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Building muscle primarily takes place in two places: the kitchen and the gym. If you’re a seasoned lifter, you know the importance of properly fueling your body in order to get results. You need to have high levels of protein intake, for example, and low levels of sugar and carbohydrates. As for the gym, your workouts should probably be built around the three primary lifts, with plenty of auxiliary exercises rotated in.  Pre-Workout Stretching: Pre-workout stretching exercises prepare the body for the workout it is about to do. The stretches are normally held for just 5 to 10 seconds. The reason of vivacious exercise is to boost movement of the joints through a particular range of motion. This surely helps to boost core temperature and blood flow in your body, and stir the central nervous system. Study has shown that energetic stretches particularly improve force production and fiery power. They can also help out to increase body consciousness, and help with solidity and balance...

The overhead press is to shoulder training what the squat is to leg day: the foundational movement from which all other exercises for its respective muscle group stem. When it’s time to train delts and decide on your workout for the day, the first question should be: What type of overhead press am I going to do? Believe it or not, there are many more ways to answer this question than just “barbell” or “dumbbells.” Those pieces of equipment are in the discussion, of course, but so are machines and kettlebells; bilateral versus unilateral; pronated, supinated, or neutral grip; and seated, standing, or even kneeling. The overhead press (aka “shoulder press”) is a movement with way more variants than most guys utilize. Below are six such options, all of which should be fair game the next time you train delts. 1. Seated Dumbbell Press When you sit during your dumbbell press, you can lift more weight because you can use your back to push against the seat. This means you can grow your musc...

  If you want strong, well-defined arms choosing the right tricep exercises for building mass needs to be your number one priority.  Your triceps are made up of 3 Tricep brachii heads: long – lateral – medial. Each of the tricep brachii heads have key rolls in all your pushing movements such as Bench Press, Standing Barbell Press and Dips.  Any pushing movement will engage your tricep muscle at some point.  Most guys training reguarly at the gym understand the importance of tricep exercises however the majority of people still prioritise their biceps over their triceps into their workouts.   1. Close-Grip Bench Presses. These should be performed on chest day, after you’re done with the bench. Use them as a segue into your triceps workout. 2. Skullcrushers. This exercise will help you pack on more mass than any of them, but you will need some gloves and a spotter so that you don’t injure yourself. Get some heavy weights but make sure that you can handle y...

Whether your goal is to get bigger and stronger, or improve power and explosiveness for sports, you want to see progress — and pronto. But building muscle efficiently requires more than just putting in time at the weight rack. Along with your strength training regimen, diet and lifestyle choices all play important roles. Before you even start thinking about how to build muscle, it’s instructive to know the primary factors that determine just how much of it you can gain. 3 Factors Affecting Muscle Growth These are the main criteria dictating increases in muscle size, or hypertrophy — and two of them are outside your control. Sex Simmer down — we’re talking gender. The male persuasion unsurprisingly has a decided advantage when it comes to building muscle. That’s due in large part to far greater levels of testosterone and a higher red blood cell count among men than women, who typically have to go to more extraordinary lengths to gain size. Genetics Similar to the way it governs how muc...

Have you ever seen the guys at the gym who have jacked upper bodies and bulging quads, but twigs below the knees? It’s clear they skimp on the calves exercises in their workouts. It can be easy to make these smaller muscles an afterthought, but strong calves don’t only help to balance out your appearance, they’re also key to gaining power and explosiveness both inside and outside the gym. “Your calf muscles help propel you forward and up in explosive movements,” says Cody Braun, Openfit fitness specialist. This makes them very useful for sprinting and plyometrics, and any activity that requires leg propulsion or foot stabilization upon landing, like cycling, running, volleyball, or basketball. Tight calf muscles can limit your ankle mobility and potentially increase the likelihood of injuries like shin splints, plantar fasciitis, or Achilles tendonitis. That’s why it’s crucial to regularly train your calves, Braun says. To help you get started, we compiled a list of the best exercises ...

Most quick cardio regimens for weight loss involve high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that leaves you gasping for air. And while they’re fantastic for conditioning and dropping fat, all that jumping around can take its toll on your joints and lead to muscle dysfunction and injury. So, we’ve put together a workout that’ll get your heart pumping to ramp up your metabolism without stressing your body. In this do-anywhere, bodyweight workout, you’ll push hard for 20 minutes to create core stability, open up tight hips, and get a much-needed cardio benefit that’s way more effective than jogging. We’ve designed this workout by alternating lower body and upper body movements as well as pushing and pulling exercises so there’s no need for rest. This way you can make the most of your time, performing two sets of these eight moves as a circuit.

