Tag: FITNESS
10 Ways Your Brain is Holding You Back From Achieving Your Dream Physique
10 Ways Your Brain is Holding You Back From Achieving Your Dream Physique
Even if you train every day, eat the right diet, and take proper rest, you’re still not guaranteed to achieve your dream physique. Reading this might break your heart but the truth had to put out for everyone to see.
Body transformation is as psychological as it is physiological. If your mental game is not on point, you won’t survive for long in this battle. Most people quit the fit lifestyle, not due to physical injuries but because they can’t take the mental pressure.
How Your Brain is Blockading Your Dream Physique Transformation
Setting Way Too Big Goals
In us humans, the desire to lift weights isn’t built-in from birth. Most people get a gym membership after they see a ripped guy on the cover of a magazine or Instagram, thank you internet.
These over-zealous newbies want quick results and forget to see the hard work, patience, commitment (and photoshop) behind their role model’s physique. Some will give up on their dream physique even before they recover from their first DOMS.
Following the Wrong Guru
You might be questioning how following the wrong guru is your own fault but it in fact is your own wrongdoing. Step back and think why you chose the coach you did or paid the Instagram fitness celeb for his online coaching program? Think long and hard enough and you’ll probably come to the same conclusion – it’s because of how they look.
After you get the program, you get hell-bent on following it without contemplating if what has worked for the guru would work for you. Did you pause before you hit the pay button and think if the guru actually knew what he was talking about or did you give in just because he looked dope and you assumed he knew all the secrets?
Your brain played games on you and you ignored all the other factors that could have played a big role in developing his ripped body, like genetics and, ahem, drugs.
Procrastinate
All the gyms around the world would be filled to the brim if it wasn’t for the three magic words – “I’ll start tomorrow”. After the leap is made and a gym membership is bought, procrastination remodels into indiscipline.
If people miss a training session on Friday, they turn it into a long weekend and promise themselves to work extra hard from Monday which they never end up doing because – Monday morning blues.
Demotivation
Some people have the innate ability to find all that is bad with something. If they don’t see the needle budge in the right direction within a week, they’ll throw in the towel. If their training buddy squats 20lbs more than them, they’ll blame their sore back and bad genetics and never step inside the squat rack again.
The biggest cause of dissatisfaction and demotivation in gyms is the mental competition people have with their peers. If you’re constantly in a state of frustration and unhappy with your progress, you’re going to quit training sooner or later.
You’ve Got Trust Issues
Not with your girl but with yourself. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering “how bad can it be?” looking down at the cheesecake on your plate at a wedding while you’re on a diet, you’re never going to achieve your dream physique.
If you avoid going out with your friends on a weekend because deep down inside you know you’ll end up cheating – not on your girl but your diet – you’ve some serious trust issues and you probably don’t have a girlfriend in the first place. The only way to fix this is by following a strict plan and sticking to it like your life depends on it.
Jump-Ships
How many new faces do you spot in your gym every month, never to see them after a few weeks ever again? We’ll narrate a short story of what is happening here. These people will train for a couple of days, and then conclude working out is not for them.
People have a habit of abandoning ships at the first sign of distress, and sadly, lifting weights is nothing but distress. They think to themselves that they could better utilize this time in learning to play the guitar, or starting an Instagram page about their hobby but in reality, most of these people end up hanging out with their friends in this freed-up time.
Overconfidence
Training, nutrition, and recovery are not the most important factors in a transformation, planning is. How many people have you seen walking into the gym with their workouts planned? Most end up doing the exercises they feel like depending on how hectic their day has been.
You don’t only need to plan the exercises, reps, and sets. You need to visualize yourself performing the exercises, do a mental rehearsal and then go and crush the weights in the gym. Plan the minutest details like the clothes you’ll be wearing, the tracks you’ll be listening to, and the shaker you’ll be carrying. Nothing should surprise you when you step inside the weight room.
Ego
Let’s be honest, we’ve all been here at some point. For many people, the weight they lift is directly proportional to their self-worth. Driven by the “do you even lift bro?” syndrome, many noobs are just hell-bent on banging out reps with utter disregard to their form or safety.
You Love A Well Marketed Product
Raise your hands if you’ve ever bought a weigh-loss-inducing green tea or a waistline-reducing sauna belt or a muscle-building whey protein powder – okay, we’ve all done the last one. Don’t fall for the products with perfectly chiseled models on their covers. These models probably got the physique they have by avoiding the products they are promoting. So, dear Timmy, please put down that weird muscle contracting vibrator machine.
Too Many “I Deserve It” Moments
The “I deserve it” moments are the biggest culprits in derailing the fitness progress in most cases. While some people feast on their favorite junk food after six days of intense dieting, others like to take an unplanned rest day because they worked too hard in the gym throughout the week. The quicker you get rid of this mindset, the faster you’ll achieve your dream physique.
Are you currently facing any of these mental roadblocks? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
5 Reasons You’re Not Gaining Muscle & How To Fix It
Gaining muscle is important for our overall growth and if you’ve found yourself hitting a plateau, there may be some worthwhile changes needed for your routine to see that desired growth.
We all put ample effort into our workouts every time we hit the gym. Even on our off days, the mere fact we pulled ourselves through the doors and picked up a weight is a small victory especially given our busy schedules. At the end of the day we all want the same thing: that desired physique and noticeable gains.
But sometimes those gains seem to evade us, causing frustration and confusion as to just what is happening to our muscle-building goals. You show up to the gym, grab the big weights, perform your compound lifts and movements, and even hit the treadmill, but those gains just aren’t showing like they should. While effort is a big piece of this, there may be other factors you won’t even notice that are causing the lack of gains you desire most.
Let’s look into just how muscle is built and some reasons you aren’t seeing those desired muscle gains. The solutions are very manageable and with some quick changes, you will be well on your way to seeing your goals become reality.
How Muscle Is Built
When it comes to building muscle, it is important to understand just how it’s built in our bodies and what is required. Protein is the building block of all muscle and that is where branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) and essential amino acids (EAAs) come into play. As essential organic compounds that are the foundation of protein, these amino acids are required for muscle growth, since protein is the essential building block of muscle (1). With these, protein synthesis occurs allowing you to pack on more muscle for increased strength and size.
Recovery is crucial for muscle growth and while working out and lifting big is important, what that does is actually creates micro tears in the muscles. With proper post-workout stretching and fuel, like a protein supplement, your body can repair those tears to create bigger, more full muscles. Without this, unwanted pain and strain are caused leading to potential injuries and a decrease in muscle growth.
