Body Building

How to Get a Six-Pack in One Week

2011-03-28T02:43:00.001-07:00

Proper diet coupled with exercise will bring out those six-pack abs!

It seems like everybody wants six-pack abs these days, and some products promise nothing short of a miracle. The truth is, though, getting a six-pack takes a lot of work. Results won't come easy, especially as you get older.

If you don't already regularly hit the gym, if you're overweight or if you only think the word "captain'" when you hear somebody mention "crunch," the only way you're going to get a six-pack in one week is by going to the liquor store.

If you set out on a workout regimen and change your eating habits, it is possible to see results in a matter of weeks, but it usually takes at least two to three weeks and often much longer to get a true six-pack.

Difficulty:: Challenging

Instructions

Yoga mat
Swiss medicine ball
Workout clothes

- 1
  Getting six-pack abs is all about building muscle and losing fat. As the saying goes, "Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym." Everyone has abs, it's just a matter of exposing them, and getting a six-pack is more about diet than it is about exercise.
- 2
  If you're looking to slim down and tone up, and you only have a week to do it, start with your diet. Cut out the fats, add more fruits and vegetables into your daily meals, and stick with fish and chicken or dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale for protein. Drink plenty of water and stay off the booze. Stay away from high-sugar food and drinks such as fruit juices and even so-called health snacks like granola.
- 3
  Try to get in at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per day. That could mean walking down the street to get lunch or a cup of coffee, or going for a walk or taking a jog on a treadmill or around your neighborhood. Take the stairs at work, at least part of the way. Through it all, keep an upright posture, which alone will strengthen your core muscles. The point is to get your blood flowing and your metabolism moving.
- 4
  Getting a six-pack in a hurry is going to require some sweat. Crunches are good, but traditional sit-ups are better. Proper form in each is key. Use a yoga mat or exercise mat for cushioning on the floor. If you have a workout partner, opt for the sit-up. Have him kneel at the base of your feet while you get into position. Your back and feet should be flat on the floor, with your legs bent. Have your partner hold your ankles while you use your abs to lift your chest to your knees. Do not use your arms to lift your head. Work your core no more than four days a week, and try to mix up your routine.
  As an alternative to crunches or sit-ups, Pilates and yoga offer a great core workout, and for more advanced ab work, invest in a Swiss medicine ball.

How to Get Six-Pack Abs in Two Weeks

2011-03-28T02:36:00.001-07:00

Men need to get their total body fat under 10 percent to get six-pack abs. Women need to reduce it to 15 percent or less.

Everyone wants a flat stomach. To have defined "six-pack abs" is even more desirable. So how do you go about getting that super-cut look? Is it possible to get that toned in just two weeks? There are numerous books, videos and gadgets on the market that claim to do just that. Some even state that you just need a few minutes a day. Others go so far to claim it is as simple as taking a fat-burning pill, and that you can continue to eat all you want and not exercise. But how realistic are these claims? Learn the common misconceptions about getting in shape, and the proper way to get toned abdominal muscles.

Difficulty:: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Weight bench
Hand weights or weighted plates
Physio Ball

