Gym

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman You probably know this already, but bodybuilders can be a little insane -- okay, a lot insane. So insane, in fact, that they hear voices. We’re not talking paranormal activity here but rather paraplegic activity -- comatose bodyparts suddenly coming to life for a few seconds just to taunt any thought of egomania into submission. Try this test. Sneak a peek at your physique in the nearest mirror. If you hear a voice say something like, "Wow, you’re starting to look like a badly drawn cartoon," it may be time to specialize -- unless your friends see you talking to the mirror, in which case you may be heading for a padded room.

Addition and Subtraction When most bodybuilders think about specialization, they automatically think more sets. While more sets can be part of the answer, bodybuilders often forget to reduce sets for other  bodyparts to keep the overall systemic stress about the same. That’s especially important for drug-free trainees. For example, if you’re doing four bodyparts at a session for six sets each, you’re doing 24 total work sets -- and 24 sets at any one workout may already be pushing the limits of your recovery ability, placing you very close to the overtraining edge. Say, one of  those bodyparts is quads, and they just haven’t been responding the way you want them to, so you add another exercise, like hack squats, for three work sets. Now, three sets doesn’t sound like a big deal, but if you were walking the overtraining tightrope to begin with, just one extra set has the recovery-draining power to knock you off  balance, sending sending your gains spiraling downward. downward. A better strategy is to take a work set or  two away from stronger bodyparts when you up your sets for your quads. That keeps your  work set total the same but allows you to do a few more sets for your lagging bodypart.

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman

 Adding sets for a lagging bodypart is the easy part. It’s subtracting sets from stronger  bodyparts that’s so difficult because bodybuilders equate fewer sets with less stimulation. "Gee, I don’t want my stronger bodyparts to start shrinking," you say. After all, the concept of  workload has a lot of relevance. If you reduce sets for a bodypart and all other variables remain the same, it could atrophy. The solution is to up your effort a notch when you reduce the workload. In other words, when you decrease the sets for a stronger bodypart or two in favor of a weak bodypart, slightly increase the stress level on the stronger bodyparts so they not only maintain their size but keep growing as well. Say, you want to reduce your volume on biceps work. If you’ve been doing three sets of  barbell curls and three sets of incline curls, try switching to one set of barbell curls to failure with a few forced reps, followed by a superset of incline curls and barbell curls. That gives you half the volume -- dropping from six sets to three -- but an intensity uptick with forced reps followed by a superset that counterbalances the set decrease. Now you can add two or three extra sets to your  lagging bodypart on the same day without sacrifice -- and your  biceps may even grow faster with the shift to high-intensity, lowduration work. Keep in mind that a little extra stress goes a long way. A study by Frank G. Shellock, Ph.D., verifies this. In the study untrained subjects performed one set of positive-only curls with one arm and a set of negative-only curls with the same weight with the other arm until they reached positive failure. The results were quite interesting, if not startling. The positive-work-only biceps showed no damage, while the negative-work-only biceps photo by Mike Neveux showed damage that peaked five days after exercise. Also, while the subjects’ soreness was completely gone by the ninth day, some didn’t regain all their strength in the trained muscles for six weeks. While the test subjects were untrained individuals, it nevertheless appears as if highintensity weight training is much more severe than was previously believed, even for those who do it on a regular basis. Because of their extensive adaptation to exercise bodybuilders who are used to heavy training won’t experience the type of extreme damage exhibited in the study; however, the results do suggest that bodybuilders should take more time between workouts to completely recover and/or drastically reduce the number of sets when they use 2 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman high-stress techniques, such as negatives and forced reps. In other words, too many stress techniques, even with a volume reduction, can lead to overtraining rather quickly, so don’t get carried away.

