Working out by yourself is great. You can clear your head, forget everything and focus fully. But sometimes you need a good gym buddy to really push you on. They can encourage you when they think you still have another rep in you. And they can spot you so you can go to failure completely safely.
Mike Thurston isn’t the type to go easy in the gym, but he knows that sometimes some tough love is needed to get that extra 10%. So what better opportunity to do this than with six times Mr Olympia winner Dorian Yates?
Decline bench press
- Lie back on a decline bench with the barbell level with your eyeline.
- When you set up, ensure your forearms are parallel to each other as you grip the bar at roughly shoulder-width apart.
- Pick up the bar and make sure it’s in line with your sternum.
- Bring the bar down until it touches your sternum and press it back up again.
Seated chest press
- Take a seat on the chest press machine.
- Grab a handle in each hand.
- Drive the handles forwards in front of your chest while keeping your feet planted on the floor.
- Allow the handles to fall back to the starting position.
Incline fly
- Lie back against an incline bench.
- Keep your feet firmly planted on the floor.
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inwards.
- Your arms should be above your chest.
- Bring your arms out to your side (they should be bent at the elbow like a hook).
- Bring your arms down until your biceps are in line with your chest.
- Then push the dumbbells back up to the starting position.
Isolation concentration curl
- Take a seat on a flat bench with a dumbbell in your hand.
- Bend over until your upper arm is pressed against your upper leg.
- Start with your arm straight and bend at the elbow until the dumbbell comes up to your chin.
- Release the movement until your arm is straight.
Barbell bicep curl
- Grab a barbell with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart
- Begin with your arms straight in front of you.
- Bend your arms at your elbow to complete the curl movement.
- Then release the movement until your arms are straight again.
Take home message
If you really want to put yourself through your paces, hit the gym with a workout partner and complete this heavy workout. With a few tips and tough words from Dorian, you’ll definitely be able to ring out a few extra reps. You might feel it the next day, but sometimes a hard workout is exactly what you need.
