Once the novice lifter has completed the previous training programs, the lifter should be able to employ more advance and esoteric workouts. However, if you feel you need more time on the Intermediate workout, do so. In addition, if the workouts are easier than noted above, feel free to move on to the next level of weight training.
Click Image To Enlarge. The Lifter Should Be Able To Employ More Advance & Esoteric Workouts.
I will provide a sample workout but without an exact set and rep range because that always varies for me. I train mostly on instinct and feel. Set ranges from 4-5 on most exercises. Rep ranges are lower on powerlifts such as bench, squat, and deadlifts.
What are traps? They are the muscles at the side of your neck sitting on the top of the shoulders. When you get them really developed, they look like a upside down bunch of bananas. This muscle responds well to training for many people so you have to be careful. Get your traps too big and your shoulders slope down from your ears making you look like a giant pencil.
Dumbbell Shrugs for Traps
Dumbbell shrugs are my favorite trap exercise. I know this is a really simple exercise and it seems silly to make a video showing how to do it but I have gotten many requests for it. This is an easy exercise to do at home, all you need is a set of used dumbbells.
Weight loose program You already know that one of the most important things you can do for your weight loss goals is regular cardio exercise. There are so many choices out there...which exercises are the most effective? Below are the best cardio activities for blasting calories and getting in great shape.
Running is one of best activities you can do. It doesn't require special equipment (except some quality shoes) and you can do it anywhere. Best of all, you burn serious calories, especially if you add hills and sprints. A 145-lb person can burn 300 (at 5.2 mph) in 30 minutes. The downside is, it takes lots of practice and you should watch your knees and ankles for any discomfort or pain.
2. Cross-Country Skiing
Whether you're on a gym machine or swooshing over miles of snow, cross-country skiing is an incredible cardio exercise. What makes it so great is that it involves your upper and lower body, which means it doesn't take much to get your heart rate soaring. A 145-lb person burns about 330 calories during 30 minutes of skiing. The downside is: it's HARD. Take your time and ease into it.
Outdoors or indoors, cycling gives some great cardio. Using all the power in your legs, you'll increase endurance while burning lots of calories, anywhere from 250-500 in 30 minutes, depending on how fast you go and how high your resistance is.
The elliptical trainer is a great way to build endurance while protecting your aching joints from high impact activities. Plus, if you use one with arms, it's just like using a cross-country ski machine. The elliptical trainer is also a good choice for runners looking for a break from pounding the pavement. A 145-lb person burns about 300 calories in 30 minutes.
Swimming, like cross-country skiing, is a full body exercise. The more body parts you involve in your workout, the more calories you'll burn. Spend 30 minutes doing the breastroke and you'll burn almost 400 calories. Best of all, your joints are fully supported so you don't have to worry about high-impact injuries. It's also great cross-training for other cardio activities.
Step aerobics has yet to lose its luster for many gym-goers and it's a good thing. Step is one tough workout that targets your legs, butt and hips while burning almost 400 calories in 30 minutes (during high intensity sessions). Though it might look complicated, step is easy to learn if you start with a beginner class or video.
This is an often overlooked machine in the gym because most people are confused about how it works. Vigorous rowing can really get your heart rate up while working your arms like crazy. Plus, it's probably not something you do very often which means you'll burn even more calories. In 30 minutes, a 145-lb person can burn about 300 calories. That's if you do it with a little oomph.
Rock climbing burns a whopping 380 calories in 30 minutes, but this isn't an activity for the faint of heart. Though you use strength and power with your arms and legs, rock climbing has a high learning curve and requires lots of special equipment and techniques so you don't hurt yourself. Mental strength is a plus!
If you put a little oomph into it, walking is a great exercise, burning about 180 calories in 30 minutes. Adding hills, sprints or even a few minutes of jogging can increase the amount of calories you burn. Make sure you walk briskly--pretend you're trying to catch a bus--and keep you head up, back straight and swing your arms.
Okay, I'm not just putting this in here because my husband plays handball (and very well, I might add). Similar to racquetball (but without the racquet), the side-to-side sprints will get your heart rate up as well as strengthen your legs. The learning curve is high, so plan on practicing a lot before you can even hit that little ball. A 145-lb person burns over 400 calories in 30 minutes.
