6 Calf Building Exercises
March 7, 2010 by nobsadmin687
Filed under No BS Resources
Building up your calf muscles is as important as any other muscle group. Most of us take calf muscle development for granted because it’s a muscle that is built up by daily walking. Contrary to popular belief, the building up the calf muscle is not as difficult as one may think. By following these 6 Calf Building exercises you will be able to build up the 2 groups of muscles that the calves consist of; the gastrocnemius calf muscle (the diamond shaped muscle) and the soleus calf muscle (the larger muscle underneath the gastrocnemius). With the toe raise exercise, by bending your knees you target the soleus muscle and by straightening your knee you target the gastrocnemius muscle.
Standing Calf Raises:
Step up on the foot block of the machine and place your head between the shoulder pads. Position yourself with the pads sitting comfortably on your shoulders. With feet shoulder width apart, place the balls of your feet on the foot block and your toes pointed forward.
Keeping your knees straight, stand up while supporting the weight on your shoulders. Slowly drop your heels until your calf muscles are fully stretched. Now, in one flowing movement, rise up on the tips of your toes as high as you can. With both movements, contract your muscles and hold the position for 1 – 2 seconds for maximum results.
Smith Machine Calf Raises:
Similar to the execution of the Standing Calf Raises, the Smith machine helps support different muscles and movements.
Place a sturdy box or foot block right under with the edge lining up vertically with the bar. The starting point of the bar should be around shoulder height. Standing up on the box, place the balls of your feet on the edge of the box, keeping your toes pointed forward and your heels free for full extension. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, shoulder width apart and remove the bar from the rack. Keeping your legs straight at all times, lower your heels at a moderate to slow pace and stretch your calves to their fullest extension and contracting your muscles when you have reached that point. Raise yourself back up and repeat.
Donkey Calf Raises:
Stand with the balls of your feet on a well-secured standing block. Keeping your legs straight, support yourself against a machine or a bench where your body will be at a 90-degree angle. Slowly lower your heels until your calve muscles are stretched to their fullest extent, contracting your muscles for 1 – 2 seconds. To enhance the effect of this exercise, you can ask a spotter to sit on your lower back to add weight and resistance, hence then reason it is called Donkey Calf raises.
Hack Calf Raise
With the hack squat machine, face forward and position your shoulders under the pads. Place your toes on the edge of the platform so your heels have full movement. Keeping your legs straight, lift the weight off of the support system, lower your heels as far as possible, giving your calves the fullest stretch and extension possible. To complete the movement, rise up on your toes and stretch to the fullest extent in that position as well. Remember to contract the muscles for 1 – 2 second intervals after each extension.
The great thing about using exercise machines such as these, is that you can regulate your weight by increasing or decreasing depending on the results you are looking for.
Seated Calf Raises:
Adjust the knee pads of the machine so that your knees are snug under the pads. Place the balls of your feet on the foot block, with your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes pointing forward. Raise your toes up as high as you can, giving the calves a full stretch then slowly lower your calves to extend that stretch in the opposite direction. Again, contract the muscles at the peak of each extension and hold for 1 – 2 second intervals.
Jump Squat Calf Exercise
This is the easiest calf exercise to perform because you can do it anywhere and need no special equipment. You can enhance the Jump Squat by holding dumbbells at your sides.
To start, you are positioned in a squat position, knees bent and your upper body at a slight forward angle. Jump as high as you possibly can, contracting your calf muscles while you are in the launching position. Landing as lightly as possibly, return to the initial position and repeat. You are various ways to perform this exercise. Either with the weights, as previously mentioned, reaching over your head to touch the ceiling, repeating the jumps until you can no longer continue. It’s all personal preference. Doing these 6 calve building exercises is a great way to cover all the muscle groups on the back of your legs, from your butt and hamstrings all the way down to your feet. If you chose to, you could add simple things like pointing your toes in or out, to create a fuller more developed look.
Remember a strong leg and built leg is a powerful foundation for your body structure.
