Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Olympic weightlifter Akbar Djuraev is quickly becoming one of the more dominant figures in his sport. His latest achievement might be a harbinger of what’s on the horizon for the still-ascending athlete.
On May 27, 2022, Djuraev (109KG) shared footage of himself successfully capturing a 245-kilogram (540.1 pounds) clean & jerk during a training session. Because it occurred while training, Djuraev’s mark is an unofficial World Record for the Men’s 109-kilogram division. Djuraev wore a lifting belt, lifting straps, and knee sleeves to complete the rep.
Djuraev’s 245-kilogram (540.1-pound) clean & jerk exceeds the number of one of his Uzbekistan Olympic teammates, Ruslan Nurudinov. Before finishing second to Djuraev during the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships (WWC), Nurudinov captured the still-current clean & jerk World Record with a 241-kilogram (531.3-pound) lift.
Perhaps even more impressively, Djuraev’s lift is only four kilograms (8.8 pounds) off the all-time non-superheavyweight record. That mark belongs to Yuri Zakharevich (who competed in the then-weight class of 110KG). He completed a 250.5-kilogram (552.2-pound) clean & jerk in April 1988.
Nurudinov’s official figure for the 109-kilogram division might not last much longer if Djuraev can take the training feat to a sanctioned competition.
Djuraev at a Glance
At 22-years-old, Djuraev already has quite the decorated and accomplished resume for a weightlifter. If he continues a torrid pace that includes a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games (held in 2021) and a win in the 2021 WWC — he might soon enter a conversation with other established weightlifting elites.
Here’s a rundown of Djuraev’s complete career results, exemplifying his rapid progression:
Akbar Djuraev | Career Results
2017 Junior World Weightlifting Championships (JWWC) — Sixth place
2017 WWC — 13th place
2018 JWCC — Second place
2018 WWC — Fourth place
2019 Asian Weightlifting Championships (AWC) — Second place
2019 JWCC — First place
2019 WWC — Fourth place
2020 AWC — Second place
2021 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games — First place
2021 WWC — First place
Notably, as he was 21 for its duration, Djuraev is the second-youngest Olympic Champion since 2000. For context, Belarusian weightlifter Andrei Aramnau was just 20-years-old when he won the gold medal in the Men’s 105-kilogram division during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
While Djuraev is the current Olympic and World Champion, he still has a lot to accomplish. The athlete has yet to claim a Senior World Record during his career, leaving a gap in an impressive resume that he likely wants to fill.
Djuraev won’t get an opportunity to add that notch to his belt until later in the year 2022. He will compete in the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships in Bogotá, Colombia, this coming late fall. Given that the competition was originally in China and postponed from earlier this year, it’s unclear precisely when it will start at the time of this writing.
Whenever it does begin, the weightlifting sphere will undoubtedly be on the watch for Djuraev to finally add a Senior World Record to his name.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
It’s been almost three years since Larry “Wheels” Williams last competed in a professional strongman competition. Judging from his latest incredible training feat, you’d think he never missed any time.
On May 30, 2022, Wheels shared footage of himself notching a 421.8-kilogram (930-pound) deadlift triple. The lift is a new triple PR for Wheels, and he completed it from a conventional stance while wearing a lifting belt and lifting straps. Additionally, he notes that his bodyweight for the lift was 275 pounds, putting him squarely in the heavyweight strongman weight class (231-plus-pounds).
While Wheels’ three-rep pull is undoubtedly an impressive figure, it doesn’t come without a potentially important caveat. To complete the third rep, Wheels rests his loaded barbell on his thighs before completing the lift. This technique — known as hitching — is legal in strongman. However, it wouldn’t count in a powerlifting meet. The use of straps is also forbidden in powerlifting.
All around, that Wheels was still able to pull such massive weight for a triple is a testament to his rapid progress as a formal competitor.
Wheels Charges Ahead
This deadlift triple from Wheels is the latest in his prep for the 2022 Middle East’s Strongest Man (MESM) in late August.
The strongman/powerlifter/bodybuilder/YouTuber has said he will aim for a new official deadlift PR during the 2022 MESM. While the format of that competition is unknown at the time of this writing, if there is a max deadlift event, Wheels may presumably use the PR attempt to maximize points for a potential victory.
If Wheels gets really ambitious, he could even become the latest member of the hallowed 1,000-pound deadlift club. For context, six strongmen, led by Ivan Makarov’s 475-kilogram (1,047.2-pound) pull, were able to lift that weight during the 2021 World Deadlift Championships (WDC).
Considering some of these strongmen have 50 pounds or more on Wheels’ latest reported bodyweight, it might make his potential deadlift pursuit all the more interesting.
A Busy Summer
The strength sports community should assuredly continue to see Wheels plug away in the gym while prepping for his strongman return. There’s no telling what he might achieve if he continues to make the same progress he has of late. The 2022 Middle East’s Strongest Man will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on August 27-28, 2022.
June is National Get Outdoors Month. Here at MDA, we’re spending the next couple weeks teeing you up to have your best summer yet in the great outdoors with posts to inspire you to get into nature.
Today we’re talking about how to train for backpacking. Let’s start with the most obvious question: what IS backpacking? Backpacking is simply multi-day hiking where you carry all your gear on your back.
Say you’re going out for a day hike carrying water, food, and basic survival gear, but you return to your car the same day you set out. That’s not backpacking.
If you’re trekking across the country, but someone else is sherpaing your gear from one sleeping spot to the next, that’s not backpacking either.
