The Third Annual Pacific Open Bench Press and Deadlift Championships.

The Valley Athletic Club.

September 13th 2008.

If ever a Powerlifting Contest resembled a Pro-Sports “All Star Game”, This was the Contest. The amount of Records both attempted and set and the National/World Class lifts completed, for the number of lifters was truly astounding! Go to the The World Association of Bench Pressers and Deadlifters to see all of the statistics to this Tournament and you will be amazed.

How did “The Vancouver Powerlifting Club” perform? Lets go back to when Robert, Nancy and I left from Vancouver on Friday, September 12th and find out. As always the drive to the Border and down the I-5 was a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and time seemed to go by quickly. We all weighed in successfully below our weight Division limits then went to a Mexican Restaurant to replenish.

Thank goodness for “Bottomless” Nachos and Salsa! I think Nancy and I consumed chips and salsa continuously until the Main Courses arrived. Next time Robert has to bring his “A” game to the Dinner Table to keep up. After a great meal and as always, great conversation (it always a great time with Robert and Nancy) it was time to rest relax and get ready for “The Pacific Open Bench Press and Deadlift Championships”.

The Vancouver Powerlifting Club reconvened the next morning for Breakfast downstairs at the Hotel at about 7:45 am. After loading up on the perfect pre-contest fuel, by mimicking everything Nancy ate, we were on our way to the contest which was about 5 minutes away.
The Contest:

The warm-up area was spacious, we used the Fitness Centre which attaches to the gym where the contest was located and gave our selves a lot of time for a “Stress Free” environment. The warm-ups went off without a hitch, on to the “Third Annual Pacific Open Bench Press and Deadlift Championships”, Nancy, Robert and I are ready to lift…

Nancy Carpenter: First Place Bench Press./198 lbs. at 148 lbs. Division, 45 – 49 WABDL Women’s Canadian Record. An incredible feat of strength, almost 200 lbs. Nancy is always focused, stoic and of course powerful. A 200 lbs. Bench Press and beyond is hers in the near future. This I promise. Nancy is also the Best Coach I could ever have.

Robert O Smith: First Place Bench Press./545 lbs. at 308 lbs, Division, 65+ Master Men’s. To see the real story of Roberts contest go to Benchbozo.blogspot.com to see his two valiant attempts at 600 lbs.on video. Robert is already the strongest Bench Presser over 65 years in the world but, astoundingly Robert seems to be just getting started. 600 lbs. will happen dramatically at the WABDL World Championships this November in Las Vegas.

Jody Cranston: First Place Bench Press./375 lbs. at 181 lbs. Division, Sub-Master WABDL Canadian Men’s Record~and~First Place Deadlift/568 lbs. at 181 lbs. Division, Sub-Master Men. First, the Bench Press. I am very happy with 375 lbs., it felt fast and controlled, I know I will be able to do even more in the future. Now, the Deadlift. My final lift, 568 lbs. was solid, almost light…almost. I can’t wait to try heavier in the future.

The Aftermath:

I love Statistics, especially good ones like “The Vancouver Powerlifting Club’s” for this meet. But, usually the true highlights for any meet lies between the numbers, this tournament was no different. Robert and Nancy’s two attempts at over 600 lbs. and 200 lbs. respectively cannot be overstated. I know my tenacious friends and teammates will break those barriers soon. The overall quality of the lifting at this contest was Phenomenal, better lifts then most Federations Nationals. As always the experience was awesome, especially with Robert and Nancy to share it with.

Post Script:

After the tournament I realized that I didn’t get my Medals. I was warming up for the Deadlift when the Bench Press Awards Presentation was happening. By the time they were presenting the Deadlift Awards to my division they ran out. They are being mail to me. I told Richard Schuller,(a Multi-National Champion) no problem about the Awards, Leamon Woodley (one of the Great All Time U.S. Lifters) told me “Good Lifting”. I said to Richard that means more than any Award…”It certainly does” he said, “It certainly does”.

