Hardbody Exercise Tips

Nothing says fitness-and-strength like a set of big, shapely, well-developed arms; biceps and triceps.

When getting a "set of mirrors" at the local health club, what we are checking more than any other body part, is the appearance of our "guns."

That sidelong glance when we pass the plate glass windows in the supermarket storefront are to see our arms hanging from the short sleeves and whether they look good flexed and un-flexed.

Learning how to gain muscle mass and big arms take a lot of work. You have to tear the tissue down with heavy weights, shape them with dumbbells and preacher-bench curls, then rebuild and define them with a high protein diet.

Our arms are comprised to two major muscle groups; the biceps, a two-part (bi-ceps) muscle on the front of the arm that is flexed when the arm is contracted; and the triceps, a three-part (tri-ceps) on the back of the arm that is flexed when the arm is extended.

To work the biceps, the exercises must provide the work as we contract, or pull, with our arms. Various types of curls are a good example of exercises that work the "bi's."

The triceps work when the arm is being extended. Typical triceps exercises are press-downs using a cable-and-pulley set-up, or supine French presses.

In the old days of bodybuilding in the mid-nineteenth century, serious iron-pumpers worked their arms heavily at least every other day.

The logic was to give the muscles a day of rest between workouts. Modern exercise physiologists have given us a new slant of working out:

Work the muscle to total exhaustion one day per week.

The modern concept is that all of your muscles get worked to some degree regardless of which muscle group is being focused on.

One hard, focused workout per week on a specific muscle group will tear the muscle down sufficiently to allow it to rebuild quickly from the protein we ingest.

To build the arms we want, one heavy, concentrated arm workout per week will get the job done. When we work other body parts on other days, our biceps and triceps are still being worked and pumped to some degree.

A good arm workout for that one "heavy day" per week is as follows:

Super sets for biceps and triceps - A single set consists of barbell curls followed immediately by triceps machine press-downs.

Complete five sets with enough weight to cause muscle failure on the ninth or tenth rep. One minute of rest between complete sets.

Biceps Curls with Dumbbells - Alternating curls, seated or standing, with heavy dumbbells. Five sets, one minute rest between sets.

French Press - Supine on a bench, using a barbell or easy-curl bar. Five sets, one minute rest between sets.

Preacher Bench Curls - Using an easy-curl bar and fairly heavy weights, complete five sets of full, concentrated curls. Rest one minute between sets.

Triceps Overhead Press - Using a single, heavy dumbbell, press it overhead from behind the neck, using both hands.

Dumbbell Concentration Curls - Using one fairly heavy dumbbell while seated on a bench, rest your elbow on your knee and arm extended with the dumbbell, curl it slowly until fully contracted.

Do ten reps, change arms and complete ten more. Complete five sets in this manner.

Reverse Triceps Bench Push-up - Using two benches, plaHardbody Exercise Tips: Simple Secrets of Personal Trainers For Developing The Ultimate Body

Those hard-bodied personal trainers you see in every fitness club didn't get that way because of any "genetic predisposition." They are the results of dedication and a lot of focused effort. Those high-and-tight buns, the trim waist with no "hang-over," the muscular and defined core didn't get that way by accident.

Those deep-chested, muscular armed guys in the workout attire had to pay attention to their diet as well as pump a lot of iron in order to look that good. All those personal trainers and fitness coaches are displaying their wares in order to send a message that with the proper dedication and instruction (from them of course) you too can look and be fit and healthy.

Sure, some of the fit people we see at the health club do have some advantages in how their metabolism works, or a genetic trait towards muscularity, but anyone can achieve a tight, fit, healthy body with the right dedication and effort.

The First Secret

Make a personal commitment to workout on a regular basis. Once a week won't get it, but two, three or five times per week may do the job if each workout is properly orchestrated.

Create several workout routines for various parts of the body, then stick to a schedule that the entire body worked totally each week.

You can do a split routine twice a week; upper body in one workout, lower body in another, with some cardio each time. Another alternative is to focus on one major muscle group during five workouts per week, with some cardio each day.

The secret is to take each muscle to total exhaustion at least once per week.

Arthur Jones, the creator of the Nautilus machines and system of exercise, proved that you can build muscle with only three intense workouts per week.

Do a Google search for "The Colorado Experiment" and read how one subject gained 63 pounds of lean muscle mass in just 28 days.

Proper diet and every-other-day workouts on Nautilus equipment was the key to the success achieved by a bodybuilder who had suffered an accident and nearly died.

His recovery was "tissue memory" not all fresh muscle, but the principle is the same for anyone using this approach.

The Second Secret

Proper nutrition is the second part of the equation to building muscle and losing fat. A protein heavy diet with good complex carbohydrates, lots of fluids and fiber is the simple formula for successfully sculpting your body.

The elimination of processed foods and simple sugars is also paramount.

In "The Colorado Experiment" the two subjects ate a diet of animal and vegetable protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. They drank a lot of water and avoided caffeine and alcohol.

The Third Secret

Almost all successful bodybuilders and other athletes have strong visualizations of what they want to look like or how they would like to perform.

Several times per day, they meditate, visualizing the images of the body they want to create. In this manner they are programming their minds to help them achieve their goals.

A number of experiments have been conducted on how mental imaging can improve athletic performance. Body sculpting and massive weight loss have also been attributed to meditation and visualization.

Many "natural" athletes may have not been consciously meditating, but they were doing this instinctively. There are recorded examples of athletes being told to think about performing their sport. Performance improvements were noted after these "think- sessions."

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