Arms

Want stronger biceps, triceps or forearms? Put these exercises, tips and techniques to use in your workout.

Replace Triceps Dips With This Bodyweight Exercise…

July 14, 2014 By 4 Comments

Picture-24Bodyweight exercises have many great advantages. Most notably, they’re convenient; you don’t need any equipment and you can perform them pretty much anywhere. Especially for beginners, bodyweight exercises can produce awesome results.

But not all bodyweight exercises are created equal.

A great example of this are triceps dips. Many people perform the dips with crappy form and thus increase the risk for shoulder injury. Here’s an alternative worth trying.

It’s called a plank-to-triceps extension. And here’s how you do it:

  1. Start in a push-up or plank position.
  2. Bend your elbows and come down onto your forearms in one fluid movement.
  3. Keeping your body in a straight line, contract your triceps and press your palms into the floor. Lift your elbows off of the floor.
  4. You should now be back in the starting push-up or plank position.
  5. Repeat as necessary.

If it’s too challenging, try doing the exercise standing with your forearms against the wall. This will decrease the amount of resistance and make the exercise much easier.

Though triceps dips can still be part of your workout (I sometimes use them in mine!), the plank-to-triceps extension is a great alternative that I find more effective. Give it a try!

For more equipment-free workouts, give my Davey Wavey Bootcamp Workout a try!

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Exercises for Bigger Arms: Davey Wavey and Phil Fusco.

December 3, 2012 By 7 Comments

A few weeks ago, I interviewed male model Phil Fusco about his workout routine. Today, I’m excited to share a video that we made together while visiting New York City. In it, Phil and I share some of our favorite arm exercises.

And trust me, it was almost more hotness than I was able to handle. I think I’m still sweating. Take a look!

Filed Under: Arms, Exercises, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , ,

How to Get Bigger Arms.

November 2, 2012 By 11 Comments

Are bigger arms one of your fitness goals?

When most people aim to increase the size of their arms, they often focus on the bicep. And while the bicep muscle is important, it’s not the biggest muscle in the arm.

If you really want to develop bigger, fuller arms, then watch this video from the Davey Wavey Fitness YouTube channel.

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5 Most Important Exercises.

September 21, 2012 By 6 Comments

There are no shortage of exercises to add variety to you workout - and switching things up can prevent a stale workout and plateaued results. By incorporating kettlebells, changing the base of stability, taking a new class or trying new exercises, it’s easy to keep you workout fresh and challenging.

Having said that, there are five tried and true exercises that every workout regime should include. These exercises have passed the test of time and have been used by bodybuilders, powerlifters and workout enthusiasts for generations.

  1. Bench press. The godfather of strength training, any gym worth your time will have a handful of bench presses. Some are flat, some are inclined and some are declined - but all are a great way to build strong and powerful chest muscles. In fact, the bench press is one of the three lifts in the sport of powerlifting. Though this exercise primarily works your pectoralis major muscle (i.e., your pecs), supporting muscles like the anterior deltoids, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis, scapulae fixers, trapezii, and the triceps are also trained.
  2. Barbell bicep curl. Of all the bicep exercises that I’ve tried, none compare in their effectiveness to the barbell bicep curl. By adding a barbell, you’re able to increase the amount of resistance that your muscles work against - and the results speak for themselves. Though you’ll primarily work your biceps brachii muscles, your brachialis (lower biceps) and brachioradialis (forearm) are also trained.
  3. Squats. Want a bigger and stronger butt? No exercise compares to the squat in its effectiveness. Also performed in powerlifting, squats primarily work your gluteus maximus, quadriceps and hamstrings. Your erector spinae, transverse abdominus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, adductors, soleus and gastrocnemius will also get some love. Proper form is essential for a safe and effective squat, so it’s important to do your homework or consult with a trainer before you jump into your gym’s squat rack or power cage.
  4. Shoulder press. Sometimes called the overhead press, there are innumerable variations of this popular exercise. In terms of building size or strength, there are no shoulder exercises that can touch the effectiveness of a good barbell or dumbbell shoulder press. Specially, this exercise is great for your deltoids - but it also engages your triceps brachii and trapezius muscles.
  5. Deadlift. Also one of the three powerlifting exercises, the deadlift is a compound exercise that engages a large number of muscles including your latissimus dorsi, trapezius, erector spinae, gluteals, hamstrings, quadriceps and hip flexors. In other words, your leg, butt and back muscles will all be screaming after a good set of deadlifts. Even your forearms, to a lesser degree, and obliques will be engaged. Though the deadlift is extremely effective, it’s not for everyone. For individuals with back injuries or certain joint issues, other exercises may be a better fit.

Of course, you don’t want to do each of these exercises in every workout. It’s best to break your gym sessions out so that each workout targets different muscle groups. Incorporate the bench press on a chest day, the barbell bicep curl on arm days and so on.

In my opinion, these are the top five exercises to include in any workout regime - but I’d love to hear what you think. Which five exercises top your list? Let me know in the comments below.

Filed Under: Arms, Back, Biceps, Butt, Chest, Exercises, Forearms, Legs, Shoulders, Triceps Tagged With: , ,

At Home Exercise for Strong Forearms.

February 11, 2012 By 3 Comments

Holy forearms.

Strong forearms aren’t just sexy - they’re functional.

When perform repetitions with barbells or dumbbells, some exercisers may notice that it is their grip strength (rather than the muscle being worked) that fails first. In other words, just holding onto the weights may be the greatest challenge - not the exercise itself.

Whenever I go rock climbing, I’m always impressed with the forearms of frequent climbers. Since grip strength is a necessity in climbing, their forearms are developed and bulging. It’s that sexy construction worker look.

In reading a recent article about climbing, the author recommended a very simple but highly effective exercise to build grip strength and forearm muscles. It only requires a tennis ball. I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. You can do it at home - or even at the desk while working.

In one hand, squeeze a tennis ball 20 times. Pause and repeat for two more sets.

Then, squeeze the ball between your thumb and pointer finger 20 times. Do this with each finger individually.

Switch hands, and repeat the whole series.

That’s it. But it’s not as easy as it sounds - and your forearms will be burning. Nonetheless, it’s a very effective way to build the grip strength that’s necessary for effective free weight training.

Filed Under: Arms, Exercises, Forearms Tagged With: , , ,
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