In a nutshell, backpacking is essentially a long hike with more gear and more details to think about because you’ll be spending at least one night—but possibly many more—camping out. I think of backpacking as a kind of endurance sport. As with any endurance sport, you want to train for your event. You probably wouldn’t enter a half-marathon this coming weekend with minimal or no training. You could, but it would hurt a lot less, and your chance of success would be significantly greater, if you took the time to train. Same goes for backpacking.
The good news is, if you already have a solid fitness base, you are well on your way. Now you just need to tailor your training to get ready for your backpacking expedition. The particulars depend on how long you’ll be out there, how much weight you’ll be carrying, your current fitness level, and the type of terrain you’ll encounter. Still, the general principles remain the same. You’ll need to prepare for:
Time on your feet
Carrying weight
Walking over uneven ground
Climbing (going up and down hills, stepping over logs, etc.)
Lower body strength is key, of course, but so are core, upper back, and shoulder strength, ankle and hip strength and mobility, balance, and, of course, stamina. Here’s how to begin.
Training for Backpacking: Getting Started
Let’s start with some general advice before moving on to some specific exercises you can use to prep your body for the adventure ahead.
First and foremost, give yourself enough time to prepare. Make a training plan commensurate with the demands of your trip. Experienced, fit hikers can probably set out on a short one- or two-night outing with minimal training. If you’re mostly sedentary and planning a seven-night thru-hike (point-to-point backpacking trip), you’ll need considerably more lead time—several months or more.
Don’t just focus on strength or endurance. I said it already, but it bears repeating: proper training covers strength, endurance, mobility, and balance. Think about stepping up onto a rock or fallen tree, crossing a river by hopping from one wobbly stone to the next, walking uphill over loose shale. That’s a lot of balancing on one foot and keeping yourself upright as nature and gravity conspire to pull you down. Single-leg exercises, BOSU balls, wobble boards, and the like can be invaluable training tools.
Do at least some of your training in the same gear you plan to use on your trip. Make sure your shoes don’t cause blisters and your sports bra doesn’t chafe. Wear your backpack on shorter hikes.
Try to replicate the environment you’ll encounter. You probably can’t do all your outdoor training in the exact same conditions you’ll encounter during your adventure, especially if you’re traveling to a different part of the world. That’s fine, but do your best to anticipate factors that are likely to impact your experience. If your trip will take you up the side of a mountain, find hills to train on, or plan to do a ton of step-ups at the gym. Do you need to train for hot or cold weather? High altitude? Humidity? The more extreme the environment, the more important it is to prepare accordingly.
Think of yourself as an athlete! It’s easy to get caught up in searching for the best ultralight gear, weighing the pros and cons of various tents and sleeping pads, but your most important piece of equipment is your engine—that’s you! (Part II of this series will talk more about the gear and other considerations.) Remember to test out fueling and hydration during training hikes.
Exercises to Get Ready for Backpacking
The following are a sampling of the types of exercises you can use to get ready for backpacking, but it’s by no means an exhaustive list.
Walking, hiking, rucking
As a dedicated Mark’s Daily Apple reader, I’m sure I don’t need to convince you that walking is awesome, full stop. Spending lots of time on your feet is also one of the most important things you can do to prepare for backpacking. If you haven’t already made a concerted effort to minimize your sitting and incorporate frequent movement and walking throughout the day, now’s the time to start!
You’ll also want to take some of those walks into nature. Voila, now you’re hiking! Carry a weighted pack, and you’re rucking. Rucking in the woods is fantastic, but also throw on the rucksack to stroll around the block or walk your kids to school. (Mark has a dedicated post on rucking coming soon.)
Gradually increase time, distance, and how much weight you carry. Try to hit different terrains—rocky, sandy, muddy, level, steep. These challenge your body in different ways and can be great for strengthening feet and ankles.
Go super Primal during hikes: pick up logs and rocks along the trail, carry them for a while, then put them down. Check out the ideas here.
Primal Essential Movements
This isn’t just a shameless plug, I swear! The Primal Essential Movements, plus variations, are perfect for getting ready for your big backpacking adventure.
Squats
After walking and hiking, squats are probably going to be your biggest ally. Do as many—and as many different types—as you can. Mix in sets of barbell squats, resistance band squats, and goblet squats, to name a few.
Split squats, where one foot is in front of the other in a lunge position, also challenge your balance, so make these a priority, too. Even better, do Bulgarian split squats where your back foot is elevated.
To further challenge your balance, try one-legged pistol squats or squats with one or both feet on an unstable surface like a BOSU.
Push-ups and Pull-ups
Walking for hours at a time carrying a heavy backpack is no joke. Your shoulders, chest, and upper back need to be up to the task.
Working at a computer all day causes tight pecs, rounded shoulders, and forward head posture (aka tech neck). Carrying a pack can exacerbate these issues. This post and this post offer some solutions.
Planks
Core strength is critical for balance and keeping your pelvis and spine in proper alignment. In addition to traditional planks, do side planks and the exercises in this Primal At-home Core workout.
Let me put in a plug here for Pilates, as well. It’s not only great for core strength and mobility, but many of the moves also target various muscles in the upper and lower body. For example, glute bridges are a classic pilates move that is super useful for backpackers.
Step-ups
This is just what it sounds like: stepping up on things. Step up on boxes at the gym or stumps in your backyard. Climb stairs or hit the stairclimber at the gym (just watch your heart rate if you want to keep it aerobic). For some high-intensity work, try Mark’s favorite, the versaclimber.
Once you are ready to add weight, wear a weighted backpack during step-ups for a fantastic workout.
