Working the Angles…

Thomas, the gregarious meat monger at my local Ottomanelli meat shop asked me:

“…but don’t I need to work the muscle from all different angles? Won’t my results be limited if I only do bench for chest and not decline and incline?”

(A bit of context is needed here – Thomas originally asked me why he’d stopped making gains in his chest workout. He then presented his chest workout to me: 4 sets of bench press, 2 sets of incline bench, 2 sets of decline bench, followed up with a set or two of either cable or dumbbell flyes, all in the same workout. Wonder why he wasn’t gaining? Hint…)

The short answer? No, and only maybe. But come, let’s explore this notion a little bit…

Let’s assume Thomas is working at a sufficiently high threshold to stimulate change (i.e., he’s using a lot of effort, not wimping out on his sets). If we uncover what’s going on at the level of his muscles to effect change, we’ll have the answers to his questions.

First, does a muscle have to be worked “from all different angles?” Does working from different angles even do anything?

Let’s express the point that muscles are primarily engines that move joints from point a to point b. They attach in specific spots and insert on specific spots. The line of pull (i.e., force production) of any given muscle is a straight line between those two points. As an example, the quads originate at the ASIS and femur and attach to the patella (kneecap). That there are two points defining the start and end of the muscle implies (6th grade math, stay with me here) that there is a line that connects the two. Upon this line lies the optimal (read: most effective) line of force application.

Or, to state it in a single sentence: Every muscle or muscle group has a job (or “function”, if you will) to do.

While it is true that muscles can function in many different planes (they have to, otherwise we’d move like oversized GI Joe figures), there exists one line of optimal pull. It is this line, this exercise “groove”, that we wish to exploit during strength training.

How do you know what this “optimal line” is? Easy – just look at the muscles’ anatomical functions. Even easier, examine a given function and see which exercise allows you to lift the most weight.

Easy example: Suppose you choose to work the biceps (or, more properly, elbow flexion). Well, you could do Zottman curls, cable curls, preacher curls, etc. But which biceps exercise, properly performed, allows you to utilize the greatest poundage? The basic biceps curl. Why? Because it’s the closest movement to that optimal line of pull – point A to point B.

You can do this mental exercise with any anatomical function, and come up with the exercises that always form the basis of a productive program: Hip extension – deadlifts, squats. Knee extension – squats. Shoulder flexion – chinups (vertical plane), rows (horizontal plane). And so on and so forth.

So, knowing this, why do anything but the basics at all?

Well, some muscles are better worked than others in different positions because of their attachment points. For example, Pectoralis Major is worked very well with a plain ol’ chest press. However, because of its attachment points, Pectoralis Minor only gets to play a supporting role. It doesn’t really get a chance to party down until a bench angle of about 30 degrees or so is introduced.

Hence the concept of “working different angles” is born. You work different angles to insure that all available muscle fibers are worked.

Back to the question – so why not hit the muscles from all different angles?

1) In a full body workout, all major muscle groups are utilized, particularly if intensity (effort) is high.

Only doing flat bench presses but concerned your pec minor is not getting used enough? No problem – pec minor contracts very powerfully in the first 30 degrees or so of shoulder flexion, so if you’re doing any kind of pulldown or chinup movement, you’ve covered that muscle group. In a well-balanced workout program where all major functions are hit, all major muscle groups will be addressed. Period.

2) Return for time investment is low.

Ask yourself: Is it really worth me spending an extra 20 minutes in the gym just so I can work my brachioradialis muscle in its optimal line of pull? Or just deal with it getting some work from the chins, rows, curls, etc.? Maybe if you’re a professional bodybuilder, whose livelihood depends on having the maximal development of every single possible muscle (and has the hours in the day free to work on it and the drugs to sustain that level of work). If you’ve got a life outside of the gym, chances are you should save the hour and be content with reaching a mere 90% of your genetic potential (which is far, far beyond what most trainees will ever achieve).

3) Optimal lines of pull for certain muscle groups expose the joint to unnecessarily dangerous force.

One exercise springs to mind immediately: Behind the neck pulldown. There’s likely no better exercise for working the upper back and lats in concert (function: humeral adduction). However, done over time, this exercise will inevitably lead to shoulder problems (specifically impingement of the rotator cuff) in most trainees. Only the very robust or very flexible will escape unscathed. Believe me, as productive as it could be, this is one exercise you’re better off leaving alone.

Some movements just aren’t good for anyone, and should be avoided. No one muscle group is worth the cost of your joint health.

4) You must account for sufficient recovery.

Extra sets require more recovery. In Thomas’ case, he was performing so many sets for chest so frequently that his muscles had no chance to recover (and repair themselves). He was only breaking his muscles down without allowing them enough time to rebuild. Consequently, he was not only stagnating, his progress was backsliding. My advice to Thomas? Do the exercises that are most important (pick one), and focus on that.

One very important point: I am not saying to never perform alternative versions of exercises. In other words, incline presses aren’t forbidden, pronated lat pulldowns aren’t verboten, and I’m not going to chastise you for doing a Romanian deadlift instead of a stiff-legged one. My point is – don’t do them all at once. Pick one (the one that you wish to focus one for that cycle in your exercise routine) and work the heck out of it, until it’s time to change.