Posts Tagged ‘Lifting’


Escape artist Alexanderia the Great is training underwater by lifting weights in this case 25 pounds barbell curls while holding her breath. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Alex does 2 sets of 15 reps with 25lbs and does 5 extra curls for a total of 35 reps underwater. The stress in lifting underwater simulates the stress she goes through when battling shackles and chains. I do know that you are not supposed to hold your breath when you lift weights but the extreme stress in apnea helps me to better handle breath holds underwater for my escapes. See more of my escapes at www.alexanderiathegreat.com

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Learn incline bench press exercises weight lifting techniques for strengthening upper chest muscles in this free weight training video program.

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Kathy Derry and Denise Paglia doing various chest exercises using dumbells and a bench

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In weight lifting, EZ-Bar narrow-grip curls improve inner bicep definition. Learn to do EZ-Bar narrow-grip curl exercises with tips from a personal trainer in this free weight lifting video. Expert: Brad Aubry Bio: Brad Aubry is CEO of VersaFit, as well as a national natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and a nutrition and fitness therapy specialist through International Sports Science Association. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

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If you look at the way many top bodybuilders, strength athletes, and Olympians train, you might get the idea that you have to spend long hours in the gym nearly every day of the week to make appreciable muscle gains. Fortunately for those of you who want to build muscle on a tight schedule, nothing could be further from the truth. When building muscle is the goal, you must stress quality over quantity. The most important thing for you to accomplish in your weight training is to provide an adequate stimulus for your muscles to grow bigger and stronger, and this can absolutely be accomplished in as little as three gym sessions per week.
Here is a 3-day weight lifting routine with one day each for pulling, pushing, and leg training. The exercises of the “pull” day work your back and biceps, those of the “push” day work your chest, shoulders, and triceps, and the movements of the “leg” day work your quads, hamstrings, abs, and calves. Go through this rotation once per week on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or similar schedule.
Pull Day:
Deadlift – Take a narrow stance, and only use straps if absolutely necessary. Unless your max deadlift is less than 315, use a belt. Work up to 1 set of 4-6 reps, and follow it with a down set of 8-10 reps.
Pull-ups – Pick any variation, and use a range of motion that brings you from a dead hang to a point where your eyes are level with the bar. Set a total rep goal, and do as many sets as it takes you to reach it. Once you are able to perform 15 reps with your body weight, start adding weight and setting new rep goals.
Barbell Row – Use a medium-width grip and straps. Work up to one set of 8-10 reps, and then perform a lighter set of 12-15. Many “experts” will tell you to use picture-perfect, text book form, but you should definitely put some swing into the movement. Just make sure your lats and traps are still doing most of the work.
Curls – Pack two variations and do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps of each. Use a slight swing in the movements, but do not let your biceps stop working.
Push Day:
Bench Press – Use a medium grip, an arched lower back, and a tight upper back for maximal strength. Work up to one set of 5 reps, and then drop down to a lighter set of 10.
Dumbbell Overhead Press – Use a range of motion from your ears to lockout. Pick a moderate weight that allows you to get the weight into position without losing too much energy. After warm-ups, perform 2 sets of 10-12 reps with the same weight.
Triceps Dips – Take a grip on the dip bars that most stresses your triceps, and dip low enough so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Do 1 weighted set of 4-6 reps, and follow it with a set of maximum reps at bodyweight.
Cable crossovers (optional) – Do a few high-reps sets of these just to pump more blood into your chest. You might want to aggressively stretch your chest afterwards.
Dumbbell Side Raises – Use a full range of motion and a slight swing. Don’t let your ego dictate your weights, but be sure not to sell yourself short, either. Many people can use more weight on this exercise than they realize. Perform 2 working sets of 15-20 reps.
Triceps Pressdowns – Use any type of attachment. Do 3-4 sets of 15-20 reps. This is your last exercise for the day, and you won’t work your triceps again for a week.
Leg Day:
Squat – Use a medium-width stance and a low bar placement on your back. Squat down to at least parallel, and use a belt to protect your lower back and keep your arch. Work up to one set of 4-6 reps, and follow it with another of 10-12 reps.
Leg Press – Place your feet as high and wide as your hips will allow you, and use as full a range of motion as possible. Perform 2 sets of 10-12 reps.
Lunges – Do these with either dumbbells or a barbell. Work up one hard set of 20 steps per leg, either walking or standing in place.
Leg Curls – Set the machine in such a way that your knees are not forced toward a hyper-extended position at the bottom of the movement. Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps.
Weighted Sit-ups – Keep the weight behind your head, and do not let your back fall all the way back to the floor for every rep. Work up to 2 sets of 10-12 reps.
Calves – Pick two exercises that allow you to use a full range of motion and a slight pause at the bottom. For each movement, perform 2 sets of 10-12 reps.
Training to Failure:
For nearly all of the exercises and rep ranges prescribed, go to positive failure. Positive failure is when you cannot complete another full rep. On some of the movements for which 3-4 sets were recommended, you may want to stop a rep or two short of failure. Overall, I have found this method of training to be the most beneficial in producing large increases in strength and size. Every time I have gravitated towards higher volume and lower intensity, I have stagnated.
Eating for Size:
Make sure you are eating 500-1000 calories MORE than you burn every day, and that 30-40% of those calories are coming from protein. No amount of stimulation in the world will make your muscles grow if you aren’t eating enough to provide them with new materials to grow.
Consistency:
Like any muscle-building plan, you should stick with this program for several months before considering a new one. Even then, do not change things up unless you have actually stopped seeing progress. As long as you eating enough to gain one half to one whole pound per week, you will almost certainly be seeing constant increases in the weights you use and the muscle mass you carry.


