ABS EXERCISES & WORKOUTS

Abs

We all want great abs! Abdominals have come to be the center piece of the physique, a real show piece. Both men and women have 'great abs' or '6-pack' on their goal lists. Nothing is more appealing than a healthy and fit body with a nicely trimmed waist. The important key for anybody to realize is that everyone has abdominals, they are simply covered in fat and need toning. Now, I must point out that you cannot spot reduce fat from your abdominal region; when you lose fat, it is lost equally throughout your entire body. However, you can encourage this fat loss process by exercising the abdominals regularly. It is essential to take into consideration that to have a complete abdominal development, you must train all the four areas of the abdominal region equally. The hardest area to see progress in are the lower abdominals, but this is only due to the fact that more fat is stored there than in the other areas.

Anatomy and Benefits

The abdomen, or abdominal region is actually composed of 6 muscle groups that are located and attached from the ribs to the pelvis region. These are referred to as the core region and are responsible for moving, flexing and supporting the trunk areas. Amongst the benefit of having a slim torso, having strong abdominal and core muscles reduces lower back pain an aches and increases stability to your torso.

Exercise Basics

The abdominals are a stubborn muscle to train; moreover, due to the quick build up of lactic acid (burning feeling) during the exercises, most people avoid training them. It will be noted that all areas of the abdominal area must be trained to achieve fully developed the abs. The upper abs, lower abs, and middle abs along with the obliques must all be trained with various exercises. You do not need to train all four areas every single abdominal training session; however do not favor one area to another unless it is and area which is under developed. The proper way to train abdominals is with slow repetitions along with a controlled, strict range of motion. A true set of abdominals should only be between 12 to 15 repetitions, unless you are advanced and perform up to 20. If you are past this repetition range of 20, you are not training your abdominals effectively.You will notice this with individuals performing abdominal exercises of repetitions ranging from 50 and above; secondary muscles are applied. Abdominals recover quickly, so they may be trained every other day, perhaps every day by advanced individuals. Breathing air in and blowing it out is very important to the contraction and stretching of the abdominals during the exercises. As you contract your abdominal muscles, you need to blow out your air and contract, then when you release and stretch out, you need to breath air in. Performing this correctly will lead to results!

OPEN THE NAME OF EACH EXERCISE

ABS EXERCISES
ABDOMINAL AIR BIKE ABDOMINAL BARBELL ROLLOUTS ABDOMINAL PENDULUM BARBELL SIDE BENDS BENCH JACK KNIFE CABLE CRUNCH CHAIR LEG RAISE DECLINE ABDOMINAL REACH DECLINE SIT UP DECLINE WEIGHTED TWIST DUMBBELL SIDE BENDS	FLOOR CRUNCH HANGING KNEE RAISE LOW WOOD CHOP LYING BENCH LEG RAISE LYING CABLE CRUNCH LYING CABLE KNEE RAISE LYING FLOOR LEG RAISE PLANK SEATED LEG TUCKS STANDING OBLIQUE CABLE CRUNCH TWISTING CABLE CRUNCH WEIGHTED CHAIR KNEE RAISE

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TOP 5 LEG-TRAINING MISTAKES

Nothing compares to squats for leg size. While other exercises certainly have merit, squats will form the core of your workouts.

1.- Incorrectly targeting areas

Here’s a prevalent myth: to focus more on your quads and less on your glutes during Smith machine or hack squats, move your feet further forward. In fact, the opposite is true. Likewise, many believe that a wide stance will work outer quads and a narrow stance hits more of the inner area–wrong again. The fact is that even many experienced bodybuilders simply do not know how to best target the four quadriceps muscles (the vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius and vastus medialis) and the various muscles of the upper, inner thighs.


Solutions:

• Point your toes in to work the outer quads (vastus lateralis) more; point them out to work the inner quads (vastus medialis) more. 
• Keep your feet under your hips during exercises, such as Smith machine squats, to target the quads more and glutes less. 
• Taking a narrow stance will focus more on the outer quads; taking a wide stance (and pointing your toes out) will focus more on the muscles of the inner thighs.

2.- Using truncated range of motion

You see it in every gym. Guys load up the leg press for–at best–half reps, bending their knees only far enough to keep the weight moving. That same abbreviated bending occurs at squat racks, hack squat machines and often even for leg extensions. Whenever a bodybuilder trains quads, the odds are that he will go through the motion of not going through the whole motion; primarily because doing leg exercises for sets of full reps is hard and doing half reps allows heavier training–providing the illusion of training harder–so quads get “short repped” and thus shortchanged. By limiting the length of movements, you’re limiting your growth.


