Our Arms

The Arms

Today’s blog entry will look into the arms. It will examine the different muscles in the arms and see how they work and what they do for us. Find out all about the arms here!

What we want

Many of us want bigger arms. The rest of us want toned arms. Either way, exercise is the key to achieving these goals. However, it is important to know all about the arms to know how to develop them and achieve the goal that we want to achieve.

Our arms consist of various different muscles; the biceps, the triceps and the forearm muscles.

The Biceps

The biceps are the muscles found at the front of the upper arm and are responsible for moving the arm at the elbow joint. The biceps work in tandem with our rear shoulder and middle back muscles on exercises such as pull ups, but work alone for curls. Working the bicep muscles will give us strength and power for various daily lifting and climbing.

The Triceps

The triceps are three-headed muscles that are located at the back of our upper arms. The triceps are responsible for straightening the arms. There are many different exercises that target the triceps; the bench press, triceps extension, press-ups and the shoulder press are all exercises that will work our triceps.

The Forearm Muscles

The forearm muscles consist of the groups of small muscles that are found in our lower arm. The flexors, the extensors and the larger brachiordialis are all found in the forearms. These muscles are worked with many of the biceps exercises, such as pull ups and bicep curls.

SuperSets!

More Muscle – Less Time

This blog entry will look at ‘Supersets’, which is a concept designed to increase the rate in which we build muscle. The basic idea involves building more muscle in a shorter period of time.

What are supersets?

Supersets basically involve working the same muscles with two different exercises without a rest in between. An example would be doing a set of bench presses followed by a set of push ups.

How do we get bigger muscles?

With little rest in between each set, a workout that takes half an hour can now take 20-25 minutes. Using the example above, we would do 10 repetitions of the bench press and then immediately complete 20 repetitions of push ups. This works similar muscle groups without rest. We can then move on to the next muscle groups and complete, for example, chin ups followed by lat pull downs. We continue the exercises and repeat the routine. Two or three supersets will be sufficient!

We may find that we enjoy doing supersets, and we may find that they are simply not for us. As with any exercise regime it is always better to be comfortable and so we should only complete supersets in a controlled and safe manner!

Isometric Training

What is Isometric Training?

Isometric training involves exercises that use static muscle contraction to work the muscle. This type of training and exercise involves no movement, so the muscles and joints do not move during the exercise. Like other forms of training, isometric training can lead to increased energy, hypertrophy and strength.

What are the benefits of isometric training?

There are many benefits to isometric training, and this is why they are commonly used to this day. Here, we will look at some of the main benefits associated with isometrics.

Isometrics build muscle mass. It is strongly suggested that muscle mass CAN be developed through isometric training, good news for all of us who like staring at the mirror.

Isometric training builds strength in the muscles. In fact, some people argue that you can build strength much more efficiently using isometric training as you work the muscles more intensely. There is strong evidence to support the idea that, because we hold a static position for 3-6 seconds we are sustaining maximal tension for a longer period of time than when we are lifting weights, for example.

Isometric training builds strength at an exact point in a certain exercise. This can be a valuable thing if we have a weakness in certain exercises.

However

It is generally advised that isometric training is used as a routine that supports our main workout as opposed to it being the sole focus of our exercise routines. So, to use isometrics correctly we should aim to incorporate it into our training regimes. Luckily, isometric training does not use too much energy so when fitting it into our workout we should not need to alter much.

Isometric Exercises

We can turn almost any exercise into an isometric exercise. All we need to do is hold a position in the exercise to make it isometric! We can, from this, target moments in our range of motion where we are not as strong and build these up.

The Importance of a well balanced diet

When looking into fitness, health, muscle building and weight loss, diet is such a key thing to address. Essentially, a good diet is the key to a healthy body.

No one single food will provide all the nutrients that our body requires in order to function as it should so it is important to have a well balanced diet in order to get these nutrients. The body needs protein, fats, carbohydrates and fibre as well as vitamins and minerals.

For building muscle mass protein is key. However, carbs, fats and fibre should not be ignored. About 20 minutes after a weight lifting workout we should refuel our body and this should contain proteins and carbohydrates.

One of the most important pieces of advice with regards to weight loss is to not starve yourself. This will lead to more harm than good. The body begins to store fat and often weight can go on. You will not be living healthy by starvation.

A good diet can also help maintain everyday health and prevent long term disease and illness.

Eat right!

Exercise Myths - Part 2

Today I will look at two more common exercise myths that people need to be aware of. As before these are widely accepted to be true and the facts and research suggests otherwise.

The first myth to destroy today is the idea that if you want to lose weight you should avoid strength training because it will lead to you bulking up. It is now widely accepted that you can combine both cardiovascular exercises with weight training in order to maintain a healthy weight. In fact, strength training helps to increase and preserve muscle mass and this can help decrease percentage body fat.

The next myth to dispel today is regarding the idea that home workouts are not as beneficial to you as going to the gym. First of all, some people find it easier to stick to their workout program when it is home-based, which is more beneficial to us than something we cannot stick to. Secondly, you can exercise any body part you wish at home and so you will not be losing out by exercising at home. 

Check out my short full body workout here.

The Best Time To Exercise

There are lots of different ideas as to what the best time of day to exercise is. It is generally accepted that first thing in the morning, or last thing at night are the two best times to complete your training.

There are many advantages to exercising first thing in the morning. Firstly, there being fewer distractions and schedules to worry about early on in the day and you can make time for exercise by getting up earlier. Exercising in the morning raises your heart rate and therefore metabolism for the day, which allows for more calories to be burnt throughout the day, the body will also be energised for the day. Finally, according to some reports, exercising in the morning allows your brain to function better for hours.

 There are also many advantages to exercising in the evening. Firstly, for most people, the temperature of the body peaks at around 6 p.m. and exercising around this weak will allow for the best workout for both endurance and for building muscle. Secondly, by this time, your muscles will be warm and flexible, making it easier to work out. Exercising later in the day can also act as a stress relief after a day of work/school etc.

There are also advantages to training at other times during the day; however I feel that these two are the best from my experience. Ultimately, I would say that exercising in the morning is the best for losing weight and training in either the morning or the evening is equally good for muscle building/toning. A few years ago I began losing weight and getting into better shape and the majority of my training was completed in the morning and so I feel that this is definitely what I would advise to anyone wanting to lose belly fat.

The importance of good form

With regards to building muscle and/or strength and exercising there is something that is far more important than the size of the weight that you are lifting. That is not to say that you should not try heavier weights and develop, but there is something more important, in my experience, than that.

What I am talking about is form. Doing the exercises properly is the most important thing to do. Form, is far more important than the size of the weight. Completing exercises properly will allow a person to get far more from their workout than if they rush the exercises, for whatever reason.

You should not attempt to lift a weight that means you cannot complete the full range of motion required for the exercise. If you are unable to lift the weight properly then it is likely that it is far too heavy. Not being able to lift it means that you are not gaining what you should be from the weight lift.

You should not do the exercises too quickly, as this leads to an uncontrolled movement, which means that, again, you are missing out when it comes to what you gain from your workout. This also increases the chances of injury occurring.

So, the key points to remember are; form is the most important thing in exercise, do not rush the exercise as it may cause you to not complete the exercise correctly, use a smaller weight in order to complete the exercise the right way and feel, and see, the benefits.