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Some of u may already know this some may not, anyways its a good article originally written by Larry scott that was i UG NewsLetter 10. The Chest Exercise at the end is great and I recommend everybody do it, u dont eed a smith machine though it works fine with a Barbell. Trust what u r gonna read about pivot points, it is very true that certain muscles ,make u look good. In my opinion ur upper chest ca never be high or thick eough, and those delts can never be wide enough. Now read the article........
There are a lot of bodybuilders or people that go to the gym that work out to look good. Nothing more, nothing less. Lets face it, we all get a sense of satisfaction when you are walking around and your physique attracts positive attention. As humans our eyes are drawn to a beautiful physique on a man, or a curvaceous woman. Men do look at other men. Not necessarily as an attraction. But as a bodybuilder, I do get more compliments from men than women. Usually these compliment stem from envy. Im also an accomplished artist. When I paint a landscape, I usually do a landscape that exists only in my imagination. But what I am very conscious of is the "focal" or "pivot" points of the painting. The focal point in the painting is where ones eyes will first be attracted to. So therefore you must create balance. You cannot have a focal point in the top left of the painting. If you do, then the painting will lack balance and the viewer will not be able to appreciate the whole painting. It is sort of like your body. Bodybuilding is art to me. Sculpting comes to mind. As bodybuilders we are constantly striving not only to become bigger but to become more beautiful. You must constantly be aware of your symmetry. One bicep bigger than the other looks off balance and a viewers eye will catch it. So you have to work on the focal or the pivot points of your body! These points consist of those "stunning" bodyparts strategically located where they "pivot" the eye... Generally they are far out from the center or belly of the muscle. When developed they lend a beauty to the physique which size alone cannot accomplish. When you see a body with even the beginning of well developed... upper pecs, lower lats, forearms, lower biceps, lower calves, long head of tricep etc. you just can't take your eyes away. Even though others may be twice the size, they don't have the impact on your senses like one who works on his "Nine Pivot Points".
What are these points?
First are Side And Rear Deltoids. Big round full caps on the side and rear... aren't expected... so they catch your eye. You can't tear your eyes away when you see these areas swelling
unexpectedly out of nowhere. In fact, the image remains etched in your brain long after the guy's gone.
Second Is Upper Pecs. Granted you see some great lower pecs but once in a lifetime do you see a"Franco Columbo" pair of upper pecs. They are uncommonly fascinating. One glimpse and
you're hooked.
Third is Lower Lats. Yeah lots of guys are wide and lots of guys are thick but seldom do you see a back that's got "heart". I'm talking about lats that don't taper down but almost curve up at
the bottom. It doesn't take genetics... it takes focus and unique exercises.
Fifth is Lower Biceps. Most guys have biceps that start further up the arm. What I mean is that the part above the elbow is thick but then an inch you can see the start of the bicep and up high near the shoulder is where most of the mass is. I found that the way to work on the lower part of the bicep is to make a minor adjustment using the E-Z Curl bar. Most grab the curl bar at the most comfortable spot. This position usually will make the pinky finger lower than the thumb. Instead of grabbing the bar there, place your hands out wide to the last angle of the bar. The pinkys will be higher than the thumb. In this position, you will be slightly uncomfortable because your arms will angle away from your body and your elbows will be in more toward your abdomen. This looks weird but it is the correct position. I am able to brace my elbows with my abs and that will also help you too. Raise the weight slowly – 3 to 5 second count, squeeze hard at the top and lower slowly. You will feel the lower part of the bicep when you do this. I usually do 3 sets with my hands in the correct comfortable position and 3 with the outer position. After this my biceps are pumped and burning to the max all over. Give it a try!
Sixth is the long head of the tricep
Seventh is Forearms.
When you get these three... the bicep, tricep and forearm... developed to their maximum, they add a symmetry and beauty to the arm which defies all description. This fully developed package is so impressive... so stunning... you don't even have to flex your arm. You can stick it straight out and still cause jaws to drop. It's much more impressive than a huge arm which has to be flexed to look good.