Solutions:

• Each rep of most sets of squats should descend to where your quads are parallel to the floor or platform, if not deeper. The exception to this rule is when doing half squats to focus more on the medialis, which research shows is effective.
• Any form of leg press should descend at least until your quads are parallel to the foot platform. In a 45-degree leg press, your knees should brush your chest without your glutes coming up off of the leg press seat, which would place a lot of stress on your lower back. 
• Squats or leg presses should briefly lock out, or stop just short of lockout, at the top.
• When performing leg extensions, go from a full stretch (calf perpendicular to thigh) to a full contraction, wherein you briefly lock out your knees and flex your thighs.
• Lunges, thigh adductions and any other leg exercise should have a full stretch and contraction.
• You may wish to extend sets of some machine leg exercises via partials, but do this only after reaching failure with full-range reps.

3.- Going too heavy

This mistake almost always travels in concert with the one that precedes it, since going too heavy leads to truncated reps and truncated reps allow you to go too heavy. This is especially true of leg presses, because it’s very likely that you can use more metal with this exercise than any other. This stokes your ego, and because the guy before you used 800 for half reps instead of 500 for full reps, you want to crank out those 800-pound partials, too. What’s more, even if you’re squatting deep in the hole, you may pyramid up to singles and doubles just to slap on as many plates as possible each workout, thus feeding your pride, but not building much–if any–muscle.


Solutions:

• Do full-range movements (see mistake #2).
• Keep the reps for most sets in the eight-to-12 range.
• Focus on your muscles, not on the weight.

4.- Squating with incorrect form

Stopping far short of parallel isn’t the worst squatting offense. Many bodybuilders lean too far forward and push their hips too far backward, working their backs, hips and butts more than their quads. What’s worse, this could potentially strain your spinal erectors. If you’re going to do barbell squats wrong, it’s best not to do them. A better option is to practice the correct form of this invaluable exercise until you squat right every time.

Solutions:

• Generally, when you take a stance that’s beyond shoulder width, it’s best to do so with your toes angled slightly outward, but find the stance that lets you remain as upright as possible. Often, taller bodybuilders need a wider stance.
• Overemphasize the arch in your lower back.
• Look straight ahead throughout each rep.
• As you drop down, keep your butt over your heels, as if you’re going to sit down on a chair.
• Driving out of the hole, move your hips before you move your knees.
• Practice proper upright form by sitting to (butt just touching) and rising from a bench, chair or box set at parallel. Use no weight or a light weight until you master this.
• Consider starting with Smith machine squats until you master the form, then move on to free-weight squats.

5.- Failing at failure

Leg training is a bitch. Pushing sets of such exercises as front squats, leg presses and walking lunges to their max will feel like someone is firing a blowtorch at your thighs, and most bodybuilders don’t stay under the blowtorch long enough. You might regularly superset biceps and triceps exercises, do forced reps when bench pressing and drop sets during side laterals, but it’s less likely that you apply the same intensity to your leg workouts–simply because of the pain quotient. As we’ve already explained, bodybuilders frequently go too heavy (with truncated reps) on the leg basics. Low-rep training is the easy way out.


Solutions:

• Use reps in the 10-15 range to boost intensity.
• On occasion, use intensifying techniques like partials, supersets and rest-pause to push sets beyond full-rep failure.
• Accept pain as a necessary component of full-bore quad workouts. 

Lessons Learned:

• Position your feet to target different quad areas.
• Make each rep a full rep. When squatting or leg pressing, this means bending your legs until your thighs are at least perpendicular to your calves.
• Generally, keep your reps in the eight-to-12 range.
• Practice proper squat form.
• Push sets to failure and sometimes beyond.

Author: Greg Merritt.

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Biceps are like burgers. Everyone loves them. Ask a child to make a muscle and he or she will strike a biceps shot. Bi’s are not only synonymous with posing, but also with exercise and after your first year in the gym, you’ve probably read, heard or absorbed so much about curling that you’re tempted to skip ahead. Don’t. This article is for you, because it’s likely you’re making at least some of the following errors. This month, we’ll examine the most frequent biceps training blunders and lay out a plan for correcting each so that your curling course earns you an A in gun gains.

1.Cheating too early

Biceps curls are probably the easiest exercises to cheat. Whenever your arms are not resting on a bench (as during a preacher or machine curl), all it takes is a little swing to shift some tension from your arms to your front delts and make a hard rep easier. Cheating is a valuable tool for pushing sets beyond strict, full-rep failure, but if you do so before then, it’s unlikely you will ever thoroughly stress your bi’s. In an effort to hump up heavier weights than they could otherwise use, many bodybuilders start cheating on curls from rep number one and increase their swinging as the set wears on.

