After training for a while, you will gain experience and increase your ability to recognize behavior patterns.
There are differences in the behavior of men and women, and even in their favorite exercises in the gym.
It cannot be said that there are exercises for men and exercises for women, but it is true that some gym exercises are more popular among men than among women, and vice versa.
Here you will find a list of the gym exercises that I consider most popular among men.
Behavior of men in the gym
Considering my observations of the behavior of men, it can be highlighted:
Goals: Some of the most common goals are to bulk up as fast as possible and get “big” in as little time as possible. But there are also those who want to lose weight.
There are more objectives and they may vary.
Training in company: Something curious that I have observed is that men train more easily with friends.
Having support is an extra motivation. For example, on the last repetition of an exercise, having someone by your side gives you the necessary security to allow you to finish the exercise or improve yourself.
Training Preferences: A large percentage prefer the weight room to group classes.
However, they are becoming more receptive to some classes, such as yoga and pilates.
Those classes are great, especially for posture and joints. Enjoy them!
Due to the great expansion of Crossfit Boxes, men are also betting on this type of training, where competitiveness and breaking records are present.
Popular gym exercises among men
Low Row
The Low Row is a poly-articular exercise (involves various muscle groups and joints) and works the back.
It is extremely popular among men for its effectiveness and versatility.
There are different types of rowing exercises, and the type of grip can also vary: you can do a low row keeping your hands closer together or further apart, but you can also do a dumbbell horizontal row to intensify the stimulus.
In this exercise, some of the muscles worked are: latissimus dorsi, teres major and trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids and biceps brachii.
Instructions:
Sitting on the corresponding machine, keep the abdomen contracted, the arms stretched and the elbows close to the body looking forward.
Exhale and pull the handle until it reaches the abdominal area (keeping the elbows close to the body).
Breathe in and return to the starting position, with your back straight and looking forward, never fully straightening your elbows.
Open Grip Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are very popular among men, and since they always want more, they try to make the exercises more difficult.
For this reason they opt for the “open grip” variation, in which the arms are quite far apart and the level of difficulty is higher (relative to the narrower grip variation).
The muscles worked are: latissimus dorsi (which is the most “forced” muscle), teres major, trapezius (lower part), rhomboids and biceps brachii.
This grip is considered more difficult, since the effort is not made as much with the biceps, which is normally more developed than the latissimus dorsi.
To make this exercise even more difficult and stimulate the muscles more, some people attach a dumbbell to their body.
Instructions:
Get under the pull-up bar, stretch your arms up, keep your back straight, your core tight, and grab the bar with your hands wider than shoulder-width apart.
Exhale and rise up until your chin is over the bar. Keep your elbows close to your body. Always ask for help, as this exercise is not easy for beginners.
Breathe in and slowly lower yourself until your arms are almost straight again.
Keep your legs straight and don’t rock your body. Keep it steady!
Concentrated Biceps Curl
In the past, this exercise was a bit forgotten in the world of fitness, but one of the greatest mentors of bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger, always had it in mind.
This technique allows for a greater focus on the biceps and a more concentrated workout (a workout that involves just one joint and one muscle group).
Instructions:
Sit on the bench with your back slightly bent forward and your feet shoulder width apart. Rest your elbow on the inside of your thigh on the same side as the dumbbell.
Exhale and raise the forearm by flexing the elbow, always slowly.
Breathe in and slowly lower the dumbbell toward the ground until your arm is nearly straight (while keeping your elbow on your thigh).
Remember that the slower the movement, the better the results.
In the eccentric phase (arm extension), if the movement is slow, the muscle fibers will be damaged just as much as when you bend your arm (lift the dumbbell).
Push-ups
A very common exercise among men.
It’s one of the fastest ways to work your abs, chest and arms in one exercise, helping you get ripped faster.
The main muscles worked are: latissimus dorsi, triceps, and anterior deltoid.
Instructions:
Lie face down in a plank position, with your arms stretched out and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Inhale, keep your abdomen contracted and lower your body until you almost touch the ground, bending your elbows outwards and always keeping a straight posture and looking down. The movement ends when the arms are flexed 90°.
Exhale and return to the starting position, slowly and always with the abdomen contracted.
Remember to keep the same position from start to finish to avoid hurting your back.
Bench press
Over the years, this exercise remains one of the favorites of men.
It allows you to work different muscles such as: latissimus dorsi, anterior deltoid and triceps.
It is so accomplished that in very crowded gyms it is almost necessary to get a ticket to do it.
It is very common to see people supporting whoever does the exercise, for example asking for one more repetition. This gives a lot of motivation and helps not to give up.
Instructions:
Lie on your back on the bench with your back supported so as not to injure your lower back. Grab the bar with your hands slightly apart.
You can always place your feet on the cushion that the bench normally has and you will not hurt your back.
Release the bar from the safe zone and inhale, lowering the bar to the chest area (touching it). Keep your elbows out (at a 90° angle).
Raise the bar (in a controlled fashion) and exhale through the movement until your arms are almost stretched out.
Make sure the bar is balanced between your arms.
Always ask for help, to be as safe as possible and avoid injuring yourself.
Conclution
In my experience, these are some of the most popular gym exercises among men.
Men, unlike women, have a strong tendency to train chest, back and arms, to “grow” faster, define, and make these body parts more apparent.
Often, they forget a bit about the legs.