Tag: training
Hunter Labrada Shares Tips for Breaking Plateaus & Changes in Off-Season & Prep Training
American bodybuilder Hunter Labrada is on a mission to reassert himself in the mix of title contention after an uneventful Olympia showing. He did not get discouraged by the setback and got back to making the necessary changes. In a recent video posted on YouTube, Labrada shared his thoughts on how to break through plateaus and revealed the changes in his training in the off-season and prep.
Hunter Labrada, son of IFBB Hall of Famer Lee Labrada, entered the Men’s Open division as a legacy competitor in 2020. He dominated the competition at the Tampa Pro with his enormous muscle mass, size, and posing skills and took home the top prize in his maiden IFBB show. The win made way for him to join the lineup for Mr. Olympia, where he placed eighth in his first outing. He scored gold the following year at the 2021 Chicago Pro before improving his standing to fourth place at the 2021 Mr. Olympia.
Labrada’s latest appearance happened at the 2022 Mr. Olympia last December. He didn’t bring his best form on stage and dropped down to seventh place. Following the result, Labrada expressed his frustrations with his performance. His coach Ben Chow admitted he came in flatter than anticipated as there were troubles in timing his peak. Given that he was not in the top six, Labrada eyed competing in two shows for two reasons; to qualify for the Olympia contest and figure out his peak. He started a new diet and training routine for the off-season earlier this year.
Hunter Labrada via @hunterlabrada
Labrada regularly educates his fanbase on a variety of topics related to fitness and bodybuilding. He revealed his full day of eating along with the supplements he was consuming two months ago. Then, he followed up by offering tips on building lower body muscle and smoked a heavy leg workout. One of his biggest ambitions for the season is to lean out his midsection. He detailed three ways of using vacuums to enhance core control.
Last month, Labrada gave fans a look into his preparations for the upcoming guest posing appearances at the Emerald Cup and the Pittsburgh Pro. He weighed in at 283 pounds while fasting and listed the new diet he was utilizing to get ready for the shows.
Hunter Labrada shares tips on breaking through plateaus
In a recent video posted on YouTube, Hunter Labrada shared his thoughts on pushing past any point of stalled progress in the training room.
“If I am stuck on a set and I’ve gotten the same amount of reps more than two sessions in a row what I’m probably going to look to do is employ some kind of intensity technique or a plateau breaker if you will,” said Labrada. “That would probably be in that case the rest pause, doing it for as many reps as I can, which should be a tie for the amount of reps I got last week and the week before, taking 10 breaths resting 15ish seconds and then going as many as I can again aiming to get three or four more. Doing that a couple weeks in a row and then going back to building that straight set.”
Related: 4 Methods For Busting Through Lifting Plateaus
Labrada reveals the difference in training off-season and in prep
Labrada gave his take on the changes in training during the off-season and in prep.
“Not a damn thing. Regardless of the period of the year that I’m in whether it’s a contest prep, an off-season, a health phase, this that or another, I am still training the same way. Very much so logged progressive overload training. The only thing changing is the load and the volume so in the off-season obviously I’m stronger. I’m full of food, body fat’s a little higher, the load and volume might be a little higher although I’m very low volume even in the off-season as we go into the prep.
“The poundages will go down a bit because obviously strength takes a dip but the variable I like to play with a little more is reducing the volume. Heading into a prep I might be doing three working sets on half the exercises I’m doing and then two on others by the end of prep I might be down on two on a lot of them and even on legs days like down to one on most of the exercises.”
Hunter Labrada opened up on developing the gym and bodybuilding mindset last month. He encouraged the more experienced lifters to set realistic goals and allow themselves time to build the skill. A few weeks later, Labrada offered tips on growing weaker calves in a straightforward way. He also laid out a detox drink that helps boost gut health and improve digestion earlier this week.
His latest update will help fellow gym-goers and fitness enthusiasts get back on track for progress and adjust their training routine throughout the year accordingly.
You can watch the full video below.
Published: 7 May, 2023 | 2:23 PM EDT
Lee Priest Reveals Changes in Training & Diet from His 20s to 50s
Australian bodybuilding veteran Lee Priest made a name for himself with his insane conditioning levels and longevity. He’s one of the few competitors who continued to perform even after stepping away from professional competition. In a recent video uploaded on YouTube, Priest shared the changes in his training and diet from when he was in his 20s to now that he’s in his 50s.
Lee Priest started his career in the IFBB Pro League as a Men’s Open contender in 1989. He became one of the youngest athletes to earn a Pro Card at the age of 20. Boasting gigantic arms with razor-sharp muscle detail, he worked his way up the ranks with frequent contest appearances. He secured an invite to the Mr. Olympia competition in 1997, where he placed sixth in his debut.
Priest was a regular feature of the Olympia shows with six participations between 1997 and 2003. While he did not win the Sandow trophy, he went up against the likes of eight-time champ Ronnie Coleman, six-time champ Dorian Yates, Shawn Ray, and four-time victor Jay Cutler. He scored his biggest win at the 2006 Ironman Pro and made his final IFBB appearance at the 2006 Grand Prix Australia.
Lee has not lost his passion for working out and maintains a high level of personal fitness. He opened up about taking Deca (Nandrolone) in his teenage years to build muscle and how he’s managed to retain it despite facing health challenges such as a neck injury last November. Then, he offered his expertise on performing the decline bench press for optimal chest muscle growth. He cautioned his fans against loading up too heavy as the decline motion could increase the risk of injuries.
Earlier this year, Priest gave fans a look into building gigantic forearms. He revealed he never trained the muscle group suggesting his refined forearms were down to genetics and overall training. He listed eight exercises that could help grow weak forearms. The 50-year-old went on the offensive against the Men’s 212 division a few months ago. He believes the 212 competitors could hold their own against some of the freakiest mass monsters of the Men’s Open class if they brought their best package.
Following the announcement of the returning 2023 Masters Olympia, Priest expressed a desire to complete the show had it not been for his chest atrophy. Two months ago, Priest laid out tips for effectively using preacher curls to maximize biceps gains and pump.
Priest weighed in on the Minnesota court’s ruling permitting transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports weeks ago. He bashed the decision for being unfair to women and urged the females to go on strike in protest.
Lee Priest reveals changes in his diet & training from his 20s to his 50s
In a recent YouTube video, Lee Priest shared how his training and diet protocols have changed over time from when he was in his 20s to now that he’s entering his 50s.
While he continues to train in a similar fashion, he needed to make some adjustments due to his injuries.
“The only thing that’s probably changed now is the weights,” said Priest. “Until I had this or the neck injury from the car accident, exactly the same. I’d still go as heavy as I could because I get good heavy days. But now with injuries I just gotta work around things. But overall still exactly the same as when I started really.”
“It’s good to focus on your form and also seated you can’t cheat as much and you can’t go as heavy. If you do have a back problem it’s probably easier to do it seated as well rather than just bending over but whatever feels comfortable for you. Don’t be one of those people where they go well he does them seated I have to do them seated when you could feel it better standing up. Everyone’s going to be different because their limbs are longer or shorter. That’s fine what works for you. I say do both if you can.
“[Recovery is] about the same really. I sometimes go sort of hard on leg still but not as heavy. I do a good amount of weight higher reps but really focus on the quads and it still might be sore for two or three days at the most after but still recover pretty quick as long as I’m getting the sleep, the food in. I can still train and not eat a lot of food and not sleep well and feel like sh*t.”
He theorized burning fat might be tougher but he manages to stay in good shape with cardio while being around 211-213 pounds currently.
“Now, maybe burning body fat gets harder as you get older. Metabolism might slow down but I still do lots of cardio so it’s good for burning fat and keeping healthy.”
“2 hours minimum of cardio. An hour in the morning and another in the afternoon. Then I’ll walk the dogs as well so anywhere between two to three hours a day.”
“I’m sitting around 96-97 kilos (211-213 pounds). It’s a comfortable weight. I’m not force feeding myself. Sometimes I only have two meals a day so I could probably go heavier but I can’t be bothered.”
Lee Priest voiced his disapproval of the qualification requirements for the 2023 Masters Olympia last month. He encouraged the organizers to raise the age criteria from 40 to 50+ with the condition that the athlete did not compete for at least two to three years.
Based on the latest update, it’s evident Priest continues to enjoy working out and leading a healthy lifestyle even without competition.
You can watch the full video below.
Published: 7 May, 2023 | 11:07 AM EDT
Fasted Running Explained: Benefits and Precautions
Intermittent fasting is the latest buzzword in fitness circles. Practitioners of this form of calorie control swear by it as a means to achieve a better state of being. Athletes, in particular, are especially gong-ho about intermittent fasting, claiming that it helps them maximize their muscle gain while boosting metabolism.
One of the most popular fitness trends out there nowadays is fasted running. Those who practice it say that it has made a world of difference to their fitness levels while helping them shed fat. This article delves into the world of fasted running, looking into its pros and cons, and tries to give you a ringside view into what is now undoubtedly a major health trend.
Fasted running is popular for two main reasons. Firstly, there is a camp of followers who feel they do not have sufficient time in the morning to eat before going on a run. They also find that running on a full stomach causes cramps. The other camp of followers goes for fasted runs because they want the added benefits of running on an empty stomach, like fat loss.
A Quick Look at Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting involves going without food for a certain number of hours a day and consuming all your calories in the remaining hours. These periods are known as the fasting window and feeding window, respectively. It has been claimed that intermittent fasting helps to lose weight, improve insulin levels, improve cardiovascular health, improve brain health, and potentially prevent cancer.
During fasting, the body uses up all its glycogen stores for energy and undergoes a metabolic switch wherein it enters a state known as ketosis. In ketosis, the body breaks down its fat stores to make ketone bodies that fuel the body in the absence of glycogen.
Intermittent fasting is a favorite with athletes as it helps them build more muscle while boosting their metabolic rates. Anabolic fasting, in particular, helps with this. From rank beginners to hardcore fasters, intermittent fasting has something for everyone. It has various routines and schedules that can be customized according to your needs.
During fasting, it is important to drink enough water to stay hydrated. If you feel hungry, go for a shot of lemon water to keep yourself satiated. If you are starving, sip a cup of bone broth during your fasting window. Remember, you must avoid consuming any calories during the fast to reap the maximum benefits of intermittent fasting.
What is Fasted Running?
Simply put, fasted running means that you run on an empty stomach. Another way of defining it is that you run after going through a long period without food. The majority of people practice fasted running as the very first activity in the morning before they have breakfast or consume any kind of pre-run snacks.
Running is an intense activity that requires lots of energy. This is why eating normally in the non-fasting hours leading up to the running time is crucial. This means you must consume enough nutrients to get sufficient energy to take care of running demands and other activities in your daily routine. Based on the caloric intake and volume of the last meal you had, if four hours have passed after your last snack or six hours have passed after your last meal, you are doing fasted running.
Besides getting sufficient energy for your running sessions, looking after hydration and recovery is also important. Depending on the kind of intermittent fasting you are doing, fluids may or may not be a part of your schedule. It is very important to be hydrated adequately to compensate for the fluid and salt loss during running.
You must also consider recovery after the running session. You need to pay attention to your running schedule so that you can plan your fasting periods to accommodate recovery times. During recovery, your body will have to replenish the energy it burnt during your exercise session. To do this, it has to have a ready supply of sugars, nutrients, and amino acids.
Related: Calories Burned Running Calculator
Benefits of Fasted Running
There are quite a few benefits attached to fasted running. Check them out here:
Fasted Running Could Increase Fat Oxidation
Fasted running increases fat oxidation, meaning that a larger percentage of calories you burn as you run comes from stored body fat instead of stored glycogen in the muscles. Your body has limited glycogen stores in the skeletal muscles and the liver; these levels will go down overnight during fasting.
An athlete who is endurance trained can store up to 2,000 calories in the form of glycogen in the muscles and the liver, while other runners can store about 1,500 calories. This is why, when doing fasted running, your body will try to conserve these limited glycogen levels and instead burn fat for energy.
A study has shown that you can burn 20% more fat during endurance training, like running on an empty stomach. [1]
Fasted Running Could Improve Digestive Problems
If you have a sensitive stomach, you might find that fasted running reduces gas, side stitches, cramping, bloating, and runner’s trots. Studies have discovered that you are more likely to have nausea while running if you are running on a full stomach. [2]
During exercise, blood gets diverted from the digestive tract to meet the enhanced oxygen demands of muscles. Your digestion will cease, and anything sitting around your stomach will stay there without getting digested. This irritates the gut, causing nausea, gas, and bloating.
If you have a sensitive stomach, even snacks can cause nausea. Hence, fasted running will be a good option for you.
Fasted Running Brings Greater Loss of Weight
Studies have shown that exercising on an empty stomach will cause you to consume fewer calories during the day. [3]
Possibly, fasted running decreases appetite by suppressing the hunger hormone ghrelin. Hence, while fasted running does not directly cause weight loss because it will not consume more calories compared to running on a fed stomach, it is possible that fasted running can help speed up weight loss because you are consuming fewer calories during the day.
Fasted Running Improves the Regulation of Blood Sugar
One main concern that runners have before they do fasted running is that they may become hypoglycemic, a state where their blood sugar is too low. This can cause headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, irritability, and decreased performance.
However, studies show that fasted running does not cause a decrease in blood sugar, even in athletes with diabetes. [4]
Studies have even shown that if you exercise in a fasted state, like running, it can improve insulin sensitivity, leading to better blood sugar control. [5]
Even when backed up by these findings, it would make sense for you to consult a doctor if you have diabetes before you do fasted running.
Drawbacks to Fasted Running
While fasted running has wonderful benefits, it has some potential drawbacks. We take a look at these below:
Fasted Running Could Cause Muscle Loss
When you exercise in a fasted state, glycogen stores get depleted quickly, and your body turns to the fat deposits and the muscles for energy. So it is possible that fasted running can lead to muscle protein depletion, leading to muscle loss.
Some evidence suggests that doing fasted cardio can potentially increase the depletion of muscle for energy, which means that when you do fasted running, your body may begin to burn protein for fuel. [6]
Fasted Running Could Increase Cortisol Levels in the Body
Cortisol is one of the primary stress hormones in the body, and chronically elevated cortisol levels are associated with a signal to trigger the body to store fat, primarily in the abdominal region. We must remember that any type of exercise, like fasted running, is a stressor to the body. Even hunger, as well as prolonged fasting, act as stressors.
Hence, combining the two, i.e., fasting and exercise, can increase cortisol levels significantly, as studies have shown. [7]
Fasted Running Could Lead to Hormonal Imbalances
While fasted running can increase cortisol levels, some studies have shown that exercising in a fasted state could cause more hormone imbalances [8]. This can increase your risk of injury and negatively affect your recovery after workouts and the gains you derive from fasted running.
Fasted Running May Hamper Athletic Performance
The biggest concern runners have with fasted running is that it can hamper their performance, as research has shown, because they are not consuming adequate fuel before running. [9]
Your strength, speed, and intensity levels will naturally be higher if you run in a fed state. If you eat a meal rich in carbohydrates and protein before running, you can continue for a longer period compared to running on an empty stomach. Fasted running may hamper your ability to run for long distances and durations.
How Long Should a Fasted Run Last?
Unfortunately, there is no rule to determine the duration of your fasted run. The length of your run is influenced by your training intensity. Because of the lack of glycogen stores, any high-intensity effort would naturally need to be quite short, as it depends entirely on the glycogen stores.
On the other hand, if you are doing a long, slow recovery run, it can be done in a glycogen-depleted condition, as your energy will be derived from your fat stores. If you want to adopt fat burning as a principle, you should go for longer, slower runs. You should start with short periods and gradually work your way up to, ideally, one hour of a slow run.
At What Pace Should I Conduct a Fasted Run?