Solutions

-Do strict reps until you reach failure. If necessary, stand with your back against a wall during barbell or EZ-bar curls and/or press your elbows against your sides.

-To remove your legs and hips from the movement, do dumbbell curls while seated.

-To push sets beyond strict, full-rep failure, do two or three extra reps with a slight arm swing.

2.Doing too much

The popularity of biceps doesn’t make them any larger in relation to their peers. Compared with your lats and quadriceps, your bi’s are puny, so if you’re pumping out as many sets in your biceps workout as your back workout, you’re likely piling on the “little guys.” More than any other muscles, biceps are frequent victims of overtraining, which halts or even reverses their gains.

Solutions

-Beginners should do only six sets for biceps. After four months of training, you can gradually add sets. 

-Advanced bodybuilders should typically do nine to 12 sets for biceps. 

-At maximum, push only the final set of an exercise beyond failure 

via techniques like cheating, forced reps, negatives and drop sets.

3.Missing the target

More pabulum has been published about arm training than any other bodypart. For example, not long ago it was preached as gospel that to accentuate your lower biceps, “thou shalt do preacher curls” and to accentuate your biceps peaks, “thou shalt do concentration curls.” Neither “tenet” is true, so it’s no wonder that so many bodybuilders fire off curls but miss their intended targets. In fact, you can’t put any greater emphasis on your lower biceps than the rest of the muscle, and merely focusing on peak contractions won’t raise your peaks.

Solutions

-Focus on the two heads of your biceps, which rest side by side.

-Perform biceps curls with a grip that keeps the pinkies even with or higher than the other fingers to better recruit the biceps brachii short head (inner side). You also use the short head more when you take a wide grip on the bar.

-Perform curls with the thumbs higher than the pinkies–as when taking an angled grip on an EZ-bar or when using a parallel grip for hammer curls–to better target the biceps brachii long head (outer side). You also engage the long head more when you take a narrow grip on a bar. Growing the long head can boost the slope of your biceps, thus accentuating the peak in poses such as the front double biceps.

-Don’t expect to go from flat to barbed if it’s not preordained in your DNA, because the shape of your biceps is largely genetic. 

You should focus instead on maximizing bi size.


4.Not incorporating sufficient variety

Although the biceps are simple, two-headed muscles targeted almost exclusively via curls, you still need to perform various types of curls to properly tax the manifold fibers. Too many bodybuilders get in a lazy pattern of doing, for example, all standing, bilateral, free-weight curls.

Solutions

-Do one EZ-bar or barbell curl exercise, one dumbbell curl exercise, and one machine or cable curl exercise each workout.

-Do one of the exercises standing, one seated and one with the working arm(s) restricted against your body or a bench.

-Do at least one unilateral exercise each biceps workout.

-On occasion, do a unique exercise–such as drag curls, underhand chin-ups and rope hammer curls–to hit your bi’s from different angles.

5.Skimping on contractions

The contraction is the crucial component of a curl, so it’s unfortunate that so many bodybuilders never truly flex their bi’s against resistance. Generally, this is because they use too much weight and perform their reps quickly and with excessive momentum.

Solutions

-Use a weight you can manage for eight to 12 strict, full reps.

-Curl slowly. Take approximately two seconds to raise the weight, hold the contraction for one second, then take approximately two seconds to lower the weight.

-During dumbbell curls, supinate your wrists so that your palms are facing your sides at the bottom of the movement and facing up at the contraction.

-Make every curl a “concentration curl” by flexing your biceps at each contraction.

Lessons Learned

-Perform strict, full reps. Cheat only to extend a set.

-Use low to moderate volume.

-Target your outer head to accentuate your bi peaks.

-Do dissimilar types of curls in the same workout.

-Control the weight and emphasize contractions.

Author: Greg Merritt, Senior Writer of Flex Magazine

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THE TOP 5 EXERCISES FOR INCREASING BICEP MASS

The Anatomy of the Bicep

Before starting any workout plan you should take time to understand the muscles that you’ll be using and the role they play in your everyday life. When you understand their function, you’ll be able to learn how to best use and manipulate those muscles during these top 5 exercises to achieve an optimal workout of your biceps.

