The pecs are “pushing” muscles that tie in closely with your arms and shoulders. When you work your chest, your triceps and deltoids also get some work. The size, spread and depth of your pecs is directly related to the weights used in your training regimen.

Best Chest Workout to Develop the Pecs

To build a overall strength and a well developed chest you need to do more than just the bench press. You need to do a variety of exercises to see some growth. This article will show you some workouts and tips for building perfect pecs.

Bench Press

When the chest is the topic of conversation and evaluation, the bench press is the first exercise considered. This exercise may be performed in a variety of ways and using different benches, grips, angles and weights.

The Olympic bar and plates are commonly used in the different types of bench presses.

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A wide-grip on the bar while using a flat bench is the basic bench press.

The wide grip will put more exertion on the outer pecs. Whether the bar is lowered to the neck or to the chest will determine whether the upper or middle of the pecs is worked.

When the bar is lowered to the middle of the chest and the elbows are kept at the lifter’s sides, the triceps are involved in moving the weight. When the bar is lowered to the neck and the elbows are splayed widely, the frontal deltoids are involved with the pecs.

The bench press may be performed on an incline board and the bar lowered to the neck. This will exercise the upper pecs. When performed on the decline board, the lower pecs are worked.

Parallel Bar Dips

These are very good for working the inner and upper pecs when the lifter’s hands are at shoulder width. Placed wider, the outer pecs and delt-pec tie-in are involved.

Dumbbell Exercises for a Chest Workout

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Cable-And-Pulley Machine

This device is good for chest finishing exercises like the two-handed crunch, where the exercise begins with arms spread wide and then the handles are brought together in front of the chest,with the arms slightly bent at the elbow.

Bent-Arm-Pullover

This move is performed on a flat bench with the weight on the floor. The lifter assumes a supine position and reaches back over his head for the barbell. Keeping his arms bent, the weight is brought to the chest in a circular motion.

A compound exercise is performed when the weight is then pressed from the chest as a close-grip bench press. The return is back to the chest and then lowered to the floor in a circular motion.

The best chest workout is to begin with the heavier weight exercises (bench press) and move “down the ladder” through the barbell exercises to the dumbbells and finally to the bodyweight resistance exercises to finish off the pecs.

How To Burn Belly Fat and Build Six Pack Abs

Almost all the experts have built the abdominals we all desire. How you build your abs is a matter of choosing which method works best for your body and metabolism.

Vince Gironda

Crunchies and diet: Let’s start with Vince Gironda, aka The Iron Guru. He advocated avoiding sit-ups completely. Vince had six pack abs like no one else of his era. He trained hundreds of bodybuilding champions and a host of other body-beautiful celebs, including movie stars and action movie heroes.

To get six pack abs, Vince recommended a series of crunching exercises – on the mat, hanging from a pull-up bar, on a bench and using the Roman chair. He also maintained that it was your diet that displayed your abs, not your workout routine. Vince was very controversial, but he was also a very successful trainer.

Bill Pearl

Work everything: Four-time Mr. Universe winner, Bill Pearl has written what is arguably the very best book on weight training and bodybuilding ever composed. In his “Keys to the Inner Universe”, Bill has 62 pages on abdominal work covering more than 240 different exercises and variations of exercises.

Bill Pearl’s had the best six pack abs. At the age of 47 he was voted the “best built man in the World,” by his contemporaries.

Who is right? Actually, they both are. Gironda believed in working the abdominals sufficiently and correctly to develop them and then dieting properly to show them off. Pearl believed in building every muscle to its maximum potential and then dieting to get rid of the body fat so they would show well.

Vince Gironda was small of stature, very muscular, fit and trim. Bill Pearl was exactly the opposite: moderately tall, massively muscled, extremely defined and very fit. Both of their students emulated Pearl’s build as much as they could.

How To Get Six Pack Abs

Today we can learn the secret to ripped abs from both of these champions and trainers of champions, and combine their techniques to get the ultimate guide for six-pack abs. Perform three sets of each of these exercises.

