Best Chest Exercises for Every Part of Your Chest

Is your chest lagging in a certain area? Here’s a list of exercises to help fill in that area of your chest…

Incline Bench or Dumbbell Press: (Upper Pectorals) Bench press at an angle of 30-45 degrees above the horizontal plain. Grip should be slightly wider than that of a regular bench press. Bar or dumbbells should touch the top of the chest before going back up.

Decline Bench or Dumbbell Press: (Lower Pectorals) Bench press at an angle of 30-45 degrees below the horizontal plain. Bar or dumbbell should touch right below the chest.

Dips: (Lower Pectorals) Parallel dip bars should be grasped firmly with palms facing down. Push body up until arms are straight next to the body. Dips can be done hanging or by machine depending on desired difficulty. Machines are used for assisted dips to help those who are not able to dip-press their own wait.

Flat-bench Dumbbell Flies: (Outer Pectorals) Holding a dumbbell in each hand vertically, there should be a slight bend at the elbows. Each dumbbell should be lowered with a slight bend in the elbow. Dumbbells should not reach behind the axis of the shoulders. Weight should be lifted back to the start position in a smooth manner.

Machine Chest Press: This exercise works your overall chest like a Barbell Bench Press. But the cool thing about this exercise is that it’s super easy to do drop sets on.

You can start with a heavy weight on the machine. Do as many reps as you can. Then keep moving the pin down to the next lower weight. Keep doing this until you’ve gone through the whole stack (or until you’re able to knock out 30 reps without stopping).

If you want all of these exercises put into a workout plan, I’ve whipped up a chest workout for you using the exercises mentioned above.

You won’t need to change up your entire routine. Just add this workout in once a week where you can fit it in. Shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes to complete.

It will help you make faster gains on every part of your chest.

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What Is The Best Time Of Day To Workout?

Finding time to exercise can be challenging, and the most important thing is to squeeze in any amount of it whenever you can. But if you want to optimize your workouts to get the widest range of benefits, you might want to try exercising in the morning.

I remember a time when I was training with this very odd body builder who would only train at 5:00 A.M. in the morning. I would get up around 4:00, have a quick breakfast and head out to the gym for 4:45 A.M. For some reason, I simply could not get into the training, no matter how hard I tried. I was flat, weak, and unmotivated.

Afterwards, all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. However, I had no choice but to get myself together and head off to work. Those were a couple of hard months. I'd show up to work like a complete zombie.

After about my second month of this, I couldn't do it anymore. I was getting weaker. I had to tell my buddy that I couldn't do it.

I soon started training at my regular time of 6:00 P.M. It was a little weird at first but after a week I felt fuller, more pumped, and a lot stronger. What was going on here? After thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that when I was training early in the morning, I had no fuel in my body at all. I was very low on protein and fat and couldn't get anything going at all.

I was basically running on a very low supply of nutrients. Also, my body was still in a weakened state from sleeping.

However, when I started training at 6:00 in the evening, I had at least 4 meals in my body with a lot of super nutrients and I was alert and well rested. My body was primed for heavy lifting because I was also thinking about the gym all day long.

Today, I'm very much in tune to what my body prefers in terms of training times. My most productive training time is 3:30 P.M. After 10 years of trial and error I've found my optimal workout time. Why 3:30 P.M.? Well, at this time, I've had 3 meals already and my body is full with nutrients. Also, my last meal was at about 12:30 which gives me plenty of time to digest the meal.

I'm usually finished my training about 4:30 in which I'll have my protein drink. Afterwards, I'll go home and prepare my dinner for 6:00 P.M. This fits my schedule to a tee.

Alright, what about you the reader, who is interested in finding out what the best time to workout is? This is what I've found. If you ‘re going to be lifting some really heavy weight, I would suggest you try and workout out in the afternoon.

I know some of you can't due to your daily schedules but if at all possible, aim for the afternoon. Training with heavy weights in the morning is very difficult to do and I find you are more susceptible to injury at this time.

However, if you are using very light weight and are trying to lose weight, this is probably your best time to train. I've found that doing aerobics and light weight training at this time is best for losing weight. Studies have also shown it is the optimal time to do your aerobics training to lose fat.

What is the best time to weight train for strength and building muscle? I personally think that the best time to do your heavy lifting is in the mid afternoon. I think at this time, you have about 3 meals in your body, fully digested and you are a little more alert at this time.

You will come into the gym a little fuller and tighter. I think if you go in at around 7 or 8 P.M. or any time after that, you're going to be a little drained and too tired to do an effective workout.

However, if you have no other choice but to workout after 7 P.M. try and get a 5 minute nap 1 hour before your workout. This will pick you up.

Of course, this is one guy's opinion but I think all of us have an optimal workout time and you will have to experiment a little to find out what works best for you.

Try and rearrange your workout schedules to fit your schedule that will produce the optimal results.

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Best Arnold Chest Tips?

Stretching the tape at an incredible 58″, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chest had it all: size, shape, balance and definition. When he hit a side chest pose, his pecs arched so high that a glass of water could rest atop them.

The chest is made up of the pectoral muscles.

The pectoral muscles are shaped like a fan and spread out to cover the rib cage like the plates of an armor.

The pectorals are made up of the:
    Clavicular, i.e. the upper portion
    Sternal, i.e. the lower portion

The basic function of the pectorals involves pulling the arm and shoulder across the front of the body.

The factors that contribute to the appearance of a fully developed chest are:

• An expansive rib cage
• Thick pectoral development
• Development of inside, outside, upper, and lower areas
• Prominent striations when flexing
• A clear separation between lower and upper portions
• A square look which is achieved by proper upper pectoral development. Lack of upper pec development leads to an appearance in which the chest seems to be hanging down
• Development to the point where the pecs don’t disappear when you lift your arms over your head

Consider these world-class bodybuilders who had varying genetic gifts in terms of chest development.

