Hello,
I am seeing if someone could point me in the right direction of information, or does someone have a workout schedule of a list of both excercises and weight training so that those who have limited time for the gym can get the most out it. Like for instance chest excercise... is it neccesary to incline, flat bench, decline...) or is there a good excersise that will target and give the entire target muscles in the chest a decent workout, ( since time is a concern)

Also, I am getting good results and growth on upper body...but I take after my father with these bird legs I sport around. How do I need to address this as far as routine .

any direction from the experience is greatly appreciated.

thanks a mill,
big red

Reading about this. Has anyone tried it ? If so what do you think about it?

whats up guys i have a bicep question. ok so ive been putting on more and more mass as ive been bodybuilding and continue to add new muscle but just recently ive notice that my bicep is higher up which means i have a high insertion bicep. is this a bad genetical thing for bodybuilding and what most likely caused this all of a sudden? and what exercises can help build up my lower bicep?

i had looked into buying a power lung.Before i did that i was wondering if anybody knew anything about them.

Hi,

In your sport, the name of the game is strength, right? Let those bodybuilders have all the posing trunks, pro-Tan, dieting, and high-repetition sets that they want. You know that your goal isn't related to how you looking in glittery posing trunks, and you darn sure aren't concerned about what five judges in suits care about your physique. No, your goals involve lifting very heavy objects. Maybe it is the weights you like to lift. Maybe you want to find the highest total for bench press, deadlift, and squat that your body is capable of making. Or, maybe powerlifting isn't your thing, and strongman competition is. If the idea of moving a 300 pound Atlas stone over your head, or pulling a bus further than anyone else in a competition is your goal, then you certainly want more strength.

If your goal is strength, then you've probably tried every routine under the sun in your last five years of training, right? You know the basic training staples of each sport, and you've probably done them, and then some! There's a good chance you have exhausted every possible idea you have for making strength gains. At this point, your options probably include gaining a great deal more weight (placing you in a higher and therefore more competitive weight class) or resorting to anabolic steroids, which can have health risks and may violate the rules of the confederation in which you compete. Is there another way to boost your strength levels without taking these routes? Yes there is!

Isometric training is a protocol which can help you to improve your strength levels in all of the essential lifts. Defined simply, isometric lifting involves locating then executing a static hold in three different positions against an immovable object. For example, you might begin with the standard standing pectoral butterfly stretch against the cable machine. You are at full extension, and incapable of moving the rack, obviously. After holding that flex and pressing as hard as possible for 30 seconds, move to the middle range of the stretch. Add another 30 seconds of complete tension - pressing with everything you have against a weight you obviously know will not move. Finally, finish that "set" with another 30 seconds of the final locked out position.

The idea behind isometric training is that you will give the muscle an infinite workload of resistance in the three main positions of a lift in which you want to improve. It's very effective when used in conjunction with post-training stretching. You can emulate just about any lift you can imagine, simply by contorting your body against some equipment in the gym, or in your home or office, when time is short. Muscle coordination benefits tremendously, which allows for greater contraction, strength, and concentration when you're actually conducting the movements the isometric stretching was designed to mirror.

Mix isometric into your training following the three major lifts of deadlift, bench press and squats. You might just discover it allows you to break a plateau and increase your strength levels without resorting to steroid use or weight gains. Get pressing!

Barbell Extensions: This exercise is designed to isolate the medial and outer heads of the triceps. Begin this movement by lying with your back on a bench. Take a medium to close grip on a barbell. Unrack the weight and extend your arms directly above your upper chest. Lower the barbell toward your chin while keeping your upper arms motionless and your elbows turned inward. Reverse the direction by using your triceps to extend your arms to the starting position. Do not let your elbows flare out during the exercise. This movement is best performed keeping the bar away from the forehead. By keeping it closer to the chin we’re isolating those muscles that are more involved with pressing.

Barbell Extensions with Band: Same as above but with a band.

Barbell Extensions on Floor: Same as barbell extensions, but performed on the floor. Performing this movement on the floor takes the legs out of the movement, thus putting more stress on the pressing muscles.

