31 Jan
Blog

The Definitive Guide on How to Build Big Arms

If you're lifting then you probably want to look like you're lifting. And for many gym-goers, looking good includes owning a pair of arms that will put the seams on your sleeves to the test. Aesthetically, big arms are imposing and signal to others that you're actually hoisting iron. Functionally, bigger and stronger arms help you bench press, overhead press, and row with heavier weights; they are not just the end; they are a means to another end (much power).

Muscular man curling a loaded barbell with both hands at the gymPaul Aiken/Shutterstock

And while most people think that close-grip bench presses and standing curls are enough to target the smaller arm muscles, there's a science to building your arms. But there are four basics you need to take care of in order to fully understand how to build bigger arms.

Arm training tenants

  • muscle mechanics: That is, how your muscles move your joints. To fully develop your biceps and triceps, you need to know how they move so you can choose the right exercises for the job.
  • training volume: Volume – that is, how many total reps you do – has a dose-response relationship with hypertrophy. More training volume equals more muscle (provided you don't exceed your recovery capacity).
  • progression: The best progression model to use if you've never used one before is double progression. Simply put, double progression means that you only increase the weight within your lifts when you hit the top of a certain rep range across all your target sets.
  • training frequency: A comprehensive meta-analysis concluded that twice a week is better than once a week for maximizing growth, while frequencies of three or more may or may not be better. (1) Because biceps and triceps are two of the smaller muscle groups you can train, they recover faster. Training your arms three times a week is not uncommon. And when you get to the point in volume terms where you're pumping out 15-20 sets per session, it may make more sense to break those sets into 2-3 separate 8-set sessions.

muscle mechanics

It's important to understand arm biomechanics before understanding how best to train. So we need to quickly cover their basic anatomy first.

Anatomy diagram of the biceps musclestihii/Shutterstock

The biceps

The upper arm consists of three muscles in the anterior compartment. However, we only need to focus on two of these muscles:

  • biceps
  • brachialis
  • Coracobrachialis

biceps

The bicep consists of two heads: a long head commonly referred to as the "outer" and a short head known as the "inner." Both muscle heads originate from the shoulder blade and attach to the radius bone of the forearm. The biceps cross both the elbow and shoulder and can flex both the elbow (also called a curl) and shoulder (also called a front raise).

brachialis

The stronger of the elbow flexors is the brachialis. It originates from the humerus bone of the upper arm and attaches to the ulna bone of the forearm. The brachialis is not involved in shoulder movement; it just bends the elbow.

The triceps

Anatomy diagram of the triceps muscleBy CFCF – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

In the posterior compartment of the upper arm is a major muscle: the triceps brachii. The triceps muscle has three heads:

  • long head
  • medial head
  • lateral head

The long head is the thicker or denser muscle seen in poses like double front biceps. The lateral head or "horseshoe" muscle is what you see most visibly in the lateral triceps pose, and the medial head is a deeper muscle that isn't as prominent on the surface as the other two.

The primary function of the triceps is elbow flexion. All three heads cross the elbow joint and attach to the ulnar bone of the forearm. The lateral and medial heads both originate at the humeral bone of the upper arm, with the long head crossing the shoulder joint and arising at the scapula.

More considerations

Both the biceps and triceps are involved in pulling and pushing movements. As such, it's not uncommon to hear that back and chest exercises are enough to stimulate the bis and tris. And there are several studies that have shown that pull-ups and rows induce high levels of bicep activation and that horizontal pressing engages the triceps (2)(3)(4). However, Pull and push exercises alone may not be enough maximize Development of biceps and triceps.

When you rely on indirect motion exercises to activate the arms, the biceps and triceps only get some of the tension. However, your arms will get hit when you train your chest and back, and it's important to keep that in mind when training. If you train your back hard twice a week, you probably don't need 2-3 dedicated bicep workouts.

Instead, it's probably wise to focus more sets on medium (8-12) and high (12-20) rep ranges for recovery purposes and to avoid redundancies. Since the triceps are also engaged during heavy vertical or horizontal pressing movements, it may be advisable to focus more of your sets on moderate (8-12) and high (12-20) rep ranges for recovery purposes.

