GET A GRIP The width of your grip and what handles you decide to hold could make all the difference in your training. By Eric Butterman More than pain and increasingly packed schedules, boredom and lack of results are our greatest enemies in the battle to hit the gym. What people fail to realise, however, is that these two killers are one in the same. Your body needs to be constantly stimulated by different routines, and this doesn’t just mean doing the same exercises in a different order. Adjusting your grip and varying your handles will hit your muscles in new ways and keep you coming back for more. Watch Your Hands While some of us are blessed with naturally proportioned muscles, most of us have ‘problem areas’. From narrow chests to ill-defined triceps, we’re held back from looking our best. But maybe what’s holding you back is how you’re holding the bar. Let’s start with that scrawny chest. Two-time middleweight NPC champion Richard Baldwin says that by putting each of your hands five inches further out on the bar when benching, you’re allowing your ribcage to expand and you therefore have more area to add muscle. “I like a wide grip on bench with elbows out,” Baldwin says. “Keeping your humerus parallel to the bar will also allow more of your pecs to be involved in the movement.” He recommends 3 sets of 8-10 reps, but doesn’t say this should become a replacement for normal bench presses. “That’s a big problem people have,” Baldwin says. “They find a certain way to do an exercise and then that’s all they do. Keep a fun variation for the days when you’re least in the mood to do an exercise and you’ll find it will be a release. Somehow people got the idea that routines have to be routine.” Now where do we have to go to get those terrific triceps? Don’t get up! Just move those hands inward on the bench press. How far depends on your comfort level. “Close-grip benches allow me to grow the most triceps mass of any movement there is,” Baldwin says. “I actually like to move my hands in just short of touching knuckles, but there’s less control in that. You should define how close together your hands should be by how much balance you have throughout the rep.” Another area that can benefit from a wide grip is the lats. Casey Viator, a former pro bodybuilder and author of Casey Viator’s Total Fitness, says using a wide grip allows him to get the fullest stretch, as well as bringing the traps into it. If you do three sets in your routine for 8-10 reps, the thickness and detail should follow, says Viator. But former Mr. Universe Dave Draper is quick to remind that everything should be in moderation. Working outer or inner grips, particularly for biceps curls, will develop full muscles, but can also lead to the development of tendonitis if overdone. “There’s a reason why the middle of your arm contains most of the meat,” Draper says, “so make inner or outer muscle movements the exception, not the rule.” Sometimes it’s not just the distance of the grip that helps, but the grip itself. Viator swears by the ‘false grip’ for heavier benchpressing. By holding your thumbs on top of the bar instead of rolling them under, Viator says, you end up not stretching the finger flexors; this causes greater strength in the movement and allows Viator to hit that ‘last percentage point’ of weight. But this is another example where balance must be monitored. Eddie Robinson, a former world record holder in the bench, warns that someone who doesn’t feel comfortable may find the bar falling from their grasp. “I can see the benefits,” says Robinson, “but definitely not without a lifting partner right over you.” Learning the Ropes If you’re only using a straight bar, you’re missing out on countless exercises, which can translate into new means of growth. Let’s start with the rope attachment on a cable apparatus. By far the most popular exercise for this handle is triceps pushdowns. With feet shoulder-width apart, grab the rope handle on each end and slowly go down all the way, bringing your arms out to fully contract the triceps. You won’t be able to do nearly as much weight as with a straight bar attachment, but this is a good thing, says Viator. “The biggest mistake people make in triceps training is going too heavy and forgetting about form,” he says. “The rope is a tough grip to hold so it won’t allow for any cheating.” Another movement is the ab rope tuck. Kneel down a few feet from the machine, put the rope close to your forehead and bend forward, contracting your abs. Do each rep slowly, all the while using your abs, and nothing else, to move your body. Viator recommends four sets of 25-30 reps. “The main benefit of this exercise is it hits the serratus [anterior muscles] as well as the abs,” says Viator, “but only if you do it slow enough to feel the stretch.” The next handle is the V-bar, and the first exercise that comes to mind is cable rows. “V-bars have different widths, so make sure to find the widest one in order to pull your elbows further back,” Baldwin says. “Give yourself a good flex in the back muscles at the end of the movement and try to limit how much you ‘sling’ the weight. Remember, this is a back exercise, not a mere test of pulling power.” V-bars are also beneficial for working the inner part of the upper lats by using the handle for lat pulldowns. Baldwin says 3 sets of 8-10 reps done at a moderate pace should achieve your best results. Baldwin also likes V-bar chins as an alternative to the straight chin bar, but not to be done until you can do 8-10 normal chins. Finally, it’s time to hook up the cables. Cable crossovers are ideal for working striations into otherwise bland pecs. The most common mistakes on this movement, according to Robinson, are going too heavy, too fast and not crossing over all the way. Choose a weight that will allow you to do four good sets of 10-15 reps. “Going super slow will help you to feel the full stretch and contraction,” he says. “Don’t just stop the movement when your knuckles touch. ‘Crossover’ means letting your hands cross past each other.” Robinson is also quick to point out that most lifters only do a third of the cable crossovers they could. “I’ll never understand why people will do decline, incline and flat bench presses, yet they won’t do all three angles for crossovers.” Baldwin also likes cables for working the outer head of the biceps and forearms with low-pulley hammer curls, where his hand is halfway pronated throughout the movement. “If you hit 6-8 reps for three sets the burn should be intense,” he says. Cables can also be a strong alternative for shoulder training. “A lot of people get bored with front and rear raises,” says Baldwin, “but doing them with a cable [using a D-handle] seems to add a little novelty. Seven to nine reps for three sets really give my delts a fuller look.” A Leg Up Just as we’ve talked about the width and grip of your hands having effect, we’d be remiss not to bring up the leg equivalent. Bottom line: the distance between your legs while you squat is the difference between having average legs and fully developed machines. By going wide you hit the often-underdeveloped inner thigh, while moving your feet inward will develop that sharp outer sweep. Toe position is important too. “Toes pointed outward will hit the ‘teardrop’ part of the inner quad sharply,” says Rich Gaspari, former Mr. Olympia runner-up, who now develops sports nutrition products. Gaspari is also quick to point out that bad calf development and not adjusting toe position go hand in hand. “A lot of lifters’ calves look flat,” he says. “Pointing your toes inward and outward as well as straight is the only way to see those calves stand out,” Gaspari says, adding, “It’s surprising how people miss out by not making these slight adjustments.” M&F All the weightlifters’ Web sites can be reached by typing in their first and last name followed by ‘.com’. The only exception is Richard Baldwin, who can be reached through Legendaryfitness.com.