Bench Press: The bench press should be performed with the shoulder blades pulled together and driven into the bench. The elbows should be in a tucked position. The bar should hit you in the lower chest area. It must be pushed in a straight line, not back over the face.

Close Grip Bench Press: Lay on the bench with your shoulder blades pulled together and pressed firmly into the bench. Grab the bar with a close grip; for this program you’ll want one finger on the smooth part of the bar. Begin the exercise by unracking the bar and lowering it with your elbows in a tucked position. Lower the bar to your lower chest. Keeping your elbows in a tucked position, press the bar back to the starting position.

Close Grip Incline Presses: This is your standard close grip bench press. Grab the bar with a grip one or two fingers away from the smooth part of the bar. Use good bench technique as described with the regular bench press and lower the bar to your lower chest.

Close Grip Push Downs: There are many ways to perform this exercise, but for this program we’ll use a standard straight bar. Begin the exercise with your knees slightly bent, back arched and erect with your feet shoulder width apart. You’ll also want to keep your ears aligned with your shoulders throughout the movement. Grab the bar with your hands about six inches apart. Pull the bar down to a position where the elbows are tucked against the torso. This is the starting position. Keeping the elbows in a tucked position, press the bar down toward your thighs until your arms are fully extended. After a slight pause return to the starting position.

Dumbbell Cleans: This exercise is designed to isolate the posterior deltoids and upper back. To begin, grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on the edge of a bench. Start the movement by pulling your shoulder blades up and back while at the same time cleaning the dumbbells up to a 90% flexion of the elbows.

Dumbbell Presses: Most people do dumbbell pressing the wrong way for the development of a big bench. You want to make sure you keep your palms facing each other throughout the entire movement. We want to learn to press from the lats with the elbows tucked. When you perform dumbbell presses with your palms forward, your elbows will turn out. Keep your palms in. You also want to do the presses in a ballistic fashion. Let the bells fall with a fast decent, then rebound them back to the top as fast as possible.

Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: This exercise is designed to isolate the lower heads of the inner and outer triceps. Begin by lying on a flat bench on your back. Grab two dumbbells and press them to an extended arm position with palms facing each other. Keeping the upper arm stationary, lower the dumbbell until the ends of the dumbbells hit your shoulders. At this point roll your upper arm back to stretch the triceps, then press and extend the arms back to the starting position.

Elbows Out Extensions: This is one of the best movements for the lower part of the triceps. If you ever get a chance to see a great bencher, look at the mass around the lower upper arm, right above the elbow. This is where the big benches come from, not the upper part of the tricep.
The elbows out extension is designed to bring this area up to par. To perform the movement, press the dumbbells to the starting position above your chest. You want to keep the butts of the bells together as you lower them to your chest, keeping the elbows out. Pause on your chest for a second then press and extend the bells back to the starting position making sure to keep the butts together. This movement can be performed on a flat bench or incline.

Face Pulls: This exercise is designed to work the muscles of the upper back and posterior deltoids with the use of a lat pulldown machine and a straight bar or leather tricep strap. Stand in front of the pulldown machine with your hands spaced on the bar wider than shoulder width. Stand back and pull the bar to your face while keeping your elbows flared out. Try to contract the muscles of your upper back for a couple of seconds before returning to the starting position.

5 Board Presses: Same as the 3 board press except now you’ll be using, you guessed it, five boards. This movement is a great tricep and lockout builder. You want to make sure to press the bar away from your head, i.e., towards the feet.

Floor Press: This is a special max effort exercise designed to help strengthen the midpoint of the bench press. It’s also very effective for increasing triceps strength. This exercise is performed exactly the same as the bench press except you lay on the ground instead of on a bench. Make sure to pause in the bottom of the movement before the accent. This exercise has been used with much success at Westside Barbell Club for the past seven years. Use a medium grip for this movement (pinky on the rings).

