<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626</id><updated>2011-07-31T01:34:15.539-06:00</updated><category term='weight training books'/><category term='bowflex exercise equipment'/><category term='weight lifting routines'/><category term='weight lifting shoes'/><category term='bodybuilding magazines'/><title type='text'>Get Bigger Blog - Weight Lifting Routine Resources</title><subtitle type='html'>Tips for developing an effective weight lifting routine. Reviews of bodybuilding magazines, weight training books, exercise equipment, and more.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>11</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-1183776475575050217</id><published>2009-10-29T22:07:00.005-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-30T14:38:55.825-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='weight lifting routines'/><title type='text'>How To Get Bigger Shoulders</title><content type='html'>&lt;em&gt;Building bigger shoulders&lt;/em&gt; is a sought after goal for many weight lifters (at least those of the male population). When developed and conditioned enough the this muscle group resembles a pair bronze pumpkins that&amp;nbsp;greatly contribute to&amp;nbsp;the desirable V-shaped torso, signifying dominance and masculinity. Furthermore, wide and muscular shoulders give the impression of a trimmer waistline and are considered one of the most attractive bodyparts&amp;nbsp;in the eyes of&amp;nbsp;women.&amp;nbsp;Prior to&amp;nbsp;designing a new &lt;em&gt;weight lifting routine&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;implementing one of the many available &lt;em&gt;shoulder routines&lt;/em&gt;, some attention must be directed toward functionality of the muscle. The &lt;em&gt;anatomy of the shoulder&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;is somewhat complex and&amp;nbsp;consists of the rotator cuff, a group of 4 small muscles underneath the upper arm,&amp;nbsp;as well as&amp;nbsp;the anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear) deltoid heads, the 3 larger muscles that give the shoulders their overall shape. The rotator cuff muscles and tendons connect the humerus (upper arm bone) to the scapula (shoulder blade) and&amp;nbsp;are responsible for much of the stabilization required to perform weight lifting and everyday tasks.&amp;nbsp;A torn rotator cuff can make an upper body workout every difficult by&amp;nbsp;causing pain and impairment&amp;nbsp;during&amp;nbsp;movement of the arm. Each of the 3 deltoid heads contract to move the arm in different directions relative to the body. The anterior&amp;nbsp;head moves the arm&amp;nbsp;out to&amp;nbsp;front of the body, the medial head is involved&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;side movement, and the posterior head contracts to cause arm&amp;nbsp;movements from front to rear of the torso. A key component to building bigger shoulders is directing equal attention toward all three deltoid heads to achieve a balanced&amp;nbsp;look from all angles.&lt;br /&gt;Knowing the basic anatomy of the shoulder makes it much easier to choose the most appropriate weight lifting exercises for an effective routine. The barbell or &lt;em&gt;dumbbell shoulder press&lt;/em&gt; is the ultimate mass builder for all 3 deltoid muscles, although most emphasis is placed on the anterior head. Avoid performing shoulder presses behind the neck if using a barbell as&amp;nbsp;doing so can place undue stress on the rotator cuff. Front, lateral, and bent-over lateral dumbbell shoulder raises target each of the 3 heads (anterior, medial, and posterior respectively) individually and are great for developing separation between these muscles. &lt;em&gt;Front raises&lt;/em&gt; can be changed from an isolation to a compound exercise by using a barbell, working both anterior heads together. &lt;em&gt;Wide grip upright rows&lt;/em&gt; are a very effective movement for&amp;nbsp;isolating the medial heads from the remainder of the shoulder muscles&amp;nbsp;(the trapezius and biceps are also heavily involved)&amp;nbsp;with much more weight than used for lateral raises. Another effective mass building exercise for the medial deltoids are lateral raises performed on a machine because the range of motion is locked and both shoulders move together.&amp;nbsp;The posterior heads are brought into play significantly&amp;nbsp;during almost every upper back exercises and therefore do not required a lot of direct work for development (a good number of shoulder routines actually group these muscles as part of the upper back and exclude them from the workout).&amp;nbsp;Proper&amp;nbsp;form is the most effective method&amp;nbsp;of strengthening the rotator cuffs and specialized exercises should be avoided altogether (&lt;a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/matt20.htm"&gt;read this article&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Anterior Deltoid Emphasis&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Barbell or dumbbell shoulder press 2-3x6-10&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dumbbell lateral raises 2-3x10-15&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dumbbell&amp;nbsp;bent-over lateral&amp;nbsp;raises 2-3x10-15&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Barbell front raises 2-3x8-12&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Medial Deltoid Emphasis&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dumbbell lateral raises 2-3x10-15&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Machine lateral raises or wide grip upright rows 2-3x8-12&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Barbell or dumbbell shoulder press 2-3x6-10&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bent-over lateral raises 2-3x10-15&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; The most effective mass building exercises for posterior deltoids are upper back movements (rows and pull ups). Bent-over lateral raises can easily be included in an upper back routine and can be replaced with dumbbell front raises&amp;nbsp;for both shoulder routines above.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-1183776475575050217?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/1183776475575050217/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-get-bigger-shoulders.