5 Things To Avoid When You’re Training Chest Muscles

You want a chest that fills out your t-shirt. We get it. Join the club. But when your chest doesn't grow, things can get very frustrating.

You're not alone in this struggle, either. Everyone wants a physique that is athletic, strong and chiseled. In other words, a body that lifts well and looks even better. Unfortunately, achieving ‘that look’ only comes with hard work. There are no shortcuts.

Anyway, the chest – which mainly consists of the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor – is a notoriously difficult muscle to build. But it's not impossible, providing you follow our advice and avoid these silly mistakes.

Check out these five reasons why your chest isn’t troubling your shirt buttons.

Just Bench Pressing

 Another very common mistake which is made on chest day is solely doing pressing movements. This could be a barbell bench press, incline barbell bench press, dumbbell press etc. The point is all of these movements are pretty much identical and aren’t really ‘testing’ or giving your chest a proper all-round workout

Bench press is certainly an excellent exercise and there are many brilliant versions of it; however, they shouldn’t make up the entirety of your chest workout. If you’re lifting purely for strength, e.g. powerlifting, then you’re probably going to just be performing bench press – so it’s okay to not include isolation exercises. However, if you’re looking to build muscle mass then you should look at some other exercises

 For example, by isolating your chest with exercises such as dumbbell flys or cable crossover, then you will be hitting your chest from different angles, activating more muscle fibres and thus allowing yourself to build more muscle.

Neglecting Upper Chest

 In order to build a full, aesthetic chest muscle, you need to work your entire chest. To do this, you need to concentrate on the upper and lower portions of your chest

Simply put, you can put more emphasis on your upper chest by including incline movements into your chest routine. Likewise, to put more emphasis on your lower chest it would be beneficial to perform some decline work.

 It’s important to note that you cannot isolate your upper and lower chest like you can isolate whole muscles. The visible chest muscle is just one muscle, although you can develop different portions of it by doing different exercises.

 Remember, just by including a few incline exercises for a few workouts, it won’t magically give you an amazing upper chest. It’s important to keep at it for a long period of time and keep your body fat relatively low to see the progress you have made.

 Furthermore, if you are performing incline exercises (for example,) and you’re performing them later on in your workout, then you are never going to be able to hit them with as much intensity. Instead, you should switch up your routine by sometimes hitting incline first when you have the most energy. This way you prevent your upper chest lagging behind.

Overusing Machines

This is another common mistake which I see being made on a daily basis. For one reason or another, many lifters seem stuck to the machines in the gym. Don’t get me wrong, they have their uses, but they shouldn’t make up the majority of your workout. In fact, it should be quite the opposite.

I would stick to work with barbells and dumbbells, then implement in a one or two ‘machine’ movements such as a fly or hammer strength press.

 This way you are able to build up more of your stabiliser muscles – which are used when you lift free weights – but not when using a machine. Furthermore, you can hit your chest from different angles with free weights; however, machines are stuck in one arc, and one motion.

 One good use for machines is as a finisher, since you can easily do drop sets, or neurological overload sets, to completely fatigue your chest and totally finish it off. It’s easy to drop the weight and complete another set without faffing around taking weight off, or adding weight onto a bar.

You're Not Resting Enough

Come on guys, you know this, right? You know that your gains are made away from the gym, more often that not, fast asleep with a belly full of protein.

Without adequate R&R, your muscles will never grow. In fact, working out too hard and too often on the same body part could stunt muscle growth and actually break down tissue that you have already worked so hard on to build. #FFS.

We know it can be tempting to rock back up to the gym and hit the barbell the day after a heavy workout, but if you aren’t fully rested and your muscles haven’t totally recovered, you could fall victim to overtraining, which may result in sickness and even injury, delaying your gains even further. God loves a trier. But don't try too hard.

Constantly blitzing yourself in the gym without adequate rest will lead to overtraining and burnout. How to best avoid it? A good rule of thumb to follow: after a hard chest workout, wait at least 48 hours before training the same muscles again. Simple.

Form

The dreaded F-word. Form is important when it comes to any exercises or muscles.

Given how popular chest day is, many people forget to leave their ego at the door when they enter the gym and decide to try and lift as much weight as they possibly can.

On bench press for example, you should use a weight that you are comfortable with for your working sets, gradually increasing the weight for progressive overload. If you are only performing half reps or need a spotter to help you with most of them, then you should lighten the weight.

 Read up on how to perform each exercise properly – for example: bench press form – and get someone to critique your form. You will thank yourself for it later.

Jay Cutler once said ‘Work your muscles, not the weight’ This is very true, especially when it comes to training chest.

 You should concentrate on contracting your muscles rather than just moving the weight.
 

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8 Exercises to build massive legs

“Did you skip leg day, bro?” Well, you at least thought about it. We all have. But focus on the upper-mirror muscles alone and your spaghetti legs will not only attract some less than welcoming looks during your next workout, but it’ll also leave your single-digit body fat plans stuck in neutral. However, deploy the right below-the-belt moves and you’ll pump blood to your largest muscles, burning up the calories and toning your body from shoulders to calves. That’s right, the route to a six-pack is from below.

So which moves make leg day count the most? Below is PT Ollie Frost’s best lower-body moves that will guarantee maximum muscle growth in the least amount of time. RIP skinny jeans.

