Why Juicing Is Losing

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healthy_blogging

Strong men and strong women competitions are among the most spectacular sporting events you might ever witness - athletes performing such feats as the farmer's walk, tractor pulling, overhead press with boulders, and tire toss are all amazing displays of physical strength. Then the Olympic style weight lifters and bodybuilders who lift what seems to be impossibly heavy weights add to the aura and legend of humans with incredible power. When viewed from the sidelines, people may wonder how anyone can achieve such physical power. In truth, it takes hard work. Years and years and years of training, proper nutrition, rest and, to a certain extent, genetics. (I mentioned genetics last because all factors taken together, even if one is born with good genes, if he/she doesn't live healthy, that person will never reach his/her full potential.) Sadly, though, some people take short cuts to greatness; peer pressure, desperation for attention, desire for riches, etc. compel them to delve into the ugly world of anabolic steroids.

Anabolic steroid use is big money on the black market. Since it's illegal, you would think people wouldn't want to use them. But you'd be wrong: there are people who regularly use gear (and I'm not talking about weight lifting aids such as weight belts, gloves and straps - those are just training accessories) and think nothing about the side effects. Yeah, it can boost strength and performance for a while. But at what cost?

Why Juicing Is Losing

Pay attention guys, this is what juicing is likely to do TO you:

• shrunken testicles
• acne
• roid rage
• cancer
• infertility
• sexual dysfunction
• man boobs (yeah, betcha didn't expect that, huh?)
• heart trouble
• difficulty urinating

Hey, ladies, don't think that you've been left out. Here's what you might get:

• deep and masculine voice
• small breasts
  
• enlarged clitoris
  
• irregular menstrual cycles
• becoming too hairy
  

If taken during pregnancy anabolic steroids can cause:

• male fetus to develop feminine appearance
• female fetus to develop masculine appearance

Wow! Who in their right mind would even want to mess with that stuff?? I'm not saying that all strength athletes, bodybuilders or weight lifters use performance enhancing drugs, because they don't. They train clean. I've been a strength trainer for four years. What I love about this sport is the constant challenge, to see how much I can do in my workout. To push through self limiting thoughts and reach the next level. That's what brings me excitement about strength training. And I don't need drugs to help me feel good, to become stronger or to look sexier. I get that from hard work. I believe that is what motivates most athletes. So for all the guys out there who are thinking of taking a short cut because you're frustrated by your lack of size and strength, I say, don't do it! Besides, if you ever hope to become a pro athlete, if you test positive for drugs, strict anti-doping regulations will cause to become barred from competition. Seriously. So yeah, you might become discouraged every now and then but don't give up. Just train harder, look at your what is holding you back and shore things up. Nothing worth having ever comes easy. When you believe in yourself and train clean, you're a winner already. So just remember this: if you want to be one of the truly elite, don't cheat.

Article Sources

Anabolic Steroids. Center for Substance Abuse Research. http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/steroids.asp
Anabolic Steroid. wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabolic_steroid


"Great Chest Workouts: Why Juicing Is Losing" Great Chest Workouts 2010. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Weighted Chest Dips

For Intermediate and Advanced Trainers by healthy_blogging Okay, for the past six months you've been working your butt off with push ups, peck decks and chest presses and it's all paying off. Your bench press numbers are getting better and better each week so you know that you've been performing a lot of great chest workouts. But now you want more of a challenge. The dips are becoming too easy and now you worry that your muscles are adapting since you've been doing the same routines every week. So what are you going to do about it? Jack it up a notch, that's what you're going to do. In this article, I'm going to demonstrate the weighted chest dip. If you're performing twenty or more reps per set with your unweighted chest dips and want to become even stronger, now is the time to add some weight. How to Do Weighted Chest Dips You'll need parallel bars, weight plates and a weight belt or a weighted vest for this exercise. I recommend that you do NOT use a weighted backpack because it will cause unnecessary strain on your shoulders. Wrap the weight belt around your waist. Most come with a long, heavy duty metal chain with a clamp on the end. Select a weight plate (e.g. a twenty-five pound plate is good for starting on this exercise). Thread the chain through the center of the weight plate. Take the other end of the chain and secure it to the clamp on the belt. Stand up straight. You need to make sure that the weight plate does not fall to the ground. It's also important to find out - right now - if this weight is too much for you. If it is, choose a lighter plate. Step onto the platform. Stand between the dip bars. Now, while leaning forward to an angle between 15 - 30 degrees, push your body upward but make sure that you don't lock your elbows. As with the unweighted chest dips, lower yourself down until you feel a slight pull in your chest. Use as much weight as you can do safely for at least five reps. After you've finished up a set, take a short break then start again. In this demo, I added sixty pounds to increase the difficulty of the exercise. You'll quickly realize that weighted chest dips are more difficult than the unweighted variety. This is an intermediate to advanced strength training and muscle building exercise which means you should not do them on an assisted machine. If you can't perform at least five reps of this exercise, it means that either your muscles aren't strong enough for the load (so reduce the weight you're using) or your muscles haven't had enough time to recover from other chest strengthening exercises. In this case, give your body time to rest. You've earned it.    To become stronger, we need to constantly push our bodies further and further. If we adapt then we're just doing endurance exercises. And even though endurance is a sign of fitness, if it's strength you're after, you have to keep the muscles confused. Performing a circuit of weighted chest dips, bench press, push ups, cable push downs and push press will definitely be just the shock that your system needs to help your muscles to grow. So add the weighted chest dips to your great chest workouts routine and see how well you do. You won't be disappointed. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Weighted Chest Dips - For Intermediate and Advanced Lifters" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Horizontal Pull Ups

An Upper Body Exercise by healthy_blogging By now you can tell that I'm a huge fan of body weight exercises. This time I'm going to teach you how to do simple but intense exercise that will definitely give you incredible upper body strength. And the name of this exercise is the horizontal pull up. Yeah, yet another pull up exercise you say. If you're a newcomer to this site, you're probably wondering why I'm blogging about exercises that "seem" to have absolutely nothing to do with chest workouts. But regulars know that each blog post relates to developing a great chest. So, here's the million dollar question: What is the horizontal pull up exercise good for? The horizontal pull up is important for a number of reasons because it improves upper body strength strengthens the back muscles strengthens the biceps strengthens the forearms strengthens the ab muscles And now, it's time to learn how to do them. How To Do Horizontal Pull Ups You'll need access to a Smith Machine or Power Rack station for this exercise and a box to place your feet upon. Get under the bar. Make sure that your palms are facing toward your body. You can use a close or wide grip, the close grip will increase the difficulty of the exercise. Now, place the heels of your feet on the box. Tighten your ab muscles. Now pull your upper body toward the bar. Then lower yourself back to starting position. Go for five sets of this exercise, with ten reps per set. Because this is a compound exercise, you can do them on back or chest day mixing them in with dips, rows, bench press, etc. You'll begin to notice a huge improvement in strength if you stick with this. Things that you need to know if you want to become bigger and stronger. A lot of people buy into the myth that free weights are the only way to develop chest muscles. They have no idea how important body weight exercises are to chest and upper body workouts. Accept this fact: If you want to bench press heavy weights, then you need to know that body weight exercises are crucial. And to develop a great chest you need a strong back. Which is where this exercise comes in. Pull ups are among the best exercises to give you those powerful back muscles. And with all of the other benefits of the horizontal pull up, there's absolutely no reason for you skip them.   "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Horizontal Pull Ups - An Upper Body Exercise" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do The Barbell Upright Row