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/1183776475575050217'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/1183776475575050217'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-get-bigger-shoulders.html' title='How To Get Bigger Shoulders'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-5607184653867699658</id><published>2009-10-26T19:56:00.001-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-27T19:41:30.167-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='bodybuilding magazines'/><title type='text'>Muscle And Fitness Magazine Review</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.bluedolphin-magazines.com/images/orderpagecvr/CVR-M/muscle/muscle-cvrop-default.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" src="http://www.bluedolphin-magazines.com/images/orderpagecvr/CVR-M/muscle/muscle-cvrop-default.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Almost everyone at all dedicated to weight lifting has at least glanced through the pages of &lt;i&gt;Muscle And Fitness Magazine&lt;/i&gt;. Each issue is packed with weight lifting routines, nutritional advice, supplement and equipment reviews, and even some focus on lifestyle issues (such as fashion, grooming, and sex). In addition, there is a good amount of professional bodybuilding contest coverage as well as interviews with bodybuilders and celebrities. Muscle And Fitness is the most popular of all bodybuilding magazines and is geared for both men and women of all levels of weight lifting experience. &lt;br /&gt;Every article in Muscle And Fitness Magazine is very detailed and descriptive with lots of accompanying pictures for further assistance to readers. Everyone can learn at least one new way to improve their weight lifting routine because a great deal of emphasis is placed on proper execution as well as little tweaks and variations of free weight exercises. Another topic covered to some extent in every issue is human anatomy and how to choose the appropriate exercises and equipment for development of specific muscle groups. However, as with the majority of bodybuilding magazines, it is advised to place more focus more on the written content and use the photos for further clarification (the insane amount of weight lifted and occasional omission of barbell collars can sometimes mislead beginners). Whether a beginner to weight lifting or an advanced lifter in search of new ways to improve a routine,&amp;nbsp; there is something for everyone.&lt;br /&gt;Muscle And Fitness is not as hardcore of a bodybuilding magazine as Flex and therefore contains fewer interviews with professional bodybuilders and less contest coverage (although both topics are covered to a fairly large extent). Also the workout routines are not quite as intense as those featured in Flex or Muscular Development, making it a potentially more appealing magazine choice for beginners and intermediate weight lifters. Unfortunately there are two downsides that deserve to be mentioned. First of all, Muscle And Fitness is the most promotional of all bodybuilding magazines and contains a very large number of multi-page supplement and equipment advertisements, sometimes even disquised as weight lifting articles. Secondly, the majority of photos are of very muscular men and women, unlike the majority of lifters in search of fitness information. Despite these flaws, the information and articles contained in every monthly issue is beneficial for creating or modifying a routine.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-5607184653867699658?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/5607184653867699658/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/muscle-and-fitness-magazine-review.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/5607184653867699658'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/5607184653867699658'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/muscle-and-fitness-magazine-review.html' title='Muscle And Fitness Magazine Review'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-4347869753815911418</id><published>2009-10-21T20:17:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-21T20:17:48.666-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='weight lifting shoes'/><title type='text'>What Are The Best Shoes For Weight Training?</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/St_AtabC6BI/AAAAAAAAAEM/x91hHCXD8_g/s1600-h/water_shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/St_AtabC6BI/AAAAAAAAAEM/x91hHCXD8_g/s200/water_shoes.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;It is important to choose the right pair of &lt;i&gt;shoes &lt;/i&gt;for &lt;i&gt;weight lifting&lt;/i&gt; for optimal results. Many lifters pay little or no attention to their choice of footwear which is a mistake. The wrong shoes can potentially reduce the amount of weight used or even invite injury when performing heavy compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts. It is worth learning some basic knowledge about the three main categories of footwear commonly used at the gym:&amp;nbsp; running shoes, cross trainers, and weight lifting shoes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Running Shoes&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Footwear designed for running or jogging is the worst possible choice in shoes for weight lifting. Running shoes are very flexible around the toe and heel with almost no lateral support as they are meant to be comfortable during repetitive forward movement. In addition, the high amount of cushioning under the heels and lack of flatness of the soles drastically reduces overall body stability which is required for heavy lifting (an extreme version of this is to imagine performing squats while standing on a balancing board). More often than not, it is better to workout in socks or bare feet than to use running shoes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Cross Trainers&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cross trainers are a much better choice for weight training than running shoes. This type of footwear is designed for performance in a wide variety of activities from sprinting to sports and is often an acceptable choice for beginners or intermediates. Although cross trainers have some flexibility and cushioning the amount is less than that of running shoes and more lateral stability is offered. One downside, despite the many positive qualities, is the soles are typically not flat which will result in some power dissipation throughout heavy lifts (although not as much as with running shoes).