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Most chest and bench press workouts are boring. Random sets by random reps, blah, blah, blah. You’ve tried them, made OK progress and moved on. But you want more than “OK progress.” You’re hungry for gains. Bench press gains. Chest gains. Tricep gains. Let’s be real here. Having a weak bench press sucks. There’s nothing worse than hitting the gym and struggling to push up 200 pounds. This type of weakness is embarrassing. And when your arm size sucks too… double whammy. I’ve always preferred training two muscle groups in one session. With every gym session, I usually train a large muscle group and a small muscle group and spend about 90 minutes in the gym altogether. Chest Workout Bench Press (Barbell) – 4 Sets/8-12 Reps Incline Bench Press (Barbell) – 4 Sets/8-12 Reps Weighted Push-ups – 3 Sets / 8-12 Reps Dumbbell Pullovers – 3 Sets /8-12 Reps Standing Cable Flyes – 3 Sets / 10-12 Reps Triceps Workout Flat Bench Triceps Extension – 3 Sets / 10-12 Reps Overhead Rope Extensions –...

Despite the growth of exercise styles like CrossFit, circuit training, and group training, split routines will never go out of style. Why? Because they get results. Most back exercises require you to pull the weight you're lifting towards your body. Doing so incorporates your biceps. This makes it very common for weightlifters to exercise their back and biceps on the same day. If you want to begin a back and biceps workout, plan to perform this workout once per week. This allows time for your back and bicep muscles recuperate properly and grow back bigger and stronger. The Back and Biceps workout : Biceps Barbell Biceps Curl – 4 x 8-12 Incline Dumbbell Biceps Curl – 4 x 8-12 Cross-Body Hammer Curls – 4 x 12 Back Underhand-Grip Barbell Rows – 4 x 8-12 Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns – 4 x 8-12 Pull-Ups – 4 x 8-10 Back Extension – 4 x 12 Some notes: Before starting the biceps curls do a couple of warm-up sets, without going to failure. When doing the pull-ups perform the eccentric(neg...

It’s complicated. Combining ball-and-socket joints that allow maximum arm mobility, a ribbon of snaking bones and nerves that divide the region down the middle, and a phalanx of big and small muscles spread from your butt to your neck, your back is your most complex bodypart. So it’s little wonder that many bodybuilders earn failing grades for training it. A lot of things can go wrong, but we’ve simpli- fied the list to a top seven.  #1 Leaning Back As You Pull Whether you’re doing pulldowns or rows, it’s not uncommon to see bodybuilders see-sawing their body in an effort to move weights that are simply too heavy. That motion turns a lat exercise into a lower-back move, and guess which muscle group is doing less work because of the added momentum? That completely defeats the purpose. Swallow your pride and lessen the weight a few plates. It’s okay to bend forward or backward about 10 degrees, but anything more reduces the emphasis on the target muscle and increases your risk of inj...

Monster traps command respect from those around you. They can transform an ordinary physique into an exceptional one. They’re associated with power because most of the movements that grow our traps are big, powerful exercises. Look at history’s great deadlifters or Olympic lifters, what do they have in common? Massive, powerful traps. But a lot of lifters are clueless about how to build those gargantuan traps. They add in a few sets of dumbbell shrugs at the end of shoulder day and wonder why their traps just won’t grow. 1. Deadlift Deadlifts should be the staple of EVERYONE’S workout. Try all different variations: conventional barbell deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, dumbbell deadlifts, wide-grip deadlifts, deficit deadlifts, rack pulls. The list goes on and on. The deadlift is the best exercise for the whole posterior chain, and it is a fantastic way to pack on mass to your traps. 2. Shrugs Shrugs are the go-to exercise to isolate the traps. Make sure you keep your arms straight and pu...

Calves are one of the toughest areas of the body to target when it comes to growing bigger muscles. Along with a number of smaller muscles, the calf is comprised of two large muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. These muscles, along with the tibialis anterior, work together to carry us everywhere we go, so it takes time, effort and some pain to shock them into getting bigger. You'll get satisfying results if you use the right workout strategy combined with a healthy diet. 1. For a period of 2-4 weeks train your calves on a daily basis before returning to your normal program. Use about 4-6 sets per workout, using a different exercise each day. 2. Every night before you go to bed do a set of 100 slow, hard-squeezing standing calf raises with just your bodyweight, on top of your normal program. Go for maximum burn.  3. Every time you encounter a staircase do a calf raise up each step. On the way down, step onto the ball of your foot, as this will act almost like a plyometr...