Upright Rows Boost Upper Body Strength by healthy_blogging Months ago I demonstrated bent over rows because I know how effective they are as a great chest and upper body workout. Now I'm going to tell you about the barbell upright row exercise. If you want to build upper body strength and muscle you must do this exercise. Benefits of the barbell upright row What's so great about the barbell upright row? Easy. The barbell upright row: improves your bench press improves shoulder and arm strengthens the back increases upper body strength That's just a short list of what this exercise can do for you. Anyone who wants to become bigger and stronger must learn the barbell upright row. How to do the Barbell Upright Row This exercise can be taxing on the shoulders so correct form is extremely important!!! You'll need a barbell for this exercise. There are two ways to perform the barbell upright row depending on which muscle groups you want to train the most. If you want to train the outside of your shoulders (deltoid muscles), then the wide grip is best. Target the trapezius muscle (which spans the back of the neck, shoulders and upper back) with the close grip. Safety first!! The barbell upright row can cause shoulder injury if you don't do them correctly. Make sure to practice good form during this exercise. Grip the bar with both hands (wide or close grip). Stand up straight with your legs positioned shoulder width apart. Relax your arms, the barbell should be at or below your waist. Slowly raise the bar up. If you're working delts, inhale as you bring the bar up to parallel. Hold for a three second count, exhale then slowly lower it to starting position. Perform ten reps then rest. You should try to get in five sets of the barbell upright row for delts. If you're goal is to develop better traps, use a close grip. Stand up straight, take a breath then bring the bar up to your chin. Hold for a three second count, then lower the bar down again. Remember to exhale as you lower the bar. The close grip barbell upright row might be harder for you than the wide grip. That's okay, you're using different muscles for this one. Do ten reps per set for a total of five sets.  Each week add weight to the bar. Eventually you'll reach a weight that will be much harder to lift. That's the point when your newbie gains come to an end. But by this time you should also notice larger, more powerful shoulder and back muscles. And you should be getting better numbers from your bench press by this time. This is natural, your central nervous system (CNS) has adapted to heavy weights, you will have longer periods which you'll be training at a particular weight. But this won't hold you back. You can and still should expect to push yourself. Add more volume and you'll continue to gain size and strength. Well, that's all for the barbell upright row. Don't sit around dreaming about having a great body. Start working out now and you will become bigger and stronger. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Barbell Upright Row - Upright Rows Boost Upper Body Strength" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Dumbbell Shrugs

Strong Shoulders Makes For A Stronger Chest

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healthy_blogging


The shoulders are essential to a strong upper body. You won't be able to lift very much if your shoulders are weak. And this will have an effect on development of your chest muscles. So what can we do to keep the shoulders in shape? Train them. And that's where shrugs come in.

Dumbbell shrug benefits

The dumbbell shrug has many benefits including:

• builds strong shoulders
• increases shoulder size
  
• improves posture

Just from reading this short list, there's no excuse for not doing dumbbell shrugs.


How to Dumbbell Shrugs

You'll need a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. Take a dumbbell in each hand. Stand up straight while sticking your chest out. The dumbbells must be at your sides. Now shrug. Yes, shrug. Raise your shoulders up then lower them down again. That's the dumbbell shrug. This is an action many of us do in normal body language. The only thing that you're doing now is adding weight which creates resistance. This exercise is very easy, so try for a minimum of fifteen repetitions per set. Rest for thirty seconds then do it again for a total of five sets. Each week increase the weights in five pound increments. You can also do dumbbell shrugs from a seated position. Sit down on a chair or bench, keeping your knees together. That's the only difference between seated and standing dumbbell shrugs.

If done properly you'll notice improved posture, increased size and strength of your shoulders. This has an indirect benefit for chest strengthening exercises because dips and bench press rely on strong shoulder muscle. Plus, when you've got good posture it increases overall attractiveness.

That's all for dumbbell shrugs. In an upcoming post I'll discuss barbell shrugs. Now's the time to get off the computer and workout. It's the only way to become stronger. Get started. Now.

"Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell Shrugs - Strong Shoulders Make For A Stronger Chest" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Triceps Dips

Strong triceps enhance the ability of your bench press by healthy_blogging By now you can see that this blog talks about workouts that you may have never thought would help you develop a great chest. The thing is, taken together everyone of these workouts will help you to build a strong body and which has a direct effect on your chest. And I'm going to show you the triceps dip, exercise that will definitely help you develop stronger upper body muscles in your arms, chest and back. What's so great about them? Here are three immediate benefits of triceps dips: stronger triceps means you can bench more weight increase the size of your triceps enhances your endurance This is an exercise that you should learn because it is so important to you getting the most out of your chest workouts. And they can be done using parallel bars and if you don't have a pair of those around, they can even be done using a chair, or bench How To Do Triceps Dips for Chair or Bench You'll need a bench or chair for this exercise. If you're using a chair or a bench, place your palms face down on its surface. Extend your legs forward and balance yourself on the heels of your feet. Now, slowly lower yourself to an angle of less than 90 degrees. Pause for a second then use your triceps to push yourself back up again. Perform eight to ten reps of this exercise, rest and then repeat for five sets. How To Do Triceps Dips With Parallel Bar Most gyms have a dip exercise station, but if they don't you can still do this exercise with a pair of parallel bars. Position yourself between the two bars. Grip one in each hand. Use the steps to get yourself into the starting position. Keep your back straight. Now lower yourself down until your arms are parallel to the floor. Next, push yourself up again using your TRICEPS. Make sure that your elbows don't lock at the top of the movement. Perform ten reps then rest before doing another set. Go for five sets then move to another exercise. If your triceps and shoulder muscles are very underdeveloped you can perform assisted dips. In this case, you'll need to climb onto a lever and then follow the steps that I laid out in the previous paragraph. But I really discourage assisted dips because they delay progress instead of helping it. The whole idea behind the triceps dip is to strengthen that muscle. Any assistance takes away the benefit. If you have trouble with dips, there are a couple of things you can do perform barbell or dumbbell shrugs to strengthen your shoulders perform exercises on triceps machine or triceps push ups keep practicing the triceps dip exercise until you become more proficient and stronger This isn't an easy exercise for most people. In my gym, I rarely see anyone doing them. Triceps dips, is just like any other exercise: practice, practice and practice some more and gradually you'll get better at them. And then you'll notice that you're able to perform better bench presses because your triceps will have become much stronger. And from a sex appeal point of view, women love it when a guy has big arms and a developed chest. Yep, those are a couple extra incentives for adding this exercise to your routine. This is a way to get bigger arms without weights. Triceps dips is an exercise that can be done at home or at the gym. So you see? You don't have any excuses left. Don't sit around just reading, get out there and do them! Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Triceps Dips - Strong triceps enhance the ability of your bench press" copyright 2010. Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Barbell Floor Press

