exercises

The Top 10 Exercises For Massive Arms
Everyone who ever picks up a weight soon develops the desire for a set of massive arms. It's nearly unavoidable. Nearly everybody loves to stretch their shirt sleeves or even cut them off. People want to build huge arms. Unfortunately, many people go about their arm training all wrong. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to build huge arms is using the wrong exercises. Kickbacks and concentration curls will do very little to help you build huge arms. Instead, stick with the list below and your arms will be exploding with new growth in no time.
Biceps:1) Close Grip Chin Up- This is the king of biceps exercises because it allows you to use the most weight and move your body through space. Any time you can move your body through space, instead of just moving your limbs, there is a higher level of neuromuscular activation which leads to greater muscular development. If you want to build huge arms this has to be in your arsenal.
2) Barbell Curl- As far as isolation movements go, this is the best one there is when it comes to building big biceps.
3) Dumbbell Curl- Another isolation movement that is nearly the equivalent to the barbell curl. The added advantage is that when you can no longer complete another rep you can stop doing them simultaneously and switch to alternate curls to cheat a few more reps out.
4) Incline Dumbbell Curl- The added stretch here makes this a very effective bicep building exercise.
5) Hammer Curl- If you really want to build huge arms you need to include some work for the brachialis muscle. Hammer curls target the brachialis muscle, which, when developed, can add a great deal of mass and thickness to the upper arm.
Triceps:1) Parallel Bar Dip- Again, this is an exercise where you are moving your body through space instead of just moving your limbs. If you need proof of the effectiveness of dips you need to look no further than the incredible arm development of male gymnasts. Like the close grip chin up, this has to be a regular in your muscle building workouts if you want to build huge arms
2) Close Grip Bench- This is another compound movement which will pack slabs of muscle on the triceps as it allows you to use a ton of weight.
3) Half Range Close Grip Bench Press aka Lockouts- This exercise is done by setting the pins in the power rack so that they stop the bar about a third of the way down from the top. This greatly overloads the triceps and allows you to use extremely heavy loads. The end result is that you will build huge horseshoe triceps.
4) Angled Bar Pushdown- I prefer the angled bar to the straight bar for pushdowns because it is much less stressful on the wrists and much more comfortable to handle heavy weights with. This is a highly effective isolation movement which is pretty easy on the elbows; a rarity for isolated triceps exercises.
5) EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extensions- This is another highly effective isolation exercise for the triceps. Unfortunately, this exercise can lead to elbow problems. For this reason it should be used less frequently than the others and the reps should be kept a bit higher; preferably in the 8-15 range.
Stop wasting your time with any arm exercise that are not on this list, immediately. The exercises listed above are the ones that will help you build huge arms. Hit them hard and continually get stronger and lift heavier weights on them and you will build an enormous set of arms before you know it
How To Build Chest 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.
How To Become Fit Fast And Build Muscle
If you are wanting great results without wasting time, in your own home. A work out routine that does not take long and can be integrated with even the most hectic life style with great results.
This system of training is very intense but well worth the results. Most people think that in order to be fit they must exercise often or everyday go for walk, runs or go to the gym. But this is not so using this system you can exercise 3 times a week for 45min.
But exercising like this can be dangerous without the right techniques and advice. The way the workout works is on the basic principle of weight over reps which will make you sweat buckets and burn that fat, tone and build muscle fast which is what were looking for,
This is not for everyone as it can be quite hard you will be pushing yourself hard but the harder you do the faster the results will show. For older people this can be dangerous as you are not as young as you use to be and injuries can happen quite easily such as torn ligaments and slipped disc. Which is why the training program is so important knowing your limits can be hard but we will be able to show you how to train safely in you own home.
Using Turbulence Training you can achieve that body you want, that fitness and health that comes with the training have more energy and strength than ever before. If you decide to choose this system of training and stick with it for only one month you feel the difference and want to continue and you will look and feel great
Bodybuilding Diet and Nutrition
A serious bodybuilder needs an effective bodybuilding diet. This doesn't need to be difficult but the proper bodybuilding nutrition is very important for the development of strong muscle.
A bodybuilding diet will take into consideration carbohydrates and the significance they play in bodybuilding nutrition. Carbohydrates are in fact sugars and starches that provide energy for the body. Some are what they call "simple" and others are called "complex" carbohydrates.
Fruits and dairy products are what you call "simple" carbohydrates as they are more easily digested by the body. "Complex" carbohydrates take a longer period of time for the body to digest and they are found in vegetables and legumes.
As a bodybuilder, you will want to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet especially before turning in for the night. Don't eat carbs within an hour of bedtime because the body won't burn up the calories and through the digestion of the carbohydrates and you just might end up storing those extra calories as fat and that's no good for a bodybuilder.
Eat Less More Frequently
A bodybuilding diet requires that you eat more frequently but in smaller amounts. It is suggested that you have six smaller meals in a day rather than the traditional three larger meals. This helps he metabolism stay steady and continues to burn calories throughout the day.
Maintaining the proper meal schedule may be one of the most important bodybuilding nutrition strategy it will allow you to burn fat, build muscle and be n the right path to achieving your goals.
Make Your Diet Work for You
Your bodybuilding diet is a key component in your program to add muscle and aid in your weight training program. A Good bodybuilding program will address all the issues of losing weight, reducing fat, building and toning muscle and in actually sculpting the body.
Proper training and body building nutrition means that you should never think of a diet as starvation. Instead it is about making healthy food choices and developing healthy habits that will serve you well for the rest of your life.
Bodybuilding nutrition is so important that you might want to consult a professional nutritionist. A bodybuilding diet is different than common weight loss diets. With a Bodybuilding diet your focus will be on eating the foods that will help you build lean muscle mass and power.
The course you take to your bodybuilding will depend on what your ultimate goals are. Health and fitness must go hand in hand for true success.
Bodybuilding Tips For Getting Enough Protein Daily
Most bodybuilders are aware of the fact that the key to helping muscles grow and recover following a tough workout is to flood the trained muscle group with nutrients - particularly amino acids. These amino acids come from protein we consume, which places protein consumption at the top of the priority list for bodybuilders. Here are a few tricks, which can assist you in making sure you get enough protein every day.
Buy big
Buy your protein in bulk, on one huge weekly or biweekly shopping trip. Not only will this result in you getting the best prices, but it will also mean you will have plenty of food on hand all week. Additionally, the time saved from avoiding 3 or 4 trips to the store each week can be spent training, cooking, or just plain resting!
Prepackaging works!
Pick up 10 or 12 small Tupperware containers. Cook big pots of food, and fill these Tupperware containers. It only takes a minute to toss the steak and rice into the microwave, and you're eating properly in no time. Keep an eye on expiration dates, and never eat cooked food that has been in the refrigerator more than three days. This usually means 2-3 weekly cooking sessions.
Shake it up
When you're on the road, protein shakes are usually comprised of two scoops of whey with bottled water, mixed in a shaker. But at home, you can move far beyond this simple mixture. Toss in some peanut butter, oatmeal, spices, ice cream, or other delicious foods to add much needed carbohydrates and fats, as well as to keep you sane as you chug down the same protein powder, day in and day out.
Start with these simple ideas, and find your own along the way. Remember, the goal is to consume your 300 to 400 grams of protein daily, consistently. Tips like these will make it easier to consume enough protein, but only you can provide the discipline and action to make it happen.
Bodybuilding Tips - Alternatives To Barbell Rows
Barbell rowing has long been considered the main movement for upper back thickness. However, as with all things, variety is the spice of life. Integrating a wide variety of back movements into your routine will help to recruit different muscles in the back, as well as keep the workouts interesting. Here is a rundown of some basic back movements.
Dumbbell rows
These are a favorite because they really allow the trainer to isolate the lat muscle on the side of the body doing the rowing. You can pull the dumbbell up as far as you wish - the range of motion is nearly unlimited. This movement is a staple in most bodybuilders' back training.
Incline dumbbell rows
This movement is the same as dumbbell rows, except the trainer is lying face down against an incline bench. This allows the body to stay firm as the lats pull up the weight from a steeper angle, recruiting different muscle fibers from standard dumbbell rows.
2 arm dumbbell rows
This movement eliminates some of the 'focus' factor of the movement, as you are using both arms simultaneously. However it has its benefits, as it allows the arms to be trained identically. Occasionally, a trainer will favor one arm over another when training, leading to muscle imbalances.
Cable Rows
This movement allows the trainer to keep continuous tension on the back muscles. There is no "rest" moment when the weight comes to a pause. The bar exerts precisely the same tension at all aspects of the lift.
T-bar rows
These can be completed on the T-bar machine, or by placing a one-side loaded barbell into the corner of the room, provided the gym owner allows such a practice. Many top champions use this movement, as it builds center back thickness like no other movement can.
Hammer Strength machine rows
These are very popular for two reasons. First, they require the trainer to keep perfect range of motion when training. There is no variance, no cheating, and no change. The path of movement is constant. Secondly, it is a very safe movement. The initial heave on many barbell and dumbbell movements leads to back injuries. With the machine controlling the movement, the risk for injury is minimized.
Traning Techniques For Muscle Growth
The line of the progress is never straight forward. If it was that way, we could get stronger day after day and our muscles could grow without a break. Even the genetically blessed don't grow after every workout, and what about hardgainers! Ronnie Coleman said something piece of wisdom: "If you always do the same, you'll always get the same". If you want to break the stagnation in the gym, you should try something different. Everyone has problems sometimes, but when hit the bottom once, don't do it again - just step aside and learn from the mistakes of your friends and from your own - it is painless and easier!
Imagine you want to put on more weights in your chest routine, you usually do pyramidal method with 6 reps with 100 kilos, but no matter how hard you work, you can't do the 7th rep week after week. You're getting nervous because you know that you are wasting your time. So I posted some useful tips which you can read and thing about:
- Get back! Most of beginners think it is strange that fewer weights over the workout could make them stronger. But think for a second! It is easier to do the 13th rep after the 12th than to do the 7th after the 6th when your reps are limited (under 10). That way, you give your body a rest. Stop the heavy weights and do more reps for a period of time.
- Hard sets with similar exercises. For example if you don't have new achievements with Barbell Curls then give your best doing Preacher Curls
- Faster training. Polymetric exercises are focused on the speed of particular set or workout - from the beginning of the movement of the exercises, to the end. For example, fast squatting is the exercise which gives dynamic power to the basketball players. The purpose is to "extract" more power! As a bodybuilder who wants to break the growth stagnancy you could try to use less weights but to lift 100% faster.
- Reduce the exercises per muscle group (some people say that after reducing the exercise for Back Workout, they feel the recovery is completed faster). When you feel that progress in muscle growth and strength is getting slower then make a simple basic split. For example, don't combine Biceps and Back Workouts, do only the back! Do this some weeks and after your power increase, start your usual program again. This method will give you more power, believe me, I've tested it on myself.
- Reduce cardio training if you are hardgainer! Stop or reduce cardio exercises and methods for a period of time. Too frequent cardio trainings require much power. When you want more muscle mass, then you should forget for running and cycling for a while. But if you want muscle definition and you have problems with body fats, then the bike and crossed areas (proper for running) are your friends.
- Experiment! Remember that new methods open new horizons. When you use the same program for a long time, don't expect some extra muscle gains. Sometimes just the rearranging of the exercises in your split programs could give you good results. Begin the training week with big muscle groups.
The Best Ab Exercises For Perfect 6 Pack Abs!
Best ab exercises for 6 pack abs
These exercises works your entire body, in additional to develop the 6 pack abs at the same time. So you are not working directly your abs. The benefits are simple. You force the body work harder, in other words I call this as a high intensity workout, because you are hitting more muscles than just your midsection and naturally working with the several muscles at a time, the actual target muscle will stimulate much better.
To make this ab workout even more efficient, we are using tri-set technique. It's a similar to a super-set technique, but you are performing 3 different exercise, each one after another with no rest between sets. This make sense, when you are trying to burn fat and stay as lean as possible.
How many reps, sets?
For the best results, I recommend to make 3-4 sets each exercise. After you have performed these three exercises, rest 1 minute or longer, until your heart beat decreases and breath becomes steady.
Do approximately 8 reps of renegade dumbell rows and front squats. If you wish, you can add 2 sets and do less reps, for example 5-6.
Your mission is not to over spend all of your energy to one exercise, rather to make 8 reps and save your energy for next exercises.
Mountain climbs can be done for a time interval. This is a light exercise, for example you can do as many reps as you can within 30 seconds.
My 3 best abs exercises for six pack are:
1) Renegade dumbbell rows
Take two dumbbells in each hand and get yourself in a pushup position. Start rowing one dumbbell at a time while stabilizing your body with the other arm.
At this position squeeze your entire midsection. Lower the weight back to the starting position and alternate by rowing the other arm and stabilize your body with the other arm.
You will create an incredible stress to your entire midsection and trust me, it is more powerful than any crunches or sit ups, you have done before.
You can choose the heavier dumbbells to increase the stress level, but I recommend, that you learn the right technique first.
2) Front squats with barbell
Front squats are similar to regular back squats, but in front squats, you will achieve the greater pressure to your midsection. That means, you will force your ab to work harder while keeping your body in balance.
Grap the barbell on your front shoulders and stabilize the barbell by crossing your arms and pushing your fists into the bar against your shoulders while keeping your elbows out in front of the body. You should learn the technique properly first, before you take heavier weights. Try to keep your elbows slightly upwards to let the bar rest on your shoulders. This exercise is on of my best full body exercise, even though this is mainly a leg exercise, you will work the abs as well.
3) Mountain climbers
Mountain climbers are an effective exercises, that you can do in almost everywhere and it's easy to perform. Starting in a pushup position, start suffling your feet alternately in and out, so that your knees are moving in under your chest and then back out to starting position. It's like climbing a mountain, but instead going to the Himalaya, you are doing this exercises flat on the floor. If you want more advanced version, you can shuffle your hands 8-10 inches forward and backward in addition to the leg movements.
- This is another great full body exercise. After doing all three sets 3-4 times, you'll abs start begging mercy!- Try to consistently variating the order of exercises.- Increase the resistance (weight) in each workout or decrease the amount of time. Remember to keep the workout challenging and ascending!
These are my 3 best exercises for six pack abs and you should definitely try these in your workout. Actually these compound exercises works far more better to build 6 pack, than basic ab crunches or sit ups that works directly to your abs.
Reduce Back Pain Through Alignment.
Our bodies are remarkably complex machines, developed through thousands of years of evolution that fine-tuned our ability to move with speed, grace and endurance. The ability to move easily and without pain, and effectively to resist the strains of life, is dependent on a subtle interaction of bones, joints and muscles, in which each partner to that interaction commits to performing a specific function. When the partners perform their proper functions, then our muscles, bones and joints tend to remain healthy. When one or more partners fail to perform their designated role, however, or take on work intended for one of the other partners, our bodies begin to suffer. If this situation persists for a long time, chronic pain results.
It is our bones that bear the primary responsibility for carrying our weight. When we stand correctly, which is synonymous with feeling relaxed, flexible and mobile, our bones offer us structural support. This leaves the joints free of pressure and enables them to work as hinges. It also offers the muscles the opportunity to relax and lengthen so as to further support freedom in the joints. When our bones perform their proper function, our bodies are said to be in alignment.
When we are aligned, our bones stack up one upon the other. For example, when we stand aligned, the head rests directly on top of the spine, rather than jutting forward. If we are out of alignment, for example if our head and neck jut forward, then our neck and back muscles have to work to hold the head up. If the head sits directly over the neck and the neck sits directly on top of the rest of the spine, then the bones of the spine support the head and the neck muscles can relax. Similarly, when we are aligned, our back is straight rather than hunched or swaybacked, our shoulders, hips, knees and feet are all neatly stacked in a vertical line, and our weight is distributed evenly on both feet. Bone supports bone.
When we are not aligned, when we lean forward or back, hunch or collapse, tilt to one side, etc., this puts pressure on the joints, contributing to arthritis, disc degeneration, tearing of cartilage, and joint and membrane inflammation. In addition, muscles must now carry the weight of the body. They do this by contracting. When muscles contract too often for too long they both become chronically tight and painful, and put further pressure on bones and joints. This initiates a cycle of chronic muscle pain, joint pain, inflammation, and arthritis. Muscles are meant for movement and to maintain space between the joints. They are not meant to carry our weight. This is why misalignment--the failure of the bones to carry the weight of the bod--is a major source of chronic pain
Learn How To Build Really Big Muscles In 6 Months Or Less!
In reality, learning how to build really big muscles is not that hard. In fact, if you work hard it can be done in 6 months or less. All you need to do is know how to combine proper techniques and consistent workouts in order to master how to build really big muscles in no time!
There are three main factors (call them secrets - if you wish) that determine how to build really big muscles and by knowing and following these things, you can easily have really big muscles in less than six months flat:
1. Proper Workout: Muscle Mass Program
In order to grow big muscle, you need to get a proper program and the best way to do it is to look for manuals on muscle mass programs or you can ask a personal trainer to create a customized program for you.
The other thing that's really important is consistency: You need to go at least 3 times a week - Each week for the next 4-6 months to attain maximum growth.
However, you should keep in mind that the workout IS NOT the most essential part of growing really big muscles. The truth is it's only a small part of the equation.
A proper program will ensure that you don't injure yourself and that you do workout techniques that grow your muscles.
The basic technique is simple: You need to lift heavy weights.
Keep in mind that "heavy" is relative to everyone. The point is: you need to create enough stress to tear your muscle tissue and allow the natural response of the body to make your muscles grow.
This "growth" is the expansion of your muscle, thus creating bigger muscles.
2. Correct Diet
In my opinion, this is the most important part of learning how to build really big muscles. You need to learn how to eat correctly! The most important thing you need to know is that muscles eat up a lot of energy, which means you need a lot more food to gain muscle.
This requires simple logic: In order to grow your muscles you must feed it by eating more food than the energy you expound each day. The basic components of your diet should be: High Carbohydrates and High Protein.
Now, there are more specific diets to help you on growing big muscles but that's a different topic altogether.
3. Give Your Muscles a break
In order to really grow big muscles, you must rest your muscles. Some people think that by working out for a long time, they will grow bigger. In order to really gain big muscles you really need to get a lot of sleep.
Sleep is the second most important factor of growing big muscle, it is the best time for your body to recuperate and grow.
In order to grow big muscles, you need at least 7 to 10 hours of sleep each day,
Also it is important to know that your workout time should be limited, in order to lessen energy use. All you need to do is get a quality workout done in less than one hour. My personal limit when I am bulking up is only 45 minutes for weight lifting three times a week maximum. I just do quality workouts and take long rests.
Now that you've read the three secrets to grow really big muscles, please don't take these secrets lightly, I have personally gained a lot of muscle by following these three techniques and I'm sure that you will benefit from it as long as you follow my advice.

