Q: What can I do to target the muscles of my middle back? A: The muscles of the middle back are not easy to isolate and many trainers go about training them incorrectly. The key to an effective mid back workout is to use cables and machines. This will allow you to adjust the movement to target specific areas of your back – something that you can’t do with free weights. The number one mid-back developer is the seated cable row. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most poorly executed exercises of all time. Most people get a powerful bicep and thigh workout on this one but very little back stimulation. If you’ve got access to the Pumping Iron video, put it on and forward to the part where Arnold is doing seated cable rows. Watch his form and you’ll notice ...

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Q:  What do you think of cable exercises for the legs when preparing for contests? Do you think they are beneficial or take too much energy away from size-preserving exercises like squats? A: Everyone is different. I’ve seen guys get ready for shows still doing squats, leg press and hack squats, with absolutely no finishing type exercises and look separated, sharp and cross striated. I’ve also seen guys do lunges, leg extensions and other specialization exercises and look fantastic too.  I think it really knows how your legs respond to stimulus. Do you, for instance, respond well to either high rep or low rep training and still have fantastic legs? If that’s the case, you can’t make that many mistakes and anything you do will benefit your legs. However, if you’re the kind of guy who doesn’t really do well with low rep training and ...

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Q:  What do you think of cable exercises for the legs when preparing for contests? Do you think they are beneficial or take too much energy away from size-preserving exercises like squats? A: Everyone is different. I’ve seen guys get ready for shows still doing squats, leg press and hack squats, with absolutely no finishing type exercises and look separated, sharp and cross striated. I’ve also seen guys do lunges, leg extensions and other specialization exercises and look fantastic too.  I think it really knows how your legs respond to stimulus. Do you, for instance, respond well to either high rep or low rep training and still have fantastic legs? If that’s the case, you can’t make that many mistakes and anything you do will benefit your legs. However, if you’re the kind of guy who doesn’t really do well with low rep training and ...

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