Thursday, June 3, 2010

Very Powerful Shoulder Exercises

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Shoulder exercises are commonly done by bodybuilders and others looking to gain bulk or definition in their upper body. These same shoulder exercises can be just as valuable to those looking to keep their body’s strong and functional or even those looking to lose weight. There are many shoulder exercises to choose from, many of which are less effective or safe. Listed below are three of the most proven shoulder exercises, along with a description of the motion and a list of equipment needed.

This exercise can be conducted with either a barbell or dumbbells. Whichever weight you use, start either standing or sitting with the weight held at eye level with you hands further than shoulder length apart. Smoothly push the weight overhead while keeping the lower back straight and steady. Do not lock the arms at the top. Then lower to original position, never letting the elbows sink to lower than a 90-degree angle. This exercise requires nothing other than the barbell and sufficient weight or dumbbells, though an adjustable weight bench and weight or dumbbell rack can be useful.

This exercises requires dumbbells. Start by sitting on a weight bench or medicine ball while holding the weights at the sides with palms facing in. With the arms slightly bent, lift both weight up and out from the body until the arms are pointing straight out to the sides roughly at shoulder level. Hold for a moment then smoothly lower to the starting position once again. It is important not to lift past the shoulder, as different muscles will then take over the exercise. The only required equipment for this exercise are dumbbells and a bench or medicine ball, though a dumbbell rack offers convenience for your home gym.

Begin by standing while holding the barbell in front of you with palms facing toward the body. Slowly bend the arms, pulling the barbell up the body to chest level. Pause then lower once more. It is important to remember to keep the wrists straight and the elbows always above the bar to target the shoulder muscles. Adjusting the handgrip will target different areas of the shoulder. The only equipment needed to perform this exercise is your chosen form of weight and a rack to keep things organized, or a weight machine with an upright row function. For more details visit http://www.soundbodytrainer.com/

Representing Very Powerful Shoulder Exercises in the website www.soundbodytrainer.com

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Elliptical trainers are low impact workout machines that build strength and endurance. Learn the benefits of using this powerful machine with tips from a personal trainer in this free video on elliptical trainers. Expert: Hank Odluski Bio: Hank Odluski has been a personal trainer for over 10 years at The Basic Gym, which is located on 1584 South Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, Calif. Filmmaker: Nili Nathan
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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The Abdominal Exercise All-stars

There are plenty of abdominal exercises out the for those who want to shape their core and strengthen their midsection. This may be both a blessing and a curse. It is easy to find plenty of exercises and routines that work the midsection, but how does one know which ones are any good? Well, listed here are what appear to be some of the best around, according to recommendations by fitness experts. If you want to work on your abdominal, but are not sure where to start, then this “all-star team” may be a good jumping off point. As with any workout routine, be sure to consult a professional before beginning and always warm up properly to avoid injury.

Crunchless Crunch

Regular crunches are great for working the rectus abdominus (the muscles at the front of your abdominal), but they do very little for the transverse abdominal muscles deeper in the midsection, plus they tend to put strain on your back and neck. This first exercise corrects that, working the transverse muscles with no back or neck strain. Essentially, it involves trying to pull the belly button in towards the spine. This can be tricky, as it involves using muscles which you may not be used to activating. To start, either lie or on your abdominal or kneel. You might want to try both ways and see which helps you feel the exercise better. Relax your body as much as possible, then try to use only the lower abdominals to move your belly button toward your spine. Hold for ten seconds. If holding for ten seconds feels easy, hold for a longer period. The goal is to hold the contraction until you either cannot feel it, or you feel other muscles working harder than the transverse abdominus. When you feel this, let the contraction out.

Hip Lift

Remain on your back for this abdominal exercise. Put your arms at your sides with palms facing up to the ceiling. Put your legs straight up in the air so that the soles of your feet are facing the ceiling and your legs make about a ninety degree angle with your torso. Keep your knees unbent and as straight as possible. Now, contract your ab muscles so that it feels like your belly button is being pulled toward your spine, while at the same time gently lifting your hips off the floor. Raise your hips to height of a few inches, keeping your legs extended straight upward. Hold this position, then slowly lower your hips back to the floor. Repeat for an entire set.

