Advanced Training Principals (weights)

bodybuilding Calves

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· Muscle Priority Training (I & A) – Training your most underdeveloped muscles first, so as to subject it to the maximum possible effort. If you have a weak body-part you want to improve, train it first in your workout, before you begin to fatigue.

· Pyramiding (B, I, & A) – When using multiple sets for a given exercise, doing your first set with less weight for more reps, gradually increasing the weight and decreasing the reps over the remainder of your sets. This allows you to gradually warm up a muscle group, preparing it for the resistance to come in the next set.

· Supersets (I & A) – Working opposing muscle groups in back-to-back fashion, taking as little rest as possible in between sets. Alternating sets between opposing muscle groups – such as biceps and triceps/chest and back – greatly increases intensity. When you train one muscle group, the other is recovering (sometimes even being stretched) as you complete the set. With two muscles or muscle groups being worked, more blood is pumped into the area.

· Tri-Sets (A) – Doing three sets in a row for the same body-part with as little rest as possible in between sets. Three exercises in a row more thoroughly exhaust the muscle. This training technique is so demanding that it should only be done on occasion, and is more often used by bodybuilders in their pre-contest training. It is not optimal for muscle building.

· Set System Training (B, I, & A) – Simply doing more than one set for each exercise. This is the opposite of high-intensity training, which involves performing one set per exercise. Often, the first couple of sets aren’t enough to fatigue your muscle.

· Giant Sets (A) – Doing 4-6 exercises for the same body-part with as little rest between sets. Giant sets are used to create overwhelming stimulation to a body-part and totally exhaust the muscles involved. This technique should only be used occasionally as your body needs time to recover from this level of effort. This type of training is used more for muscular endurance and calorie burning then for putting on muscle size.

· Instinctive Training (A) – This involves experimenting with your workouts and paying attention to how your body reacts to certain types of training. The fundamentals of bodybuilding training are the same for everyone, but we are all unique. The further along you get in your training, the more you have to fine tune your workouts to suit your needs. It takes time to develop this “feel” and have this type of knowledge. Whatever you are used to is going to feel best for you, but you have to figure out what really produces the best results for you and make adjustments accordingly.

· Compound Sets (I & A) – Alternating two exercises for the same muscle group, taking as little rest as possible between each set. Each same-body part exercise fatigues the muscle involved in slightly different ways, so doing two exercises in a row with little rest in between achieves a deeper level of stimulation and muscle pump.

· Staggered Sets (I & A) – Training smaller, slower-developing body parts like calves or forearms in between all sets for your major body parts. Arnold Schwarzenegger relied on this principle early in his career to develop his calves. He would do a set for chest, back or shoulders, then he would do a set of calf raises while his major muscle group was recovering for the next set. He’d then alternate sets for the working body part and calves. His calves got plenty of time to recover in-between sets and by the end of his workout, he would have subjected them to as many as 15-20 total sets of various calf raises.

· Pre-Exhaustion Training (A) – Prefatiguing a larger muscle with an isolation, single-joint movement so it can be even more exhausted by the compound movements to follow, which Weider and/or his publications would adopt from the Nautilus founder of Arthur Jones that is evidenced by Jones’ writing in 1970 (and throughout the decade) in a rival magazine of Iron Man. When you do an exercise like the bench press that works not only the chest, but also smaller muscles, one of the smaller muscles might fail before your chest is fully exhausted. By doing a chest isolation exercise beforehand, you can fatigue your chest so you can do bench presses to chest failure, which is what you want.



The 4 Big Steps to Getting Big

bodybuilding Calves


There are a host of techniques that can be used to build those wonderful and eye-catching muscles that you may be dreaming of. A lot of information has been availed on the same. This is just a simplification of the steps required to build muscle. The tips have been broken down into four in the hope that the beginner or the prospective bodybuilder will find them easy to keep in mind.

Learn the correct techniques to weight train. First off the bodybuilder needs to design an effective bodybuilding regimen for himself. This will be done in accordance with the desired end results for the individual.

To create an effective training regime you can contact a qualified training and fitness instructor who will use his expertise in tailoring one that is just suitable for you. You will then need to adhere to this pattern and be consistent in your quest to make it big. One point to note though, it is necessary that you constantly improve the training results by making alterations to the routine say in 2-3 months. The first regimen is just to get a feel of the task ahead; it should not be so complicated.