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Home gym with smith machine, olympic bench, body solid G5S, cable cross over, leg press, barbell, dumbells

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Other than covering up your naked butt, most of your gym attire has little impact on your training itself. The weight lifting shoes you wear however, can play a pretty significant role in the exercises you do. Just like every other sport in existence whether it is soccer, baseball, tennis, running, rock climbing etc. , there are also shoes specifically designed to provide proper support, grip and function while lifting at the gym. The weight lifting shoes you wear to weight train at the gym are designed to allow you to do your exercises at the gym better. Proper form when weight training is one of the catalysts to tremendous results. Proper form also helps to prevent injury. As part of your weight lifting gear a good pair of gym shoes will help you keep proper form and therefore are directly related to better results and fewer injuries. For the minimal investment that a good pair of gym shoes are they are more than worth it for these exact reasons. The top three benefits that shoes provide is: 1) support 2) stability 3) grip. These directly relate to three key parts of the shoe: 1) vamp / upper (this is the part of the shoe that holds it onto your foot) 2) insole (the part your foot stands on) 3) outsole (the part in direct contact with the ground). We’ll give you some tips on what to look for in these three key area’s of a gym shoe. Vamp / Upper The lacing system of a good gym shoe will begin above the ankle and continue to where your toes meet your foot. The shoe should be able to fit the whole foot snugly. We prefer shoes that incorporate two extra support straps. One that is just above the ankle for extra ankle support and another across the mid section of the foot providing additional metatarsal support. Your gym shoe should feel like it would help prevent you from rolling your ankle. The vamp / upper of the shoe should hold your foot well against the insole of the shoe. Insole The insole of your shoe is vitally important. One of the big keys to muscle conditioning and growth as well as injury prevention is proper form. The key to proper form is proper balance and the best thing you can do to help ensure proper balance is stand on a firm stable surface. It will be very hard to maintain proper balance if the surface on which you are standing is unstable. You should look for gym shoes that have a good firm sole. Air, gel and springy soles are not the ideal thing to find in a good gym shoe. The reason is that they are like strapping an unstable surface to the bottom of your foot. The last thing you need when you have 200, or 300, or maybe 400 pounds on your shoulders doing squats is an unstable foundation stuck to the bottom of your feet. Outsole The outsole is the part of the shoe that makes contact with the floor or ground and is the last truly vital part of your gym footwear. If you have great support from the vamp / upper part of your shoe and also a comfortable but firm and stable sole, what good will it provide if your shoes have awful grip on the floor? You are a disaster just waiting to happen if you are walking around your gym with slippery shoes. You should look for shoes with soles made of neoprene or crepe and with a good gripping low profile tread. Deep treads can work like the air, gel or springy kinds of shoes. Pretty simple hey? You will not regret investing in a good pair of shoes for your weight training time at the gym. Better for equals better results. The logic is inescapable.


