Exercise selection I've often said that you
can tell the difference between a decent coach and a great coach by the
exercises they select. The key is selecting the movements that will
provide the greatest gains in a specific individual. What is optimal
for me might not be the best exercise selection for you. Proper
exercise selection depends on your body structure (limb lengths,
shoulder and hips width) as well as your muscle dominance. For example,
the bench press or incline DB press are great movements to build the
chest in individuals who are either "chest-dominant" (chest
proportionally stronger than shoulders and triceps) or who have a
balanced development in all the pressing muscles. However, if someone
is "shoulder-dominant," these might not be the best choices.
Not so good for shoulder-dominant individuals See,
it's not as simple as saying that compound movements are superior to
isolation exercises. In many cases it's true, however in other case the
proper isolation drill might be superior to compound movements. Exercise
selection is even more vital during a bout of low-volume training,
because you must use a low number of exercises, 2-3 per muscle group.
There's simply no room for a subpar movement. While complete
exercise selection depending on your body type and muscle dominance is
outside the scope of this article and will be a series of its own, I
like to use the following 'basic' guidelines when it comes to
low-volume exercise selection:
• For a dominant
muscle (a muscle that responds well to training) I suggest using only
'big movements': the exercises in which you can use the most weight for
the target muscle group.
• For an 'average
muscle' (a muscle that's neither a super easy responder nor a stubborn
one) I recommend two 'big movements' followed by an isolation exercise.
•
For a 'stubborn muscle' I suggest using a pre-fatigue approach:
starting with an isolation exercise and then performing either one 'big
movement' plus one more isolation one, or two 'big movements'. The key
is to start with the isolation one. Pre-fatigue is a
technique that I recommend only for a stubborn muscle group. This
technique is effective because by isolating a muscle you 'prime it'
(both neurologically and physiologically) so that it's recruited more
easily during the subsequent 'big movement'. The localized pump from
the isolation movement also enables you to better 'feel' that muscle
working during the compound drill (enhanced feedback) and are thus able
to have a better mind-muscle connection with that stubborn muscle. Here
are some examples of possible exercise selections. Note that this is
not an exhaustive list. You have my permission to choose other
exercises.

Chest exercise selection If you're pectoral-dominant or balanced:
A. Flat bench press
B. Incline DB press
C. Chest dips If you're shoulders-dominant:
A. Decline dumbbell flies
B. Decline bench press
C. Cable cross-over If you're triceps-dominant:
A. Flat bench dumbbell flies
B. Wide grip bench press to the clavicle
C. Low-incline DB press
Flat-bench dumbbell flies

Back exercise selection If you're latissimus-dominant or balanced:
A. Chest-supported T-bar rowing
B. Supinated chin-ups
C. Rope lat pulldown
D. Seated rope row to the neck If you're biceps/forearms-dominant:
A. Machine pullover or straight-arm pulldown
B. Rope lat pulldown
C. Bent over lateral raise
D. Seated rope row to the neck
Bent-over lateral raise

Quads exercise selection If you're quadriceps-dominant or balanced:
A. Back squat
B. Close-stance leg press
C. Short step lunges If you're gluteus-dominant:
A. Leg extension
B. Front squat
C. Sissy hack squat
Front squat

Hamstrings exercise selection If you're hamstrings-dominant or balanced:
A. Romanian deadlift (DB or barbell)
B. Reverse hyper
C. Lying leg curl If you're lower back-dominant:
A. Lying leg curl
B. Leg press feet high on board
C. Standing leg curl
Lying leg curl

Deltoid exercise selection If you're lateral deltoid-dominant or balanced:
A. Seated DB shoulder press
B. Arnold press
C. Seated lateral raise If you're front deltoid-dominant:
A. Seated lateral raise
B. Scott press
C. Cable lateral raise or leaning-away lateral raise If you're triceps-dominant:
A. Seated lateral raise
B. Bradford press (never lock out)
C. Cuban press
Arnold press

Triceps exercise selection If you're triceps-dominant or balanced:
A. Close-grip bench press
B. Triceps dips
C. Lying DB triceps extension If you're shoulders-dominant:
A. Decline close-grip bench press
B. Decline EZ bar triceps extension
C. Rope triceps kickback If you're chest-dominant:
A. Decline DB triceps extension
B. Overhead EZ bar triceps extension
C. Cable triceps press-down
Close-grip bench press

Biceps exercise selection If you're biceps-dominant or balanced:
A. Preacher curl or machine preacher curl
B. Seated hammer curl
C. Standing reverse EZ bar curl If you're forearms-dominant:
A. Wide-grip/elbows-in preacher curl
B. Seated supinated (palms up) DB curl
C. 1-arm preacher curl (preferably with low pulley)
Preacher curl

Rest intervals While
the volume of work is low, each set is extremely demanding. For that
reason, you need to take a relatively long rest between sets. If you
don't, your performance will decline, and the training stimulus will
suffer as a result. You need to start every set recovered
enough to be able to put forth the inhuman effort required by this
style of training. At least 2-3 minutes are required for upper body,
and up to 4-5 minutes for legs. During that time you shouldn't just be
sitting around picking your nose, or yakking about your weekend. You
should be reflecting on the preceding set (did you give it all you've
got?) and psyching yourself for the next set. It's not just a
rest period, it's a mental preparation period. It might, in fact, very
well be the most important part of the workout.

Conclusion Every
rational training program will work, provided that progression, effort,
and discipline are part of the equation. A properly designed low-volume
program is no exception. Low volume isn't necessarily the best way to
train, and it's not for everyone. When used correctly, however, it will
spark dramatic results. It can also be used in a larger scheme:
alternating periods of low-volume, high-volume and maximal weights,
each period lasting 4-6 weeks is a very good way to train and keep on
progressing. But remember: to make this program work you must
absolutely compensate for the low volume with supreme effort. Every
single one of the few sets you do must be a true test of your will. Good training.
Christian
Thibaudeau is a strength coach, bodybuilder, Olympic lifter, and
designer of extremely rational training programs. Christian insists
that when it comes to low volume training, it's not how much you do, it's how hard you do it.

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