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Revolved Side Angle Pose (Parivrtta Parsvakonasana) – Benefits, Mistakes, and Variations
Revolved side angle pose parivrtta parsvakonasana displays a multiple-phase technique that combines a static lunge, core strength, hip hinge, and upper body rotation. Nearly a fully functional pose, it also requires lots of stability, a powerful center and pelvic floor, patience, and awareness, rooting down through the ground, and redirecting energy towards the sky.
Don’t be intimidated as a block, and form modifications are allowed if you don’t yet have the capabilities to perform a full-on revolved side angle pose. It’s a pre-requisite position for more advanced versions such as bound, which is demonstrated below.
In this guide, you’ll learn the benefits, common mistakes, and variations of revolved side angle pose parivrtta parsvakonasana.
Muscles Involved Parivrtta Parsvakonasana
The revolves side angle pose is a multi-muscle pose, requiring contribution from the entire body. While we can’t name every small muscle in the human anatomy, you can have an idea of the primary muscles that make this pose possible.
Legs – First and foremost we can see that the legs take much of the load, statically contracting in a lunge position at the commencement of the technique, although they’re less tensed during the heart of the pose.
Core – Made for bending movements, you’ll need a flexible torso, as well as functional obliques to perform the twisting component of the revolved side angle pose.
Arms and delts – The triceps, delts, and even the chest muscles, to a lesser degree help form a stable, unmovable base to support proper alignment, and upper body performance. A strong foundation is everything!
Pelvic floor muscles – Found between the tailbone and pelvis, these muscles support healthy functioning of the bladder, and bowels, as well as the vagina and uterus. Preventing incontinence, and playing a much appreciated role in sexual function, many can benefit from doing exercises that strengthens these muscles.
Back – The back is a major area containing several muscles that contribute to unique functions involving the rear torso, head, neck, shoulders, arms, and even legs. Each phase of revolved side angle pose requires performance from the upper posterior chain.
How to Do Revolved Side Angle Pose Parivrtta Parsvakonasana
Target muscles: Pelvic floor, legs, core, shoulders
Type: Yoga
Equipment: Yoga mat, block
Difficulty: Intermediate
While it’s tempting to replicate without prior knowledge, there are several connecting parts, and cues that go into perfecting the revolved side angle pose. As a result, we included chronological steps, and a master level video demonstration if you prefer to see the process.
Note: The provided video tutorial is short and sweet, getting right to the pose, however, we recommend easing into it by going through a proper warmup routine, rather than jumping right in. Therefore, it’s not the ideal beginner pose for someone without much experience in similar postures.
Steps
Assume a wide split leg stance with the left heel near the back of the mat and the right foot roughly four feet in front of the left foot near the front of the mat. Keep both feet pointed forward in the same direction.
Raise the left arm vertical overhead with the fingers pointed at the ceiling and rotate the shoulder inward to create length.
Exhale, bend the front (right) leg and slowly lower into a lunge, then bend the back knee and bring it down to the ground.
Tuck and pull the tailbone in to round the lower back, then bring the left shoulder onto the outside of the right leg, with the rear deltoid pressing onto the front of the knee.
If you can, place your left hand on the floor to the outside of your right foot with fingers facing the same direction as your toes.
Then straighten the back leg out, and bring your left foot flat on the floor for stability. Press the right knee and left arm together.
Twist from the floor, and turn your upper body clockwise, while moving the head with it.
Now extend the right arm back behind your head, exposing your right armpit, with your hand open and palm facing down to the floor, and the outer hand angled slightly down. Keep the tailbone tucked.
Breath in, feeling length in the spine, and exhale, deepening the twist. Stay for roughly five breaths and maintain a strong technique, keeping the right leg and left shoulder solidly pressed together.
To repeat on the opposite side, fix your gaze on the floor for balance, stabilize the hips and pelvis, and press up from the legs.
Then in a fluid movement, turn your feet in the opposite direction, while moving the arms in a windmill motion until the left arm is down by your left side, and the right arm is extended overhead.
The you’ll repeat all of the prior steps to do the same thing on this side.
While it’s possible to perform an exercise via following written instructions, we also included the video demonstration for visual learners.
Tips
We recommend using a yoga mat to protect your knees and prevent slipping.
If it’s too difficult to place your hand on the floor, use a yoga block to shorten the distance.
While revolved side angle pose is usually performed with the back foot flat on the floor, you can stay on your toes is the former is too challenging.
Take your time, and feel each step of the pose, making sense of the movements and muscles that take you from one position to the next.
Make sure to deep breathe in and out.
It’s acceptable to get some rounding in the back.
If you’d like a more detailed demonstration of revolved side angle pose, including a more extensive warmup process (Recommended), we included one for you courtesy of Yoga With Adriene.
6 Benefits of Revolved Side Angle Pose Parivrtta Parsvakonasana
Learning about the potential benefits of a pose can be as exciting as learning the technique itself. Especially postures that help to strengthen the sexual pelvic floor muscles! These are our favorite benefits of the revolved side angle pose.
Strengthen your joints
Weight bearing exercises strengthen muscles as well as the joints, and the revolved side angle pose asks a lot from the knees and ankles as your weight shifts onto the front leg, both during the initial lunge, and the remaining phases. But it’s best left to those with healthy and strong joints.
Reinforces your pelvic floor and get sexual benefits
We know we caught your attention with this one… and yes, you’ll be happy to know that there could be sexual benefits from performing the side angle pose. In this stance, you’ll double down on the (sphincter) muscles that help control your urinal flow, bowel movements, and the pleasurable feelings during sex (1). But don’t worry, you can still do your kegals…
A functional pose
We can say for a fact that side angle pose strengthens balance, flexibility, stability, mobility, coordination, and mental strength. You need to be patient, aware, and focused to get down into this posture, maintain proper alignment, and then come out of it, and smoothly transition to the same technique on the opposite side.
Opens chest and shoulders
An added benefit is that we get to stretch out the chest and shoulders. Many of us spend a lot of time sitting, hunched over which can cause problems in our anterior torso, like thoracic outlet syndrome. We can’t stress how imperative it is to routinely stretch and open up the chest, and shoulder muscles.
Reduce stress and improve digestion
Without a doubt, stress reduction supports a healthy digestive system. Yoga is one method of meditative practice that’s as good for the mind as it is the body. Both due to the belly breathing which stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, and doing a routine that requires, patience, focus, and diverts attention away from common daily stressors.
Build stamina
It takes stamina and endurance to remain in a lunge, and then incorporate a strong twist and overhead arm action. You can burn a few additional calories in the process, which could contribute to your weight loss journey.
Common Mistakes
Try to avoid these habits that make for a less productive technique.
Bending the front knee
The front knee should remain over the ankle, and not moved forward past the toes. Once you’re setup in a lunge, fortify that position, ground down, stabilize your pelvis, and establish a strong base.
Compressing your torso
Upon establishing the shoulder into the knee, you can have roundness in the back. But the twist should create length in the spine and open up the chest and shoulders. Think of stacking the shoulders, and creating a straight line through both arms.
Variations of Revolved Side Angle Pose Parivrtta Parsvakonasana
Try these crazy good variations, including several assisted versions and more challenging techniques to help you wring (pun intended) out more benefits with the revolved side angle poses.
Knee down
While the front foot is planted for support, you have the option to keep the rear knee on the ground or extend the leg. The latter is more difficult especially combining the twist, and it’s a real challenge for the pelvis. Leave the knee down to help assist you, train the twist there, then when you’re ready try to do it with a straight back leg.
Heel lifted
Placing less pressure on the knee, and also making the exercise is a little easier, like the knee down variation, stay on your toes, rather than dropping your back foot flat on the floor.
With a yoga block
We always recommend having a yoga block handy, because it’s light weight, soft, and so useful in training range of motion. It’s perfectly reasonable to use a block to help you progress and gently stretch deeper into poses.
Revolved triangle pose
The revolved triangle pose is similar in many ways to the revolved side angle technique, except the leg are straight and hips open, whereas the latter is closed hip.
Steps
Assume a similar stance to trikonasana poses with the right lead foot pointed to the back of the mat, and the back foot facing left, and slightly inward at a 45-degree angle.
Reach the left arm up to the sky, then square the hips toward the right foot.
Stretch your left arm forward while turning toward the right foot, and bring the left hand down on the floor to the right side of your right foot. Tip: Use a yoga block if you cannot reach all the way down to the floor.
Now shift your weight onto the back foot, and drop the left side of the hip down as you reach the right arm to the sky, and pull the shoulders back. Draw your gaze up to the right thumb. Tip: Use the left hand on the floor to help pull the left shoulder underneath for more rotation.
Stay for five deep breaths.
To come out, rotate your chest toward the floor.
Now from here, lift the left arm up while bringing the right arm down in a sort of windmill motion. Try to transition into an opposite side stance by changing the direction of your feet.
Then perform the same steps but now for the opposite side.
To leave the pose, inhale, come up with the arms held straight out to your sides, then exhale, and finish by turning to the top of the mat and bring the feet together.
Bound revolved side angle pose (baddha parivrtta parsvakonasana)
Bound variation hits you with a very difficult trio of movement that includes lunging, twisting, and binding. But it’s possible if you’re familiar with revolved techniques, and forward folding poses.
To do it:
Come into a front lunge, and bring the opposite shoulder onto the lead knee. Wrap that arm under the leg, then reach behind your back with the other arm and grab the bottom hand. If you’re very flexible you can grab the wrist of your other arm.
You can follow the full video for preparatory poses or fast forward to 3:20 minute mark for the bound variation.
FAQS
Are there potential risks when performing revolved side angle pose? Before practicing yoga poses, you should understand the risks involved with weight bearing activities, and first assess your physical condition to ensure your safety. Prior or current injuries should be considered before attempting the revolved side angle pose.
Wrapping Up
That’s a wrap, lunge, twist, and bound (variation) … the revolved side angle Parivrtta Parsvakonasana is a sweet posture that should absolutely be included in your posing. Incorporating various elements of movement, with the body grounded but challenged, it’s foundational in branching out to other techniques.
You can also use it as a patience-building technique and stress relieving exercise that could improve your digestive health, while increasing blood flow, and providing several health benefits too.
Use this guide to form your revolved side angle, and make sure to try the awesome variations too!
The Best 15 Arm and Upper Body Stretches Before a Workout
Time is a precious commodity and something that shouldn’t be wasted. After all, no matter how rich or famous you are, you cannot buy or win back the time you spend. Because of this, many of us are looking for time-saving hacks so we have more available for the activities we enjoy.
