Freak Fitness

In last year’s “Mass” issue, I told you about my three key exercises for maximum mass: barbell squat, barbell deadlift, and standing barbell overhead press. While I believe those to be the foundation for any effective program, they aren’t the only serious strength and mass builders that can help you pile pounds on the bar and pack on slabs of muscle.

Leg Press
What I like about the leg press is that you can move big amounts of weight without having to worry as much about balancing the weight as we do for barbell squats. With a competent spotter, you can crank up the intensity and go to momentary muscular failure. Another element that I like about the leg press is you’re able to target different areas of your lower body. If you want to emphasize more outer quad sweep development, take a closer foot position near the lower part of the platform. If you want to emphasize more inner thigh and hamstring involvement, use a wider foot position near the high outer corners of the foot platform. In all cases, make sure both feet are entirely in contact with the platform as you don’t want any accidental foot slips and subsequent weight crashes. I do want to make a point about range of motion: If you only do quarter reps, you’re only going to get a quarter of the results. And 1,000-pound knee lockouts don’t do shit except entertain the people laughing at you!

Barbell Row
There isn’t one exercise that can take more credit for building bigger backs than the barbell row. When the likes of Mr. Olympia champs Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yates make the barbell row a regular part of their back workouts, we must take notice. Both the overhand and underhand grips are great for blasting your back. If you want to focus more on your traps, rhomboids, teres major, and rear deltoids, use an overhand grip and keep your upper body as close to parallel to the floor as you can. If you want to focus more on your lats, use an underhand grip, keep your elbows close to your torso as you row, and keep your torso at a higher angle (around 60 degrees) from the floor; this is more commonly known as the “Yates Row” made famous by Dorian Yates. In all cases, you must maintain a strong arch in your spine to ensure you achieve a complete upper back contraction for each rep.

Dumbbell Bench Press
Most people would think that I’d select the barbell version of this exercise, but I prefer the dumbbell variation for a few reasons. By using dumbbells, you recruit more muscle fibres to not only press the dumbbells but also maintain control of them through the entire range of motion. Because of the dynamic nature of both arms having to act independently of each other, you have to continuously use muscle action to keep control, even at lockout. Another reason I prefer dumbbells is the safety factor. If you fail on the barbell bench press and don’t have a spotter close by, you can get stuck under the bar. Now, if you fail with dumbbells, all you have to do is allow them to drop to the floor on either side of you. Again, similar to the leg press, ensure you’re using a full range of motion. Doing so will allow you to enjoy the full benefits of this very effective exercise.

In summary, by correctly and regularly performing these three serious strength and mass builders with intensity and purpose, you’ll be able to add serious amounts of strength and mass!

For more mass tips from Darren, click here!