Get Off Your Bench!

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healthy_blogging

Do you want to bench more weight than you ever have before? Want to push the envelope and become stronger and stronger? Since you're reading this blog the answer is yes. Duh! Well, you're in luck. I'm going to tell you how to get even better at your bench press. And all you've gotta do is get off the bench. And work hard. And work hard again. And work hard some more. Hey, who ever said that anything worth having would be easy, huh?

How To Do the Barbell Floor Press

You'll need an Olympic bar, power rack and a hard, horizontal flat surface for this exercise. First, put the safety pins in the 2nd hole position because this will allow you enough clearance when you lower the bar toward your chest. The difference between the regular barbell press for bench and this exercise is that you're lying flat on the floor. Here are a few benefits of the barbell floor press:

• strengthens the triceps
• hits problem areas in your bench press
• allows for greater safety if performed at the Power rack
  

Set the bar on the rack and add weight. Now lie down on the floor. Make sure that you have a slight arch in your back, tighten your abdominal muscles and plant the soles of your feet firmly on the floor. Make sure that you press your shoulder blades into the floor and thus provide more support for the lift. Now using a standard grip, lift the bar off the rack. Lower it toward your chest, then press the weight back up again. Your triceps should be parallel to the floor at the bottom of the lift. Go for at least three reps, then stop. If you're used to heavy lifting you will be doing three to five reps per set on this exercise. And for safety's sake, perform no more than five sets of the exercise, you don't want to work yourself to over train these muscles.

The barbell floor press is a compound exercise meaning that it emphasizes the triceps and also works muscles in the chest, shoulders, and wrists. A great way to increase the power of your bench and develop your chest and upper body muscles is to workout at 50 - 70 percent of your one rep max. You can also do them in place of the flat bench press and gradually add five pounds of weight in weekly increments. And just so you know, the dumbbell floor press exercise is a variation on what I'm talking about in this article. But when performing the dumbbell floor press, I recommend that you stay within 50 percent of your one rep max, and use a spotter if possible. The Power rack won't be of any use for the dumbbell floor press.

The barbell floor press is a prime exercise for developing a strong upper body so don't sit around dreaming of a better bench, make sure to add this exercise in your regular routine. 

"Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Barbell Floor Press - Get Off Your Bench!" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.  





 

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do the Machine Chest Press

Proper Form Gets Results by healthy_blogging Today I'm going to show you a really cool exercise that will definitely give you a Great Chest Workout. Although free weights have many advantages to building size, muscle and strength, don't sell the machines short. While there's a line of people waiting to get in a few reps on the bench press, you can get right to work on the chest press machine. Shaking your head no? Well, here are some benefits of the chest press machine: strengthens the chest strengthens the arms strengthens the shoulders And when you want to become bigger and stronger, you'll do what works. That's what this is all about. You know it and I know it. So let's get started. How To Do the Machine Chest Press You'll need a chest press machine for this exercise. Some chest press machines come with a foot lever, others don't. The only thing the lever does is help you get the handles into proper position. Select a weight that is appropriate for you, if you're a newbie and not accustomed to heavy workouts, workout at a weight range of thirty to fifty pounds. Next, adjust the seat to a position that will allow you to perform the exercise with proper form. Sit up straight and your shoulders into the back rest. Now, take a handle bar in each hand. Using your chest muscles, press the handle bars forward until your arms are fully extended. Hold for a five second count. Now slowly return your arms to the starting position. You've just completed one rep. Remember to breathe in before you press, and to exhale as you complete the first half of the movement. After you've finished ten reps, take about fifteen seconds to rest then start another set. You should do five sets of this exercise with ten reps for each of those sets. Of course, that shouldn't be the only exercise you do on chest day. After you complete your sets on the machine chest press, make sure you do some bench presses, dips, push ups, or even isometric hand presses. Combining several of these compound exercises will boost your testosterone levels, which is a natural growth hormone that increases muscle size. This is good for your entire body. Now it's time to get off the computer and into the gym. See you all here next week for another article on my Great Chest Workouts website. Catch you later. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do the Machine Chest Press - Proper Form Gets Results" copyright 2010. Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Power Rack Lockouts

Power To Your Bench Press

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healthy_blogging


Are you doing dips, skullcrushers, and push ups, but still having trouble with your bench press? All of the exercises that I mentioned are intended to strengthen the triceps which in turn helps your bench press. But they might not be enough for some people. And even if you are seeing good results with your bench, if you're like most other lifters, you want to continuing pushing the limits of what you do. That's where power rack lockouts come in! Sometimes the only remedy for a lagging bench press is to lift heavy. Lift heavy and lift hard. And make no mistake: the power rack lockout is ONE exercise that will definitely FORCE you to work hard for every single rep you do.

How To Do Power Rack Lockouts

This is an exercise that can be deadly if you do them incorrectly. You must use a power rack for this exercise. No exceptions. Get a flat bench, Olympic bar, safety pins and weight plates because you're going to need all of them. Set the safety pins in the eighth hole and the bar on top of the pins. Position the flat bench under the bar. To get a feel for what this exercise is about, lie down on the bench just as you do for a bench press. Griping the bar at shoulder width, lift it from the pins and perform ten reps. This is just to get a feel for what you're doing. This power rack lockout is a partial lockout exercise that focuses on the lockout of the flat bench exercise. You're focusing on stronger triceps here. (The mid rack lockout is even more intense than the exercise that I'm talking about today. We'll learn about mid rack lockouts in an upcoming article.)

Now it's time to add weight. For this exercise you want to lift 125 - 150 percent of your 1 RM. So if your 1 RM is 200 pounds, you'll need to lift 250 - 300 pounds on the Power rack lockouts. And the only way to do this safely is to use the power rack. My 1 RM is 280 pounds, so I lifted 365 pounds which is 130 percent of my 1 RM. After you've added the proper amount of weight, it's time to get started.