5 Reasons You’re Not Gaining Muscle & Solutions
You Repeat The Same Moves & Same Weights
If you find yourself doing the same workout routine with the same exercise at the same weights, this monotony can really hurt your overall gains. Your muscles will become to used to the workout and work on autopilot having been through the same exercises over and over again. Your body starts to find ways to do less work because it already knows what exercise is coming.
How to fix it: Change up your routine! Look for fun, engaging, and challenging exercises that can really work your muscles differently. Also look into performing drop sets at the end of your workouts and adding more time under tension to work deeper muscle fibers.
You Are Doing Too Much Cardio
Many people do too much cardio because the common message is to burn more calories for weight loss. While that is true, if your goal is to reduce body fat and increase lean muscle, then lifting weights properly and effectively can do just that.
How to fix it: Stop consistent long cardio sessions! Without proper fuel, these are starting to take muscle to be used as fuel hurting your overall gains. For those who want cardio without the downsides of it hurting your gains, add something like HIIT training a couple times of week to still see growth as well as increased endurance (2).
You Aren’t Consistent
Some days you go to the gym, other days you stay home, eat pizza, and watch football. Muscle growth requires consistency and the will to get yourself moving in order to keep a good streak alive. Some train every day but then at night abandon all their goals and take part in a regular binge cycle.
How to fix it: Get on a solid plan you enjoy! It will be so much easier to see weight loss and muscle growth when you are working with a plan that you enjoy. Instead of starving yourself during the day and binging at night, or just skipping out on a workout, work to find ways to get fit while also having fun.
You Aren’t Getting Enough Recovery
If your workouts are too aggressive back to back then you are hurting your overall goals by not getting enough recovery. That much needed recovery time is what allows your body to fully heal those micro tears as a result of lifting and without it, your lifts will suffer because your muscles never have time to heal. Sleep is vital as well and needs to be a priority in our busy schedules (3).
How to fix it: Focus on recovery! We all focus on lifting, but it is important to know that lifting causes these tears. While that is an important part of growth, for our bodies need something to heal, if we treated recovery like our lifts, then we would have time to heal and see that growth return.
You Aren’t Consuming Enough Protein
Protein is essential for muscles to grow and you may be really protein deficient if your gains are not showing. This doesn’t mean you have to be on a carnivore diet to see gains, but it does require you to be diligent about what kind of foods and how much protein you are giving your body.
How to fix it: Protein, protein, protein! Really look to enhance your protein goals by eating more lean meat, which is a great source of other nutrients as well or looking into a solid protein supplement which can elevate performance and recovery (4).
Check out our list of the Best Protein Supplements here!
Wrap Up
We all want to see huge gains for ourselves. We work hard, hit the gym, and lift as much as our busy schedules will allow. If you aren’t seeing the growth you want, then look into your routine or dietary plan and see if anything listed above matches you. If it does, do not fear, for there are solutions to all of those issues. You can change your muscle building problems and should know how because that hard work should show anytime, anywhere so you can be proud of your gains.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy Envato
References
Blomstrand, Eva; Eliasson, Jorgen; Karlsson, Hakan K. R.; Kohnke, Rickard (2006). “Branched-chain amino acids activate key enzymes in protein synthesis after physical exercise”. (source)
Laursen, Paul B.; Jenkins, David G. (2002). “The scientific basis for high-intensity interval training: optimising training programmes and maximising performance in highly trained endurance athletes”. (source)
Dattilo, M.; Antunes, H. K. M.; Medeiros, A.; Neto, M. M.; Souza, H. S.; Tufik, S.; de Mello, M. T. (2011). “Sleep and muscle recovery: endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis”. (source)
Pasiakos, Stefan M.; McLellan, Tom M.; Lieberman, Harris R. (2015). “The effects of protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic power in healthy adults: a systematic review”. (source)
6 Badass Exercises You Can Do With A Pull Up Bar
6 Exercises You Can Do With a Pull-Up Bar
When people think about pull-up bars, they think of people performing pull-ups, but the pull-up bar can help you get so much more accomplished. You can train your complete upper body with nothing more than a bar you can hang on.
In this article, we will walk you through a few exercises you can perform on a pull-bar and build strength, muscle mass, and conditioning as a result. Once you’re done reading the article, you’ll have some cool things to try when you walk up to a pull-up bar the next time.
Pull-Ups/Chin-ups
Call them whatever you want, but the ability to do a pull-up is the biggest proof of your upper body strength. Pull-ups are also one of the most functional exercises you can perform. Imagine apocalypse has hit and you’re hanging by a cliff and the only way to save yourself is to pull yourself up.
We’re sure, at this moment, you wouldn’t want to regret not doing pull-ups at the gym. If you’re a beginner and can’t complete a pull-up, use momentum by jumping to grab the bar or get a spotter to help you with the exercise. Once you get better at this exercise, you can add resistance by using weights.
Muscle Ups
Muscle ups are what separate the men from the boys. It takes a whole new level of strength to complete a muscle-up. Start from a dead hang, complete a pull-up, and once you’re at the top of the pull-up, jerk and get into a chest dip position and complete a chest dip. Return to the dead hang and repeat for reps. The Muscle ups will work your back, biceps, triceps, core, and shoulders.
Underhand Pull-Ups
Life might put you in situations where you need an immediate biceps pump but have nothing more than a straight bar to hang on. Grab the bar with a supinated grip inside shoulder-width, lock your elbows in a place and lift yourself up using your biceps. By the end of this exercise, your biceps will be on fire.
Burpee Chin-Ups
If you’re in a mood to get your cardiovascular system going, we’ve got just the exercise for you. Stand under a pull-up bar, squat and get into a push-up position. Complete a push-up, return to the standing position, jump, grab the bar and complete a chin-up.
Hanging Leg Raises
Hanging leg raises are one of the most effective ab exercises. Hanging onto a bar provides your abs with the isolation to completely annihilate your midriff. Start in the dead hang position, lock out your knees and lift them so they are parallel to the floor.
Hanging Windshield Wipers
Obliques are one of the most overlooked muscles when it comes to upper body training. Hanging windshield wipers will smoke your obliques. In this exercise, you need to copy the movement of a car’s windshield wiper with your legs.
Hang from an overhead bar and shorten your armpits so you’re engaging your shoulders and not just hanging by your armpits. Squeeze your abs and lift your legs so you’re forming a “V” with your upper body and legs. Move your legs from side-to-side while holding them together like they’re one windshield wiper.
Which is your favorite pull-up bar exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
5 Best Exercises For Building Those Giant Shoulders
Check out these top exercises for building those boulder shoulders.
