The Arnold Press

April 5th, 2009 by William | Posted in Weight Lifting Exercises | No Comments »

One of my favorite weight lifting exercises is the Arnold Press . It is basically the military press with a twist added, literally.

Of course one of the reasons I like it so much is that it is named after the Governator, who invented or at least renamed it.
 
What weight lifter wouldn’t have fun doing an exercise named after the greatest bodybuilder of all time? All I have to do is envision him while I am doing this weight lifting exercise to evoke motivation and an instant burst of strength.
 
Another positive factor is that Arnold Schwarzenegger himself claimed it was the best overall shoulder exercise. What more reason do I need?
 
The Arnold Press provides a great workout for the shoulders, arms and back. Another benefit is that you get a full range of motion when performing this exercise.
 
I am big on weight lifting exercises that force connecting muscle groups into action. You will feel various points of pressure when doing the Arnold Press. Different sections of the shoulders, arms and back will come into play as you progress through the full range of motion.
 
When you get to the last few reps and fatigue sets in, each separate muscle group will let you know it is benefiting from the Arnold Press.
 
I love that feeling.
 
OK, here is how to do the Arnold Press:
 

• You can be sitting or standing with your feet flat on floor.
• Keep your back straight and head forward.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
• Raise the dumbbells to the top of a “biceps curl” position.
• Your palms should be facing the front of your body.
• Your elbows are facing down.
• Press the dumbbells upward while twisting hands.
• At full extension your palms should face forward .
• Slowly reverse the complete movement on the way down.
   

It is a good idea to start with a light weight until you perfect the motion. There is some strain put on the back, especially as you begin to fatigue, so you definitely want to have the technique down. This will help you stay centered under the dumbbells.
 
That’s it. Now….
 
Get down!  Everybody to the choppa! I hope you enjoy the Arnold Press.

See you at the gym.

• Joewarrior.com – Weight Lifting Exercises – Muscle Building – Fitness

Improve Your Treadmill Workout

January 28th, 2009 by William | Posted in Secrets Of The Gym | 1 Comment »

Today I improved my treadmill workout with one little change.

Jarryd, my partner at Joewarrior.com has had trouble for the last year or so with shin splints from running and jump roping for his boxing training. If you have ever had shin splints, then you know how painful they can be. Even walking can be brutal.

He has tried a lot of remedies such as stretching, warming up longer, ibuprofen and diet change. He just can’t seem to permanently get rid of the problem. It goes away with abstinence, but returns when he gets back to serious training.

Today, he was doing some more research on line and found a tip that suggested increasing the incline on the treadmill. This relates to outdoors running. Running downhill, as you probably know, is quite hard on your legs and especially tough on your shins.

The way treadmills are positioned, so the story goes, can sometimes result in a slightly downhill angle of the platform. Maybe it is from all the pounding of many workouts over time, as most of us run towards the front of the treadmill.

Even running on a perfectly flat treadmill can still be jarring if your form is not perfectly smooth and fluid.

By increasing the incline, it forces you to step up slightly and not slam your feet down with as much force. So, hopefully your shins won’t take quite the beating.

So, how did Jarryd’s research increase the productivity of my workout? Well, I decided to increase the incline when I ran today and see how it felt. I am usually too lazy to do so and prefer to sail along, listening to my mp3 player. It is still a great workout and warms me up for lifting weights.

Well, once I warmed up a little I increased the incline a bit, then a little more up to a setting of 4. Nothing too steep, but a noticeable change.

Yes, it actually did feel a bit more comfortable to stride slightly upward. But, even more amazing was how much harder I had to work.

I know, I know….duh, who would have thunk it. Well, I guess I forgot or something. Anyway, it was a great workout and I actually had fun pushing myself, knowing the benefits it was providing.

I was happily exhausted when done and was then motivated to push extra hard during my weightlifting workout. It is amazing how one little change can put the excitement back in to your daily routine.

Give it a try and improve your treadmill workout.

See you at the gym.

• Joewarrior.com – Weight Lifting Exercises – Muscle Building – Fitness

Medicine Ball Push-Ups

March 4th, 2008 by Jarryd | Posted in Secrets Of The Gym | No Comments »

Medicine ball push-ups. A great tool in your toolbox to have. Not only will these increase your bench but will also help reduce the risk of injury, while increasing your balance and incorporating your stabilizer muscles.

I recommend a few sets of these before or after the bench. In doing so, you force your stabilizers to work extra hard, creating a better sense of balance in your other presses.

A lot of energy is wasted in presses just keeping a fluid steady motion. Targeting your week points will only make your normal lifts that much easier.

In addition, if you choose to, you could even replace your tricep workouts with a few sets of these since it places so much emphasis on them.

Here’s how I suggest you go about doing them:

As you become more comfortable you can experiment with using closer stances, and even balancing using one foot. This will put even more stress on your stabilizers and triceps.

Lift smart.

• Joewarrior.com – Weight Lifting Exercises – Muscle Building – Fitness

Muscle Building – It’s In The Mirrors

March 2nd, 2008 by William | Posted in Muscle Building | 1 Comment »

How often do you look at yourself in the mirror? Are you satisfied with what you see?

Last month I was getting behind on my workouts. I had the flu and was then a little lazy getting back into the gym. A glance in the mirror after showering told me that something was not right. Dimming the lights did not help, nor did sucking in the gut. It was Damien in reverse.

The image haunted me until I got back in there and did something about it. When I returned to my workout routine I was rewarded with a reflection that looked better day by day, until the old self was back.

Of course, the mirror is good for more than just motivation. It is a great tool for assessing your current state of muscle development and visualizing the body you are aiming to build.

As Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote, “It is your mirror that will be your most honest critic, if you allow it to be.”

If you don’t have a full length mirror at home, I suggest you get one and use it daily to:

• Motivate – Take a good look every day. The mirror does not lie.
• Assess – Is your current routine working? The results are in front of you.
• Prioritize – Decide what areas you need to focus on.
• Visualize – Mold the reflection into your future body and remember it.
• Plan – Design a workout routine to get the results you want.
• Act – Go work out today and your new reflection will be smiling.

Muscle building, it’s in the mirrors.

See you at the gym.

• Joewarrior.com – Weight Lifting Exercises – Muscle Building – Fitness

Weightlifting For Dummies

February 24th, 2008 by William | Posted in Motivation | 1 Comment »

I was in the check-out line at the grocery store yesterday and saw a little booklet titled, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Prayer”. I believe no comment is my best politically correct action here.

Anyway, it did get me thinking of how many “idiots” and “dummies” guides there are. I have no idea of the actual number, but I’m sure it is an astounding figure. After all, most of us are clueless in many areas. Common sense comes to mind with a few people I know.

Seriously, the idiot guides do give us a chance to delve into matters that we would otherwise consider to be over our heads or just too much trouble. Yes, we are clueless and lazy. More of my friends faces are flashing before me.

No, really seriously, I mean it. Dumbed down is the way to go. Simplicity is beautiful. Life is getting to be way too complex. That’s why we are so stressed out. We can’t get to home plate because someone has added extra bases. Lots of them.

The day job is not just work, but questions, phone calls, pissed off customers, angry bosses. I forgot to bring lunch and I’m friggin broke! I am behind and will have to work the weekend, again.

What can we do to survive the onslaught? The war, the economy, the bird flu. Where is the bird flu? If only I had some place to go where I could unwind and just focus on one simple thing that makes me feel good. What’s a dummy like me to do?

Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Whew, I’m glad I remembered. See you at the gym.

• Joewarrior.com – Weight Lifting Exercises – Muscle Building – Fitness