Lie down on the flat bench just as you would for the flat bench barbell press. Grip the bar at shoulder width. Make sure that your feet are firmly planted on the floor. Arch your back, and keep your shoulders in tight. Take a deep breath and lift the bar off the safety pins. Hold the bar at that position for three seconds then lower it down to the pins again, exhaling on the way down. Then do another rep same as before. The triceps are the primary target in this exercise but you're going to feel it as an energy cost for the whole body. This is a heavy weight, low rep exercise. You're going for three sets of 3- 5 reps each. If you can perform more than six reps, you haven't added enough weight. If you can't get more than one rep, then lower the weight by 30 - 45 pounds. After you've done one set, take 60 seconds to rest. Then go for it again. Don't be surprised if you have trouble getting the same number of reps out of your second set. This is okay, it just means that you're doing that you're supposed to do. But try not to decrease the weights on your second set because this would eliminate any benefit from this exercise. 

Power rack lockouts are very very effective in generating incredible strength for the upper body. If you've got enough energy left, get in a few sets of tricep dips or push ups to round out your triceps workout. When you're doing Power rack lockouts for flat bench, your triceps are going to be doing most of the work and if you make them a part of your regular routine, you should start seeing promising results in only a few short weeks.

That's it for the power rack lockouts exercise. Look for more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website.


"Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Power Rack Lockouts - Power To Your Bench Press" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Proper Form Gets You Proper Results by healthy_blogging Strong shoulders make for a stronger bench and a stronger bench makes for a stronger chest. So if you want a great chest workout, you've got to train the whole body. This time we're going to learn about the dumbbell side arm raise exercise. How To Do The Dumbbell Lateral Raise This exercise can be performed sitting or standing. I'm going to talk about the standing dumbbell lateral raise (sometimes referred to as the dumbbell side arm raise) because it has a lot of benefits including mold and sculpt the deltoid shoulder muscles improves balance improves overall upper body strength You'll need a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. Take one dumbbell in each hand. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Hold the dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing toward your thighs. Now, while keeping your back straight and abdominals tight, use your shoulder muscles to raise the dumbbells up. Stop once the weights are parallel to the floor. This is the top of the exercise. Hold this position for a five second count then lower them down to your sides again. You've just completed one rep. To get the most out of this exercise, do the raise in a slow manner, raise your arms slowly, hold then slowly lower them again. The longer you're holding the weights up, the more the force of gravity will pull on them. This is good for you because in order to maintain your raised position, your muscles must work hard against gravity. This resistance will strengthen your shoulder muscles. Perform five sets of the dumbbell side arm raise, with ten reps per set. Each week increase the weights in five pound increments. You can combine the dumbbell lateral raise with other shoulder workouts e.g. pull ups, or even mix it up with some chest workouts such as the tricep dip exercise. That's all for this article. If you want strong, sculpted shoulders that get women turned on, don't sit around just reading this article, get out there and do them. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Dumbbell Lateral Raise - Proper Form Gets You Proper Results" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do the Cable Press Down With Rope

The Triceps Are Power To The Press

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healthy_blogging

Do you want a strong chest? Sure you do. Why else would you be on this blog, right? Well, I've got news for you: if you want a strong chest, you need strong triceps, too. Benching exercises require powerful triceps muscles to help with the lift. So we need exercises that will develop those muscles. The cable press down with rope is a machine exercise that targets the triceps making them stronger.

How To Perform the Cable Press Down With Rope

You'll need a cable machine and a rope for this exercise. There are variations on the cable press down, you can kneel or stand. This article discusses the standing cable press down exercise. Secure a rope to the cable. Make sure that the rope is at chest level. Place both feet firmly on the floor. Grip the rope in both hands. Your arms should be firmly at your sides. Now, using only your lower arms, press the rope down until your arms are straight. Then raise your arms up to the starting position. That's one rep. Perform ten reps of this exercise then rest. Go for a total of five sets with eight to ten reps per set. Each week increase the weights in five pound increments. After you've become stronger, you'll need to change your routine. In order to get stronger, you'll need to lift heavy weights at lower reps. This causes the body to produce more growth hormone which will increase the size and mass of your triceps muscles. The stronger your triceps, the more support they will lend your chest during your pressing exercises. And this will allow you to have great chest workouts.

Okay, that's all for the cable press down with rope article. Look forward to more articles and tips on my Great Chest Workouts website. The only way to become stronger is to get off the computer and workout. So why are you still sitting around reading? Do your workout. Now.

"Great Chest Workouts: How To Do the Cable Press Down With Rope - The Triceps Are Power To The Press" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.


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Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Upright Barbell Rows

The Barbell Vertical Row Is A Compound Lift For The Upper Body by healthy_blogging Everyone who want a strong upper body must read this article! There's no way that you'll ever be able to develop a strong chest if your upper body is weak. And the only real way to get stronger is healthy diet, rest, and yep, you guessed it, heavy exercise. This time I'm going to teach you how to do the vertical dumbbell row. It's an exercise that you'll definitely want to add to your routine. How To Do The Upright Barbell Row Upright (also known as "vertical") barbell rows are work the back, chest, shoulders, biceps and forearms. This makes the upright barbell row a compound lift and therefore one of the best exercises for strength. You'll need a barbell and weight plates for this exercise (if you have very little experience with weightlifting, it's okay to just use the bar). You can place the bar on the floor or a platform. Bend your knees and grip the bar. Make sure that your hands are about six inches apart. Stand up holding the bar at waist level. Now pull the bar up until it is under your chin. You'll do this in a vertical movement. Your elbows should be pointing away from your body. Hold this position for a three second count. Now lower it to the starting position. You've completed one rep. Remember to inhale at the top of the lift then exhale as you lower it again. Don't jerk the weight upward. There is an exercise called the snatch which does require a quick action of lifting weight from the floor to overhead position but that's not what the vertical row is about. Take it slow, this builds muscular strength. Do five sets of the vertical row with ten reps per set. Each week increase the weights by five pounds while trying to maintain the same number of reps. After you get to lifting heavy weights, you'll notice this will become much more difficult. By that time, you'll have to lower the number of reps and increase the number of sets. The upright barbell row pays dividends. Not only will you have a strong back, the testosterone boost you get from heavy lifting will stimulate muscle growth. This will transfer to the pressing workouts that you do to develop a great chest. So don't sit around wondering if you can do them. Just get out there and DO them. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Upright Barbell Rows - The Barbell Vertical Row Is A Compound Lift For The Upper Body" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

17 Exercises That Will Make You Stronger and Boost Athletic Performance Without Juicing!!!

Clean Workouts Reap The Best Rewards

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healthy_blogging


These days a lot of people have become cynical and even down right suspicious of athletes. Really, though, can you blame them? When an entire Olympic weight lifting team is forced to withdraw for juicing, MMA fighters test positive for steroids, and "heroes" of major league baseball are investigated for using performance enhancing drugs, it's almost as if anyone in sports who has made a name for himself or herself has cheated to get it. What's the point of all the juicing anyway, huh? A lot of dopers think juicing will give them an edge that makes them better than anyone else. And there's no way to be powerful unless you juice, right?

