Close-grip push-up 2.

Exhale as you push your body back

up to the starting position.
3. Repeat.

Comments and tips

 To make the close-grip push-up
easier, do it on your knees, or place
your hands on the edge of an
elevated surface, such as a bench or
even a table (see the second video).
 To make the exercise more difficult,
either wear a weighted vest, load a
chain around your torso, or position
your hands closer together.
 The most difficult unloaded variation
of the close-grip push-up is the
triangle or diamond push-up, which
involves positioning your hands so
close together as to form a diamond
shape with your fingers and thumbs
(see the third video). In one study,
the diamond push-up was ranked the
most effective triceps exercise!
Exercise details  To get your core more involved,
perform the close-grip push-up on a
 Target muscle: Triceps Brachii medicine ball (see the fourth video).
 Synergists: Sternal (Lower) Pectoralis This exercise is more properly known
Major, Clavicular (Upper) Pectoralis as the medicine ball push-up.
Major, Anterior Deltoid
 Mechanics: Compound
 Force: Push

Starting position
1. Get on all fours with your hands
positioned either directly under your
shoulders or closer together.
2. Extend your feet backward and
straighten your body.

Execution
1. Keeping your body straight and your
elbows tucked in, inhale as you lower
your chest onto your hands.
Dumbbell bench
press
Exercise details
 Target muscle: Pectoralis Major
 Synergists: Anterior Deltoid, Triceps
Brachii
 Mechanics: Compound
 Force: Push
Starting position
1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit
on a flat bench and rest one
dumbbell on each knee.
2. As you lie back on the bench, kick
each dumbbell up into position, one
at a time.
3. Position the dumbbells to the sides
of your chest, with your arms bent at
a 90-degree angle. Your elbows
should not be pointing straight out
to the sides; rather, tuck them in a
little to approximately a 45-degree
angle.
4. Spread your legs, bring your feet
back, and place them firmly on the
ground. Either your toes or your
heels should be planted firmly on the
floor.
5. Arch your back and straighten your
wrists.
Execution
1. Exhale as you slowly press the
dumbbells upward and inward until
your arms are almost fully extended
and the dumbbells nearly touch.
2. Inhale as you slowly lower the
dumbbells back to the starting
position, or until you feel a slight
stretch in your chest.
3. Repeat.
Comments and tips
 Planting your feet, arching your back,
tucking your elbows in, and
straightening your wrists allow you
to drive from your legs, through your
body, and up through your arms—
thus getting your entire body behind
the press.
 Keeping your elbows tucked in a little
also reduces the pressure on your
shoulders.
 After you finish, do not drop the
dumbbells by your sides. Instead,
raise your knees and carefully bring
the dumbbells down onto your
knees, after which the weight of the
dumbbells will push your legs down
and help you to sit up.
 The advantages of the dumbbell
bench press over the barbell bench
press are that it allows a greater
range of motion and doesn’t allow
your stronger side to make up for
your weaker side. The dumbbell
bench press also recruits more
stabilizer muscles.
 Also see barbell bench press.
Dumbbell fly
Comments and tips
Exercise details
 Target muscle: Sternal (Upper)
Pectoralis Major
 Synergists: Clavicular (Upper)
Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid,
Biceps Brachii (Short Head)
 Mechanics: Isolation
 Force: Push
Starting position
1. Holding a pair of dumbbells, sit on a
flat bench and rest the dumbbells on
your knees.
2. Lie back on the bench and, as you do
so, kick the dumbbells up into
position over your chest, one at a
time.
3. Spread your legs and plant your feet
flat on the floor.
4. Bend your elbows a little, and
internally rotate your shoulders so