- 1
  The rectus abdominus is the muscle set that creates the six-pack look.
  Understand the anatomy of the abdominal muscles. Your abs are located in the midsection of your body. They are made up of the transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, internal obliques and external obliques. The transverse abdominus is a deep muscle. It wraps around the entire abdominal area and helps to stabilize the trunk. The internal and external obliques are located along the sides of the rectus abdominus, and assist the body with lateral, or bending and twisting, movements. On top of the transverse abdominus and in between the obliques is the rectus abdominus. It is divided into right and left sides and is in sections. It is a well-toned rectus abdominus that creates that six-pack look.
  Having well-toned abs is not just important for appearance: Strong abdominal muscles help you maintain better posture and balance, and prevent back pain and injury. Your abdominal muscles are the core of your body. If your center is strong, it will support you as you move through daily activities and recreation.
- 2
  Avoid common misconceptions. Performing situps is not the only requirement for obtaining flat or defined abdominal muscles. While doing exercises targeted to the abdominal muscles can make them stronger, you cannot spot reduce. It is also important to do a variety of movements. Since the abdominal muscles are large, you cannot effectively train the entire muscle or create that six-pack look by doing just one exercise. You must have a routine that takes your abdominal muscles through a variety of movements to fully sculpt and train them.
  Also, to develop that six-pack look you must be within a healthy weight range and have a low percentage of body fat. Your body fat needs to be at 10 percent or lower for men, and at 15 percent or lower for women. So unless you fall into this category, six-pack abs are out of reach. There are many home scales that will measure your percentage of body fat, and many health clubs and gyms offer this service. If you purchase a home model, make sure you follow the directions exactly to get accurate results. These scales are not 100 percent accurate, but they will give you a basic measurement, and you can use them to track your progress.
  In addition, with any form of strength training, results are usually not seen for four to eight weeks, depending on the intensity of your training routine.
  If you are at the required body fat percentage and you have been working out regularly for some time, and you are doing a well-rounded abdominal workout, you may be able to see some definition happening in two weeks. Otherwise, there are steps you need to follow to develop that six-pack look. It takes time and effort to get there.
- 3
  Reach a healthy weight and body fat composition. If you are not currently within the required percentage of body fat, you first need to shed those extra pounds. That means controlling your food intake and getting regular cardiovascular exercise for 40 to 45 minutes at least five days per week. This can include using equipment like a treadmill, elliptical machine or bike, or participating in activities like swimming, running or aerobic-exercise classes. It is not recommended that you lose anymore than 2 lbs. per week unless you are under the supervision of a doctor. Weight loss greater than this is not healthy, and shocks the body. Losing weight slowly allows the body to adjust, and the weight tends to stay off. Losing weight is hard, and it is difficult to do it alone. Joining a gym or working out with friends or coworkers makes you more likely to stick with it. There are also programs like Weight Watchers that can guide and support you in reaching your weight-loss goals in a healthy, effective and safe manner.
- 4
  Use an incline to work your stomach muscles.
  Perform crunches. Typical abdominal crunches should be included in your routine. They can be done on the floor, a weight bench, a physioball or a machine. However, you do not need equipment to get six-pack abs. If you have some weights, a Physio Ball and a basic weight bench, you can get the abs you always wanted. If you are new to exercise, start with a basic crunch like the one shown in the video in the Resources section. This is a very safe and effective exercise.
  Many people complain about neck pain when first attempting to do crunches. It is not the exercise that is the problem; it is because they are doing the exercise incorrectly. You must keep your abdominal muscles engaged and your back flat against the floor. You want to keep the elbows back and open, and not pull on the head or neck to come up. It is common to see people clasp their hands behind the head and then bring the elbows together as they lift up. This will create neck pain, and will actually prohibit you from effectively isolating and shaping the abdominal muscles. This is especially true if your abdominal muscles are weak. Weak abdominal muscles cannot lift you up, and many times, people pull themselves up, which stresses the neck.
  For a more advanced version, try this exercise with a weight resting on your chest, or on a bench where you can do decline sit ups, as in the photo shown here. The higher the incline, the more difficult the exercise. If you are really advanced, you can do this exercise with a weight as well.
- 5
  Incorporate reverse crunches, another exercise that is necessary to obtaining a sculpted set of abs. As with the regular crunch, you can do this exercise on a declined bench or with a Physio Ball to make it more challenging. You can do the exercise while holding a Physio Ball between your ankles to make the exercise even harder. Try passing the ball to your hands, and lower both the arms and legs toward the floor at the same time. Then bring them back up and pass the ball back to your feet. Lower both arms and legs again. You need to keep your back flat on the floor and the abdominal muscles contracted to protect your back from injury.
- 6
  Add some oblique exercises. The last part of your six-pack ab routine should include twisting movements to target the obliques. The photo here shows a good basic exercise. You can work your oblique muscles by lying on your back as shown here, lying on your side and lifting up, twisting while standing and sitting, or lying on an inclined bench . As with all of the above exercises, you can add weights and a Physio Ball to take them to the next level.
- 7
  Limit the number of repetitions. You do not need to do hundreds of ab exercises to get six-pack abs. You need a variety of exercises like the ones described above, done properly. If you are really working your abs hard, you only need to do two to three sets of each exercise for 12 to 20 repetitions per set. If you feel that you need to do a lot of crunches, this usually means the exercise you are doing is not hard enough, or you are doing it improperly. The more repetitions you do, the more likely you are just using momentum and poor form. If an exercise is effective, as you do a set, you should really be feeling it after 12 to 20 repetitions.
- 8
  Work with an experienced trainer. If you are new to exercise, working with trainer or taking a class can help get you started. The trainer can make sure you are doing the exercise properly, and can help you add variety to your routine. Since getting those six-pack abs is hard work, it may be tough to stay motivated and on track. Having to meet your trainer or show up for a class can help you establish a regular routine and get the results you are hoping for.

How to Get Six Pack Abs

2011-03-28T02:00:00.001-07:00

Lose Fat

1
Do cardio workouts. Important step to get six pack abs: There is no way to target fat loss in any area of your body. You need to lose some of that extra fat over your abs. Even if you workout and get gigantic ab muscles, if there is still a layer of fat over them no one will ever get to see them. Cardio workouts are workouts that raise your heart rate for a given set of time. Some examples would be running, jogging, bike riding, dancing and rowing.
2
Eat smaller dinners. Large dinners tend to hurt a fat loss process because most people aren't very active after dinner. This is the basis for advice along the lines of "don't eat anything within a certain number of hours before going to bed". The claim that your entire dinner is stored as fat isn't entirely true. The process is more complicated than that, but the fact you don't move after dinner is enough to hurt your cause. You can offset this by eating a larger lunch or snacking healthily before dinner. Fresh fruits or vegetables are excellent choices for curbing appetite not to mention other health benefits. A handful of nuts might do the same. Drink a large glass of water before sitting at the table.
3
Eat breakfast. Many people skip breakfast because they don't have time for it. The harm of skipping breakfast from a weight loss perspective is it makes you eat a huge lunch since your body hasn't had anything in the past 12 (or more) hours. When you eat a huge lunch you get that after meal drowsiness so now you're both unproductive and inactive. Cerealsdon't take much time to prepare and consume, and most of them are very healthy nowadays. If you are extremely pressed for time, consider grabbing a box of breakfast bars or a smoothie and throwing one in your bag when you leave for work or school. Somebreakfast bars out there are also excellent sources of fiber. Even an apple or a yogurt is better than nothing. Ideally, your breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day, lunch the second, and dinner the smallest.
4

Lift weights. The more muscle your body has, the more calories your body burns, even at rest. Plus, resistance training is important to limit the amount of muscle mass lost whilst reducing your calorie intake. If you only do cardiovascular exercises (running, playing basketball, football) without weight training then you may lose the muscle mass, including the muscle in your abs.
5
Keep metabolism steady. Eating one small meal every three hours that you are awake will not speed up your metabolism, rather, it will keep it going. Your metabolism goes and slows with your food intake and eating something small every three hours will keep that metabolism burning calories and will help you lose weight. Every meal should include lean protein, so that your body won't need to break down your muscles for fuel, which would shrink your abs as well as slow down your metabolism.
6

Drink more water every day. To find out how much water you need to drink as a minimum per day, halve your weight (in pounds) and that is how many ounces of water you need to drink. So a 150lb person would need to drink a minimum of 2.2 liters a day. It sounds like an absurd amount of water, but actually, you can drink tea without sugar to make up some of the quota. For fat loss purposes, it is important to remind yourself that thirst is a much weaker stimulus than hunger. If you consistently feel hungry after meals, don't immediately think that you need to eat more. You may simply be thirsty!
- Drinking too much water (several liters, especially while sweating) can dangerously dilute certain salts and minerals. If you are exercising heavily and sweating a lot, you will need to replace your salts as well as fluids. Supplement your water drinking with a sports drink or potassium rich fruits such as bananas and apples.
7