There can be no V-tapers without broad shoulders and for those looking for a wider, more massive physique, look no further than to exercises to build those boulder shoulders to boost all your gains. For a V-taper, you need to have wide shoulders and a narrow waist so your torso looks like a “V”. Slouching or slanting shoulders can take away the aesthetic appeal of your physique. On top of that, having nice and rounded shoulders give your upper half that bigger, more appealing aesthetic when you take your shirt off. But having boulder shoulders means more than just being physically appealing.
Giant shoulders have been associated with strength and masculinity for the longest time. But what you’ll find is that having stronger, more stable shoulders also aid in your physical health since this often times vulnerable joint is ready for any pressing, pushing, or overhead motion you throw it’s way (1). By working your shoulders, you also work to aid in functional strength since these are essential for not just sport specific movements. Plus, you work on building better confidence with even better posture, something we all would love.
In this article, we’ll be sharing with you the five best exercises to build wider, rounder, and fuller shoulders. You can perform these five exercises as a workout to kickstart your shoulder gains. Always start with weight you know you’re comfortable with, especially if your shoulders tend to be a bit weaker. You won’t be disappointed with the results when you buckle down and really give these exercises the attention they deserve.
Best Exercises For Boulder Shoulders
Arnold Press – 3 sets, 8-12 reps
The Arnold press is an invention by the GOAT, Arnold Schwarzenegger. While almost every shoulder exercise hits a single part of the shoulder, the Arnold press hit the anterior and medial deltoids.
Sit on a chair while holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your shoulders. As you raise the dumbbells overhead, rotate your hands outwards so that your palms are pronated at the top of the movement.
Cable Side Lateral Raise – 3 sets, 8-12 reps
Your workouts should have a balance between compound and isolation exercises so your muscles get the best of both worlds (2). The cable side lateral works the medial deltoid which gives your shoulders that roundness.
Stand with your left side next to a low cable pulley machine while holding the D-handle attachment with your right hand. While maintaining a slight bend in your elbow, elevate your right arm so it is parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat for the recommended amount of reps.
EZ Bar Front Raise – 3 sets, 8-12 reps
EZ-Bar front barbell raises are an under-utilized exercise when it comes to training the anterior deltoids. Holding the EZ-bar with an underhand grip makes sure your grip strength doesn’t hit failure before your front delts.
Stand with your arms extended and the EZ-bar resting against your quads. Lift the barbell while maintaining a slight bend in your elbow until it’s at your shoulder level. Pause for a second at the top of the movement before returning to the starting position.
Pec Deck Rear Delt Flyes – 3 sets, 15 reps
Rear delts are one of the most stubborn muscle groups to train and develop as they are at the back of your body. It can be harder to establish a mind-muscle connection with muscles you can’t see directly in the mirror.
Using isolation exercises like the pec deck rear delt flyes can facilitate the mind-muscle connection and pump as you don’t have to deal with free weights. Make sure you pause and contract your rear delts with every repetition at the top of the movement.
Behind The Back Barbell Shrugs – 3 sets, 10-15 reps
Most people leave a lot of gains on the table while performing the shrugs. The shrugs are one of the easiest exercises to perform, and yet many people perform them incorrectly as they let their egos get the better of them.
Behind the back barbell shrugs are an incredibly effective exercise to target your trapezius muscles. With every rep, you need to pause and contract your traps at the top of the movement.
Featured Supplement
For those looking to increase strength and size in all muscle groups, but especially those looking to get those boulder shoulders, looking at solid supplements can really offer the best results. We all know about pre-workout, BCAAs, and protein powders, but creatine supplements have the potential to seriously increase our muscle growth while also giving us a physique others will envy (3).
Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB
Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB is well worth the price and is one of the best creatine products for pure creatine. It has no added artificial flavors, fillers, preservatives, or coloring, which means the body isn’t wasting energy metabolizing useless chemicals — just pure creatine. Transparent Labs creatine is infused with HMB, or β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate, which has been proven to increase muscle strength and lean body mass while decreasing fat mass and boosting focus. At a good price, this is a one of the best creatine products on the market to buy for bulking.
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Check out our list of the Best Creatine Supplements for more muscle building products here!
Wrap Up
Building boulder shoulders has more benefits to you than you may think. On top of being physically appealing, working to strengthen those often times vulnerable joints will prove to be beneficial for both sport specific and more functional movements as you seek to better yourself physically and mentally. With improved confidence you will be a force in the gym and won’t regret putting that little extra focus on this muscle group. Don’t neglect your shoulders and really give these boulder shoulder exercises a try to see what they can do for all your gains. You won’t be disappointed with the results.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Transparent Labs and Envato
References
Williams, Martin R. Jr.; Hendricks, Dustin S.; Dannen, Michael J.; Arnold, Andrea M.; et al. (2020). “Activity of Shoulder Stabilizers and Prime Movers During an Unstable Overhead Press”. (source)
Stiggins, Chuck; Allsen, Phill (1987). “Exercise Methods Notebook: Side lateral raises”. (source)
Francaux, M.; Poortmans, J. R. (1999). “Effects of training and creatine supplement on muscle strength and body mass”. (source)
Portal, Shawn; Eliakim, Alon; Nemet, Dan; Halevy, Orna; et al. (2010). “Effect of HMB supplementation on body composition, fitness, hormonal profile and damage indices”. (source)
How To Fix Rounded Shoulders For Optimal Posture
Don’t let poor posture stem from the shoulders and work to fix those rounded shoulders for a relaxed yet confident look.
Poor posture unfortunately strikes many of us. While we may be active, go for walks, exercise regularly, and even perform some postural improvement exercises, sometimes we just can’t seem to fix those rounded shoulders. While poor posture is a result of a lot of things, it is important to know that nothing is your fault. Being negligent about posture and your physical health can be something to really avoid, but many of our daily activities do require us to have poor posture. As a result, it is our jobs to correct that.
Rounded shoulders can occur for a number of reasons. The biggest is our seated posture. As human beings, we aren’t meant to sit. We are meant to roam free, go for walks, and stand in an erect and neutral position. But our busy schedules of work and being stuck at a computer can really hurt our posture and lead us down a road of postural despair. However, fear not, for there are some great exercises to really enhance posture so you see the benefits come to life.
Let’s look into posture, why it matters, some causes of poor posture, and some of the best exercises to fix it. It matters and you won’t be disappointed knowing you are helping yourself.
Why Good Posture Matters
The benefits of good posture may seem obvious but they are worth noting. For many, we take posture for granted and only down the line realize we have done our shoulders a great disservice. Knowing the benefits around good posture can help you when it comes to getting yourself to actually work on postural exercises.
