Barbell Curl

Performing the Barbell Curl Correctly

Before attempting to benefit from every angle, it is perhaps useful to ensure that the technique employed to perform the barbell curl is correct. Grasp a barbell palms facing up, hands spaced shoulder width apart and standing with your back straight and legs giving you a firm balance. Look ahead and with the bar down, take a deep breath and curl the bar up to your chest. Don’t rest at the top and lower the bar again while breathing in. You have just completed one rep.

Using the Right Barbell Weight

This is an exercise where it is very easy to cheat, maybe even without realising it. By bending backwards, you are no longer pulling the weight up with your biceps exclusively. You are also shortening the distance the bar is travelling to reach your chest. Another common way to cheat, especially when lifting heavy is by bending the legs a little, or a lot if you have taken more than you can handle. Because cheating is so easy and so surreptitious, you would have to spend a considerable amount of concentration on trying not to cheat, instead of trying to focus on lifting the weight with your biceps. An easy way around this problem is to stand against a wall, leaving just a few centimetres between your feet and the wall. In order to give your arms clearance, stand against a column or protruding wall. That way, you can give all your attention to lifting the barbell weight.

Variations: EZ-bar, Incline Curl, Reverse Curls

One of the most interesting aspects of the barbell curls is the scope for varying it. First, if you find the straight barbell bar uncomfortable, do not hesitate to use the EZ-bar. With the latter, your wrists are in a more natural position. The more comfortable you feel, the heavier you can potentially lift.

Using either bar, you have the possibility to experiment which grip works best for you. Do you prefer a narrow grip to the extent that your hands are touching each other, or do you prefer a much wider grip beyond shoulder width? The emphasis on the biceps belly changes according to the spacing of your hands, with the internal head being more recruited with a wider grip and vice versa.

The barbell curl remains a cornerstone of exercises to build muscles in your arms. Instead of doing it repetitively without the full benefit of it, learn as much as you can about it and apply to your advantage, before moving onto other variations such as the incline curl or reverse curls.

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Talor Lautner

Still, he was a good looking kid and for the first film his physical appearance worked perfectly.

But for the second film? Not so much. Because New Moon focused primarily on the character of Jacob Black and his werewolf clan, director Christopher Weitz apparently wanted a somewhat more intimidating and – dare we say it? – manlier male lead.

Allegedly, when Talor heard that the powers that be were thinking of replacing him, he started a whirl wind physical transformation that exceeded all expectations. In just one year he gained over thirty pounds of muscle.

Wow.

Talor Lautner Workout

So how did he do it? Well, first off, his physical shortcomings apparently worked in his favor. Lautner's trainer, Jordon Yuam, says, "Inexperience works to your advantage.

The less muscle you have, the easier it is to gain muscle mass more quickly." According to Yuam, eat right and follow a smart workout regimen.

Further, push yourself. If you can lift 120 pounds easily, try 150 with a good spotter. Your body will get used to the same weight if you let it, so it is crucial that you always attempt to take your work out to the next level.

However, vary things up. Like with any work out, if you are constantly doing the same routine, your muscles will adapt and you won't see an improvement in your workout. Use different machines. Lift different weights.

Jordon Yuam also encouraged Talor Lautner to cut down on cardio. Sure, it's important to include some cardio in your workout, but if you have trouble building mass, increased cardio will only cause you to lose weight.

If you are cycling or running for more than twenty minutes at a time you are doing too much. It's also important to work your body side-to-side.

Most workout machines only focus on a back and forth motion. By incorporating side-to-side work-out routines, your muscles will be much more versatile.

This was especially important for Talor because he performs his own stunts.

Finally, it is crucial to take every third day off to allow your muscles time to recover. Overworking your body is one of the easiest ways to destroy a workout regimen.

If you follow these steps, you will be well on your way to gaining mass like Talor Lautner!

Elizabeth McDowell is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on online universities for Guide to Online Schools.

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Dumbbells have been giving athletes free-form workouts since time immemorial. It is a miniature version of the barbell, and can be as long as 16 inches depending on the amount of weight it can hold.

When you buy dumbbells, they can be made from different materials such as metal and concrete to suit different purposes.

You would often see adjustable dumbbell types in the gym. These dumbbells are made with a bar that is engraved with a pattern to facilitate better grip.

The ends are made to accommodate several plates of weight that range from 5 to 50 pounds so that the dumbbell will adjust accordingly to your fitness level.

What is good about them is that you can stack up the plates instead of tidying up a whole set of dumbbells that can clutter your workspace.

They are suitable for pros and for those who desire to gain more muscle mass by pushing themselves on by placing extra weights depending on their capabilities.