7 Diet Secrets for Great Abs or Just Lose Weight
I have always heard that "abdominals are made in the kitchen, not in the gym," and there's a lot of truth to that.
You can do as many reps of sit ups you want, but you can forget about set of 6-pack abs, or even looking like you are in shape, if you do not watch the food you eat.
Drink plenty of water - you need to get 8 to 12 eight ounce glasses of water (plain water).
Avoid white sugar and flour. They are highly refined and go into your blood stream quickly. This will cause your blood sugar to spike and fall, which will increase your cravings.
Find your calorie maintenance level and stay 15 to 20 percent below that. If you want to use a more aggressive approach be careful. You do not want to keep the calories low for too long.
If you take the aggressive approach you will want to increase calorie intake a couple of days a week to keep your metabolism from shifting into starvation mode.
Eat 5-6 small meals instead of 2-3 big ones. Also spread the calories out over the whole day. Don't starve yourself all day and ping out in the evening. Too much of even good foods will cause the fat to stay on.
Eat high quality lean protein with each meal.
Get the majority of your carbs from a natural plant source.
Keep fats to less than 30 percent of your calories. Remember you want as much of that 30% as possible to be from good oil sources (I.E. flax oil, fish and nuts). Some studies have indicated that these oils may actually help you loose the fat.
You can do crunches and other ab workouts until the cows come home. But if you don't watch what you eat, those strong muscles will always look like fat. That applies to all exercise. It is quiet possible to be fit and look obese. It is also possible to look thin and be fat.
How To Get Abs Fast
Wouldn't we all love to have a flat stomach, and nice abs. We would definately like to get them fast, so we can impress people and feel good about ourselves, no one seems to know how to get abs fast anymore, this is probably because we live in a rich and greedy world and are far too lazy to do regular exercises.
The key to getting abs fast is routine exercises. Now I'm going going to tell you the perfect exercises, but what I am going to tell you is the exercises that allowed me to achieve the abs I always dreamed of.
How To Get Abs Fast - The Routine Exercises
Now the first ab exercise that I've always done throughout my life is the "sit-ups". Now sit-ups have such a bad reputation with people saying that they do nothing for you, but that's completely wrong. If done right the sit-ups can be very effective. But if you go about it half-assed it's going to do nothing for you. This is how you do a prope sit-up; First you lie down, make sure theres enough rooms around you. Bend your knees, with your feet on the floor. Cross your hands over your chest. And bring your chest up to your knees, focusing on the abdominals muscles. That's it, it's not about how many you actually do, more like how many good ones you manage to do.
Leg lifts is also a great effective exercise that you can do at home without fancy gym equipment. What you do is simply, lay down flat on the floor, place your hands under your buttocks, and lift your leg about 6 inches from the ground, concentrating on the abdominal muscle as you lift. Breathe in as you lift your leg up, and breathe out as you put it back down. This is a great exercise, and this is how I maintain my 6 pack abs.