Eighth is Vastus Internus (Teardrop) and Thigh Biceps When it comes to thighs, the teardrop muscle has "got it". They add flair to an otherwise thick and bulky looking thigh and thigh biceps
are not far behind.
Ninth is lower calves. (Diamond Shaped Calves)
You see... the key is... to get more weight out at the end of the limb, thus lower calves, lower thighs, forearms, lower lats, upper pecs and outer dels. The more size you can pack in these
"unexpected" areas, the more impact your physique makes on the eye. Each of these points when well developed adds something to the physique that's hard to put into words. Matter of fact it's better than words. It's a thing of beauty. And when you get close to achieving it, you know there's a greater hand at work than just yours. You can stand back and admire the beauty of the human body even when it's your own. So...
Don't Just Pump Iron.... Work On Your Masterpiece
And here's how to do it.
Pivot Point # 1 and 2... Side and Rear Deltoids.
How many times have you heard women say that they like "broad" shoulders on a man? Its because deltoids are one of the most eye catching of all the "Nine Pivot Points". Here's a way to do Standing Side Lateral Raises that makes them so effective you'll be sneaking em in on
your day off. I haven't mentioned Front Delts even though they are important because they get so much work on everything else. Bench press, dips, overhead press etc. they can get out of proportion. In fact, you have to be careful they don't bully the rest of the shoulder area. Furthermore, it's the side and rear delts that create "manly" look. So it's the side and rear delts we'll focus on.
First you have to be able to use enough weight to build some size and secondly you've got to make the shoulder "stay in the groove" that forces the side and rear deltoid heads to do all the
work.
Use A Mirror For This One
It won't feel natural right at first but once you build up some power, you can "go to town". You want to see the muscles working so wear a tank top. Nothing is more inspiring than seeing your own muscles firing, pumping and growing. Secondly, the key to getting this exercise right is to see the rear deltoids flex in the mirror at the top of the exercise. That's why you should do this with a tank top.
Okay lets walk through it once. Stand facing the mirror, grasp the dumbbells with the little finger side of the hand pressed hard against the inside plate of the dumbbell. Now the hard part.
You've got to raise the dumbbells out to the side and just high enough to see the rear deltoids flex in the mirror without flexing the traps. If you flex the traps by lifting the shoulders rather than
lifting the elbows you're going to build traps. Once the traps get stronger than the deltoids you can kiss a great set of delts goodbye because the traps will do all the work. They start to bully everything and steal all the growth while the deltoids stay the same. Furthermore, over developed traps actually makes your shoulders look narrower.
The best way to keep from building traps is to cheat just a little at the top of the exercise.
Let's go through it again. Stand facing the mirror. Bend over slightly at the waist. Hold one dumbbell higher than the other with the thumbs facing the mirror.
The following is a "two-bob" process. Before you start to raise the dumbbells, "bob" down a little with the upper body to give a slight assist to help start raising the dumbbells. Right at the top of
the movement... bob the upper body again... to keep the traps out of the picture. You should see the rear deltoids flex in the mirror right at the top. If you don't... you are standing up too straight, using too much front deltoid or raising the dumbbells too high. The dumbbells should go no higher than the shoulders.
It helps if you think of the dumbbell handles as full of water and right at the top of the exercise you just dump a little water out of the handle. Again, you need to be able to see the rear deltoids flex while watching them in the mirror. Be careful you don't lift the shoulders. Just lift the arms. I know it's tough to get it with just these words but... wait till you get it. You won't be able to keep your eyes off your deltoids.
I just thought of something I forgot. Use plenty of chalk on your hands. You need a very firm grip on the dumbbells because the key to using more weight on this exercise is the power transfer
from the forearms to the deltoids.
Pivot Point # 3... Lower Lats... How To Develop The "Heart" in Your Back.
Lot's of guys are wide and lots of guys are thick but few have beautifully developed lower lats.
When you see a back like this... it'll stop you right in your tracks. So how do you get a set of these things? The heart shape comes from focusing on the lower lats which is the hardest area to build. That's why they're so stunning.
