Elite Physique The New Science of Building a Better Body

CHAPTER 7
Upper Body Training
Here’s one thing we can probably all agree on: Guys love training their upper body
muscles. Especially the ones they can see in the mirror. Many weekend warriors
will spend countless hours in the gym grunting and grinding through endless
variations of the bench press and biceps curl. Far less likely is the chance they’re
putting as much effort into developing the muscles they can’t see in the mirror.
Development of Upper Body Musculature
An essential aspect of building an impressive upper body physique is maintaining
the health and integrity of your shoulder joints. These ball-and-socket joints rely
heavily on the strength of many of the smaller muscles that attract less attention
on the beach. Deep within your shoulder are four small muscles that work in
concert to stabilize your humerus as you lift weights, throw, or punch. Of the
four, two that are on the back of the shoulder—infraspinatus and teres minor—
externally rotate the joint and hold the ball (head of humerus) in the center of its
socket (glenoid cavity). This joint centration helps prevent wear and tear in your
shoulders. You’ll often see physical therapists prescribe external rotation exercises
with five-pound (2.5 kg) dumbbells or light bands to strengthen those muscles.
The rhomboids and middle trapezius muscles attach the medial border of
your scapulae to the spine. They’re easy enough to activate—just squeeze your
shoulder blades together without shrugging your shoulders—but difficult to
sufficiently strengthen without devoting as much time to rows as you do to
bench presses. The face pull exercise, performed with a strong resistance band
or cable, will strengthen your external rotators as well as your rhomboids and
middle trapezius muscles. And you already know the row builds the size and
strength of those muscles. That’s why you’ll frequently see variations of the row
and face pull in every program in chapters 8 and 9.
What you won’t find in any program is the standard barbell bench press with
a wider than shoulder-width grip. The reason is simple: There are better ways
to strengthen your pectorals and triceps with less risk to your shoulders. (But
you will see the more shoulder-friendly narrow-grip bench press.) That might
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