Building Muscles

Building Muscles - Weight Training - How to Build and Train Killer Abs

Building Muscles - Train Without Weights – Big Thighs (Quads)

I hear many people tell me they do not really need to train because they walk the dog, or they do a lot of walking at work. I would like to point out here that this is walkercise and not exercise. Exercise is different, and is necessary for us to be at our best. If you are fit in your body you will perform much better in your general life.

One-legged Squats

To have really fantastic legs it is necessary to do some squats. I certainly would not waste my time doing two-legged squats without weights. I would definitely do only one-legged squats. They work very well. When you start, choose which leg you want to squat with, and put the other one in front so it cannot help in the squat. Then lower yourself down until the thigh is parallel to the ground, as you can see in the photo. Do a full set of reps, and then change to the other leg. If you want more advanced squats, put one leg up on the seat of a chair and squat.

Squats without Weights

My training would consist of -

• 1 set of 15 reps warm up. 1 minute rest
• 1 set of 12 reps 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.

I train my legs – thighs (Quadriceps) on Wednesday and again on Saturday of each week.

Building Muscles – Weight Training – How to Train and Build Massive Shoulders, Big Back (Lats) and Huge Killer Abs

I have said this before, and its time to remind you again - shoulders have three parts, and they all need to be worked.

Front Shoulder-Raises

• The front Deltoid does very well with forward-raises.
• The middle deltoid works well with shoulder-presses and with side-raises.
• The rear deltoid is worked with bent-over side-raises. This is a very important exercise because it is often missed - people tend to do more shoulder-presses. If you do not work the rear deltoid you will appear to have round shoulders and not a true square shoulder.

Bent-over Side-raises

There is no better exercise than lat pull-downs. Another very good exercise is bent-over rowing and this works almost the same as a T-bar rowing. I often do one-arm rowing with dumbbells. They give a fantastic workout. You certainly can build and train up a BIG BACK.

Abs, killer abs what can I say – leg-raises or sit-ups, do them, and do them, and do them. Remember a strong core is a strong body so never neglect them.

Building Muscles – Weight Training – Big Chest, Massive Arms (Huge Biceps and Triceps)

I was out the whole day doing business, and really thought I would give it a miss tonight. I felt too tired as I have worked from 7.30am to 8.30pm. This is not like me - I like to get all my work done in as few hours as possible.

So, after much thought, I decided to train my Chest. I had a strong protein drink. I took some Creatine and it was like a light went on. Not only did I do every bit of training, I went on the stationary bike on level 11 for 12 minutes - something I have not managed before.  I feel fantastic.

To train and build my chest I decided to do dumbbell bench presses. They were fantastic. I did dumbbell flys as a superset.

I then did overhead tricep extensions to see if I can try to get my triceps to explode. Well, I didn't quite manage that, but Lorraine did say to me “Your arms are Huge”. Do you know how great that feels when your wife of 37 years gives you a compliment like that. There's life in the old dog yet.

I put the biceps to the test with dumbbells and really gave them the one two as well. It was a great training. Simple and quick.

My upper body training consisted of -

• Warm up of  15 reps light  1 Minute rest
• Add weight   12 reps   1 Minute rest
• Add weight 10 reps  1 Minute rest
• Add weight   8 reps  1 Minute rest
• Add weight   6 reps  1 Minute rest
• Reduce to same as 10 reps weight and then 12 reps and a superset of 12 reps
• 2 Minutes rest.

Building Muscles – How to Train Without Weights – Killer Six Pack Abs

Of all the muscles I talk to people about, training Abs rates among the top. Almost every one, both male and female, wants a six-pack. When you look around at people, you will see some rather large mid-sections. The reason for this is - not because they do not have abdominal muscles - but because the have let them relax and have got lazy. You can be grossly overweight, but if you have always held in your abdominal muscles, you will look slimmer and better.

As we get older, we relax more - especially our abdominals. Holding them in is very tiresome to start with. It will feel like you are fighting a losing battle. You have to persist. Every time you think about it, hold in your stomach. It will not take too long and it will become a habit. Before you know it, you will feel quite normal holding in your abdominals. Eating too big a meal in one sitting can cause a big problem with holding in your abs. Eat more regularly and much smaller meals so you are not trying to fit a football into the space of a tennis ball.

Training abs is very simple and you only need to do normal sit-ups in your training programme. I would always train my abs at least 2 x a week. My normal training time for abs is a Tuesday and a Friday. Train abs to get a really good burn. I do around 4 sets of 20 reps with straight forward sit-ups. You will have to work out what is the best for you. If you find that you are able to do them easily, then hold a heavy book to your chest when you are doing them. You do not want to spend hours training. 4 sets should be more than enough if you do them right.

Remember, you will only show abs if you do not have any fat on your stomach area. There is no miracle six-pack training. Ordinary sit-ups and diet will give you a six pack.

How to Train and Build Thighs & Calves - Hints and Tips

Building Muscles Weight Training – How to Build and train Massive Legs - Thighs (Quads – Teardrops), Strong Hamstrings and Huge Calves - Hints and Tips.

If you get stuck in and train quickly to get your session over, you will miss out on getting the most from a Weight Training session. Building Muscles is about deliberate training and not speed training. You must really concentrate on each movement and make it count.

When I want to do Leg extensions to train and build up massive legs they are slow, and I always hold the weight at the top of the movement. This causes a good contraction of the muscle, By the time you get to 12 reps you will feel like the thigh is on fire. I always do the same for all the muscles that I train and build.