• Roman Chair Sit-Ups – This is a backless chair device that allows you to hook your legs under a rung and then perform sit-ups for abs and back-bends for lower back muscles.
• Incline Board Crunches – A partial sit-up where you raise your head and shoulders while contracting your abs forcefully.
• Supine Crunches -On a bench or mat, elevate your legs with them bent at a 90 degree angle and place your hands behind your head. Crunch your abs while touching your left elbow to right knee and the reverse.
• Dumbbell Side-Bends – Seated or standing and using a single dumbbell, lower the weight at arm’s length and then return to upright. Alternate sides with 20 reps each side. This is also performed with the weight hanging behind your buttocks so you pull the rear obliques.
• Pull-Up Bar Leg Raises – With your hands widely placed on the chinning bar, slowly elevate your legs, bring your knees to your chest. Lower and repeat.
• Parallel Bar Dip Machine Knee-Ups – With your forearms resting on each side of the dip bar, elevate your knees to waist level.

This completes your six pack abs workout!

Recommended Reading:
For more techniques on how to get six pack abs, check out Mike Geary’s Truth About Abs.

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Type of Videos

There are so many muscle building videos on the market; it can be difficult to choose which ones will help you with your goals. You can find all sorts of muscle building videos on subjects as diverse as posing, contests, exercises, and much more.

When you are choosing a video to follow, you really should keep some things in mind. First, decide what you really want to see. Do you want videos of people lifting weights and performing exercises so that you know how to do the exercises correctly? Do you want to have videos of muscle building contests that can show you the way you should be performing if you enter a contest yourself? The choices are varied, so think about what you are trying to accomplish before you buy.

Pumping Iron

When muscle building began to gain popularity in the 1970′s, Arnold Schwarzenaggermade a video called “Pumping Iron” which was a big hit with bodybuilders everywhere. Since then, there have been other movies that have come out that feature muscle building pros. These videos can be great motivation for continuing your workout program and keeping you on track with your muscle building goals.

Muscle building videos are great resources to show you the correct way to pose when you are in a muscle building contest. You can look at the people who have won contests and then emulate what they are doing. Who knows – you might be able to win as well!

It’s so important to perform muscle building exercises in the correct way. When you do an exercise wrong, you are not only risking injury to yourself, but you are also not working your muscles in the most effective way possible. Having a muscle building video that shows you the correct way to perform an exercise can mean the difference between an effective workout or just wasting your time.

Where To Find Muscle Building Videos

You can find muscle building videos in various places. A good place to start is online at places like Amazon.com. Featured below is the best-selling P90X Extreme Home Fitness system, a bundle of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days.

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Besides the obvious advice that the articles will offer you, you will see much more inside the pages of popular muscle building magazines. You will get pictures of people who are considered to be ideals in the industry. You will receive reviews of popular supplements that can enhance your muscle building endeavors.

You will get information about the latest contests and competitions and how to succeed when you decide to enter a contest. These magazines have articles written by experts in the field and can offer up tips and techniques that you probably won’t find anywhere else.

It’s a good idea to subscribe to at least two muscle building magazines if you are an avid enthusiast. When you read these magazines, pay special attention to what the articles have to say. They can offer up some amazing information that will help you in both your workouts as well as with your diet.

What are the best magazines to subscribe to?

The choice, of course, is personal, but there are a few magazines that remain in the forefront of the muscle building industry. Here are a few to consider:

Flex

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This magazine is considered the “bible” of hardcore body building. They do interviews with experts in the field and offer up some amazing advice for both the experienced as well as novice body builder.

Muscle & Fitness

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This also is a highly respected magazine in the muscle building industry. Each issue refers a lot to the principles of fitness and muscle building. They give some good information on nutrition, weight training, and many other topics of interest to body builders.

Muscular Development

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Another magazine for serious muscle builders. Muscular Development provides scientific information on sports, nutrition & training- written by doctors & specialists in the field. Each issue is packed with info on training regimens & nutritional supplements that will help you build a stronger, healthier body & perform at your best.

Subscribe to a Muscle Building Magazine

When you are serious about muscle building, you can’t go wrong when you subscribe to a muscle building magazine. They can help keep you on track with your goals and make you shape the body you’ve always wanted.

Types of Muscle Building Nutrition

What are the type of nutrition you should have to succeed in muscle-building?