Long Arm Crunch

For this abdominal exercise, remain on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Lie back and extend your arms straight back on the floor as though you are reaching above your head. Contract your abs and slowly lift your arms, head and shoulders off the floor to about a thirty degree angle. Hold it, then slowly lower your shoulders back to the floor. Repeat for an entire set. Be careful not to lead with your arms, keeping them straight and alongside your head.

Some other honorable mentions include the vertical leg crunch, torso twists, and any Pilates routine that emphasizes the core. Feel free to research some of these exercises more once you have mastered the three above. Now that you are armed with some of the better abdominal exercises, you are on your way to a trimmer tummy!

To discover over 27 more abdominal fat loss and metabolism-boosting secrets, go to Abdominal Exercise to download a FREE report revealing the strategies of the super-lean.

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An Informative Home Gym Review

There are a few well-known manufacturers of home gyms worth mentioning. While all have their advantages and downsides, the following home fitness gyms are especially notable. The reviews will focus on the universal gyms the companies produce.

Weider Home gyms Review

The Weider Crossbar ( formerly called the Crossbow ) is a universal gym that uses strong but bendable bows to make resistance. The Weider Crossbar sells for around 0.

Pros : The Weider Crossbar is relatively inexpensive and has a good range of exercises that it may be employed for.

Gold’s gym Home gyms Review

This is a universal gym that uses flexible bows to provide resistance. The maximum resistance is 210 pounds, with an available add-on that increases the maximum to 410 pounds.

Cons : It is difficult to adjust the resistance level and the manufacturers provide poor shopper service.
Tuff Stuff Home gyms Review

The CFM-555 is the best-known home gym manufactured by Tuff Stuff.
Pros : The CFM-555 features simply operated range of motion device, a contoured seat back that is functional and comfy, and a big selection of possible exercises.

Cons : It is enormous and comparatively tough to move. There was no mention of any way to add resistance to the CFM-555.
Hoist Home gyms Review

The Hoist Multi gym H-100 is a well-regarded top-end universal gym with a recommended retail cost of 00. The Multi gym H-100 features a single weight stack.
Pros : The Multi gym H-100 is well constructed and durable. It has got a profusion of possible exercises and a sleek, space saving design.

Cons : It is expensive and there is no way to add resistance outside the single weight stack.
Marcy Home gyms Review

It has the capacity of doing over 20 different exercises. The Marcy MWM 1800 retails for about 0.

Cons : there was only a 50-pound resistance add-on discussed and the MWM is hard to assemble.

The Powerhouse PH-1300 is a mix between a universal gym and a free weight home gym. It has the set up of a universal gym, but the user has to supply the weight rack. It costs in the region of 0 plus the costs of weights.
Pros : The PH-1300 can have as much as 500 pounds added to it. It is cheap and comparatively light-weight.

Conclusion :

Any of the products discussed in the home gyms review could be a good choice for consumers looking to exercise at home. People who are looking to do light exercise could select a smaller, inexpensive and less complex home gym, while folks who are absolutely committed to build strength would be better advised to get a larger home gym with additional features. The main point to keep in mind is that there’s a home gym on the market for everybody.
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Irvin has been writing articles online for a few years now. Not only does this author specialize in diet, fitness and weight loss, you can also check out his latest website on Weider Pro Home Gym which reviews and lists the best Weider Weight System which gives you the best deals.

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How To Get Big Biceps Brachii Muscles

Getting big biceps is important if you want to have a perfect physique.  In order to work them properly, you’ll need to know the best exercises and diets to help you gain the most amount of mass.  You’ll also want to know how they work, including all the muscles in that section of the arm.

The biceps brachii actually has two heads and the brachialis under it.  These three muscles make the strongest elbow flexors in the body and are used to bring the wrist near the upper arm.  Using that motion will work the biceps the best, so curls are a fantastic way to build them up.  You have to remember, though, that there are several different types of curls and biceps exercises.  I’ll go over them below:

You can alternate your grip when you do curls.  Depending on the grip you take, you can isolate the biceps brachii, the brachialis, or the brachioradialis.  Using a supinated grip, with your hands facing your body, will allow you to work the actual biceps the most effectively.  A pronated grip, then, will work the brachioradialis (forearm muscle) and the brachialis (muscle under the bicep).  