There are also fixed-weight dumbbells available if you are intimidated with the adjustable type. Unlike adjustable dumbbells, these are made with the plates attached permanently to the handles.

It is best suited for those who are just beginning with weight training as there is no danger of plates falling off if you do not know what you are doing.

They are also perfect for toning muscles if you are recovering from an illness or as prep after a long period of absence in the gym.

The dumbbells can be made out of several materials. There are those made out of cast iron, a very durable material that can last for long periods of time. It is a suitable material for those who are somewhat careless in maintaining their plates as it can take on any beating better than any material.

There are some cast iron dumbbells that are coated with rubber as a protection, just in case you knock someone with it accidentally during workout.

Other dumbbells are created with concrete that is covered with rigid plastic. Although it does not sound as good as the cast iron dumbbell, it is cheaper in comparison but works just as well.

There are plenty of uses for the dumbbell. It can be used for resistance training, toning muscles, as well as for aerobics for faster burning of fat.

Be sure to buy dumbbells that suit your needs and always follow safety guidelines when working out with dumbbells.

Authored by Stephanie Hill from the Extreme Home Workouts. To get ahold of Shaun T's Newest workout click GetInsanity.com.

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You do not need to be at the gym to get yourself buff. Here are some exercises that you can do to tighten, tone, and build up your biceps without having to fight for dumbbells in the gym.

Just be sure to use weights that you can easily carry without having to exert too much effort, but heavy enough to challenge your muscles.

Dumbbell Curls: Stand up straight while holding the dumbbells at your sides, and your feet placed slightly apart for balance. Hold the dumbbells at your side with your palms rotated towards to your side. Keep this as your starting position.

Exhale as you slowly curl your right arm to lift the dumbbell up to shoulder level, rotating your wrist as you do so until it is facing upwards. Hold the peak position for a second, and inhale as you slowly go back to starting position while counteracting the force of gravity. Alternate the sets between arms by completing one set in your right arm before proceeding to do a new set at the other.

Concentration Curls: Sit on a chair or a bench with your feet placed apart wider than your shoulders. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and lean forward with your upper arm resting on your thigh. Position your arm so that your elbow is below your leg with your triceps leaning against your inner thigh.

Extend your arms down towards the floor while maintaining a slight bend at the elbows. Keep this as your starting position. Exhale as you curl your biceps in a slow, controlled motion until your hand is at the level of your shoulder, being careful to keep your upper arm stationary. Inhale as you go back to starting position.

Preacher curls using an exercise ball: Preacher curls are great for training your biceps, and they can be done even without a preacher bench. All you need is a good exercise ball and you are all set. Sit on a low bench and place the exercise ball in front of you. The exercise ball should be at chest level, the same height as the arm rest of a preacher bench.

Hold the dumbbell and place your arm on the exercise ball with your elbow at the center and partially extend your arm, maintaining a slight curve at the elbow. Rotate your wrist so that your palms are facing upwards. This will be your starting position. Exhale as you slowly curl your arm until the dumbbell reaches chin level. Hold the contraction for a second and inhale as you go back to starting position. Finish a set, and then repeat in the other arm.

In all of the exercises, take care not to use momentum to force the execution of each movement. It is best that you do slow, controlled motions to further isolate the motion in your target muscles without using other muscle groups. The exercise is done with 2 sets of 15-25 reps.

Author: Evan Collins of the number 1 Insanity Workout WebSite. Check out an Insanity workout review now.

What are some of your favorite and most effective biceps exercises?

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Introduction
Men rule the world and women rule the men. So, when it comes to women liking men, there is always a weakness for big biceps. Or so the men think. It’s a bit more complicated than that. But that’s just one of the reasons why men want big biceps just so that we can look like our comic book fantasy such as ‘The Incredible Hulk’, and perhaps to have the women go ‘Aaaahhh’.

In the real world, however, you can get those biceps that you want but not necessarily the green tint not unless envy becomes you!

OK, boring. Let’s cut to the chase here. What can one do to enlarge their bicep size?

Particular exercises, but it has to be complemented with the right nutrition.

But before that, let’s identify the bicep muscle in the arms and understand how it can be strengthened.

Biceps Brachii Muscle
The biceps brachii muscle is located in the upper arm (as shown in the figure) with the dual function of rotating the forearm and flexing the elbow.

Yes, it’s as simple as that.

And in order to make it stronger, weight and resistance training methods work very well. One example of how you can focus on the biceps in the arm is by performing the well-known ‘curl’ that can be accomplished with commonly used fitness equipment like dumbbells and barbells.

