Tag Archives: Biceps

The 5 Best Moves Every Woman Needs for Strong, Toned Arms

Women often neglect strengthening their arms simply because they don’t know which exercises to do, but building arm strength is important for a number of reasons. A woman with strong arms can help…

1. Prevent osteoporosis

2. Strengthen the spine

3. Improve posture

5 More Reasons Women Should Lift Weights

Plus, who doesn’t love toned arms?! Allow me to take you through my five best arm exercises for women. All you need for this routine is a pair of dumbbells and a few short minutes in your living room, hotel room, or wherever you may have a few spare minutes!

dempsey triceps

OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION

— Begin standing with your feet shoulder distance apart.

— Hold a dumbbell with both hands in a heart-shaped grip (it should feel like you’re cradling the dumbbell).

— Bring the dumbbell behind your head, bending your elbows.

— Engage your core and extend your arms straight, reaching the dumbbell overhead.

— Slowly return to the starting position. This is one rep. Complete 8-12 reps. (more…)

Get Sexy Arms By Christmas With this Weekly Yoga Routine

Christmas parties and other such holiday events bring our favorite dresses out of the deep corners of the closet and revive them back to life, but often these dresses are of the sleeveless variety. From the candy-devouring weeks before and after Halloween, to eating our way through November, our bodies can become puffed, plumped and primed for baggy sweatshirts, rather than our sleek holiday get-up.

If you work hard and follow this plan starting right now, you will be showing off your sexy guns by the time you grace your first Christmas party. The only downside is that you will make your friends envious as you parade around looking fabulous.

For the best results, couple this daily yoga routine with a low-fat diet.

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Sneaky Ways to Squeeze in Stretching

If you’re anything like me, stretching is your least favorite part of a workout (even though you know you need to do it and it feels good!). Working on your flexibility is so important for injury prevention, improved circulation, alleviating muscle soreness and more! So, if you’re like me and have trouble finding time to stretch, try these three sneaky ways to squeeze stretching into your everyday routine. By working flexibility training into your usual routine, there are no excuses!

1. The great shower stretch. Stretching after you workout is so great because your muscles are warm. You know when else your muscles are warm? In the shower! Tack on a few extra minutes in the shower each morning to do some neck rolls, forward bends or even some chest or back stretches. Not only is it good for you, the warm water makes it feel fantastic!

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The Hard Road to the Unassisted Pull-Up

The road to performing an unassited pull-up is short for some, but long for many. A pull-up is one of the toughest exercises for the body, but one of the best indicators of strength and endurance.

There are four main pull-up grips: wide, narrow, reverse, and neutral grips and depending on which grip you use, the pull-up works almost every muscle in the upper body. The wide grip isolates the latissimus dorsi and I strongly believe it is the toughest way to do a pull-up. The narrow grip isolates the rhomboids and is one of the most popular forms most people use. The reverse grip is by far my favorite and targets the biceps more than anything and lastly, the neutral grip targets both the biceps and latissimus dorsi and is similar in function to doing a bicep hammer curl. (more…)

Weight Lifting Techniques Defined

Weight lifting may seem pretty simple and straight forward (I mean, just lift the weight, right?), but there are many different types of weight lifting techniques that can give you different results. Here are some common terms you may have heard of and how they can help you get the results you are after.

Super Sets Super sets are a great way to improve both muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance to cut down on your workout time and burn fat while gaining muscle. Super sets usually consist of two to three exercises performed back to back with little to no rest in between, and then repeated. Example: 10 weighted lunges, 10 push ups, and 10 pull ups, then repeat. (more…)

What Workout Is Best For You?

Finding the right workout routine is kind of like dating. You have to keep trying something new until you find the right one. There are all kinds of different workout routines out there today and not every one of them satisfy everyone’s needs. The workout routine that your best friend uses may not work for you; every “body” is different and may rely on different movements or style of routine to achieve the desired results.

As a personal trainer, I recommend trying a handful of different routines and pick the one that you feel works the best. After a few months, try another handful of different routines and go from there. If you’re having trouble finding new routines, any personal trainer or fitness enthusiast should be able to point you in the right direction. Below is a list of different workout routines and examples that may help.

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Top 5 Upper Body Exercises to Prepare for Horseback Riding

woman riding horseHorseback riding is an amazing hobby and I wish that I could find the time to do more of it. I’ve been discussing workouts that help riders develop the strength needed. We’ve discussed the lower body exercises to help prepare your body for the jolts and shock of horseback riding, as well as the core strength needed to help you maintain proper posture.

Although your upper body is less of a factor, you still need to train it properly to prevent possible injury, soreness, and to help maintain good posture. (more…)

Mathue Johnson’s Cardio and Weight Training Workout

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Out of all the posts and blogs that I have done, I don’t ever remember discussing my actual workout routine. I used to do cardio before my weight training, but have recently switched the two and have had a great deal of success. This allows me to have more energy and stamina during my weight training portion.

I typically workout five to six days a week for about an hour to an hour and a half at a time. Each day I break down certain muscle groups basically in a push-pull form followed by three to five miles of jogging. This helps me work every large muscle group at least twice a week and has worked for me for several years now. (more…)