Building Muscles

Building Muscles – Weights training – How to build and train a Big Chest

Because of the fantastic result I have managed to get, tonight we are going to do a full training DVD on how to train and build a big chest Basil Mienie style.

After my chest workout tonight. I'm feeling great!

I am such a strong believer that you do not have to do fancy types of training to get great results. In order to build and train a massive chest, all that is required it the basic bench press. That is what we are going to video. I will be showing exactly how I normally train my chest. I will be giving out quite a few little hints and tips to make the training more meaningful. I always try to make my workouts not just good, but rather, awesome workouts. You can get fantastic results when you learn how to use quality and not quantity. Standby for this amazing DVD on exactly how to train and build an awesome chest in just 120 days and all from nothing - as my before and 120 day photos show.

Building Muscles – Weights Training – How to Build and Train Big Biceps

I thought I would just share with you how I am going to train and build my biceps.

To get the most from any training session, the intensity is really important. When you train and build any muscle, it is a two way movement. For example, a bicep curl has an upward contraction and a downward movement. For me they are both as important as each other. You train only 50% when you contract the muscle with the curl and then let gravity take it down. I lower the weight with just as much intensity as I do with the lift action. This means I now train and build the bicep with both actions.

You will be amazed how it will give you a new experience in training if you have not done this before. This is a higher level than a quick lets get it done training. Have a go the next time you want to train and build your biceps and see and feel the difference this way of training will make.

Building Muscles – Weights Training – How to Build and Train Massive Triceps

The Tricep Muscle is made up of three parts - that is why it is called a tri- muscle.

• The "Long head"
• The "Lateral head"
• The "Medial head" 

Triceps pushdowns

I have found a great isolation exercise to build and train big triceps is the cable push-downs.

 

Kick-backs are wonderful and I often use them as a superset exercise. Overhead standing or seated tricep extensions are also very effective if you want to build and train big triceps.

Building Muscles – Weights Training - How to Build and Train Massive Legs

How to Build and Train Huge Quads (Quadriceps)

In order to build and train huge quads it would be better to use isolation exercises. This means that when you train and build your legs you are focusing on a specific muscle.

An isolation exercise is one where the movement is restricted to one joint and one muscle group. For example, the leg extension is an isolation exercise for the quadriceps. Specialized types of equipment are used to ensure that other muscle groups are only minimally involved—they just help the individual maintain a stable posture—and movement occurs only around the knee joint. Most isolation exercises involve machines rather than dumbbells and barbells (free weights), though free weights can be used when combined with special positions and joint bracing.

I have found that when I want to train and build my Legs, as an overall workout I will do single-leg squats - this is what is know as a Compound exercise.

Compound exercises work several muscle groups at once, and include movement around two or more joints. For example, in the single-leg squat there will be movement around the hip, knee and ankle joints. This exercise is primarily used to develop the quadriceps, but it also involves the inner thigh muscles (Adductor Muscle), the hamstrings, glutes and to a very small degree calves. Compound exercises are generally similar to the ways that people naturally push, pull and lift objects, whereas isolation exercises often feel a little unnatural. Compound exercises generally involve dumbbells and barbells (free weights), involving more muscles to stabilize the body and joints as well as move the weight.
(Information found in Wikipedia).

For my training, I have decided to train my quads (Legs) doing the leg-extensions for more of an isolation exercise, and then to finish off with single-leg squats, which warm the hamstrings for the next exercise (Compound exercise).

Building Muscles - Train Without Weights – Number of different movements

I went to Wikipedia and got this information. I have been training and building muscles for some time now, but I never dreamed there were this many exercises that could be done where you train without weights. Many of them I did when I was a child in school, and they certainly bring back memories.