Regarding exercise, you could make your workouts more time-efficient by eliminating redundant exercises, focusing on more compound movements, or using time-saving training methods like drop sets and myo-reps.
However, the one place you should not try and save time is your warm-up. Cutting your warm-up short could make your workouts less productive and might even increase your risk of injury.
Like an old rugby coach used to say to me, if you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to work out.
That doesn’t mean you need a long warm-up to prepare for your workout, but you should never skimp on this critical part of your training.
In this article, we reveal the 15 best arm and upper body stretches before a workout.
The Benefits of Warming Up
It’s all too easy to overlook the importance of warming up when you don’t know the benefits. After all, this is time you could otherwise spend on your workout. So, before you skip your next one, let’s explore the main benefits of warming up.
1. Activation of the nervous system
Muscles are controlled by nerves, which work a lot like electrical wires. To generate maximum force, your nervous system must fire impulses powerfully and quickly to the target muscles. Warming up increases nerve impulse speed and strength, leading to better muscle contractions and improved workout performance.
2. Increased blood flow and oxygen delivery
Even during anaerobic activities like HIIT and strength training, your muscles demand lots of blood and oxygen. Warming up open your blood vessels and increases blood flow to the target muscles. This promotes tissue oxygenation and the efficient removal of waste products. Better-oxygenated muscles are more resistant to fatigue and recover faster between sets.
3. Increased tissue temperature
It should be no surprise that warming up makes you feel warm. However, this will not just make you feel more comfortable on a cold day. Warm muscles contract, relax, and stretch more readily, leading to more efficient movements and increased muscle elasticity.
4. More mobile joints
A joint is where two bones come together. Joints are lubricated and nourished with a substance called synovial fluid, which is produced on demand. Warming up will increase lubrication within the joint, which, in turn, increases mobility and range of motion. Your joints should also feel more comfortable after a warm-up, especially if you spend a lot of time sitting or have joint issues, such as osteoarthritis.
5. Injury prevention
While we cannot guarantee that warming up will prevent all future workout injuries, it will probably lower your chances of getting hurt. Warming up prepares your muscles and joints for the activities you are about to do, making them less of a shock to the system.
6. Improved mental preparation and focus
Warming up helps you get your “head in the game,” so you can put more mental energy into your workout. You can perform mental rehearsals, fine-tune your mind-muscle connection, get yourself psyched up, and otherwise prepare your brain for what you are about to do. Your mindset can have a significant impact on your workout performance.
7. Reduced muscle stiffness
Are you still sore and stiff after your last workout? It’s a common problem. The good news is that warming up can help reduce your “workout hangover,” so your movements are more comfortable and fluid. However, if your muscles are always sore, that could indicate you are training too hard, and not paying enough attention to rest and recovery.
Read also: How to Warm Up for Strength Training
How to Warm-Up
Before we reveal the best arm and upper body warm-up stretches, let’s take a look at how they fit into a general warm-up.
Your warm-up should match the demands of your upcoming workout. For example, warming up for a jog should be different from getting ready for an intense back workout. Nevertheless, most warm-ups follow a similar structure, even if the activities or duration of each stage differs.
The most commonly accepted stages of a general warm-up are:
1. Pulse raiser
This is the part of your warm-up that makes you feel warm. It involves doing several minutes of progressive cardio to gradually raise your heart rate and body temperature. Start at a leisurely pace or low intensity and increase it over a few minutes, for example:
Walk for 2 minutes
Jog for 3 minutes
Run for 5 minutes
This progressive pulse raiser eases you into your workout, ensuring that you feel comfortable throughout. It boosts tissue temperature and blood flow, so your muscles receive plenty of oxygen. Additionally, the pulse raiser prepares your muscles and joints for the following warm-up stages.
2. Mobility exercises
While your cardio pulse raiser can potentially increase synovial fluid production and joint mobility, some specific exercises will also be beneficial. Joint mobility exercises involve taking a joint or joints through a progressively larger range of motion.
Examples include:
Shallow progressing to deeper squats and lunges
Ankle circles
Waist twists and side bends
Wrist circles
Shoulder shrugs
After performing these exercises, your joints should move smoothly and more comfortably.
3. Dynamic stretches
When most people think of stretching, static stretches, such as touching and holding your toes to stretch the hamstrings, are what spring to mind. While static stretches have their place, dynamic stretches are usually more useful for warm-ups.
As the name suggests, dynamic stretches involve movement. So, instead of holding a stretched position, you move in and out of the stretch for repetitions.
The benefits of dynamic stretching include the following:
Maintenance/increase of muscle temperature and blood flow
Maintenance/increase of heart and breathing rate
Increased motor unit activation for enhanced strength and power
Increased functional flexibility and range of motion
Increased synovial fluid production for more mobile joints
Rehearsal of the movements you’ll perform during your workout
In contrast, static stretches tend to cause your muscles to cool down and relax, making them better suited for after training.
Choose dynamic stretches that match the demands of your workout, focusing on the muscles you’ll be targeting. For example, if you’re readying yourself for a chest workout, you should not spend much time dynamically stretching your legs.
You can still use static stretches in your warm-up, but you should only do a few, and hold them for just 15-30 seconds so you don’t start to cool down, and your muscles don’t become too relaxed. Some of the best upper body warm-up exercises are static stretches, e.g., the overhead triceps stretch.
4. Ramping
Now that you’re warm and mobile, you might be tempted to jump straight into your workout. While such enthusiasm is commendable, it’s usually better to build up gradually your intended intensity level.
This process is called ramping.
While ramping may seem unnecessary, it can be a very valuable part of the warm-up and primes your muscles and nervous system to optimize your workout performance.
A) Ramping for cardio
For cardio workouts, the first few minutes will be more comfortable and effective if you gradually increase your speed and heart rate. These few extra minutes give your heart and lunges time to “catch up” with your legs, improving exercise comfort and efficiency. Starting slower should also lead to a faster finish.
For example, if you are planning on running at 8 MPH, you might jog at 5 MPH for 1-2 minutes, run at 6.5 MPH for 1-2 minutes, and then begin your workout.
B) Ramping for strength training
In strength training warm-ups, ramping typically involves doing a few progressively heavier sets of your main exercises to get your muscles and nervous system ready for the challenges to follow:
For example:
10 reps x 20kg/45 pounds
7 reps x 40kg/90 pounds
5 reps x 60kg/135 pounds
2 reps x 80kg/175 pounds
10 reps x 100kg/222 pounds – your first work set
Your workout weights should determine the length of your ramp. If you are lifting heavy, you’ll need more ramp sets to prepare. But, for lighter workouts, 1-2 sets should suffice.
However, each ramped set should still feel relatively easy. Note how the rep count in the example decreases as the weight increases. This allows your muscles to become accustomed to the increasing load while avoiding unnecessary fatigue.
How Long Do You Need to Spend Warming Up?
The length of your warm-up depends on several extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Consider the following when planning your warm-up routine:
The intensity of your upcoming workout: The harder you plan on training, the longer your warm-up should be. Easier workouts typically need shorter warm-ups.
Recent activity levels: Prior physical activity may mean you feel warm already, e.g., you walked or cycled to the gym. However, if you’ve been inactive, a longer warm-up may be necessary.
Your age: Older exercisers often take longer to warm up, while younger people usually feel ready to train sooner.
Ambient temperature: The warmer your training environment, the faster your internal temperature will rise. As such, you may not need to warm up for as long in a hot gym or on a warm day.
Previous injuries: Warming up can help relieve the discomfort of previously injured joints and muscles. Spend longer on your warm-up if you have old aches and pains that need more care and attention.
Bottom line: Spend as long on your warm-up as necessary. This could be as little as five minutes for an easy workout or 20-30 minutes if you have something more intense planned. Adjust the duration according to your training needs and goals.
Top 15 Arm and Upper Body Stretches Before Workouts
Stretching your arms and upper body before a workout can help improve flexibility, reduce the risk of injury, and enhance your performance. Here are 15 of the best arm and upper body stretches for your pre-workout warm-up routine:
1. Arm circles
Muscles targeted: Deltoids.
You can’t train your upper body without using your shoulders. This combined stretch and mobility exercise will lubricate your shoulder joints and heat up the surrounding muscles. This is an excellent place to start any upper body warm-up.
Steps:
Standing in good posture, extend your arms to your sides to form a T-shape.
Make small clockwise circles with your arms. Increase the size of the circles gradually.
Switch to a counterclockwise movement and repeat.
Do 8-15 circles in each direction.
2. Arm swings
Muscles targeted: Deltoids.
This exercise takes your shoulders and arms through a larger range of motion than #1. As such, it’s a good exercise for progressing your warm-up, or can be a viable alternative if you are already feeling warm and ready to train.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Swing your arms forward in large circles for 15-30 seconds.
Switch directions and repeat for a further 15-30 seconds.
Try to brush your biceps with your ears with each rep.
You can also circle one arm at a time.
3. Overhead triceps stretch
Muscles targeted: Triceps, deltoids.
Contrary to its name, this is more than just a triceps stretch – it’ll also loosen and mobilize your shoulders. Do this exercise before any upper body movement, especially those that involve raising your arms overhead.
Steps:
Extend one arm overhead, bend your arm, and reach your hand down between your shoulder blades.
Use your other hand to gently push your elbow back until you feel a stretch in the back of your upper arm. Hold for 10-15 seconds and then release.
Switch sides and repeat.
4. Cow face arms
Muscles targeted: Triceps, deltoids.
Cow face arms is a yoga stretch that follows on nicely from the previous overhead triceps stretch. However, it is more intense and requires good initial mobility and flexibility. But, if you can do it without straining, you’ll be rewarded with a deep triceps and deltoid stretch that really opens up your entire upper body.
Steps:
Reach one arm straight overhead and the other out to the side.
Bend both elbows and bring your hands together, with one hand behind your back and the other behind your head.
Clasp your hands together and hold the stretch for about 15-30 seconds.
Switch sides and repeat.
Use a strap if you cannot reach one hand with the other.
5. Cross-body arm stretch
Muscles targeted: Triceps, deltoids, upper back.
This exercise feels really good after a long day sitting at your desk or driving. It’s also a little less challenging than exercises #3 & 4, so it may be a better option for people with tight shoulders or shortened triceps.
Place your left hand on your right shoulder.
Use your right hand to gently pull your left arm closer to your body.
Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds on each arm, then switch sides.
6. Bicep Stretch
Muscles targeted: Biceps, forearms.