Here's a couple of exercises for creating your own "heart". The first is the one arm lat pull with a pulley about 3 to 5 feet off the floor. Bend over at the waist... with one hand grasp a single handled pulley. Stretch the opposite leg forward... so far you're actually leaning on your
upper thigh. Then stretch the other leg all the way back so both legs are scissored as much as
possible. Now twist the hip back away from the line of pull as your arm extends. Then as you pull the handle in next to the hip, twist the hip into the arm. Then back out again twisting the hip away from the line of pull. This "in an out" hip movement puts all the stress right on the lower lat. It's similar to a one arm dumbbell row but with the body in this stretched out position and the hip twisting in and out, it targets the very lowest part of the lat. After you've done 3 to 4 sets with each arm and you're fully pumped you're ready for...
"Scapula Rotations" The King Of Lower Lat Exercises
In order to get this exercise correct you need a mirror right in front of a chinning bar so you can see what's going on. It'll help if I tell you the key to catching on to this exercise is to think of doing chins without bending the arms. Quite frankly, it didn't make any sense until I watched him do it.
He would chalk up, put on chinning straps and with his hands facing away at about shoulder width he would get his palms as far over the bar as possible. Then hanging from the bar he slowly
raised his rib box as high as he could as if he was trying to touch the chinning bar without bending his arms... all the time keeping his scapula slightly adducted (pulled in), then right at the top of the movement he would suddenly throw his lats forward real hard. When he did this, you
could see the very bottom of his lats jump right out at you. Then he would hold them... standing out... like the arc of a circle while he slowly lowered his rib box again as far as possible. When he dropped off the bar the bottom of his lats had this funny little pumped shelf under them. You could stick a couple of fingers under this shelf and... lift it up and down. It made you want a set like that so bad it hurt.
Pivot Point # 4... Upper Pecs
This is done using a Smith Machine with counter weights if your gym has one. First lay down on the bench... No, wait a minute. Get up for a second. You need to adjust the bar and the bench so it just touches your neck at rest. You need to turn down the hooks so they are hanging free. Next I set the safety stops and if needed put a block under the bench so you can barely get under the bar.
It may look too low for you to get under it, but all you need to do is turn your head to the side and slide sideways on the bench. The bar has to rest on your Adams Apple. This is important because at the end of each set the stops have to take the weight away from you precisely when you need it. And that's down as low as possible. This super low position will give your upper pecs a pre-stretch they've never felt before. Furthermore you are going to be doing full reps followed by burns to complete failure and I want you to do your burns down in the area of maximum stretch. By having the stops set at the very bottom not only does it give you incredible stretch but, it keeps from having to conserve energy to hang the weight up when you're through with each set. This is important, because the goal at the end of each set is to have nothing left to push the weight up and turn the hooks. I know it sounds picky but, trust me, you'll see what I mean.
Once you are under the bar, lift your feet up off the floor and just hold them comfortably with your ankles crossed almost like your sitting on a chair but your in a horizontal position. You've got to get the feet off the floor in order to relax the rib cage. With the rib cage relaxed, the lower chest muscles won't have an anchor to pull against. All the work has to be done by the clavicular (upper) pecs even when the going gets tough. I'll explain this more later. Press the bar up now and then, slowly lower the bar, keeping the elbows up at least as high as the shoulders. Lower it all the way down to the neck. You want it to actually touch your neck.
Now this will be a first for most of you and I can guarantee that you will feel some pain. Remember your stretching your upper pecs like nothing else before. Alright, press the bar and at the same time keep the elbows up as high as possible. Don't drop the elbows. I know it's hard but... keep em up there. Be patient with yourself. Stay in the pain Zone. It's where all the growth is. The bar will come up. Make your upper pecs carry you through the pain zone by keeping your elbows up high. Now. Don't get up." I said. " Now you're ready for the best part. Time to burn out. Drop the bar right down to the neck and just bounce out 6 to 8 reps. Keep the elbows up high. Don't let them come back down towards the chest.
"Remember what I said about the pain across your palm? The bar does cut across the palms. Kind of pinches the nerve. Let me tell you how to get rid of it. You aren't going to like this but, the problem is not your technique it's your bar. It's too small in diameter. The bar should be 2 inches thick. I usually alleviate this by taking a sponge or small towels and wrapping the bar where your hands will be. Most gyms have sponge tubing to wrap around the bar to aid in comfort when you do squat exercises. You will need them.
