HIHI

When you’re bulking up during the winter, you traditionally take longer rest periods (around a minute) between exercises so your body can recoup completely. Now that it’s spring, most of us are looking to shift gears to trim up for summer which typically requires full blown high intensity training. But, if you all of a sudden completely change up your program and eliminate or greatly reduce those rest periods (which is what you do during a “trim up” type routine) your body is going to be like “WTF!?” That’s why you need THE TRANSITION: these workouts give your body that time it needs to literally transition from one type of workout to a completely different beast. These are the three workouts that have been missing from your routine. They can be executed for 1, 2, 3, or even 4 weeks before getting into a more aggressive cut. Think of it as a way to slowly transition into a different style of training. For a more detailed look at each of the three Transition workouts, Chest / triceps

Muscles are the stringy mass of fibres that contract and expand to make your joints move and stop you crumpling in a saggy heap on the floor. You’ve got between 600 and 700 muscles in your body altogether. Not all muscle fibres are created equal. Some are made up of slow-twitch fibres that are laced with lots of capillaries to supply them with oxygen, and are mainly used in aerobic, endurance activities such as running. Other muscles are made up of fast-twitch fibres which have fewer capillaries and convert stored glycogen into glucose to fuel explosive, anaerobic movements such as jumping or lifting heavy weights. It’s these fast-twitch fibres that have the greatest potential for growth, which is why power sportsmen such as sprinters and weightlifters tend to be bulkier than endurance athletes such as marathon runners. The number of fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibres you have is determined at birth by your genes. This explains why some people pack on muscle easily while others struggl

It’s a pretty regular scene: Someone is working out regularly with a well-designed program but isn’t getting the results they’re looking for – whether it’s losing or gaining weight. In these cases, the first thing any competent trainer is likely to do is examine that person’s diet. It is absolutely stunning how often people neglect this vital aspect of fitness. The truth, though, is that you simply cannot out-train a poor diet. If you’re trying to gain weight, for example, you could actually be doing more harm than good by lifting without making sure your diet is in check. Each time you exercise, you are damaging your muscles in the hopes that this will stimulate the repair work that will make them bigger and stronger. But this work cannot be properly carried out unless your body has the right nutrients in the right amounts. Nutrition, then, makes sure that you can actually benefit from all that hard work in the gym. So, what follows is a list (in no particular order) of the best foods

If you want to sculpt your lower abs, it's time to mix up your classic crunch. Reverse crunches hone in on the bottom portion of your rectus abdominus to take your four pack to a six pack, says personal trainer Mike Donavanik, CSCS. Plus, they train your tranverse abdominis, your natural internal girdle, more than traditional crunches do. But to reap these rewards, you need to know how to do reverse crunches properly. That means not letting your hands, arms, or, even worse, momentum, do the work. Learn how to do reverse crunches the right way with these easy-to-follow instructions. To strengthen the entire ab area, lie on your back and extend your arms out to the side, or keep your hands behind your head if that’s more comfortable (top illustration). Raise your knees and feet so they create a 90-degree angle. Contract your abdominals and exhale as you lift your hips off the floor with control; your knees will move toward your head (bottom illustration). Try to keep your knees at

Big chest muscles, 6-pack abs, big biceps & triceps. That’s what most people want. I feel big shoulders, traps & back are more impressive, but to each his own. Here’s how to build bigger arms and increase biceps & triceps size. Common Mistakes to Avoid. The number 1 mistake is doing endless biceps curls & triceps extensions to build bigger arms. This works at the advanced level, but for beginners it’s inefficient and counterproductive. Curls & Extensions. Beginners need compound exercises to build overall muscle mass, not isolation exercises. First big picture, then the details. Overtraining Your Arms. Arms are small muscles which you hit on all exercises. You can’t train them 5x/week. Muscles grow when they rest. Neglecting Other Muscles. This will get you out of proportion. Your arms will be too big compared to the rest of your body and you’ll look funny. Not Eating Enough Food. You’ll never get 18″ biceps if you only weigh 120lbs at 6′. You must gain weight t

The Good Morning exercise gets a bad rap. Some think it's just a Squat gone wrong. Others look at the movement and cringe at the thought of what holding a heavy bar with your torso nearly parallel to the ground is doing to your back. No doubt, these are legitimate concerns. Unless you have years of intense weightlifting experience, the move does look like a Squat with a less-than-ideal torso position. And it can cause injury if you're not careful. Fun fact: The Good Morning got its name because the movement is similar to bowing at the waist to say "good morning." If you never directly train your lower back and strengthen it, you are leaving your body vulnerable with a Huge Weak Link. A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link. So if never train your back and then find yourself in a real world situation where you have to lift or move something heavy, your lower back will be the first area to get injured because it’s been neglected and naturally weak from never bein

