The Real Deal: All the Angles
Every exercise you know can be hit from a different angle.
You probably know that Variation is one of the main bodybuilding principles to employ for consistent progress in your exercise routine, but that can be easier said than done. Break the big goal of Variation down into smaller pieces. By varying the angles of your exercises many smaller changes occur. For some exercises the mechanical advantage is fundamentally changed. For others, different muscle fibers are forced to combine and coordinate in new ways.The important thing is to explore hitting the muscles from new angles while maintaining the fundamentals of safe technique. Every exercise you know can be hit from a different angle. Make any workout you have now just a little different, and you’ll be amazed at the changes you see. You can change the angle of your bench, the angle of your body, the angle of your limbs, the angle the weights travels. What’s important is to look at every component of your workout from a new angle. Start with back exercises. During One Arm Rows lower the weight on a diagonal path slightly forward and row up following the same diagonal path. For overhead pulls, rather than using a flat bench, use a decline bench. You can also use a barbell with a wide grip or a dumbbell in each hand with a twist at the top. For machine exercises change your grip. Move in or out, try rotating your hands to a new angle. You can even try rotating your forearms as you row or pull down. You may think of these as different exercises, but essentially what you’re doing is changing angles. The important thing is to try something different. Avoid anything that feels dangerous, but challenge your preconceptions. Chest exercises offer lots of opportunity for angle adjustments. Explore all the settings on the adjustable bench varying with dumbbells or barbells. Try five sets of dumbbell chest presses or flys, changing the bench angle each time. Start flat and move up for the second set and so on, or go in the opposite direction. There are no rules to limit you other than the basics of good technique. With this approach an exercise isn’t ever wrong unless it’s dangerous. For the barbell exercises, try different grips, in out reverse, really push the limits. Don’t move out two finger widths, grab the bar all the way out at the end and work it. You might feel something totally new the next morning. Because the joint is so capable of multiple angles, your shoulder routine has a tremendous amount of room for adjustment. Move the angle of your lateral raises forward and work that grey area between lateral and front raise. Adjust your hand position, turning your palms up, forward or down, whichever way you haven’t done before. Add a twist to your shoulder presses, literally. The variations are fun to explore, but picking the weight that will get you the best results is paramount. Too light equals less effect, and too heavy equals bad form or an injury. Definitely start light and move up slowly. Most angle adjustment for arm exercises will come from changing the angle you hold your arms in relation to your body. Try the same trick as with chest presses, for seated dumbbell curls. Start with an adjustable bench vertical and lower it for each successive set. Try three sets moving down and two more rising up. As you lower the bench the difficulty increases so adjust the weight accordingly. For triceps, do your pushdowns with a rope rather than a bar or try an underhand grip. If you like scull crushers, try it with two dumbbells, or try it with a wider grip on the bar. You can also try a decline or incline position. By changing these angles you move the focus to different portions of the muscles, giving you more balanced progress. Apply some different angles to your leg routine and I guarantee you’ll be taking your time on the stairs tomorrow. More than any other body part, many people fail to vary their leg routines. If you use a Leg Press or do Squats, move your feet to different widths, this incorporates different muscles to varying degrees. I encourage movement with leg workouts, hitting a multitude of angles. Lunge walking is pretty common, but try it moving diagonally, stepping with one leg out at a 45-degree angle. Step up with the trailing leg and then repeat. The whole time your hips and shoulders face forward, not on the angle you’re moving. Why stop at 45 degrees? How about sideways? Squat and rise into a sidestep moving your whole body laterally. Work your way across the gym and back. On average I lose one person per week due to this exercise. They just sidestep right out the door and head home before I can catch up. I’ve had to start closing the doors during leg days. For isolating exercises like leg extensions and leg curls, try turning your toes in different directions to adjust the focus on the muscles. Straight leg raises can be fun too. Pick an angle other than front back or lateral or get crazy and combine a few angles in one exercise. Changing your foot angle on calf raises also works great. An article on angle adjustment wouldn’t be complete without the abdominals. With 360 degrees of motion, front side and back the abdominal and lower back muscle complex is screaming out for some variation. Twisting, moving diagonally, counter rotating, nothing is off limits. After doing your usual 6,000 crunches, try a different angle. Lay on your side and crunch sideways. Secure your feet and sit up half way, now twist your rib cage side to side as far as possible. Do sit-ups on every angle of a decline board. Do reverse crunches on an incline bench. Hang from a bar and curl your pelvis up at an angle. None of these things are off limits and none are dangerous. You may not be ready for them, but that can change. Adjustments like this will take time so don’t try to squeeze them all in to a half-hour workout or expect everything to go smooth your first time around. Also, don’t adjust everything on one adventuresome day; explore a new challenge with each successive workout, build your repertoire patiently. Once you start to realize that your routines shouldn’t be routine, and start to look at things from different angles, new options present themselves in surprising places. By Jeff Thayer
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