Bands act here as a form of accommodating resistance. As you bring the weight up, the resistance increases. And as you lower the dumbbells, you have to fight against the regular weight, but also the band resistance trying to pull you down.
Wrap a band around your back.
Lie down on a flat bench holding dumbbells or kettlebells at your shoulders, palms facing inwards. Bring the dumbbells up until your arms are almost fully extended.
Slightly bend your arms and arc the weights down to your sides until you feel a stretch across your chest.
Squeeze your pecs to return the weights to the start position.
This new Q & A column is about building a muscular and aesthetic physique. It's not about breaking strength records or reaching speed and power personal bests.
Breathing isn't one of those things we normally think about. Being the morons that we are – according to the general public, at least – bodybuilders generally prefer to devote our limited brain power towards things which seem more pertinent, such as calculating food intake or figuring out which tank top will make our guns look the biggest (okay, maybe that one's just me).
We'll admit it. Warm-ups suck. They're no fun, but we realize their importance. Luckily, Jeremy Frisch has come up with a couple that are hugely effective while still being tolerable to us warm-up haters.