• Sergio Oliva is noted for only doing one exercise for the chest: bench press. Oliva had a chest that would rise out like a loaf of bread.
• Reg Park had a naturally expansive rib cage which added to the impressive appearance of his pectorals.
• John Grimek also had a rib cage that amplified his pectoral appearance.
• Franco Columbu was noted for having insane separation between his lower and upper pecs.

When Arnold has won his 4th Mr. Olympia in 1973, he realized that his lower chest got too big and it’s out of proportion with the upper chest. This was the routine that he used from 1968 to 1973.

He decided to make changes in his workout and prioritize upper pectoral training. He removed weighted dips, because his lower pecs were already huge and they still had enough work from flat bench presses. And he started his workouts with incline benches, to improve his upper pecs. Plus he added cable cross-overs for additional striations and detail for his pectorals. This is the routine he came up with.

So the first routine could be used by everyone who needs more overall mass and thickness. It’s very easy to test if you have enough mass – just lift your arms and do a double biceps pose in front of the mirror. If your chest “disappears” (which is very common), better stick with the first routine until you will see significant improvements. If your chest still looks good in that pose, start using second routine. Oh, and please, keep the set number much lower! 3-4 sets per exercise, or else you are going to over-train and stall.

Of course you can add some variety to the routine by using Smith-machine bench presses and dumbbell bench presses. And sometimes do pullovers with a EZ-barbell. That will keep you motivated.

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Best 7 best pre-workout foods

Confused about what to eat before hitting the gym? Experts tell Lisa Antao the ideal foods
We live in an age where people take working out at the gym very seriously but in numerous cases, they head to their gym on an empty stomach either because they have succumbed to the notion that one shouldn’t eat before a workout or simply because they don’t know what to eat. But this doesn’t mean that you chow down heartily before your workout either. The key is to follow a middle path i.e. eating right at the right time.

Fitness expert Namrata Purohit explains, “Exercising with a full stomach is not ideal therefore eating at the right time is important. Even an empty stomach can distract a person during workout. The major source of fuel for the body is carbohydrate therefore it is ideal to have something rich in carbohydrates. Therefore, one must have easily digestible carbohydrates that can help prevent the hunger during exercise and give you energy.”

Here’s a list of foods that are considered ideal to eat before a workout: 

1. Bananas

Bananas are the best pre workout food and listed top.

If you want to train for longer and want to improve performance, include banana in your meal.

Banana act as a perfect fuel and provide essential nutrients. It provides easily digestible carbs, so it keeps your energy level high through the workout.

You can eat 30 minutes before exercise and also for the morning workout.

2. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is the best pre-workout food. It can be included in your diet if wish to exercise early in the morning.

While you got for morning walk or exercise, take a small serving of oatmeal before 30 minutes.

Oatmeal contains a good amount of carbs. These carbs provide continuous energy in the bloodstream. So you stay energetic throughout your workout.

To improve it tastes and nutrition, add some fruits in it.

3. Whole-grain cereals or bread

Whole-grain cereals or bread is a good source of carbs, so it provides energy during the workout.


Bread can be rolled with fish, egg, vegetable or peanut butter are the good combination for pre-workout food.

4. Fruit juice or smoothies

Fruit smoothies or juice are packed with high carbohydrates and protein.

Protein is not easily digested. But you can gain benefits by it fast energy releasing carbs.

So include fruits in your diet. It also provides various vitamins and minerals for proper body function.

Also, it fulfills water requirement of the body.

5. Energy bars

Due to today sports requirement, energy bars are widely available. An energy bar is good pre workout food.

You can eat energy bars that provide a good amount of carbohydrate. It also provides essential nutrients.

6. Eggs, fish or chicken

These foods should be included in our pre-workout food.

They provide essential fatty acids like omega 3 and omega 6. It provides energy and protein to improve our performance.

7. Sports drink and water

If we didn’t concentrate on our fluid intake then eating a healthy diet are of no use.

Water is most important and plays an important role in our pre-workout food. It helps to stay hydrated throughout our workout. It maintains our body temperature during a rigorous workout. And no food can get easily digested if water is not available.

Sports drinks act as a quick supplier of energy. In a research, it has been proved that sports drinks improve the capacity of an athlete during training or event.

Always eat before 2-3 hours of any workout. You can eat a banana or a very less diet before 30 min of morning or workout.

Never eat a large serving of foods. It will make you sluggish and reduce your mood to exercise. Eat and drink in limited quantity as required by the body. Do not overeat.

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4 Minute Miracle to Burn Fat and Better Health

Has it been very long since you hit the gym?

Have you no time for yourself or to exercise for a few hours every day in your busy routine?

How long has it been since you went out for a walk or a jog early in the morning?

How long has it been since you stretched your muscles enough and realized the need for exercise in your day-to-day activities?

If you can’t recollect when was the last time you engaged in physical activity, this article is for you!

A majority of us don’t get any exercise every day mostly due to the time constraints in our busy, modern lives.

We wake up in the tabata intensity interval training for weight lossmorning hurriedly to the sound of our alarms, have a quick shower, and eat a quick breakfast unmindful of the need to eat peacefully for the body to digest any food.

We rush to college or our work places, again in a hurry, and spend our day in highly-stressful environments.

We get back late from work, sit in front of the television watching soaps or movies till it is time for bed. We become lazy, lethargic, couch-potatoes who don’t have time for exercise.

We do not realize that exercise is a highly needed activity for our existence.

What if we told you that there is an exercise regime that is only four-minutes long that can make you feel like you have had a proper, long-drawn workout?