The biceps are notoriously hard to stretch. And yet, tight biceps can be a real problem and are prone to injury, especially during any exercise that utilizes a mixed grip. This exercise stretches the biceps and forearms simultaneously, making it an excellent twofer.
Steps:
Extend one arm straight out in front of you and turn your palm to face up.
Use your other hand to gently pull back your fingers and stretch the biceps and forearms. Keep your arm straight.
Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds on each arm, then swap sides.
7. Kneeling wrist flexor stretch
Target muscles: Forearm and finger flexors.
Lots of typing and gripping can cause tight forearm and hand muscles. This can cause several painful conditions, including stenographer’s or trigger finger and carpal tunnel syndrome. This exercise gets tough with your tight forearms and provides them with a deep stretch.
Steps:
Kneel down and place your fingertips on the floor with your palms facing away from you.
Press your palms into the floor and, with straight arms, gently sit back onto your haunches. Keep pressing your palms into the floor.
Hold the stretch for about 15-30 seconds, and then relax.
8. Kneeling wrist extensor stretch
Target muscles: Forearm extensors.
Most skeletal muscles are arranged in pairs across joints. Where one muscle flexes or bends a joint, an opposing muscle flexes or bends it. This exercise stretches your forearm extensors, which are responsible for bending your wrists backward.
Steps:
Kneel down on all fours with the backs of your hands on the floor, finger tips turned inward and touching.
Keeping your arms straight, rock your shoulders over to the left to feel a stretch in the back of your forearm and wrist. Hold for 15-30 seconds.
Ease your weight over to the right and hold for a further 15-30 seconds.
9. Wrist rolls
Target muscles: Forearm flexors and extensors, wrists.
Where exercises #7 & 8 stretch your wrist flexors and extensors, this movement mobilizes your wrist joints. Stiff, painful wrists are a common problem, especially for those lifters who do heavy bench presses but do not wear wrist wraps.
Steps:
Clasp your hands together in front of your chest, elbows bent.
Roll your wrists around in a clockwise motion for 8-15 reps.
Switch directions and repeat for a similar duration.
10. Doorway chest stretch
Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids.
Tight pecs are common among exercisers. Endless sets of bench presses and push-ups combined with hunching over a desk or steering wheel mean that most exercises experience at least some chest tightness. This simple stretch is the perfect antidote to tight pecs.
Steps:
Stand in an open doorway and place your forearms on the door frame with your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Adopt a staggered stance.
Lean forward to create a gentle stretch in your chest and shoulders.
Hold the stretch for about 15-30 seconds.
12. Kneeling lat stretch
Target muscles: Latissimus dorsi.
Like the pecs, the lats are also often tight. This can make pull-ups, lat pulldowns, and overhead presses difficult as it restricts your range of motion. Tight lats also promote medial rotation of the upper arms, which can contribute to a so-called desk hunch. This exercise is one of the most effective ways to loosen up your lats.
Steps:
Kneel on the floor facing a bench or chair. Place your hands on the bench with your palms down and fingers pointing forward.
Keeping your elbows straight, ease your hips back and lower your chest down between your arms.
Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds.
13. Stick ‘em ups
Target muscles: Deltoids, latissimus dorsi.
If the kneeling lat stretch discussed above is a little too static for your liking, you should try stick ‘em ups. This exercise is so-called because you look a little like a prisoner raising their arms in surrender.
Steps:
Raise your arms overhead with your palms facing forward.
Bend your elbows and lower your hands to your shoulders. Keep your shoulders and arms back.
Reach overhead again and repeat 8-15 times using a slow, controlled tempo.
This exercise also increases upper back and posterior deltoid activation.
14. Chest press to row
Target muscles: Deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids, pecroalis major.
Where exercise #13 stretches and mobilizes your upper body in the vertical plane, this exercise works in the horizontal plane. This is an excellent preparatory movement for any chest or back workout.
Steps:
Extend your arms in front of you, palms facing the floor.
Bend your arms and pull your elbows back to open your chest.
Press your arms forward and round your upper back to stretch between your shoulder blades.
Alternate between these two positions for 8-15 smooth, controlled reps.
15. Fist clench and release
Target muscles: Finger flexors and extensors.
The fingers are one of the body parts that very few people bother to warm up. However, that could be a mistake, given how hard they have to work. Nearly every exercise you do involves your fingers and grip, and there are lots of muscles and bones that will benefit from warming up. This simple exercise will get the job done.
Steps:
Extend your arms in front of you or hold them down by your sides.
Make a fist with both hands and hold them tightly closed for a few seconds, feeling the tension in your forearms and wrists.
Open your hands and spread your fingers as wide as possible.
Alternate between this clenching and releasing motion for about 8-15 repetitions.
FAQs
Do you have a question about doing arm and upper body stretches before a workout or warming up in general? No problem, because we’ve got the answers!
1. Why should I do arm and upper body stretches before a workout?
Warming up your muscles with arm and upper body stretches will help prevent injuries, improve your range of motion for more comfortable movements, and make your workout more productive. They will only take a few minutes but can add a lot of value to your training.
2. How long should I hold each stretch during my warm-up routine?
The aim of your warm-up routine is to prepare your muscles and joints for the workout to follow. As such, you should hold static stretches for 15-30 seconds and do 8-15 of most dynamic movements. Doing less won’t be as beneficial, while doing more is largely a waste of your valuable time.
The key to a good warm-up is doing as much as you need but no more. Save your energy for the main part of your workout.
3. Are these stretches suitable for all fitness levels?
Stretching is good for everybody’s body! Young, old, beginner, or experienced, almost all of these stretches are suitable for all fitness levels. That said, if you find a particular exercise difficult or uncomfortable, choose one that suits you better.
4. How do I know which stretches to include in my warm-up routine?
With 15 different exercises to choose from, it could be hard to decide which ones to do. You certainly don’t need to do all of them! So, just pick 3-5 that cover your main upper body muscles and joints. That should be sufficient for most people. Stick with favorites and exercises that you find the most comfortable. That way, you won’t be tempted to skip them.
5. Will these stretches help prevent shoulder and upper body injuries?
Hopefully! Unfortunately, it’s impossible to categorically say that stretching before a workout will stop you from getting injured, as exercisers get hurt all the time. However, the effects of warming up should minimize your injury risk.
As warming up takes only a few minutes, and an injury could cost you weeks or months of lost training, it makes sense to spend a few minutes preparing your muscles and joints for your workout just in case it helps.
6. Will these stretches improve my overall flexibility and range of motion?
While these stretches will improve your flexibility and ROM, you’ll get better results from a) mainly doing static stretches and b) holding those stretches for longer. This is called developmental stretching, and its main purpose is to develop or improve your flexibility.
However, long, stationary stretches are not really suitable for a warm-up and are best performed during your cooldown. Long static stretches lower your core and muscle temperature and are too relaxing for a warm-up.
7. Are these stretches suitable for strength training and cardio workouts?
Yes indeed! You can use the exercises in this article to prepare your muscles and joints for cardio or strength workouts. You can also do them before sports or any other strenuous physical activity, e.g., splitting logs, clearing snow, or gardening. Some people like to include warm-up exercises in their morning routine to help them wake up and feel more mobile.
More Useful Stretches:
Closing Thoughts
Skipping your warm-up is tempting when you’re eager to dive into your workouts, but time spent on a proper warm-up is time well spent. The benefits go beyond just getting pumped up for training, and a good warm-up is like a pep talk for your muscles, ensuring they’re ready to perform at their best!
From getting our nerves firing for stronger muscle contractions to boosting blood flow for well-oxygenated muscles, a good warm-up sets the stage for an awesome workout. In addition, the stretches and exercises in this article will improve flexibility, reduce stiffness, and help ease your aches and pains. Just make sure you customize your warm-up to match your workout plan, age, and how you’re feeling that day.
So, show your body some love by making warm-ups a priority. It only takes a few minutes but will pay off big time by boosting workout performance and helping you stay injury-free.
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Kali Muscle Says Steroids ‘A Waste of Time, ‘I’m a Natty Right Now, My Testosterone Level is 280’
Bodybuilder and fitness star Chuck “Kali Muscle” Kirkendall plans to never look back after quitting performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). In a recent YouTube video, Kali Muscle recapped his bodybuilding career and experiences with steroids. After becoming addicted to these compounds, Kali Muscle is now speaking out against them.
While he started his fitness journey as an impressionable teenager, Muscle has grown leaps and bounds since. Following a prison stint at 19, Kali refused to let the circumstances dictate the rest of his life. He worked hard to improve his situation but admits he’s made some unhealthy choices along the way.
Kali Muscle is a popular YouTube personality known for his eccentric behavior, personality, and content. He boasts a ripped physique and has garnered headlines for his controversial and outspoken nature. Muscle has also been a victim to considerable health issues, like a heart attack back in 2021.
Having carved out a following in bodybuilding, Kali Muscle began arguing against steroid use. He became vocal about the topic after years of watching bodybuilders die too young, like Shawn Rhoden, George Peterson, and Cedric McMillan. Since retiring from the sport and its practices, Kali Muscle hasn’t shied away from showing off his downsized physique. And now, he’s back to share another cautionary tale about steroids.
“Steroids Is A Waste of Time” – Kali Muscle Recounts Struggles w/ Bodybuilding Career & Health
Before diving into his own personal struggles, Kali Muscle went over the dangers of some popular anabolic compounds.
“Just for educational purposes, I just had to do this video, I had this stuff [gear] laying around and I got mad. Trenbolone, it gets you strong, right? It also gets them arteries hard and strong, it causes high blood pressure, water retention, which we all know, water retention is bad for all your organs in your body. It raises your estrogen, right? It’s the most harmful roid, juice PED.”
“Some Test cyp, I don’t know why it’s orange. All the test I’ve ever had wasn’t orange. That’s test cyp right there. We all know what that do, it raises your estrogen and of course, it boosts your testosterone level which all of us want a high testosterone level but it causes water retention.”
“Primobolan, supposed to be a nice one right? When you get ready for a show it keeps you lean, less water retention, and all that. It’s all trash man. I don’t need them no more.”
Kali Muscle revealed his first cycle consisted of 1,000 grams of testosterone and 600 grams of Trenbolone. Eventually, Kali Muscle became addicted to the way the steroids made him feel during workouts.
“I felt I got addicted to the feeling of being stronger than everybody, my muscles just got full and so I remember Diego, ‘Boy, you need to do a show.’ I started looking at bodybuilding shows to do, my first one was the Orange County Classic in 2009. Went in there, didn’t know what I was doing, at that point I was on about 1,000 grams of test, maybe 600 grams of tren, I didn’t know what I was doing, I was reading on the internet what to take for shows.”
