Available for purchase for $19 at Redken salons, in short it's a hair exfoliator that's to be used post-shampoo but pre-conditioner. Enriched with sea algae, soy protein, and aloe vera, this paraben-, sulfate-, and silicone-free formulation gently buffs your rough, dry strands with fine gritty grains of sand-like pumice stone, leaving your locks soft, shiny, and deliciously scented to boot. Certainly a new twist on the term 'hair polish', right?
I'd like to go on record as saying the following: If you've never exfoliated your hair, you're seriously missing out. While this product doesn't stamp out split ends, it's absolutely akin to a serious shower-scrubbing session for dull skin.
Every now and then, a beauty product hits the market and shakes things up a bit, as its purpose is a real game changer. Redken's super awesome Refining Sea Polish from their Nature's Rescue collection more than fits the bill.
Skip: the Vagacial (a.k.a. Bikini Facial)
Speaking of, the benefits of removing hair down there are often outweighed by the consequences, a.k.a. the unwelcomed arrival of irritating ingrown hairs. Good news—there is a quick fix. Just be vag-ilant and gently exfoliate your bikini area twice daily for a full week following your wax.
1A. Close-grip chinup - Hang from a bar using an underhand grip, but keep your hands 6 to 8 inches apart. Perform a chinup. Perform 1 set each of 8 reps, 6 reps, and 4 reps. Do a last set of as many as you can. Rest 2 minutes after each set.
1B. Dip - Grasp the bars of a dip station and lift yourself so your arms are straight. Lower your body until your upper arms dip just below your elbows. Do 1 set each of 8 reps, 6 reps, and 4 reps, and 1 last set of as many as you can. Rest 2 minutes after each set.
2A. Seated Rack Lockout - Sit in a power rack and set a bar on the safety pins at ear level. Press the bar above your head, and then lower back to the pins, keeping the tension on your muscles in the bottom position. Do 3 sets of 8 reps, resting 1 minute after each set.
2B. Barbell Row - Grab a barbell just beyond shoulder width and hold it at arm's length. Bend at your hips and knees. Pull the bar to your upper abs. Do 3 sets of 8 reps, resting 1 minute after each set.
3A. Decline Dumbbell Triceps Extension - Lie faceup on a decline bench and hold dumbbels over your head with your arms straight. Lower the dumbbells until your forearms are beyond parallel to the floor. Do 2 sets of 8 reps, and then 1 set of 15 reps. Rest 30 seconds after each set.
3B. Dumbbell Curl Series (Incline/Seated/Decline) - This is a three-exercise sequence of curls, all performed with your palms facing forward. Do 6 reps each of the curl while lying faceup on an incline bench, while seated on a flat bench, and while lying facedown on an incline bench. That's 1 set; do 2. Rest 30 seconds after each set.
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This arm-expanding workout overloads your biceps and triceps for guaranteed growth. The program is only 2 days a week, because the exercises challenge all the muscles in your body; you'll need the rest of the week to recover and grow! On the first day, you'll focus on all the common weaknesses that limit your ability to add size to your arms. Day 2's aggressive approach directly targets your biceps and triceps so you can pack on more muscle. Do workout A once a week and workout B once a week, resting at least 2 days in between sessions. Alternate between sets of exercises of the same number (i.e. Do one set of 2A followed by a set of 2B) until you complete all the sets in that pairing. Use the specified number of repetitions, sets, and rest periods included with each exercise description.
WORKOUT A
1. Snatch Grip Deadlift on Box - Squat on a 6-inch box or step and grab a barbell using an overhand grip that's about twice shoulder width. Without rounding your lower back, pull your torso up and back, thrust your hips forward, and stand. Do 4 sets of 6 reps. Rest for 2 minutes between sets.
2A. YTWL Dumbbell Raise Series - YTWL are letters you will be sort of making with your arms while doing these four mini raies. Perform this sequence of shoulder raises on an incline bench. Do 8 reps of the Y, rest 30 seconds. Repeat until each letter has been finished, and that is one set. Do three sets. For Y, start with your arms hanging straight down. Raise them to shoulder height at a 30-degree angle with the thumb sides of your hands facing up. For T, let your arms hang with your palms facing forward. Raise your arms straight out to the sides until they're at shoulder level. For W, bend your elbows 90 degrees. Without changing the bend in your elbows, raise your upper arms until your palms face the floor. For L, Let your arms hang straight down, palms facing behind you. Row the weights to the sides of your chest. Rotate your forearms up and back as far as you can.
2B. Offset Dumbbell Lunge - Hold a dumbbell in your right hand next to your right shoulder. Lunge forward with your right leg and return to the starting position. Do 8 reps on each side. Rest 1 minute and do 3 sets total.
3A. Inverted Row - Hang from a low bar with your body straight from head to ankles and your heels on the floor. Pull your body up until your chest touches the bar. Do 3 sets of 8 reps. Rest 30 seconds between each set.
3B. T-Pushup - Assume a pushup position and grip a pair of hexagonal dumbbells so they don't roll. Lower your body to the floor. As you push back up, rotate your body to the right and raise a dumbbell straight above your shoulder. Each rep, alternate between rotating left and right. Do 3 sets of 8 reps, resting 1 minute between each set.
4A. Prone Cobra - Lie facedown, your arms at your sides. Lift your head, chest, arms and legs so that only your hips are touching the floor. Hold the position for three minutes total, resting as needed.
4B. Farmer's Walk - Grab a pair of heavy dumbbells and walk for 30 to 75 seconds. Make it harder by grasping each dumbbell by its end. Once you feel you can go longer than 75 seconds, switch to heavier weights.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
