15 new muscle builders

The old reliable exercises are fine for producing old reliable results. But if you want a physique that’s better than the one you have now, you need exercises that do more for you than those that took you to this point. Luckily for you (and your muscles), there are trainers and scientists who spend their days asking excellent questions such as, “Why do we do it this way?” and “What if we did it that way?”

The answers they come up with are surprising – and useful. Read on for exercise variations and technique tweaks from a selection of the most innovative trainers around. You’ll refresh your workout and soon have muscle in places you didn’t even know it could grow.

Photo by Bryan Christie Design Jul 31, 2012