There are also other ways that you can hit the biceps effectively.  Consider, for example, the incline dumbbell curl.  This is a great exercise because you get a greater range of motion, since the muscles start in a slightly stretched postion.  If you curl out to the side with this, you’ll isolate the outer head of the biceps as well.  These are great because it’s almost impossible to cheat on them due to the incline and will therefore give you the best possible biceps exercise.  Other exercises that work well for the biceps are cable rows and pull ups.  While these are primarily back exercises, you’ll hit your arms pretty hard too.

If you want to get big biceps, though, you’ll also want to make sure that you get plenty of protein in your diet.  Protein is important because it’s what the body uses to repair your muscles after a hard workout.  If you don’t eat enough of it then you won’t get very far from working out.  You could actually enter a state of perpetual exhaustion in which you don’t consume enough nutrients to repair your muscles and you experience atrophy as you continue to work out.

If you want to learn more about getting huge muscles, you should check out Vince DelMonte’s “No Nonsense Muscle Building”

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Question by Nafe: Loss Of Hearing After Doing weights !?
When Im at the gym I do Cardio and “weight machines”. Im fine after doing cardio like treadmill, bicycle and rowing – but when I do the “weight machines” straight afterwards I sometimes partialy lose my hearing . ( I can still hear but its like I have cotton wool in my ears ) not the feeling of cotton wool but like the feeling of being blocked. I think this might be down to me not breathing properly when doing the machines but Im not sure . Any answers would be appreciated , thanks .

Best answer:

Answer by darlin12009
start breathing properly, if the situation does not clear, get checked at the doctors soon..

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

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Learn how to do crunches and abdominal exercises from an expert in this free fitness video on abdominal exercises. Expert: Katie Bowers Bio: Katie Bowers is a nationally certified fitness instructor and personal trainer with over 8 years experience. Being a dancer and a former gymnast, she knows how important stretching is for muscles. Filmmaker: Louis Nathan

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Fox’s Glazer Straddles Jobs as N.F.L. Reporter and Trainer
Since Jay Glazer reports on some of the same players and teams who pay him for his training expertise, questions have been raised about how he balances his competing interests.
Read more on New York Times

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3159198202 3f52aff5d0 m How To Build Bigger Biceps
by marj k

How To Build Bigger Biceps

How to Build Bigger Biceps – Just a simple change to your Biceps Workouts

I don’t know about you but the longer I train the more I wish there were things I could do to shorten a workout. Just a few simple changes to any workout can improve the efficiency and speed of it. This secret training tip will shave minutes of those routine biceps exercises and will begin building bigger biceps.

The incline Dumbbell curl is one of the routine biceps workouts, and is the example that I am going to share with you today. It is common knowledge that the incline dumbbell curl is one of the most effective biceps exercises you can do, as it puts an enormous stretch on the bottom of the bicep muscles and it’s key to building bigger biceps.

The normal way of doing a very effective biceps workout by the way is lying back on the bench, letting your arms hang down beside you then curling the dumbbells up to the highest position. This is the normal style and has been tried and tested for years, there is nothing wrong with it, but it can be improved with just a few tiny adjustments, and your not reading this article because you want normal results are you?

So here’s the technique on How to Build Bigger Biceps using the Incline bicep curl…..

Right…..Instead of sitting right back on the incline bench as you would do normally, you are going to pick up your dumbbells first of all, then your going to straddle the incline bench. Once in that standing position, move your butt all the way onto the incline bench. The sit on the incline face of the bench and set your feet on the seat of the bench with your knees bent.

You with me so far?…..Now, the top end of the bench should be in line with your shoulder blades or just below. Now arch your back over the back over the top end of the bench as though you were trying wrap your back over and around the bench end if that doesn’t sound too painful…Trust me it’s fine icon wink How To Build Bigger Biceps Then turn your palms forward throughout the exercise for maximum results. In this bottom position, you should feel an increased stretch on the biceps beyond what you normally get with the incline bicep curl.

Now…the reason behind the increased stretch on the biceps comes from the actual position of the chest and the shoulders. When you’re in a standard position doing the incline bench curl, your shoulders are over-lapping your chest which doesn’t allow your chest to fully open. Don’t get me wrong you still get a pretty good stretch doing it this way but you don’t get the maximum stretch, which is the absolute key to performing this exercise to it’s best.