Ok, now that you have a better understanding of these arm training basics, let's get back to a big topic in arm training: exercise variance. You might think that simple curls and stretches are enough to stimulate the muscles, but arm training has more nuance. Your arm muscles move through different areas throughout the range of motion.

In order to stimulate our muscles throughout their contractile range, we need to challenge them at these three points:

  • middle class: Barbell curls, close-grip bench press
  • Stretched (stretched position): Incline curls, French press
  • Shortened (contracted position): High Cable Curl, Cable Pushdown

"Well then, I'll just make sure I'm lifting with full range of motion (ROM) with every movement," you say. Now, hold on. Lifting with only full range of motion is a great movement (so kudos), but you still need to choose movements that engage the muscle the most in each of the three areas listed above. The goal is meaningful arm training not completing a move with a full ROM, instead being challenged throughout the ROM.

Put everything together

Ok, so where do you go from here? You have probably already looked at the charts below and realized that there is still a lot to do. Don't freak out yet. If you take a closer look, you'll see that most of the following moves are only done for two sets of high reps. The goal of the program below isn't to decimate your biceps; it's dividing a moderate amount of work (10 sets for each muscle group) into all three ranges of motion.

training explained

There is nothing complicated about this routine. First you choose a primary movement for your biceps and one for your triceps. These exercises preferably target the lengthening or shortening area, as these are the areas that most people ignore. You'll perform the main exercise for four sets of six to eight heavy reps at a 3-0-1-0 tempo (lowering phase-pause below, raising phase-pause above).

After that, you'll blast your arms with a circuit of three moves known as a triset, each of which targets the middle, lengthen, and shortened areas. The trisets are marked with the same letters ("A" and "B"). Think of this as a template for your sets, reps, and exercise choices. If you want to lock out the following moves for others, that's fine, but make sure you hit every ROM.

exercise sequence Sets & Reps tempo Relax target area
A1) EZ-Bar French Press 4×6-8 3010 60 seconds Extended
A2) Incline DB Curl 4×6-8 3010 60-90 seconds Extended
B1) Tricep Pushdown 2 x 10-12 2011 15 seconds Shortened
B2) DB Skull Crusher 2 x 12-14 2010 15 seconds middle class
B3) Cable overhead cable extension 2 x 15 2110 60 seconds Extended
C1) DB Spider Curl 2 x 10-12 2011 15 seconds Shortened
C2) Standing EZ Bar Curl 2 x 12-14 2010 15 seconds middle class
C3) DB Preacher Curl 2 x 15 2110 60 seconds Extended

Be mindful of the tempo of each exercise, especially the triset sequence, as you'll notice a pause in the shortened position exercises (hard contraction) and a pause in the extended position (full stretch). Taking these into account will get your arms pumped like you've never seen them before.

While you could certainly do this thrice a week, focus on quality over quantity first. In doing so, you focus on the quality of work done as part of the training twice a week for six weeks before taking it to the next level by completing it three times a week.

Another aspect of moving forward with this plan is to change the primary exercises from an extended to a contracted focus and do the same with the triset exercises. After at least 2-3 rotations of that, you can then begin to reintroduce the middle exercises as the primary focus while the others take a back seat. It should look like this:

exercise sequence Sets & Reps tempo Relax target area
A1) Push triceps down 4×6-8 3010 60 seconds Shortened
A2) Ez Bar Spider Curl 4×6-8 3010 60-90 seconds Shortened
B1) Extension of the triceps overhead on the cable pulley 2 x 10-12 2110 15 seconds Extended
B2) DB Skull Crusher 2 x 12-14 2010 15 seconds middle class
B3) Triceps extension on the one-arm rope 2 x 15 2011 60 seconds Shortened
C1) DB Incline Curl 2 x 10-12 2110 15 seconds Extended
C2) Standing EZ Bar Curl 2 x 12-14 2010 15 seconds middle class
C3) High cable curvature 2 x 15 2011 60 seconds Shortened

Nutritional Considerations

To maximize your muscle growth you must eat within a calorie surplus then you cannot expect to gain any significant amount of muscle mass. Against this background, some recommendations regarding your food intake:

