Monday, October 25, 2010

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Proper Form Gets You Proper Results

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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.


Monday, October 18, 2010

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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Monday, October 11, 2010

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Upright Barbell Rows


The Barbell Vertical Row Is A Compound Lift For The Upper Body

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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.

Monday, October 4, 2010

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.