Sunday, July 29, 2012

Reload Your Guns Pt. 3

Weak Link 1: External Rotators - Your upper body assigns two of its biggest and strongest muscles, the lats and the pectoralis major, the task of internal arm rotation (Turning your arm inward). For external rotation, it assigns a couple of small muscles (Infraspinatus and teres minor). If your external rotators are weak compared with your internal rotators, your body will be reluctant to increase your upper body strength and power, which would set you up for injury. The Big Arms Workout will target your external rotators, balance your strength and allow you to lift more weight.

Weak Link 2: Trapezius - Your biceps and the main part of your triceps originate on your shoulder blades, the triangles of bone at the corners of your upper back. The actions of your shoulder blades are largely controlled by your trapezius. The stronger your traps, the more solid the platform you have to build everything else attached to your shoulder blades (That is, your arm muscles). By adding farmer's walks, dead lifts and inverted rows, you can build the strength needed to add weight when you train your arms directly.

Weak Link 3: Glutes - Your glutes are part of a chain of muscles and other tissues that also includes your lats. They work together to stabilize your spine when you move. When you do an exercise like a chinup, your biceps and lats work to move your body while your lats and glutes protect your spine and help prevent an injury. That's why lat pulldowns are a mediocre substitute for chinups. Standing and lifting your body (free weights) trains your core to work harder to stay stable.

When your glutes and lats are strong and your spine is safe, chinups enable your biceps to work as hard as you want to push them. That's why the prone cobra, which strengthens your gluts and back is another key exercise for building great arms. Part 4 will go over The Big Arms Workout

Source: Men's Health

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Reload Your Guns Pt. 2

Restore Your Core - At the gym, try this test: Go to the triceps push-down station, select the heaviest weight you can use for 10 reps, and do a set. Rest a few minutes, and then repeat the set...standing on one leg. You won't be able to knock off 10 reps, and the reason is obvious. Your triceps didn't become weaker, they lost some of their support base.

A weaker or less balanced base of support limits the strength and power your arm muscles can generate, while a stronger core enables all your muscles to work harder, longer, and more productively.

Shore Up Your Weak Links - Face a mirror with a 30 pound dumbbell in your non-dominant hand and do a set of curls. Watch your body closely, especially as you tire. Notice how your upper arm pinches in against the side of your torso after a few reps? That's caused by muscles in your shoulder called external rotators. They're pulling your arm into a stronger and more stable position. Deeper into the set, you'll need more momentum to start each lift. Your shoulder blade will rise up and drop down as you curl. That's your trapezius - The diamond-shaped pair of muscles that runs from your neck to your middle back and out to the edge of each shoulder, helping your biceps do the job.

Finally, as your biceps near exhaustion, notice how you squeeze your butt cheeks and lean backward to complete your last two or three reps. That's the action of the muscles in the back side of your body, including your hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors. You won't find this mentioned in the standard bodybuilding playbook, but these are the muscles that enable or limit potential growth of your biceps and triceps. In Part 3, we will discuss each weak link.

Source: Men's Health

Monday, July 23, 2012

Reload Your Guns Pt. 1

Want big arms? Use the right ammo: Sculpt your biceps and triceps with lifts that target your weakest links. Your arms are too small. Or at least you probably feel that way, if you're like the average guy. Chances are it's not because you're neglecting those muscles. In 15 years of training clients, Alwyn Cosgrove C.S.C.S. has yet to find a would-be arms dealer who hasn't tried every biceps curl and triceps extension in the book.

So what's the problem? Your upper back, your core, and your glutes. When all of those muscles are weaker than they should be, they act like brakes on the strength and size of everything else. Especially your arms. The problem is simple to correct, as long as you're willing to invest time doing the Big Arms Workout to be discussed at a later posting. In 4 weeks you can build new muscle from head to toe, and put yourself back in the arms race.

Call in the Reinforcements: Physiology 101. Your biceps bend your arms, and you work them with curls. You probably figured this out as a kid when Dad told you to make a muscle for a photo. Chances are you did a curl the first time you ever picked up a dumbbell, and you've been doing them ever since. Ask yourself when the last time is that you increased the weight that you use on arm exercises.

Physiology 201: If you want your arms to grow, you need to create overload and challenge them with progressively heavier weights. They'll adapt by growing bigger and stronger. Since they aren't receiving that overload from curls, you need to recruit bigger muscles to help them grow in tandem.