  • Eat 5-10% above your maintenance needs (calorie excess).
  • Eat four to five times a day. That can be three meals plus two shakes or four meals plus one shake. Make sure it fits your lifestyle and daily routine, but keep your protein feeding times regular.
  • For your macros, aim to eat 35% protein/35% carbs/and 30% fat. Let's say you eat 3,000 calories a day, that's 262.5 grams of protein, 262.5 grams of carbohydrates, and 100 grams of fat.
  • Excessive supplementation is not necessary to grow. Your standard multivitamin, fish oil, and probiotics provide a great base of support.

references

  1. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sport Med. 2016;46(11):1689-1697. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8.
  2. Youdas JW, Amundson CL, Cicero KS, Hahn JJ, Harezlak DT, Hollman JH. Surface electromyographic patterns of activation and movement of the elbow joint during a pull-up, pull-up, or perfect rotation pull-up exercise. J-Starke Cond Res. 2010;24(12):3404-3414. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181f1598c.
  3. Snarr RL, Esco MR. Comparison of electromyographic activity when performing an inverted row with and without a suspension device. J Exercise Physiol. 2013;16(6):12-22. http://faculty.css.edu/tboone2/asep/Russell.pdf.
  4. Barnett C, Kippers V, Turner P. Effects of bench press exercise variations on EMG activity of 5 deltoid muscles. 1995:222-227.

Featured image: Paul Aiken/Shutterstock

28 Jan
Blog

An Efficient Way To Build Body Strength

Hoop workouts are heavy bodybuilding exercises that use hoops, valuable lifting equipment. This series of muscle toning exercises primarily targets your glutes, hamstrings, deltoids, and trapezius muscles. They are primarily considered an efficient workout for shoulders, biceps, upper body and lower body muscles. These heavy workouts should be added to your workout routine for their vital benefits. They are largely responsible for building your physical strength and endurance. They are also beneficial for burning your body's calories, which leads to weight loss.

Below is a list of really effective hoop workouts not to be missed!

Some effective hoop workouts to build physical strength:

1. Side jumps

directions:

1. First, stand upright with your feet parallel to the hoop. This is your starting position.

2. Then squat a little by bending your knees so that your body weight is evenly distributed.

3. Now jump sideways (sideways) onto the hoop and reach back to the floor in a semi-bent position.

4. Lastly, jump off the hoop and return to the starting position.

Repeat.

Note- 1. Remember to maintain an upright posture throughout the exercise. Avoid bending at the hips.

2. Land softly and with less impact when landing on the hoop.

2. Tire jumps

directions:

1. The first step is to lay the tire flat on its side. Stand in front of the hoop with your feet shoulder-width apart. This is your starting position.

2. Then bend down slightly while swinging your arms back and forward again. Jump on the hoop.

3. Return to the starting position.

Repeat.

Note- 1. Always remember to land softly when landing on the hoop, as a hard landing can seriously injure your knees.

3. Decline push-ups

directions:

1. First, stand away from the tire and place your hand on the ground with your shoulders apart.

2. Now raise yourself into a plank position by placing your feet on the hoop.

3. Now lower your body to the floor like a push-up while bending your arms at a 90 degree angle.

4. Finally, with your arms fully extended, push back up.

Repeat.

Note- 1. Remember to keep your body upright throughout the exercise.

3. This exercise is the advanced version of the classic push-up and primarily targets your core, upper and lower pecs.

4. Increases

directions:

1. First place your left foot on the hoop while facing it. This is your starting position.

2. Now push through your heel to explode vertically.

3. While you are in the air both legs will automatically meet next to each other and switch your feet so that you come back down.

Repeat.

Note- 1. Remember to land softly as you switch feet and land them on the hoop.

2. It's an athletic exercise that works your hips, quads, legs, and glutes.

5. Tire flips

directions:

1. First, stand with your fingers under the hoop, which should be flat on the ground, and your feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Now, while bending your knees, squat down fully.

3. Then, while standing, also lift the tire and slide it forward.

4. Try to lift the tire up as much as possible and then hold it down again so the tire is flat.

Repeat.

Note- 1. Use your whole body when attempting to lift the hoop for maximum benefit.

3. Never bend your hips as this may cause serious injury.

Frequently asked Questions:

1. What types of tire training are there?

Some very efficient tire workouts include tire flips, pop squats, tire pulleys, one-leg box jumps, push-ups, toe touches, and more.