And since big biceps are characteristic of a man’s strength and sexuality, let’s discuss how we can enlarge them to a manly size.

Bigger Biceps – How?
Nutrition
In order to build and maintain a rock hard body, it’s protein and carbohydrates for life! And you’ll find a plethora of weight training supplements to help you reach this goal of getting bigger biceps not unless you’d like to keep to the food. You’ll have to speak to a certified (and registered) dietician before taking the dive into that sort of thing.

Exercise
The exercise part is bit more complex than that as it not only pertains to the biceps but also the muscle that connects it to the triceps (look at the figure above). That’s how you’ll get the most out of exercises which is by working on both these muscles.

Weight training (anaerobic) seems to the most effective way to getting bigger biceps using the implements mentioned in an earlier section. And if you don’t know this already, there are a wide range of exercises (just the variation of ‘curls’ will blow your mind) that you can try.

Personally, I would rather work out with free weights rather than machines designed for workouts. And this again depends on what your overall goals are, in terms of how you want your body to look.

Just surfing the internet will give you enough material to use for muscle building. I, for one, have improved [read: from gutbucket to a relatively flat tummy] after buying Mike ‘O Geary ‘The truth about Abs’ which not only focuses on the abs but the overall exercise routine for beginners and for those who consider themselves experts.

In Closing
If you are looking for exercises & nutrition that will help you get bigger biceps, you can consult a physical trainer or look over the internet for a lot of information (both free and for a fee) or both that will help you build bigger biceps to get that macho look.

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Introduction
In any esoteric study that you undertake, there’s an understanding of one going through cycles of regression and progression, breakdown and build-up. It’s a universal law that either subtly or very strongly affects out lives that interwoven between the strands of our lives that are controlled alternatively by causality and fate.

Our body is governed by the same rules that are a direct result of causality through exercise which facilitates a process of build-up and breakdown. The greatest example of them all is the muscle recovery process, which clearly shows us how muscle recovery and rebuilding works.

Muscle Hypertrophy
So how does one acquire stronger muscles? (Read: hot body while being in prime health)

Exercise, right?

Following the right diet as well, right?

Right.

Well, at this point you might say… so, that’s pretty obvious isn’t it? Hold your horses (especially if you’re the gambling types)!

Our body consists of muscles namely skeletal, smooth and cardiac.

Of these three types of muscles, the skeletal muscles (tendon-to-bone type of muscle) are the ones that you focus on through weight training, integral to our body’s functions of locomotion and in maintaining body posture and of course, looking good.

So, before we go into depth as to what happens when you work out using ‘strength training’ methods, you should understand how implements used in weight lifting exercises actually work on your muscles.

For example, if you are working on the biceps muscle, one repetition of the exercise in question (also known as a contraction) helps you in learning to use the muscle. And this is advantage number one leading to observable gains in strength of the muscle within the first few days. This gain in strength is attributed to a phenomenon otherwise known as ‘hypertrophy’.

So, what is hypertrophy?

From a surface level, it is the increase in mass or girth of a particular muscle through external stimuli, and in this case, through exercise.

At a biological level, even before you notice this increase, a breakdown or damage of muscle tissue occurs to which the whole process of muscle recovery responds to the external stimuli (strength training in this case) by building itself up so that it increases in strength by the biological increase in size of muscle fibers also known as muscle hypertrophy.

The reinforcement process involves increasing the size of muscle fiber that causes cells to expand while putting pressure on the nerves and arteries. This expansion pushes against the compartment each of these cells are ‘housed’ in, and the enlargement of each cell forces its compartment to increase in size as well, thus inducing pain. However, if you focus on exercises that focus on concentric muscle contractions rather than eccentric muscle contraction, you can increase your muscle size without having to endure the aftermath of DOMS, as we would have experienced it at one time or the other.

In Closing
As muscle recovery takes way more than two days as assumed normally, it is imperative to understand that giving the body rest is vital to building a good muscular body. Most experts say that until the muscle recovery process is complete, one should not get back into training again. For it is better to take another day off rather than get back into training leading to muscle damage that is irreparable and just plain harmful to physical fitness process.

