Tag: training
Machine Lateral Raise Exercise Guide: How To, Benefits, Muscles Worked, and Variations
What do Superman, Batman, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, and most other macho superheroes have in common? All of them have round, big, and full shoulders. You’ll never see a superhero that oozes masculinity with sloping shoulders. We’d go as far as to say that most of these heroes have a machine lateral raise in their training equipment…
The Only Rules You Should Break In The Gym
The Gym Rules You Need To Break To Take Your Gains To The Next Level
As cliché as it might sound, the rules are meant to be broken. The gym isn’t one of the safest places to be in so you need to be careful about the rules you’re going to be challenging.
If your goal is to live the fit lifestyle, you need to design your training keeping longevity in mind. We have compiled a list of so-called rules you should break to maximize your results in the gym while minimizing the risk of an injury.
Never Train To Failure
It’s no secret people love to throw around fancy words to look smart. Gym bros emphasis the fact you shouldn’t work out to failure as you might risk overtraining your muscles. Overtraining is easier said than done.
Overtraining is the state when your body can’t keep up with your workouts, and your immune system and central nervous system take a hit. Only around 2-5% of the people who workout train hard enough to hit the state of overtraining. So, don’t limit yourself and go as hard as you can in your workouts.
Avoid Cardio While Bulking
Most people make the mistake of cutting out cardio from their routines when they’re in their off-season and want to bulk up. Some of these people mistake bulking up with fattening up.
Cardio is important no matter if you’re trying to shed the extra kilos or trying to put on some size. The cardio helps in burning off the extra calories and makes sure you’re putting on quality muscle and not fat.
Perform High Number of Reps For Conditioning and Low Reps For Strength
High reps for cutting and a low number of reps for strength have to be one of the most common myths amongst lifters. Tweaking the number of repetitions you perform in a workout can’t solely change your body.
The results from the number of reps don’t work in a vacuum. Other things like your diet, training split, and the amount of cardio you’re doing will play a big role in the results you’ll be getting. Changing the number of reps can act as a shock for your muscles but it solely isn’t big enough a change for your muscles to show any significant results.
Prefer Free Weights Over Machines
This is one of the first things the gym bros tell the newbies. The gym bros argue the golden era athletes built their physiques in bare bone gyms and the fancy machines don’t help in carving an aesthetic body.
Avoiding the machines can be a big mistake as the isolation you’ll get by using the cables and pulleys will always be better than using barbells or dumbbells. Your workouts should strike the right balance between isolation and compound lifts.
Always Use A Full Range of Motion
Almost everyone, at some point in time, has been disturbed in-between a set by a gym bro asking you to perform the exercise with a full range of motion. The gym bros tell you that if you don’t follow a full ROM, you’ll not be getting any results.
On the contrary, when you follow a full ROM and lockout your elbows on the top and let your muscles relax on the bottom of the movement, you’re taking the tension off the muscles and putting it on the joints. It’s okay to limit your range of motion so there is constant tension on your muscles.
Have you ever been injured in the gym?
Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Header image courtesy of Envato Elements
The 8 Best Triceps Exercises for Thick Arms
These are the best 8 triceps exercises to build massive mass in your arms.
Thick arms are manly, and nothing screams masculine more than robust and massive triceps. That’s because your triceps make up two-thirds of your arms. Therefore, it’s critical to focus more on your triceps than your biceps to build burly arms. There are various exercises, but this article will cover the 8 best triceps exercises.
Best Triceps Exercises
Bench Dips
Dips
Triceps Dumbbell Kickback
Seated Triceps Press
Skull Crusher
Cable Triceps Extension Pushdown
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension
Bench Dips
[embedded content]
As the name implies, bench dips are dips performed on a bench. All the resistance you need for this movement is your body weight. Your triceps will have to work hard to push your body weight. And you’ll be able to get a greater range of motion since the height of the bench will allow you to dip down lower.
Benefits of Bench Dips
It allows you a greater range of motion for your triceps.
This exercise tests your ability to lift and move your body weight.
You’ll be able to perform higher reps on this movement, which builds more endurance in your triceps.
How to Do Bench Dips
Face perpendicular to a bench, put your palms down on the bench with your fingers firmly gripping the edge of the bench (glutes facing the ground). For beginners, place your feet on the floor with your hips flexed at a 90-degree angle. Advanced lifters can have their legs straight out with their heels on the ground for support.
Dips
[embedded content]
Dips test your relative strength (strength for your body weight) and will challenge your triceps ability to lift your entire body weight. This movement is a compound exercise that will also target your shoulders and chest muscle. And you can add extra weight by attaching a load to a belt, increasing the resistance you lift.
