Don’t blink because even more of the summer will be in your rearview mirror. We are knee-deep into July and surely there are a number of people who have either not started or slowly getting in to their ‘get ripped’ program. That’s not going to cut it and with around six weeks left, get your ass in gear now or the summer will have come and gone without even a handful of photos to be saved.
You’ll need to take a few short cuts if you’re late to the party and one way to do that is to mix in at least one exercise for each body part that is designed for detail. They are what some call a ‘warm up’ or ‘finishing’ movement and is performed with a moderate or light weight and a higher number of repetitions, in the 12-to-15 range.
CHEST: PEC DECK
The majority of chest exercise are of the power variety and compound movements. So when it comes to ‘cutting up’ the pecs, there aren’t too many options. A good one, though, is your usual pec deck machine. It gives you both a good stretch and a squeeze. Take advantage of these plusses and don’t waste time doing shit half-assed reps.
BACK: ONE-ARM LAT PULLDOWNS
This is an odd-looking one but it is a great way to isolate each side. Just use a long bar like you would for the regular lat pulldown exercise but bring down only one side at a time as low as you can and alternate left and right.
SHOULDERS: SEATED DUMBBELL SIDE LATERAL RAISES
Getting your side delts to pop out will really enhance your physique as a whole. So doing this exercise is important and you can really keep the tension on by not allowing the weights or your arms to hit your outer thighs. It will burn like a motherfucker and you’ll see the shoulder striations as proof.
BICEPS: HIGH CABLE CURLS
You’re looking for a good peak movement and this one has been known to be a possible. It really boils down to genetics with the bicep peak, so hopefully you fit into the right category.
TRICEPS: ONE-ARMED OVERHEAD PRESSES
The one-armed variety stretches the targeted area better than the two armed press and the long head of the triceps gets hit with the overhead movement. So you are killing two birds with one stone when performing this exercise.
QUADS: LEG EXTENSIONS
All of the pounding you go through on leg day with squats and presses should be capped off with a movement that will give you some detail in your quads. Leg extensions are just what the doctor ordered. Squeeze and hold each rep at the top for a second.
HAMSTRINGS: SEATED LEG CURLS
A better option that the lying leg curls due to the law of gravity. When you’re lying down with the weight cushion against your feet, it tends to slide off a little and make contact with your legs. That takes away the tension and screws up the rep and ultimately the entire set. The seated machine works the opposite way and gravity puts even more tension on your hams.
CALVES: STANDING CALF RAISES
You can basically do any calf exercise and get good results, albeit for size or detail. But the standing raises are the best all-around one and have a wide range of motion.
FOREARMS: GRIPS
This may come as a mild surprise but think about it for a moment. Any wrist curl is great for working the muscle but none of them really result in cuts. Any grip exercises does, however. Don’t believe it? Squeeze a fist right now and look at your forearm. You’ll see some striations and vascularity. So when you have a hand gripper or one of those seated grip machines in your gym, you are putting your forearms through an intense workout when done correctly.