Reduce low back pain: Poor posture can lead to stress on your low back and put pressure on your spine causing pain in the joints, muscles, and ligaments (1).
Increased energy: Proper bone and joint alignment can let your muscles roam free and be used for what they are meant for, reducing fatigue.
Less neck and shoulder tension: Loosening up those muscles can work to properly align them taking stress and strain off your neck and back. This can reduce headaches as well (2).
Better workout form: A more neutral and solid spine will allow you to have a stronger, more powerful form for your workouts.
Promote confidence: Standing taller can give you more confidence and increase mood.
What Causes Poor Posture?
There are a number of reasons why your posture may be suffering. Too often do we find ourselves stuck to a desk, especially now with many jobs being done from home. But our abilities to go out and get air, stretch our spines and wake up our muscles, and really work on an upright posture are severely diminished during even the course of a normal day. While we may not consciously be doing this, poor posture creeps up on us, making us feel weak and unstable, which can start to limit our confidence. Some causes of poor posture include:
Muscle tension and weakness: Constant tension can put unequal strain on our muscles relying on unneeded compensation (3).
Slouching: Our bodies can morph or contour into this position over a period of time.
Exercise or activity: Repeated exercise or activity that rounds our shoulders can lead to poor posture.
Mental health and awareness: Stress and anxiety can cause our body to compromise posture.
Genetics: Unfortunately, sometimes bad posture runs in the family.
Best Exercises To Fix Rounded Shoulders
Lateral Neck Flexion Stretch
This can stretch your traps and smaller shoulders muscles that may be contributing to that stuck feeling. Sit in a chair or stand tall with your shoulders in a neutral position. Pull your left ear towards your left shoulder and repeat for the other side. Repeat for desired number of reps.
Lying I, T & Y
This is great for smaller stabilizer muscles also, as well as any pain in the upper back. Lie prone on your stomach and keep your body straight. Move your arms out in a “Y” position off the ground and lower back down. Then raise them in a “T” position and lower back down. Finally raise them in an “I” position and lower back down. Repeat for desired number of reps.
Doorway Stretch
This stretch will work to loosen up those tight shoulders, while also loosening tension in your abs and chest. Place your hands and elbows in a doorframe and slowly lean forward until you feel that stretch. Hold for around 1-20 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat for desired number of reps.
Wall Slides
These can open up your chest and work to keep those shoulders apart. Stand with your back to a wall and bend your elbows at around 90 degrees so your hand are pointed towards your head. Slowly move your arms up towards your head and then back down all while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Repeat for desired number of reps.
Foam Rolling
Foam rolling can be a great way to break up tight muscles and really work to give you the benefits of a massage from the comfort of your own home. Lie on your foam roller and slowly work the spots that are tight or sore. Stop on a particularly tight spot, breathe in, and slowly roll back and forth.
Check out our list of the Best Foam Rollers here!
Wrap Up
Bad posture and rounded shoulders can hurt our confidence and limit movement for a number of activities we love. Knowing how to take care of this issue is important for that desired growth you wish to seek, as well as simply your physical health. Take note of what may be causing your poor posture and work to alleviate it with these great exercises, really giving yourself a chance at performing well.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Bontrup, Carolin; Taylor, William R.; Fliesser, Michael; Visscher, Rosa; et al. (2019). “Low back pain and it relationship with sitting behaviour among sedentary office workers”. (source)
Falla, Deborah; Jull, Gwendolen; Russell, Trevor; Vicenzino, Bill; Hodges, Paul (2007). “Effect of Neck Exercise on Sitting Posture in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain”. (source)
Cardoso, Ricardo; Meneses, Rute F.; Lumini-Oliveira, Jose; Pestana, Pedro; Guimaraes, Bruno (2020). “Associations between Teachers’ Posture, Muscle Tension and Voice Complaints”. (source)
10 Fat Loss Myths That Are Ruining Your Health
Most people get a gym membership to lose weight but how many of these people do you think achieve their goal and how many end up falling for the fat loss myths? If you don’t want to look into the stats, just look around yourself and figure out how many of your friends and family joined a gym but soon gave up on their new year’s resolution.
Fat loss isn’t as hard as it is made out to be. Most people fail to shed the extra kilos because of the ill-advice they receive from the bros at the gym and the fat loss myths that surround the process.
The other thing about weight loss is that it is a process. You need to do a series of things right if you want to see progress. While many people get most of the things right, they mess up a few things which keep them from achieving their dream physique.
In this article, we will try to cover most of the aspects that play a role in helping you lose the spare tire. If you do nothing else but avoid falling for these fables, you’d be doing better than the average Joe at your gym.
Avoid These 10 Fat Loss Myths
Eliminate Fats & Carbs From Your Diet
When people start training, one of the first things they’re told is that fats and carbs are their enemies. Most noobs associate the macronutrient fats with the tire around their bellies and they make cutting fats out of their diets the sole mission of their lives.
Carbs are the second soft target. Don’t forget not all carbs and fats are created equal. Good fats and carbs are responsible for the health of your skin, nails, hair, joints, brain, energy levels, and overall proper functioning of the body.
Saunas Are Your Best Friend
Since sweating is related to fat burn, many people assume that sitting in a sauna for a few hours every week will help them trim down a few inches off the waistline. It is the reason you see overweight men socializing in saunas. After bars saunas are probably the second most favorite place for unfit men to hang out.
What you lose sweating your balls off in a steam room is not fat but water weight. Ever felt thirsty and dehydrated after a sauna? That’s because you got rid of a lot of the stored water in your body. Worst yet, the lost water weight will be added back as soon as you eat a salty meal or drink your favorite soda.
Fat Loss is Just a Matter of Few Weeks
People who start their weight loss journies overestimate what they can do in a short period of time and underestimate what they can achieve in the long run. Although some people narrow down the concept of weight loss to “calories in, calories out,” the truth is it is a little more complicated than that.
Each person has a different set of hormones, metabolism, environmental factors, and potential underlying health issues that could all play a role in how much weight you lose. A newbie should never give their weight loss process a deadline – unless they want to be disappointed.
You Can Target Fat Loss – Probably the Biggest Fat Loss Myth
Sport reduction remains to be one of the biggest fat loss myths. Some people join the gym with very specific demands. They either just want to lose their love handles or the cellulite on their thighs. The sad news is, no matter how much spot reduction is promoted and how many products for it are introduced, it’s never going to work.
You can lose overall weight and body fat by eating the right foods and following a diet plan but you can’t pick and choose the spots from where you want to lose weight first. So, get that sauna belt off off your underarms already.