The most important factor in this question is the intensity at which you run. If you are looking for endurance, a long run should be conducted at 70-75% of your aerobic power. You could also go for shorter, higher-intensity runs, but these runs will be short, and you will need a lot of time to recover. You also have to be mindful that you replenish your carbohydrate stores immediately after the short burst run so that recovery and repair can happen optimally.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when you do a fasted run?
Fasted running is famous for its fat-burning abilities. When you do a fasted run, your glycogen levels will be low. Hence, your body will start to burn the fat stores it has, in what is known as fat oxidation, to fuel your run. This leads to fat loss.
Will running in a fasted state cause an increase in heart rate?
Fasted exercise, like a fasted run, will increase your oxygen uptake by 9.3% and your heart rate by 8.4%. This will happen within the first 60 minutes of exercise.
Should I eat after a fasted run?
You should eat a combination of carbs and protein within 60 minutes of ending the fasting run.
What should I eat after running fasted?
After a fasted run, you should consume a mix of protein and carbohydrates to promote muscle growth. This meal should be consumed immediately after the workout.
Conclusion
Including fasted running into your training regimen can have several potential benefits for your health and fitness. Training your body to burn fat for fuel improves your endurance and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. But remember to consult a doctor before you start because fasted running is not for everybody.
If you aim to take your running game to the next level, fasted running could be the solution. Irrespective of whether you are an amateur runner or a professional, fasted running is a very effective way to challenge yourself, give your performance a boost, and reach your fitness goals. Who knows, you may even discover an affinity for fasted running in the process.
Remember, fasting running is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and you must experiment with various training methods to discover the one that suits you best. So what are you waiting for? Lace up and hit the road!
References
Vieira, Alexandra Ferreira, et al. “Effects of Aerobic Exercise Performed in Fasted V. Fed State on Fat and Carbohydrate Metabolism in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis | British Journal of Nutrition | Cambridge Core.” Cambridge Core, 9 Sept. 2016, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114516003160.
“Exercise-induced Nausea Is Exaggerated by Eating.” Exercise-induced Nausea Is Exaggerated by Eating – ScienceDirect, 25 May 2002, https://doi.org/10.1006/appe.2000.0391.
Bachman, Jessica L., et al. “Exercising in the Fasted State Reduced 24-Hour Energy Intake in Active Male Adults.” PubMed Central (PMC), 21 Sept. 2016, https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/1984198.
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/104/1/111/5105939?login=true. academic.oup.com/jcem/article/104/1/111/5105939?login=true.
Rothschild, Jeffrey A., et al. “What Should I Eat Before Exercise? Pre-Exercise Nutrition and the Response to Endurance Exercise: Current Prospective and Future Directions.” PubMed Central (PMC), 12 Nov. 2020, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113473.
“Does Cardio After an Overnight Fast Maximize Fat Loss? : Strength and Conditioning Journal.” LWW, https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0b013e31820396ec.
Kim, Tae Woon, et al. “Comparison of the Effects of Acute Exercise After Overnight Fasting Andbreakfast on Energy Substrate and Hormone Levels in Obese Men.” PubMed Central (PMC), 30 June 2015, https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.27.1929.
Rothschild, Jeffrey A., et al. “What Should I Eat Before Exercise? Pre-Exercise Nutrition and the Response to Endurance Exercise: Current Prospective and Future Directions.” PubMed Central (PMC), 12 Nov. 2020, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113473.
“Intermittent Fasting and Its Effects on Athletic… : Current Sports Medicine Reports.” LWW, https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0000000000000614.
How to Avoid Fatigue: Tips for Post-Exercise Recovery!
Are you tired of being tired after a workout and dread that feeling of exhaustion that hits you like a ton of weights after hitting the gym? You’ve come to the right place.
Many people start exercising because they want to feel energetic and invigorated. However, working out has the exact opposite effect on some. They feel fatigued and drained after a workout and end up dragging their feet through the rest of the day. People that train late in the evening don’t have it any better, either. Exercise fatigue can make it hard to fall asleep.
Furthermore, training fatigue and exhaustion don’t discriminate between beginners and advanced lifters. It can plague the training experience of lifters across all experience levels. Depending on several factors, a lifter might experience fatigue immediately after a workout or the following day.
Chronic fatigue can hamper your ability to recover after a workout, which can impede your strength and muscle gain journey, inhibit your performance in upcoming workouts, and increase your risk of injury.
Contrary to what most lifters have come to believe, post-workout fatigue doesn’t have to be the norm. Making a few changes to your pre-training and post-workout regimen can reduce or even eliminate the feeling of exhaustion and help your body recover more efficiently.
In this article, we cover how to avoid fatigue, the most common reasons for fatigue after a workout, and what you can do to maximize your workout performance while powering up your post-workout recovery. So, put down that Red Bull, and listen up.
Reasons for Fatigue After a Workout
In contrast to the prevailing view held by most lifters, what you do immediately after a workout session is not the only factor responsible for a post-training crash. Multiple factors could be at play if you feel tired and exhausted after a training session. You must analyze your entire lifestyle to check where you are lacking. Here are the factors to consider while troubleshooting your post-exercise fatigue:
Training Intensity
Your training intensity has a significant impact on your post-workout experience. You’re more likely to experience fatigue after a high-intensity training regimen than after a low to moderate-intensity workout. HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts involve short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by brief periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise.
Although the popularity of HIIT workouts is on the rise, only a few trainers know how to program HIIT sessions correctly to maximize results and limit post-training fatigue.
Additionally, lifters that are bumping up their training intensity are at higher odds of experiencing prolonged training fatigue. Trying new exercise programs, lifts, training methods, and advanced training principles can also lead to post-workout exhaustion.
How to avoid exercise fatigue due to high training intensity:
You must gradually increase your training intensity and limit your HIIT workouts to less than 45 minutes to restrict the risk of post-training fatigue. Furthermore, you must cut back your training frequency if you still experience fatigue after lowering your training intensity.
Caffeine
Caffeine, due to its energy, focus, and alertness-boosting capabilities, is the darling of the fitness community. Pre-workout supplements are loaded with caffeine to give you a solid punch of energy. Recently, the sports supplement market has witnessed a flood of energy drinks. Bros that don’t have the budget for a pre-workout supp or energy drinks usually throw down espresso shots to fire up for their training sessions.
However, caffeine is also notorious for causing post-workout crashes. The potency of a caffeine-loaded pre-workout supplement is directly proportional to the harshness of its post-workout crashes.
Plus, caffeine is a diuretic and can cause dehydration if consumed in large quantities, leading to fatigue and decreased athletic performance. It doesn’t end here; consuming too much caffeine can interfere with your sleep cycle, which can add to the feeling of exhaustion and fatigue.
How to avoid exercise fatigue due to caffeine:
If you cannot hit the gym without caffeine, you must regulate your dosage to avoid post-workout crashes. Furthermore, you could use a stim-free pre-workout supplement to get all the benefits of a pre-training sup, minus the crashes.
Dehydration
Proper hydration is crucial for optimal training performance and recovery. During a workout, your body sweats to regulate your body temperature. Dehydration strikes if you don’t drink enough fluids to replace the lost sweat, leading to a decrease in blood volume and blood pressure, which makes it harder for your heart to pump oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.
You’ll fatigue more quickly and often if your muscles don’t get enough oxygen and nutrients during a workout. Muscle cramps and stiffness are a couple of signs of dehydration, which can further lead to chronic fatigue. [1]
Furthermore, dehydration during a workout can cause your core body temperature to rise, which can lead to heat exhaustion or even heat stroke in severe cases.
How to avoid exercise fatigue due to dehydration:
You must keep yourself hydrated before, during, and after a workout. Plus, if you are an endurance athlete or sweat a lot during your training sesh, you must ensure you consume an appropriate amount of sodium and electrolytes to avoid dehydration. Sports drinks such as Gatorade are excellent for keeping you hydrated throughout an intense workout.
You must drink at least a gallon of water each day to keep yourself hydrated and limit the risk of dehydration. The American Council on Exercise recommends drinking 17-20 ounces of water 2-3 hours before exercise, 7-10 ounces every 10-20 minutes during exercise, and at least eight ounces of water within 30 minutes of exercise.
Low Blood Sugar
Your body uses stored glycogen as an energy source during your workouts. People following a calorie-restrictive diet are at a higher risk of exhausting their glycogen reserves during moderate to high-intensity workouts, which can cause low blood sugar and fatigue.
If your blood sugar levels drop too low, your body becomes incapable of producing enough glucose to fuel your muscles properly, leading to fatigue. Plus, low blood sugar can lower your insulin levels, reducing your ability to store glycogen. It leads to your muscles tiring more quickly during exercise, leading to fatigue.
How to avoid exercise fatigue due to low blood sugar:
Eat balanced meals before and after a workout to limit the risk of low blood sugar levels. The meals should contain high-quality complex carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen reserves and avoid fatigue. Additionally, you must eat a carbohydrate-rich snack during longer workouts to prevent low blood sugar.
Lack of Sleep
A lack of sleep can make you feel tired and lethargic, especially after a high-intensity workout. Many people get grumpy after a bad night’s sleep, which can hamper the quality of their workouts.
You must sleep seven to eight hours each night to ensure optimal time to recuperate between workouts. Sleep deprivation can cause overexertion, which can lead to chronic fatigue.
How to avoid exercise fatigue due to lack of sleep:
Sleeping in a cold room can help you doze off quickly and increase the time you spend in deep sleep, which can improve your recovery. You should avoid screens before bedtime and meditate to improve your sleep cycle. Using melatonin and magnesium supplements can also improve your sleep quality.
Poor Nutrition
A poor diet is one of the leading reasons for prolonged fatigue. For optimal functioning, your body requires multiple nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Not meeting your daily macro and micronutrient goals can lead to fatigue after exercise.
While a lack of carbohydrates can cause fatigue due to glycogen store depletion, protein deficiency can impair muscle growth and recovery. Improper fat intake can cause joint health issues.
How to avoid exercise fatigue due to poor nutrition:
Ensure that you meet your daily caloric needs and follow a macro and micronutrient-balanced diet to promote muscle and strength gain and limit fatigue. Seek expert help if you don’t know how to design a diet program, as it can significantly improve your energy levels.
Overtraining
Pushing too hard in the gym can lead to overtraining. It beats up your central nervous system, which limits your body’s ability to recover from your workouts. Prolonged workouts, using too many advanced training techniques, or increasing your workout volume and intensity disproportionality can lead to overtraining. [2]
Skipping rest days or not allowing your body enough rest between workouts is also a common cause of overtraining. Not only does overtraining cause chronic fatigue, but it also increases your risk of injury.
How to avoid exercise fatigue due to overtraining:
Diet and recovery are just as important as training, if not more. You must back up your workout regimen with a balanced diet and give your muscles enough time to recover between workouts. Lifters following an advanced training program should limit their workouts to five days a week and rest for the remaining two days.
Read also: Overtraining: How Much Exercise Is Too Much?
Medical Conditions
Medical conditions such as anemia, thyroid disorders, and chronic fatigue syndrome can lead to persistent fatigue and weakness, even with mild exercise. Furthermore, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can cause shortness of breath and fatigue during exercise due to impaired lung function.
On the other hand, certain medications can also cause fatigue and weakness as a side effect. For example, beta-blockers, used to treat hypertension and heart conditions, can cause prolonged fatigue.
How to avoid exercise fatigue due to medical conditions:
You must get a doctor’s clearance before starting training if you are dealing with any medical conditions. Plus, you must also seek medical advice before bumping up your training intensity while on medication.
Tips To Reduce Post-Workout Fatigue
Here are some tips on how to avoid fatigue and exhaustion:
Active Recovery
Most hobbyist exercisers overlook the importance of active recovery in their training regimen. Active recovery after a workout can improve blood flow to your muscles, which can help deliver the necessary nutrients for recovery and limits the chances of fatigue. It also reduces muscle stiffness, lower the chances of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and lowers stress levels. [3]
Active recovery exercises like light jogging, cycling, rowing, and foam rolling are a must after high-intensity workouts. Your active recovery sessions should last between 20-30 minutes. You could also do stretching, mobility drills, or yoga at this time.
Rehydrate and Refuel
You must supply your muscles with the required nutrients to speed up your recovery process. However, rehydration and refueling should not be limited to post-workout. You must follow a balanced diet program to avoid chronic fatigue.
Reduce Stress
Stress reduction techniques can help reduce post-workout fatigue by calming the nervous system. These techniques can vary depending on an individual’s preferences and lifestyle. Some people might prefer playing video games to lower stress, whereas others might prefer listening to their favorite music.
Other popular stress-reducing techniques include deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, massage, or taking a warm bath. These techniques help lower cortisol levels, improve sleep quality, increase mental clarity, and reduce muscle tension. [4]
Listen To Your Body
Every individual is built differently, meaning we react to the same stimulus uniquely. An exerciser can have a higher stress appetite than their training partner. Hence, you must not try to copy other people around you. Follow a personalized diet and training program to achieve your objectives. Furthermore, constantly assess your health markers to ensure optimal recovery and reduce your risk of chronic fatigue.
Wrapping Up
Fatigue is a common occurrence among trainers that hampers performance and results in the gym. Dehydration, poor diet, sleep, low blood sugar levels, and overtraining are some of the common factors behind chronic fatigue.
You can uproot fatigue, improve your recovery, and reduce your risk of injury by using the tips mentioned in this article, including implementing active recovery, rehydrating and refueling, reducing stress, and modifying your training intensity according to your needs. Make sure that you seek medical clearance before starting to exercise if you are dealing with a medical condition. Best of luck!
References
Edwards AM, Noakes TD. Dehydration: cause of fatigue or sign of pacing in elite soccer? Sports Med. 2009;39(1):1-13. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200939010-00001. PMID: 19093692.
Kreher JB, Schwartz JB. Overtraining syndrome: a practical guide. Sports Health. 2012 Mar;4(2):128-38. doi: 10.1177/1941738111434406. PMID: 23016079; PMCID: PMC3435910.
Ortiz RO Jr, Sinclair Elder AJ, Elder CL, Dawes JJ. A Systematic Review on the Effectiveness of Active Recovery Interventions on Athletic Performance of Professional-, Collegiate-, and Competitive-Level Adult Athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Aug;33(8):2275-2287. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002589. PMID: 29742750.
Nag N, Yang X, Jelinek G, Neate S, Simpson-Yap S. Undertaking specific stress-reducing activities are associated with reduced fatigue and depression, and increased mastery, in people with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022 Jun;62:103804. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.103804. Epub 2022 Apr 12. PMID: 35461058.
Master the Art of Cluster Sets: Boost Your Workouts and Unlock Your True Potential!
The set is the basis of everything you do in the gym. It comprises a certain number of reps, after which you rest briefly before moving on to your next set. But, just as there’s more than one way to skin a cat, there are several ways to structure your sets. If your goal is to lift as heavy as possible and turn up the intensity, then you need to know about cluster sets.
Cluster sets are an advanced training technique, but there is some confusion surrounding them. Some people confuse them with rest-pause training, while others mix them up with drop sets. In this article, we’ll clear up the confusion as we explain exactly what cluster sets are, why they’re a good technique for increasing strength and muscle, and how you can program them into your routine.
What are Cluster Sets?
Cluster sets are like a series of mini-sets within a larger set. You do a certain number of reps, then rest for a few seconds before doing the next cluster of reps. Typically, a cluster set will consist of three or four of these mini-sets. Cluster sets are considered an inter-set form of training.
Cluster set training is popular among powerlifters and other strength athletes. There is a large body of research investigating its benefits to enhance strength and power. That research tells us that different forms of cluster training are more beneficial for different outcomes.
