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

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