You lose the same amount of calories, and your body gets the same amount of exercise, but all in the quickest possible time of only four minutes.

Most of us can spare five minutes in a day for the sake of having healthy bodies.

Here’s the new Fitness Mantra – Tabata. Tabata is a high-intensity training workout regime that was initially developed for the training of the Japanese Olympians in the 1980s.

It was founded by Professor Izumi Tabata, based on whose name the fitness routine is called. One bout of exercise which spans four minutes is called ‘one Tabata’.

Touted as one of the hardest exercises ever discovered in the world,

Tabata involves picking up any activity that you are comfortable doing – be it running, skipping rope, jumping, jogging or any other form of intensive activity.

Once you pick up one particular activity, all you have to do is do the activity with all the intensity possible for twenty seconds.

After twenty seconds, give your body a rest of ten seconds to regain energy. Once this is done, start again. The starting, pausing and resting routine should continue for seven times respectively for you to finish a four minute long Tabata routine.

When we say go at maximum intensity, we mean that you should put your body and soul into it during the twenty-second long routine. At the end of one Tabata round, you should feel nauseous, short of breath and transported into some other world.

Many people who have taken the Tabata exercise feel that they are almost going to die after finishing one Tabata round.

That’s when you know you are doing Tabata right.

For the very small amount of time it requires, and the immense benefits it gives your body, Tabata is often also called as The Four-Minute Miracle.

Many people would think that one must be insane to put your body through so much exertion and intense activity, but you will realize sooner or later that it is one of the best and the least time-consuming ways to achieve good health and activity.

It is becoming so popular that, in contemporary times not only are athletes employing Tabata in their fitness regime, even ordinary people who are conscious of their exercise routines try their hand at Tabata.

Studies have shown that one round of Tabata can increase your aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity rests your rate of metabolism and can thus help you burn much more fat than a normal, conventional hour-long aerobic workout can.

One four-minute session of Tabata is equal to an hour of jogging, an hour of moderate cycling, two hours of walking, an hour of Zumba or two hours of Yoga. How exciting does this now sound?

The goal in a Tabata exercise is that you should increase your heart rate to its maximum capacity during the routine. It is almost synonymous to four minutes of pain if you do as mentioned.

The concept of high-intensity training is not a novel one. It has been around for years now but has been highly limited to the field of athletics.

In recent years, Professor Tabata has marketed and advertised it enough around the world and the exercise has gained a lot of popularity among health-freaks.

Packaged in a way that no person can deny its benefits, it is also, strangely so, being promoted by the film company Universal Studios.
How Much to do Tabata?

Many people often wonder about how much Tabata can one person include in his or her daily exercise routine.

Since the level of intensity is too high, most people worry about its inclusion. The changes that you will notice in your body after a regular

Tabata routine is what will make you do Tabata again. Experts suggest that adding two rounds of Tabata every week to your normal exercise routine is the best and most effective amount of Tabata you can get.

Though initially extremely fatiguing, continuing it for over a substantial period, you can get over your fears about Tabata.

Not only does it keep your body fit, but just two rounds of Tabata in a week are sufficient to also help you in your weight loss programme. Your body can turn into a fat-burning engine.

When you create an oxygen debt which is characterized by heavy panting, your body instantly burns off all the blood sugar it has.

Due to this, your body needs something instantly to replace that loss of energy. The body does this and compensates for it by burning all the fat in your body.
Here are a few tips that will help you in your Tabata routine:

1. Choose a simple exercise

While doing a Tabata round, be careful about your choice of exercise. Do not choose any exercise that you have not done substantially before.

You need to choose some form of activity that you are highly comfortable doing.

If you don’t, you will end up ruining the regime as you will take a longer time to get accustomed to the new activity.

Many people often pick up sprinting on a treadmill, as it is both simple and easy-to-follow.
2. Get a good timer

Another simple requirement that you need to keep in mind is that you need a good quality timer to time yourself on your routine.

Since the routine is really of a short span of time, your measurements must be highly accurate and precise.

Set the timer up for all the seven rounds of Tabata, instead of trying to readjust it during the ten seconds interval.
3. Accompany it with a catchy tune

Come up with a line from any of your favourite song or use an ad jingle or anything catchy to accompany your Tabata routine.

Having a piece of music and humming it along also takes away your attention from the fatigue. It keeps you grounded and motivated.
4. Brace yourself mentally

To be able to do a Tabata routine completely, you have to be mentally prepared.

You have to tell yourself time and again that you have it in you to complete the round. There should be lots of energy and the air must resound with all good vibes.
5. Be careful

A Tabata routine is very demanding and is of high intensity. Some people are known to suffer from strokes during the sessions.

As a precaution, ensure that you think about your endurance and performance levels before you commit yourself to a Tabata routine.

In case you have a history of high blood pressure or cardiovascular problems, ensure that you consult a doctor before getting into the routine.

Pregnant women must also fix an appointment with their gynaecologists before adopting this exercise.

On the other hand, if you have always had a history of good health and can take this amount of activity, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t do Tabata.
6. Tabata at any age!

People of all ages can get into a Tabata routine. Age is no bar. Young adults to old men and women, everybody, can shake a leg at Tabata.
7. Warm up before

Before you begin the highly-demanding Tabata routine, make sure that you stretch body using performing warm-up exercises for at least ten minutes before you do the actual routine.

It loosens the muscles in your body and gets you into the groove for performing Tabata.
8. Always have a coach

Never get into a Tabata routine, or any exercise routine, for that matter, without expert guidance.

You might be doing things wrongly, without realizing and hence harming your body, instead of benefitting from it.

