How To Do One Hand Push Ups

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Push ups are great for developing the chest and upper body. In the latest installment of my push ups series, I'm going to introduce you to the one hand push up. It's one of the best body weight exercise you'll ever learn. One hand push ups are important because they:

• strengthen your chest muscles
• strengthen your biceps
• strengthen your triceps
• strengthen your core
• teach balance and coordination
• don't require any equipment

Rocky Balboa showed the world just how challenging one arm push ups can be. The exercise isn't for the feint of heart, but once you've mastered them you'll be very pleased with yourself.

Let's get started.

How To Do One Arm Push Ups

You shouldn't attempt this exercise until you've mastered the basic push up.  For one arm push ups you'll need a horizontal surface and space to workout. Get down on the floor. Make sure that your feet are slightly more than shoulder width apart. Place your right hand on the floor, palm down. Your hand will be positioned away from the rest of your body.  Balance is the key to successful one arm push ups. Support your weight on the balls of your feet. Lower yourself toward the floor. Twist your torso in the direction of your arm. You can shift the weight on your feet away from your pushing arm. This allows you to maintain balance. Now push yourself back up. You must keep your body tight throughout the exercise. If your core is weak, you won't be able to maintain balance. I usually recommend a specific number of reps and sets when showing you how to do a given exercise. In the case of one arm push ups, I suggest that you go for ten reps per arm, because one arm push ups require a lot of upper body strength, you should start to feel it by the time you finish your fourth rep.

One arm push ups (sometimes referred to as "one arm press ups") are intense for developing your chest and triceps. It's also good for training the weaker side of your body. For example, if your bench press is lagging because one side of your chest or arm is weaker than the other, one hand push ups can be very effective in strengthening them.

Body weight exercises are convenient because they don't require any extra equipment and can be done just about anywhere which is great for times when you can't make it to the gym or don't have a membership. The best way to get good at one arm push ups is to practice, practice and practice some more. When you see how strong, you've become you'll realize that all the hard work was worth it.

Yeasayer's song "Ambling Alps" talks about overcoming obstacles and becoming a better man. Do you want to become stronger, healthier and more confident? It takes hard work and dedication to get from where you are now to where you want to be. That means sticking up for your goals to become the person that you want to be. If you want it, then go get it. Now.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do One Hand Push Ups" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do The Standing Barbell One Arm Chest Press

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Today I'm going to show you an incredibly effective body strengthening compound exercise. Compound exercises are popular in athletics because they train multiple muscle groups simultaneously thereby accelerating muscular strength and growth. The standing barbell one arm chest press exercise I'm going to show you is useful because it:

• strengthens your pecs
• strengthens your shoulders
• strengthens your triceps
• strengthens your biceps
• strengthens your back
• strengthens your core
  

It's an exercise which you won't find in many gyms, but is definitely one that you should add to your weight lifting arsenal.

How To Do The Standing One Arm Chest Press With Barbell

You'll need an Olympic bar and weight plates for this exercise. Always start out with a warm up set because this will help your body acclimate to the exercise and help you to develop proper form. Place the bar on the floor with one end perpendicular to the wall (it must be touching the wall). Add a ten pound weight plate to the end closest to you. Next, raise the bar (with weight plate) until it's at a 135 degree angle. Secure your body weight on your forward leg (in this set it should be your right leg) while simultaneously holding the bar with your right hand. Now, use your chest muscles to press the bar away from your body until your arm is fully extended (for many people this would be a 120 angle). Next, pull your arm back toward your chest; that's one rep. Repeat this action nine more times. After finishing up ten reps with your right arm, place your body weight on your left leg. Grasp the bar with your left arm and repeat the steps above for a total of ten reps.

Once you've completed your warm up set, add more weight. You want to perform four to six reps per set for a total of five sets. To develop strength more efficiently, add five pounds in weekly increments. This exercise will build a considerable amount of upper body strength - you're pressing the weight of the bar plus the plate. The standing one arm barbell chest press is a great workout for the chest and whole body. It won't take very long before you see carry over to your bench press and other upper body exercises.

Nick Drake's got a fantastic song about a guy who kept going on about what he could have been. He regretted everything because he never took action. Hesitation was his defeat. You're reading this blog because you want a stronger, healthier body. Do something about it. Get off the computer and start working out. Now is the time.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do The Standing Barbell One Arm Chest Press" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Inclined Bench Barbell Rows

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There are many ways to use rowing exercises to strengthen your back and core muscles. Today I'm going to show you how to do the inclined barbell row exercise. This exercise has many benefits including:

• strengthens your back
• strengthens your shoulders
• strengthens your chest

How To Do Inclined Bench Barbell Rows

You'll need access to an inclined bench and barbells or an inclined barbell row station (otherwise referred to as an inclined lever row machine) to perform this exercise. This article will focus on using an incline row lever machine). Start out with a warm up set. Place a 45 pound plate on the machine. The bench must be positioned between 30 - 45 degrees for proper execution of the exercise. Lie down on the bench with your feet at its lower end. Grasp the bar (or handle grips) using an overhand grip and slowly pull it toward your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement. Now lower the handle grips to the starting position. That's one repetition. Perform nine more reps, this gives you a feel for the exercise and primes you for heavier lifting. Now add more weight. Strength trainers should aim for 4 - 6 reps per set, for a total of five sets.