Start with the chin up. This move forces you to lift your entire body--several times the amount of weight you could curl--on each rep. Your lats are the fan-shaped middle-back muscles that run from your armpits to your spine. They do a great deal of the work. Your biceps are more than just bystanders and are working as hard as they can. Without their help, you couldn't do a single rep. Target your triceps the same way. Do body-weight dips or close-grip bench presses with a weight you use for extensions. Make these heavy, multimuscle exercises the focus of your upper-body training. After you've performed them, add curls and extensions to give your arms some extra oomph.


Source: Men's Health

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Beauty Tips Overheard in the Glamour Bathroom


1. Try Serum On Oily Skin - Senior beauty editor Baze Mpinja uses a light moisturizing serum instead of a traditional cream. "It keeps my skin from looking too shiny," she says to Yes to Blueberries Intensive Skin Repair Serum ($20, yestocarrots.com).

2. Keep One Great Brush In Your Bag - "Pricey, but worth it. It can do foundation, bronzer, blush, anything," says associate beauty wrister Amber Kallor about her beloved five-year old Kevyn Aucoin Beauty The Super Soft Buff Powder Brush ($46, kevynaucoin.com)

3. Wake Up Your Face With Lipstick - We spotted associate shopping market editor Lauren Vreeland applying Nars Lipstick in Heat Wave ($24, narscosmetics.com): "This fiery orange-red looks good on everyone! One swipe transforms your face."

4. Spritz On Some Energy - We found beauty director Felicia Milewicz and she revealed her secret scent for the first time: Les Exclusifs de Chanel Coromandel ($210 for 6.8 oz. at chanel.com) "Super sexy, and it gives me an instant energy boost!"  ... I'll stick with Calvin Klein. I'm not a rich beauty editor.

Source: Glamour

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Blueberries

One of Eat This, Not That's 8 Foods You Should Eat Everyday. Blueberries are host to more antioxidants than any other North American fruit. They help prevent cancer, diabetes, and age-related memory changes. Studies show that blueberries, which are rich in fiber and vitamins A and C, also boost cardiovascular health. Aim for 1 cup fresh blueberries a day, or 1/2 cup frozen or dried.
Substitutes: Acai berries, purple grapes, prunes, raisins, strawberries
Fit it in: Dried, frozen, jam

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Stay In The Game

Hit the pool early - Inhaling organic material, such as hair, skin, and urine, can cause breathing problems. Schedule your lap sessions early: Fewer people in the pool means less splashing, and less of their debris left behind in the water.

Arm yourself to the teeth - Men who wear custom-fitted mouth guards reduce their risk of dental injuries by 82 percent, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Lay out the money for a custom-fitted guard and it'll last for years. So will your smile.

 Smooth out tendon problems - Ask your doctor about ultrasound needle therapy. The minimally invasive procedure uses ultrasound to guide a needle, which doctors use to smooth bone, break up calcifications, and fix scar tissue. Sixty-five percent of patients who underwent the therapy saw improvement, and a session takes only 5 to 15 minutes.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Cellulite Treatment


Skip: the Cellulite Treatment
This service is offered under a variety of brand names and several different techniques, but I suggest keeping things simple—just invest in a dry brush. A few preshower strokes a day not only exfoliate dimply gams but also aid in stimulating blood circulation and toxic lymphatic drainage, both of which are key to reducing the appearance—and existence—of unsightly cellulite.

Source: Glamour

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Taylor Lautner: Create Tension


Create Tension
Free weights are best, but they have a drawback: Some parts of a lift are easier than others, so your muscles aren't being worked consistently. That's why Lautner often attaches giant rubber bands to a bar or dumbbell he's going to lift, and then anchors the bands to the base of a power rack or a pair of heavy dumbbells. "The bands create more tension, making the lift harder and forcing your muscles to peak out at the top of the movement," Yuam says. As a result, your body recruits more muscle fibers and works them harder, accelerating growth. Bands are available in most gyms.

Source: Men's Health

Monday, July 2, 2012

Beauty Tricks That Make You Look Thinner


Slimming Makeup Trick: Strategic Contouring
Facial contouring is a DIY slimming makeup trick that’s great for every day. Just choose a bronzing powder or a deep blush that’s a shade or two darker than your complexion or foundation. Sweep it upward from under your cheekbone to the top of your ears, and lightly dust it under your chin and jawline.

Source: Glamour

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