Chest Muscles Building - Is Bench Press The Bench Mark?
The reason why the chest muscle build much faster, is that the chest muscles are normally not under stress to any big extent in almost all daily routines. So the moment they are subjected to stress of lifting heavy weight, they explode with tremendous growth and mass gain. Though, some theorists believe that this may simply be because of the fact that chest is so close to heart, allowing for almost immediate blood flow. Even at that rate, if chest develops so quickly then why is it that so few amateur bodybuilders really have a great looking chest.
The major hurdle is not building chest muscle, it is the manner in which the chest is trained. We have all seen the guys with the big bunchy chest or the chest that bulges or hangs. The pecs run across the top of the rib cage and are normally slab-like in appearance - wide, high but tight. Although a muscle's shape is determined mostly by the genetics, the ultimate goal is to get the pecs to be as "flat" as possible. This requires even muscle development. Since the pecs develop quickly, it should not take more than one workout per week to achieve this goal. But only if it is done in a right manner.
Unlike while doing machine exercise, maintaining proper form may be a problem during bench press especially with free weights. They require more control of the nervous system. A bench press negates the body movement to a degree because the major part of body is braced. Going with the understanding that the bench press is so effective, one would think of it as the best exercise for chest. However, over dependence on the bench press can lead to narrow, low and ultimately imbalanced chest development. Work quickly through your workout, but pay proper attention to the form. The key is to concentrate!
Resting for a longer period than necessary is another big problem. Your goal is to lift as heavy as you can, but taking longer portions in order to lift more weight is not going to bring you any additional benefit. Another advantage of working out without taking too much rest is that it induces the natural secretion of growth hormones. The most optimal time is less than a hour, beyond that any workout will hardly bring any gain. When you get to gym, take it as going to war. Don't go for a stroll.
I suggest that you go for a professionally designed complete bodybuilding program. Most of such bodybuilding program take care that they are covering entire body workouts and all exercises that can help you in muscle building in proper shape. You can look for top bodybuilding programs like one designed by Sean Nalewanyj or Vince Delmonte, their programs are well known over Internet and should get you the results that you want. If you need more help you can take a look at the bodybuilding program resources given below in the resource box.
Build Big Strong Shoulder Muscles For V Shape Upper Body - Build Big Deltoids
Most people think that in order to get that V shaped upper body like comic book super heroes, they only have to develop big broad back muscles and lats. Well, by having broad back muscles and well developed lats is only part of the equation to get a V shape upper body. For complete V shape upper body development, you will also need to build a powerful chest, big strong shoulder muscles or commonly called deltoids or delts for short and a slim waist.
We shall discuss how to build big shoulder muscles in this article. You see, you may have a wonderful six pack abs or well defined chest muscles, but when you are in your street clothes, no one can see them. But if you have that massive V shape with bulging shoulder muscles, your body frame will tell the world that under those clothes is a well defined body of a gym warrior.
As with building any muscles in your body, intensity is the key to building big deltoids. Your shoulder muscles are made up primarily of the anterior deltoid (front delt), medial deltoid (middle delt) and posterior deltoid (back delt). All 3 parts of your shoulder muscles must be targeted to build well defined and big strong deltoids that threaten to burst through your shirt. The problem here is that most people do not know that they must work on all 3 shoulder muscles and do most shoulder workouts by just concentrating on the anterior delts with exercises such as military press. Furthermore, working only on anterior delts could lead to over training your shoulder muscles because many other exercises like the bench press, dips and push ups also recruit shoulder muscles for its movements.
Your should be careful when working on your shoulder muscle exercises as your shoulders joints are very susceptible to injuries and therefore proper form in executing the exercises is crucial. Don’t let bad exercise form cause you injuries that may be permanent and put you out of the gym forever. One common injury prone exercise is the narrow grip upright row. Although this is a great trapezius and shoulder muscle exercise, it should be avoided because this exercise invokes unnatural and awkward shoulder joint movement.
So what exercises are good for building big strong deltoids? Well, besides the military presses, try Arnold Press, Lateral Raise, Bent Over Lateral Raises, Shoulder Width Upright Row and Shoulder Cable exercises. Ask your personal trainer or read up on how to perform these exercises in excellent form for great shoulder muscle development.
Remember that you must also develop other aspects such as a big broad chest, wide back muscles and flared lats as well as a slim waistline to get that much coveted V shaped upper body.
How To Build Big Shoulders, Safely
The first place to get hurt and the last place to get big on most guys is the shoulder area. Too much pressing and too little preventative training often lead to long-term, painful shoulder injuries. And you can't train much of your upper body if your shoulder hurts. But with the UGN back-to-front approach to building big shoulders, you can put size and definition on your delts while minimizing the pain common to most shoulder workouts.
The goals of this shoulder training program are to reduce injury risk, build cannonball delts, and balance your deltoids for size and definition (also known as achieving muscle symmetry – the bodybuilder’s ultimate goal). Now to achieve the goal of big, healthy shoulders, you need to follow a couple of rules. Start each session by training the muscles at the back of the shoulder and then progress to training the muscles of the middle deltoid, and then finish the workout by training the front of the shoulder. You will also use these exercises as a warm-up to prepare the smaller muscles of the shoulder joint for the heavy overhead pressing.
Limit the amount of overhead pressing to one main exercise per shoulder workout. And only do overhead pressing if you have healthy shoulders to begin with. In order to do this, you have to be creative and smart with your choices of lateral raise exercises to stimulate the muscles to grow.
Take into consideration all of the other shoulder-stressing exercises you are doing in your training week and adjust the amount of overhead pressing you do in your shoulder workout. For example, if you are doing barbell and incline bench press, then you should limit your overhead pressing on shoulder day. On the other hand, with this program, since you are going to be doing some overhead pressing, we recommend that you eliminate all barbell bench pressing for the 4 week program. Use only dumbbells for your chest workout.
Use a cable pulley system as much as possible to get maximum tension on the deltoids while working through a full range-of-motion (ROM) in all lateral raise exercises.
Use a tempo for each repetition. If your program is not manipulating exercise tempo, then your bodybuilding workout is not as good as it can be. You don’t use the same sets and reps do you (do YOU?), so why would you use the same speed for each repetition every workout. You always want to control the weight (although there are some exceptions to this rule for the advanced trainee – but that’s another article). So the eccentric is no faster than a 2 second lowering, for safety and growth.
Perform this shoulder workout as the last workout of the week and give yourself two full days of recovery before attempting another upper body workout. So if you train chest-pressing movements on Monday (and who doesn’t?), then you should do this shoulder workout on Friday and then rest over the weekend.
Only use this workout if your goal is to prioritize shoulder growth in your training cycle.
UGN shoulder workout
Exercise descriptions: See the bottom of the article.Warm-up: For a specific warm-up, perform 1 set of 8 reps for each exercise in each superset with 75% of the weight you will use in your first “real set”.
Each pair of exercises constitutes a “Superset”. In each Superset, do one set of the first exercise (A1) followed immediately by the next exercise (A2). Rest 1 minute and repeat. Use the correct weight for each exercise that allows you to get all repetitions completed with perfect form and the recommended tempo. The strict tempo will require you to decrease the weights by at least 10% on most exercises compared to your regular sessions.
Perform all exercises according to the tempo prescribed. The Workout:
A1) Rear Deltoid Cable Lateral Raise (3x12) 3-0-1A2) Incline DB “Y” Reverse Fly (3x10) 2-1-1B1) Eccentric Cable Lateral Raise (3x6) 5-0-0B2) DB External Rotation (3x12) 3-0-1C1) ¾ DB Shoulder Press (3x8) 2-0-1C2) Shrugs (3x8) 2-0-1
Exercise Descriptions
Rear-Deltoid Lateral Raise
If possible, use a cable pulley system for this exercise. It can be done 1 arm at a time with a cable pulley system. Contract your glutes, brace your abs and keep your spine in a neutral position. Stand with your knees bent slightly and your upper body bent parallel to floor. Perform a lateral raise, lifting the dumbbells up and out to the side.
Incline DB “Y” Reverse Fly
Set an adjustable bench to a 60-degree incline position. Grab a pair of light dumbbells (even lighter than what you would use for the rear-delt raise) and lie face down on the incline bench. With your chest and forehead supported by the bench, raise the DB’s up and out to your sides in a Y pattern. From overhead, it will look like your upper body is forming the letter Y. As you raise the weights, your shoulder blades should come together. This exercise works less-often used muscle groups including the middle portion of your traps, your rhomboids (between your shoulder blades), and your rear-deltoids. Eccentric Cable Lateral Raise
Stand beside a cable column with handle attached to the pulley at the low position. Use both hands to lift the handle up to shoulder height. Using only the outside hand, slowly lower the weight until your arm is at your side. Use a weight that you can control for 5 seconds eccentrically (on the way down). Pause briefly and use both hands to raise the handle back to the start position. Repeat for the desired number of reps and then switch sides. DB External Rotation
Sit on a flat bench holding a light dumbbell (start with 5lbs). Bend your right knee and place your right foot on the end of the bench. Rest your right elbow on the top of your right knee and hold the DB in the bottom position. Slowly, using the small muscles of your rotator cuff, externally rotate the DB up and back until it is in the finish position (your forearm is perpendicular to your body at the top of the movement). ¾ DB Shoulder Press
Adjust the incline of the bench so that the backrest is upright. Sit with your back fully supported and hold the dumbbells at shoulder height with the palms facing forward. Use a weight that is 20% less than your normal seated overhead DB press. Press the dumbbells overhead while keeping your back flat. However, only press the DB’s three-quarters of the way up so that tension remains on the deltoids at all times. Don’t lockout the weights. This dramatically increases the tension on the delts throughout the entire exercise – and therefore increases the results of the exercise. Slowly return the dumbbells to the start position. Shrugs
Stand with your feet slightly greater than shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides. Hold the dumbbells or barbell at thigh level and shrug the shoulders straight up. Don’t roll your shoulders, just shrug them straight up and down.
Want A Strong, Sexy Body? Start By Building Big, Muscular Arms
Nothing symbolizes a man's physical strength more than big, muscular arms. Indeed the word "arm" is typically used to describe power in terms like "nuclear arms" and "armed to the teeth." No other body part has such widespread association with possessing or acquiring physical power. Moreover, other than your face and hands, your "GUNS" are your most visible body part - and no physical feature commands respect or turns heads like a pair of big, muscular arms.
Boost Your "Flex Appeal"
There is no question that many women find muscles sexy. Oh, I know, women often say they want to meet sensitive, intelligent guys, and these qualities remain important to building a lasting relationship. But "sensitivity" and" intelligence" are not what a woman sees when you walk into a room. She'll notice instead your physical form, how you move and present yourself to others. If you have a soft or flabby physique, you're not likely to hold her eye for more than a nanosecond. She'll know instantly that you don't take care of your body, and she'll assume you can't satisfy hers. Instead of turning her glance into a gaze, a poorly conditioned body will have her checking out other men before you can say, "I'm planning to join a gym!"
But if your body projects an image of strength and fitness, your physical presence will command admiration, respect - and desire. You'll look and feel better in your clothes, and women will begin to wonder how you'd look without your shirt! You'll radiate an image of virility, power and confidence that many women find irresistible - and no body part creates this image like a pair of big, muscular arms.
Just imagine how great you'd look and feel in a new tank top, muscle tee or polo shirt with sexy, powerful arms at your sides. I can't even count the number of times that I've practically stopped traffic by simply walking down the street in a tee shirt. I relate this experience not as an ego trip but as a statement of fact and an example of what superior arm development can do for you. And if you don't believe me, mark my words, when your arms begin to burst from your sleeves with lean, rippling muscle, women will definitely notice you!
Increase Your Upper Body Strength
In addition to providing an impressive physical appearance, muscular arms give you a practical benefit - increased upper body strength. Virtually every move that you make involves your arms. Even walking requires a pendulum arm-swing to propel your body forward. More important, however, is the impact that powerful arms can have on your overall weight training program. Each chest, back and shoulder exercise requires secondary assistance from your arms. Without arm strength sufficient to maximize this function you will not be able to lift weights heavy enough to fully develop these muscle groups.
But as you strengthen your triceps you will increase your power in the bench press for greater chest development. With stronger biceps and forearms you will lift heavier weight in the rowing and pull-down exercises essential to building a wide, powerful back. As with your chest, stronger triceps will enhance your shoulder workouts - increasing your power in the military press to produce dynamite deltoid development. The bottom line is that increased power and development in your biceps, triceps and forearms will provide the strength you need to build up your entire upper body.
See Faster Results
Unlike armchair bodybuilding "gurus" and other deceptive fitness marketers, I won't insult your intelligence by promising you that my training advice will "pack inches of muscle onto your arms" in only 2 days or some other absurdly short time period. But I will tell you that you'll see positive results from your arm training workouts sooner than you'll see gains from training other body parts.
How do I know this? Well, one thing I've noticed over my 20-plus years of bodybuilding experience is that arms tend to show visual improvement from weight training faster than other body parts. While larger muscle groups like your chest, back and quadriceps can seem to take forever to show improvement, your arms will usually show some progress with only a few weeks of consistent and proper training.
Additionally, when it comes to staying motivated, the visual progress that you'll seen in your arms will boost your confidence and increase the likelihood that you'll stick with both your arm training and overall bodybuilding program. Indeed nothing will do more to keep you in the gym than seeing your body - and its female admirers - respond quickly and favorably to your weight training efforts. And building a pair of big, muscular arms is the best way to do that!
Vegan And Vegetarian Bodybuilding Tips You Need To Know
Some people have found that animal meat and byproducts don't fit their lifestyle, whether it is for spiritual, health, or other reasons. They remove these products from their life, and find better health or happiness as a result. Some are known as 'vegetarians', and choose not to eat meat, but will often consume dairy products and other animal byproducts. Others, known as 'vegans', choose not to eat any foods in which an animal has been consumed in any way. They do not eat dairy, and many even abstain from whey products.
Bodybuilding is known for its rigorous physical demands and enormous meat consumption. What happens when a bodybuilder determines that a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle is right for him/her? How should he make the transition? Are there any long-term pitfalls of which he should be aware?
Make the change gradually
If you've been consuming two pounds of meat and 4 protein shake a day, changing over to a meatless diet overnight will be have a tremendous negative impact on your body. Remove meat slowly, perhaps scaling down to fish only for a week. Then remove whey protein, if going completely vegan. Take two to four weeks to make the complete transition.
The numbers matter
Count the calories. Watch the macronutrients. If your caloric intake drops off by 1000 calories per day, you will lose muscle. Likewise, if your protein intake drops from 350 grams to 50 grams per day, you will lose muscle. Track your numbers as you substitute soy and other products to ensure you stay consistent to keep your muscle.
Take your vitamins
Consult with your doctor and take all required supplements to ensure you don't miss out on any vital vitamins and minerals. Be sure you supplement your diet with adequate B12, Calcium, Iodine, and others. Watch for any health side effects over the coming weeks, and be prepared for setbacks if your health falters due to a nutrient deficit.
Enjoy it!
Finally, make the best of your new, cleaner diet. Remember that vegetarianism, like bodybuilding, is a tool designed to improve the quality of your life.
Building Muscle Fast - The 8 Steps For Proven Success
When we start out body building we all want to see great results as fast as possible, it's only natural to want to reap the rewards for those grueling workouts in the gym. But being over anxious can waste a lot of your time and effort. You're going to be using up a lot of time and effort if your plan is building muscle fast so stop, look around and take the advice of people who have done it and have taken the time to organize their successes and failures into a body building program that's scientific and has been proven to work over and over again and will give you the quickest possible results.If you're serious about building muscle fast and are ready to start and not ending up spinning your wheels like most people then arm yourself with the right knowledge BEFORE wasting your time and energy.
We can strip it all down to 8 simple steps. Neither one is hard, expensive, or complicated but ensuring they are all done together will guarantee the fastest way to put on the muscle, so here they are in a nutshell:
#1 Provide your body with a surplus of calories by ensuring that your caloric intake exceeds your caloric expenditure.First and foremost, this basic law of muscle growth simply tells you that to build muscle you must consume more calories than you burn!

#2 Consume the right types of calories from the proper food sources.All calories are NOT created equally and so ignoring this step will slow down your results in a big way!

#3 Increase your water intakeImportant for overall health in general and CRITICAL to the muscle building process.

#4 Keep a detailed record of every workout that you perform.Progression is the underlying factor for progress in the gym so to progress to the next level you must build upon what you did the day before and the week before.

#5 Be prepared to train hard!To build muscle fast requires working hard in the gym and your gains will stagnate even if you are following all the other steps but are not training hard.

#6 Avoid overtraining by limiting your overall workout volume and by providing your body with sufficient recovery time between workouts.Avoid overtraining, it's your number one enemy!

#7 Stop putting so much of your emphasis on dietary supplements.A supplement is just that... a supplement for filling in missing gaps and giving you greater amounts of nutrients that will slightly speed up your progress. There are effective ones on the market but think of them as a small part of your overall approach.