The biceps consist of three primary muscles; the Biceps Brachii, Coracobrachialis and Brachialis

Biceps Brachii – This segment of muscle tissue is linked to the forearm bone (the radius) and originates in the process of the scapula (shoulder blade). This muscle tissue runs the length of the anterior side of the humerus (upper longbone of the arm) and makes up about 1/3 of the muscle mass of the upper arm.

Coracobrachialis – This muscle, the smallest of the trifecta, attaches also to the coracoid process of the scapula with the other end attached to the humerus. The action of this muscle draws the arm forward and toward the torso.

Brachialis – This muscle crossed the elbow joint, originating in the lower segment of the humerus and extending to the ulna. While part of the bicep muscle group, the brachialis is the strongest flexor of the elbow however because it only inserts on the ulna (not the radius) it cannot participate in pronation and supination of the forearm (rotation).

The Top 5 Exercises for Increasing Biceps – The Breakdown

First and foremost, there’s a lot of equipment out there and the equipment you use is going to change the form and position of your workout. Some machines are available to reduce strain on the rest of your body or promote a motionless workout while ramping up resistance. Whatever you use, that resistance is what’s important because the weight or resistance is what pushes the limits of the muscles and forces them to recover and grow.

For this article, we’re focusing primarily on free weights because they require more form and concentration – giving a more powerful workout to the biceps.

Top Bicep Exercise #1 – The Standing Barbell Curl

If you have any interest in building your biceps up in order to look like a tank, the standard barbell bicep curl is the best all-inclusive bicep exercise. Regardless of the amount of weight, your body will use all of the bicep muscles and some forearm muscles to raise the weight as you flex the arm closed. The standard curl forces the arm to work in relative isolation from the back and shoulders, but on one condition – you can’t cheat.

Torso swinging is common, and needs to be avoided if you want the most effective workout. The goal is to remain stationary, flexing the arm at the elbow joint without moving your upper body. Perform this bicep curl by holding a barbell in both hands. Hold the weight with your palm outward and let the weight hang at your hip so that your arm is fully extended downward. Tuck your elbow into your sides and curl the weight to your chin without moving your elbow, hips or torso. Maintain tension, let the weight down slow. Do not bounce the weight off your hips or quads to start the next rep.

Top Bicep Exercise #2 – The Alternating Dumbbell Curl

The alternating dumbbell curl is a simple exercise that functions as a cross between a hammer curl and a standard curl. Instead of curling one weight using both biceps, or simultaneously curling with two separate weights, the alternating curl lets you focus the intensity of the workout in each bicep separately.

Torso swinging is also common in this workout, so it’s important to once again keep your elbows tucked into the body. Start at the same point as a standard curl with your arm fully extended however your palms will be facing in toward your body. As the weight clears your flank you can begin to rotate your arm. At the end of the movement your palm will be facing toward your head.

Top Bicep Exercise #3 – The Hammer Curl

While a significant amount of focus is given to the bicep, some of the muscle groups within the forearm will be working as well. Because the focus here is on a rotated curl there is a lot of emphasis on the brachialis and brachioradialis of the forearm.

The starting position for this curl is identical to the alternating curl, where the palms face in toward the body. Your elbows remain tucked in with your body and upper arms remaining stationary. Lift the weight, curling it upward without rotating the weight or forearm to the point where the weight is almost touching the shoulder of your lifting arm. Think of the motion of swinging a hammer – this is also where the bicep exercise got its name.

Top Bicep Exercise #4 – Supinated Bent Rows

Resistance breeds muscle gain, and more weight equals more resistance. You can sack more weight into a bicep workout using rowing. Bent over straight bar rows can let you work double the weight over your standard curling or straight bar curls.

Grab the straight bar with palms facing up/away with hands shoulder width apart. Either pull the weight from the rack or deadlift the weight from the floor to a standing position. Once the weight is up, bend into position so that your upper body is almost parallel to the floor. Avoid rounding off or trying to lift with your lower back. While bent, raise the bar to touch your abdomen while keeping your elbows tucked into your flanks. Lower the bar just short of fully extended and repeat.


Top Bicep Exercise #5 – Chin Ups

Not just any chin up either – this is about close grip chin ups. While curling or rowing can give you a significant workout, when was the last time you tried to curl your body weight with success? If you’re over 150lbs and you don’t often try to beat yourself into submission then likely not often.

Closing the grip on your chin ups will focus the pull on your biceps. You can use any secured straight bar or chin up bar. Reach up and grasp the bar so that your palms are facing you and about 6” apart. Pull yourself upward, keeping your legs raised/crossed so that you do not touch the floor when you lower yourself. It’s important to get your chin up over the bar so that your arms are fully flexed. Maintain the tension as you lower yourself, and avoid relaxing once you get to the bottom of the rep.

