How to perform the dumbbell chest fly

1. Sit on the edge of a flat weight lifting bench, grasping a set of suitable weighted dumbbells. Brings up so they are rest on your thighs.
2. Lay back onto the flat bench whilst simultaneously bringing your thighs upwards so you can bring the dumbbells above the chest with arms outstretched. Lay flat on the bench, with the dumbbells above the chest, arms outstretched, knees bent at ninety degrees, and feet planted to the ground.
3. Bend the elbows slightly, and fix the elbows in this position throughout the exercise.
4. Lower the dumbbells down an invisible arc, the opposite movement as if you were hugging something large.
5. Stop when the upper arms are parallel to the ground. Reverse the movement back to the starting position by contracting the chest muscles.
6. Repeat for repetitions.

Pre-exhaust with the chest fly

The chest fly can be performed with other equipment, not just a set of dumbbells. The exercise is also commonly performed with cables, which are often preferred due to the continual resistance, smooth motion, and greater flexibility. The “pec deck” is another variation of the fly. The great benefit of the chest fly is its isolation, with minimal secondary muscle groups involved in the exercise unlike the bench press.

Many trainees like to pre-exhaust with the chest fly. Pre-exhausting is a weight training technique in which an exercise is used before another to fatigue the target muscle. The chest fly could be used before the bench press, for example, to ensure the chest is fatigued prior to the pressing. Some trainees find the triceps and shoulders over power the chest during bench pressing, so by performing the chest fly before the pressing we can ensure the chest is fatigued and tired, and will therefore fail before the secondary muscles during the bench pressing.

How to perform the exercise

The zottman curl is simple to perform, and can be executed whilst standing or seated.

1. Grasp a set of suitable dumbbells.
2. Ensure correct body posture, with back straight, chest up and shoulders back.
3. With your arms down by your sides and palms facing inward, curl the left dumbbell towards the shoulder whilst keeping the upper arm fixed to the side. Rotate the wrist as dumbbell is curled, so at the top of the movement the palm of the hand is facing the ceiling.
4. Lower the dumbbell by reversing the movement, but allow for the wrist to rotate a full 180 degrees by the time the forearm is parallel to the floor, so a palms down grip is used for the last portion of the descend.
5. Repeat for the other arm.
6. Repeat for repetitions.

Try to keep the torso and upper arms stationary during the zottman curl, so to minimise any secondary muscle involvement which will reduce stimulus to the arm muscles.

The zottman curl would be a great addition to any arm workout, with the biceps and the brachioradialis (muscle to the outer region of the forearm) stimulated effectively.

How to perform the deadlift

1. Load barbell with a suitable load.
2. Stand with your toes under the bar, feet spaced a few feet apart, and squat down to grasp the bar with a shoulder width grip (some people use a mixed grip; one hand over and the other under, as a way of increasing grip strength).
3. Keep the back straight, chest up and bottom down. Sit back, extend the hips and knees to lift the load until you are fully upright. Keep the bar close to your body throughout the movement and do not arch the back.
4. Once up-right, reverse the movement in a slow and controlled manner.
5. Repeat for repetitions.

The execution of the deadlift is difficult, and it would be wise speaking to a personal trainer or experienced lifter who can talk you through the form of the exercise. Incorrect form can lead to injuries, especially to the lower back.

Muscles recruited

The major muscles of the lower body are recruited during the deadlift, as well as the back, core and forearms:

• Lower back (Erector Spinae)
• Buttocks
• Hamstrings (rear of upper leg)
• Quadriceps (front of upper leg)
• Abdominals
• Rhomboids (upper back muscle)
• Trapezius structure (upper back muscle)
• Calfs
• Forearms

Powerlifters and strength based trainees will typically train within a lower repetition range, including single and double repetitions. Bodybuilders and aesthetic focused trainees will want to train within a repetition range which induces maximum muscle growth, which is commonly argued to be within 8-12 repetitions per set.

How to perform the crunch

The crunch is a simple exercise which can be performed almost anywhere, great for quick workouts and those who travel and stay in hotels.

1. Lay on the floor with knees bent and feet planted to the floor.
2. Bend arms and touch each ear with the elbows flared outward.
3. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor whilst ensuring the head remains fixed in position.
4. Stop when shoulders are raised off the floor and the abdominals are contracted.
5. Reverse the movement slowly.
6. Repeat for repetitions.

General comments

The crunch can be performed with other abdominal exercises to form a core workout. Such a workout will help develop and strengthen the important muscles of the core; abdominals, obliques, lower back and buttocks. The core is important for almost all lifts made in the gym, and can help prevent injury to the lower back.

How to execute the exercise

The shoulder press is a basic push compound exercise. Below we will illustrate how to perform the seated dumbbell shoulder press, and for this you will need a set of suitable weighted dumbbells, a padded seat (or an adjustable incline bench) and sufficient space. The exercise can be performed standing, although this would be much harder to spot if training with a partner.

• Sit upright on the seat with a sound posture (back straight, torso upright, chest up).
• Grasp both dumbbells and bring them to shoulder level, so each dumbbell is located to the side of either shoulder and the wrists are above the elbows. Flare the arms outwards so in line with the body.
• Whilst remaining seated with sound posture, press the dumbbells above your head by extending the arms. Stop just shy of lockout.
• Reverse the movement in a controlled fashion so both dumbbells end up at either side of the shoulders again.
• Repeat for repetitions.

It is important to not allow the dumbbells to rest on your shoulders in between each repetition. The dumbbells should be brought to (or just above) shoulder height, but held in position.

Which muscles are recruited?

The primary muscle recruited during the shoulder press is unsurprisingly the shoulders, especially the front head of the shoulders, the anterior deltoid head. The side (or lateral) head is also significantly stimulated, although the level of stimulus is somewhat less than the front head. The rear head of shoulders receives minimal stress from the over head press.

The triceps is also strongly recruited during the shoulder press, with the triceps contracting to extend the arms as the dumbbells are brought upwards. There are additional muscles which play a role during the exercise, such as the trapezius structure, the diamond shape muscle which runs from the back of the neck to the centre of the back, as well as the upper chest (clavicular head).

Overall, the shoulder press is an effective upper body exercise for targeting the so called “push” muscle groups; shoulders, triceps and chest.

Who may benefit from the shoulder press?

The compound nature of the shoulder press means the exercise is an effective choice for anyone who wishes to enhance their upper body strength or power. The pushing muscles of the upper body are especially important for many contact sports such as rugby, as well as athletic events. Powerlifters and strongmen competitors will also have a keen interest in this exercise. Such trainees would likely perform the shoulder press within a low to moderate repetition to enhance power and strength. Strongmen competitors may vary their repetition range due to the varied nature of the strongmen events, where muscle endurance is also needed.

Bodybuilders will likely choose to use of a moderate repetition range with the aim of inducing muscle hypertrophy (growth). The exercise may be implemented as part of an upper body split, a full body split, a push split, or a specific shoulder session.

Any gym goer who wishes to increase their fitness and overall aesthetics will benefit from the shoulder press. The exercise is effective at targeting various muscle groups and would work well as part of a full body split.