Each week increase the weight amount in twenty-five to forty-five pound increments. If you just want to tone up, then use light weights and perform 12 - 15 reps for a total of five sets without increasing the weight amount each week.

The inclined barbell row is a fairly easy exercise for beginners and people who don't have a lot of lower back strength primarily because the bench is going to support your weight. As you become stronger, you'll be less prone to lower back problems. You'll also have added strength in your upper arms and shoulders which will have carryover advantages to your bench press.

Nickelback has a great song about living each day as if it was your last. The main point of the song is getting involved in life instead of sitting on the sidelines. If you don't like the way your body looks, if you're thin and want to put on muscle or overweight and want to get into shape, then do something about it. Make exercise a regular part of your life, you'll feel better for it. You'll become stronger, more confident and self-aware. Get started now. You'll be glad you did.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Inclined Barbell Rows" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Bench Crunches

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Do you want tight abs? Sure you do. Well, the only way to get them is to train them (likewise, the only way that anyone will be able to see them is when you have low body fat). Today, I'm going to show you how to do bench crunches. This is a simple abs exercise that you can do at home, the gym or just about anywhere. 

How To Do Bench Crunches

You'll need a bench or chair for this exercise. Sit down on the edge of the bench and fully extend your legs. Allow one inch between the heels of your feet and the floor. Now grasp the sides of the bench with both hands. Pull your legs in toward your chest, bending your knees as you bring them in close. Now extend your legs again. That's one rep. Do a total of one hundred reps to get the most benefit out of bench crunches. You can split these into multiple sets performing ten to fifteen reps at a time. If you're in good shape you should be able to finish them in no more than two sets. You can also increase the difficulty of the exercise by holding a dumbbell in each hand. This will give your shoulders and wrists a bit of a workout, too. You should incorporate ab exercises into your regular routine because their enormous benefits including:

• strong core
• good posture
• increases your height 

When you have strong abs you can deadlift and squat more weight. On top of this, strong abdominal muscles are less prone to back problems. This is very important for guys who spend a lot of time sitting at an office desk or in the classroom. So don't put them off. They're important, so do them.

Foo Fighters has an amazing song about people getting the best of other people. Are you letting life get away from you? Are you doing everything that you can to be in the best shape possible? If you're not getting the best out of life, you're letting life get the best of you. Stick around for more articles on Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts.

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

How To Do Two Arm Dumbbell Rows

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I've devoted a lot of time to rowing because these exercises are essential to any serious strength training program. Your progress will stall if you don't develop whole body strength. Last week, I presented barbell bent over rows. Today I'm going to show you how to do two arm dumbbell rows. This compound exercise is very similar to the barbell bent over row exercise and shares many of the same benefits including:

• strengthens and develops your back muscles
• tones and strengthens your arms
• tones and strengthens your core
• tones and strengthens your chest
• strengthens your shoulder muscles

But barbell bent over rows have a huge disadvantage because in that exercise, stronger muscle groups will compensate for the weaker ones, but using dumbbells will force every muscle to carry its own weight. Therefore, this is an exercise that you must learn so let's get started.

How To Do Two Arm Dumbbell Rows

You'll need a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. Begin with a warm up set, so grab a pair of light weight dumbbells. Use pronated grip and make sure to space your feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and lean forward until you're at a forty-five degree angle. Keep your neck and back in the same plane, arching your back could cause spinal cord injury. Pull your shoulder blades back. Now, use a rowing motion to pull the dumbbells toward your stomach then lower the dumbbells down. That's one rep. Do nine more reps to complete the warm up set.

After the warm up, choose heavier weights. If your goal is to develop strength, you need to perform 4 - 6 reps. Go for five sets and then do another exercise. If you can rowing in the 8 - 12 rep range, it means the weights are too light for you. On the other hand, if you're unable to do more than 1 or 2 reps per set, you need to use lighter weight dumbbells. (If your goal is pure body building, do high reps with lighter weights.)

In another article of the rowing series I showed you how to do dumbbell bent over rows. There are several distinctions between that exercise and the one I showed you today. First of all, the dumbbell row exercise discussed in this article requires two dumbbells not one. Second, both feet are firmly planted on the floor, in the other exercise you support part of your body weight on a bench. Third, the exercises target different muscles i.e. the one arm dumbbell bent over row hits the lats, whereas the two arm dumbbell row targets the lower back.