If you’re just starting out on your strength-building journey, you’ve probably happened across the term compound exercises, usually in the context of something you should be doing, like eating broccoli or watching PBS documentaries. Exercise experts don’t agree on much, but nearly all of them agree that compound exercises are a strength-and-fitness seeker’s best friend. “The bulk of the exercises in most people’s workouts should be compound,” says Openfit Senior Manager of Fitness and Nutrition Content Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S. The sooner you get to know these classic gym moves, the faster you’ll start making serious strides towards your goals. I needed a routine that would allow me to keep gaining while cutting down on time spent in the gym. After conducting some research I came across an article and routine by Bill Starr (strength training legend). Mr. Starr’s approach to training was like night and day to what I was accustomed to. Bill preached using only compound movements to build s...

Burn calories without going to the gym this holiday season Have you been skipping the gym lately? No judgment: So you overdid it on gingerbread lattes at Starbucks or grabbed too many fast-food meals after marathon shopping trips? No biggie—as long as you stay active in other ways. "A lot of people skip workouts completely when the holidays get busy and promise they’ll exercise in January,” says Mike Donavanik, a personal trainer in Los Angeles. “But it’s that much harder to motivate when you’ve skipped the gym for two-plus weeks.” While you don’t have to maintain your exact same exercise routine, keeping your body in motion will help you balance out the indulgences and start the year strong. To help you do that on the quick, we’ve rounded  research-backed ways to get more out of your workouts and improve your metabolism to boot. 1. Do exercises in the water. Water workouts are very effective and are good for any pool or sea. Do this set of exercises every time you enter the wate...

Despite their cute name, there isn't much to love about love handles. Love handles are another name for the excess fat that sits at the sides of the waist and hangs over the top of pants. Also known as a muffin top, this fat can be a challenge to lose. Many people try to target this specific area with endless side crunches and other abdominal moves that target the obliques, muscles that run down the sides of the torso. However, this is not an effective way to lose love handles. In order to get rid of love handles for good, you’re going to need to make dietary, exercise and lifestyle changes. Here are 17 natural ways to get rid of love handles. Step #1 – Eat A Healthy, Balanced Diet When it comes to getting rid of your love handles, good nutrition is going to be a key part of your plan. Many guys that want to lose their love handles will think about going on ‘a diet', which usually consists of cutting carbs or only eating salads. These approaches are highly popular, but very rar...

Many individuals who exercise or are new to the fitness world feel strength training is only associated with more experienced athletes. This couldn't be further from the truth. There are too many physical, health, and mental benefits to leave strength training out of your workout schedule. What is weight training? Muscle training is a vital piece of a general work out regime. Strength training (which is also known as resistance training or weight training) is the utilization of opposition and endurance to muscular contraction to fabricate the force and energy, anaerobic perseverance and size of skeletal muscles. This means that muscle training depends on the rule that muscles of the body will work to defeat an obstruction drive when they are supposed to. When you do muscle training with the 6 weight plates for home use more than once and reliably, your muscles wind up more grounded. Why you should take part in weight training? Muscle training is ignored by numerous individuals fo...

You’re a regular at the gym. Every chance you get, you’re lifting weights and working on your body. But even as you get stronger, you’re not seeing the muscle mass you want. Bulking up by building muscle mass requires a dedicated strategy. This guide is about that. I’m going to share simple nutrition habits that I follow to be strong in the gym, and maintain a muscular and lean physique – without spending hours in the kitchen, or stressing over what I eat. Eat Protein with Each Meal Protein is crucial for getting results when lifting weights. Without enough protein you don’t get proper recovery, and will not get proper progress. Protein also helps with fat loss – it keeps you full longer, and has a higher thermic effect (more of your meal is burned for digestion if it’s higher protein). Luckily you don’t need that much protein. You only need 0.82g of protein per lb of body-weight (1.8g/kg) for muscle recovery and to build extra muscle mass. That means about 145g of protein if you’re 8...

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. #1: Just Bench Pressing Another very common mistake which is made on chest day is solely doing pressing movements. This could be a barbell bench press, incline barbell bench press, dumbbell press etc. The point is all of these movements are pretty much identical and aren’t really ‘testing’ or giving your chest a proper all-round workout. Bench press is certainly an excellent exercise and there are many brilliant versions of it; however, they shouldn’t make up the entirety of your chest workout. If you’re lifting purely for strength, e.g. powerlifting, then you’re probably going to just be performing bench press – so it’s okay to not include ...