2. How does tire training affect the muscles?

Tire training is responsible for working your glutes, hamstrings, deltoids, and trapezius muscles.

3. What are some benefits of hoop training?

Hoop exercises are known to be beneficial for training your core, back, hamstrings and glutes. They are responsible for promoting better physical strength and endurance. These workouts also help with weight loss by burning your body fat.

11 Jan
Blog

Best Pull Exercises To Build Muscle Strength

Pulling exercises are a form of exercise movement that involves concentric contraction. A concentric contraction means shortening the muscles as the movement of two connection points draws closer together. The major muscles in a pull workout include all of the back muscles, biceps, curl, hamstrings, obliques, and trapeziuses.

Some exercises are divided into push exercises or pull exercises. But it's a myth. The truth is that almost all exercises involve both concentric and eccentric phases, and the lifting phase is concentric (shortening) while the lower phase is eccentric (lengthening).

Both the push and pull exercises are part of a comprehensive training plan. Both the workout provides strength and helps in increasing body muscle mass. The pull exercises help the body get used to daily activities with great ease. In this article, we're going to study some of the best Pulling exercises that will give you strength.

1. Deadlift

A deadlift is an exercise that focuses on the whole body, specifically targeting the thighs, quads, buttocks, and back. To perform a deadlift, put your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the weight in front of your thighs, bend your knees slightly, and tip forward from your hips, keeping your back straight. The core should be kept low and tight.

After that, lower your torso towards the floor and hold the weight close to your legs until it touches the floor. Press on the buttocks and hamstrings to return to the starting position. When deadlifting, you should be careful not to let your back sag forward. It is a Pull exercise where less weight should be used initially.

2. Dumbbell row

Dumbbell row, popularly known as bent over row, is a form of Pull exercise which acts on the middle back muscles. The middle back muscles include the trapezius, rhomboids, and latissimus dorsi and are focused on the back of the shoulder (rear deltoid). Put a dumbbell in one hand and stand with your feet hip-width apart to practice the dumbbell row.

Move forward at your hips until your torso is parallel to the floor. The core should stay on. Pull the weight up toward your chest. When you pull it up, your elbow should be pointing towards the ceiling. Rowing can be done as a one-armed exercise or with both arms at the same time.

3. Biceps curls

A biceps curl is a traditional form of Pull exercise aiming at the front of the upper arm. You can do curls with dumbbells, barbells, cables, and kettlebells. To begin bicep curls, stand with a weight in each hand. The back and trunk should remain strong as you bend.

Make sure the elbows don't drift forward or away from the spots. To return to the starting position, slowly lower your back. You can shed the weight if you feel like it will take a lot of momentum to lift it. Once this exercise becomes easy, you can use your entire body to perform other movements as well.

4. Pull up

Pull-up is an exercise that aims to strengthen the upper body and latissimus dorsi. It's an advanced one Pull exercise which can also be done at home with a properly hung pull-up bar. First hold the bar with a suitable handle. The height of the bar should be so high that you will have to jump to take the help of a stool to hold it.

Lift your body and bend your elbows. Your chin should be the height of the bar. Hold this position for about 1 to 2 seconds and then release it back to the starting position. If you are uncomfortable with pull-ups, you can opt for a lat pulldown exercise to help strengthen those same muscles.

The bottom line

The pushing force of the average person is twice as strong as their pulling force. A person's pulling skills are not as well developed compared to pushing force. Hence, Pulling exercises become the perfect way to balance our body and improve its function. By doing the pulling exercises above, you can build strength and build muscle mass.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. What type of diet should be maintained while we have pull exercises in our routine?

Try to maintain a healthy, high protein diet when you have pull exercises in your daily schedule. Since this type of exercise requires a lot of energy, you should include more high fiber foods in your diet.
2. How long should we practice these exercises?

It is advisable to perform these exercises under the guidance of an instructor or fitness trainer. The suggested times should help you to stress all parts of the body equally.

29 Jun
Blog

Ask An Esthetician: How To Build Clientele

Are you considering becoming a beautician? Or, if you've already started your career, are you struggling to build your clientele? We decided to ask a trained beautician to pull the veil over the industry. Our very own Nadira Kavanagh worked as a beautician for four years before becoming product support officer. has been Eminence organic skin care. We bombarded them with questions about how to achieve a successful career in aesthetics.