While all of these exercises will help you target the biceps, they’re intended to be inclusive with an overall workout program. You should never try to build only your biceps. You need to think in terms of your biceps being just a small part of the major muscle groups that form your body. In order for each of the muscles to work properly, the surrounding muscles need to be targeted as well.

Biceps like most muscle groups if worked out in this fashion should be trained once a week twice at the most if you have really weak biceps. Go hit the weights hard, these workouts will help you get the biceps you are looking for. Good luck

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TOP 5 SHOULDER TRAINING MISTAKES

#1: Overemphasising Front Delts

All delt heads do not work equally, and the one that typically carries the heaviest load is the anterior. Your front delts are not only primary movers during overhead presses, they’re also secondary movers during chest and triceps workouts, helping during presses and dips. If you’re doing front raises in addition to a lot of shoulder, chest and tri compound lifts, you’re likely overworking your front delts.

"This is especially true if you train chest and shoulders in the same workout or on consecutive days."

Solutions:

• If you hit chest before shoulders in the same workout, consider how much pressing and dipping you’ve already done before working delts. If the total is at least eight sets, do no more than four sets total of shoulder presses and front raises.
• Don’t train chest and shoulders on consecutive days. Ideally, three days should pass between hitting each, so if you do chest on Monday, do delts on Thursday.
• Dumbbell presses or presses behind the neck stress the middle delts more and front delts less, so these are good alternatives to military presses if you believe that your front delts are overtrained or that they’re outgrowing the other heads.
• One cardinal rule of bodybuilding is that you can never be too wide. And so, it’s generally best to emphasize your middle delts more and front delts less on shoulder day, because the middles (most responsible for shoulder width) get little stress during other workouts and your fronts may assist during both your chest and tri sessions.

#2: Underemphasising Rear Delts

Just as anterior delts tend to get too much emphasis, posterior delts tend to get too little. Rear delts assist during lat exercises, such as rows and pulldowns; but if you’re targeting your lats correctly, it’s unlikely that your rear delts are receiving enough work on back or shoulder day to reach their full potential.

"Most bodybuilders relegate rear laterals to last place in their shoulder routines, and then go through the paces for four sets of minimal intensity. It’s no wonder posterior delts are so frequently your shoulders’ weakest links."

Solutions:

• Consider training rear delts on back day, when you can emphasize them separately from their front and middle brothers. Perform four to six sets of rear laterals at the end of your back workout.
• If you choose to train posteriors on shoulder day, don’t always perform them last in your routine.

"Instead, do rear laterals after presses – but before any side laterals or front raises – or switch up the order from workout to workout."

#3: Too Fast And Furious

Especially when it comes to side laterals and front raises, trainers tend to go too heavy and use too much momentum. Each delt head is relatively small, and to isolate them, you need to minimise both momentum and assistance from other muscles. You may not want to be seen holding 20-pound dumbbells, but if that’s what it takes to best isolate your medial delts, then those are the weights you should be grabbing.

Solutions:

• Do shoulder exercises seated instead of standing to remove your legs from the lifts.
• Choose weights that you can utilize for 8-12 strict reps at a relatively slow pace (1 second up, 2 seconds down). Pause at the bottom of reps to begin each rep from a dead stop and eliminate any swinging momentum.

#4: Improper Form

This mistake usually runs in concert with #3. The main culprit is emphasising the weight and not focusing on muscle stimulation. Thus, the weight is raised by any means necessary. Other times, trainers simply develop bad habits; some never learn how to do lifts in the manner that best stimulates muscle gains.

Solutions:

"Correct form is especially important on shoulder day, because of the ball-and-socket joints’ vulnerability to injury."

• When doing side laterals, let your elbows lead the way and raise them until they’re even with your shoulders. In the top position, your hands should be just below the level of your elbows (arms slightly bent) with your pinkies up and thumbs down.
• Throughout each set, focus on the deltoid heads you’re targeting, not on the resistance. Work the muscle, not the weight. After reaching failure in a shoulder exercise, don’t cheat to eke out extra reps. Instead, do a drop set, have a partner help with forced, reps or use the rest-pause technique.

"When doing overhead presses, lower your hands to approximately chin level (or below) and raise to just short of lockout."

#5: Lack Of Exercise Variety

Shoulders may be the only body part you train with just free weights. It’s true that barbells and dumbbells are the most effective training tools, but you can too easily fall into a rut of doing the same three or four free-weight exercises the same way, workout after workout. Variety is also an effective tool.

