Basic exercises for gaining weight. A set of basic exercises for gaining muscle mass

In powerlifting and bodybuilding. This exercise gives a serious impetus to gaining body muscle mass and is used as a strengthening and rehabilitation exercise. Barbell squats not only load you up, they force your abdominal muscles, buttocks, and spinal erectors to work.

Technique for performing squats with a barbell

Important! When performing this exercise, proper technique and safety rules are required, otherwise knee or back injuries may occur.

• We sit under the bar, resting our upper part on it. We hold the barbell with an overhand grip and do not press our palms to our shoulders. The narrower the grip, the better control you will have over the barbell.
• We straighten up, holding the barbell on our back, and take a step back, spreading our legs apart. The weight of the barbell is distributed equally on both legs. The feet should be in line with the knees and not lifted off the floor. We spread the socks about 30-45 degrees. Keep your back straight, slightly arched and tense throughout the exercise. We select a point on the wall at eye level and look at it throughout the exercise.
• We begin to move down, as if we want to sit on a low chair. The knees move in the same plane, the heels do not come off the floor. Having reached the bottom point (when the buttocks are located just below the knees), we begin to move upward to the original position. Lifting begins with the pelvis: first we lift it, then we straighten our knees and the whole body. If you start the movement from your knees, the mechanics of the squat will be disrupted and the risk of injury will increase. Remember: the lifting movement is not vertical, but at an angle!

• We begin the squat by taking a deep breath and holding our breath. The air in the lungs will aid movement by creating natural tension in the chest. We begin to exhale after passing the most difficult part of the climb.
• Calmly and with utmost concentration, do the intended number of repetitions.

Squat Variations

There are many variations of squats, here are the main ones:
• with a barbell lying lower on the back and the body tilted forward (allows you to take more weight);
• squatting not completely (this option loads the quadriceps and prevents overstraining the knee joints);
• with a barbell located on the chest (elbows “look” forward);
• with a barbell held behind your back (at level ).

If you are not serious about powerlifting, use classical technique described above - this is how you will develop your muscles most harmoniously and safely.

What muscles work

The barbell squat involves several muscle groups, and when different techniques the load on the muscles varies. Nai heavy load receive quadriceps, gluteal muscles, as well as hip adductors and rectifiers.

The number of approaches and weight are selected individually, but general recommendations may be like this:
• For men: weight 20-30 kg, 8-12 repetitions, 3-4 sets.
• For women: weight 10-15 kg, 10-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets.

• The distribution of the load depends on the width of the legs: if we put the legs wider, we get a greater load on the legs, if we put them narrower, the front part of the thigh is loaded.
• Under no circumstances should we lift our heels off the floor. But if you can’t keep your heels in place, place them under them. thin pancakes(2 cm). But it is better to do without such extremes.
• The deeper the squat, the more intense the glutes work.
• The knees should not fall inward - they point in the same direction as the toes.
• On initial stage It is better to perform the exercise in a power rack with insurance.
• Don’t go far from the rack - you still have to put the bar back.
• For flat feet, it is recommended to use rigid insoles with arch support to avoid overstraining the knee joints.
• The abdominal muscles are kept tense, the wrists only fix the weight and hold it, but in no case hold it.
• Front squats are considered less traumatic.
• People with shorter legs and a longer torso will get a greater effect from the exercise; for those with long legs, it is better to look for an alternative exercise, since the effect of squats with a barbell will be minimal for them.

Myths about squats

• Squats can. Squats do not “grow” your waist wider; they only tighten the abdominal muscles without increasing their size.
• You can't build massive legs without squats. There are many other heavy leg exercises (sumo deadlifts, pistol lifts, front squats with kettlebells, leg presses, etc.) that allow you to build up impressive legs.
• When squats, the body produces an overwhelming amount. The surge in testosterone during squats is no greater than during deadlifts and, that is, when performing other basic exercises.
• Everyone should do squats. In fact, not all people’s bone structure and joint mobility allow them to perform this exercise. Then an alternative is selected.
• To get results you need to squat until you lose your pulse. Not at all. Moderate, intelligently structured training will give results.
• Squats are safe with a spotter. Few people can afford two experienced belayers. So, to avoid injury, you should strictly follow the rules of the squat and work in a power rack, ready to catch the weight if necessary.