Overhead squat

Think you’re a true man? You will be after a few reps of this. An overhead squat will push the limits of your flexibility, stability, balance and strength while also highlighting any weaknesses in your erector spinae, adductors and rhomboids (your hips, essentially) that you may need to work on with the next exercise on this list.

Leg Press

 First, let’s talk about what many trainers hate about the leg press: It can cause lower-back injury when done incorrectly. And when guys load every last plate in the gym on the sled and try to half-ass a few reps out, with their lower back disengaging from the pad on every rep in part due to woefully inflexible hamstrings and glutes, that’s about as incorrect as you can get. It’s true that it’s one of the most abused exercises in the gym — probably because you can feel like a big shot and handle much more weight than you can on a squat — but used carefully, the leg press can be very beneficial. And just as important, it helps provide variety in what might otherwise be a very squat-centric leg program

Main Areas Targeted: Quadriceps (emphasized with feet lower on platform and closer together), glutes and hamstrings (emphasized with feet higher and wider on platform)

Step-Up

This is arguably one of the more functional exercises on this list. After all, you probably walk up stairs on a fairly regular basis, right? Being a unilateral exercise, it also means a stronger leg can’t compensate for a weaker one, with each leg taking its turn absorbing the full brunt of the motion.

Deadlift

Because you can’t beat the classics. Not only will this lower-body staple build significant size in your legs, but it'll also build a strong posterior chain that will help improve body posture and add inches to your height.

Walking Lunge

Lunges come in more varieties than Taylor Swift breakup songs. You can do stationary lunges in any direction — front, side, backward or any point in between — and have a damn fine exercise on your hands. But walking lunges ultimately made our list because a) they’re slightly more functional since you continually move forward instead of standing still and b) they provide an excellent finisher to any leg workout. No less than eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman used to take a loaded barbell outside and lunge through the Metroflex Gym parking lot in the Texas heat to cap his leg day, which with thighs as big as 36 inches around in his heyday was a sight to behold.

Hack Squat

While the barbell version of the hack squat — picking up a barbell placed behind you — is perfectly acceptable, especially for those training at home, the typical machine-based hack squat you find at most gyms is our choice here. That’s the one that’s plate-loaded and angles your body slightly backward. Within the confines of the machine, you’ll find a bit more safety than you would with the free-weight squat, which becomes more crucial as you tire during a workout. That means hacks are a great mid-workout option, serving as a bridge between squatting and other moves such as the leg press and lunge.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Did Bulgarian strength athletes really use this movement as a training cornerstone? The myths may not match the reality, but the name has stuck to what is, all in all, a pretty solid exercise. That is, if you tweak the common variation (shown here) as proposed by well-known Canadian strength coach Charles Poliquin. He contends that over-elevating the back leg — putting it on a flat bench or even higher — reduces the stability of the front leg, thus limiting your strength potential and putting you at risk for injury while also unnecessarily stressing the spine. His solution? The exercise that lands at No. 5 on our list, a split squat in which you elevate the back leg only 6 inches from the floor.


Barbell squat

How could we leave this one out? The barbell squat, the classic compound cornerstone of all leg moves hikes up your muscle-building T-levels through targeting your larger muscle fibres. To put it simply: any decent leg day deserves this move.

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Crush Your Core With This top Barbell Move - bodybuilding110

The belief was that abdominal training was not functional, nor a compound movement. Conventional wisdom in the CrossFit community, therefore, rendered abdominal work useless.
In the earliest editions of the CrossFit Journal, Greg Glassman was famous for saying squats were the best way to get strong abs.
Fast forward a few years to CrossFit as a mainstream fitness routine, and the taboo surrounding working your abs has mostly disappeared.
Don’t get me wrong, squats will make your core strong. But that answer isn’t what everyone is looking for.
If your goal is to train your abs more, or you’d like to do more core training to become a better athlete, this guide is for you.

To perform the series, you'll need a decline bench and a barbell. Don't just grab the nearest 45-pound bar handy, however; Samuel says that you'll need less weight than you might expect. "Even a 20 [pound bar] will slay most people if you’re really owning that hold position," he says, noting that he filmed the series using a 25-pound bar himself. If you struggle getting lighter weight up or don't have access to smaller barbells, just use your body weight and keep your hands directly over your shoulders throughout the series.

    Start in hold position with your torso parallel to ground, holding the barbell directly over your shoulders. Don't let the bar drift over your chest.
    Hold for 2 seconds.
    Perform 3 sit-up reps, flexing your back muscles to shoot the bar overhead.
    Return back to the hold position.
    Repeat the cycle twice more for 3 total clusters.

Samuel says that your abs get work from both the sit-ups and the bracing that comes during the hold position, which is another key function of your core. "The regular bracing in this will help you keep your sit-up form clean, reinforcing in your mind that your core must stay tight," he says. "We're also adding load to the equation to really carve depth and shape into our abs."

Add this burner to your workout as a core finisher by doing 3 total sets of the series, with about a minute between each set.

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6 Common Calf Training Mistakes Most Guys With Small Calves Make

If you go to the gym 3-5 times per week and pay close attention to what you eat then chances are you are very conscious of how you look and take a lot of pride in your physique.
I mean let’s be real, you aren’t going to the gym to socialize. Having said that, being around tons of in-shape people all the time can definitely get you feeling insecure.

