| This article was written to show beginners which muscle groups they should work to give their upper body the most increase in size. I have made up a list of the seven most important muscle groups. |
This article was written to show beginners which muscle groups they
should work to give their upper body the most increase in size. I have made
up a list of the seven most important muscle groups, ranging from greatest
importance to least importance, when it comes to adding size to your upper
body.
Arnold's Huge Upper Body Was Built With Fundamentals
The first muscle group that comes to a beginner's mind when considering
which muscle group will give he or she the well-developed look of a
bodybuilder is usually the upper arm and more specifically the biceps. This
is probably because when someone asks to see your muscle, most people don't
go and flex their beefy deltoids; they flex their biceps.
The idea that adding bulk to your arms will give your entire upper body
a major increase in size is a common misconception that many beginners have.
The muscles of the upper arm only make up a small part of the upper body,
and although a nice set of arms may look good during the summer months, they
don't really add much size to the upper body.
I have made up a list of the seven most important muscle groups,
ranging from greatest importance to least importance, when it comes to
adding size to your upper body. I have also listed some exercises that can
help you to develop these muscle groups.
1. In my opinion, the most important muscle group to adding size to your
upper body is the deltoids. A well-developed pair of deltoids will create
the illusion that your upper body is much larger that it really is. The
deltoids also help give your upper body a V shape and will give the
appearance of broad shoulders. The deltoids contribute to both the front and
back of the upper body and if they are not well developed your entire upper
body will suffer. Some exercises that will help to develop the deltoids are
dumbbell side laterals and front dumbbell raises.
2. Next, is the Chest. The main muscle group of the chest is the pectorals.
A well-developed chest is very important because it will add major size to
your inner upper body. In addition, the chest is a very visible part of the
upper body. An exercise that will help to develop the pectorals is the bench
press; the bench press works the entire pectorals. Another exercise that
will help develop the inner pectorals is the narrow grip bench press.
3. Next, are the traps or trapezius muscles. Developing the traps is
important because they greatly contribute to your back and give you large
muscular shoulders. Developing the traps also will thicken your neck and
make you look much larger. The traps will also contribute to the classic V
shape that everyone wants their upper body to have. Some exercises that will
help to develop the traps are the military press and the standing barbell
press.
4. Next, are the lats or latissimus dorsi. The lats are very important to
back development and help give you that classic V shape. A large back will
improve your entire upper body and make you look much more muscular. A great
exercise that helps to develop the lats is pull-ups.
5. Next comes the triceps. This may be surprising to many beginners but the
triceps make up more of the upper arm then the biceps do. The Triceps are
important to develop because they make up 2/3 of the upper arm. In addition,
a well-developed pair of triceps will contribute greatly to chest
development since the share many of the same exercises. Some exercises for
the triceps are the narrow grip bench press and triceps extensions.
6. Next is the muscle you have all been waiting for, the biceps. The biceps
are one of the smallest muscle groups in the entire body, yet when fully
developed they look great and bring attention to your upper arms. The biceps
may not add much size to your body but if well developed, they can pull
together a lacking physique and are necessary for any bodybuilder.
7. Finally, we have the abs. The abs are like the frosting on a cake, they
are nice to look at but really won't increase the size of your upper body
much. They are what brings the entire upper body together. No one wants to
go the beach and after all his or her hard work have everyone be distracted
from his or her great body by a fat gut. The key to great abs is a low body
fat percentage. Most males will be able to see their abs at around 8% or
below and females at around 15% or below. Crunches will help to tone the abs
but I do not recommend using weight because you will get a gut full of abs.
This may look all right at the beach but when you have your shirt on it will
just look like a beer belly.
I hope this article will help you.
peter@simonson.mv.com
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