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Give Me Ten

Think like a sculptor at the gym

By MARLENE SOKOL
Published April 28, 2006

Although most of us are not trying to look like young Arnold Schwarzeneggers, I would like to begin with a comment made by the "Great One'' in a 1977 interview:

Schwarzenegger saw no difference between what a bodybuilder does with his body and what a sculptor does with a piece of clay.

Remember that when you go to the gym. Unless you're a powerlifter or striving to become a professional athlete, chances are your main motivation is to look good.

With my clients I consistently talk about training smart and having a strategy. So let's plan our summer workout with the mind of an artist.

Begin with the shoulders, the cornerstone of any high-quality physique. Don't be that typical male and waste all your time on bench presses and curls. Shoulders represent strength and masculinity in their broadness and density. He had the weight of the world on his what? Shoulders.

Strong, defined shoulders will attract the eye to the top of the body and lead the eye to the middle of the torso, giving the appearance of a smaller, tapered waistline. Like a sculpture, it's about perception and lines.

Side lateral raises: Begin with 10- to 15-pound dumbbells in each hand while standing. With your arms slightly bent and knuckles facing each other, raise your hands to each side so the dumbbells make a giant semicircle that ends when the elbows are parallel to the ground. Two ways to assure correct form are (A) pretend you're pouring two glasses of milk with a jug in each hand or (B) imagine someone has tied strings to your elbows and is pulling straight up on them. Do three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.

Dumbbell shoulder press: This "meat and potato" exercise should follow the lateral raises, allowing the shoulder joint to lube up and the muscle to fill with blood. Plus, if the muscle is prefatigued, you will not need to lift as much weight above your head to get an efficient burn.

Shoulder presses should be done seated, beginning with the dumbbells raised head level about 8 inches from your ears. Press the weight above the head until the two dumbbells almost touch at the top.

Lower the weight slowly until the forearm and upper arm make a 90-degree angle at the elbow joint.

It's a good idea to use a spotter. Do four sets beginning with a weight you can do for 15 reps. Then pyramid, or increase the weight load, while dropping the number of reps in the three sets that follow (for example, 15, 12, 10, eight reps).

Finally we go to the upright row. In the standing position, place your hands on a straight bar, at double thumbs length apart with an overhand grip. Lifting with the elbows first, not the biceps, pull the bar straight up underneath your chin, making a V shape with your elbows.

Again, three sets should suffice, 10 to 15 reps each set. The upright row targets the rear shoulders, upper back and trap muscles. These three exercises, performed twice a week, will put you on the fast track to a better physique.

With the foundation of our sculpture accounted for, let's take our attention to other areas likely to make you stand out while basking in the sun.

Every man wants a strong, defined chest, and in my estimation the best way to achieve that look is by doing strict incline barbell presses, flat bench dumbbell presses and cable flies. Hopefully these things are common knowledge to the average gym member, so rather than explain, how I'll focus on why.

While the standard bench press is the most popular, it uses several major muscle groups besides the pectorals (chest) such as the back, shoulders and triceps.

This is a power movement and the staple of most male workouts. I ask that instead you focus on the incline chest press, which will give you that ledge or shelf that separates the upper pecs from your neckline and really looks good.

Dumbbell flat bench presses, performed second, allow for a much greater range of motion than the standard barbell bench press. They also permit the chest to stretch and contract for a better pump. This will help shape the chest and pop it out, achieving a supremely well-rounded pectoral muscle.

Finally, the cable crossover targets the center line (cleavage if you will) that separates each pec. This exercise should be done with lighter weights and at higher reps (20-25) as it's more of a shaping movement.

While the saying "curls for the girls" might be true, nobody looks good with overdeveloped arms that dominate the rest of the physique. That's the guy who we say is "carrying luggage'' because of the way his arms bow out away from his sides.

Stick to the basic exercises; triceps pushdowns, dips for the back of the arms. The key to developing this part of the arm is technique. To effectively train the triceps you must keep your elbows tight to your body on all pushdowns and extensions.

Full range of motion, meaning complete extension of the arm and flexing of the muscle, is critical. Don't do a weight you can't handle and perform sloppy reps in lieu of strict form and extreme contraction.

Next, train the biceps with the back. In pairing the back and biceps on one day, train the back first and train it heavy, then finish off the biceps later in the workout as they will already be prefatigued.

With a muscle group as large as the back, cut your reps and go heavier. It won't respond and give you the width and density we desire for that tapered V shape unless you really punish it. Attack it from as many different angles as you can, say four exercises, three sets each.

Your biceps should be pretty spent by then with a solid pump to let you know they were working hard too. Three sets of curls with straight bar and two or three more with dumbbells should suffice.

Finally, we cannot forget the legs. I like doing leg extensions for the quads first to lubricate the knee joint and send blood into the area, which prepares us for squats.

There are a few crazy lifters out there who enjoy squats, but most would vote the exercise right off the beach, me included.

Still, squats are truly the best overall leg exercise and when done properly can give size and shape like no other leg movement. The key is to do a weight you can handle and keep the pressure on the muscle, not the knees or back.

Remember to keep feet slightly wider than shoulders, tilt your head back slightly and look up. This keeps your spine straight and your upper body from bending forward too much.

Push from your heels and don't go below parallel when performing the squat. Since the weight is lighter, you can get a better burn by not locking the knees at the top of the motion.

In other words, as soon as you come to the standing position and are about to straighten your legs, go right back down. The weight never comes off the muscle and no matter how light, you achieve the burn.

Legs curls (four sets) and calf raises (four sets) should also be staples of your leg routine, to keep our symmetry. Remember: Intensity and commitment. Good luck!

[Last modified April 27, 2006, 13:51:02]