Whole grain pasta salad
Switch out refined grains for whole grains. In a scientific study, people who ate all whole grains (in addition to five servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of low-fat dairy, and two servings of lean meat, fish, or poultry) lost more belly fat than another group that ate the same diet, but with all refined grains. A diet rich in whole grains changes the glucose and insulin response in your body, which hastens the melting of fat, and visceral fat, that deep layer of fat, is easier for your body to burn than the subcutaneous fat under your skin (the fat that you can see and grab).^[1]

Build Muscle

1

Do crunches. Lie on the floor (with or without a mat) with your arms in front of your chest or with your hands lightly touching your temples (never behind your head). Bend your knees. Raise your shoulders (upper torso) towards your knees, using strictly your abdominal muscles. It is very important to not lift your entire back off the floor, as this can cause back strain, and the extended movement does not help you develop six pack abs any faster. The most important part of the crunch is the initial flexing of your abs as you lift your shoulders off the floor. As soon as you begin lifting off the floor exhale through your mouth, ending with a gasp once your shoulders are off the floor. Then pause for a second once you are at the top of the crunch and exhale the last bit of air from your diaphragm while flexing your abs. Now lower back down slowly and controlled while inhaling through your nose, just until your shoulder blades touch the ground. Do not let your head touch the ground.
2

Decline barbell sit ups (advanced)
Do sit ups. Lie on the floor, feet on the floor, knees up and hands crossed on your chest. Have someone hold your feet down, or wedge them underneath something heavy. Sit all the way up, lifting your lower back off the floor along with your shoulder blades. Keep your back straight (no hunching). Lower yourself down. Repeat. Once this becomes relatively easy for you (i.e. you can do a quite a bit with ease) start adding more challenges. Find an incline bench. Do weighted sit ups. Hold a weight on your chest while you do these. As these become easier, hold heavier and heavier weights.
3

Train your entire core. To build really great abs it's important to first understand what abs do. Their full name is 'rectus abdominis'. The 'rectus' bit, is Latin for 'straight, proper, upright'. Contrary to popular opinion, the abs' primary job is not to curl you up into a ball, but they work together with the back muscles to maintain correct posture and stabilize the spine. These muscles are not just for show! So the best exercises for abs are ones that force your entire core to go into overdrive to support your spine. Some exercises that do this are squats and deadlifts. These exercises will train your entire core to work together to do what it is designed to do. At the same time they will also train a lot of other muscles (e.g. glutes and quads).
4

Do leg lifts. Lie on the floor, legs straight out, hands at your sides. Lift your legs straight up (not bending your knees at all) until they're at a 90 degree angle (or close). Lower your legs and repeat without letting your legs touch the floor. For more challenge there is equipment at most gyms that will allow you to raise yourself up using your arms as support and dangle your legs. If you're using this piece of equipment, you can make it easier by just raising your knees to your chest. It's more difficult to raise your legs to a horizontal position with your legs straight. This helps firm up the lower abdomen. If you're truly a monster, try doing leg lifts with a medicine ball hanging from your feet. Or, hang from a pull up bar and raise your legs in front of you all the way up to the bar.
5
Do jackknife sit ups. Lie down flat on the floor. Place your hands on the ground to your sides for balance; you can pick them up as you get used to the movement. Simultaneously raise your knees and torso so that your knees and face meet on an imaginary line extending from your pelvis to the ceiling. You should be able to kiss your knees at the top of the motion. Your legs will naturally fold bringing your feet towards your hips, much like a jackknife. Lie back down (i.e. "spread out") and repeat. Place a weight between your feet when you think you can handle it.
6

Do static holds. Put your body into the push-up position but with your elbows on the floor, and your whole body flat. This position is known as the static hold position, or the plank, and it trains your core (including your abs) to hold the body in place which is the real purpose of your abs. Hold this position for as long as possible. Beginners should be aiming to start off with at least 45 seconds, while seasoned ab workers are known to achieve over 5 minute static holds. To perform the side static hold, roll onto one side of your body and lift into the same position as before, but this time only one arm will be on the ground with the other arm pointed straight up the air and your non weight bearing leg resting on your bottom leg. Once again, hold this for as long as possible.
7
Train your oblique muscles. It's not as important to work on your oblique muscles at first, but eventually you'll want to start working these too. These are the muscles to either side of your stomach. There are multiple ways to do this and anything that includes twisting your torso against a resistance counts. There are twisting machines at gyms, you can twist while you do sit-ups, you can do side bends, you can twist side to side with a medicine ball in hand, etc. Be aware though, that many beginners tend to have weak obliques compared to their abs (it simply isn't used as much in daily life) so go easy on the sides at first.
- Do bicycle crunches. Lift your feet off the ground while doing the crunches by alternating each leg in the air. Bring your left knee up toward your right shoulder and then your right knee toward your left shoulder.
8
Find new ways to crunch, bend and twist in your daily life. Some possibilities include:
- Use a stability ball. Do your crunches on the ball to introduce instability to your workout, which will improve your balance too. There are also lots of core exercises that can be done with a stability ball. You can also use a small bubble used for physical therapy.
- Duck and twist during your daily routine. Reach with your left hand to things on your right and vice versa. If you feel like turning around to face something, see if you can do it with keeping your hips in place and twisting at the waist. (This is awkward when talking to other people, use only against inanimate objects.) While walking or standing, pretend that something is coming toward you and you have to duck to get out of the way. Do this as often as you are comfortable or at times when it won't look weird. You can bend forward from the hips or, if you're really into it, bend at the knees too and really "sink" out of the way.
- Add complex core-movements to your workout. That will boost your overall body constitution tremendously. For example, combine push-ups with rows. Go into a push-up position on two dumbbells. Now don't do a push-up, but instead start to row alternating dumbbells. See how much power you need only to hold balance? Combine exercises! Be creative. Tension is your friend.