If your expedition involves serious elevation gain, you can use this handy stair elevation calculator to plan some workouts that approximate the feet/meters you need to traverse.
Jumping
Plyometric exercises are incredibly effective and efficient for building strength and stamina, and they’re great for those feet and ankles.
These can include:
Box jumps where you use both feet to jump up on an elevated platform
Ski jumps where you jump laterally (sideways) from one foot to the other
Burpees with a jump at the top
Squat jumps where you lower into a squat and explode upward as you stand
Or any number of alternatives. These videos from the Mark’s Daily Apple YouTube Channel offer tons of ideas:
There’s arguably no better way to target the hamstrings. Make sure you use proper form to avoid straining your back. Avail yourself of the many deadlift variations to keep things interesting—Romanian, sumo, hex bar, kettlebell—and include one-legged deadlifts to once again work on balance and foot and ankle strength.
Hill sprints
We’re obviously huge fans of sprinting around these parts. Sprinting uphill has two distinct advantages for backpacking training: (1) lower risk of injury compared to regular (flat) sprints and (2) extra hill work.
Ok, that’s more than enough to get you started. There’s a good chance you’re already including a number of these moves in your regular workouts, which means you have a good foundation on which to build. I’ll end by mentioning ancestral rest positions. They aren’t exercises per se, but they complement your workouts by building ankle and hip mobility, stretching and strengthening the lower body, and getting you out of that chair, which is doing your body no favors.
That’s it for today. Stay tuned for part II in which we talk gear and more. This post is your sign to get outside today! And let us know in the comments where you like to go hiking and backpacking.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Tom Stoltman has won the 2022 World’s Strongest Man, making him the first champion in six years to win back-to-back titles.
Stoltman dominated his group in the Qualifying rounds, consistently winning first place through all six initial events. Still, he entered the Finals one-and-a-half points behind 2020 WSM winner Oleksii Novikov. Clearly not an insurmountable lead, but Novikov’s early performances during Days Four and Five made Stoltman push hard to achieve victory.
Tom Stoltman’s 2022 Path to Victory
Stoltman and Novikov battled back and forth, trading first and second place finishes throughout the first day of Finals, barring Mitchell Hooper’s surprise win during the KNAACK Giant’s Medley.
In Day Two, Novikov took an initial lead during the Bus Pull with a first place win as Stoltman came in third. However, Novikov gave up ground during the Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs and Stoltman won a dominant first place in the conclusive Atlas Stones to secure his second title without question.
With his first win in 2021, Stoltman became the first competitor representing Scotland to win the title. With his second win in 2022, he became the tenth competitor in the contest’s 45-year history to win multiple titles.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
The 2022 WSM contest ends after three more events in the second, and last, day of Finals. Classic strongman events, raw strength, and deep willpower were the highlights of the exciting day.
Oleksii Novikov came into the day with a narrow two-point lead over last year’s champion Tom Stoltman, putting them in the most likely contention for the top spot. Licis, Mitchell, and Hooper were close behind in a tough battle to make the podium. Shaw, Luke Stoltman, Boudreault, Rheaume, and Melsted continued to battle for points despite not having any clear path to victory.
2022 WSM Finals Leaderboard
Rank
Name
Points
1
Tom Stoltman — United Kingdom
53.5
2
Martins Licis — USA
43
3
Oleksii Novikov — Ukraine
43
4
Brian Shaw — USA
37.5
5
Maxime Boudreault — Canada
34.5
6
Trey Mitchell — USA
34
7
Luke Stoltman — United Kingdom
30.5
8
Mitchell Hooper — Canada
30
9
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — Iceland
13
10
Gabriel Rheaume — Canada
11
2022 WSM Day Five Results
The Bus Pull, Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs, and Atlas Stones were the contestants final chances to rise through the ranks and work toward victory. The results would shake up the finalists to determine the eventual winner.
Bus Pull Results
The bus pull is one of the more visually impressive events in any WSM contest. This year, competitors were harnessed to a Sacramento transit bus, weighing 40,000 pounds, and pulled the vehicle down the length of the 30-meter (98-foot) course as quickly as possible.
Mitchell Hooper put up a respectable time, considering it was his first-ever vehicle pulling event, but Novikov turned in yet another dominant performance to secure a win for the round. Four-time WSM champion Brian Shaw’s fourth place finish in this crucial event all-but-ensured he wouldn’t see his fifth title this year, as the overall points gap became too large.
Oleksii Novikov — 0:41.51s
Martins Licis — 0:42.18s
Tom Stoltman — 0:44.50s
Brian Shaw — 0:44.69s
Trey Mitchell — 0:45.72s
Luke Stoltman — 0:47.00s
Maxime Boudreault — 0:47.20s
Mitchell Hooper — 0:49.24s
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 0:51.32s
Gabriel Rheaume — 0:53.22s
Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs
In this grip and lower-body intensive event, competitors needed to lift three 226-kilogram (500-pound) blocks up three large steps in the shortest time. One block on one step counted as a single rep, for a total of nine potential reps.
Maxime Boudreault won the event with maximum reps in the shortest time, but despite the strong effort remained in the lower half of the leaderboard. 2021 WSM champion Tom Stoltman came in second, tackling all nine steps just seconds shy of Boudreault, and topped the leaderboard.
Stoltman’s closest contender, Novikov, placed a surprising seventh in the stairs by only completing six reps, which put his ultimate victory in question.