(Jody Cranston / Article ).

www.power-shape.blogspot.com

www.jodycranston-powershape.blogspot.com

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If you are looking to become bigger, you need to train big. You should train 3-5 times a week and keep your work out sessions as short as possible. Try to not let them run over an hour. Try to only work out on one muscle group per week or every 5 days. Never do two larger muscle groups while working out on the same day. The bigger muscle groups consist of your chest, back, and upper legs. Here is a idea of how to schedule your week:

3 Day Week:

Monday: Chest, triceps, calves

Wednesday: Back, biceps, shoulders

Friday: Thighs

4 Day Week:

Monday: Chest, calves

Tuesday: Back, triceps

Thursday: Thighs

Friday: Shoulders, biceps

5 Day Week:

Monday: Chest

Tuesday: Back

Wednesday: Thighs

Friday: Shoulders

Saturday: Arms

In the previous example schedules, you may have noticed that no 2 large muscle groups were done on the same day. While excersizing, do bulk movements. Like bench press, shoulder press, rows, squats, and deadlifts to start off your workout. Make sure you do your biggest muscle first also. As far as volume and intensity goes, they are very related. The more volume you have, the less intensity there is, and vice versa. If you are training high intensity, you would likely be doing 6-10 reps and 5-8 sets per body part. (More sets may be needed for the bigger muscles while less are needed for the samller ones)

What is the sense of working out without a equally balanced diet to fit your lifestyle?

Nutrition: The majority of younger aged people have very fast metabolism.

Being young most of you probably have fast metabolisms. If you are looking to gain mass, then here is the key word: EAT! Eat, and do a lot of it. At least every 2 hours if you are able to and at least a total of 6 meals a day. Each meal you eat should contain approximately 17% of your daily intake requirements for protein and carbs. So, here’s what you have to do to gain mass: EAT. We’re talking every 2 hours if possible, but at least 6 meals a day. Each meal should contain about 17% of your daily requirements for protein and carbs. If you are really serious about bulking up you should do more research to create your perfect eating schedule to gain the correct amount of mass to bulk.

Some people also use protein shakes (Ie. Whey) while they are working out because it is meant to help you bulk up and many people find that getting a lot of protein is key to bulking up but just eating more may do the trick for some people. Not everyone is meant to bulk up, depending on your body shape you may be better off to cut instead. Just think if that is what you want to look like or not.

Compound exercises require certain muscle groups to work simultaneously and in coordination with each other. For example, in the bench press, military press and T-bar row, your arms work in coordination with your chest, shoulders and back, respectively. Although these compound movements can produce significant growth in your larger muscle areas, in most instances these exercises do not sufficiently isolate your arms to stimulate maximum growth. Isolation training, however, is specifically intended to put maximum resistance on your biceps by forcing them to power the weightlifting movement throughout each exercise.

I frequently come across articles in which a so-called “expert” will insist that you must choose between isolation and compound exercises in setting up your weight training program. The usual argument asserts that compound exercises are absolutely better than isolation techniques without any consideration of your specific training objective.

In reality, it’s a false debate because the question of whether isolation or compound exercises are best for you depends entirely on your training goals. For example, if your objective is to develop sport specific strength that requires coordinated muscular exertion, you should focus your training on compound exercises that enhance this type of development.

But if your goal is to maximize the size and strength of a particular muscle area – as in trying to build big, muscular biceps – you need a program based primarily on isolation training techniques that are supplemented with compound exercises. While isolation training will stimulate maximum growth in your biceps, compound exercises will support that growth and ensure balanced and coordinated development of your entire upper body.

The comparative efficiency of isolation training for building big, muscular biceps is further illustrated in the following scenario. Suppose that you’re planning to drive 100 miles from Bicepsville to Triceps Town on one tank of gas. If you take Road A, you will only get 20 miles per gallon, stop every 10 miles at a toll booth, get stuck in heavy traffic and take 4 hours to complete your trip. On the other hand, if you select Road B, your gas mileage will jump to 30 miles per gallon, you will encounter no tolls or traffic, and you will drive into Triceps Town in only 2 hours. Given these alternatives and your desire to reach your destination as efficiently as possible, which route would you choose?

