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6 min read<\/p>\n6 min read<\/p>\n
IN ONE CORNER of fitness Instagram, there is all-everything bodybuilder Chris Bumstead, admitting that he\u2019s \u201crelearning how to move like a human again\u201d<\/a> after years of slow, controlled hypertrophy-focused<\/a> exercises that made him stiff. In another, there are influencers Jason and Lauren Pak, constantly reminding everyone that solely doing bodybuilding workouts would leave \u201cserious gaps\u201d<\/a> in anyone\u2019s training regimen and proclaiming that \u201cfunction > aesthetics.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Welcome to the latest chapter in the ever-changing, often-overly-polarizing fitness landscape. Depending on what your algorithm feeds you or the company you keep, you just might think there\u2019s a problem with heading to the gym with purely aesthetic goals\u2014that it\u2019s somehow wrong to want to build bigger arms or carve washboard abs rather than functional strength<\/a>. This line of thinking holds that people with these objectives over-obsess over the muscles they can see in the mirror (a.k.a \u201cmirror muscles\u201d), which isn\u2019t good for your longevity and certainly won\u2019t help you to be a better athlete.<\/p>\n Except there\u2019s nothing wrong with what we\u2019re calling \u201cmirror muscle strength,\u201d and focusing on it actually has more benefits than just your vanity. Could it really be that bad to be motivated by the prospect of looking a little more like a Marvel superhero? No, says trainer Don Saladino<\/a> (who\u2019s worked with such superhero actors as Sebastian Stan and Ryan Reynolds). \u201cI think whether you\u2019re training for functional sport or training just for aesthetics, there is a high level of benefit for that in correlation to longevity\u2014because muscle is the organ of longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n Why Function and Aesthetics Aren\u2019t So Separate<\/p>\n TRANSLATION: EVEN IF you\u2019re not hitting the gym thinking about how you move and how you feel, as long as you\u2019re following the basic rules of strength training (think: progressive overload<\/a>), you\u2019re very likely honing the qualities that will improve longevity. That\u2019s partly because our \u201cmirror muscles\u201d are actually more important to the way we move and function than some trainers want to admit.<\/p>\n Building big biceps and forearms, for example, will supercharge your grip strength<\/a>, a research-backed indicator of longevity<\/a>. The secret to the V-taper<\/a> that action figures and Chris Hemsworth (and action figures of Chris Hemsworth) have? That\u2019s actually about building major back muscle, which can help bulletproof your shoulders against injury. And the rise of the term \u201chockey butt\u201d<\/a> is all about the popularity of big glutes \u2013 which just happen to be the engine for all athleticism<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n For all the talk of training to move laterally and rotate, said Dr. Pat Davidson in a recent episode of MH\u2019s Strong Talk podcast<\/a>, you need to build the muscles on the your front side (abs, chest, biceps, and quads among them) and back side (lats, glutes, hamstrings) to dominate how your body stands up to gravity.<\/p>\n Essentially, training for aesthetics and training for function have plenty in common, especially for gym beginners. Only at very advanced training levels (think: Chris Bumstead) is there a difference. Saladino argues that even the small muscles typically trained for aesthetics play key supporting roles in the larger multi-joint moves that trainers consider \u201cfunctional\u201d. Why else do powerlifters chasing bench press gains spend time training their triceps? (Those triceps help push you out of a chair, too, by the way.)<\/p>\n So why all the hate on going into the gym to train mirror muscles? Peloton instructor Andy Speer says training your \u201cmirror muscles\u201d gets a bad rap. And that just may be because it\u2019s easy to get caught up in, say, biceps curls and never do the more taxing exercises that round out your overall fitness (and hit your entire Strengthspan<\/a>, the spectrum of physical capacities you should be including in your workouts for healthy aging). \u201cThere’s absolutely nothing wrong with working parts of your body that you feel like you want to improve upon,\u201d says Speer. \u201cBut if all I’m doing is chest pressing and curls again and again, things are going to go poorly in the near future, and your shoulders aren\u2019t going to be happy, and you’re going to have no leg strength when you get older.\u201d<\/p>\n At the end of the day, don\u2019t overthink the whole debate about why you train. Whatever gets you in the gym has you moving, and that\u2019s your biggest win. That works for normal guys like Peter Elias, a 53-year-old software salesman from new Jersey who\u2019s lifted weights his entire life. Sure, his goals are about being fit for golf and \u201cfit for life.