REGAN GRIMES TOP HEAVY WORKOUT

If you’re looking for major size immediately from the neck down, look no further than this top-heavy workout attacking your chest, traps and back. Regan Grimes shows you how to get ‘er done!

Perception is everything, they say. When it comes to fitness (and particularly, bodybuilding), this is an absolute truth. Most of the time, the first thing that gets noticed is how large your chest is, and then how broad or tall your traps are. This can instantly make or break you if someone’s trying to determine just how athletic you are. If you happen to be lacking in these areas, don’t despair. We’ve also got your back here too (pun intended), and with this simple, “meat and potatoes” top-heavy workout featuring Canadian IFBB Pro Regan Grimes, you’re gonna blast your torso into oblivion and definitely get noticed.

The Top Heavy Workout

You may be surprised to learn you back actually has a size advantage over your chest. If you therefore want to create the appearance of overall size, your back is critical. The majority of liters give their chest all the attention simply because it’s what’s viewed when you’re facing forward. In this particular workout, you’ll keep your reps within the range for muscle hypertrophy, and for the first exercise per body part, you’ll use a heavy load for eight reps. The second exercise per body part will entail higher reps but with lesser weight. In this way, you’ll hit the full range of reps designed for size. In order, you’ll perform a back move, a chest move, and a traps move, then repeat this muscle order with different exercises. Keep at this workout twice a week for six weeks, and when all is said and done, you’ll have some serious top-heavy size!

THE REGAN GRIMES TOP HEAVY WORKOUT

Exercise                                              Sets     Reps    Rest
LAT PULLDOWN                               3          8          1:30 mins.
MACHINE CHEST PRESS                  3          8          1:30 mins.
UPRIGHT ROW                                  3          8          1:30 mins.
T-BAR ROW                                       3          12        1:00 min.
CABLE CROSSOVER                          3          12        1:00 min.
MACHINE SHRUG                              3          12        1:00 min.

* Bonus Moves

Add a superset of Seated Machine Flyes & Dumbbell Pullovers to grow your chest to colossal proportions!

WHO HE IS:  Regan Grimes is a Canadian IFBB Pro and gym owner at FlexPlex Muscle & Fitness in London, Ontario.  The BPI Sports athlete is also affiliated with DoYouEven, Otomix My Programs, TeamGrimes.ca, and RGArmy.com. His main IG account is:  @regangbodybuilding.

Exercise Descriptions

LAT PULLDOWN

Setup: Sit snugly in the lat pulldown machine, with your quads secure under the pads and your knees bent 90 degrees with feet squarely on the floor. Keeping your back straight and head in line with your spine, reach upward to grasp the bar with a very wide, overhand grip.

Action: With your lower half anchored in position, pull the bar down directly in front of you using force from your back (your lats, in particular).  Continue the motion until the bar is resting in front of your nose and hold it for a half-second. Release the tension and in a controlled manner return the bar up to the start.

MACHINE CHEST PRESS

Setup: Attach the desired amount of weight plates to the machine. Sit tall in the chair, with your legs bent and feet securely on the floor. Keep your back straight against the pad and your head in a level position. Grasp onto the handles with an overhand grip about shoulder-width.

Action: Using force mainly from your chest (and to a lesser extent, your front and middle delts), press the handles by extending your arms to move the weights. During the motion, keep the rest of your body steady. Hold at the finish position for a full second, then return the handles along the same plane back to the start.

UPRIGHT ROW

Start: Grasp a bar with a wide, overhand grip about the width of your shoulders. Stand tall with back straight, head level and a slight break in your knees. Separate your legs to no wider than shoulder width.  Let the bar hang immediately adjacent to you with arms fully extended.

Action: As the name of this exercise implies, simply row the bar in an upward direction vertically. Keep the bar at all times as close to your front plane as possible. Continue the motion until your upper arms are parallel to the floor and hold for a half-second.  Slowly lower the bar using control, back to the start.

T-BAR ROW

Setup: Attach as many weight plates as desired to the apparatus, then stand on the foot plates facing the T-Bar. Bend your knees slightly for stability, and with a straight back lean forward a little from your hips. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip that’s a little wider than your shoulders.

Action: Focus on keep your back, among all other body parts, fixed in position before you begin the move. When you’re ready, row the bar upward in the direction of your upper abdominal region. Hold in the top position for a half-second, then lower the bar in a controlled manner back to the start.

CABLE CROSSOVER

Setup: Attach a D-handle to a high-cable pulley on both sides of the apparatus. Stand in the middle, initially tall, with back straight and head level. Split your legs wide (forward and back) for ease of motion. Grasp each handle with a neutral grip, then lean forward slightly from your hips.

Action: Focus on isolation of your pecs here, and bring the handles down and in front of you, so they come together at your waist level. Squeeze out a contraction in your shoulder girdle to hit your pecs harder.  Hold for a second, then allow the cables to return the handles (using control) back to the start.

MACHINE SHRUG

Start: Attach as many weight plates to the machine shrug apparatus as desired. Stand in as closely as possible to the handles and then grasp them using a neutral grip. At the start, your arms must be fully extended here, with no flexion; otherwise, the effort shifts to your arms instead of your traps. Keep your back straight and head up.

Action: The range of motion here is extremely short, but nonetheless tricky. Avoid at all costs any pulling action with your arms; keep them fully extended. Shrug your shoulders straight upward (don’t roll them in a circular path) and hold the handles at the top for one second. Then lower them carefully back to the bottom.