The obvious choice is Road B, since this route provides the most time and energy efficient route to your destination. Similarly, when choosing among arm training exercises, you must always consider their comparative efficiency. Your time and energy, like gasoline, are finite resources. Barring injury or a lack of necessary equipment, you should always select weightlifting movements that offer the most “bang for the buck.” In other words, in creating a biceps building workout, you should always emphasize isolation training over compound exercises. This rule applies even if you enjoy the compound exercises more than the isolation movements.

If you’re serious about building big, muscular biceps you must be willing to push yourself beyond what you may now consider your training limits. You must challenge yourself not only in terms of acquiring new knowledge (as I hope you’re getting from this article), but also in a willingness to try new exercises and workouts, some of which you may initially not enjoy. If you’ve been primarily doing compound exercises in your training up to this point, isolation training may initially seem difficult. But if really want to maximize your biceps building potential, you’ve got to do it!

Every bodybuilder, powerlifter or fitness enthusiast has exercises that he or she avoids. As with food, cars or clothing, it’s natural to have preferences among weight training exercises. But exercise avoidance can slow or even stop our progress. This is particularly true when applied to biceps training. It is axiomatic that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points – and a biceps building program consisting primarily of isolation training and supplemented with compound exercises provides the most direct route to superior biceps development.

This will be the most important piece of information that you will ever read about weight training.

Repetitions… Your entire training career is composed of millions of them. You group them in sets and they are the basis of each workout. Performing them correctly is the difference between success and failure. A perfect repetition, seemingly simple, has many components and is powerfully effective. I am going to explain how to perform the perfect rep and why it is so important.

At the impressionable age of 14 I was lucky enough to be introduced to the world of weight training by a competitive bench presser and ex-Olympic wrestler. He was a cartoonish 5 foot 3, 65 kilo powerhouse with a barrel chest and black pony-tail mullet down to his arse. At his gym in Bellingen he would ensure that I learned and retained precise lifting technique during my first 12 months of training. Thank-you Kevin. Under his supervision I went on to become the Australian School-boys Bench Press Champion at the ripe old of age of 15 with a lift of 87.5 kilograms (192.5 pounds) at a HUGE (laughs) body-weight of 66 kgs (145 lbs). That was after only 6 months of training. Technique and intensity is EVERYTHING!

Kevin sold the gym to a great man called Scott who became a very close friend of mine, a fantastic training partner and the catalyst for my career in Personal Training. He looked somewhat normal in comparison to Kevin sporting a natural, balanced, muscular bodybuilder’s physique. His basic training philosophy was to hit each muscle group from every angle with perfect form designating set and exercise volume in proportion to the size of the muscle group, i.e. back being the most complex and largest received the most exercises while biceps being one of the smallest received the least. I learned a lot from him. Exercise form was always at the fore-front of his teachings.

From Kevin I discovered that each exercise has an optimum movement path to generate maximum power safely. Scott showed me a broad range of exercises and how to apply good technique to each of them for consistent effectiveness and efficiency. I have taken these lessons with me throughout my career and applied them to my training and the hundreds of exercises that I have created myself.

Anyone who knows me will find that I am extremely particular about good exercise technique. I pay very close attention to the body position and movement pattern adjusting fine components so that the exercise is totally optimised. I must annoy the hell out of my clients sometimes. It works though.

WHY IS PERFECT EXERCISE TECHNIQUE SO IMPORTANT?

Reduced Risk Of Injury…

If you are to remain injury-free throughout your training career you must practise safe, tight, controlled lifting technique for every single repetition. If the movement is as close to biomechanical perfection as possible you will receive maximum stimulation with minimum risk. Injuries will halt your progress every time and can be very serious. Any chance to avoid them should be harnessed, implemented and retained.