The age-old desire to build a strong, well-proportioned physique is still alive and well. Yes, the average gym-goer no longer yearns to build a monstrous, freaky, eye-popping body complete with gnarly veins, huge, stumpy legs and the inability to fit into a dress shirt. But everybody in the gym still wants to build an appreciable amount of muscle and strength. And they want to actually see the results of their hard work without it being hidden under a layer of unwanted body fat.    Building an impressive physique not only grants external benefits such as strength, power, and an aesthetically pleasing structure. It also provides many internal benefits: confidence, increased self-esteem, and self-discipline, just to name a few. Workout Plan A workout arrange in your bodybuilding calendar is an arrangement showing you which days you prepare on and what you prepare on those particular days. What works for me and what has worked for various others is to have an assortment in ...

Everything you ever wanted to know (and some stuff you didn’t) about your six-pack, beer gut, muffin top, or whatever form your belly is taking these days No surprise here--the six-pack is a hot topic. It's a phrase searched for more than 1.2 million times a month on Google alone. But there's more to your midsection than its six sexy segments. In fact, that washboard is actually made of one muscle, the rectus abdominis, which gets its "separations" from dense connective tissue called fascia. The muscles on the sides of your torso are also considered part of the abdominals: Your external and internal obliques help you bend your torso from side to side and rotate your upper body left and right. If all of this is news to you, read on for 6 more essential facts about your abs that you probably don't know. You Don't Need to Train Them Every Day If you perform ab exercises daily in the pursuit of a perfect belly, you could be overtaxing your muscles....

THIS MEAL PLAN IS TAILORED FOR MEN WHO WANT TO BUILD MUSCLE. CHECK OUT THE SKINNY GUY WORKOUT for the workout that goes with this meal plan. Target: 3,000 Calories, 300g Carbs, 225g Protein, 100g Fat Forging new muscle requires a menu high in carbs, therefore, calories. But going on a muscle-building diet is no excuse to gorge on junk food. Take Miles Teller. To prepare for Bleed for This, in which he plays fearsome Vinny "The Pazmanian Devil" Paz, the actor feasted on chicken, avocado, spinach, and tomatoes, and kept his morning meals consistent: “Breakfast was protein powder, ice, water, a splash of almond milk, and some frozen fruit—like, maybe, 10 blueberries," he told Men's Fitness. Muscle Growth Diet – Foods  Chicken Chicken is a great source of protein, almost 25 gram per 100 grams of chicken. Plus it is very low in calories, which makes it a fan favorite for a lot of people on cutting. Peanut Butter Sandwich We are not talking about peanut but...

There is all sorts of information on the internet about how to put on muscle, from mass gainers to gym routines, it can seem a bit daunting. However, it’s really quite simple. There’s no trick and no supplement that is going to do it for you. If you want to gain any significant amount of muscle you’ll need to be in a caloric surplus. In other words, you need to be consuming more calories than you’re burning. Done properly this can allow you to slowly gain muscle mass over time while minimizing fat gain. Any small amount of fat that is gained can be shed later when you move into a fat-loss phase. That said, you do have to be prepared to be in a surplus for a long time as muscle gain is a very slow progress. While this is not meant to be a substitute for one-on-one coaching, my hope is that this can serve as a quick-and-dirty framework for anyone who wants to start creating their own nutrition program to help them build muscle. It is presumed that you’ll be weight training during this...

Why planks? Each move shifts your center of gravity and forces your abdominals, arms, back, and glutes to stabilize your body. Denver-based trainer Stacey Lei Krauss, the creator of a plank-infused cardio fitness program called the Willpower Method, designed this sequence, which includes several variations on the standard plank position. To get started, simply clear a space on the floor. Complete the entire cycle three times a week, taking 30 seconds between each move to roll your wrists and shoulders, and you'll achieve stronger muscles and a toned look without even touching a set of weights or (if you’re like Krauss, who prefers to go barefoot) donning a pair of sneakers. Variation #1 Forearm plank with up-and-down hip raises (tuck your seat and engage your core – belly button to spine). Variation #2 Forearm plank side lifts. Making sure your grounded elbow is directly under your shoulder, lift your hips in up-and-down pulses for 30 seconds, then flip to the othe...

