Strength, aesthetics, and overall improvement of quality of life.
That’s what a lot of gym goers are seeking.
The benefits of strength has been explored many times, but I’ll just say that it feels good to stronger.
He looks alright
We are going to talk about aesthetics. This is a complicated subject because everyone has these perceptions:
What do I think about my body?
What do I think that other people think about my body?
What do people actually think about my body?
What are the characteristics of an aesthetic physique?
It’s well known that men would prefer to have greater mass overall, whereas women say they would rather be attracted to a man with a slimmer more athletic physique. My overarching theme here is that first and foremost you should lift weights for whatever reasons you want to, and pursue goals relentlessly.
This, however, is a topic about aesthetics, so if you are interested read on.
Aesthetic physiques typically:
Fit, athletic, good muscle tone
Balanced, symmetrical
Move with ease, flexible yet strong, poise of a Greek God.
Healthy skin tone (from fruits/vegetables and sun exposure)
Look as if they are able to perform functionally (mass monsters need not apply)
So it seems like aesthetics are the underlying factors of physical attractiveness. It’s about looks, yet it’s about what it looks like that aesthetic person is capable of. It’s about what it looks like that person has in terms of personality traits and confidence.
If you had the body of a Greek God, wouldn’t you find confidence in those accomplishments.
How to Train for Aesthetics
Now I could tell you to squat, deadlift, and bench press and then see what happens. Some people will turn out great, while others will have obvious weak points that detract from their physique. In other words, everyone is built differently and requires unique modifications to their training based on limb length, torso size, prior injuries, etc.
And yet, I will still tell you to Deadlift, Squat, and Bench Press because this will help to build AND measure your overall strength. Some people hardly deadlift, except to see where their strength levels are at.
The major lifts are the foundation, then from there on all you have to do is hit the muscles from different angles and rep ranges. WITH INTENSITY.
Beast mode should definitely be activated during those crucial moments.
Natural vs unnatural
For people who choose to not use steroids/AAS, the gains will come differently and the training will be different as well. Just don’t expect to look big and shredded like the people in the magazines unless you’re willing to use the same chemicals they do.
A very famous strongman from the old days
Overall, I’d say that general population appreciates a natural physique in terms of aesthetics. There is more value to the strength because it is unassisted.
How to Gain Lean Bulk for the Skinny/Underweight Male
Guys who are skinny are skinny for either one of two reasons.
1. They are young, somewhat active, and still experiencing growth
OR
2. Most skinny guys haven’t learned how to eat properly
The author with a 50 lbs difference in body mass
Consuming food is easy, while consuming nutrients takes dedication.
Because most underweight males are at their weight due to lifestyle choices, we should focus on certain quick fixes to help gain some success and confidence. First I will discuss a few quick fixes, then I will relate the reasons why it is fundamental to create new eating habits.
Quick Fix# 1: Breakfast
This is simple and it should be happening at least 6 out of every 7 days. Sure I can speak for days as to how breakfast enhances human metabolic processes… but you just need to do it.
Smoothies (berries / milk / protein)
Oatmeal (milk / whey / almond butter or peanut butter / or coconut oil)
Shake (fresh juices, vegetables, fruits, powders)
Eggs + vegetables
Many possibilities
Quick Fix# 2: Allow yourself a minimum of 20 minutes for breakfast
Okay, so the first two MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN DO are both related to breakfast. That should give you a glimpse as to how extremely valuable this time is for your body.
You cannot rush through breakfast and expect to have healthy digestion and consumption.
Go to bed 20 minutes earlier the night before if you must.
Quick Fix# 3: Eat Big Carbs before / after workout
To gain muscle mass, you want to increase the energy storage within the muscle. Carbohydrates, particularly glucose or food that readily converts into glucose are the muscles preferred sources of energy.
This guy understands the benefits of healthy carbs.
As muscles adapt to training stimuli, the overall amount of glycogen stored within the muscle will be increased.
Let me put it this way: The more lean, athletic muscle you possess, the more carb-based energy will be stored within the muscles. This is one reason that gives the muscles a larger physical size/appearance. It also means you have the potential to be more powerful than most other people.
Quick Fix# 4: Consume Protein before / after workout
Protein contains bonds of amino acids which are essential for the body. Powerful body-strengthening mechanisms are activated by protein.