Decreased ‘Cheating’ And Involvement Of Unrelated Muscle Groups…

If your form is sloppy there is a good chance that you are not hitting the target muscle as completely as you could be. As soon as your technique declines other muscle groups come into play assisting during the lift, often in an unsafe manner. A classic one is allowing your torso to swing during a bicep curl using your lower back, glutes and hamstrings to get the weight up. There is not only the danger of hurting yourself there is also the probability that you are not taking the target muscles to failure. Keep the form tight and you will stimulate the muscle safely and entirely.

Decreased Involvement And Fatigue From Ancillary Muscle Groups…

Related to the last point the execution of a perfect repetition every time will ensure the target muscle is isolated and fully fatigued before the ancillary muscles (assisting muscles) give out. To make this more clear I will describe two examples where this is a common occurrence. Example 1: when you perform a back exercise if you do not focus on engaging and isolating the targeted muscles of the back then the forearms and biceps will crash and burn before the back is fully worked. Example 2: when you perform a chest exercise if you do not focus on isolating the pectorals during the movement then the triceps and anterior deltoids will give out first impeding the progress of the chest. It is easy for ancillary muscles to come into play during an exercise if your form is sloppy because they are there to assist the movement. But because they are smaller and weaker if you do not make sure that the target muscle is completely fatigued first they will always give out holding back your progress.

Increased Motor Neuron Innervation And Muscle Fiber Activation…

If you isolate the target muscle group and contract it slowly and intensely through the entire movement you will activate the greatest amount of muscle fibers. A safe and full range of motion (ROM) will involve muscle fibers from the origin (initial attachment) right across to the insertion (final attachment) of the muscle. A slow, intense, precise movement during the entire concentric contraction (muscle shortening) and eccentric contraction (muscle lengthening) will innervate more motor neurons ‘firing’ more muscle fibers. This will facilitate a maximum activation of the muscle fibers and total muscle contraction maximizing strength and muscle gain.

Improved Mind-Muscle Connection…

The mind-muscle connection is your ability to feel the target muscle contract completely and under total control during the execution of an exercise. Usually a muscle group that you find difficult to feel and to develop is one that you have a poor mind-muscle connection with. Consistent, strict form on all of your repetitions will help you gain control of these stubborn body-parts. The mind-muscle connection improves when the path from your motor cortex (the control centre of your brain for movement) to the working muscle becomes more efficient.

Improved Focus, Discipline, Intensity And Quality Of Training…

This level of precision for every single repetition that you perform during your workout demands a massive amount discipline, will-power and intensity. You control the movement of every exercise and apparatus as though it were part of your body. Be patient and apply it to all exercises performed until it becomes second nature. By this stage it will feel awkward to train with sloppy technique and you won’t miss it because you will become stronger and more muscular and injury-free.

COMPONENTS OF A REPETITION

1. Starting Point – where the body is in the appropriate position to begin the Repetition.

2. Concentric Contraction – where the muscle shortens as the weight is lifted through the predetermined Range of Motion (ROM). Also called ‘The Positive Phase’.

3. Mid Point – the point of greatest contraction at the top of the Repetition where you pause briefly before releasing the weight.

4. Eccentric Contraction – where the muscle lengthens as the weight is released to the Finishing Point. Also called ‘The Negative Phase’.

5. Finishing Point – same as the Starting Point.

GUIDELINES TO PERFORMING THE PERFECT REP

Learn And Practice Proper Technique…

Take the time to study the extensive step-by-step video exercise descriptions on my website www.GlobalWeightTraining.com. They are demonstrations personally performed by me explaining all the muscles involved, the detailed technique and what the repetitions should look like during a set. There are over 300 hundred exercises; learn them before you perform them.

Apply And Maintain Proper Technique…

Once you have learnt the exercise guidelines make sure you apply them to your training in the gym precisely and consistently. If you forget how to do something go back to the site and look it up.