Pay attention to the various body parts. A budding bodybuilder should pay attention to all the regions of his body as he trains. There is nothing worse than training so hard to get your biceps big and clear-cut only to realize that your calves can hardly bear the weight of your upper body. The athlete should find the right exercises that will help develop a wide range of muscles at the same time or separately. Some of these techniques will include the squatting motions that are regarded as the most effective types of workout in terms of versatility and benefit to the body.

Keep wary of injury. The gym looms with much potentially injurious situations that one can easily be caught up in. injury is a big blow for the budding bodybuilder as long as the injury causes an unwanted break in the training regimen. There are many types of injuries but the most devastating are those one that are inflicted as a result of poor use of various equipment and weights. You should challenge yourself – this is the main reason for starting on the workout regimen in the first place.

The degree of the challenge should not be detrimental to the training program however. You can suffer both short-term and long-term injuries that will possibly mar your bodybuilding career. As soon as you feel that you have incurred an injury do not ignore the sensations. Take a while and feel for the telltale signs of the same. If it’s a minor injury take time off to recuperate. If it’s more serious then you need to seek expert advice.

Learn to listen to your body. This can be considered to be an extension of the above point. It is and much more. Experienced athletes can tell by the various sensations felt in the body that a particular muscle is responding positively to training. Knowledge of this helps the bodybuilder to know the optimum training levels fro each muscle group and this prevents overstraining.



bodybuilding arms


The biceps are probably one of the more favorite muscle groups to exercise. It is not often that you see a new person in the gym that hasn’t devoted a reasonable amount of time to their biceps. Even though they’re so fun and popular to train, you don’t see too many well-shaped biceps in the gym. You would assume that the muscle group that’s so popular to train would be the one you saw worked out on everyone, but this is far from the truth.

In order to get correctly developed biceps, a full exercise program needs to be made that includes mass, strength, and height. Barbell bicep curls are an excellent way to build mass, and are usually the first bicep exercise bodybuilders go for. Chin-ups are a great way to build strength and size, and are widely used by new and intermediate trainers. To focus on the height and detail of the muscle, bicep concentration curls are ideal, but are also often forgotten about.

In order to do bicep concentration curls, first pick a moderate weight that you can complete 13-15 reps with usually when doing a normal bicep curl. Then bend over with the weight hanging towards the floor. Curl the weight up at a slow pace so you can feel the movement in your muscle fibers. Be sure that the arm is flexed during the entire exercise, but specifically at the point when the weight gets up to your shoulder. Keep in mind that you should be bent over with the dumbbell hanging down for the whole movement.

For a single set, go through about nine reps with one arm and then switch to the other arm to finish the set. When you do the following set, begin with the other arm to ensure that both arms get identical workouts. It’s a possibility that you might have reduced the amount of oxygen reserves for the second set. Bicep concentration curls are usually done with heavier weights. The ultimate goal is to flow blood to the area, but in addition you want give the outer bicep a real workout to add height to the biceps.

For those who have just started bodybuilding, bicep concentration curls should be used in your routine right away. As you have found with other exercises, getting the feel of this movement might require some time. The earlier you start doing them in your routine, the easier they will be now, and in the future. For those who have been bodybuilding for a while, bicep concentration curls should already be part of the workout for training the arms. These are very powerful exercises for increasing the height of your biceps, which is important for scoring points at competitions, and for scoring points at the bars.



bodybuilding arms


Do you want to learn how to get your arms ripped? Get some muscle on those skinny little arms you have? Well maybe you should use these 9 great arm excises I have provided to pack huge natural muscle on your arms.These workouts are known by the best bodybuilders around the world. The arm muscles are the benchmark to any mans ego, these muscles are the most popular area of the body that all men want to grow but they reach a limit to their growth. These bodybuilder know how to get their ripped arms.

The problem with most trainees is that they have been doing the same damn excises for years and this isnt how you get your arms ripped. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting the different results. When you train your muscles adapt to it, I recommend you change your excises ones every two weeks for maximum results. Well here are the few of the best excises I hope you enjoy them. I recommend you fit these techniques into your workout sessions to get the arms you want.

Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls

This exercise is one of the best biceps builders ever as long as you sit on a bench that has a back rest to prevent torso movement. Too many people do this exercise either standing or sitting on a bench without back support. In order to make sure that your biceps get the most work from this movement you must stabilize your torso so as to prevent any jerking motion. Also, remember to separate your hands throughout each repetition to stimulate maximum growth for your biceps.

EZ bar Triceps Extensions

This exercise, also known as “Skull crushers” is a terrific mass-builder for your triceps. For maximum growth, EZ bar triceps extensions require that you keep your upper arms in a position perpendicular (90 degrees) to the exercise bench throughout each repetition. If this position causes you any elbow strain or discomfort, you can lower the angle by moving your arms slightly forward to reduce the stress on your elbows. Don’t worry – making this minor adjustment won’t impede your ability to get the benefits of this exercise.

You should also place your hands in the narrow-grip position on the EZ bar which, when combined with proper arm position, ensures that each triceps head receives maximum resistance throughout the exercise motion. Lower and extend the weight in a smooth, continuous motion without jerking or swinging the bar with your back or shoulders. When done correctly, you can’t beat EZ bar triceps extensions for building big, muscular triceps.

Single-Arm Triceps Extension

The single-arm triceps extension, also known as the “French dumbbell press” is a triceps-builder that I recommend primarily as a shaping movement. Although it is possible to build mass with this exercise, the over-head arm position may prevent you from using sufficient weight to generate the type of power and mass-building potential available from Skull crushers and triceps push ups. You should experiment with this exercise and use it in a manner that gives you the best results. But remember, I do not recommend using heavy weight with this movement because of the risk of shoulder injury. Consistent use of light-to-moderate weight will provide the best results from this triceps builder

Reverse-Grip EZ bar Curl

This exercise puts primary stress on the brachioradialis and extensor muscles of the dorsal or outer surface of your forearms. Since your hands are positioned in the narrow-grip position, your wrists are extended which forces involvement of the extensor Carpi radials and extensor Carpi ulnaris. This pronated or “palms down” positioning of the hands also takes the biceps out of this exercise, which isolates the brachioradialis as the primary forearm flexor. If you’re serious about building big, muscular forearms, reverse-grip EZ bar curls are a good first step.

Wrist Curls

Wrist curls work to develop the two large muscles on the inside portion of the anterior surface of the forearm. These muscles, the flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor carpi radialis, are the wrist flexors and combine to form a thick, muscular region from the elbow to the lower forearm. While these muscles do considerable work during your biceps curling movements, wrist curls isolate these flexors so as to maximize resistance on this section of your forearms. If you want to add thickness and power to your inner forearms, heavy wrist curls will do the job.

So, there you have it – my Top 10 list of arm-building exercises for beginning bodybuilders. Try them, have fun with them, and make sure that you use safe amounts of weight and proper training technique with every exercise. You’ll be very happy with the results!

Alternating rotating dumbbell curl



This is a simple exercise, that feels natural in its plane of motion. By alternating, you can focus maximal intensity on each arm separately. Grab two dumbbells and hold them down at your sides, arms straight, palms facing your body. Again, keep your elbows tucked into your sides as soon as you start curling. Start the movement with a hammer curl, then as the dumbbell clears your body, begin to rotate it so that at the end of the movement, your palms are facing your head. Once you lower the dumbbell back to the starting position, start curling with the next arm.

Hammer curl



The hammer curl is great for developing the forearms, brachialis, and brachioradialis. I’m not sure about you, but I can hammer curl more than I can traditional curl, and lifting more with good form is always better than lifting less .Grab two dumbbells and hold them down at your sides, arms straight, palms facing your body. Keep your elbows tucked into your sides as soon as you start curling.

Supinated bent over rows



OK, now we get into the real biceps mass gainers. When you curl you can use maybe 50-70 lbs dumbbells, or 120-150 lbs on a straight bar, but when you are rowing, you can load the bar up to well over 200 lbs. I personally remember bent over straight bar rows with 265+ lbs back in college.

you will be grabbing the bar with a supinated grip (palms up/away) with your hands about shoulder width apart. You will need to either unrack the bar from a rack or stand, or deadlift the weight into a standing position.