After your workout, your muscles will be increased sensitivity to uptaking carbohydrates and glucose. When the muscles uptake glucose more readily, it has a carryover effect of uptaking protein as well. In other words, carbs help attract muscle building amino acids into the actual muscle tissue.
Quick Fix# 5: Take Omega-3 Fatty Acid supplement
Some people eat Wild Alaskan Salmon three times per week — and they might not need an Omega-3 supplement. However, most people, especially skinny guys NEED the nutrients and will utilize Omega-3’s to support anabolic processes.
You will cripple your progress unless you consume adequate omega-3s.
A lot of people talk about the health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids — I know all about them. If you want to know more, google that. Let’s talk about the MUSCLE BUILDING and ANABOLIC properties that omega-3’s possess.
Improved insulin sensitivity (translates to –> more protein/glucose IN your muscles)
Joint lubrication (translates to –> less achy joints, quicker recovery time from exercise)
Supports Inflammatory process (translates to –> inflammation is regulated to improve adaptation to exercise)
Brain health (translates to –> you learn skills /exercise form quicker and can progress faster)
Gaining Lean Mass requires Lifestyle Alteration
Regardless of genes, your lifestyle is the reason for why your body looks the way it does. In order to enhance the muscularity of the body, you must also enhance the internal health.
I take a strong holistic approach towards gaining weight in a healthy way. You must pay attention to the bio-feedback and signals from your body in order to truly achieve a state of wellness.
A few things to consider during your journey:
The role of gut health / bacteria in nearly all realms of human health condition
Sleep and other cycles
Hormones, how to optimize male / human hormones to exist in a muscle building state
Stressors — your ability to adapt to everyday stress
Muscle mass must be earned, every day. every week. and every month.
The best things in life don’t come for free. The requirements to achieve greatness will always come with sacrifice and character building opportunities.
You can choose to make excuses… or you can force mental adaptation (lifestyle change).
Some perspective…
Exercise: 3-4 hours per week
For the other 164 hours of the week, you need to be owning up to habits which promote healthy metabolic functioning. And in your case, that means forcing physical adaptation through recovery methods (sleep, nutrition, unstress, and soft tissue work).
Stay tuned for the next post for an Exercise Routine to help the skinny guy.
This is the primary website that I have followed over the years. It has a strong base in bodybuilding, but also provides significant resources for athletic training, powerlifting, nutrition, and all things related to Strength and Conditioning.
The magazine has new posts regularly and a library of archived posts with information that can take your training to the next level. It is funded by the Biotest supplement company, but the free content makes the advertisements worth it.
It is definitely geared towards men, as some of the articles have scantily clad women, but the majority of the content provides superior information.
Elite fitness training systems is a Powerlifting website. It is run by some of the biggest baddest powerlifters in the country. They sell a wide array of high quality training equipment and provide good business practice. I have spent hundreds here on strength training tools (dip belt, blast straps, fat grip, etc) I have been very pleased with the results.
The articles are written by coaches, powerlifters, and personal trainers.
Crossfit has been highly influential in the “people who train for purpose” scene. They are very in tune with exercise physiology and nutrition. While the intensity of some of their workouts may or may not be safe for certain individuals, people who are serious about taking their training to the next level will appreciate the value that crossfit has to offer.
Some of the articles written for crossfit have been a fantastic inspiration for me, especially relating to lifts such as the Turkish Get Up and many more.
This is a mainly a strength based website strongly influenced by kettlebell training. Flexibility, power, and strength resources are what you will find here. Keep in mind that most kettlebell exercises can be done with a dumbell or barbell as well. The training philosophy provided will help you become a strong, tough athlete with a lot of power, endurance, and injury prevention.
At Power Athletes Magazine, you will find everything frommodern day gymnastics training to techniques of old time strongmen. All of these training methods apply significantly to the development of strength and power.
If you want to be a badass, you need Beast Skills. This is authored by a guy who is super passionate about strength and provides very valuable resources on how to develop the strength and skill to achieve amazing feats with your body.
This is a bodybuilding website, but I’ve found that there is a lot of valuable content for anyone in the weightlifting scene. You will find exercises, routines, and discussions about all things related to the iron game.
Authored by another passionate, knowledgeable writer, this site has evolved from a simple blog into a hub for safe and effective weight training. You will find great resources on technique with videos, effective exercise programs, and nutritional information. For a real focus-on-the-basics about weightlifting, you need to check this site out.
