Recomend on google search

Share/Bookmark LINK ADD URL Seo Friendly Web Directory
Powered by Blogger.

Welcome

Sponsors

Monday, August 30, 2010

Top 15 Best Back exercises:

 Top 15 Best Back exercises:

Nothing is more impressive than being able to bang out 30 pull ups in a row or finishing a set of 10 with 90 lbs hanging from a belt. Nothing LOOKS more impressive than being able to hit an impressive front or rear lat spread with confidence. Furthermore, how many women do you know that can finish a set of 10 pull ups? Trust me, there aren’t many.
The reality is that we can accomplish all of these things with intense free weight back training.
Your back muscles comprise the second largest set of muscles, after the legs. Therefore, putting some serious effort into training your back will pay off huge dividends whether you are looking to burn a large number of calories, better fill out your shirts, condition your body for functional strength, or even to fix your posture from focusing too long on chest training.
Strong back muscles will allow you to:
  • Pick up anything heavy off the floor or ground, working in unison with the legs.
  • Burn nearly as many calories as you would when training legs.
  • Move your body more easily through space, specifically when pulling yourself up.
  • Protect yourself from muscle imbalances that occur from overtraining the chest.
  • Row a boat faster than any of your punk friends.

Anatomy of the Back

For this discussion we are going to focus on the mid to upper back only. I won’t be talking at all about the lower back or glutes, as this is a discussion in and of its own. You can find out a bit more about lower back and glute training in the post about the top 5 best hamstring exercises. I will focus more on lower back in a separate article at a later date.

There are two main muscle groups that are visible even when our shirts are on. These are called the latissimus dorsi and the trapezius.

The latissimus, or lats, are the muscles that run from the armpits to the waist. This is what you see when people flex their backs as with a lat spread bodybuilding pose.
The trapezius, or traps, are the muscles that start in a point at the base of the skull, sit to either side of the neck, above the shoulders, and extend in a diamond shape to a point in the middle of the back. A muscle called the levator scapulae works in conjunction with the traps and lats.
Trap are what cause some big dudes to appear to have no neck. This is also how you can tell if someone is really serious about their training. Typically if someone has completely flat traps it means that they probably do not engage in significant free weight complex exercises like deadlifts, bent over barbell rows, cleans, and definitely not barbell shrugs.

The Smaller Muscles of the Back

Some of the smaller back muscles include teres major, teres minor, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, and rhomboideus (rhomboids). These are considered secondary muscles and are sufficiently stimulated when you train the larger latissimus dorsi with both vertical and horizontal movements.
The serratus is another back muscle that wraps around the body and it also visible from the font. If you desire to train the serratus directly, which many people do, the best exercise for that is probably dumbbell or barbell pull overs. In the past when I trained 4 days a week I often included pull overs on back day.
Back Anatomy
Back Anatomy

Functions of the Back

Contrary to what you might think when you picture a row, the function of the lats is to pull the arm down toward the pelvis. When the arm is in a fixed position such as with a pull up, the lats serve to bring the body up towards the arm. The function is the same, but the motion depends upon the position of the arms and torso.
Lats also function to stabilize the torso during many movements, including the flat bench press and overhead press.
Your traps function to facilitate scapular elevation (shrugging), scapular adduction (rowing) and scapular depression (pull downs). Often they work in conjunction with the lats and the other small muscles, especially when rowing or pulling down.