Abdominals - Lower Ab Workouts

2011-03-28T01:53:00.003-07:00

Abdominals - Lower Ab Workouts

A well-toned and defined lower ab reflects lean fit body. It is the result of hard graft in the gym as well as cardio training and proper nutrition(for more information refer to our Nutrition section). Together, they all produce strong abdominals and low body-fat levels.

Well-defined abdominals are mainly the product of low body-fat levels, which explains why even untrained people can possess washboard abs. If you are after a rippling six-pack, you need to reduce your abdominal fat layer for the muscles to show through. Increasing their size alone through exercise will not be enough. For these muscles to become visible, men need below 10-12% body fat and women need below 15-18% body fat - ranges that are below those considered healthy among the general population but which, are compatible with improved sports performance.

Strong abdominals help you perform virtually every strength-training exercise and sports movement, improving core stability. Abdominal training is also important for the prevention of lower-back injuries, since these muscles help stabilize the pelvis which, in turn, helps maintain proper spine alignment.(For more information on Lower Back injuries, their occurrence, treatment, prevention...Click here).You should add a lower-back exercise such as back extensions to your abdominal routine to help balance abdominal strength.

Gadgets and machines are unnecessary you can develop great abdominals from the basic exercises that require nothing more than the floor and perhaps a bench or bar. The secret to effective abdominal exercising is mental focus and technique. You should concentrate on each part of the movement, keeping it slow and controlled. That is most important. The most common error people do is to perform the movements too fast, aiming for a high number of repetitions. High repetitions will only build endurance. They will not work the important FT muscle fibres that give your abdominals visible shape, nor will they increase definition or melt away fat.

The abdominals are the same as any other muscle and should be trained in the same fashion: no more than every other day and no more than 12-15 repetitions per set. So slow down, visualize your abdominals working and focus on feeling the contraction through the full range of motion. When it starts to hurt (not to be confused with actual pain), take a short rest; then complete the exercise or move on to the next.

The drawback with many exercise programmes is that they isolate muscles, training them in ways that are not related to sports or everyday activities. For example, abdominal training is typically performed lying face-up on the floor with the knees bent. But no sport or activity requires you to be in this position. Similarly, using an arm curl machine in the gym trains your biceps independently of all the other muscles you would use to stabilize, and control your arm in everyday life. But the power needed, say, when sprinting for the ball in a football match is actually generated in the core of the body and transferred out to the pumping arms.

Bodybuilding Exercise

2011-03-28T01:53:00.001-07:00

Bodybuilding Exercise

Do a Proper Warm Up before starting a Bodybuilding Program

It is important to warm up before beginning your bodybuilding program for two main reasons:

It reduces the chances of injury.
It will improve your performance.

Here are a few quick reminders of why you should do this.

Muscles respond better to exercise if they are properly prepared for the coming workload. Warming up increases blood flow to the muscles and lubricates the joints because the fluid surrounding them becomes less viscous so the joint can move more smoothly and efficiently. At rest, muscles receive only about 15% of your total blood supply, but during exercise the requirement for fuel and oxygen sharply increases and they may need up to 80% of the total blood flow to meet the demand. Obviously, it takes time to re-route the blood, and this cannot be achieved efficiently if you omit the warm-up and start exercising vigorously.

Warming up also improves the elasticity of the muscles, enabling them to work harder, more efficiently and for longer before they fatigue, as well as allowing nerve impulses to be transmitted faster.

Finally, warming up also prepares you mentally for the work ahead; it increases your arousal level and motivation. Performing one or two warm-up sets with light weights acts as a mental rehearsal and means that you can perform your subsequent heavier sets more effectively.

Warm-up components

The time taken on this part of your workout depends to a large extent on the temperature of your surroundings - the cooler the environment, the longer it will take to raise your body temperature. Your warm-up should include the following three components.

An aerobic activity that raises your body temperature and leaves you mildly sweating. This should be performed for 5-10 minutes and be continuous and rhythmic in nature - for example, stationary cycling, treadmill walking, gentle jogging, stepping or rowing.
Mobilization of the major joints. This could include movements such as arm circles, knee bends and shoulder circles which take the joints through their full range of movement. These are not stretching exercises as they are continuous and do not increase the range of movement.
Warm-up sets with light weights and high repetitions. Never embark on your working sets straightaway because your muscles won't be properly warmed up and you there are chances of injury. Start with 1-2 sets using very light weights (around 40-50% one-rep max), for 15-20 repetitions to warm up the target muscles, ligaments and joints, and to rehearse the action to be performed.

Body Building : Exercises for Chest

2011-03-23T20:54:00.001-07:00

In order to develop a big chest, do the following exercises.

The main exercises to use are the barbell bench press, the incline press and the decline press.

The barbell bench press is pretty self-explanatory. The incline press? That's when you have the
front half of the bench at an incline, with your head and chest above your thighs, which remain
parallel to the floor on the lower half of the bench. With the decline press, the entire bench is
slanted downward, with your knees hooked over a rung to keep you from sliding off. From this
position, you can do presses with both a barbell and dumbbells.

There are other exercises as well.

The "flys" are exercises which can be done with dumbbells, but are easier to do with cables.
Using cables, pull the stirrup handles towards your chest, then lower them back toward the
floor, keeping your arms relatively straight, with only a little bit of give at the elbow. This will
really work on your pecs.

Change body positions with flys, if you're using dumbbells, by using both an incline and a
decline bench, as well as on a flat bench.

The chest dip is also an excellent exercise in which you mount the "dip bar" - two metal grips
extending from a sturdy machine, or the wall. You grip the bars with your hands, then lower and
raise yourself by bending your arms, letting your elbows flare out to your sides.

