How To Do Lateral Pulldowns

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healthy_blogging

One of the definitive signs of a powerful upper body is the classic "V taper". You get this look by developing the muscles in the back, shoulders and chest. We're in late March and summer is only a few months away. Many of you plan to hit the beach and want to be in the best physical shape possible. In today's video I'm going to show you how to do the lateral pulldown exercise to help you achieve the V shape. This compound exercise is good for you because it works a lot of muscles including the

• shoulders
• upper back
• biceps
  

How To Do Lateral Pulldowns

You'll need a lateral pulldown machine for this exercise. You're going to begin with a warm up set. First, adjust the weight amount at 30 pounds. Next grip the bar with your palms facing toward you. Now, sit on the mounted seat. Your knees should be secured under the mounted pads. This prevents you from swaying back and forth while exercising. Pull the bar down until it touches your chest. Now extend your arms while maintaining your grip on the bar. Perform ten repetitions at this weight level.

Now adjust the weight amount so that you can perform four to eight reps without fatigue. In this video I'm pulling 180 pounds for six reps. Note that I remain seated throughout the exercise, extending my arms and then pulling the bar toward my chest.

Perform a total of five sets of lateral pulldown exercise. On a weekly basis, increase the weight amount in ten pound increments. If you're in good shape, it should not take you long to master the lateral pulldown exercise. You can vary between wide and close grip, palms facing toward you (as in this article) or away from you. Challenge your muscles by mixing the lat pulldown exercise with pull ups and chin ups. This keeps the workouts interesting and confuses the muscles thus promoting continued strength and development.

Now that you know how to do lat pulldowns, don't waste time in front of the computer. Get to the gym and do them.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Lateral Pulldowns" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do The Leg Press Exercise

To Develop Powerful Leg Muscles
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healthy_blogging



As you've been faithfully following this blog, you know that I've posted articles about deadlifts, lunges, and squats are important for strengthening the muscles of your lower body. Today I'm adding another exercise to the list: the machine leg press. This exercise that you should add to your weight lifting arsenal because it has a lot of benefits.

Benefits of the Machine Leg Press Exercise

The leg press is a very important compound exercise because it

• strengthens the hamstrings
• strengthens glutes
• strengthens thighs
• strengthens calves
• stimulates growth hormone production

How To Do The Leg Press Exercise

You'll need a vertical machine leg press machine for this exercise. Place the back support on a position that is best for you. The first thing you need to do is warm up. Load light weight plates (e.g. 25 pounds) onto the machine. Sit down. You must have your body positioned at a ninety degree angle with your feet on the sled. Most leg press machines are equipped with safety bars that hold the sled in place. These bars are attached to handles on either side of the seat. After you're in position, push the sled upward and away from you.

Grip the bars, turning them outward, away from the machine. This allows you to perform a full range of motion when exercising. When you push the sled up make sure that you do not fully lock out your legs. Now lower the sled back to the starting position. That's one rep. Do 5 - 7 reps for your warm up set. From here add more weight, your goal is to perform at 3 - 10 reps of the leg press. After 5 set you can move to another exercise. Each week increase the weight amount by 50 - 90 pounds until you reach a level where you are unable to perform more than 1 rep. When you reach that point, decrease the weight amount.

The leg press exercise excellent for developing whole body strength and power. This power will transfer to other lifts e.g. squats, deadlifts, and bench press. So if you haven't been doing this exercise, now might be a good time to start.

"Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Leg Press Exercise" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Hanging Obliques

If You Want Strong Abs This Is An Exercise You Should Know



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healthy_blogging


When your abs are tight, it makes your whole upper body look stronger and sexier. And when you're performing heavy lifts it pays to have a powerful core. But none of this will happen for you if your abs are weak. So today I'm going to show you how to shore up your abs with hanging obliques.


How To Do Hanging Obliques

You'll need a pull up bar for this exercise. Grip the bar with both hands. Keep your feet together. Now, bend both knees and pull them toward the left side of your body. You must use your abs muscles to pull your knees up to your side. Hold for a 2 sec count then return to starting position again. That's one rep. Do it again only this time you'll bring your knees up toward the right side of your body. Star out with ten reps then stop. Do a total of five sets of hanging obliques then proceed to another exercise. After you've become stronger and to keep the exercise challenging, increase the number of reps or sets.

Here's something else that you should know: although this exercise will strengthen your ab muscles, you won't be able to see them if you have a lot of body fat. You've got to lose fat weight if you want your abs to show.

Okay, that's it for the hanging oblique exercise. Don't just dream about a healthier, stronger, sexier body make it happen. Get out there and exercise.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Hanging Obliques" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved. 

How To Do Dragon Flag Crunches

by healthy_blogging Have you got sagging abdominals? Have you been trying to tighten up your abs but can't seem to make any headway? Today I'm going to show you how to do dragon flag crunches which is a body weight exercise that will strengthen and tighten your abdominal muscles. There are lots of reasons why you need strong abs including good posture prevention of lower back problems helps with heavy lifting e.g. deadlifts improves aesthetics     If you want to strengthen and tighten your abs, then you'll definitely want to do dragon flags. And now you're going to learn how they're done. How To Do Dragon Flag Crunches This exercise is also referred to as "Rocky IV Sit Ups" because Sylvester Stallone popularized them in Rocky IV. But dragon flags are not sit ups. In fact they're crunches and are very similar to reverse planks. You'll need a flat bench for this exercise. After you've gotten the bench, lie flat on your back. Grip the underside of the flat bench with your hands. Your shoulder blades should be flat against the bench. Your legs can be extended beyond the edge of the bench. If you do this, at the low end of the exercise it will place your feet below the plane of the bench. With your legs fully extended, use your abs to pull your legs upward until you form a bow. Your feet should be over your head at the top of the exercise. Now lower your legs back to the starting position. That's one repetition. Repeat this exercise until you've done fifty reps. You don't have to finish them in one set, if you're a beginner divide them into five sets of ten reps each. If you don't feel a pulling in your ab muscles, it's because you're not doing them correctly. You do not swing your hips when doing dragon flags. Make your abs do all of the work. I'll say this to you now: this exercise will tighten your abs, which makes it easier to develop  six pack abs, but it won't make them visible. What I mean is, if you've got excess fat covering your gut, there will be no way to show your abs. You'll need to lose body fat to make your abs visible. And that means shoring up your diet. Okay, that's it for the dragon flag  crunches. They're a heck of a lot better and safer for you than sit ups which can damage your neck and spine. If you perform ab crunches on a regular basis and have a healthy diet, it won't be long before you notice positive results in your lifts, posture and appearance. So don't put them off. Get started now. "Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Dragon Flag Crunches" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.