There are three primary reasons that you would include cluster set training in your routine:
Strength
Power
Hypertrophy
When it comes to power training, the goal is to develop explosiveness. You should use a reduced weight that is 40 to 65% of your one-rep max. The focus will be on completing three to five clean, explosive reps. You then rest for around 20 seconds before completing the same number of reps again. You will usually complete three of these many sets while focusing on maintaining excellent form and producing as much explosive power as possible.
Power training cluster sets aim to train for power rather than exhausting your muscle fibers. This type of training has also been shown to improve the neurological pathways between your muscles and brain.
Cluster sets for strength training should see you working with between 80 and 90% of your one-rep max. So you might take a weight that you can perform four reps on and do two reps. You then rest for around 30 seconds and then do two more. If you did this for a total of four mini-sets of two reps each, you would end up doing eight reps within that cluster set. That represents double the volume and a substantially increased amount of intensity compared to if you were to just do a traditional set of four reps.
When it comes to hypertrophy, cluster sets are an excellent intensity-enhancing tool. That is because it allows you to train with heavier weights than you could usually do to complete the set. It also increases your time under tension. But unlike traditional sets, where it’s usually only the last two or three reps that could be described as high threshold time under tension, with cluster sets, every rep is a high threshold time under tension rep.
Finally, cluster sets allow you to achieve muscle overload. For example, you might choose a weight with which you could normally do eight reps and perform a cluster set of six, four, and three-rep mini sets. That’s a total of 13 reps — five more than you previously would have done.
Cluster Set Research
The vast majority of the research into cluster sets focuses on strength and power training. This research highlights five key benefits of cluster set training.
Rep Quality
According to some research, cluster set training improves the technical precision of each rep within the cluster set. That makes sense because, unlike with straight-set training, there is no fatigue accumulation to impair performance on the last few reps. Doing a technically demanding exercise like the clean and jerk or snatch using the standard high rep approach can lead to form breakdown. However, when you’re only doing a couple of reps and then having a short rest, you are far more likely to maintain correct form. [1]
Greater Power Output
Research suggests cluster sets can result in greater power output on each rep than straight-set training. Again that’s because there is less accumulated fatigue going into each new rep. Greater power output means more explosiveness in sports like basketball, football, and powerlifting. [2]
Reduced Inter-Set Fatigue
Cluster set training, when done in power training and strength training style, will reduce the cumulative fatigue effect from set to set and exercise to exercise. This is beneficial when you want to move to a new exercise fresh and relatively unaffected from the previous exercise. That is what you want when you are training for power and strength. With hypertrophy training, of course, your goal is the opposite — you want to increasingly fatigue the muscle as the workout progresses. [3]
Power Endurance
A 2008 study showed that cluster set training could help develop power endurance very effectively. This type of muscular endurance is needed by cyclists, soccer players, and people who play racquet sports. [4]
Increased Strength and Power
Cluster sets have been shown to produce superior results than traditional straight sets in terms of power and strength gains. In a 2013 study, 22 men were assigned to either a cluster set or a traditional set training protocol. Each group followed a 12-week training program. At the end of the study, the cluster set group showed significantly greater improvement in the bench press, vertical jump, and squat. However, the two groups had no significant difference in lean mass gains. [5]
What a Hypertrophy Cluster Set Looks Like
When using cluster set training as part of your muscle-building routine, you should select a weight that allows you to perform eight reps if you were lifting in traditional set form. On the first set, perform six reps, even though you know you could do a couple more.
Now rest for exactly 20 seconds. During that rest period, put the weight down and let go of the bar.
On the next mini-set, leave one rep in the tank. So, if you know that you can get five reps, stop after the fourth rep. Rest for another 20 seconds, then go to failure, which will probably be around three or four reps.
You can also experiment with higher starting reps. So you might begin with the weight you can do for 12 reps. In this case, you perform ten reps, rest for 20 seconds, then do your next mini-set, stopping with one rep in reserve. In the final mini-set, you go to failure.
What Exercises Should You Use for Cluster Set Training?
The exercises you choose for cluster set training will depend on your objective. If you’re using it for power or strength training, compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are ideal. With this type of training, you’re using 50 to 65% of your one-rep max. That means your risk of injury due to muscular failure and form breakdown is relatively low.
However, when using cluster sets for hypertrophy training, your muscular fatigue goes through the roof. That increases the likelihood that you will fail on the last rep or two of the cluster set. You want to avoid that from happening when using maximum weights on compound movements like the squat or bench press. For that reason, you should select exercises that are relatively safe if you fail on a rep.
So, rather than doing a cluster set on squats when training quads, do it on the leg press. If you fail on the last rep of a leg press, you won’t injure yourself the way you could on a squat. Similarly, when training the chest, you are better off using dumbbells or a chest press machine than a barbell. All those options will allow you to bail out of a rep without ending up with 90% of your one-rep max crushing down on your rib cage.
What an Explosive Power Cluster Set Looks Like
When using cluster sets for explosive power development, you should reduce the weight to about 50-65% of your one-rep max. Compared to hypertrophy or strength training, your reps will be relatively high.
For example, if you were doing squats, you might choose a weight with which you can do 10 quality reps. Perform five clean reps, concentrating on an explosive drive out of the hole on each rep. Now re-rack the weight and rest for exactly 30 seconds. Now do another five reps. Complete for a total of three mini sets within the cluster set.
Perform three or four cluster sets as part of your power training program one or two times per week.
What an Explosive Power Cluster Set for Strength Looks Like
Cluster sets for strength training typically involve the use of heavier weights than for hypertrophy or power. Choose a weight that is between 80-90% of your one-rep max and keep each mini-set to 1-2 reps. Here’s what that might look like for deadlifts:
Load the bar with 85% of your one-rep max.
Perform two reps.
Rest for 30 seconds.
Do your second mini-set of two reps.
After another 30-second rest, complete your third and final mini-set of two reps.
Complete a total of three cluster sets to complete your deadlift workout. Your rest between cluster sets should be 3-5 minutes.
How To Program Cluster Sets into Your Routine
When training for muscle gain, you don’t want to do cluster sets at the beginning of your workout. That’s because they are so fatiguing that your performance on the rest of the workout will probably be compromised. You should add a cluster set on the third exercise for a body part. For example, if you are training your chest, you might begin with three or four sets of dumbbell bench presses, then go to the incline barbell bench press for four sets before moving to the Hammer Strength machine chest press. This is the exercise you should do a cluster set on. Make it the final set for that exercise.
So, if you are doing the Hammer Strength machine chest press, you might do two sets of 10 reps. The third and final set is going to be a cluster set. If you were doing a traditional set with the same weight you did on the previous set, you might be able to get eight reps. It is because you’re fatigued and can’t get to the 10 reps of the previous set. For the cluster set, though, you will pump out six reps. You then rest for exactly 20 seconds and do another four reps. After another 20-second recovery, you keep going to failure. That might be three or four reps, taking your total for the cluster set to 13 or 14 reps.
At this point of your workout, your chest muscle fibers will be on fire. However, you may choose to do a final exercise. This will likely be an isolation move like dumbbell flyes or the pec dec. If you can handle it, do a final cluster set on the last set of that exercise to max out the intensity of your chest workout.
So, as you can see from the example, just one or two cluster sets per workout are all you need. This is an extremely intense form of training that places exceptionally heavy demands on your muscle fibers. If you overuse the technique, you will overtax the muscle and inhibit your ability to recover fully between workouts.
Who Should Use Cluster Sets?
Cluster set training is not designed for beginners. If you are still within your first two years of consistently working out, you should stick with traditional sets. They will give you all the muscle stimulation you need for growth. Then, once you’ve been training for a couple of years, have built your strength base, and are able to develop the mind-muscle connection that you need to know how many reps you’ve got left in the tank, then you can start experimenting with cluster sets.
The more advanced you become, the more beneficial cluster sets will be for you. The longer you’ve been training, the harder it will be to keep making strength and muscle gains. So an advanced technique like this will help you to push the envelope.
FAQs
Are cluster sets the same thing as rest-pause training?
Though cluster sets and rest-pause training are very similar, the key difference is that cluster sets are pre-programmed. At the outset, you know how many reps to do in all but the last mini-set (which is to failure). You also know how long your rest between each mini-set will be. When it comes to rest-pause training, though, you do reps to failure, then rest for just long enough to allow you to pump out another 2 or 3 reps.
How do cluster sets differ from drop sets?
Drop sets and cluster sets are both an extended set form of training. With drop sets, though, you start with a weight that will allow you to perform 6-8 reps. You then immediately decrease the weight slightly and pump out another few reps. You continue doing this for further drops until you reach muscle failure.
In contrast, cluster sets involve using the same weight for each of the mini sets that make up the cluster set.
Are cluster sets effective for building muscle?
Yes, cluster sets are an effective muscle-building strategy. It allows you to increase your training volume and time under tension while pushing a muscle to maximum fiber stimulation. This advanced technique can help you break through a muscle-building plateau and continue making progress.
How are cluster sets written on an exercise program?
Cluster sets can appear a bit like an algebra equation when you first see them. Here’s what they look like:
1(4 x 4) -20s w/ a 6RM
This means you will do one cluster set consisting of four mini-sets of four reps. Your rest between each mini-set will be 20 seconds. You will choose a weight that you can do six reps with.
Wrap Up
Cluster sets are a safe, effective way to maximally stimulate your muscle fibers for muscle gain. They are also great for increasing strength and power with load and rep modifications. This is a tool to be used in a careful, targeted manner. If you aim to build muscle, you don’t have to do more than one or two cluster sets in your workout to achieve results. Program them towards the end of the workout, during the third or fourth exercise, for maximum benefit.
References
Haff, Guy & Hobbs, Ryan & Haff, Erin & Sands, William & Pierce, Kyle & Stone, Michael. (2008). Cluster Training: A Novel Method for Introducing Training Program Variation. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 30. 67-76. 10.1519/SSC.0b013e31816383e1.
Lawton TW, Cronin JB, Lindsell RP. Effect of interrepetition rest intervals on weight training repetition power output. J Strength Cond Res. 2006 Feb;20(1):172-6. doi: 10.1519/R-13893.1. PMID: 16503678.
Lawton, Trent & Cronin, John & Lindsell, Rod. (2006). Effect of Interrepetition Rest Intervals on Weight Training Repetition Power Output. Journal of strength and conditioning research / National Strength & Conditioning Association. 20. 172-6. 10.1519/R-13893.1.
Haff, Guy & Burgess, SJ & Stone, Michael. (2008). Cluster training: theoretical and practical applications for the strength and conditioning professional. Prof. Strength and Cond.. 12. 12-17.
Oliver JM, Jagim AR, Sanchez AC, Mardock MA, Kelly KA, Meredith HJ, Smith GL, Greenwood M, Parker JL, Riechman SE, Fluckey JD, Crouse SF, Kreider RB. Greater gains in strength and power with intra set rest intervals in hypertrophic training. J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Nov;27(11):3116-31. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182891672. PMID: 23736782.
Cite this page: Theunissen, S. (2023) ‘Master the Art of Cluster Sets: Boost Your Workouts and Unlock Your True Potential!’, Fitness Volt. Available at: https://fitnessvolt.com/cluster-sets/ (Accessed: 5 May 2023).
Upper Body Cable Workout for Functional Strength and Mass
Cable machines are great! They’re safe, effective, and versatile, which is why most gyms have several cable stations.
And yet, despite their obvious advantages and benefits, a lot of lifters only use cable exercises as finishers or as an afterthought. Instead, they build their workouts around compound free-weight exercises like barbell squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and overhead presses.
While there is nothing wrong with heavy compound free-weight exercises, you can have too much of a good thing. Do the same movements and the same workout over and over and eventually it will stop producing results.
So, if you are stuck in a training rut or just want to try something new, take our upper body cable workout for a spin. Not only will it increase your muscle mass, but it will also improve functionality, so you’ll look AND perform better.
Cable Training Advantages and Benefits
Before we reveal our upper body cable workout, let’s take a look at what makes cable training so darn effective!
The advantages and benefits of cable training include the following:
Target your muscles more precisely
Most freeweight exercises spread their effect across several muscle groups. While this is a great way to overload multiple groups of muscles, it’s less effective for targeting specific body parts.
Cables allow you to work your muscles more precisely, so you can develop localized hypertrophy and sculpt a more aesthetically pleasing physique.
A safer workout
Exercises like freeweight bench presses and squats can be risky, especially when training to failure. A missed rep can result in serious injury, and getting pinned under a heavy bar can even be fatal.
There is no such risk with cable exercises, and a failed rep should result in nothing more dangerous than a loud but harmless crash. This means that cable exercises are ideal for training to failure.
Perfect for drop sets
Most cable machines have selectorized weight stacks, making them ideal for muscle-building, pump-inducing drop sets. Do your chosen exercise to failure, reduce (or drop) the weight by 10-20%, and then rep out again. Repeat for 2-4 drops.
This popular bodybuilding strategy is an excellent way to take your muscles beyond failure, providing an increased stimulus for muscle growth.
A more joint-friendly workout
Compared to many freeweight exercises, cable machines are much easier on your joints. When you lift heavy barbells and dumbbells, the ends of your bones are often pressed together, resulting in a lot of compressive force.
This does not tend to happen so much with the same exercises performed using cables. As such, cable workouts are often more joint-friendly than some freeweight workouts.
More consistent muscle tension
Because you aren’t working directly against gravity, cable exercises tend to involve more consistent muscle tension than their freeweight counterparts. For example, when you do dumbbell flies, muscle tension peaks when your arms are extended but then decreases as you bring the weights over your chest.
In contrast, doing cable flies keep your muscles loaded through the entire range of motion, which may make them more effective for hypertrophy.
Change angles quickly and easily
When it comes to building muscle mass, bodybuilders know that angles matter. They adjust their limbs to hit specific parts of the muscles they want to develop, e.g., incline presses for the upper chest or wide-grip pulldowns to work their upper lats.
Unlike many freeweight exercises, changing the angle of your limbs during cable workouts is very easy. You can often do this mid-set simply by pushing or pulling in a slightly different direction.
All of this saves you from having to use angled benches, which is the norm when training with freeweights.
A more functional workout
Most cable exercises are performed while standing, which makes them more functional than many of the freeweight equivalents. For example, when was the last time you had to lay on your back and press a heavy weight upward? The barbell bench press is undeniably a good exercise. Still, it won’t necessarily improve your ability to push an opponent in football or increase the power of your throws or punches.
Cable exercises improve functional strength, which will enhance your ability to perform movements and activities outside of the gym. Cable exercises are especially useful for athletes, regardless of your chosen sport.
Upper Body Cable Workout for Functional Strength and Mass
This cable workout is designed to build upper body muscle while enhancing functionality. As such, it’s ideal for exercisers training for improved aesthetics who also care about their athletic performance.
Do this program 1-2 times per week in conjunction with a couple of lower-body workouts. After all, friends don’t let friends skip leg day!
But, before you begin, prepare your muscles and joints by warming up thoroughly. Begin with 5-10 minutes of progressive cardio followed by a few minutes of dynamic mobility and flexibility training for the body parts you’re about to train.
All set? Then let’s go!
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Recovery
1
Cable crossover
3-4
12-20
60-90 seconds
2
Supine cable incline chest press
3-4
12-20
60-90 seconds
3
Straight arm pulldown
3-4
12-20
60-90 seconds
4
Cable Y pulldown
3-4
12-20
60-90 seconds
5
Cable lateral raise
3-4
12-20
60-90 seconds
6
Cable Cuban press
3-4
12-20
60-90 seconds
7a
Cable Bayesian curl
2-3
12-20
60-90 seconds
7a
Cable overhead triceps extension
8a
Cable rope curl
2-3
12-20
60-90 seconds
8b
Cable rope pushdown
Exercises 7a and 7b and 8a and 8b are to be performed as supersets. Do the first exercise (a) and immediately do the second (b). Rest for the prescribed time and then repeat the pairing. Use the same pattern for the second superset.