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Chest Training

So you want those perfect chest muscles that shout out your manliness? I’m sure you’ve heard and experienced how difficult chest training can be, but worry not. Here are a few steps to get you going in that direction. And if you follow these steps staunchly, there’s absolutely no hindrance to achieving a perfect wide chest:

Chest Training Exercises

1. Perform push ups. This frequently ignored exercise permits a great pump, driving nutrients to the muscles. Keep your hands spaced out at shoulder width. When you initially start with push ups they are likely to be tough. But when you continue doing them, they will seem relatively simple. Push ups also exert your triceps and shoulders (deltoids). Push ups also have a result on shoulder/back muscles, as an additional benefit.
2. Bench presses. Bench presses are the most popular chest building work out of all time. Decrease the bar along the chest till the time you reach about 1 inch from your chest. Bench presses also work out your triceps and shoulders (deltoids). Bench press again and again, and then a little more to really feel the burn – maintain it to a point where you believe that you are snapping, but you won't, hardly. This assists the blood flow carry glycogen all through your body, so calories will be effortlessly be burned and the exercise can persist with the help of adrenaline.
3. Incline bench presses. These are similar to bench presses, the difference being that it centers more on your upper pectoral muscles.
4. Decline bench Presses: Similar to bench presses, it focuses on your lower pectoral muscles. A good number of people don't use this exercise but it is necessary in obtaining a full and rounded chest, or else your chest can look rather odd.
5. Perform flies: This will not radically amplify your strength, but shapes your pecs in a grand way; what's more, it’s a great stretch for your pecks.

While you are fully endorsed in working out yourself to the extreme, do not forget to take rest at least 72 hours amid working the same muscle group, rather if all soreness is gone. The nutritional value of protein has been highlighted time and time again. And when your body is sweating under pressure from exercise, you need as much nutrition as possible. You would need about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Acquire your protein from meat, chicken, milk, beans, pulses, fish (tuna has a very low quantity of fat and calories but a large amount of protein), and eggs as they are economical and a fine source of protein.

In case you’re among the vegans, worry not. Vegetarians do not have to be short of protein, soy products (typically hold the majority protein of all) are available inexpensively at grocery stores and food markets.

Make sure you get a healthy dose of sleep when working out or exercising yourself. It is imperative that you relax your muscles in turn to develop. Remember, you have to work out intelligently.

What are some of your favorite chest training exercises?

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Get your dream body: It’s in human nature to always be in a rush to get things done; a rush to get slim or a rush to put on some muscle. In the fitness industry, there are different ways to approach this. Artificial pills are discouraged by medical and fitness experts alike. So how can you naturally put on some muscle mass without compromising on your health? Thankfully, it’s in our reach: Say hello to Creatine. It is a supplement which is believed to help athletes boost their performance, and helps just about anyone to build muscle mass, if you really know how to use creatine. Creatine should ideally be used as an addition to your regular workouts and exercise – to help reach your fitness goals more effectively and quickly.

Understand your supplements well: Creatine is essentially an amino acid compound which is made by the body and is used to supply energy to muscle and nerve cells – it is also found naturally in red meat and fish in very small amounts. The Creatine formed in our body is first directed to the brain and heart and then to the rest of the body. Creatine supplements were introduced for athletes back in 1993, and since then have been a medically approved supplement for sportsmen. And why shouldn’t it be — it’s all natural and practically safe for the body. Not only that, it also helps decrease the reliance on drugs by naturally inducing the adrenaline thrill and strength to the body.

Apart from this, Creatine also helps you achieve the perfect amount of muscle on your body – thus becoming a great choice for body builders. Who doesn’t want their dream of having an 8 pac to materialize as soon as possible?

However, like all things, adopting a certain routine and procedure can help maximize the effects of the Creatine supplements. Here’s how:

Be inquisitive – this is your body we’re talking about: The best tip would perhaps be to read the instructions given on the packaging very carefully, for there are different types of Creatine being manufactured. Pure Creatine is the best to use.
How to use Creatine for the best results: There is a lot of confusion about how to use Creatine, what amounts are best to use, and when to stop its use.

Our body reacts to Creatine in a positive way, but hits a plateau after several weeks of usage. To avoid that, it’s good to follow some best practices that can help you keep benefiting from the supplement. The best way to use dietary supplements is to understand their effect on your body:

1. Loading Phase: The most important phase in the Creatine cycle, this is where you get your body accustomed to the intake of this amino acid. For the first week, the best suggestion is to have a daily intake of 20 grams, phased out in 3-4 times during the day.
2. Maintenance phase: Once your body is accustomed to the intake of Creatine, it’s time to lower the consumption. Switch your phased intake to 10 grams a day.
3. Resting Phase: Give your body a rest from Creatine to maximize the outcome. From the fifth to the eighth week, use no Creatine.

The Resting phase assures that the used-to behavior your body has towards Creatine is barred, so that during reuse the effects are maximized. By following the prescribed method, you can protect yourself from all side effects and enjoy the healthy and safe use of Creatine.

What is your favorite or preferred method of how to use creatine?