A good coach will guide you through your mistakes and will ease you into the routine, clarify any doubts that you might have and rectify things that you might have been doing wrongly.
9. Go slow

Since Tabata routines are high-intensity ones, you need to ease yourself into the process, instead of rushing into it. Just because it is beneficial, you cannot do it day in and day out.

Consider the possibility of how many times a week you might be able to do it based on your individual requirements and measurements.

Start it by doing once a week and gradually increase the number of times you do it in a week.

Even when you are in the routine, increase your speed gradually, instead of doing all at once and confusing your body. Also, give yourself time to recover between two rounds.

At least, provide your body with one day of rest between two rounds once you start increasing the frequency of the rounds. Your body does need time to recuperate.

Some experts feel that one must consider the pros and cons of a Tabata routine before getting completely involved in it.

They opine that one must not engage in a Tabata routine unless one is fit enough. It is not that you should do a Tabata round to get fit, but you must do it ONLY if you are fit.

Many also espouse that the effects of the Tabata routine are short-lived. All the benefits that one gets using doing Tabata last only for two-to-three weeks after you get into the regime.

There has been no proof to show that they last any longer. Some also feel that instead of being beneficial to your body, the very demanding Tabata routine can work the other way round and end up injuring your body.


Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Many fitness experts consider the possibility of a Tabata routine leading to the development of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, often called DOMS.

Many people can barely walk after a straining episode of Tabata. They also experience immense pain, which increases as and when days pass.

Every muscle in the body becomes stiff and hampers bodily movement. Once this happen, you might get sick and not be able to follow your routine normally.

So, take into consideration all the possible side-effects before getting into the routine.

Given all the immense positive and negative aspects that a Tabata routine in your life can bring, it is you who have to weigh them all and take a decision.

Choose any exercise, but do it with proper care and under correct guidance to ensure that you are not performing it wrongly.

If you decide to go ahead with a Tabata routine, follow the golden rule

1. Ten minutes of warm up
2. Eight bouts of twenty seconds exercise
3. Add seven intervals of rest in between of ten seconds each
4. Two minutes of cooling down.
5. Do no more than 3 HIIT in a week

source :  https://wiki-fitness.com

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Best Tips To Get Ripped V Shape Body-Secrets Reveled

While I spend most of my time educating people about sustainable approaches to getting a lean, strong, healthy physique, I do have an interest in the extreme of body transformation, or how to get ripped.

There is a massive amount of confusion about how to get a ripped physique. It’s not about a specific exercise program, or diet as many would have you believe, and it’s not magic.

I wanted to create this guide for you as an honest, no B.S. resource so you can understand the key elements to help you achieve a ripped, cut physique.

How Ripped is Ripped?

The term ripped is used to describe a very low body fat level relative to one’s bodyweight, which creates an appearance of clearly visible striations of muscle and separation between muscles.

What is the body fat level you need to get ripped?

In my opinion, anything under 7% body fat for a man is ripped. For more information on body fat percentages, check out Body Fat Percentage Chart: How Lean Should You Be?

Are You Sure You Want to Get Ripped?

When I present the information you are about to learn to a client interested in getting ripped, that initial interest usually subsides. Getting ripped is an extreme pursuit that requires extreme focus and dedication. There is no way around it. In addition, getting too ripped comes with health concerns. I’ve achieved around 3.5% body fat once in my life, and while I was very happy with how my body looked, my face was extremely gaunt and it looked like I was starving to death. I’m taking a wild guess that wasn’t very healthy.

So not only does getting ripped take a ridiculous amount of effort and discipline, but the extreme is that it may not be healthy either. For me, I can maintain 6-7% body fat while feeling great and looking healthy, but it’s still walking a tight rope.

Finally, the whole idea of an extreme physique opens up a can of worms regarding body image. I’ve gotten ripped as a hobby, out of curiosity, and I really like the look, but I hope you don’t feel any more, or less of a man if you do, or do not achieve a ripped physique.

Diet plays important to gain a muscle and to lose excess fats. While exercises tones the body and build V shaped body.
Healthy Eating for V-Shape Body

Healthy eating is the most important part of weight loss and to develop muscle. It constitutes 80% of our program.

Without healthy eating it is next to impossible to achieve a perfect body.

It is most important to take care of what we eat! How we eat!

Workout will increase the metabolism and will tone the muscle to a great extent, but weight will not drop to a significant level if you don’t follow a good diet.

Healthy eating provides all nutrients for proper development of the body. It provides us with efficient energy to do the work and live the life fully.

” A good diet is the perfect solution to lose weight fast. A proper diet to eat to lose weight and gain V shape body.

1. Take 5 meals small meals of equal proportions.
2. Include Fruits, vegetables in diet as daily serving in food. Fruits juice early in the morning is beneficial to health and it promotes quick loss of fats.
3. Include proteins in your every meal.
4. Include fiber in the diet.
5. Avoid processed and fast foods.
6. Take watch on food i.e. Maintain a diary to keep record
7. Drink 2-3 liters of water every day or more as per requirement.

Workout for V Shape Body

Workout plays an important role in proper development of the shape of body.

Getting a perfect a V Shape body is easily with some basic exercise. It includes push-ups, lunges, crunches and running will be great exercise.


Being simple but provides all over body development.

1. Push-Ups

 

Push-ups is the easiest exercise. It is performed by athletes, models, actors, body builders.
It is considered as best exercise and recommended for everyone, anyone of any age.
It provides complete body workout. Their best benefit is that it can be performed anywhere and anytime.
It develops upper body and also lower body. It provides complete workout for arms, shoulder, back and abs.

2. Lunges

 

Lunges is the best strength training exercise that develops lower body.
It strengthens leg muscles and provides all over development of back and abs.
Steps to do lunges: –

1. Stand with right foot forward and left feet 3 feet back.
2. Bend the front knee and lower to floor till the back knee is few inch from the floor. And raise up without moving the foot. Do this 10 repetition’s on each side.
3. 10 repetition’s on both side complete 1 set.
4. 10 × 3 sets should be done.