Benefits of Dips
Dips are a compound movement that targets your chest and shoulders too.
You can attach weight to a belt to lift more than your body weight.
It will get you strong for your size.
How to Do Dips
Grab parallel bars, jump up, and extend your arms to get into the starting position. Next, lower your body down until your arms create a 90-degree angle, then push your body up.
Triceps Dumbbell Kickback
[embedded content]
Triceps dumbbell kickback emphasizes the lateral head of your triceps, the most visible of the three heads. It’s a great isolation movement to add volume to your triceps. It also increases your shoulder and arm stability and flexibility.
Benefits of Triceps Dumbbell Kickback
This exercise isolates your most visible tricep head.
It increases your shoulder and arm stability.
How to Do Dumbbell Kickback
Bend over and use a bench or dumbbell rack for support with one arm. Then, with your back straight, bring the other arm to your side holding a dumbbell, keep your elbows stable, and use your triceps to “kick” the weight back.
Seated Triceps Press
[embedded content]
A seated triceps press is performed on a triceps pushdown machine. The machine will allow you to use heavier loads than other triceps exercises. Plus, it’s safer than free weights since it’s a machine.
Benefits of Seated Triceps Press
It’s safer than free-weight triceps exercises.
The machine facilitates a more significant load than other triceps isolation movements.
How to Do Seated Triceps Press
Find a triceps pushdown machine and sit down with your back and feet in points of contact with the bench and foot support/ground. Push the weight down until your arms are fully extended, and then bring the weight back up until the machine plates touch.
Skull Crusher
[embedded content]
The skull crusher is arguably the most effective triceps exercise. That’s because the skull crusher is done using a barbell, allowing you to use a heavy load with free weights. It’s best to perform this exercise with an EZ bar to comfort and protect your wrists.
Benefits of Skull Crusher
Skull crushers allow you to use a heavier load with free weights to gain size and strength in your triceps.
It challenges your core stability.
How to Do Skull Crusher
Lie supine on a bench and extend an EZ bar over your head. While keeping your elbows stable, use your triceps to lower the barbell to your forehead, then extend the barbell back to the starting position.
Cable Triceps Extension Pushdown
[embedded content]
Cable triceps extension pushdown is an excellent movement for keeping tension on your triceps through each degree of the extension since it’s performed on a cable machine. Grasping the cable will improve grip strength and engage your core, back, and shoulders.
Benefits of Cable Triceps Extension Pushdown
This movement engages your core, back, and shoulders.
It keeps the tension the same throughout the entirety of the exercise.
This exercise strengthens your grip strength.
How to Do Cable Triceps Extension Pushdown
Set a cable machine to its highest point. Make sure the extension is a small cable bar. Grab the bar with a pronated grip and push down until your arms are fully extended; keep your elbows locked. Lastly, bring the barbell back up until the plates touch for a full triceps extension.
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
[embedded content]
Dumbbell overhead triceps extensions target all three triceps heads and allow a full range of motion. It also increases your shoulder and elbow stability. Plus, you can use decent weight since you’re using two hands.
Benefits of Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
This exercise gives you a full range of motion with moderate weight to target your triceps.
It increases your shoulder and elbow stability.
This movement activates all three triceps heads.
How to Do Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
Sit on a bench with an upright posture. Lift a dumbbell over your head with both hands, grasping the top end of the dumbbell (dumbbell perpendicular to the floor). Lower the dumbbell until your triceps are as far down as they can go comfortably, then fully extend the dumbbell back overhead.
Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension
[embedded content]
Cable rope overhead triceps extension targets the long head of your triceps and is an exercise that requires focus to improve your mind-muscle connection. The cables provide constant tension on your triceps through the entire range of motion. And this study concluded that overhead triceps extension builds more muscle than pushdowns (1).
Benefits of Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension
It keeps the tension the same on your triceps.
This exercise targets the long head of your triceps.
Cable rope overhead triceps extension improves your mind-muscle connection for more significant muscle growth.
How to Do Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension
Put a cable machine at its highest point with a rope attachment. Grab the rope, and turn the opposing away in a staggered stance for support. Then, bend over slightly and extend the cable rope overhead. Next, return the cable rope down to the starting position.
About the Triceps
The triceps muscle is the antagonist of the biceps muscles on your arm. And it’s composed of three heads: medial, lateral, and long, which explains why your triceps make up ⅔ thirds of your arm. Your triceps is responsible for extending your arms. And different triceps movements will target other heads of your triceps more, depending on the exercises (2). For example, cable overhead triceps extension targets more of your long head due to the elevation.