Is it possible to replace squats with a machine? The movements performed on simulators are unusual in everyday life.

Lying leg bending with a load or sitting leg extension, when only the front part of the thigh is involved, isolated from other muscles, will not be useful in life. The leg press also does not replicate the mechanics of the squat movement. So draw your own conclusions.

Mistakes when performing barbell squats include rounding your back, lifting your heels off the floor, bringing your knees together, or driving them over the balls of your feet. All this should be avoided.

But correctly performed squats with a barbell will be one of the most productive and safe mass exercises and will allow you to quickly increase the power of all the muscles involved.

The “mass” training period involves a special approach to drawing up a training plan and choosing exercises to gain muscle mass. It is important to initially understand for yourself that achieving your goal of gaining weight requires strict discipline and adherence to developed plans and, of course, hard regular training. From the article you will learn which exercises to choose for rapid muscle growth.

To achieve the maximum effect from the training process and concentrate on the task at hand, it is recommended to include only multi-joint (basic) exercises in the training program. These are exercises that involve several muscle groups. It is also necessary to minimize work on all kinds of exercise machines, especially those in which the work of the joints is isolated.

You should not include cardio exercises in your workout, this will significantly slow down the growth of muscle mass, and to run calmly along the track for no more than 10-15 minutes. To carry out full aerobic exercise, it is better to wait until the end of this cycle, which will last from 3 to 6 months, depending on the results.

I suggest watching a video about weight gain.

Basic exercises for gaining muscle mass

For working on mass, the most effective are the so-called basic exercises, since they involve a large number of muscle groups and promote maximum anabolic response, which will undoubtedly have a positive effect on your results. Remember, during this period you only need the base, you don’t need to fill the program with a bunch of unnecessary exercises that pump up any small muscle in isolation. The volume of the human body is formed not by the biceps or forearm muscles, but by the large muscle groups of the chest, back and legs.

We will start our review of exercises for gaining muscle mass with the most important basic ones that are included in the powerlifting competition program. They are the ones that give the greatest effect, and in one variation or another should be present in any of your workouts. For each exercise, examples are given that are similar in functionality, which can load the same muscle groups, but will not allow the body to quickly adapt. This can be used to compose microcycles.

1. Back Squats

This is one of the hardest exercises for an athlete’s body and gives a very high anabolic effect. At first glance, this is an exercise for developing thigh muscles. On the one hand, this is true, on the other hand, when performing it, a huge number of muscle groups are involved: back extensors, many stabilizers and even trapezius muscles. In addition, the load on the body is enormous, which greatly stimulates the growth of muscles throughout the body.

The basis of this exercise is a straight back; the slightest bends can lead to undesirable consequences and injuries. The bar of the barbell should be placed not on the neck, but on the upper back, at the level of the rear fascicles deltoid muscles. To firmly fix the barbell, you need to bring your shoulder blades together and grab the bar with your hands as close to your body as possible. At first, this will not be entirely comfortable; it is much easier to hold the barbell wide, since a narrow grip requires a certain flexibility and mobility of the shoulder joints. But over time, you will get used to it and understand that with a narrow grip you automatically bring your shoulder blades together and prevent possible bends in your back.

When performing the exercise, it is better to place your feet wider than your shoulders and spread your toes apart. During squats, you should control the movement of the knee joints and prevent them from “walking.” Be sure to ensure that your heels do not leave the floor while performing the exercise.

Variations: Front squat.

2. Barbell deadlift

The second mega-anabolic exercise for your body. The muscles of the back, thighs, forearms, trapezius, etc. are involved.

Unfortunately, it, like squats, is not often performed in fitness rooms, but in vain. There are 2 variations of its implementation: “classic” and “sumo” style. First, master the “classics”, it is more energy-intensive. In this version, the feet are placed shoulder-width apart.

When performing the exercise, try not to use wrist straps, they greatly remove the load from the forearms; it is better to use an “overhand grip” if you do not have enough strength to lift the barbell the planned number of times.

Just like in squats, you must ensure that your back is straight, as this can lead to serious injuries.