“I came in there and won it,” added Kali Muscle. “Every day I would study what chemicals, I bought all the books, I was experimenting on myself, it was foolish.”
According to Muscle, there came a point in his career where he knew he’d have to kill himself with drugs if he wanted to bring up the conditioning in his legs.
“I was getting big 255, 260, you guys can see the documentary I did. The Kali Muscle Story, I was 260 in that video just juiced to the gills. 1,000 migs of test, 800 migs of tren, you know all that stuff that’s tearing up those insides man.”
“It wasn’t for me, bodybuilding wasn’t for me because I would have to kill myself literally to become Pro. I knew I’d have to take a lot of GH, IGF-1, Insulin to really get my legs how they’re supposed to be. I knew I didn’t have that in me. I knew it would cost a lot of money. I decided to focus on social media. I tapered the roids down. I was doing 500 migs of test a week. I would do Tren here and there.”
Unlike years prior, Kali Muscle feels healthier today and claims he’s all-natural.
“The muscles… if I had the muscles are not, if that was the case now – I’m reaching more people in my eyes being fit and preaching a healthy message. Steroids is a waste of time, bro. If you started, okay, you feel good. You look good. But, you got to take anti-estrogen to keep your estrogen and most of y’all don’t even have medical.”
“I was happy natural like I am now. It’s not necessary. You can do it like this, natural. Kudos to all the natural guys out there but you still got to think if you natural, natural guys, they want to gain weight. So you go eat a lot of the wrong foods. What you’re eating and how you’re eating, what you’re consuming. Even me right now, they saw my test level now is down to 280.”
Lastly, he highlighted that steroids ‘are not needed until 35’ for most people.
“Roids are not needed until 35 on up. But I wouldn’t recommend it until your testosterone levels drop below 600. Been off everything. I’m a natty right now. So that’s why my testosterone level is 280, it was 281. I feel good.”
This wasn’t the first time Kali Muscle opened up honestly about steroid use. In May, he took part in a candid interview where he disclosed that he didn’t stop taking gear until his heart attack nearly killed him. Months ago, Kali mentioned that he was still taking a ‘small dose’ of steroids to maintain his physique.
In light of his health troubles, Kali has warned popular talents in the Men’s Open class about heart problems. Last October, Kali said athletes Andrew Jacked and Nick Walker were at risk of these issues, and stressed that he ‘felt sorry’ for them.
Kali Muscle hopes his story serves as a warning for the younger generation. While he admits he suffers from low testosterone, Muscle hasn’t stopped working out and remains focused on longevity.
RELATED: Kali Muscle Claims to Eat 1 Meal a Day: ‘Everything We Learned is Fake’
Watch the full video from Kali Muscle’s YouTube channel below:
Published: 29 July, 2023 | 3:22 PM EDT
Chris Bumstead Shares Full Day of Eating in Off-Season Before 2023 Mr. Olympia Contest Prep
Canadian bodybuilder Chris Bumstead is the most popular active competitor of any division in the sport. The Classic Physique powerhouse has been dominant in his run at the top and has shown no signs of slowing down. In a recent video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Bumstead shared his full day of eating in the off-season ahead of entering prep for the 2023 Mr. Olympia.
Chris Bumstead first rose to prominence for his insanely aesthetic physique as a Classic Physique competitor. After taking a couple of silvers to former two-time champion Breon Ansley, he secured the coveted Sandow trophy in 2019. Once he got to the top, he proved to be an unstoppable force who kept warding off budding talent and proven veterans to win four titles in a row. Following his last victory at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, he declared his hunt for another title.
The Classic Physique division has seen a rise in talent with the emergence of athletes like 2023 Arnold Classic winner Ramon Rocha Queiroz and German sensation Urs Kalecinski. Another competitor who has gained a ton of attention is Stephane Matala. Renowned bodybuilding coach Milos Sarcev lauded Matala’s crazy striated chest and believes he would present a major threat to Bumstead.
Bumstead revealed the only 10 exercises he would choose to get as muscular as possible for contests. He chose a diverse mix of movements targeting each muscle group with compound exercises. Then, he opened up about the changes in his steroid use. He admitted he would step away from professional competition if he saw a decline in his health from PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs). While he disclosed taking Trenbolone years ago, he strongly cautioned his fans to avoid using the substance due to its toxicity.
‘CBum’ crushed a brutal arm workout session to pack on the pounds in the off-season. With the mental aspect of the game a priority for Bumstead, he’s been open about the different routines he’s followed whether it be in the off-season or contest prep. He also stressed the importance of proper recovery for longevity and listed some ways to achieve optimal rest.
Legendary bodybuilder Frank Zane praised Bumstead for his success and immense potential earlier this week. He believes ‘CBum’ could still improve significantly and encouraged him to work on the peak of his biceps.
Chris Bumstead Shares Full Day of Eating in Off-Season Ahead of 2023 Mr. Olympia Prep
In a recent YouTube video, Chris Bumstead shared his full day of eating in the off-season ahead of entering prep for the 2023 Mr. Olympia.
Meal 1: Shake – Cup of blueberries and half a banana. 2 scoops of protein and raw one sweetened with stevia or low Sucralose, scoop, and a half of sun fiber (10.5g). Ezekiel toast (sprouted wheat bread) with almond butter.Nutrition: 797 calories, 80g protein, 20g fat, 87g carbs.
Meal 2: 300g potatoes & 225g bison.Nutrition: 718 calories, 54g protein.
Meal 3: 220g Chicken, 250g white rice, and 15g olive oil.Nutrition: 690 calories. 50g protein minimum.
Meal 4 (Snacks): Ezekiel Bread, 150g avocado, 4.5oz wild tuna, albacore, 1 raw bar, 8oz sirloin tip steak, and 200g boiled white rice.*He mixed 2 tbsp of honey with mustard and half an avocado to replace the mayo in the tuna salad.Nutrition: 1,490 calories.
Meal 5: 230g steak, avocado dressing, and white rice.
Chris Bumstead has a green shake usually at night and in the morning, five times a week. Since it was a rest day, he did not consume it during this video.
Total: 3,700 calories. 300g protein, 370g carbs, and 115g fat.
Chris Bumstead talked about the evolution of bodybuilding over the years days ago. He highlighted the key difference between the leanness required to be competitive today versus Arnold Schwarzenegger’s era. He also weighed a potential move to the Men’s Open division again. Afterward, he detailed his workout split routine to prepare for the 2023 Mr. Olympia.
RELATED: Ronnie Coleman Reacts to Chris Bumstead’s Biggest Feats of Strength
Chris Bumstead teamed up with former coach and Men’s Open standout Iain Valliere for a heavy-duty shoulder and arms training session last week. Judging by Bumstead’s strength and nutrition, he’s on track for an explosive show in Nov.
You can watch the full video below:
Published: 29 July, 2023 | 12:26 PM EDT
Primobolan
Primobolan for Women – Comprehensive Guide to Primobolan (Methenolone) is an anabolic steroid that is well-tolerated by many women due to its low androgenic properties. It is often considered one of the safer choices for female athletes and bodybuilders. However, like any steroid, it should be used with caution and proper knowledge. This guide will…
Nick Walker Shares Pro Tips for Building a Huge Back
Bodybuilder Nick Walker is switching gears in his training journey as 2023 Olympia is drawing closer. Walker recently went through a pull-day workout as a part of his preparation for the show and posted the video of this session on his YouTube channel.
Walker is an American professional bodybuilder and a top competitor in the IFBB Pro League’s Men’s Open division. He rose to prominence with a series of impressive performances in this first year of turning Pro. After making the debut with a fourth place finish at the 2020 Chicago Pro, Nick Walker snatched a win at the 2021 New York Pro, earning the maiden Olympia invitation in the process. He then became the 2021 Arnold Classic winner and rose to the contender’s status even before making the Olympia debut.
The fifth place finish at the 2021 Olympia was a great achievement given that ‘The Mutant’ was relatively new in the professional circuit. However, he decided to step away from the competition to improve his physique and take on the top crop.
Walker returned to competition at the 2022 Olympia and dominated the stage from prejudging to the finals. His effort earned him a podium finish as Walker stood third at the show. Walker’s most recent appearance came at the 2023 Arnold Classic in March. Although he was favored to become the two-time Arnold Classic champion, the New Jersey native lost to Samson Dauda by a razor thin margin.
Nick Walker will now attempt to dethrone Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan and achieve the ultimate goal of his bodybuilding career at the 2023 Olympia. 16 weeks out of the show, he annihilated a pull day workout in the gym to prepare his physique for this task. So let’s see what Nick Walker’s current pull-day workout looks like.
Nick Walker goes through a pull-day workout
Back Workout
Cable Straight Arm Pullovers
Walker started the pull-day workout with this exercise. But instead of pulling the weight in line with the upper body, he pulled it back as far as possible to get maximum stretch in the lats. The 28-year-old employed slow movement in the eccentric phase to focus on the muscles.
“On this movement, I’m able to get a full stretch. It’s giving me more of a stretch than an actual pulldown would. So I think it’s very beneficial when you’re trying to grow your lats, 100 percent.”
Walker pushed through three sets of straight arm pulldowns adhering to 15 to 20 rep range and took to the next exercise.
Chest-Supported T-Bar Rows
The 2021 Arnold Classic winner followed up the cable machine exercise with one of his favorite back movements – the chest-supported T-bar row. Specifically, Walker likes to perform this exercise on the Atlantis plate-loaded machine as it offers different grips for variation. To put more emphasis on the stretch, he employed a wide grip in this training session.
After using explosive movement during the concentric phase, but similar to the previous exercise, the 28-year-old performed the eccentric phase at a really slow pace. He is a huge proponent of slow eccentric movements and advises to adapt them for maximum gains.
“You’ve got to realize that training in this fashion, you don’t need to do seven to eight exercises per body part,” Walker added.
He performed eight to ten reps in all three sets of this exercise and proceeded to do the next one.
Assisted Pull-ups
Pull-ups are arguably the best bodyweight compound exercise to build the upper body pulling strength. However, it is not a suitable exercise for beginners as it needs sufficient upper body strength. This is where assisted pull-ups come in handy. But professional bodybuilders have to focus on hypertrophy.
To eliminate the jerkin motion or momentum and to build mind-muscle connection many elite bodybuilders opt for assisted pull-ups. Walker’s weight is hovering in the 290 lbs range right now. He felt that doing assisted pull-ups was probably in his best interest and performed three sets of ten to 15 reps to stimulate the pulling muscles.