Exercise Instructions
There are two ways to do most exercises – the right way and the wrong way. The right way keeps the tension on your workout muscles and away from your joints. In contrast, the wrong way makes your workout less effective and more likely to cause injury.
Use these step-by-step guidelines to ensure that you perform each exercise as correctly as possible. If any of the exercises are unfamiliar to you, do a few light sets to get a feel for the movement, and only increase the load when you’ve got your technique dialed in.
1. Cable crossover
Your first cable upper body exercise is a classic! Cable crossovers work all three pectoral heads, emphasizing the costal or lower head. It’s also an excellent exercise for isolating and firing up your chest before moving on to another chest exercise.
Steps:
Attach D-shaped handles to the high pulleys on a cable crossover machine.
Hold a handle in each hand and stand in the middle of the two weight stacks.
Adopt a staggered stance and stand with your arms stretched out to the side, hands about shoulder level.
With your elbows slightly bent but rigid, sweep your arms forward and down so your hands meet in front of your hips.
Slowly raise your arms, get a mild stretch in your chest, and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Pectoralis major.
Secondary: Anterior deltoids.
Benefits:
A very shoulder-friendly chest exercise.
An effective way to target the lower/inner pecs.
A great way to prep your pecs for subsequent chest exercises.
Tips:
Keep your core braced and your torso upright to avoid turning this move into a pressing exercise.
Pause with your pecs contracted for 1-2 seconds at the midpoint of each rep to maximize muscle engagement.
For variety, you can also do this exercise with horizontal arms or moving from low to high.
2. Supine cable incline chest press
Supine cable incline chest presses are a uniquely effective upper and inner chest exercise. They feel very different from doing incline dumbbell presses, which is the nearest freeweight equivalent. However, make no mistake, this is a bonafide pec-builder that’s hard to beat!
Steps:
Place an incline bench in the center of a cable crossover machine. Adjust the backrest to around 30 degrees.
Attach D-shaped handles to the low pulleys.
Sit on the bench and hold a handle in each hand. Lie back and pull the handles into your shoulders. Rotate your wrists so your palms face down your body.
Press your hands up and together so they meet above your chest. Pause for 1-2 seconds.
Return your hands to your shoulders, stretch your pecs, and continue for the prescribed reps.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Secondary: Triceps.
Benefits:
A very effective upper/inner chest exercise.
Keeps your muscles under near-constant tension.
Very safe, as no bar or weights can drop on your chest.
Tips:
Adjust the angle of your bench to see what feels and works best for you.
You can also do this exercise with a neutral or hands facing inward grip.
Push your hands inward as much as upward up to maximally engage your chest.
3. Straight arm pulldown
Straight arm pulldowns are one of a small handful of exercises that isolate your lats. That means they don’t involve your biceps, and movement only occurs at one joint. Like cable crossovers, this exercise provides a great way to wake up the target muscles before moving on to your next back movement.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a high cable machine.
Grab the handle with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
Brace your abs and set your shoulders down and back.
With your elbows slightly bent but rigid, push the bar down to your upper thighs. Flex your lats at the bottom of each rep.
Raise your arms, feel the stretch in your lats, and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Latissimus dorsi, triceps.
Secondary: Rectus abdominis.
Benefits:
An excellent preparatory exercise for the lats.
An effective way to target the long head of the triceps.
A great move for building a stronger mind-muscle connection with your lats.
Tips:
Drive your elbows back and down to maximize lat engagement.
You can also do this exercise with a rope handle.
Do this exercise while kneeling to make the movement stricter and more demanding.
4. Cable Y pulldown
Most lat pulldown variations involve pulling your arms more-or-less straight down. This unique variation is more of a pull-in than a pulldown, hitting your lats from a very unusual angle. This exercise is guaranteed to give you are wider upper back.
Steps:
Attach D-shaped handles to the high pulleys of a cable crossover machine.
Grip a handle in each hand and kneel in the middle of the pulleys, arms raised to make a Y-shape.
Bend your arms and pull your elbows down and into your sides, squeezing your shoulders down and back.
Reach up and out and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: latissimus dorsi, biceps.
Secondary: Trapezius, rhomboids.
Benefits:
An effective alternative to traditional lat pulldowns.
A unique lat exercise that will develop your lat width.
A great way to train your lats unilaterally.
Tips:
Kneel on a foam pad or folded mat for comfort.
Lead with your elbows and keep your wrists straight to fully engage your lats.
Think about tucking your elbows into your ribs to make this exercise as effective as possible.
5. Cable lateral raise
Cable lateral raises are a much better exercise than the same move done with dumbbells. With regular dumbbell lateral raises, all the tension comes on at the end of the movement, and the start is almost too easy to have much of an effect. Using cables means your muscles are under tension from start to finish, making this a far superior exercise.
Steps:
Attach D-shaped handles to the low pulleys of a cable crossover machine.
Hold the left handle in your right hand and the right handle in your left hand so the cables cross in front of your hips.
Stand in the center of the pulleys. Bend your arms slightly, but then keep them rigid. Brace your core and set your shoulders down and back.
Raise your arms up and out so they’re parallel to the floor.
Lower your arms back to your sides and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Medial deltoids, upper trapezius.
Secondary: N/A.
Benefits:
A very effective exercise for the medial or side deltoids.
Keeps your shoulders under near-constant tension.
A perfect exercise for intensity-boosting drop sets.
Tips:
Lead with your elbows (and not your hands) to maximize deltoid engagement.
Keep your shoulders down and back to avoid overusing your upper traps.
You can also do this exercise with a single cable, like this:
6. Cable Cuban press
The Cuban press is beloved by weightlifters, bodybuilders, and functional exercisers. It’s one of a few exercises that manages to work all three deltoid heads at once. It’s also a revered pre/rehab exercise. So, better looking, more muscular, healthier shoulders? We’re in!
Steps:
Attach your D-shaped handles to a low cable machine. Hold a handle in each hand and step back to tension the cables.
Brace your core and set your shoulders down and back.
Bend your elbows and row the handles up to your lower chest.
Next, rotate your forearms forward and up to vertical.
Press the handles up and overhead.
Reverse the movement and then repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids, rotator cuff.
Secondary: Biceps, triceps.
Benefits:
A total deltoid exercise.
Good for developing shoulder mobility and stability.
An all-in-one solution for bigger, stronger, healthier shoulders.
Tips:
You can also do this exercise with a single handle/bar.
Go light and focus on using a controlled, smooth movement. This is not an exercise for heavy weights!
Skip the overhead press is you want to emphasize your rotator cuff.
7a. Cable Bayesian curl
Bayesian curls work your biceps like incline dumbbell curls. They start with your shoulder in an extended position, so your biceps are stretched. This provides an excellent workout for the long head of your biceps, which gives your biceps their peak.
Steps:
Attach a D-handle to a low pulley machine.
Grab the handle and adopt a split stance with your back to the weight stack. Extend your arm behind you and brace your core.
Bend your elbow and curl the handle forward and up to your shoulder.
Extend your arm, getting a good mid-rep biceps stretch.
Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Do the same number of reps on each side.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Biceps.
Secondary: Brachialis, brachioradialis.
Benefits:
One of the best biceps peaking exercises around.
Keeps your muscles under more constant tension than incline dumbbell curls.
Ideal for sleeve-splitting pump-inducing drop sets.
Tips:
Push your arm forward at the top of each rep to fully engage your biceps.
Keep your wrists straight and hips and shoulders squared and level throughout.
You can also do this exercise with a hammer or neutral grip.
7b. Cable overhead triceps extension
If you want bigger arms, this exercise needs to be part of your workouts. By raising your arms overhead, you put the long head of your triceps into a stretched position, forcing them to work harder. This ensures all three triceps heads get a great workout, maximizing muscle growth and size.
Steps:
Attach a rope handle to a low pulley machine.
Grab the handles and straighten your arms above your head so the cable is behind you.
Pull your upper arms into the side of your head, brace your core, and set your shoulders down and back.
Bend your elbows and lower your hands behind your head. Get a good stretch in your triceps.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Triceps.
Secondary: N/A.
Benefits:
A proven triceps builder.
One of the best exercises for targeting the long head of the triceps.
An effective shoulder and thoracic spine mobilizer.
Tips:
Do this exercise while kneeling or sitting if preferred.
You can also do this exercise with a straight or EZ bar.
Keep your chest up and shoulders back and down to make this exercise as safe and effective as possible. Try not to lean back, as doing so could cause injury.
8a. Cable rope curl
Dumbbell hammer curls are excellent for building thicker biceps and more domineering forearms. However, like so many dumbbell exercises, the tension doesn’t really kick in until the midpoint of each rep. Cable rope curls work the exact same muscles, but there is tension from the very start of each rep.
Steps:
Attach a rope handle to a low pulley machine. Hold one end of the rope in each hand and stand with your arms straight, core braced, and shoulders back and down.
Keeping your upper arms close to your sides, bend your elbows and curl your hands up to your shoulders. Keep your hands neutral, i.e., palms facing inward.
Extend your arms, pause, and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Biceps.
Secondary: Brachialis, brachioradialis.
Benefits:
A better exercise than dumbbell hammer curls.
A total biceps and forearm exercise.
More elbow-friendly than straight bar curls.
Tips:
Bend your knees slightly for balance and stability.
Keep your wrists straight throughout.
Do not use your legs or back to help you swing the weight up, as doing so takes tension away from the target muscles.
8b. Cable rope pushdown
Triceps pushdowns are one of the most popular triceps exercises around. However, while the straight bar version is relatively effective, using a rope handle makes it even more do. That’s because the neutral grip afforded by the rope handle increases triceps long-head engagement, which can add a lot to your upper arm size.
Steps:
Attach a rope handle to a high pulley. Grab one end in each hand and pull your upper arms down to your sides. Brace your core and set your shoulders down and back.
Extend your arms and press your hands down to the outside of your thighs. Spread your hands apart to maximize triceps engagement.
Bend your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Triceps.
Secondary: N/A.
Benefits:
Targets the all-important long head of the triceps.
Very elbow and wrist-friendly.
An excellent exercise to superset with cable rope curls.
Tips:
Bend your elbows as far as possible without moving your arms away from your sides. There is no need to stop at 90 degrees.
Keep your legs and torso stationary to avoid turning this into a decline chest press exercise.
Use a towel instead of a rope handle to increase forearm engagement, like this:
Upper Body Cable Workout FAQ
Do you have a question about this workout or cable training in general? No sweat because we’ve got the answers you seek!
1. Is this workout for beginner, intermediate, or advanced exercisers?
The great thing about strength training is that people with vastly different fitness levels can often do the same workout. Beginners can use lighter loads and do fewer sets, while more experienced exercisers can load up the weights and do more sets. However, the exercises can remain unchanged.
So, with that in mind, this workout is suitable for all levels, but it’s probably best for beginners and intermediates. More advanced exercisers may find that doing two exercises per body part is not enough volume to build muscle and get stronger.
2. Is this a cutting or bulking workout?
Cutting and bulking have more to do with your diet than your workout. Cutting involves reducing your food intake to create a calorie deficit. This forces your body to burn more fat for fuel so that you get leaner and more defined.
In contrast, bulking involves eating more and creating a calorie surplus. This gives you more energy for training and promotes muscle growth and weight gain.
Providing you train hard enough, it doesn’t matter that much what workout you follow for cutting and bulking. So long as your diet is dialed in, you should be successful.
There ARE bulking and cutting workouts you can follow, but in reality, it’s more a question of diet.
3. Why do higher reps for cable exercises?
Most cable exercises do not lend themselves to heavy weights and low reps. Because many of the exercises are performed standing, using big loads makes it much harder to maintain good posture and even remain on your feet.
Use a massive weight with, e.g., cable crossovers, and you’ll probably end up moving backward instead of pushing the weight forward.
Using moderate weights and medium to high reps provides the best opportunity to stimulate your muscles while using the best possible form. While this training approach won’t build your maximal strength, it can be effective for hypertrophy, provided you take each set within a couple of reps of failure (1).
4. Can I change any of the exercises?
Feel free to change the exercises providing you choose movements that work the same muscles. For example, doing cable skull crushers instead of cable rope pushdowns is OK, while doing cable reverse curls instead of cable crossovers is not.
Changing exercise is an excellent way to start learning how to write your own workouts, and that’s something every exerciser should be able to do.
5. How long should I follow this program?
Even the best workouts start to lose their potency after 6-8 weeks. Because of something called the repeated bout effect, your muscles get used to the exercises in your program and become less responsive to them.
Avoid training plateaus by changing your workout whenever you feel your progress starting to stall. But, don’t change your workout so often that it doesn’t get a chance to work, e.g., every other week.
However, you can prolong the life of a program by a) increasing the weights week by week, b) using different set and rep schemes, and c) making minor changes to things like the exercise selection and order.
That said, it would be a mistake to keep on doing the same workout once it’s stopped working, as all you’ll do is maintain your current fitness rather than increase it.
More Cable Exercises:
Closing Thoughts
Cable exercises are effective, functional, joint-friendly, and safe. And while there is nothing wrong with lifting heavy barbells and dumbbells, that doesn’t mean they’re the only way to build muscle and develop a high level of performance and conditioning.
If you are banged up or just bored of heavy bench presses and bent-over rows, give our upper-body cable workout a try. Do it 1-2 times a week for the next 6-8 weeks, and the results will speak for themselves.
References:
Lasevicius T, Ugrinowitsch C, Schoenfeld BJ, Roschel H, Tavares LD, De Souza EO, Laurentino G, Tricoli V. Effects of different intensities of resistance training with equated volume load on muscle strength and hypertrophy. Eur J Sport Sci. 2018 Jul;18(6):772-780. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2018.1450898. Epub 2018 Mar 22. PMID: 29564973. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29564973/
5 Back Workouts for Women: Bring the SexyBack!
Most women want an hourglass figure. However, some girls mistake an hourglass figure for a tennis racket figure. These ladies spend considerable time working on their booties but almost always overlook a vital aspect of achieving their dream figure — a shapely back. Ladies that want to rock a strapless dress or tank top must prioritize training their backs. Plus, a shapely back can add to your physique aesthetics by making your waist look smaller.
To build a curvy figure, you must incorporate back workouts into your training regimen. Your back workouts should have a balance of rowing exercises, such as barbell rows, dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, and horizontal pulling movements, such as lat pulldowns, pull-ups, etc.
After your legs, your back is the second-biggest muscle group, meaning your back workouts will be as brutal as your lower body training sessions. Plus, since it is a large muscle group, it will help burn more calories than the small muscle group workouts. If you feel fresh and energetic after a back workout, know that you didn’t go all-out in that training session.
Unlike smaller muscle groups like the biceps, which have only two muscle heads, your back consists of several muscles, such as the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, teres major and minor, trapezius, posterior delts, and erector spinae. Furthermore, your back is divided into two portions — upper and lower. You must train your back from different angles, using different grips for overall posterior chain development.
In this article, we go over the back anatomy, the five best back workouts for women, the importance and benefits of building a strong back for women, and tips to make the most of your workouts.
Back Anatomy
Understanding your back anatomy can help you program an effective back workout and ensure there are no weak areas in your back. Here are the back muscles you should know about for building an eye-catching backline:
Back Anatomy Muscles
Latissimus Dorsi
Latissimus dorsi, or lats, are the biggest back muscle. A pair of developed lats can accentuate your V-taper. They are located on both sides of the middle and lower back and are responsible for moving your arms down and toward the body.
Teres Major and Minor
These are present at the back of the shoulder and are responsible for rotating the arm and stabilizing the shoulder joint.
Rhomboids
They are located on your upper back underneath the trapezius muscle and between the shoulder blades. They help maintain a good posture and stabilize your shoulder blades.