With a huge exercise database containing videos showing proper technique, you can also learn a lot about muscular anatomy, physiology, and everything else related to strength training. This is an extremely valuable resource that is simple and easy to navigate.
The knowledge is out there, its your choice to seek it.
I want to say that my knowledge of strength training is very strong, but even I know I have lots to learn. I hope that the resources I have provided for you will help you gain greater perspective and inspiration.
You haven’t reached your potential yet, and if you’ve plateau’d — you just need to learn more and apply it.
The Inverted Row is gaining popularity, but it still remains an underrated movement.
To get a visual, first pause and imagine the Bench Press exercise for a moment. The bench press is a pushing exercise that brings the bar to your chest and then pushes it away. Whereas the inverted row is a pulling exercise that brings your chest to the bar and then you lower yourself back down.
Back built by rows
Think about the complete opposite of the Bench Press — this is the Inverted Row.
Inverted Row
The Inverted Row is the ultimate upper back exercise.
In the next few paragraphs, I will make the case for why every gym goer in search of a strong, healthy, balanced physique should be doing the Inverted Row exercise.
Aside from the strength benefits, the Inverted Row wins points in a variety of categories related to the ideal physique.
I. Comparison of Barbell Row vs. Inverted Row
The Barbell Row is also a highly effective compound exercise for the back. If you’re looking to build a great physique, then the Barbell Row (or a variation) should probably be somewhere in your routine.
However, the Barbell Row has some contraindications and limitations that may make the exercise inappropriate for some people.
Barbell Row
Benefits of the Barbell Row:
One of the best exercises for back and arms
You can adjust the weight according to your own strength levels
It’s possible to use lots of weight (powerlifters can often row up to 300+ lbs)
Can build muscle and tone your physique
Crossover strength into other exercises
Disadvantagesof the Barbell Row:
Possibility of injury with improper form
Strain the lower back if not careful
Avoid lower back pain
You can “cheat” very easily on the form, which decreases its benefits
Doesn’t activate lower trapezius as much (a small, yet essential muscle for shoulder health)
Is not a direct counter-balancing movement to the Bench Press
As you can see, the Barbell Row is a fantastic exercise for a lot of people. If you train the Row, then more power to you!
But there are some areas in which the BB Row can’t keep up compared to the Inverted Row.
II. Benefits of the Inverted Row
The Inverted Row is an exceptional upper back exercise.
Similar to a pull up, push up, and other bodyweight exercises, the Inverted Row is a closed kinetic chain movement. In terms of fitness, is important to be able to move your body through space at a variety of angles.
In order to perform a feet-elevated inverted row, you must already be strong or you can do inverted row progressions to gain the required strength.
The Inverted Row with feet elevated is so demanding that 90% of an average gym population won’t be able to complete a single rep with perfect form. It is indeed a humbling exercise, especially for guys who can bench 300+ pounds.
So here are the top benefits of the Inverted Row…
1. Builds a great Phsyique
What guy doesn’t want at least a little more muscle? What gal doesn’t want that hourglass shape torso?
The Inverted Row is definitely a physique builder alone or in a well designed program. The actual exercise itself can be a great stimulus for muscle growth, but even better is that it is a great activation exercise so it can benefit your other movements.
Jamie likes to row
Rear delts
Middle trapezius
Lower trapezius
Lats
Rombhoids
Biceps
Forearms
Core
2. NO Lower-back strain
Our lower backs are simply not designed to move a lot of weight. The lower back is designed to remain rigid while the primary movers of the body do their work. Thats everyone knows they should “lift with your legs.”
During an alternative exercise like the Barbell Row, the lower back may succumb to the weight before the upper back. If the lower back is too weak, you won’t get the true benefits for the upper back during that exercise.
The Inverted Row takes the lower back out of the equation.
Low Back pain does not exist in this exercise.
3. Strengthens the Shoulder Girdle (Shoulder Health)
The Inverted Row movement requires a lot of effort from the muscles in the middle back. These muscles are particularly important for shoulder health.
In particular, the lower trapezius, middle trapezius, and rhomboids need to be balanced compared to other muscles. For example, the lower trapezius should have similar activation to the upper trapezius. When people have upper traps that are too dominant, it contributes to the “slunched over” posture and can wreak havoc on the shoulder joint. The inverted row strengthens the lower trapezius at just the right angle.