Body building or muscle mass building may be daunting as a novice. Supplied beneath are a few points that could assist you get in body building, and into your 1st physical fitness club:
Look for advice. There’s no sense attempting to ascertain everything yourself while beginning in BodyBuilding. Make some time to speak to other people who are more knowledgeable, and find out what you could by them. While utilizing new equipment or a new exercise it’s as well always a fine idea to speak to a person, to assure that you do not become hurt.
Slumber - while exercising for the 1st time it’s crucial to see to it that your body is having the sleep that it demands. This will generally be more than what you were taking before! Diet - even as crucial as rest it is crucial to assure that your diet keeps up with your exercising. This does not just mean consuming a lot, it means consuming better food. Look on your body as an car. The more you drive an auto, the more fire you demand to put into it. You need to assure that you are putting the right fire in your car also, to guarantee that it will ride consistently and perform to specification.
Set Goals - Set goals that are possible. Inaccessible goals just prepare yourself up for failure. Look at it one step at a time, and relish your success the whole way up the ladder. Whether it is added 10pounds to your bench press or merely arriving to the gym three days a week, you want to set up goals, otherwise it is simple for your muscle building workouts to get brushed aside once life gets busy.
Envision Success - it is crucial to envision yourself succeeding before you even start exercising. This successful mindset will lead you to new stages in your training and will set up yourself ahead for success!
Weight lifting tips are as plentiful as there are weight lifters. In the gym you will find many enthusiastic weightlifters willing to tell you all about their special techniques to build muscle.The muscle on this guy tells you that he has tons of knowledge so you take his advice. What worked for him probably will not work for you. Because we’re all genetically dissimilar our bodies respond accordingly. You must find what works great for your physique and figure out what exercises your body responds to.
The following four weight lifting tips will give you the edge to start getting some results even if you have tried many varied techniques.
Body weight only exercises are a great way to start. To help your muscles grow you must warm them up and pre-exhaust them. This approach to weight training is a great way to shock and awe your muscles. The goal is to make sure we limit the chance of injury. Elevated push ups are a good way to start and then continue on to close grip pullups. These two exercises will give your upper body a fantastic workout and set the stage for the workout that follows. By shocking our muscles we will be getting the most out of our workouts.
Doing cardio three times a week is a great weight lifting tip. If you are looking to add lean muscle mass then make sure you don’t forget about your cardio workouts. The reason for its importance can’t be overstated; cardio is a great way to increase the oxygen and nutrient absorption for each muscle group. You don’t want to exhaust yourself before the stress you will be placing on the muscles you will be working out for that day.
Supersets are another fantastic muscle building secret that will shock your muscles into some serious growth.The principal behind super setting is to put a continuous load on the muscle group being exercised.Working the same muscles one right after the other is an example of super setting.Bent over rows and lat pulldowns are a good example of supersetting. Working these two different parts of your back is a good example of shocking the muscle and adding growth.Chest and triceps can be supersetted together to workout different but complimentary muscle groups.
Getting the right amount of protein is essential to your post workout recovery and growth. Immediately after your workout is the most critical time for you to have a protein shake. Your body absorbs the protein at an increased rate the first 20 minutes post workout.
Consistency and using these weight lifting tips should increase your chances of success.
One of the most common questions I get asked is “how do I gain and retain muscle mass?”. Guys are always looking for mass gain secrets and this is one of the reasons I’ve decided to release the Super Smash’r Fitness Strength Training Program to the public. In this program you’ll find all my very best workouts and principles in an easy to use step-by-step program.
Some of the principles and ideas you may want to consider when building muscle include:
1. Chase the pump. There has been a lot of debate recently about the need to get the pump during a workout. The pump is when the capillary beds in the muscle start fully working making the muscle more efficient at using growth promoting nutrients. This ultimately leads to bigger stronger muscles.
2. Extra heavy for extra growth. There is no way around it, if you want size you need to lift heavy weights. While this seems obvious, you can only do this by training with a partner and pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone.
3. Training partner. Train with a buddy that is on the same program or has the same fitness goals. You’ll keep each other motivated and push each other to your limits.
4. Sleep. Your body repairs itself during sleep and produces important testosterone during the sleep cycle. Listen to your body but I recommend a minimum of 8 hours of effective sleep a night.
5. Increase natural testosterone production. In my Fitness Strength Training Program I give a detailed description of why testosterone is important and the best ways to fire up your own natural sources. Compound or primary exercises increase natural testosterone production.
6. Build the center of your power. The core area of your body (abs, oblique’s and lower back) is the most important part of your body. Train these areas smart and hard for maximum power transfer to other parts of your body.