It is important to bent over so that your upper body is close to parallel to the floor, but not so much that your lower back rounds over. By pushing your butt back, you will be able to maintain a stronger core while getting lower to the floor.

the row itself is simply bringing the bar up to touch your abdomen, and lowering it down so that your arms are just short of fully extended. As always, keep your elbows in, as opposed to flared out to the side.

Close grip chin ups



YES! Biceps mass will be well on its way once you master this exercise. By keeping your hands close together and focusing on your biceps to lift your body, you will be essentially doing bodyweight curls. How much do you weigh? 150? 180? 220? Can you straight bar curl that much? I didn’t think so.

There is a big difference between pull ups and chin ups though. While pull ups are good for your arms and back, close grip chin ups bring that whole movement to a whole new bicep-mass-building-level.

find a straight bar that you can comfortably reach from a standing position. Grip the bar with an underhand/supinated grip (your palms should be facing you). Keep the hands about 4-6 inches apart; they should be right outside your chin on either side.

If you are strong enough to do weighted pull ups or chin ups, add some weight either by crossing your feet and placing a dumbbell between your ankles, or hanging a couple plates from a weighted belt. A weighted belt should have a chain on one end and a loop on the other end, to which you should hook the chain. Put the chain through the hole in the middle of the plates and clasp the chain to the loop. Good stuff. An important aspect of chin ups, is getting your chin up over the bar. While this isn’t a dire necessity, if you don’t at least get your chin up to touch the bar, you can’t call the rep complete.

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bodybuilding Calves


In This Quick Bodybuilding Tip…

* Instant Power! How to lift more weight in your very next trip to the bench press!

* (Guess what? It works on ALL your other exercises too!)

If gaining strength is a big goal for you, you need to read this report.

It’s Simple and saves you from becoming injured. It works Best on the bigger muscle groups but works on any.

How would you like to INSTANTLY be able to lift 10-20% more weight on your very next set of Bench Press, Pulldowns, Curls, or Pushdowns?

Yes, that’s right…INSTANTLY lift more weight!

Well, here’s a little known “TRICK” I learned that will help you do just that…

Right before you get ready for your lift, stetch your targeted muscle group’s ANTAGONIST muscles!

(”Antagonist” means that muscles’ “opposite” muscle group: chest vs. back; biceps vs. triceps)

For example, before you get ready to knock out a set of Bench Presses, FIRST stretch your BACK muscles (your “lats”) right before you lay down on the bench.

You’ll find yourself IMMEDIATELY stronger in your lifts!

Simple…but an EFFECTIVE technique to help you power through those sets a bit stronger…and maybe even jack up your muscle gains a smidgen more!

You should also stretch the body parts you just worked out and hold each stretch for at least 30 secs.- 2 min.

It’s as simple as stretching. Learn more unique techniques that are fail proof here and give you great results: BODYBUILDING

Please feel free to leave me comments. I appreciate all feedback.

Pair up Chest and Back.

Biceps and Triceps

Hams and Quads

Traps and Lats

Shins and Calves

Abs and Lower Back





How I Built 20-inch Arms Naturally

bodybuilding arms


I’ve learned that when seeking bodybuilding advice, I always gain the most from someone who’s actually accomplished whatever it is that I’m trying to do. Any armchair “guru” can read a book and “talk the talk,” but experience counts and I always get the best advice from a teacher who’s “walked the walk.” When it comes to building massive arms naturally, I’ve done it – and that means that I’m sharing knowledge with you based on years of personal experience that produced my 20-inch GUNS.

How I Did It

When I first started training my arms, I used 4-week periodization mesocycles in which I changed my arm training workouts about once per month. At the end of each cycle, I would take about 7-10 days off from specifically training my arms with weights so that they could rest during a period which is commonly referred to as “active recovery.”

During this active recovery phase, I’d do bodyweight training like triceps pushups, chin ups and other calisthenics that kept my arms active but didn’t require them to work as hard as they do during weight training. After the active recovery period, I’d return to the weights with a completely different arm workout for another 4-week mesocycle followed by an active recovery period.

Here’s a short list of the foundational exercises I used in the early stages of my arm building efforts.