Well, I don't agree with that. As a matter of fact, I'm here to tell you that you can get strong without taking drugs. And right off the top of my head are 17 - yep, count 'em - SEVENTEEN - exercises that will give you fantastic upper body strength without wasting your body using drugs. Are you ready? Here we go:

1. Inclined Push Up. This body weight exercise will do wonders for your chest and tris. All you need is a chair, bench or box to place your feet on. Doing push ups on an incline gives the benefits of a inclined bench press exercise without damaging your shoulder muscles.

2. Dumbbell Flyes. Are you lagging in chest strength? Want to press heavier? Then do't skip out on this exercise. The dumbbell fly is the perfect on target exercise for the chest. The key to this workout is using your chest muscles to bring the dumbbells together WITHOUT allowing them to touch. And this exercise is worth it. Do them and you'll see.

3. Machine Hammer Tricep Extensions. This exercise increases the size and tone of the triceps muscle and has carryover benefits for the bench press. They key to this exercise is all in the grip.

4. Inclined Bench Barbell Press. This exercise targets the upper pecks. Consistent training on this exercise will yield big rewards.

5. Hammer Grip Inclined Bench Dumbbell Press. If your muscles don't develop at the same pace, it can delay you in reaching big lifts. This exercise helps prevent that because it trains each side of the chest to carry its own weight.

6. Declined Bench Barbell Press. Get ready to fire up your lower pecks with the declined bench barbell press. Get in five sets of this exercise and mix it up with any of the other exercises on this list and you'll notice an increase in strength.

7. Dumbbell Lateral Raise. This exercise hits the upper back, neck and shoulder muscles to give you power in your upper body. Do some reps and find out for yourself.

8. Push Press. This exercise is a variation on the military press that has great carryover to benching exercises. Be warned: the push press is very demanding on the entire body. If incredible upper body strength is what you're after then this is the exercise for you.

9. Dumbbell Pullovers. Your chest muscles get a serious workout in this exercise. It all comes down to the stretch action when you lower the dumbbell at the bottom on the exercise. Once you do them, you'll feel it first hand.

10. Close Grip Flat Bench Barbell Press. By altering your hand position on the bar, you can target certain muscle groups. This one hits the triceps which ultimately contributes to heavier benching.

11. Skullcrushers. Nah, these won't crush your skull if you do them correctly. Skullcrushers are a gem of an exercise for the triceps and if you do them regularly you'll notice how much they can help your benching exercises.

12. Isometric Chest Hand Press. This is an exercise that you can do anywhere and just about anytime you want. All you need are your hands. Just place them together and push. The force you exert against yourself is generated through the chest muscles. They're fun. Try them yourself.

13. Tricep Extensions. The basic tricep extension exercise strengthens your tris, abs, wrists and overall balance as you slowly lower the weight behind your head then lift it back up again. These are best done standing for maximum benefit.

14. Cable Crossovers. The cable machine can be one of the most effective weapons in your chest strengthening arsenal. The cable crossover targets the upper chest through arc motion. This is intense resistance training.

15. Tricep Cable Push Down. This exercise targets the tris, abs, upper back, wrists and shoulders. Use an overhand grip when doing this exercise.

16. Bent Over Dumbbell Row. Grab yourself a dumbbell and bench. This exercise builds power in the abs, lower back, traps, biceps and wrists. All of these are essential muscles for developing a great chest.

17. Pec Decks. This exercise hits the upper pecks. Position yourself on the stationary pec deck machine. It's one of the easiest chest exercises that you can learn.

And this is just a short list! There are lots of ways to boost strength and power through solid workouts. It's all about hard work and commitment. Most of the roid "athletes" are afraid of pain and hard work. So they cheat. But guys, is it really worth the shrunken testicles and cancer? As for the women, I have to tell you that most guys - me included - are turned off by unfeminine females who have lost their feminine sex appeal because they doped up on steroids just to get stronger. There are many athletic women who are sexy, curvy, feminine and strong. They look sexy because they've done it the right way without taking short cuts. Then there's the fines, suspensions, the disgrace of disqualification and being labeled a doper. No money, no life, no fame, no game. That's one way to get noticed, huh? Way to go, "champ". Who in their right mind wants that? No thanks. I'll stick to good old fashioned hard work and patience. It works for me.

Pick any one of the exercises on my list, do them. Train hard using your own blood, sweat and tears. See how much stronger you will become. I dare you not to.


"Great Chest Workouts: 17 Exercises To Get A Strong Upper Body Without Juicing: Clean Workouts Reap The Best Rewards" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Decline Push Ups For A Great Chest Workout

A Challenging Push Up Exercise That You Will Love by healthy_blogging Last week I showed you how to do triangle push ups. Now I'm going to show you a push up exercise that is so incredible that you're going to want to do them right away! What am I talking about? The decline push up exercise. Why is this exercise so cool? I'll lay it out for you. Inclined push ups strengthen the chest strengthen the triceps strengthen the core build endurance build stamina are fun to do But you need to know how to do them first. That's what I'm going to talk about next. How To Perform Decline Push Up You'll need a flat bench or a chair for this exercise. Place your palms on the floor spaced shoulder width apart. Next, put your feet on the bench. This puts you at an incline and makes your upper body work harder. Now, lower your chest to the floor then push yourself back up again. Make sure that your back is straight and your abs tight. Go for ten reps, rest then go for ten more. Perform five sets of inclined push ups and then you're done. If you're good at push ups increase the reps and/or sets. This is an advanced exercise that will do a lot for your chest, triceps and abs. Maintaining alignment also helps your stabilizer muscles, too, in this instance your legs. The fun thing about push ups is that you can mix things up. You can perform inclined triangle push ups just to make the exercise even more exciting. Declined push ups are ideal for developing upper body strength, particularly in the chest. Add them in with your bench press exercises. As a matter of fact, the inclined push up is a lot like the inclined bench press only a lot safer because it doesn't put the undue strain on your shoulder muscles that then bench will. So now that I've shown you how to do declined push ups, it's up to you to do them. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and do them! And remember to be safe and have fun! "How To Do Decline Push Ups For A Great Chest Workout: A Challenging Push Up Exercise That You Will Love" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Triangle Push Ups For A Great Chest Workout