Maxime Boudreault — 9 reps in 0:39.07s
Tom Stoltman — 9 reps in 0:41.04s
Martins Licis — 9 reps in 0:44.50s
Brian Shaw — 8 reps in 1:09.03s
Mitchell Hooper — 7 reps in 0:32.36s
Luke Stoltman — 7 reps in 0:59.47s
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 6 reps in 0:35.78s
Oleksii Novikov — 6 reps in 0:34.20s
Trey Mitchell — 6 reps in 1:10.22s
Gabriel Rheaume — 5 reps in 0:35.78s
Atlas Stones
In one of the quintessential strongman events, contestants loaded increasingly heavier stones onto a platform. Defending champ Tom Stoltman must’ve felt the pressure to perform as he turned in a dominating performance, loading all five stones in just over 25 seconds.
With an apparent upset, Novikov came in last in this final event, surrendering precious points and deflating any chance at winning the competition.
Tom Stoltman — 5 reps in 0:25.76s
Maxime Boudreault — 5 reps in 0:28.04s
Trey Mitchell — 5 reps in 0:33.06s
Brian Shaw — 5 reps in 0:39.29s
Martins Licis — 5 reps in 0:45.74s
Luke Stoltman — 4 reps in 0:25.78s
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 4 reps in 0:28.87s
Gabriel Rheaume — 4 reps in 0:33.55s
Mitchell Hooper — 4 reps in 0:33.78s
Oleksii Novikov — 4 reps in 0:36.70s
The 2022 World’s Strongest Man Is…
After the final three events, Tom Stoltman is the 2022 World’s Strongest Man winner, taking his second consecutive title. Oleksii Novikov began the day strong and seemed to have a victorious clinch by mid-day, but the defending champion Stoltman capitalized on his final effort to secure the title.
Featured image: Joe Martinez/World’s Strongest Man
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Three full days of Qualifying rounds and a much-needed rest day have led to Day Four of the 2022 WSM contest and Day One of Finals on Saturday, May 28.
The Top 10 competitors are a highly competitive field including 2021 champion Tom Stoltman, three former champions — Oleksii Novikov, Martins Licis, and Brian Shaw — Maxime Boudreault, Luke Stoltman, Trey Mitchell, Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted, with Mitchell Hooper and Gabriel Rheaume both making their WSM debuts.
Here’s where the field stands after three big events.
2022 WSM Finals Leaderboard
Rank
Name
Points
1
Oleksii Novikov — Ukraine
28
2
Tom Stoltman — United Kingdom
26.5
3
Martins Licis — USA
20
4
Mitchell Hooper — Canada
19
5
Trey Mitchell — USA
18
6
Brian Shaw — USA
16.5
7
Luke Stoltman — United Kingdom
15.5
8
Maxime Boudreault — Canada
11.5
9
Gabriel Rheaume — Canada
6
10
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — Iceland
4
2022 WSM Day Four Results
Competitors entered the first day of Finals in their chance to secure a grasp on the title. While each Qualifying round tested two events per day, the Finals will push the competitors harder with three events each day, beginning with the KNAACK Giant’s Medley, Deadlift, and Flintstone Barbell.
KNAACK Giant’s Medley Results
The competitors were challenged with carrying two separate KNAACK-sponsored industrial tool storage lockers, each filled with 125 kilograms (276 pounds), on a trip halfway down a 20-meter (66-foot) course and back to the start. Competitors then had to immediately carry a 455kg (1,000-pound) yoke through the full course. As a medley, the entire event was performed to achieve the quickest time.
After the event, Brian Shaw was heard joking that the 1,000-pound yoke was “too light” — something only a four-time WSM champ could say.
Mitchell Hooper — 0:21.96s
Tom Stoltman — 0:24.75s
Oleksii Novikov — 0:24.84s
Luke Stoltman — 0:28.72s
Martins Licis — 0:30.60s
Brian Shaw — 0:30.78s
Trey Mitchell — 0:32.54s
Gabriel Rheaume — 0:33.87s
Maxime Boudreault — 0:34.11s
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 0:37.61s
Deadlift
The finalists performed arguably the most relatable event for spectators — a 360kg (794-pound) deadlift for maximum reps in 75 seconds.
Oleksii Novikov put up a commanding performance, ignoring a simple nosebleed, to win the event with a solid 15 reps.
For the first time in years, the Flintstone barbell made its return to the WSM contest. Lifters pressed increasingly heavier bars loaded with primitive stones rather than weight plates. The weights progressed 175kg (385 pounds), 190kg (420 pounds), 200kg (440 pounds), 212kg (470 pounds), 221kg (490 pounds), and finally 230kg (510 pounds).
Lifters had the option of pressing behind the neck or from the front rack position. Luke Stoltman set a world record as the first lifter to perform a 212kg (470 pound) Flintstone barbell press, breaking the 210kg (463 pound) record set by Gary Taylor in the 1995 WSM contest. Records continued to fall as the event proceeded.
In an unexpected turn of events, organizers needed to add extra rounds to continue testing competitors. A 240kg (530-pound) bar was added , followed by a 245kg (540 pound) bar to determine the winner. Oleksii Novikov put up another dominant performance for the day, showing his determination to drive towards the title.
Oleksii Novikov — 8 stones
Tom Stoltman — 7 stones
Martins Licis — 6 stones
Luke Stoltman — 4 stones
Brian Shaw — 4 stones
Trey Mitchell — 4 stones
Maxime Boudreault — 4 stones
Mitchell Hooper — 3 stones
Gabriel Rheaume — 2 stones
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 2 stones
The Finals Proceed
With only one day remaining, the competitors’ opportunities to push forward are narrowing. Tomorrow’s events are WSM staples — the Bus Pull, the Reign Total Body Fuel Stairs, and the epic Atlas stones. Once they’re completed, the World’s Strongest Man will take the title.