The inverted row is not only a great movement for the lower trapezius, but it is also a fantastic rear-deltoid exercise as well. Aside from making your physique look fantastic from all angles, the rear-deltoids should be balanced to the front-deltoids for…you guessed it…shoulder health.
4. Benefits the Bench Press
Dear Benchers, I’d like to win you over here, because the Bench Press is the one exercise that every single person on the planet knows about. We all know how awesome the bench press is. It gives you great chest, shoulder, and tricep development. In other words, it makes you manly and powerful. (Or lean and alluring, if you are female).
Bio-mechanically, the Inverted Row is the perfect compliment to the Bench Press. Instead of pushing a bar away from you, you are pulling yourself towards a bar.
Think of the upper back as the foundation, while the chest is the active machinery during bench press. If your foundation is a pile of feathers, how effective is your machinery?
Dumbbell Bench Pressing supported by upper back.
What most people don’t realize is that the muscles in the back are constantly stabilizing the muscles in the front during the Bench Press. Essentially what this means is that stronger upper back equals a stronger bench press.
Strong upper back –> strong foundation –> Big Bench Press.
5. Promotes optimal Recovery
After you get into weight lifting for a while, you realize one fundamental element…
Success in the game is a balance between training and recovery. The stimulus is the weight lifting, while the recovery includes everything from the food you eat, the timing of the food you eat, the amount of sleep you get, and essentially everything else you do.
Therefore, recovery is different for everybody. You want to optimize recovery because it allows you make more progress and stay healthy. (if you seriously overtrain, you will lose progress, get hurt, or get sick — guaranteed)
Bodyweight exercises are inherently easier to recover from compared to barbell exercises. This means that you can do bodyweight exercises more frequently and potentially make progress significantly faster than barbell exercises alone.
The Inverted Row, while a demanding exercise, is easier to recover from than the barbell row.
Training hard in the gym accounts for maybe 15% of your gains, while optimal recovery accounts for the rest.
Thats why you need to eat well, sleep well, and do bodyweight exercises!
6. Functional Strength development
Would you still be as impressed by a guy who could bench press 500 pounds, but couldn’t move his own body through a simple plane of motion?
Powerlifters struggle to lift as much weight as possible in the bench press, and even their coaches tell them they need to do bodyweight exercises — especially the Inverted Row.
The Inverted Row is a functional strength exercise with significant carryover to other exercises and quality of life.
Now you know…
This is why the Inverted Row is one of the best Upper Back exercises known to man, and why we need to spread the word to our fellow man.
III. How to perform the Inverted Row.
You may look at the picture and think you know how to do an inverted row, and you may very well be able to. Just keep in mind a few cues to help you out.
Inverted Row Feet Elevated
1. Foot placement determines difficulty.
Place feet on ground for beginners, and feet elevated for advanced trainees.
2. Keep your butt up
If your butt sags down, you are not doing the exercise right. Keep that butt tight and elevated.
3. Maintain Core Stiffness
This may be a core exercise for those with less developed abs. It is important to maintain core tightness, and keep your butt up, because this will put the lower back in the right position. It also enables you to focus on the primary mover, which is your back.
4. Chest up
Open up your chest, keep it up and out.
5. Lean your head back
When the head goes back, it puts your body in a position to activate the muscles that you really want. This helps to activate the lower-traps and muscles surrounding the shoulder blades.
6. Do not use momentum
Momentum is cheating. If you can’t complete a full rep with feet elevated, then start with the progressions first. Feet to the ground.
In terms of execution…
Pull from the elbows and middle back.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
Try to activate as much of your back as possible.
I like to squeeze at the top for a count of 2 seconds
Go up fast, then lower yourself slower
Here is a video to give you the visual of it.
IV. Go forth and Row!
I would say that 95% of people in weightlifting programs should be doing at least one variation of row. Rowing is essential for strengthening the muscles of the back.
TRX system check it out on Amazon.com. Definitely one of the best bodyweight tools, used by all my clients.
As a follower of drefitness.com, you now have the knowledge of this incredible upper-back exercise.
You know how I feel about the all-powerful and beneficial Inverted Row.
I’ll let you decide whether or not you think the Inverted Row truly is the best upper-back exercise known to man.
Either way, give it a go next time you work your upper back! Prepare to be humbled.
Dre Fitness 