An English translation for my monthly column in Men’s Health Thailand.

I want to build muscle mass in my upper body. Can you give me some advice?

To achieve muscle growth in your back, chest, arms, shoulders and abs I recommend hitting big compound lifts through the upper and lower body. Compound means you are working more than one muscle group and joint, so you work many muscles with one movement. A good example of a compound lifting program would be Overhead Press, Bench Press and Tricep Dips on training day 1, and Pull Ups, Dumbbell Row and Upright Row on training day 2. Stick to 6-12 reps on each exercise and record your weights and increase as you become stronger. Finally, I recommend training your legs on each training day as well as movements that use the whole body, such as squat thrusters or farmer’s walks. This will have your body releasing the right hormones for total body muscle growth and will give you the all-round muscular physique you desire.

If you have any questions you’d like answered in the column please contact me.

Check out the classes at BASE for strength training in Bangkok.