{"id":282818,"date":"2025-11-10T07:37:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T07:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/282818\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T07:37:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T07:37:18","slug":"five-exercise-swaps-you-should-consider-for-more-muscle-growth-says-a-fitness-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/282818\/","title":{"rendered":"Five exercise swaps you should consider for more muscle growth, says a fitness expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just because an exercise is considered a \u2018classic\u2019 or everyone on the gym floor is doing it, doesn\u2019t necessarily mean it\u2019s the best for muscle growth. While there are lots of exercises out there that are effective for hypertrophy, there are some that are arguably ever so slightly better, due to the fact that they\u2019re easier to progressively overload, or are more convenient, time-wise.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve started to hit a plateau in your training or feel your gains have been somewhat minimal, then it may be time to switchup your programme. Exercise Researcher, Dr. Pak Androulakis-Korakakis, has shared five exercises in a recent YouTube video<\/a>, that he\u2019s stopped doing for muscle growth, and some smart swaps you can try instead to unlock better (and hopefully bigger) results\u2026<\/p>\n

Barbell back squat<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The barbell back squat is hailed as the king of lower body exercises \u2013 like, if you don\u2019t do it, who are you? But is it best for honing in on your quads? Dr. Pak would disagree. \u201cBarbell squatting, in my opinion, is not the most time-efficient way to blast your legs, and can feel \u2018meh\u2019 given that it overloads your spine.\u201d It\u2019s also not the safest exercise to go all out to failure on.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

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Try swapping to: barbell front squat or leg press machine<\/p>\n

For those who love barbell work, but don\u2019t look forward to back squatting, Dr. Pak recommends trying the front squat. His reasonings: you\u2019ll use less weight (so it\u2019s less of a pain to set up), and using an anterior load can increase knee flexion so that you can sink deeper into the squat, meaning a bigger stretch on the quads. For those who want to sack off the barbell altogether, try the leg press. \u201cExact same movement pattern as the squat, without the actual loading. Minimal setup required, easy to fail safely,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Barbell bench press<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Another classic strength exercise and a staple in Arnie\u2019s chest routine back in his heyday. However, the bench press isn\u2019t always freely available and, although it absolutely encourages chest hypertrophy, some people do find it uncomfortable to perform. \u201cFor me, I often felt it in my shoulders, and it bothered me from session to session,\u201d says Dr. Pak. \u201cIt can also be a bit annoying that you need a spotter if you want to push hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Try swapping to: machine chest press<\/p>\n

Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s super easy to set up, allows me to train close to failure without the mental load of being trapped under a barbell, and you can adjust the incline, the grip \u2013 it\u2019s very versatile.\u201d Don\u2019t have access to this machine? Dr. Pak also says the dumbbell chest press is a fantastic option, as it gives you more range of motion and you can target different areas of the chest, depending on the position of your weight bench. No dumbbells? Deficit push-ups and dips are his bodyweight alternatives.<\/p>\n

Bent-over barbell rows<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

When a wide thick back is the goal, everyone immediately thinks \u2018bent-over barbell rows\u2019. Yes \u2013 a great exercise, but Dr. Pak says it isn\u2019t without its terms and conditions. \u201cBent-over barbell rows absolutely torch your lower back, especially if you\u2019re pushing heavy weights and close to failure. While that\u2019s not inherently bad, it becomes a bit of a problem, sometimes, and it can be annoying when you\u2019re trying to bias certain parts of your back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Try swapping to: bent-over dumbbell row<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m able to get more range of motion, have a bit more control, be able to be a bit more versatile with my grip, and in general, it\u2019s a very versatile exercise that only requires you to grab the dumbbells<\/a>, bend over and do them.\u201d Dr. Pak also adds it\u2019s a great exercise to superset<\/a> with a chest exercise (think dumbbell press press above), ideal if you\u2019re tight for time and need a workout you can get done sharpish. \u201cA better bang for your buck option,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Leg extension machine<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

We know what you\u2019re thinking \u2018What! But leg extensions are brilliant for hypertrophy \u2013 no setup required, easy to push to failure\u2026\u2019. All correct, and Dr. Pak says he still does these from time to time, by the way. However, there is a bodyweight exercise that he currently prefers\u2026<\/p>\n

Try swapping to: sissy squats<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only are they effective at torching the rec fem (rectus femoris, the long muscle that runs down the front of your thigh), but they\u2019re also easy to superset with leg curls, which makes them a killer combo for busy hypertrophy sessions,\u201d says Dr. Pak. This is a tough bodyweight exercise in general, but if you are able to nail it for reps, Dr. Pak suggests increasing the difficulty by slowing down the tempo, increasing your range of motion (so going lower) and, we\u2019ll throw our two pence in, you can also add a weight belt.<\/p>\n

Dumbbell skullcrushers<\/p>\n

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We all know that if you want bigger arms, the triceps will need a significant amount of attention (not just the biceps), because they make up the majority of our upper arm. But Dr. Pak says he\u2019s stopped doing skullcrushers altogether. \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong they train the longhead of the triceps, and they\u2019re simple to set up, and also quite hardcore when you do them right. That said, after a while, they started to bother my elbows a little bit more on high rep sets.\u201d If you experience something similar, here\u2019s what you can try instead\u2026<\/p>\n

Try swapping to: skullovers<\/p>\n

This is a hybrid between a skullcrusher and a dumbbell pullover. \u201cYou\u2019re still blasting the triceps, but the movement feels a bit more natural and the stretch at the bottom is a bit smoother. They also feel a bit easier to control through the full range of motion, and I find that I can get closer to failure without things feeling off with my elbows,\u201d he says. Obviously, if skullcrushers don\u2019t bother your elbows, keep doing them, or give these a go if you want to try something different.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just because an exercise is considered a \u2018classic\u2019 or everyone on the gym floor is doing it, doesn\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97],"class_list":{"0":"post-282818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}