Intensity for Immensity If supersets, as well as other high-stress techniques, have the power to increase mass, then why not continue to use the same sets and intensity for your strong bodyparts and just attack the lagging one with more intensity? That’s not a bad idea, but note the caveat at the end of the last section. Ramping up stress for a bodypart can lead to overtraining just as too many sets can. The solution is more stress and fewer sets. That’s right, keep everything the same for your stronger bodyparts, but do fewer sets for your weaker bodypart. Just show it no mercy by incorporating supersets, forced reps and negatives -- even more intensity than that in the biceps example above. In our hypothetical 24-set workout -- six sets for four target areas -- you would reduce the sets for your lagging bodypart to three or four and put that bodypart through a living hell in those work sets. Go for the quick kill. Keep in mind that intensity and volume are inversely proportional. The more intensity you use, the fewer sets you should do. Once again, it’s a balancing act. The downside of this tactic is that if you work your  lagging bodypart into the ground first, which is what you should do in most cases in order to prioritize, you’ll be more drained than usual when you get to your other bodyparts. You may just go through the motions for your stronger bodyparts after your all-out attack on the lagging muscle group -- and that could result in stagnation, or worse, atrophy. Wouldn’t it be much more effective to train your lagging bodypart alone on its own special workout day? Now we’re talking total focus.

The Specialization Split Okay, so you want the perfect program that will enable you to bring that lagging bodypart up to speed most efficiently. We’ve already discussed how increasing sets, using stress techniques and balancing workload can help in 3 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman a standard routine if you use them correctly. Now let’s talk nonstandard routines -- the perfect split for your level of bodybuilding experience, with one day a week set aside for  specialization.

Early intermediate specialization If you have around six months of hard training under your belt, you’ve probably been doing primarily compound movements and using about two to three sets per bodypart. If  that sounds like you, you probably shouldn’t consider specializing until you have more training experience. Sometimes, however, lagging bodyparts are so severe that you have to do something early on in your training career or your symmetry will get way out of whack. If you feel strongly about your need to specialize, you’ll want to follow something similar to the Early Intermediate Specialization Routine that accompanies this article. With that routine you do a full-body schedule on Monday and Friday, with your specialization workout on Wednesday. Try hitting two lagging muscle groups on Wednesday with about seven sets each. Also, when Friday rolls around, skip the direct work for the bodyparts you trashed on Wednesday. That will provide more recovery time until you do direct work again on Monday.

Early advanced specialization If you’re more advanced, with, say, a year to 18 months of hard-training experience, you need a few more sets -- four to six -- for each muscle group. You’re no doubt using a split routine already, dividing the body over two days, which is a good strategy; however, you need to somehow squeeze in a specialization day. The solution is to split your routine on Monday and Tuesday, use Thursday as your specialization day and then do a full-body routine on Friday. As with the early intermediate specialization you should not include direct work for the bodyparts you annihilated on Thursday in your Friday session. See Early Advanced Specialization Routine for the complete program.

Advanced specialization Once you’ve been training hard and consistently for 1 1/2 to two years, training most bodyparts once a week is sufficient for  maximum growth -- if you train intensely with various stress techniques such as forced reps every so often and/or you use enough sets to require seven days of recuperation. With this 4 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman routine you split the body over three days, as follows: Monday: Chest, delts and triceps Tuesday: Quads, hamstrings, calves and abdominals Wednesday: Back, biceps and forearms Thursday: Rest Friday: Specialization You rest on Thursday and then come back to the gym on Friday for specialization. Note that you may have to shuffle the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday workouts to allow for  sufficient recovery before or after your specialization day, depending on the lagging bodypart. For example, if you’re specializing on back, switch the Tuesday (legs and abs) and Wednesday (back, biceps and forearms) workouts. That will give your back an extra day to recover before your specialization routine on Friday.  As for the back end of the workout week, if you specialize on chest on Friday, you want to switch the Monday (chest, delts and triceps) and Tuesday (legs and abs) sessions to give your chest an extra recovery day after the specialization routine. That may be a bit confusing, but once you analyze the Advanced Specialization Routine that accompanies this article, you should understand the shifting concept a little better. Specialization is the best way to get your physique in line aesthetically, and there are more than 50 bodypart attacks that you can plug into the core routine that fits your experience level. No excuses. No bodybuilder in his or her right mind (Are we ever in our right minds?) wants to look like a bad caricature, with pipe-cleaner arms dangling from cannonball delts. If you follow the appropriate strategy, don’t overtrain and give your lagging parts total focus, you’ll look at your physique with more satisfaction than ever  before, and maybe one day you’ll mistake your  reflection for Flex Wheeler. Just don’t start talking to him, or somebody may call the guys in the white coats. 5 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman

Early Intermediate Specialization Routine (at least six months of training) Monday  Squats* 2 x 8-10 Leg extensions 1 x 6-8 Leg curls* 2 x 6-8 Standing calf raises* 2 x 12-20 Bench presses* 2 x 8-10 Incline presses 1 x 8-10 Pulldowns* 1 x 8-10 Undergrip pulldowns 2 x 8-10 Cable rows* 1 x 8-10 Dumbbell upright rows* 2 x 8-10 Lying extensions 1 x 8-10 Barbell curls 1 x 8-10 Full-range crunches 2 x 8-10 Wednesday  Specialize on one or two bodyparts and do ab work -- but that’s all. Simply plug in one of  the Specialization Attacks routines, but in most cases do fewer sets. Early intermediates should never do more than about seven sets per bodypart, even during a specialization phase. Friday  Repeat Monday’s routine, but delete the direct work for the bodyparts you trained on Wednesday. For example, if you hit arms on Wednesday, eliminate the barbell curls and lying extensions on Friday. *Do one or two warmup sets with 50 to 70 percent of your work-set weight prior to your  work sets.

Early Advanced Specialization Routine (at least one year of training) Monday ** Squats* Sissy squats Leg extensions

2 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 2 x 8-10

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman Stiff-legged deadlifts* Leg curls* Leg press calf raises* Standing calf raises Seated calf raises Incline kneeups  Ab Bench crunch pulls

2 x 8-10 2 x 6-8 2 x 12-20 2 x 12-20 2 x 12-20 1 x 8-10 2 x 8-10

Tuesday ** Bench presses* 2 x 8-10 Cable flyes 2 x 8-10 Incline presses 2 x 8-10 Pulldowns* 2 x 8-10 Dumbbell pullovers* 1 x 8-10 Undergrip pulldowns 2 x 8-10 Cable rows* 2 x 8-10 Dumbbell shrugs 2 x 8-10 Dumbbell presses* 1 x 8-10 Incline one-arm laterals 1 x 8-10 Lateral raises 2 x 8-10 Lying extensions 2 x 8-10 Barbell curls 2 x 8-10 Thursday  Specialize on one or two bodyparts -- but that’s all. Simply plug in one of the Specialization Attacks routines, but in most cases do fewer sets. Early advanced trainees should never do more than 10 sets per bodypart, even during a specialization phase. Friday *** Squats* Leg extensions Leg curls* Standing calf raises* Bench presses* Incline presses Pulldowns* Undergrip pulldowns Cable rows* Dumbbell presses*

2 x 8-10 1 x 6-8 2 x 6-8 2 x 12-20 2 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman Lateral raises 1 x 8-10 Lying extensions 1 x 8-10 Barbell curls 1 x 8-10  Ab Bench crunch pulls 1 x 8-10 *Do one or two warm-up sets with 50 to 70 percent of your work-set weight prior to your  work sets. **You may want to switch the Monday and Tuesday workouts, depending on your  specialization bodyparts. For example, if you’re specializing on chest on Thursday, switch the Monday and Tuesday workouts, which will give your chest an extra day to recover  before your specialization routine on Thursday. ***Remember to delete the direct work for the bodyparts you trained on Thursday.

Advanced Specialization Routine (at least 1 1/2 years of training) Monday ** Bench presses* 2-3 x 8-10 Dumbbell flyes 1 x 8-10 Cable crossovers 2 x 8-10 Incline presses* 2 x 8-10 Incline cable flyes 2 x 8-10 Dumbbell presses* 2 x 8-10 Incline one-arm laterals 1 x 8-10 Lateral raises 2 x 8-10 Lying extensions* 2 x 8-10 Overhead extensions 2 x 8-10 Kickbacks 2 x 8-10 Tuesday ** Squats* Sissy squats Leg extensions Stiff-legged deadlifts* Leg curls* Leg press calf raises* Standing calf raises Seated calf raises Incline kneeups  Ab Bench crunch pulls

3 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 6-8 2 x 12-20 2 x 12-20 2 x 12-20 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman Wednesday ** Pulldowns* Dumbbell pullovers* Undergrip pulldowns Cable rows Bent-over bent-arm laterals Dumbbell shrugs Barbell curls* Incline curls Concentration curls Reverse curls Wrist curls