One are in particularly that most guys struggle with is calves.
If you are like us, calves have always lagged other body parts. After a few years of training our calves still looked small relative to our quads, hamstrings and upper-body muscles.
What made matters worse is that there were guys who barely spent any time in the gym at all yet still had massive calves.
While calf frustration is well-documented the good news is you can definitely train around it.
If you aren’t getting the type of calves growth you want you are probably making one of several common errors.

#1. Not lifting heavy enough

This is by far the most common mistake people make when targeting their calves. Your calves have a lot of work on their hands all throughout your day – remember, they support your entire bodyweight during all physical activities, 24/7. So if you want to challenge these bad boys to grow, you will have to work with some heavier weight.

Failing to do so will prove as insufficient for stimulating hypertrophy and won’t cause significant growth. A good way to start is by performing seated calf raises – this is a highly effective exercises that gives you the opportunity to safely overload the muscles with heavy weight without placing undue stress on your back.

#2. Low volume

We’re not proposing that extremely high volume works best for hypertrophy in every case, but we can guarantee you that by lifting heavy for very few reps you’ll never get where you want to be, given the extended periods of work your calves are subjected to every single day. Your calves are very comfortable with low-intensity work with a short range of motion, so performing calf sessions in that manner won’t push them to grow. So instead of that, give them something they’re not accustomed to and feel free to perform your calf exercises with heavy weight for up to 30 reps per set. That being said, make sure to get a maximum range of motion on each rep and hold each stretch for one second and each contraction for two seconds. After you reach full-rep failure, perform another set of shorter, faster repetitions.

 #3. Lift Heavier

If you are only doing bodyweight exercises for calves you can kiss any potential gain goodbye.
Your calves are used to supporting your bodyweight so in order to get them to grow you will need to add a lot more weight.
Some people compensate by doing tons of reps and while this might give you a pump it’s not hypertrophy-range training and won’t lead to growth.
This is what makes the seated calf raise such an effective exercise.
You are able to overload the muscles with heavy weight, safely.

That way you can lift enough weight to overload the muscles without putting stress on your back.
Most good seated calf raise machines will elevate your feet so that you can drop the heels below parallel. This increased range of motion makes each rep far more effective.

#4. Contract the Muscle

This one should be obvious and applies to all muscle groups yet it never ceases to amaze us how many guys mess this up.
When you are training calves you really need to focus on contracting the muscle. It should feel like the calves are moving that weight!
Don’t rush through each rep – perform each positive and negative portion in a controlled manner. At the top of the exercise squeeze the calves to really emphasize them.
Remember – just because you are lifting heavy weights doesn’t mean you can simply drop the weight down during the negative portion of the lift!

#5. Add a Second Calves Day

While once per week might be sufficient for other muscle groups, your calves are used to getting a lot of work throughout your day to day life.
As a result, simply working them once per week might not be enough to stimulate them.
If you are like most guys you probably work your calves on leg day. While this is certainly one way to approach it, you have to keep in mind that your calves are already pre-exhausted from other exercises such as squats, leg extensions and leg curls. As a result you don’t have as much energy to really work the calves. Given that your calves can handle a lot of punishment why not add in a second calves day? This gives you an opportunity to work them after an unrelated muscle group such as back. The result is that you will be able to overload them more effectively and hopefully encourage more growth!

#6. Low testosterone levels

Are you keeping an eye on your T levels? Because if you’re not, that might prevent you from building the body of your dreams, as well as hindering your calves development. There are a number of things you can do to boost your testosterone levels naturally, and some of the best ways include adding more heavy compound movements to your routine, improving your diet by adding testosterone-enhancing food choices, and of course, taking a high quality testosterone boosting supplement. Elevating your T levels will have a great effect on your overall performance and gains, so don’t think twice about this one – even if your testosterone production is solid at the moment, it won’t hurt to stimulate it even further!

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Best Five Days Full Body Workout Program

When performing each exercise and move up a set, you will do more weight and less repetitions to build both size and strength. Adding more weight will help build the muscles and make them fuller.

Monday :

- This day focuses on targeting the chest and back muscles through the use of push and pulling mechanics.

Tuesday :

- On Tuesday you will work the leg and abs through compound movements to build larger size and fuller muscles.

Wednesday :

- Arms days are important on building size and strength through explosive moments and heavy weight.

Thursday :

- Rest day to prepare for weekend of heavy shoulders/back/chest/arms

Friday :

- It is important to target and focus upon the back and shoulder muscles twice a week as the back is a crucial body part to give you that fuller and bulk look.

Saturday :

- Saturdays are used to re-target the chest and legs through compound movements along with adding in workouts that help boost strength, endurance and stamina.

Sunday :

- Rest

This routine is split between 5 days and performed for 5 weeks, each week testing the limits to how much you are able to push yourself to reach new 1RM's. The main focus is upon bulking and lifting heavier weight for 3 to 4 sets while performing less repetitions with each set.

You can also set this routine to either a Day of the Week type of routine or Numerical Day based.

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8 Foods That Boost Libido And the 8 Foods That Kill It

If you’ve been feeling a bit too tired lately and have no desire for sex whatsoever, it’s very likely that your libido has taken a hit and needs to be boosted. In this article, we have compiled a list of foods you can add to your diet which will give a powerful boost to your libido and make you feel like a teenager again. Well, not exactly like a teenager, but you get our point! So, here are the 8 foods that will increase your sex drive and additional 8 that will reduce it:

Black raspberries

Black raspberries as well as the seeds in them will change your mindset and will instantly get you in the mood, which is why you should eat at least a handful every day in order to make you more creative underneath the sheets. They are rich in phytochemicals which increase both your libido and overall sexual endurance. Eat at least 10 per day or take a tablespoon of raspberry seeds a couple of hours before having sex.