#8 Understand that application and consistency is EVERYTHING!Building muscle is a result of the cumulative effect of small steps and only those who persevere and not quite will succeed.
Total Fitness Tips And Bodybuilding Tips
You only need two types of bodybuilding exercises to craft a really effective routine. Efficiency is a thing of beauty, unless you actually prefer to spend half your life at the gym, breathing sweaty air, and getting frustrated when you don't get results. Use your brain before your brawn, and you'll work smarter and see success sooner. It’s been a few years since I step on a bodybuilding stage (15years) but one of the tools I used for success in competition was visualization. Most bodybuilders don’t apply this technique to their training but it really makes a difference in not just your confidence but also you physical performance.Body building for fitness is a great way to become the person you’ve always wanted to be. Because becoming an effective body building means having the proper diet, you will realize a level of fitness you never knew was possible. You should eat a well-balanced nutrition plan that gives you the nutrients you need to have a great body.Because you are eating in this way, you will be giving your body essential nutrients that will make you healthy just by consuming them. Body building requires a very specific diet with lots of protein and lots of carbohydrates. Body builders are also very aware of what they are putting in their body, so fitness is achieved in the diet just by concentrating on what you eat.Body building also requires a demanding workout schedule where you lift weights and perform exercises that focus on specific muscle groups as well as specific muscles. When you begin to chisel those muscles, they become very well defined and healthier. That’s why body building is great for a fitness regime.Fitness is very important in living a healthy and full lifestyle. Staying fit both in body and mind contributes to a sense of well-being that you won’t find when you are neglecting your health. It is a million dollar industry that helps us stay fit and trim, and the help is out there aplenty when you look for it.Body building for fitness is the best way you can go about not only losing weight but also gaining body mass and becoming stronger. When you achieve the level of fitness you are desiring, you will be able to look in the mirror and be proud of what you see. Why? Because you did it yourself and you did it for YOU!Are you planning or already on a body building regimine that's just not working for you? Maybe it's time to try a new course of action with 'Body Building - Body Building Secrets Revealed'.Keep a Positive Mental Outlook - There's a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can't be unhappy when you're smiling or singing. Does aerobic exercise interfere with muscle gains from weightlifting?If you're training for an endurance event like a marathon, when you might run 60 miles or more per week, you'll almost always see a decrease in your muscle mass. For most of us, who do more moderate amounts of physical activity, there will be minimal, if any, loss in muscle mass -- so there's nothing to worry about.If you do plan on lots of aerobic exercise and are concerned about losing muscle, try starting with 20-30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (at 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate) two to three days per week, and see how it goes.
How a Fat Man Can Build Muscle & Lose Weight At The Same Time.
Most fitness gurus say you can’t lose weight or build muscle at the same time and according to them…You have to focus on one thing at a time (whether it be weight loss or building muscle) to get the results you want and that may be true but…Yes, you can burn off ugly fat and build muscles at the same time and here’s how you do it…To lose weight and build muscles at the same time… All you have to do is what I call “Manly-cardio” instead of “Sissy-cardio.” Sissy cardio is walking, riding a bike, or taking aerobics which is fine for losing weight but... If you do “Manly-cardio” like…Chopping wood, circuit training , or the farmer’s walk… You’ll be losing weight and building muscle. When you’re chopping wood for 15 – 20 minutes you’ll be burning fat and you’ll also be building up your shoulder and arm muscles when you swing the axe and... You’ll also build up your six pack abs as you twist your body to swing the axe.When you do the farmer’s walk by walking around with two heavy dumbbells in your hand for only 10 minutes you get a good fat-burning cardio workout along with building your traps (your neck muscles), your back, and leg muscles and the easiest way for any man to start off doing “Manly-cardio” is to do circuit training.Circuit training is where you do at least 7 weight training exercises without taking a rest between the weight training exercises so for example… You may do 8 reps of the bench press followed by 8 reps of curls then 8 reps of squats and so on until you finished doing at least 7 different weight training exercises in a row without stopping and...The best way to get in a good weight loss and muscle building Circuit training workout is to…Do at least 7 different weight training exercises without stopping You should do 8-15 reps of each exercise DO NOT STOP until you finished all 7 exercises and After you finished all 7 exercises take a 5 minute break and repeat the circuit 2 more times Basically… if you workout like a girl (a sissy) you’ll lose weight and be skinny like a girl but..If you workout like a man you’ll lose weight and build muscle at the same time.
Yes, it's fun to get drunk - but if you're serious about weight lifting, you'll drink in moderation. Alcohol can have serious detrimental effects on your muscle gains. There are five main ways in which alcohol negatively impacts your bodybuilding, so put down that beer and read on.
1) Alcohol dehydrates the body.
This means that while you're sipping on that daiquiri to quench your thirst, you're actually depriving your body of the water it needs. Muscles are composed of about 70% water, and your body requires water to synthesize new muscles. Unfortunately, the body also requires large amounts of water to flush our all that alcohol. Unless you drink a glass of water for every alcoholic drink (good luck!), you're going to be dehydrated. This is particularly exacerbated the morning after a night of binge drinking.
2) Alcohol depletes your body of vitamins and minerals.
Muscle building, of course, requires numerous minerals and vitamins in order to take place. Drinking can hurt your muscle gains as vitamins A, C, B, calcium, zinc and phosphorus are all depleted when you drink. Taking a multivitamin might help, but won't fully negate the effects of alcohol on these nutrients.
3) Alcohol increases the amount of fat your body stores.
If you're trying to stay reasonably thin while gaining muscle (who isn't?), then alcohol is definitely not your friend. Alcohol disrupts the all-important "Krebs Cycle" and also contains 7 calories per gram (that's a lot of calories). These are empty calories, with no value at all.
4) Alcohol depletes your body of testosterone.
If you know anything about bodybuilding, you know that testosterone is one of your best friends. Its essential to muscle building, as it plays a major role in protein synthesis and the creation of new muscle fibers. Drinking reduces the amount of testosterone in your body and can actually increase estrogen!
5) Alcohol negatively impacts protein synthesis.
Muscles are basically pure protein. If your body can't join amino acids together to make more protein, then it definitely can't make your muscles grow! Alcohol consumption sometimes slows this process by up to 20%.
Don't get me wrong, now - I'm not advocating that you never drink again in favour of your bodybuilding goals. It's important to have a balance in life, and being social is a big part of this. Try, though, to either limit the amount you drink in a given night or limit how often you drink. Although it's difficult to judge how much is too much, I would advocate no more than one "light" drinking night per week (2 or 3 drinks). Alternatively, if you like to go all-out, I would certainly advise against binge drinking (6+ drinks) more than once a month.
Never drink on a night when you have to train the next day, and never drink the evening after a workout. Try to pick a pair of off-days, or put off your training one more day to recover from a serious binge drinking session. Overall, I recommend simply being sensible - drink less and grow more!
How To Get Huge Muscular Arms? Build Big Triceps Exercises
So you want to get big huge muscular arms. Do not ignore your triceps exercises.
In gyms everywhere, you will see people doing bicep curls after bicep curls. If someone were to ask them to show their muscles, they will most likely flex their biceps. How about you? Well, since you are reading this article, then you must have known that to own huge muscular arms, you must build huge triceps.
Do you know why? It is because your tricep is 2/3 the size of your arm. Just imagine, your bicep is only 30% while your tricep takes up 60%. So if you are neglecting your triceps, you are neglecting 60% of your arms while working on the miniscule 30% called the biceps. Of course you still need to work on your biceps for that well rounded balanced muscular look.
Furthermore, since your triceps are involved in many other body building exercises such as military presses, bench presses and many other exercises, having strong triceps will help you to lift heavier in those other exercises and thus will be encouraging further muscular growth in other body parts.
Your triceps consist of three main muscle whereas your biceps has only 2, the their respective names begins with “tri” and “bi”. That is another reason why your triceps should be bigger.
Tricep Excercise Form
So you have been training your triceps but do not see good results. It could possibly be due to your movement during your reps where the exercises are not performed to its full range of motion. You see, the mass concentration of tricep muscles is at the top of the arm and therefore you have to stretch your arms beyond what you feel that is natural in order to reach the deep fibers of your tricep muscles.
On top of that your form must be strict with minimum elbow movements when performing tricep exercises like skull crushes and tricep extensions. These exercises reach deep into your triceps muscles when you do it with full range of movement.
Tricep exercises like close grip bench press, diamond pushups and cable pushdowns do not give you that range of movement as the range of these exercises are limited. This is not to say that you don’t do these exercises, just concentrate on them less.
So in order to build big huge triceps, you must feel the pull of your tricep muscles when the weight is at its lowest position before pulling them back.
Want those big muscular arms? Then do not forget to work on your triceps hard and do it in good form.
The Two Best Ab Exercises For A Flat Stomach And Great Female Abs
Before you start thinking it, "no it's not crunches". They will not get you the flat stomach and top female abs you're after. Crunches don't come close to the most efficient and effective two abs workouts I'm going to take you through later on in the article. In fact the injury level with crunches, either to the neck or back run at shocking levels, and the results obtained are poor.
Before getting onto the abs workouts that lead to top female abs, it's critical that you understand a fundamental truth.
"It does not matter how great you're abs are if they're covered by a layer of fat you're simply not going to see the muscle definition beneath them"
In order for the flat stomach and hot abs to shine through you're going to have to ensure a body fat level below 8% for men and below 12% for women. Once you get to that level the 6 pack abs will be clearly visible. The only way to get down to those levels is by intensive cardio workouts.
Back to building great female abs! The first exercise I'm going to recommend will surprise many people, but I recommend it on the basis of the latest scientific research carried out in Canada. They compared abdominal muscle activity during various exercises including those specifically designed for ab workouts. They found the exercise that registered most strongly was the simple squat. It worked the core abs muscles harder than many abs and lower back exercises.
Clearly if you really want to work those female abs hold some weights in your hands while performing the exercise. However don't feel you have to. The data suggests even light warm-up squats targeted the abs intensely.
The second exercise to achieve the flat stomach you've longed for is best done while sitting down. It's a special type of exercise known as isometric and made hugely popular by the Russians in the 1960s. It's a way of exercising without moving the joints and the associated muscles. Here's how you apply it to creating great female abs:
Breathe in deeply and pull in your stomach as hard as you can without causing yourself any pain. Now tense your stomach muscles hard as if you are about to get hit in the stomach and your bracing yourself for this eventuality. You'll start to feel the muscles quiver a little as they become tighter. Now breathe out keeping the tension in your stomach muscles and crunching them hard so that your ribs move slightly inwards. Relax, and repeat 10 times.
If you carry out these two simple exercises daily you'll start seeing those female abs popping out in no time at all. Your stomach will become flat (as long as it's not covered in layers of fat) and you're posture will improve. Add a little cardio workout to your routine and you'll quickly be on your way to fantastic results inside 6 weeks.
Big Muscle Tips For Hard Gainers
You don't need a fancy pill to get big...outside I hear a five car pile up and suddenly the gym room floor has gone eerily silent. So you're tired of the snide remarks and the giggling of muscled up girly boys in the gym? I empathize with you! So what can you do about it? Sweat it out really hard is the answer. Because the old adage of nothing being gained without some hard work runs true, even with your training regime.
Anabolism is a lab rats way of saying that your muscles are growing. Fancy pills alone will not build muscle. Only some supplements are relevant, and most of them are marketing hogwash. Here are some tips for freaky growth without popping pills:
1. Build a Base:
Every great structure has a good base from the Eiffel Tower to The Colosseum. If you have not trained for a long time (or at all), then don't think that you can start lifting buildings and growing those guns if you have not created a base. Starting with some good ol aerobics (running or cycling for example), 3-4 times per week in the great outdoors or in the gym.
2. Good Nutrition Comes From The Ground, Not In The Lab:
Good nutrition is the hallmark of any growth plan. This means that not any one supplement will be the answer. Don't expect to pop a pill and turn into the Hulk overnight. This is not meant to say that supplements don't help. They do help incrementally over time, but you need a good solid base of the 5 food groups throughout a training regime. That means plenty of quality fish, lean meats, seeds & nuts, vegetables, fruits...yeah all the stuff you don't like...is actually good for you.
3. Heavy Duty Growth With Heavy Sets:
Now you're ready for maximum gains. Great growth takes time. This entails that you push heavy sets at low reps, utilising compound (multiple joint) exercises like the squat for example. Keep your training sessions brief and to the point, and allow your body to rest (usually 4-6 days) before training other body parts. Heavy training is extremely taxing on the muscles and nervous system. But overall, for maximum muscular gains (anabolism) for those who are not genetically gifted, try the hard and heavy approach.
Simple isn't it? Well, I would be lying if I told you that it was easy...it isn't. Good luck

7 Tips For Body Building That Will Make Body Building Much More Fun
Body Building is usually affiliated with Big Muscles. Body building will change one's body and mind if approached in a reasonable way.
Set Your Sets
Rests between sets should be minimized to around 60-90 seconds for cardiovascular purposes and better muscle voluminizing effect. Sets should be 6-15 cycles for each exercise.
Set Your Goals
You also need to have a clear picture of what your goals are. The first things you need to do are explicitly define what your goals are. The key to establishing a beneficial diet to advance body building goals is eating in moderation at each meal.
How Much Rest?
Sleep is a health necessity that is too often ignored. Our society pushes us to sleep less and accomplish more, but there is a point when all of that hard work and no rest can become counterproductive. Sometimes rest is what is required in order to become better. one part of the whole, the rest will also tend to move towards a more healthy and fit state as well.
Work Your Workout
There are two types of muscle building workouts that will either allow you to gain muscle mass or tone your existing muscle. The goal of a low rep, high weight muscle building workout is to increase muscle mass, or plump up the muscle to its greatest volume. If you have a VCR or DVD, try sticking in some good workout tapes. Even taking 15 minutes every day to workout will get you started. The problem with developing a great bodybuilding workout is misinformation.
Go To The Gym
Your personal trainer at the gym can assist you with the different body building supplements that you can use. All you need to do is find out which of these supplements can benefit your body the most. If you're interested in redefining multiple muscles, a home gym is probably a better solution than individual equipment. Body building or even just showing up at a gym can be intimidating for a beginner. One great byproduct of amateur body building is the life long friendships that can develop. The number of machines in the gym can be really enticing and inviting for your work out.
Keep It Healthy
Loss of muscle bulk and strength are two of the most dreaded words for body builders. Protein is the essential ingredient necessary to build body mass -- which is the ultimate goal of the body building in training. By working out where others are doing the same thing helps to motivate and inspire to get better as well as develop a healthy lifestyle. You have to consider that working out or body building will injure your muscles until they repair themselves.
How to Get Abs in a Month
Ever found yourself with your hand on your belly, wondering what it would take to transform that belly into a set of rock hard abs? Often it's easier just to dream. But sometimes. Sometimes its simpler just to put in the work, get it over with and get what you want....isn't it? Sure it is. This article shows you how to get abs in a month!
When you press into your belly, and feel how spongy and soft it is, often you may feel disappointed until you remember you are not tensing your muscles. Relieved, you tense those abs hiding under a fleshy outer skin and sure enough there is a reasonably hard wall of muscle there. Cool.
But you look up at the TV and see a couple of fitness models and it strikes you quite plainly, that your hard abs and their hard abs LOOK different. It is little consolation to know you have abs just like they do. Virtually the same. But yours are hidden under some spongy flesh and theirs is defined and tight looking.
So defining this we realize something new. Abs are not about the actual muscles but the presentation. You have the same muscles as the fitness models but when you take your shirt off at the beach, no members of the opposite sex even pay attention. When the fitness model take their shirt off, everyone looks right?
What's the difference? What's the confusion? The difference is the quality, texture and thickness of the skin covering your abs and theirs. That area of skin on a fitness models abs is thin, supple and taught across their abs. Yours may be loose, flabby and thick filled with engorged fat cells.
It is this area of skin you must work on and not the actual muscles underneath!
So this is what is required to get abs looking good. If you follow these steps diligently, you should have a nice looking set of abs.
Limiting your calorie intake for just 30 days, then all there is left to do is maintenance. You really can eat what you like thereafter, as long as you keep an eye on your weight gains, and if you inadvertently ad a pound or two, you can drop it in a few days. That is a lot easier than dieting for a month!
Walk 1 hour every day. Believe me this burns calories like crazy. Walking along with limiting your calorie intake is a powerful way to make the skin thinner around your abs. If you limit your calories to only say, 1200 a day for 30 days only, you will have a nice lean set of abs (depending on your starting weight of course)
Finally, in the final stage, your tummy is slim, now I am going to ask you to eat more than your required calorie intake for a week after the 30 days. Muscle doesn't grow unless it is fed protein. You can do 1000 sit ups, but the muscles will not respond in size and definition unless they get the building blocks of muscle fiber which are amino acids. Which are found in protein. For that week, eat lots of protein and build up to 100 sit ups a day.
A final note. Weighing your self is useless. When your muscles grow you actually put on weight. Also you weigh water and other things that really makes weighing yourself futile. If you are serious about charting your progress, you must get a set of calipers, and pinch test specific fat areas every day. This is the most accurate way to see whats really happening.
Build Big Muscles - 3 Secret Tips for Success
If you want build big muscles, there is enough information out there to drive you insane. Whether its magazines, books, tapes, videos or the internet, everyone is trying to tell you how to build big muscles.
Let me clarify the basic steps for you which everyone agrees on:
Tip 1 - get the reps right to build big muscles. Many people think that doing many reps, say 20, in a set means bigger muscles. Or they think that putting on the maximum weight they can do and doing only one lift, maybe two, will be enough. This couldn't be further from the truth.
You should aim to do between eight and twelve reps per set. And this means that the last rep in each set should be the last that you can manage - if you can go one further, then you need to increase the weight slightly. Out of ten reps, it is those last two that make all the difference so make them really count!
Tip 2 - eat more protein to build big muscles. Your body needs protein so that after a good workout when you are feeling sore all over, your body has the materials that it needs to repair the worn muscles. So, if the body can better repair the muscles, they will get much bigger more quickly.
Tip 3 - warm up and stretch before lifting. This point is often neglected but is very important. You can warm up by doing a few minutes on a bike or some skipping. You don't need to work up any more than a light sweat but you will be much more supple and your muscles more ready for action. Equally, stretch the muscle groups so that they don't fail when you go for those last two reps. Without doing both, you risk huge setbacks from injuries that take weeks to recover from. If you are regularly injured, your gains will be lost and you will have no chance to build big muscles.
Warming up and doing stretches is boring, but you must do it!
Three Steps to Huge Biceps And Triceps
Face it – when you first started bodybuilding, you imagined yourself with massive, mountainous biceps. You pictured perfect bulging horseshoe triceps. Even if it was somewhere in the back of your mind, that was what you wanted most out of your weight training.
That being said, you probably weren’t exactly sure how to achieve these massive arms. Most people go about it completely the wrong way – they go to the gym every day and spend countless hours doing bicep curls and tricep kickbacks. Then, they head home wondering why their arms are growing at a snail’s pace.
Here are three simple steps that will increase your bicep and tricep growth by leaps and bounds. Follow them religiously, and I guarantee you’ll have those massive biceps and triceps in no time…
1) Recognize your arms for what they are.
Your biceps and triceps may look like big, impressive muscles – but they’re really not. Relatively speaking, they’re fairly small muscles. Your back, chest, and thighs are much larger muscle groups that deserve far more attention.
Believe it or not, building a routine that focuses on your back, chest and thighs will help you make big gains on your biceps and triceps. Some of the very best exercises – deadlifts, pull-ups, bench press, and even squats – can help increase the size of your arms. These exercises are large compound movements that involve all the muscles in your body. In addition, they’re so difficult that they cause your body to release more testosterone and growth hormone, which results in muscle growth all over the body (yes, even in your arms).
It’s also important to realize that the triceps are a much larger muscle than the biceps. Roughly speaking, the triceps make up 2/3rds your upper arm muscle mass, and the biceps only 1/3. You may want to focus your time accordingly, doing more sets for triceps than for biceps.
2) Pump up the intensity, dude!
If you’re not lifting to muscular failure on every lift, you’re not working hard enough. Muscular failure means that you are physically unable to lift the weight again by the end of your set. Aim to complete 5 to 8 repetitions before you reach muscular failure. When you’re able to lift more than 8 reps without failing, add more weight.
Also remember that less is more. If you’re able to complete 10 sets of 8 repetitions for your biceps, you’re simply not working hard enough. Each week you shouldn’t be doing more than 5 sets for biceps and 6 or 7 sets for triceps, at the very most!
3) Eat big to grow big!
The worst thing you can possibly do if you’re trying to build big arms is to neglect nutrition. Someone once told me that “one pound of bodyweight equals one inch on your biceps”. This is not very realistic, but it’s a good thing to remember – you need to pack on general muscle mass and bodyweight in order to build your arm muscles.
In order to gain muscle, you need to consume more calories than you burn. The more calories you take in, the faster you’ll grow. Eat at least 5-6 meals per day, every couple of hours. Make sure to eat lots of protein (1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day is a minimum). Eggs, chicken, tuna, beef, cheese, milk, and whey powder are all good sources of high quality protein.
A healthy lifestyle is important to overall weight training, and therefore for building big arms as well. Try to think of building those big biceps and triceps as part of a whole bodybuilding lifestyle. This lifestyle should include drinking lots of water, eating lots, and getting plenty of sleep. Try to stay away from alcohol or drugs as they can hurt your muscle gains.
Simple Tips for Great Abs
The abdominal muscles support the trunk and keep the internal organs covered. They also allow movement of the body. These muscles contract to give the power for carrying out body movements.
Weak abdominal muscles can cause several conditions like back pain, muscle strain and even hernia. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen these muscles such that we can escape such conditions from affecting us.
What are the four abdominal muscles?
These are transverses abdominus, rectus abdominus, external oblique muscles, and internal oblique muscles. They are present in between the ribs and the pelvis region in the body.
Of late, developing abs and making the six-pack abs visible has become very much a requirement among people. It gives a great look to the body, boosts one’s ego and people become socially acceptable. I mean, who wants a man having a huge paunch? It presents a very unpleasant site. Besides, people are becoming more health conscious by the day. They have realized the importance of keeping slim, trim and fit and having a well-maintained physique.
Developing great abs is a process and needs dedicated efforts. It is a two-step process where you cannot neglect one for the other. Here I recommend some simple tips you should follow to develop the abs.
First, regulate your diet. Consult a dietician. Prepare a diet chart based on your body mass index (BMI). Have food high on proteins. Avoid red meat. Avoid excess dairy products, food excess in calories and alcohol. Avoid excess alcohol especially beer. These not only make you fat but also are also bad for the heart. Have plenty of water.
How does diet regulation help?
Diet regulation helps in maintaining the calories level in the body. Only the essential amount is used and excess calories are not taken in. Thus, it helps to prevent accumulation of fats in the body. Besides, high protein intake helps to increase body strength. Also food and drink items bad for heart, arteries etc are not taken.
Second, exercise daily to keep fit, physically strong, and develop great abs. At the outset, physical exercise is also in two steps. First, do regular jogging or running. If this is not possible owing to time constraints and busy work schedules, join a gym or make your own home-gym. Buy treadmills, elliptical machines and exercise bikes. Spend at least one hour daily on these three equipments. As you go on, you may add on more time as you feel.
The next part is abs development exercises. The essential exercises include basic crunches, abs rollers, abs trainers, hip-lifts and leg raises. It is always good to get training from a professional expert. Be careful while doing these workouts. A poor posture can result in long sustainable injury.
Get Big Muscle Fast With 20 Rep Squats
You want to get big muscle fast? The best system for achieving great muscle gains in a very short time is the 20 rep squat routine. Squats are notorious for packing on muscle everywhere on the body.
Just the action of performing squats releases growth factors in the body which contribute to overall muscle gain, which in turn makes the whole body more muscular. Exploiting the powerful actions of squats can be done through a high 20 rep squat routine and thus the trainee will get big muscle fast, though not without some strong effort, as 20 rep squats are no joke.
First it is vitally important that you learn the proper squat technique. If you're out of place or you inadvertently jerk your body due to poor technique then you could injure your back.
If your technique is solid and you've already practiced performing regular squats for several weeks then you're ready to roll. Figure out a weight in which you can squat for 15 reps.
This will be the weight which you'll actually perform for 20 repetitions. How will you perform 20 reps with a weight you can only do for 15? By using rest-pause technique.
When you reach your maximum output of 15 reps, then pause and take a number of deep breaths, and then perform another repetition. Some trainees will hold the weight up while pausing, but other trainees may need to rack the weight for a few seconds and then continue for safety concerns. Either way after the next rep, once again pause, take some deep breaths, and go for another rep. Continue to do this until you get to 20 and that is your 20 rep squat routine. If done correctly, one set of these is all you'll be able to tolerate, and all you will need.
You will be absolutely thrashed after the 20 rep squat workout, and will quickly see why this is the ultimate get big muscle fast routine.