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Weight Lifting Shoes&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is very beneficial for an advanced lifter to invest in footwear specifically designed for strength training. Weight lifting shoes have very flat and sturdy soles as well as excellent lateral stability, allowing maximum poundage to be lifted with good stability. Making the change often results in an immediate increase of weight used for heavy squats, deadlifts, and other movements because almost no power is dissipated. If money is a concern, a cheaper solution is footwear with a similarily flat sole such as &lt;i&gt;Converse Chuck Taylors&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-4347869753815911418?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/4347869753815911418/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-are-best-shoes-for-weight-training.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/4347869753815911418'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/4347869753815911418'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-are-best-shoes-for-weight-training.html' title='What Are The Best Shoes For Weight Training?'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/St_AtabC6BI/AAAAAAAAAEM/x91hHCXD8_g/s72-c/water_shoes.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-4814126866456533910</id><published>2009-10-20T16:21:00.001-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-30T14:38:31.680-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='weight lifting routines'/><title type='text'>How To Get A Bigger Back</title><content type='html'>There is no single &lt;i&gt;weight lifting exercise&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;for&lt;/i&gt; total building of&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;the back&lt;/i&gt;. Being&amp;nbsp;one of the largest and most complex muscle groups of the human body;&amp;nbsp;the back&amp;nbsp;is&amp;nbsp;involved throughout many movements, both in weight lifting and while performing&amp;nbsp;everyday&amp;nbsp;tasks. Therefore it makes sense to use a&amp;nbsp;variety&amp;nbsp;of different exercises&amp;nbsp;when designing a &lt;i&gt;weight lifting routine&lt;/i&gt; for complete development.&lt;br /&gt;The first&amp;nbsp;and most important step in creating a routine is to understand the functionality of both the upper and lower back. The upper back is roughly the same&amp;nbsp;size as the chest and shoulders combined and contributes significantly to the overall appearance of&amp;nbsp;both muscle groups.&amp;nbsp;Developing this area has perhaps the most drastic effect on the upper body as it frames in the chest and pushes out the shoulders to create the desired V-shaped torso. Unlike other muscle groups, the upper back can grow both in thickness and width with exercises that involve pulling weight toward the body either horizontally or vertically relative to the body. Horizontal movements build thickness while vertical movements build width. The lower back is one of the strongest areas of the entire body and acts as a&amp;nbsp;stabilizer during any exercise that involves bending over such as squats, deadlifts, and bent-over barbell rows. Both portions of the back must be developed to ensure a balanced and functional physique.&lt;br /&gt;Armed with this knowledge, the&amp;nbsp;next step is to learn the&amp;nbsp;most effective&amp;nbsp;weight lifting exercises for each portion of the back. Upper back thickness is developed with free weight, machine, and cable rowing exercises; the ultimate mass builder being &lt;i&gt;bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows&lt;/i&gt;. Width is built with pull ups and machine or cable lat pull downs. Since the &lt;i&gt;pull up&lt;/i&gt; is&amp;nbsp;the the primary mass builder, consider using a &lt;i&gt;weight belt&lt;/i&gt; to attach a plate or two if this exercise becomes easy. Deadlifts are by far the most effective exercise more lower back development and second only to the squats in terms of building overall muscle mass. Since it is a power exercise, the &lt;i&gt;best rep range for&lt;/i&gt; the &lt;i&gt;deadlift &lt;/i&gt;is 4-6 with as much weight as can be lifted with good form. Ensure that these mass builders are included fore each area and use machines, cables, and finishing exercises as icing on the cake.&lt;br /&gt;Each portion of the back can be trained separately or together in a single workout. The advantage of splitting up this large muscle group&amp;nbsp;is more concentrated attention can be placed individually on thickness, width, and lower back developement. In addition, each&amp;nbsp;targetted routine is easily paired with other bodyparts.&amp;nbsp;Upper back exercises pair very well with a chest and shoulder routine&amp;nbsp;(thickness&amp;nbsp;complements chest&amp;nbsp;and width&amp;nbsp;complements shoulders)&amp;nbsp;while&amp;nbsp;almost all lower back movements&amp;nbsp;involve the hamstrings.&amp;nbsp;Training the entire back will involve doing fewer exercises for each area (5 exercises total&amp;nbsp;is often plenty) but is effective as long as pull ups, deadlifts, and bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows are included.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Upper Back Thickness &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows 2-3x6-8&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Any machine or cable row 2-3x8-10&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bent-over lateral dumbbell or cable raises 2x10-15&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;b&gt;Upper Back Width &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Pull ups 2-3x6-8 (use a weight belt to pull up a plate or two if needed)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Any machine or cable pull down 2-3x8-10&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dumbbell or cable pull over 2x10-15&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;b&gt;Lower Back &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Deadlifts 2-3x4-6&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hyper extensions 2x10-15&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;b&gt;Total Back&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Pull ups 2-3x6-8&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Deadlifts 2-3x4-6&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows 2-3x6-8&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Any two back exercises 2x10-15 (focus on areas that are underdeveloped)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-4814126866456533910?