Bodybuilding Tips and Tricks

Named after The Oak himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold Presses are a great delt exercise. They’re very similar to typical overhead dumbbell presses but with a slight twist (literally).

First, grab two dumbbells and sit down on a low chair or flat bench. Start out with the weights at shoulder level and your palms facing in toward your body. The position is very similar to the top position when doing dumbbell curls. From there, using a smooth motion, press the weights upward in an arc over your head, rotating your wrists outward as you do so. By the time you are halfway through the movement your elbows should be pointing away from your body. The top position should find your arms overhead, weights close together or slightly touching, and your palms facing out away from your body. Next, reverse the motion, lowering the weigths back down to shoulder level and rotating your wrists in so you are once again at the starting position for the exercise. I’d recommend that you start out using slightly lighter weights than normal overhead dumbbell presses to give yourself a chance to get used the motion of the exercise. You can also perform these from a standing position if you like. This is a fantastic exercise for isolating the delts and with Arnold as your guide you can’t go wrong =)

I was very partial to this exercise when I first started training. I felt that my chest was slow to develop and this exercise allowed me to give my chest a little extra boost on Arm day. Make no mistake though, these are a great way to pump up your triceps as well. Close-grip bench presses can be performed with either a barbell or on the Smith machine. You may want to try them both ways and see which is more comfortable for you or perhaps alternate between the barbell and the Smith for different workouts. Be sure to use less weight than you normally would for standard barbell bench presses…at least until you have a feel for the exercise.

Start by lying faceup on a flat bench with a barbell rack (or under the Smith Machine). Grasp the barbell with your hands 6-12 inches apart. Unrack the bar and lower it slowly, keeping your elbows as close to your sides as possible throughout the movement. At the bottom of the movement, your elbows should be slightly lower than your shoulders. Next, press the bar smoothly upward, keeping it directly over your chest as you would for a normal barbell press. Repeat for reps. This exercise only takes a short while to get the hang of (I think it requires a bit more balance than the traditional barbell press), but it’s a great way to pump up your tri’s. I have used it both at the front of my workout with heavy weight and lower reps and as a finisher (usually on the Smith machine) with lighter weight and high reps to really burn out the muscle. Enjoy the pump!

When it comes to building muscle mass, Testosterone is, and always will be, king. High testosterone levels will help you pack on tons of muscle and burn fat, always a good combination. In addition to some natural ways to boost your T levels, we can use supplements to help us out as well. Actually, even our testosterone boosting supps can be natural…

Tribulus Terrestris is an herb that has been used in the traditional medicine of China and India for centuries. In the mid-1990s, Tribulus Terrestris became known in North America after Eastern European Olympic athletes said that taking tribulus helped their performance. Tribulus is a great way to boost your testosterone levels naturally without steroids or some of the other nasty stuff you may be tempted to try. When I’m supplementing to raise testosterone, I use Biotest Tribex Gold. I think it’s one of the best Tribulus Terrestris supplements out there. Be sure to follow the cycling instructions (given on the bottle) and get ready for some massive gains!

Even a rookie to bodybuilding or any type of fitness training knows that protein is one of the most important nutritional supplements one can consume in order to ensure maximum success. The problem is, there are so many types and brands out there it can be difficult to determine which is best for you. To this end, I’m sharing this aticle with you from bodybuilding.com. It discusses protein supplements in depth and dissects them based on protein type, taste, brand name, price, and content. Take a look =)

Check out the article here!

Performance: Sit on a low-backed chair or bench and lift a dumbbell over your head, holding it with both hands, palms cupped against the upper inside plates. Keep your upper arms in place next to your head and, in a slow continuous motion, lower the dumbbell behind your head. Feel the stretch in your triceps and then, using an equally slow and controlled motion, press the weight back up to full extension. Repeat for reps.

It’s possible to injure your neck when performing this move so be sure to stretch out a bit before hand with some neck rolls or similar neck/trap loosening moves and be sure (as always) to maintain proper form when performing the exercise. This exercise targets the long head of the triceps and can also be performed with a cambered bar (although I find the dumbbell to be easier). You should always try to include some sort of overhead move in your tricep training as overhead movements are the only way to effectively train the long head.

A multi-vitamin is one of the most important (and perhaps most underestimated) supplements a bodybuilder (or any athlete) can consume. In order to train and perform to our maximum potential, we must have a complete complement of the necessary vitamins and minerals. Taking a high potency multivitamin/mutimineral supplement will ensure that you have everything you need for hardcore training, growth, and health.

The brand I’m currently using isOptimum Opti-Men. It couples vitamins and minerals with herbs specifically designed for males. Great supplement!

Discipline. It’s what drives any good training program. The discipline to go to the gym rain or shine, tired or energetic. The discipline to push yourself during your workout and not just “go through the motions”. The discipline to watch your diet every day and supplement properly. Here’s a fantastic article from David Robson over at bodybuilding.com addressing just that: discipline. I think it will inspire you both in the gym and perhaps even outside the gym as well. Check it out here.

Drag curls are one of my favorite bicep exercises but one that I see very few people at the gym performing. These were popularized by trainer, Vince Gironda (aka The Iron Guru) and are great for blasting your outer biceps and building huge guns. Start out by holding a barbell much as you would for standard standing barbell curls. Next, pull your elbows straight back behind your body. This should result in your arms being bent at roughly a 90 degree angle and the barbell being around the level of your belly button. Now, slowly curl the bar upwards to lower pec level, hold for a sec and squeeze your biceps, then return to the starting position. Repeat for reps. The barbell should be lightly touching (or nearly so) your abdomen during the exercise, hence where the name comes from (you’re “dragging” the bar up your torso). The range of motion is much smaller than normal barbell curls as you are only really moving the weight from your belly button to the bottom of your pecs, but the strain in your biceps and the results these produce are extra large. I like to perform these at the end of my bicep workout and go for high reps (15-25) for the ultimate final burn in my bi’s.

I just recently started using BSN NOExplode and I love it. It’s contains a great “cocktail” of supplements including creatine and elements that increase nitric oxide (NO dilates the blood vessels to allow more oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the muscle tissue) and lots of other great stuff. In addition to the physical benefits this product provides, I’ve been noticing an increase mental focus during my training sessions which is *always* a good thing =) Check out the product info page here for more details and pick up some NOXplode today for some intense workouts and results.

Here’s a great article from Michael Kurilla over at bodybuilding.com. It discusses the science behind interval training (something I’ve touched on in my fat burning section) and really gives some great information about the exercise physiology of burning fats opposed to carb and protein, how to determine you maximum fat burning zone, and howto adjust your diet to burn more fat. A great read!

Check out the article here. This is part 1, be sure to check out parts 2 and 3 linked up at the top of the page.