Top 5 Best Back Exercises

Update: Deadlifts

Because I have received so many comments ripping me for not including deadlifts on this list, let the record show that I did indeed mention deadlifts right here at the top of the list, but decided not to include them in the list because they are already in the top 5 best hamstring exercises.
Deadlifts are probably the 3rd best back exercise after barbell rows and pull ups, so include them in your back workout as you see fit. Similarly, you could include good mornings in this list. To reduce the angst of hardcore weightlifters, I have revised this list to include deadlifts as the #5 best back exercise.
My original comments regarding deadlifts are as follows:
Of course deadlifts are part of this list, but I intend to target exercises that train the upper and mid back directly. For more information on deadlifts and other lower back exercises, see my post about the 5 best exercises for hamstrings.
  1. Barbell Bent Over Rows – Horizontal training
    Bent over rows with a barbell is arguably the most important back exercise you can do for pulling strength and thickness in the upper body. This is a compound movement that works everything from traps to lats to lower back and hamstrings. Using proper form, bent over barbell rows will help you stand apart with thickness and strength, from the people who only do pull ups, chin ups, or (God forbid) pull downs. To set up: you should start by standing on a box or platform with the loaded barbell. This is necessary to avoid the plates hitting the floor when you use 45 lb plates. Your stance should be shoulder width for conventional barbell rows. Now, keeping your knees slightly bent, your head up, and your back straight, bend over until your upper body is lower than 45 degrees to the floor. My goal is always to get as close to parallel with the floor as possible.
    The weight should be hanging straight down from your arms at this point, directly below your chest. You should have a pronated grip on the bar; your palms should be facing towards you. Feel free to use a bit of chalk if you are rowing really heavy. NO STRAPS!

    To row:
    to start a row, use your back muscles to pull the bar straight up to touch your chest. The elbows should be tucked in, head up, back straight, and you should NOT bounce. Lower the weight under control and repeat.

    Variations:
    close grip, wide grip, medium grip, two arm dumbbell rows, supinated rows (palms facing away).
    There is also a machine called the T-Bar that can be used for rowing. Old school lifters might even put one end of an Olympic bar in the corner of a room, and use the other end as a T-bar and a neutral grip cable attachment as the handle.
    The following is the best video that I could find on YouTube for a demonstration of barbell bent over rows by someone who doesn’t look like a complete puss, although I don’t advocate putting the bar on the floor between reps:
    YouTube Preview Image You should also watch this video just for fun: Bent Over Rows by Chrissy Zmijewski. She has some good points, but I believe in going deeper than 45 degrees with the upper body.
  2. Pull Ups and Chin Ups – Vertical training
    Pull ups and chin ups are a true measure of strength. They are one of those exercises that can be used to gauge a person’s physical strength relative to their body weight. For example a powerlifter might be able to bench press 600 lbs at a body weight of 280 lbs, but maybe he can only do 4 pull ups. Meanwhile a 175 lb guy can only bench 315, but he can bust out about 30 pull ups. So let me ask you, who is really stronger? Better yet, which person’s strength would you wish to have? Sorry, but I’d rather be the smaller guy.
    To set up: stand on a box or a platform if you need to, or just jump up, so you can reach the bar. Pull ups are typically harder than chin ups, but I recommend you switch off between the two. Pull ups use a pronated grip (palms down, or in this case palms facing away), while chin ups use a supinated grip (palms up). Hands should be just wider than shoulder width for a medium grip pull up, or just inside shoulder width for a medium grip chin up.