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The following are fantastic bodyweight lifting workout routines for thin fellas who want to muscle up. A single of the most frequent errors produced by an individual attempting to muscle up is doing the completely wrong workouts or utilizing a faulty bodyweight training system.  Far more commonly, bodyweight education programs are produced for males of average construct. What you will read right here are physical exercises for skinny fellas, specifically.  We want to develop muscle tissues, if you are a thin guy-then understand on.   These exercises for skinny men emphasize functioning on the complete physique, employing compound workouts to construct up a number of muscle groups at the identical time.  Compound exercises are much more efficient in constructing muscle mass given that no muscle group is left at the rear of in the operate out. Here they are, arranged by the body part they train:  Chest– To work on the chest, do some bench presses and flat dumbbell bench presses.  These weightlifting workout routines are good methods to stimulate the mid and decrease areas of the chest.   To come back– Bent over barbell rows is one of the greater back again power workout routines. Shoulders–Seated dumb bell shoulder press and standing military press.  Press bodyweight lifting exercises are mainly intended for the development of the shoulders, secondarily for the triceps and traps.   Arms–Dips, triceps press downs and inclined bicep curls.  Compound pressing and pulling with the muscle groups in the arms will work these areas out pretty properly.   These are two fantastic exercises for thin men; they develop power, and boost muscle tone. Dead lifts in fact use the work the complete physique out and not just the hips.   Whilst some muscle groups are utilized largely to lift the fat, others function secondarily to provide stability to the body.   Reduced to come back–The very good morning physical exercise is a fat instruction physical exercise in which a barbell or two dumbbells are held on the shoulders, behind the head.  Bend forward, bowing at the hips whilst maintaining a straight back again, and then standing upright.   Calves–Standing calf raises. Abdominals–Weighted ball sit-ups and weighted cable crunches. The age old sit up and crunch physical exercises might not be ample, and they can be challenging on the back again and neck. These compound workouts for thin men operate ideal not only simply because the key muscle tissue are worked on but complete muscle groups are trained at the identical time.


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To get the best results from bench presses you should not worry too much about the actual piece of equipment as most weight lifting benches are very similar in their design and function. What you do need to understand is how to use the bench correctly to bring about positive changes in your physique in the shortest time possible. Before you begin any exercising always be certain that you warm up. It is all too easy to pull a muscle especially if you have not worked out in a while. An injury would only delay your progress, so always stretch before starting. Your grip on the rings will have an effect on your performance. A wider grip would allow the pec muscles to be stretched to a greater degree; a narrower grip would not be so effective. Always be certain to wrap your fingers completely around the grip as the consequences of accidentally releasing should not need to be explained!It is not just the up and down motion that can develop your muscles, try pushing your hands together when also gripping the rings. This will help to tone your pecs and also shoulder muscles. For the best results you should always try to keep your feet planted solidly on the ground. This allows you to have a greater stability and therefore be able to attempt a greater weight and lift. Do not support any weight on your head as this can cause you harm. It is best not to even focus on the bar. If possible concentrate your gaze across the room or ceiling. You need to be planted solidly on the bench. If the positioning of your spine is incorrect there is the risk of an injury. Your shoulders should always be kept level with each other. No matter what your age, as long as you understand how to do bench presses correctly you should easily be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Whatever your reason for wanting to build up your upper torso, understanding the correct techniques will save you a lot of energy and potentially prevent you from causing yourself any harm.


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