Featured image: Joe Martinez/World’s Strongest Man
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
The bench press is seen as the go-to chest exercise by many lifters looking to build a well-rounded set of pecs, but it has some limitations. Most significantly, it’s not actually a “chest” exercise. It’s a “chest, shoulders, and triceps” exercise because it’s a compound (multi-joint) movement and it lacks the ability to effectively target a single muscle.
This is where isolation (single-joint) exercises can shine. The dumbbell flye is one of the most efficient exercises to really zero in on the chest. It emphasizes development of your pecs while creating less overall demand and lower general fatigue in other muscles. Here’s why you should add this bodybuilding staple to your chest workout.
The dumbbell flye’s range of motion moves the weights further away from your body’s midline, which allows gravity to deliver an even greater challenge to the muscle in the eccentric (lowering) portion of the lift.
Step 1 — Set Up On the Bench
Credit: lunamarina / Shutterstock
Lie on a flat bench while bringing a pair of dumbbells to your chest with bent arms, tucking your elbows to your sides. Keep your feet flat on the floor, set slightly wider than your hips. Press the weights above your chest with your palms facing each other. Keep your head in contact with the bench.
Slightly bend your arms. Retract your shoulder blades by pinching them together and maintain this position throughout each rep.
Form Tip: Before beginning each rep, take one or two seconds to “reset” in the top position and make sure that your body is properly in place.
Step 2 — Lower the Weights into a Stretch
Credit: Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock
Because this is a flye, not a press, keep your elbows at a consistent angle throughout the movement. Slowly lower the dumbbells out to the side until your arms are parallel with the floor and your palms are facing up.
Your elbows should end up in line with your shoulders. Pause briefly in the bottom position to significantly stretch your pecs.
Form Tip: The bottom position of the flye is where most injuries occur because your joints are naturally most vulnerable due to poor leverage. It is important to remain stable by driving your feet into the ground to increase your stability. Managing your breathing can also help. Hold your breath as you lower the weight, breathe out as you bring the weight back up, and inhale before lowering the weight again.
Step 3 — Lift the Weights to Full Contraction
Credit: Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock
With your abs and upper back muscles engaged and your lower body driving into the ground, think about pulling your elbows and upper arms across your chest.
Be sure to keep your arms at a consistent angle. If they’re bending and straightening excessively, you’re using your triceps, not your chest, to move the weight.
Form Tip: As you return to the top, imagine that you are giving someone a bear hug. This motion will help to keep your arms and shoulders in a good position and it helps to fully shorten the pecs as you reach the top position.
Dumbbell Flye Mistakes to Avoid
The dumbbell flye takes some concentration to yield maximum benefits. This also means it is incredibly important to nail the technical component in order to minimize the risk of injuries occurring.
Lifting With Your Arms
One of the most common mistakes is turning the dumbbell flye into the dumbbell bench press. While the press can be an effective exercise on its own, it recruits additional muscles at the expense of chest emphasis.
Credit: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock
Bending your arms will reduce overall tension on the chest muscle, preventing the flye from stimulating maximum muscle growth.
Avoid It: Maintain a slightly bent arm throughout the entire exercise. In the bottom position, your hands should be extended away from your shoulders, not near your shoulder in a pressing position.
Lack of Stability
Some lifters will leave their legs completely relaxed, pointed on their toes, or raised completely in the air. This de-stabilizes your body and makes you less effective at performing this exercise due to a lack of stability from the ground up.
Credit: BLACKDAY / Shutterstock
When your body is unstable, your muscles cannot produce sufficient force or maintain muscular tension. This creates a poor stimulus for growth.
Avoid It: Your legs allow you to create a base of support for more total-body stability during each rep. This means that you will be able to create more tension on the target muscle and use slightly more weight. Stay flat-footed and drive your feet into the ground during the rep.
Lifting Too Fast or Too Heavy
This mistake is more often associated with people new to training and have not yet mastered flye technique or those who rush through reps and use careless technique.
Credit: Slatan / Shutterstock
General poor form, excessively fast reps, or heavy weights can all lead to a significant amount of strain at the shoulder and elbow joints. This can also occur when the arms are locked straight during the exercise.
Avoid it: Keeping your elbows softly bent from start to finish. If the weight is too heavy, your arms will instinctively bend too much to shift the weight. Taking a brief pause in the top position can slow down your reps and ensure your form stays on point.
Benefits of the Dumbbell Flye
The dumbbell flye is unique because it allows you to challenge the pecs significantly through the eccentric portion of each rep, making the muscle contract harder in a stretched position.
Credit: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock
The dumbbell flye puts the chest under a significant stretch, followed by an intense contraction. That’s a winning combination for muscle growth.
Challenging The Lengthened Range
The dumbbell flye triggers muscular growth by emphasizing tension on the pecs in the stretched position. Taking two to three seconds to lower the weight will challenge the muscle in the lengthened range, which may lead to increased muscle protein synthesis. (1)
This is in contrast to exercises which are more challenging in the contracted range, such as a pec-deck machine or cable crossover.
Muscles Worked by the Dumbbell Flye
As an isolation exercise, the dumbbell flye focuses maximum tension on just one muscle — the chest. Several smaller muscles are recruited as well, but not as a primary mover.
Credit: ALL best fitness is HERE / Shutterstock
Some lifters de-prioritize isolation exercises like the dumbbell flye and overfocus on multi-joint movements. That approach can create lagging muscle groups which are under-trained because multiple body parts are constantly working without regard to balanced development.