Solutions:

"There are a lot of ways to do overhead presses."

Try including a different pressing exercise each shoulder workout. Here are three free-weight presses you likely aren’t doing: underhand presses (press a barbell over-head with a shoulder-width underhand grip); Arnold presses (press dumbbells from underhand at the bottom to overhand at the top); and rack military presses (press each rep from a dead stop off of power-rack supports set at chin level).

• There’s more to training middle delts than just dumbbell side laterals. On occasion, do side laterals with cables or a machine and, regardless of equipment, you can go unilateral. Wide-grip upright rows are another way of targeting your middle delts.
• Likewise, you can perform rear laterals with cables or machines and go unilateral. You can also do wide-grip bent-over rows to focus more on your posterior delts. A Smith machine is an effective tool for wide-grip rows; hold each contraction and flex your rear delts.

Lessons Learnt:

• Work your front delts less and middle delts more
• Train rear delts after back or don’t leave them for last in your shoulder routine
• Sit down and slow down to remove momentum from lifts
• Use strict form and avoid cheating, even if only to extend a set beyond failure
• Do a wide variety of shoulder exercises

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THE TOP 9 DUMBBELL EXERCISES FOR BUILDING MUSCLE MASS

There are few tools as effective as dumbbells for packing on slabs of muscle.

The key to gaining muscle mass is to emphasize training movements before muscles.  When you train with dumbbells you are not only creating a stimulus that produces muscle mass, but also creating functional strength because of the added need to stabilize the weight in multiple planes of movement.

So what are the best dumbbell exercises for mass? Here are my top nine of the best dumbbell movements for packing on muscle and developing usable strength.

1. CLEAN AND PRESS

There are few muscles that this movement doesn’t include.  You can perform it with one dumbbell or two based on your skill and strength levels. Perform them at the beginning of your workout with heavy weight after a proper warm up for 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps for a total of 25 or so reps to build a monstrous upper body. You can also perform them for higher reps as a finisher, but be warned, this is not for the faint of heart. Try performing 3 sets of 15-20 reps at the end of a workout. As a bonus you will get a little cardio workout too.

Perform it by starting with the dumbbells at your sides and then use your hips to generate some momentum (like you would with a cheat curl) and then clean the dumbbells up to your shoulders.  From the shoulders, ensure that your forearms are vertical and press the dumbbells overhead.

2. ARNOLD PRESS

When it comes to building massive shoulders, no one can argue with the Austrian Oak’s methods. The Arnold Press is great for building massive shoulders because it extends the range of motion of a conventional shoulder press. It also involves the posterior shoulder when you sweep the dumbbells from in front of your body out to the sides. Replace the traditional dumbbell press with the Arnold Press for at least four weeks to bring about new growth. Try alternating heavy days (3x6-8) with volume days (4x12-15).

To perform the Arnold press, start with the dumbbells in front of your shoulders with your palms facing your chest. Next, simultaneously sweep your elbows out to the sides while pressing the dumbbells overhead. Follow the same path on the way down.

3. ALTERNATING DB BENCH PRESS

In order to stimulate muscle hypertrophy it is necessary to increase the time under tension - the amount of time that a set lasts for an exercise. When you perform a Dumbbell Bench Press while alternating which arm is performing work you increase your time under tension and provide more of a stimulus for growth. As an added bonus you get a great core workout from having to resist trunk rotation while working one side at a time.

Place this exercise early in a workout while you are fresh. It is a skill intensive exercise and you need to be mindful while you are holding one dumbbell at lockout while the other is performing a repetition. Start with 3 sets of 8 to get a feel for how long a set is going to take you.

Perform this version of the bench press by starting with both dumbbells at lockout and then alternate which arm is performing a repetition and which one is at lockout.

4. SUMO DEADLIFT WITH DUMBELL

The sumo deadlift is a strength training exercise that works nearly every major muscle group in your body including buttocks, hamstrings, thighs and lower back. 

Its effectiveness to target multiple muscle groups at once got many fitness experts calling this exercise as the king of all exercises. 

How to Sumo Deadlift with Dumbbell:

1. Stand with your feet very wide, wider than shoulder width apart with a dumbbell in the middle of your feet. Make sure your toes point outwards. Bend at the hips to grab one end of a dumbbell with both hands, arms hanging in front of you.  
2. Tighten your abs and lift the dumbbell by straightening your legs and standing up straight. 
3. Keeping your chest and head up, lower your hips until the dumbbell passes through the knees. Make sure to keep your weight on the heels and bend through your hips and knees. 
4. Repeat to complete 10-12 repetitions for 2-3 sets.