You use your triceps on pushing movements (anything that extends your elbows). And it plays a crucial role in big compounds chest movements, such as barbell bench press, since it’s a secondary muscle targeted during pressing exercises.
How to Get Your Triceps Stronger
It would be best to get your triceps stronger as you would for bigger muscle groups like your chest–increase the weight you lift as often as possible. However, since your triceps is a smaller muscle group, you won’t be able to advance in weight as fast. Therefore, you’ll want to focus on higher reps and more volume via more sets to increase the size and strength of your triceps since you’ll be using lighter weight.
We recommend you perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps for your triceps exercises if you’re doing a split routine that includes a bigger muscle group and tricep movements at the end. So, for example, if you’re training your chest and triceps one day, you’ll perform two triceps exercises after your chest movements and do 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps for each exercise. And if you have a separate day just for arms, then you can do three triceps exercises (and three biceps exercises) and perform three sets each in the 12-15 rep range.
Rules to Follow
Keep Your Elbows Fixed
It’s easy to swing your arms on triceps movements to use heavier weight, but that takes the tension off your triceps. Using a lighter weight with your elbow in a fixed position better targets your triceps.
Warm-Up
Although your triceps is a smaller muscle group compared to a bigger muscle group like your chest, it’s still important to do a thorough warm-up to increase your triceps strength on exercises and prevent injury. If you’re training your chest on the same day, the chest exercises you do will act as a warm-up since you use your triceps as a secondary muscle for pushing movements. However, if you’re training your triceps on separate days, we recommend you perform 2-3 sets with lighter weight before using heavier weights on your first triceps exercise.
References
Maeo, S., Wu, Y., Huang, M., Sakurai, H., Kusagawa, Y., Sugiyama, T., Kanehisa, H., & Isaka, T. (2022). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. European journal of sport science, 1–26. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279
Kholinne, E., Zulkarnain, R. F., Sun, Y. C., Lim, S., Chun, J. M., & Jeon, I. H. (2018). The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension. Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica, 52(3), 201–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aott.2018.02.005
College Bodybuilding Competitions in the US and Europe
Colleges give a great opportunity to upcoming bodybuilders to lay a foundation for a successful career. These institutions of higher learning usually organize both internal and external bodybuilding competitions for their students. We have prepared for you a list of bodybuilding competitions in the U.S. and Europe. These should help you choose the best school that will nurture your bodybuilding ambitions and a conducive environment to build a strong fitness foundation. Please note that some of these institutions do not allow participants from outside the school but you can always book yourself a spot by enrolling for one of their courses.
Read: What Are the Stages of Topical Steroids Withdrawal?
This competition was launched in 2014 and attracted quite a huge number of participants. Although it was named Mr. University, there were only two categories for female participants. It is also the first major college fitness competition in the UK. All participants needed to do is sign up and register for the event. The main categories include:
Men’s Physique
Men’s Athletic
Women’s Bikini
Women’s Athletic
AoC organized this competition to give college students a chance to showcase their toned physique. The organizers of the event have come up with 8 exercises, each designed to test a specific part of the body. AoC partnered with app developers such as Archon to design the exercises, and using a specific algorithm ensure specific fitness objectives are met. It also asked colleges to encourage their students to participate in the competition. Those interested in taking part could access demonstrative videos for the exercises from Archon. Finally, they can register for the competition at AoC’s official website.
FTCC organizes fitness competitions for it’s students, the latest one being The March Madness Trojan Fit Fitness Competition. Like most college competitions, FTCC sets specific fitness objectives for the competition and uses a set of exercises to achieve them. Their events are open to the entire university community including workers. The last competition comprised of seven events participants participated in.
The college organizes an annual weightlifting competition that attracts both experienced and amateur weight lifters. Scores are calculated by considering the absolute total and pound per pound total. The contest gives participants a chance to test their strength and endurance. Apart from the competition’s judges, there is also an outside judge who certifies each attempt. No score is awarded for any attempt that does not meet the required criteria and participants are given a warm up period starting from 1 p.m. The event’s overall winner is given a prize and other additional benefits. Other prizes include a CRS Intramural Champion T-shirt, awarded to participants with the highest overall and relative score.