Woman puts on earrings

How did you become a beautician?

When I was nine years old, I thought about becoming a beautician. My godmother had her own business, a home spa for clients, friends, and family. The opportunity to grow up watching facials being performed and playing around with skin care products has allowed me to develop a great passion for the industry that became my career.

Working with an Eminence Spa partner opened my eyes to the natural and innovative products on the market today. That piqued my curiosity about Eminence, and all I wanted was to be on the product side of the industry. Today I work as an Eminence Organics Product Support Representative, train and provide customer service for retail customers and spa partners. It is so rewarding to know that you work for a company with amazing ethics and values ​​that align with your own.

What are the first steps you should take as a budding beautician?

I would recommend looking for available aesthetic programs in your area. Ask the schools about their aesthetic programs, how their programs will be conducted, and what their offerings will be. Make sure the curriculum and schedule suit your interests, lifestyle, and goals. Then start your knowledge base with the essentials in aesthetics and work your way up to the specialization that interests you. Dermaplaning is an example of a specialization.

When deciding which type of job to pursue, consider the typical working hours you would sign up for – the positions are typically not nine to five, and your hours can often be late. Usually, you can expect to work most evenings and weekends too.

How do you build loyal customers?

Building customer loyalty can be a challenge. However, finding creative ways to provide good service to a customer can be seamless. Depending on the practices in your spa, you might want to offer first-time customers a business card and a discount on their next service. A discount promotion encourages repeat customers and also gives you the opportunity to build an ongoing relationship with your customer.

Going beyond that for your customer can make the biggest difference in customer loyalty. If you experience downtime during a service (tinting, facials, eyelash extensions, etc.), take the time to schedule a hand massage, scalp massage, or paraffin bath during the service. For example, if you're doing a pedicure and discover that your client has stray hair on their feet, smile and offer to offer a free toe wax. The more care you show, the more you gain in customer satisfaction.

Working as a beautician is about relationship building, so you never want to start off your relationship with your new client on the wrong foot. So it is part of your job to read the customer and their sentiment. Usually people come to spas to rest, relax, and pamper themselves. Pay attention to their body language to see if they welcome small talk or not. Sometimes customers may want to switch off and not chat while on duty, and that's fine too. Just follow their lead and make sure you provide the environment they are looking for.

What would you like to know before becoming a beautician?

Depending on your role in this industry, doing hands-on work in this area can sometimes be exhausting. When you have three back-to-back massages for an hour you can feel it. While hard work can be fulfilling and exciting, you should be aware of when your own body needs care. You don't want to pull muscle or take the risk of any other type of physical harm. Long-term neglect of your body can even lead to undesirable conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome.

We are often so busy taking care of others that we neglect ourselves in the process. Book massages or acupuncture, stretch, take a bath, and do whatever is good for your body and refreshed. To do your best, you have to feel your best!

What is the best thing about being a beautician?

I'm sure this answer may vary from person to person, but for myself I would say that it sees transformations in your work. One moment that really impressed me was with a client who was going through a very difficult time in her personal life. She was a regular customer of mine who came for a massage once a month.

During one of her massage sessions, I noticed that she was crying. A deep tissue massage can cause a large emotional release of negative emotions that have been stored in the body for years. This was an enlightening moment for me because I knew then that I was helping her ground herself and find peace. This massage gave her a chance to let go of some of the pain and tension that she was holding onto, and that alone meant the world to me.

When you see that your customers are happy and satisfied with their service, you can be proud of your work. It is also amazing to see how they recognize your touch and care in your service and your person.

What steps are you taking to become a beautician or attract more clients? Let us know in the comments below or on social media. If you are interested in becoming an Eminence Organics Spa Affiliate, here's how you can work with us.

25 Jun
Blog

Helping Regular People Build Incredible Physiques

There are several ways to achieve fitness, from bodybuilders to the general population.

Steve Keane is the co-founder of Strength Coaching, a coaching service that specializes in helping ordinary people develop incredible physiques. I'm a big fan of Steve's work and see him partly as a coach and partly as a fitness philosopher.