Wide Grip Seated Cable Rows
After working on the lats for the first few moments, Nick Walker advanced to doing the seated rows to work the upper back muscles. In between sets, Walker explained the main challenge of developing the back muscles. He feels that the back is a tricky body part to grow simply because you can’t see it. Experience has taught the 28-year-old to use moderate weight while focusing on the contraction and eccentric phase for the best results.
“Ever since doing that over the years, what was once a weak body part has become one of my best body parts.”
Finding the best rep range is also crucial as it may vary for each muscle group depending upon individual body type. Walker applied this same wisdom to seated rows as well and performed two sets of this exercise for 15 reps each. This movement served as the finisher to back exercises as Nick Walker shifted his focus to the biceps next.
Biceps Workout
Nick Walker’s arms training routine has changed significantly over time. A few years ago, ‘The Mutant’ dedicated a separate arms day in his routine and performed a few biceps or triceps exercises on other days. However, his current split of push, pull, and leg day does not have a full Arm day.
Instead, Walker performs two to three biceps exercises (for two to three sets each) on a pull day and follows the same method for triceps training on a push day. The 28-year-old feels that his arms are pretty dominant already and overdoing arms exercises may not be ideal from the aesthetic point of view. On this pull day, Nick Walker incorporated two variations of machine curls after finishing up with back exercises.
Seated Machine Curls
Walker first performed seated machine Curls to stimulate the biceps. He reiterated that his arms respond best to high volume for inducing hypertrophy and shared the ideal rep range for him:
“I specifically like to stay in the 12 to 20 range. More so 15 to 20 but 12 I am okay with. But I feel for biceps and triceps, I feel I got the most growth was definitely in the 15 to 20 range.”
Walker is a big believer of slow reps and that’s how he performs the arms exercises as well. Needless to say, they have responded well to this type of training. Additionally, Walker employed the myo-reps training method for doing seated machine curls to eliminate the junk volume and produce maximal muscle growth. He performed two sets of machine curls for 15 to 2o reps and proceeded to the final exercise of the day.
Cable Curls
Cable Curls concluded the pull-day workout for Nick Walker. He performed a few sets of this exercise and addressed a crucial problem that a lot of people face.
Walker stated that quite a few people experience the plateau in their fitness journey and fail to make gains in spite of adapting the best training methods. He attributed this to wrong exercise selection and advised:
“You’re probably just doing wrong exercises too. Find the exercises that you best connect with already and then do those methods. I guarantee you, you will transform.”
After doing three sets of cable curls for 10 to 12 reps with a slow eccentric phase, ‘The Mutant’ called it a day in the gym.
Overall, the workout included:
Nick Walker gives health update as he makes changes to diet and training for 2023 Olympia
Nick Walker is already leaps and bounds ahead in 2023 compared to his previous off-season. He admits having fallen into the ‘more, more and more volume’ mindset in 2022. But he has made the necessary adjustments and said:
“Now I’m paying more attention to just making the sets count. I think it has shown in my physique thus far. I think I have made quite some improvements in a short amount of time.”
At the time of recording this video, Walker was 16 weeks out of the 2023 Olympia. He spoke about the changes in his diet as well and said:
“We’ve upped the cardio and dropped food in terms of fats. We did drop the carbs just a little bit but not crazy but we did drop all the fats pretty much out of my diet except for Beef meals and a little almond butter before the diet.”
Nick Walker stated that his weight has already started to drop down, which is a positive sign. He feels that he has made a lot of progress during this off-season and he is confident that 2023 is going to be his year. Although ‘The Mutant’ is closer to the Olympia title than he has ever been, he will have to push aside elite competitors like Derek Lunsford, Samson Dauda, and reigning Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan to take it home.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Nick Walker’s personal YouTube channel:
Published: 29 July, 2023 | 9:22 AM EDT
Standing Cable Chest Fly Exercise Guide: How To, Benefits, Muscles Worked, and Variations
A broad and muscular chest has been the symbol of masculinity since time immemorial. Chances are, they come up with the term ‘masculine’ to refer to an individual with a wide and thick chest.
Building an Arnold Schwarzenegger-like round and full chest is one of the top priorities for most guys that lift weights. It is no coincidence that Monday is international chest day. Consider yourself a very lucky man if there is no crowd on the chest training equipment in your gym on a Monday.
Although many lifters prefer the bench press for building muscle and strength, ask someone which exercise is their go-to for achieving a muscle-ripping chest pump or ending their workout on a high, and they’ll most likely reply with a resounding standing cable chest fly!
The standing cable chest fly is everything that the bench press isn’t. It is not intimidating, and you are not at risk of getting trapped under a heavy bar if you fail a rep; you don’t need a spotter, it helps maintain constant tension on your pecs throughout the range of motion, and leaves you with a sick muscle pump every time.
Whether you are a bodybuilder trying to improve your aesthetics or a powerlifter looking to improve your strength, you cannot go wrong with the standing cable chest fly. Besides your chest days, the cable chest fly can be an excellent addition to your push-day routines as it involves your chest, triceps, and anterior deltoids.
In this guide, we cover everything you need to know about the standing cable chest fly to get the best bang for your buck, including the correct training techniques, its benefits, the muscles worked, the most common mistakes, and its variations and alternatives.
What is a Standing Cable Chest Fly?
The standing cable chest fly is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the chest. However, since this exercise involves movement at the shoulder joint and elbows, it also engages the anterior deltoids and triceps.
The standing cable chest fly is an excellent exercise for most lifters, irrespective of their training experience. It can help newbies establish a better mind-muscle connection with their pecs, translating to better performance on compound movements, like the bench press and dips. Conversely, it can help advanced lifters warm up for their chest workouts or achieve maximal pectoral muscle fiber recruitment at the end of their training session without increasing their risk of injury.
Unlike free weight exercises, cables keep constant tension on your muscles throughout the range of motion, which can increase your time under tension and bias hypertrophy. Plus, since you must be standing upright while performing this exercise, it results in a greater core engagement than the barbell bench press, where you are lying on a bench.
How To Do a Standing Cable Chest Fly
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to perform the standing cable chest fly with a picture-perfect form:
Step 1: Adjust the Cable Pulley
You can choose between two pulley positions while performing the standing cable chest fly. The first position involves setting the pulley at chest level and attaching D-handle bars on each end. This position allows you to mimic the lying dumbbell chest fly motion and bias the inner and middle pecs.
The other option is the more popular choice and involves setting the pulleys at the highest setting. In this setup, you’ll press the handles diagonally toward the floor. The cable should be at 45 degrees throughout the range of motion. This setup biases the inner and middle, and lower pecs.
Pro Tip: I recommend setting the pulleys at the highest setting as it involves a unique angle of motion that you cannot mimic with free weights to train your pectoral muscles. For this reason, I’ll stick to the second setup for this demonstration.
Step 2: Take Your Position
Grab the D-handles with a neutral (palms facing each other) grip and position yourself in the center of the cable pulley machine. Now, take a big step forward and bring your hands to your chest level. Extend your arms to your sides so that your hands are in line with your chest while your elbows are slightly behind your torso.
You can use a staggered stance or place both your feet together. Since the former option involves a much larger surface area, it will provide better stability. The latter, on the other hand, is the optimal choice if you want more core engagement.
Pro Tip: Maintaining a slight bend in your knees throughout the exercise will give you a better base.
Step 3: Perform the Fly Motion
Lean forward slightly by bending at your hips to better isolate your pecs. Brace your core and initiate the movement by moving at the shoulder joint. Extend your elbows during the concentric phase for optimal chest muscle fiber stimulation. Your hands should be in front of your midsection or pelvis at the bottom of the range of motion.
Bringing the elbows together during concentrics shortens the pecs to their fully contracted position. On the flip side, keeping your elbows bent prevents your chest muscles from moving through their full range of motion, hindering their activation.
Pro Tip: Maintain a neutral back and a proud chest for maximal pectoral muscle engagement while performing this exercise.
Step 4: Pause and Contract at the Top
Hold the isometric contraction at the top of the range of motion for a second and squeeze your pecs as hard as possible. Your head and neck should be in line with your torso. Dropping your head back or pressing your chin into your upper pecs can be a bottleneck while contracting your pecs at the static contraction point at the top.
Pro Tip: Avoid touching your hands at the bottom of the range of motion or interlacing your fingers, as it will remove the tension from your pecs and put it on your anterior deltoids.
Step 5: Control the Eccentrics
Maintaining your torso in a straight line, slowly return your arms to the starting position while feeling your chest muscles engage. Pause at the bottom for a second before repeating this process for the recommended reps.
Pro Tip: You must focus on actively contracting your pecs throughout the range of motion. Slow down the rep tempo if you don’t feel your chest while performing this exercise.
Standing Cable Chest Fly Tips:
Avoid squeezing the handles too tight, as it can lead to forearm and biceps recruitment. Switch to a false (thumbless) grip if you feel too much arm engagement while performing this movement.
Your feet should be bolted to the floor throughout the exercise. Avoid moving your feet or tapping your heels, as it can take tension off your chest.
Avoid lowering your hands way too far behind your body during eccentrics. Contrary to what many people think, it doesn’t lead to greater muscle stimulation but can strain your shoulder joints.
Keep your core braced while performing the standing cable chest fly. This can help eliminate the possibility of employing momentum.
Optimize your breathing to maximize your performance. Breathe in during eccentrics and breathe out during concentrics. You must hold your breath during the isometric contraction at the top before breathing in again during the eccentric phase.
In This Exercise:
Target Muscle Group: Chest
Secondary Muscle Groups: Shoulders and Triceps
Type: Strength
Mechanics: Isolation
Equipment: Cables
Difficulty: Beginner
Best Rep Range:
Hypertrophy: 8-12
Strength: 1-5
Muscles Worked During Standing Cable Chest Fly
Here are the muscles worked during the standing cable chest fly:
Chest
The pectoralis major and pectoralis minor are the primary target muscle of this exercise. Your pecs are responsible for horizontal shoulder adduction, which involves bringing your arm inward toward your body. Since this is exactly what the standing cable chest fly does, maintaining a strict form on this lift will target only your chest.
You can target different areas of your chest on this exercise by changing your angle of pull. Moving your arms straight forward will target the inner and middle pecs. Performing this exercise diagonally from top to bottom will work your inner, middle, and lower pecs, and an upward diagonal movement will train your lower pecs.
