Last week, I sent out a newsletter about a pretty cool feature in my Body Armor muscle building programs.

The feature is that on certain exercises, I give you a basic list to choose from, you can pick and choose whichever exercises you want. Now, the ‘main’ strength & power exercises are specifically prescribed, as are other certain movements for prehab, as well as ‘relative’ strength purposes.

But for a good chunk of the assistance movements, I give you a list of ‘approved’ exercises, and let you choose what you want. This is for a few reasons.

1 – Only ‘good’ exercises are given as options (your leg extensions, cable crossovers, and triceps kickbacks can kiss my ass).

2 – Certain people just like certain exercises. I’ve talked about this before, but my buddy Andy loves DB Rows. Now, I like DB Rows just great, but will almost always favor Bent Over Barbell Rows. Andy, on the other hand, doesn’t like Bent Rows nearly as well. And in the end, it doesn’t really matter – different strokes for different folks.

3 – In the end, how different are many exercises, really, anyway? If you’re using good form, a decent weight for the given set/rep range (and the goals inherent with said set/rep range), and are using the same musculature in the same fashion, then who gives a damn?

Now, if we were talking about using different muscles, a much different range of motion, or a different movement plane, then yeah, I’d get it. A Curl Grip Pulldown on a cable machine is a much different exercise than an old-school T-bar Row that’s just done with one end of an olympic bar in the corner and holding onto the other end.

However, if you’re talking about a palms facing away Pullup, a Curl Grip Chin, a neutral grip pulldown, or any other similar vertical pulling motion, then there’s just not that much difference. Same would go with DB Rows, Bent Over Barbell Rows, Low Pulley Cable Rows, etc.

That also means exercises like DB Overhead Presses, Behind the Neck Presses, and PushPresses are all similar. Lateral Raises don’t belong to that list. Nor do Dips, Shrugs, Upright Rows, or any kind of Bench Press.

When I sent that out to in my newsletter, many readers “got” it. Others…not so much.

I had one guy basically “go off” on me, literally asking me “how stupid are you?” He went on to tell me about the intricate differences between a flat and inclined Bench Press, as well as the differences between how the rhomboids would be targeted in a Bent Over Barbell Row that was done with a wide grip, bar pulled to the chest or neck area, and a Bent Over Barbell Row that was done with a shoulder-width grip, bar pulled to the belly button.

*sigh*

Ok, lemme see if I can explain this. (I really hate this kinda arguments, because there are some people that no matter how hard you try, you know you’re just never gonna get through to them.)

Technically, the guy is right. Would there be a difference in how the rhomboids would be directly targeted in those two different kinds of rows? Sure. Just like there is difference between how the pecs (as well as front delts and triceps) are hit with flat Bench Presses and inclines. Just like there is a difference between a Curl Grip Cable Pulldown and a wide grip palms facing away Pullup.

But here’s the rub – while those kinda differences do exist, it’s more a matter of “putting the cart before the horse” than it is about them being relevant.

Look at it this way – say somebody wants to become a medium distance runner. Not sprints, but not marathons, either – say something like a 5k.

Now, while I’m no distance running expert by any means, I do know that there is definite strategy to be employed when running a race or training. You don’t just go out there and go balls out from the starting gun. At the same time, you don’t just pace the whole thing, either. There are times to pace yourself, times to run a fast clip, a time to really turn it on to pass or catch up with a pack, and a time to kick it into high gear for a good finish. This will vary from runner to runner depending on their own running styles or capabilities, but that’s where a good coach comes in.

So let’s say you decide you’re gonna start running 5k races. Would all these things be important to know? Of course they would. BUT, if you couldn’t even run a 5k in the first place without have to stop and walk for a rest, do any of those strategic race moves really make any kinda difference?

Nope.

Well, all these different kinds of exercises are the same way. Are they “different”? Yeah, they are. But they are much more similar than they are different. So just pick your favorite and go at it. Or, you can pick your favorite 2-3 and rotate through them – whatever you want to do.

If you get to the point where you’ve put on a bunch of size and are concerned enough with your physique (be it for bodybuilding competition’s sake or just plain ole’ vain ego) that the intricacies of these different exercises really matter, then by all means, feel free to add different exercises to your program or broaden your workouts out to the point that you can be more specific.

But if you’re just a dude that’s trying to put on 15 lbs of muscle, get in better shape overall, be stronger/more powerful your sport, or anything else along those lines, don’t worry about it.

Lift hard, lift heavy, and keep your nutrition right. I guarantee the dude that just picks an exercise or two and works diligently on them is much further ahead after 3 months than the guy that’s worried about hitting every single little angle and variation and nuance.

So go get to damn work.

Still not sure exactly what to do?  No problem – I’ve got you covered.  Just hit up Body Armor, and I’ll tell you exactly what to do (giving you the leeway to make some of your own exercise choices) every step along the way.

Just click to “Add to Cart” button to get started:

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard-
Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins
Muscle Building Workouts | Muscle Building Programs | Cardio Workouts | Cardio Fitness | MMA Workout | MMA Training