Read: Urinary Incontinence and Bladder Health in Women over 40 Years Old
Hocking college has been holding a weightlifting competition for the past 20 years. The contest is open to all participants including those outside the college. However, outsiders have to pay an entry fee of $20 while Hocking students, alumni, and co-workers pay $15. The organizers have put a couple of restrictions for the contest including no:
Bench shirts
Squat suits
Gloves
Strappons, among others
Although it is not technically a bodybuilding competition, the girls get to take part in various fitness programs that promote their well-being. The competition has several categories, including baby cup, vault, senior cup, junior cup, among others. It is held annually but only students from the college can take part in it.
Douglas college organizes an annual fitness contest where participants from various fields can take part. A 100km journey through biking, running, or walking is the most notable part of the competition. However, bodybuilding has also been given a slot; powerlifting and other workouts have been considered. Participants who are not able to deliver their application manually can do so through Strava app. Winners in different categories will get a Polar A300 Fitness and Activity Tracker, Douglas College Royals Swag.
However, the competition is only open to students and employees of Douglas College.
More than 800 students take part in the fitness challenge organized by the University of Scranton. The annual 4-week fitness challenge also serves as a motivating platform for participants. Both pros and amateurs can join the challenge. Participants are required to platform at least 150 minutes of exercise a week to earn a T-shirt. Importantly, those who will to take part in the contest can submit a weekly log of the activities they have done.
Odessa college calls on participants to take part in their fitness challenge where they will exercise 30 minutes daily for 30 days. This contest is to anyone that is interested in taking care of their health. Importantly, the organizers have a lot of goodies for winners in each category. A grand prize is awarded to the overall winner; an 8-day, 7-night cruise on the Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the seas to different destinations including cozumel, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Falmouth, Jamaica.
EIL fitness challenge is an annual fitness event meant for college students with a passion for fitness, including bodybuilding. The competition has various events, but fitness is usually the first event of the competition. Importantly, organizers of the event aim to cover approximately 1200 km in 14 days. There are plenty of prizes to be won in various categories, so make a point of booking your sport as early as possible.
Colleges are the breeding ground for professional athletes, especially bodybuilders. Winning or merely participating in a college competition is the first step towards becoming a force to be reckoned with in this line of passion. The competitive environment gives you the exposure needed to propel you further so as to achieve more than you initially though. Be reminded that these contests also attract experienced bodybuilders and other fitness enthusiasts; you will get an opportunity to drink from their cup of experience. By making an appearance puts you in a better position to launch a successful fitness career without the hassle of relying on a trainer or training partner. Whatsteroids wishes you well as you begin your fitness career.
Related Article: Legendary Lifting Partners You Need to Know
Build Sleeve Ripping Triceps With This Crazy Arm Workout
Build those ripped tris with this workout.
Biceps and triceps are two sides of the same coin and yet tris don’t get the same love as the bis, but this triceps workout can change that. Generally, the muscles which can’t be seen in the mirror directly like the tris, back, rear delts, hams, and calves don’t get the same treatment as their counterparts. We love to show off our muscles and if we can’t see them then we start to think others won’t either. But this is why these are the weak muscle group for most people. They just don’t get that much love.
Triceps consist of three heads and a great pair of tris should look like a horse kicked you in the back of your arm. Muscular tris can make your arms look significantly bigger as they add symmetry and size. Plus, they can help give your biceps shape so you really add a well-rounded look of symmetry, size, and shape to your biceps’ aesthetic.
You’ll have to hit your tris from all the three angles to train them effectively. The perfect triceps workout is a blend of compound and isolation exercises, plus resistance and bodyweight exercises. What you will find by doing this is that your workouts will never suffer because you will have so much diversity in your routine. With plenty of exercises, you won’t feel so bogged down and won’t suffer from any of those unwanted plateaus either.
We’ll be starting this workout with isolation exercises to exhaust our tris at the beginning of the workout, so we don’t have to lift heavier weights later in the compound exercises. We’ll be using a lot of variety in this workout to completely annihilate your triceps so you see those desired results to strength, size, and symmetry. Let’s jump into this triceps workout so you can get the most out of your arm day routine.
Sleeve Ripping Triceps Workout
This great sleeve ripping triceps workout will make you buy a new shirt every time you flex. Those bulging tris can add to any aesthetic and make your arms look absolutely massive. With the right approach to lifting and working your triceps, not only will your biceps benefit, but your overall physique will as well.