Continue reading

28 Apr
Blog

Primer, Build, Solidify (PBS): A System That Unlocks Long-Term Muscle Growth

If you've reached a plateau in your muscle building journey and aren't sure what changes to make to get your progress started, then I think the P.B.S. Approach can be the solution for you.

Most people can put together a killer workout, but very few can design a proper program. Even fewer know how to adjust a program month-to-month to keep making optimal progress.

Continue reading

27 Apr
Blog

Primer, Build, Solidify (PBS): A System That Unlocks Long-Term Muscle Growth

If you've reached a plateau in your muscle building journey and aren't sure what changes to make to get your progress started, then I think the P.B.S. Approach can be the solution for you.

Most people can put together a killer workout, but very few can design a proper program. Even fewer know how to adjust a program month-to-month to keep making optimal progress.

This deficiency is especially true for those whose main goal is to build muscle. While there are some multi-phased templates for strength and strength athletes, there are almost no coherent long-term plans for building muscle.

Continue reading

17 Mar
Blog

10 Best Bodyweight Exercises To Build Your back

Bodyweight exercises have been making the rounds for quite some time because of their excellence and potential. In the world of fitness, these exercises have largely contributed to this. So they have come to be known as the holy grail of all workouts. What's even better is that these workouts are simple, effective, and give instant results.

Since we talked about these exercises in depth on our previous blog, now we're going to help you explore the 10 best bodyweight exercises for your back!

Gluteal bridge

  1. Lie on the floor with your hands open near your hips for balance.
  2. Now try to slide through your heels and tighten your glutes. Something like this will help you get your butt off the floor.
  3. Raise your hips until your shoulder, hips, and knees are in line.
  4. In slow motion, keep your abs busy and lower them to the floor.
  5. Repeat the workout.

Row of planks

  1. Start in a plank position.
  2. Raise one arm and row your elbows in a rowing motion. Now try to bring your arm down.
  3. Repeat the workout on the other end.
  4. Switch between both sides in 30 to 60 seconds.

Pull-up

  1. Hold the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart. Make sure your palms are facing your body.
  2. Try to keep your lower body still. Make sure you use your core and top strength well enough.
  3. Pull your body until your chin is over the bar. Make sure you do this with the help of your back muscles.
  4. Now go back down.
  5. Repeat the workout.

Cobra pose

  1. Lie face down on the floor. Spread your hands on the floor and tuck your elbows into your body.
  2. Press your hips and legs firmly into the floor. Also, squeeze your hands to lift your torso.
  3. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.
  4. Now try to repeat the workout in 3 to 5 repetitions.

T-Superman

  1. Lie on your chest on the floor. Extend your arms on the floor to form a T. Your body should be straight.
  2. Now squeeze your glutes and lower your back to raise your arms. Now, be sure to also press your upper back to raise your arms.
  3. Hold for a few seconds and return to the starting position. Make sure you don't drop your arms or legs.
  4. Repeat the workout.

Wide grip push-up

  1. Start in a push-up position. Keep your hands outside of your chest. Make sure your spine is straight at this point.
  2. Now bend your elbows to drop your chest down and press your back down.
  3. Squeeze your chest to get back to the starting position.
  4. Repeat the workout.

Four-legged stands up

  1. Get on all fours.
  2. Extend your right arm forward and your left leg back while keeping your back straight.
  3. Hold this position for about three to ten seconds, then lower it down to takeoff.
  4. Repeat on the other end.

Pull lying down

  1. Start in the superman position.
  2. Lift your arms and chest off the floor.
  3. Pull both arms back toward your ribs and keep your elbows up to form a W shape.
  4. Extend your arms again and lower your body to the floor.
  5. Repeat the workout in 10 repetitions of 3 sets.

Tape pulldown

  1. Secure the tape in a door frame.
  2. Now stretch your arm and hold the band.
  3. Tense your core and squeeze your glutes together.
  4. Pull down your lat muscle and keep your elbow straight. Make sure your hand is at waist level while exercising.
  5. Go back to the starting position.