There are a lot of bodybuilders or people that go to the gym that work out to look good. Nothing more, nothing less. Lets face it, we all get a sense of satisfaction when you are walking around and your physique attracts positive attention. As humans our eyes are drawn to a beautiful physique on a man, or a curvaceous woman. Men do look at other men. Not necessarily as an attraction. But as a bodybuilder, I do get more compliments from men than women. Usually these compliment stem from envy. Im also an accomplished artist. When I paint a landscape, I usually do a landscape that exists only in my imagination. But what I am very conscious of is the "focal" or "pivot" points of the painting. The focal point in the painting is where ones eyes will first be attracted to. So therefore you must create balance. You cannot have a focal point in the top left of the painting. If you do, then the painting will lack balance and the viewer will not be able to appreciate the whole painting. It is sort of like your body. Bodybuilding is art to me. Sculpting comes to mind. As bodybuilders we are constantly striving not only to become bigger but to become more beautiful. You must constantly be aware of your symmetry. One bicep bigger than the other looks off balance and a viewers eye will catch it. So you have to work on the focal or the pivot points of your body! These points consist of those "stunning" bodyparts strategically located where they "pivot" the eye... Generally they are far out from the center or belly of the muscle. When developed they lend a beauty to the physique which size alone cannot accomplish. When you see a body with even the beginning of well developed... upper pecs, lower lats, forearms, lower biceps, lower calves, long head of tricep etc. you just can't take your eyes away. Even though others may be twice the size, they don't have the impact on your senses like one who works on his "Nine Pivot Points".
What are these points?
First are Side And Rear Deltoids. Big round full caps on the side and rear... aren't expected... so they catch your eye. You can't tear your eyes away when you see these areas swelling
unexpectedly out of nowhere. In fact, the image remains etched in your brain long after the guy's gone.
Second Is Upper Pecs. Granted you see some great lower pecs but once in a lifetime do you see a"Franco Columbo" pair of upper pecs. They are uncommonly fascinating. One glimpse and
you're hooked.
Third is Lower Lats. Yeah lots of guys are wide and lots of guys are thick but seldom do you see a back that's got "heart". I'm talking about lats that don't taper down but almost curve up at
the bottom. It doesn't take genetics... it takes focus and unique exercises.
Fifth is Lower Biceps. Most guys have biceps that start further up the arm. What I mean is that the part above the elbow is thick but then an inch you can see the start of the bicep and up high near the shoulder is where most of the mass is. I found that the way to work on the lower part of the bicep is to make a minor adjustment using the E-Z Curl bar. Most grab the curl bar at the most comfortable spot. This position usually will make the pinky finger lower than the thumb. Instead of grabbing the bar there, place your hands out wide to the last angle of the bar. The pinkys will be higher than the thumb. In this position, you will be slightly uncomfortable because your arms will angle away from your body and your elbows will be in more toward your abdomen. This looks weird but it is the correct position. I am able to brace my elbows with my abs and that will also help you too. Raise the weight slowly – 3 to 5 second count, squeeze hard at the top and lower slowly. You will feel the lower part of the bicep when you do this. I usually do 3 sets with my hands in the correct comfortable position and 3 with the outer position. After this my biceps are pumped and burning to the max all over. Give it a try!
Sixth is the long head of the tricep
Seventh is Forearms.
When you get these three... the bicep, tricep and forearm... developed to their maximum, they add a symmetry and beauty to the arm which defies all description. This fully developed package is so impressive... so stunning... you don't even have to flex your arm. You can stick it straight out and still cause jaws to drop. It's much more impressive than a huge arm which has to be flexed to look good.
Eighth is Vastus Internus (Teardrop) and Thigh Biceps When it comes to thighs, the teardrop muscle has "got it". They add flair to an otherwise thick and bulky looking thigh and thigh biceps
are not far behind.