that your elbows point out to the
sides.
5. Arch your back and stick out your
chest.
Execution
1. Inhale as you lower the dumbbells in
an arcing motion to your sides until
you feel a mild stretch in your chest.
2. Exhale as you reverse the motion
until the dumbbells are nearly
vertical.
3. Repeat.
 Keep your elbows slightly bent.
 Keep the movement slow and
deliberate.
 There’s no need to bring the dumbbells
together at the top of the movement
because once they are vertical, there is
almost no resistance to work against.
 Arching your back and sticking out your
chest will reduce the pressure on your
shoulders and focus it on your chest. See
the first video.
 Internally rotating your shoulders (so
that your elbows point out to the sides)
better isolates your pectoralis major
because it brings the origin and insertion
of the muscle into better alignment.
 Since you can’t go heavy with the
dumbbell fly (because doing so is
dangerous), the exercise is not a mass
builder. As an isolation exercise, it is
useful if you want to warm up your
chest, pre-exhaust it before the
compound chest exercises, or flush it at
the end of a chest workout.
 The dumbbell fly doesn’t target your
inner chest. This is a popular myth.
Isolation of your inner chest is
impossible. The only ways to produce
more inner chest definition are to build
your chest using compound exercises
and to reduce your body fat.
 Another popular myth is that the
dumbbell fly stretches your pecs to give
you a broader chest. It doesn’t. See the
second video.
 Instead of the dumbbell fly, I usually
recommend the cable cross-over for
reasons explained on the cable cross-
over page.
Incline dumbbell
bench press
Comments and tips
Exercise details
 Target muscle: Clavicular (Upper)
Pectoralis Major
 Synergists: Anterior Deltoid, Triceps
Brachii
 Dynamic stabilizer: Biceps Brachii,
Short Head (not highlighted)
 Mechanics: Compound
 Force: Push
Starting position
1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit
on a bench inclined at 45 degrees
and rest one dumbbell on each knee.
2. As you lie back on the bench, kick the
dumbbells up, one at a time, into
place.
3. Position the dumbbells to the sides
of your chest, with your elbows bent
and tucked in to your torso a little.
4. Straighten your wrists.
5. Spread your legs and place your feet
flat on the floor.
Execution
1. Exhale as you press the dumbbells
upward and inward until your arms
are almost fully extended and the
dumbbells nearly touch.
2. Hold for a count of two and squeeze
your chest.
3. Inhale as you lower the dumbbells
back to the starting position, or until
you feel a mild stretch in your chest.
4. Repeat.
 Use a bench inclination of 45 degrees
because, when compared with other
angles (0, 28, and 56), the clavicular
head of the pectoralis major was
found to be most active at 44
degrees, and 45 degrees is the
closest setting.
 Raise the seat of the bench a little to
prevent yourself from sliding down.
 Planting your feet, tucking in your
elbows a little, and straightening
your wrists allow you to drive from
your legs, through your body, and up
through your arms, thus getting your
entire body behind the press.
 Tucking your elbows in a little also
reduces the pressure on your
shoulders.
 Try not to drop the dumbbells on the
floor, by your sides, after you have
finished. Instead, raise your knees
and carefully bring the dumbbells
down onto them. The weight of the
dumbbells will then push your legs
down and help you to sit up.
 You can perform the incline
dumbbell bench press unilaterally
(one arm at a time), which will force
the recruitment of more core
stabilizer muscles and help you to
develop unilateral strength. In order
to enjoy the benefits of both
unilateral and bilateral training,
alternate between the two
variations.
Incline dumbbell 1. Keeping your elbows locked, inhale
as you lower the dumbbells to your

