Today I’ll continue my listing and commenting on what I consider to be great but underused exercises. Make use of these exercises if you ever feel bored and in need of something new at the gym. I’ll list one exercise per muscle group. Back Underused exercise: Body weight rows. Hang underneath a securely fastened bar or a Smith machine bar. Stiffen your body and make sure to keep it straight during the lifting. Pull yourself up, so that your chest touches the bar. Experiment w

Bench pressing Hollywood style The traditional flat bench press is a classic in every sense of the word. It is a corner pillar in many people’s repertoire at the gym. Advanced veterans and beginners alike – everybody looks to the bench press for chest development. When people discuss feats of strengths they often refer to bench pressing abilities. The inclined version, however, isn’t quite as often seen at the gym, nor has it been equally celebrated throughout the years. But

Bench pressing Hollywood style The traditional flat bench press is a classic in every sense of the word. It is a corner pillar in many people’s repertoire at the gym. Advanced veterans and beginners alike – everybody looks to the bench press for chest development. When people discuss feats of strengths they often refer to bench pressing abilities. The inclined version, however, isn’t quite as often seen at the gym, nor has it been equally celebrated throughout the years. But

A perfectly composed back workout routine As any regular reader here at Penandbarbell.com will know I sometimes share my own exact workout sessions and comment on them. This is a way for me to exemplify some of the principles and ideas that I advocate. The different concepts that I like to put emphasis on in connection to muscle building and fat burning comes to light in these examples of my own routine. In today´s article I will present you with a back routine that I think c

If you are a regular reader here at Penandbarbell.com you will have noticed my love for high volume training. In a recent blog post I wrote about how I once more turned back to a high volume approach, after having had a few weeks where I prioritized heavier weights and fewer reps. As I concluded in that blog post of mine I always come back to high volume simply because I like it. It's not all about what "works" and "doesn't work" - it's also about what you like and what makes

Today I’ll continue my listing and commenting on what I consider to be great but underused exercises. Make use of these exercises if you ever feel bored and in need of something new at the gym. I’ll list one exercise per muscle group. Back Underused exercise: Body weight rows. Hang underneath a securely fastened bar or a Smith machine bar. Stiffen your body and make sure to keep it straight during the lifting. Pull yourself up, so that your chest touches the bar. Experiment w

If you, like so many gym-goers, are in pursuit of impressively developed and qualitatively chiseled pectoralis muscles, then you will most probably have made the classical barbell bench press a part of your workout routine. This is a good thought: the bench press can be a truly strong ally in your quest for a well-developed chest. I still remember the very first time I enjoyed a thorough chest pump – and it was the direct result of having mastered the bench press for the firs

A back only workout Yesterday I targeted back – and back only. I have recently written about the benefits of targeting one single muscle group throughout a workout session. Now I felt it was time once again to harvest some of these benefits. The workout session It went as follows: 1. Chins 1, 3x8-12 2. Lats pulldowns, one side at the time, 4x8-10/side 3. Rowing, machine, 3x6 4. Bent over dumbbell rowing, 3x8-10/side TRISET: 5. Cable rows, standing, 3x12-14 6. Chins 2, 3x6 7.

11/11-2015 There is a lot of talk online about the importance of leg day. There is an urge not to become somebody who has a muscular upper body and thin legs. The truth however is that in reality the opposite is much more commonly seen: people walking around on thick and heavy legs while lacking completely in upper body development. So: let us not forget shoulder day and let us not forget to perform the important isolation exercises, like for example the biceps curls, the tri

8/11-2015. Just finished today´s workout session. Today was chest day. The following took place: Bench press, barbell, 5x5. Bench press, barbell No. 2, 5x6-10. Bench press, barbell, No.3, 5x12. Inclined bench press, dumbbells, 2x12-15. Dips, 4x8-12. That's 15 sets of flat barbell bench presses. A bit over the top some might say. And yes, I wouldn't plan a session to come out like that. It was a matter of improvisation, fueled by the inspiration that sprung from the first 5 se