How To Do The Seated Barbell Shoulder Press (Even If You've Never Lifted Weights In Your Life)

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You want wider shoulders, what guy doesn't? Today I'm going to show you how to develop them by doing a remarkable barbell exercise. Some of the benefits of the barbell shoulder press include:

• wider shoulders
• larger chest
• strong core

Today, you're going to learn how this compound exercise is done.

How To Do Seated Barbell Shoulder Press
You'll need an Olympic bar and seated shoulder press station or squat rack and a bench for this exercise. You're going to start out with a warm up set so add a ten pound weight to each end of the Olympic bar. Place the barbell on the rungs above your head. Reach up and use a pronated grip (palms away from you) to grasp the bar. Use a wide grip because this will make your shoulder muscles do most of the work.

Now lift the bar from the rungs and extend your arms above your head until they lockout. Next, lower the barbell toward your chest. Hold for a two second count then press the weight above your head until your arms lockout. That's one rep. Breathe normally throughout the exercise, exhale as you lower the bar and inhale before you press it up. Do ten reps then stop.

Get up from the bench and grab more weight. You want to add enough weight to achieve four to six reps per set (to increase muscular strength) without fatigue. Use a spotter if possible, this is to minimize your chances of injury. To develop size and strength you need to perform four to six reps for a total of three sets. This is a slow progression exercise, meaning that it will take most of you longer to develop enough strength to press heavier weights. Normally, you should increase them amount you lift in ten pound monthly increments.

The seated barbell shoulder press is an advanced version of the seated dumbbell shoulder press but can lead to faster strength gains because you'll be pressing more weight.

The barbell shoulder press will stimulate the release of testosterone causing your become stronger and increasing the size of your muscles. If you dedicate yourself to this exercise, you'll definitely see results.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do The Seated Barbell Shoulder Press (Even If You've Never Lifted Weights In Your Life)" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do The Horizontal Stomach Vacuum Exercise

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Last week I showed you how to do the kneeling stomach vacuum exercise. Today I'm going to show you another way to do this abdominal exercise. I can never overemphasize the importance of developing strong abs. Abdominal muscles should be trained at least twice a week because they're necessary for back support, posture and aesthetics. But what are you gonna do if you're studying for final exams or heading home for vacation? That's where the horizontal stomach vacuums come in. And now you're going to learn how to do them.

How To Do Horizontal Stomach Vacuum Exercise

Lie down on your back on a flat, horizontal surface. Exhale, pushing all of the air from your lungs. Tighten your abdominal muscles, pulling your transverse abdominis toward your spine. Keep them tightened for thirty seconds then ease up. Rest for a twenty seconds then do it again. Do this exercise five times, holding your abs in for thirty seconds each time.

This isometric exercise will develop your inner abdominal muscles, building up the muscle and preventing the appearance of a drooping stomach. Training your abs on a regular basis and cutting body fat will give you strong, flat abs.

That's it for now. We'll see you back here next week.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do The Horizontal Stomach Vacuum Exercise" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do The Kneeling Stomach Vacuum Exercise

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Last week I showed you how to do the stomach plank abdominal exercise. Today, I'm going to show you how to do stomach vacuums. This ab strengthening exercise is easy to learn and is a great way to get in a quick workout when you can't make it to the gym.

How To Do Kneeling Stomach Vacuums

The only equipment that you'll need is a flat horizontal surface in a low foot traffic area so that you won't be interrupted while working out. Get down on your hands and knees. Exhale all the air from your lungs. Now tighten your abdominal muscles, drawing them toward your spine. This isometric contraction (action performed in a non-moving position) will strengthen your transverse abdominal muscle which, if performed correctly, will help give you stronger abs. Once your muscles are contracted, hold them in for thirty seconds, then allow them to relax. Wait thirty seconds then repeat the exercise. Do this for a total of ten reps than stop.

The stomach vacuum exercise is the secret to the rock hard abs that professional body builders and action stars are known for. You need to perform them in conjunction with other ab exercises e.g. planks, hanging obliques, etc. as well as cutting body fat (by doing cardio and maintaining good nutrition habits) will ensure that your hard work pays off with a well defined six pack.

When finals are keeping you from getting to the gym, the kneeling stomach vacuum is an easy exercise to fit into your busy schedule.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do The Kneeling Stomach Vacuum Exercise" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Stomach Planks

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Allright, here's the situation: hitting the books during the last leg of the fall semester has you nailed down to your desk all day long. But you also need to do some exercises. So today I'm going to show you stomach planks. This exercise has many benefits including:

• strong abdominal muscles
• improves posture
• easy to learn

This simple exercise can be done at the start of your day, so let's get started with them.

How To Do The Stomach Plank Exercise

The only thing that you need for this exercise is a flat, horizontal surface that is free of foot traffic. Lie face down on the floor. Your body weight's going to be supported on your elbows and the balls of your feet. Make sure that your body is in perfectly aligned i.e. don't arch your back or dip your stomach toward the floor. Now tighten your abdominal muscles. Tighten them as much as you can and hold this position for a thirty second count. Now relax your muscles. Take a twenty second break then tighten your ab muscles for another thirty seconds. You should begin to feel the effects in your gut after three repetitions. Repeat this until you've completed ten planks and then you're done.