Exercise Alone Can Save You
It’s common knowledge that you need to be moving and challenging your body to shed the excess fat. The problem here is that some people get over-dependent on exercise and forget the other things that go hand-in-hand with it.
While spending countless hours on the treadmill can make you feel like you’re making progress but the needle won’t budge in the right direction if you’re not eating the right diet or letting your body recover from your workouts.
Cut Everything You Can From Your Diet
Some people perceive switching to a low-calorie diet to be a quick method of losing weight. If you’re one of the people who prefer opting for the low-calorie crash diet, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Always remember that under-fueling is as risky as over-fueling.
Juice Cleanse is the Solution
One of the newest fads of the fitness industry is the juice cleanse. They are promoted as the perfect way to detox and lose weight quickly. Although the juice diet reduces your calorie intake drastically, it can spike your blood sugar levels as you’ll be consuming a lot of sugar. The sugar spike can lead you to gain weight which is the exact opposite of why you started the juice cleanse.
HIIT Are The Most Effective
Due to their effectiveness, HIIT workouts have gained a cult for themselves. But if your sole aim is to lose weight, doing only HIIT cardio isn’t a good idea. Adding lower-intensity workouts to your routine is as important as HIIT because they lower your body’s level of cortisol (a hormone responsible for making your body store fat) which is a big culprit in weight gain.
Cheat Days Are Okay
Most people like to have a cheat day in their schedule as they feel it helps them satiate their cravings and refuels their body with a boatload of carbs. Instead of scheduling cheat days, stick with cheat meals or small treats that don’t derail the progress you’ve made.
Once You Stop Training, You’ll Gain All The Weight Back
This is one of the biggest misconceptions amongst people who never join a gym. They think all their efforts will go in vain because all the weight they’ve lost will be back as soon as they stop working out.
Adding the weight back depends on factors like if you’ll go back to your old unhealthy lifestyle or if the weight you lost was water weight – in which case there’ll be high chances of adding it back. If the weight you lose is through the right means and process, you won’t be putting it back on unless you make some bad lifestyle choices.
Which myth did you fall prey to when you started training? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
10 Tips to Boost Your Muscle Gains
Building muscle is hard work. And the longer you do it, the harder it gets.
You’ve probably experienced that yourself. In the first couple of years of training, your gains come relatively easily. But then, having built a foundation of mass, you find yourself struggling for every ounce of additional muscle gain. To keep making gains, you’ve got to train harder and smarter than you did before. In this article, we’ll lay out 10 proven tips to take your workouts to the next level to boost your muscle gains.
Tip #1: The Burn Out Set
On your last set of any exercise, finish your muscles off by giving them a super pump by doing 25-30 reps with a very light weight. A Japanese study concluded that you can increase strength and muscle cell size by flushing in more blood and water with a very high rep set done after your normal working sets.
Tip #2: Take Your Delts Out of Your Chest Work
You don’t see too many guys with fully developed upper pecs – but you do see a lot with huge front delts (1).
Have you ever thought that there might be a connection there?
There most definitely is – the front delts are taking over their chest pressing work – especially on the incline press.
Of course, your goal is to cut the delts out as much as possible, so that you can maximally involve your pecs.
So, how do you do it?
Well, it all comes down to the angle of your bench.
Most guys have it way too high. Think about it – if the bench was completely upright at 90 degrees, you’d be doing a shoulder press – and if it was flat at 180 degrees you’d be doing a flat chest press.
Clearly, then, the lower you go the more chest involvement there is. Yet, most guys set the angle at 45 degrees or higher for the incline bench.
That is way too high if you want to cut out the front delts.
So, what’s the ideal angle?
30 degrees.
At 30 degrees, it’ll be all pecs. You won’t be as strong, because you won’t be getting the extra help from the shoulders, but you will be placing all the stress where it needs to be if you are after upper chest growth.
Try setting your incline at 30 degrees on your next chest workout – and just note how much more pec involvement you will feel – and how much sore your chest will be the next day.
Tip #3: Perform Breakdown Sets
Breakdown is a method of training that allows you to hit all the different muscle fiber types during a single set. It was devised by the founder of the International Sports Sciences Association, Dr. Fred Hatfield (aka Dr. Squat).
Perform three-phase sets as follows:
Do 4-6 reps with 85% of your one-rep max
Change to a weight that is 20 percent lighter and perform 10-15 reps
Change to a weight that is 50 percent lighter again and perform 25-30 reps
There is no rest between the phases of the set. This method will allow you to stimulate muscle growth by hitting the full spectrum of fast and slow-twitch muscle fibers (2).
Tip #4: To Pack on Size, Stick to the Basics
Basic compound moves such as the squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead shoulder press, and barbell curl should be mainstays of your program. These exercises have been proven time and time again in helping to build a solid foundation of muscle. Do the first in your body part workouts when your energy level is high, and choose challenging weights that maximize strength (4-6 reps) or size (8-12 reps) gains.
Tip #5: Use Negatives
Negative reps, where you lower the weight very slowly, can actually contribute to more muscle soreness and tissue breakdown than positive reps. Due to the higher degree of generated intensity, you don’t want to overuse this technique. For that reason, you should limit negative training once every few weeks per body part.
Here are a couple of ways you can use negatives to boost your muscle gains …
Put 20 percent more weight on the bar than you normally would and have your partner assist you when lifting the weight while you focus on the negative, Aim to take 3-5 seconds to lower the weight.
Do negatives at the end of your set. Once you reach positive rep failure, have your partner help you with a couple of extra forced reps while you lower the weight as slowly as possible. Remember that speed counts – do ultra-slow reps and you’ll ignite dormant muscle fibers.
Tip #6: Iso Tension
You’ve probably heard about the concept of time under tension (3). It relates to the ideal length of time to maintain tension on the working muscle group during a set. Research indicates that that ideal time is 45-60 seconds.
The problem is that most guys complete a set of 8-10 reps in about half that time. Well, there’s a fantastic way to extend the set and severely ramp up the intensity – and productivity – of the set.
It’s called iso tension, and here’s how it works . . .
Perform a set to failure. Let’s say that you manage to get out 8 good reps. After that last rep, hold the weight in the flex position for as long as you can. You’ll feel an intense burn in the target muscle – which is precisely what you want – fight the burn as long as you can…
It means growth!
Tip #7: Lat Pull Ins
The lat pulldown is meant to target the back, but too often it becomes a bicep dominant exercise. Often the problem is that we don’t maximize the stretch of the lats, which prevents us from getting a strong enough contraction.