Broccoli

You can eat them in any form, either raw, cooked or sautéed. Just add them to a salad or eat them on the side with your steak. Broccoli has a high content of vitamin C which improves the blood circulation to your organs and has been suggested to improve the libido in women. If you were already planning on adding a vegetable in your dinner, but wondering which one, when it comes to your libido, broccoli is your best choice.

Cloves

Similar to broccoli, this super-food can be cooked in many forms, like you can brew it in hot apple cider, add it your favorite delicacy or add in your tea. And always make sure that your partner drinks it too. It’s been a century-long medicament for male sexual issues in India. Recent research has confirmed this by concluding that clove extract significantly increased the libido of male lab rats. They can also be used as a way to get rid of foul mouth odor, which can help you in those early phases of the courting process too. In Mexican food, for example, you can add powdered cloves, as well as some cinnamon and cumin. This adds up to a delicious aphrodisiac.

 Dark Chocolate

Chocolate increases both serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain, making us happy and lowering our stress level—both "mood" boosters if you know what we mean. Another theory is that cocoa increases blood flow through the arteries and relaxes blood vessels—sending blood to all the right regions. Whatever the reason, chocolate is never a bad thing.

Peppers

The hotter they are, the better. Hot peppers increase your metabolism and stimulate endorphins, making you sweat, plumping your lips, and speeding up your heart rate. That gets the blood flowing to all the essential areas. The net result? Better sex and a more memorable finale. (If you're planning on handling habañeros, however, make sure that you wash your hands before getting near sensitive body parts.)

Giner

If you like your food like you like your lovers—sweet and spicy—you're in luck. Ginger is another food that can improve your sex life by aiding blood flow and improving artery health. According to a study in the International Journal of Cardiology, consuming a mere teaspoon of the stuff a few times a week is all you need to reap the heart-healthy benefits. So go ahead and place that second order of sushi this week—just don't leave the ginger on your plate.

Figs

If you want to become irresistible to your partner, there is this miraculous food that will make you a love-making machine. You guessed it, figs! Figs are known to be a powerful stimulant of fertility and can increase the release of pheromones. Try a handful before making love and witness their potential. Figs are also known to increase the testosterone production in men.

Saffron

Even though it’s a bit expensive, saffron is a great spice, both literally and figuratively for your belly and your sex life. Scientists have found out that saffron has the potential to improve your sexual performance. It is recommended that you soak the threads in a warm liquid for about 20 minutes and then add them in rice, barley or quinoa, or just add it in a stew or a soup.

The libido killers:

Processed Foods

Processing removes most of the nutrients in whole foods, including ones that are important to your desire for hanky panky. For example: When whole wheat is processed into white flour, it loses about three-quarters of its zinc, a mineral essential to men's sexuality and reproduction. Eating refined grains can lead to insulin resistance, the last stop before diabetes. Diabetes can in turn can accelerate narrowing of the arteries, increasing your risks of heart disease.

Diet Soda

Drinking soda on the reg is a terrible idea and, for a slew of other reasons we touch upon on this website, that goes for diet soda too. Artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame, directly affect your serotonin levels. Serotonin is a vital hormone in fostering a sense of well-being or happiness. Low serotonin, say researchers, is associated with lower libido in both men and women. Can't imagine giving up your favorite diet soda?

Shrimp

According to the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program, the average person is exposed to 10 to 13 different pesticides every day. Nine of the 10 most commonly used pesticides are “endocrine disruptors,” meaning they play with our male/female hormones. One of the most estrogenic is 4-hexyl resorcinol, which is applied to shrimp to prevent them from discoloration. Other seafood with high pesticide loads: tilapia, eel, and farmed salmon. While these are the kinds of foods you should buy organic no matter what.

But Especially Beer

What’s more manly than pounding a couple of frosty brewskis? Actually, quite a lot, once you consider that beer could be to blame for a lack of pep between the sheets. While all alcohol affects the liver’s ability to get rid of excess estrogen, phytoestrogens -- plant-derived estrogens that monkey with the fertility of the mammals that consume them -- are present in the hops used to make beer. What’s more, severe drinking can cause liver damage, and because the liver is largely responsible for metabolizing hormones, a less-than-efficient one can convert androgens into estrogens, resulting in a diminished sex drive.

Oysters

Oysters have often been lauded as powerful aphrodisiacs, but that is not the case at all. They do have a high content of zinc, a mineral essential to the creation of many hormones, but they can also be a very toxic and unhealthy food. Along with other shellfish, they can absorb various toxins and all kind of parasites found in the ocean, which in many cases outweighs the zinc benefits. That’s why you should avoid them and opt for some spinach to get a meal low in calories and high in zinc.

 Refined baked goods

Why, you ask? Because they are filled with sugar which literally kills your sex drive. Baked goods have saturated trans-fats which have a negative impact on our cells, along with the immune system. These treats loaded with sugar surround the body’s cells, preventing any essential food glucose from entering the cell, keeping it the bloodstream, thus increasing blood sugar levels and reducing the libido. The fats contained within also clog the ventricles, decreasing the oxygen supply to the sexual organs and preventing the spleen from creating a sufficient amount of leukocytes (white blood cells), which makes the formation of sperm and eggs difficult.