7. Train using all 4 types of resistance training methods. Learn and use all tricks available to stimulate your muscles and avoid getting stale. To many programs focus on 8 – 12 reps. Move beyond the basics for advanced gains.
For all my tips and explosive growth secrets, visit Fitness Strength Training today to download your copy of this amazing program.
“To be successful, you must decide exactly what you want to accomplish, the n resolve to pay the price to get it.”
“The lats have two basic functions as far as bodybuilding is concerned: They pull the shoulder back (a rowing motion) and pull the shoulders down (a pulldown or chinning motion). A common mistake when doing these movements is to use too much biceps effort and not enough back, or to involve the muscles of the lower back in a swaying motion instead of making the lasts do most of the work. You have to make an effort when training lats to isolate them so that only these muscles are involved in the movement.”
Quote Source: Arnold Schwarzenegger’sNew Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding
ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM CHICKEN LEG SYNDROME? Legs are the single most important muscle group in your body when it comes to working out…that’s just my opinion! Everybody wants to work out arms and chest, because they think they can hide their chicken legs under a pair of jogging pants…guess what? You can hide them, but they are still their, and they are smaller than ever! I used to be like that, I never cared about legs for a very long time, because I was scared that if I began to work on my legs more, than I would start losing my upper body, and besides, who cares about legs?You cant see them right? WRONG!
Years ago, when I would train my arms I would be drenching in sweat, but when I trained my legs, my shirt was cleaner than ever…not a drop of sweat!
When I began to take my leg workouts serious, and to a whole new level, I realised why it was so important. Legs are the foundation to the rest of your body, the bigger and harder your legs get, the stronger and harder the rest of your body feels! It is an amazing feeling to see your legs grow, and is very addicting to be able to see your quad muscles, and your hamstrings bulge out!
The reason for this post
a) My dress pants that I wear pretty often ripped pretty badly which means my legs are getting bigger…or my pants are too tight haha)
b) people need to start taking legs seriously, and realize that it is key in developing a well rounded physique. I heard this many times before that working out legs actually releases testosterone throughout your body…this is true!
Start taking them seriously, as they are the largest muscle group in your body, so start investing in them!!!!!
The triceps. Triceps take normally 2/3 of your upper arm’s muscular mass. For some reasons though, many people pay more attention to biceps when it comes to judging someone’s physique. If you do want huge upper arms though, hit your triceps twice as hard as your biceps
You’ll need:
A bench-like structure. I use a plastic box for that.
Two adjustable dumbbells. For triceps beginners you�ll need at least 39 lbs (approx. 17 kg) per dumbbell.
Maybe a pair of old gloves.
A bodytweaker�s let�s-suffer mindset.
At least 30 minutes of your time.
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
This exercise isolates triceps completely if you’re doing it right. No other muscle shall be working. You start with your arms in vertical position, then you slowly bend your arms at your elbows. You keep your upper arms vertical and bend your elbows until your forearms are horizontally positioned. Keep in mind that you don’t move your upper arms at all. You may want to take less weight, but do this one correctly.
3-4 sets of 15 reps each shall be enough
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension
As in the other exercise your triceps shall stay completely isolated when doing this exercise correctly. You do one arm at a time. You use your arm, that’s not working, as a support for your working arm. Holding your working arm just below the elbow ensures that its upper arm stays firm and you use your triceps only.
Posted by Administrator It’s no secret that every serious lifter out there desires an impressive pair of strong, muscular arms.
Who wouldn’t be happy with tall, peaking biceps sitting on top of rock-hard, horse-shoe-shaped triceps? Who wouldn’t love to have a pair of ripped, well-developed guns forcefully bursting through the sleeves of their shirt?
While developing muscular arms is usually at the top of many peoples’ agenda, the reality is that the majority of lifters out there have a very poor understanding of how to properly train their arms for maximum gains.
In order to gain the proper insight into effectively stimulating arm growth, we must first recognize three basic truths:
1) Relatively speaking, the biceps and triceps are small muscle groups. 2) The biceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic pulling movements for the back. 3) The triceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic pressing movements for the chest and shoulders.
What do these 3 points tell us about effective arm training?
The most important thing for you to realize is this:
For maximum gains in muscle size and strength, the biceps and triceps require only a very small amount of direct stimulation!
So why is it that every time I enter the gym I see the same misinformed people, week in and week out, slaving away on endless sets of bicep curls and tricep extensions?