Ninth is lower calves. (Diamond Shaped Calves)
You see... the key is... to get more weight out at the end of the limb, thus lower calves, lower thighs, forearms, lower lats, upper pecs and outer dels. The more size you can pack in these
"unexpected" areas, the more impact your physique makes on the eye. Each of these points when well developed adds something to the physique that's hard to put into words. Matter of fact it's better than words. It's a thing of beauty. And when you get close to achieving it, you know there's a greater hand at work than just yours. You can stand back and admire the beauty of the human body even when it's your own. So...
Don't Just Pump Iron.... Work On Your Masterpiece
And here's how to do it.
Pivot Point # 1 and 2... Side and Rear Deltoids.
How many times have you heard women say that they like "broad" shoulders on a man? Its because deltoids are one of the most eye catching of all the "Nine Pivot Points". Here's a way to do Standing Side Lateral Raises that makes them so effective you'll be sneaking em in on
your day off. I haven't mentioned Front Delts even though they are important because they get so much work on everything else. Bench press, dips, overhead press etc. they can get out of proportion. In fact, you have to be careful they don't bully the rest of the shoulder area. Furthermore, it's the side and rear delts that create "manly" look. So it's the side and rear delts we'll focus on.
First you have to be able to use enough weight to build some size and secondly you've got to make the shoulder "stay in the groove" that forces the side and rear deltoid heads to do all the
work.
Use A Mirror For This One
It won't feel natural right at first but once you build up some power, you can "go to town". You want to see the muscles working so wear a tank top. Nothing is more inspiring than seeing your own muscles firing, pumping and growing. Secondly, the key to getting this exercise right is to see the rear deltoids flex in the mirror at the top of the exercise. That's why you should do this with a tank top.
Okay lets walk through it once. Stand facing the mirror, grasp the dumbbells with the little finger side of the hand pressed hard against the inside plate of the dumbbell. Now the hard part.
You've got to raise the dumbbells out to the side and just high enough to see the rear deltoids flex in the mirror without flexing the traps. If you flex the traps by lifting the shoulders rather than
lifting the elbows you're going to build traps. Once the traps get stronger than the deltoids you can kiss a great set of delts goodbye because the traps will do all the work. They start to bully everything and steal all the growth while the deltoids stay the same. Furthermore, over developed traps actually makes your shoulders look narrower.
The best way to keep from building traps is to cheat just a little at the top of the exercise.
Let's go through it again. Stand facing the mirror. Bend over slightly at the waist. Hold one dumbbell higher than the other with the thumbs facing the mirror.
The following is a "two-bob" process. Before you start to raise the dumbbells, "bob" down a little with the upper body to give a slight assist to help start raising the dumbbells. Right at the top of
the movement... bob the upper body again... to keep the traps out of the picture. You should see the rear deltoids flex in the mirror right at the top. If you don't... you are standing up too straight, using too much front deltoid or raising the dumbbells too high. The dumbbells should go no higher than the shoulders.
It helps if you think of the dumbbell handles as full of water and right at the top of the exercise you just dump a little water out of the handle. Again, you need to be able to see the rear deltoids flex while watching them in the mirror. Be careful you don't lift the shoulders. Just lift the arms. I know it's tough to get it with just these words but... wait till you get it. You won't be able to keep your eyes off your deltoids.
I just thought of something I forgot. Use plenty of chalk on your hands. You need a very firm grip on the dumbbells because the key to using more weight on this exercise is the power transfer
from the forearms to the deltoids.
Pivot Point # 3... Lower Lats... How To Develop The "Heart" in Your Back.
Lot's of guys are wide and lots of guys are thick but few have beautifully developed lower lats.
When you see a back like this... it'll stop you right in your tracks. So how do you get a set of these things? The heart shape comes from focusing on the lower lats which is the hardest area to build. That's why they're so stunning.