Protein

You need to first have a diet that is high in protein. That means eating a lot of chicken, fish, and meat. Chicken and fish are best for you because of their low fat content. Although fats are important in muscle building nutrition, you still must be careful that your fat consumption doesn’t contribute to health problems.

Carbohydrates

Another big part of healthy muscle building nutrition intake is to be sure that you consume lots of carbohydrates. Carbs are very important because they provide the primary energy source for our body from the foods we eat. You will need lots of energy to complete an intense workout which will build your muscles quicker and more efficiently.

Complex carbohydrates are the best carbs to take in. These can be found in foods such as whole grain rice, whole grain breads, and pasta. Be sure to take your carbohydrates with protein for maximum efficiency.

Fats

Fats are also very important in muscle building nutrition. Believe it or not, fats actually do good in our bodies providing insulation for body parts like the heart and lungs as well as making energy when the fats break down. Of course, you will want to consume the good fats as opposed to the bad ones so that you don’t gain weight through fat intake.

Saturated fats are the worst fats to take in. These are fats like animal lard and butter. Saturated fats are those that stay solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are the “good fats”, but they also should be consumed in moderation. Olive oil and flaxseed oil are good unsaturated fats. They stay liquid when at room temperature.

A very important fat group that can help both your body and mind are Omega 3 fatty acids that are found in fish. Omega 3 fatty acids are known to combat depression, fend off fatigue, and give you energy you need to workout.

Fruit and Vegetables

You should also include a lot of fresh vegetables in your diet. Foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots give you many vitamins and minerals that are necessary for a healthy body. Fruit should be consumed in moderation as they naturally contain a certain amount of sugar naturally. Too much sugar can hinder your progress.

Supplements

Musclebuilding supplements are a great way to get nutrients to the body fast. At a minimum I suggest you use whey protein supplements. Depending on your goals and level of training, creatine and glutamine should also be considered.

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If you want to gain muscle mass you need to eat more calories than your burn throughout the day. Diet and nutrition is just as important as lifting weights and exercising. Getting good muscle building nutrition is essential for an effective muscle building routine.

Types of Exercise for Muscle Building

Here are the types of exercises that can be performed to get the results you want.

Exercises for the Legs

For big legs, you’ll want to do a lot of barbell squats and dead lifts. The resistance you are putting on your legs when you perform these types of exercises will push your muscles to make them grow. That’s the point of an intense workout program in the first place. Lifting weights with your legs instead of your arms will help the quadriceps and hamstrings become tight and fit.

Exercises for the Arms

When working your arms, the muscle building exercises you should count on will consist a lot of barbell and dumbbell curls and well as bench presses. It’s easy when performing these exercises to just concentrate on lifting the weights, but what you really need to do is focus on the strain the weights are putting on your arm muscles. Really push them as you are lifting and feel how they are working in response.

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Exercises for the Abs

Great abs are formed much in the same way as any other muscle group. They need to be worked, strained, and pushed in order to become toned. You can get that toned, sculpted look by doing crunches and leg raises, but weights can help too. Try hanging from a chin up bar and lifting your knees up, or get on a machine specially designed to tone the ab muscles.

Exercises for the Upper Back

When working the upper back, a pull-down bar machine will make all the difference in the world. This is a two handled curved bar that is attached to weights with a pulley system. You pull the bar down with your shoulders behind you.

Exercises for the Lower Back

If you want to do one exercise to work your whole body including the lower back, upper back, triceps, legs and buttocks then it should be heavy deadlifts. The deadlift is a power exercise designed to build overall physique which uses more muscles than any other exercise.

The Right Exercise For You

It’s important when choosing muscle building exercises that you pick the ones that you are physically able to do. Then be very conscious of the way the exercise is supposed to be performed. If you don’t pay special attention to your form, you risk injury which can set back your muscle building program significantly.

Take a look at the muscle building exercises here and learn how to immediately implement them into your muscle building workouts. Not only will you gain more muscular strength in the process, but you’ll begin to gain muscle mass.

You have many choices when it comes to muscle building supplements. There are hundreds of brands on the market, and the choice is up to you which one you want to use. They are all essentially the same, but some are better than others. Pick a brand that is well known and well-respected who has proven results.

