Building Muscles

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Build and Train Big Arms| Triceps

I am getting a number of really good comments on my You tube site and thought I would cover one of the questions I was asked here.

Comment/Question - Hello Baz! Thank you for the vid. But is there any other way to train triceps without using machines or extensions. Thanks again.

Answer - Thanks for the comment. There are a few you can use that are good. Dips are excellent for triceps. You can do them anywhere. A narrow grip bench press. Your hands must be around shoulder width or a bit less. Kick backs are very good but I would use them more as a super set. Most of the other ones are an extension. Skull crushers, overhead extensions. I will talk about this on my building muscles site in detail. Hope that helps.

Dips are one of the simplest way to train and build up massive triceps. I have found that, provided you put your feet on something a bit higher than your hips, you add extra resistance to the exercise. The higher you put your feet the more the resistance. You can also place weights on your lap to add more resistance. Of course using bars to do dips with a weight belt is probably the best was to do dips.

Every time you do a bench-press you work your triceps to a degree. As I said in the answer, if you place your hands on the straight bar, quite close (around shoulder width) you take the exercise to a new level. You will work much more of the triceps and less of the chest with this position of the hands.

Then there are all the extension exercises and they can be skull-crushers as well as overhead extensions. They work very well, and it is good to vary your training so you place different strain at different angles which will shock the muscles into growth.

A favourite of mine is kick-backs. I have never used them as the main building exercise, but certainly when the tricep is tired, and I am supersetting, they are an absolute treat for getting a fantastic burn. 

What I personally think you need to do is, train and build triceps however you believe you are getting the best workout. There are loads of ways of training but there are very few that will give YOU the best results. You must be happy in your own mind with the exercise and not what anyone else suggests is the best. We all think we know what works best but only when you have tried a few ways will YOU come up with the very best for you and then you will get great workout and real growth.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Build and Train Massive| Shoulders|Deltoids|Shoulder Injuries

On Monday of this week I went away to do a talk, and at the hotel where I stayed was a small gym and swimming pool. I took full advantage and swam quite a bit. I have since suffered with a lot of shoulder pain. Swimmers are prone to should injuries because of the rotation movement when doing Crawl and Butterfly - both strokes I excelled at during my younger days. Backstroke also requires shoulder and arm rotation.

Training with an injury is possible if you use common sense. First, if you are in any way unsure, seek medical advice. If, and only if, you think you know what you are doing, the idea is to rehabilitate the shoulder ligaments and muscles. A lot of the problem could be in the actual joint. By building up the muscles they will help support the joint and go a long way to relieving the pain. Stay away from straight-bar military shoulder-presses that work behind the head. The same goes for pull-ups and pull-downs behind the head. Rather do them to the chest. This puts far less strain on the shoulder joint. Work light. Give the joint time to get better and for the muscles to strengthen. The shoulder has many moving parts and is complex.

It is advisable to treat your shoulders with care. Training with weights could be the best thing for your shoulders and also the worst if the exercise is done wrong.

For example - doing shrug’s to work the traps and rotating the shoulders is very bad for you. Rather work a bit lighter on your shoulders and keep a very strict form. That way you will enjoy many years of training without the shoulder problems.  People who often suffer do so because of showing off in the gym with weight that is too heavy, and incorrect lifting techniques. I am sure my problem is not only due to the swimming I did in my younger days, but also a bit of showboating in the gym when I was young.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Build and Train Massive muscles| Taking a Break

Monday night was one of the hardest training nights I have had. I found I could hardly lift the weights. I did not enjoy the training, and that is not a good sign. Training must be enjoyable or it is not worth doing. I came back from my trip and found that, mentally, I was not up for it.

My body was telling me something. It wanted some time off. I could have continued training using “WILL POWER” but all that I would be doing is actually fighting myself to do something.  That is the problem with using “WILL POWER”. Two thirds of you does not want to do the thing, and so you force yourself. It normally leads to failure.

I gave it a lot of thought and decided I would take some time off. I was right because today 2 days later I am up for training, and with a vengeance. I cannot wait to get into my little gym. I am just going to pick up from where I left off. I have missed training legs and shoulders but that is fine. Normally today would be chest so that is what I am going to train. This way I am not messing my normal routine up and trying to play catch up.

I am such a strong believer in how much our minds have to play in everything we want to achieve. If it is not in harmony with what you want to do, you will never get the real results you want. Bodybuilding is certainly a mind sport as well as physical. That is something I picked up from Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was a master at using his mind to achieve his amazing results. I have found when I use my mind correctly, my results are sometimes nothing short of miracles.   