It’s very important to understand that the biceps and triceps receive a very large amount of stimulation from all of your chest and back training. Couple this with the fact that your biceps and triceps are already small muscle groups to begin with and it becomes quite clear that direct arm training is of minor importance.
Remember, your muscles do not grow in the gym. The work that you accomplish as you train with weights is merely the “spark” that sets the wheels of the muscle growth process into motion. The real magic takes place out of the gym while you are resting and eating, as this is the time when your body will actually be synthesizing new muscle tissue.
Because of this, it is vital that you do not overtrain your muscles. You must always make sure to provide them with sufficient recovery time if you want to see impressive results. Overtraining can actually make your muscles smaller and weaker.
If you’re looking to achieve serious arm growth, you must stop placing so much emphasis on direct arm movements. Forget about performing endless sets of concentration curls and tricep pressdowns. Strong, muscular arms are mostly a product of heavy chest and back training.
This is not to say that no direct arm training is necessary, just not very much. Here is a sample arm routine that you can use as a part of your program:
Routine #1
Barbell Curls – 2 sets of 5-7 reps Standing Dumbbell Curls – 1 set of 5-7 reps
Routine #2
Close-Grip Bench Press – 2 sets of 5-7 reps Standing Cable Pushdowns – 1 set of 5-7 reps
Take all sets to complete muscular failure and focus on progressing each week by using slightly more weight or performing an extra rep or 2.
If you can incorporate this way of thinking into your arm training, you will achieve arm size beyond anything you previously thought possible.
To learn how to combine all of these principles into an effective step-by-step routine, click the link below and visit my website for details. You can gain instant access to my renowned "26-Week Workout Plan" as well as a full printable logbook that you can take to the gym with you
Want very big muscular shoulders? Shoulders also known as deltoids, are a very important part of your body when it comes to working out. If you do not exercise these muscles, you wont be able to keep going higher on your benching. This is because your shoulders support your arms and maximize your strength. Here is 1 of the 5 most effective shoulder workouts. If done following my steps, you will have some very strong, muscular deltoids.
Instructions
Step 1
Kind of like the barbell shoulder press, except with separate dumbbells. Whats great about this workout is it targets your whole shoulder muscle! Start by sitting down on an upright bench.
Step 2
Grab 2 dumbbells and set them on your shoulders. Now pick them up bringing them together over your head letting your arms fully extend. Make sure your palms are facing forward throughout the whole exercise.
Step 3
Now lower the dumbbells back to starting position. Repeat. Do at least 3 sets of 10 repetitions for best result on your shoulders muscle.
Want very big muscular shoulders? Shoulders also known as deltoids, are a very important part of your body when it comes to working out. If you do not exercise these muscles, you wont be able to keep going higher on your benching. This is because your shoulders support your arms and maximize your strength. Here is 1 of the 5 most effective shoulder workouts. If done following my steps, you will have some very strong, muscular deltoids.
Instructions
Step 1
Kind of like the barbell shoulder press, except with separate dumbbells. Whats great about this workout is it targets your whole shoulder muscle! Start by sitting down on an upright bench.
Step 2
Grab 2 dumbbells and set them on your shoulders. Now pick them up bringing them together over your head letting your arms fully extend. Make sure your palms are facing forward throughout the whole exercise.
Step 3
Now lower the dumbbells back to starting position. Repeat. Do at least 3 sets of 10 repetitions for best result on your shoulders muscle.
A lot of people want to learn to build chest muscles to impress girls or just look good down at the beach but, everyone has there own reason to do things. If you've been trying to build chest muscle but aren't seeing the gains you were looking for then there are a few key steps you can take to build chest muscle in lightning speed.
If you want to build chest muscle you have to dissect your chest workout. Here are a few exercises you can use to build chest muscle very quickly. By dissecting your chest workout in this way you will not only build chest muscle fast but you build ALL the different areas of your chest muscle which leads to a bigger, stronger and wider chest.
Chest Physiology
Chest is a major muscle with lots of fibers. Chest is the Centerpiece of a Complete Physique and don't let your Chest below its own standards when you can really hit it hard and make it stand. Chest can be the most aesthetic muscle of your body especially on the beach or when competing. Since your wrists is in question, many of the upper body weight training can be limited, but there are some exercises that may not put too much strain on your wrists such as lateral, frontal shoulder raises with dumbbells, peck deck (butterfly machines) for your chest, and lat pull downs for you back.
