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Archive for August, 2010
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
Barbell shrug is an isolation exercise designed to build strength on your trapezious muscles. This exercise is performed with the use of a barbell that you can easily carry. You go against gravity by pulling up the barbell using your trapezious muscles. If you do not have barbells, a set of weights can be used as well as a shrug machine.
Start with your routine warm up and stretching. Stand up straight with your feet set apart as wide as your shoulders. Grasp the barbells with your palms facing your thighs or in a pronated position. Your arms should be placed at your sides at a slight distance from the width of your level of your shoulders, not resting on your thighs. If you cannot grip the handlebars properly, you can use a wrist strap to stabilize the barbell.
Once you are in position, exhale as you lift the barbell by shrugging. Refrain from using your biceps to lift the barbell. This will only lessen the effort for your trapezious muscle and you will end up training your biceps instead. Once your shoulders have reached their maximum height, hold the position for one second then relax and carefully return back to starting position.
You can increase the level of difficulty by adding in more weights. You can also place the barbell at your back. Remember to keep your arms straight and do not bend them as you do the exercise. Others recommend rolling your shoulders back as you shrug, but that would only pose risk of shoulder injury.
Tags: Barbell shrug, build strength, isolation exercise, trapezious muscles
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Monday, August 30th, 2010
This is a compound exercise that primarily trains chest muscles, with the shoulders, lats, and triceps targeted as secondary muscles. Moving the weights from over and behind your head over your chest helps build muscle volume and strength. You will need a straight bench to lie on, as well as a dumbbell that you can safely push in an arc over your head. The dumbbell that you are using should be solid, meaning no removable parts. Using a dumbbell with removable plates will only pose risk of injury when the plates fall apart.
Start by lying flat on the bench. The occipital part of your head must be resting at the edge of the bench, while the rest of your head is off the edge. Your hips should be free from the bench as well. Plant your feet squarely on the foot rest with your toes pointing forward. If the bench you are using is not equipped with a foot rest, plant your feet on firmly on the floor at the sides of the bench, maintaining a 90 degree angle on your knees.
Grasp the dumbbell by crossing your hands placed in one of the inner side of the dumbbell. Your thumbs act as a stabilizer for the bar, while your fingers hold the heaviest part of the dumbbell. With a bend on your arms, hold the dumbbell over your chest. Maintain this as your starting position.
Keeping your arms straight and your elbows locked inhale as you lower the dumbbell over your head. You must create an arc with this motion. Your hands should be way over your head, your hands lower than your head, and the free side of the dumbbell hanging over the floor. You know you are doing the proper execution when you feel your chest muscles stretching.
Hold the position for a second, then exhale as you bring your arms back to starting position. Maintain the slight angle of your elbows, with your arms straight. Be sure that the dumbbell is over your chest as your end position. Repeat with the prescribed number of sets.
If you are new to this exercise, have a spotter hand you the dumbbell and see if you are doing the correct form throughout the entire set. If you cannot find a solid dumbbell, make sure that the plates are secure and will not fall off on your face as you do the exercise. A barbell or an ez-bar can be used to intensify the training.
If you would like a workout that explains some great dumbbell work in detail, than take a look at the P90x extreme workout, and Chalean Extreme
Tags: Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pull Over, chest muscles, Do Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pull Over, dumbbell, dumbbell weights, dumbbell workout, Dumbbells, shoulders, triceps
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Thursday, August 26th, 2010
Bent-over dumbbell rear deltoids raise is an isolation exercise targeting the muscles of your shoulders. It builds muscle strength as you pull the weights upward to the sides while your head is resting on an inclined bench. The inclined bench is needed to stabilize your head, neck, and back as you perform the exercise. This exercise can easily be done by beginners.
Perform your stretching and warm up exercise routine. Position the inclined bench in an angle that will enable it to support your head as you bend forward from the waist. Make sure that the bolts are properly placed, and the equipment is stable enough to support your head. Stand in a distance that would enable you to bend forward without altering the natural curve of your back and neck as you rest your forehead on the inclined bench. Stabilize yourself by planting your feet slightly apart.