2-3 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 1 x 8-10

Friday  Specialize on one or two bodyparts -- but that’s all. Simply plug in one of the Specialization Attacks routines. In most cases you should be able to handle the routine as listed; however, try not to do more than 24 sets at this workout – that’s 24 total sets, not per  bodypart. *Do one or two warm-up sets with 50 to 70 percent of your work-set weight prior to your  work sets. **You may want to switch these workouts around, depending on your specialization bodyparts. For example, if you’re specializing on back on Friday, switch the Tuesday and Wednesday workouts, which will give your back an extra day to recover before your  specialization routine on Friday. You must also be aware of the back end of this routine. For  example, if you specialize on chest on Friday, you want to switch the Monday and Tuesday workouts to give your chest an extra recovery day after the specialization routine.

Specialize-for-Size Rules to Grow By 1) All workouts should include fewer than 30 total work sets, be it a specialization workout or a full-body session. 2) Don’t get carried away on your specialization day. Early intermediates should do seven sets per bodypart, early advanced trainees should do 10 sets per bodypart, and advanced bodybuilders can do 10 to 20 sets per bodypart. Advanced trainees should keep in mind, however, that if they do 20 sets per bodypart, they should do only one bodypart at that workout, not two, or the set total for that day will be too high (see item 1 above). They 9 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman should also keep in mind that 20 sets is a hell of a lot of work, and the target muscle may not be fully recovered by the next workout, which can hamper gains. If you choose Arnold’s 32-set chest workout, for instance, you may want to reduce the number of sets for each exercise so your total is less than 20. 3) Specialize on a bodypart or bodyparts for four to six weeks, then specialize on two other bodyparts or go back to a standard routine in which all bodyparts are trained equally. 4) Use stress techniques, such as forced reps, negatives and static contraction, periodically if you’re in the early advanced or advanced categories. Early intermediates should steer clear of stress techniques, other than adding weight to the bar.

Back Dorian Yates Machine pullovers* 3 x 7-10 Undergrip pulldowns* 2 x 7-10 Bent-over barbell rows* 2 x 7-10 One-arm machine rows 1 x 7-10 Rear-delt machine 1 x 7-10 Bent-over laterals 1 x 7-10 Hyperextensions 1 x 7-10 Deadlifts* 2 x 6-8 *Pyramid weight on each set; last set is all out to failure, often with forced and/or partial reps. Steve Reeves* Behind-the-neck pulldowns 3 x 8-12 Cable rows 3 x 8-12 One-arm dumbbell rows 3 x 8-12 *From Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way. Mike Mentzer (traps) Superset Shrugs Upright rows

2 x 6-9 2 x 6-9

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman

Michael Francois Deadlift day Overhand-grip deadlifts (warm-up) 3 x 5 singles to max One-arm dumbbell rows 3 x 8-10 Leaning T-bar row machine 3-4 x 8-12 Tom Platz  T-bar rows or Front lat pulldowns 30 x 6-100* Seated cable rows 4-8 x 15-30 *That’s not a misprint. He performs the exercise for a solid hour. Shawn Ray  Chins Seated cable rows Bent-over rows T-bar rows Deadlifts

4 x 12 4 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 4 x 8-10

Lats Hypercontraction X-Rep* Pullovers** 2 x 8-10 Pulldowns*** 3 x 8-10 Undergrip pulldowns**** 1x1 Midback Close-grip cable rows** 2 x 8-10 Behind-the-neck pulldowns*** 3 x 8-10 Bent-over bent-arm laterals**** 1 x1 Upper traps Forward-lean dumbbell shrugs 2 x 8-10 *From the book Underground Mass-Boosting Methods . **Do two warm-up sets with 50 percent of your work-set weight prior to the work sets. Remember that the work sets should be medium intensity – don’t go to failure. Focus on 11 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman perfect form with a quick twitch at the bottom stretch position. ***Do one warm-up set with 50 percent of your work-set weight prior to your heavy sets. ****Use a poundage that allows you to hold the weight in the contracted position for 15 seconds. Once you reach contraction overload and can no longer hold the weight, slowly lower through the negative range of motion for six seconds. Try to increase your contraction time at each workout until you reach 25 seconds, at which point you should increase your  resistance by 10 to 20 percent at your next workout.  Aaron Baker  Undergrip close-grip pulldowns Seated pulley rows Behind-the-neck pulldowns Deadlifts

