DR.

SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

Welcome to this narrative on my top 10 favorite exercises for building

muscle! I will be organizing these in terms of the main muscle groups that I like to

include when writing a training program.

Note that this guide is geared towards the beginner to intermediate lifter. In

other words, one who has been training seriously for 5 years or less. It is designed

primarily for the goal of hypertrophy with a secondary emphasis on strength.

I have chosen these exercises for the high degree of stimulus they provide

the target muscle, their capacity for progressive overload, and their overall

efficiency (amount of muscle mass involved). They are not meant to be the sole

exercises in a program but are my personal favorites – especially in my early

training years.

For each exercise, I’ll include some technique tips specific for hypertrophy.

Note that exercise selection depends heavily on your anatomy and execution. In

fact, this is essentially an opinion piece – your experience might end up being

totally different from mine. Try these out and see if they work for you! For context,

check out my content here:

www.youtube.com/c/AskDrSwole

www.askdrswole.com

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE: HIGH BAR BACK SQUAT

The squat is often touted as the “king” of lower body exercises, and I

can’t say I disagree. It produces an excellent stimulus to the quads while

also hitting the glutes and erector spinae to a high degree.

TECHNIQUE TIPS

I prefer squatting high bar (bar resting on your upper traps) for the

purposes of bodybuilding – you’ll get a more focused quad workout this way.

A low bar stance (bar resting lower, across the posterior delts) will cause

you to lean forward more. This shifts more emphasis onto the lower back

and glutes. Most people find that they can lift more with the low bar squat,

making it well-suited for powerlifting. However, since it involves higher loads

and a greater amount of lower back stress, the low bar squat is a more tiring

exercise overall, and can interfere with your other leg and back training at

higher levels of advancement.

You should squat to parallel or deeper. Try to go as low as you can

before your lower back rounds at the bottom (the so-called “butt wink”). The

butt wink isn’t a terrible thing itself, but may increase the risk of injury if

you’re moving the bar quickly under heavy weight.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE: SUMO DEADLIFT

The deadlift is a controversial exercise in bodybuilding. While it

possibly involves more muscle mass than any other exercise, it also

produces a huge amount of fatigue. For the most part, I do like

programming in the deadlift considering how it’s a heavy compound

movement with a huge potential for progressive overload. Note that the

advanced bodybuilder may want to substitute deadlifting from the floor with

a less-fatiguing hip hinge (for instance, the Romanian deadlift). I like the

sumo stance for bodybuilding because it produces more of an emphasis on

the lower body, rather than the erectors.

TECHNIQUE TIPS

A key point for using the deadlift for bodybuilding is to control the

eccentric. The eccentric portion of the lift is important for hypertrophy, and

will also limit the amount of weight you can use (which will minimize

unnecessary fatigue). Try not to bounce the weight off the ground, since this

will reduce your effective range of motion. Use straps if your grip is limiting

– you can train forearms separately if they’re a priority for you.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE: BARBELL BENCH PRESS

The bench press is probably my favorite exercise of all time. It’s a

fantastic movement for the pecs, anterior delts, and triceps. While true

powerlifting-style training probably won’t be optimal in terms of

hypertrophy, the chest is relatively fast-twitch, so feel free to focus on

building strength in the lower rep ranges for this movement (e.g. 5-10).

TECHNIQUE TIPS

I don’t have problems with a more powerlifting-style bench, but I

would recommend against an exaggerated arch since it will reduce the range

of motion and thus, pec stimulation. To maximize range of motion, ensure

that the bar touches your chest with every rep. Also, avoid “bouncing” the

bar off your chest, since doing this effectively takes the load off of the pecs

for the initial part of the lift. Most bodybuilders find that a moderate grip

works well – aim to have your hands directly above your elbows at the

bottom of the lift.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE: WEIGHTED CHIN-UP

The weighted chin-up is a huge mass builder for the lats and will really

contribute to that V-taper. It provides a high degree of stimulus to the

biceps as well, which is nice from an efficiency standpoint. Lastly, it is also

easy to microload – you can simply add weight in 2.5 lb-plate increments as

you get stronger (using a dips belt). The resistance will change with your

bodyweight; keep this in mind as you track progress over time.

TECHNIQUE TIPS

Make sure you get a full range of motion. That is, you should reach a

dead hang at the bottom and get your chin over the bar at the top.

Supinated and pronated grips are both good; try swapping from one to the

other when your program needs variation or your progress stalls. I don’t

worry too much about grip width – go with what feels best for you.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE (TIE): SINGLE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW

A complete back program should include both vertical and horizontal

pulling. In terms of horizontal pulls, the single-arm dumbbell row is my top

pick because it allows for really focused stimulation of the upper back

muscles. Its unilateral nature allows you to squeeze out a bit more range of

motion at bottom of the movement.

