People often ask why I use some “inferior” exercises along with the ideals…
“If the ideal exercises are so great, why not just use those and not waste time with less-ideal moves?”
Sounds good on paper, but there’s that variation-in-fiber-recruitment thing that I harp on a lot…
Despite being “inferior,” a non-ideal exercise can activate new fiber bundles and even produce area-specific development. A recent study verifies that…
The researchers compared the hypertrophy effects of doing the same exercise vs. different exercises throughout the week. (Costa, et al. Int J Sprts Med. 2021)
For example, for triceps one group did only pushdowns three times a week…
The other group did pushdowns on Monday, overhead extensions on Wednesday, and cable kickbacks on Friday.
Volume was the same in both groups, and the study lasted nine weeks. Muscle growth was better in the exercise variation group in all muscle groups…
Biceps growth was especially pronounced, with the exercise-variation group achieving almost double the hypertrophy results.
To be fair, the single exercise group was not using the ideal exercise—although for biceps the constant-exercise group used barbell curls, which is close.
Using the ideal may have evened out the gains somewhat.
Even so, it does show that varying exercises can produce unique and/or faster development. It’s why in the Old Man, Young Muscle workout you do the ideal exercise and follow with less-than-ideal add-on moves.
So for triceps you do dumbbell decline extensions as your ideal, then you follow with either kickbacks (contracted) or overhead extensions (stretch)—or both.
That triple-mass hit is Positions of Flexion, also explained and outlined in OMYM.
Bottom line: Strategic exercise variation triggers more mass activation.
GROW like never before: Get the complete Stretch-First POF Pre-Ex Workout as well as the Base-STX Workout, which both include the ideal exercise for each muscle and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves for mass, in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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