\u201d But what gets him back in the gym whenever his busy work schedule gets in the way?<\/p>\n Simple: An accidental glance at his reflection after a few days away from the gym. \u201cAs much as I care about mobility and athletic performance, I still love to see strong pecs and biceps when I look in the mirror,\u201d he says. \u201cIf I don\u2019t, I\u2019m going to do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s as good a motivation as any.<\/p>\n 3 Moves That Hit Your Mirror Muscles\u2014And More<\/p>\n THE GOOD NEWS: the path to moving better and building pure strength and intersects a lot more with mirror muscle training than most guys realize. Here are three moves that will build the mirror muscles you want\u2014and help build your entire Strengthspan, too. Aim to do each at least once a week, and you\u2019ll cover many of your movement bases, while also building toward the aesthetic look that it\u2019s completely okay to want, too.<\/p>\n Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press<\/p>\n Why: The half-kneeling shoulder press blasts shoulders and triceps\u2014and it just may be the most underrated six-pack abs exercise you\u2019ll find out there too, says MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. \u201cYour abs have to stabilize your spine during each press,\u201d he says. That\u2019s not just so you don\u2019t arch your back, either; as the weight gets heavier, your torso may want to tip from one side to the other. Your core prevents that from happening.<\/p>\n How to Do It:<\/p>\n Get into a half-kneeling position on the ground, holding the kettlebells in each hand. Squeeze your core and glutes to make it a strong position.Raise both kettlebells into the racked position, holding the handles and resting the weights on your forearms.Press both kettlebells straight up.Keep one arm extended and perform another press rep with the other. As you lower the single rep arm, bring the static arm down too.Repeat the double rep, then perform the single rep on the other side.<\/p>\n Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 8 reps per side.<\/p>\n Kettlebell Swing<\/p>\n Why: Want glutes? This all-around move builds them, and it hits other aesthetic notes, too. \u201cYour entire core is working to keep you stable and controlled on every swing,\u201d says Samuel, \u201cand swing for long enough, and your forearms will feel it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s also training your glutes at a vastly different speed than many other more classic glute builders, like Romanian deadlifts and hip thrusts. You\u2019re generating serious force\u2014fast. This explosive movement subtly improves your athleticism. And because you can string together high rep counts with swings you\u2019ll quietly challenge your aerobic system too.<\/p>\n How to Do It:<\/p>\n Start standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, with the kettlebell on the ground in front of you.Push you butt back, then lean over to grip the bell’s handle. Hold on tightly.Squeeze your shoulder blades, then shift your arms to turn the pits of your elbows outward. Squeeze your abs to create tension. Keep your eyes on the floor to maintain a neutral spine.”Hike” the weight back between your legs, keeping your knees slightly bent. Keep your arms straight.Stand straight up, locking your knees, and aggressively squeeze your glutes to perform the swing. Keep your arms loose, like ropes connecting yourself to the kettlebell. Don’t aim for a certain point; allow the momentum to determine how high the bell goes.Allow the weight to fall back down, back through your legs.<\/p>\n Sets and Reps: End your workouts with 4 to 5 minutes of 40-seconds on, 20-off swing work.<\/p>\n Chinup<\/p>\n Why: \u201cI consider this a mirror muscle move,\u201d says Samuel, \u201cbecause wide, strong lats are actually key to the aesthetic torso most guys want. They just often don\u2019t realize that.\u201d Chinups blast abs, forearms, biceps, and midback muscles on every rep. A bonus: You can do them anywhere. (Bonus: they\u2019re having a moment right now.<\/a>)<\/p>\n How to Do It:<\/p>\n Get into a good hanging position with an underhand grip, squeezing your shoulders, abs, and glutes to maintain tension.Drive your elbows into your hips to pull yourself up to the bar. Continue until your head is above the bar, pausing briefly at the top.Lower back down until your elbows are extended, maintaining control of the position and keeping tension.<\/p>\n Sets and Reps: Aim for 3 sets of as many good-form reps as you can do<\/p>\n Lindsay Berra is a former MLB reporter and ESPN the Magazine writer who specializes in fitness. She’s the granddaughter of the late MLB great Yogi Berra.<\/p>\n![\"Lettermark\"](\"https:\/\/www.menshealth.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/menshealth\/static\/images\/logos\/lettermark.70e252c.svg?primary=%2523000\")
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