Making the Cut (39 page)

V Cable Fly

Stand between two pulleys (one for each hand) at a cable crossover station (you will find one in any gym), with one foot forward and one foot back behind you. Lower both cables all the way to the bottom of the rail. Take a cable in each hand so that both arms are extended below your waist with palms facing up. Your arms should be open with elbows slightly bent. Exhale, and slowly contract your chest. Keep your arms slightly bent, and bring your hands up and across your body so they meet together midline at the center of your chest, palms facing up. Inhale, and open your arms, returning to the starting position, and repeat, alternating crossing arms at the top of the move.

Dumbbell Press

Muscles Targeted:
chest, shoulders, triceps

Starting Position:
Lie on your back on a workout bench with your feet up on the bench. Hold the dumbbells over your chest with your arms extended toward the ceiling, both palms facing forward.

Performance Description:
Inhale as you bend your elbows and lower the dumbbells to just above chest level. At the midpoint of this exercise, your upper arms should be parallel to the ground with your forearms perpendicular to the floor, and your knuckles pointed toward the ceiling. Hold for a beat, and then exhale and press the weights back up to the starting position. Repeat.

Tips:
Lower the weights slowly. Do not lower them below the edges of your outer chest or you risk straining your bicep tendon. Most people make the common mistake of raising the weights above their head—make sure to keep the weights directly over the center of your chest. You can also perform this exercise lying on a body ball with your feet placed firmly on the floor.

[variations]

Decline Dumbbell Press

Sit on a declined workout bench, with dumbbells in each hand resting on your thighs. Hook your feet under the leg brace attached to the bench, and lie back until you are supine on the bench. Then, one at a time, position the weights at the base of your shoulders with your palms facing forward. Slowly lean back and firmly situate yourself on the bench. Now, exhale and press the weights up to a point directly over your chest. Then inhale deeply as you lower the weights, bringing your arms to a 90-degree angle. Repeat. This variation of the Dumbbell Press focuses on the shoulder muscles as well as the chest.

Alternating Dumbbell Press on Body Ball with Elbow Drive

Start with light weight (20% of normal chest-press weight is recommended). Rest your head, neck, and shoulders on a body ball. With one arm weighted, feet wide, and hips extended to neutral, start by holding the hand with no weight straight up toward the ceiling and holding the arm
with
the weight at a 90-degree angle so the upper arm is parallel to the floor. Now simultaneously drive the dumbbell up in a chest press and drive the opposite elbow down into the body ball. Slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position, rolling the ball back underneath the body. Complete a full set, then repeat on the opposite arm. Muscles targeted are back, abs, shoulders, chest.

Dumbbell Row

Muscles Targeted:
upper and midback, biceps, rear delts

Starting Position:
Stand straight with a dumbbell in each hand, feet a hip-width apart. Bend forward at the waist until your torso is almost parallel with the floor. Your knees are bent. Your arms should be hanging down with your palms facing each other.

Performance Description:
Now, keeping your arms close to your torso, exhale and pull both dumbbells up until they touch the sides of your chest. Hold for a beat, and slowly lower the weights back down toward the floor. Repeat.

Tips:
Keep your shoulder blades pulled in toward your spine throughout the entire exercise. Keep your elbows in next to your body and focus on pulling your elbows straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your back as flat as possible. Focus on lifting the weight with your back muscles, not with your arms.

[variations]

Low Dumbbell Row

Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, feet a hip-width apart. Bend forward at the waist until your torso is almost parallel with the floor. Your knees are bent. Your arms should be hanging down with your palms facing forward. Now, keeping your arms close to your torso, exhale and pull both dumbbells up until they touch the sides of your stomach. Hold for a beat, and slowly lower the weights back down toward the floor. Repeat.

Seated Cable Row

Sit facing a weight tower with your legs slightly bent, a hip-width apart, and your feet placed firmly on the footpads. Grab the grip attached to the cable, and straighten your arms out in front of you. Sit up tall, pulling your abs in, shoulder back, and chest out. Now, exhale and pull the grip toward your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you pull. Without leaning forward or releasing your shoulder blades, straighten your arms back to the starting position. Repeat. This version of the row utilizes less of your core muscles than the Dumbbell Row. It is also more versatile than the Dumbbell Row. Like the Lat Pull-down, you can change the grip bar on the row cable to vary the muscles you target in your back. You can do a wide-grip row (upper and outer back muscles). You can do a close-or medium-grip row (targets midback muscles). You can reverse your grip with your palms facing up and pull the bar to your stomach instead of your chest (targets lower back).

Hamstring Curl

Muscles Targeted:
hamstrings

Starting Position:
Set the ankle pads so that when you lie down on your stomach, the pads are resting just above your heels. Lie prone on your stomach, and grab the handles under the bench for stability. Make sure that the bench ends just above your knees.

Performance Description:
Exhaling, curl your legs up and bring the ankle pad as close to your hamstrings as possible. Hold the contraction for a beat, and then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Repeat.

Tips:
Be careful not to lift your hip off the bench as you raise the weight.

[variations]

Frog Kicks

Lie facedown, with your torso resting on a workout bench. Your hip-bones should meet the exact end of the bench so your lower body is hanging off the back. Grip the bench with your arms to stabilize your body, and lift your legs off the floor. Bring your knees in toward your chest, and then exhale and press your legs out straight behind you so that your legs are perfectly straight and heels are touching. Inhaling slowly, bring the knees back in to the starting position. This variation works the glutes and lower back muscles as well as the hamstrings.

Seated Hamstring Curl

Sit at the seated curl station with your back against the padded back support. Place the back of your lower leg on top of the padded lever just above your heel. Secure the lap pad against your thighs just above your knees. Grasp the handles on the lap support. Exhale and slowly pull the weighted leg pad backward toward your hamstrings. Hold for a beat, and then slowly raise the bar back to the starting position. This variation of the Hamstring Curl makes it harder to cheat by using your lower back, allowing you to isolate and work the hamstrings better.