3 Simple Ways to Gain Muscle Faster

It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out, or have been going to the gym a few times a week for the last few years, at some point you are going to want to gain more muscle and at a faster rate. These three tips: Spend less time working out, don’t skip the warm up, and track your progress, will help you get the body you desire.
Firstly stop spending so much time lifting. This may not sound like a good idea. You might be thinking that spending more time lifting, means more muscle gain, well this is not so. Your body has a certain limit of stress that it can take and once that limit is passed your recovery time will be longer. Your goal in the gym is to “spark” your muscles into their growth stage, once you have done this, there is nothing more to do.
This can be obtainable by:
Working out no more then 3 days a week
Spending less than an hour lifting
Performing 5-7 sets for your larger muscle sets (chest, back, thighs)
Performing 2-4 sets for your smaller muscle sets (biceps, triceps, abs)
If you can stick to spending less time at the gym, you’ll be able to see some promising results.
Secondly, make sure that you don’t skip the warm up. Once you get into the gym, you are ready to lift, that’s understandable. However in order to get the most out of your work out, a warm up is a must. A warm up will get your heart rate up, your muscles ready to lift more weight, and your mind ready as well. A sample warm up could be, doing some sort of cardio exercise such as running or biking for about 5 or so minutes, just to get your heart rate going. Next you’re going to want to spend about 15 minutes warming up the muscles your planning on working out that day. For example if your going to be focusing on your chest, you’re going to want to do 5 sets of bench press in the following way.
Set 1 50% X 10 reps
Set 2 60% X 6 reps
Set 3 70% X 4 reps
Set 4 80% X 3 reps
Set 5 90% X 1 rep
The percentage is the percent of how much you’re going to be lifting during your normal workout. For example if your are going to be pressing 200 lbs, then your first set would be 100 lbs and so on. Getting the proper warm up done every time you workout, will increase your muscle gains greatly.
Lastly track your progress. This might seem easy and simple to do, however how many people do you really see with a pen and paper at the gym, probably not to many. Why would you want to track your progress? Well let’s say that one week you bench pressed 200lbs, then you did the same the next week because you forgot what you had lifted the week before. Doing this, you will see very little progress. Your goal should be to lift more then you did the week before. When you track what you lifted, then you know exactly what to lift the following week in order to get the results you are looking for.
If you start using these 3 simple tips when you work out, you should start seeing some great results.
Tips For How To Get A Six Pack Quickly

If you want to know how to get a six pack fast, there are two simple steps that need to be followed. You need to strengthen your abs and lose body fat. Even though this sounds simple, strengthening the abs and losing body fat is challenging for most of us. If you really want six pack abs, it will take time along with willpower, patience, and dedication to achieve results.
There is alot of information available on how to get a six pack. When you review a variety of articles on how to get a six pack, you will see they all advise that you need to build muscle, lose fat, and watch your diet. This is basic advice you will need to follow if you want to get a six pack.
Beyond the basic advice, here are some tips that will help you to understand how to get a six pack.
TIP #1 ... You must remain motivated to practice the activities in order to achieve the results. Either choose exercises that you enjoy or learn to enjoy the exercises you choose. Celebrate short term victories on your journey to six pack abs. Remember, you get immediate benefits as well as long term benefits. Learn to recognize the benefits you are achieving as a result of your daily plan.
TIP #2 ... You need to use a journal to record your daily activities toward achieving your goal. A spiral notebook makes a great journal because the pages remain in chronological order. Review the entries in your journal at least once each week. This provides great perspective on your progress.
TIP #3 ... Some people choose to gradually change their lifestyles in order to begin their quest for great abs. Other people choose to create massive action plans and make dramatic lifestyle changes immediately. You need to decide whether you want to change gradually or create a MAP ... then stick to your decision. Live each day at a time according to your plan and you will eventually achieve your goal of six pack abs.
TIP #4 ... Take several pictures of your abdominal area when you begin this process. Then take pictures again every four weeks. If you are following a reasonable plan, you will notice gradual changes in your abs by comparing pictures every four weeks. It is not reasonable to expect to notice changes every day or even every week.
TIP #5 ... If you weigh yourself several times each week, you might be disappointed to see that you are not losing weight. Since you are trying to decrease body fat while building muscle, you may very well gain weight because the muscle tissue you are adding weighs more than the fat you are losing. Plus, the amount of water your body retains varies on a regular basis and will certainly affect your overall weight.
TIP #6 ... Try to eat five or six small meals during the day. A typical meal might consist of one serving of carbs and one serving of protein. Each serving should be no larger than the palm of your hand. This will regulate your metabolism. Avoid skipping meals.
TIP #7 ... most people discover that using medicine balls or stability balls add excellent variety to their workouts. Use the medicine ball for added weight on your routines and use the stability ball for a variety of crunches.
TIP #8 ... If you are focusing on building muscles because you don't have much fat to lose, there are many passive exercises you can do throughout the day. For example, while sitting at a desk, you can continually clench your stomach. Or conversely, you could do this every time you walk through a door. Develop these simple habits and you will be amazed at their effectiveness over time.
There you have it. Now you know how to get a six pack. These tips will help to insure your success as long as you incorporate these tips while you build muscle, lose fat, and watch your diet.
Get started today . . . you can do it!
How to Build Upper Body Muscle Mass

Do you want a huge upper body? Maybe you have trained for months and years and just have not gotten the results that you have been wanting. But never fear because I am here to tell you just how to build the upper body muscle mass that you have always dreamed of. In this article I will tell you what muscle groups that you will need to work out so that you can achieve your dream body.
Although you may want to get huge arms, you will look more then stupid if you have chicken legs and you will get laughed at. So before you go and work out only your arms six days a week let me let you in on a little secret. If you want a super hot upper body then you have to train your lower body. The perfect body is called the X frame. If you think about what an X looks like then you can imagine what you want your body to look like. When training your legs and lower body you are also building muscle mass in your back and your abs very important if you want to build upper body muscle mass.
You also need to train your back many people just focus on there arms to get a great upper body but you back is very important to get that winged look and develop your rear deltoid and trapezius muscles. This is very important when building muscle mass so that your overall image of your upper body will appear huge.
You need to also work out your deltoids many people just work out there front deltoids when actually your deltoid muscle has three heads so when you work out all three your shoulders will become huge and well defined and appear almost boulder like. This is great for your upper body image.
Do not forget your chest. If you have a little chest and big arms then you will look funny as well. Use incline benches to really work out your chest instead of flat ones, using and incline will really work out your chest, also use dumbbells barbells and cable machines to achieve a great chest.
So now you know how to build upper body muscle mass, and it may be easier then you had once thought. You see the secret is in the rest of the body. To get a great upper body you need to workout the lower body. Many people may not know this but all of your muscle groups work together to give you a huge powerful body.

Yoga For Abs - Six Pack The Yoga Way!

Among the different methods to achieve a flat stomach, there's one that has been gaining ground over the last years, and now it stays as a permanent routine on thousands of gyms around the World: Yoga. But Yoga for abs is nothing new; many people in the western world are discovering how it can have a positive impact in their lives.
Yoga relies on poses, and these Yoga poses that we are talking about will strengthen your abs in a way you thought it was impossible. On the other side, is good to note, that any change must be integral - that means that if you really want to see results you'll also have to work your way to reduce excess fat (cardio and a great diet with stable sugar levels are critical components for success).
What are the great poses on yoga for abs?
The Bow Pose.
Lie flat on your stomach and grab your ankles with both arms while lifting at the same time your head. You should end up resting on your stomach. NOTE: This is great also for chronic constipation!
The Peacock Pose.
In this pose you'll need to balance your abdomen on your co joined elbows while at the same time raising your legs. This is a hard pose that you may not achieve at first, but still will do wonders for your abs.
Sun Salutations
This a pose combo. I tried to do these and at first found it very challenging. That's the thing with yoga, you may think it's easy but it's not! Sun salutations have also a spiritual importance in yoga, and like I said it involves motions, backward and forward motions. Sun salutations are a great way to begin your yoga fro stomach workout.
Cat Cow stretch
This exercise will stretch your abdominals, allowing them to grow. Stretching is also a way to strengthen your muscles. To do this, come on all fours and bend your spine on both ways, like a cat.
Although most people perceive these exercises as useless, I challenge you to just try them. You'll see how good they are! And we are talking about just yoga for abs here, in the end you'll find yoga has solutions for very part of your body. Good luck getting that tight stomach!
The Top Ten Muscle Building Tips
1. Lift weights for no more than three to four days per week. Doing so is not only unnecessary but can quickly lead to over-training and halt your muscle building progress dead in its tracks, especially if you are doing other physical activities such as cardio or playing recreational sports on a regular basis.
2. Limit your workouts to 30-45 minutes and 12-15 total sets. If you can't build muscle and gain strength in that time frame then I'd say you are half assing it. You have to remember that results are greatest when energy levels and mental focus are at their highest. That is during the first 30 minutes of your workout. Going too far beyond that point causes both of these to plummet.
3. Use big, compound exercises and lift heavy. Deadlifts, military presses, squats, bench presses, rows and chin ups should always be the main focus of your muscle building workout programs. These have been the best muscle building exercises since the beginning of time and that will never change.
4. Continually try to get stronger and always track your progress with a training journal. Progressive overload is the most basic but often forgotten principle in weight training. It states that to make progress you need to constantly increase the amount of weight you lift. Follow this rule and you will build muscle and get stronger. Ignore it and you will get nowhere. If you are benching 225 right now, you better be benching 315 by this time next year if you want to build muscle.
5. Train with a multitude of rep ranges. Doing this allows you to target both slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers and maximizes your muscle building capabilities. Reps from 1-20 should be used to target both fast twitch and slow twitch fibers.
6. Always change your weight training program every 3-4 weeks. After 3-4 weeks on the same program you will start to burn out and your results will slow down. To keep your body in a muscle building state, be sure to change your workouts frequently. If you have been lifting for several years, this may need to be done every two weeks because you will adapt more rapidly to the same stimulus.
7. Make a serious commitment to eating. Proper nutrition plays a huge role in your muscle building efforts. Without adequate calories you will never build muscle optimally. Force feed yourself if you have to and be sure to time your carbs correctly, meaning around training and at breakfast, while cutting them out at night if you want to stay lean while building muscle.
8. Be sure to get at least 8-10 hours of sleep per day and take naps whenever possible. When you are sleeping is when you are building muscle. Sleep is the time when you recover and grow. Without adequate sleep you will never reach your true potential and your muscle building efforts in the gym may be wasted. Do not overlook this important factor.
9. Utilize recovery methods. Training and eating properly are not enough to ensure the fastest muscle building results. You also have to be sure to use whatever recovery methods you can to accelerate your progress. Some of these include taking contrast showers or baths after training, stretching after training and on off days, icing, using foam rollers and whatever else you can think of to help you recover faster.
10. Find a good training partner. While I left this for last on the muscle building list it may, in fact, be the most important factor of them all. Without a good training partner your results will always be less than what they could be. It is imperative that you try to find someone to push you and to compete against if you really want to take your muscle building efforts to the next level.