1. EZ Bar Preacher Curls

The preacher bench is a terrific training tool as it forces the biceps to work in relative isolation from the back and shoulders. Preacher curls require strict technique that forces your biceps to provide the leverage needed to lift the weight. The EZ Bar offers both narrow-grip and wide-grip hand positions. Using the narrow-grip position puts primary stress on the outer portion or long head of the biceps. Curling the EZ Bar with a wide grip emphasizes power needed from the inner portion or short head of the biceps. To build balanced muscularity in my biceps, I’ve been careful to use both the narrow and wide grip when doing this exercise.

2. Dumbbell Preacher Curls

Many competitive bodybuilders use this exercise exclusively as a “shaper” during pre-contest training. For me, the dumbbell preacher curl worked as a tremendous mass builder when used in a pyramid cycle. In fact, I used this exercise as a high intensity training movement to simultaneously add size and shape to my biceps. This exercise really helped me to make the mind-body connection so essential to arm-building success.

3. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls

This exercise is one of the best biceps builders ever as long as you sit on a bench that has a back rest to prevent torso movement. Too many people do this exercise either standing or sitting on a bench without back support. In order to make sure that your biceps get the most work from this movement you must stabilize your torso so as to prevent any jerking motion. Also, remember to supinate your hands throughout each repetition to stimulate maximum growth for your biceps.

4. EZ Bar Triceps Extensions

This exercise, also known as “Skull crushers” is great for building thick, dense triceps. For maximum growth, I kept my upper arms in a position perpendicular (90 degrees) to the exercise bench throughout each repetition. This position can sometimes cause elbow strain or discomfort that I avoided by moving my arms slightly forward to lower the resistance angle and reduce stress on my elbows. Making this minor adjustment as needed didn’t impede the effectiveness of this exercise, and I still use it as a triceps builder.

5. Seated Triceps Dips

Seated triceps dips are another terrific triceps builder, yet I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen anyone doing them in the gym. Maybe people ignore them because, like triceps pushups, they look too simple to do any good. Well, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, and seated triceps dips certainly added power and density to my triceps. When I was a beginner, this exercise was very effective with my bodyweight alone. But as my training and strength progressed, I added weight by doing these dips with 1 or 2 barbell plates on my lap. The result? T-shirt bustin’ GUNS, baby!

6. Single-Arm Triceps Extensions

Though it’s possible to build mass with this exercise, the over-head arm position prevented me from using sufficient weight to generate the type of power and mass-building potential available from Skull crushers and seated dips. So I used this exercise primarily as a shaping movement. You should experiment with it in a manner that gives you the best results. Again, I don’t recommend using heavy weight with this movement because of the risk of shoulder injury. Consistent use of light-to-moderate weight provided great results for me from this triceps shaper.

For workout variety, I initially changed my workouts by simply doing different exercises for my arms in each successive mesocycle. Simply changing my workouts every 4 weeks with these exercises worked well for the first few months. But I soon learned that my mind and body adapted very quickly to any arm training workout and I needed more variety in order to see gains in my arm development.

I then shortened my training periods to 1-2 week microcycles and made other periodic changes to my arm workouts that included creating my own exercise movements and training system [e.g., my signature Piston Curls, Winston Hammer Curls and Machine Gun Curls]. I also developed hundreds of workouts specifically designed to continuously shock and stimulate my arms for constant growth. With this approach, I ultimately built the CANNONS that now burst from my shirtsleeves!

But can you do this? Well, if you’ve read my other articles on building big, muscular arms, you already know my answer to this question – of course you can! And don’t use “bad genetics” as an easy excuse to give up before you even get started. Experiment with different workouts, find a system that works for your body type, and just keep pumping those GUNS. Make sure that you use proper training technique and stay mentally focused on success. You must also commit yourself to constantly learning and looking for new workouts that challenge your arms to grow. If I could do it – you can too!



How to Achieve Those Giant, Tree-trunk Bodybuilder Legs

bodybuilding arms


One of the most common blunders that many people get caught up in when they decide to go into bodybuilding is the failure to train the leg muscles. Many persons tend to concentrate on the upper body and the arm muscles and completely or partially ignore their legs. It is vital that a training regimen be focused on the entire body and no preference should be paid to particular sections if you desire an even tone and appearance. Having a barrel-like chest and branch-like arms is all good but if these are supported by an undeveloped lower body then you might just get the nickname ‘chicken legs’.