Front Plate Raise:This exercise is designed to isolate the anterior heads of the delts. Grab one weight plate with one hand on each side of the plate. In a standing or seated position raise the plate up in front of you until you can see through the hole. Pause for one second, then lower under control. Make sure to keep your body in a rigid position so you won’t cheat the weight up by using body momentum.

JM Press: This exercise is like a close grip bench press mixed with a triceps extension. Start the exercise the same way you would a close grip bench press except make sure the bar is set in a direct line above the upper pecs. If you were to run a plum line from the bar down to the upper pecs, this would be the path the bar is going to follow. Lower the bar down this line until you reach about halfway down. At this point let the bar roll back about one inch, then press the bar back up.

Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises: This is a very basic exercise designed to target the posterior deltoids. To perform this exercise grab two dumbbells and bend at the waist keeping the knees slightly bent and the back flat. Your arms will be hanging straight down from your upper chest. Turn your hands so your palms are facing your feet. Your thumbs should be facing each other.

Raise the dumbbell in an arced direction so your hands end up being slightly above shoulder level. The weights must be rising directly out to the sides for this movement to be done effectively. You can do this from a standing or seated position. We use this exercise to help balance the shoulder complex. The rear delts and external rotators are needed to help stabilize the joint, especially with the great number of pressing exercises you’ll be doing.

Reverse Grip Pushdowns: This exercise is designed to isolate the medial and outer heads of the triceps. Use the same form you do on regular pushdowns, but grab the bar with a reverse (palms up) grip, spacing your hands about ten inches apart.

Side Dumbbell Raises:This exercise is designed to isolate the medial heads of the delts. Grab two dumbbells, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, and keep your back arched and abdominals tight. Your ears, shoulders and hips should stay in alignment. With your palms facing each other, arms bent at a five degree angle and the dumbbells four inches in front of you, raise the dumbbells up and out to the sides. When you reach shoulder level, lower to the starting position.

3 Board Press: This is a special max effort exercise designed to help strengthen the lockout of the bench press. It’s also very effective in increasing triceps strength. This exercise is performed exactly the same as the bench press except you pause the barbell on a board that’s placed on your chest. The board for this workout will be three "2 x 6" boards about twelve inches in length. Make sure to pause the bar on the boards before the ascent.

Ultra Wides:The ultra wide bench press is performed the same as the regular bench press except you’ll use an ultra wide grip. This grip would be equal to putting your forefinger on the rings.

Wide Grip Pushdowns: Same as close grip pushdowns, but grab the bar with your hands about 30 inches apart.

0.5 Close Grip Bench Press: This is the same as the close grip bench press but you’ll only bring the bar halfway down, then pause for half a second and press back up.

Is there any danger in doing max out reps of pushups or curls. What I've been doing is maxout reps for an hour a day every other day alternating both. I've been getting some decent results but just want to make sure I'm not hurting myself in the process. I'm a noob help me out!!!

Im making gains on everything but ive noticed my tri;s are lagging.....theres not much split and hardly any mass....ive been doing press downs and overhead pressdowns and reverse curls adding more weight and even more reps if possible...any advice

I was doing some reading on the 5x5 program and have decided to go ahead and give it try to see what I can get out of it. I know the program works, as it's very similar to how I trained when I played football, just a little different. Reading the 5x5 program listed in the sticky, both that one and the one posted in the JS articles, it talks about Low volume biceps/triceps and abs. What exactly is meant by low volume? I have read this in various other articles as well talking about training intensity. Please educate me on what is meant by this so I can set up my work out accordingly.

Thanks a bunch/

I am currently on a Test E @ 500mg/week, however I am not seeing the gains I would like. I am easting 5000-6000 calories a day, about 200 grams of protein. I get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, so the only thing I can think is that I am working out too much. I workout 6 days a week, 2 days of chest/triceps, 2 days of back/biceps, 2 days of shoulders/legs...with some abs mixed in on 2 of the days. Test is supposed to give muscle recovery a huge boost and is like a protein machine so I thought I would be able to workout this much, maybe this is not so. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I am doing wrong and some changes that should be made? Thanks