Types of Supplements

As for what types of supplements you should use, there are basically four different ones that can help you in your workout program. These include:

• Protein powders
• Creatine
• Glutamine
• Nitric Oxide

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What To Avoid

Another supplement many body builders use should be avoided. In order to grow quickly, some body builders will resort to the use of synthetic steroids and growth hormones. However, these muscle building supplements can have damaging side effects. Many of these substances are illegal, and if you are competing in muscle building competitions, you will be disqualified if they are found in your system.

Muscle building supplements are generally considered safe to use for most people. If you are considering using a supplement, you should check with a doctor first. If you have any underlying conditions, the doctor will be able to tell you if using a specific supplement can help or ultimately hurt you.

Use of Muscle Building Supplements

Supplements in a muscle building program are just part of the sports. You probably won’t find a serious body builder who doesn’t use them. But be sure to use those that are legal and safe to use. If they aren’t, you may find you are hurting yourself rather than helping.

Muscle building supplements can be great tools to help you grow muscles and enhance your workouts. It’s possible to get by without them, but they can really add to your workouts and help you achieve results faster.

Of course, you will want to have some type of weights to help you with your muscle building goals. A stable weight bench and some barbells as well as dumbbells will help you workout at home. If you’re not able to get to a gym, having these types of weights at home will contribute to your workout program and help you burn fat and build muscle in an amazing way.

An exercise ball is a cheap way to work your ab muscles and make them strong. You simply roll over the ball and perform sit-ups while using the resistance that the ball can give you works your abs. Exercise balls can be purchased in many places including discount stores like Wal-Mart, and are relatively inexpensive when you consider what they can give you in the long run. A favorite of mine is the TRX Suspension Training System, which is versatile and can be used anywhere.

Muscle building equipment doesn’t have to be expensive. You can actually come across some great deals when you search out the types of machines that you want to enhance your workout. Check online and look in the classified ads of your local newspaper to find Nautilus machines as well as treadmills or stair step machines.

You should look for reliability in muscle building equipment before you buy. This is especially true if you are buying a machine with pulley systems. Look at the cords and see if they are strong and not frayed. If there is any sign of stress on the pulleys, don’t buy it.

If you are looking to buy some muscle building equipment from a large company, be sure that they are reliable and offer a guarantee. It’s convenient to have your own weight machine in your home, but if it doesn’t give you the workout that you need, you’re just throwing your money away.

The equipment you use when you are undertaking a muscle building program can be very important. You will want to choose the type of muscle building equipment that will give you maximum results and contribute to your goals. There are many places you can go to get this type of equipment, but know what you are looking for before you buy.

Most experts agree that you need to schedule in rest days when considering how your muscle building routine will go. Beginners need to take into consideration their physical health before they begin so that they know what their body is capable of. This is so important because overall general health will dictate how often you can workout without risk of injury or fatigue that can lead to you quit.

An effective muscle building routine will concentrate on working certain parts of the body just one day a week. You should also include cardio workout into your routine. You need to have rest days to allow your body to recover, so be sure to take at least two days off. Do your research when choosing to emulate the muscle building routine from someone else. Did they get good results from this routine? Do they have the kind of body you want to have? If so, then you should go ahead and try their workout. If not, just keep looking!

Be sure to have clearly defined goals when coming up with your muscle building routine. Without goals, you are just lifting weights. If you want to lose weight and gain mass, that will dictate how you workout and what your routine will be. If you are just interested in toning your muscles, that, too, will help define how your muscle building routine will go.

To allow for continuing progress, your program must always be changing your workout load. That means adding weight when your muscles become stronger. There’s no one set formula for how much weight you should add at any specific time. You know your body and add sufficient weight that will push your muscles so that they can grow.

Different workout programs are geared towards different people. No one plan will work for everyone. You have to take into consideration your age, your gender, your physical health, and your capabilities. Tailor your muscle building routine to what you are able to do without causing significant injury to your body.

An effective muscle building routine is important in order for you to achieve your muscle building goals. When coming up with a routine, be sure that you are keeping those goals in mind and then devise a plan that works for you.