To maximize your lat stretch you need to change the way you sit on the lat pulldown machine (4). Rather than straddling the machine and anchoring your knees under the pads, try sitting side-saddle with just one knee anchored. Now perform single-arm lat pulldowns. This will allow you to get a side-twisting stretch in the lats. When you pull down, rotate the lats back and down to get max contraction.
When you do your pulldowns this way you will get a whole lot more lat activation. As a result, you’ll be able to build bigger and wider lats.
Tip #8: Bench to the Neck
The barbell bench press forms the mainstay of many guy’s chest routine. However, the way they’re doing it may not be optimal for chest growth. The traditional form has you bringing the bar down to the mid or low sternum. This is not ideal.
Bringing the bar down in the traditional way drops the elbows down, emphasizing the anterior delts. But, in order to get the full recruitment of the muscle fibers of pec major, the elbows have to be up. This allows the fibers to run at an angle from the humerus to the sternum.
By pressing to the neck you will achieve this ideal elbow position to allow the chest fibers to fire during the movement.
Bench pressing to the neck will feel totally different. For maybe the first time, you will feel the activation right throughout the pecs – which is exactly what a chest mass builder should be doing.
Tip #9: Squat Depth
You know that to get the best leg development you have to be performing full squats. The problem is knowing how far to go down when you have got the weight on your back.
The solution involves four simple steps:
Always squat inside a power rack.
Adjust the side frame rails so that when you are down at the bottom of the squat, the bar just touches them.
Perform a warm-up with just the bar where you are squatting all the way down until the bar touches the side rails.
Only count the reps where the bar touches the rails – if you don’t go down far enough, do it again!
Making this one adjustment will make sure that every rep you do will be fully working your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. Your squats will be purer – which will make your entire body more powerful!
Tip #10: Muscle Isolation
Your focus during a training session should be to maximize muscle breakdown in the shortest possible time frame and to focus on complete isolation of the trained muscle. Here are 4 tips to help you achieve that goal:
Perform front squats and cable squats (with the cables at the lowest setting), to isolate the quads. Keeping the resistance on the front side of the body emphasizes the quads over the glutes.
Perform full chest-to-bar pull-ups. Just bringing the chin up to the bar will not fully contract the lats.
Avoid doing ultra-high reps for abs. The abs should be worked in the set and rep range as any other muscle. Doing too many reps will overstimulate the nerves, inhibiting protein synthesis.
Practice diaphragmatic breathing during ab exercises. Holding your breath limits ab contractibility. It is essential to fully engage the diaphragm to abs to fully contract.
Muscle Building Supplements
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Wrap Up
When it comes to building muscle, knowing exactly what to do can really prove worthwhile in your quest. With strategy and a good plan in place, you will never suffer muscle loss and only continue to see serious gains that you want most. Following these tips and looking at effective muscle building supplements can work wonders for your gains and will continue to allow you to see the best growth possible as you seek that massive and shredded physique.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Uribe, Brandon P.; Coburn, Jared W.; Brown, Lee J.; Judelson, Daniel A.; et al. (2010). “Muscle Activation When Performaing the Chest Press and Shoulder Press on a Stable Bench vs. a Swiss Ball”. (source)
Serrano, Nathan; Colenso-Semple, Lauren M.; Lazauskus, Kara K.; Sui, Jeremy W.; et al. (2019). “Extraordinary fast-twitch fiber abundance in elite weightlifters”. (source)
Burd, Nicholas A.; Andrews, Richard J.; West, Daniel; Little, Jonathan P.; et al. (2012). “Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men”. (source)
Andersen, Vidar; Fimland, Marius S.; Wiik, Espen; Skoglund, Anders; et al. (2014). “Effects of grip width on muscle strength and activation in the lat pull-down”. (source)
Back Extensions vs Glute Ham Raise
Which Exercise is Best for Posterior Chain Development?
For posterior chain development, there are a number of exercises that should be prioritized and performed on a regular basis.
Back extensions and glute ham raises are two resistance exercises that are very commonly used for strengthening the low back, glutes, and hamstrings.
This article will provide information on the technique of the back extensions and glute ham raises, investigate benefits and explore the differences that exist between both exercises.
Back Extensions Technique
Back extensions are most commonly performed using a back extensions bench or on a glute-ham developer (GHD) and some gyms even contain back extensions machines.
The bench put the performer in a position where the upper thighs are in contact with pads so to isolate the legs thus ensuring that movement can only occur through the hips.
Be aware that some back extension set-ups will place you either at a 45-degree angle whereas others will start you at a 90-degree angle.
The exercise particularly targets the lower back muscles – particularly the spinal erectors (1). The exercise also activates the hamstrings to a lesser degree.
To effectively perform the back extension, follow the four simple steps detailed below.
1) Adjust the bench or GHD so that the feet are anchored and the upper thighs make contact with the pads. In the starting position, the legs should be straight and the body held at either a 45 or 90-degree angle.
2) Before tipping forward, drive the chest up, pull the shoulder back and actively squeeze the core muscles.
3) Keeping the back flat, in a controlled manner hinge from the hips so that the upper body drops down towards the floor.
4) Having dropped down, focus on contracting the glutes and hamstrings powerfully in order to return to the starting position. Squeeze all posterior muscles tightly at the top before repeating these steps.
Glute Ham Raise Technique
Glute-ham raises are performed on the GHD and are an effective developer of the posterior chain, particularly the hamstrings (as the name suggests) (2).
While the glute-ham raise places more of a demand on the hamstrings and glutes than back the back extension, less stress is applied to the spinal erectors.
With many moving parts, take care when setting up the GHD. Ensure that the pads are placed in the correct position otherwise the risk of sustaining an injury may increase.
As with the back extensions, make sure that the rear pads anchor the feet in position and that the front pads prevent the knees from moving forward.
Follow the subsequent four steps to safely perform the glute-ham raise.
1) Start by adjusting the GHD so that the torso is perpendicular to the floor with the legs anchored and the knees tight to the front pads.
2) Before dropping towards the floor, lift the chest, squeeze between the shoulder blades, and brace the core muscles.
3) Keeping the movement controlled and the back straight, slowly extend at the knees so that the trunk falls forward until it is parallel with the floor.
4) From this position, focus on contracting the hamstrings and glutes to pull the body back up to the starting position.
Back Extensions and Glute-Ham Raises Benefits
This section will detail three significant benefits associated with both the back extension and glute-ham raise.
1) Increasing StrengthThe most obvious benefit related to both of these exercises is in terms of strength development.
Regularly performing either exercise will apply stress to many posterior chain muscles and cause the muscle tissue to breakdown at a microscopic level.