5. REAR FOOT ELEVATED SPLIT SQUAT

Don’t think you can build great legs without a barbell? I beg to differ. The Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (RFESS) allows for you to load your legs with unbelievably larger loads than if you were performing a traditional back squat (provided you have the grip strength to hold 100 plus pound dumbbells in each hand).

The RFESS takes advantage of what well known and respected strength coach Mike Boyle calls the Bilateral Deficit. The bilateral deficit states that you are stronger on one leg than on two. In fact, most individuals will be able to perform well over half of their 1RM back squat with one leg. So if my back squat is 300 lbs and I were to grab 75lb dumbbells in each hand (total of 150 lbs), I will be able to perform multiple reps on one leg when the load on one leg is technically the same as my 1RM back squat!

Take advantage of the bilateral deficit and train your legs one at a time with heavier loads than you would have used with a barbell. Start with 3 sets of 10 and go from there. 

To perform the rear foot elevated split squat grab a heavy set of dumbbells and place one of your legs back on a bench. Next, ensure that your front foot is in a position where your knee will not travel past your toes when you start to descend into the bottom of your squat.

Your rear knee may or may not touch the ground depending on how tall you are. On the way up drive through your heel and try to stay as upright as possible. I would also recommend placing an Ab-mat or foam pad on the ground where your rear knee touches to give you a little cushioning and to adjust your range of motion if you are shorter or using a taller bench.

6. THREE POINT BENT-OVER ROW

There is no exercise like the row for getting a thick, dense back. The 3 point row allows for you to train heavy with a dumbbell. This position takes the stress off your lower back because you are bracing the bench with your non-working arm to keep you back angle consistent throughout the set.

My favorite way to perform dumbbell rows is to run the rack after you have worked up to a heavy set of 5. Use straps if your grip is failing, but be sure that you are still paying attention to training your grip as it is often overlooked and can cause heartache later on in your strength training career.

Stand in a staggered stance - if you are working the right arm, the right foot should be back. Next brace your opposite hand on a bench and ensure that you have a solid and flat back. Start with the dumbbell on the floor and pull it to your pocket, not towards your armpit.

7. RENEGADE ROW

There are few exercises that will challenge your core and back like the Renegade Row. I walk away humbled every time I perform it. I like to perform these on back day after I have performed weighted chins or pull-ups. Do 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps after a heavy pulling exercise, preferably a vertical pull like lat-pulldowns, weighted chins, or weighted pull-ups.

To perform the movement you begin in a modified push up position with your feet spread more widely than a push up (about shoulder width apart) and your hands placed under your chest inside your shoulders. With a pair of dumbbells in your hands, maintain the front lean and rest position while you alternate which arm performs a row and which arm keeps you from falling on your face!

Keep your abs and glutes braced the entire time and don’t allow your butt to shoot up or sag too low and keep your hips level the entire set. The only part of your body that should be moving is the arm performing the row.

8. DUMBELL BICEP CURL

The dumbbell bicep curl uses both arms at the same time to build stronger arms.

Steps :

1.) Start off standing up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, abs tight, knees slightly bent and a dumbbell in each hand holding in a palms up grip.

2.) While holding the dumbbells extend your arms at the side of your body, then slowly lift your arms up towards your chest until your forearms touch your biceps.

3.) Isolate the bicep and hold this position for a count.

4.) Return back to the starting position and repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.

Tips :

1.) Refrain from swinging your arms during this exercise.

9. STRAIGHT ARM SIT UP

To build a stand-out six pack, you need to build the rectus abdomis. In order to increase the muscle size on your abs, you need to train them like you would any other muscle: by using progressively heavier weights. If the muscle bellies on your abs are small then you must get your abs bigger by training them with weight. I like the straight arm sit up to load your abs and bring about growth. 3 sets of 15 with a weight that you can manage is perfect for ab development.

In the starting position (back on the ground with knees at 90 degrees with feet flat on the floor) press a heavy dumbbell towards the ceiling. Next, perform your sit up keeping your arms straight and making sure that the dumbbell is still pointing towards the ceiling. Slowly return to the starting position, always ensuring you are keeping the weight aimed at the ceiling with the arms locked out.

