variation

This is a stationary lunge done with the back foot up on a bench or stool. It can be done with body weight only, holding dumbbells or using a barbell across the back.

Benefit: Appealing to those who do lunges.

2. Body Weight Squats

Simply squat using just your body weight—as easy as that sounds, this is difficult for some novices, such as older de-conditioned people, and even younger individuals who are in poor physical condition will struggle with these beyond 12 reps.

If getting down to a 90-degree bend is difficult, face the edge of an open door, place hands on either side of the door knob, arms almost straight, and perform the exercise.

Don’t lean back with straight arms, as this is cheating. Hold the door knob only for balance.

Benefit: The body weight style is ideal for people with compromised squatting ability, and this actually includes young, healthy people who’ve led a sedentary life. It’s also a popular cool-down.

3. Jumping Squats

Also known as squat jumps, the top portion of the movement is a jump off the floor. Land softly and smoothly transition back down into the squat.

Deep jumping squats are nasty on the quads, but the benefit is that this exercise is a great superset to standard squats, deadlifts or leg presses, and helps develop power.

For a complete battery of lower body routines that will build muscle and slash fat, you’ll like No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

This is a complete training guide for beginners and intermediate/advanced men and women who want to build lean muscle mass.

The book covers all major muscle groups and also provides meal plans to complement your training.

Want to build lots of mass? Are you skinny and haven’t been having much luck packing on muscle?

Perhaps it’s because you have not been performing the very full body workout routines that are proven to spark serious hypertrophy (muscle growth).

All too commonly, “skinny guys” spend a lot of time exhausting themselves with endless arm curls or half-baked bench presses replete with poor form and incomplete range of motion.

The key to building rock-hard muscle—and not just 5 pounds in six months, but 15-20 pounds in six months—is to focus on the major mass-building exercises.

The more muscles that are worked at once, the more weight that can be lifted. And the more weight that is lifted, the stronger your body will be forced to become.

This can lead to only one outcome: Lots of new muscle growth.

Best Full Body Workout Routines For Building Mass

1. Deadlifts

You will never see an individual deadlifting 400 pounds who’s skinny. It’s possible for people with “chicken legs” to leg press 450 pounds with good range of motion for 10 reps.

This is because the leg press, though a compound routine, involves a comfortable stabilization of the entire back and core via the equipment’s structure. But the deadlift provides no such support; it is “all you.”

The deadlift can be performed by incorporating leg pressing motions (a deeper leg bend versus the stiff- or straight-leg version), and there is nothing to support your back, while your hands grasp the weight. Thus, just about the entire body is forced into action.

The deadlift is a true full body routine that allows a person to move massive amounts of weight. There is a linear correlation between amount of weight lifted and muscle size.

The bigger the deadlift, the bigger the trainee. Deadlift champions have enormous muscle mass.

Now, you may not want to get as big as these guys, but the size of these athletes clearly illustrates the point: The heavier the weight that you train your body to deadlift, the more your muscles will grow—legs, back and arms: a linear relationship.

The deadlift is often considered the best full body workout routine.

2. Tire Flipping

Maybe you’ve seen this event in strongman competitions, but that doesn’t mean that mainstream trainees can’t incorporate this unconventional activity in their muscle-building programs.

The only catch is the availability of a tractor-sized tire. Some gyms do provide these. They can also be purchased.

There is no such thing as a skinny person who can flip a huge tire across a gym floor or parking lot. Strongmen who seemingly effortlessly flip tires over and over bristle with major muscle mass.

Tire flipping hits every major muscle group; no major muscle group is excused during this activity.

The only caveat is that this is not recommended for beginners; only the intermediate and advanced should do this. It’s safe for the trainee to flip tires when he or she has mastered the deadlift and squat.

Because tractor tires range from 80 to 500 or so pounds, a trainee need not have pre-existing super strength to flip tires.

The tire flip involves the antagonistic superset of pulling and pushing, working the back, biceps, chest, shoulders and triceps all in one fell swoop—while also targeting the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves: a super full body routine.

3. Weighted Walking Lunges

Every individual who can perform walking lunges clear across the gym while holding a lot of weight has impressive muscular development.

The entire lower body gets blasted including the calves, while the abs also get targeted for increased compactness in these muscles.

However, the upper body can be targeted in numerous ways depending on how one carries the weight, which can be a single 45-pound plate, two heavy dumbbells or even a barbell.

The trainee should be comfortable with the walking lunge before attempting heavy weights, since lunge walking is awkward for some people.

▸ A weight plate can be statically held at one’s chest for a continuous isometric (no change in muscle length) contraction of the upper body muscles.

▸ The weight can also be repeatedly pressed outward away from the chest or pressed above the head.

▸ Dumbbells can be pressed above the head, or curled throughout the walking lunge course.

4. Renegade Rows

This combines pushups with bent-over dumbbell rows with planks—all rolled into one.

Though this isn’t the best full body workout routine for maximal hypertrophy, it’s excellent for getting on that path, especially for women, since women can reap muscle-gain results with less weight than men in general.

Thus, if a woman works on renegade rows beginning with just 15-pound dumbbells, she’ll be on course for increasing muscular development as she gets stronger.

The best way to perform this exercise is to execute a pushup after every single-arm row, rather than after every pair of single-arm rows.

Do these full body workout routines twice a week for several hardcore sets each session, utilizing progressive overload, and this will force muscles to grow big to accommodate the demand.

There are many other full body workouts for hypertrophy that you can learn about in No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program by Vince DelMonte.

This book includes full body workouts for both the beginner as well as intermediate and advanced trainees.

The 29-week progressive overload programs are designed for men and women seeking to build lean muscle mass.