Tag: Exercise Guides
How to Add Inches To Your Guns
Here is how to add some size to your arms.
How do you make your arms bigger? Well there is obviously one simple answer to this, and that is to shop one size smaller…
All kidding aside, good arms can really make a physique pop and make everyone take notice
So what is the secret?
Well the secret to getting big is muscular hypertrophy, and that essentially means an increase in muscle mass. And this muscle mass is built by overcoming an external force ie – weights, it is really that simple.
Now let’s take a moment to look at the arms in particular which is a combination of the biceps and triceps.
The Biceps (biceps brachii):
The biceps consists of two heads (as per the name suggest), there is a ‘long head’ and a ‘short head’, and they work as a singular muscle and they are responsible for arm flexion.
The Triceps:
The triceps consists of three heads, again as per the name suggests. It has a long, head, lateral and medial heads, and is responsible for elbow extension.
So what exercises will help me achieve muscle hypertrophy?
Biceps:
Here is a rundown of some great exercises to give you that bicep peak bulging
21’s (curls):
The number “21” refers to the number of total reps you do in one set, but the “21” is also divided into three 7-rep segments that ultimately target the entire bicep.
1st 7 reps: For the first seven reps, go from the bottom of the movement up to the halfway point (with your arms at a 90 degree angle and hands at elbow level)
2nd 7 reps: Go from the halfway point up to the top of the bicep curl (hands up near shoulder level.
3rd 7 reps: Start at the bottom of the movement and complete a full range of movement all the way up
How To Perform 21s Bicep Barbell Curls
Stand upright and grab a barbell with an underhand grip.
Place your hands shoulders width apart and allow your arms to hang toward the floor.
Tuck your elbows tight to the sides of your body.
Curl upward until you make a 90-degree angle at your elbow.
Bring your arms back to full extension and repeat six more curls reaching the 90-degree angle at your elbow.
Now, from the 90-degree at your elbow position, curl the weight up until the barbell is one to two inches away from your shoulder.
Lower the weight back to the 90-degree elbow position and repeat six more times.
Now, allow your arms to return to full extension.
This time, curl your arms all the way to full extension.
Keep curling until the bar is about one to two inches away from your shoulder.
Repeat six more curls through this full range of motion to complete a total of 21 curls.
Kettlebell Curl – as the name suggests either using a kettlebell in each hand, curl as you would do with dumbbells or using a heavier kettlebell curl using both hands.
Concentration Curls
Sit on a bench with desired weight
Then lean forward and place your elbow to the base of your knee
You will be curling one are at a time
Palms facing upwards
Let the dumbbell hang towards your foot
Then curl up towards your shoulder while ensuring the elbow does not move
Bring the weight back down and repeat accordingly
Clairemont curls
Start in a similar position as you would do with seated dumbbell curls
Ensure the bench is slightly inclined
Grab the dumbbells and lean back
Then curl the weight, instead of down and up, you arms will be curling out wide and up
During the movement ensure your body does not move forward or cheats
Ensure the elbows stay tight and don’t flare out during the movement
Repeat reps accordingly
Spider Curl – using the flat part of an arm curl/ preacher curl bench. Grab your barbell or dumbbell, with palms facing upwards, bring the weight down while the elbow and triceps stay tight and close to the flat part of the bench. Fully extend then slowly contract back upwards.
Waiter curls
Grab one dumbbell, and cup it with both hands
Palms facing upwards
Ensure hands are either side of the handle
Start with the dumbbell hanging low
Then slowly curl the dumbbell using both arms towards your chest while keeping the elbows tight to the body
To ensure maximum bicep contraction try to push using your palms and not your fingers
Bring the weight back down and repeat accordingly
Triceps:
Here is a rundown of some great exercises to get your tricep horseshoe to pop
Weighted Dips – add weights to your body via a dipping belt, weighted vest or by holding dumbbells in between your legs
Closed grip bench press – similar to bench to hit the chest, this time being the grip closer to ensure that the triceps are taxed instead of the chest
Weighted bench dips – get yourself in between two benches, hands on one and feet on the other, and get someone to add weight to your legs. Then dip while keeping the weights balanced on your legs
Skull Crushers – lying down on a bench, bring the weight towards your head and then extend upwards to flex the tricep.
Body Weight Skull Crusher
Either set up a smith machine or use the fixed barbells or similar on a rack
Grab the bar with an overhand grip and ensure with a shoulder width stance
Ensure the rest of the body is rigid
Then lower your body down below bringing your head just below the bar
Then use your triceps to extend back up
Repeat again as required
Cable Skull Crushers
Set a bench next to a cable machine
Set the pulley to its lowest setting
Attach EZ attachment or similar to pulley
Make sure the bench is not too close so you have enough tension on the negative part of the movement
LIe back on the bench, and grab the attachment and extend above your head
The bring it back down slowly (the cable will ensure that you have to control the negative aspect of the movement)
Repeat accordingly
So there you have it, these bicep and tricep exercises will ensure your t-shirt sleeves are bursting at the seams and everyone will be asking if you have a permit for your guns.