Variations: Sumo Deadlift

3. Bench press while lying on a horizontal bench

This exercise for gaining mass is quite popular among both beginners and experienced athletes. Main muscles worked: pectoral, deltoid and triceps. In order for the effect of the exercise to be maximum, it is necessary to evenly distribute the work of muscle groups. To do this, when performing the exercise, you need to bend your back in the thoracic region, without lifting your pelvis from the bench, and your hands should hold the barbell at a width at which there will be approximately 45 degrees between the shoulder and the body.

Variations: close-grip bench press, incline bench press, parallel bars push-ups.

The barbell chest press perfectly loads the entire shoulder girdle, in addition, the core stabilizers are well worked out. It is better to do the chest press while standing, this way you will get the maximum load. It is advisable to choose a grip slightly wider than shoulder width. A wider grip is best used for overhead bench presses.

If you perform the exercise “purely” without the help of your legs, then you should not take too much weight, as injuries to the shoulder joints may occur.

If you give the initial impulse by squatting a little and pushing the projectile up, this will already be a push press, which allows you to hang additional kilograms on the bar. But you should master the push press no earlier than after 4-6 months of training.

Variations: standing overhead barbell press, standing dumbbell press, overhead press.

5. Pull-ups on the bar

An exercise familiar from childhood. Effectively works the back and arm muscles. For pull-ups, the optimal grip is shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. At the top point you need to touch the crossbar with your chest. When performing the exercise, you need to strictly monitor the technique and eliminate possible twitching of the body, as this greatly reduces the load when performing the exercise.

If the exercise is easy, you can hang additional weight from your belt. This may progress further.

Variations: standing bent-over rows, wide-grip pull-ups.

To compile the most effective program You need to hit both your lower and upper body in one workout. Under no circumstances should you separate your workouts over the course of a week. different groups.

Both basic exercises and their variations can be alternated in a weekly microcycle.

Let's look at an example of a program for the first month of training to gain muscle mass. The weight of the apparatus must be such as to complete the number of repetitions specified in the program, and in the last approach the last repetitions were difficult.

For exercises with your own weight (pull-ups, parallel bars), if the specified number of repetitions is easy for you, you need to use additional weights. The program presented below is suitable for three days of training per week, every other day.

But first, watch the video about the first training program if you do not yet have experience training in the weight room.

Now check out the training program for gaining muscle mass.

Training program for gaining muscle mass 3 times a week

Day 1

• bench press on a horizontal bench (medium grip) 4*8-10
• Sumo style deadlift 2*6-8
• pull-up on the bar with a medium grip until the chest touches 4*10-12
• standing chest press (medium grip) 3*8-10
• press 3*15-20

Day 2

• deadlift “classic” 4*6-8 (+1 warm-up approach)
• push-ups on parallel bars 4*8-10
• squats with a barbell on the chest (optional hold) 2*8-10
• Bent-over barbell row (medium grip) 4*10-12
• standing overhead barbell press (wide grip) 3*8-10
• press 3*15-20

Day 3

• squats with a barbell behind the head 4*6-8 (+1 warm-up approach)
• Bench press on an inclined bench4*8-10
• deadlift “classic” 2*6-8
• Pull-up on the bar with a wide grip until the chest touches 4*10-12
• standing dumbbell press 3*8-10
• press 3*15-20

This program can be worked out in 6-8 weekly microcycles. After this, it is advisable to give yourself a week of rest, and then make adjustments to the complex and replace some exercises with their analogues, which have a similar effect on muscle groups.

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One of the most important issues in training, it’s a question of which exercises to include in the program and which not. The goals of the training program may be different, but today we will talk about mass gain. The purpose of the article is to show you the most effective exercises to mass. These exercises will force your body to work to its fullest, shifting the body's hormonal levels towards anabolism (growth of new muscle structures).

Article about the best mass-gaining exercises

Features of training for mass gain

Your efforts in the gym will be in vain if you do not set any goals for yourself, do not use the most effective exercises and time-tested training principles.

Don't waste your time! Real changes will only occur with a well-designed plan for training, nutrition and recovery (read more about). Well, the foundation of your training plan should be formed by those exercises that will give the greatest effect in the growth of muscle mass.

Perhaps the most important effect of such exercises is strengthening the functioning of the endocrine system. The levels of testosterone and growth hormone in the blood will be highest after a hard workout with basic exercises. This stimulates not only the trained muscles to grow, but also the entire musculature of our body.