Chest
The pectoralis major covers the entire chest. Its two heads, the sternal (mid-chest) and the clavicular (upper chest) are both recruited during the exercise. One of the functions of the pecs is to adduct the upper arm — bringing the upper arm toward the body’s centerline — which is exactly the movement performed during the flye.
Anterior Deltoids
The front muscle of the shoulder, the anterior delt, is the muscle that assists the pecs in performing the flye motion. If you feel your delts are being worked more than your pecs, decrease the weight and focus on feeling the chest muscles contract and stretch, while your shoulder stabilizes the weights. Also focus on keeping your palms facing up. Don’t allow your hands to rotate during the movement.
Biceps
While your delts assist your pecs, the biceps are also engaged and put under tension due to the slightly bent arm position. The biceps work to maintain elbow position and stabilize your lower arm (and the dumbbell) during the movement.
The biceps are worked statically because you should not be curling the weight during a dumbbell flye.
Who Should Do the Dumbbell Flye
The dumbbell flye is a classic muscle-building exercise. Any lifter looking to maximize their chest development should be implementing the movement into their programming. Due to the extended arm position and unfavorable leverages, the exercise is not well-suited to move heavy weights safely.
Physique Enthusiasts
This type of isolation exercise will assist in developing muscle size and symmetry of the pecs. The dumbbell flye allows the pecs to work with minimal involvement of other muscles, making it an effective way to emphasize the chest.
How to Program the Dumbbell Flye
To prioritize muscle growth, the dumbbell flye should be programmed as a secondary exercise after your main chest pressing. It can also be used as a finisher at the end of the workout to completely fatigue the muscle fibers recruited during the session.
Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetition
Using a standard bodybuilding approach of three to four sets in the six to 12 rep range will assist in driving up training volume for the pecs, which plays a significant role in building muscle. (2).
Low Weight, High Repetition
Using a lighter weight for two to three sets in the 13 to 20 rep range is a great way to practice dumbbell flye technique, especially when you first incorporate it into your routine. This approach will still allow an overall increase in training volume, encouraging muscle growth.
Dumbbell Flye Variations
Below are two variations that you can swap into your workouts once you’ve mastered standard dumbbell flyes. While the exercises are still very similar in nature, the subtle differences in body positioning, range of motion, and muscle recruitment can continue to improve pec development.
Dumbbell Foam Roller Flye
Lying on a foam roller instead of a flat bench can improve your ability to retract your shoulder blades into the foam roller itself, because the roller is more narrow than the bench, which permits the shoulder blades to move more freely.
Because the foam roller is round and may want to move beneath your body, it forces you to use more control during the exercise, which can help to keep your shoulders healthy and safe.
Incline Dumbbell Flye
Using a bench set at an inclined angle will shift the focus of the stretch to the clavicular (upper pec) head of the chest.
Although the range of motion at the shoulder joint will be slightly less than the flat bench because the arms move at a different angle, it is still important to work through the active range of motion in which you can maintain tension on the pecs. Lower the weight as far as possible without aggressively stretching the chest and shoulders, and lift to a full contraction.
Dumbbell Flye Alternatives
Some lifters may be unable to perform dumbbell flyes, either due to mobility issues, joint pain, or other individualized factors. There are several alternatives that will similarly strengthen and build your chest.
Cable Crossovers
The cable crossover, or standing cable flye, is the same single-joint movement pattern as the dumbbell flye with two major differences. First, the cable pulley system can be adjusted to varying heights and a variety of arm positions can be used. These slight differences allow “customization” of the movement to accommodate shoulder mobility issues.
Secondly, the cable machine doesn’t rely on gravity or leverage like a dumbbell flye, so it applies constant tension to the chest throughout every part of the rep. This tension also allows you to increase the range of motion by crossing your hands over each other in the contracted position, which can help you to feel the muscle working more, and understand how to fully engage your pecs on any exercise.
Pec-Deck
The “notorious” pec-deck machine is a staple in any commercial gym, but frequent misuse has built its unfair reputation as a shoulder-killer. This dumbbell flye alternative reduces the need for total-body stability due to the seated and supported position.
However, this added support does not mean you can overload the movement with heavy weights. The pec-deck is best used to finish off the chest muscles after you have already completed your primary lifts.
FAQs
What should I do if my shoulder hurts when I perform this exercise?
Stop performing the exercise immediately. If you feel pain or discomfort during a movement, do not “soldier on” and push through pain to finish your set.
Pain may not necessarily mean you have an injury, but it could be a warning sign and might actually highlight some areas of weakness which could turn into bigger issues if left unaddressed. Consulting with a medical professional is a good idea.
Can I use dumbbell flyes in every chest workout?
You could, because it’s an effective and direct chest-training exercise. However, to stimulate overall pec development and avoid stagnation, it can be more effective to rotate variations of the flye regularly. Change the movement every eight to 12 weeks or whenever you feel you cannot continue safely progressing in weight.
Flyes for Size
The bench press might be the meat and potatoes of many chest workouts, but dumbbell flyes are an essential isolation exercise when you’re after a more muscular chest. The often-overlooked isolation exercise makes it easier to crank up the pec-training volume with focused precision.
References
Schoenfeld, Brad MSc, CSCS The Use of Specialized Training Techniques to Maximize Muscle Hypertrophy, Strength and Conditioning Journal: August 2011 – Volume 33 – Issue 4 – p 60-65 doi: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3182221ec2
Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., Grgic, J., Delcastillo, K., Belliard, R., & Alto, A. (2019). Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
After a thrilling, competitive Qualifying Round of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM), there are 10 athletes left standing.