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/4814126866456533910/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-get-bigger-back.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/4814126866456533910'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/4814126866456533910'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-get-bigger-back.html' title='How To Get A Bigger Back'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-2682226085013046176</id><published>2009-10-16T14:25:00.001-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-26T20:02:09.446-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='weight lifting routines'/><title type='text'>Understanding Human Anatomy For An Effective Weight Lifting Routine</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="border: medium none;"&gt;Creating a &lt;i&gt;weight lifting&amp;nbsp;routine&lt;/i&gt; can sometimes be a very difficult and time consuming task.&amp;nbsp;It&amp;nbsp;is&amp;nbsp;almost impossible to isolate and train&amp;nbsp;a single muscle group by itself and therefore some consideration must be directed toward organizing&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;3&lt;/i&gt; or &lt;i&gt;4&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;day a week workout programs&lt;/i&gt; that allow&amp;nbsp;optimal&amp;nbsp;muscle recovery time (5 days a week or more is often excessive). Compound&amp;nbsp;free weight exercises are the bread and butter of any effective routine and are required for&amp;nbsp;proper development of the larger muscle groups such as quads, back,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;chest.&amp;nbsp;But also&amp;nbsp;keep in mind&amp;nbsp;that&amp;nbsp;compound&amp;nbsp;movements recruit both the primary muscle group trained as well as additional groups for assistance and/or stabilization. These secondary muscles&amp;nbsp;can easily become exhausted if trained again without sufficient rest. For example, squats are&amp;nbsp;primarily a quad exercise but also involve&amp;nbsp;the calves, hamstrings, lower back and &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;glutes&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;to assist&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;executing the movement as well as the upper&amp;nbsp;back, traps, and&amp;nbsp;abs&amp;nbsp;to stabilize the&amp;nbsp;entire body while&amp;nbsp;supporting a&amp;nbsp;heavy&amp;nbsp;barbell. Therefore the&amp;nbsp;hamstrings and lower back must be fully recovered after a quad session before a dedicated workout to avoid the possibility of over training either. It is obvious that basic knowledge of human anatomy is essential for constructing an effective weight lifting routine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Lower Body&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Quads should either be trained with only one or two small muscle groups or on&amp;nbsp;a separate day altogether. This is&amp;nbsp;because squats intensely&amp;nbsp;work almost the entire body,&amp;nbsp;resulting in&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;muscles&lt;/i&gt; that &lt;i&gt;get tired fast&lt;/i&gt; when combined with&amp;nbsp;additional&amp;nbsp;quad &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;movements&lt;/span&gt; such as leg presses and hack squats.&amp;nbsp;An important&amp;nbsp;rule of thumb&amp;nbsp;to keep in mind&amp;nbsp;is the&amp;nbsp;hamstrings and lower back must be recovered (not sore or over trained) prior to training quads. &lt;br /&gt;Lower back can either be paired with upper back&amp;nbsp;and/or hamstrings. This is because the most effective exercise for&amp;nbsp;lower back development&amp;nbsp;is the &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;deadlift, a movement that highly involves both&lt;/span&gt;.&amp;nbsp;D&lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;eadlifts&lt;/span&gt; are almost as intense as squats (most&amp;nbsp;of the same muscle groups are used) and will cause muscles to get tired fast when combined with heavy upper back movements such as bent-over rows or weighted pull-ups. Hence, the lower back is most effectively trained when both the hamstrings and upper back are sufficiently recovered.&lt;br /&gt;Calves and abs recover fast enough and can usually be trained at the end of any workout (upper or lower body). It is important to keep in mind that both muscle groups can be over trained and should not be trained more than twice a week.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Upper Body&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The upper body is composed of two major muscle group categories: &amp;nbsp;pushing and pulling both horizontally and vertically in relation to the body. Pushing muscles are used to perform&amp;nbsp;exercises that&amp;nbsp;move the weight away from the body&amp;nbsp;and include chest, shoulders, and triceps. Pulling muscles are used to perform exercises that move the weight toward the body and include upper back and biceps. Horizontal movements develop torso thickness while vertical movements develop torso width. There are a wide variety of upper body weight lifting routines available and some trial and error may be required to find the right one.&lt;br /&gt;Chest&amp;nbsp;is the primary horizontal pushing&amp;nbsp;muscle group&amp;nbsp;and is best developed with bench press movements. Because&amp;nbsp;the shoulders and triceps are highly involved in the bench press it makes sense for both&amp;nbsp;to be recovered prior to&amp;nbsp;training chest. Shoulders are the primary vertical pushing muscles and are best developed with&amp;nbsp;overhead pressing movements.&amp;nbsp;The triceps must be recovered&amp;nbsp;for overhead presses but the chest is not involved much at all&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;therefore its recovery level&amp;nbsp;is irrelevant when training shoulders.