Repetition Speed…

The repetition speed should for muscle growth and strength in bodybuilding, shaping and toning and for general health should be medium (1-2 seconds) during the Concentric Contraction (where the weight is lifted) and slow (2-5 seconds) during the Eccentric Contraction (where the weight is released). The exact seconds required for each phase of the repetition depends on the size of the range of motion (ROM) of each individual exercise. Example; Calf exercises have a smaller ROM so the time required to perform the repetitions slowly would be reduced. Squats, on the other hand, have a large ROM so the time required to perform the repetitions slowly would be increased. Performing exercise with speed is not without merit and it is prevalent in functional training, power-training, and sport-specific training but there is an increased risk of tissue injury with the sudden force exerted when lifting. There is also greater focus on the tendons, ligaments, bones and joints rather than the muscles.

Ancillary Muscles And Stabilizers…

You cannot perform an exercise safely or effectively unless your body is positioned in accordance with the guidelines for that exercise. This means that once you are set your ancillary muscles (the direct assisting muscles for the movement) and the stabilizers (the muscles that hold the rest of the body in the correct place) must be engaged so that a perfect repetition is performed every time. This will make your body safe, strong and functional.

Abdominals And Core Muscles…

It doesn’t matter which exercise you are performing your mid-section must be switched on for total maximum gains. The abdominals and the core inner muscles of the spine are the superstructure of the body which holds everything together under the stresses of exercise. They lock you safely into the correct position and maintain it during the set. Engaging them properly will stabilise the body, increase your total strength, increase the strength of the abdominals and core muscles themselves, protect the spine and facilitate the implementation of perfect repetitions for all exercises. * To use your mid-section properly during exercise pull your lower abs in towards the spine, pull in the obliques, contract the entire abdominal complex and lift the chest *

Symmetry And Precision Of Movement…

To be certain that both sides of your body develop evenly you must ensure that each exercise is executed symmetrically. Human bodies are never built with faultless balance and the rigours of life make that deviation from perfect symmetry even more profound. To diminish the impact of this continuing you need to train in front of a mirror as much as possible or utilise the constant critical eye of a training partner. This will allow you to supervise and fine-tune your exercise technique at all times reducing imbalances of strength, muscularity and functionality.

Range Of Motion…

Most of the time you need to use a full range of motion (ROM) to stimulate the all of the muscle fibers from the origin, across the belly (the middle bulk), to the insertion of the muscle. If you cheat and continuously use partial repetitions you will lose flexibility and miss out on muscle and strength gains from the outer angles. There is a limit, however, to how large the ROM should be. It is individual to each exercise and should be large enough for maximum muscle fiber stimulation without causing any joint or tissue injury from over-extension. There are techniques and set sequences that are based on partial repetitions but they have their own strict technique and should be used sparingly for shock tactics and variety.

Breathing…

You need to breathe properly during each repetition to maintain a continuous delivery of oxygen around the body to the working muscles. It will also reduce the build-up of carbon-dioxide. This will give you the energy to power through the set and decrease the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA – that awful burn from lactic acid which is caused from glycogen being burnt for energy without the presence of oxygen). Breathing properly also takes the pressure off your cardio-vascular system facilitating normal function under conditions of high stress from intense exercise. It is important to keep the blood pressure down and unnecessary strain off the body as no-one is unbreakable. Another advantage of full, rhythmic breathing is that it will pace the tempo of your repetitions. You can’t take slow, full breaths if your reps are fast and messy.

BASIC BREATHING TECHNIQUE DURING A REPETITION

1. Take a slow, deep intake of breath as the weight is released (when the target muscle stretches and lengthens during the eccentric contraction).

2. Breath out more forcefully as the weight is lifted (when the target muscle engages and shortens during the concentric contraction)

3. There are alternate breathing techniques but this one is simple and safe so remember: breathe in when the weight is released and breathe out when the weight is lifted.

