Custom-Made Muscle

Modify any exercise to suit your fitness level with these simple adjustments.

Easier: squat

Band-assisted squat: Place a stretchable band around a chinup bar and stand just behind the bar. Hold the band with both hands as you squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Stand back up.

Why it works: The band lends stability as you squat, and assists your legs as you press back up to the starting position.

Easier: deadlift

Elevated straight-leg deadlift: Stand between two 6- to 12-inch-high boxes with your knees slightly bent, holding a barbell with an overhand grip. Bend at your hips and lower your torso until the barbell touches the boxes. Pause, and return to an upright position.

Why it works: The boxes limits your range of motion, helping you master the deadlift. Discover five other smart shortcuts to bigger muscles.

Easier: chinup/pullup

Negative chinup/pullup: Stand on a box beneath a pullup bar. Grab the bar and jump up, pulling your chest to the bar. Then take 6 to 10 seconds to lower yourself until your feet touch the box. Repeat.

Why it works: Slowly lowering your body can help build your upper-body muscles and increase the pulling power you need for chinups or pullups.

Easier: barbell bench press

Negative pushup: This isn't a bench press, but it provides the same benefit. Perform a pushup, and take 6 to 10 seconds to lower your body as you keep your core tight. Once you're an inch above the ground, explosively push your body back up.

Why it works: When you slowly lower your body, you activate more muscle fibers, increasing your chest, back, and triceps strength. And be sure you don't believe any of the five muscle myths holding you back.

Easier: plank

Kneeling plank: Assume a pushup position, but rest on your forearms and your knees. Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to knees. Brace your core and hold the position as long as you can.

Why it works: Bending your knees reduces the weight your core has to support. Also, if you feel back pain when you do regular planks, this eases tension.

Harder: squat

Box squat: Stand 4 to 6 inches forward of a knee-high bench or box. With a barbell loaded onto your upper back, squat and sit on the bench for a moment. Keeping your heels pressed into the ground, stand back up.

Why it works: When you sit, you kill the weight's momentum; to rise again, you need to use your lower-body muscles more. That teaches your body to move explosively. Learn eight additional weightlifting fixes for more muscle.

Harder: deadlift

Straight-leg deadlift with shrug: Hold a barbell at arm's length in front of your hips, using an overhand grip. Bend at your hips and lower your torso until it's almost parallel to the floor. Pause, and then come back up and shrug your shoulders.

Why it works: You're emphasizing your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, which are typically weaker than your quads.

Harder: chinup/pullup

Commando pullup: Instead of facing the bar, stand so you're looking down its length. Grab it with one hand in front of the other, your palms facing inward. Now pull up and lean to the left so your right shoulder touches the bar. Then lean to the right and touch the bar with your left shoulder.

Why it works: This kind of pullup causes an imbalance of weight and forces you to work your back and arms more as you pull your body up on each side. Check out 40 more small changes for bigger muscles.

Harder: barbell bench press

Cage bench press: Lie on a bench inside a power rack with the barbell resting on safety bars 3 to 6 inches above your chest. Press the bar off the rack until your arms are straight. Then lower it.

Why it works: You're starting from your weakest position in the bench press, with no momentum to help out. This forces your chest to work harder and improves your ability to bench more weight.

Harder: plank

Plank with opposite arm and leg lift: From the plank position on your elbows, lift your left foot and right arm off the floor for 5 to 10 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.

Why it works: By adding movement and instability, you force your body to work harder to keep your core tight and stable. If you want your six-pack to show, follow these five steps to rock-hard abs.