Exercises
Sets
Reps
SUPERSET
Cable Triceps Pushdown
3
30, 20, 10 (descending)
Elastic Band Triceps Pushdown
3
10, 20, 30 (ascending)
END SUPERSET
Incline Bench Dumbbell Skullcrushers
4
30, 25, 20 followed by 10 reps drop set
Dumbbell Kickbacks
3
20
Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press
3
20, 15, 10 (descending)
SUPERSET
Dips
3
Until Failure
Diamond Push-Ups
3
Until Failure
END SUPERSET
Exercise #1 and #2 (Superset) – Cable Triceps Pushdown & Elastic Band Triceps Pushdown
The first exercise of this workout should completely burn out your tris. Perform these exercises with a strict form. Stand straight, don’t lean over the bar or the bands, lock your elbows at your sides, and bring your hands over your elbows at the top of the movement.
Related: Eight Best Dumbbell Exercises For Your Triceps
In the elastic band triceps pushdowns, hang the bands around the cable pulley machine so the handles or the ends of the bands are at your chest level. In the lower reps set, increase the resistance on the bands by grabbing them higher and reduce the resistance by holding it by its ends.
Exercise #3 – Incline Bench Dumbbell Skullcrushers
The last set of this exercise is a drop-set. After completing the 20 reps, increase the weights by at least 50% and complete the remaining 10 reps. In this workout, we use many advanced training techniques to ignite new gains in our tris.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lock your elbows over your forehead where they are perpendicular to the floor. Hold the dumbbells with a hammer grip and bring them close to your shoulders at the bottom of the movement. Rotate your wrists to a dumbbell chest press position at the top of the movement and contract your triceps.
[embedded content]
Exercise #4 – Dumbbell Kickbacks
In this exercise, we’ll be using the rest-pause technique. After you’re done performing the 20 reps on an arm, take a five-second rest and then do more reps on the same arm until you hit failure.
Throughout this workout, focus on squeezing your tris with every rep and maintain a mind-muscle connection. Don’t just go through the motions. By the end of this workout, your triceps should be filled with blood and lactic acid and asking for mercy.
Related: 5 Exercises To Build Horseshoe Triceps
Exercise #5 – Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press
We prefer the smith machine close grip bench presses over the barbell presses because it adds a lot more stability, reduces the stress from the wrists, and adds more tension on the tris while limiting the pec recruitment.
In the intraset stretching sets, hold the bar at the bottom of the movement over your chest for 10 seconds after completing the aforementioned reps. Without racking the weights do more reps until you reach failure.
Exercise #6 and #7 (Superset) – Dips & Diamond Push-Ups
We’ll end this workout with bodyweight exercises done to failure. If you still have some gas left in the tank, feel free to add resistance. You could also perform this superset using the blood flow restriction technique (BFR) by tying elastic bands around your arms.
Perform the dips on parallel bars while keeping an upright stance. Don’t lean forward as it will recruit your chest. In the diamond pushups, form a triangle with your hands under your chest, so your thumbs and index fingers are touching each other and forming a triangle.
Wrap Up
The right triceps workout will enhance your goals for the better and give you that bulging aesthetic you want most. A great combination of compound and isolation exercises, what you will find is variety in your workout while also feeling like you are accomplishing what you want. Be prepared to buy a couple of new shirts for this triceps workout is one to rip the sleeves right off. You will love the way you look and the way you feel with this amazing triceps workout.
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
5 Rules of Building Monstrous Calves For Lower Body Gains
Build those monstrous calves with these 5 rules.
If you were to make a list of the most undertrained and overlooked muscles, calves would probably end up at the top spot. Most people have toothpick calves because they treat them as accessory muscles. And even those who partake in something like leg day may often skip the calf work altogether. And while in the moment this may seem fine, over time it will obviously hurt you.
You need to train your calves like you train all your other muscles. You should know about the unsaid rules of training calves. Calves can be one of the most stubborn muscles to develop and you need to be ruthless with them if you want them to grow. That’s just the honest truth and being prepared for whatever comes your way when training calves is imperative if you wish to actually see growth.
But you may be wondering how best to actually build those monstrous calves. With so many workouts, it may seem like a no brainer, but it isn’t necessarily the exercise, but more so the approach to training. What you will find are key tips to building muscles and especially those stubborn calves as you wish to see those desired changes become reality.
Let’s jump into the best ways to build those calves and offer up 5 tips so you see success. Building muscle in general can be challenging but with the right approach to all things gains, what you will find are those calves will grow in no time and you will see results.
Benefits Of Building Those Calves
The benefit of building strong calves really comes in handy with athletic performance power driven from the legs. What you will find is that strong calves can stabilize your knees and reduce the risk of injury when working hard. On top of that, your lower body aesthetic will shine and you won’t be disappointed with the results of how you look and feel.
