Category: Arms (Page 4 of 5)

The Push-up. Switch it up.

March 30, 2009 / Mike Furci

Do you train at home and feel there is not enough variety? To help switch things up, change what muscles you stimulate during push-ups by changing hand and foot positions. A study conducted by scientists from the University of Athens compared standard push-ups (hands shoulder width apart, legs supported on toes) with modified push-ups (?women?s push-ups,? with legs supported on knees), hands wider than shoulder width, hands together, hands above the chest, and hands below the chest. Women?s push-ups decreased the overall load by about 15%. The wider hand position stimulated the pecs more, while the triceps were targeted more with a narrow hand position. Next time you do push-ups, decide which body parts you want to stimulate more and position your hands accordingly.
(J Strength Cond Res, 19:146-151, 2005)

If you want to increase the difficulty of the movement above that of a standard push-up, use a stability ball. Start with the ball just below your knees. To make the movement more difficult move the ball towards your feet making sure to keep your body rigid and straight throughout the movement.

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Q and A with Mike Furci

March 23, 2009 / Mike Furci

Q: Mike,
I was told to do dumbbell flys on an incline bench (35-40 degrees). wrong? better? worse?
A: Better? No. Different? Yes.
As the angel of the incline starts to go beyond 30% the only difference is the degree to which the deltoids are used. And while we’re on the subject of angled benches, don’t even bother with decline bench. It is a myth that it stimulates the bottom portion of the pec muscles more than the flat bench.
Also, if you’re performing different angles to change the shape of your pecs, it’s not going to happen. Your shape is genetically predetermined. Train with 100% intensity and stick with the basics.

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Rolling Triceps Extension

March 11, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Men’s Fitness.com breaks down the rolling tricpes extension and why it’s ideal for building arm size and strength.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie back on a bench with your arms locked out above your chest [1]. Bend your elbows until the dumbbells touch your shoulders, then “roll” your shoulders back so that your elbows go beside your head and you feel a stretch in your triceps and your lats. Reverse the motion by contracting your lats and triceps simultaneously to pull your arms forward and lock out your elbows [2]. That’s one rep.

Why It Works Essentially a combination of the lying triceps extension and pullover, the rolling extension allows you to use more weight as a result of the involvement of the lats. Perform the exercise for 10-12 reps, as going too heavy for low reps can be stressful on the elbow joint. Do not explosively lock out your elbows. “This is best used at the end of your workout,” says Ferruggia, “as a finisher after dips or bench presses.”

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Stretch for Muscle

February 21, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Are you typically a hardgainer or have you hit a plateau in the gym? Maybe stretching your muscles more is your answer to making gains again in the gym.

MensFitness.com lays out six ways to stretch for more muscle:

Chest. Grab a pair of dumbbells that you can perform 12-15 reps with on a dumbbell bench press, and get into the bottom position of the exercise (your hands near the outside of your chest).
Back. Hang from a chinup bar in the bottom position of a pullup, palms facing away from you.
Biceps. Set an incline bench to a 45-60-degree angle and sit on it with a dumbbell in each hand. Allow your arms to hang.
Triceps. Hold the end of a towel with one hand and grab the other end behind your back. Pull down with the hand behind your back so that your opposite elbow points upward and that arm’s triceps is stretched. You should look like you’re in position to do a one-arm overhead triceps extension.
Quads. Rest one foot on a bench set to a low incline, and bend the opposite knee so that you go into a split squat position. You should feel the stretch in your rear thigh and that leg’s hip.
Hamstrings. Rest one heel on a bench, step, or other surface that’s three or four feet off the floor. Bend forward and try to kiss your knee.

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Training Frequency

January 2, 2009 / Mike Furci

How often can, or much more importantly, should I train per week? Optimum recovery time between training sessions is essential if one is going to continue to make progress. Training frequency, which is determined by ones recovery ability, is often a forgotten part of most training protocols. It never ceases to amaze me, how many people train for months and years experiencing little or no success, and never consider the fact they maybe doing too much.

You can never train too hard, but you can train too much. Training ?too much? can actually be described in two ways. The first and probably the most common way, is training too often. If you are training with 100% intensity, you should not be able to train a body part any more frequently than once every 6-8 days. Everyone should realize that if you are still feeling it from the previous workout of the same body part, then it is best to take a few more days of rest. I have actually heard people say that they train even if they are sore because it is harder on the muscles. True, it is harder on the muscles, but not in a positive way. Ask yourself, ?Where is the logic in training a muscle before it is recovered?? The muscle hasn?t had a chance to adapt to a previous training session and you tear it down with another. Training may stimulate your muscles to grow, but they don’t grow during training. Proper nutrition and enough rest between sessions is what facilitates recovery and allows the muscles to grow. If you train before the muscle is recovered, you not only slow or put a halt to your progress, you increase your risk of injury.

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