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5 Ways to Make Your Shoulder Workouts Even Better
They say the shoulders make the physique. Here are five tips to fine tune your shoulder workouts to avoid any potential injury while growing cannonball delts.
1 – Warm-up with a bottoms-up press
Your workout starts with what you’re doing before those muscle-stimulating sets. To get the most from your shoulder workouts then warming-up with a few shoulder circles just won’t cut it. Instead, try a 2-3 sets of bottoms-up kettlebell presses (BUP’s). Sets of 8-15 work well.
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Why they work
Sure they look weird, but just a few minutes of BUP’s will result in more stable, well-greased and press-ready joints. BUP’s work through the principle of irradiation. In short, you’re forced to grip the bottoms-up kettlebell hard to stop it from falling. This increased tension in your grip and forearms irradiates down your entire arm to create more stability at your shoulder. It’s not only a way to “switch on” your shoulder stabilizers for literally any heavy press you want to throw at it, but also a good way to test your overall workout readiness.
2 – Switch your shoulder press grip
Some of the best delts are build with a hefty dose of overhead pressing. The problem is that most people just aren’t built to press straight overhead with a barbell. In the long-run this can cause pain and inflammation that can hold you back from making consistent and steady progress. If this is you then one option is to opt for dumbbells instead of a barbell, and use neutral (hammer) grip variations a much as possible.
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Why they work
Dumbbells offer more freedom and natural movement at your shoulder joints. One of the reasons why so many have shoulder issues is because it’s a very tightly packed joint. That space underneath the acromion process gets even more tightly packed when you go overhead, especially when your shoulder is in more of an internally rotated position as with any overhead press using a pronated (palms-down) grip. That’s not to say you shouldn’t do them, but some of you will be more tolerant of them than others based on your shoulders anatomy. Since a neutral grip helps to drive more external rotation at your shoulder joint and more “space” within the joint, it can be a better shoulder pressing option for many.
3 – Swap basic lateral raises for these
Basic lateral raises can become boring. Plus, doing them all the time will reduce how effective they are in helping build cannonball delts. Instead, try this eccentric variation to shock some new growth.
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Why they work
Eccentric lateral raises are one of the many exercises frequently credited to the late Coach Charles Poliquin. Bending your elbows on the concentric (lifting) portion shortens the lever arm from the dumbbell to your shoulder, making the dumbbells easier to handle. This also gives you the chance to focus on lifting with your elbows for pure delts isolation. On the way down the lever arm lengthens to a more disadvantageous position which provides an eccentric overload to your medial delts. Eccentrics are great for building muscle when applied correctly, as well as promoting tendon strength and the overall health of your shoulders. Start lighter than you think and take about 4-seconds to lower down on each rep.
4 – Do more Y-raises for medial delts
Lateral raise variations aren’t the only option to work your middle delts. To add more width to your shoulders then try doing y-raises on a bench using a palms-down grip. You’ll program these in much the same way you would your lateral raises.
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Why they work
Using an incline bench to support your chest works to maximize your stability and focus on the area you’re trying to hit hardest. The angle of the bench, dumbbells and arm path work to recruit more of your medial delts. It’ll take some practice to find the correct arm path here as it’ll vary individually, so don’t be afraid to experiment a little to find the angles that feel best to you. The focus should be on feeling it through your middle delts without any clunkiness going on in your shoulders. You can also do these similar to what are commonly termed a “trap 3 raise”. With that you’ll use a thumbs up grip and have a greater degree of external rotation at your shoulder. However with those it’ll target more lower traps and anterior delts.
5 – Build and bulletproof with “Y” Cuban presses
You already know that your rotator cuff muscles are important, and that it’s good practice to throw in strengthening exercises now and then. The problem with these is you don’t feel you’re getting a lot from them — You’re training to build bigger delts, not to work the little muscles you can’t see! Well, unfortunately these muscles are pretty darn important, and without them you wouldn’t have any shoulders to speak of. The more you work you delts the more important it is to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles, too. Here’s a good option that’ll not only strengthen your shoulder external rotators, but will also pump up your delts at the same time.
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Why they work
Fair warning: you won’t need much weight at all here. Some even find just holding a couple of Fat Gripz or baby pink dumbbells are enough! Y Cuban Presses are a 3-phase movement with various advantages to each. Whereas the basic Cuban press is essentially a wide upright row, external rotation and overhead press, with this variation you’re pressing outward more like a “Y” at the top. This makes the press portion even harder on your delts. If you want to drive up your bench press poundages or bulletproof your shoulders then throw in a few sets of 8-10 of these towards the end of your workouts.
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