A Very Powerful Exercise For The Upper Body by healthy_blogging Just because you can't make it to the gym (or don't have a membership) is no excuse for slacking off on exercises to develop a strong upper body. Why? Because you can do plenty of chest exercises including push ups. In a previous article, Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Push Ups, I talked about the regular push up exercise. It is fantastic upper body exercise, but to keep your body challenged, you must increase the number of repetitions and sets. After a while, though, you may get bored doing the same exercise again and again and again. Or your body will get used to the workout and you'll stall in strength. So how can you avoid these pitfalls? Simple. By doing a variation on the simple push up. In this article, I'm going to show you how to do the triangle push up exercise. How To Do The Triangle Push Up Kneel to the floor. Place both feet together and then fully extend your legs behind you. The balls of your feet should firmly touch the floor. Now create a triangular space with your hands by placing the tips of your index fingers together while doing the same with your thumbs. You can align your hands such that they are under your chest. Keep your body in a straight line, your abs must remain tight. Now slowly lower your chest toward your hands. Then using your chest muscles, push yourself back up to your starting position. Perform eight to ten reps for a total of five sets. After a few sets of this exercise, you should really start to feel it in your triceps. You'll notice that this exercise is a lot more difficult than the regular push up because it requires more work from these muscles. People who are in very good shape should be able to perform at least twenty-five reps without stopping. It also does a wonder for your triceps. If you are not familiar with push ups or have very little upper body strength, then you are setting up for the exercise, bend your knees. This takes a lot of the weight off the upper body and will make the exercise easier. The down side to this is that you will not be getting the full benefit of the triangle push up exercise. So after you become stronger, do the exercise with your legs fully extended. The triangle push up exercise is one of those hidden little gems: you can develop a lot of upper body strength which can carry over to your bench press workouts. So if you haven't been doing them, you're cheating yourself out of very practical exercise.  Well, that's all for this exercise. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. But none of this will do you any good, if you don't get out there and do it. So get going. "How To Do Triangle Push Ups For A Great Chest Workout: A Very Powerful Exercise For The Upper Body" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Build Massive Triceps Doing Machine Hammer Tricep Extensions

The Triceps Machine Can Really Help Your Lifts by healthy_blogging If you want to increase the amount that you can bench press, it's important to have strong triceps. In this article I'm going to discuss the hammer triceps extension exercise. This exercise is fantastic for developing larger, more powerful arms. How To Perform Hammer Triceps Extensions You'll need access to a triceps machine for this exercise. Select a weight level that will provide moderate resistance to challenge you for the workout. Sit down at the machine. Place your arms on the pads. Now grasp the handle bars in each hand. Next push the bars downward while squeezing out your triceps. Now return the handlebars to the starting position. That's one rep. I suggest performing five sets of this exercise with eight to ten repetitions per set.  As you become stronger, increase the weights by five pound increments. What are some benefits of the machine hammer tricep extensions exercise? isolated exercise with emphasis on the triceps muscle easy to learn making it a good starting exercise for beginners improves muscular endurance increases size of the triceps muscle increases muscle tone strength carryover for benching exercises This is an exercise that can be learned quickly and will produce quick gains if done properly. It can be easily done along with dumbbell triceps extensions, cable tricep extensions, cable pushdowns or skullcrushers. Give it a try and you'll see how great this exercise is! And for those of you who are interested in learning how to perform triceps extensions with free weights click on the link to read my article "Great Chest Workout: How To Do Tricep Extensions". Okay, that's all for the machine hammer triceps extension article. Now get out there and do them. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Build Massive Triceps Doing Machine Hammer Tricep Extensions: The Triceps Machine Can Really Help Your Lifts" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Inclined Bench Barbell Press

An Important Chest Exercise by healthy_blogging The inclined bench press is one of the most commonly used chest building exercises, but it is also very dangerous if not performed correctly. In this article I'm going to discuss inclined bench press technique, this will be of particular importance to novice trainers. Performing the Inclined Bench Press This exercise can be performed with dumbbells or barbell. For the purposes of this article, I will discuss the inclined bench barbell press. Check out my article "Great Chest Workouts: Hammer Grip Inclined Bench Dumbbell Press" for information about inclined bench dumbbell press exercise. You'll need an inclined bench and barbell. Lie down on the bench, make sure that your shoulder blades are firmly placed on the bench. Plant both feet on the floor, and tighten your abs. Grip the bar at shoulder width, but no wider elsewise you'll screw up your form. Now remove the bar from the rack and slowly lower it to within a few inches of adam's apple. Do NOT lower it down to your chest. I've witnessed guys who will lower the weight all the way down to their chest and press it back up again. That is a MISTAKE that could be very very dangerous and it's one that you want to avoid. When you're benching you rely heavily on your shoulder muscles. One of the worst things you can do is put undo stress on the shoulder joints. Improper form and excess weight can do a lot damage to the shoulder joint - think rotator cuff injury - which can sideline you for months at the least or cause PERMANENT injury at worst. After you have lowered the weight hold for a five second count then press the weight back up. It's also important to work with a spotter or use a Smith Machine whenever possible (especially if you are very inexperienced with weights). Perform five sets of this exercise with eight to ten reps per set. As you become stronger and add weight, you will find it difficult to get in a lot of reps, that is natural. It's common for most heavy lifters to perform four to five reps of the inclined bench press. Remember as weights and reps tend to be inversely related i.e. increasing the amount of weight will lower the number of repetitions performed. This is a great exercise for chest day, and if performed properly you will notice early gains in a matter of weeks. Okay, that's all for this article. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading.    "Great Chest Workouts: Inclined Bench Barbell Press - An Important Chest Exercise" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Hammer Grip Inclined Bench Dumbbell Press

An Exercise For The Chest

by

healthy_blogging


This exercise is fantastic for strengthening the chest muscles. And they're not so difficult to perform.

Performing the Hammer Grip Inclined Dumbbell Press

You'll need an inclined bench and a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. I recommend that you use a spotter for heavier weight lifting. Grip a dumbbell in each hand. Make sure that your palms are facing each other. Simultaneously press each weight upward. Hold for a moment than slowly lower them toward your chest. Then press them upward again. Repeat this for ten reps then rest. Do three - five sets of this exercise. The hammer grip inclined dumbbell bench press is an exercise that makes each side of the chest carry its own weight, if one side has difficulty pressing the weight up, you know that you need to devote more attention to strengthening it.

If you're a novice start out with relatively light weights but make sure to increase them in 2.5 to 5 pound increments each workout session. Remember to allow your muscles to recover and become stronger, so always allow at least 24 hours before working the same muscle group.