TECHNIQUE TIPS

Protract your scapula at the lowest point of the movement (“reach at

the bottom”) to recruit the rhomboids. Minimize lateral rotation (twisting) of

the back since this will shift emphasis away from the lats. Focus on pulling

with the elbow and not the hand – this will ensure that you’re using your lats

to row the weight up, and not your biceps. Your hand should stay directly

underneath your elbow the entire time – note that this means the weight will

move upwards and backwards as you row, not just up and down.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE: DUMBBELL OVERHEAD PRESS

I typically like to include six main movement patterns in a hypertrophy

program: squat, hip hinge, horizontal press, vertical press, horizontal pull,

and vertical pull. It’s debatable as to how necessary vertical pressing is in a

pure bodybuilding program (since horizontal pressing activates your anterior

delts really well already), but I like having it in to cover your bases.

You might wonder why I haven’t put the barbell overhead press first

here. While barbells presses are great as well, I’ve personally always found

dumbbell presses to “groove” better for me. Dumbbell presses are also a

less technically demanding lift, which might be nice if you’re early in your

training career.

TECHNIQUE TIPS

I like to do these seated against a high incline bench, one setting

lower than perpendicular to the ground. Feel free to do these standing or

seated without back support as well, but I prefer having the stability as the

weights get heavier. Throughout the movement, focus on keeping your

hands directly over your elbows.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE: PAUSED CABLE LATERAL RAISE

Lateral raises have always produced the best connection to the side

delts for me. In fact, it’s been said that the lateral raise is the one “must-

have” movement for bodybuilders, since the side delts aren’t as highly

recruited in most compound movements. I really like using the cable stack

on these for the constant tension it provides.

TECHNIQUE TIPS

A huge pitfall in side delt training that a lot of people run into is not

stimulating the muscle effectively because of excessive cheating. It’s easy to

swing the weight up using your torso and triceps. To combat this, keep your

elbow fixed in a slight bend. Raise outward until your hand is at the level of

your shoulder. At the top of the movement, pause for a full second before

lowering over 1-2 seconds. I’ve found that pauses help a lot with these

because they ensure that you’re in control of the weight. You might be lifting

less, but that weight will be lifted fully by the delts, which is ultimately more

efficient for hypertrophy.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE: LYING DUMBBELL CURL

This is an unusual one I picked up from the old-school bodybuilding

books. I love this exercise because of the huge stretch it places on the long

head, which makes it really easy to feel your biceps. It’s basically a more

extreme version of the incline curl – try it out if you haven’t!

TECHNIQUE TIPS

Lie with your back on a flat bench with your arms hanging over the

sides of the bench, towards the floor. Minimize movement of your head,

neck, and torso. A common tendency is to swing the weight up from the

shoulder, or to generate momentum from the upper thoracic spine rather

than from the biceps – you don’t want this. Also, find a bench that allows

you to get a full range of motion. It won’t be ideal if the dumbbells hit the

ground before your elbow is fully straightened out.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE: CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS

You might be expecting to see an isolation movement here for the

triceps. However, the close-grip bench press is still my top movement for

the triceps. In fact, I personally feel that the triceps get their highest quality

training from pressing movements. The advantage of heavy compounds is

that they allow for heavy loading, which caters well to the fast-twitch nature

of the triceps. Moreover, as a compound exercise, you’ll also get some chest

and anterior delt stimulation, which is nice from an efficiency standpoint. As

a bonus, if you happen to have strength goals, this will serve as a good

accessory movement for building bench press strength.

TECHNIQUE TIPS

You don’t need that narrow of a grip to shift emphasis onto the triceps,

and an overly narrow grip will aggravate the wrists for some people. Aim for

shoulder width. Focus on keeping your elbows tucked in against your body

throughout the lift, which will reduce the involvement of the pecs.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

TOP EXERCISE: STANDING SINGLE LEG CALF RAISE

This is my favorite exercise to load the calves in a focused way. I like

this movement because it allows you to really get a large range of motion in

terms of dorsiflexion, and really focus on one calf at a time.

TECHNIQUE TIPS

Stand on a step or box holding a dumbbell on the same side as the

trained calf (hold onto something for support). Lower under control as far as

you possibly can without bending your knee – you should feel a massive

stretch at the bottom. Pause for a full second at the bottom and at the top.

Like with the lateral raise, I like pauses here to make sure that you’re

controlling the weight. Furthermore, it prevents you from bouncing out of

the bottom with the elastic potential of the Achilles tendon, which ensures

that the stress is placed on the calf muscles themselves.

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DR. SWOLE’S TOP 10 MUSCLE-BUILDING EXERCISES

I hope you found this guide useful. It will provide some explanation as

to why these exercises appear so frequently in my programming. Again,

recall that virtually all variables in a training program should be optimized

for the individual, including exercise selection. Your body is a laboratory and

you’ll have to do some experimentation to produce the best results!

If you have any questions, leave them as a comment on my most

recent YouTube video. Make sure you mention that you read this guide!

www.youtube.com/c/AskDrSwole

If you’re looking for a science-based hypertrophy program and want to

learn how to modify your own training for optimal results, check out my

website: www.askdrswole.com

Warmest,

Bill

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This book is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as

a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice.

Use of the information herein is at the sole choice and risk of the reader. The

author will not assume liability for any direct or indirect losses or damages

that may result.

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