The squat, as with all the competitive lifts, requires great strength throughout all the prime movers and great technique. Great squatters have tremendous strength from head to toe; the quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips, abs and entire back must be well developed for success. Total body strength and technique is best developed in concert with each other, so that your technique doesn’t hold back your strength development, nor your strength not being enough to hold proper technical positions. How to do a proper barbell squat: 1.     You should stand with your feet firmly grounded on the floor, about shoulder-width apart. 2.     Place the barbell on your back, just above your shoulders. (It should be directly on your trapezius muscles.) 3.     Barbell in place, it is time to slowly bend into a squat. When do you stop? When your knees pass the 90 degree mark. That’s right, full squats when your hams almost touch the calves are the way to go. 4....

If you’ve made the commitment to start working on adding more size and muscle mass to your body, one of the must-do things on your agenda is to get a good muscle building diet in place. You can train as hard as you like in the gym, but if you’re not eating the right muscle building foods, you won’t be making any progress. The foods you eat on a daily basis will be responsible for helping you recover from your workout sessions, as well as provide the body with the raw materials it needs to build slabs of rock-hard muscle mass on your body. Let’s have a look at some of the best muscle building foods that you should consider so you can do a quick check-up on your diet and make sure they’re included in your muscle building diet plan. Foods in a healthy muscle building diet The foods we are going to talk about will consist of a good amount of proteins, carbohydrates and omega-3 and omega-6 fats. Food #1 – Fish Fish is a great source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids. It also has a lot o...

While we love a good ab workout, a killer core isn't just about a flat stomach. Whittling your middle also means paying attention to your sides, or, more specifically, your obliques. Strong obliques will make your waist appear slimmer, improve your posture, support your lower back, and make your clothes fit even better. And crunches won't do you any favors here! So we tapped trainers with sick abs from across the country to share their secret moves for toning up the oblique muscles. Plus, cut-outs and crop tops are still holding strong in the fashion world—and they're perfect for showing off chiseled obliques. Get ready to sweat! 1. Bird Dog Crunches How to: Start on all fours, placing your hands flat on the ground directly beneath your shoulders, and your knees beneath your hips with a flat back position (a). Engage your core and drive your right arm straight out from your shoulder, while your left leg drives straight back from your hip, keeping both parallel to the floor ...

If you train in a big commercial gym, you’ve probably noticed Monday is National Bench Day. Everyone seems to be training their chest. Tuesday is often National Bench Day part 2 with more of the same. But how do you train your chest efficiently for maximum growth? In this post I’ll explain you which mistakes you must avoid to build a bigger chest and the right method to increase your chest size. Top 3 Chest Building Mistakes. Training your chest muscles 4x/week using pro bodybuilders routines is wasting your time. Especially if you’re skinny. Isolation Exercises. You can’t stress your chest with heavy weights using exercises like dumbbell flies. So you won’t trigger the release of Testosterone & Growth Hormone as much as with compounds. Eating Like a Pigeon. You’ll never get a big chest if you’re 120lbs at 6′. Training your chest 3x/week won’t get it bigger unless you eat more. Isolating Your Chest. Although your chest has to 2 main heads, it’s 1 muscle and contracts as a whole...

The way to increase muscle mass in your arms and chest is the same for building any other muscle in your body: high-tensity resistance training -- that is, weights -- supported by proper nutrition and recovery intervals. How to rev up the process? "You'll get there faster if you pace yourself and work at a sustainable level of intensity and not sidelining yourself with excessive effort," says Los Angeles-based personal trainer David Knox, author of Body School: A New Guide for Improved Movement in Daily Life. "That said, you can see significant results within six to eight weeks if you're diligent," Knox adds. How do you maximize it? Here are 3 keys: #1) Workout the WHOLE body I don’t care if your goal is just bigger arms-for the above reasons you MUST enact your entire body. But there is a specific way this must be done. #2) NEVER waste time on “single joint” exercises Doing 2-3 activities is all you need to enact your entire body. How do you d...

What's the best muscle builder workout out there is? It's not the exercises found in fitness magazines--do those and you won't get any results at all. When training one specific muscle group, most think that only exercising just that group at the expense of the others is the way to get results. This makes sense-right? "Conventional wisdom" is ALWAYS wrong Here are 3 keys to getting ripped NOW: #1) Keep your workouts SHORT In addition to the mental benefits of this, your testosterone output is actually the highest at the 30-45 minute mark. After 45 minutes it's totally exhausted. So make SURE your workouts never go past 45 minutes--otherwise you are killing your progress. This is probably the BIGGEST thing you will ever hear about getting ripped. "Go all out... and get the heck out" When you cut out the 95% of exercises that make no difference your gym time will be cut down dramatically. #2) Do NOT worry about tempo Just about everyone ...