3. Crunches

 

Crunches are crucial part of weight loss and to stay in shape.
Crunches tones abdominal muscles and also back muscles. It plays an important role in development of V shape body.
15 × 3 sets of crunches are the best option

4. Running

 

Running is the best cardio exercise that targets cardiovascular system. It benefits lungs, heart, and circulatory system. It improves metabolic system.
It also develops strength and improves lung capacity. It proves most beneficial to weight loss. It burns excess calorie and fats.
At the beginnings, run for 15-20 minutes beginning with warm-up and stretching.

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5 Classic Exercises to Build Up Your Biceps

If there’s one thing that draws people to weightlifting and maybe even bodybuilding as a whole – it’s getting bigger muscles to show off. Biceps are one of the top muscles that people want to have bulging and flexing at all times. It’s one of the main muscles that people can always see – so when you catch someone checking them out, you can wink and give a little nod of satisfaction.

To help you get those massive biceps that you crave or maybe just to help you make them a little bigger than they already are – here is our list of the top five exercises to boost bicep mass.

Preacher Curls

Preacher curls are a fantastic exercise to help boost the building of muscle mass in your biceps. This exercise isolates your biceps allowing for full range of motion without the additional involvement of your shoulder muscles – thus maximizing work done to your biceps.

Simply sit on a preacher bench and rest the back of your arms on the pad. Adjust the seat so that your armpits are in line with the top of the pad. Grab onto the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing outward – then start to curl.

Wide-Grip Barbell Curl

Grab a very wide grip on the bar, resembling an underhand snatch grip. When you lift the weight to its maximum height, you will notice that this type of grip works extra hard on the inside of your biceps and the point where the muscle connects with your shoulder. Make sure to hold off a little when you’re putting weight on the bar – lifting this way is much more difficult than doing a standard barbell curl, so keep some weight off there.

Incline Dumbbell Curl With Supination (Wrist Rotation)

Make sure to keep your hands choked all the way down on the dumbbell and your little fingers should be touching the bottom plate. When you do the lift, the dumbbells are going to attempt to rotate because that’s how the laws of physics work, but when you work against this you are stabilizing your muscle fiber in the biceps which isn’t a part of any other bicep exercise.

EZ Reverse Cable Curl

When you work out on a cable machine, you have the added benefit of tension provided by the cable station. This tension is awesome for growing your muscles, but when you add an EZ-curl attachment and reverse grip, it becomes impeccable. When you do your lifts, make sure that your elbows are down by your side – just picture them duct-taped there. If you let them hang loose, the intensity will scatter and you will be left with a less efficient workout. Switch between wide and narrow grips every set.

Concentration Curls

If you do this exercise while sitting, you will strongly prevent the amount of moment that goes into the execution of the exercise – one again isolating and emphasizing the bicep muscle (getting the point yet?).

While holding your upper arm stationary, curl the weight forward while contracting the biceps. Make sure only the forearms move. Continue this movement until the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Then slowly return to the original position.

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Build Massive Forearms with this Best Workout

OK, that might be a bit of a stretch - but there's an argument to be made that your forearms are the most underrated muscle group.

They are functional but also look the part too, making their development a vital part of any training programme.

Take Popeye, for instance. The guy was jacked, make no bones about that - but he was all forearms and no bicep.

He claimed to build them from just eating spinach, but we know there is probably more to it than that. So which exercises should feature in your forearm-building programme?

Here is the pick of the bunch:
Workout for Building Big Forearms

1. Pull-Ups (and dead hang pull-ups) – 3 Sets 15-12-10 Reps

Most commonly billed as a back exercise, pull-ups work a whole host of muscle groups in addition to your lats. Regularly performing pull-ups will also build your biceps and forearms.

Where your forearm comes into play is through grip strength. Failure on a pull-up is usually due to grip, rather than a specific muscle issue.

Strong forearms improve your pull-up performance, but they're also developed by performing pull-ups in the first place.

To increase the tension on your forearms, occasionally add dead hangs into your routine. These can be done by holding the bottom portion of the pull-up (as depicted above) for anywhere from 45 seconds to a few minutes.

Behind the Back Wrist Curls – 3 Sets 15-12-10 Reps

Since your forearms are a small muscles group, they will take relatively less time to recover from a working set as compared to your bis or tris. You should be able to complete your forearm workouts in 25-30 minutes.

Grab the barbell behind your back with an underhand grip. Maintain a full range of motion and curl up the barbell using your wrists. Let the barbell roll out to your fingertips at the bottom of the movement. Doing so will recruit all the muscle fibers in your forearms.

Superset
Reverse Grip Wrist Curls – 3 Sets 10 Reps
Wrist Curls – 3 Sets 10 Reps

The reverse grip wrist curls train the top of the forearms while the underhand grip wrist curls train the bottom of the forearm. Use a monkey grip while performing the reverse wrist curls to recruit higher muscle fibers.

Most people make the mistake of lifting too heavy weights in the wrist curls. Leave your ego out of the exercise and use weights you can lift with a full range of motion. You can perform both the superset exercise with your forearms placed on a flat bench or on your quads. Use the wrist curl machine if you have access to it at your gym.

Farmer’s Walk – 3 Sets Failure

You can do the farmer’s walk using dumbbells or a trap bar. In the farmer’s carry, you need to lift a couple of heavy dumbbells and walk around until you can’t hold onto the weights anymore.

The farmer’s carry is a great exercise to develop muscle mass and strength in your forearms. You can also perform the dumbbell or barbell holds to train your forearms. In these exercises, all you have to do is hold onto the bar for the longest time possible.