Calves can be really hard to develop, but not if you take care and time each training session. You will build and train up huge calves as you can see from the video I've uploaded in the next post. You will see that by being deliberate, and holding the weight in the training, my Teardrops really work. This video on Hints and Tips for training up massive legs and huge calves will take you to the next level. You need to remember that there is nothing for nothing in life, and you have to put in a really good effort to get good results. Take your time and train like you mean it - like your life depends on it. Then see the results.

Building Muscles – Train Without Weights - How to build and train Big Biceps

The best way to train your Biceps without weights is with good old fashioned Pull-ups. This can be rather difficult if you are not very strong because you have to lift your whole body weight. You can help the exercise by putting the pull-up bar low enough in the door frame so you can assist with your legs. If you use your legs too much, you will defeat the whole object. Learn to do pull-ups without any help from the legs.

I have also used my own body resistance to do biceps. I hold my hands together and then do a bicep curl movement while trying to stop the movement with the other arm. This does give a good workout.

I would do the following for a training session -

• 1 set of 12 reps warm up. (Quite a bit of leg assistance) 1 minute rest
• 1 set of 10 reps (Less leg assistance) 1 minute rest
• 1 set of 8 reps (Less leg assistance) 1 minute rest
• 1 set of 6 reps (No leg assistance) 1 minute rest
• 1 set of 12 reps with a 2 minute rest before the next exercise. (Limited leg assistance)

Having a big bicep is a nice feeling and you will often see people looking at you. Ladies - these exercises will give you a lovely toned arm that will look good. You will not really see much of a muscle. As you get older you start to get lemon peel skin. Training keeps the skin young and you do not see this.

Building Muscles – Weight Training – How to Train and Build Massive Shoulders, Big Back (Lats) and Huge Killer Abs

Training different muscles every day is very important. You most certainly can overdo your training if you do not allow the muscles to rest. Muscles grow when they rest and recuperate. The shoulder must be flexible for the wide range of motion required in the arms and hands, and also strong enough to allow for actions such as lifting, pushing and pulling. Because the shoulder is more flexible, and has a 360 degree movement, it is prone to injury. It is so important to warm up the shoulders before you start your workout session. I think that you would be better off using a less restrictive movement like Dumbbells.

Major muscles Taken from Wikipedia

The muscles that are responsible for movement in the shoulder attach to the scapula, humerus, and clavicle. The muscles that surround the shoulder form the shoulder cap and underarm. Serratus anterior; subclavius; pectoralis minor; sternocleidomastoid; levator scapulae; rhomboid major and rhomboid minor (work together)

Trapezius; Arises from the occipital bone, the ligamentum nuchae, the spinous process of the seventh cervical, and the spinous processes of all the thoracic vertebrae, and from the corresponding portion of the supraspinal ligament. It inserts on the lateral clavicle, the acromion process, and into the spine of the scapula. Different portions of the fibers perform different actions on the scapula: depression, upward rotation, elevation, and adductions.

Deltoid, anterior fibers; Arises from the anterior border and upper surface of the lateral third of the clavicle. The anterior fibres are involved in shoulder abduction when the shoulder is externally rotated. The anterior deltoid is weak in strict transverse flexion but assists the pectoralis major during shoulder transverse flexion / shoulder flexion (elbow slightly inferior to shoulders).

Deltoid, middle fibers; Arises from the lateral margin and upper surface of the acromion. The middle fibres are involved in shoulder abduction when the shoulder is internally rotated, are involved in shoulder flexion when the shoulder is internally rotated, and are involved in shoulder transverse abduction (shoulder externally rotated) -- but are not utilized significantly during strict transverse extension (shoulder internally rotated).

Deltoid, posterior fibers; Arises from the lower lip of the posterior border of the spine of the scapula, as far back as the triangular surface at its medial end. The posterior fibres are strongly involved in transverse extension particularly since the latissimus dorsi muscle is very weak in strict transverse extension. The posterior deltoid is also the primary shoulder hyperextensor.

So many muscles ! This is quite scary because we normally only think the shoulder is composed of the deltoids and Trapezius (Traps). It is for this reason we must do a proper warm up, and then train them with care.

I did shoulder press and then Lat pull-downs both wide and narrow grip. Lats that are tight can cause a good deal of back and shoulder pain because they are attached to both these areas. A regular and good workout will strengthen the muscles and help them to relax when you are not in training.

I worked my abs slowly and as I lowered my legs in the leg-raises I tried to stretch out my legs. I also tried contracting the abs with every rep. I must admit I got a far better burn than normal. It might be that I am trying to show-off - because you can actually see them a bit.

Building Muscles – Train Without Weights - How to build and train great Triceps

The triceps muscles are the ones that complete the arm. They give you that full big arm look - and when the muscle is well developed it can be quite appealing. It affects the whole look of your upper body. I find many people do not give enough attention to training this muscle. There are some very simple ways of training your triceps without weights.

The most common way is doing dips. Depending on how strong you are, you might have to keep your feet on the floor. Place your hands on the seat of a chair and lower your bottom toward the floor. Push up until your arms are fully extended. You can see what I mean from the photo. 

As you get stronger you can raise your feet to the seat of another chair. The higher you raise your legs the more effort it takes to do dips. When you are really strong you can place a bag of groceries or similar on your lap and do the exercise.

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.

I would work Triceps after I have trained my chest. Never train triceps before you train chest. The reason is, the chest muscles are big muscles, and you will use triceps to a degree when you train your chest. If you train triceps first, you will not have the strength to train your chest properly. Train triceps on Mondays and Thursdays every week.