Chris Sine
Fitness Trainer
E:Chris@NoBSFitnessforLife.com
W: www.NoBSFitnessforLife.com
8 Hamstring Strengthening Exercises
December 13, 2009 by nobsadmin687
Filed under No BS Resources
Your hamstrings are a group of muscles found on the back of your legs, and are responsible for flexion of your knees and quick acceleration. They are made up of three muscles: the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and the biceps femoris.Hamstrings.
We often hear about hamstring injuries and how difficult they are to heal. Developing a strong hamstring takes intense training and it needs to be developed the same way as your quads are. The key point is to do a proper warm up and stretch before and after executing these 8 Hamstring Strengthening exercise routine.
By following the 8 tips, your hamstring muscles can be worked out properly:
Lunges
Alternate steps forward and return to centre each time. Bring your back knee within one inch of the floor to target those butt muscles. The added stress placed on the glute muscles due to trying to balance mainly on one leg will build butt muscle and also help build the smaller supporting muscles of the rear. You can do “walking” lunges to add more to this exercise. It will work all of your leg muscles as well as your glute muscle for that full toned leg look.
Next, try the backwards lunges. This is where you step backwards rather that forward like the power lunge.
Start by standing upright, hands on hips and step forward with your right leg as far as possible until your right thigh is as horizontal as you can go, keeping your left leg straight. Then powerfully step back to standing, aiming to get knee up to your chest. Swap legs.
One leg cable kick backs
This exercise is great because it works your butt and your hamstrings at the same time. This exercise is performed using a pulley machine. Attach a small hand attachment to the lower section of a pulley machine. Place one foot through the handle opening of the small hand attachment so that it becomes wrapped around your ankle. Keeping your leg straight, smoothly kick your heel backward about one foot. Hold your leg at the top of this movement for a one-count and repeat with the opposite leg.
Lying Leg curls
This exercise is also called the hamstring curl. Lie on your stomach on the hamstring machine. Lying on your stomach, place the leg curl bar around your ankle area. You may need to adjust your position, depending on where your knees are resting on the pad. Begin by curling the weight upward so as to touch your heels to your butt. Return to the start position in a slow and controlled fashion and repeat. Remember to squeeze that hamstring and butt muscles!
Good mornings
In a standing position, place a barbell across the back of your shoulders as you would for squats. Keeping your legs stiff, bend forward at the waist, with head up, until your upper body is parallel with the floor. Slowly lift your upper body back to the original position.
Romanian dead lift
Start by using a straight barbell; grab the barbell in a wide overhand grip while standing in a shoulder width or narrower stance position. Lower the bar to top of feet by bending at the hips. Keep a slight bend to your knees so you do not over extend your knees. Keep back straight then lower until it is parallel to floor at lowest position. Lift the bar slowly until you are back in the upright position.
Hack squat
Hack squat is a slightly more advanced type of squat variation and will have you holding the barbell just behind your legs. With this exercise, your upper body will tend to lean forward slightly to compensate for the barbell. While needing to move forward slightly in order to move closer to the back of your heel area, you also want to be sure that when you’re doing this squat variation to keep your chin up, facing forward in order to effectively remain balanced.
Hamstring Leg Presses
This exercise is performed like the traditional leg press, except you place your feet halfway up the pad on the leg press machine. While keeping your back pressed against the support and head straight, lower the weight until there is a ninety degree angle. Then raise the weight with your heels. The higher you go, the more targeted your hamstrings are. Point your toes straight forward and spread your legs shoulder width apart.
Remember, proper training starts with a good warm up and stretch. Working your hamstrings with this 8 Hamstring Strengthening exercise routine will help you complete the sculpting of your firmer and stronger legs. As a reminder, you execute these exercises in 3 sets with repetitions of between 10-12 reps each, depending on your goal. Avoid any unnecessary weight increase and over exertion because an injured hamstring will surely dampen your training sessions.