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Chest|Pecs (Pectorals) |Arms|Triceps|Biceps

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Chest|Pecs (Pectorals) Straight Bar Bench Press| Superset Fly’s
15 reps (warm-up)  40 kgs 
12 reps   45 kgs 
10 reps   55 kgs   
8  reps   60 kgs   
6  reps   62.5 kgs 
12 reps   50 kgs   
12 reps  (Superset) 12.5kgs 
The few days off have paid dividends. It was the best thing I did and could really put in a good training. This is a good way to build and train your chest. I gave it my all, and considering I have no one to spot for me, I did very well.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Huge Arms| Triceps-Tricep Pushdowns| Superset Overhead extensions
15 reps (warm-up)  20 kgs 
12 reps   25 kgs   
10 reps   30 kgs   
8  reps   35 kgs   
6  reps   40 kgs 
12 reps   30 kgs   
12 reps  (Superset) 25 kgs   
The last 2 of the tricep pushdowns were a bit of a cheat. I had to get the extra reps out though. I have really enjoyed tonight’s training and feel it was well worth the break.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Arms| Biceps-Z Bar Curls| Superset Hammer Curls
20 reps (warm-up)  25 kgs 
12 reps   30 kgs 
10 reps   35 kgs   
8 reps   40 kgs   
6 reps   45 kgs
12 reps   40 kgs
12 reps  (Superset) 12.5 kgs 
A really great workout. It was mentioned on Youtube that if you do the little lift at the end of the bicep-curl you bring the deltoid muscles into play. That is quite correct, but the movement is so small that it will do nothing for the deltoid - but certainly works the bicep concentration. I finished off with the hammer-curls and had a fantastic workout. My arms have a bit to go but are certainly improving and I am really happy with the results.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Build and Train a Massive Chest| Pecs

Today I learnt another very valuable lesson in training. It is so easy to forget the basics. I had to travel to Birmingham for a public speaking engagement, and so got quite busy during the day with my preparation. I drove to the hotel where I was going to spend the night for the talk Tuesday morning. The hotel has a gym and a pool, and I have stayed there before - The Quality Hotel. Great place to stay. I went in to train and found that the mind was so willing, but the body just would not engage. I really battled with quite light weights (by my new standards). Every exercise was a real effort. Training chest, I used much lighter weights and could hardly finish the reps. I went lighter and lighter until I ended up with what I would consider a reasonable workout.

I had a good think about why this had happened, and discovered in my rushing around and travelling, I had eaten very badly. No-where near enough. I did not have the fuel to train properly. I even had a protein drink with Creatine in it for this training, which did not help.

It has certainly made a clear point - if you want to train, you had better have the right amount of fuel. There are no shortcuts to wanting a massive chest. Food is critical.

This was a good lesson to have learnt.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Chest|Pecs (Pectorals)| Triceps |Biceps

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Chest|Pecs (Pectorals) Straight Bar Bench Press| Superset Fly’s

15 reps (warm-up)  25 kgs 
12 reps   27.5 kgs   
10 reps   30 kgs   
8  reps   35 kgs   
12 reps   30 kgs   
12 reps  (Superset) 10 kgs 
This was a real effort to train and build chest. I had no energy.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Huge Triceps (Tricep Pushdowns)| Superset Kickbacks

15 reps (warm-up)  20 kgs 
12 reps   25 kgs   
10 reps   30 kgs   
8  reps   30 kgs   
12 reps   25 kgs   
12 reps  (Superset) 8 kgs   
My mind was so willing but the body said no today. A real struggle.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Biceps|Z-Bar Curls| Superset Hammer Curls

20 reps (warm-up)  15 kgs 
15 reps   20 kgs   
12 reps   25 kgs   
10reps   30 kgs   
12reps   20 kgs 
12 reps  (Superset) 10 kgs

I almost could not finish the exercise and felt really tired.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Build and Train Massive Shoulders|Deltoids

It is very easy to use a bit of a weightlifting technique to lift the weights so that you can go heavier. Bouncing the weight off your shoulders is not a good idea, and neither is using your legs to help bounce the weights up. You will see this type of training used by power lifters and the really big boys who enter strong man competitions. Their sole goal is to go heavier each time, and get the weight up no matter what. If you want to build muscles and have a great looking body, then I think it is better to be a lot stricter and to use just the shoulder|deltoid muscles to lift the weight. Bodybuilding is about getting the most from the muscles, and so the amount you lift is not important.

Of course, bodybuilding will increase your strength. I am using 50% heavier weights with certain exercises than I did 4 months ago. You can only do that if you get stronger. Strong man training will be slightly different to bodybuilding and weightlifting. I believe, once you have got good basics, you can then specialise and move into whichever area you feel you will enjoy the most. Unfortunately there is so much information that is often not explained correctly.  You normally do not know the motivation behind the person giving this information. They might be training for a specific reason that you are not aware of. If you follow their training methods, you might think you are doing right when in fact you are training totally wrong for what you want.