Hit parade of the best exercises for mass

1 place. Deadlift

An indicator of the absolute strength of the human body. The number of muscles included in the exercise is maximum. The entire body is involved in the movement. It is in the deadlift that the heaviest weights are lifted.

Due to the killer combination of “heavy weight + maximum number of working muscles”, truly wild training stress is achieved for the body, creating the preconditions for mass growth.

If you want to train for a long time and progress successfully, you will have to hone your deadlift technique to perfection. No mistakes are allowed in this exercise! There is no need to be afraid of the deadlift. Spend at least a month (4-5 workouts) learning impeccable technique, there is a tool to help you. Ask more experienced people to point out mistakes; in general, an outside perspective helps a lot.

The correct technique in the deadlift will not only help to avoid injuries, but will also allow you to correctly distribute the load vectors and make it easier to perform the exercise.

2nd place. Squats with a barbell on your shoulders

Squats work completely on the lower body, including the following muscle groups:

• quadriceps,
• hamstrings,
• calf,
• and gluteal muscles.

In addition, the stabilizers in the squat are the back muscles, oblique muscles and rectus abdominis, which also receive indirect load. Heavy squats develop explosive strength and stimulate large layers of muscles in our body (legs and indirectly the back) to grow and accelerate blood in the pelvic area.

It makes no sense to present the squat technique in this article. All the subtleties will take up too much space. I am sending you to a study entirely devoted to the technique of performing correct squats.

3rd place. Bench press on a horizontal bench

An indicator of absolute upper body strength (chest, shoulders, arms). The most popular exercise in bodybuilding. There are two varieties of the classic bench press - power (in a lifter's manner) and bodybuilder's press.

The first is aimed at including as much as possible more muscles (including the back and legs) to press maximum weight, the second type of press focuses on isolating the pecs as much as possible.

However, both types, one way or another, involve the entire muscle mass of the upper body in the work, giving a decent load on the following muscles:

• chest,
• triceps,
• deltoid.

Stabilizing muscles are the abdominal, back and leg muscles. You can learn the technique of the classic bench press using.

By and large, just three of these “golden three” exercises will be enough for you to work out your entire body. Nothing superfluous - this approach is justified for those who have already learned the technique and do not yet have impressive adaptation.

4th place. Wide grip pull-ups

Pull-ups are designed to form the relief of the entire muscle layer of the back, develop the width of the upper body and form the so-called “V-shaped” silhouette (narrow waist, turning into wide shoulders).

The largest muscles of the back are the latissimus, which are directly stimulated by pull-ups (using the correct technique). Indirect load is received by smaller back muscles (rhomboid, teres major, trapezius), as well as deltoid, biceps and brachioradialis muscles.

Read more about the technique of doing pull-ups to develop back muscles. If you cannot do a single pull-up, then in this article you will find answers to the question of how to learn to do pull-ups from scratch.

It makes no sense to do more than 12 pull-ups to gain weight. It is better to hang additional weights and perform pull-ups with it, targeting the fast-twitch muscle fibers responsible for heavy work.

5th place. Dips

A complex exercise that builds the strength and volume of the shoulder girdle. The main muscles involved are the pectorals, triceps, deltoids and a number of stabilizer muscles.

I hope you have already begun to understand the beauty of free weight exercises. Your body explodes from work and the exercises force you to plow several muscle groups at once, which is impossible to achieve with exercise machines. No amount of block pulls or machine presses can be as effective as basic exercises.

Dips are sometimes called “upper body squats.” This comparison is justified. The nature of the work is difficult, with large quantities working muscles. Many bodybuilders appreciate this exercise, and you will love it too (article). If it’s easy for you to do push-ups with your own weight, hang additional weights and don’t stop your progress!

Conclusion

The mass-building exercises presented in this article should definitely be included in your mass-gaining training program, whether you are a beginner or an experienced iron sports fighter.

Despite the importance of exercises, they will not be worth anything if you do not adhere to the principles and correctness. You can achieve stunning results if you give your all in training and follow IDEAL equipment, quality food and rest.

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The first question that beginner athletes often ask, in one way or another, usually concerns one thing - how to confidently gain the first ten to twenty kilograms of functional muscle mass.