Dairy products

Those that are addicted to cream cheese or ice cream may need to reconsider their choices and substitute them with a lactose-free alternative every now and then. It’s been found that the lactic acid found in dairy products as well as the elements that destroy oxygen can really diminish the libido to extremely low levels, which means restricting dairy products to maximum 3 times a week. One shouldn’t neglect dairy’s most beneficial mineral: calcium.

It is tightly related to the cell’s health as well as your overall sexual health. Healthy cells increase the sensitivity for an improved circulation to the genitalia, which results in enhanced sexual pleasure. That’s why you need to drink more soy milk, eat leafy vegetables, sprouted beans, broccoli, cabbage, which are all rich in calcium.

Edamame

If date night regularly includes sushi, order your appetizer wisely! Another name for edamame is soybeans. And, well, 91 percent of soybeans are genetically engineered in the US, according to The Center for Food Safety. High levels of soy in a woman’s body can decrease sex hormones and disrupt her ovarian function, said a study in the Journal of Nutrition. And just a half serving of soy per day was enough to slash sperm count by 40 percent in healthy males, the Harvard School of Public Health found!

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Top 6 Exercises To Build Shoulder Muscles

The shoulders have a dramatic impact on the silhouette of the body. Strong, broad shoulders are universally respected as a symbol of power and authority. If your chest and arms are gigantic and your shoulders are under developed and narrow, you are still going to look weak. A lot of women’s clothes have shoulder pads built into them, and some men’s clothes too, so achieving broad, sleek shoulders can be beneficial to both sexes. 

Strong shoulders will help improve the form of other exercises involving the arms, such as bench presses and deadlifts. If you are a professional fighter, well-conditioned shoulder muscles will help you keep your stance together longer and avoid injury. A strong shoulder girdle, including the rotator cuff, will vastly improve the chances of avoiding weightlifting and other sports injuries.

1st build shoulder muscles exercise – shoulder press with smith machine

The smith machine is great to build shoulder muscles, especially for beginners as you can perform the movements with support. It is also a great way to isolate your shoulders and not using your back as support, because that will defeat the whole purpose of working on your shoulders.

The smith exercise to build shoulder muscles is also great when you want to increase your lifting weight as you can lift without worrying about collapsing.

2nd build shoulder muscles exercise – Standing shoulder press

The standing shoulder press is used by many bodybuilders to build shoulder muscles. You can either use a barbell or dumbbells. What is important to remember with this exercise to build shoulder muscles is to pull your abs all the way in and stand as straight as possible, because you want to avoid having a bending back and thereby avoid injuries.

When you increase your weight with this exercise to build shoulder muscles, it is possible that you can’t stand straight all the time. In this case I will recommend you to invest in a bodybuilding belt as it helps keep you standing straight.

3rd build shoulder muscles exercise – Sitting shoulder press

The sitting shoulder press is another great exercise to build shoulder muscles and the same techniques has to be used as with the standing shoulder press. What I sometimes do with this exercise to build shoulder muscles is to start out with the standing shoulder press and when lifting heavier weights, I choose to sit down and make use of the back support that is provided when using a bench.

4rd build shoulder muscles exercise – Military Press

Often referred to as a standing overhead press, this is a monstrous training exercise that can add great size and definition to your shoulders. Many trainers consider it to be one of the mandatory exercises for all serious weightlifters, in league with the squat and bench press.

Ideally you would set up your bar on a rack of some kind, but if you are able to clean the weight from the floor, more power to you. Starting with the weight resting on your upper chest press the bar upwards, directly in front of your face to the point just before your elbows lock.  While maintaining control, bring the weight back down to the chest. Do not use your legs at all during this exercise, or it will be a push press, which is still effective for building overall strength, but is a different exercise and utilizes leg drive as well.


BUILD SHOULDER MUSCLES WITH DEFINITIONS

4th build shoulder muscles exercise –Lateral raise

The lateral raise is great to build shoulder muscles and you can either choose to do it sitting down or standing up. When increasing the weight with the lateral raise exercise to build shoulder muscles you can choose to give yourself a push with your knees as a slight support.

5th build shoulder muscles exercise –Front raises

You can use this exercise to build shoulder muscles, either with the dumbbells or barbell. Keep Your back straight and with your arms a little less straight take the dumbbells or barbell up.

These 6 exercises to build shoulder muscles are great for making your shoulder and not to forget, your body stand out from the crowd. If performed correctly, the exercises to build shoulder muscles will do wonders for you.

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Post Workout nutrition: 4 Tricks to Keep Your Muscles Growing

To build muscle and look leaner, you'll need to choose between two post-workout paths: Follow the masses to a juice shop for a whey protein shake (that will only end up bloating your belly), or strike out on your own with the advice of top trainers to guide you. We think the right answer is obvious.

Luckily, this article will tell you exactly what to do make sure that your muscle growth does not become halted.

Trick #1: Use Water to Save the Day

You have just finished working your heart out and now you have sweated out all of the good nutrients you took in during the course of the day.
You need to consider drinking a glass of water immediately! Your body loses a lot of fluid when you workout intensely.
This is mainly lost through your sweat. Water consumption can help a great deal when recuperating from a hard session.