3 x 10 2 x 15,10 3 x 10 2 x 6-12

Biceps  Arnold Schwarzenegger  Barbell curls Incline dumbbell curls Concentration curls

4 x 10 4 x 10 4 x 10

Craig Titus Barbell curls* 4 x 9-12 Cable preacher curls* 4 x 9-12 Standing cable curls* 4 x 9-12 Concentration curls 3 x 12-15 *Pyramid weight and drop reps by one on each successive set. Larry Scott  Superset Dumbbell preacher curls Barbell preacher curls Barbell reverse curls

6x6 6x6 4x8

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman Hypercontraction Training* Incline curls** 4 x 8-10 Barbell curls*** 2-3 x 6-9 Concentration curls*** 2-3 x 8-10 *From the video "Hypercontraction Training." **Add weight on each successive set; all sets are low-to-medium intensity. ***Take all sets to positive failure. Paul Jean-Guillaume Wide-grip preacher curls Close-grip EZ-curl bar preacher curls  Alternate dumbbell curls Standing barbell curls Lying cable curls (to forehead)

4 x 8-12 4 x 8-12 6 x 8-12 4 x 8-12 4 x 8-12

Calves Cory Everson Donkey calf raises Standing calf raises Seated calf raises

4 x 15-25 4 x 15-25 4 x 15

Jodi Friedman-List  Seated calf raises Standing calf raises

4 x 12-20 4 x 12-20

Paul DeMayo Standing calf raises Seated calf raises Leg press calf raises

3 x failure 3 x failure 3 x failure

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman  Arnold Schwarzenegger  Standing calf raises Seated calf raises One-leg calf raises

10 x 10 8 x 15 6 x 12

Positions of Flexion* Toes-pointed leg curls Donkey calf raises Standing calf raises Seated calf raises *From Critical Mass.

2 x 8-10 2 x 12-20 2-3 x 12-20 2-3 x 12-20

Chest Bertil Fox  Barbell bench presses Dumbbell bench presses Barbell incline presses Superset Dips Flyes

5 x 4-8 5 x 6-8 5 x 6-8 5 x 8-10 5 x 5-8

Mike O’Hearn Bench presses Incline presses Incline flyes Cable crossovers

8x5 4 x 12 4 x 12 4 x 12

Target Overload POF*  Lower chest Bench presses Flat-bench flyes Pec deck flyes

3 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman Upper chest Incline presses Incline flyes Low-cable crossovers *From Critical Mass.

3 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10

Chris Faildo Dumbbell bench presses Incline flyes Cable crossovers Dips

4 x 8-12 4 x 8-12 4 x 8-12 4 x 8-12

 Arnold Schwarzenegger  Bench presses 5 x 8-10 Flat-bench flyes 5x8 Machine incline presses 6 x 8-10 Parallel bar dips(bodyweight) 5 x max Cable crossovers 6 x 12 Dumbbell pullovers 5 x 10

Deltoids Pre-Ex Positions of Flexion*  Superset Lateral raises Behind-the-neck presses Incline one-arm laterals *From Critical Mass.

2 x 6-9 2 x 6-9 2 x 8-12

Skip La Cour  Barbell presses* 3 x 4-6 Dumbbell presses 2 x 4-6 Lateral raises 3 x 4-6 Bent-over laterals 2 x 4-6 *Prior to his work sets he does two to three light warm-up sets. 15 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman Michael Ashley  Lateral raises* 5 x 10-12 Bent-over lateral raises 4 x 10-12 Seated dumbbell presses* 5 x 10-12 Shrugs 4 x 10-12 *Add weight on each successive set. Steve Reeves*  Upright rows 3 x 8-12 Behind-the-neck presses 3 x 8-12 Bent-over laterals 3 x 8-12 *From the book Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way . Don Long  Front presses Behind-the-neck presses Lateral raises Cable lateral raises Bent-over dumbbell laterals

4 x 16,12,10,8 4 x 16,12,10,8 4 x 16,12,10,8 4 x 16,12,10,8 4 x 16,12,10,8

Melissa Coates Lateral raises Upright rows Bent-over laterals Dumbbell presses* *Optional.