Inverted line

  1. Hold the handles of a pole with your palms facing each other. Make sure your elbows are on your sides. Your weight is in your heels. Now sit back to form a straight line.
  2. Get down from the bar, then pull your back and biceps back to the starting position.
  3. Now try to repeat the workout in 3 sets of 5 to 8 repetitions.

frequently asked Questions

  1. Are These Back Weight Exercises Helpful?
    Yes. These exercises will be helpful to you.
  2. Do I also have to concentrate on my diet?
    Yes. If you can also focus on your diet, this is good for you.
01 Dec
Blog

Weighted Crunches- Learn How Can Effective Help You Build Abs

The weighted crunches for abs are a weighted version of a popular ab training exercise.
Simply gaining weight makes crunching far more difficult, helps you build up your six-pack muscles, and provides a separate stimulus for the core during exercise.

Performing the basic weighted crunches dumbbell or upper back exercises at home to tone your abs is a fairly common choice. However, if you're wondering why you haven't got a washboard abs even after doing 100 crunches a day, it's time for you to look at things from a different perspective.

Consider doing weighted crunches for abs in your
Workouts?

Sometimes people make a distinction between ab training and training the chest, leg, and back muscles. Usually, at the end of their workout, people just add a few dumbbell weighted crunches to work. Amateurs try high repetition exercises like fluttering and crunching to get the abs they want. Don't get us wrong, but these exercises have their own place and if you practice them without guidance, you will not get the results you want. But if you're getting everything right and still not getting the results you want, you may need to try weighted crunches for abs, which provide the necessary overloading needed to make your abs pop out.

How Can You Benefit From Weighted Crunches?

Take advantage of weighted crunches

Weighted crunches will not only help you develop your upper abdominal activity and muscular endurance, but also all of the muscles in the abdominal region. While the use of various lower abdominal training exercises can help you highlight one area or another, it is practically impractical to just separate certain sections of the abdominal muscles and just work on them. Therefore, performing weighted crunches helps build muscles not only in the upper part of the abdominal muscles, but also in the lower and lateral parts, which also improves their development functionally.

Weighted Crunch Instructions

  1. In a casual situation, lie down with your knees down.
  2. Hold a weight plate right over your chest and squeeze it to enlarge.
  3. Raise your knees to 90 degrees so that they are overall opposite the floor.
  4. Exhale as you grasp your toes with the weight plate.
  5. When your abs are fully contracted and your upper back is off the floor, gradually lower yourself back to the starting position.

Should You Have A Diet Plan?

Diet plan for cradle crunches

First, people looking to build abs must first consume solid diet foods before discussing abs. You need to make sure you are eating a plate of good quality protein as recommended by your nutritionist. Ask your nutritionist about the right type of protein you should need for your weighted abs crunches. When your diet is inadequate, the abdominal muscles take time to develop and always remain covered in body fat. Rigorous exercise combined with a diet of fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat will show your abs faster.
When you're lean enough and find that your abs aren't actually bursting even when you're lean, there are times when the abs that make up the Linea Alba are not entirely healthy.
We have seen people dream of a flat stomach with abs, but their diet is inadequate. In such cases, your abs will obviously not be visible. Make sure that your diet is balanced and you
do not consume extra calories so your abs are easily visible. But when your diet is in control
If you still can't see your abs, then most likely you need to start with weighted crunches for the abs
because this will help your abs to show themselves the next time you take off your shirt.

Best weight crunches or ab exercises just for you

There are notable ways that you can benefit from these weighted abs crunches. These exercises can help you practice lower rep ranges when weighted crunches get too easy. Weighted abs can help core muscles develop and look more defined. Not only does it increase your abdominal strength, but it also strengthens muscle definition. For the man in you who wants to flaunt those chiseled abs, the best and easiest way to do it is with weights

Let's look at some freehand weighted crunches for abs

Crunch on a ball

Crunch-on-a-ball weighted crunches

Sit on a Swiss ball and keep your feet shoulder-width flat on the floor. Slowly lie back on the ball so your back is parallel to the floor. Your lower back feels like it's curled around the ball. Raise your arms toward the ceiling and raise your chest in a grinding motion. Make sure your head and torso are in a straight line. Gently lift it up so you don't strain your neck. The crisis ends when your middle back no longer stays in contact with the Swiss ball. Do not climb any further as the ball may slip out from under your hip. Hold your body in the contracted position for three seconds and then return to the starting position.