    To pull up:
    the goal is to pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. Keep your head up, possibly looking at the ceiling, and get that chin over the bar, pause just long enough to get a full contraction. Lower yourself back down so that your arms are about 99% straight, don’t bounce.
    If you can’t do a pull up, most gyms have assisted pull up machines. Start there and work your weight towards your first bodyweight pull up.
    If you can do more than 10 pulls up with bodyweight, it might be time to consider weighted pull ups and weighted chin ups. You can do this by hanging a dumbbell between your legs or ankles, or by using a belt with a chain to suspend the weight between your legs.
    Variations: wide grip, medium grip, narrow grip, neutral grip (palms facing each other), pull ups, chin ups, towel pull ups to blast your grip and finger strength. Many people do lat pull downs on machines or with cables, but I’m telling you not to. Stick with free weights!
    YouTube Preview Image
  3. Barbell Shrugs – Upper back
    Shrugs are specifically a traps only exercise. The lats don’t come into play at all. You can go pretty heavy on shrugs. I built a decent set of traps back in the day by working up to 10-12 reps with between 495 and 585 lbs on a standard Olympic bar. To set up: unless you feel like deadlifting the weight off the floor, your best bet is to unrack the bar at thigh height from a platform, squat rack, power rack, or whatever else you can use. This is one of maybe 2 exercises for which I condone using straps. You want to avoid using an alternating grip if possible, and sometimes using chalk just doesn’t cut it if you are using heavier weight than you typically deadlift.
    To shrug: take a pronated grip on the bar just outside your hips and unrack the weight so that it hangs to mid thigh. Always stand straight with your head up, and knees just barely bent. Try to touch your shoulders to your ears by shrugging straight up, as high as you can. Hold for half a second to really get that contraction. Lower the weight under control back to mid thigh.
    Variations: dumbbell shrugs are good too, but you can’t use as much weight.
    The guy in this video shrugs really fast and I would prefer a longer pause at the top, but this is really what a heavy barbell shrug will look like.
    YouTube Preview Image
  4. One Arm Dumbbell Rows – Horizontal training
    This is a great way for you to isolate each side of your back in turn. While you can’t go as heavy as barbell rows, you can still go pretty heavy and you can get a fuller contraction with a greater range of motion because the barbell does not restrict your scapula from fully retracting on each rep. To set up: grab a dumbbell and place it beside a bench. Now kneel with one leg on one end of the bench and place your hand on the other end for support. At this point your upper body should be parallel to the floor, and your free leg should be planted just behind you and to the side of your body for support.
    To row: grab the dumbbell with a neutral grip (palm facing your body), arm fully extended and lift the dumbbell off the floor. From this point you want to row the weight up and back, pulling your hand in just above your hip, and getting your elbow also up and back as far as possible. Experiment with wrist angles to make this exercise harder, easier, or more comfortable for you.
    Variations: you can use a machine or a cable exercise for this, but I highly recommend you stick with free weights.
    YouTube Preview Image
  5. Barbell Deadlifts Deadlifts belong in this list as well as in the top 5 best hamstring exercises, so here it is:
    Deadlifts are one of the primary, fundamental exercises for all serious weight training programs. Deadlifts work 100% of your legs and they require functional stability from 95% of the rest of the muscles on your body. Using proper form, deadlifts will help you get stronger, gain more muscle, and burn more calories than any other single exercise after the squat.
    To set up: the barbell rests on the floor, sitting just above the ankles right in front of the shins. Your stance should be shoulder width for conventional deadlifts. Bending your knees, reach down and grab the bar so that your knees are actually inside your elbows. When going heavy, it helps to alternate your grip where one hand is pronated (palm facing you) and the other hand is supinated (palm facing away).
    To deadlift: to start a deadlift, use your whole body to begin to lift the bar off the floor. Arms should be straight, knees should be bent. The object is to lift the weight with your legs, glutes, and hips, rather than with your lower back. In fact your lower back should not bend that much, should in fact be pretty straight, and should definitely NOT be rounded. You accomplish this by keeping your head up and by driving with your hips. It is of utmost importance to keep the bar close to your body during the lift.
    At the top you should stand up straight, but do not over extend your lower back as if you were doing some kind of hyper-extension. The driving force at the top should be more of a hip thrust than a lower back spasm. Lower the bar under control, keeping it close to your body.
    Variations: close stance deads, wide stance deads, sumo style deads, deads off a box, rack pulls or pin pulls, deads or rack pulls with chains or bands.
    YouTube Preview Image
Honorable mentions: pull overs, cleans, snatches, and…
Dumbbell Reverse Flyes
This exercise used to be listed at the #5 best back exercise, but I really couldn’t live with myself for including it in that list. Therefore, read this section while keeping in mind that dumbbell reverse flyes are probably somewhere in the top 10 best back exercises, but it is not top 5.
OK, you might be thinking this exercise is foo-foo, but it really works the smaller muscles in your upper back, including your rear delts. I guess I wouldn’t really recommend this as a staple exercise for powerlifters or other strength athletes, but it is mandatory for bodybuilders. This will really help to separate the muscles in the back, and will build the rear delts, which are typically very hard to cultivate.
To set up: standing or sitting, grab some dumbbells, bend over so that your upper body is parallel to the floor. Allow the weights to hang at your sides, arms fully extended.
To reverse fly: keeping your back flat and straight, raise the weight vertically until your hands are at their highest possible position. Hold for half a second to contract. Lower the weight under control, but stop a couple inches short of where you started. The goal is not to pause at the bottom of the movement for rest. Tension should be kept on the muscles at all times.
Variations: because this is not a compound exercise, reverse flies on any number of machines or cables are usually an acceptable alternative to dumbbells.
Reverse Flyes
Reverse Flyes
To use this exercise list optimally, you will want to choose 1 horizontal movement and 1 vertical movement, to work into each workout. For full body workouts, choose only one exercise each day, but be sure to alternate between horizontal and vertical. However if you are in a back specialization phase you can definitely choose 1 vertical and 1 horizontal movement for each workout to really force your back to adapt.
If you use the outdated method of splitting up your body parts each day, you can choose to split your back into horizontal and vertical training by using 2 horizontal exercises on horizontal back day, and 2 vertical exercises on vertical back day. Often horizontal back is paired with chest and vertical back is paired with legs.