fly
sides in an arcing motion until you
feel a mild stretch in your chest or
shoulders.
2. Exhale as you reverse the motion
and press the dumbbells back up to
the starting position.
3. Repeat for the prescribed number of
repetitions.

Comments and tips

 Keep your elbows slightly flexed.
 Internally rotating your shoulders
will serve to better isolate your
pectoralis major because the origin
and insertion of the muscle are
brought into better alignment.
 When you have finished, bring your
knees up and gently lower the
Exercise details dumbbells down onto your knees,
which will help you to sit up.
 Do not go very heavy with the incline
 Target muscle: Clavicular (Upper)
dumbbell fly or any other type of fly
Pectoralis Major
 Synergists: Anterior Deltoid, Biceps exercise because doing so can be
dangerous.
Brachii (short head only)
 See also the incline cable fly and the
 Mechanics: Isolation
dumbbell fly.
 Force: Push

Starting position
1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit
on a bench inclined at 45 degrees
and rest each dumbbell on a knee.
2. Lie backward, and as you do so, kick
the dumbbells up into position over
your chest, one at a time.
3. Spread your legs and plant your feet
flat on the floor.
4. Flex your elbows slightly, and
internally rotate your shoulders so
that your elbows point out to the
sides.

Execution

Incline dumbbell
curl
Exercise details
 Target muscle: Biceps Brachii
(especially the long head)
 Synergists: Brachialis,
Brachioradialis
 Mechanics: Isolation
 Force: Pull
Starting position
1. Holding a pair of dumbbells, sit
on a bench that is inclined at 45 to
60 degrees.
2. Allow your arms to hang straight
down by your sides, with your
palms facing inward (neutral
grip).
Execution
1. Keeping your upper arms still,
exhale as you slowly curl one
dumbbell up towards your
shoulder. As the dumbbell rises,
gradually supinate your forearm
(rotate it outward) so that your
palm faces your shoulder by the
top of the movement.
2. Hold for a count of two and
squeeze your biceps.
3. Inhale as you slowly reverse the
motion and return the dumbbell to
the starting position.
4. Repeat the movement with your
opposite arm.
5. Alternate arms.
Comments and tips
 Keep your upper arms fixed. Only
your forearms should move.
 Make sure you fully supinate your
forearms.
 When a muscle is stretched, it can
contract with more force. In the
starting position of the incline
dumbbell curl, the long head of
your biceps brachii is more
stretched than the short head. As a
result, it gets more involved in the
lift.
 Since the majority of your biceps’
peak is made up by the long head,
the incline dumbbell curl is great
for building a bigger biceps peak.
 Instead of alternating your arms
during the incline dumbbell curl,
you can complete all of the
repetitions for one arm before
performing the repetitions for the
opposite arm. In order to promote
the development of equal strength,
start with your weaker arm, and
never perform more repetitions
with your stronger arm.
Dumbbell hammer
curl
 Comments and tips
 You can perform the dumbbell
hammer curl with either both arms
at once (see video), one arm at a
time, or by alternating your arms (as
described above). The latter two
methods will recruit more muscles in
your core for stabilization.
 The dumbbell hammer curl targets
your brachioradialis, a forearm
muscle; it does not target your
biceps brachii, which acts as a
synergist, along with your brachialis.
That is not to say that your biceps
and brachialis do not get a great
workout!
 The reverse curl is another exercise
that most people think targets your
Exercise details biceps when in fact it targets your
brachioradialis.
 See also the cross-body hammer
 Target muscle: Brachioradialis curl.
 Synergists: Biceps Brachii, Brachialis
 Mechanics: Isolation
 Force: Pull

Starting position
1. Stand holding a dumbbell in each
hand using a neutral (aka hammer)
grip (palms facing in).

Execution
1. Keeping your elbow by your side,
exhale as you curl one dumbbell up
towards your shoulder until your
biceps is fully contracted.
2. Hold for a count of two and squeeze
your biceps.
3. Inhale as you slowly lower the
dumbbell to the starting position.
4. Repeat with your opposite arm.
5. Keep alternating your arms.
Dumbbell cross- front of a thigh [waiting for
illustration to be corrected].

body hammer curl Execution

1. Keeping your upper arm fixed, exhale
as you curl the left dumbbell upward,
across your body, and toward your
left shoulder.
2. Hold for a count of two and squeeze
your biceps.
3. Inhale as you reverse the motion and
return the dumbbell to the starting
position.
4. Repeat with your right arm.
5. Keep alternating arms.

Comments and tips

 Keep your body and upper arms still;
only your forearms should move.
 You can alternate your arms, as
described above, or do one arm at a
time (as demonstrated in the video).
 The standard hammer curl works the
Exercise details same muscles (i.e. your
brachioradialis, in your forearm, and
your brachialis and biceps brachii,
 Target muscle: Brachioradialis
both in your upper arm). However,
 Synergists: Biceps Brachii (especially
compared with the standard
the long head), Brachialis
hammer curl, the cross-body
 Mechanics: Isolation
hammer curl puts a bit more
 Force: Pull
emphasis on your brachialis and the
long (outer) head of your biceps
Starting position brachii. Therefore, the standard
hammer curl is a little better for
1. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, building big forearms, whereas the
with each dumbbell resting on the cross-body hammer curl is a little
better for building a big biceps peak.
Barbell curl
Comments and tips
Exercise details
 Target muscle: Biceps Brachii
 Synergists: Brachialis, Brachioradialis
 Mechanics: Isolation
 Force: Pull
Starting position
1. Stand up straight holding a barbell
using a shoulder-width supinated
grip (palms facing upward). Your
arms should be almost fully
extended, and the barbell should be
resting against your thighs.
Execution
1. Keeping your body still, exhale as you
curl the barbell up towards your
shoulders until your elbows are fully
flexed.
2. Once your elbows are fully flexed,
allow your elbows to move forward a
little (shoulder flexion), just until
your forearms are vertical.
3. Hold for a count of two and squeeze
your biceps.
4. Inhale as you slowly lower the
barbell to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the recommended
number of reps.
 Keep your body still. Only your arms
should move.
 Do not swing the barbell.
 Using an EZ bar for the barbell curl
can reduce the pressure on your
wrists. However, the camber (bend)
of the EZ bar must be minimal. The
steeper the camber, the more
emphasis you will place on your
brachioradialis instead of your
biceps.
 Your biceps brachii has two heads:
short (inner) and long (outer). The
long head makes up the majority of
your biceps peak, while the short
head sits to the inner side. Using a
shoulder-width (regular) grip with
the barbell curl, as described above,
will place approximately equal
emphasis on both heads. Using a
narrow grip will emphasize the long
head and build the peak of your
biceps. And using a wide grip will
emphasize the short head and give
your biceps more width. Therefore,
incorporate all grips to hit the muscle
from all angles.
 See also the dumbbell curl.