For the dumbbell pullover, lay with your back on a flat bench, and hold the dumbbell over your
head . You grasp the dumbbell behind its plate with one or both hands. Then, lift it - again,
keeping your arms relatively straight with just a bit of a bend in the elbows - over your head.
Return to rear position and repeat.

Don't forget those pushups, either "normal" pushups, or with your feet on a bench, which will
really increase the angle and depth.

Combine all these exercises into one workout, and your chest will get where you want it to be.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/bodybuilding-articles/best-way-to-build-big-pecshow-to-get-a-muscular-chest-828597.html#ixzz1HUBAjhml
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Bodybuilding Tips

2011-03-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Lacking Bodybuilding Gains?

If you are not experiencing any significant bodybuilding gains the worst thing that you can do is to keep doing what you are doing. Chances are that by doing the same thing you will keep getting the same results you have been getting; which in this case may be none at all.

When your bodybuilding program is not yielding the results that you want you need to stop and analyze why that is the case. All aspects of your bodybuilding program (your goals, training, nutrition, supplementation, and rest) need to be analyzed in order to find where the problem is.

Keep in mind that bodybuilding is typically not a liner process. You will experience periods of great gains, followed by periods of slower gains. The key to always getting the fastest gains possible is to become an expert at troubleshooting your program. Also, you need to remember to always periodize your training program. Most of the time, when someone is not making gains, the issue is that there is no periodization in the trainingprogram. Another issue may be that the bodybuilding diet is inadequate. And if you have both issues at the same time, then you can forget about making any muscle gains. Thus, if you have reached a plateau, start by taking a close look at both your training and diet programs.

Bodybuilding Tips

2010-11-23T10:10:00.001-08:00

Your Best Bodybuilding Tips!By: Bodybuilding.com

Sometimes you try a new workout, exercise, or supplement and all of a sudden you gain big time! The results are amazing and you only wish you had known about it sooner. Below are bodybuilding tips that people have submitted to us because they worked wonderfully! Don't forget to help out and send us your bodybuilding tips! Just e-mail us!

Fastest Chest Builder -By Ross Johnson

Hello, I have a exercise which you may have heard of, but is unlisted on your site. This is the fastest chest builder I've ever tried, and I think you may find it useful.
Step one: Lay on a flat bench as if you were doing a bench-press. With a smaller bar, usually the ones with curved hand areas, place your hands toward the center for better results, with index fingers about 5 inches apart.
Step two: Place the bar between the nipple region, and move it only about one inch above your face, then behind your head, and as close to the ground as possible. Then pull it back to it's starting position, keeping it about an inch above your face/chest at all times.
This is a very useful technique, and not too difficult, I recommend starting bodybuilders to use about 20 pounds (10 on each side), and to work from there. I use 50 pounds on each side, and the results are astounding.
Thank you

Get Big Forearms -By airferch@hotmail.com

Do this workout twice a week, no less, no more:
Sit down on a bench. Grab a light dumbbell. Grab the end of the dumbbell and do wrist curls but make sure you do them very slowly and squeeze at contraction for maximum growth. Do 3 sets of 8. Now do 3 sets of reverse wrist curls the same way but this time use a lighter dumbbell than you did for wrist curls since it will be harder to curl.
This routine not only enhances the size of your forearms significantly, but also increases muscular definition. Soon you will see bumps and veins popping out of your forearms. Compare grabbing the end of a dumbbell to grabbing the middle of the dumbbell. My routine works great. I used to grab the middle of the dumbbell but wasn't seeing any results. Do this routine I listed and get back to me if you'd like. I am interested to know your results.

Add 25-50 Pounds to Your Bench Press in Just 3 Weeks -Byjcharles30@hotmail.com

I have been a personal trainer for the past two years, and am currently sponsored by Supreme Supplements, The easiest way for you to add an extreme amount of weight lies in the way of 3 exercises.
Exercise A) Do at least 150-200 pushups after every chest workout. These should no be all done at once, but do them in 4-8 sets. Pushups allow you to gain strength at the bottom of a bench press, where you are most likely to be weak.
Exercise B) If you aren't doing rotator cuff exercises, you are sacrificing large amounts of weight on your bench press, because the rotator cuff is one of the prime stabilizer of the movement, allowing you to move more weight. The other reason is that you are going to blow your shoulder doing heavy benches to gain size, but the injury will put you out for up to 6 months, how big are you gonna get if you can't workout? If you are interested in any exercises, feel free to forward an email to: jcharles30@hotmail.com.
Exercise C) Don't just use free-weight benches and flyes. Try using a Hammer Strength chest machine, either the incline or regular chest press. The benefits of this machine is that it better allows you to isolate your pectorals by taking the triceps and deltoids out of the movement. Stronger pectorals will allow for a tighter contraction, which means more growth and strength.
Please feel free to send an email to me concerning weight lifting questions or comments, Jamie Charles (PTS) jcharles30@hotmail.com

Bigger & More Toned Pectoral Muscles -By GokuJ2SS@aol.com

I found a routine I used at some time useful for developing thick,toned pectoral muscles here's how it went:

1. Bench Press-3-4 sets of 6-8 reps with dumbbells, barbells, or cable pulleys

2. Incline Press-3-4 sets of 6-8 reps

3. Dips-3-4 sets of 12-15-20 reps (when you can do 20 reps add weight)

4. Close-grip bench press-3-4 sets of 6-8 reps (hands 4 inches apart)

Strength and Size Routine...8 Weeks -By Rambo8429@aol.com

Monday- Bench workout
Bench press 3x3-5 negatives every 2 weeks.
Incline bench press 3x3-5
Parallel dips 3x5
Dumbbell flyes 1x10 just to stretch...
Overhead triceps ext 3x6
Cable push downs 3x6
body weight dips 2xfailure
Ab work

Wednesday- Dead lift workout
Dead lift 4x3-5
Dumbbell shrugs 4x6-10
Close grip Lat pull-downs 5x6
Dumbbell rows 3xfailure
Preacher curls 4x6
Dumbbell curls 2x6
Hammer curls 2x6

Behind back wrist curls 2xfailure
Ab work

Friday- Squat workout
Squat 3x3-5
Lunges 3x6
Leg curls 3x6
Calf raises 3x10
Ab work

Caribbean Sauce -By Niven Sookhoo

Ok. This is one of the best ways I have found to make very bland food taste absolutely terrific. Never underestimate the use of good condiments. Ingredients: a few cloves of shelled garlic, sweet peppers, onions, ginger, parsley, chive, sweet peppers, a hot pepper (depending on taste), coriander. Add 1 cup of water to a blender, add the chopped up ingredients and puree. Empty and store in refrigerator. Simply add a teaspoon or so. These are so widely used back home and they are so convenient!