Shoulders
Since most of the movement in this exercise is limited to the shoulder joint, it can lead to anterior deltoid engagement. Leaning forward excessively can lead to greater shoulder engagement than maintaining an upright torso.
Triceps
The elbow flexion during eccentrics and extension during concentrics can lead to triceps engagement. Avoid locking out your elbows and maintaining a slight bend in your arms if you feel too much triceps engagement at the top while performing this exercise.
Core
This exercise requires standing in the front and center of a cable pulley machine. You must resist the pull of the cables throughout the exercise, which will lead to core engagement. A staggered stance recruits your core to a lesser degree than a parallel stance.
Benefits of Standing Cable Chest Fly
Adding the standing cable chest fly to your exercise arsenal entails the following benefits:
Build a Bigger and Stronger Chest
While the muscle conditioning benefits of standing cable chest fly are well-known, many lifters assume that isolation exercises don’t lead to strength or muscle gains. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Performing three to five sets of the standing cable chest fly in the 8-12 rep range will bias hypertrophy. On the other hand, lifting close to your one-rep max for three to six sets of one to five reps will help improve your upper body strength. [1]
Excellent For Lifters of All Experience Levels
Cable isolation exercises are beginner-friendly. They can help novice lifters develop a robust mind-muscle connection, which can carry over to compound exercises. On the other hand, experienced lifters can use this exercise to warm up or train their chest to failure.
Low Risk of Injury
Unlike the barbell bench press, where the bar can end up on your chest on a failed rep, hitting muscle failure on the cable chest fly won’t expose you to an injury. You can just let go of the handles in the middle of the rep without a worry in the world.
Cable and machines significantly lower the risk of injury while training. It is common to hear people getting injured training with dumbbells and barbells, but you’ll hardly ever come across someone who got injured training with cables.
Constant Tension
Cables keep constant tension on your muscles throughout the range of motion, which can help induce hypertrophy. Conversely, free weights remove the tension from your muscles and put it on your joints at multiple points throughout the exercise.
Time
Cable exercises take significantly less time than free-weight movements, making them an excellent choice for adding them to high-volume workouts. They are also great for folks that have limited time to train.
Common Mistakes While Performing Standing Cable Chest Fly
Avoid the following pitfalls to maximize your results and limit your risk of injury:
‘Pressing’ Instead of ‘Flying’
This is probably the most common mistake lifters make while performing the cable chest fly. They press the weight in front of their chest, using their triceps and shoulders. You must limit the chest fly movements to the shoulder joints, which helps focus on the pectoral muscles.
Move your arms in a sweeping motion while performing the standing cable chest fly. There is a time and place for the cable chest press, but this is not one of them. That said, feel free to do partial pressing reps to annihilate your chest after completing your full ROM flyes. According to a Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study, “partial range of motion exercise is effective for facilitating muscle hypertrophy and function.” [2]
Do Not ‘Hug a Bear’
‘Hug a bear’ or ‘Hug a tree’ are the most popular cues given while trainers teach newbie lifters how to perform the standing cable chest fly. Here is my advice — don’t. Instead, you want to squeeze the bear’s head or the tree’s trunk between your elbows. Do this, and your chest pumps will be out of the world.
Lifting Too Heavy
Many lifters let their ego get the better of them while performing the standing cable chest fly. You don’t need to move the entire stack to get those inner chest striations. Keep your rep slow and controlled, and focus on contracting your pecs throughout the range of motion. Furthermore, going too heavy on this lift will lead to greater core engagement as you will have to fight the weight to maintain your position.
Moving Your Torso
You must keep an upright torso and avoid using momentum by swinging back and forth to maximize pectoral muscle stimulation. If you have to move your body to complete a rep, it is a sign that you are going a little too heavy.
Variations of Standing Cable Chest Fly
Here are the best standing cable chest fly variations to add to your training regimen. These exercises will train your chest from different angles, ensuring overall development.
Low Cable Chest Fly
I have covered the two most popular cable chest fly variations above — the high cable fly that involves setting the pulleys at the highest setting and the self-explanatory chest-level cable flyes. The former targets the inner, middle, and lower pecs, whereas the latter targets the inner and middle pecs.
The low cable chest fly is another popular cable chest fly variation that involves setting the cable pulleys at the lowest setting. In this exercise, your arms should be at 45 degrees at the starting position as you hold the D-handles at your sides. Then, you raise your hands toward the ceiling while extending your elbows until the handles are in front of your chest. The low cable chest fly biases the lower chest.
Pro Tip: Many lifters experience significant front delt engagement while performing this exercise. You must focus on contracting your pecs throughout the range of motion and use lighter weights to bias the lower pecs.
Cable Crossover
Some people use standing cable chest fly and cable crossover interchangeably. However, both exercises are different and involve a distinct range of motion. The range of motion of the cable crossover leads to great pectoral muscle fiber recruitment.
How To:
Set the cable pulleys at the highest setting.
Grab a handle in each hand with a neutral grip and step forward.
Extend your arms at your sides while maintaining a slight bend in your elbows.
Brace your core and bring your arms in front of your body while extending your elbows.
Your wrists must overlap at the top of the range of motion. Pause and contract your pecs at this position.
Return to the starting position.
Rinse and repeat.
Pro Tip: You should use a lighters weight on the cable crossover than the standing cable chest fly. Although the range of motion is slightly bigger in this exercise, it leads to much greater inner chest stimulation. Also, ensure that you crossover your hands in front of your midsection. Keeping your hands at your chest level will lead to a more significant anterior deltoid recruitment.
Check out our complete cable crossover guide here!
Single-Arm Cable Crossover
Unilateral exercises are incredibly effective at fixing muscle and strength imbalances. Since these movements involve working one side of your body at a time, it can lead to a better mind-muscle connection. Also, because this exercise requires only one pulley, it is an excellent cable fly variation for folks that work out during rush hours.
How To:
Set the cable pulley at the highest setting.
Attach a D-handle bar and grab it with a neutral grip.
Take a step to your side and hold your hand on your side at your chest level.
Place your non-working hand on your hip for stability.
Brace your core and bring your arms in front of your midsection while extending your elbow.
Pause and contract your chest.
Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.
Pro Tip: Avoid stepping forward while performing this exercise, as the cable will brush your upper arm. Stand next to the cable pulley and take a small step to your side.
Alternatives of Standing Cable Chest Fly
Given below are some standing cable chest fly alternatives:
Dumbbell Fly
The dumbbell fly is a staple in most chest training regimens. It is one of the best free-weight exercises to target the inner pecs and build the covered striations. However, most people leave gains on the table by following an incorrect form.
How To:
Lie on your back on a flat bench. Maintain the natural curvature of your spine.
There should be enough gap between your lower back and the bench for your hand to pass through.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip and hold them over your chest. Your arms should be at 90 degrees at the starting position.
Contract your pecs and slowly lower the dumbbells toward the floor. Your upper arms should be in line with your chest at the bottom, and your elbows should be slightly bent.
Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. Focus on flexing your pecs throughout the range of motion for optimal muscle fiber engagement.
Repeat for repetitions.
Pro Tip: Avoid keeping your arms straight during eccentrics, as it can strain your shoulder joints unnecessarily. Your upper arms shouldn’t break parallel at the bottom.
Check out our complete dumbbell fly guide here!
Pec Deck Fly
The pec deck fly is the darling of the bodybuilding community. Many lifters prefer it over the cables as it has a fixed movement trajectory and involves sitting against a back pad, which helps you better focus on your pecs and removes your core stabilizers from the equation.
How To:
Set the seat of the pec deck machine so that your chest is at the handle level. Place your back on the back pad.
Grab the handles at chest level. Your elbows should be slightly bent at the starting position.
Pull your shoulder blades back and down and maintain a proud chest.
Bring the handles in front of your chest while moving at the shoulder joint and extending your elbows.
Drive your elbows together at the top of the motion and contract your pecs as hard as possible.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Pro Tip: Many lifters tend to round their shoulders and drive their chin into their upper pecs while performing this exercise, especially during high-rep sets. However, it removes tension from your pectoral muscles and engages your anterior and medial deltoids and traps.
Check out our complete pec deck fly guide here!
Resistance Band Standing Cable Chest Fly
This standing cable chest fly alternative is excellent for folks that don’t have access to a cable pulley machine. You can do this in your garage gym or anywhere you can anchor a resistance band. However, I recommend using a squat rack and D-handle resistance bands for this exercise.
How To:
Securely attach a resistance band to each pole of a squat rack.
Grab the D-handles with a neutral grip.
Take a step forward and assume a staggered stance.
Extend your arms at your sides and bend your elbows slightly. The bands should be taut at this position, and you should feel tension in your pecs.
Maintaining an upright torso, bring your hands in front of your midsection while extending your elbows.
Pause and contract your pecs at the top of the range of motion.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Pro Tip: Performing this exercise by tying two resistance bands across a single pole will limit your range of motion as the bands will rub the sides of your arms throughout the range of motion.
Bodyweight Flyes
Although this is a bodyweight exercise, it comes with a steep learning curve. Bodyweight flyes, also known as barbell roll-out flyes, involve using two barbells and demand significant core strength. This exercise is best reserved for intermediate and advanced lifters.
How To:
Place two barbells on the floor parallel to each other.
Add a weight plate on the same end of both barbells. The other end should not have any weight.
Get on your knees between the barbells facing the weighted ends.
Grab the barbells below the collars and get into a push-up position.
The non-weighted ends should be right next to your feet.
Brace your core and slowly extend your arms outward.
Your chest should be in line with your upper arms at the bottom of the range of motion.
Reverse the movement while driving your elbows together.
Focus on contracting your pecs throughout the shoulder joint extension and flexion.
Pro Tip: Use 25-pound plates for this exercise. Using 45-pound plates will limit your range of motion as you won’t be able to bring your hands under your chest at the static contraction point at the top.
Check out our complete bodyweight fly guide here!
FAQs
Can I substitute the barbell bench press with the cable chest fly?
The barbell bench press is a compound (multi-joint) lift, whereas the cable chest fly is an isolation (single-joint) exercise. Compound exercises are great for building muscle mass and strength, whereas isolation lifts help improve muscle conditioning and fix imbalances.
Both types of exercises are essential for building a balanced physique, and you shouldn’t choose one over the other. Most conventional bodybuilding programs involve starting the workouts with the bench press and finishing with the cable chest fly.
Are standing cable chest fly and pec deck fly the same?
No. Although both exercises are isolation movements, the different angles of movement involved train your pecs differently. Many people make the mistake of using momentum on the standing cable chest fly by swinging their body back and forth. Plus, it involves your core for stabilization.