Enjoy your workout and keep it interesting and you'll see progress in strength and size.

That's all for this article. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading.

"Great Chest Workouts: Hammer Grip Inclined Bench Dumbbell Press: An Exercise For The Chest" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Declined Bench Barbell Press

Power to the Lower Chest by healthy_blogging If you want to develop your chest muscles, you're going to train hard. With many different exercises. If you don't think you can handle that, then take up another sport. In this article I'm going to cover the declined bench barbell press, an exercise that is very important for strengthening and sculpting the lower chest. Performing the Declined Bench Barbell Press You'll need a declined bench, weight plates and an Olympic bar for this exercise. If you're a novice, I suggest that you workout with very light weights, ask for the help of a spotter or use a Smith Machine. You'll need to position yourself under the bar. Keep your feet firmly planted on the floor. Your shoulder blades should be pressed against the bench. Now, grip the bar and slowly lower it to within one inch of your chest. Hold the position for a five second count then press the weight back up to your starting position. You've just completed one rep. Do five sets of this exercise with a total of 6-8 reps per set. You should feel a stretch in your lower chest when performing this exercise. Remember that if you're new to weight lifting, begin with light weights and increase them in weekly increments of two and a half pounds. You'll see gains right away if done correctly. I've tackled the basics of the decline bench barbell press on the Great Chest Workout website. But you won't get any stronger just sitting around reading about workouts. Now is the time to get out there and do them. So do it. "Great Chest Workout: Declined Bench Barbell Press - More Power To The Chest" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Why Dumbbells Are Important For Great Chest Workouts

Dumbbells Make You Work Harder by healthy_blogging People who work out with weights may notice that one side of the body seems stronger than the other. This causes a lot of frustration because it will screw up your symmetry and progress. Even worse you can be hurt very seriously if one side of the body can't carry its own weight (literally).  That's why dumbbell workouts should be part of any serious exercise routine. Yet, you'll see people scoff at the dumbbells and head straight for the Olympic bar. They don't even realize how important the dumbbells can be to their chest strengthening workouts. Take the barbell flat bench press, for example. If you're a newbie or haven't worked out for a long time, you might notice that it's harder to press from one side or the other. This would affect how many reps that you can successfully perform. What's happening is that progress is slowed as one side of the body has to compensate for the other side. But what can you do about it? Benefits of Dumbbell Workouts When you workout with dumbbells, you force both sides of the body to work hard. For example, if the muscles on the left side of your chest aren't developing as quickly as those on the right side, you can perform additional repetitions of the less developed muscles using dumbbells. This allows you to put more attention on those muscle groups teaching them to take the stress during exercise. The exercises should be performed with equal weight dumbbells, though, to prevent the weaker side from becoming stronger than the muscles that are further along in their development. It's important to keep in mind that some dumbbell exercises maybe more difficult to perform than others and thus you might want to get the help of a spotter. Here's a short list of some chest and shoulder exercises that can be done with dumbbells: dumbbell flat bench press dumbbell declined bench press dumbbell front arm raise dumbbell overhead press dumbbell lateral raise dumbbell pullovers hammer grip inclined dumbbell bench press It's a good idea to mix it up a bit i.e. perform barbell exercises one week and then dumbbell exercises the next, this way you keep your muscles guessing and also to help strengthen those muscles that are slower to progress. Okay, that's all for this article. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading. "Why Dumbbells Are Important For Great Chest Workouts: Dumbbells Make You Work Harder" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Shoulder Strength Is Great for the Chest by healthy_blogging Since you follow this blog, you have noticed that I write a lot about shoulder exercises. I can't stress enough the importance that overall upper body strength plays into developing a great chest. If you are deficient in one area it will impede your progress in another. Not only that, if your muscles are very weak and underdeveloped it can lead to serious injury when you get into heavier lifting exercises. So once again I'm going to present an article that focuses on building shoulder strength. In the end this will help your benching exercises immensely. How To Perform the Dumbbell Lateral Raise This exercise is designed to strengthen your upper back, neck and shoulder muscles. You'll need two dumbbells for this exercise. Grasp a medium weight dumbbell in each hand and hold them in front of your thighs. Lean forward while maintaining a slight bend in your knees. Make sure that your elbows are slightly bent. Use your shoulder muscles to raise your arms up to your sides, stop when they're at shoulder height. Now lower them to starting position. Do this for five reps to get a feel for the exercise. From there, perform eight to ten reps for a total of five sets. Increase the weights in two and a half to five pound intervals every week. The dumbbell lateral raise is one of those little gems, if you practice them regularly not only will you notice that your shoulders are stronger which helps your benching exercises you'll have good shoulder definition, too. That's all for dumbbell lateral raises. Look for more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading. "Great Chest Workouts: Dumbbell Lateral Raises - Shoulder Strength Is Great For The Chest" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Push Press Exercise

Strong Shoulders Make For A Strong Chest by healthy_blogging Have you noticed that the benefits of benching can be transferred to other lifts and vice versa? Well, they can. And in this article I'm going to talk about how the push press exercise can help strengthen your shoulders which will have direct impact on your bench press. What is the Push Press and How to Perform It? The push press is very similar to the overhead or military press. It's an exercise that places a demand on overall body strength, drawing muscles from the legs, glutes and shoulders to execute the precise move. You will need a weight bar, rack, and weight plates for this exercise. If you're less experienced you should start with just the rack and weight bar and use a spotter if possible. Make sure that the bar is racked at shoulder height.* With your palms facing outward and legs shoulder width apart, you now get under the bar. The bar must be rested on the front of your shoulders (some people prefer the bar on the back of their shoulders but this article is intended for beginners and intermediate lifters). Now you will dip so that your knees are slightly bent. Your glutes will be sticking out behind you but your chest doesn't move forward at all. This is an important note because this exercise is designed to strengthen the shoulders not the chest. The chest benefits when your shoulders are strong enough to help press weights during bench exercises. So remember to dip straight down with the weight bar across the front of your shoulders. Next you will push yourself up while pressing the weight overhead. The action involves using the muscles in your legs and glutes to propel you back to a fully standing position. This involves a lot of power. At the same time you will press the weight overhead and lock your arms out. After this you lower the weight down to the rack and begin again. Because of the energy demands of the push press, don't be surprised if you aren't able to perform more than four or five repetitions. And that's okay because even Olympic lifters don't press more than a few reps at the upper weight levels of this exercise. The push press will give your body a fantastic all around workout. And you'll see the results when benching, there will be less strain on your shoulders as you will have trained them to handle heavier loads. This, of course, will make your chest exercises more enjoyable and beneficial. Well, that's all for this discussion of the push press. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading. * Racking the weight isn't the only way to start this exercise. Experienced lifters know that the weight bar can be cleaned to the shoulders but this article is written for beginner and intermediate lifters. "Push Press Has A Role In Great Chest Workouts: Strong Shoulders Make For A Strong Chest" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell Pullovers