Chest day owns a lot of centre focus from bodybuilders and gym-goers alike – and with good reason. Who doesn’t want to build strong, solid pecs that help you fill out your t-shirt and broaden your upper body? However, the upper region of the chest is by far the hardest area of the chest to build, therefore it’s important to perform the correct exercises and with proper form.   First thing’s first; it’s important to acknowledge that the chest is split into three main parts; upper, lower and middle, therefore you’ll need to perform a range of exercises in order to target these three key muscle groups. WORK OUT Targeted Upper Chest Exercises. Doing the Upper Chest Exercises Properly. Weights, Sets and Rest. NUTRITION Eating the Right Food at the Right Time. Using the Right Supplements. Drinking Water. REST Balanced Rest Between Upper Chest Workouts. Upper Chest Recovery. Sleep to give your Upper Chest time to grow. Bench Press 3 x 9 reps (final 2 sets as many reps as possible) 90 s

If you want some big, bad ass boulder shoulders that make you look like you're wearing a pair of Road Warrior-like studded football pads underneath your shirt, well, this isn't the article you should be reading. Sorry. However, if you want to correct a few muscle imbalances you may have created before you knew better, or if you want to fortify the integrity of your shoulder joints and maybe even improve your posture, then this might be just the article you need. We all know people who were really into bodybuilding at one time in their lives but eventually dropped out after a few years of hardcore lifting. Why? In many cases, these guys developed so many nagging injuries they eventually just gave up on training. Injuries to the shoulders top the list. It doesn't have to be that way, of course. Proper care and feeding of your "caps" can keep them healthy through years of hard training. After all, you can't build cannonball delts if you're injured. Here are a

Many clients come to me with a goal of building muscle and losing fat. Initially I take them through a prep phase and a hypertrophy phase, each phase is performed for 3 to 4 weeks. We follow that with the Advanced German Body Composition by Charles Poliquin. The results have been great. Not only does the Advanced GBC lead to fat loss, but it is also quite effective in growing muscle and developing muscular endurance. The 6-12-25 drop set rep scheme includes rep ranges that vary from relative strength, to hypertrophy, and finally to muscle endurance. Weight/load selection is important for this protocol. You must choose weights that accurately reflect your 6RM of an exercise, your 12RM, and your 25RM. To execute this strategy you need to select a load that will challenge you to get 6 reps with good form at a 40X0 tempo (lowering phase is 4 seconds, no pause, raising phase quickly as possible, no pause, repeat). Take that load and cut it in half. Use this new load to perform 12 reps of th

You don’t have to spend your whole life in the gym to see amazing results.This workout, designed especially for Women’s Health, will take just 15 minutes out of your day. You can even train at home. Do it three or four times a week, upping the intensity as you get fitter. 1. Single-Leg Renegade Row  Repeat for 8-12 reps This is the ultimate two-for-one move to challenge your balance and strength. From up above (your back, arms and core) to down below (your glutes and hamstrings), you’ll feel the burn — fast. Can you hold steady without skipping a beat? 2. Glute Bridge with Chest Press  Repeat for 8-12 reps If you thought plain old chest press was hard enough, try adding a lower-body challenge to the mix! This functional movement works your chest and arms, while giving your booty some TLC, too. 3. Reverse Mountain Climbers  Repeat on the opposite side, and continue to alternate for 8 reps Work all planes of motion in this dynamic twist on the standard plank. Thanks to the knee dr

you’ve charged through your training session, or at least what was on paper for today. And truth be told, you’re feeling good. You even have ten minutes left before you need to head back to your daily existence. So, what can you do to best make use of this available time and energy? Enter the finisher. As the name suggests, this is a short and simple training piece thrown in at the end of your session. Usually, this involves thrashing yourself to within an inch of your life, making sure you end up in a puddle of sweat on the floor with nothing left to give. But that’s not the only way to structure your finisher. I propose this time can be used more productively and constructively. Here are six options for the next time you find yourself craving a little more work at the end of your session. 1)Slide Board Intervals After a leg dominant day, finish with 4 reps (of 20-30 seconds) sliding side-to-side as fast as you can. Rest 60 seconds in between each set. Make sure to keep your hips