Wrist Roller – 3 Sets Failure

The wrist rollers look easier than they are. Maintaining a strict form throughout the exercise is an important factor in targeting your forearms. Extend your arms straight forward so they’re parallel to the floor while holding the wrist roller with both your hands.

Roll the weight plate up by rolling the bar towards yourself. While rolling down make sure you don’t let the weight drop by itself. Use a slow and controlled movement to lower the weight. Don’t let your arms lower down while performing the exercise.
Use Oversized Grips

One great way of targeting your forearms in every biceps exercise is to use oversized grips. Using oversized grips make it harder for you to hold onto the barbell or dumbbell and recruits your forearms into action.

If you don’t have oversized grips at your gym, you can wrap around towels around the bars to thicken the grip. If you have weak forearms, you can train them before you start your bi and tri workout as it will recruit your forearms in the arm exercises.

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Build Muscle Strength Fast

Strength has long been a point of comparison with others and a way of rating our physical prowess in the gym.

Remember: new exercise should always be undertaken with professional help, and you should consult a doctor before starting if you have any pre-existing medical issues.

With the advent of Sports Science and the continued research that is being done we now know more about how to gain muscle strength fast than we have ever done in the past. Ironically there is very little that has changed except the most important discovery, which was the proof that high intensity will get faster results than normal training.

We know that training for strength is the fastest way to build muscle or lose fat as well any other physical permanence like running faster or hitting harder. If strength is your primary objective then you need to start with the basics which are the big four compound movements that have proven themselves to work.

The ‘big four’ are the squats, deadlift, bench-press and shoulder press movements that we need to do at least twice a week. Training with a split routine is a good idea as it allows you to focus on specific body-parts and give the body-parts that you have trained sufficient time to rest and recover.

The bodybuilding community has a catch phrase which says “the barbell is king in any weight-room and the dumbbell is queen.” This means that you should forget about doing any fancy machine work if your objective is strength as you want to only use free weights.

You should NEVER train more than 45 minutes with high intensity and always concentrate on keeping you workouts short so that you can take full advantage of the hormone surges that this high intensity producers. This means only one main lift for every workout which means four lifts when you train the Big Four.

After first doing the main lift you should then do one or even two assistant lift to further strengthen the muscles that do most of the lifting for the main lift. It is a good idea to always rotate different rep ranges when you train for strength however the best for the fastest strength gains will come from doing sets with 5 reps.

Avoiding the dreaded plateau where you cannot lift a heavier weight anymore is something that you want to keep an eye on every time you train. This means making sure that you never go too heavy too early or for too long. Leave your ego at home when you are training and ONLY lift a maximum of 10% more weight in each workout.

You have to do cardio if you want to continue to get strong but ironically science has proven that doing too much cardio like running or cycling for hours at a time producers hormones that can actually break down muscle tissue. This means that you need to do hard bursts of cardio with a quick rest.

There are many variations of this but the best would be to select a steep hill that you can sprint up and then walk slowly down. When starting this type of training you should do less than you think you can do and rather increase by doing one more sprint the next time you do this.

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How to increase your deadlift without deadlifting?

How to increase your deadlift without deadlifting

If you are a weight trainer who is training with weights because you want to increase the amount of muscle that you carry then you will know that the only way you are going to get more muscle is to lift heavier weights. It might sound very obvious and very reasonable to assume the only way to get stronger is by lifting heavier weight with the same movements.

This might apply to all other movements but deadlift is an exception to this rule. There are two components to training the deadlift efficiently and the reason why you train using the deadlift itself. The first is strength and the second is power.

It all started back in 1968 when a strongman called Bill Starr smashed the world deadlift record without ever having done a deadlift before, which obviously caused havoc amongst the powerlifting community in those days. Bill explained that doing deadlift puts too much strain on your lower back.

He said that heavy deadlifts with 500-600 pounds fatigued the lower back and required longer recovery times. Not many people paid much attention to him. Powerlifters, as a whole, are still over training their deadlifts. Another world champ in the 1970's called Loren Betzer said the same.

He wrote an article "To Deadlift More, Don't Deadlift" where Betzer described himself as a conventional deadlifter. As with most conventional deadlifters, Betzer was blowing the weight off the floor only to have it stall out higher up. By dropping the deadlift from his training program, Betzer ended up putting 40 pounds on it in 5 months.

According to Starr, there were four exercises that carried over to the deadlift and they are power cleans, heavy shrugs, hi-pulls and good mornings. Power cleans and hi-pulls were used to build speed, as well as working the traps. Olympic style shrugs were also performed for development of the traps which are vital in finishing the top part of the deadlift.

But Starr said that the best of these are good mornings. Good mornings contributed the most to pulling strength, and he trained these with heavy poundage. Betzer on the other hand added 40 pounds to his deadlift in five months by breaking down his deadlift training into three areas:

The first is the blast-off, the knee area and the mid-thigh area. For the blast-off, Betzer found working the squat to be the best exercise. For the knee area, Betzer's exercise of choice was, again, good mornings. And finally, for the mid-thigh area, Betzer selected deadlifts off 6-inch blocks. Block deadlifts are essentially the same as rack deadlifts.

The bottom line is that the deadlift is not a skill lift. It simply overworks the lower back and as a result requires longer recovery periods between training sessions. In the July 1981 Powerlifting USA article, "The Biomechanics of Powerlifting", Dr Tom McLaughlin cautioned, "...whatever you do, DON'T OVER TRAIN THE LOWER BACK. These muscles fatigue faster than almost any other muscle group in the body and also take more time to recover."