Do you need some advice for getting into shape after stuffing yourself during Thanksgiving break? No problem! Check out the articles on this blog for weight lifting and fitness tips.

"Great Chest and Whole Bod Workouts: How To Do Stomach Planks" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Weighted Step Ups

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Today I'm going to show you how to do steps ups which are very useful fitness exercise. Step ups are low impact plyometric exercises that build functional strength, endurance and burn body fat. Stair climbing is an example of this low impact exercise. But we're going to go one better. That's where weighted step ups come in. Some benefits of this exercise include:

• neuromuscular coordination
• enhanced grip strength
• enhanced shoulder strength
• refined core and back muscles
• strong legs

This is a must learn exercise, so get ready because we're going to get started right now.

How To Do Weighted Step Ups
You'll need a pair of dumbbells, kettlebells or buckets and aerobic steps or low flat bench for this exercise. To prime your muscles and assist with familiarization of the exercise, grab a pair of light weight dumbbells. This is the start of your warm up set. Make sure the bench or steps can support your body weight as well as those of the dumbbells. The height of the steps should be 1.5 feet - 3 feet.

Take one dumbbell in each hand and hold them at your sides. Pull your shoulders back. Now, take a breath and bring your right foot onto the platform, followed by your left. Once both feet are on the platform, step back down beginning with your right foot, then your left foot. That's one repetition. Then step up leading with your left foot, followed up by your right. Step back off the platform with your left foot leading. Once you're firmly back on the floor, you've completed your second rep. Do this for a total of ten reps. After you've completed the warm up, grab a heavier pair of dumbbells to begin the real work.
Choose weights that are heavy enough to challenge your body, but not so heavy that you'll lose balance. Perform ten reps for a total of three sets then move on to another exercise e.g. box jumps, lunges, etc. Each week increase the weights by 10 - 20 pounds.

If you perform weighted step ups on a regular basis, you'll notice improved strength and endurance. This has practical applications i.e. functional strength gains for areas such as carrying objects up and down flights of stairs, across long distances, etc. 

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

Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts How To Do Barbell Ab Rollouts

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Last week, as part of my ongoing campaign to increase your knowledge of abdominal exercises, I introduced you to knee ab rollouts. This time I'm going to show you how to do barbell ab rollouts which are a more advanced version of the previous exercise.

How To Do Barbell Ab Rollouts

You'll need an Olympic bar and a pair of weight plates (10 lb or 25 lb plates) for this exercise. Place the barbell on the floor just in front of your feet. Now bend down and grasp the bar with both hands. Make sure that your knees are slightly bent. Next, roll the barbell away from your body so that your arms are fully extended. This action positions your body parallel to the floor. Now use your abdominal muscles to reverse direction. As you roll back, you'll return to the initial position. That's one repetition. Repeat this nine more times, take a short break. That's your first set. Repeat this exercise for a total of five sets. After that you can do other exercises.

Performing ab rollouts alongside dragon flags, dumbbell side bends will help strengthen your abdominal muscles. This has many benefits including good posture, minimizes chances of back injury, and aesthetics.

Chemical Romance's "Sing It Out Loud" encourages you to be assertive, the same concept applies to physical fitness. If you want to become stronger and healthier, you've got to forge ahead even when your own body wants to quit. Keep at it and you'll see results.

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

How To Do Knee Ab Roll Outs

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Today I'm going to introduce you to the ab rollouts. Ab exercises are fantastic because they strengthen your abs which in turn improves posture and minimizes back trouble. Ab rollouts are good because they do this with the use of barbells, ab rollers, dumbbells or Swiss balls. This class of exercises is key to strength training, so now is the time to learn them.

Before we get started I want you to know something. If you're overweight and hoping this exercise is going to get you a six pack, forget it. For all your training, if you've got a lot of body fat, you won't be able to see your six pack. For people in the high body fat category, you'll need to incorporate cardio exercises into your workout routine (e.g. elliptical machine, stair climbing) to burn off the excess calories.

How To Do Knee Ab Roll Outs

You'll need a pair of flat plate dumbbells (five pounds each) for this exercise (you can also do the exercise with an ab roller). Get down on your knees and place the dumbbells on the floor just in front of you. Make sure there is approximately one centimeter space between the dumbbells. While keeping the dumbbells on the floor, grasp one in each hand. Roll outward so that your arms are extended in front of you. Now, use your ab muscles to roll the dumbbells backward until the dumbbells are touching your knees. That's one rep. Perform this exercise for twenty reps then stop for fifteen seconds. Repeat twenty more reps then go again. Take another short break and do another twenty rollouts. After you've completed three sets, you're done with this exercise.

Performing ab rollouts in conjunction with side bends, hanging obliques, bicycle crunches, etc. will give you incredibly powerful abs. This will have carryover advantages to your deadlifts, push ups, and even chin up exercises.  

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Knee Ab Rollouts" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.