A beginner - as soon as he has started more or less serious training with a barbell - is bombarded with an avalanche of information that is new to him. This is both an endless arsenal of athletic exercises and nuances that are incomprehensible at first. sports nutrition, and many many others. Even after passing his first test, a novice bodybuilder spends a lot of time and effort on fruitless experiments. Of course, after some time, having shown due patience and endurance, our hero will come to understand the basic laws of pumping. Moreover, this understanding will not be bookish, but hard-won through personal experience. But time is a serious opponent, especially when it is not valued.

The practice of athleticism, sports physiology and psychology are guaranteed to confirm the effectiveness of squats in gaining muscle mass

In order to turn such a serious enemy as time into an ally and faithful assistant, we need it to work for us. And for this, only one thing is necessary - that the training time, and with it the wasted mental strength, were constantly accompanied by positive changes, clearly noticeable results of bodybuilding training. It is safe to assume, and this happens all the time, that without seeing the results of his activities for a long time, a person will most likely abandon it as unpromising, and he will be right in his own way.

To avoid this possible development training scenario, you need to protect yourself by arming yourself with win-win techniques. There is no need to be surprised here. Because the we're talking about about the first steps in training - specialists usually spend the first two to three years on them - statistics collected over the last half century confirm the validity of this approach. During this period, gaining several tens of kilograms of muscle weight is not a “cosmic” task, but rather a methodological one. Let's put it simply: “You need to know what to tackle first and not waste time on useless things.”

Due to the fact that by instinct, muscle growth is usually understood as hypertrophy of the chest and biceps muscles, most beginners never achieve mass growth, real growth. Usually everything ends happily with the arm growing two, maybe five centimeters. Then everything returns to normal. But, having as your goal an increase of 15-20 kilograms, you need to act differently - thoroughly.

Like everything in nature, in human body everything is interconnected and laws muscle growth once again talk about it. More than one generation of athletes, adherents of iron sports, has grown up on effective methods, the meaning of which is quite simple in its formulation, but is difficult to perceive in real life, especially among young people. This is understandable - it’s much easier to believe in beautiful stories than to start understanding something, constantly discovering and exploring something new for yourself.

One of these truths of iron sports, and perhaps the most important, is understanding the functionality of the exercises performed in the gym. Functionality not in the sense of exercise technique, about which a lot of instructions have been written, but in the sense of the effectiveness of a particular exercise. Exercises can be very different from each other. This does not mean at all that you need to get rid of them all (although you need to do this with a couple of advertised exercises), but rather indicates their skillful use in direct connection with the level of training and current training objectives.

In the first year of bodybuilding training, it is important to gain overall muscle weight, ensuring a comprehensive build-up of muscle tissue throughout the body (and not in individual micro-zones, as rich ladies usually do when they come to a plastic surgeon). This growth will be possible only if the hormonal system is stimulated. It is she who is responsible for the self-regulation of all vital functions in the human body. Infusion of synthetic drugs will not help here. Here you need to act wisely - attracting the natural capabilities of the body, otherwise you risk not living to see your fifth decade (remember the tragically deceased Mentzer, Benaziz, Muntzer, Newman and Turchinsky, I’m not talking about those who die in obscurity).

Natural alternative was and still is the possibility of using tried and tested exercises to help you. Those that are capable by their nature of causing the highest training stress in the body, which subsequently, if proper recovery is observed, will lead to an equally strong return in the form of long-awaited muscle hypertrophy. As a result, the cardiovascular system, nervous and mental spheres will simultaneously be strengthened. Agree, it is difficult to imagine an athlete with huge muscle mass with a weak heart, frayed nerves and an unstable psyche.

The exercises that have been proven to produce such a hurricane effect are squats and deadlifts. The movements in them are identical, the only difference is that in the first case the working weight lies on the back, and in the second - in the lowered arms. This difference introduces some shift in the emphasis of the load, but in general the movements repeat each other. For this reason, further discussion will proceed without dividing these fundamental exercises in the matter of gaining muscle mass.

The advantage of squats is confirmed not only by a hundred years of experience of an army of athletes, but also by biochemical blood tests taken at certain intervals after training. These analyzes confidently demonstrate surges in the level of pituitary hormones, and after them sex hormones, which, among other things, are responsible for protein synthesis occurring in muscle tissue.

