If your typical workout consists of bench, squats, deadlifts and pull-ups you are probably in need of a little pick me up. And no: we aren’t talking about some taurine fuelled pre-workout, we’re talking about shaking up your routine.
Sound like you? Ben Simmons’ shred sessions could be just the inspiration you need. The young Melburnian has become a rising NBA star with the Philadelphia 76ers, and while his on-court prowess has impressed fans worldwide, his gym sessions could be your ticket to getting more shredded than you’ve ever been.
Whether it’s one-arm dumbbell rows, multidirectional core workouts or cable flys, Ben Simmons’ Instagram workout posts make use of the neglected areas of the gym you are soon to appreciate.
First off we have one arm dumbbell rows, an exercise which is great for developing a wider, thicker (i.e. visibly stronger) back.
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Top tip from Bodybuilding.com; “Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. Also, make sure that the force is performed with the back muscles and not the arms.”
“The upper torso should remain stationary and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work except for holding the dumbbell; therefore do not try to pull the dumbbell up using the forearms.”
The next exercise he demonstrates (click through to the second image on the above Instagram post) is two-handed overhead cable flys. These are great for increasing shoulder and core strength, and teaching your upper body muscles to work together.
While the name sounds complex, it’s actually quite simple: Attach a stirrup handle to the high pulley, grab it with both hands, and pull across and over your body until your working hand is in front of the opposite cheek. Return to starting position.
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The next exercise of Simmons’ we recommend is a one-handed fly pull (see above), which is a great way to vary your back workout—a great alternative to deadlifts or one-arm dumbbell rows, targeting the same muscles in a different way. This can be combined with an overhead shoulder press (with dumbbells), as you can see in the fourth slide of the Instagram image series above.
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Simmons also showcases the dumbbell benchpress. This provides increased muscular hypotrophy and strength (compared to a barbell bench press), joint angle customisation (optimal for those recovering from injury), increased unilateral strength, increased range of motion and develops your stabilisation muscles.
Also important is stretching:
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And—although we can’t perhaps all afford the fancy equipment for this one—dips…
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If you want to mimic what Simmons was doing when he was picked up by The Sixers, look no further than this video (disclaimer: we can’t guarantee you’ll get drafted too).
What about using your phone between sets?
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A number of Simmons’ 4.5 million followers picked up on this, with comments like, “Get off the phone bro. Got work to do” and “Do you even lift” rolling in.
Commenters also picked up on the fancy looking dumbells which – if you are interested – are made by a company called Power Block (and are mega expensive).
In any case, Simmons explained his gym-sin by saying, “Man I had to switch the playlist,” (which 294 people liked), in response to the call-out comment, “Get off the phone bro,” (which received 89 likes).
This appears to indicate that phone use has now become so prolific that most guys are – if not engaging in it – at least understanding of it.
The final verdict? The ball’s in Simmons’ court. If he achieves his goal of being the best in the league this coming season, we’d say that’s a pretty strong case for permitting yourself a cheeky song change between sets.
Until then, we’d say zeroing in on the suffering is more likely to bring you the supersized results you crave.