Hold the weights and let them hang in front of you with your arms kept straight. Exhale as you lift the weights with the use of your shoulder muscles, with your arms spreading straight at your sides. When you lift your arms, do not over reach by raising your arms higher that your back. Keep your arms at the same level as your shoulders and back. This proper form will prevent injury from over-reaching and stretching. Slowly go back to starting position, keeping your arms straight and inhaling. Repeat this in the recommended number of reps and sets.
If you are really into weightlifting than you should definitely check out p90x or chalean extreme. They are both incredible workouts that use dumbbells very well. If you are looking for body resistance and cardio heavy workouts than you will want to check out shaun t insanity workout, brazil butt lift, and turbo fire.
Tags: Bent-over dumbbell, builds muscle strength, dumbbell, exercise routine, inclined bench, isolation exercise, muscle strength, muscles of your shoulders, rear deltoids raise
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Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
 The dumbbell fly is a type of isolation exercise that trains the chest muscles. The chest muscles build strength as you lift the dumbbells together over your head by isolating the contraction on the chest muscles. A flat bench and a pair of dumbbell is all you need to perform this exercise.
Be sure to do your stretches and warm ups before doing this exercise. Place the bench on the flat surface and choose a set of weights that you can carry while lying downs. Sit on the bench with your feet should be flat on the floor with your knees bent. Place the weights on top of your thighs and lie down. Your head should rest fully on the surface of the bench with your back straight. Lift the weights by pushing them one by one with your thighs so you can hold them at chest level.
Push the weights upwards the same way you are doing press exercises. Difference is, instead of locking your elbows straight, bent them a bit in a 70 degree angle. The dumbbells are then brought close together while maintain a straight back and shoulders. The dumbbells are held high at chest level with your palms facing each other as your starting position.
Inhale as you slowly and carefully fan out your arms in an arc to your sides, maintaining the slight bend of your elbows. Doing so will prevent pulling and tearing the tendons located in your biceps. Maintain the position of the dumbbells by preventing your wrists from twisting. The dumbbells should be at the level of your chest at the end of this maneuver.
Hold the position for a second and exhale as you bring your arms back to starting position. You must maintain the contraction of your chest muscles throughout the exercise to isolate the activity in that area. Repeat by doing the recommended number of reps and sets.
The P90x routine has some great chest building workouts, Insanity workout will definitely tone your chest too.
Tags: dumbbell fly workout, dumbbell flys, dumbbell workout, Dumbbells, dumbell, dumbell flys, dumbell workout, flys, how to do dumbbell flys
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Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
 Whey protein supplementation is famous because it has a lot of benefits for people with active lifestyles. It can be an excellent source of energy for working out, or something to help build and repair muscles during weight training.
Whey protein is most popular for those who want to increase muscle size. Because it is a complete protein, all the essential amino acids that you need are found in just one source. As a result, you will notice that you feel stronger, and in effect, perform better.
As they contain the highest amount of branched chain amino acids or BCCA, they can be metabolized directly into the muscle tissue. Your muscles will now have an immediate source of protein that is necessary to replace depleted levels of protein that can happen during resistance training. As a result, whey protein prevents any harmful effects that people often get during overtraining.
Some studies have shown that adding whey protein in your diet increases the synthesis of glutathione. This is an antioxidant that is responsible for helping the body fight free radicals, thereby giving you a better chance in fighting cancer. Aside from that, whey protein has Alpha-lactalbumin, which contains high levels of tryptophan. This element has a direct relation to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is related to depression and stress. Maintaining serotonin levels will help you fight stress and ward off depression.
Whey protein is also used as a supplement to compliment weight loss programs. Because you have to cut down on your calories, you will eventually experience some loss in muscle mass. Whey protein supplements can help preserve your muscle mass as well as speed up your metabolism so you can burn fat instead of breaking down muscle.
Just remember that as with all supplements, it is important to follow the instructions to the fullest. If you are in doubt, consult your fitness trainer, dietician, or nutritionist on the proper consumption of whey protein. There are many workout that would be benefited by some whey protein, like the P90x workout, Turbo Fire, Slim in 6, Insanity workout, and Brazil Butt lift.
Tags: amino acids, build and repair muscles, energy for working out, essential amino acids, increase muscle size, levels of protein, perform better, protein supplementation, resistance training, speed up your metabolism, supplement, weight loss programs, weight training, whey protein, Whey protein supplementation
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