Each week increase the weights while keeping the number of reps and sets the same. Rows have a direct carryover to dead lifts, pull ups and chin ups all of which require tremendous back strength. They also boost testosterone production and muscle growth which will help your bench press. So stick with them. Don't overtrain because this leads to stalling and injury, but do make rowing part of your regular strength training routine.

Listen, dude, you know that you're on this blog to learn about strength training and weight lifting. Well, summer's here. It gets me to thinking about a song about time. Don't let time slip away, and miss out on opportunities to become stronger and to get into shape. You can't play it cold and expect good results. Stop dreaming about what you want to do. Just DO. Now.

"Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Two Arm Dumbbell Rows" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Barbell Bent Over Rows

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Rows are among the best compound exercises you'll ever do. In a previous post, I showed you how to do dumbbell bent over rows. Now I'm going to show you to do the exercise with a barbell. The barbell bent over row is very important because it:

• strengthens and develops your back muscles
• tones and strengthens your core
• tones and strengthens your shoulders
• tones and strengthens your arms
• strengthens and develops your chest
  

The bent over row with barbells is the big cousin of the exercise with dumbbells and is essential to the continued progression of any strength training workout. So now, let's get started.

How To Do Barbell Bent Over Rows

You'll need a barbell for this exercise, you can choose from either the fixed or Olympic barbells, but the exercise becomes more challenging (and thus better) if you use the Olympic bar, so we're going to focus on the Olympic bar for this very reason. It's always important to start out with a warm up set, this helps loosen up your muscles and prime them for the exercise. Add some weight to the bar - just enough for a warm up set (e.g. sixty pounds). Now, pick of the bar using a pronated grip (palms facing you); you can use either shoulder width (for more core development) or wide grip (greater emphasis on shoulders, chest and upper back).

The next thing that you must do is bend your knees. Now lean forward until you're at a 45 degree angle. Do not arch your back, this could do severe damage to your spine. Make sure that your head and back are correctly aligned. Using a rowing motion to pull the bar toward your stomach. Now lower the bar to your starting position. That's one repetition. Do nine more then add more weight. You'll want to add enough to provide resistance but not to the point that you won't be able to perform the exercise. In other words, the weight amount should allow for four to six repetitions per set; after five sets of this exercise you can do something else. Each week add twenty pounds while keeping the number of reps and sets consistent.

The barbell row takes a little time to learn, but once you've mastered it, you'll experience fantastic strength gains.

Some of you are taking classes this summer. Have you found the right balance between studying and exercise? Increased mental awareness is correlated with physical exercise. Make time for both of them.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do The Barbell Bent Over Row" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Side Step Push Ups

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The more you challenge yourself the stronger you become. Today I'm going to show you the most intensely challenging push ups exercise to date in my push ups series. This exercise is very important to strength training because it combines horizontal and vertical motion. Once you've done one set of this type of push up, you'll know that you've had a great chest and whole body workout.

How To Do Side Step Push Ups

Push ups are body weight exercises so the only thing you'll need is a flat horizontal surface with enough area to move around in. Extend your legs behind you, you'll support part of your weight on the balls of your feet (keep your feet close together). Place both palms face down on the floor, making sure that they are shoulder width apart. Tighten your abs and keep your back straight, you must not arch your back at anytime during this exercise. Now, lower your chest to within one inch of the floor then press yourself back up to your starting position. Now comes the challenging part of the exercise: while holding in this position (upper body supporting most of your weight), move your left palm arm until it is directly next to the right palm. Now move your right palm one space to the right. Next move your right leg one space to the right. Then move your left leg one space to the right until there is little space between both feet. That completes one full repetition of the push up side step exercise.

Depending on how much space is available, do five step push ups moving to the right and then five step push ups toward the left. This push ups variation is harder than others because you have to learn to coordinate your movements in three dimensions (up, down and to either side). It's a very useful exercise with many strength training and conditioning benefits including:

• strong biceps
• strong shoulders
• strong triceps
• strong chest
• strong abdominals
• strong upper back
• teaches coordination between arms and legs   

Side step push ups will take a little time to master. If you have underdeveloped upper body strength or tire easily, limit yourself to one set. Each week add another set while keeping the number of reps the same. Once you're in good physical condition you should be doing at least five sets (or 50 reps) of side step push ups.

Summer's here now. Are you going to spend it moping around with downcast eyes and feeling sorry for yourself because you're out of shape? Don't hide out in your room all day sitting around playing video games on your computer, get out into the sun! So what if you don't have a gym membership or equipment! You don't have any excuses now. Push ups are an excellent body weight exercise because you don't have to go out and buy any equipment, and they can be done just about anywhere. Turn off the computer or the TV and workout! Now is the time, guys.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Step Push Ups" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.