T2G TRAIN TO GAIN
INCREASE YOUR MUSCLE, NOT YOUR GUT
Cable Conundrum
How to get more out of your gym’ s pulley system.
By Eric Broser
Let’ s face it, sometimes resistance training can get a little redundant. Even in a gym filled with ample free weights, a plethora of machines, and multiple cable stations, you will more than likely find yourself repeating the same exercises over and over again, week in and out. And while this is certainly okay in your first few years of lifting, this kind of repetition will eventually lead to stagnation, frustration, and plateaus, resulting from pure boredom— of both your mind and your muscles.
As a competitive bodybuilder, trainer, and prep coach for over 25 years, I have always stressed the need for variety in any sound long-term training program. The simple act of altering not only sets and reps but also angles, grips, stances, and / or planes of motion( on just about any specific exercise) will have a different effect on your body and utilize a unique set of motor-unit pools within the target muscle. In the short term, this can make training more interesting, and in the long run, far more productive.
One of my favorite places to experiment with“ out of the box” twists on basic exercises is at the cable crossover station. I’ m constantly thinking about how our muscles“ work” and trying to come up with new ways to exhaust( more like demolish) them. I seek to force the muscles to stretch, push, pull, and contract through unique ROMs that they have never dealt with previously. I believe that this is one of the keys to unlocking one’ s full genetic potential for muscular development. With that muscle-building in mind, here are three rarely seen movements you can do in almost any commercial gym. They only require an adjustable incline bench, upper and lower cables, and a few common pulley attachments. With each of these exercises, feel free to experiment with the angle of the bench, bar utilized, and width of grip. The more variety you force upon your muscles, the more complete development they will each achieve.
1 2 3
PHOTO: CLINT PADILLA, MODEL: KAI SPENCER
8 JUNE 2017 | ironmanmagazine. com