dumbbell upright rows Archives

Dumbbell Upright Rows to Grow

Q: I like the idea of doing dumbbell upright rows first as the midrange movement for shoulders [as recommended in the 3D Muscle Building e-book]. I just have trouble feeling the X Reps at the end after I reach exhaustion. Should I just do a drop set instead?

A: As we explained in the last e-zine, drop sets are better for continuous tension/occlusion exercises—contracted-position moves like laterals for delts, leg extensions for quads, etc. You’re looking to maximize force production with the big midrange exercise, so X Reps is the best choice…

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Shoulder Size—Try This New Pressing Exercise

Q: In The Ultimate Mass Workout e-book, you identify the Ultimate Exercise for delts as dumbbell upright rows. I’ve always read that overhead presses are best for building massive shoulders. Almost everyone I talk to says to press for delt size. Can you explain your thinking?

A: Our thinking was that any type of overhead press over-emphasizes the front-delt heads. Jonathan has overpowering front delts, so presses hit his side-delt heads even less than most trainees; however, a recent experiment has us revising our thought process somewhat. [Read more…]

Key Muscle-Size Exercise for Shocking Shoulders

Q: I have limited time to train, so I try to use the best exercise for each bodypart. Your Ultimate Mass Workout e-book has been priceless in that regard, and I’m using a version of the basic program you outline with the Ultimate Exercise for each bodypart. Most are right on, but I have a problem with my shoulders. They’re not responding to dumbbell upright rows [the Ultimate Exercise for delts discussed in Chapter 6]. Is there another exercise I can use?

A: First, check your form. You should be starting with the dumbbells almost at arm’s length with your palms facing your thighs and the inner ‘bells touching. That creates a pull on the medial-delt heads in the important semi-stretch position. As you pull the dumbbells up, your hands should move out so that at the top of the stroke they are outside of your outer chest and your upper arms are parallel to the floor. [Read more…]