Here's a couple of exercises for creating your own "heart". The first is the one arm lat pull with a pulley about 3 to 5 feet off the floor. Bend over at the waist... with one hand grasp a single handled pulley. Stretch the opposite leg forward... so far you're actually leaning on your
upper thigh. Then stretch the other leg all the way back so both legs are scissored as much as
possible. Now twist the hip back away from the line of pull as your arm extends. Then as you pull the handle in next to the hip, twist the hip into the arm. Then back out again twisting the hip away from the line of pull. This "in an out" hip movement puts all the stress right on the lower lat. It's similar to a one arm dumbbell row but with the body in this stretched out position and the hip twisting in and out, it targets the very lowest part of the lat. After you've done 3 to 4 sets with each arm and you're fully pumped you're ready for...
"Scapula Rotations" The King Of Lower Lat Exercises
In order to get this exercise correct you need a mirror right in front of a chinning bar so you can see what's going on. It'll help if I tell you the key to catching on to this exercise is to think of doing chins without bending the arms. Quite frankly, it didn't make any sense until I watched him do it.
He would chalk up, put on chinning straps and with his hands facing away at about shoulder width he would get his palms as far over the bar as possible. Then hanging from the bar he slowly
raised his rib box as high as he could as if he was trying to touch the chinning bar without bending his arms... all the time keeping his scapula slightly adducted (pulled in), then right at the top of the movement he would suddenly throw his lats forward real hard. When he did this, you
could see the very bottom of his lats jump right out at you. Then he would hold them... standing out... like the arc of a circle while he slowly lowered his rib box again as far as possible. When he dropped off the bar the bottom of his lats had this funny little pumped shelf under them. You could stick a couple of fingers under this shelf and... lift it up and down. It made you want a set like that so bad it hurt.
Pivot Point # 4... Upper Pecs
This is done using a Smith Machine with counter weights if your gym has one. First lay down on the bench... No, wait a minute. Get up for a second. You need to adjust the bar and the bench so it just touches your neck at rest. You need to turn down the hooks so they are hanging free. Next I set the safety stops and if needed put a block under the bench so you can barely get under the bar.
It may look too low for you to get under it, but all you need to do is turn your head to the side and slide sideways on the bench. The bar has to rest on your Adams Apple. This is important because at the end of each set the stops have to take the weight away from you precisely when you need it. And that's down as low as possible. This super low position will give your upper pecs a pre-stretch they've never felt before. Furthermore you are going to be doing full reps followed by burns to complete failure and I want you to do your burns down in the area of maximum stretch. By having the stops set at the very bottom not only does it give you incredible stretch but, it keeps from having to conserve energy to hang the weight up when you're through with each set. This is important, because the goal at the end of each set is to have nothing left to push the weight up and turn the hooks. I know it sounds picky but, trust me, you'll see what I mean.
Once you are under the bar, lift your feet up off the floor and just hold them comfortably with your ankles crossed almost like your sitting on a chair but your in a horizontal position. You've got to get the feet off the floor in order to relax the rib cage. With the rib cage relaxed, the lower chest muscles won't have an anchor to pull against. All the work has to be done by the clavicular (upper) pecs even when the going gets tough. I'll explain this more later. Press the bar up now and then, slowly lower the bar, keeping the elbows up at least as high as the shoulders. Lower it all the way down to the neck. You want it to actually touch your neck.
Now this will be a first for most of you and I can guarantee that you will feel some pain. Remember your stretching your upper pecs like nothing else before. Alright, press the bar and at the same time keep the elbows up as high as possible. Don't drop the elbows. I know it's hard but... keep em up there. Be patient with yourself. Stay in the pain Zone. It's where all the growth is. The bar will come up. Make your upper pecs carry you through the pain zone by keeping your elbows up high. Now. Don't get up." I said. " Now you're ready for the best part. Time to burn out. Drop the bar right down to the neck and just bounce out 6 to 8 reps. Keep the elbows up high. Don't let them come back down towards the chest.
"Remember what I said about the pain across your palm? The bar does cut across the palms. Kind of pinches the nerve. Let me tell you how to get rid of it. You aren't going to like this but, the problem is not your technique it's your bar. It's too small in diameter. The bar should be 2 inches thick. I usually alleviate this by taking a sponge or small towels and wrapping the bar where your hands will be. Most gyms have sponge tubing to wrap around the bar to aid in comfort when you do squat exercises. You will need them.