Sets and Reps
Do this crunch 10 reps with 5 sets

Twist and crunch

Twist and crunch

Place your back on a mat to rotate and crunch. After that, place your hands next to your ears and raise your back legs in the air, folding them at right angles to your knees. Squeeze your abs and pull your right elbow over your body towards your left knee. Hold this position for three seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat the steps with your left elbow.

Sets and Reps
Do 5 to 10 repetitions on both sides.

Russian crisis

Russian crunch weighted crunches

Rest on a kneeling bench and place your legs under the cushions. Alternatively, lie on the floor with your feet on the floor and your knees folded on your back. Support your feet so that they stay firmly rooted on the ground. Slowly bend back so that your thighs and torso are at right angles. Crunch your abs, keeping both hands on your chest, and twisting your stomach on either side. This results in a repetition of these weighted crunches for the abs. Work with motion as quickly as possible without compromising the form.

Sets and Reps
Start with 5 reps and gradually work your way up to 10 reps

Wiper crunch

Wiper weighted crunches

Try wiper crunch if you don't want weighted crunches dumbbells. Lie back and bring your arms in the T position for better balance. Raise your legs in the air so they are at a 90 degree angle from the floor and keep your knees straight. Drop both legs on your left side, but don't touch the floor. Swing your legs together from left to right, being careful not to touch the ground. These weighted crunches for the abs are very similar to the movement of the windshield wipers on your car's windshield. A complete cycle from left to right repeats itself.

Sets and Reps
Repeat 10 times and let rest for 3 minutes.

Reverse crunch

Reverse crunch weighted crunches

As the name suggests, you need to lie on a bench and raise your legs in the air while bending your knees 90 degrees at the same time. Grasp the bench behind your head to stay in position. Keep your back straight and gradually lift your hips above the bench. These weighted abdominal crunches crunch your abs to apply pressure as you pull your knees toward your chest. At this point, your body weight should be resting on your shoulders and upper back. Hold the crunch for three seconds to work your abs.

Sets and Reps
Return to the starting position and do 10 repetitions

How to do a crunch with weights

Crunch-with-Weights

For the fitness enthusiast looking to get six pack abs, you can do weighted crunches with dumbbells. Lie on your back horizontally with your feet on the floor at a 90-degree angle on a bench. Keep the weight on your chest or stretch it out in front of you. Slowly lift your shoulders off the floor, keeping your lower back in place. Once you feel the stretch in your abs, squeeze them together and hold them for a few seconds. Let go and return to the starting position.

Sets and Reps
Repeat for as many reps and sets as you want, taking breaks.

Overhead weighted crunches
Perform this weighted crunches barbell by placing the weight above your head. This way you put extra pressure on your back which allows some extra muscles to work. In addition to the abdomen, quads, chest, and lower back, head-weighted crunches also work on the arms and shoulders.
You can also increase the intensity by performing weighted crunches, such as weighted dips for abs on an incline bench.

Inclined overhead crunches

Another variation of weighted crunches for abs are overhead weighted crunches. It is performed with the head lower than the hips. This is where your hips, torso, and head should be flat
Your back and feet should be secured under the footrest. Place a weight against your chest or above your head and raise your torso to your knees. This training allows a greater range of motion. When you are in an inclined position, you are working against gravity, increasing endurance. Your abs work harder, which results in firmer abs and a stronger core.

Sets and Reps
Maintain this position for a few seconds before lowering to the starting position.

Oblique overhead weighted crunches

30 Nov
Blog

How to Build a Brand in the Fitness Industry

Our guest is Andrew Coates. Andrew is a coach, writer, and podcast host. He works with athletes and gen-pop clients with an emphasis on education and fun.

This means that their training, diet, and lifestyle are sustainable for long-term progress.

Over the past few years, Andrew has grown to be a prolific content creator. In this episode, we discuss how he exercises over 35 hours a week with weekly podcast episodes, writes articles, and posts daily on social media. We also examine how this has opened up several possibilities for him.

If you're interested in growing your impact in the fitness industry and need practical tips on how to get there, this episode is a gold mine.

You can also find this podcast on top of all of my other Six Pack of Knowledge podcasts (curated discussions with the world's greatest hypertrophy experts).

Or search for Breaking Muscle's channel and podcasts on the following services: iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, Stitcher, PlayerFM, PodBean.

12