Entering Thursday, May 26, 2022, some of the respective top contenders, like defending champion Tom Stoltman and former WSM Champion Oleksii Novikov (2020), already had a spot in the Finals. The debut of the Wrecking Ball Hold and the intense Stone Off would determine the other half of the remaining field on Day Three.
Here’s where the overall leaderboard stands after the conclusion of the Qualifying Round, a short recap of Thursday’s events, and an overview of the 10 finalists for the 2022 WSM Finals this weekend.
2022 WSM Leaderboard — Day Three/End of Qualifying
Rank
Name
Points
Group 1
1
Tom Stoltman — United Kingdom
25
2
Kevin Faires — USA
24
3
Gabriel Rheaume — Canada
20
4
Aivars Smaukstelis — Latvia
15
5
Andy Black — United Kingdom
12
6
Manuel Angulo — Chile
6
Group 2
1
Mitchell Hooper — Canada
23.5
2
Bobby Thompson — USA
22
3
Brian Shaw — USA
17.5
4
Mark Felix — Canada
15
5
Konstantine Janashia — Georgia
13
6
Gabriel Pena — Mexico
13
Group 3
1
Oleksii Novikov — Ukraine
24.5
2
Trey Mitchell — USA
21.5
3
Adam Bishop — United Kingdom
18
4
Rob Kearney — USA
15
5
Grzegorz Szymanski — Poland
13
6
Mika Törrö — Finland
13
Group 4
1
Martins Licis — USA
25.5
2
Maxime Boudreault — Canada
23
3
Pavlo Kordiyaka — Ukraine
21.5
4
Gavin Bilton — United Kingdom
17
5
Nedžmin Ambešković — Bosnia and Herzegovina
9
6
Shane Flowers — United Kingdom (withdrawn)
6
Group 5
1
Luke Stoltman — United Kingdom
23
2
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — Iceland
20
3
Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf — France
18
4
Kelvin De Ruiter — Netherlands
116.5
5
Evan Singleton — USA
14.5
6
Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — Greenland
11
2022 WSM Day Three Results
As noted, some of the competitors entered the third day of the competition already having locked up a spot in the Finals. That meant Day Three’s events were more about the rest of the field trying to find points to secure their spots. The Wrecking Ball Hold and Stone Off stood in their way.
Wrecking Ball Hold
This static strength event made its first appearance in a WSM competition. It’s a test of grip strength, as well as total-body endurance. The athletes had to hold a 228-kilogram (500-pound) bare wrecking ball for as long as they could.
Group 1
Kevin Faires — 1:35.18s
Andy Black — 1:26.92s
Gabriel Rhéaume — 1:24.10s
Manuel Angulo — 1:11.66s
Aivars Šmaukstelis — 0:57.44s
Tom Stoltman — 0:04.63s
Group 2
Mark Felix — 2:20.49s
Bobby Thompson — 1:21.33s
Brian Shaw — 1:06.13s
Konstantine Janashia — 1:01.38s
Gabriel Peña — 0:48.27s
Mitchell Hooper — 0:06.40s
Group 3
Trey Mitchell — 2:06.46s
Mika Törrö — 1:53.17s
Grzegorz Szymanski — 1:46.49s
Oleksii Novikov — 1:38.63s
Adam Bishop — 1:31.35s
Rob Kearney — 1:01.95s
Group 4
Maxime Boudreault — 1:33.93s
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 1:31.33s
Martins Licis — 1:25.63s
Nedžmin Ambešković — 1:12.47s
Gavin Bilton — 1:07.15s
Shane Flowers — Withdrawn
Group 5
Kelvin De Ruiter — 1:45.65s
Evan Singleton — 1:40.34s
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 1:03.42s
Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf — 1:00.70s
Kim Ujarak — 0:36.24s
Luke Stoltman — No time completed
Notably, Mark Felix set a world record when he held the ball for 2:20.49. Trey Mitchell pitched in a more-than-solid 2:06.46.
Stone Off
In their last chance to clinch a spot in the Finals, the competitors went head-to-head with someone from their Qualifying Group in the Stone Off. They lifted six stones — 150 kilograms (330 pounds), two stones at 160 kilograms (353 pounds), two stones at 180 kilograms (397 pounds), and ended with 200 kilograms (440 pounds). To complete the challenge, the last stone was lifted for as many reps as possible until one competitor failed.
One of the more unique situations entering the Stone Off was Brian Shaw, who needed to win in order to qualify for a record-setting 14th WSM Finals and reach for a record-setting fifth title. Shaw ended up defeating Bobby Thompson and moved forward to potential history. Gabriel Rheaume, Maxime Boudreault, Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted, and Mitchell rounded out the other winners who qualified for the Finals thanks to their Stone Off performance.
Group 1
Kevin Faires
Gabriel Rheaume — Winner
Group 2
Bobby Thompson
Brian Shaw — Winner
Group 3
Trey Mitchell — Winner
Adam Bishop
Group 4
Maxime Boudreault — Winner
Pavlo Kordiyaka
Group 5
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – Winner
Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf
The Finals Lie Ahead
Now that the Qualifying Round is over, the complete list of finalists for the 2022 WSM is: 2021 WSM Champion Tom Stoltman, 2020 WSM Champion Oleksii Novikov, 2019 WSM champion Martins Licis, four-time WSM champion Brian Shaw (2011, 2013, 2015-2016), Maxime Boudreault, Mitchell Hooper, Trey Mitchell, Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted, Gabriel Rheaume, and Luke Stoltman.
