Drive through your chest, not shoulders. Elbows 45° to body. Full ROM — let the dumbbells travel lower than a bar would for a deeper stretch. Greater range of motion than barbell, and each side works independently. ⚡ 30-MIN: Pair with Cable Lateral Raise — do both back-to-back, rest 60s. Push + isolation = no muscle overlap.
30–45° incline. Controls upper chest. Dumbbells allow full stretch at the bottom — don't rush the eccentric. ⚡ 30-MIN: Pair with Cable Tricep Pushdown — chest then triceps, natural sequence.
Standing or seated. Brace core hard. Bar path: slight arc around nose. Lock out fully at top. ⚡ 30-MIN: Pair with Cable Fly — shoulders then chest isolation finish.
Slight lean away from cable. Lead with elbow, not wrist. Control the negative — don't swing. ⚡ 30-MIN: Paired with Bench Press. Do this immediately after bench, no rest.
High-to-low or mid cable. Slight bend in elbow, squeeze at centre. Chest isolation — not a pressing movement. ⚡ 30-MIN: Paired with Overhead Press. Finisher superset.
Straight bar or rope. Elbows pinned at sides — only forearms move. Full extension every rep. ⚡ 30-MIN: Paired with Incline DB Press. Triceps are already warm.
Rope or DB overhead. Full stretch at the top, controlled extension. Long head emphasis — critical for arm size. ⚡ 30-MIN: Solo finisher. 3×12, rest 45s between sets. Session done.
The lower chest is what gives the Hardy pec shelf. Lean forward slightly at the top to shift emphasis to lower chest. Add weight (belt/plate) when bodyweight gets easy.
Full grip and forearm work under real load, plus posture and core bracing. Grab a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand, stand tall, walk a set distance without letting your shoulders round forward. Different stimulus to holds or curls — the whole forearm works to stop the weight swinging.
Forearm density and finger flexor strength — grip two weight plates smooth-side-out, pinch and hold. Builds a vascular, defined look even at rest. Don't drop it on your foot.
Chest braced firmly against the pad — this removes your lower back from the movement entirely, making it the safest heavy back builder when training alone. Pull elbows back and up, squeeze blades together at the top. No spinal loading risk. ⚡ 30-MIN: Pair with Lat Pulldown — both horizontal + vertical pull, no overlap.
Overhand grip. Hinge to ~45°, pull to lower chest. Squeeze shoulder blades. More mass-building than cable rows. ⚡ 30-MIN: Pair with Assisted Pull-Up — compound pull superset.
Wide grip, slight lean back. Pull to upper chest, lead with elbows. Full hang at top — don't cheat the stretch. ⚡ 30-MIN: Paired with T-Bar Row. Do this immediately after.
Your pull-up goal starts here. Use the assisted pull-up machine — set the counterweight so you can complete 8–10 clean reps. Reduce the assistance weight every 2 weeks. When the machine is at zero, you can do a pull-up. Full ROM: dead hang at the bottom, chin over bar at the top. No kipping. ⚡ 30-MIN: Paired with Barbell Row. Second compound superset.
Rope at eye level. Pull to face, elbows flared out. Essential for shoulder health and rear delt development. Never skip this. ⚡ 30-MIN: Pair with Barbell Curl — rear delt then bicep, no overlap.
Strict form. No swinging. Supinate at the top — rotate wrist out. Full extension at bottom. ⚡ 30-MIN: Paired with Face Pull. Curl straight after face pull.
Neutral grip. Works brachialis — adds thickness under the bicep. Alternate arms or together. ⚡ 30-MIN: Solo finisher. 3×10, rest 45s. Session done.
Tom Hardy's defining feature is trap thickness. Heavy DBs, full shrug to ear level, 1 second hold at top, slow descent. High reps build the dense trap look. Do NOT roll your shoulders — straight up and down.
Overhand grip curl — hits the forearm extensors and brachioradialis, a different area to Wrist Curl's flexor focus. Palms face down, elbows pinned to your sides, curl with control. Go lighter than your normal curl, this muscle group fatigues fast.
Forearm density and finger flexor strength — grip two weight plates smooth-side-out, pinch and hold. Builds a vascular, defined look even at rest. Don't drop it on your foot.
Hold a dumbbell vertically at chest height, elbows tucked. Sit between legs, not back. Hit parallel or below. Much gentler on the lower back than barbell squats — good option when recovering or short on energy. ⚡ 30-MIN: Pair with Leg Curl — quad dominant + hamstring isolation, no overlap.
Feet mid-platform. Full depth — don't lock out at top. Vary foot position: high = glutes, low = quads. ⚡ 30-MIN: Pair with Leg Extension — both quad dominant but different stimulus.
Seated, back of knees against the pad, no gap. Extend fully, squeeze quads at the top, lower slow. Much gentler than split squats — no balance demand, isolates the quads directly. ⚡ 30-MIN: Paired with Leg Press. Go straight in after leg press.
Lying or seated. Full extension, curl to full contraction. One of the only true hamstring isolation movements. ⚡ 30-MIN: Paired with Squat. Do this immediately after squats.
Full stretch at the bottom — paused. Rise up onto big toe. Calves respond to high reps and full ROM. Most people rush this. ⚡ 30-MIN: Paired with RDL. Calves between RDL sets.
Classic upper-ab builder. Feet anchored or flat, hands lightly behind your head or crossed on your chest, curl all the way up rather than just lifting your shoulders. Control the way back down rather than dropping.
The direct upper ab builder — weighted and progressive, unlike bodyweight crunches. Kneel facing the cable machine, rope behind your head, crunch down rounding your spine, hips stay still. The weight gets progressively heavier as you get stronger, which bodyweight crunches can't offer.
Sit on bench, forearms on thighs, palms up, bar or DB hanging off fingers. Curl wrist up fully, lower slowly. The flexor vein runs directly over this muscle — this is your single best vascularity exercise. High reps, controlled, full ROM.