Fitness Trainer
E:Chris@NoBSFitnessforLife.com
W: www.NoBSFitnessforLife.com
5 Best Butt Building Exercises!
November 29, 2009 by nobsadmin687
Filed under No BS Resources
Let’s face it. A nice looking back side is always something to be admired. Butt, buttocks, bottom, buns, behind, bum, glutes, derriere—call it what you will. Whether you like it or not, the size and shape of your butt sends a message to others about your physical condition and does have an influence on your sexual attractiveness. Like the rest of us, you probably think your butt is too small, too big, too saggy, or too flabby. Why not change that with the 5 best butt building exercises.
Since it is such a recognized and prominent part of your body, it’s easy to overlook the important function that your butt has. Your hip joint is the main reason why you have butt muscles. This joint is where your thigh bone, or femur, attaches to your pelvis. Your butt muscles have the task of moving your hip joint. This is an important point because knowing how your butt muscles move your hip joint will help you with executing the proper exercises to shape your butt.
Butt muscles are a combination of the Gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. Gluteus Maximus is the one of the largest and the strongest muscle in your whole body. Your butt muscles control all the movements of your hips such as
• extension (moving the thigh backward)
• external rotation (turning the thigh or pelvis outward)
• transverse abduction (moving the thigh outward with hip bent)
• Adduction (moving the thigh inward with hip straight).
Remember, you build what you focus on. When doing any exercise, you need to focus and contract your butt muscles all the time. What is great is you can also combine your leg and butt training as a few exercises coincide.
These 5 butt building exercises will help strengthen your hip and glute areas and develop that sexy butt that you always wanted. .
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
Stand with your feet wide apart, your toes pointing out, and your hands clasped together in front of your pelvis. Bend your knees as you bend forward from your hips. Make sure you keep your lower back straight. Reach back between your legs and stick out your butt. Try to bring your knees as close to your chest as possible. Stand up straight up, fully extending your hips and knees, and thrust your pelvis forward squeezing your butt at all time. Repeat this movement about 15–20 times. This exercise can be enhanced by using weights.
Lunges
This is another great exercise to butt building. Alternate steps forward and return to centre each time. Bring your back knee within one inch of the floor to target those butt muscles. The added stress placed on the glute muscles due to trying to balance mainly on one leg will build butt muscle and also help build the smaller supporting muscles of the rear. You can do “walking” lunges to add more to this exercise. It will work your leg muscles as well as your glute muscle for that full toned leg look.
Next, try the backwards lunges. This is where you step backwards rather that forward like the power lunge.
Start by standing upright, hands on hips and step forward with your right leg as far as possible until your right thigh is as horizontal as you can go, keeping your left leg straight. Then powerfully step back to standing, aiming to get knee up to your chest. Swap legs.
Barbell Squat
The barbell squat is one of the best exercises to build butt muscleFor the squat to target your butt muscle, you must squat below lower than your knees. Although many experts recommend squatting above parallel to avoid stress on the knees, getting a few inches lower can really help build butt muscle as those few inches really hit the glutes. You’ll need to lower your weight a bit lighter than usual so you can handle the extra range of motion. This is enhanced by using weights as well.
Hip Extensions
Hip extensions are consistently shown to be one of the best exercises for developing the backside, as it focuses on contracting the glutes muscles. The best technique for hip extensions is to get into a position on hands and knees and then lift one leg up keeping the knee at a right angle. Stop when the flat of the foot is facing the ceiling, and remember not to arch your back. The addition of ankle weights can increase the difficulty and therefore increase muscle developments.
Side Leg Raises
First lie down on a mat. Then place your feet at the front edge of your mat, then lift your upper leg and turn it out it in the hip socket. Keep your hips stacked and your torso as still as possible, lift and lower the leg, reaching out from the top of the thigh. Repeat this a few times.
Kick Back
The kickback is yet another very effective exercise for your butt. Position yourself on a mat with hands and feet making sure that your weight is evenly distributed. Draw one knee forward and then extend your leg straight behind you. Make sure this is done in a smooth and gentle motion.