On the flip side, since you must be seated against a pad to perform the pec deck fly, it eliminates the use of momentum and disengages your core, allowing you to focus on your pectoral muscles. However, this doesn’t mean you should favor the pec deck over the cables in each workout. Incorporate both into your training regime to ensure overall development.
Why does the cable chest fly give a better chest pump than most other chest exercises?
Cables keep constant tension on your muscles throughout the range of motion. It accumulates to a greater time under tension, leading to better pumps. On the other hand, free-weight isolation lifts such as the dumbbell chest fly puts no demand on your chest at specific points during the range of motion.
Furthermore, cables allow you to work your chest in the horizontal plane while standing, which is virtually impossible with free weights. Most lifters experience better muscle pumps performing isolation exercises with cables than free-weight single-joint exercises.
Is the cable chest fly better than the cable crossover for chest development?
The cable crossover is a more extended version of the cable chest fly. While the cable chest fly ends when your hands are next to each other in front of your midsection, cable crossovers require you to stack your wrists on top of each other at the isometric hold at the top.
Some lifters favor the cable crossover as it helps them achieve greater pectoral muscle fiber recruitment. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence to prove if cable crossovers lead to better hypertrophic results.
Wrapping Up
The standing cable chest fly is an incredibly effective isolation exercise to build muscle size, strength, and conditioning in your pectoral muscles. By altering the pulley height, you can bias different areas of your chest while performing this exercise.
This guide has all the details you need to improve your form and maximize your results. Use the cable chest fly alternatives and variations listed in this article to add variety to your training regime and keep it interesting. So, what are you waiting for? Get to work on those coveted inner chest striations already. Best of luck!
References
Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb 22;9(2):32. doi: 10.3390/sports9020032. PMID: 33671664; PMCID: PMC7927075.
Goto M, Maeda C, Hirayama T, Terada S, Nirengi S, Kurosawa Y, Nagano A, Hamaoka T. Partial Range of Motion Exercise Is Effective for Facilitating Muscle Hypertrophy and Function Through Sustained Intramuscular Hypoxia in Young Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 May;33(5):1286-1294. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002051. PMID: 31034463.
21 Famous Black Bodybuilders That Broke Stereotypes and Achieved Greatness
Bodybuilders of color are a dominating force in the professional bodybuilding circuit. However, this was not always the case.
Black bodybuilders emerged from diverse backgrounds and rewrote the narrative to enter the upper echelons of pro bodybuilding. In the face of historical prejudice and limited opportunities, these trailblazers not only made a mark in the sport but also paved the way for future generations.
Each bodybuilder on this list has a story to tell. Most came from humble beginnings and became household names in the bodybuilding industry thanks to their determination, resilience, and unwavering dedication. These bodybuilders inspire countless individuals to pursue their dreams, irrespective of the hurdles that lie ahead.
This article celebrates 21 black bodybuilders that challenged the status quo. We go over their accomplishments and legacies. Through this article, you will also learn about some landmark moments in professional competitive bodybuilding.
Note: Although many non-white bodybuilders have made it big in the IFBB Pro League (the biggest international bodybuilding federation), I will limit this list to black bodybuilders.
21 Most Prominent Black Bodybuilders of All Time
Here are the most famous black bodybuilders and why they deserve a place on this list:
Leroy Colbert
Like many other sports, competitive bodybuilding was a white man’s sport in the early days. That was until Colbert showed up. Born in 1933, Colbert competed in several amateur contests in the early 1950s.
Colbert was a trailblazer in numerous ventures. He was the first black man to be featured on the cover of the Muscle Power magazine. The African-American bodybuilder was also on the cover of several Weider magazines and won the Mr. New York City (1952) and Mr. Eastern America (1953) titles. Remember, this was all before the 1960 Civil Rights Movement.
Colbert is also credited with being the first man to develop 21-inch arms. The lifelong drug-free bodybuilder was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2003.
A bike accident that nearly severed his foot ended Colbert’s bodybuilding career. However, his experience working in a Weider warehouse equipped him with the knowledge to open his own supplement stores, where he made a small fortune for himself. He died at the age of 82.
Sergio Oliva
Oliva is one the most famous bodybuilders of all time. The Cuban bodybuilder was known for his immaculate muscle mass, symmetry, muscle separation, proportions, and density.
Oliva’s first major bodybuilding contest in the US was the 1964 AAU Mr America. However, Oliva had to switch from Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) to the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB), as it was clear that the former federation had racist undertones and would never allow Oliva to be crowned Mr. America.
The transition paid off as Oliva won the 1966 Mr. World and the coveted Mr. Olympia title in 1967, 1968, and 1969.
Interestingly, Oliva was one of three bodybuilders that defeated Arnold Schwarzenegger in a bodybuilding contest. The three-time Mr. Olympia champ Frank Zane and Chester Yorton are the other two bodybuilders.
Seven other black bodybuilders have won the Mr. Olympia crown ever since. At the time of writing, the eight black bodybuilders hold a total of 30 Sandow trophies among them from the possible 58, proving the dominance of black bodybuilders in the sport.
Oliva died at the age of 71 in 2012 due to an apparent kidney failure. He was the first Olympia champion to have died.
Chris Dickerson
Dickerson was one of the most controversial Mr. Olympia champions of all time. He was the first African-American AAU Mr. America (1970) and IFBB Mr. Olympia (1982) champion. Dickerson was also the first openly-gay bodybuilder to win these prestigious titles.
Although the crowd favorite to win the 1981 Mr. Olympia, Dickerson was denied the title in favor of an injured Franco Columbu, who had come out of retirement to compete at the show. Colombu’s win was “one of the worst decisions in bodybuilding,” said Frank Zane in an interview after the show. Dickerson later acknowledged that his sexual orientation and being black were barriers to his bodybuilding career.
He is also one of the two bodybuilders (besides Dexter Jackson) to win the Mr. Olympia and Masters Olympia titles. Dickerson was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2000. He died at the age of 82 due to heart failure.
Next Read: 21 Bodybuilders Who Died of Heart Attack
Lee Haney
Haney holds the record for winning the most Mr. Olympia titles. He won the Sandow trophy for eight consecutive years between 1984 and 1991. Haney is considered one of the most dominant Mr. Olympia champs of all time and is credited for introducing the mass monster era in the IFBB. He was hands-down the biggest bodybuilder of his generation and dwarfed his competitors on stage.
Haney was the chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during President Bill Clinton’s term. Haney was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
Ronnie Coleman
Although Coleman had a lukewarm start to his professional bodybuilding career, he turned around his physique within a few years. He matched Haney’s record of eight-consecutive Mr. Olympia title wins (1998-2005). His sheer size and dominating stage presence earned him the moniker “The King,” cementing his place in the all-time greats list.
Coleman was the first Mr. Olympia champion to break the 300-pound barrier. “Big Ron” was known for his high-volume and high-intensity workouts. He released six training DVDs, which were a hit among bodybuilding aficionados.
Coleman was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his bodybuilding legacy, a remarkable achievement for someone who worked at Domino’s Pizza after graduating from college. He served as a police officer from 1989 to 2000 and as a reserve officer until 2003.
Phil Heath
Phil Heath arguably has the best genetics of all time in pro bodybuilding. He was dubbed “The Gift” because of his perfect shape, symmetry, and proportions. His round and full muscle bellies added to his physique’s illusion and made him look bigger than he actually was.
Heath matched Schwarzenegger’s record of seven Mr. Olympia title wins. The Gift hoisted the Sandow trophy for seven consecutive years (2011-2017). Heath’s dynamic personality played a vital role in taking the sport of bodybuilding to a bigger audience.
Dexter Jackson
Jackon is arguably the most conditioned bodybuilder of the modern era. He is billed as “The Blade” for his deep and well-defined lines. Jackson made waves in the pro bodybuilding circuit by defeating the dominant mass monster Jay Cutler in 2008 to bag his maiden (and only) Olympia gold medal.
Jackson holds multiple bodybuilding records, making his legacy one of the hardest to beat. The Blade has 29 pro show wins to his name, the most for a male pro bodybuilder. Besides being one of the two bodybuilders to win Mr. Olympia and Masters Olympia titles, Jackson is the winningest Arnold Classic champion (the second-most prestigious bodybuilding title), having won the title in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2013, and 2015. Finally, Jackson has 20 Mr. Olympia appearances, the most for a male pro bodybuilder.
Shawn Rhoden
The late Shawn Rhoden of Jamaica unseated the seven-time Olympia champ Phil Heath to win the Sandow trophy in 2018. The package Rhoden brought to the Olympia stage that year made many bodybuilding pundits acknowledge that he was one of the most aesthetically appealing bodybuilders ever. Rhoden was 43 years old when he conquered the Olympia throne, making him the oldest bodybuilder to win the title.
The “Flexatron” passed away tragically in 2021 from a heart attack. In Jul. 2019, Rhoden was charged with sexually assaulting a female protege in 2018. The Olympia promoters at the time banned Rhoden from competing at the 2019 Mr. Olympia and future contests.
Shawn Ray
Shawn “Sugar” Ray was one of his era’s most balanced and conditioned bodybuilders. The 5-foot-6 bodybuilder only failed once to place in the top five in over 30 bodybuilding competitions. He beat bodybuilders much bigger than him in size, earning him the moniker “The Giant Killer.”
Ray won the 1990 Arnold Classic but was stripped of the title after he failed a doping test. However, he returned to the 1991 AC with a vengeance and won the gold medal. Ray has two Olympia runner-up finishes (1994 and 1996).
Flex Wheeler
Kenneth “Flex” Wheeler is arguably the most aesthetically appealing bodybuilder of all time. Schwarzenegger referred to Wheeler as the greater bodybuilder he had ever seen. Although Wheeler won the Arnold Classic title four times, he could never seize the Olympia throne, making him one of the greatest bodybuilders not to win the Sandow trophy.
Wheeler was born with a rare kidney disease called glomerulosclerosis. However, he learned about his condition in 1999 and retired from competitive bodybuilding in 2003. “The Sultan of Symmetry” made a comeback on the Olympia stage in 2017 in the Classic Physique division, finishing 15th.
In 2019, Wheeler underwent amputation of his lower right leg due to circulatory vascular system problems that had become life-threatening.
Must Read: 13 Best Bodybuilders Who Didn’t Win the Mr. Olympia Title
Kai Greene
Kai Greene is one of the most inspiring bodybuilders of all time. Greene came from humble beginnings and took up bodybuilding as a creative outlet. “Mr. Getting It Done” is one of the best posers the sport has ever seen.