4 x 12-15 4 x 8-12 4 x 12-15 4 x 8-10

Forearms Larry Scott  Wrist curls Reverse curls

4x8 4x8

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman Positions of Flexion*  Flexors: Incline wrist curls 1-2 x 8-12 Decline wrist curls 1-2 x 8-12 Extensors Hammer curls 1-2 x 8-12 Incline reverse wrist curls 1-2 x 8-12 Decline reverse wrist curls 1 x 8-12 *From Critical Mass. Note: Static-contraction squeezes with a Super Gripper can help finish off your forearms with a severe fiber burn. Try them at the end of either of these routines.

Hamstrings High-Intensity Pre-Ex*  Superset Leg curls 2-3 x 6-9 Stiff-legged deadlifts 2-3 x 6-9 *From Mass-Training Tactics. Karl List  Seated leg curls Lying leg curls Stiff-legged deadlifts

3 x 15 3 x 15 3 x 15

Paul DeMayo Lying leg curls Standing leg curls Stiff-legged deadlifts

4 x 10-12 3 x 10-12 3 x 10

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman

Quadriceps Compound Aftershock*  Squats 1-2 x 8-10 Superset** Sissy Squats 1-2 x 5-7 Leg presses 1-2 x 5-7 Leg extensions 1-2 x 8-10 *From the book Compound Aftershock. **Research indicates the muscle burn from supersetting can increase growth hormone release. Tom Platz  Flat-footed Olympic-style squats* 6 x 15,10,10,6,5,1 *Pyramid the weight. Note: Platz did leg extensions, leg curls and hack squats on his other leg day, 5x8-12 on each. Cory Everson Squats 8 x 10-20 Hack squats 4 x 10-15 45 degree leg presses 6 x 10-15 Leg extensions 6 x 10-15 Lunges 4 x 12-15 Note: Set totals include warm-ups; pyramid weight on most exercises. Jeff Poulin Smith machine lunges Leg presses Hack squats Leg extensions

4 x 10-15 4 x 10-20 4 x 10-20 4 x 25-50

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman Paul DeMayo Squats Hack squats Leg extensions

4 x 10-12 3 x 10-12 3 x failure

Dave Palumbo Leg extensions Squats Hack squats

2 x 10-15 3 x 6-12 2 x 8-12

Triceps Shawn Ray  Lying extensions Close-grip pushdowns Dumbbell kickbacks

4 x 8-12 4 x 8-12 4 x 8-12

Mike Mentzer  Superset* Triceps pushdowns 2 x 6-9 Dips 2 x 6-9 *Take each set to total failure with forced reps and sometimes negatives after the forced reps. Hypercontraction Training* Overhead extensions** 4 x 8-10 Lying extensions*** 2-3 x 6-9 One-arm pushdowns*** 2-3 x 8-10 *From the video "Hypercontraction Training." **Add weight each set; all sets low to medium intensity. ***All sets to positive failure.

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman  Aaron Baker  Lying EZ-curl bar extensions Pushdowns Seated machine dips Dumbbell kickbacks

4 x 8-10 4 x 10 3 x 10 3 x 10

Lee Labrada Pushdowns 3 x 10-15 Lying extensions 3 x 10 EZ-curl bar overhead extensions or close-grip bench presses 3 x 10 Sue Price Rope pushdowns 2 x 9-10 Bench dips 3 x 12 Lying dumbbell extensions 4 x 10-12

Abdominals Mia Finnegan Incline leg raises Incline reverse sit-ups Incline double crunches Hanging leg raises

4 x max 4 x max 4 x max 4 x max

Cory Everson Giant set Pulldown crunches Decline sit-ups Leg raises off bench 45-degree twists Crunches

3-4 x 25-40 3-4 x 100 3-4 x 10-40 3-4 x 50-100 3-4 x 40-80

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Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size by Steve Holman Granite Abs Routine 2 Synergy and hip-curl function: Incline knee-ups 2 x 8-10 Pre-stretch and torso-curl function:  Ab Bench crunch pulls 2-3 x 8-10

Paul Jean-Guillaume Leg lifts Cable crunches Crunches Twists with bar

4 x 20 3 x 20 200 reps 200 reps

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