As you probably know by now with health and fitness, there are thousands of contradictions, thousands of ideas, and thousands of perspectives. However, let us help you by sticking to the basic, and the best, ways to achieve your fitness goals. Now, there’s no immediate way to get washboard abs and arms that could crush a bear, but there are ways you can boost the effectiveness of your gym session, and this will help speed up how long it takes to get ripped.   #1) Spend LESS time in the gym You heard correctly. Your muscles need time to recover, because during the workout they actually get torn down. Therefore they need to build themselves back up afterward…which is where rest comes in. Most people don’t give themselves anywhere near the time necessary to do so. 2-3 days of vigorous exercising per week is plenty, and any more might actually put you at a greater risk of injury. #2) Diet to Get Ripped It’s an age old saying, but ‘you are what you eat’ has an annoying ring of tru...

The difference between a snack that has staying power and one that leaves you hungry an hour later? Protein. This nutrient is a hunger-busting powerhouse because it slows digestion and keeps blood sugar steady, and research shows protein helps keep cravings at bay. "Protein can help you lose weight because it increases satisfaction, and when you feel satisfied from your eating plan, you're better able to stick with it. Here are some healthy snacks that are easy to make, that will fit in your gym bag or purse, and of course are high in protein content: Cottage cheese At the top of the high protein snacks list is the cottage cheese. This healthy snack has long been considered a dieter’s staple. A cup of cottage cheese has about 20-30 g of protein and about 5-10 grams of fat. Add some fresh fruit to the cheese and you already have a high protein – high fiber healthy snack. If you need to gain weight you can substitute the cottage cheese with some hard cheese that has higher conte...

Nope. This isn’t going to be another one of those run-of-the-mill “boulder shoulder” articles repeating the already nauseatingly understood exercises it takes to build big, wide shoulders. You know the ones, they go something like this: A standard press, a side lateral raise and then something for rear delts. This also isn’t a list of some crazy-looking bosu ball balancing movements better suited for ballerinas with little to show for your efforts. I am about to list the undisputed 6 best shoulder builders. Free Weights First First of all, make sure to replace most of your machine-based overhead presses with free-weight overhead presses performed with dumbbells or a barbell. This will allow you to engage more muscles and strengthen your stabilizing muscles which although small or hidden, are extremely important for an injury-free and highly effective performance and ultimately for building a strong and well-balanced body. Free weights enable your body to move in all three planes...

Instructions Preparation Lie on upper back perpendicular to bench. Flex hips slightly. Grasp one dumbbell from behind or from side with both hands under inner plate of dumbbell. Position dumbbell over chest with elbows slightly bent. Execution Keeping elbows slightly bent throughout movement, lower dumbbell over and beyond head until upper arms are in-line with torso. Pull dumbbell up and over chest. Repeat. Comments Lower body extending off of bench acts as counter balance to resistance and keeps upper back fixed on bench. Avoid hips from raising up significantly. Actual range of motion is dependent upon individual shoulder flexibility. Keep elbows fixed at small bend throughout exercise. Breathing Breathe in lowering the dumbbell and breathe out bringing it back to the starting position. Tips The performance of the dumbbell pullover is not easy. The instability of the position on the bench needs the use of abs and quadriceps in order to stabilize the motion. Mistakes - Do not...

For several years the fight over which exercise is better for legs has been doing the rounds and unfortunately none of them has managed to found a clear winner. Even though both the exercises are know for their many benefits in improving leg strength, there has always been a debate over which is the best exercise for legs. The ongoing Squats Vs Leg Press battle often make people overlook the overall benefits of both the exercises.  If you're after optimal leg mass and development, you must use a variety of leg exercises, including the squat and leg press. Although both exercises work essentially the same muscles, the emphasis of each is slightly different, which means muscle development is different as well. Benefits of Squats Because resistance machines such as the leg press only allow movement in a fixed pattern, they’re great for beginners or people coming back from an injury, who need to master a correct and safe movement pattern before advancing to the more challenging barb...