Soon after starting his journey, Greene entered the upper echelons of pro bodybuilding. Greene has three runner-up finishes at the Mr. Olympia (2012, 2013, and 2014) behind Phil Heath. The Brooklyn native has won three Arnold Classic titles (2009, 2010, and 2016). The rivalry between Greene and Heath stands out as one of the fiercest battles in the history of bodybuilding.
Robby Robinson
Robby Robinson is one of the icons of the golden era of bodybuilding. Nicknamed “The Black Prince,” most bodybuilding fans remember him from his role in the cult classic Pumping Iron (1977). Robinson has won several bodybuilding contests, including Mr. America, IFBB Mr. World, Mr. Universe, Night of Champions, and Masters Olympia.
At the time of writing, Robinson is 77 years old. He still trains at the Mecca of Bodybuilding, Gold’s Gym, Venice Beach, CA, and is in incredible shape.
Chris Cormier
Chris Cormier was one of the biggest bodybuilders of his era. “The Real Deal” competed in over 72 IFBB pro shows, winning 12. He also finished runner-up six times at the Arnold Classic. Although a top-tier bodybuilder, Cormier was known for his hardcore partying lifestyle. He placed sixth at the 1994 Olympia, beating the likes of Nasser El Sonbaty and Ronnie Coleman.
Serge Nubret
Serge Nubret of France had a cameo in Pumping Iron (1977). “The Black Panther” amazed Arnie and Columbu with his jacked physique at the show. He placed runner-up behind The Austrian Oak at the 1975 Olympia, while Lou Ferrigno had to settle for a bronze medal.
Nubret has won several bodybuilding competitions, including the 1976 NABBA Mr. Universe and the 1977 WBBG Pro. Mr. World and Mr. Olympus. The Black Panther founded the World Amateur Body Building Association (WABBA) in 1975 to host amateur bodybuilding competitions.
Vince Taylor
Taylor won 22 IFBB competitions during his three-decade-long career, a record only beaten by the legendary Ronnie Coleman and Dexter Jackson. Taylor competed in six Mr. Olympia contests, finishing in the top six four times. He won the bronze medal at his debut Olympia appearance in 1989. He repeated his performance in his sophomore year at the O in 1991. With five titles under his belt, Taylor is also the winningest Master Olympia champ.
Albert Beckles
Albert “Al” Beckles is a Mr. Universe and three-time Night of Champions winner. Beckles competed at the Mr. Olympia 13 times, with a runner-up finish behind Lee Haney at the 1985 O being his best outing; Beckles was 55 years old then. He placed among the top five six times at the O. Beckles won the Niagara Falls Pro Invitational at the age of 61.
Michael Ashley
Michael Ashley was known for his insane symmetry, balance, conditioning, and presentation. Ashley’s career highlight has been winning the 1990 Arnold Classic. The most interesting part? Ashley claims to be a life-long natty. However, Ashley hung up his posing trunks after placing out of the top 10 at the 1991 AC. He believed he could only come this far while staying natural.
Harold Kelley
Harold “King Kong” Kelley is in a league of his own and is the most decorated Wheelchair bodybuilder of all time. He is a five-time Wheelchair Olympia champion. He has maintained a vice-like grip on the division since its introduction in 2018. Kelley is also a six-time Arnold Classic Pro Wheelchair champ.
Kelley ended up in a wheelchair at the age of 36 after a T11 & T12 spinal injury suffered in a car crash. He competed as a bodybuilder before his accident and resumed his competitive ambitions after he received a go-ahead from his doctors. The rest, as they say, is history.
Lenda Murray
Murray took the women’s bodybuilding division into a whole new stratosphere with her ungodly muscle mass and definition. Her physique was so outstanding that she won the Ms. Olympia title on her debut in 1990. She held onto the title for the next five years.
Murray retired after placing runner-up to Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls in 1996 and 1997. However, after a seven-year hiatus, she made a comeback in 2002 and surprised everyone by winning the Olympia gold medal. She retired after winning her eighth Ms. Olympia title in 2003.
Iris Kyle
With 10 Ms. Olympia title wins, Iris Kyle is the winningest pro female bodybuilder of all time. No other bodybuilder, male or female, has ever managed to match or beat Kyle’s Olympia win record. She has also won the Ms. International (Arnold Classic) title seven times.
Kyle ended Murray’s dream run in 2004 and bested her record to become the most successful female Open division bodybuilder of all time.
Cydney Gillon
At the time of writing, Cydney Gillon has won the Figure Olympia title six times (2017-2022) and is the only bodybuilder on this list who is actively competing, which tells you something about her potential. She also has won the Figure International (Arnold Classic) twice (2019 and 2022). Gillon is famous for her perfect figure proportions, muscle separation, size, balance, and flow. She also has some of the best presentation skills on stage.
FAQs
Are black bodybuilders more genetically gifted than white bodybuilders?
Many people believe that black bodybuilders have better genetics for building muscle than their white counterparts. Although black bodybuilders hold more Mr. Olympia titles than Caucasian athletes, most of these Sandow trophies are consolidated among three or four athletes. There is no scientific evidence to prove that bodybuilders of African descent have better genetics for bodybuilding than white athletes.
Is it easier for black bodybuilders to build muscle?
Besides genetics, building muscle mass depends on several factors, including diet, training, recovery, previous experience, and overall health. No research has been conducted to determine if black bodybuilders build muscle more easily than their peers.
Who is the biggest black bodybuilder of all time?
The eight-time Mr. Olympia champ Ronnie Coleman weighed over 310 pounds in the off-season and is arguably the biggest (and heaviest) black bodybuilder of all time. That said, Nigerian bodybuilder Victor Richards competed during the Dorian Yates era and weighed around 310 pounds. Richard got his IFBB Pro card in 1992 but never competed in a pro bodybuilding show.
Wrapping Up
These 21 bodybuilders prove that greatness knows no boundaries of race, ethnicity, or background. These famous black bodybuilders embody possibility, showing that you can turn your dreams into reality, irrespective of your skin color or where you come from.
I hope these bodybuilders’ courage, passion, and dedication inspire you to challenge stereotypes, strive for excellence, and embrace greatness, not just in bodybuilding but in your own fields.
Is there any other legendary black bodybuilder that should be on this list? Let me know in the comment section below.
Jason Smith Issues Statement on 2023 CrossFit Games Provisional Suspension
South African CrossFit athlete Jason Smith has been on the rise in the sport, coming out as one of the greatest athletes in the entire continent of Africa. He’s well known in the region as one of the premiere talents looking to make his mark on the biggest stage. However, his journey took a turn for the worse recently, as Jason revealed some unfortunate news. In a recent post made on Instagram, Smith revealed he got provisionally suspended by CrossFit and barred from the 2023 CrossFit Games after testing positive for two banned substances.
Jason Smith first made waves across the African circuit with his insane athletic abilities which secured him a spot in CrossFit’s biggest competition. He marked his maiden appearance at the CrossFit Games in 2017 and impressed with a top-ten finish overall. Smith qualified for the contest two more times but could not do enough to make the cut on each occasion.
Smith has proven to be one of the most disciplined athletes in the game. He became the highest-ranked athlete in the Men’s (35-39) category in 2019 and led the leaderboard again the next year. Then, he handily dispatched the competition at the 2021 Fittest in Cape Town Semifinal and finished runner-up the following year. He turned in a commanding performance at the 2023 Africa Semifinal, taking the win with 96 points more than runner-up Conrad Winnertz.
2023 CrossFit Games are set to take place Aug. 1-6 in Madison, Wisconsin. The most elite CrossFit athletes will battle it out for the most prestigious titles in the sport. Reigning two-time champion Justin Medeiros targets securing the third title. However, there are some noticeable names missing from the lineup. Jason Smith is a special case this year though, as he is the first athlete so far who qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games, but will not compete due to a positive drug test.
Mal O’Brien announced her withdrawal from the 2023 CrossFit Semifinals and the entire season two months ago. Although she had been on top of the leaderboard for the majority of the season, she chose to skip the show due to personal challenges.
CrossFit veteran Noah Ohlsen announced his plans to move away from the Individual division to Team and revealed 2023 would mark his final season competing in the Individual category last October.
Reigning Six-time Fittest On Earth Tia-Clair Toomey was targeting to win the seventh title at the 2023 CrossFit Games but took to the sidelines because of her pregnancy in December 2022.
Earlier this year, Haley Adams pulled out of the upcoming Games to focus on her mental and physical health. She opened up about experiencing higher levels of anxiety and battling an eating disorder due to the pressure of getting higher placements. In addition, other athletes like Ricky Garard and Kara Saunders have also withdrawn from this year’s CrossFit Games
Jason Smith Issues Statement on 2023 CrossFit Games Provisional Suspension
In a recent Instagram post, Jason Smith revealed CrossFit suspended him and ruled him out of the 2023 CrossFit Games after he tested positive for two banned substances.
CrossFit announced early Friday morning that Smith “provided a sample at the competition that contained exogenous 5a-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5aAdiol) and 5b-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5bAdiol).
Smith will appeal the decision but remains provisionally suspended and barred from the upcoming games.
“Completely shattered. Speechless and have so many questions,” wrote Smith. “I have been living in a nightmare the past week after receiving a [sic] email from CrossFit to say I’ve failed a drug test almost 2 months after Semifinals, and will not be competing at the CrossFit Games. For anyone who knows me, knows how against using Performance Enhancers I am to gain any advantage in sport or CrossFit. I have competed in CrossFit for 14 years, I own 2 CrossFit gyms, and have only encouraged health and fitness through CrossFit training. There is no reason for me to do this, or current explanation of how this has happened. I am getting legal and medical advice and will be appealing the decision by CrossFit.
“This is not an apology nor am I seeking sympathy. I do however appreciate those who support me during this time as this is something I’ve never imagined to have happened or to deal with, but I will get to the bottom of this!”
Conrad Winnertz was offered to replace Smith but declined due to an injury. It is unclear who will replace Smith at the 2023 CrossFit Games at the time of this writing.
Brooke Wells was forced to the sidelines after not advancing further at the 2023 CrossFit North America East Semifinal two months ago. She later revealed she picked up a foot injury in the first event, which compromised her performance. However the last remaining details for the 2023 CrossFit Games are being fine tuned, as the Individual and Teams workouts for the 2023 CrossFit Games got announced days ago as well.
Published: 28 July, 2023 | 6:47 PM EDT