#19 - My Favourite Exercises for Hypertrophy Training

Today I am going to give you my favourite exercises when training for hypertrophy.

Getting exercise selection right is crucial for effective training.

Overload, progression, programming and recovery won’t count for much if we do the wrong exercises.

Now, there are certain criteria that an exercise needs to meet to be useful for hypertrophy training.

These are:

• Stimulate the target muscle(s)

• Safe to push close to failure

• Put the muscle into a stretched position under load

• Do not cause undue pain or discomfort

That last one is quite individual, which raises an important point.

Use this list as a guide but listen to your body.

Pick the movements that give you a good stimulus and don’t give your joints a hard time.

With experimentation over time, you’ll get it right.

Now, on with the list.

Chest / Front Delts:

Low Incline Press: DB (Dumbbell) or Smith Machine. More Emphasis on Chest.

High Incline Press: DB or Smith Machine. More Emphasis on Shoulder.

Incline Fly: DB or Cable. For more isolation of the chest. Stick to the bottom half of the range.

Glutes:

Front Foot Elevated Reverse Lunge: Smith Machine is best. DB can work. Focus on a controlled negative.

Step Up: Smith Machine, DB or BB (Barbell). Drive through the front leg and lower slowly and with control.

Hip Thrust: Machine is best. Smith Machine is good. BB can work. Keep the lower back neutral and squeeze the Glutes hard at the top.

Side Delts:

Lean Away Lateral Raise: DB. Prop yourself up and lean away. One side at a time. Stresses the side Delt under stretch.

Cable Lateral Raise: Also one side at a time. Position the cable at knee height. Focus on bringing the arm across the body.

Quads:

Hack Squat: Pendulum or Belt Squat can also work. Back Squats on a Smith Machine are good too. Go as deep as possible.

Bulgarian Split Squat: DB or Smith Machine. Make sure the supporting leg is stable. Again, go as deep as possible.

Triceps:

Seated DB Overhead Extension: One DB. Position the bench at a moderate incline. Focus on the stretch at the bottom.

Overhead Cable Extension: Don’t rush the reps. Can be done both with two arms or one at a time.

EZ Bar Skullcrusher: Bring the bar behind the head and drive up in an arch, rather than straight up.

Biceps:

EZ Bar Wall Curl: Being against the wall limits momentum. Go heavy.

Incline DB Curl: Set the bench to a moderate incline. There should be a big stretch on the biceps at the bottom of each rep.

Lean Forward Cable Curl: Can be done both unilaterally and bilaterally. Position the cable behind you and lean forward as you curl.

Hamstrings:

Romanian Deadlift: DB or Smith Machine. Focus on moving the hips back. Hits the Glutes very well too.

Seated Leg Curl: Setup is key here. Make sure the hamstrings are well-stretched at the top.

Lats:

Underhand Pulldown: Machine is best. Different cable attachments work well. Stretch the lats as much as possible. Also hits the biceps well.

Single Arm DB Row: Both feet on the ground. Supporting hand against something stable. Control the negative and drive back in an arch, not straight up. 

Lat Prayer: Done on a cable machine with a wide attachment. Get into a big stretch at the top and drive back with the elbows.

Upper Back / Rear Delts:

Upright Row: Best done with an EZ Bar. Bring the elbows to level with the shoulders. Hits the Side Delts well.

Shrug: DB, Trap Bar or Cables. Drive in towards your ears rather than straight up and go slow on the negative.

Crossover Cable Reverse Fly: Set up two cables at head height. Cross your arms and grab both. Drive back so the elbows get behind the torso.

Calves:

Standing Calf Raise: Machine or Smith Machine. Focus on a deep stretch at the bottom and a slow negative.

Abs:

Hanging Knee Raise: Focus on rotating at the pelvis and not just lifting the knees up and down.

Ab Wheel: Keep the abs tight and don’t flex the lower back. Roll out as far as possible then crunch the abs to roll back.

That’s it for today.

I hope you enjoyed this list.

Have a good one!

• Adam