&amp;nbsp;The upper back is the primary muscle group for both horizontal and vertical pulling movements. Rowing movements&amp;nbsp;develop thickness in this area while pullups and pulldowns&amp;nbsp;develop width. Almost all upper back exercises highly&amp;nbsp;involve the biceps and many rowing exercises require lower back strength for stability and&amp;nbsp;therfore both muscle groups should be recovered beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;When creating a weight lifting routine, pushing and pulling as well as upper and lower body muscle groups can be trained together in the same workout. Forearms and neck are much like calves and abs in the sense that they can be trained at the end of any workout but can also be over trained if worked more than twice a week. These 2 areas are often neglected because they get a lot of work from heavy gripping exercises used for both upper and lower body development.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-2682226085013046176?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/2682226085013046176/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/conflicting-muscle-groups-must-be.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/2682226085013046176'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/2682226085013046176'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/conflicting-muscle-groups-must-be.html' title='Understanding Human Anatomy For An Effective Weight Lifting Routine'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-663780401928471791</id><published>2009-10-14T20:48:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-16T21:05:57.581-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='bowflex exercise equipment'/><title type='text'>Bowflex Adjustable Incline Treadmill Review</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/StkwZgoT4EI/AAAAAAAAADw/8KuGtgu17Po/s1600-h/bowflex-7-series-console.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/StkwZgoT4EI/AAAAAAAAADw/8KuGtgu17Po/s200/bowflex-7-series-console.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Whether shopping for a new or used treadmill it is important to browse the marketplace before making a purchase with some consideration directed toward the three &lt;i&gt;adjustable incline treadmill&lt;/i&gt; models offered by &lt;i&gt;Bowflex&lt;/i&gt;. Each model comes with a variety of programmed exercise routines, a maximum speed of 10-11MPH, a 0-12% adjustable incline, and Strike Zone deck suspension cushioning. This combination ensures that an interesting and challenging workout will be performed on a comfortable and supportive running surface. Another advantage is the attractive and sleek appearance of all models as well as Soft Drop folding and built-in wheels, allowing for easy storage while not in use. In addition to being reasonably priced, bowflex treadmills are built to last and come backed with a lengthy warranty for consumer peace of mind (15 years for frame, 10 years for motor, two years for parts, and one year for labor). However, there are two disadvantages that must be taken into account despite being fairly uncommon. First of all the treadmill belts are only single-ply and are more likely to wear out and need replacement faster than the double-ply belts offered by some other manufacturers. Secondly, there is potential for a slightly annoying rattling noise to occur during a workout due the fact that Bowflex uses plastic gears for construction. Because the qualities mentioned above are common to all &lt;i&gt;Bowflex Treadmills&lt;/i&gt;, the distinct features of each model are reviewed below.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;3-Series Treadmill&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The 3-Series Treadmill is the first generation of the series and despite being discontinued, is known as one of the most popular products produced by Bowflex. Being equipped with an electronic 1.75HP motor and 20x54" moving surface, this treadmill is designed for normal and brisk walking rather than intense running. With six programmed workouts and a built-in pulse grip heart rate monitor, this is a good choice for a beginner of exercise looking to lose weight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;5-Series Treadmill&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The 5-Series Treadmill is an upgrade to the 3-Series in every imaginable way and is built to handle jogging and intense running. Because it features a 2.5HP motor, 12 workout programs, a 3-speed built-in fan, and arm-mounted adjustment controls; this treadmill is a great choice for an athlete rather than a beginner. In addition, the 20x60" moving surface makes it very accommodating to the long strides of a taller user. Unfortunately, this model is also discontinued but can still be purchased used.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;7-Series Treadmill&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Being the best of its kind by &lt;i&gt;Bowflex&lt;/i&gt;, the &lt;i&gt;7-Series&lt;/i&gt; comes equipped with an &lt;i&gt;electronic 3.0HP motor&lt;/i&gt;, making it a very powerful &lt;i&gt;foldup treadmill&lt;/i&gt;. This model has all the features of the 5-Series but with 15 workout programs and the inclusion of telemetric (chest strap) heart rate monitoring. Not only is the 7-Series is an excellent choice for intense cardio training but is also the only treadmill of the series that is still in production.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-663780401928471791?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/663780401928471791/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/bowflex-adjustable-incline-treadmill.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/663780401928471791'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/663780401928471791'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/bowflex-adjustable-incline-treadmill.html' title='Bowflex Adjustable Incline Treadmill Review'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/StkwZgoT4EI/AAAAAAAAADw/8KuGtgu17Po/s72-c/bowflex-7-series-console.