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TOP 5 CHEST-TRAINING MISTAKES

#1 Overreliance on barbell bench presses

“How much can you bench?” The question is asked so often of anyone with a modicum of muscle that it’s long been the ultimate gym cliche. Still, the fact that the bench press is the go-to strength barometer has had a decimating effect on chests. Bodybuilders bench too much too often for too many sets of too few reps. Used correctly, the bench press is an excellent exercise. Overused, it can potentially overdevelop the lower-pec region in relation to the upper region, giving you “droopy boobs” (think Art Atwood). Furthermore, consistently benching for maximum sets of low reps will boost your chances of injuries, ranging from shoulder, elbow and wrist strains to pec tears.

Solutions:

• Think of barbell bench presses as just another chest exercise, one that can be done at any time during your routine, including last.
• Do sets of eight to 12 reps, only occasionally pyramiding to as low as six reps.
• If you’re curious about how much you can bench for a single rep, use an online calculator and your best 10-rep set to compute your one-rep max.
• If you always do barbell benches first, start with incline presses–with barbells one workout and dumbbells the next. Alternately, cycle eight-week periods during which you do no free-weight benches with eight weeks during which you do benches with barbells one workout and dumbbells the next.

#2 Under training upper chest

Often occurring in concert with an overreliance on bench presses is an underreliance on exercises that target the upper-pec region. This is the area from your clavicles to approximately halfway down your chest. It gives your torso a higher appearance and visually ties your pecs in with your delts and traps (think Franco Columbu). Pecs are naturally thinner at the top than the bottom, so everyone can prioritize their upper pecs via incline work without fearing that this region will overpower their lower pecs.

Solutions:

• Do incline presses with a barbell or dumbbells first in your routine.
• In each chest workout, include at least as many sets of upper-chest work (incline presses and flyes) as you do lower chest work (flat and decline presses and flyes, and dips).
• To focus cable crossovers on your upper chest, perform them with the cables set near the floor, so that you are pulling the handles up and together on each rep.
• Practice posing your upper pecs with hands-on-hips most-musculars or simply tensing. This will build a greater mind-muscle connection, so you can feel this area contracting on targeted chest exercises.

#3 Overreliance on machines

While too many bodybuilders do too many sets of benches, there is another group that goes to the other extreme–they rarely grab barbells or dumbbells on chest day. Most modern gyms have a plethora of press and flye machines, but resist the urge to form the bulk of your routine around mechanical movements. Despite modern advantages, the best chests of Arnold’s era still compare favorably with the pecs in recent Olympia pose-downs. Why? Then, pecs were worked almost exclusively with free weights.

Solutions:

• Do mostly free-weight and body-weight basics.
• Do no more than half of your chest exercises with machines.
• If you do mechanical presses, try to choose a unilateral Hammer Strength, FreeMotion or similar machine that approximates the freedom of free weights.
• If you’re not strong enough to get eight bodyweight reps while dipping, use a dip assist machine to lighten your load. (This doesn’t count as a machine exercise.)

#4 Failure to contract

The downside of free weights is that they make it difficult to attain a maximum contraction in the pecs. When you do dumbbell flyes, there is less resistance on the chest at the top of the movement (when the dumbbells come together) than near the bottom. Likewise, during presses or dips, the triceps do much of the work near lockout.

Solutions:

• Do one flye exercise each workout with either a machine or training bands. If you do cable crossovers, cross one hand over the other (hence the name) at contractions. Similarly, if you use an upright flye or pecdeck machine, or do flyes with bands, perform repetitions unilaterally in order to bring your hand past the center plane of your body to lengthen contractions.
• Lock out on presses. Although your triceps will do much of the work at the end, you can still maximally flex your chest at contractions.

#5 Working the weight, not the muscles

“Work the muscles, not the weight” is one of Jay Cutler’s favorite aphorisms. Working the weight is different than focusing too much on the number of pounds used, and thus going too heavy. ''Working the weight is using speed and momentum to pound out reps with little or no regard for the targeted area and it’s a precise distillation of the way many bodybuilders press, flye and dip.''

Solutions:

• Feel where you want to focus each set before it begins. For example, tense your upper chest before a set of incline presses to keep your attention on that area.
• Always utilize strict form. This is not only safer, but also better for targeting your pecs, because the sloppier your execution on a chest exercise is, the more that secondary muscles take over.
• Carefully control the negative halves of reps. During presses, take approximately two seconds to lower the weight and one to two seconds to raise it.

Lessons Learned:

• Treat bench presses as just another chest exercise with reps in the eight to 12 range.
• Prioritize your upper chest.
• Do primarily free-weight presses and flyes.
• Concentrate on the contraction of each rep.
• Keep the focus on your pecs, not on the weight.

AUTHOR: Greg Merritt

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