Erector Spinae
These are a group of muscles present on both sides of the spinal column. As their name suggests, they help maintain an erect spine and allow for bending and twisting movements. The erector spinae is also referred to as the lower back.
Posterior Deltoids
Although the posterior or rear delts are located on your back, they are mostly trained in a shoulder workout. They help move your arm backward.
Trapezius
The trapezius muscle is located over the back of the neck and shoulders and extends down to the middle of the back. It helps moves the head and shoulder blades. Many people train their traps in a shoulder workout.
Best Back Workouts For Women
Our goal with these workouts is to build a toned back that looks amazing and improves your overall health and fitness. We have included five workouts in this article for ladies at different experience levels. The resistance band back workout is perfect for when you don’t have access to a gym.
Beginner Back Workout For Women
Women that are just starting their fitness journey should perform foundational exercises that will help them build a solid base and improve their mind-muscle connection. Your focus with this workout will be to drill each movement until you know them, like the back of your hand.
Seek expert advice to learn the correct technique for performing these exercises. Hiring a personal trainer can expedite your learning process, lower your risk of injury, and fast-track your progress.
Advanced Back Workout For Women
Ladies with at least a few months of lifting experience should graduate to the advanced back workout. Use an assisted pull-up machine or a spotter if you cannot perform bodyweight pull-ups.
You’ll also be doing rear delt flyes for the rear delts and barbell shrugs for the trapezius muscle in this workout. Expect this workout to take between 45-60 minutes. However, keep your rest durations between sets limited to 30-60 seconds to maintain a high training intensity.
Machine-Only Back Workout For Women
Machines follow a fixed movement trajectory, which can help you focus on establishing a mind-muscle connection and achieve muscle-ripping pumps. Plus, machine workouts take less time than free-weight workouts, which is a boon for lifters on a tight schedule.
You can swap the GHD back extension with a conventional back extension if you lack the posterior chain strength to perform the exercise. Focus on contracting your muscles with each rep to get the most out of this workout.
Resistance Band Back Workout For Women
The resistance band back workout is an excellent place to start for beginners and when you are traveling. Contrary to what most people think, you don’t always need free weights or machines to build a chiseled physique. Resistance bands help maintain constant tension on your muscles throughout the motion, helping induce hypertrophy.
We recommend using loop bands for this workout; grab the heaviest bands you can find. Furthermore, you’ll be performing a higher number of reps in this workout than in the other workouts to ensure you’re not leaving anything in the tank.
HIIT Back Workout For Women
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, workouts consist of short periods of high-intensity exercises followed by periods of rest or lower-intensity exercises. A HIIT workout aims to push your body to its maximum capacity in a short period. It is a great training protocol for breaking through strength and muscle plateaus. Furthermore, it is perfect for folks that can only dedicate 30 minutes to a training regimen.
You’ll perform five rounds of this HIIT workout. Do each exercise for 30 seconds and rest for 10 seconds after completing a movement. You are allowed a 60-second rest after completing each round.
Read more: HIIT Workouts for Women: 6 Best Workout Plans, Benefits, and Pro Tips
Back Workout Tips For Women
Follow these tips for carving a head-turning back:
Focus on Form
Beginners must prioritize lifting with the correct form instead of chasing heavy weights. Using a picture-perfect form maximizes an exercise’s muscle and strength-building potential and reduces the risk of injury.
Plus, focus on contracting your target muscles with each rep. Going through the motions for the sake of it won’t cut it. Slow down your rep tempo if you have trouble establishing a mind-muscle connection.
Progressive Overload
Progressive overload is the name of the game when it comes to building muscle mass. You could make your workouts harder and increase your training volume and intensity by lifting heavier, doing more sets and reps, shortening your rest duration between sets, or incorporating advanced training techniques like super sets, drop sets, intraset stretching, rest-pause sets, etc.
You must gradually increase the demands placed on your muscles. It will challenge your muscles to adapt and improve, leading to gains in strength, muscle size, and overall fitness.
You Don’t Have To Reinvent The Wheel
Many exercisers tend to do too much too soon. These people think that doing out-of-the-box exercises will speed up their progress. However, this is not the case. You don’t have to join a cult or follow a charlatan to build a chiseled back. The exercises mentioned in this article are all you need to develop a shapely back.
Nutrition and Sleep
You cannot out-train a bad diet and recovery program. You must back your workouts with a balanced diet to optimize muscle growth. Further, a seven to eight-hour sleep is a must as it allows your body enough time to rest and recuperate between workouts.
Since the back is a large muscle group, perform one of the workouts mentioned in this article weekly. As you gain more experience, you could perform two weekly back workouts to expedite your back growth. However, avoid doing more than two back workouts a week as it increases your risk of overtraining.
Change Grips
Performing the same exercise with a different hand grip can target your muscles differently. For example, you could do a barbell bent-over row with an underhand or overhand grip. You could also perform the seated cable row with a supinated, pronated, or neutral grip to train your back from different angles.
Why Building a Strong Back is Important For Women?
Incorporating back workouts into your training regimen entails the following advantages:
Improves Aesthetics
Building a bigger back can add to your physique aesthetics. It can create an illusion of a smaller waist and broader shoulders, which are essential features of an hourglass figure. A diced back will also make you look stunning in backless dresses and tank tops.
Promotes a Better Posture
Most of us spend the majority of our days hunched over a computer or phone screen. Training our backs can help improve our posture by strengthening the muscles responsible for maintaining a proper upright position. Plus, back exercises can increase back flexibility and mobility, which can help pull the shoulders back, open up the chest, and align the spine in its natural S-shape curvature.
Helps Burns Calories
Your back is the second-biggest muscle group. Performing an intense back workout that involves compound (multi-joint) exercises can spike your heart rate, helping you burn a decent amount of calories. Plus, back workouts help increase overall muscle mass and boost metabolism, both of which lead to a higher calorie expenditure even when you are physically inactive. However, if your goal is to burn more calories, you should follow the HIIT back workout listed in this article.
Boosts Functionality
Most back exercises are functional movements that improve overall strength, mobility, and stability. Your back plays a crucial role in many everyday activities, such as lifting, carrying, and bending, as well as in sports and other physical activities. Balanced back workouts improve your performance in all these activities while reducing your risk of injury.
Help Alleviate Lower Back Pain
Training your spine-supporting muscles (erector spinae) in your back workout can help alleviate and reduce the risk of lower back pain, especially in women with large breasts or those that remain seated for most of the day.
FAQs
How can women build a toned back?
Building a chiseled back requires following a balanced back workout focusing on building muscle mass and strength. Perform one of the workouts given in this article weekly for 12 weeks to see noticeable back development. You could also switch between the workouts to add variety to your training regimen.
Should men and women follow different back workouts?
No exercise is gender specific. The workouts in this article can be used by men and women alike. With that said, girls don’t need to worry about building a cobra back like their male counterparts. The ladies don’t produce enough testosterone to build the same amount of muscle mass as men.
How to program a back workout for hypertrophy and strength gains?
The number of sets, reps, and exercises you perform and your workout intensity will depend on your training goals. Perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps of an exercise and rest 60-90 minutes between sets if you want to build muscle mass. On the other hand, do 3-5 sets of 1-5 reps of an exercise with 2-5 minutes of rest between sets if you want to maximize strength. [1]
Wrapping Up
To carry the heavy burden of the world, you must have a strong back. The five back workouts for women listed in this article will help improve your posture, boost your functional fitness and calorie expenditure, and enhance your physique aesthetics.
These workouts are apt for women of any experience level. Furthermore, the HIIT back training session is great for ladies on a tight schedule. Pair these workouts with a balanced recovery program for optimal results. Best of luck!
References
Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 4;16(24):4897. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16244897. PMID: 31817252; PMCID: PMC6950543.
Kettlebell Workouts for Functional Fitness
When it comes to working out, there are many variables. Should you use a high or low rep range? Is a fast or slow training tempo best? Should you focus on compound or isolation exercises? Your training goals will largely determine the answers to these questions.
If your goal is to develop a beach-ready muscular physique, then training individual muscle groups is the way to go. But if you want to build a leaner, fitter, more athletic body that you can use in the real world, you should incorporate functional fitness into your workouts.
When it comes to functional fitness exercises, kettlebells are an excellent choice. Kettlebells challenge your body in ways that replicate real-world movements to improve your functional strength, stability, and coordination. In this article, we lay out eight fantastic kettlebell functional fitness exercises and then program them into three super-effective workouts you can alternate between to build a functionally fit physique.
What is Functional Muscle Training?
Workouts consisting of exercises that stimulate multiple muscles rather than isolating particular muscles are called functional training workouts. These types of exercises force your muscles to work together and move through multiple joints. This improves neuromuscular control and coordination.
Functional muscle training enhances our capacity to carry out everyday tasks like getting out of a chair or carrying a sack of potatoes.
Any exercise that will help you operate better by strengthening your heart, lungs, or muscles can be categorized as a functional exercise. However, there is a range of functionality for how effective an activity will be.
Exercises that isolate muscles, like the seated leg extension, are at the lowest end of that spectrum. Movements like the squat that imitate our everyday actions are at the other end of the spectrum. We all squat down frequently throughout the day, whether it’s to use the restroom or sit in a chair. Exercises like this that mimic practical movement patterns will improve a person’s flexibility, balance, and coordination.
Enhanced Movement Patterns
Rather than being based on isolated muscle movement, functional training is based on movement patterns. That’s the way that our bodies were made to work. We operate best when we are in an upright position with our feet set on the ground.
In this position, we can execute the following movement patterns:
Squat
Hinge
Lunge
Overhead Press
Chest Press
Core Rotation
Functional movements that mimic these movement patterns should form the basis of any functional fitness workouts. Doing such exercises will improve your strength and performance through the movement pattern you are performing.
Why Use Kettlebells for Functional Fitness?
Kettlebells have come out of the corners of the gym in recent years and entered center stage. That’s because people have become educated on how these strangely shaped weights can improve their workouts. They are especially good for functional training. Here are three reasons why kettlebells deserve a key role in your functional fitness program:
Offset Center of Gravity
The offset center of gravity of the weight is one of the key characteristics distinguishing kettlebells from dumbbells. That’s because when you grab a kettlebell’s handle, its center of gravity is about 6 to 8 inches away from your hand. That makes the weight harder to handle.
This is why every exercise you perform, from standard strength exercises to more difficult kettlebell moves like swings, calls for precise technique and greater muscle stimulation than you can get with dumbbells.
Greater Core Involvement
The instability of a kettlebell means that your core muscles have to be constantly working to maintain your posture and balance. You need to keep your core tight and engaged far more than if you were using a barbell or dumbbells. This core engagement will strengthen your abs, erector spinae, obliques, and intercostals.
Improved Athleticism
Developing your grip strength is one of the key benefits of including kettlebells in your workout program. That’s because the handle thickness and weight displacement require your fingers, hands, and forearms to provide perfect control.
Kettlebell training will also improve your cardio endurance. Most kettlebell exercises are compound, multi-joint moves that require a lot of energy to complete. They’ll tax your heart and lungs as they demand more oxygen. As a result, your muscular and cardiovascular endurance will both increase.
Dynamic kettlebell exercises like swings, snatches, and cleans develop explosive strength. This is an essential requirement for athletes, whether they’re smashing into an opponent on the football field or scrapping for a rebound on a basketball court.
8 Key Kettlebell Moves
Here are the fundamental kettlebell exercises that should feature in functional fitness workouts:
1. Kettlebell Swing
The kettlebell swing burns a ton of calories as it helps develop explosive power. Power largely emanates from the ability to execute a strong hip thrust, which is the key motion involved in this exercise.
Muscles Worked:
Glutes
Hamstrings
Quadriceps
Core
Back
Shoulders
Step-by-Step Guide:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your weight on your heels.
Rest the kettlebell on the floor between your feet.
Look down at the ground six feet in front of you.
Sit back into your hips and reach down to grab the handle with both hands in an overhand grip.
Swing the bell behind you, then aggressively snap your hips forward as you stand up. As you do this, extend your spine and squeeze your butt.
Bring your arms up to chest level.
Immediately return to the bottom hike position and move into the next rep.
2. Goblet Squat
The kettlebell goblet squat helps you to maintain an upright stance by placing the weight in front of your body. To keep the weight centered over your feet, you have to keep your core tight, your lower back pulled in, and your chest up.
Muscles Worked:
Quadriceps
Glutes
Hamstrings
Core
Step-by-Step Guide:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes slightly pointed outward.
Hold a kettlebell with both hands hard up against your chest.
Hinge at the hips to go down into a full squat position, maintaining a neutral spine and keeping your chest up.
Push the heels into the floor to come back to an upright position.
3. Roll Up, Roll Down
The roll up, roll down is a dynamic, explosive exercise that combines hip and torso extension with multiplanar movement and ballistic strength. Start with a lighter kettlebell until you get comfortable with the actions involved.
Muscles Worked:
Abdominals
Lower back
Hip flexors
Shoulders
Forearms
Step-by-Step Guide:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart in front of an exercise mat. Hold a kettlebell at arm’s length in front of you with both hands.
Hinge at the hips to descend into a deep squat.
Continue going down until your butt is sitting on the mat.
Roll back as you bring the weight up and over your head.
Now reverse the direction to roll back forward as you bring the weight back overhead and down.
Use the forward momentum to drive yourself back up to a standing position.
4. Two-Handed Overhead Squat
The overhead kettlebell squat fully engages the back extensor and scapular muscles while also working the lower body. That is going to improve your performance of propulsions movements like sprinting, kicking, jumping, or running.
The overhead squat is a challenging exercise that requires quite a lot of balance and coordination. I recommend working up to it by starting with bodyweight squats with your hands extended overhead. Then advance to doing the exercise with a single kettlebell held with both hands overhead. Only when you’re comfortable with that exercise should you advance to the two-handed overhead squat.
Muscles Worked:
Quadriceps
Glutes
Hamstrings
Core
Shoulders
Triceps
Forearms
Step-By-Step Guide:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly turned out and a pair of kettlebells extended overhead in a lockout position. Keep your arms close to your head and your palms facing forward.
Maintaining an upright body and neutral spine, hinge at the hips to lower to a full squat position. Keep your arms locked out throughout the entire motion.
Push through your heels to return to the start position.
5. Overhead Walking Lunge
This exercise represents the ideal functional lower-body exercise. That’s because it combines flexion, extension, and propulsion all in one dynamic movement. Then there’s the overhead part of the movement, which improves posture and increases core stability. Moving forward with an asymmetrical load also strongly engages the obliques.
Muscles Worked:
Quadriceps
Glutes
Hamstrings
Core
Shoulders
Triceps
Forearms
Step-by-Step Guide:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a kettlebell held in each arm at your sides. Maintain an upright posture with your chest up and core tight.
Bring your right arm up above your head, locking out the elbow. The left arm should remain at your side.
Take a large step forward with your left leg and lunge down to bring the rear knee toward the floor.
Now follow through with the right leg to take another forward step.
Continue this forward motion for five steps, then turn around and return to the start position.
On the next set, raise your left arm overhead.
6. Squat & Press
The squat and press is a great functional exercise that forces your lower body, core, and upper body to work together to execute the movement. If you’re a rugby player, a martial artist, a basketballer, or a track athlete, this exercise is an absolute must to boost your functional fitness.
Muscles Worked:
Quadriceps
Glutes
Hamstrings
Core
Shoulders
Triceps
Forearms
Step-by-Step Guide:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a kettlebell in your right hand at your side. Another kettlebell should be on the floor on the inside of your left foot.
Now raise your right arm overhead and lock out your elbow.
Turn both feet to the left and look up at the kettlebell above your head.