5 Rules For Building Monstrous Calves
Let’s jump into the 5 rules for building those monstrous calves. What you will find are you can build those calf muscles effectively for strength and size no matter the exercise or overall workout.
1. Train Them From All Angles
For overall development of the calves, you need to train them from all the angles. Changing the feet placement on the machine targets different parts of the calves. Standing with your feet parallel to each other will target the medial calves.
To target the inner calves, stand with your toes placed apart and your heels together forming a “V”. Placing your toes together and heals apart (forming an “A”) will target the outer calves. Training the muscle in different ways not only builds better overall strength but also will aid in symmetry and add to that aesthetic. Only working one side of the muscle may give it a lopsided look that you just don’t need.
2. Switch the Intensity
You can’t expect to perform the same calf exercises in every workout and expect to see results. You need to shock your muscles in every workout for them to grow. Perform different exercises in every workout and maximize intensity while keeping yourself safe and supported.
Change the intensity of your calf workouts by switching between light weight and high reps and heavy weights and low reps. While using light weights, perform a lesser number of sets as compared to using heavier weights. While this is common with most exercises, what you will find is that the intensity of your workouts will determine just how much muscle is built and how much muscular endurance you build.
3. Full Range of Motion
Most people make the mistake of lifting weights which are too heavy for them. Lifting heavy while training calves can limit your range of motion. You need to follow a full range of motion to recruit all the muscles fibers in your calves.
While performing the calf raises, your heels should be a few inches off the ground at the bottom of the movement. At the top, your feet should look like that of a ballerina standing on her toes. Working with a full range of motion, and even a half range of motion just to mix things up, will better prepare you as you work out and see the best gains possible.
4. Train Them if They Aren’t Sore
A rule of thumb for training calves is you can train them if they aren’t sore. Calves are relatively small muscles and need a smaller amount of time to recover after your workouts. If you have weak calves, you can take the liberty of training them whenever they aren’t sore.
You need to perform a variety of standing (legs extended) and seated (knees bent) calf exercises to optimally train your calves. The standing variation trains the gastrocnemius muscle while the seated trains the soleus muscle. Plus, you at least add a little variety into your routine.
5. Use Advanced Training Techniques
You can take your calf training to the next level with the advanced training techniques. Use supersets, drop-sets, intra-set stretching, forced reps, negative reps, and other advanced techniques to completely annihilate your calves.
You don’t have to stick to the vanilla calf training. If you have special needs, cater to them by going out of the way. If you have weak calves, don’t blame your genetics, work on your calves until they turn into full brown bulls and advanced techniques can certainly help you get there.
Wrap Up
Growing our calves isn’t easy, but with these 5 rules to build those monstrous calves you can see the best gains possible. Working with different angles, training intensity, range of motion, soreness and fatigue, and advanced training techniques is a sure-fire way to attack those calves so they grow. What you will find is your performance will improve as well as your aesthetic, so others will envy those monstrous calves.
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
Get A Shredded Midriff With This Ab Workout
Get A Shredded Midriff With This Ab Workout
Washboard abs are hard to get. This is why only a few people have them. It takes patience, persistence, and an iron will to get a shredded core. You have to focus on your training and nutrition if you want to build a six-pack.
While it is true your diet plays a big role in building abs, you can’t overlook the importance of your workouts. A balanced diet can help you reduce your weight and body fat percentage and your ab workouts will help you get a shredded midriff.
1. Hanging Leg Raises – 3 Sets 20 Reps
Hanging leg raises are a great way to start your ab workout. It will help exhaust your abdominals at the beginning of your workout. This exercise helps target your lower abs which hold the stubborn body fat.
Most people make the mistake of swinging their bodies while performing this exercise. You need to keep your upper body at a fixed position and only move your legs. Bring up your legs so they’re parallel to the floor. Keep the movement slow and deliberate.
2. Cable Crunches – 3 Sets 20 Reps
Using cables in your ab workout helps you maintain a constant tension on your midriff throughout the exercise. Cable crunches work the upper and middle abdominal muscles and will leave you with an incredible pump by the end of this exercise.
Attach a cable extension to the pulley. Kneel down facing the pulley and hold the cables at the sides of your neck. Perform a crunch and try touching your knees with your elbows. Squeeze your midsection at the bottom of the movement.
3. Russian Twists – 3 Sets 20 Reps
Obliques are the most overlooked muscle group when it comes to ab training. Obliques give your abs the shredded and peeled look. If you find this exercise easy, use weights to add resistance. Russian twists also help with developing the V-cut in your lower abdominals.