• Burpees
• Crunch
• Dip
• Jumping Jack
• Press up, or push up
  • Diamond Pushups
    Similar to traditional pushups, only placing hands together so a diamond is formed between joined thumbs and index fingers.
  • Hindu Pushups
  • Planche Pushups
    Similar to traditional pushups, except during the entire duration of a set, the hands alone touch the ground, arms straight, legs elevated off the ground straight and together in line with your shoulders, horizontal to the ground
  • One Arm Pushups
  • Plyometric Pushups
    Similar to traditional pushups, only launching up as fast as possible, so that hands coming off the ground.
• Pull up, or chin up
  • One Arm Chin up
• Sit up
• Russian Twist
  Secure your feet either by placing them under something or by having a partner hold them. Begin doing situps but when you're in the "up" position, clasp your hands in front of you. Moving only at the trunk, rotate to one side. At the end of your range of motion, quickly reverse the movement and rotate to the opposite side. Repeat in a rapid fashion for the full number of reps.
• Squat
  • Squat Thrusts
    Stand with feet together. Squat down and place your hands on the floor next to your feet. In an explosive movement, jump feet backwards into a push-up position, jump feet back between hands and stand up. Add intensity by adding a jump after you stand up.
  • Pistol, or one-legged squat
• Handstand Pushup
  • Face wall then do a handstand, facing away from wall, feet resting against the wall. Bend your arms so your body drops halfway, then straighten back up. Repeat for 10 sets.
    Alternately, drop your body down halfway then hold for 30 seconds in stress position.
• Lying Hip Swing
  • Lie on your back with the legs pointed up, arms on the ground extended to each side, Maintain straight legs and swing your legs all the way to the left and then all the way to the right. Stop just short of touching the ground with the feet.
• Leg Lifts
  • Lie on your back with your hands under your buttocks. Lift your feet about six inches off the ground, legs held together. Spread your legs as wide as possible, while keeping legs off the ground. Move legs back together. Return to rest position. Repeat for 20 reps.
    As an alternate, keep feet off ground in stress position for 30 or 60 seconds
• Mountain Climbers
  • Assume push up position, with hands on floor with shoulders over hands. Tuck one leg under torso with other leg fully extended. Keeping weight on balls of feet, as quickly as possible, "climb" alternating legs back and forth in a jogging-type motion.
• Grasshoppers
• Side Bends
• Box Jumps
• Roman Chair
  • Stand against wall. Slide halfway down wall, as though you were sitting down, if there were a chair. Thighs should be parallel with ground with knees bent 90-degrees. Hold your arms out, straight, so they're also parallel with floor. Hold position for 60 seconds.
• Pike Press
• Reverse Bridge
  • Lie on floor, face up, arms extended over head. Make a bridge so your back is arched and your body supported by arms and legs. Maintain in stress position for 60 seconds.
    An alternate is to assume same position, then gently balance on head so that body weight is supported by head and legs. Maintain in stress position for 30 seconds.
• Front Levers
• Back Levers
• Planche
• Reverse Planche
• Iron Cross variations (including inverted, Maltese, and Victorian)
• Rainbows: move the body from a reverse planche through a hand stand to a planche or the reverse.

I will not do all of these, but as we go along but I will try to show you the various ways to train without weights and build a fantastic body.

Building Muscles – Weights Training - How to Build and Train Massive Legs

How to Build and Train Massive Calves.

I have gone for single-leg calf-raises with dumbbells. They are one of the few exercises you can do without squat racks and calf machines. I still get a great workout and am able to build and train my calves to a reasonable size. You must be consistent when you train your legs, or you will throw your overall look out of proportion.

Building Muscles – Weights Training - How to Build and Train Massive Legs

How to Build and Train Strong Hamstrings (leg bicep)

To train and build my legs for an overall good look, I need to ensure I train hamstrings. I normally do leg curls. This does isolate the hamstring and I find it gives a great workout. I often finish with lunges which again work hamstrings, but being a compound exercise means you work your gluteus maximus (Glutes), quads and your calves slightly.

Building Muscles - Train Without Weights – Massive Shoulders

One of the exercises that train and build your shoulders is the normal push-up. In addition, this will train the triceps and also the chest.

I have found that if I raise my legs up high, it does concentrate more on the shoulders. I also don't use the press-up stands I have, but rather just the floor. As you get stronger, you can raise you legs higher and higher which will work the deltoid (shoulder) muscles more than the others. I use the same number of sets and reps as for my other body parts.

I would do the following for a training session -

• 1 set of 12 reps warm up. 1 minute rest
• 1 set of 10 reps 1 minute rest
• 1 set of 8 reps 1 minute rest
• 1 set of 6 reps 1 minute rest
• 1 set of 12 reps with a 2 minute rest before the next exercise.

This training will help you to train and build up healthy looking shoulders.

Building Muscles – Weights Training – How to Train and Build the Trapezius Muscle (Traps)

The trapezius is a muscle that sits above the shoulders and joins on to the neck - then runs a short way down the back. This is one muscle that is an absolute must to train and build. It is the muscle that stops you looking like you have gutter shoulders. Gutter shoulders ? A dip between the neck and the end of your shoulder. Well built traps give the look of power - sloping from the neck to the shoulders.

There are many ways to train and build the traps. The majority of exercises use shrugs in one way or another. There are many types of exercises, machines and weights for this purpose. I only ever use two types. The main one I use to train and build my traps is dumbbell shrugs as you will see from the photo. I also occasionally use upright rowing.

I would strongly advise when you do shrugs, do not rotate your shoulders. There is a very good reason for this. Rotation with weight can cause shoulder problems and injuries. I use the muscle to lift the weight straight up and down. For me that is the safest way to train and build up massive traps.

Building Muscles – Weights Training – How to Train and Build a Huge Back (Lats)

I will often train and build my lats doing bent-over dumbbell rowing.

Here's a hint for you to get the most from this exercise. I rotate the weight when I am lifting it to my side. I start with it fist pointing forward and palm facing back as I hold the dumbbell. When I raise it up to my side, I rotate my hand so the palm holding the dumbbell is facing inward to my side. When I lower the weight I don't lower it straight down, but make it go slightly forward. This causes a great stretch of the lat muscle and helps cause good growth.

Another exercise I use to train and build my lats is pull-downs, which is the most basic exercise, and should be used more often than not.