🏋️‍♂️ Build a V-taper with these 5 exercises

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Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• The top shoulder press variants for big delts

• The essentials of a V-taper

• An Olympic weightlifting parable before Paris

Workout Tips

Pressing Matters

Ever since primitive humans crawled forth from a primordial ocean in order to one day achieve the triple-headed dreams of their single-celled ancestors, humans have felt the vestigial urge to grow large deltoids.

Having huge shoulders has always been a focal point of the homo sapiens experience. Using these overhead pressing variations to grow your deltoids is the birthright you were bestowed with when you entered into this world as the apex hominid that you are.

To focus more on hypertrophy, you can do a variety of seated overhead presses, like the insanely difficult Z-press or the more common military press. You can also learn to incorporate traditional bodybuilding techniques into your shoulder work, such as partial reps and alternative tempos. You were put on this Earth to get wide — now go press for your species.

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Bodybuilding

The Coveted V-Taper

If you ever listened to your grandparent’s music, you’d remember all about “Big Bad John,” with his wide shoulders and narrow hips, cementing the concept of the V-taper into American pop culture.

To help you get in on the action, two-time Olympia Physique champion Erin Stern is here to help transform the rear side of your body into that inverted Christmas tree by teaching all about the best training for your back. 

It’s said that “bodybuilding contests are won from the back,” and if you have no plans to compete, your entire structure will be improved by widening the upper ⅓ of your body. This alone helps create a V-taper by giving the illusion of a smaller waist. You can improve your silhouette through growth rather than starvation, and it all begins with this all-important back training.

Olympic Weightlifting

Pride Cometh…

BarBend has extensively documented this year’s road to the weightlifting podium at the Paris Olympics. At the final hour, during the 2024 IWF World Cup, one of the favorites for gold flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami, potentially ending his bid at immortality.

Indonesian lifter Rahmat Erwin Abdullah played out his personal Greek tragedy on stage at the event in Phuket, Thailand. Despite dominating all competition since the COVID Olympics, he missed out on a lift to validate his parking for Paris this summer.

But he didn’t lose out in just any fashion — BarBend writer Jake Dickson argued that Abdullah’s ego was the main reason why he won’t be heading to the Olympics later this summer. Whether or not you’re a devout follower of the sport, this tale of misplaced hubris is as universal as it comes. Check it out below.

Everything Else

Twist and Shout With Some Dumbbells

• When you’re thinking about pressing some weight overhead, you could do a lot worse than throwing on Pumping Iron for the 65th time, sitting in a low-backed chair, and whittling away the hours with some Arnold presses. Learn how to do this classic bodybuilding move.

• Wearable heart rate trackers have gone from the sole purview of competitive athletes in training camps to the season’s most sought after fashion accessory. Get the most out of your wrist, arm, or finger device by first understanding your maximum heart rate with this guide.

• Strongman Mitchell Hooper leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit of athletic achievement. Find out how he fine-tunes his sleep for success, and what you can copy to make your own training better.