INTENSITY

Finally we come to my favourite word; Intensity. To cause the greatest amount of muscle fiber damage and to induce growth producing chemistry within the body you need to push each set to absolute failure or beyond. By that I mean that you make sure you grind out each repetition with perfect technique until it is not possible to perform another without losing your form. To go beyond failure you must utilise a training partner or spotter or perform intensity increasing techniques which are described on our website www.GlobalWeightTraining.com. You must however maintain precise technique for each repetition throughout the set no matter what your goal is or how far you push yourself.

There you have it my friends. I have given you the key. Place it in the lock and turn it. Don’t look back. There is so much out there to learn, understand and apply to your training. You may get a little lost among it all but if you know how to perform ‘The Perfect Rep’ every time the most basic element of successful training will be with you forever. Good luck and have fun…

First, you’re going to have to adjust your form. If you’re reading this article, there is a possibility that you’re probably not able to unleash your full potential because of the technique you’re using. You will need to ask yourself if you want to keep a bodybuilding posteur or one of a powerlifter. The powerlifting posteur and the bodybuilding one are pretty much the same, it’s just that you will have more of an arch in your back with the powerlifting stance.

Either way, there are many other ways to diagnose if you’re set up wrong. If you have wide shoulders and longer arms, you’re going to need to place your hands wider apart. This will activate more of the chest, enabling you to lift more. This is one of the biggest problems with people bench pressing.

After you have your grip set up correctly, you will want to pinch your shoulder blades together and if you want to generate more power, slightly arch your back while leaving your butt on the floor. This will only add more pressure to your chest, so don’t worry, it’s not cheating.

I’m hoping you know this by now, but make sure you breath in a lot of air before you lower the weight and then exhail as you push. Next we’re going to talk about your routine. This will be the determiner of how much you gain on your bench press. Your routine should change very often to constantly provide growth to your muscles. The biggest routine problem with people is that they don’t go heavy and always do high reps.

To gain weight to your bench press you MUST TRAIN HEAVY. This does not mean every week of the year, but low repititions, usually around 3-5 reps and heavier weight obveously, will increase your one rep max. This gives your muscles a different overload and really gives it what a taste of the max is like. I’ve seen many people that can put up 225 for 10+ reps but cannot even come close to their ‘calculated’ bench press because their muscles simply cannot cope with it. Training heavy helps your balance and strength.

You also cannot bench press every day. Don’t do it! DO NOT DO IT! It doesn’t matter if you’re sore or not. You need time to recover from each chest workout and training similar muscle groups day after day will just lead to overtraining. You also need to get enough sleep and consume enough calories to aid your growth.

Switching up your routine and using some of these methods will definately improve your bench press.

The human body is an organism which can adapt to various stimuli very quickly. If you don’t give it enough food, it learns not to require as much food. If you give it too much food, it learns to need that much food. No matter what kind of inputs you throw at it, the body usually learns to grow or change to become capable of facing the challenge. The flipside, of course, is that this can be a detriment to bodybuilders seeking to keep their bodies growing. When their systems quickly adapt to the training, supplement, and other inputs they’ve been using, they must find ways to keep the growth coming. This can be accomplished in one of two ways. The bodybuilder can add additional inputs, or lessen some inputs then re-introduce them at a later date so that they may be effective once again. Let’s learn more about how this could work for you.

Response to supplements

Creatine, caffeine, and whey protein are three supplements that are commonly used by bodybuilders, and with great effect. The problem, however, is that over time the body adapts to these compounds. Soon, you learn to need them just to function at a base level. Withdrawal from caffeine can lead to powerful headaches. Upping your protein continually to keep your body growing can lead to kidney issues. The solution, of course, is to take breaks from these compounds. Every time you re-introduce caffeine or creatine after two months of rest, your body will react like it did the very first time – which is good for growth and cutting.

Response to training

Take a week off of training, and you will see the body respond in a brand new way. Take a month off of a single exercise, such as the squat or the bench press. You’ll learn upon returning that the movement causes new growth. Don’t allow your body to become fully adapted to any movement. Take breaks so that these movements will retain their influence and effectiveness.