Steps To Gain Muscle Mass - Simplified
Are you training correctly to make sure that muscle gain will happen?
Muscle grows only if you force it to grow. If muscle is not stressed and forced to respond (by getting bigger) it will not. So you must set up your weight training to ensure that you're progressively overloading your muscles. That is the only way muscle gain will occur. Overload builds muscle. The more weight you place on your muscles to lift, the more work your muscles must do.
So if you want to gain muscle mass, the simplified basics of getting huge are this:
1. EAT
Gaining muscle and getting huge is calorie driven. To gain muscle mass, you have to eat more. But make sure you're eating healthy. Make your diet high in quality protein (i.e., whey protein). 50 percent of your daily calories should come from protein. It's important to maintain a positive nitrogen balance throughout the day, so it's essential to spread your protein intake over the entire day. The standard equation is easy: take your weight in pounds and multiply it with 1 or 1.5, so that's 200-300 grams of protein daily for a 200 pound bodybuilder. Now divide this by the number of meals you take in a day. If you eat 5 meals, that comes down to 40-60 grams of protein per meal. If you eat 8 meals that's 25-37 grams per meal. This will ensure you have enough protein during the day to help you build muscle mass.
2. LIFT
To gain muscle mass, you need to lift heavier weight over time. The more weight you use and the harder you work, the greater the muscle gains. This method is very intense, so you want to ensure proper rest and nutrition. Keep reps low so you can get up more weight. Stick with tried-and-true basics like squat, dead lifts, bench, barbell rows, bar curls, and military presses. Skip the high reps. High reps do not offer enough overload to the muscles. The more weight you lift, the more muscle your body will grow in response to that weight.
3. REST
After the other 2 steps, rest and recovery is the next most important. At least seven or eight (preferably nine) hours of quality rest per 24 hour period. Without proper recovery, your body doesn't heal from the previous workout and no new muscle growth can take place. Weight lifting tears down muscle. Rest builds it up.
This process takes time. Be committed to slow, constant growth and you'll soon start to gain muscle faster than you ever thought possible.
The Secret To Razor Sharp Abs
The side abdominal crunch is the equivalent of the basic crunch ab workouts which you perform on your back, though this exercise focuses more on your oblique abdominals. It is one of the more solid ab workouts because it is simple and effective. There is no reason for underestimating this exercise, though, as there is much more than meets the eye with the side crunch. Performing them with focused intensity can give your side abdominals a formidable load, even if you are an advanced body builder.
Position your self for the ab workouts by lying on the floor with your back against it and your knees together and slightly bent, just like how your form should look like in a regular ab crunch. Put your feet on the floor, and then place your left hand at the side of your head, while your right hand is positioned on the right side of your midsection area. Then keep your knees together as you let them fall to the right, as your head and chest faces up to the ceiling. Breathe in and brace your body for the ab workouts.
Begin by breathing out, and then curling and crunching your chest toward the hip that is faced up. Though your lower trunk is faced to the right, make sure that you curl your upper body straight up during the ab workouts. Cap off them by slowly returning to your starting position.
Complete an entire set of about ten to 15 repetitions of this exercise, and then roll over and do the same movements with your knees and lower trunk facing the other side. If you would like to add range in the motion, try placing a half foam roller beneath your lower back or your hips, or do the exercise on a Swiss ball or on a Roman chair.
Weight Training For Calves, Neck, And Forearms - Bodybuilding's Most Neglected Body Parts
Many bodybuilders train religiously, 4 to 6 days a week. They plan every meal, and measure every gram of protein, carbohydrate, and fat. They set their alarm clock and never miss a minute of sleep. They take their supplement like clockwork. They stay on top of every new bodybuilding innovation. Yet despite this meticulous planning, research, and hard work, they often overlook the third-tier body parts.
Calves
Anytime you wear shorts, your calves are on display. They are the failure point in squats, without argument the most important movement in bodybuilding. Yet many trainers completely ignore calf training, or relegate it to 2-3 sets of seated raises at the end of leg day. This is unacceptable. Calves are a showpiece muscle group, viewable clearly in every bodybuilding pose. They aren't fun to train - but they are definitely required. Train your claves twice a week with 6 to 9 sets.
Neck
Many bodybuilders do no neck training at all. This is a mistake. They put their bodies at increased risk for strains and other injuries due to strength imbalances. You cannot train your shoulder, chest, and traps hard, then neglect the muscle group which holds them all together! Use 4-6 sets of neck crunches or neck bridges, twice a week.
Forearms
In most social, work, gym, or any other situations, your forearms are on display. They are the primary grip on 90% of movements you use in the gym. Yet for some reason, many bodybuilders neglect their forearm work - opting to do a few sets of wrist curls now and then, or not training them at all, figuring their forearms get plenty of work from other movements. While it is true they do get some work with most movements, and there are some genetic freaks who never need forearms training, most of us would benefit tremendously from hitting them hard at least twice a week for 6 sets.
Nobody forgets to train chest, back or quads. Rarely do you miss an arm or shoulder day. But calf, neck, and forearm training often go neglected, resulting in poor stage placings, unbalance physiques, and injuries. Be sure to hit your third tier body parts every week!
How To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat - 3 Simple Tips
So you want to gain muscle? Did you know when you gain muscle you are building fuel burners for your body? That's right. Muscle burns fat and keeps it away. This is where the term "turn fat into muscle" comes from.
Let's get started. Here are some simple tips.
1. Diet plays a key role in gaining muscle. If your body does not have enough calories, it will not have enough energy to build muscle mass. Your diet also has to consist of the right kinds of foods for your body. For example your car requires Premium fuel, would you put in low octane? No, Especially if it's a Corvette! Treat your body the same way. You might not think you are a Corvette yet but you will be. Feed yourself whole grain breads, lean lunch meats, fruits, drink smoothies with flax seed, natural peanut butter, milk, eat legumes (beans), veggies. Stop going out to eat. Fast food is very bad for you and very fuel inefficient!

2. Lifting weights is essential to building muscle. Try to do the broadest range of weight lifting activities as possible so you hit all the key areas of the body. You want to have a balanced muscle tone, not unproportionate. While you are starting to lift weight, work your way up to a specific weight and stick with it. To build muscle you want to lift the same amount of weight every time repetitively. If you are looking to build strength then you keep adding weight but that is not what we are trying to do here.

3. Aerobic workouts burn calories and melt the fat away. Try walking and running. These are the simplest things your can do. This will give more definition to your body and reveal muscle that could not see before.
The 10 Best Arm Building Exercises for Beginning Bodybuilders
Everybody has fun with “Top 10” lists, and they sometimes contain information that you can actually use to improve your life or achieve a personal goal. If you’re serious about building big, muscular arms, then this is the list for you! But before I give you my Top 10 list for arm-building success, let me explain my selection criteria.
First, the exercises on this list are simple and for beginners who need to start with a solid foundation in arm-building fundamentals in order to achieve long-term success from their biceps, triceps and forearm workouts. Though I’ve said that these exercises are simple, this does not mean that they’re easy. Their simplicity lies in the intuitive benefits that come from each arm-building movement and the fact that you can do these exercises with a minimal time commitment. Getting the most from these exercises will still require careful attention to training technique and workout variety – the 2 keys to arm-building success that are not always easy for beginning bodybuilders.
In my experience, you’re a beginner if you’ve been training your arms once or twice per week for 6 months or less. You’re also a beginner if you been trying to build your arms for more than 6 months with exercises other than those provided on my list. Why? Because if you haven’t mastered the arm-building exercises listed in my Top 10, you’re not ready for the intermediate or advanced workout methods that you’ll eventually need to build truly Awesome Arms.
Second, to make my Top 10 list, the equipment needed for each arm-building exercise must be universally available. That means that you can do all of these exercises with dumbbells, an EZ-curl bar and a basic workout bench which you can find in any gym or health club. You can also do these exercises at home with a very small investment in this equipment for your home gym. There’s no need for fancy machines or trendy gimmicks here.
Finally, each of my Top 10 arm-building exercises will help you to simultaneously build mass, shape and power in your biceps, triceps and forearms. These muscle areas are directly targeted during each exercise to maximize growth and efficiency from your workouts.
Now that I’ve told you how I came up with my list, here are the Top 10 exercises for building the big, muscular arms that you desire! They’re not listed in any particular order, so there’s no reason to think that one particular exercise is better than another. You must decide what works best for you through experimentation with each exercise. But rest assured that any arm-building program that includes all of these exercises will definitely add inches, symmetry and power to your biceps, triceps and forearms.
1. EZ Bar Preacher Curls
The EZ bar preacher curl is one of my all time favorite biceps exercises. The preacher bench is a terrific training tool as it forces the biceps to work in relative isolation from the back and shoulders. Unlike standing barbell curls which usually involve biceps-cheating torso swing, preacher curls keep your arms at an angle that forces your biceps to provide the leverage needed to lift the weight. The EZ curl bar offers both narrow-grip and wide-grip hand positions. When you use the narrow grip, your hands are in a semi-neutral position and therefore increase involvement of the brachioradialis in the curling motion. If you have no experience with preacher curls, you should probably begin with the narrow-grip position.
As you become more experienced with this exercise you should move to the wider grip as it forces supination or a “palms up” positioning of your hands. Since the biceps function primarily as a hand-supinator, the more you supinate your hands the more resistance you will place on your biceps. If you’ve got the potential to build biceps peaks, EZ bar preacher curls will certainly tap that potential.
2. Dumbbell Preacher Curls
The dumbbell preacher curl is another one of my favorite biceps builders. This exercise really allows you to make the mind-body connection so essential to arm-building success. While many competitive bodybuilders use this exercise exclusively as a “shaper” during pre-contest training, the dumbbell preacher curl also works as a tremendous mass builder when used in a pyramid cycle. In fact, this exercise is the best high intensity bodybuilding movement for simultaneously adding size and shape to your biceps.
3. Dumbbell Concentration Curls
As the name suggests, this exercise places concentrated resistance on the biceps when performed properly. Besides building your biceps, this exercise also stresses and develops the brachialis. The brachialis is a true forearm flexor. It originates on the lower anterior surface of the humerus, ends on the anterior surface of the coronoid process of the ulna (the large bone on the inside of the forearm) and is visible on the outside of the upper arm between the biceps and the lateral head of the triceps. Development of the brachialis and biceps gives the front of your upper arms that thick, dense look that says “mess with me at your own risk!!”
4. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls
This exercise is one of the best biceps builders ever as long as you sit on a bench that has a back rest to prevent torso movement. Too many people do this exercise either standing or sitting on a bench without back support. In order to make sure that your biceps get the most work from this movement you must stabilize your torso so as to prevent any jerking motion. Also, remember to supinate your hands throughout each repetition to stimulate maximum growth for your biceps.
5. EZ Bar Triceps Extensions
This exercise, also known as “Skull crushers” is a terrific mass-builder for your triceps. For maximum growth, EZ bar triceps extensions require that you keep your upper arms in a position perpendicular (90 degrees) to the exercise bench throughout each repetition. If this position causes you any elbow strain or discomfort, you can lower the angle by moving your arms slightly forward to reduce the stress on your elbows. Don’t worry – making this minor adjustment won’t impede your ability to get the benefits of this exercise.
You should also place your hands in the narrow-grip position on the EZ bar which, when combined with proper arm position, ensures that each triceps head receives maximum resistance throughout the exercise motion. Lower and extend the weight in a smooth, continuous motion without jerking or swinging the bar with your back or shoulders. When done correctly, you can’t beat EZ bar triceps extensions for building big, muscular triceps.
6. Triceps Pushups
You’re probably familiar with standard pushups which are performed with your arms in a shoulder width position. While standard pushups involve the triceps, chest and shoulders in the “pushing” motion, triceps pushups are designed to minimize chest and shoulder involvement so as to maximize training resistance on the triceps. This exercise is deceptively simple in that it appears to the untrained eye as just another pushup. But like every exercise on my Top 10 list, technique is extremely important and proper hand position determines whether these pushups will add muscular inches to your triceps.
For proper performance, take a standard pushup position with your hands and arms extended and shoulder-width apart. Then slide your hands closer together until your thumbs nearly touch each other. This is the starting position. With your hands in this position, slowly lower your arms underneath you and then push yourself back up to the starting position as you would with regular pushups. Make sure that you keep your back straight and your head up for maximum resistance on your triceps. As you extend your arms, concentrate mentally on maintaining proper form and technique with each repetition. For added resistance or pyramid cycles, have a training buddy gently place a 5-10 pound barbell plate on your back to force your triceps to work harder and build greater mass.
7. Seated Triceps Dips
Seated triceps dips are another terrific triceps builder, yet I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen anyone doing them in the gym. Maybe people ignore them because, like triceps pushups, they look too simple to do any good. Well, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, and seated triceps dips have certainly added considerable power and density to my triceps.
To do this exercise, sit on a workout bench with your legs together and extended on the floor in front of you. Your arms should be fully extended and shoulder-width apart behind you. Slide your body slightly forward to suspend yourself so that your arms are bearing your bodyweight between the bench and the floor. With your arms extended, lower yourself as though to sit on the floor and then push yourself back up by extending your arms and returning to the starting position. This exercise, when performed properly, will add tremendous power, shape and definition to your triceps – guaranteed!
8. Single-Arm Triceps Extension
The single-arm triceps extension, also known as the “French dumbbell press” is a triceps-builder that I recommend primarily as a shaping movement. Although it is possible to build mass with this exercise, the over-head arm position may prevent you from using sufficient weight to generate the type of power and mass-building potential available from Skull crushers and triceps pushups. You should experiment with this exercise and use it in a manner that gives you the best results. But remember, I do not recommend using heavy weight with this movement because of the risk of shoulder injury. Consistent use of light-to-moderate weight will provide the best results from this triceps builder.
9. Reverse-Grip EZ Bar Curls
This exercise puts primary stress on the brachioradialis and extensor muscles of the dorsal or outer surface of your forearms. Since your hands are pronated in the narrow-grip position, your wrists are extended which forces involvement of the extensor carpi radialis and extensor carpi ulnaris. This pronated or “palms down” positioning of the hands also takes the biceps out of this exercise, which isolates the brachioradialis as the primary forearm flexor. If you’re serious about building big, muscular forearms, reverse-grip EZ bar curls are a good first step.
10. Wrist Curls
Wrist curls work to develop the two large muscles on the inside portion of the anterior surface of the forearm. These muscles, the flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor carpi radialis, are the wrist flexors and combine to form a thick, muscular region from the elbow to the lower forearm. While these muscles do considerable work during your biceps curling movements, wrist curls isolate these flexors so as to maximize resistance on this section of your forearms. If you want to add thickness and power to your inner forearms, heavy wrist curls will do the job.
So, there you have it – my Top 10 list of arm-building exercises for beginning bodybuilders. Try them, have fun with them, and make sure that you use safe amounts of weight and proper training technique with every exercise. You'll be very happy with the results!
Face it folks, our society is all about what is sexy and the quest to have sexy abs is no exception regardless of your stature in Hollywood or at home. Male or female, everybody wants sexy abs or wants somebody with sexy abs to be a very big part of their life! For those on the ultimate quest to get sexy abs and be able to show them off to everybody possible, here are five free exercises to make your quest a success!
1. Climb Your Way to Sexy Abs This exercise will work your rectus abdominals and transverse abdominals by having you lie on the floor with a scarf wrapped around the ball of your left foot. With your knees bent and your right foot on the floor you hold both ends of the scarf in your left hand while extending your left leg and keeping your foot flexed. Do this slowly and walk your hands up the scarf with your head tilted and shoulders on the floor with 8 to 10 reps at 2 sets per side.

