My daughter and her firefighter husband were over to wash their fierce Doberman-esque dog—and of course they always drift to my favorite topic: slap fighting—kidding—workouts…
Jordon: I grabbed this from Instagram. What do you think of this exercise for chest? (posted by Bill Maeda: follow @billmaeda)
Me: Cool. It’s like an unstable decline press on gymnastic rings—plus he’s getting wicked neck and jaw work.
J: I thought it was interesting. Do you think it’s a good pec builder?
Me: If you have the setup and the strength to resist going too deep and jacking up your shoulders, I think it’s pretty close to ideal. Very similar to a decline dumbbell press but with a unique twist.
J: Even with the kettlebell in his mouth?
Me: Well, I think he’s doing that as a feat-of-strength demonstration—although biting is one of my favorite self-defense moves. If it were me, I’d do higher reps with no weight or have someone place a barbell plate or a small animal on my back for extra resistance. Your dog is too big.
J: Ha. Seems like it’s lots of triceps at the top though.
Me: True—and not a lot of resistance on the pecs because the arms are locked and the cables holding the rings go straight up. I’d prefer them set out a bit so there’s still some pec resistance at the lockout position. That would keep more tension on the chest throughout the set.
J: I doubt most gyms have this type of ring apparatus, but I thought you might like it. Have you ever seen it before?
Me: I have, but as a flye move, not a press. The Iron Guru Vince Gironda had the setup in his Studio City gym way back. The first Mr. Olympia Larry Scott loved it. Let’s see if we can find it on the Internet.
J: Oh wow. There it is.
Me: Yep. My old addlled memory isn’t failing me today, Dennis. Again, I’d prefer the connection point for the cables to be out just a bit so he has to still pull inward at the top of the stroke rather than just supporting his weight on straight arms.
J: That makes sense.
Me: Plus, he should have an old jalopy tire in his mouth to make these pics more interesting.
J: What’s a jalopy?
Your Efficient Mass-Building Handbook: For more mass-building tips like the above plus complete workouts that include the ideal exercise for each muscle and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves, get your copy of Old Man, Young Muscle.
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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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