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-2660610072613805540</id><published>2009-10-12T15:57:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-16T21:06:11.550-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='bodybuilding magazines'/><title type='text'>How To Use Weight Lifting Routines From Bodybuilding Magazines</title><content type='html'>A&amp;nbsp;common mistake amongst lifters trying to gain mass quickly is to copy one of the overwhelming &lt;em&gt;weight lifting routines&lt;/em&gt; from the pages of &lt;em&gt;Muscle and Fitness&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Flex Magazine&lt;/em&gt;. This logic often comes from the belief that fast muscle gain can be achieved by following the exact workouts as professional bodybuilders. Unfortunately the result of performing the high number of sets to muscular failure as instructed is usually over training and disappointment (sometimes even to the point of quitting weight lifting). All of this frustration is completely unnecessary because great gains are can be achieved with a few minor adjustments. Many weight lifting workouts in bodybuilding magazines are composed of an effective combination exercises; the only&amp;nbsp;problem is the overwhelming number of sets. As an example, let us examine one of the many &lt;a href="http://www.flexonline.com/bench_press_workout/training/142"&gt;chest workouts from Flex Magazine&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beginners&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Incline barbell presses 4x6-8&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Flat-bench barbell presses 4x6-8&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advanced&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Incline barbell presses 4x6-8&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Flat-bench barbell presses 4x6-8&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dumbbell flyes 3-4x12-15&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cable crossovers 3-4x12-15&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;Unlike&amp;nbsp;many&amp;nbsp;weight lifting routines in bodybuilding magazines, the above features separate workouts for beginners and advanced lifters (it is important to note that many beginners will follow advanced routines with the expectation of fast muscle gain). Both workouts consist of the right exercises to stimulate overall chest growth but can potentially lead to over training due to the high number of sets (8 sets for beginners and 14-16 sets for advanced lifters). But performing only 2-3 sets of incline and flat barbell presses and 2 sets of dumbell flyes and cable crossovers solves this problem completely. After this modification, the result will be 4-6 sets for beginners and 8-10 sets for advanced lifters, which is&amp;nbsp;sufficient&amp;nbsp;for stimulation of&amp;nbsp;muscle growth. Bodybuilding magazines are a valuable tool in building a great physique and minimal adjustment is required&amp;nbsp;for the routines to&amp;nbsp;result in&amp;nbsp;optimal muscle gain rather than over training. For more information read the article &lt;a href="http://www.get-bigger.com/index.cfm?id=915&amp;amp;fuseaction=browse&amp;amp;pageid=82"&gt;Bodybuilding Magazines:&amp;nbsp; Make Or Break Your Workout Plan&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-2660610072613805540?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/2660610072613805540/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-use-weight-lifting-routines-from.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/2660610072613805540'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/2660610072613805540'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-use-weight-lifting-routines-from.html' title='How To Use Weight Lifting Routines From Bodybuilding Magazines'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-1578773533465167169</id><published>2009-10-09T14:04:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-20T22:14:58.388-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='weight training books'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='weight lifting routines'/><title type='text'>Starting Strength Review: A Solid Beginner Routine For Muscle Building</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/StkxyiX-vaI/AAAAAAAAAD4/FHBXNulULnQ/s1600-h/start+strength.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/StkxyiX-vaI/AAAAAAAAAD4/FHBXNulULnQ/s200/start+strength.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;As a &lt;i&gt;beginner&lt;/i&gt; it is important to follow a &lt;i&gt;weight lifting routine&lt;/i&gt; designed for &lt;i&gt;building&lt;/i&gt; a strong foundation of strength and &lt;i&gt;muscle&lt;/i&gt; mass. Since thousands of &lt;i&gt;weight lifting books&lt;/i&gt; and articles exist, the novice lifter has a countless number of workouts from which to choose. Unfortunately only a handful are truly effective while the remainder are merely recipes for frustration and disappointment. &lt;a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976805421?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;tag=weigroutreso-20&amp;amp;linkCode=as2&amp;amp;camp=1789&amp;amp;creative=9325&amp;amp;creativeASIN=0976805421"&gt;Starting Strength&lt;/a&gt;, a book written by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore, offers a simple yet effective weight lifting routine based upon fundamental compound movements that have withstood the test of time. Detailed instructions and illustrations within the pages teach beginners proper exercise form as required for optimal results. Also available is the &lt;a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U9FDP2?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;tag=weigroutreso-20&amp;amp;linkCode=as2&amp;amp;camp=1789&amp;amp;creative=9325&amp;amp;creativeASIN=B001U9FDP2"&gt;Starting Strength DVD&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for further assistance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Workout #1&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Squat 3x5&lt;br /&gt;Bench Press 3x5&lt;br /&gt;Deadlift 1x5&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Workout #2&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Squat 3x5&lt;br /&gt;Standing Military Press 3x5&lt;br /&gt;Power Clean 3x5&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The weight lifting routine above is performed 3 days a week (typically on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) in an alternating sequence. The intended goal is to gradually increase overall strength and muscle mass every workout by adding 5-15LB to squats and deadlifts and 2.5-5LB to all other movements. Because most gyms only offer weight plates as low as 2.5LB, it may be necessary to experiment with chains and other apparatus when aiming for a total weight increase of 2.5LB. Because squats are performed 3 days a week it is normal to feel sore in the legs for the first couple weeks until the body has adapted to the program. Another common scenario is that some lifters prefer not to perform power cleans either due to injury or complexity of the movement. Although it is recommended that power cleans be used, bent-over rows are an adequate substitute and will not compromise overal results in any way. Starting Strength offers an effective routine that can be followed for a lengthy period of time (6 months to a year or until linear progress stops) and almost anyone can benefit from the wisdom within its pages.