Trick #2: Carbohydrates Will Set You Straight!

You will also be lacking in energy resources by the time you are done exercising. It is recommended that you consume a carbohydrate at this time.
These help to provide tons of energy to you during this recovery time. A carbohydrate could be as simple as a piece of fruit.
Right after you are done with your routines you can grab an apple or orange to replenish yourself.
This will stop your body from possibly taking nutrients from other areas of your body which can hinder your muscle growth.
Remember these are not your enemies.

Trick #3: Don’t od on The Protein

Protein may be the golden child of the health industry, but that doesn’t mean your body treats it any differently than other nutrients. Just like with slow-digesting carbs and healthy fats, more protein is not always better. In fact, your body can only handle so much at a time: “Your body can only digest about 25-30 grams of protein max at one time. The rest will be wasted,” says Lippitt. Sorry folks, excess calories are excess calories — even if they come from protein. And, unfortunately, your body isn’t the only thing suffering from this common misconception. “Supplements with over 30 grams of protein are wasting your money,” he adds. So don’t be fooled by the sales language. Rely on protein powder that focuses on quality instead of quantity or get your protein naturally.

Trick #4: Massage Yourself

Get your head out of the gutter, folks. “Myofascial release, a type of muscle therapy that targets pain in soft tissue, helps break up the connective tissue to ease muscle soreness and restore range of motion. Try self massaging with a foam roller, lacrosse ball or rolling pin,” suggests Varano. In fact, several studies have linked massage to a wide range of benefits including improving your range of motion, lowering pain levels and even increasing circulation in combination with stretching and exercise regimes. In addition to massage, don’t underestimate the importance of treating your muscles to some TLC during off days. We suggest lengthening yoga routines, Pilates and even simple guided meditation.

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Dumbbell Moves You Need To Try | HIT EVERY MUSCLE - bodybuilding110

Dumbbells are the most accessible free weights so they’re the first most people tend to try, either in the gym or as part of a home workout. They’re also among the most versatile weights you can use, and even if you usually gravitate towards the barbell to tackle big lifts like the back squat, deadlift and bench press, there are plenty of reasons to make sure you also find time for dumbbell exercises.

“When using a barbell, your weaker side can get an easy ride,” says PT and Multipower ambassador Ant Nyman. “You can move the weight predominantly using your stronger side, meaning one side will always lag behind. Using dumbbells nullifies this problem because each side has to work individually, meaning you’ll develop strength and size evenly on both sides.

“The unstable nature of holding dumbbells also ensures that your stabiliser muscles have to work hard to keep you steady while you perform the movement. Without realising it you’ll be strengthening your core and other stabiliser muscles, which can help prevent injury.”

Dumbbell Exercise For Legs « Deficit Reverse Lunge »

set 1 : 15 reps

set 2 : 15 reps

set 3 : 15 reps

set 4 : 15 reps

Dumbbell Exercise For Legs « Deficit Reverse Lunge »

set 1 : 12 reps

set 2 : 10 reps

set 3 : 08 reps

Dumbbell Exercise For Biceps, Shoulders, Hips And Torso « Half-Kneeling Curl and Press »

set 1 : 12 reps

set 2 : 12 reps

set 3 : 12 reps

set 4 : 12 reps

Dumbbell Exercise For , Shoulders,  « Lateral raise »

 

set 1 : 12 reps

set 2 : 12 reps

set 3 : 12 reps

set 4 : 12 reps

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6 Back Workouts for bigger Mass

 If there’s one part of the body that you absolutely should be making sure to target with your workouts, it’s your back. While it’s tempting to focus on mirror muscles like your chest, biceps and abs, building a strong back is key to progressing when lifting weights, as well as increasing your resilience when it comes to sports-related injuries or the back niggles that plague our nation of deskbound workers. And even if your sole focus with your gym work is aesthetics, then you should know that building up your back is going to make you look absolute dynamite in a T-shirt.

To help you out on all those back, er, fronts, try these two six-move workouts for mass.

Conventional Deadlift

The best back workouts for mass center on the all-important deadlift, which allows you to train the lats and spinal erectors with huge loads, according to Kompf.

 Why it's on the list: This is technically more than a back exercise—it hits the entire posterior chain from your calves to your upper traps—but it's the absolute best for overall backside development. Technique is uber-important with the deadlift, but once you nail it, you can progress to lifting monster weights that will recruit maximum muscle, release muscle-building hormones, and help you get big.

There are also numerous deadlift progression programs you can follow to help you reach new personal bests. Physiologists love to prescribe the deadlift when programming for strength and conditioning because the exercise hammers your musculature and is one of the best choices to strengthen your bone structure.

 Stick with the conventional deadlift on back day; other variations, like the popular sumo-style, increase the activity of muscle groups other than the back

In your workout: If you're going heavy (sets of fewer than about 6 reps), do deadlifts first so you're fresh. If you're doing deads for repetitions, you can do them later in your workout.

Pullup

Chinups are great, but for back mass, pullups are better. They put more of the load on your wings by limiting how much your biceps can pitch in during each pull.