There are a few recommendations that have been put forward by the more experienced bodybuilders in terms of developing the muscles in your legs. Prior to starting off on training the legs you should appreciate the fact that the legs are responsible for supporting your entire frame. As such it will be vital to ensure that your foundation is strong and stable. With this notion in mind you will be able to spread out the effort more instead of always thinking about your biceps.

Interchange your workout regime and pay attention to your legs. One of the best exercises for your lower body is the squats. These can be done plain or with the aid of weights such as the barbell. The exercise can be manipulated into a number of varieties that are guaranteed to give you good results. As you do the squatting exercises you should initiate the motion with your butt and not the knees. If you are inexperienced in this sort of workouts it will be advisable to ask a seasoned friend or trainer to monitor you.

Apart from the squats, you can also throw in a couple of other techniques that include leg extensions and standing leg curls. The former are meant to work on your quadriceps i.e. front part of the leg while the latter act on the reverse side of the thigh i.e. the hamstrings. Calf raises are a must because you will definitely require strong calf muscles. These raises have been modified severally and they include the one leg raises, reversed calf raises and donkey calf raises.

Strive to maintain proper performance for greater benefits. By working on the leg muscles you are in fact working on some of the largest muscle groups in your body. For this reason you may find the need to increase the weight resistance but care should be taken so as not to incur injury. For the maximum gains to your leg muscles you may perform lower reps in the range of 5-10 each in sets of 2-4. The rest period between these workouts is preferably 1-2 minutes.

Introduce new techniques to prevent complacency. As soon as you feel that you are near the plateau wall you should be prepared to alter your training sequences so as to stir the muscles into further growth and development.

Remember to give your legs a rest and eat healthily. This point hardly needs further explanation. The body muscles grow during the periods of rest and they need proteins to do so. Ensure that your diet contains enough proteins to foster muscle growth.



bodybuilding arms


For most guys, the biceps are the undisputed king of muscle! But what good is a king without a crown? If you want GUNS that get respect at the beach and on the street, you’ve got to crown them with cannon ball deltoid development! For big, muscular shoulders that’ll produce personal pride and physical power, keep reading because I’ve got the 10 best beginning exercises for you right here.

1. Seated Front Military Press

Your shoulders consist mainly of 2 muscle groups, the trapezius and the deltoids. The trapezius or “traps” are the two large triangular shaped muscles that run across each shoulder from the back of your neck. Your deltoids or “delts” are the thick, triangular shaped muscles that cover your shoulder joints at the top of each arm. The deltoids consist of 3 sections known as the anterior, medial and posterior heads. For balanced deltoid development, you must train each section equally.

The front military press is a great starter exercise for building the anterior or front section of your delts. You can perform this exercise from a standing or seated position. For beginners, I recommend the seated position, preferably in a chair that has low back support to prevent arching or hyperextension of your spine. With proper technique, this basic military press will add thickness and power to the front of your shoulders. As you advance in your training, you should eventually graduate from this exercise to the dumbbell shoulder press.

2. Barbell Front Raises

This exercise is great for building shape and endurance in your anterior delts. Since barbell front raises put tremendous resistance on the front of your shoulders, you should not attempt to do this exercise with heavy weight. Moderate poundage with strict technique (i.e., no bouncing or jerking the weight with your body) is sufficient to add strength and shape to your anterior delts. For variety, you can also do this exercise with a straight bar attachment to a low cable apparatus.

Whether you use a barbell or low cable machine, you must stand with your arms straight as you raise the bar forward from the front of your thighs to a position parallel to the floor at about shoulder height. To put secondary resistance on your rear delts and traps, raise the bar slightly above shoulder height. It won’t take long to feel the burn from this exercise, but the payoff in deltoid development is well worth it.

3. Seated Reverse Dumbbell Press

The reverse dumbbell press, aka the “Arnold Press” is another terrific shoulder builder for your anterior delts. When done properly, this exercise also puts concentrated resistance on the upper portion of your traps. You can do the reverse dumbbell press with both arms pressing the weights simultaneously or by alternating each arm. In either event, I suggest that you do this exercise in a seated position with good back support to avoid injury.

