PillarofBalance
Strength Pimp
- Feb 27, 2011
- 17,066
- 4,640
Ask any guy who's been around for a while what's gonna make the legs grow and you'll get the same answer over and over and over... Squats are king. Go try and argue that lunges will get you bigger legs with Deadweight and he'll probably punch you in the throat. Those "knowns" that we never really argue with were established by decades of brothers blasting themselves in the gym... What you might call empirical data...
But is there a better way to find out whats working and what isn't? The answer of course is - Maybe!. Electromyogram testing (EMG) is one way that we might use to determine what's gonna make us grow.
The EMG isn't exactly "new" as the concept actually dates back to the 1600's and it has something to do with eels. Essentially, It measures the electrical activity of skeletal muscle thereby measuring levels of activation. The two pictures displayed above show a man squatting and the picture beside it is the EMG detection of the squat.
A study was conducted to find which exercises cause the greatest amount of activity within each muscle group and, as a consequence, determine which exercises will produce the greatest gains in mass and strength. This study was conducted by Tudor O. Bompa, PhD & Lorenzo J. Cornacchia. Both men and women were used in the study and all subjects had at least two years experience with resistance training.
Here are the results of the best workout exercises study::
(100% would signify maximum muscle fiber stimulation). I've bolded in the ones that surprised me when I first saw this data.
Pectoralis Major (Chest)
Decline dumbbell bench press ----------------93%
Decline bench press, Olympic bar(OB)---------89
Push-ups between benches --------------------88
Flat dumbbell bench press -------------------87
Flat bench press (OB) -----------------------85
Flat dumbbell flyes --------------------------84
Woulda thought flat bb press was the best. Turns out Yates was right!
Pectoralis Minor (Chest)
Incline dumbbell bench press ----------------91%
Incline bench press (OB) --------------------85
Incline dumbbell flyes -----------------------83
Incline bench press (smith machine) ---------81
I don't know why it was in my head that flyes hit the pec minor better than pressing...
Medial Deltoids (Shoulder)
Incline dumbbell (db) side laterals ----- 66%
Standing db side laterals -------63
Seated db side laterals -----62
Cable side laterals -----47
Looks like the traps really pick up a lot of slack there.
Posterior Deltoids
Standing db bent laterals ----- 85%
Seated db bent laterals -----83
Standing cable bent laterals -----77
Anterior Deltoids
Seated front db press -----79%
Standing front db raises -----73
Seated front barbell press -----61
I think I have always preferred db's for OH pressing anyway, I think I'll cut out the BB.
Biceps brachii (long head)
Preacher curls (Ob) -------------------- 90%
Incline seated Db curls (alternate) ------ 88
Standing biceps curls (Ob/narrow grip)--- 86
Standing Db curls (alternate) ----------- 84
Concentration Db curls ------------------ 80
Standing curls (Ob/wide grip)------------ 63
Standing E-Z curls (wide grip) ----------- 61
Triceps brachii (outer head)
Decline extensions (Ob) ------------------ 92%
Triceps pressdowns (angled bar) ----------- 90
Dips with a bench --------------------------87
One-arm cable extensions (reverse grip) - 85
Overhead rope extensions ------------------ 85
Seated one-arm Db extensions (neutral grip)- 82
Close-grip bench press (Ob) --------------- 72
Not lookin good for CG bench...
Latissimus dorsi (back)
Bent-over Bb rows ---------------------------93%
One-arm Db rows -----------------------------91
T-bar rows ----------------------------------89
Lat pulldowns to the front ------------------86
Seated pulley rows --------------------------83
Rectus femoris (quads)
Safety squats (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----88%
seated leg extensions (toes straight) -------86
Hack squats (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----78
Leg press (110 degree angle) ----------------76
Smith machine squat
(90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----60
Biceps femoris (hamstring)
Standing leg curls --------------------------82%
Lying leg curls -----------------------------71
Seated leg curls ----------------------------58
Modified hamstring deads --------------------56
Semitendinosus (inner hamstring)
Seated leg curls ----------------------------88
Standing leg curls --------------------------79
Lying leg curls -----------------------------70
Modified hamstring deads --------------------63
Gastrocnemius (calf muscle)
Donkey raises -------------------------------80
Standing one-leg raises ---------------------79
Standing two-leg raises ---------------------68
Seated raises -------------------------------61
So maybe you're already doing all of the "top rated" exercises, and you're growin like a weed. Maybe not and you're still growin like a weed! I just like to keep a library of exercises out there and mix them up often as plateau prevention.
----PoB----
ok jk.... kinda