Keeping your torso facing forward, press your right hip back as you lean down to grab the other kettlebell with your left hand.
Come back to an upright position. Now your right arm will still be above your head with your left arm at your side.
Perform all your reps on one side, then repeat with the left arm extended overhead.
7. Kettlebell Deadlift
While the kettlebell deadlift won’t allow you to lift as much weight as a standard barbell version of the exercise, it does allow you to achieve a fuller range of movement. The kettlebell can travel well beyond the tibiae, towards the heels, whereas the barbell presses against and stops at the tibiae. This allows you to extend the hip extensor chain more effectively.
Muscles Worked:
Glutes
Hamstrings
Quadriceps
Core
Back
Forearms
Step-by-Step Guide:
With your legs bent, sit back into a half-squat as though you were going to jump up. The chest should be up with the shoulder blades squeezed together. Your back should be naturally arched. The kettlebell should be held with your arms extended and level with your heels.
Extend the pelvis up and forward while keeping the scapulae together until you are upright.
Slowly return to the half-squat position so that the kettlebells end up at floor level. Maintain an upright posture with natural back curvature.
8. Renegade Row
The renegade row is a combination of a plank and a row. As such, it does a great job of working both the lats and the core muscles. Every time you bring an arm off the floor, you will engage the entire core area as it balances, stabilizes, and supports your body. This is an all-encompassing exercise that serves as the foundation for athletic training in all activities that place significant stress on the core, including combat sports, martial arts, wrestling, judo, rugby, American football, tennis, and baseball.
Muscle worked:
Latissimus dorsi
Rhomboids
Trapezius
Biceps
Triceps
Shoulders
Core
Step-by-Step Guide:
Get down in the high push-up position with kettlebells in your hands. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, arms fully extended, and shoulders directly above the kettlebells.
Row the right hand kettlebell up toward your ribcage.
Lower back to the start position under control.
Repeat with the left hand kettlebell.
Continue alternating sides to complete your rep count.
Functional Fitness Kettlebell Workouts
Now that we know how to do the eight key fundamental kettlebell exercises for functional fitness, let’s put them together in the form of three workouts that you can alternate over the course of your workout week.
Workout A: Kettlebell HIIT Functional Fitness Circuit
Method: Perform each exercise for 40 seconds. Then rest for exactly 20 seconds before beginning the next exercise. Complete all eight exercises in eight minutes, then rest for exactly two minutes. Work up to doing four rounds of this HIIT circuit.
Warm-Up: Three minutes of medium intensity on a rowing machine.
Kettlebell Swing
Goblet Squat
Roll Up, Roll Down
Two-Handed Overhead Squat
Overhead Walking Lunge
Squat & Press
Kettlebell Deadlift
Renegade Row
Cool-Down: Three minutes of medium intensity on a rowing machine.
Workout B: EMOM Kettlebell Functional Fitness Workout
EMOM stands for every minute on the minute. It involves starting an exercise at the start of every new minute and then resting for any remaining time within the minute once your reps are complete. So, you begin by doing 15 reps of kettlebell swings, which takes 48 seconds. That leaves you with 12 seconds to recover before going into the next exercise when 60 seconds is up. You continue this pattern to complete all five exercises.
At the end of the round, rest for two minutes. Work up to completing eight rounds.
Warm-Up: Three minutes of medium intensity on a rowing machine.
Kettlebell Swing: 15 reps
Goblet Squat: 10 reps
Two-Handed Overhead Squat: 8 reps
Renegade Row: 6 reps (per arm)
Squat & Press: 5 reps
Cool-Down: Three minutes of medium intensity on a rowing machine.
Workout C: Straight Sets Kettlebell Functional Fitness Workout
You should rest 45-60 seconds between each set for this straight-set workout.
Warm-Up: Three minutes of medium intensity on a rowing machine.
Kettlebell Deadlift: 3 sets of 15 reps
Kettlebell Swings: 3 sets of 20 reps
Renegade Row: 3 sets of 12 reps (each arm)
Squat & Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
Roll Up, Roll Down: 3 sets of 8 reps
Overhead Walking Lunge: 3 sets of 10 forward steps
Cool-Down: Three minutes of medium intensity on a rowing machine.
Wrap Up
Kettlebells are perfect for functional fitness. You now have a list of eight of the best functional fitness kettlebell exercises, along with three challenging workouts to effectively work your entire body. Take the time to learn how to do the exercises well, and then add these functional fitness workouts to your schedule. Begin with one per week, gradually increasing to three sessions, spaced at least a day apart. You’ll soon be rewarded with a healthier, functional, and athletic body.
The Best Supraspinatus Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
Few things will disrupt your workouts like shoulder pain. Painful shoulders can stop you from training your upper body and even interfere with your lower body workouts. Benching and squatting with bad shoulders is especially unpleasant.
Painful shoulders can also affect your ability to perform everyday tasks, from brushing your teeth to pulling on your favorite T-shirt. And sleeping on your side when your shoulders hurt? Forget about it!
And yet, despite being so debilitating, a lot of lifters pound their joints with constant abuse and only worry about the health of their shoulders when they start to go wrong. Needless to say, if you have chronic shoulder pain, you have already neglected them for too long.
The good news is that it’s never too late to start working on your shoulder health, and many types of shoulder pain can be treated with targeted stretching and strengthening exercises.
In this article, we reveal the best stretching and strengthening exercises for the supraspinatus muscle, which is part of your rotator cuff.
Please Note: This article is for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used for diagnosing or treating health problems or diseases. Those seeking medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.
Supraspinatus Anatomy Basics
The supraspinatus is one of four muscles that make up your rotator cuff. The other three muscles as the subscapularis, infraspinatus, and teres minor. The rotator cuff is found interior to (beneath) your deltoids and is responsible for stabilizing and controlling your shoulder joint.
Supraspinatus is located below the trapezius and toward the rear scapular region. It originates from the supraspinous fossa of the scapular and inserts onto the greater tubercle of the humerus. Its name reveals its position, and the supraspinatus lies along the superior (supra-) spine (-spinatus) of the scapula or shoulder blade.
During shoulder movements, the supraspinatus helps stabilize the head of the humerus in the glenoid fossa or socket. It also plays a role in the abduction of the arm and assists the medial deltoid in raising your arm up and away from the midline of your body.
Many rotator cuff injuries start with problems affecting the supraspinatus. As such, strengthening and stretching this muscle may help prevent future shoulder pain and may be necessary for rehabbing existing injuries – with medical supervision, of course!
5 Best Supraspinatus Stretches
A tight supraspinatus can cause shoulder pain and dysfunction. Common causes of supraspinatus tightness include using a keyboard for a long time, especially without supporting your arms, driving long distances, and repetitive overhead movements, such as painting a ceiling, swimming, or strength training.
Muscle tightness impedes blood flow, leading to an accumulation of waste products within the muscle, causing tension and pain.
Use the following exercises to stretch your supraspinatus and restore it to its correct resting length.
1. Pendulum stretch
The supraspinatus is located toward the rear of your shoulder. As such, pulling your arm forward will provide this muscle with a beneficial stretch. The pendulum stretch is good for your entire shoulder complex, especially the posterior compartment. This exercise is often part of rotator cuff rehab and prehab prescriptions.
Steps:
Rest one arm on a bench or chair and lean forward so your upper body is just above parallel to the floor.
Let your other arm hang down from your shoulder.
Keep your shoulder and arm relaxed and gently circle clockwise, counterclockwise, forward, and back.
Continue for 30-60 seconds, and then swap arms.
Muscles targeted:
Supraspinatus, posterior deltoid, rhomboids, trapezius.
Benefits:
A gentle, decompressing exercise for the entire posterior shoulder region.
Good for increasing general shoulder mobility.
Increases blood flow and synovial fluid production to ease shoulder pain and enhance healing.
Tips:
Increase your range of movement as your shoulder loosens up.
You can also do this exercise while holding a light dumbbell to achieve a deeper stretch.
Keep your neck and lower back neutral for comfort and safety.
2. Cross-body arm stretch
The cross-body arm stretch is a passive exercise that elongates your supraspinatus and other posterior shoulder and arm muscles. Pull gently to avoid overstretching your muscles and causing more harm than good. Constant pressure is always better than jerky movements.
Steps:
Seated or standing, place one hand on your opposite shoulder and lightly grip your arm just above your elbow joint.
Pull your arm across your body until you feel a mild stretch in the back of your shoulder.
Hold for 30-60 seconds, and then relax.
Repeat on the opposite aide for the same duration.
Muscles targeted:
Supraspinatus, posterior deltoid, rhomboids, trapezius, triceps.
Benefits:
A very convenient exercise that you can do almost anywhere and anytime.
A very gentle exercise that’s ideal for anyone suffering from shoulder pain.
A useful shoulder cool-down exercise.
Tips:
Do this stretch to break up long periods of sitting.
Increase the depth of the stretch as you feel your muscles relax.
Raise or lower your elbow to seek out areas of tightness.
3. Seated table slide
Prolonged sitting is one of the worst things you can do for your shoulder health. The longer you remain in a fixed position, e.g., while working at a computer, the tighter your muscles become. The good news is that you can release your shoulders and stretch your supraspinatus without leaving your desk.
Steps:
Sit at a table or desk.
Place a small towel on your desk and place your hand on it so your palm faces downward.
Lean forward and slide the towel as far away from you as possible.
Hold the deepest comfortable stretch for 30-60 seconds, and then relax.
Sit back up, swap sides, and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Supraspinatus, deltoids, latissimus dorsi, triceps, trapezius, rhomboids.
Benefits:
An excellent way to break up long periods of sitting.
A deep yet relaxing upper body stretch.
Very good for improving posture and releasing tension from your shoulders.
Tips:
Move your chair backward if your desk is not big enough to get a full stretch.
You can also do this exercise with both arms at the same time.
Do this exercise standing at a kitchen countertop.
4. Arm behind the back supraspinatus stretch
This exercise is quite intense, so ease into it and don’t stretch too far too fast. However, the position of your arm means you’ll get a deep stretch in your supraspinatus, medial deltoid, and upper traps. Use your non-working arm to increase the depth of the stretch.
Steps:
Place the arm you want to stretch behind your back. Grip your wrist with your other hand.
Gently pull your arm across to increase the depth of the stretch.
Hold for 30-60 seconds, and then relax.
Swap sides and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Supraspinatus, deltoids, trapezius.
Benefits:
You can use your free arm to get a deeper, more intense stretch.
One of a few stretches to take your upper arm into adduction.
A good way to preferentially target the supraspinatus.
Tips:
Make sure you keep your shoulders down and relaxed throughout.
Tilt your head to the side you are pulling to increase the depth of the stretch.
Hold a towel or band behind you if you find gripping your wrist uncomfortable.
5. Seated hug shoulder stretch
The great thing about this simple stretch is that you can do it at your desk, while sitting in your car in traffic, or during a TV ad break. As such, you can do it anytime you feel your shoulders or upper back starting to tighten up. Do it whenever you want to release some tension but can’t get up and move around to do more complex stretches.
Steps:
Cross your arms over your chest like you are hugging yourself. Put your hands on your upper back. It doesn’t matter which hand is uppermost.
Walk your fingers toward the middle of your upper back to increase the stretch.
Hold for 30-60 seconds, and then relax.
Muscles targeted:
Supraspinatus, deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids.
Benefits:
A very accessible exercise that’s ideal for beginners.
Feels good!
Great for releasing tension from your upper back and shoulders.
Tips:
Raise or lower your elbows to seek out and treat areas of tightness.
Walk your hands further around your back as your muscles begin to relax.
Visualize spreading your shoulder blades to achieve a deeper stretch.
5 Best Supraspinatus Strengthening Exercises
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and for many lifters, their weakest link is the rotator cuff. This small but crucial group of muscles takes a lot of abuse and can easily become inflamed and damaged. Torn rotator cuffs can take months, if not years, to heal.
Needless to say, prevention is better than cure, and building a resilient rotator cuff could save you a lot of missed workouts.
Use the following exercises to beef up your supraspinatus. While this won’t add a lot to your physique, it will help keep you in the gym and out of your doctor’s office.
1. Side lying lateral raise
One of the main functions of the supraspinatus is the initiation of upper arm abduction. In other words, it’s the muscle that gets your arm moving away from your body. As your arm starts to move, the more powerful medial deltoids take over. This exercise puts more stress on the supraspinatus than it does on the medial delts.
Steps:
Lie on your side so your hips and shoulders are square. Hold a light dumbbell in your uppermost hand. Bend your elbow slightly, but then keep it rigid throughout.
Lift your arm up until it’s vertical.
Lower your arm and repeat.
Roll over and do the same number of reps on the opposite side.
Muscles targeted:
Supraspinatus, medial deltoid.
Benefits:
An effective way to strengthen the supraspinatus.
An excellent shoulder rehab/prehab exercise.
Low-tech but high-effect exercise that’s ideal for home use.
Tips:
Go light – this exercise is not suitable for heavy weights.
Use a single weight plate, water jug, wrist weight, etc., instead of a dumbbell.
You can also do this exercise on a slightly inclined bench if that’s more comfortable.
2. Behind the Back Single-Arm Cable lateral raise
Cable lateral raises put your deltoids under near-constant tension, making them potentially more effective than the same exercise done with dumbbells. But, as an added benefit, they also stress your supraspinatus more. Doing cable lateral raises behind the back is even more effective because it loads your supraspinatus more and uses a larger range of motion.
Steps:
Attach a D-shaped handle to a low pulley machine. Stand sideways onto the weight stack and pick up the handle. Hold it in your furthest hand so the cable runs behind your legs.
Bend your knees slightly, brace your core, and pull your shoulder back and down. Your elbow should be slightly bent but rigid.
Raise your arm up and away from your side until your arm is roughly parallel to the floor.
Lower your arm, taking your hand a little way behind you to increase the range of motion.
Do the desired number of reps and then swap sides.
Muscles targeted:
Supraspinatus, medial deltoids.
Benefits:
An effective way to develop your deltoids and supraspinatus simultaneously.
A very shoulder-friendly exercise.
Even more tension on the target muscles compared to dumbbell lateral raises.
Tips:
Use a light weight and move slowly with control to target the supraspinatus.
Do not raise your arm above shoulder height, as doing so could increase your risk of impingement.
Keep your thumb pointing forward throughout. Do not rotate your wrists or rotate your arm inward, as doing so could hurt your shoulder joint.
3. Resistance band lateral raise
The great thing about resistance band lateral raises is that you can do them almost anywhere – even at home. As such, they’re the perfect prehab/rehab exercise, and you can do them without adding extra time to your existing workouts. So keep a set of bands nearby so you can pump out a set of lateral raises whenever you have a few minutes spare.
Steps:
Stand on the middle of your resistance band and hold an end/handle in each hand. Bend your knees slightly, brace your core, and set your shoulders. Your arms should be slightly bent but rigid.
Raise your arms up and out to the sides to form a T-shape.
Lower your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Supraspinatus, medial deltoids.
Benefits:
A very accessible and convenient exercise for home workouts.
Joint-friendly and comfortable.
Easy to progress or regress by changing the length/strength of your band.
Tips:
You can also do this exercise by using one arm at a time.
Do this exercise seated if you want to put less pressure on your muscles.
Cross the bands so that the tension comes onto your muscles sooner.
4. Full can raises
Full can raises are a traditional supraspinatus exercise often prescribed by physical therapists. It provides a strengthening and mobilizing effect for the entire shoulder complex, especially the rear of the shoulders and the rotator cuff. Like all rotator cuff exercises, this move works best when done slowly and smoothly with light weights.
Steps:
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and, with your arms straight but not locked, hold them against your thighs with your thumbs pointing forward. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
Raise your arms forward and up to form a V-shape above your head.
Slowly and smoothly lower your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Supraspinatus, deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids.
