With a plethora of exercises available that one might perform either at the gym or at home, it’s tough to determine what could be better for muscle growth. Not all exercises are bad but some are just better than the rest to accomplish a particular fitness goal. That’s why Dr. Mike Israetel teamed up with Dr. Milo Wolf to replace some popular exercises with better alternatives.
Beginning strong with the bent-over rows, Dr. Wolf proposed how there could be better ways to achieve a similar movement without causing fatigue to the postural muscles. The exercise also ends up being difficult in the shortened position, thus messing with the resistance and range of motion.
Instead, he recommended performing the chest-supported T-bar that worked the muscles without fatiguing the back while providing a good stretch.
The next exercise was leg extensions to build quads. Instead of opting for leg extensions that might not equally work through all the different parts, Dr. Wolf and Dr. Israetel suggested a reverse Nordic curl.
This exercise may be difficult for many to perform, but they recommend going slow and gradual. It offers enough resistance to every quad muscle fiber, thus proving to be a better alternative.
Seated calf raises were the next exercise targeted by the duo, arguing that it has a similar issue to leg extensions. Instead, he recommends a simple and easy single-leg bodyweight calf raise to help with the same parts.
“All you got to do is find something elevated that’s reasonably stable, and congratulations! You can train your calves quite effectively in effective rep range.”
The next few exercises faced similar issues to those of bent-over rows, where Dr. Wolf and Dr. Israetel felt how they strained the back. Rear raises and Dumbbell kickbacks can get extremely fatiguing for individuals who aim to gain muscles. They cause stress on various parts of the back and do not offer enough resistance to trigger hypertrophy.
Instead, Dr. Wolf suggests adopting rear delt cable flys and overhead extensions for better results. Both exercises cut down on unnecessary bending and increase tension without interfering with the shortened muscle groups.
Lastly, the duo targeted push-ups, encouraging individuals to place some form of elevation on their hands and legs while performing them. This would offer an incline and a better range of motion to ensure a deeper stretch.
Apart from all this, Dr. Israetel has often talked about several exercises for beginners offering the same goal. Unlike specific popular exercises, he focused on movements that could help trigger the growth mechanism.
Dr. Mike Israetel revealed how to begin muscle growth
Hitting the gym and facing a lot of machines for the first time might get overwhelming for many who just want to gain muscles. For this, Dr. Mike Israetel once talked to Dr. Mike Varshavski, listing certain prerequisites for hypertrophy.
For beginners, the exercise scientist emphasized the importance of working with weights regularly. Familiarity with weights, at least two to four times a week, could help immensely with muscle gain.
He also wanted individuals to include several forms of presses and other exercises, assisted by weights, to fulfill their goals. This included various types of presses, deadlifts, squats, etc. All of these steps, combined with fixing and perfecting the technique, could lead to favorable results.