Friday will present a good break for the competitors before starting the latter half of the competition. The first round of the Finals will take place on Saturday, May 28, 2022. It features the KNAACK Giant’s Medley, which is similar to the Loading Race, the Deadlift, and the Flintstone barbell, where the athletes will press a barbell loaded with giant stones.
Soon enough, the strongest man on the planet will be crowned.
Featured image: Joe Martinez/World’s Strongest Man
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Chris “CBum” Bumstead is smack dab in the middle of his off-season, but that doesn’t mean he’s not testing his body in the gym every chance he gets. The bodybuilder is pursuing his fourth straight Classic Physique Olympia title (2019-2021) and seems deadset on that mission. On May 25, 2022, Bumstead shared a video on his YouTube channel that saw him challenge his chest and shoulders.
At the same time as Bumstead pushed it in training, he sandwiched in an ongoing full-day Q&A for his fans and channel subscribers. Overall, it’s a comprehensive, personable look into the thought process of one of bodybuilding’s elite.
Bumstead’s Chest and Shoulder Workout
Bumstead wastes no time diving into his training, noting that these lifts are more about maintenance as his chest strength is slowly coming back.
Dumbbell Chest Press
Bumstead elects to go heavy with a traditional flat dumbbell press to start his session. After a few (unfilmed) working sets, he notes that his top set (or the set highest in intensity) was with 150-pound dumbbells in each hand.
“Life is good, but I have to prove it. Pics or it didn’t happen.”
Flat Chest Machine Press
After taking a short breather with his warmup lift, Bumstead hops onto a flat chest machine for more presses. There appear to be three weight plates on both ends, but Bumstead otherwise doesn’t disclose the total weight or the number of sets.
Notably, Bumstead punctuates this lift with an answer to a question about any potential retirement in the near future. In a possible twist, the bodybuilder says he hasn’t made any plans beyond 2022 and December’s upcoming Mr. Olympia. Though, that could be more him not thinking too far ahead yet rather than an allusion to any pending decision.
“If it goes well and I’m happy and healthy, I could do it again,” Bumstead says. “But if I’m miserable and I hate it, and I think ‘why the [expletive] am I doing this to myself?’ and I’m done and that wasn’t worth it, then I’ll probably be over it.”
Cable Chest Flye
After discussing part of his future, Bumstead shifts to a cable machine and continues to round out his pectoral muscles with some cable chest flyes. When done, an online fan asks him about his training and recovery cycle.
CBum breaks it down as succinctly as possible.
“Rest and sleep and eat; there’s no secret answer to this,” Bumstead notes. “Be conscious of not overtraining. I know that word’s [overtraining] kind of [expletive], but it can be real. If you’re training hard every day, you’re probably not going to sleep great, and you’re probably not going to recover.”
The latter sleep note seems to be of paramount importance for Bumstead, and he reiterates the point.
“So, at the top of my priority list is getting rest days in consistently, like two a week,” Bumstead says. “Equally tied in importance is sleep. I need to get eight hours of sleep, minimum. Sleep is so crucial for growth as a bodybuilder.”
Research backs up Bumstead’s sleep assertion. One study maintained that athletes with even small amounts of sleep deprivation saw markedly negative effects on their strength, endurance, and general well-being. (1)
Bumstead pivots to the shoulder-focused portion of his workout, beginning with cable lateral raises to warm up and pre-exhaust the muscle. Afterward, Bumstead diagrams whether he’ll shift any part of his approach for the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
He doesn’t mince his words.
“Everything, be better, everything but being better,” Bumstead says. “For real, I’m just going to apply what I [expletive] up last year because my body was a little different and be more adjustable this year.”
Bumstead is honest, saying he thinks he needs to let his body and mind rest more than before.
“Last year, I buried myself in a hole,” Bumstead says. “I was doing two hours of cardio, 1,5oo calories, my body was stressed, my mind was stressed, and I wasn’t losing weight. So this year, I’m not letting my mind get there. I’m going to be more relaxed. I’m going to allow myself more time… I’ll start prep earlier.”
Shoulder Machine Press
To finish the session, Bumstead pumps out a few heavy sets on a shoulder press machine with what appears to be four plates on both sides. In what could certainly be an essential discussion for bodybuilders and other strength sports athletes alike, Bumstead then tells a fan how he deals with “mental burnout.”
“Mental burnout just comes from giving yourself the balance at the very least amount that you need it,” Bumstead says. “Personally, I burn myself the [expletive] out every year until the [Mr.] Olympia, but I know that after I can take two months off. So that’s kind of lucky for me.”
While Bumstead outlines his apparent fortune by taking breaks, he knows that’s not possible for everyone, and he offers some sage advice in return.
“But for the average person who doesn’t have one day a year where they have to be 100 percent for, and they crash it right after, you kind of have to find your own balances,” Bumstead continues. “You better find one or two weekends where you just shut off. Leave your phone behind. You’d be surprised what solitude can do to your mind to reset.”
Much of what Bumstead posts on his YouTube channel these days has a connection to the Mr. Olympia. The 2022 edition of the contest will place on December 15-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV. At the time of this writing, it’s still 29 weeks away, giving Bumstead plenty of time to reap benefits from those mental and physical shifts in his training.
References:
Vitale, K.C., Owens, R., Hopkins, S.R., Malhotra, A. (2019). Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations. International Journal of Sports and Exercise Medicine. 2019 Aug; 40(8): 535–543.
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