Body Dynamics
Motions such as pushing, pitching a ball, swimming strokes, bench pressing, or even slamming a door shut involves the pectoral muscles. A lot of people ask how to build chest muscles but you should be working your whole body evenly to be safe and not put pressure on weaker body parts. Well built chest is the cornerstone of a bodybuilding physique and the chest exercises I show you here will do just that. Chest can be the most aesthetic muscle of your body especially on the beach or when competing.
Your body is capable of much more than your mind allows you to do. Throw "what you THINK" out of the door and push your body past the point of pain.
I like to train each body part once, sometimes twice a week. This gives my body enough time to recover, so that I can actually add muscle to my chest. You can also move a lot of weight using these exercises, which means you're putting your body under a lot of stress, which is always a good thing when it comes to building muscle. It usually is with bodybuilding, so remember when you're thinking about how to build the most muscle, keep it simple.
Bench
The Bench-press is the best lower chest exercise you can do... Bench press exercise how to do perform a great chest building exercise. Bench Press The bench press is an incredibly important exercise if you want to gain big upper body muscles and strength. Bench Press exercise tips: Pushing the feet harder on the floor and lifting the butt off the bench will make the bench press easier.
If you are looking to build chest and arms then focus on bench press, curling as well as any machines that focus on shoulders or triceps. 15% to 30% are very effective to build chest muscles using the incline dumbbell press, but can NOT be done on this bench. Those are my 2 main problems. Another quick, kind of related question: is there any way to build chest/back muscle mass without using large amounts of weights. If you want to see my build chest muscle fast site you can here: build chest muscle fast. But if you take your ego out of the equation and acknowledge that the point of chest exercises is to build chest muscles, who cares how much you bench in your workouts.
Unconventional Abdominal training at its best! No Crunches Necessary
I decided to title this post a ‘Guide to Rockstar Abs’ as I aim to show you simple unconventional ways to achieve strong functional abs not blocky and bulky midsections the magazine’s workouts will get you, Also it sounded cool. Most these training methods can be done without a gym and integrated with you workout.
Negative Chinups
These are definitely one of my favorite ab exercises, they are done simply by:
Jumping up the the chin-up position on a bar
Lowering yourself slowly (10 seconds)
Repeat for 8-12 reps
As you get stronger with these start hanging weight but do not sacrifice your form or how slow you lower yourself. I guarantee you a set or two of these will get your abs burning, as well as your back and biceps.
Stomach Vacuum
Your Abs and lower back are made to stabilize your body, not much else. So when you suck in your stomach like I did as a kid on the beach your whole midsection starts to activate its stabilization instincts. Vacuums are especially important if you suffer from lower back pain as it activates the transversus abdominis which is the deepest of your abdominal muscles.
Here’s how to do it:
“Lying on the floor, exhale completely, forcing all the air out of the lungs/ diaphragm with your abdominal muscles. Next, instead of inhaling, suck in your gut, pulling it in so far that you can imagine your abs actually touching your spine. Since there’s no air in your lungs, you should be able to suck your stomach way in, which will contract your transversus abdominis.”
“Practice holding this vacuum for longer and longer periods of time. Eventually, your waist will get smaller, providing you don’t stuff yourself at meals and bloat with massive amounts of liquids between meals.”
“After you have achieved a sense of control in the lying position, next practice the standing position. Initially, it will be easier to achieve the vacuum if you press your palms against your upper thighs after exhaling and sucking in your gut.”
“The final step in doing the ultimate vacuum is to start practicing with your hands behind your neck, which is what T used to do at competitions to good effect. This particular vacuum ain’t easy, but keep at it.”
I like to do this after workouts when my Abs are already weak, usually holding the vacuum for around 20 seconds and then taking a break before repeating.
Hold something heavy over your head
This is one of my favorite’s but it requires a gym or a heavy barbell.
Push Press a heavy weight over your head (not too heavy be sensible)
Hyper extend your arms and contract your midsection and stand
After about 10 seconds you should start to feel your midsection weaken and shake, this means your abs are working full-out to stabilize your body
Repeat for 2-3 sets of 20 seconds
Throw something heavy
This is another great one but requires a heavy medicine ball but a big rock will do if you want to go primal.
Head out to a park or playing field with a medicine ball
Throw the thing as far as you can
Run towards it and repeat
When you feel your abs weaken your work is done
Dumbell Pullovers
This is actually one of my favorites I figured it out a few years back when a friend showed me how to do DB pullovers as a Lat building exercise. However the following days would leave my abs unbelievably sore. This is a great (a favorite of Arthur Jones and Art Devany) exercise and should be part of everyone’s full body training regime, its old school but it works!