Providing that recovery is prioritized, the muscles will then rebuild and become significantly stronger (3).
2) Facilitating PerformanceIn connection with improving strength, both of these exercises can be effectively used as accessory movements to facilitate improvements with other lifts.
Building strength and enhancing overall movement through the back extension or glute-ham raise can lead to an improved performance with compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and the Olympic lifts.
3) Injury PreventionFinally, building stronger hamstrings, glutes and spinal erectors can decrease the likelihood of injury occurring.
The spinal erectors play a monumental role in preventing excessive spinal flexion. Therefore, by increasing the strength of these muscles the risk of injury to the spine may decrease.
In a similar vein, developing hamstring and glute strength will reduce the chances of sustaining an injury to the lower extremities.
For those who participate in sport, the hamstring is a site that is commonly injured (4), therefore, for athletes, great emphasis should be placed on hamstring development.
Differences between Back Extensions and Glute Ham Raises
While both exercises are similar in terms of set up and execution, there are slight differences to be aware of. This section will highlight four differences that exist between the two.
It is important to know these differences as this will impact your programming. At times in your training it may be necessary to select the back extensions over glute-ham raises and vice versa.
1) Hamstring Emphasis
Although back extensions do work the hamstrings, the glute-ham raise is superior for hamstring development due to the positioning of the body.
For back extensions, movement occurs at the hip joint while the legs are kept straight. The movement of the glute-ham raise originates from the flexion and extension of the knee joint.
Considering that the hamstrings cause knee flexion and the glute-ham raise requires flexion of the knee, the exercise places a great load on the hamstrings.
There are a number of methods for increasing the load on the hamstrings including adding a resistance band, incorporating isometrics, wearing a weighted vest or using free weights.
However, do take great care when adding resistance as it is imperative that the hips remain fixed and the spine stays in a neutral position throughout.
Finally, it is likely that you will not be able to load the glute-ham raise to the same extent as the back extension.
2) Lower Back Emphasis
As mentioned, during the lower back extension the legs remain straight while movement occurs through the hip joint.
Because no movement occurs at the knees, the hamstrings have less involvement in the movement and it is the spinal erectors that are subject to the greatest load.
The spinal erectors work to keep the back straight and protect the spine. Therefore, the demand on these muscles can be increased by adding a slight spinal flexion and extension.
While this is the case, ensure to avoid lumbar (lower) spine flexion especially with heavy weights as this has the potential to lead to severe injury.
In a similar way with the glute-ham raise, it is possible to load this exercise by placing a bar on the upper back on holding a weight tight to the chest.
One potential benefit of the back extension is that due to the movement patterns and muscles targeted, typically a greater load can be applied in comparison to the glute-ham raise.
3) Equipment Used
Traditionally both exercises are performed on different pieces of kit – a GHD for the glute-ham raise and an extensions bench for back extensions.
However, these two exercises are very versatile as both can be performed on an array of equipment.
As touched on previously, both exercises can be made more challenging through the use of resistance. Resistance bands and free weights are two commonly used pieces of kit.
If you are new to either or both of these exercises, ensure that you master the bodyweight version first before advancing onto resisted variations.
4) Complexity
When it comes to the complexity of both exercises, the glute-ham raise is certainly more challenging than the back extensions and therefore should be attempted by those who are at an intermediate or advanced level of training.
One of the most fundamental human movements is the hip hinge, however, it is not uncommon to see individuals moving from the spine rather than through the hips.
If you are new to either exercise, ensure that you have mastered the hip hinge first before moving onto either exercise.
From there, take care with the technique and be willing to spend a great amount of time learning and reinforcing good technique.
Doing this will effectively establish neural pathways and facilitate better movement. Only once you are proficient with the technique should you consider adding load to the exercise.
Progressive overloading the exercise will bring about the greatest gains and facilitate a better performance with a number of other lifts.
To apply progressive overload most effectively, manipulate the load, volume or intensity of the exercise.
Final Word
It is abundantly clear that both exercises are highly effective developers of a number of posterior chain muscles – particularly the glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors.
If your goal is to develop hamstring strength, it is recommended to focus on the glute-ham raise. However, if your goal is to develop your back, specifically the spinal erectors, concentrate on lower back extensions.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References:
1 -Lee, Ho-Seong (December 31, 2015). “Enhanced muscle activity during lumbar extension exercise with pelvic stabilization”. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation. 11 (6): 372–377. doi:10.12965/jer.150249. ISSN 2288-176X. PMC 4697788. PMID 26730390.
2 – McAllister, Matt J.; Hammond, Kelley G.; Schilling, Brian K.; Ferreria, Lucas C.; Reed, Jacob P.; Weiss, Lawrence W. (2014-06). “Muscle activation during various hamstring exercises”. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 28 (6): 1573–1580. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000302. ISSN 1533-4287. PMID 24149748.
3 – Brumitt, Jason; Cuddeford, Tyler (2015-11). “CURRENT CONCEPTS OF MUSCLE AND TENDON ADAPTATION TO STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING”. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. 10 (6): 748–759. ISSN 2159-2896. PMC 4637912. PMID 26618057.
Build Boulder Shoulders With This Insane Workout
Give this workout a try for broad, more rounded shoulders that others will envy.
Sloping shoulders are a sign of physical weakness and is associated with laziness. Plus, it can start to really hurt your confidence and put you in a hole that you just don’t want to go. On the other hand, broad and square shoulders are linked with physically active and strong individuals. If you study the body postures, lethargic people will drag their feet and walk with dropped shoulders while the powerful people walk with an upright posture with broad shoulders. Wide shoulders are an essential part of a V-taper and can give your physique an appealing look. Oh, and it will seriously boost your confidence to.
Aside from the aesthetic that bigger shoulders can provide, it is important to look at the physical benefits of strong shoulders. As a vulnerable joint, strengthening and making sure those muscle and joints are properly taken care of can and will work wonders when it comes to physical performance. Why put yourself in a vulnerable place by not working those shoulders? Really put an emphasis on making these a priority so none of your training and performance goals falter.
Let’s take a look at a great shoulder workout to really boost all of our gains. Knowing what to do and the best ways to get there can be huge when it comes to strengthening and building up our shoulders. This workout is one to surely fire up your muscles to grow so you won’t be disappointed with the results.
Benefits Of Strong Shoulders
When it comes to building up those shoulders, there are some important benefits to know before diving right in.
Benefits of stronger shoulders include:
Increased strength and size: By working your shoulders, you will improve pushing movements for all those great exercises while also seeing them get bigger and turn into tiny boulders (1).