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Introduction
If you’re an athlete or one who exercises diligently, sooner or later you will experience mild discomfort in terms of muscle soreness and stiffness or debilitating muscle pain. Medically, this term is known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and is often felt between 24 to 72 hours after exercising, after which it gradually wears off within two to three days.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – A Closer Look
So, why does DOMS occur after exercise?

For one, there are different reasons that are responsible for DOMS to occur, but so far, this part of exercise science has a lot of grey areas… a single explanation for its occurrence hasn’t universally been accepted yet. But one thing is for sure, muscle contraction plays a large role in the development of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

So, let’s look at an explanation as to why Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness occurs.

If you are aware of the rudiments of any strength training program, you’ll also be aware that muscles when used in the method of exercise first break down to then build up again, a response to the training in question in order to reinforce itself, by growing larger and stronger than the last time. This process of muscle breakdown to build up is the process called muscular hypertrophy.

DOMS occurs during the reinforcement process, and is not caused due to the damaged muscle cells. Actually, while the muscles expand during the process of reinforcement, their enlarged size causes the pain.

Causes of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Since the reason for to DOMS to occur stems from the manner of muscular contraction which depends on the kind of exercise you do, and how long/ fast you do it too. Yet DOMS in most cases occur when you do exercises that are not like any normal movement that you are used to. The term used to describe these odd movements is eccentric muscular contraction and some examples of this phenomenon are running downhill, lowering weights, the downward motion of squats and push-ups.

Although, DOMS happens when exercises involving normal muscle movement are completed, it is said to be worse in the case of exercises that result eccentric muscular contractions.

The reason for this is because the muscle elongates while under tension due to an opposing force being greater than the force generated by the muscle, which can happen while you are trying to lift a weight that is much heavier than the muscle can bear, or while trying smooth out the motion of the weight that you are attempting to work out with.

Treatment for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
The funny thing is since scientists and health and fitness specialists haven’t been able to verify what the actual cause of DOMS is, no treatment has been determined either.

As always, the smartest way to deal with Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is to avoid it. In cases where it is unavoidable, you just have to wait until the muscle pain/ soreness wears away, as it is deemed a natural process.

Another way which seems to have been proven to work is low-impact aerobic exercises which increase blood flow, and reduce the soreness/ pain as a result. Some athletes take an ice bath, which is known to be an effective way of soothing the pain (not eliminating it completely). Some people prefer taking pain killers which help in soothing the pain.

As prevention is the best method here, it is imperative to wait until the pain or soreness subsides completely before resuming your normal exercise routine, or else this will result in aggravating the muscle soreness leading to more pain, and in some cases muscle damage.

In Closing
It’s important to note that the body requires both concentric and eccentric muscular contraction in order to build muscle but the balance between the two have to be maintained so that one doesn’t have to go through extremes of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness which, according to some athletes, feels like every molecule of air is bashing into your skin.

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With the recent release of the Mitchell Report, performance enhancing drugs in sports is the headline of the season.

While most people think they understand this topic on a basic level (put needle in butt, become magically stronger, Tarzan hit ball far), we're going to look at the issue in further detail.

First, any drug, performance-enhancing or not, can be dangerous and even deadly, given that 2 of the players named in the Mitchell Report, Steve Bechler and Ken Caminiti, are, in fact, already dead.

History of Steroids and Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Steroids were used heavily in the Olympics, particularly by the Germans and Russians, as far back as the 1950's.

A doctor by the name of John Ziegler is thought to have been the first to synthesize a performance enhancing drug in the U.S. in 1959.

These new "wonder drugs" quickly spread throughout the country among bodybuilders, eventually making their way into professional sports like the NFL.

How Do They Work?

Every drug is different, but one thing is clear: You still have to put in the hard work and training effort to get results.

As Gary Gaffney, M.D., associate professor at the University of Iowa’s College of Medicine, says, "[Performance enhancing drugs are] going to pay off most for the person with a tremendous amount of talent—you can give me all the steroids and HGH in the world, and I’ll never dunk a basketball."

Many steroids shorten recovery time, allowing an athlete to train harder and longer than he could without them.

What is HGH?

Human growth hormone is usually used to help older people and/or accident victims regain lost muscle and necessary abilities to function and live their life.

Athletes, who are already usually in great physical shape, use HGH to spur even faster and greater muscle growth. But as with any drug, there are several side effects of human growth hormone:

• Increased growth of existing tumors
• Rise in blood pressure
• Retained fluid
• Body aches, specifically joint-related pains
• Potentially habit-forming

As you can see, steroids, HGH, and all performance enhancing drugs can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and players may be trading years of their life for bigger biceps today.

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