There you have it! 5 Best butt building exercises to get that toned back side that you have always wanted. The best part of all of this is whether it’s a leg day or butt day, so many of these exercises cover both muscle areas! So you can either do your butt routine with or without your leg routine. It’s that simple. Just because you’re a guy, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to work this part of your body! Everybody loves a tight butt!
Fitness Trainer
E:Chris@NoBSFitnessforLife.com
W: www.NoBSFitnessforLife.com
Building bigger and stronger quads
November 11, 2009 by Chris Sine
Filed under No BS Resources
Let’s talk legs.
In this series, I will be breaking down the different muscle categories that support leg training. A well-developed set of quads brings an immense amount of power and development to a physique. Building bigger and stronger quads is the goal of most bodybuilders, and all the top competitors. To me, there is nothing is more exhilarating than a great leg workout. So many people focus on big arms and tend to limit the time they spend on developing proper leg form.
The first muscle group we will address is the quadriceps muscle, our “thigh” muscle. The quadriceps muscle is made up of several smaller muscles. Building up a great leg is not only for cosmetic reasons but to provide full and proper functions such as lifting and lowering heavy objects, walking, running, you get the idea.
So what do you want? To get those massive legs or go with the scrawny and skinny ones that you are living with? And there is nothing worse than that jiggly thigh syndrome.
Squats:
It is one of the best quad exercises and best overall muscle mass developer. There are many variations to the squat exercise so pick choose the ones that are right for you. Taking things slowly is imperative to avoid any possible injury. Not only is a squat going to target the quad muscles, but it is also going to hit the hamstrings and the glutes. Some squat variations will even work the lower back. And no matter what squat variation you decide to try, they will all give your abs a workout.
Back squat
Back squat really stimulates the quads and should be performed with the barbell held just across your upper back. Be sure that when you’re doing this you adjust your back position slightly more forward so the weight doesn’t throw you off-balance (so you don’t fall backward). You can perform this exercise with a barbell or a smith machine. When using the machine, keep the same form as you would with the barbell, but focus on simply pushing with your quads as you do the movement.Hack squat
Hack squat is a slightly more advanced type of squat variation and will have you holding the barbell just behind your legs. With this exercise, your upper body will tend to lean forward slightly to compensate for the barbell. While needing to move forward slightly in order to move closer to the back of your heel area, you also want to be sure that when you’re doing this squat variation to keep your chin up, facing forward in order to effectively remain balanced.
Dumbbell Split Squats
To perform the split squat place one foot on a bench behind you and use the other leg to squat. You can change the angle and position of your foot to target quads more than hamstrings.
To do this movement with dumbbell, simply set the dumbbells at your sides before you put your foot on the bench. Squat down and pick up the dumbbells to initiate the movement.
Barbell Lunges
Barbell lunge is one of the best overall quad exercises, hamstrings, and glutes. With a weight in each hand, you do the “walking” lunges. Placing one leg forward in the walking motion, where you lower yourself as low as possible, even attempting to touch your knee to the floor. You can also obtain the same results with the squat rack.
Leg Presses
Leg press is one of the best leg builders and overall quad exercises. This allows you to use your hamstrings and glutes as well. Though it as not as targeted for your quads, this provides the potential for using very heavy weights.
With the leg press machine sit with your back and head against the padded support. Place feet on the foot plate about hip width apart, ensuring the heels are flat. The legs should form an angle of about 90 degrees and aligned with your feet. Push the weight up and lower the weight down to your glutes, repeat. Never lock your knees. With a few variations in foot positioning you can work your hamstrings at the same time.
There you have it, great tips on building bigger and stronger quads. I want you to remember that doing the series of repetitions increase or decrease with the weight you are using and the results you want to obtain. Be sure to take things slowly at first for you want to avoid any sort of injury that will inhibit your progress.
Chris Sine
Fitness Trainer
E:Chris@NoBSFitnessforLife.com
W: www.NoBSFitnessforLife.com
Shoulder Strengthening
October 29, 2009 by Chris Sine
Filed under No BS Resources
Properly developed shoulders are every persons dream. Strong shoulders support your neck, back and give you that fuller and stronger look. The shoulders are used daily but many of us do not incorporate the proper shoulder strengthening exercises to hold up to our daily routine and day to day pressures.