Injury prevention: Working those vulnerable joints can strengthen them and ensure no unwanted pain or injury takes place (2).
Functional benefits: For everyday activities, stronger shoulders overall can aid in functional strength so you can do other things that you love.
Improved posture: Posture can be a make or break for confidence and with stronger, more stable shoulders, you can improve your posture in not time and keep yourself walking taller (3).
Boulder Shoulders Workout
Let’s take a look at this awesome shoulders workout to really build that strength and size. A mix of a variety of exercises with things like supersets and drop sets tossed in will make for an engaging and worthwhile workout when looking to boost your gains. With proper form and a desire to really lift big, this workout is everything you need to really boost those boulder shoulders.
Exercise #1 – Superset
Arnold Press: 3 sets, 10-15-20 reps
Rope Front Raises: 3 sets, 10-15-20 reps
In this workout, we’ll be training the front, medial and posterior deltoids to get the round and full look. The Arnold press trains the medial and the front delts and will give your shoulders the round and bolder look.
Rope front raises are an isolation exercise which works the anterior deltoids. Using the cable machine keeps constant tension on the front delts throughout the movement which helps in better muscle fiber recruitment.
Exercise #2
Seated Side Lateral Raises: 6 sets, 10-12 reps
We’ll perform the lateral raises while being seated as it removes the probability of using momentum to lift the weights. In this exercise, we will start by performing 30 reps in the first set and end the exercise again with 30 reps on the sixth set.
Once you complete the third set, use the same weights to complete the fourth set. The challenge in this exercise is to use the same weights in the fifth and sixth set as you used in the first and second sets. It’ll be hard as the fatigue will have set in.
Exercise #3 – Drop Sets
Barbell Military Press: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
When done with the right form, the barbell military press can be one of the hardest exercises. This exercise is called the military press for a reason. You need to perform the barbell press with a strict form without using any momentum or jerking movement. The military press targets the medial delts effectively. Grab the barbell with a monkey grip and the bar should be resting right above your shoulders at the bottom of the movement.
At the top of the movement, your elbows should be locked out and the bar should be over your temples. With your arms extended over your head, your body should be in a straight line forming a right angle with the floor.
Exercise #4 – Superset
Alternate Dumbbell Front Raise: 3 sets, 10 reps (each arm)
Kneeling Cable Rear-Delt Flyes: 3 sets, 15 reps
The dumbbell front raise targets the anterior delts while the rear-delt flyes target the posterior delts. While performing the front raises, raise the dumbbells to your eye-level and bring them back to your sides.
While standing in the center of the cable pulley machine, grab the right cable with your left hand and vice-versa without any extension. Kneeling down eliminates the use of momentum and isolates your rear delts.
Exercise #5: Superset
Dumbbell Shrugs: 3 sets, 10-20 reps
Bent Over Dumbbell Rear-Delt Flyes: 3 sets, 10-20 reps
Dumbbell shrugs target the trapezius muscle. The dumbbell shrugs give you a better range of motion as compared to the barbell and you can move your shoulders closer to your ears. Start with lighters weights and progress to as heavy weights as you can lift.
Rear delts are one of the weakest muscle groups for most people. They can also be amongst the most stubborn muscles to develop. In the bent over rear-delt flyes, hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip and contract your muscles with every rep.
Wrap Up
Working those shoulders for increased strength and size can work wonders for all your gains and this workout above is a great one to boost those boulder shoulders. By building our shoulders up, we eliminate any vulnerable areas that can cause unwanted pain and strain that we just don’t want. Check out this workout above and really work to build those massive shoulders.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Uribe, Brandon P.; Coburn, Jared W.; Brown, Lee E.; Judelson, Daniel A.; et al. (2010). “Muscle Activation When Performing the Chest Press and Shoulder Press on a Stable Bench vs. a Swiss Ball”. (source)
Wilk, Kevin E.; Obma, Padraic; Simpson, Charles D.; Cain, E.; et al. (2009). “Shoulder Injuries in the Overhead Athlete”. (source)
Greenfield, Bruce; Catlin, Pamela A.; Coats, Peyton W.; Green, Ed; et al. (1995). “Posture in Patients With Shoulder Overuse Injuries and Healthy Individuals”. (source)
5 Ways To Spike Your Testosterone Levels Naturally
Increase Your Testosterone Levels Naturally With These Steps
Testosterone is the male hormone responsible for the development of male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscle and bone mass, and the growth of body hair.
Testosterone or test is the primary male sex hormone and is also infamous for being an anabolic steroid. Men are able to build muscle mass because of the production of test. A lack of testosterone production in the body can cause many problems including the inability to build muscle mass, hair loss, etc.
Minimize Stress and Cortisol Levels
High levels of stress can elevate the cortisol hormone levels in your body. A spike in cortisol can lead to a reduction in your natural test production. Cortisol and testosterone levels work like a see-saw, when one goes up, the other comes down.
Apart from dropping your test levels, high cortisol can cause various diseases and can lead to excessive eating, weight gain and storage of harmful fat around your organs. Beat the rising cortisol levels by staying happy, laughing, working out, eating whole foods, and a balanced diet.
Do Lower Body Exercises
Working out can help in increasing your natural testosterone levels. A study proves working out can increase testosterone levels, fitness and reaction times in the elderly. Weight training, especially lower body workouts, are great for increasing test production in your body.
HIIT (high-intensity interval training) can also be incredibly effective in increasing natural testosterone production. A little physical activity can take you a long way when it comes to natural T-levels.
Fix Your Diet
Most people see a drop in their test levels because they have a nutrient-deficient diet. You need to be following a balanced diet keeping your daily macro and micronutrient goals in mind.
Dieting for long durations can disrupt your natural testosterone levels. For optimal testosterone levels, you should be eating the right amount of carbs, protein, and fats while maintaining your daily calorie intake.
Supplements
If you want to maintain healthy levels of testosterone or recover your lost test levels, you should consider using supplements. ZMA is a popular supplement amongst gym-goers for raising testosterone production.
Vitamin D and zinc are other supplements which can aid in natural test production. You could also improve your testosterone levels by getting some sun and eating other metals in your food.
Focus on Recovery
Many people worry too much or try to train harder when they find out their testosterone levels are falling. Pushing hard with low T-levels can be counter-productive and may further lower your natural test production.
Focus on your recovery by getting anywhere between 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Take a day or two off from training if you feel exhausted. High-intensity workouts coupled with high cortisol levels are a sure-shot way of lowering testosterone levels.
Header image courtesy of Envato Elements
Do you know how to gauge your testosterone levels? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.