Function is what we should ultimately strive for. forget the crunches and conventional abdominal training, the only way to build abs for real is to do real exercises that will benefit your bodies functionality in the real world. I guarantee you a combination of these technique’s will get your mid-section sore and feeling deeply worked out.
The great thing about these training methods is that they will get you results and they can all be done easily with minimal equipment. Doing a 5 minute circuit of all the exercises after finishing a workout in the gym is ideal.
Most people new to bodybuilding pay a lot of attention to building big arms, sometimes to the point of overtraining. Don’t forget, the arm muscles are brought into play during most exercises aimed at other body parts so care must be taken not to overdo things.
Having said that, the arms are complex body parts in their own right and deserve a properly focused exercise program. In basic terms the arm consists of three main muscle groups:
1. Biceps brachii: Two muscles at the front upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulders.
2. Triceps brachii: Three muscles at the rear upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulder.
3. Forearm: Several smaller muscles that run from the elbow to the wrist.
There are seven classic exercises that will allow beginners to get off to a good muscle building start without overstraining their bodies. For all of the exercises that follow, use a weight that is light enough to allow between 10-15 reps.
I. Three biceps building exercises are recommended for beginners:
1. Standing barbell curl - 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
2. Alternative standing dumbbell curls - 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
3. Preacher bench curls - 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
II. Three triceps building exercises are recommended for beginners:
1. Dips - 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
2. Close grip bench press - 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
3. EZ bar lying extensions - 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
III. One forearm building exercise is recommended for beginners:
1. EZ bar reverse curls - 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
As with all exercises you need to take care in scheduling specific body parts. To begin with you should incorporate your arm exercises into a program similar to the one suggested below:
Day 1: Biceps, Back, Abs
Day 2: Hamstrings, Shoulders, Abs
Day 3: Quads, Forearms, Calves
Day 4: Triceps, Chest, Abs
For the first couple of weeks complete one set but then add one set each week to a maximum of three. At the end of three months you will be ready to move on to more intensive intermediate level exercises.
Let’s examine five of the most common problems with bicep training:
1. More is Not Always Better
If doing 4 sets is better than 3 sets, why don’t you just do 10 sets? Even better, why don’t you just train them all day? Don’t laugh, I know a guy who did this!
It has been said before, but it obviously needs to be said again: “Less is often more.”
Your goal of each weight training workout should be to simply ‘out do’ your last workout. Be it an extra pound or a few extra reps, then it is time to move to the next exercise.
It’s a hard concept for many to grasp because they are fixated on the instant gratification of making their biceps ‘look’ big during the workout and not what they look like when they leave the gym, which leads us to our next problem.
2. Being obsessed with the “Pump”!
Yes, Arnold was right. It’s one of the best feelings in the world and the former Mr. Olympia even goes as far as comparing it to sex. Now that’s a little bit of a stretch in my book but to each his own.
The truth is that the longer you train your biceps, even if the weights are not extremely heavy, you can achieve a fairly decent pump that can turn a few heads while in the gym.
This attention and perception that you are doing something beneficial is deceiving. Yes, there is something to say about keeping blood in the muscle as long as possible, but if the workout is done with weights that do not overload your muscles and emphasize an increase in strength, your biceps will quickly deflate back to normal with no true muscle growth.
3. Not Focusing on Increasing Your Overall Strength
If you look at some of the best upper body physiques (Craig Ballantyne comes to mind) today and their workout plans, they barely train arms. Why?
Because biceps are secondary muscles. A stronger emphasis is put around increasing their chest, back and shoulder strength. If you simply focus on increasing the weights on your rows, pull-ups and chin-ups, rest assured that your biceps will come along for the ride and grow proportionally.
However, if you are always blasting away one-arm dumbbell curls, your biceps will always be fatigued when you train your bigger muscles like your back and chest therefore, you’ve sacrificed a big muscle for the sake of a small muscle. Make sense? This is another reason to take a lower volume approach to arm training.
4. Using the Same Bicep Exercises Every Time
Every bodybuilding magazine will always claim barbell curls and dumbbell curls are two of the simplest and best exercises for building huge biceps. For once, I’ll semi-agree with the so-called experts. These ’simple’ exercises are a safe foundation to build a program around, but let’s not get carried away. Pro bodybuilders using steroids are going to have a strong bodily response to practically any exercise they do.