Forearm Exercise -By Nelson Jackson

Hi,
I have a cool exercise for building the forearms. Buy a 12 pound, 36 inch, sledge hammer and some hockey tape. Wrap the entire handle with the tape. Next, mark the tape every inch along the entire handle. This is your "Handle of Power". From a standing position, grasp the handle with one hand and try to raise the head of the sledge. Do not bend your elbow! Switch hands. Find a distance from the head, that will give you a 6-8 rep set. Do 6-8 sets. I usually start my workouts with wrist curls...6-8 reps for 6-8 sets, then I do the hammer work, then grips (10-15 reps, 10 sets, with a very LARGE wood clamp, believe it or not - from the local hardware store).
Just try to get to the end of the handle!!! For party tricks, I squash beer caps with the tips of my fingers...
Regards,
Mathew Helmer.

Aerobics for Everybody -By Nelson Jackson

As an aerobic instructor, I am constantly teased from men in the weight room who view aerobic classes as a FEMALE thing. But the truth is that for anyone to have a well rounded program. Aerobic training is part of it.
I challenged 3 men to try one of my classes. after the class they admitted that is was harder than they thought and admire women for being so tough.
Why do you need to do cardio? to burn off fat you must do some kind of aerobic training. You see weight training and aerobic training goes together like beans and rice. I developed boot camp classes which is very popular with the men.
Aerobic classes in my opinion is better than the treadmill. in the fact that there is Hip music, a lot of support, and constant variety. there is only so much treadmill stuff you can do.
Plus aerobic training helps in the fact that it increases you metabolism. It is proven that after a high intensity class, you are burning more calories after class. Than you would if you just sit there. Plus it works on your endurance system.
It is also very good for the heart and lungs. these are thing that you can not achieve in the weight room alone. So GROUP classes are not a female thing. it is a Everybody thing.
Educate your mind before you judge.
Thanks,
Nelson

The Most Important Tip for the Whole Body -By Mohammed Ali Ahmed

In bodybuilding most people thinks that if they do more exercise and eat more then they will develop a good body. Eating more is true for some extend but doing more exercises is waste of time, energy, money and mind. The most important and precious think that I found in bodybuilding is the resting time between your workouts. Whatever type of exercise or workout you want to do you can do but if you do not rest in the right way then you can't able to develop a massive body. (Because muscles do not develop in the training period they only develop in resting period and if your resting period are not long enough then you can't be able to develop a good muscle). So only you can decide that which resting routine is best for you. You can do as follows:
(Different routines)

1 day on and 1 day off training (Monday training, Tuesday rest, then Wed training, Thurs rest and so on)

3 days on training and 1 day rest and so on.

4 days on training and 1 day rest and so on.

5 days training and 2 days rest and so on.

Whatever resting routine you think is best for you then you should apply it. You know I gain 22 pound of my weight (not fat) in just 3 months by applying the above routine. The routine, which I like most, is 1 day on and 1 day off OR 5 days on and 2 days off.Apply any of these routines and you will see the results. (If you are a beginner then you should train 6 days on 1 day off for 1 week then again 6 days on 1 day off for second week do the same till 1 months and then apply any of the above routine).

Staying on Track Through Depression -By Nelson Jackson

Christmas time has a higher suicide rate than any other time of the year. Many people are sad at this time of year and depression can really mess up your training. Here are some tips I use to keep myself going.
1.Plan a competition (IF you have something to work towards, then you're more likely to stay).
2. Try to enlist a friend (during times when I am down, I grab a bud and that makes me want to workout).
3. Talk to someone (If you feel like life is unbearable, open up to someone you trust).
4. Take a quiet walk in the woods (This can sooth your soul.)
5. Reward yourself.
6. Try to do yoga (I find this VERY helpful.)
7. Do something for others (I find that this makes me feel good).
8. Go and have fun, most depressed people isolate themselves. Get out and have fun!)
9. Last but not least, tell yourself everyday that you love you and you're worth living.
I know this may sound corny and all mushy. But as a chronicly depressed person. I have grown to learn to do simple things to make my life better. Write me atvalachine@wnonline.net
Nelson

My Favorite Mass Building Workout -By David Elder

Day One
Warm up with 60 step-ups
Abdominal crunches 30 reps
Wrestlers bridge 20 reps
Squat warm up with 2 sets of 8-10 reps, then one set of 10 reps
Bench press warm up with one set of 10, then one set of 10
Military press one set of 10
Dumbbell row one set of 10
Day Two
Warm up, abdominal crunches and wrestlers bridge the same as day one
Deadlift warm up with one set of 10, then one set of 10 with the same weight as day one squat
Parallel bar dips warm up with one set of 10, then one set of 10
Weighted chin-ups one set of 10
Rear deltoid exercise one set of 12
Barbell curl one set of 10

Personal Workout! -By Adam Wilson

Hey I've been bodybuilding now for about 24 months, and for most of the time I've been quite confused as to finding a perfect workout. Well, recently I decided to blow all this crap that I found on the internet and design my own personal workout. I simply used the knowledge I already have, and integrated that into what I wanted to. I'm not saying that these people are wrong by saying that you need to leave your body at least a week before your workout is again, but this is just shit for me. I have found that doing my new routine (Mon. - legs, Tues. - back n' shoulders, Wed. - chest abs, Thurs. - arms) works real well. It's not this routine that works well, it's the work I do in between the times that has shown me best gains. This extra work is nothing more simple than a few light bench presses, etc. Nothing too hard, just something easy. It has given me more definition to my muscles, and I have noticed slight gains in my chest. But as this is only my 2nd week on this trial test, I cannot say that it is my perfect workout, but at the moment, it seems that way!