2. Figure Eight Your Way to Sexy Abs This exercise is great to get warmed up and work your oblique muscles as you will sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor. While placing your hand on the seat behind you put the scarf in the other hand and proceed to make figure eights to your sides about 10 times per side while continually rotating your sides up to 20 minutes at a time.

3. Get Sexy Abs by Pulsing Your Legs This exercise will stretch out your hamstrings while working your transverse and rectus abdominals. It begins with you lying face up on the floor with knees bent and holding both ends of a scarf that is wrapped around your left foot.
Straighten one leg while pulling up your head and shoulders, then touch legs together while straight in the air. The exercise ends as you slowly lower the first leg back down without arching your back and keeping the other leg in the air.

4. Side Crunch Your Way to Sexy Abs While kneeling on the floor you lean all the way over to the left and bring the palm of that hand to the floor. Keep your weight balanced and slowly extend your right leg so your toes are pointing and place that right hand behind your head with your elbow pointing to the sky. Do two sets per side and you will be in good shape.

5. Bow Your Way to Sexy Abs The bow exercise gets sexy abs by working your oblique muscles and rectus abdominals by sitting on the floor with a scarf wrapped around your right foot. Hold both ends of the scarf in your right hand with your left foot on the floor with your knees bent. While keeping your foot around one foot off the floor, lean back and then twist your torso back. Do 6 to 8 reps with two sets to each side and start enjoying your sexy abs!
3 Easy Post Partum Abs Exercises
Having a baby is perhaps the most beautiful thing a woman can experience, all the previous months to the delivery everything is filled with joy an amusement as they see their tummies getting bigger and bigger. But...once the baby is born, things get different, the main question is "how to recover my tight stomach?" Some say use special clothes, other recommend to be on diet, but the truth is tat you need in any case to do post partum abs exercises.
Don't be discouraged by the lack of energy. Doing these exercises will in fact give you more energy! Before engaging in these activities it is best to consult with a professional to perform them in an effective way with no injuries.
Progressive Crunchless Crunch
This post partum ab exercise will help you work your abs the same way as traditional crunches but avoiding the strain in the neck.
1. Sit on a chair, with on hand above the bellybutton and one below to let you feel the contractions.
2. Expand your midsection with a big deep breath.
3. Breathe out while pulling your belly in towards your spine.
4. Briefly contract your abdominal muscles 5 times.
5. Repeat for an entire set.
Contractions
1. Sit on a chair like with the progressive crunchless crunch.
2. Breathe deeply to open your midsection.
3. Exhale and bring your belly halfway to your spine.
4. Pull the belly fully to your spine. Hold for one second.
5. Repeat form the halfway 100 times.
Crunchless Crunch
This is like the first exercise but with just one move.
1. Lie with on your stomach, and relax completely.
2. Pull your bellybutton towards your spine. Hold for tens seconds or until you can't feel the muscles very good.
3. If it feels too easy hold for more seconds.
The goal is to hold the contraction until you feel the rest of abs muscles working harder than the transverse abdominal muscles.
The good thing about these post partum abs exercises is that you can do them any time throughout the day. You can even do them while breastfeeding your baby! (Except the crunchless crunch) Stick to them and you'll recover your tight stomach in no time!
How To Lose Chest Fat By Using This Exercise Program
Men store their body fat in 3 locations: the stomach, thighs and chest areas. And when a man is overweight, the excess weight in the chest looks like he has men's boobs.
So how can we get rid of those man boobs? Follow these five steps in how to lose chest fat and turn that excess fat to muscle.
Step 1 Remember our bodies burn fat evenly and it's very difficult to concentrate on chest fat only.. The answer to reducing fat in the chest area are cardio exercises and dieting capped off by some weight training. So reduce your body fat first, then tone the muscles by adding some weight training.
Step 2:Your chest muscles are divide into 3 areas, commonly known as upper, middle and lower. The upper chest area is the most important, and at the same time, the most difficult to exercise. So let's first start here.
The prescribed exercises for the upper chest are the incline barbell chest press, the incline dumbbell chest press and the incline cable chest flyes. Remember that the incline position should be set at no more than angle of 45-degrees.
Step 3: Then for your middle chest, it's recommended that the exercises be the bench press, flat dumbbell chest press and push ups. Don't underestimate the push-up exercises! They give you a great burn and can really accentuate those strips on your chest that you wanted so desperately.
Step 4: And finally the lower chest It's recommended that the exercises be dips, weighted dips and cable crossovers.When doing the cable crossover, cross over your arms and try to maintain it for 2-3 seconds at its peak . This will result in giving you more burn. Remember to alternate or your chest will become imbalanced!
Step 5:Stretch your chest muscles frequently. By doing so, you get more of a range of flexibility and it protects you from injuries that will slow you down.
Lastly, if you have an injury to your shoulder area, disregard the incline chest press, as your injury will worsen by any movement above the head.
These 5 steps in how to lose chest fat will definitely improve your chest muscles. But don't over work them. Rest for a minimum of 48 hours before exercising your chest muscles again. Daily exercising won't help getting lean any faster, it only serves to slow down the process.
3 Tips For a Successful Six Pack Abs Diet
In order to get those handsome six-pack abs you will need to pay special attention to your diet. Exercise is not enough, you need to couple it with a healthy diet and protein supplements. It is no good just sweating it out in the gym without taking care of what you eat.
1. Losing body fat, by eating a healthy diet: it is critical to your success to eat a healthy diet. In order to achieve that great 6-pack abs look, you will need to have a healthy diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fats. Do not cut these out of your diet but regulate them. You will also need cut out junk foods. These are foods that are loaded with sugar and salt. Chips, sodas, cookies and candies are all junk foods and will work against you. You will need to reduce body fat to a minimum to allow your great abs to show.

2. Protein supplements: in order for muscle to grow and develop you will need to increase your protein intake. Try to do this naturally rather than taking artificial supplements. Whey is a good natural protein supplement that is available in many health food stores. You can buy it in different flavors and mix this with milk to make a high protein shake.

3. Drinking enough water: it is very important to drink plenty of water when you are working on your abs. Always drink fluids after working out to flush out antitoxins that are generated when you do strenuous workouts. In the normal way a person needs to drink 8 glasses of water per day for good hydration
Abs Exercises Guaranteed!
The following ab workouts must be done for up to three times a week, alternating it with a day's rest in between. For a more intense exercise, increase the repetitions from 2 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, to 3 sets of 20 repetitions. Do these exercises in alternation. Remember to perform the exercise properly, taking care to inhale and exhale slowly and at the right time. These exercises will add more muscle in the abs in place of fat.
Weighted Oblique Crunches. Begin your ab workouts by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat against the floor. Next, hold a medicinal ball or weight plate towards your chest (start with five pounds in your workout). Then put the tips of your fingers to the side of your head behind the ears. The next step in your ab workouts would require you to push your lower back towards the floor, keeping the arch flattened, and hold this position. Curl up slowly in your ab workouts so that both shoulder are raised off of the floor for a few inches. Hold this position for a count of two and return slowly to your first position. These ab workouts strengthen and tighten the front area of your midsection with continuous repetitions.
Side Bends. These ab workouts target the side abdominals after repeated exercises. While holding a dumbbell in your left hand, stand on a firm surface with your feet a shoulder's width apart and with your knees slightly bent. Then place your right hand at the back of your head and gradually bend sideways to your left while lowering the dumbbell down to your knee in your ab workouts.
Finish your workout by returning to the upright and first position, and then repeat the exercise with the other hand for another set.
James never thought he would be a personal gym trainer when he once weighed 311 lbs.He is now a total fanatic about muscle-building and crunches his way through his CSI. Now doing freelance teaching to people who require proper healthy diets, he always advocate his motto of "not giving up".
Dangerous Shoulder Exercises
For those of you that have had a shoulder injury before, you will know how uncomfortable and painful it is. Especially obtaining a shoulder injury after a workout session, this tends to happen very often and proves to be extremely sore. When talking about a shoulder injury, aching, sharp pains in the front of the shoulder are being referred to. A very common dangerous shoulder exercise includes reaching behind your back or other activities where you are required to lay on your shoulder. This normally occurs when practicing overhead activities that require major muscle stretching and flexibility.
These symptoms that one might experience sometimes indicate rotator cuff inflammation. This is a common scenario for trainers that practice their resistance exercises daily, but it is a problem that can be resolved if the correct advice if followed accordingly:
The Lat Pull Downs are great exercises if you wish to strengthen your back slightly, but when it is practiced behind the head, it is likely going to cause complications. When you pull the bar down behind your head, you are positioning your humerus in a way that it can be damaged by the rotator cuff being severely pinched. This is not a promise that you will get hurt, but it is a possibility. It might also depend on the shape of your acromion as well as the degree of possible arthritis. You should always keep your body straight when practicing this exercise, portraying no swaying movement. The correct way to do it is to ensure that you are pulling the bar toward the sternum. Another reason why one should not practice behind the neck pull downs is because it can put unnecessary pressure on the cervical spine.
Another one of the dangerous shoulder exercises is the Military Press. If this exercise is performed taking the bar behind the neck it positions the shoulder in the above mentioned uncomfortable position and if practiced over and over again it may cause the rotator cuff to be inflamed. The correct way to perform this exercise is in front of the head or by using dumbbells. When doing this try to prevent arching the lower back and use a bench that can provide you with maximum back support.
The Upright Row can also be dangerous as it once again entails the shoulder to shift past the 90 degree angle, and moving past this point is not safe at all. In order to protect the shoulder and rotator cuff, you should only practice the exercise until you reach the 90degree angle, stop there and repeat the exercise.
Many people will say that the Dumbbell Lateral Raise exercise is sometimes not performed correctly as the trainer will lift too much weight, more than they can handle, keeping their arms straight throughout the routine and by lifting the arms out away from the body in the plane of the body. This is dangerous as it puts pressure on the small rotator cuff muscles. When heavy weights are picked up at the wrong time is when the damage normally occurs. It is very important that this exercise be performed correctly.
The Bench Press is also a very common exercise practiced to strengthen and build the chest as well as the triceps and maybe even the deltoid. The way that it is normally practiced is by slowly bringing down the bar until it touches the chest but some say this is an unsafe way to do it as it exposes the anterior shoulder capsule to too much weight and squeezing the soft tissue of the rotator cuff between the acromion and the humerus.

7 Tips to Overcoming Your Frozen Shoulder
Tip #1 - Support the affected arm during activities of daily living.
This includes driving, typing at the computer, sitting in a chair and relaxing in your lazy boy at home. Gravity pulls the arm down when it is unsupported, and this increases strain on the rotator cuff. It is best to use a soft pillow or cushion when available.
By reducing the pull of gravity throughout the day, you will naturally lessen the pain and inflammation in your shoulder. While it will take effort on your part to not violate this rule, I promise you it will make a difference.
Tip #2 - Use ice and heat accordingly to relieve pain and decrease stiffness.
Heat is a great way to start the day and reduce stiffness. Your best bet is a warm shower. Another method is applying a heating pack. Regardless, this will feel good, reduce stiffness and better prepare you to move the arm in your morning routine.
With regard to ice, I always suggest a frozen bag of veggies or professional soft wrap that conforms to the shape of the shoulder. Be sure to support the arm as mentioned previously while icing. Keep the ice on for 15-20 minutes and then off for an hour. You may ice more than once per day if desired based on pain. I usually suggest icing before bed to improve sleep.
I know you are asking yourself why put ice on a stiff shoulder. Ice really is helpful because it reduces inflammation. Heat feels good, but does not dramatically affect the inflammation. Ice should be used after periods of increased activity (e.g. work or play). So, if you have not been icing, begin using it daily to reduce pain and aid healing.
Tip #3 - Avoid forcing the arm to move in painful ranges of motion unless absolutely necessary.
With a stiff frozen shoulder, the rotator cuff gets compressed when the arm is elevated, rotated or extended beyond the point of joint mobility due to abnormal joint mechanics and this often further aggravates the symptoms. This is problematic with getting dressed, fastening the seat belt or placing carry-on baggage in a plane.
Depending on your pain state (acute, sub-acute or chronic) you may have pain in different parts of the range of motion. Any significant pain with movement is a bad thing and you should try to minimize or avoid it altogether. Rest from this abusive motion is absolutely critical to resolving your inflammation and returning to pre-injury levels.
However, this does not mean you should stop moving the arm in those directions at all as that can cause you to lose even more mobility. Use moderation as your guide and pay attention to the pain levels day to day!
Tip #4 - Do not perform single arm or overhead heavy lifting during periods of inflammation.
This position coupled with external loads will prolong your pain and slow the recovery process. It is common for people to unknowingly abuse their shoulder with daily activities including overhead lifting, carrying laptops, hauling briefcases and even lifting luggage (especially overhead).
I know you are asking how to avoid these positions. The best answer is to switch arms or use both arms to execute lifting maneuvers when possible. Believe it or not, even small loads and movements can significantly increase pain and inflammation. Minimizing the number of such activities is necessary to allow the injured tissue to heal.
Use pain as your guide with daily tasks, but be careful to avoid pushing, pulling or lifting heavy objects with the affected arm. Try to use both arms and keep them as close to the body as possible. This measure alone will accelerate healing and reduce your pain.
Tip #5 - Perform arm pendulums (clockwise and counterclockwise circles) daily.
This gentle motion stimulates receptors in the shoulder joint and helps to increase joint space and reduce pain. This is also a good warm-up activity prior to shoulder exercises. You can eventually add a small weight or soup can to increase the effect.
It is important to let the motion of the body direct the shoulder and not to forcefully move the shoulder in circles. The arm should hang as though it were limp and follow the lead of the body.
I generally recommend doing 20-30 repetitions of this exercise 1-2 times per day. If it causes pain, then reduce the radius of the circles or simply wait until it can be done pain free. This is even more effective if you perform it after a warm shower or applying moist heat to the shoulder for 10-15 minutes.
Tip #6 - Use a pillow under the arm at night to better support the injured arm.
Propping the arm up as opposed to letting it hang down against the bed will actually reduce pull and tension on the shoulder and rotator cuff itself. Proper positioning will keep the shoulder in a neutral position in line with the body and should feel very comfortable.
I also recommend trying to sleep on the unaffected side if possible, as lying on the sore side compresses the shoulder and will typically increase pain and wake you.
I know you are thinking it is impossible to stay in one position at night. You are probably right. But, I encourage you to at least try these options when you are in significant pain, as I know for sure that compression of the shoulder will make your symptoms worse. That also equals more pain and less sleep.
So, use a small to moderate sized pillow that achieves the optimal position described above. Even if you move during sleep, a little break from the bad positions should still aid in your recovery.
Tip #7 - Perform daily stretching and range of motion exercises.
What if your shoulder is really sore? How does exercise aid healing? Exercise will increase blood flow to the tissues and doing specific exercises will not only prevent further motion loss and stiffness, but actually help you recover lost function and mobility in your shoulder.
It is not acceptable to do just any exercises. They need to be specific to the problem you have and target the tight tissue in your shoulder. They must also be done at a certain frequency, intensity and volume to reduce your pain. I have determined a clinically proven formula for doing just this.
Lower intensity and longer duration stretches coupled with specific cane range of motion exercises are essential to promote healing, reduce inflammation and return you to pre-injury activity levels again. More importantly, effective rehab exercises will prevent future injuries and more pain and suffering. While there is no magic pill or quick fix for a frozen shoulder, these exercises are guaranteed to help you get better.