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-1578773533465167169?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/1578773533465167169/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/starting-strength-review-solid-beginner.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/1578773533465167169'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/1578773533465167169'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/starting-strength-review-solid-beginner.html' title='Starting Strength Review: A Solid Beginner Routine For Muscle Building'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/StkxyiX-vaI/AAAAAAAAAD4/FHBXNulULnQ/s72-c/start+strength.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-5788686299747417437</id><published>2009-10-07T10:44:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-16T21:06:39.684-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='weight lifting routines'/><title type='text'>The Big 3:  Vital For Any Weight Lifting Routine</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"&gt;Although&amp;nbsp;machine and cable exercises have their place in an effective &lt;em&gt;weight lifting routine&lt;/em&gt;, a&amp;nbsp;true foundation of strength and muscle mass is built&amp;nbsp;with&amp;nbsp;heavy compound free weight movements.&amp;nbsp;These exercises&amp;nbsp;stimulate growth&amp;nbsp;of&amp;nbsp;multiple muscle groups at once in addition to building functional strength for everyday tasks. There are 3 movements in particular&amp;nbsp;that are essential for developing total body &lt;em&gt;strength&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;muscle&lt;/em&gt; mass:&amp;nbsp; the &lt;em&gt;bench&lt;/em&gt; press, &lt;em&gt;squat&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;deadlift&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Squat&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There's no&amp;nbsp;easier way to say it; squats&amp;nbsp;are&amp;nbsp;mandatory&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;any effective weight lifting routine. They may&amp;nbsp;cause&amp;nbsp;you to&amp;nbsp;feel dizzy, see stars, and puke afterwards but no other exercise is anywhere near as effective for building total body mass (with the possible exception of deadlifts). Many novice lifters&amp;nbsp;make the&amp;nbsp;huge mistake of&amp;nbsp;not including squats or even&amp;nbsp;neglecting the&amp;nbsp;lower body altogether. In addition to&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;ridiculous looking&amp;nbsp;appearance of a well developed upper body supported&amp;nbsp;on toothpick legs,&amp;nbsp;not training&amp;nbsp;lower body&amp;nbsp;actually impairs upper body growth. Large amounts of testosterone and growth hormone are released during squats that promote&amp;nbsp;full body growth, allowing you to &lt;em&gt;get big fast&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;Furthermore, supporting a&amp;nbsp;heavy&amp;nbsp;barbell on&amp;nbsp;the traps for multiple reps of this movement is&amp;nbsp;an intense&amp;nbsp;task for the upper body.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deadlift&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There may be no better barometer of strength than the deadlift.&amp;nbsp;Because no racks or&amp;nbsp;benches are&amp;nbsp;required it is truly a battle of man versus weight. Second only to the squat in intensity, the deadlift is another exercise that must be included. Although&amp;nbsp;it&amp;nbsp;is primarily a&amp;nbsp;lower&amp;nbsp;back exercise, many&amp;nbsp;other muscle groups are brought into play. These include the traps, upper back, neck,&amp;nbsp;forearms, quads, hamstrings, glutes, and&amp;nbsp;the entire ab region. Aside from being one of the best exercises to get big fast, deadlifts are also a great fat burner because so many major muscle groups are worked at once (much like the squat).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bench Press&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The most commonly asked question between members&amp;nbsp;of any gym is&amp;nbsp;"How much do you bench?". Although much more weight&amp;nbsp;is used for the squat&amp;nbsp;and deadlift, the bench press causes more injuries&amp;nbsp;than any other&amp;nbsp;exercise due to a combination of&amp;nbsp;lifting too much weight with poor form. Nevertheless it is fundamental&amp;nbsp;movement that works the entire chest region as well as the shoulders and triceps. The upper back and abs are also&amp;nbsp;called into play&amp;nbsp;as stabilizers throughout the entire movement, and therefore, stimulating growth of the entire upper body. No matter whether performed with a barbell or dumbb on a flat, incline or decline bench;&amp;nbsp;the bench press is&amp;nbsp;vital&amp;nbsp;in any&amp;nbsp;weight lifting routine.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-5788686299747417437?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/5788686299747417437/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/big-3-vital-for-any-weight-lifting.