Gain 1/2" on Your Arms -By Bryan

I have found out a great way to build biceps/triceps, fast! I call this my 20-40-80 workout. First you take dumbbells that you would consider, real heavy. Then you do 20 standing curls(10 each arm). After that, you go 20 pounds lighter, and do 40 standing curls (20 each arm). Finally, you drop another 20 pounds off the weight, and do 80 standing curls (40 each arm). Keep in mind you want to have at least "good form" when doing this mini-workout. For even more gains, do this forwards, and then backwards, 20-40-80 then 80-40-20. You can keep going back a forth. This has helped me gain 5.5 pounds in one month, and half an inch on my arms. Trust me, it works!!

Chest Exercise -By Jimmy Knuckles

I found a great new exercise awhile back (by accident no less) that I've been using for about a month and a half and I've seen results that I never saw as quickly with my old routine. This is a great exercise not only for the CHEST, but it's also hitting the ABS and the LOWER BACK all at the same time.
I was using an Icarian Ab Isolator #702 machine... it's the one where you sit down with your feet on a bar and use your abs to flex forward and push two (or one) pads forward while the bar goes upward pushing your knees into your chest.
I was not using the pedal thing, just keeping my feet flat on the ground and was finishing my last few reps. I got tired while holding the last one while punishing my abs and I flexed my chest. I held my chest flexed and felt it begin to burn. Here's what I've found after doing this for a while:
Use a weight about 50% more than your max for your abs *YOU don't use your abs alone on this**
Lean forward using your back and chest to get the weight so your holding the weight so it can't push back. Then flex your chest and hold for 3 seconds like you do with any exercise to get that 'ripped' effect, then let go. The weight should only move about half an inch, maybe an inch if you already have huge chest.
You push all the weight a small amount with your chest, your abs and back will be hit too while balancing the weight in between reps. I usually max out at about 130lbs for abs, but I do 215 (3 five pound keys on a max 200 lbs Icarian) for this exercise since you don't lift the weight, your only pushing it a small amount forward by flexing, getting ripped while holding, and using your back/abs to 'lean' into getting and holding the weight in position.
Holy shit, I just noticed how long this letter got. Anyway thought I'd pass it on. I noticed that my chest is more defined from abs and more cut by using this just to isolate the flexing of say a bench press exercise. If you got anything else lemme know, I'm trying to find a safe way to strengthening my neck.
Thanks, Jimmy Knuckles

Shoulder Tips -By Bryan

For shoulder exercises you do not have arm raises listed. These are very difficult exercises and really help with shoulder strength and development.
To Permorm:
Hold a barbell in arms with a grip of about shoulder width apart (you can also vary grip width) and raise them so they are parallel to the ground, slowly let back down. This is a great workout. Hope this helps you,
Bryan

Thor's Hammer -By Thrasher

Thor's Hammer is an excellent exercise I found out.

Incredible Abdominal Workout -By Sunnraye

Leg Throw-downs is what I like to call them. You will need a partner for this one. You lay down on your back and have your partner stand about 6 inches behind your head. The person lying down keeps his/her feet straight, and lifts them about 110 degrees and his/her partner throw them down, either straight down or side to side. You must let your feet get as close as possible to the ground-but don't let them touch. Just continue lifting your legs in the air while keeping them straight and your partner throws them down. The number of reps differs depending on the skill level of the trainee.

For Striated Quads -By Jason Bennett, USAFA

When Squatting, keep it slow and focus only pushing up with your heels. When you get to the top Squeeze and flex your Quads for 3 sec hard. Perform 12-16 reps. After the set Stretch and flex for 2 min before your next set. The perform 4 sets of 15 reps of extensions, squeezing at the top for 3 sec. Do this routine once or twice a month with high intensity and watch as your legs become shredded and gigantic.
Be sure to use PROPER technique.

PreContest Training and Dieting Info! -By Phano Paul Som

First and foremost, the only thing I supplemented with was Xenadrine. I would take 1 in the morning, 1 before my first cardio session, and 2 before my weight training session. I also took a multivitamin with my first meal along with 500 mg of vitamin C with each pill of Xenadrine I took. That's it....nothing fancy. Elegance in simplicity I would tell my training partner... Read More!

Superset Delt Shocker -By Seth Pauley "Big Dog Seth"

I have found a superset technique that shocked my delts immensely after a long frustrating plateau. The side delts have always been my my favorite to watch grow! I found that you can kill them with a superset of dumbell presses directly into a set of wide grip upright rows. I have also found it more beneficial to begin the workout with side laterals to pre-exaust the targeted side delt area. This will allow you to reach a higher level of fatigue in your supersets... Read More!

My Most Successful Training System -By Seth Pauley "Big Dog Seth"

It's me Seth again, and I would like to share my most successful training system with you. I like to call it "double shock" because it is brutal and lasts for a two day period for the targeted bodypart. I arrange my workout split according to which bodypart needs the wake-up shock the most... Read More!

Strike A Pose -By ABERCROMBIECOBRA@gateway.net

Train your weak points first, when you are strong and fresh. Remember to pose and flex the muscle group you are working. Posing and flexing your muscles is proven to bring out striations and more "ripped" effect.
Another tip: To get more peaked biceps, or any muscle group, when you reach the top of your movement, contract the muscle you are working and hold for a few seconds. I have noticed results after about two weeks using this method.