Replace the deadlift for lower back training with good mornings. Good mornings strengthen the lower back muscles for deadlifting without over training them. All the great deadlifters like Starr, Betzer and Simmons all regard good mornings as the breakfast of champions for strength training the deadlift. 

source: http://www.strengthcats.com

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Want to burn fat and improve cardio?Here 's the solution

Unless you’re preparing for (or running) a race, it’s a question you might have found yourself asking, most likely during moments when you’re pounding away on a treadmill and thinking of the moment when your run will be over.

After all, you’re probably not wondering if cardio is “good” for you. Any type of exercise (such as cardio) is good for your heart, your mind, and for fighting the aging process.

But, you've got a goal in mind. You want to drop pounds, and you want to make sure that with your limited time you're going to see results.

The quick answer: yes, cardio will help you lose fat. But, that doesn’t mean it’s the right (or most efficient) option for you.

This routine is designed for beginner who wish to burn fat and improve their cardiovascular health. This is an 8 week plan, very realistic and easy. Before I get into the routine I would like to familiarize you with a scale of measurement known as RPE (rate of perceived exertion), this is a scale of exertion from 1 – 10 ( 1 indicating lowest exertion possible and 10 indicating maximum exertion possible).


Week 1: ( Do this 3 times a week)

1) 5 – 7 minutes warmup (RPE: 3)
2) 90 seconds jog (RPE: 6)
3) 90 seconds walk (RPE: 4)
4) Repeat step 2 & 3 for 15 – 20 minutes
5) Cool down: 5 mins ( RPE: 2-3)

Week 2: ( Do this 3 times a week)

1) 5 – 7 minutes warmup (RPE: 3)
2) 90 seconds jog (RPE: 6)
3) 90 seconds walk (RPE: 4)
4) 3 minutes jog (RPE: 6)
4) Repeat step 2,3 & 4 three more times.
5) Cool down: 5 mins ( RPE: 2-3)

Combine this routine with resistance training and a good diet for best results. Check back in 2 weeks for week 3 & 4 ;)

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Best Some Effective Back Exercises For Your Back

Sometimes you forget things: Where the remote is. Where you left your keys. Grandma’s birthday. (Put that one in your calendar already). At the gym, it’s often those pesky back exercises. While dudes do not neglect their backs as often as they do their legs—for shame—a well-developed less-visible side of the torso will go a long way towards making you look awesome in a tank top. Aesthetic benefits aside, a strong back also helps you sit straighter, stand taller, and perform better everywhere from the gym to, yes, the bedroom.

“Sitting at a desk all day forces the frontal body to tighten and shorten while the posterior chain becomes lengthened and weak,” says Alex Silver-Fagan, a master trainer at Nike. “When it comes to posture, having strong, engaged back muscles will be your savior.”

Since best back exercises expect you to utilize your arms for pulls and lines to actuate the muscles, working your back is additionally incredible for focusing on your arm muscles.

Use theses best back exercises curated for you to get the best results:

Band Bent-Over Row

Grab a low-obstruction band and set it out on the ground. Remain on the center of the band, snatching the two finishes in either hand with a pronated (overhand) hold, pivoting at the hips and marginally twisting your knees in an athletic position. Ensure that your back isn’t adjusted.

Crush your back to pull the band closes at the same time to your chest, or as close as the band permits. Take a breather at the highest point of the movement, at that point gradually come back to the first position, neutralizing the band’s obstruction.

Maverick Row

Image source: blogostyle.xyz

Grab a couple of light free weights and about as much space as you would need to perform pushups. Get in a board position with your feet spread wide, holding the hand weights with your palms confronting parallel to one another. Press your glutes and center to keep up a solid spinal arrangement, taking a gander at the floor in front of you.

Utilize your lats to push one of the hand weights to chest stature, at that point return the load to the ground, keeping whatever is left of your body adjusted in its position. Control the heap here and there the development — in the event that you need to bend your body and move your back to lift the free weights, drop down to a lower weight. Play out a pushup, keeping up spinal arrangement, and rehash the movement with the contrary arm.

You just need one hand weight to carry out the responsibility here. Spot it on the ground beside a seat as an afterthought you’re wanting to work. Mount the seat with your load on your contrary knee and hand, planting a similar side leg on the ground. Twist at the hips, and keep your back straight, getting the free weight with your work hand and enabling it to hang straight down from your shoulder. Draw the hand weight up to the side of your middle without turning your shoulders or losing your parity. Interruption for a check at the best before bringing down the load to the beginning position.

Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row

Sit on a grade seat with your chest forward, laying on the help. Get hand weights with an unbiased grasp, keeping your chest solid and enabling your arms to hang. Crush your back to pull the loads to your hips, with your elbows twisted at 90-degree points. Press your shoulder bones for one to two seconds keeping up your position, at that point come back to the beginning stage.

Transformed Row

Place a bar at about hip tallness on a Smith machine or power rack. Lower yourself to the ground underneath the bar, getting it with an overhand hold with your hands situated straightforwardly over your shoulders. There ought to be some space underneath your back and the ground to hang suspended. You can completely expand your legs and lay your impact points on the ground for a test, or curve your knees and plant your feet on the ground for a less demanding rep.

Draw your shoulder bones back to begin the rep, at that point pull up with your arms to lift your chest to the bar. Keep your wrists stable and keep up a straight line in your spine, pressing your glutes. Contact your chest to the bar before fixing your arms to come back to the beginning position.

Twisted Around Dumbbell Alternating Row

Grab a couple of hand weights, pivot at your hips and knees, and lower your middle until it’s practically parallel to the floor. Your feet ought to be bear width separated, and your lower back ought to be normally curved; simply make a point to abstain from adjusting your lower back.

Give the free weights a chance to hang at a manageable distance from your shoulders with your palms confronting one another. Keeping your position, lift one hand weight to your side, stop at the highest point of the development, and gradually lower it. At that point rehash with your other arm.