Response to anabolic steroids

Running your first cycle can be a wonderful thing. Your body has no idea what it’s in for, and you will grow without a doubt. The problem, however, is that many bodybuilders stay on the juice until it is no longer effective in building or holding muscle. Imagine losing muscle when still running your cycle after 20 weeks! For this reason, it is very wise to cycle off of the drugs every 12 weeks to allow the receptors in your muscle cells to repair themselves. When you run your next cycle, the gains will be tremendous, and your body will have enjoyed a nice break.

The intelligent bodybuilder takes advantage of the fact that his body will respond positively to one of these stimuli being introduced. He times their use to coincide with what is convenient for his schedule to ensure he can devote the most energy to training at those times when the supplement, training, and drug influences will be new once again. Take breaks for your receptors’ sake!

So you want a bodybuilding workout that delivers bigger, more cut arms? You are not alone as a majority of bodybuilders wish to have well defined arms.

The real good news is getting bigger arms can be very simple as long as you understand the proper bodybuilding workout routine principles described below.

Yes, you can develop bigger, more defined arms with minimal time exercise time invested.

Here are a few powerful bodybuilding workout tips you should be incorporating immediately into your weight lifting workouts in order to acquire muscular arms.

Please note: these are a few of the many secret weight training workout tips that are proven to deliver results.

1. Incorporate multi-jointed exercises into your bodybuilding routine.

When training your chest, shoulders, and back make sure you utilize multi-joint exercises. What this does is work,as the secondary movers, the arms. The arms mean simply the biceps, and triceps.

A good example of multi-jointed exercises are the bench press, shoulder press, row, pull down, and good old fashion pushup. More than one muscle group is being worked when you perform multi-joint exercises.

2. Increase your intensity.

In order to stimulate arm muscle growth resulting from your bodybuilding workout program you must increase your intensity of exercise.

You must enter the gym with a mindset of forcing the muscles to adapt, and grow. To do so you need to increase the weight lifting weight, reps, or simply decrease the rest between bodybuilding sets. Always make your bodybuilding workout progressive in nature. Keep attempting to beat the reps, and weight you logged in the previous arm workout.

3. Do not overtrain. Limit your sets

It is important to avoid overtraining your arms. Many bodybuilders do too much arm work in their particular bodybuilding workout. This, in turn, leads to over training.

By doing too many sets of arms you are cutting into your recovery abilities, and will surely decrease your chance of results. Optimal rest is mandatory for maximum muscle stimulation. Please understand this.

4. Hit the triceps hard.

The triceps comprise a majority of your arms muscle size. Make sure you incorporate close grip bench presses, dips, and triceps push downs to ultimately increase your triceps muscle size, and tone.

Strive to increase your intensity every time your step into the gym. After all, it is the quality of exercise, not the quantity. Make the most of your limited weight training sets performed by the arms.

5. Precise rest between workouts is mandatory for growth.

This number one mistake most bodybuilders make. They simply follow the more is better approach. Little do they know, more is a detriment to your bodybuilding workout results.

Each additional arm set performed cuts into the recovery ability of the muscle. Remember, the biceps, and triceps grow while at rest, not during the workout.

I always recommend 6-10+ days between arm workouts. As far as the number of sets, 2 sets of 2-3 exercises for the arms is optimal for growth. In other words, if you spend more than 10 minutes on your arms, you are overtraining. Beginning a weight training workout prior to full recovery will short circuit your muscle building results.

Here is a very good bodybuilding workout routine tip you can use to determine the exact number of rest days between training sessions. Track your weight, and reps. If your strength continues to increase, you are resting between training sessions in an optimal manner. If the weight plateaus, or decreases, add additional muscle building rest days between workouts.

Above are a few quick tips you can introduce into your bodybuilding workout. Doing so will be a good start at adding inches to your arms.