 Why it's on the list: It's always a good idea to have an overhead pulling movement in your back routine, and the pull-up is one of the best. Wide-grip pull-ups are excellent for putting emphasis on the upper lats. A closer grip may allow for a longer range of motion, but it may be possible to load the wide-grip pull-up to a greater degree because of an optimized starting joint position. The biggest challenge here for most trainers is training to failure in the right rep range for growth, which is 8-12

If you do pull-ups early in your workout, you might have to add a weighted belt. Of course, if you find them difficult, you can always use an assisted pull-up machine or a good spotter, or switch to the wide-grip pull-down, which is a solid substitute. If your shoulders are healthy, pulling behind the head is okay.

Good form is extremely important here. In the starting position, the scapula should be retracted—pull your shoulder blades down and toward each other—prior to initiating the pull.

In your workout: Because the pull-up range of motion is so long, several light reps make great warm-up moves for the shoulder joints. Since form is so important with these, it may be best to push pull-ups toward the front of your workout to ensure proper shoulder-joint positioning.


dumbbell row

Why It works each side of your back independently.

How Lie chest-down on an incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand. Row the weights up, leading with your elbows. Hold for a one-count at the top, then lower them slowly.

Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec

 Bent-Over Barbell Deadlift

Why it's on the list: This is probably the second-best back movement in terms of sheer weight you can lift. EMG research has suggested that hitting bent-over barbell rows will work the larger muscle groups of the upper and lower back equally, making this a great overall back builder.[2] Like the deadlift, this is another technical move that requires excellent form but rewards you with a ton of muscle.

In your workout: Do bent-over rows toward the start of your back workout for heavy sets in lower rep ranges, about 6-8 or 8-10. The Smith version is a suitable substitute; it locks you in the vertical plane, but your body has to be in just the right position relative to the bar. The bent-over barbell row has a significantly greater lumbar load than many other back exercises, so it's best done early in your workout in order to save your lower back.[2] If you're wrecked from deadlifts, it may behoove you to skip this movement.


Lat Pulldown

This variation of a pullup exercise takes core and glute strength (often limiting factors for pull-ups) largely out of the equation, making this exercise a great option for completely fatiguing the lats. Perform 3 to 4 reps of 8 to 10 reps.

Standing T-Bar Row

Why it's on the list: We selected the T-bar row over a chest-supported version because you can pile on much more weight here, even though that typically translates into a bit of cheating through the knees and hips. For some, maintaining a flat back can be challenging, in which case the supported version is a better choice.

These aren't squats, so keep your legs locked in a bent angle throughout. You also typically have a choice of hand positions and width. A wider grip will put more emphasis on the lats, while a neutral grip will better target the middle back (rhomboids, teres, and traps). This exercise is probably one of the easier rows to spot.

In your workout: Do this toward the front half of your workout. Rather than slinging weight around with this movement, really focus on the stretch and contraction of the back. If you're an experienced lifter, load up with 25s instead of the 45s, and further increase range of motion by allowing a slight protraction of the scapula at the bottom of every rep. If you do this, be sure to "reset" with a flat back before initiating the next pull.

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Basic Rules For Building Monster Strength

How Do You Actually Build Muscle?

Before we discuss the nuts and bolts of how to build muscle, we need to run through the basics on muscle physiology so that we’re all on the same page.
When someone lifts weights, they create trauma within the muscle fiber by generating micro tears. Once damage occurs, a cascade of biochemical signaling takes place and satellite cells become active. These cells actually bind to muscle cells in order to repair the damaged areas and help to synthesize new contractile components.
When these components increase in cross sectional area, you experiences the phenomenon commonly known as muscular hypertrophy.
Essentially, you must remember the goal of training is to stimulate protein synthesis but the key to building muscle is cellular repair, not damage.
Now don't get me wrong, there is some truth to the saying, "stimulate, don't annihilate." But, to quote supergenius and performance specialist Alex Viada,
"Adaptation requires pushing the body to do something it doesn't really want to do, it's gonna hurt. If it gets easier, then chances are, you're getting lazier."
 Add some serious strength to your frame with these proven strategies.

1. Lift Heavy

The key to gaining muscle strength is to lift heavy. Your body gets stronger by recruiting more fibers in a particular muscle group. Heavy training helps recruit fast-twitch muscle fiber, which have the most potential for increasing strength. Squats, presses, dips, deadlifts and other compound moves can maximize strength gains, especially when using heavy weights (at least 90 percent of your one rep max).

2. Perform Natural Strength Movements

Certain exercises are better than others for building strength. These include the barbell squat, vertical/horizontal pulling, and vertical/horizontal pushing. Basically, your workout should consist of pull-ups, military presses, bench presses, and bent over barbell rows. Once you master these primary movements, your strength will increase. Romanian deadlifts, Olympic lift variations, and power cleans can boost your strength gains too.

3. Increase Your Maximum Lifts

If you’re a newbie, stick to the basics. Start with a simple training program and be consistent. Stop missing workouts and making excuses. Focus on increasing your maximum lifts on the main strength exercises, such as deadlift or military press. If you’re able to do more than one rep, then it’s not your max at all. Lift heavier weights every time you hit the gym. Watch your form all the time. Don’t just throw as much weight on the bar as possible to improve other people. Bad form can affect your progress and lead to serious injuries. If possible, ask a friend to assist you.

4. Stay Focused

Focus on the muscle groups being worked and squeeze them hard. Use controlled eccentric movements to maximize your time under tension. If your form is less than perfect, try a different grip or pick a lighter weigh. Getting stronger requires mental focus and intense volume.