Back pain is one of the most common medical problems and affects almost everyone at least once in a lifetime. The Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma recommends exercises that help to strengthen the muscles and ligaments of the back, realign the spine and reduce pain. A variety of exercises target the lower, upper and mid back. NISMAT recommends beginning back exercises slowly to warm up the muscles.

Pelvic Tilt

The simple Pelvic Tilt stretches abdominal, back and hip muscles. Lie on your back with our knees bent and arms at your sides. Flatten the lower back muscles against the floor to tilt the hips. Hold this position for a count of five to 10. Relax and repeat.

Pelvic Lift

The Pelvic Lift strengthens the muscles of the lower back and hips. Lie on your back with your knees bent and arms at your sides. Raise your hips and lower back off the floor so that the feet, arms and upper body are only touching the floor. Hold this position for a count of five. Relax and repeat.

Single Leg Pull

The Single Leg Pull helps to stretch the hip, lower back and buttock muscles. Lie flat on the floor with one leg bent at the knee and the other extended straight out. Use the arms to pull the bended knee towards your chest and hold for a count of five. Relax and repeat up to 10 times with each leg.

Hip Roll

NISMAT recommends the Hip Roll to flex lower back muscles and ligaments. Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat. Cross your arms your chest and turn your head and chest to the right as you turn both knees to the left. Hold this position for a count of five to 10. Relax and repeat in both directions.

Backward Bending

Backward Bending is a popular exercise to strengthen back ligaments. Stand up straight and place your hands on your back at waist level, palms down. Bend backwards as far as possible, hold this position for as long as you are comfortable. Relax and repeat.

Side Stretch

To do the Side Stretch, hold one arm over your head and bend the body in the opposite direction, while placing your other hand at your waist for support. Hold this position for as long as you feel comfortable. Relax and repeat.

Upper Back Stretch

To perform the Upper Back Stretch sit on a stool or bench with your back and head flat against a wall. Lift your arms over your head and extending as high as possible. Hold for a five to 10 seconds. Relax and repeat with both arms.

Back Extension

The Back Extension stretches the muscles of the back. Lie flat on your stomach with your arms flat at your sides. Raise your head and shoulder up off the floor and hold for as long as comfortable. Relax and repeat.

Cat and Camel

The Cat and Camel exercise is also recommended by Dr. Andrew Bayuk. Kneel down on your hands and knees and keep your head parallel to your body, so that you are looking down. Slowly allow your mid back to sag so that there is a downward arch in your back. Then round your back upwards in the 'camel' position. Hold both positions for five to 10 seconds. Relax and repeat.

Arm Reach

The Arm Reach strengthens the upper back and shoulders. While on your hands and knees, stretch one arm out in front of you while keeping your head down. Hold this position for five seconds. Relax and repeat with each arm.
Continue reading...

chest workout tips:

chest workout tips:
Continue reading...

Best tricep exercises part 1.mpg

Best tricep exercises part 1.mpg

Continue reading...