Twisted around Barbell Rows

Grab the free weight with an overhand grasp, holding your hands simply more remote than shoulder width separated. Pivot at the hips and knees and lower your middle until it’s practically parallel to the floor. Keep your back normally angled, and try to abstain from adjusting. Draw the bar to your upper abs and press your shoulder bones toward one another. Delay, at that point, gradually bring down the bar back to the beginning position.

Twisted around Underhand Barbell Row 

Grab a free weight with an underhand grasp that is simply past shoulder width, and hold it at a careful distance. Lower your middle until it’s practically parallel to the floor, and twist at your hips and knees. Give the bar a chance to hang at a careful distance. Force the bar to your upper abs as you crush your shoulder bones together. Interruption, and gradually bring down the bar back to the beginning position.

 Situated Cable Row w/Pause

Attach a straight bar to a link station and position yourself with your feet propped. Snatch the bar utilizing an overhand, bear width hold, and sit upstanding. Force the bar to your upper abs. Respite for three seconds, at that point, gradually bring down your body back to the beginning position. Your middle ought to stay straight and still all through the development. Try not to lean forward and in reverse to play out the activity.

Therefore, strengthens your back with all the above best back exercises.

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What is the Importance of Exercise? /bodybuilding110

We all know that exercise is important in our daily lives, but we may not know why or what exercise can do for us.

It’s important to remember that we have evolved from nomadic ancestors who spent all their time moving around in search of food and shelter, travelling large distances on a daily basis. Our bodies are designed and have evolved to be regularly active.

In the same way that a sports car is designed to go fast, we are designed to move. If the sports car is taken out once a week for a 3 mile round trip through a town centre then it would probably develop engine problems fairly quickly.

Over time people too develop problems if they sit down all day at a desk or in front of the TV and minimise the amount of exercise they do.

One of the main reasons that people opt to do a form of exercise is in order to lose weight and exercise is one of the most effective ways to do this. If you’re BMI (Body Mass Index) is between 25 and 29 you are classed as overweight. If your BMI is above 30 then you are clinically classed as being obese. Your BMI calculates whether you are a healthy weight for your height. Ideally your BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9. By taking regular exercise you will be able to maintain your BMI, keeping it at an ideal figure.

There are of course many other reasons and many other benefits that make people exercise. Regular exercise helps to maintain your overall fitness and it can lower the risk of many life threatening conditions. People who undertake regular exercise are much more likely to live longer and enjoy a better quality of life. This is backed up by the recent studies that have been conducted which show that being physically unfit is just as dangerous as smoking when it comes to lowering life expectancy.

There are generally three different stages of exercise that people perform, which one you do depends on your overall fitness. These three forms are light, moderate and vigorous exercise. Some examples of light exercise include going for a walk or even doing housework. Moderate exercise however will leave you slightly more out of breath; it may involve going for a brisk walk or walking up a hill. With moderate exercise you should feel slightly worn out, unlike vigorous exercise, which will leave you feeling like you are pushing your body to its limit but in a way that causes you no harm. Some example of vigorous exercise includes jogging, cycling and weight training.

It is important to remember that when exercising your body has to adapt gradually; this is particularly true when it comes to your muscles and joints. Due to this you should always start slowly and build the intensity of your exercise sessions up.

When exercising you should ensure that you do it at your own pace and that you choose something that you enjoy as you are much more likely to stick at your exercise programme if it is something that you like. You should also avoid excessive exercise as exercising all day, everyday is likely to do you more harm than good; you need to give your body time to recover in between exercising.

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3 Supersets for Super-Sized Shoulders |

Overhead presses are generally seen as the best exercise for the shoulders, but they depend on your triceps, too. As you get stronger, it can be harder to lock out your elbows to finish the movement, and you may not be able to give the delts the stimulation they need to keep growing. The solution: Superset presses with upright rows.

Superset 1
Dumbbell Overhead Press

Hold dumbbells at shoulder level and stand with a straight back and staggered legs. Keeping your core tight, press the weights straight overhead, then lower.

Barbell  Upright Row

Hold a barbell in front of your thighs with hands just outside shoulder width. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and row the bar upward until your elbows are bent 90 degrees. Keep your elbows in line with your wrists at the top.

Recommended Rep Range: 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets

Superset 2
Seated Shoulder Press

Set on a bench with it angled 90 degrees. Hold a pair of dumbbells, one in each hand. Raise the weights to either side of your head, resting on your shoulders. Press upwards, straightening your elbows. Ensure you keep a slight bend at the top of the movement and prevent locking out to avoid injury. Slowly lower the weights back down to the starting bottom and repeat the movement.

Front Raises

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a pair of dumbbells (or a barbell) in each hand. Ensure your palms are facing towards your body. Keeping your elbows straight, raise the weight(s) out in front of you, until they are parallel to the floor. At this point, stop, slowly lower them to the floor and repeat. Ensure you do not swing or use momentum to maximise muscle time under tension.

Recommended Rep Range: 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets

Superset 3
Face Pulls

Set up a cable with a rope attachment so that it is in line with your head. Hold each end of the rope and take a couple of steps back from the machine. In a controlled motion, pull the rope, parallel to the ground, towards your face. You should flare your elbows out in the process, bringing the rope all the way to your face. Pause, and return the rope to its starting position and repeat.

Standing Front Shrugs

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a barbell out in front
of you with a neutral grip. You can alternatively use a pair of dumbbells which should hand by your sides. Ensuring you do not roll your shoulders, slowly shrug them bringing your arms up and keeping them straight. Try to touch your shoulders with your ears. Slowly lower the weight back down and repeat.

Recommended Rep Range: 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets

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