Dennis Wolf's 8 Favorite Exercises
Dennis Wolf's 8 Favorite Exercises
Dennis Wolf has a physique that stands out as unique from the rest of the top stars in the IFBB, and he’s also got his own workout style. Since he began working out seriously in 1998 at age 19 he’s tried pretty much all the exercises out there, and kept the ones he feels are most productive— whether they are “supposed” to be the best or not. In this feature the “Big Bad Wolf” to run down his eight favorite exercises. Some are standard basics, while others are a little more rarely seen. But they are what he has found optimal for improving his already stellar physique.
1. Smith machine incline presses
When I started doing these:
“I started doing these in the first gym I ever went to when I was a teenager. For the first few months I was there, all I did for chest was the pec deck machine because I wasn’t sure how to do presses, and really had no idea I was supposed to. Eventually I started playing around with all the equipment and asking more questions from the bigger guys. They told me presses are the foundation of any chest workout.”
Why this exercise has stayed in my routine:
“My chest was a very weak body part in the beginning, and my upper chest was the worst— just flat. I’ve trained alone most of my career, and the Smith machine was much safer than a barbell because I didn’t need a spotter. I also like that there is no need to worry about balancing the weight. You just focus on pushing and working the chest.”
Do you do this exercise every week?
“I do Smith inclines every week, and almost always as my first exercise. I like dumbbells too, but once you’re using very heavy dumbbells they can become awkward to handle.”
Do you have any personal adjustments you’ve made to it?
“No. I just have my hands at shoulder width and the standard angle. But there is one thing I do to finish the exercise that works so well. I will do 3 heavy sets, then take some weight off and for my final set I rest the weight at the bottom on the stoppers for a couple of seconds before driving it up. Starting the reps from a total dead stop gets the fibers in the upper chest screaming, and the pump is ridiculous.”
Do you consider yourself strong on it?
“I don’t know, what’s strong? My heaviest sets are usually with three to four plates on each side, depending on how I feel. I could go heavier, but I need to stay safe because my body is how I earn my living. I’ve felt what was probably the start of a pec tear before, and I have no interest in ever feeling it again, or worse. One wrong move in the gym and you’re done.
2. Barbell military presses
When I started doing these:
“I started doing these one or two months after I started training. I had been using a machine, but I noticed the big guys were always doing the barbell presses.”
Why this exercise has stayed in my routine:
“People ask me what exercise I think has helped me build my shoulders the most, and this is the one. It felt right to me from the start, and my shoulders have always responded to it very well. I know some bodybuilders like dumbbells or machines, but this is my favorite shoulder press.”
Do you do this exercise every week?
“Almost every week. On the rare days when I get to the gym late or I’m tired from traveling or something, I will do the press with a Smith or Hammer Strength machine. But nine out of 10 times I do it.”
Do you have any personal adjustments you’ve made to it?
“Yes, I use a thumbless grip like you see in the photo, meaning my thumbs are on the same side of the bar as my fingers. I’ve done it for many years because it just feels right to me. I’ve been told it’s not safe because the bar can roll out of your hands, but I’ve never had a problem.”
Do you consider yourself strong on it?
“This time I will say yes. Shoulders are one thing I know I am very strong on. I have done good reps with 405, but most of the time I stay between 315 and 385. I do have shoulder pain every once in a while, and I noticed it’s worse when I go to 405, so I don’t do that anymore. My shoulders are pretty big anyway.”
3. Dips
When I started doing these:
“This might have been the first exercise I ever did, long before I knew about bodybuilding. When I was a kid I was very athletic, and the school teams had access to a workout room where you could do things like dips and chin-ups. I might have been 11 or 12 years old when I did my first set of dips.”
Why this exercise has stayed in my routine:
“OK, MD is No Bull, right? So I can tell you I do dips maybe once or twice a month. Years ago when I was lighter I liked them a lot more. Now, at over 300 pounds in the off-season, it just doesn’t feel like a safe exercise anymore. It’s my elbows in particular that hurt when I do them now.”
Do you do this exercise every week?
“No way! My elbows would be destroyed! But I think for most people, they are an excellent exercise for either chest or triceps.”
Do you have any personal adjustments you’ve made to it?
“Not really. I lean forward a little bit to focus more on the chest, but not too much or else my shoulders take over.”
Do you consider yourself strong on it?
“Not really. When I was much lighter, I used to use a belt with a chain and do dips with a plate or two on there, but now even my bodyweight is too much. It’s not that I lack the strength to do them, they are just too much strain on my elbows.”
