You know the typical mass building advice: emphasize big compound lifts and progressive overload. However, using exercises you're not structurally suited for can quickly turn you into a non-gainer. This is especially true for lanky, long-limbed lifters.
If you want build muscle, you need to make every exercise count. Use these effective and structurally-friendly variations of the classic exercises.
For building mass, squats are king. However, when long-limbed hardgainers try to back squat, if often looks like an ugly good morning. Switching to a safety squat bar (holding the squat rack) is a game changer.
Good alternatives: Machine squat, leg press, Zercher squat, hip belt squat.
While regular deadlifts are fantastic for building overall strength, Romanian deadlifts rule for packing mass onto your posterior chain. Use a hook grip or straps for this.
Good alternatives: Trap bar deadlift (touch and go), back extension (45 degree), glute-ham raise.
Notes: Using a trap bar for deadlifts will hit your hamstrings less, but they're still a great total-body mass builder. Back extensions and glute ham raises are also excellent hamstring builders, but they won't have a huge impact on total-body muscle growth.
With long arms, most hardgainers find that bench presses beat up their shoulders long before they build up their pecs. Chest dips are an amazing mass builder and they can be even better when you do them on rings.
Good alternatives: Chest dip on V-bar setup, dumbbell bench press (flat, low incline or slight decline), weighted push-up.
Bent over rows are a classic upper-back mass builder and they work even better with a trap bar.
Good alternatives: Weighted inverted rows, chest-supported row.
Make sure to use a slight elbow tuck on this one.
Good alternatives: Seated dumbbell shoulder press, high-incline dumbbell press (great for those who have a shoulder structure not suited to direct overhead pressing).
Chin-ups are a classic lat and bicep builder. Rings will amplify your benefits.
Good alternatives: Use the rotating handles that come with some high-end racks, or use the D-handles found at most gyms. All you need is a small chain and carabineer you can pick up from a hardware store.
If you have to use a fixed bar, alternate every 1-2 months between supinated and neutral (palms facing each other) grips to reduce the risk of joint problems.
While close-grip presses are great, MRI research shows that these exercises emphasize your lateral and medial triceps heads, not your long head (3). However, things change when you follow Mark Rippetoe's advice to combine a pullover with a traditional skull crusher.
While it looks like you're cheating with your lats, the long head of your triceps is a two-jointed muscle. It extends your elbow and extends your shoulder. Yes, your lats help, but they simply work with your triceps and allow you to use more weight for more reps.
Good alternative: Dumbbell pullover extension.
When you curl, the weight moves out in front of your feet and out of your base of support. Long, lanky arms amplify this problem. When the weights get heavy, your focus shifts away from your biceps to stabilizing your body. However, this old school training accessory fixes the problem.
Good alternatives: Curl with your back against a wall, seated dumbbell curl.
Farmer's walks are a game-changer for total-body strength and size. However, there's a good chance you don't do them because your gym doesn't have farmer's walk bars or a nice long strip of turf to do them. Enter the trap bar figure-8 farmer's walk.
Good alternative: Use heavy dumbbells or kettlebells – a temporary fix until you get your gym to buy a trap bar.
Donkey calf raises are an old-school classic. The angled barbell version gives you all the same benefits, plus the added benefit of skipping awkward conversation where you ask a stranger at the gym to mount you like a horse.
Good alternative: Calf press on the leg press.
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