When it comes to shoulder muscle development, it’s important to know the right techniques and exercises to build up the muscles. The anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid and posterior deltoid all work together to provide the movement for the arm. The development of the shoulder muscles in the proper fashion is imperative to the arm function. To keep our shoulders in proper health, we need to continue with proper exercises to increase their strength and resistance.
The reasons for building up your shoulders may vary. From strength purposes like pushing heavy objects that have fallen, for health and fitness or to just having big shoulders, sculpting the perfect shoulders takes time and dedication. Some shoulder exercises when done properly allow you to use a lot of weight. By using more weight will cause you to recruit most of your muscle fibers in your shoulders. This is the ultimate way to get faster results.
Here are 7 great shoulder strengthening exercises that will support you in getting those big shoulders that you have always wanted.
1-Barbell front raise – To do this lift you will want to stand upright with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. The weight should be raised from a starting position with your hands in front of you and your palms facing your legs. Using your shoulders, raise the weight until it is shoulder height. You can do this exercise with both arms at once or alternate from side to side. This exercise focuses on the deltoid muscles.
2-Lateral Raises – Similar to the Barbell front raises, you start out in the same body position but your arms will now be at your sides. Raise your arms slowly to shoulder level and bring the weights down in front of you with your palms facing each other. The exercise is done perfectly if you form a “T” with your body.
3 – Overhead Barbell Press. This exercise works the smaller parts of your shoulders. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, and bring the dumbbells up so your elbows are facing forward and are slightly bent. The weight should be positioned near your shoulders. Lift by pressing the arms overhead without locking the elbows. Do not touch the weights together for this applies unnecessary stress to the elbow joints.
4 – Rear Lateral Raises – Also known as the reverse fly, this is a great way to target the “posture” muscles. This technique may require lighter weights because you are slightly leaning forward. Keep the range of motion smaller because you don’t want to over extend your muscles. From a seated position, with your arms and weights under your knees, lift your arms out to your sides, up to shoulder level. Remember to keep your elbows bent and squeeze after each repetition.
5 – Behind the Neck Press – This exercise can be executed from either a seated or standing position, though being seated helps with your form. The technique itself involves a bar and from a position behind the neck, the bar should be raised until arms are straight above the head and returned to the starting position. This exercise is best done with the assistance of a spotter in case of any problems. If you have access to exercise equipment, the “machine”, is great support in maintaining your form and technique.
6 – Upright Rows – This exercise requires the use of a straight bar. The weight may vary but lighter is recommended until the technique is mastered. You can use either use a Smith Machine, Free weights or Cable to perform Upright Rows. Your grip may vary, depending on the isolation of the muscles. The narrow grip focuses on Trapezius and wider focuses on entire shoulder girdle. But the wider grip allows some cheating movement thereby allowing you to lift more weight. Holding the bar with grip of choice let the bar hang in front of you. Lift the bar and get it as close as possible to the chin using your arms and elevating your shoulders to get that good squeeze in. Keep the bar under control when you are lowering it to the starting position.
7 – Rotating Dumbbell Press – This exercise is performed either from the standing or sitting position and is great to build up the front and side heads to the delts. From the position of choice, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the dumbbells to shoulder position with palms facing you. Now push the dumbbells over your head, just like a dumbbell press, but twist them so your palms face forward at the top of the movement. Now lower the weights in the reverse movement.
There are so many more great shoulder exercises but I wanted to start out with the ones that would support you the most. By using these shoulder strengthening exercises and increasing the weight, you too can get those big shoulders that you always wanted.
Remember to use the proper breathing and stretching techniques as you train. Training the No BS Fitness way will keep you fit and happy for years to come.
Chris Sine
Fitness Trainer
E:Chris@NoBSFitnessforLife.com
W: www.NoBSFitnessforLife.com