To do this exercise, hold 2 dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing you. Keep your back straight and don’t bounce or jerk your body as you slowly press the dumbbells overhead. As you press the weight upward, rotate your wrists so that your hands face forward at the top of each lift. Return the dumbbells to the starting position as you lower them after each rep. If you’ve never done this exercise before, start with weight that you can easily balance and control and progress to heavier poundage when you’ve mastered your training technique. Take my word, the results will be awesome!

4. Dumbbell Front Raises

Like barbell front raises, the dumbbell version of this exercise puts extreme resistance on the front of your shoulders. In addition to building the anterior deltoids, front dumbbell raises put secondary but significant stress on the medial deltoid head. The mechanics of this exercise are basically the same as with barbell front raises. You must stand with your arms straight as you raise the dumbbells forward from the front of your thighs to a position parallel to the floor at about shoulder height. Again, due to the extreme level of training resistance that front raises produce, you should not attempt to do this exercise with heavy weight. Moderate poundage with strict form will give you great results.

5. Behind-The-Neck-Military Press

The “behind-the-neck” or rear military press is a solid mass builder for the medial deltoid or middle shoulder area. Like the front military press, you can perform this exercise from a standing or seated position. Again, I recommend that you do your military presses in a chair with lower back support to avoid arching or hyperextension of your spine. The seated position also helps to stabilize your torso so you won’t jerk the weight upward and cheat on technique. As with all overhead lifting, go slow, master your training technique and the rear military press will add mass, power and symmetry to the middle portion of your shoulders.

6. Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Nothing beats dumbbell lateral raises for targeting the medial head of your delts. And this is another shoulder exercise that provides great results without using excessively heavy weight. With your arms at your sides, grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Slowly raise your arms outward and upward until the dumbbells reach shoulder height in a position that parallels the floor. Return to the starting position. To work the medial delts from every possible angle, vary your workouts by doing some sets with your hands at your sides, some sets with your hands slightly in front of your thighs, and some sets with your hands behind your hips. This exercise is great for adding the shoulder girth necessary to beef up your V taper.

7. Single Arm Cable Lateral Raises

This exercise is a good substitute for dumbbell lateral raises for variety or when dumbbells may not be available to you. Except for the fact that you alternately train each shoulder, the mechanics of this exercise are basically the same as with the dumbbell version. With your arm at your side, simply grasp a low cable handle and slowly raise your arm outward and upward until the handle reaches shoulder height in a position that parallels the floor. Return to the starting position. For maximum effectiveness, you should vary your workouts by starting some sets with your hand at your side, some sets with your hand in front of your thighs, and some sets with your hand behind your hips.

8. Seated Two-Armed Dumbbell Rows

Unless you focus on training your rear delts, it’s easy to forget about them and end up with unbalanced shoulder development. This happened to me years ago when I was still more or less in my infancy when it came to serious bodybuilding. At the time I was living and training in Montreal at “Winston’s Gym,” a bodybuilding powerhouse then owned by Canadian bodybuilding great, Winston Roberts. So one day I asked Winston what I should do to build mass into my rear delts.

Without hesitation he told me to sit on the edge of a flat bench, grab a dumbbell in each hand, lean forward to about 45 degrees and pull the dumbbells toward my torso as though to touch my elbows behind my back. Wow, did this work! My rear delts responded almost immediately to this new workout, and the “Seated Two-Armed Dumbbell Row” was born! To make sure that you fully develop each section of your deltoids, you’ve got to include this rear delt builder in your shoulder workouts.

9. Bent-Over Lateral Raises

This exercise also isolates the posterior deltoid area for full, symmetrical shoulder development. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Bend forward at the waist but keep your back straight and your head facing forward. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with your elbows bent slightly and raise your arms outward and upward until the weight reaches shoulder height. Return to the starting position. For variety or if dumbbells aren’t available, you can also do this exercise with a low cable machine.

10. Upright Rows

Finally, one of my all time favorite shoulder shapers, the upright row builds the entire deltoid area and I love the secondary biceps pump I get whenever I do this exercise. Just grab a barbell with an overhand and slightly wider than shoulder width grip. If you’re using a cambered or EZ Curl Bar, use the wide grip hand position. Raise your arms and pull the bar upward until it nearly touches your chin. To put more resistance on your traps, try pulling your elbows up a little beyond shoulder height as you complete each rep. Return to the starting position. I’m continually amazed at how seldom I see anyone doing this exercise. But you’ve got to do upright rows if you’re serious about building big, muscular shoulders.