5. Eat for Strength

Eating for strength is different than eating for muscle growth or fat loss. A bodybuilder requires fewer carbs and calories to reach his goals compared to a powerlifter or a strongman. To get stronger, you have to load up on protein and carbs while increasing your calorie intake. Creatine, weight gainers, glutamine, and whey protein supplements should be a staple in your diet.

Eat slow digesting carbs before training and refuel your muscles with simple carbs and fast-digesting protein post workout. Add dextrose, honey, maltodextrin or other source of sugar to your protein shake after exercise. This will help your body recover faster and replenish muscle glycogen stores.

Lose fat with the diet that combines the principles of digestive health and intermittent fasting - Click here to find our more

Make sure your diet includes white rice, sweet potatoes, beef, poultry, nuts, seeds and other nutrient-dense foods. Eat every two or three hours to reduce muscle loss and keep your metabolism high. Get your daily calories from quality foods, not cookies, chips, or fries. The trans fats in these products can limit muscle growth and increase catabolism.

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The Results of Overtraining - bodybuilding110

There has been much debate about the exact role of overtraining and resistance exercise. Some, such as Mike Mentzer, thought that just about all bodybuilders were overtraining—and yet there were many scientists who overwhelmingly concluded that individuals could never reach a true overtraining state. Researchers were interested in a controlled study standardizing the diet and training with excessive training load and insufficient recovery time between bouts on muscle markers of anabolism and catabolism. Male rats were randomly assigned to either a trained or a sedentary group. 

 The parameters of this study were strictly controlled, with the subjects going through a standardized diet and working out excessively with heavier loads than normal, as well as shorter recovery times in between sets and muscle activity fluctuations between their anabolic and catabolic states. This study was performed on male rats, and they were assigned to a trained or a sedentary group, after which they were subjected to a program lasting for 12 weeks. During these 12 weeks, they trained with excessive intensity and really short recovery, which was supposed to make their leg muscles atrophy.

The rats were exercises for five days a week consecutively with jumps as their reps. They were trained with a progressive number of sets from 2 to 4, as well as reps, from 5 to 12 per set with 30 seconds of rest between sets. They also wore loaded vests weighing 50% of their bodyweight which provided the overtraining effect.

After 12 weeks of experimenting, researchers gathered the muscle fibers of the rats to analyze the markers of their muscle state, both the anabolic and catabolic ones like MAFbx, MyoD, IGF-I and myogenin expressions. The results showed that the rats who overtrained had a 17 reduction of muscle size in their legs in comparison to the sedentary rats, and there was also a 20% rise in MAFbx protein expression, which is a marker of muscle catabolism. On the other hand, the markers of muscle anabolism like MyoD, myogenin and IGF-I were drastically reduced by 27, 29 and 43 percent respectively.

The data concluded that the muscles atrophied because the rats went through overly strong training without sufficiently recovering between sessions, which caused the MAFbx catabolic protein to rise and all the other anabolic proteins to decrease. If this translates into human terms, and the scientists think it does, it means that you should never overtrain, especially if you’re an athlete. Don’t bump up your weight too much – instead, look for a periodizing and volume-varying program.

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Tips Barbell Shrug Exercise - bodybuilding110

the barbell shrug is one of the most commonly used exercises when people are looking to build the trapezius; whether it be from an aesthetic approach or from a functional strength approach.

Being an isolation exercise, the shrug applies only the trapezius muscle and therefore is an extremely efficient exercise when looking to target just the trapezius. Using almost any equipment in the gym (Barbell, Dumbbell, Cable, Kettlebell, Weight Plate); the shrug is one of the most simplistic and easy exercises to perform.

This is the traditional way of doing the shrug and it is an effective traps builder.

Now, I’m going to pass on a tip that will make this exercise so much more effective.

Before I give you the tip, the next time your looking at the muscle magazines, take a look at how some of those pro’s perform the shrug.

This little movement is very subtle but it makes a world of difference in the results from the shrug exercise.

What I’m talking about is making the shrug exercise a little more difficult to perform while reducing the amount of “cheat” that’s involved in the exercise.

I’m sure most of you seen dudes in the gym using 300 or even 400 pounds for the shrug but barely moving the weight up and down.

The problem here is that the target muscle group isn’t being trained in the most effective way.

I’ll tell you right now that you don’t need to slap on 300 pounds to get the most from the shoulder shrug. Way too many times have I seen guys in the gym perform this exercise in the most ridiculous manner by using too much weight.

Alright, what is my shoulder shrug tip. Here's what I want you to do.

Stand up and pretend that you have a barbell in your hands. Next perform the shrug like you normally would. Shrug your shoulders up and down. Now, try this little trick. Stand like you normally would when your doing the shrug but slightly bend forward and look at your feet. Now try doing the shrug.

By doing this, you take out the element of cheating and you really increase the pressure and stimulation on the trapezuis muscles.

It's very important that you keep your chin down because this really helps isolate the trap muscles and you get much more muscle stimulation. Also, try narrowing your grip a little be about 3 inches on the bar.

Now, I'm going to tell you now that you won't be able to handle the same amount of weight that your used to for regular shrugs because you can't hoist the weight up. Instead, your going to have much more control over the weight and your going to feel much more stimulation in your traps. I suggest giving it a try for your next workout, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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