Therefore, I have no problem using these two exercises under the important condition that you are getting stronger from week-to-week. As long as you are increasing the weights and reps relative to good lifting form, then your arms should continue growing.
5. Not Enough Tension on the Muscle
I think many people of all levels (yes, I’m talking to the advanced athletes as well) do not fully grasp the concept of isolating and actually training a muscle. They do not know how to make the muscle work and fatigue.
Instead, you see a lot of swinging, momentum and sloppy lifting used to move the weight from every part of the body except the one they are actually trying to train.
Fitness author of the No Nonsense Muscle Building Program, Vince DelMonte explains that biceps have a very strong response to “constant tension,” which means you should never give them a chance to breathe.
Keep the bar constantly moving without pausing at the top or bottom. Focus on squeezing the heck out of the bar and never let your biceps relax until the set is over. Your entire goal is to not allow any oxygen into the muscle which creates a spike with your anabolic hormones to promote muscle growth. Resort to a slower tempo (ie. 3 seconds up, 0 pause, and 3 seconds down) to get the job done.
For more ways to improve other aspects of your workouts, I strongly encourage men and women to check out Vince DelMonte’s program No NonSense Muscle Building. The top-selling fast muscle 201 page manual is literally changing lives everyday!
So many individuals still think that in order to sculpt your abs you need to do hundreds of abs. This is NOT TRUE! I said it before and I will say it as many times as I have to. Here is an interesting routine that I recommend (among many others possible) that can sculpt your abs without any sit-ups if done properly. First of all add balance moves to your routine. This improves your posture, helps prevent future injuries and strengthens your core. The following exercises are recommended by Michelle Dozois, owner of Breakthru Fitness in Pasadena, California. You need to do them three times a week and remember to keep your abs tight through each move.
1. Plank with Shoulder Clock Get into a push-up position after wrapping a resistance band around both of your hands. Your right arm should reach forward, then to the side and then back toward your right thigh while lowering to center each time. You should do complete series of these exercises twice per each side, 3 sets in total. If effort is not enough you can use small dumbells.
2. Reverse Lunge with Press Grab a dumbbell in each hand and stand while holding them at shoulder height, palms forward. Step back with the right lef, then lift the right knee toward your chest. In the mean time press the weights over your head. As you back in the original positions lower the weights. Do 15 reps an then switch the leg.
3. One-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press Lie down! Face should be up with your shouldres and head on a stable bench or medicine ball. Knees should be bent and feet must be on the floor. Take a dumbbell in your hand and hold it above your shoulder with the palm facing forward. Now bend your elbow and lower the weight out to side until your elbow is bent around 90 degrees. Now press the weight back to the starting position. Do 15 reps with your right hand and then switch hands.
The movie "300" was particularly successful because of the 300 muscular and fit spartans on the show. Here is a movie of their training behind the scenes. With such a movie there was a need to make them look as good as possible and here are some of the exercises used in order to achieve the Spartan body exhibited in the movie.
Here are some interesting fitness tips you might not know or you might have ignored up till now. To start off, avoid white food as much as possible. This included anything made with white sugar or white flower. Whole ingredients are much better for your body. Cross training is also very important. If you train the same way each day you are actually limiting your fitness gains. Why not try a variety of exercises? Also, you could think about some intensive stretching forms of exercise like pilates. Pilates can be very efficient but do not forget your diet. One last thing that needs to be mentioned is the fact that concentrating on your weight is quite a bad idea. You need to think about body fat levels and not your weight. I see so many girls that tend to try and lose weight when they really do not need to do that. Low body fat should be your goal and not that perfect weight people talk about.
This is a both strange and interesting abs workout I found on the Internet. Please keep in mind that you can do as many abs as you want to but they will not show unless you also use a proper diet. This movie will show you some possible abs exercises and this is how it should be viewed. Do not imagine that by doing this 8 minute abs workout you will lose weight. There is a lot more to losing weight than doing abs. Now that we got this straight, have fun watching this clip:
Extra pounds have given you a bad status in society? People are looking strange when you walk down the street? Your favorite dress doesn’t fit you anymore and you have to go shopping for clothes that are a number bigger than usual? You don’t feel that good, you breathe harder and your heart is not so good at in the last analysis?
