Q: I want to start doing clean and press, but don’t know how to get started. I know the basic stance and what it looks like but can you break it down for me? A: Sure, it’s a great exercise to build strength, and a must in any powerlifting program. Keep in mind that breathing is crucial in this exercise. For optimum power, inhale before you begin the lift, then exhale after the second pull and through the shrug. Inhale during the downward movement. Here’s a good blow-by-blow description of a properly executed clean and press: Starting Position Assume shoulder width stance, feet flat on floor and knees inside arms. Grab the bar with a pronated, closed grip slightly wider than shoulders. Squat next to bar, heels on floor and fully extend arms. Position bar over balls of feet, close to shins. With ...

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There is very likely a machine in your gym that you’ve never tried. It’s usually sitting unoccupied, or perhaps being filled by a middle-aged soccer mom. It has two settings, and can be used quite painfully to add leg definition and mass. Using it feels and often looks awkward, and you will struggle with only a little bit of weight. It’s called the leg abductor/adductor machine. And you should be using it. The machine allows you to sit and place your legs inside two braces. You then have the option of pressing out, or pulling your extended legs in. This trains various parts of the inner thighs, hips, glutes, and the cross-striation muscles which support basic leg functions. It’s often awkward to use, as it involves spreading and closing your legs in a most ...

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With every muscle group in the body, there are two phases you must sequentially complete in order to fully develop the area: Mass and Detailing. For this article, we will focus upon hitting the triceps, and break down the mass and detailing phases and their movements. There are two phases to making gains when it comes to triceps. The first is mass. Beginner bodybuilders should focus on mass. Period. You shouldn’t even be thinking about “defining your shape” and “bringing out your lines” until you have built up some actual triceps mass. You build triceps mass by completing heavy movements using free weights as your primary tool. Skullcrushers are an excellent mass builder for triceps. Bench dips on parallel benches with a weight on your lap is very useful as well. Close-grip bench ...

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Are you a bodybuilder? You certainly look like one. You’re the biggest guy in most rooms you enter. And you certainly eat like one. Everyone knows that when they see you, they’ll usually see you accompanied by a cooler full of protein and a gallon of Crystal Lite. Finally, you train like one. You’re in the gym five days a week. You see the lesser trainers arrive, train, and depart while you’re still working on your first body part. The staff knows you by name, and you’re well aware of the little idiosyncrasies of both the equipment and the other people in the gym. It’s your second home away from home, and you leave everything on that gym floor. Yet there is still a chasm. There is a gap which exists between the ...

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