Sit with your feet lifted about six inches off the ground. Hold a dumbbell or a weight plate in front of your chest. Turn to your right side, exhale and squeeze your oblique. Return to the starting position and repeat for the left side.
4. Planks – 3 Sets 1 Minute Each
Planks have earned a name for themselves around the world for their effectiveness. They are incredibly effective at giving you a tight and firm core. Planks also help with building strength and conditioning your midriff. Increase the time as you get better at this exercise.
Many people make the mistake of letting their crotch hang low or forming a bridge by lifting their butt too high. This takes the tension off your core. Make the most of this exercise by holding your body in a straight line and keeping your core tight.
5. Decline Crunches – 3 Sets 30 Reps
Crunches are the staple exercise in most ab workouts. Crunches work the upper and middle abdominals, but performing the crunches on a decline bench will target your lower abs as well. If 30 reps are too easy, feel free to use weights.
Crunches aren’t just about going through the motions. Inhale while you’re at the bottom of the movement and exhale and squeeze your abs while you’re at the top of the movement. Keep your hands at the back of your head throughout the movement.
Which is your favorite ab exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Looking to Build Muscle and Strength? You Need to Follow these Laws
Follow These Strength and Muscle Building Laws for Results
Bodybuilding is both art and science. If you’re looking to put on muscle mass or gain strength, there are set laws you need to adhere to. These rules are the holy grail of strength and muscle building.
Having a rule-breaking mindset might be a good thing, but it won’t do a lot for you in the gym. Muscle and strength building is like physics where sticking to the laws will get you the best returns.
Warming Up is Important
Most people make the mistake of not warming up their muscles before a workout. It doesn’t matter if you’re running late or you spent five minutes on the treadmill. You need to warm up your muscles with light sets and stretching.
Get the Volume, Reps, and Weights Right
You need to be clear about your goals before lifting weights. If your primary goal is to build strength you should lift heavier weights for fewer reps and do 5-6 sets of every exercise. On the other hand, if you want to build muscle, performer higher reps with lighter weights and keep the volume low.
Overtrain
The word ‘overtraining’ is thrown around by broscientists without understanding what it means. We’re using overtraining as a positive word which means training and exhausting your muscles to a whole new level. The negative type of overtraining happens when the CNS and immune system of a person takes a hit and his body fails to recover even after a small workout. Most people don’t have what it takes to even reach this level.
Change Your Routine
When you follow the same training program for a long time, your body will get used to it and will stop responding. You should keep changing your training routine to avoid or break a plateau. Although, make sure you don’t switch your routine way too often.
Try Different Grips
Tweaking your training even in the smallest way possible can bring incredible results. Switch between underhand, overhand or neutral grips. Changing grips will target your muscles a little differently. Using a thicker bar or Fatgripz can also prove effective.
Use Advanced Training Techniques
Advanced training techniques are a great way of shocking your muscles into growing. Drop sets, supersets, blood flow restriction training (BFR), negatives, intraset stretching are some of the most common types of advanced techniques you should try in your next workout.
Focus on Your Diet
You won’t see the desired results in your body until your diet is on point. You should be clear about your daily macronutrient (protein, carbs, and fats) goals. Eat 6-8 meals in a day at regular intervals to keep your metabolism going.
Recovery is the Key
Sleep is where all the magic happens. No matter how hard you workout in the gym, you won’t see the results until your body is properly rested. 6-8 hours of sleep every night are optimal to trigger the changes in your body.
Train Your Weaker Muscle Groups First
It can be tempting to train and improve your stronger muscle groups by training them before your weaker muscle groups, but you should be approaching it the other way around. Eg- If you train your biceps and triceps on the same day and your tris are lagging as compared to your bis, you should train your tris before your bis. And if your legs are lagging, you should train them after a rest day when your body is rested.
Establish a Mind-Muscle Connection
Mind-muscle connection in bodybuilding is what makes all the difference. Bodybuilding isn’t about going through the motions. Arnold famously said that you need to become your muscle when you train it. Focus on contracting and squeezing the living hell out of your muscles with every rep.
Are you breaking any one of these laws? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
5 Ways To Write a Great Training Program
5 Ways To Write a Great Training Program
Most people never see any progress in the gym because they don’t follow a well-designed training program. A customized training plan is the same thing for a physique transformation that code is for a website.
Writing a better training program can help a fitness rookie, advanced lifter or even a personal trainer. Once you know the ins and outs of how to design an effective training program, it’s almost like you’ve been handed the key to the Hogwarts of gains.
