WORKING A GYM
BALL RECRUITS
EXTRA MUSCLE
TO MAINTAIN
STABILITY.
3 cable moves
for bigger shoulders
Do these three rarely-seen cable
moves to add size to your delts.
JUNE 2017 MEN’S FITNESS 115
FOUR
Increase the ROM
FIVE
Be move innovative
If you’re smart, you can use the gym ball to
increase your range of motion (ROM) for some
abs and lower back exercises. This is useful
because working through a greater range
of motion will present more of a challenge
to your muscles, leading to greater size and
strength increases.
KEY MOVE
Gym ball crunch
Liewithyourmid-backontheball,yourknees
bent at 90° and your feet on the ground. Place
yourfingerstoyourtemplesandleanbackover
the ball to stretch your abs. Exhale, then contract
abstobringyourtorsoup.Pauseatthetop.This
moveisaboutthequalityofmusclecontraction
so keep the tempo slow and controlled.
Dumbbellflyesareoneofthebestmovesfor
isolating your pecs to get a big chest. But you
can’t do them too often because they can expose
your shoulder joint to a lot of wear and tear. So try
this gym ball drill from coach Chad Waterbury to
add volume safely to your chest training.
KEY MOVE
Gym ball pec squeeze
Do this drill six days in a row, taking day seven
off.Standtall,holdingagymballbetweenyour
elbows with your upper arms parallel to the floor.
Squeezetheball,asifyouwereusingapecdeck,
for 20sec, then rest for 60sec. Do this five times.
Every two days increase the squeeze time by
5sec. After three weeks you’ll be doing 60sec
squeezes with a bigger and stronger chest.
STRAIGHT-ARM PULL-DOWN
■Stand in front of the cable machine
holding a straight bar attachment with an
overhand grip. Pull the bar in a smooth
arc to your thighs, then return smoothly
to the start.
REVERSE CABLE FLYE
■Stand in the middle of the machine
holding a low-pulley D-handle in each
hand. Bend from your hips, then raise
your hands out to shoulder height.
Return to the start.
CABLE FACE PULL
■Stand tall holding a double-rope
attachment on the high pulley with
straight arms. Pull the hands to either
side of your head, then return under
control to the start.