Well if you haven’t yet considered it (yeah right), you should think about loosing weight! Is it hard? Yes. Is it worth the effort? Certainly. So say goodbye to sweets, calorie filled dishes and that couch that you left a butt mark on and say hello to a new program, a more energetic one that will turn you into an active person, a healthier and a better looking one!
Fitness is one of the most used methods to loose weight, but it’s not enough just to do exercises. More and more trainers believe that loosing extra pounds should be a three step program: strength training, loosing calories and extra easy exercise.
In order to loose that belly you don’t have to move to the gym and make it your house. You should better choose one day of the week and exercise hard as you can, and then have the rest of the week gym-free. Studies show that it is better to workout just once a week because if not, the muscles will be too stressed and after that they will get used to the effort and the progress will be zero. Don’t try to increase the level of exercise gradually because instead of refreshing the body, you will make your muscles bigger and that is not an option for fitness.
The second step is loosing calories and you do that by finding out what is an appropriate diet for you and the follow it. This means that you have to stop eating fat filled dishes and sweets but eat foods that will give you the necessary organic substances to feed your body – proteins and vegetables mostly. It is very important to remember that your body is made mostly from water and when following a diet you could get dehydrated and so drink at least 2 liters of water per day.
The last step is extra exercise like instead of taking the car try walking if your destination is not too far. This will make you feel better about yourself because you’ll notice the improvement.
Just in case you did not figure this out so far, there is no such thing as a magic sure shot diet. Some foods are rich in fibers and take longer to eat while coming with fewer calories per one gram but they can also alter the levels of intestinal hormones you find, leading to a feeling of being less hungry. We could say that such foods are great in helping you lose weight and we recommend that you keep in mind the descriptions that will be highlighted below.
When it comes to foods that help you lose weight salads are very high on the list. You can make salads using cabbage, lettuce, capsicum, cucumbers, car roots, tomatoes and so on. Every single one is low in calories and can help your diet. These vegetables can be taken in through sandwiches as well or however you may want it. Next you can replace that hamburger with grapes. They are high in sugar but if you do not overdo it you will notice that they can be a great snack without adding fat to the mix. To make it even better, 100 grams of grapes only have around 70 calories. Since we are talking about fruits how about oranges? They are very good when talking about a healthy diet and even one that is aimed on loosing weight.
Let us get back to vegetables but this time we need to mention potatoes. Potatoes can be great at losing weight as they are not the problem in putting on weight. The way they are cooked can transform potatoes in food that is too high in fat. If you boil or bake potatoes without adding extra ingredients that are high on fat you will find it that potatoes are great for your diet. You can also go for sweet potatoes. They do have more calories but they are still good if you do not add fat as already mentioned before.
Now let us think about high fiber cereals. They are able to fill you up without adding too many calories in the process. Then consider adding sprouted pulses to the mix and curds. Do not avoid water in any circumstance as it is very important. A lot of people tend to mistake thirst for hunger and this means an extra snack that you did not need. Also, think about the fact that you will need to eat some sweets once in a while. You are allowed to do this and still lose weight if you are not overdoing it.
Once again the eternal topic of losing weight. This is a huge topic for debates and everybody is looking at different ways to achieve it. The real problem with us today is that we lack physical activity and we eat a lot of junk. This means that one out of three people is usually overweight. You can lose weight with different exercises and we all know that but the real trick and the best way to do it does stand in aerobics. It truly is one of the best ways to lose weight. I will propose 3 simple aerobic exercises that you can do and that can help you lose weight easily (if you are serious about it).
Jogging - We all heard about how jogging can help you lose weight and there are so many books, DVDs and VHS on the topic that there is no need to really recommend anything. The only real thing that you must pay attention to stands in the level of exercising. You can not jog for longer periods of time than your body permits you to. Start slow and increase the intensity level as you can do it and your results will be good.
Dancing - Yes, you read it right! A lot of individuals end up avoiding this although we can say that it is the simplest aerobic exercise you can do. It helps you lose weight and keeps you entertained as you are having fun while dancing to your favorite tracks.
Cycling - OK! This is not really for everyone as not everybody enjoys cycling although it is a very effective cardio exercise. You can go at it with a regular bike or even a stationary one in the comfort of your own home.
The trick to losing weight is paying attention to details and focusing on getting the job done!
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It’s no secret that every serious lifter out there desires an impressive pair of strong, muscular arms.
Your body is capable of much more than your mind allows you to do. Throw "what you THINK" out of the door and push your body past the point of pain. 