Benefits:
A simple yet effective exercise.
An ideal warm-up before more demanding upper body exercises.
A great way to improve shoulder mobility and stability.
Tips:
Only raise your arms as high as your mobility/pain allows. Do not force your arms up if they don’t want to go that high.
You can also do this exercise with a resistance band instead of dumbbells.
Place a mini band around your wrists to increase supraspinatus activation, like this:
5. BOSU push-up
The supraspinatus is responsible for upper arm abduction but also plays a crucial role in shoulder joint stabilization. While all supraspinatus exercises will increase joint stability, using an unstable surface is arguably the best way to develop this function. Doing push-ups on a BOSU balance trainer is a great way to challenge and develop your shoulder stability.
Steps:
Place your BOSU on the floor, curved side down. Squat down and grip the side edges of the BOSU with your thumbs pointing forward.
Walk your feet out and back so your legs are straight. Brace your core and contract your legs.
Bend your arms and lower your chest down to within an inch of the top of the BOSU. Work hard to keep your hands level. However, some shaking is normal.
Push yourself back up and then repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps, rotator cuff, core.
Benefits:
A very functional rotator cuff exercise.
A great way to identify and fix strength imbalances.
Makes regular floor push-ups feel much easier.
Tips:
Bend your legs and rest on your knees to make this exercise easier.
Wear a weight vest or raise your feet to make it harder.
No BOSU? No problem! You can also use a medicine ball, stability ball, or balance board:
Supraspinatus Exercises – FAQs
Do you have a question about the best exercises for stretching and strengthening your supraspinatus? No worries because we’ve got the answers!
1. Will training my supraspinatus muscle give me bigger shoulders?
The supraspinatus is a small muscle that lies beneath several much bigger muscle. As such, you’ll never see it, and developing it won’t add anything to your physique. But before you dismiss supraspinatus training altogether, it’s important to stress that this little muscle has a significant impact on what exercises you can and cannot do and how well you perform those exercises.
For example, a weak or painful supraspinatus could prevent you from doing overhead presses or bench presses. It could make barbell back squats uncomfortable or even affect your ability to do biceps curls.
So, while training your supraspinatus won’t directly make your shoulders bigger, it will indirectly influence your ability to build muscle.
2. How do I know if my supraspinatus is weak?
The most common way to determine if your supraspinatus is weak is with the empty can test.
Raise your arm to the side and rotate your shoulder internally so your thumb points downward. Next, a training partner should gently push down on your outstretched hand. If you are unable to keep your arm up against mild to moderate pressure, your supraspinatus is probably weak and requires strengthening.
3. What should I do if I have sudden pain in my shoulder during training?
Acute or sudden pain could indicate that you have strained a muscle or sprained a ligament. In either case, you should stop what you’re doing to prevent things from worsening.
Depending on the severity of the injury, you may also need to use RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) to speed up recovery.
Do not return to training until the pain has subsided. If the pain is severe, or lasts more than a couple of days, get it checked out by a sports injury doctor. You may still be able to work out, but you must avoid aggravating the injured area.
Train around the injury and not through it! This will probably mean not training your upper body for a few days or even a week or two. Some lower body exercises may also be off-limits, such as barbell squats and deadlifts.
Once the pain begins to subside, you can start gently stretching, mobilizing, and strengthening the area with, for example, the exercises in this article.
4. How do I know if my supraspinatus is tight?
The easiest way to determine if your supraspinatus is tight is to do some of the stretching exercises from this article and see how they feel. If you don’t feel much tension during the stretches, your supraspinatus is probably as flexible as it needs to be. However, if the area feels uncomfortable or tight, you probably need to stretch more often.
5. What is the difference between maintenance and developmental stretching?
Maintenance and developmental refer to the duration of each stretch. For example, if you have good flexibility and just want to preserve or maintain it, you should hold each stretch for 10-20 seconds. That will be sufficient to prevent your muscles from shortening.
However, if your flexibility needs developing or improving, you’ll need to stretch for longer, typically 30-60 seconds. During this time, you’ll feel your muscles relax so you can ease into a deeper stretch.
Choose the right type of stretching for your goals. You will probably find that some muscles need stretching more than others. For example, it’s common to have tight hamstrings, pecs, and lats, while the triceps, biceps, and calves are usually naturally flexible. Of course, this pattern varies from person to person.
Program your stretches based on what you need to work on. Spend more time on the tightest muscles and less time on those that are sufficiently flexible.
Supraspinatus Exercises – Wrapping Up
There are over 600 muscles in the human body, and each one plays a critical role in how your body functions. Some muscles, like the gluteus maximus, are large and weigh several pounds. Others, like the supraspinatus, are much smaller and only weigh a few ounces.
However, muscle size does not determine importance, and in many cases, it’s the smallest muscles that need the most care and attention.
So, don’t let your supraspinatus become the weak link that holds you back. Instead, stretch and strengthen this small but critical muscle so your shoulders remain stable, strong, and pain-free.
Cable Superset Workout: More Muscle in Less Time
Building muscle, getting stronger, losing body fat, improving your fitness – while these are all excellent training goals, they can also be time-consuming. That’s why most pros invariably achieve better results than amateurs; they get paid to train, so time is no object.
The average pro doesn’t have to balance their workouts with holding down a full-time job and all the demands that come with conventional employment. They don’t have to try and squeeze in a workout before going to the office, during a lunch break, or after work when they’d rather be chilling at home.
Pros can train when they want for as long as they want. Needless to say, this is a huge advantage. That’s why average folk should avoid following programs designed for pros; they were not the intended audience.
Because time is at such a premium, the average exerciser needs to learn how to train smarter and not longer. We must find ways to get more done in less time, maximizing our training results.
One way to do this is with supersets, and using a cable machine can also help.
So, for all of the people who have to balance their workouts with their careers, here is a cable superset workout designed to get you great results in less time.
Cables and Supersets – A Match Made in Heaven
Your muscles have a hard time differentiating between different types of training equipment. In truth, they don’t really know or care if you’re doing barbell or cable curls for your biceps. So long as you work hard and often enough, they’ll respond by getting stronger and bigger.
That said, using cables does have a few advantages over other types of training:
Quick exercise setup and weight adjustments
It’ll take you no more than a few seconds to attach the appropriate handle to a cable machine and slam in the selector pin to adjust the weight. Less time setting up means shorter workouts or that you can cram more exercises and sets into your training session.
Either way, cable machines make for a very time-efficient workout.
More constant muscle tension
Cable machines tend to keep your muscles under more constant tension compared to the same exercise done with freeweights. This makes each and every rep you perform more effective, so you won’t need to do as many sets per muscle group.
For example, compare cable crossovers with dumbbell flys. With dumbbell flys, the tension on your muscles peaks when your arms are far apart but almost vanishes when your arms come together. In contrast, cable crossovers keep your pecs under tension for the entire range of motion.
Perfect for drop sets
When time is of the essence, you may want to use intensity-boosting training systems so you can fatigue your muscles faster. One way to do this is with drop sets.
To do a drop set, rep out to failure, reduce (or drop) the weight by 10-20%, and then rep out again. The selectorized weight stack on most cable machines means you can reduce the weight in seconds, making your workout even more time-efficient.
This simple system lets you train well beyond your usual failure point. A couple of drop sets will soon fatigue your muscles, so you don’t have to do a long, time-consuming workout.
A safer, more joint-friendly workout
Training to failure with cables is a safe proposition. There are no bars to get pinned under, and dropping a weight will cause nothing more serious than a loud crash. The same cannot be said of most barbell and dumbbell exercises.
In addition, most cable exercises are easier on your joints than the same exercise performed with freeweights. There is less end-to-end joint compression, leading to less wear and tear. In addition, cable exercises can easily be modified to work around any aches, pains, or limitations you might have.
Finally, you can train to failure without a spotter, so you won’t have to wait for someone to help you when you just want to get on and train.
Perfect for supersets
Supersets and cable machines go together like peanut butter and jelly – they complement one another perfectly. Transitioning from one exercise to the next takes no more than a couple of seconds, and you can train your entire body on a single or double cable machine.
And speaking of supersets, their benefits include…
Less time spent resting
Most strength training workouts involve rest than actual training time. Lifters typically rest 60-90 seconds between every set they perform. Supersets involve doing two exercises back-to-back, eliminating half of your rests. With less resting, you’ll be in and out of the gym in half the time.
A structurally balanced workout
Using supersets makes it much easier to train opposing muscle groups equally. For example, by pairing biceps curls with triceps pushdowns, you ensure that both main upper arm muscles get the same volume of training.
Balancing your pushes and pulls will help develop an aesthetically and structurally balanced physique.
Cable Superset Workout – Program Overview
Short on time? Got access to a cable machine? Like supersets? Then this is the workout for you!
This program involves three workouts per week, performed on non-consecutive days, e.g., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This provides a good balance between training and recovery and works well for most average trainees.
All exercises are to be performed as paired supersets. For example, do exercise 1a and immediately follow it with exercise 1b. Rest for the designated time and then repeat the pairing. Do the specified number of sets and then move on to the next pairing (2a and 2b). Simple, but effective!
Workout 1 – Horizontal Push/Pull & Arms
By working in the horizontal plane, this workout hits your chest and upper back, specifically your mid-traps and rhomboids, with a bit of lats thrown in for good measure. We close things out with some direct upper arms training because everyone wants a ticket to the gun show!
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Recovery
1a
Cable supine chest press
4
12-20
60-90 seconds
1b
Cable seated row
2a
Cable crossover
4
12-20
60-90 seconds
2b
Cable reverse fly
3a
Cable incline fly
3
12-20
60-90 seconds
3b
Cable face pull
4a
Cable biceps curl
3
12-20
60-90 seconds
4b
Cable triceps pushdown
Workout 2 – Legs and core
Friends don’t let friends skip leg day! Your legs make up at least 40% of your total muscle mass, and it would be a crime against bodybuilding not to give you a cable superset leg workout to try.
This workout focuses on your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, but there are some direct abs exercises at the end for you to enjoy.
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Recovery
1a
Cable goblet squat
4
12-20
60-90 seconds
1b
Cable Romanian deadlift
2a
Cable standing leg extension
4
12-20
60-90 seconds
2b
Cable standing leg curl
3a
Cable hip abduction
3
12-20
60-90 seconds
3b
Cable hip adduction
4a
Cable woodchop
3
12-20
60-90 seconds
4b
Cable stability ball crunch
Workout 3 – Vertical Push/Pull & Arms
The workout emphasizes your shoulders and lats to build upper body width and hone your V-taper. And because no upper body workout is complete without some arm training, you’ll also work your biceps and triceps again.
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Recovery
1a
Cable shoulder press
4
12-20
60-90 seconds
1b
Cable single-arm pulldown
2a
Cable lateral raise
4
12-20
60-90 seconds
2b
Cable straight arm pulldown
3a
Cable upright row
3
12-20
60-90 seconds
3b
Cable Y pulldown
4a
Cable preacher curl
3
12-20
60-90 seconds
4b
Cable skull crusher
Cable Superset Workout – Exercise Descriptions
Get the most from your cable workouts by performing each exercise with perfect form. Proper exercise technique keeps the tension on your workout muscles and away from your joints. In contrast, the wrong technique makes your workout less effective and more likely to cause injury.
Workout 1 – Horizontal Push/Pull & Arms
1a. Cable supine chest press
This unique exercise looks like a bench press but feels more like a chest fly. The result is a challenging movement that will really pump up your pecs.
Target Muscles:
Pectoralis major, triceps, anterior deltoids.
Steps:
Place a bench in the center of a cable crossover machine. Attach D-shaped handles to the low pulleys.
Sit on the bench and take a handle in each hand. Lie on your back and pull the handles into your armpits. Turn your wrists so your palms face down your body.
Press your hands up and together so they meet above your chest.
Return your hands to your shoulders and repeat.
Tips:
Drive your feet into the floor for increased stability.
Keep your wrists straight.
Focus on pushing your hands inward as much as pushing them up to maximally engage your chest.
1b. Cable seated row
Cable seated rows are an excellent exercise for building a thicker, broader back. Unlike freeweight bent-over rows, this horizontal rowing movement is very lower back-friendly.
Target Muscles:
Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, biceps.
Steps:
Attach a neutral grip handle to a low pulley machine.
Sit with your legs outstretched and knees slightly bent. Grab the handle and sit up tall. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
Bend your arms and pull the handle into your abdomen. Keep your upper arms close to your sides.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Tips:
Drive your elbows back to maximize lat engagement.
Hinge forward slightly from your hips to stretch your lats but take care not to round your lower back.
Wear wrist straps or use gym chalk to enhance your grip if required.
2a. Cable crossover
Cable crossovers isolate your chest and hit all three heads of the pectoralis major. This exercise is great for creating shape and separation in your pecs.
Target Muscles:
Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Steps:
Attach D-shaped handles to the high pulleys on a cable crossover machine.
Holding a handle in each hand, adopt a staggered stance and stand with your arms stretched out to the side.
Keeping your elbows slightly bent but rigid, sweep your arms forward and down so your hands meet in front of your hips.
Raise your arms, get a mild stretch in your chest, and repeat.
Tips:
Keep your torso upright to emphasize your chest and prevent turning this into a pressing exercise.
Keep your core braced throughout.
You can also do this exercise with your arms horizonal or moving from low to high.
2b. Cable reverse fly
This exercise works the muscles on the rear of your shoulders that oppose your chest. The trapezius, rhomboids, and posterior deltoids are critical for better posture and holding you upright against the pull of gravity.
Target Muscles:
Trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids.
Steps:
Using a high cable machine, cross your hands and grip the balls/carabiners at the ends of the cables.
Move back 1-2 steps so your arms are extended in front of you, hands at about head height.
Keeping your elbows slightly bent but rigid, open your arms and pull the cables down and back to about hip height.
Raise your arms and repeat.
Tips:
You can also do this exercise with D-shaped handles if you don’t want to hold onto the cables directly.
Lead with your elbows and pull your shoulders back and down to make this exercise as effective as possible.
You can also do this exercise with your arms horizontal.
3a. Cable incline fly
Cable incline flys are so much more effective than the dumbbell variation that, once you try them, you’ll never go back to using freeweights to isolate your pecs. This exercise is VERY effective!
Target Muscles:
Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Steps:
Place a bench in the center of a cable crossover machine. Raise the backrest to around 30 degrees. Attach D-shaped handles to the low pulleys.
Sit on the bench and take a handle in each hand. Lie on your back and extend your arms out so they’re roughly parallel to the floor.
Keeping your arms slightly bent but rigid, squeeze your hands up and together so they meet above your chest.
Lower your arms to get a stretch in your chest, and repeat.
Tips:
Experiment with different bench angles to see what feels most effective and comfortable.
The steeper the angle, the more you’ll hit your upper chest.
Imagine you are hugging a tree to perform this movement correctly.
3b. Cable face pull
Face pulls target your upper back, i.e., the mid-traps, rhomboids, and posterior deltoids. They’re an excellent exercise for improving your posture and will add some thickness to your upper back muscles. Face pulls are also good for your shoulder health and could prevent future shoulder joint pain.
Target Muscles:
Trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, biceps.
Steps:
Attach a rope handle to a head-high cable machine.
Take one end of the handle in each hand and, with straight arms, step back into a staggered stance.
Bend your elbows and pull the handles into either side of your head. Keep your elbows up to fully engage your upper back.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Tips:
Lead with your elbows and drive them back to emphasize your upper back muscles.
Don’t go too heavy, as doing so will make you lower your elbows and use your lats more than your upper back.
Raise your hands by externally rotating your shoulders to also work your rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis).
4a. Cable biceps curl
The cable biceps curl is a proven arm builder that keeps your arm flexors under near-constant tension to deliver a skin-splitting pump. Paired with triceps pushdowns, this final superset will leave you looking and feeling swole AF!