Workout Program


Workout Program


Monday: Chest / Back
1Cable Lat Pulldowns (alternate sets below)
Behind neck wide grip
Narrow grip to chest

2 x 10
2 x 10
2Bent over Barbell Rows3 x 10
3Seated Row Machine3 x 10
4Dummbell Pullover (superset with) Dembbell Flys
Pullover
Flys

3 x 10
3 x 10
5Bench Press3 x 10
6Pec Deck Chest Machine3 x 10

Tuesday
Aerobics for 45 minutes

Wednesday: Legs / Abs
1Squats3 x 10
2Barbells Step Ups (alt legs)3 x 10
3Leg Extension Machine3 x 10
4Leg Curl Machine3 x 10
5Stiff Legged Deadlift3 x 10
6Hanging Knee-ups3 x 10
7Crunch / hip-ups3 x 10
8Negative Lying Knee-ups
Buddy Exercise Resist Partner Pushing Knees Down

3 x 10
9Bar Behind Neck Trunk Twists
Seated
Standing

3 x 50
3 x 50

Thursday
Aerobics for 45 minutes

Friday: Shoulders / Arms
1Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press (Alternate Sets Below)
Palms Forward
Palms Reverse (twisting)

2 x 10
2 x 10
2Barbell Shurgs3 x 10
3Dumbbells Deltoid Flys (Superset Sets Below
Lateral (arms to side
Front (one arm at a time)

3 x 10
3 x 10
4Lying Triceps Curlbar Extension3 x 10
5Standing Cable Triceps Extension3 x 10
6Seated One Arm Scott Curls3 x 10
7Seated Curl Machine3 x 10

Saturday
Aerobics for 45 minutes



Sunday
Aerobics for 45 minutes





Fifty & Fit Nutrition Plan


Morning
8 oz of water, 1000 mg HCA, 400 mcg Chromium Picolinate, 200 mg L-Carnitine, 30 mg COQ10, 50 mg DHEA, 250 mg Ginkgo Bilboa.
Ride stationary bycycle for 45 minutes or one hour of weight training approx.
FoodAmountCalFatCarbsProtein
Grapefruit juice8oz700170
Water8oz

Breakfast
FoodAmountCalFatCarbsProtein
Oatmeal w/skim milk &1 cup1402249
Raspberries1/2 cups40080
Egg Whites (scrambled) w/one yolk41295218
Whole Wheat Toast (Dry)21402246
with Honey1 tbsp600160
Coffeecup4000
Also: 8oz water, 2 multivitamins, 500 mg vitamin C, 400 IU Vitamin E, 1000 mg flaxseed oil, 200 mg grapeseed extract.

Mid Morning Snack
FoodAmountCalFatCarbsProtein
Apple181.5210
Brown Rice1/2 cup1100232
Albacore Tuna3 1/2 oz can852021
water8 oz

Lunch
FoodAmountCalFatCarbsProtein
grilled chicken 1/2 breast (Skinless)4 oz1965036
sandwich on whole wheat
1302225
w/lettuce and tomato
20050
pasta salad vinagrette1/2 cup140445
water8oz

Mid Afternoon Snack
FoodAmountCalFatCarbsProtein
Bran Muffin11403294
Non Fat Yogurt w/fruit8oz19013512
Also: 8oz water, 400 mcg chromium, 1000 mg HCA and 200 mg of L-Carnitine

Early Evening Snack
FoodAmountCalFatCarbsProtein
Apple Slice with carrots & celery sticks4 oz105.5271
water16 oz

Dinner
FoodAmountCalFatCarbsProtein
Swordfish (Broiled)5 oz2206030
Brown RIce1/2 cups1100232
Broccoli6oz55095
Red Wine (Cabernet, etc)8oz160090
Whole wheat roll11302225

Before Bed
8 oz of water, 1 multivitamiin pill, 500 mg vitamin C, 400 IU Vitamin E, 1000 mg CLA, 200 mg grapeseed extract, 1 mg melatonin, 50 mg DHEA, 30 mg CoQl0, 400 mg saw palmatto, 500 mg calcium, 100 mg magnesium.

Totals
CaloriesFat GramsCarb GramsProtein Grams
24533534060
Continue reading...