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/5788686299747417437'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/5788686299747417437'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/big-3-vital-for-any-weight-lifting.html' title='The Big 3:  Vital For Any Weight Lifting Routine'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-915706525768048384</id><published>2009-10-06T11:10:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-16T21:06:52.219-06:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='weight lifting routines'/><title type='text'>5 Tips For A Solid Weight Lifting Routine</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"&gt;&lt;div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/Sst7G3LhF9I/AAAAAAAAACg/XC5UEAXX4UM/s1600-h/Dumbbells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img $r="true" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/Sst7G3LhF9I/AAAAAAAAACg/XC5UEAXX4UM/s200/Dumbbells.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;In developing an effective &lt;em&gt;weight lifting routine&lt;/em&gt;, the&amp;nbsp;first and most important step&amp;nbsp;is actually making the personal commitment to stick with it and not quit after a week or two.&amp;nbsp;Attention must then be directed to the number of days&amp;nbsp;a week to workout,&amp;nbsp;the muscle groups&amp;nbsp;that will be&amp;nbsp;trained in each session, and&amp;nbsp;the actual exercises to be performed. &lt;em&gt;A&lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;good&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;weight gain resistance training program&lt;/em&gt; will&amp;nbsp;hit every muscle group enough to stimulate growth&amp;nbsp;while allowing plenty of recovery time in between workouts. The former is simply a matter of&amp;nbsp;placing equal attention&amp;nbsp;on all muscle groups&amp;nbsp;of&amp;nbsp;the entire body and not neglecting any area (especially the back and legs).&amp;nbsp;The latter is learning the optimal amount of recovery time for each muscle group in order to avoid over training while also taking other physical activities (martial arts, dancing, sports, etc.) into consideration. Below are 5&amp;nbsp;important&amp;nbsp;tips to keep in mind when developing a new weight lifting routine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;To avoid over training stick to&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;3 &lt;/em&gt;or&lt;em&gt; 4 day a week exercise programs&lt;/em&gt; and have at least&amp;nbsp;1 day a week for rest and recovery with absolutely no physical activity. Perform 6-12 sets for major muscle groups (chest, back, shoulders, quads, and hamstrings) and 2-6 sets for secondary muscle groups (biceps, triceps, forearms, abs, calves).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Beginners&lt;/em&gt; must develop a &lt;em&gt;total body workout&lt;/em&gt; rather than only training the muscle groups that are visable in&amp;nbsp;a mirror. Few things&amp;nbsp;look more funny than a&amp;nbsp;developed upper body supported on toothpick legs or an imbalance between two opposing muscle groups (such as chest and back).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Squats and deadlifts must be included and any weight lifting routine and should each be performed once a week. Both exercises intensely work almost every muscle group&amp;nbsp;in the entire body and are essential for building a solid base of strength and muscle mass.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Don't rely too much on machines or cable equipment as barbells and dumbells are the superior choice for building muscle. Base workouts around compound free weight exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull ups.&amp;nbsp;Upon building a solid foundation, machine and cable exercises&amp;nbsp;can be added sparingly to improve an already strong routine.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Keep in mind that secondary muscle groups are often called into play to assist major muscle groups during compound movements&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;should be given adequate recovery time before a direct training session. As an example, triceps are worked intensely when training chest with any bench press movement and therefore should be rested for 1-2 days following a chest workout&amp;nbsp;to avoid over training before a direct tricep workout.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-915706525768048384?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/915706525768048384/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/5-tips-for-solid-weight-lifting-routine.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/915706525768048384'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/915706525768048384'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/10/5-tips-for-solid-weight-lifting-routine.html' title='5 Tips For A Solid Weight Lifting Routine'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sq_9mD6qqKk/Sst7G3LhF9I/AAAAAAAAACg/XC5UEAXX4UM/s72-c/Dumbbells.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003732553369568626.post-7210615975686711030</id><published>2009-09-16T21:07:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2009-10-16T21:12:13.413-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Privacy Policy For Get Bigger Blog</title><content type='html'>If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at getbigger.weightlifting@gmail.com.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At get-bigger.blogspot.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by get-bigger.blogspot.com and how it is used.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Log Files&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like many other Web sites, get-bigger.blogspot.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. 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Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;get-bigger.blogspot.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. get-bigger.blogspot.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9003732553369568626-7210615975686711030?l=get-bigger.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/feeds/7210615975686711030/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/09/privacy-policy-for-get-bigger-blog.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/7210615975686711030'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/9003732553369568626/posts/default/7210615975686711030'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://get-bigger.blogspot.com/2009/09/privacy-policy-for-get-bigger-blog.html' title='Privacy Policy For Get Bigger Blog'/><author><name>Chris</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15938965336038821037</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