4. Underhand wide-grip cable rows
When I started doing these:
“This is one I didn’t start doing until 2008. I wasn’t happy with how my lats looked from the front in my front double-biceps and front lat spread poses, so I needed to find ways to help get more development in the lower lats. I saw Jay Cutler doing these in one of his DVDs and gave it a try.”
Why this exercise has stayed in my routine:
“It hits my lower lats just the right way. I get a better contraction with them than I do even with barbell rows.”
Do you do this exercise every week?
“Probably two out of every three back workouts, I do these. Other times I will use a machine like Hammer Strength, but I do like the feel of the cable.”
Do you have any personal adjustments you’ve made to it?
“It took me a little while to make the lats do the work instead of the biceps. I also found that sitting up straight and being sure not to lean back when I pull gives me the best range of motion.”
Do you consider yourself strong on it?
“I guess. I can use the whole stack, but maybe other guys pin weights on? It’s heavy enough for me because I like to really squeeze my lower lats hard on each rep.”
5. Underhand wide-grip lat pulldowns
When I started doing these:
“2008 as well. I am pretty sure I got those from watching Cutler, too.”
Why this exercise has stayed in my routine:
“I like the feel, and I also always remembered how Dorian did all his pulldown movements with a reverse grip because he said it puts the biceps into a stronger pulling position. My back has been gradually improving since I started doing more reverse-grip work, so it has to be true.”
Do you do this exercise every week?
“Every week, for sure.”
Do you have any personal adjustments you’ve made to it?
“No, but I do pull all the way down to the chest. I think some guys go too heavy and they miss out on the last part of the range of motion.”
Do you consider yourself strong on it?
“Tough to say. I don’t know how much other guys use, but it doesn’t matter. I go as heavy as I can, usually the whole stack.”
6. Barbell curls
When I started doing these:
“I think I did these the very first day I worked out in a gym. Doesn’t everyone?”
Why this exercise has stayed in my routine:
“It’s the most productive exercise you can do for biceps. I know a lot of guys like to use dumbbells or do unilateral work in general, but I think the barbell curl is the best single exercise to build the biceps with.”
Do you do this exercise every week?
“Yes. Sometimes I use an EZ-curl bar instead of a straight bar, but I use the straight bar most of the time because I feel it hits the peak better.”
Do you have any personal adjustments you’ve made to it?
“No, I just try to use good form and not swing or heave the bar. I think it’s common for guys to use more weight than they probably should, and they aren’t getting the best contractions and stretches. I also like to use the standard Olympic bar, not the short one.”
Do you consider yourself strong on it?
“Not super strong, no. I’ve done 185 pounds before in the past, but these days I usually do it as my second or third exercise for biceps and I don’t go over 135 pounds.”
7. Hammer dumbbell curls
When I started doing these:
“It was probably between six months to a year after I started training. I saw guys doing them and they looked interesting.”
Why this exercise has stayed in my routine:
“I really only do these during my contest-prep phase, the last 10 weeks before a show. I feel it’s more for getting good detail in the brachialis so it looks better in the rear double biceps pose.”
Do you do this exercise every week?
“No, and not even during my prep. I like to alternate them with reverse curls using an EZ-bar.”
Do you have any personal adjustments you’ve made to it?
“Nothing major, I just have to be very strict and make sure my arms are doing the work and not my shoulders. With bad form, this can turn into a half-assed front raise for delts.”
Do you consider yourself strong on it?
“No, I do 65s or 70s and I’m sure some guys can do more than that. I do them last in my biceps workout for sets of 12-15 reps, so the weight I use is more than sufficient then.”
8. Rope pushdowns
When I started doing these:
“I think I started doing these from day one. All I used for my triceps for a while was the cable station. They looked pretty easy to figure out.”
Why this exercise has stayed in my routine:
“It gives you a good pump, and it’s perfect to use as your first triceps exercise to get your elbows warmed up and blood in the whole area before you start with a free-weight extension or a compound movement.”
Do you do this exercise every week?
“I do pushdowns every week, but I alternate the rope attachment with a short straight bar. You can’t always do the same thing or else the muscles adjust to it and don’t respond anymore.”
Do you have any personal adjustments you’ve made to it?
“No, I spread the ropes apart as I complete each rep, but I think most guys do that.”
Do you consider yourself strong on it?
“I have no idea. You can’t even compare how much you do on cables to another guy because every stack I see is different. 100 pounds might feel very light on one that has more pulleys and less friction, or it could be very heavy on another stack with more friction.”
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