Well, that’s it – my Top 10 list of shoulder-building exercises for beginning bodybuilders. Try them, have fun with them, and make sure that you use safe amounts of weight and proper training technique with every exercise.



Benefits of Bodybuilding Supplements

bodybuilding supplements


Bodybuilding is the passion of all young people. Almost all people like themselves to look muscular and strong. There are different kinds of people who do weight training according to their specific needs. Some take up exercise to boost their muscle growth whereas others just do for the sake of keeping themselves fit. To give onself the look of a muscular guy one has to consume eatables which are rich in proteins. Protein supplements are very essential to increase the growth of body muscles. However, there are infinite number of bodybuilding supplements which are meant for specific functions of the human body.

There are many websites which sell branded bodybuilding supplements. These websites are very informative. They give each and every details of various types of bodybuilding supplements. All you need is to read them well and then purchase the products which suit your requirements. It is always good to go through the interviews of the successful bodybuilders. Such interviews provide guidance on how to use and what kind of supplements are actually necessary for you.

Now-a-days websites have been loaded with all the products right from strength supplements, tanning products, creatine products to abs supplements etc. You would also find supplements which are basically meant for the growth of particular parts of your body. For instance there are people who want their biceps to look big and attractive. So, these people should take supplements which are meant for the growth of biceps only. Similarly, there are bodybuilding supplements which are meant for developing your abs and make them attractive.

Buying bodybuilding supplements online is another way of availing discounts which lets people to purchase high quality supplements in huge quantities. Other companies would also let you to take advantage of the company’s sale items as well as specially selected free products that go along with your order. So you can be confident that you are buying quality and branded products at a discounted price.



Advanced Bodybuilder Routines

bodybuilding arms


Training routines of advanced bodybuilder are greatly different from that of a beginner. The differences in the training regimens include not only the weight being used, but the frequency of the lifting and usually the diet as well. An advanced bodybuilders physique can be a thing of beauty indeed and it can only be achieved through the use of incredible discipline and muscle building workouts designed to put the athlete in peak performance shape. Before we look at some of the characteristics of these advanced bodybuilding routines let’s first define what we mean when we say advanced bodybuilder.

The definition of an advanced bodybuilder can change from one person to the next. Some simply think of it as the time that someone has been working out. In this case, someone who has put four or five years into their bodybuilding regimen could be considered advanced, but other bodybuilders strongly disagree. After all, someone who has been working out for five years but has achieved little or no visible results would not likely be a candidate to be called an advanced bodybuilder. Instead, those with T-shirt ripping shoulders and biceps that earn the respect and admiration of everyone else in the gym clearly own this moniker. Getting there was no easy feat, so the term advanced bodybuilder should be relegated to the few who have achieved significant results. Speaking of significant results, now let’s look at some of the training routines of these advanced bodybuilders.

Once someone has achieved a physique of significant size and shape, their routines will likely roof all around the shaping and defining of these muscles versus simply the building of them. In the beginning stages, or bulking faces as they are often called, the focus was on putting on muscle. Now that the muscle has been developed, it will be important to define it and give it the best overall shape and quality possible. This is done through a combination of strict dieting and isolation sets. An isolation set is a particular exercise that spotlights one individual body part versus several at once. An arm curl using a dumbbell is a perfect example of an isolation set where as the squat is a compound movement that will kick several muscle groups at once.

Another important aspect in the routines of advanced bodybuilders is the types of diets that they are on to get into peak shape. Once someone has achieved the size they desire, they will want to cut every bit of body fat they can to even further highlight the clarity of their defined muscular physique. Those bodybuilders who are approaching an actual bodybuilding contest may go to such extreme lengths as to purge all water from their system as well.

The routines of advanced bodybuilders can be intense and at times extreme. BECAUSE of their experience and skill level, most bodybuilders know the inherent risks of such things as working out every single day and going on extreme fat burning diets to get into the best shape possible and do their best to minimize any negative side effects. One thing is for sure though, this lifestyle IS risky and advanced bodybuilder routines should ONLY be practiced by advanced bodybuilders.