Great Supplementation Program For Mass Building! -ByChristopher Greene

As everyone knows a proper diet and supplementation is just as important as lifting weights! This diet and supplementation has worked GREAT for me and I have seen an increase in weight, muscle mass and definition, strength, and recovery time!
MORNING: 5-7 Scrambled Eggs, 2 English Muffins, Orange Juice and/or water! (5 grams of Glutamine, Multi-Vitamin)
MID-MORNING: Protein Shake (Myoplex Deluxe or Weight Gainer), and one Peanut Bar by Lance!
LUNCH: Grilled Chicken Sandwiches or Steak!
MID-AFTERNOON: Canned White Chicken or other high protein food, and one Peanut Bar by Lance.
DINNER: Grilled Chicken or Steak or other high protein food! (5 grams ofGlutamine)
WORKOUT!
EVENING: 10 grams of Creatine HSC (Ast-ss brand) with two capsules of Alpha Lipoic Acid (Ast-ss Brand), and one MRP by Myoplex!
BEFORE BED: 10 grams of Glutamine!
This diet and schedule will help you gain muscle mass and weight and will increase your strength! Make sure you take the Glutamine and Creatine at least 1 hour apart from each other! The alpha lipoic acid will help the creatine get absorbed into your muscles more. The glutamine will help aid in nitrogen retention and strength and recovery. If anyone tries this diet and sees results, please e-mail me and let me know! rcbc96@hotmail.com

Go Heavy To Get Thick! -By KBBullough@afstores.com

I found that if you use a heavy weight on your barbell so you can only get four, maybe five reps per set, it helps alot with thickening your biceps. I grew half an inch in less than three days.

Quickest Fat Loss -By hollywod2@hotmail.com

I am still in shock with how fast I lost fat while taking Prolab Metabolic Thryolean. I recommend it to everybody I know!

Train Legs For Big Arms! -By Jeff van Steenoven, 32 year old bodybuiding addict,17 years personal experience, 11 years as a certified instructor.

I've said it all my life. If you want bigger arms, train your legs! The best single movement thet I have found for breaking plateaus is the squat. Concentrate on moving as much weight as you can in strict form for 8-12 reps, 4-5 sets and make it your primary leg movement. This involves recruiting a large amount of muscle and subsequently causes alot of natural testosterone to be produced in the body.

Bodypart Tips -By PETER VAN

Here are some tips that have worked for me and other people I know. I'm only 190 pounds at 6'2", and I know that doesn't sound very impressive, but it is when you are coming from 149 and 6'1" just 8 months ago. And all the while I never topped 10 percent bodyfat. My average is 7 percent. Good luck!
For Biceps, I usually use handoffs to break plateaus. Handoffs are performed with a medium weight on a barbell, with which you perform 10 reps on the barbell curl, then hand it to your partner and he also does ten reps, you keep handing of to each other until neither of you can do three reps.
For regular workouts, I usually supplement my Preacher curls, with Spider curl, on the other side of the preacher bench.This allows for more extension and isolation. For getting ripped arms, I concur with what is already posted, 21's are excellent.
For back muscles, if you aren't seeing any difference, most likely you aren't going heavy enough. Remedy this by using 150 percent the weight on your deadlifts, but only lower them to your knees. This will Target and Isolate the Rhomboids. Also vary your exercises.
For triceps, do not underestimate the power of supplementing simple heavyweight pushdowns with decline closegrip bench presses in the smith rack. If you don't have a horsshoe, do these two along with rope pushdowns and you'll have them within weeks. That's a guarantee !
For abdominals I recomend doing decline leg raises, starting with a fully stretched body then curling the legs, finally finishing up with your knees at your chest, so your ass leaves the bench. If that doesn't get the burn going nothing will.
For shoulders, just correct form and wide grips will aid the deltoid growth, and more weight will make the traps grow.
One last trick for biceps : Drag Curls for the outside biceps. I trust you know what they are. Just do a knuckle grip on the bar, keep your elows close by your side (like a reverse curl) and your shoulders low. Now move the barbell by alongside your body, as if dragging it.

Quick Building -By Bordrwbabe@aol.com

This workout will build your chest and biceps fast. First you do 15 curls with any weight you choose ,then 15 bench presses. Do this back and forth until you do at 200 reps of each. This is good for getting over a plateau... but don't use it everyday or you may overtrain.

21's -By JT Olsen

Rip your biceps a new one by doing 21's. It is barbell or dumbbell curls where you do 7 reps doing only the lower half of the full exercise (start at bottom, go half way up, go back down), then 7 reps doing only the upper half, then 7 reps doing the full range of motion. All this without stopping. You WILL be sore the next day... and get ready for awesome results.

Xenadrine NRG -By Anthony Hebert

For people trying to get lean, and cut. I lost 28 pounds of fat and gained substantial muscle by using Xenadrine NRG. I also took in a ton of protein every day. The bottom line is with proper nutrition, and a good workout plan, this stuff will multiply your results...

Glutamine -By Jerry S.

I read somewhere that a recent study showed that supplementing with glutaminecan raise your natural growth hormone big time so I decided to try it. My friends had tried it and it worked for them so what the heck. Within the first few days my workouts were better and my results just started getting better and better. Before I knew it, a month had went by and I had gained so much strength and a good amount of size already. It was awesome and my results have not stopped coming.

Deadlifts -By Chris Uberago

Adding deadlifts to my HIT workout. I couldn't believe how hard they were at first but I kept at it and I am glad I did! Deadlifts help your whole body get bigger and stronger because they work your whole body and your nervous system. I changed nothing else and since then my body has gotten a LOT bigger.

Adipo and Triax -By Jessica K.

Heard it was the best combo out there for fat loss... couldn't agree more. Try Syntrax's Adipokinetix and Triax together and you will be happy too.

Needed Layoff -By Anonymous

I had been working out for over two years with almost no rest. I was then forced to take a week off for a vacation and I almost did no exercise at all. My first workout back was a little tough, but then I couldn't believe how strong I was. I gained a lot over the next two weeks and busted through my plateau! Now I take a week off every eight weeks.

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