Thursday, August 5, 2010

For women Top 5 Arm Toning Exercises


Toning the arms, like the legs, is one of the most sought after women’s fitness informations on the internet. I am constantly getting emails asking how to tone the arms. Here are the top 5 exercises for toning your arms.
Toning Muscles
As I have said many times before, if you want to get a toned muscle you need to lose fat. If you have built some nice muscles but there is a layer of fat covering it then you will never have the firm, defined muscle that you so desire.
However, weight training is a big part of muscle toning too. Not only does it build the actual muscles that you want to show off, but it speeds up the weight loss process so they get toned faster.
So, if you want to tone a muscle you need to remember these things:
  • Weight training is essential;
  • You need to lose the fat covering the muscle;
  • Cardio and a good diet are essential;
  • The right exercises are second in importance to doing the exercises right.


Top 5 Arm Toning Exercises

Here are my favorite exercises for working the arms and getting them nice and toned. I use them myself and get many of my clients to do the same.
NB - When I talk about toning the arms I mean the biceps and the triceps. I will not be looking at forearms or shoulders in this post.

1 - Bar Bell Bicep Curls

This should be the core bicep exercise in your bicep routine. It allows you to go heavy and is one of the easiest to do in terms of getting the technique correct.
How to - Stand with feet shoulder width apart and lift up the bar bell. Lift up your chest so that your shoulders are lower than your chest but your back is still straight. Curl the bar bell up to just above your pectoral muscles and slowly lower back down.
It is of paramount importance that your elbows do not move during this exercise. Make sure they stay solid next to your side.

2 - Skull Crushers

This is a tricep exercise that will pack on the progress if you do it correctly. If you don’t, it might pack on the injuries!
How to - Lie on a flat bench and take light bar bell. Lift the weight over your head with your palms facing the roof. Now shift the weight backwards so if you were to drop it it would land on the floor behind your head and so that your triceps are pointing behind you instead of straight up. In this fixed position, lift the weight up until you have a straight arm and then lower it slowly until you get a deep stretch.
This is one of my all time favorite triceps exercises and has allowed me to make some significant growth.

3 - Alternate Dumb Bell Curl

The alternate dumb bell curl is a great biceps exercise as it allows you to focus on one arm at a time and gives the other arm a rest. For this reason you can handle more weight and perfect your technique at the same time.
How to - Take two dumb bells and stand with your back straight. Assuming the same position as in the bar bell curl, curl one dumb bell up to your shoulder as if you were trying to curl it PAST your shoulder. This gives a tighter contraction. Slowly lower the dumb bell and rotating it until it is in the resting position by your side, lift the other weight at the same time.
Tip - Make sure this exercise is down slowly and with extra control.

4 - Close Grip Bench Press

This exercise allows you to use a heavy weight in a safe way. However, it is slightly more tricky to perform than it looks.
How to - Take a medium bar bell and lie on a flat bench. Push the bar bell up until you arms are locked and then lower it down slowly. Just before it hits your chest push it up quickly with a little bouncing motion for about two inches. This short stop and bounce stops your chest muscles coming into play here and keeps the weight on your triceps. It’s a great secret.

5 - Cable Curls

As you know I’m not a big fan of exercise equipment but the cables allowed me to build my biceps so fast I got stretch marks at one point! This exercise has been core in my biceps routine for a long time.
How to - It is exactly the same as the bar bell curl but there is a constant tension on your muscles because the cable is always trying to pull the weight back down. For this reason you will fid it much harder to handle a lot of weight. Remember to keep your elbows still and your chest up.
Continue reading...

Friends

Preview on Feedage: fitness-exercises-and-tips Add to My Yahoo! Add to Google! Add to AOL! Add to MSN
Subscribe in NewsGator Online Add to Netvibes Subscribe in Pakeflakes Subscribe in Bloglines Add to Alesti RSS Reader
Add to Feedage.com Groups Add to Windows Live iPing-it Add to Feedage RSS Alerts Add To Fwicki
Add to Spoken to You
http://www.zaparena.com/link-5855-health-medicine

Followers

Fave This

Fitness exercises and tips Copyright © 2009 Not Magazine 4 Column is Designed by Ipietoon Sponsored by Dezigntuts