Having at our disposal natural increased level androgenic hormones, you can start pumping up individual muscle groups. In practical terms, this means that after performing squats with free weights, it becomes possible to transfer the effect achieved with their help to muscle growth throughout the body. And this is not to mention the fact that such stimulation occurs even during the squats themselves - the exercise extremely effectively involves a huge array of muscle groups. In fact, this exercise works everything, by the way, even the internal pelvic muscles, which are responsible for maintaining the abdominal organs. The achieved cumulative effect to this day cannot be compared with anything else. Checked! And more than once!

In this article you will come out best exercises for gaining muscle mass, which will make your workouts more effective and make your muscles grow.

Each workout consists of different exercises, a certain number of repetitions. A set of exercises compiled without a specific goal can be a waste of time. If you want to increase muscle mass as quickly as possible and develop strength indicators, then you need to take a responsible approach to choosing the necessary mass exercises.

Let's define what basic exercises for gaining muscle mass are and why they are called that. These are movements that involve at least 2 joints, for example, for the biceps, these are pull-ups, because they involve the elbow and shoulder joints. But this does not mean that this is the “base” for muscle growth. You can gain weight without heavy exercises such as squats and deadlifts. Beginners need to work with isolating movements for several months and pump up all muscle groups and only then move on to more complex movements.

The exercises presented below are the most effective because they involve large muscle groups and well load smaller ones and stimulate maximum release of the hormone testosterone. You may notice that they are divided into 3 categories:

1. Exercises with dumbbells.
2. Exercises with a barbell.
3. Bodyweight exercises.

Studying various training programs, it can be noted that primary attention is paid to exercises with dumbbells and barbells. They are best suited for targeted training of certain muscle groups, only then should you move on to isolating exercises on machines. However, their effectiveness is lower than that of exercises with dumbbells and barbells.

The Smith machine press is not as good as the dumbbell or barbell bench press. The machine leg press is not as effective as weighted squats. And the pull down on upper block not as effective as pull-ups.

If you are a complete beginner and are just about to go to Gym, then basic exercises for gaining weight will not suit you. First you need to prepare your ligaments and joints for working with weights and only then move on to heavy multi-joint exercises with barbells and dumbbells.

Here you will find classes for the first month.

Here is a list of the 7 most effective exercises. If your goal is to build muscle, then be sure to add them to your training routine.

Squats

This is the main exercise for developing strength and building a muscular body. No training program should be complete without it. Typically, squats are performed with a barbell in a squat rack. The exercise affects not only the leg muscles, but also the entire upper body. Squats are like hormonal nuclear bomb for the body, forcing each body part to become stronger and larger with each repetition.

Deadlift

The second most effective exercise, which helps to quickly gain muscle mass and makes a person strong as a bear. Similar to squats, it is performed only with a barbell.

Dips

The exercise is often called "upper body squats," and for good reason. The main load falls on the muscles of the shoulders, chest and triceps. This good exercise for a general workout of the upper part of the human body. Push-ups are performed on parallel bars specially designed for this purpose.

Sometimes it turns out that even the strongest weightlifters cannot do even a couple of pull-ups. This is a great exercise for working your back and biceps muscles. If possible, you should give preference to it rather than pulling down on a high block.

Bench press

This is a basic exercise for working the muscles of the upper body. There are several options for performing the exercise: barbell bench press, dumbbell bench press, incline barbell press, incline dumbbell press.

Standing press

Just like the bench press, there are several variations to perform the exercise. These are presses with dumbbells or a barbell, standing and sitting. You can also use the Arnold press or the overhead press. Shvung press is also popular.

Both barbell and dumbbell variations are great exercises for the upper back. You can choose the age-old option - T-bar row to the chest. While many exercises using simulators do not bring tangible benefits, the pull-down of a horizontal block to the chest is very effective.

Squats are the main exercise for developing strength and building a muscular body. No training program should be complete without them. Squats are like a hormonal nuclear bomb for the body, causing every part of the body to become stronger and bigger with each repetition.

How to do the exercises correctly

For maximum training results, all movements must be performed under control, with correct technique and at a sufficient level of intensity. Let's look at each point in order.