Target Muscles:
Biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a low cable machine. Hold the bar with an underhand, shoulder-width grip, upper arms by your sides.
Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
Bend your elbows and curl the handle up to your shoulders.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Tips:
Use a rope handle and do cable hammer curls to target your brachioradialis and brachialis muscles more.
Use an EZ bar to take pressure off your wrists and elbows.
Try a palms-down grip to challenge your forearms and improve your grip.
4b. Cable triceps pushdown
Cable pushdowns are one of the most popular triceps exercises. They’re simple, effective, and ideal for beginners and more experienced lifters. Supersetting them with cable biceps curls provides a great way to pump up your arms without having to switch machines.
Muscles Worked:
Triceps.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a high cable pulley. Grip the bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
Pull your upper arms into your sides, brace your core, and set your shoulders down and back.
Extend your arms and press the bar down to your thighs. Pause for 1-2 seconds.
Bend your arms as far as possible without letting your upper arms move away from your sides.
Continue for the specified number of reps.
Tips:
You can also perform this exercise with a V-bar or a rope handle.
For variation, try using an underhand grip.
Keep your torso uptight so you don’t turn this into a pressing exercise.
Workout 2 – Legs and Core
1a. Cable goblet squat
Muscles worked:
Most people are more than familiar with kettlebell and dumbbell goblet squats. After all, they’re an excellent lower body exercise. However, the cable variation is just as effective and could be a better option for some people as it’s even more lower back-friendly than the original version.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a low pulley. Hold it in front of your chest, just below your chin. Pull your shoulders back and down and brace your core.
Take a small step back and stand with your feet about shoulder-distance apart, toes turned slightly outward.
Bend your legs and descend until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor. Do not round your lower back.
Stand upright and repeat.
Tips:
Work your glutes harder by wearing a booty band around your knees.
Increase quads engagement by resting your heels on weight plates.
Experiment with your stance (wider, closer) to see which feels the most comfortable.
1b. Cable Romanian deadlift
Romanian deadlifts are one of the best posterior chain exercises around. Not only are they a great muscle developer, but they’re also an effective move for mobilizing and stretching your hips and hamstrings. Cable Romanian deadlifts are easier on your lower back than the barbell or dumbbell variations.
Muscles Worked:
Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, core.
Steps:
Attach a bar or rope handle to a low pulley. Hold the handle and stand up, taking 1-2 steps back to tension the cable.
Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent. Brace your core and set your shoulders.
Bend over from your hips and reach forward with your arms. Do not round your lower back, as doing so could lead to injury.
Drive your hips forward and stand back up.
Continue for the specified number of reps.
Tips:
Move further back from the weight stack to make this exercise more hip-centric.
Vary your stance width to see what works best and feels more comfortable.
Make this exercise harder by standing on one leg – single-leg cable stiff-legged deadlifts.
2a. Cable standing leg extension
While regular leg extensions are an effective quadriceps exercise, one of the four quad muscles doesn’t get such a great workout – the rectus femoris. That’s because this muscle crosses your hips and knees, and sitting with your hip flexed puts the rectus femoris into a relaxed position, so it cannot contract very well. This standing variation fixes that problem.
Muscles worked:
Quadriceps, hip flexors, core.
Wearing an ankle strap, stand with your back to the weight stack. Take 1-2 steps forward. Bend your knee and move your hip backward.
Drive your knee forward and extend your leg.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
Switch legs and do the same number of reps on the other side.
Tips:
Keep your supporting knee slightly bent for balance.
Brace your core to prevent unwanted hip and lumbar spine movement.
You can also do this exercise with a resistance band.
2b. Cable standing leg curl
The hamstrings are a biaxial muscle, meaning they cross two joints – your hips and knees. As such, they are responsible for two movements; knee flexion and hip extension. Cable standing leg curls are one of the few exercises to address both of these functions simultaneously.
Muscles Worked:
Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core.
Steps:
Wearing an ankle cuff, attach it to a low pulley machine and stand facing the weight stack. Shift your weight onto the other leg and brace your core. Use your arms for balance.
Extend your leg to the rear and bend your knee, curling your foot up toward your butt.
Lower your foot and repeat.
Tips:
Extend your hip more or less to change the feel of this exercise.
Keep your calf relaxed so your hamstrings do most of the work during this exercise.
Home exercisers can do this move with a resistance band.
3a. Cable hip abduction
Cable hip abductions work the muscles on the outside of your hips. Strengthening these muscles will improve lateral hip stability and help you sculpt a better-looking butt.
Muscles Worked:
Gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, tensor fascia latae.
Steps:
Put on an ankle cuff and attach it to a low pulley machine. Stand sideways-on to the weight stack with the cable running in front of your feet. Brace your core and hold on to the machine for balance.
Raise your leg out to the side as high as possible without twisting your hips.
Lower your leg and repeat.
Switch legs and do the same number of reps on the other side.
Tips:
Rotate your hip inward slightly to emphasize the hip abductor muscles.
Keep your supporting leg slightly bent for better stability and balance.
You can also do this exercise with a resistance band.
3b. Cable hip adduction
The adductor muscles are located on the inside of your thighs and hips. Like the abductors, these muscles help stabilize your hips. Stronger hip adductors will lower your risk of groin strain during activities that involve running, sprinting, lunging, and kicking.
Muscles Worked:
Adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus.
Steps:
Put on an ankle cuff and attach it to a low pulley machine. Stand sideways-on to the weight stack with the cuff on your innermost leg.
Cross your leg in front of the other without twisting your hips.
Lower your leg and repeat.
Switch legs and do the same number of reps on the other side.
Tips:
Brace your core to stabilize your lumbar spine and prevent unwanted movement.
Bend your supporting knee slightly for better balance.
Home exercisers can replicate this move with a resistance band.
4a. Cable woodchop
The cable woodchop is so called because it looks and feels a little like you are swinging an axe and cutting down a tress. This core rotation exercise will develop your obliques and strengthen your abs.
Muscles Worked:
Obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae.
Steps:
Attach a D-shaped handle to a high cable pulley. Hold the handle in both hands and then stand sideways onto the weight stack. Extend your arms and brace your core.
Rotate your upper body through 180 degrees, drawing a diagonal line with your hands.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
Turn around and do the same number of reps on the opposite side.
Tips:
Keep your arms slightly bent but rigid throughout.
You can also do this exercise in a half-kneeling position to stop you from using your legs.
For variety, use a low cable and raise your arms upward.
4b. Cable stability ball crunch
Bodyweight crunches are a great exercise, but once you’ve been training for a while, they often become too easy. Doing crunches on a stability ball with a cable makes them much more challenging and effective. High-rep crunches? Just say no!
Muscles Worked:
Rectus abdominis.
Steps:
Attach a rope handle to a low pulley machine. Place your stability ball on the floor next to your cable machine.
Sit on the ball and hold the handle over your shoulders so the cable is behind you.
Walk your feet forward and lean back so the ball sits in the natural curve of your lower back.
Contract your abs, flex your spine, and curl your shoulders toward your hips.
Lie back down, get a mild stretch on your abs, and repeat.
Tips:
Anchor your feet to prevent being pulled backward over the ball.
Exhale as you lift your shoulders to increase abs engagement.
Move your feet further apart to increase stability and make this exercise easier. Bring your feet closer together to decrease stability and make it more challenging.
Workout 3 – Vertical Push/Pull & Arms
1a. Cable shoulder press
Cable shoulder presses look like any other overhead pressing exercise but feel very different. The angle of the load changes how your deltoids are recruited, hitting your shoulders in an entirely new way. This is a unique exercise, and you’re going to love it!
Muscles Worked:
Deltoids, triceps.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a low pulley machine.
Pick up the handle and hold it in front of your shoulders so your elbows are below your wrists. Set your shoulders and brace your core. Take 1-2 small steps backward.
Press the handle upward and slightly back until your arms are extended.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
Tips:
Step back just enough that the cable doesn’t touch your face when your arms are overhead.
You can also do this exercise with a neutral grip.
Experiment with the width of your grip to see what feels most comfortable.
1b. Cable single-arm pulldown
Lat pulldowns are a popular lat-building exercise. However, training both sides of your back at the same time could lead to muscle imbalances. This unilateral version hits one side of your back at a time and will also enhance your mind-muscle connection.
Muscles Worked:
Latissimus dorsi, biceps, trapezius.
Steps:
Attach a D-shaped handle to a high pulley.
Hold the handle with one hand and sit or knee beneath it with your arm extended above you.
Leading with your elbow, bend your arm and pull the handle down to the front of your shoulder.
Extend your arm and repeat.
Do the same number of repetitions with the opposite arm.
Tips:
Use an overhand, underhand, or neutral grip as preferred.
Brace your core to keep your torso upright and balanced throughout.
Drive your elbow down and back to maximize lat engagement.
2a. Cable lateral raise
Lateral raises target the medial head of your deltoids, which is the part of your shoulders that give them their width. Doing this exercise with give you bigger, broader, more rounded shoulders.
Muscles Worked:
Deltoids.
Steps:
Attach a D-shaped handle to a low cable machine. Stand sideways onto the weight stack and hold the handle in your outside hand so the cable runs in front of your body.
Keeping your arm slightly bent but rigid, raise it up and out until it’s roughly parallel to the floor.
Lower the handle to the front of your hips and repeat.
Tips:
Hold onto the cable machine with your non-working arm for balance if required.
Lead with your elbows (and not your hands) to get more from this exercise.
You can also do this exercise with both arms at the same time if you wish:
2b. Cable straight arm pulldown
When it comes to training the lats, most people tend to focus on pulldowns and rows. While these are effective exercises, the lats can also be worked with straight arm extensions. This move hits your upper lats, and you should really feel it in your armpits. It also works the long head of your triceps.
Muscles worked:
Latissimus dorsi, triceps, posterior deltoid.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a high cable machine.
Hold the handle with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. Brace your abs and set your shoulders
With your arms slightly bent but rigid, push the bar down to your thighs.
Raise your arms, get a stretch in your lats, and repeat.
Tips:
You can do this exercise on a cable crossover or a lat pulldown machine.
Pause at the bottom of each rep to maximize muscle engagement.
Lead with your elbows, and avoid pressing the bar down with your triceps.
3a. Cable upright row
Upright rows are a slightly controversial exercise, and some coaches believe they’re bad for your shoulders. While that may be true for the straight barbell version, cable upright rows are more shoulder-friendly and usually better tolerated. Using a rope handle also allows for more comfortable movement.
Muscles Worked:
Deltoids, trapezius, biceps.
Steps:
Attach a rope handle to a low cable machine. Hold one end in each hand and stand up straight. Take a small step back, brace your abs, and set your shoulders.
Bend your arms and pull your elbows up until they’re above your hands.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Tips:
Keep your knees slightly bent for better balance and stability.
Squeeze your shoulders back to maximize mid-trap engagement.
Only pull your arms up as high as your shoulders comfortably allow.
3b. Cable Y pulldown
This unique exercise hits your lats from a very unusual angle. You should feel it in the middle of your back as well as the sides. Avoid going too heavy with this exercise. Instead, focus on contracting your lats as hard as possible.
Muscles Worked:
Latissimus dorsi, biceps, trapezius.
Steps:
Attach D-shaped handles to the high pulleys of a cable crossover machine. Hold a handle in each hand and kneel between the pulleys, arms raised to form a Y-shape.
Bend your arms and pull your elbows down and into your sides. Squeeze your shoulders down and back.
Extend your arms up and out and repeat.
Tips:
Try using an underhand, overhand, or neutral grip to see which you prefer.
Kneel on a folded exercise mat or foam pad for comfort.
Think about leading with your elbows rather than pulling with your hands to maximize lat engagement.
4a. Cable preacher curl
Preacher curls are usually done using a barbell or dumbbells. However, that means there is very little tension on your muscles at the top of each rep. Using a cable ensures there is tension on your biceps throughout the movement.
Muscles Worked:
Biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis.
Steps:
Move a preacher curl bench over to a low cable machine. Attach a straight bar to the low pulley.
Hold the bar with an underhand grip and rest your upper arms against the bench.
Bend your arms and curl the handle up until your forearms are roughly vertical.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Tips:
Use an EZ bar to make this exercise more comfortable.
You can also do this exercise using one arm at a time with a single D-shaped handle.
No preacher curl bench? No problem! Just use the inclined backrest of an adjustable exercise bench:
4b. Cable skull crusher
Cable skull crushers might sound like an MMA knockout move, but they’re actually a very effective triceps exercise. Utilizing a large range of motion, they take your triceps into a deep stretch, ensuring your arms get a great workout and an intense pump.
Muscles Worked:
Triceps.
Steps:
Place a flat bench next to your cable machine and attach a straight bar to the lowest pulley.
Lie on the bench with your head nearest the weight stack and hold the handle above your chest.
Keeping your upper arms stationary, bend your elbows and lower the bar to your forehead.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Tips:
You can also do this exercise while lying on the floor instead of a bench.
Use a rope handle to hit your triceps from a different angle.
Extend your shoulders backward to get an even deeper stretch in your triceps.
Cable Superset Workout – FAQs
Do you have a question about this workout, training with cables, or superset in general? No worries because we’ve got the answers!
1. Is this a cutting or a bulking program?
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not your workout that determines if you are cutting or bulking, but your diet. Bulking invariably involves consuming a surplus of calories, leading to rapid weight and muscle gain.
In contrast, cutting involves eating fewer calories, and this deficit leads to fat burning and weight loss.
Consequently, you can use this workout plan for bulking or cutting; you just need to adjust your diet according to your goals.
Read more about cutting vs. bulking here.
2. Can I change some of the exercises?
You are very welcome to make changes to any of these programs. However, make sure that whatever new exercises you choose are similar and work the same muscles. For example, while cable reverse lunges are an acceptable replacement for cable goblet squats, cable biceps curls are not.
Stick to the spirit of the program, and you’ll be fine. However, avoid making changes just for the sake of it or swapping out an exercise just because it’s hard. When it comes to building muscle, harder exercises are usually the most effective.
3. How should I warm up before these workouts?
Warming up prepares your muscles, joints, and mind for the workout you are about to do. It helps lower your risk of injury and also gets your muscles firing properly so you can work harder.
Warming up is usually a three-stage process:
Pulse raiser – 5-10 minutes of light cardio.
Dynamic flexibility and mobility – loosen up those muscles and joints.
Practice sets – a couple of light sets of your first 1-2 movements to prepare your body for the exercises you’re about to do.
It’s beyond the scope of this short Q&A to tell you how to warm up, but this in-depth guide should provide you with all the answers you seek.
4. What weights should I use for these workouts?
Because we don’t know how strong or experienced you are, we cannot tell you how much weight you should lift. Instead, you need to self-select your weights based on your performance.
If you can do more than 20 reps or any exercise, the load is too light. In contrast, if you are unable to do 12 reps, it’s too heavy. Pick weights that keep you in the sweet spot of 12-20 reps for all the exercises.
Remember, though, that you also need to make the workouts progressively more challenging by either increasing the weights or doing more reps whenever you feel you are able. It’s this progressive overload that keeps you moving forward.
5. Are there any supplements I can take that will enhance my progress?
While you don’t have to take supplements to get good results from your workouts, there are a few products that may help. However, even the most exotic or expensive substance won’t do anything for you if you aren’t training hard, eating right, and getting enough sleep.
Supplements that may be helpful include:
Closing Thoughts
While there is no need to use just cables or supersets in your workouts, doing so could be just the change you need to reignite your gains and bust out of your current training rut. Cable exercises are very joint-friendly and stress your muscles in a unique way. Supersets make great use of your training time and will save you from having to do two-hour workouts.
Cable machines and supersets? We think they’re a match made in heaven!