Then there are days you want to do both.
Men’s Health Fitness Director B.J. Gaddour has the upper-body solution for when you want a combo. He calls it “the power body builder,” and demonstrates it in the video above.
It works like this: You’ll grab heavier dumbbells than you normally use to curl and press overhead.
Using a clean and then a push press, you’ll tap into your fast-twitch muscle fibres to power the heavier load overhead.
On the way down, you’ll go slow. You’re stronger on the eccentric – or the lowering portion – of the movement than you are on the lifting phase, so you shouldn’t need any momentum or power to bring down the weights. You’re essentially overloading this segment to build more mass.
Since the eccentric component is known to cause muscle soreness for 3 to 5 days afterward, start with 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps. Increase the volume to 3 to 5 sets over time.
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