This Is A Stretch by healthy_blogging There are many different exercises that can work out the muscles in your chest, some maybe more familiar than others. In this article, we're going to look at what the dumbbell pullover can do for you. Performing Dumbbell Pullovers You'll need one dumbbell and a flat bench for this exercise. If you're inexperienced start out with very light weights and get the help of a spotter. You must lie flat on your back and place both feet firmly on the floor. Grip the dumbbell in your hand. If the weight is heavy you may use both hands. Slowly lower the weight down beyond your head. It would be somewhat similar to the skullcrusher but you're using a dumbbell. You should feel a stretch in your chest muscles as you lower the dumbbell. Now raise it overhead again. You've completed one rep. Perform ten reps of the exercise then take a fifteen second break and start another set. Complete a total of five sets of this exercise. There are variations on the dumbbell pullover, you can use a declined bench if you wish, this will allow for more stretching of the chest muscles. This is a good way to get in a chest workout on light chest days (as can be the case when you wish to deload) or when the barbell bench press station isn't available. That's all for this article. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading. "Dumbbell Pullovers For A Great Chest Workout: This Is A Stretch" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Why Women Should Do Great Chest Workouts

Women Also Benefit From A Great Body

by healthy_blogging

Men are not the only ones who should be mindful of good health. Women will also benefit from regular exercise because it improves posture, strength, confidence and physical attractiveness. Women often shy away from weight training because they worry that it will cause them to become bulky and unattractive. But they are mistaken. Women bodybuilders who have been training for many years at two workouts per day, don't even build up as much muscle as their male counterparts. This is because women don't normally produce high amounts of testosterone, a hormone that plays a crucial role in muscle building. So it's even less likely that women who weight train two or three times a week will be able to bulk up either.

Why Should Women Workout?

Women should exercise because it improves health, confidence, posture and sex appeal. Toned, sculpted bodies are sexy. When women exercise and tone their chest muscles, it helps to make the breasts look larger. And it helps to keep them from sagging. And since muscle burns up a lot of energy, a lightly muscular physique will look much slimmer and shapelier.

Is It Safe For Women To Weight Train?

Women must practice safety to the same degree as men. If you're a beginner, don't lift more weight than your body can handle. In other words, start off light and gradually increase the weight by 2.5 lb - 5 lb every week. It's also a good idea to get help from a spotter or staffer if possible.

What Are The Best Chest Exercise For Women?

Women can benefit from the same chest exercise that men do. Bench presses, push ups, cable pullovers, chest press, etc. are all exercises that will give women a great chest workout. Don't perform the same exercises every time you go to the gym. Mix up your routine, exercising different parts of the chest to allow the muscles to develop normally.

How Often Should Women Workout?

It depends on the time and goals of the individual. Women who just want to tone up and lose weight might workout two or three times a week. Female bodybuilders will exercise four or more times per week. Regardless of your goals, it's important to always allow at least twenty four hours between workouts to prevent injury and allow the muscles to become stronger.

Well, that's all for this article. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading.

"Great Chest Workouts For Women- Women Also Benefit From A Great Body" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Listing The Advantages and Disadvantages Of Free Weights Or Machines For A Great Chest Workout

Which Is The Best For You?

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healthy_blogging



Depending on who you ask, there will be a number of opinions about whether free weights are better than machines and vice versa. If you're a serious trainer, which of these methods is going to help you to become bigger and stronger? In this article I'm going to enter the debate and offer my thoughts about both training tools.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Machines

If you're a newbie or someone who works out for fun in your spare time, machines might be your best option. Machines cost more than free weights but they're durable. Not only that, machines are much safer than free weights. This is particularly important if you're inexperienced, have an injury or some physical condition that may limit your ability to work out intensely. The down side to machines is that they tend to be much more expensive than machines especially if you're looking at a total gym. Moreover, if you're using resistance bands, they wear out over time and must be replaced often times at cost to you. Machines also limit your range of motion, your movements are restricted by the design of the machine. And this does not mimic the natural movement your muscles are likely to experience. However, they are still effective in helping people to get into shape.


Advantages and Disadvantages of Free Weights

If you're a serious strength trainer, body builder or weight lifter, free weights are probably going to be your best option. Free weights are very durable, less expensive than machines and they stimulate fast muscle growth. Free weights allow you to go through a full range of motion which is what you would experience in many natural situations. You can make significant gains at a much faster rate when compared to machines, because you can add on weight plates much easier than you would resistance bands. The weight plates are also much more durable than resistance bands which are likely to tear or otherwise wear out. The primary disadvantage of free weights is safety. If you're a novice it is best to work out with light weights. You must be more mindful of form when using free weights and there is a greater chance of physical injury if you move improperly or drop the weights on your body. However, free weights are very very effective in promoting muscle growth and strength, so if you practice your form then you will become more experienced with their use.

So which is better free weights or machines? It depends on you. What are your goals? If you want to develop a powerful and muscular physique then free weights is the way to go. It's also not a bad idea to work out with both free weights and machines if you have access to both forms of equipment. It's all about becoming bigger, stronger and healthier and having fun while doing it.

Well, that's all for this article. Look for more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading.

"Free Weights or Machines For A Great Chest Workout - Which Is The Best For You?" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Close Grip Flat Bench Barbell Press

An exercise that strengthens the chest and triceps

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healthy_blogging


Bench presses are among the most popular upper body strengthening exercises you can do. And it is very useful for developing your triceps, shoulders and a great chest. Today I'm going to discuss how the bench press can help make your triceps stronger.

Performing the Close Grip Flat Bench Barbell Press

The set up is basically the same as with the regular flat bench barbell press. The only difference is that you are positioning your hands closer together when you grip the bar. Lie flat on your back. Keep your feet firmly planted on the floor. Make sure that your back is slightly arched, abs tight and your shoulder blades pressed into the bench. Now lift the bar. Slowly lower it to within a few inches of your chest then press the weight back up again. Do five sets of this exercise for a total of 6 - 8 repetitions per set. You'll notice that there is more emphasis placed on your triceps when performing the close grip flat bench barbell press. This becomes useful as you work your way up on the regular flat bench exercise. Always remember to lift only that which you are able to safely handle.

Well, that's all for this article. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading.

"Great Chest Workout: Close Grip Flat Bench - An exercise that strengthens the chest and triceps " copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.