If you are one of those people who only like to work out your “Show Muscles” (chest, arms, abs and some shoulders) then move on, but if you are looking to have a thick, dense and well balanced upper body then stick around. I am going to discuss how to turn your Baby Back into Wide Thick Wings of Muscle. The torso is the focal core of the body. Not only does it house the most vital organs of our body but it also provides the bulk of the support and strength we need to function through the day, no matter how small the movement. If you continue to work your back, you can guarantee that you’ll have balanced and strong muscles to support you. With stronger back muscles with these top 5 exercises you’ll be able to: BEST BACK WORKOUT FOR MASS #1 Deadlift (5 Sets x 8 Reps)   Deadlifts are one of the best exercises to increase posterior chain strength, which a lot of people lack especially in the lumbar back.  Proper technique is crucial though so make sure you have that nailed before upping

They work every muscle in your body. You’ll burn a lot of calories and your heart rate will go sky high. It’s certainly an amazing exercise to burn fat. But I personally believe there are 11 moves that are better for fat loss training,especially for men with some serious miles on their bodies.  What do I mean by better? Well, the burpee is a really complex movement that combines a hip-hinge, plank, pushup, squat, and jump. If you’re not great at any one of those moves—whether it be due to a lack of strength, mobility, or motor control—then trust me when I say that your burpee will be even worse. There is a lot going on, more than is necessary to achieve the fat loss results you’re looking for. I have three main criteria when selecting exercises for metabolic conditioning workouts. The moves must: •    Work most of your body, especially your shoulders and hips •    Be as low-impact and low-skill as possible •    Be safe to perform for higher reps and with shorter rest periods I

Although it may seem strange to talk about how to gain weight as we approach the holidays (where people typically gain weight without trying very hard), the simple fact is that, for athletes and bodybuilders, the winter (when it’s cold outside and you’re covered up) has always been one of the primary times that trainees focus on muscle gain. You can worry about being lean and having a six pack when it’s warm and you don’t look stupid being mostly nude. The winter is a good time to pack on some muscle mass and justify all that Halloween candy (“I’m bulking, bro”). But in the same way that many diets fail for a lot of reasons, there are equally common reasons that trainees fail to make the muscular gains that they desire. I want to look at several of them, addressing potential solutions along the way.  Why Cutting Carbs Won’t Help You Build Mass The reason why cutting carbs is so ineffective is actually a lot simpler than you think. There are pretty much only two things that don’t contai

When you’re trying to add quality muscle mass, you have to make sure your entire muscle-building regimen is catered to achieve that goal. The main areas to consider include your nutrition plan, training program, supplement plan and recovery protocol. As you’ve already learned from the training element of this superfeature, “7 Biggest Offseason Mass-Building Training Mistakes,” you need to emphasize heavy, compound movements when you’re trying to maximize muscle gains. [Melissa – We may need to tweak the wording here once we have the title for the complementary article. JH] Even if your training is impeccable, however, you may not be supporting your hard work in the gym with the smartest nutrition strategies for your body. In fact, many committed bodybuilders set themselves up for failure by making nutritional blunders. A common explanation is that some guys are so gym-focused that they forget to take care of business when they aren’t lifting. Keep in mind, however, that you can’t grow

Bench presses help you build a strong chest, and the dumbbell bench press offers some benefits not available with other chest exercises. You challenge the muscles of the chest and shoulders, and dumbbells allow greater range of movement and activate numerous stabilizing muscles. 1. Unilateral dumbbell bench pressing closely simulates real-world athletic performance. Most sport actions are performed unilaterally—swimmers pull one stroke at a time, ball players push off with one hand, and so on. When the Bench Press is performed bilaterally in a seated position, the core has been shown to be less engaged than it is when you are standing. Moving from the Barbell Bench to the Dumbbell Bench will help recruit your trunk and stabilizer muscles, while also helping you bridge the gap between the movement in the gym and the action you want to achieve on the playing field. 2. You can increase your range of motion. To improve your Bench Press and performance, range of motion is critical. One

A tight and lean stomach is a great feature to have. “Washboard abs,” “abs of steel,” “six pack” – call it what you will, visible abdominal muscles are a highly coveted attribute for many, and there are definitely good reasons for that. Besides the obvious physical appeal, six pack abs signify a person’s level of health and strength, as well as dedication to their diet and exercise program. It’s no wonder the elusive six pack is a desirable trophy for those interested in changing their physique and getting in shape. However, six pack abs by themselves are not real indicators of anything except for low body fat levels. Visible abs are often a natural by-product of strength and physical health, but if they are the result of extremely restricted eating and endless cardio, your six pack won’t do much for you, other than make you look good shirtless. Unfortunately, despite what Dr. Oz says, there are no miracle pills that will give you six pack abs (or if there are, they probably come along