Under control- means performing a movement using force working group the muscle we want to pump. There should be no throwing of projectiles, jerking movements or uncontrolled returns to the starting position. The target muscle group will pump well only when it is fully engaged and under tension. Neuromuscular connection (mental connection between brain and muscles) - in simple words, you should feel how your muscles contract while doing the exercises. Thanks to this, strength increases faster, more muscle fibers are involved in work and they grow faster.

Correct technique It is needed not only for safety during training, without it there will be no point in exercising. The simplest example is when performing a bench press to train your chest, you can pump your back, triceps, shoulders, even legs, but not your chest. The target muscle simply will not be included in the work and you will never pump it up, and you will also load other fibers so that they will not work efficiently in their main movements.

Intensity determined by the number and pace of repetitions. Classic scheme performing exercises: strong, quick lifting of weights and calm, smooth movement in the negative phase.

How to do an exercise to gain muscle mass, fast or slow? It is necessary with a quick movement, in which you feel the muscles working, to lift the weight and slowly return it to its original position.

The best exercises for gaining mass in different muscle groups

Now let's look at the most effective exercises for various parts bodies. Here you will find many of the exercises from the previous list.

For the pectoral muscles

• Bench press. The main exercise for the muscles of the upper body. It is so popular that it is often given a separate day in training programs.
• Bench press on an incline bench. Often professional bodybuilders make it their main thing.
• Dips. A great exercise called the “upper body squat.”
• Bench press with dumbbells. You'll really feel your pecs working with this variation of the exercise.
• Bench press with dumbbells on an incline bench. A good alternative to the incline bench press.

This list does not include some variations of the exercise, since they have a shorter working distance when pressing, and the emphasis is on the triceps.

For back muscles

• Deadlift. No other exercise works the back muscles as effectively. Even simply holding the barbell in its original position puts the latissimus dorsi muscles under extreme tension.
• Pull-ups. The exercise is much better than the high pulldown. You can do one pull-up, two pull-ups. You can do two pull-ups, try for a third rep. If you can't do it even once, use a pull-up rack.
• Bent-over barbell row. No workout should be complete without this exercise, especially with the barbell.
• Bent-over dumbbell rows. An excellent choice after the previous exercise, especially if you have weak lower back muscles.
• Power clean. Explosive movements effectively work the back muscles, from the trapezius and below.

For shoulders

• Standing press. An exercise that has remained a staple in many training programs for decades.
• Shvung press. A similar exercise to the previous one, only with a larger explosive movement.
• Bench press. Yes, you read that right. When performing the exercise, the deltoid muscles are wonderfully worked out. If you perform several variations of bench presses on your pectoral training day, you don't have to devote a separate exercise to working your deltoids on your shoulder training day.
• Seated overhead press. Great choice. Your arms should be lowered to parallel to your shoulders relative to the floor.
• Seated press with dumbbells. The execution is a little easier, since the hands with dumbbells can be placed in a more natural position.

For legs

• Squats. Basic exercise, nothing more to add here.
• Front weight squats. Another popular exercise among bodybuilders. The exercise is more difficult to master, but the benefits from it will be enormous.
• Deadlift from the knees. Strengthen your hamstrings.
• Leg press. A good alternative if you don't have access to a squat rack.
• Lunges forward with dumbbells. Another basic exercise for working the leg muscles.

For arm muscles

• Reverse grip pull-ups. An incredible exercise (palms facing your face) to work your biceps. Probably even better than weighted biceps curls.
• Close grip press. The exercise allows you to redistribute the weight of the projectile to the triceps.
• Dips. This arm exercise is better than many others that target specific muscles.
• Biceps curls with barbell. Classic.
• Bend your arms behind your head for triceps while sitting. Allows you to work with heavy weights and work out your muscles well. An assistant is needed to monitor the correct execution.

Worth mentioning

• Press crunches with weight. Don't chase quantity, add weight and pump up your muscles well.
• Shrugs for training the trapezius muscles. Can be performed with heavy weights to quickly increase the volume of the trapezius.
• Torso twisting on a block. Forget crunches on the floor, add weights and get 6-pack abs.
• Hanging leg raises. The exercise helps not only to work out the muscles of the torso and warm up the muscles before more complex exercises, but it also works well with the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles, allowing you to get excellent appearance press.
• Seated leg raises on the calf muscles. The best way work your calf muscles.