Start With Your Current Situation
One of the most common beginner’s mistake is that people want to begin at the pro training level. They want to be doing squats, deadlifts and military-style chin-ups from the first week.
Attempting something like this is similar to jumping on a treadmill that is running at a super-high-speed from a standstill. We all know how that ends. You’re most probably going to fall on your face and be thrown back with a few burns and sores.
Access your current fitness levels and take a test – if needed. You need to look at yourself critically but without being sadistic. Once you’ve ascertained your starting point and have made terms with it, things only get easier.
Figure Out The Best Training Style
You need to know your ‘Point B’ while designing an effective customized training program. After you have your fitness assessment, you have all you need to create a blueprint for your transformation.
People with prior training experience will do better at this stage. You need to know about different training techniques and how your muscles respond to them. Contrary to what most people think, there is no one-training-program-fits-all kind of a mass-market transformation solution.
You should spend some time at this stage researching about tried and tested training principles like DTP, Y3T, PH3, and many other programs by successful coaches. Brownie points if you have developed any such program of your own.
Keep Your Lifestyle in Mind
Your life shouldn’t be centered around your training program, it should be the other way round. If you’ve been skipping workouts in the past, you’re setting yourself up for failure by designing a 6-day training routine.
Remember – in fitness, many different paths can lead to the same destination. You have to choose the one you are comfortable following. Learn more about your preferences when it comes to the intensity (number of reps, sets, weights, duration of workouts) and once you know what works for you – stick with it.
Rapid Adaptability
You can’t write a 12-week fitness program and expect to get the exact results you set out for without having to make mid-way modifications. Many things can change over the course of the plan and you might not see the desired output.
You have to be on your toes when it comes to getting the most out of your training program. Adapting according to your progress can make all the difference in your transformation and this is why pro athletes have daily check-ins with their coaches when they’re prepping for contests.
Set mini-milestones and develop the habit of doing weekly reviews. If you’re not heading in the right direction at the right speed at the end of the week – make necessary changes.
What is your current fitness goal? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
How To Get A Better Chest Day Pump
Tips for a Better Chest Day Pump
Almost all men who workout desire a wider chest. A broader and fuller chest can make you stand out of the crowd other than the fact that it adds a dash of masculinity to your personality.
A muscle pump is critical to the development of your muscles. The pump is when blood rushes to your working muscles and carries lactic acid and nutrients along with it. Developing your chest can be hard if you’re unable to recruit all your pectoral muscles during your workouts.
Pre-Exhaust Your Pecs
Most people start their chest workouts with the good old barbell bench press. While there is no denying the fact the bench press is a great exercise, performing an isolation exercise like the cable flyes can result in a better chest pump.
Performing the cable flyes at the beginning of your workouts will exhaust your pecs and you won’t have to lift as big weights as compared to what you would’ve to lift if you started off with the bench press.
Use a Pre-Workout Supplement
Pre-workout supplements can be incredibly effective in helping you get a pec pump during your workout. Pre-workout supplements have ingredients like nitric oxide, beta alanine, caffeine, beetroot extract, etc. which can help in achieving and amplifying muscles pumps.
Not only will the pre-workout supplement help you get a muscle-ripping pump but will also improve the quality of your workout by delaying fatigue, improving your focus and mind-muscle connection.
Add Isolation Exercises To The Mix
Compound (multi-joint) exercises like the bench or dumbbell presses are great at building muscle mass and strength. On the other hand, isolation (single-joint) exercises like pec deck fly, cables, chest machines are effective in getting you a better muscle pump and developing muscle conditioning.
Make sure you don’t rely too heavily on the isolation exercises as they might feel easier and quicker to perform. Maintain the right balance between compound and isolation movements to get the best of both worlds.
Increase Intensity and Change Rep Tempos
If you’ve been performing the 5 exercises of 3 set and 12 reps training routine and are not getting a muscle pump anymore, it’s time to spice things up. Pump your workout intensity by performing higher reps (15-20) to take your workouts to the next level.
Changing your rep tempos can also help in inducing better and nastier muscle pumps. An example of the rep tempos could be to slow down the negatives (eccentric movement) and fasten up the positive (concentric movement).
Use Advanced Training Techniques
Hitting a plateau can be one of the biggest factors for not getting a pump. Using advanced training techniques like the supersets, drop sets, intraset stretching, etc. can be an incredibly effective way of breaking through the overhead glass ceiling.
Try to incorporate at least one advanced training techniques in your workouts for getting a muscle-scorching pump. There are numerous training techniques to keep you entertained while ensuring muscle growth and development.
Which is your favorite chest exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.