Upright rows are a movement which are embraced by some, and condemned by others. Some trainers and bodybuilders believe the movement is just plain awkward and causes injury. Others, most notably Bob Paris, owner of some serious cannonball deltoids in the mid-80s, believe they are essential for complete development. They hit the muscles of the shoulder like no other exercise, and are essential, they feel. A third group believes they are useful in a limited capacity in pre-contest training, when the shoulders cannot handle their normal training workload. Let’s take a look at each argument, and discuss the validity of each. Never use upright rows The upright row involves starting with a barbell at waist level, and hands about six inches apart. Bring the weight up almost to the chin, and then lower it back down. ...

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What are your goals in the weight room? Do you want to break a state powerlifting record? Do you want to become a completely ripped 160-pound Adonis? Or are you simply looking to add mass and power? This article is designed for those of you seeking to add mass and power to your physique. You’re not concerned about powerlifting numbers and making progress. You’re not too interested in becoming diced and lean, just yet. You can always do that down the road. Your goal today is to pile on slabs of muscle to your frame, and get a lot stronger while doing so. Here are a few guidelines to follow if your training goals are mass and power. 5 to 8 If you train below 5 reps, you’re only hitting a small percentage of your total ...

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Strength x Speed = Power This age-old adage has been used to define the importance of both strength and speed in the overall definition of power. A lack of either of these components renders the other one nearly useless. In football, a super-fast wide receiver is useless if he is easily knocked to the turf at the line of scrimmage by the opposing defensive back. Likewise, a highly strong offensive lineman is of useless protection to the quarterback if he is so slow that the defensive blitzers can just run around him. For athletes looking to improve their sports performance – or just overall power for every day life – it’s important to focus training upon both strength and speed. The strength aspect is often easily covered by the daily weightlifting routines in which we engage. Five ...

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The second most important place after the place of worship for any body builder is the gym. The choice you make of the gym you will be going for your training will greatly determine if you will succeed with your goal of getting into shape. Just as there is a strong and supportive lady for every successful man, the same applies in weight training, simply put for every successful body builder there is a corresponding well equipped gym. The following are a few things you need to consider when it comes to choosing the most appropriate gym which will meet your needs. You should first consider the suitability of the gym. The type of gym you select should have the capability of meeting your training needs and make sure that you at least have a plan before embarking on the training process. ...

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1.Getting pleasure from your discomfort and pain One of the main ways that bodybuilders thrive is the ability that they have to revel in their pains simply because they have been able to get past a certain weight level and thus assured themselves that they are stronger and more ready to get onto the next weight barrier. This is one of the most satisfactory feelings that you can have as a bodybuilder. Though the road to the top is painful and the fact that you will be grimacing a lot you should take comfort in the fact that the pain will yield results that will turn heads. 2.Mastering your fear The bodybuilder should get over his fear in the gym. This pain is mostly related to the strain and stress that the workouts will impact on your body. This should not hinder you ...

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Women are always viewed as dormant party in the sport of weight lifting. This is a fallacious perception which should be rectified. How to correct this mistake is a matter that calls for a very keen approach to the general relationship between women and the sport. It is also worth noting some of the specific differences between women and the men. With these points in mind, I offer to face the issue. Diet plays a crucial role in bodybuilding process and specifically weight lifting. Women are known for being so selective about what they eat. In most cases they prefer light meals and taking very little food. This is a setback in weight training since, when you cut back a lot on food intake, it deprives the female body of energy and the body usually becomes weak. It is a fact ...

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It is possible that after you performed some serious weightlifting you woke up the following morning feeling a myriad of aches and pains in the concerned muscle groups. The main culprit in this case may have been the lack of proper stretching prior to the start of the exercise. Stretching is very beneficial to the weightlifting fraternity because it prepares the muscle for the torrid experiences ahead. Stretches are effective in gently lengthening the muscles in preparation for the extreme stress that they will endure. You can consider stretches to have the same effect as a warm up. Static stretching involves a gradual extension of the muscle groups through the fullest possible motion ranges and holding at this point for approximately half a minute. Through this extension the muscles will be elongated adequately. Take care though; any painful sensations felt in ...

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The calves are perhaps the most neglected muscle group in bodybuilding. Everyone enters the gym wanting a big chest and big arms. Then, they discover the basics and begin training using squats and deadlifts. It’s only after 2 or 3 years of dedicated training that many trainers realize their calves lag behind the rest of the body in terms of development. Additionally, many people possess a genetic predisposition for poor calves – they tie in very high up on the lower leg. This means no matter how hard they train them, the calves will always be a small muscle group. The muscles The calves consist of two muscle groups, the gastrocnemius and the soleus. The gastrocnemius is the ‘diamond’ that most people notice – the split muscle which stretches from the back of the knee down ...

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Q:  Is there anything out there that talks about the most effective cardio for bodybuilders? I want to try some different, untraditional forms, and I'm not sure if it is going to serve me well in contest prep. Can you rate cardio forms? A: That's a great question because not all cardio is created equal for all people and all endeavors. Traditionally, when you are preparing for a sport, such as running, the best exercise is running. But when you talk about bodybuilding, there is no real rule because you are talking anaerobic vs. aerobic application. In my own experience, I have done everything from treadmills and Precor steppers in combination, to distance running alone, to stair walking alone. Usually, I recommend to people that they try one for an extended period to see what is and is not effective ...

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Q:  I've always heard differing opinions on this and wanted to hear what you guys think... If you are training for pure strength and size, should you go to failure? And if you don't go to failure, how close should you get? We all know the 4 rep deal isn't intense enough unless you're powerlifting, so how else could you get intensity but going to failure on certain sets? A: There are so many opinions on this it isn't even funny. Some recommend never going to failure, and others recommend making "failure" a regular part of your routines. There is a lot of research out there that says that the difference between the amount of stress placed on your muscles when going to failure is significantly larger than when you stop just shy of it.  Since stress is key to growth, stopping just short of ...

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