When your shoulders are off the top end of the bench and are not supported, the weight of the dumbbells pulls the shoulders back down, allowing the chest to open more and create a larger stretch on the bicep muscles.

Perform this exercise as you would normally do on an Incline Dumbbell Curl. Start off with the normal squeeze of the biceps, lift all the way to the top of the movement, doing your best to keep the upper arms vertical, then hold it for a second at the top.

Here’s the big secret…On the way back down I want you to keep your palms faced outwards, keep them facing forwards all the way down to the bottom of the movement. This is the most important part of the exercise and is were you will feel the most benefit. Make sure you lower the dumbbells under a complete smooth action, and for an extra shot of tension on the biceps, try pushing your elbows forward ad you lower the dumbbells. To do this you need to imagine that your trying to push a button with your biceps – it takes quite a bit of patience and persistence as it can be very hard to get right, but it definitely worth your while if you can master it.

Now…when you lower the dumbbells to the very bottom of the movement, you should let the dumbbells pull and stretch your shoulders backwards and down, therefore opening up the chest and creating much more tension on the biceps. This negative part of the movement together with the increased stretch caused by your bodies positioning will lead to AWESOME muscle building potential.

You must take advantage of this tip and put it into practice as soon as you can, just remember not to lose the stretch and tension in your biceps. As you feel the stretch curl up again with same exact movement as last time. This exercise is a lot more strenuous on the muscles so make sure you start off with lighter weights than you would like to use at first. Applying the stretch like this alleviates the need for a heavier weight and just comes to show that it’s not how much you lift it’s how.

For more secret training tips visit bodybuilding tips and look at all the free bodybuilding tips to grow bigger

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Thinking of Buying an Elliptical Cross Trainer?

If you are considering buying an elliptical cross trainer for your home gym you need to do a little research first. Many of us buy the first thing we see, especially when making an impulsive purchase or we want the product as soon as possible. However, if you want to get real value for money and more importantly achieve noticeable results you may find the following advice to be quite helpful.

Firstly, consider the size of the machine in comparison with the location in which you will use it. Generally, elliptical cross trainers are bulky in size and are not easy to store away.  If you are buying mail order, where you physically cannot gauge the size of the item you should take time to read the measurements provided by the retailer. Once you have these measurements check out if you have enough space to locate the trainer.

The second factor to consider is the price. There are numerous suppliers selling home gym equipment and the trick is to find a retailer who can offer you a quality product for a reasonable price. Don’t be fooled by gimmicks or celebrity endorsements.  Adding a celebrity name to a product usually just increases the price, not the overall quality!
When buying a machine such as an elliptical cross trainer seek out a specialist retailer. They are more likely to have higher quality products than high street retailers or mass market mail order companies (who often compete on price alone). Not only will a specialist retailer be able to offer a quality product, but they will also be able to offer you advice before you buy and guidance on how to use your product once you have got it home. Many will welcome your questions as they will want you to buy the product that is right for you. Discuss with the retailer what you actually want to achieve from your cross trainer. For example if you want to improve upper body strength and definition your retailer will be able to guide you to the product which can provide the most resistance in this area. A specialist retailer is also more likely to provide you with a warranty and after sale care service should anything go wrong with your purchase.

Once you have chosen your elliptical trainer consider the delivery method. Do you need to collect it from the store (in which case you need to ensure you have a vehicle large enough to accommodate such a machine)? Alternatively, if you have bought the product from a specialist retailer online do they offer free home delivery? The cost of home delivery can be hidden until you reach the checkout and on such a heavy item you may be surprised with the charges many retailers will impose. You need to ask if you are still getting good value for money based on the overall, delivered cost of the item. Also, enquire about in-home delivery before making your purchase. Will the delivery company simply leave the item on your door-set or are they happy to deliver it to the room of your choice? On top of this service a select number of retailers will actually ask if you would like the delivery person to unpack and build your cross trainer so it is ready to be used. With such a heavy item this is a great benefit.

Once the cross trainer is installed in your home you need to focus on the most important factor of all – you need to use it! Too many of us invest in home gym equipment, only to leave it gathering dust just a couple of months after delivery.

Author Mark Woodcock is a Webmaster of a wide variety of online specialty shops including a very popular site offering Elliptical Cross Trainers and Fitness Equipment. Visit http://www.orbus-leisure.com/ today.

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