The only advice I can give, as I am not an expert on strong man or weightlifting, is build a good foundation. With a foundation you can do almost any other sport including bodybuilding competitions. With a foundation you can specialise. Most peoples training programme’s are general, and work for the one who wrote it. You will have to make adjustment so you can make it your own - then it will work for you. Remember, as much as we like to think we are all the same and our ideas are the best, we are all different.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Shoulders|Deltoids|Back - Lattimuss Dorsi (Lats)|Six Pack|

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Shoulders|Deltoids with Dumbbell Shoulder Presses and Superset Dumbbell Side Raises
15 reps (warm-up)  10 kgs 
12 reps   12.5kgs
10 reps   15 kgs 
8  reps   20 kgs 
6  reps   25 kgs 
12 reps   15 kgs 
12 reps  (Superset) 10 kgs

It is always necessary to do Isolation exercises. In other words, doing an exercise that hammers the exact muscle you are trying to train. When you do Bench-presses, you will use shoulders - and the deltoid muscles work. That doesn't mean you have to give up training your shoulders. I do shoulder-presses and side-raises. I find them wonderful exercises to train and build great shoulders.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Huge Back| Lattimuss Dorsi (Lats) with Lat Wide Grip Pull downs and Superset Narrow grip lat Pull downs.
15 reps (warm-up)  35 kgs 
12 reps   40 kgs   
10 reps   50 kgs 
8  reps   55 kgs 
6  reps   60 kgs 
12 reps   50 kgs 
12 reps  (Superset) 45 kgs

I know many people who will swear by bent-over rowing for lats, yet it has never appealed to me. If you think it will not give you good results, do not use it. Find something you believe in, and that will work better for you. I prefer lat pull-downs.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Six Pack|(Killer Abs) with Leg raises (weight) and Superset Abs Wheel.
20 reps (warm-up)  12.5kgs
15 reps   12.5kgs
12 reps   12.5kgs
10reps   12.5kgs
12reps   12.5kgs
12 reps  (Superset)   

If you overtrain a muscle, it does not grow in size, it actually gets smaller. You can also use some of the muscle to fuel the training, instead of the food you have eaten. Of course the ideal is to use excess body fat to fuel your training. Abs have a stability function, and so they do tend to recover more quickly than most other muscles. You can train them more often, but I really don't think that will get you a great six-pack. Train them on their due days, eat right and abs are yours.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Build and Train Massive Arms| Triceps

I am quite amazed at the difference I see on my youtube site on what videos are being watched. I really am unsure why I have fewer viewers on the triceps videos as the information and everything else is the same as the others. I have also checked out on Google and notice the information on triceps is far less than other muscles. It is almost like the people who give information, and people who watch the information, do not really find triceps as important as other muscles. I hope in some small way I can help to change this perception.

In order to have a great looking arm, you will have to train and build up your tricep muscles. Their size is actually bigger than the bicep; approximately 70% of the upper arm muscles. If you train and build them properly you will, without a doubt, have an arm that is huge and will be noticed.

I would never neglect triceps, and certainly would never give preference to the bicep, even though a great looking bicep is hard to beat. Your arm size will depend on how well you work your triceps. I think it is very fortunate that triceps are used quite a bit in bench-presses, or a lot of bodybuilders would be lacking in arm size - more because of neglect than desire.

I don't claim to be an expert but I do check out a lot of things, and I want the easiest possible results in the shortest possible time.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Chest|Pecs (Pectorals)|Huge Triceps| Biceps

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Chest|Pecs (Pectorals) Straight Bar Bench Press| Superset Fly’s

15 reps (warm-up)  35 kgs   
12 reps   40 kgs
10 reps   45 kgs 
8  reps   55 kgs   
6  reps   65 kgs 
12 reps   50 kgs   
12 reps  (Superset) 12.5kgs

The mind plays a far bigger part in building big muscles than we imagine. It is really a good idea to take the first few minutes to sit quietly and focus on what you want to achieve. It is really important to focus on the end result of how you would like to look. As you are lifting the weights, see and feel the results. It is not hard to do this, especially when the blood is pumped into the muscle and you feel much bigger. Using this you will certainly build up and train a massive chest| pecs.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Huge Triceps |Tricep Pushdowns| Superset Kickbacks

15 reps (warm-up)  20 kgs 
12 reps   25 kgs   
10 reps   30 kgs   
8  reps   35 kgs   
6  reps   40 kgs 
12 reps   30 kgs   
12 reps  (Superset) 10 kgs

I have written about how this muscle is 70% of the arm muscles, and how important it is to train them properly. They will get a bit of a workout when you do bench-press but you need to isolate them and train them on their own to get a good result. Tricep push-downs are a good exercise, along with quite a few others, including simple dips.

Bodybuilding Massive Muscles| How to Train and Build Big Biceps Z Bar Curls| Superset Hammer Curls

20 reps (warm-up)  25 kgs 
15 reps   30 kgs   
12 reps   35 kgs   
10reps   40 kgs   
12reps   45 kgs 
12 reps  (Superset) 30 kgs

Biceps - I think everyone’s favourite, or it certainly appears that way. I believe strict training is better than throwing the weights around to see how much you can lift. Concentrate on what you are doing. I once heard it said - if you can imagine you are in a bubble, and nothing can distract you, you will get better results. I must admit I agree with that. I know it is hard to do that when you are in a gym. There are some people who use the gym more as a social club to chat.