I was as shocked as anyone that at 62 I re-muscled my physique with 35-minute workouts 3 days a week. That’s why I keep saying it over and over—and my wife keeps telling me to shut the f#@# up about it.
But it’s important because it reinforces the muscle-building efficiency of the training revelations that made it happen—like emphasizing the “ideal” exercise for each target muscle.
Also important: I didn’t use a single barbell move—because all I had to work with was a 50-pound PowerBlock dumbbell set, adjustable bench, and a doorway chinning bar…
But even if I rejoin a gym, which I probably won’t, I would not use barbells—at least not very often. Why?
Here’s the deal, which I cover in more detail in the new ebook: Bi-lateral deficit means that a target muscle is stronger when it works independently; you activate more muscle fibers…
It’s why one-arm and one-leg exercises are much better than moves that train both limbs simultaneously…
So a one-arm dumbbell curl gets you more muscle-fiber activation than a barbell curl.
But even if you do train both limbs simultaneously, as in standing dumbbell curls, the dumbbells allow the target muscles to work independently. From my ebook Old Man, Young Muscle…
That’s the big reason dumbbells are better than a barbell in almost every case: The independent activation of each side is more efficient from a hypertrophy standpoint than having your arms locked on a barbell.
You also get more range of motion with dumbbells. Take the bench press for example. Using a barbell, your arms are still angled out away from your pecs at the top of each rep…
But with dumbbells, your hands move closer together, forcing your arms to move in toward the pec muscles’ origin. That means more range of motion and fiber activation.
And get this: Imagine that the bar was greased on a barbell bench press. Your hands would slide outward as you push—BUT to work your pecs properly, your arms should be pulling in toward the origin…
That inward pull happens with dumbbells; the outward drive with a barbell, on the other hand, triggers too much triceps activation, de-emphasizing the chest…
What about barbell squats? From a biomechanics standpoint, they are inferior to sissy squats for loading the quads efficiently, so I don’t do them.
“Oh, you’re just a p#@$y and hate squats, so you’re trying to rationalize a way to get rid of them.”
Not at all. I did them for decades—and my quads were never that great. All I got was a bigger butt and a couple of crushed vertebrae—I have to be careful not to throw my back out brushing my hair. Thanks, barbell squats.
At 62 my thighs look as good or better than they ever have with three sets of sissies and a speed set of dumbbell squats (for my complete workout and application of speed sets, see Old Man, Young Muscle).
The bottom line is that most of the time you should avoid barbells—if you’re after efficient muscle stimulation for optimal hypertrophy.
Okay, I’ll shut the f#@# up now—until tomorrow…
For the ideal exercise for each muscle, my complete workouts, exercise start/finish photos and details on building muscle fast and efficiently, see Old Man, Young Muscle.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
3 Workouts a Week, 35 Minutes Each for Jacked Mass
The Efficient, Safe Way to Grow—No Matter What Your Age
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