TARGET ANY MUSCLE

A SIMPLE GUIDE ON HOW TO TRAIN ANY MUSCLE IN THE GYM

BY BEN YANES
 BELOW IS THE TABLE OF
CONTENTS FOR THE FULL BOOK.
THIS SAMPLE ONLY INCLUDES
THE INTRODUCTION AND LAT
CHAPTER.

01 Intro 09 Adductors

02 Lats 10 Hamstrings

03 Pecs 11 Quads

04 Delts 12 Calves

05 Traps 13 Erectors

06 Biceps 14 Abs

07 Triceps 15 Forearms

08 Glutes 16 Conclusions

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 01
INTRO
This book is meant to be a “cheat sheet” guide to
lifting weights - something you can quickly pull up
on your phone if you’re in the gym struggling to
train the muscles you want. In my other work, I
spend lots of time diving into the (deeper)
nuances of anatomy and physics. This will not be
the case here.

A unique set of steps guide how to set up and

execute exercises for each muscle group. No two
groups are the same. Use the table of contents to
your advantage and click on the chapters that are
relevant to you - each section functions in
isolation from all others, so do not feel the need
to read everything in order.

Each chapter will cover a different set of muscles.

Within each section, you will learn:

How to stretch the target muscle.

How to shorten the target muscle.
How to directly load the target muscle.
How to stabilize & execute exercises for the
target muscle.
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 02

All of the above information will be accessible

through image alone, but I have also filmed short
video lectures for each section that briefly
summarize the section’s content and provides
additional insights. These lectures are not meant
to be as nuanced as a longer course lecture, but
rather a quick summary of the section for you who
prefer to watch a video. Even if you’ve read
through every section and viewed every diagram -
it will benefit your learning to see me describe
everything with motion on my skeleton model
(plus, there are some bonus bits of information
covered in the videos that are not covered in the
text).

I hope this guide helps. If it does, please tell a

friend about it :)

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03
LATS
The lats are a fan-shaped muscle with multiple
different subdivisions. For training application
purposes, we can subdivide the lats into two
sections: upper lats and lower lats. Both of the
lats attach to the same location on the upper arm.

The upper lats are the ones that sit higher

up on the spine. Their fibers run
horizontally and are therefore more
involved in rowing motions.

The lower lats are the ones that run from

the hip, ribs, and lower spine up into
the upper arm. Their fibers run
more vertically compared to
the upper lats and are there-
fore more involved in pull-
down motions. Upper

The upper and lower lats

share similar actions, but
Lo
w

when lifting, it is helpful

er

to divide them into

upper and lower lat
exercises.
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04
UPPER LATS
How to fully stretch the
upper lats

The upper arm is pulled

forward, slightly upward,
and slightly across the
face. Note how the lats
get stretched out and
around the ribs when you
do this.

How to fully shorten

the upper lats

The upper arm is

tucked tight and
downward to the body
and comes in line with
the torso.
 05
How to directly load the upper lats

The upper arm is angled forward and slightly upward

and is being pulled by the resistance in that direction.

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 06
How to stabilize motions for the upper lats

If done single arm (pictured above):

Use your non-working hand to push into a pad in
front of you.
Use your same-side leg to push into something in
front of you.
If you are using a chest-supported row machine,
see the image below for a highly stable setup:

The non-working hand pushes away from the body

to resist rotation. The trunk stays glued to the chest
pad. The same-side leg drives the trunk into the
chest pad.

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 07

If done 2-arm:
Use a chest support to put in front of your trunk,
such as a bench, or use a chest-supported
machine row (as shown above, but use 2 arms).

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 08
If done 2-arm:
Use both legs in front of you if done on a cable
row station without a chest support.

Although the loading angle is purely horizontal to the torso here,

the upper lats are our major mover, given the tight arm path.

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 09
How to execute motions for the upper lats

Ensure that your arm is tight to your ribcage

throughout the motion.
Allow your shoulder blade and arm to “reach”
forward in the stretch.
Drive your elbow(s) down toward your pockets
as you pull.

The above image is a view of an “upper lat row”

from behind (the same exercise displayed first in
this section). Note the angle of the upper arm
relative to how close it is to my ribcage.

How close or tight your arm appears will be

specific to your anatomy and size. The larger and
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 10
more jacked you are, the wider your arm path will
appear. The narrower you are, the closer to your
body your arm should likely be.

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11
LOWER LATS
How to fully stretch the
lower lats

The arm is brought up and

overhead and the
shoulder is shrugged in
the direction of the arm.
Note how the arm is not
perfectly in line with the
torso but slightly forward
in front of the face.

How to fully shorten the

lower lats

The arm is tight to the

body, brought down
toward the hips, and is in
line with the torso at the
fully contracted position.
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How to directly load the lower lats

The upper arm is angled upward/slightly forward

in front of the body and is being pulled by the
resistance in that direction.

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 13
How to stabilize motions for the lower lats

If done single arm:

Use your non-working hand to push into
something in front of/above you.
Use your same-side leg to push into something in
front of you OR kneel/sit on the legs to use your
body weight to anchor against the resistance
(like I am kneeling in the above photos).
Push up into a thigh pad (as on a normal lat pull-
down) and ensure the pad is tight to your legs
(pictured below).

If done double arm (pictured below):

Ensure you have a thigh pad to hold you down
and that you are actively calf-raising into it.

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 14

How to execute motions for the lower lats

Ensure that your arm is tight to your ribcage

throughout the motion (same concept as upper
lats detailed above).
Allow your shoulder blade and arm to “reach
and shrug” forward/upward in the stretch (see
below).
Think about pulling with your armpits rather
than your hands.
Another version of this: drive your elbow(s)
down toward your pockets as you pull.

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 15

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16
LAT TRAINING F.A.Q
Should I restrict shoulder blade motion during lat
movements?

No. Allowing your shoulder blades to move is one

of the most important aspects of any good lat
movement.

Is single or double arm better?

Both have upsides and downsides.

With single-arm, you can be more specific loading

each side and can accommodate for strength and
size differences between arms. You can also
individualize paths for each arm in a way that is
more comfortable for both sides and pull more
narrow to your body with implements that are set
too wide for you (like some machines). Single arm
is also generally easier to stabilize at the
trunk/spine.

With double-arm, you’ll save some time, but it’s

generally harder to find a perfect arm path for
either side. You may also not find fixed-grip
pulling as comfortable as pulling with a single arm
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and a free-moving D-handle.

Ultimately, just apply these principles, and find

which options feel best for you. Both single and
double-arm can be great - it’s all about the time
and place. I personally prefer single arm most of
the time and take little to no rest between arms.

Are pull-overs good for lats?

Pull-overs definitely train the lats, but they are

not as specific to their function as pull-downs and
rows are.

If you have a great pull-over machine, or you love

doing cable pull-overs for lats, then that’s a
totally fine option. I would personally recommend
narrow pull-downs and rows to be as specific as
possible to the lats, however (assuming no
limitations).

Do wide rows and pull-downs not train the lats?

Both wide rows and pull-downs train the lats to

some degree, but they are not nearly as specific
to the lats as a narrow row or pull-down would be.

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LAT TRAINING VIDEO
SUMMARY
Click here to view a brief video summary of the
principles discussed in this chapter.

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