Eight Pack Abs - Can You Get Them? Most people have heard of the term six pack abs, and also of ripped, cut, and tight abs. There is also something referred to as washboard abs, or even firm and toned abs. But have you ever heard of eight pack abs? No? Well, most people haven't. Although many people are familiar with the expression "six pack abs", for the most part people aren't as familiar with eight pack abs.
So how do you achieve eight pack abs? The identical method that you would go about getting six pack abs, naturally. The only distinction here is that you are now aware of the prospect of getting eight pack abs, and that you can work your way towards this objective. Without this information of course you might never be able to define that added abs pack, but now that you know, well, the rest as they say, is history, true?
But if you've never had a six pack, let alone contemplated having eight pack abs, how would you go about getting them? Yes, the same way as for a six pack, but what can you do to first start the process then to make sure that you keep the momentum going and get to your aim without becoming excessively side tracked.
Well, first of all, you should preferably take a good long hard look at your diet and cut out those foods and things which are not only bad for you, but which you know are certainly harmful to you! Starting here, is the best idea and you could do no better than to go out and get yourself a healthy eating book to help you out in your activities aimed at getting eight pack abs.
After checking your diet, you can then progress onto the next step of discovering the right fitness program for yourself. You can do this on your own, or you can consult with a personal fitness trainer or some such professional to help you out. This is probably more efficient than trying to go it alone and you will find that you are getting a superior overall fitness plan than if you were to do it without professional help.
Lastly, when everything else is organized and you know that you have everything in place, and that you are physically fit and able to carry through with your plans, you have only to begin on your course of exercise to get eight pack abs. It's as simple and as complex that.
Sexy Abs
Let's face it - abs can be sexy. And they should. But, most of us can only dream of having the kind of sexy abs we might see on TV or the magazines. The fact, though, that ordinary people can do it (and, being in a magazine does not make them less ordinary than the rest of us) means that it can be done. And it can. With persistence, patience - and having the right knowledge - we can all benefit from having a pair of trim, well-defined, sculpted, sexy abs.
Really? Tell me more
Firstly, you've got to focus on diet. Yes, 'diet' may be an evil word in most of our vocabulary, but diet (according to professionals) can account for 80% of our physique. This means that by focusing on diet, you're 80% there in getting the abs you want.
Abs are not the same as the rest of the body, in the sense that you don't 'build' them or 'work' them as far as size is concerned. Rather, you work at getting rid of body fat, which in turn exposes your sexy abs that you actually already have underneath the fat and water which covers them. You need to work your body fat ratio down to just below 13% for women, or 10% for men. This can be done easily with the proper diet of carbs, proteins and good fats. Plus, cardio training is essential. You will not get rid of body fat through doing exercises that focus on strengthening or firming your stomach muscles. You will only get rid of fat through cardio training and dieting correctly.
Cardio training has many other benefits as well, and is essential to your overall health. For losing fat, you need to spend about 20-30 minutes doing cardio training about three times a week. People with a slower metabolism should consider cardio training for 45 minutes, six to seven times a week. Cardio training can be done through running (using treadmills) or using elliptical machines, as well as swimming and many other exercises. Combining cardio training with a proper diet, and you will be well on your way to losing fat and seeing your abs.
The Exercising You Can Do
The above doesn't rule out exercising altogether, but it's important to focus on the right kind of exercises to do. Mostly, crunches, sit-ups or leg lifts will do very well. The secret of exercising your abs is to keep your exercises varied and 'natural.' What this means is that you should work with your abs in your exercises, understand how they work, and train them functionally. They are responsible for bending your body forwards, backwards and to the sides. Exercises that do this are very effective. Your abs also strengthen very easily, becoming quite resistant to a particular exercise that you may be doing. By varying your exercises, you train your lower, middle and upper abs, rather than just a specific part - and this leads to the firm, sexy abs you're looking for.
Bodybuilding: Diet for Muscle Gain and Fat Loss
Bodybuilding can be defined as the pursuit of lean muscle mass. The importance of a proper diet to accomplish this goal cannot be understated. In fact, many experts argue that diet can account for up to 90% of a person's success at building their body. Fortunately, there is an easy-to-follow meal plan that works like magic to burn fat and gain muscle.
In this day and age of fad diets and trendy diets and so on, it is important to note that bodybuilding involves a lifestyle. Regular, intense and goal-oriented training sessions combined with an intelligent approach to eating will promote the development of a muscular physique that most trainees desire. What is required is discipline, patience, persistence and consistency. All of these attributes are favourable and can lead one to success in not only physique goals, but also in personal and professional pursuits.
When an individual adopts bodybuilding as a lifestyle, the physique improvements can be maintained over the long term. A steady, consistent and daily approach will prevent the agony of short-term weight loss followed by a quick regain of weight and the accompanying depression and feeling of hopelessness. Training and eating like a bodybuilder works, becomes habit-forming and eventually gives one a real sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
We like to adhere to the KISS (keep it simple, smart guy) principle when it comes to meal plans. So let’s not going to get too technical. We’re just going to lay it out for you. First of all, you should eat smaller meals, 5-6 times per day, 2 ½ -3 hours apart. This will keep your metabolism going and provide your muscles (stimulated by short, intense workouts) fed with nutrients required for growth. These meals will consist of protein, carbohydrates and fats.
Proper protein intake will vary according to age, gender, goals and so on. Generally speaking, each meal should contain between 25-50 grams of protein. A rule of thumb is that a healthy male trying to promote lean muscle mass should ingest 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Therefore, if your body weight is 200 pounds, a daily intake of 300 grams of protein (6 meals with 50 grams of protein each) would be required. The key is that if you are training hard, you need protein.
Sources for protein include lean meats, fish, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese and whey protein. Avoid fatty meats and try to grill your meats and do not fry them in fat. Remember to include a protein selection at each meal.
When discussing carbohydrates, it is vital to distinguish between the different types of carbs. For this discussion we will identify 3 different types of carbs: complex carbs include potatoes, yams, bread, cereals, grains, pasta and rice; simple carbs include most fruit and veggie carbs which include most vegetables and leafy greens.
Fats are also a necessity but should come from the following sources: extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, nuts (almonds are best) and fish oil. The diet is very simple. For every meal, choose a portion from the protein group, the complex carb group and the veggie carb group. A good rule of thumb is that a serving size for your protein and carbs should be about the size of your fist. Have a serving of fats at 2-3 meals per day and only have simple carbs first thing in the morning at breakfast and immediately following your workout. Actually, it's critical to have a post workout shake with whey protein and a simple carb like a banana. Bring it to the gym with you and have it while the sweat is still on your body.
Now to fine tune this diet you can do this: if you are trying to increase muscle mass and not worried too much about losing fat, eat as above. However, if you wish to accelerate fat burning, do not eat complex carbs at your last 2-3 meals of the day. Lean protein (chicken breast or fish) and salads or chunky veggies (broccoli and asparagus are excellent choices) will do the trick.
Let's take this one step further. Here is a magic formula for extreme lean muscle mass and fat burning. For three days in a row, come hell or high water, only eat complex carbs first thing in the morning (a serving of oatmeal will do it) and immediately after your workout. On the fourth day, eat a ton of carbs. Actually cheat on this day. Eat whatever you want, but ensure that you eat sufficient protein and lots of complex carbs. This is the time to eat pizza, pasta, cake and so on.
This three day off, one day on carbs has produced fantastic results in many bodybuilders. We like it because any cravings we can put off until our "carb" day (which isn't really that far off in the future) and then indulge at that time. The secret is to remain strict on the low carb days. This takes planning, preparation and discipline. You can do it. Once you start to see the results you get from this carbohydrate manipulation, you will find it much easier to stick to it.
This meal plan should produce such dramatic results so quickly that your friends will be asking you what you are "on". The real secret is daily discipline. Take it one day at a time. Eat right according to the principles outlined above, manipulate your cab intake and train with intensity focusing on basic, heavy movements. This is the bodybuilding lifestyle. Engage in it and change your life, long-term and for the better.
Tips for Building Bigger Biceps
The best way to build bigger biceps is to incorporate a few different types of curls that each trains the muscles in a different fashion. It is important to note that the term biceps refers to two different muscles (long head and short head) and by diversifying your workout and attacking your arms with various approaches; you can be assured that your arms will get a comprehensive workout.
The most grueling biceps training routine is performed with the use of supersets. The concept behind doing supersets is that there is almost no rest between sets, causing your muscles to overload- thus triggering growth. I suggest using a three or four station rotation. I have always performed a three-station routine. I prefer to do this workout with a partner for two reasons; motivation and timing. Bicep workouts cause a lot of pain, and the extra motivating force, that comes from working out with a competitive partner, provides the extra boost that I need to push my body hard enough to finish the workout. When working with a partner, I begin my rotation just as my workout partner finishes theirs. The competition that comes as a result of taking turns shortens the rest period between sets, making the workout more challenging and thus more effective.
The program consists of three stations, each targeting and isolating the biceps in a unique and specific way. For the first station, I recommend the standing dumbbell curl. Begin the movement with the dumbbell heads pointing to your front and back, and rotate the dumbbells as you lift them so that the heads of the dumbbells are pointed to your left and right as you complete the movement.
The second station is the standing barbell curl. Select a light weight for this station because even the what may seem to be a light weight in the beginning, is going to feel very heavy after just a few repetitions. Make sure you keep your back from excessive rocking back and forth as this may cause injury or help you cheat on your lifts- two very bad things.
Finally, on your third set, move to a bench and perform seated dumbbell curls. Keep the dumbbell heads pointed parallel to your body, i.e. the heads should point over your shoulder at the end of the movement. Do not rotate the dumbbells while doing these curls.
When you have completed 4-6 rotations, it is time to move on to a burnout station. For the biceps, I recommend burning out with incline-curls. These will add significant size to your arms, in a relatively short time. Incline-curls are very similar to the last station in the rotation, except they are performed while on an incline bench. These are great to finish a bicep routine because they simultaneously stretch and flex the biceps muscles. Incline-curls are very effective at adding size to the biceps, and they are most effective at the end of a workout, when your muscles are torn because they double as a stretching routine. You can lift both dumbbells at the same time, or one after another. If you lift them at the same time, this workout offers a good stretch for your chest.
Develop a Muscular Body in 2 Months
You can develop a muscular body in a matter of a few months. The majority of people will spend at least a few years until they see even the slightest muscle gain because they jump in completely blind, not knowing what to do, or how to do it. Here's how to avoid waiting years to see results, and instead experience muscle gain results in a few months.
1. Lifting weights. Obviously you have to be lifting weights to develop your muscle. Now there is a right way, and a wrong way to lift weights. Most people, myself included, have floundered around for years lifting the wrong way with very little results to show for it. It's very easy to get confused and frustrated, thinking that just because your lifting weights, you should be gaining muscle. The only way you'll gain a substantial amount of muscle by lifting weights is by doing it correctly. This means not only performing the exercises properly, but also performing the right amount of sets and reps, while only training each body part once a week. If you over train, and perform too many sets or train the same body part 3 times a week, then all your efforts will be wasted and your body will not respond by developing muscle.
2. Eating. This is highly overlooked by individuals wanting to gain muscle quickly. You have to eat in order for your body to grow. And just like lifting weights, you have to eat correctly. If your protein intake is not high enough, then all your efforts in the gym will essentially be wasted as your body won't build muscle. And if you overeat you'll develop too much fat along with muscle. So again, it's very important to learn how to eat for muscle gain to occur quickly.
You can begin to see why so many people fail at building muscle, or else it takes them years to finally get it right. The truth is if they ''got it right'' from the beginning, then they could have seen great, solid muscle gains in a matter of 2-3 months. Step number 3 shows how to get those 2-3 month muscle gain results.
3. For the quickest muscle gaining results you have to follow a proven program, and follow it exactly as it's laid out. I can't go through all the specifics for proper muscle gain in 2-3 months in this article due to length, but that's why there are specific muscle gaining programs that people have developed which show you exactly how to cut to the chase and start building.
It really is the fast track to quick muscle gain: follow a program exactly for 2-3 months doing everything it says. Lifting when you are supposed to lift, at the right intensity, doing the right exercises, performing the right amount of reps and so forth. Then eat exactly what it says to eat, at the proper times throughout the day, getting in the proper amount of protein suggested. These programs were developed to shave off years of frustration, and pack everything into a few months where solid gains can be achieved. If you want to cut to the chase, start lifting and eating right, and thus experiencing serious gains in a few months, then it's best to get on a muscle building program and follow it exactly as recommended.