Your back is the utmost important factor that creates the visual impact of a V-shaped body, not the shoulders (although they’re nearly as important) we call this the V-taper. To get the foundation of a V-taper right, you need to build yourself a ‘cobra back’… And to build a wide cobra back, you need to build yourself some extremely wide and protruding lattimus dorsi muscles (lats as the bodybuilders call them), and that’s simply because the outer line of the lattimus dorsi, is the line that creates the actual visual impact of a V .. Known as the V taper. Back Training Frequency and Optimal Set/Rep Patterns  Machine training and high-rep “pump” work will never allow a natural trainee to build that thick wide back, as it is a fact that the main muscles of the back are multi-sided large bundles of muscle fibers which respond best to heavy pulling work. Also the fact that the back has so many isolated muscles, makes isolation work for back not only ineffective, but also incredibly time con

Burning fat can help you to have the kind of body you have always dreamed of having. There are quite a few methods available for losing fat, but at the core, you need to have some great exercises. I found this heavenly article with information about how to start burning fat. This simple 10 – 15 minute Beginner’s Total Body Fat Blasting Routine will have you losing body fat and boosting your self-esteem as you begin your get fit journey!  Exercises: 1. Side Lying Leg Lifts – 15 reps on each leg 2. Squat Jumps – 15 reps 3. Knee Pushups – 15 reps 4. Hammer Curls – 15 reps 5. Crunches – 30 reps.

Big arms. You want them. And we're talking about biceps and triceps here – not "fatceps." No one cares what your arm measures when it's coated in three inches of fat. If you don't have a single visible vein wrapping itself around your biceps then you've got work to do. Here's how to do it. A Simple Rule for Arm Training Before your next session arm, follow this simple rule to keep your elbows to get angry: biceps before triceps and biceps and triceps together. Does your biceps work first. This will draw blood around the bend and give a bit of a "cushion" for the triceps after work. Also, always working arms together on the same day. I divided the arms of a certain number of times, but have always made the best progress by working biceps and triceps together. Biceps 1 – Switch-Grip Barbell Curls 2 – Incline Dumbbell Curls to Standing Hammer Curls 3 – Prone Incline Concentration Curls Triceps And just like the biceps, depending on the year and

Well-balanced meals and snacks are both important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But whether it's because you find yourself mindlessly snacking or because your meals aren't keeping you as full as you'd like, sometimes you need something to keep you from rummaging through the pantry. Here are 6 appetite-suppressing foods that keep you feeling full! Tip #1 – Eat More Cauliflower This thing is like a magic diet food. In 100 grams of Cauliflower you’ll get… Energy 104 kJ (25 kcal) Carbohydrates 5 grams Sugars 1.9 grams Dietary fiber 2 grams Fat 0.3 grams Protein 1.9 grams Vitamins Thiamine (B1) (4%) 0.05 mg Riboflavin (B2) (5%) 0.06 mg Niacin (B3) (3%) 0.507 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) (13%) 0.667 mg Vitamin B6 (14%) 0.184 mg Folate (B9) (14%) 57 μg Vitamin C (58%) 48.2 mg Vitamin E (1%) 0.08 mg Vitamin K (15%) 15.5 μg Trace metals Calcium (2%) 22 mg Iron (3%) 0.42 mg Magnesium (4%) 15 mg Manganese (7%) 0.155 mg Phosphorus (6%) 44 mg Potassium (6%) 299 mg Sodium (2%) 30 mg Z

With my article on the 5 Trap Bar Exercises You’re Not Doing, I already gave you a taste of how the trap bar can be used to push your gains to the next level. But, as I’m sure you noticed, all of the exercises discussed were lower body and core focused. Not that focusing on core strength is a bad thing (as it will assuredly do much more for your body composition and athletic performance than endless bicep curls do) but pigeonholing the trap bar doesn’t do justice to its versatility. Upper-Body Push With both horizontal and vertical pushing movements, it's important to grip the handles in the middle to prevent the bar from tipping one way or another. This control is one of the hardest aspects of any of the Trap Bar Pushes. Shrugs Let’s start with everyone’s favorite trap bar exercise: the shrug. The beauty of using the trap bar here is that it allows you to hold a lot of weight in a shoulder friendly position without using lifting straps or an over/under (snatch) grip. It’s a gre