Watch this video and notice how hard the first rep was for me... It came off the ground super slow and I was shaking all the way up. What makes the difference between getting stronger and lifting more weight is determination and willpower! Sure I could have stopped at one rep but I already did a single rep at about the same weight a few months ago so it was time to step up my game a little!
I forgot to mention that I am still suffering from the tail end of a flue, presently cutting weight eating a no carb diet, and I am down about 7-8 pounds from a month ago. No excuses, just get the job done!
You can see how this workout of mostly low rep heavy load Dead Lifts effected my heart rate and how many calories I burned by clicking on this link.
For illustrations on How to Build and Define Your Arms, make sure to watch the video located at the bottom of the page.
Before I go out and make all kinds of promises, there is one thing that needs to be understood. Muscle growth is determined on a few factors and one very important factor is Genetics! Genetics will determine how quick it will grow, how large a muscle will grow, and which muscles on your body will respond to training better than others.
That's right, when we workout and even if we train everything equally, some muscles will grow faster than others and some will outright grow larger than others. So if you see a person with really well built arms compared to the rest of their body, it may not be because all they do is train arms all day long. They may simply have the right type of genetics for building well developed arms.
That's the beauty of body building, you are a work in progress that requires constant reworking to achieve the best results for you. And sadly even with the best training program and diligence, your arms may never be what you inspire them to be. And that goes for every body part, my personal challenge is building wide shoulders as my frame is not wide, on the other hand I have good thickness through my chest! Remember, base your expectations on what is realistic for your body type, not on other peoples builds because you are built differently and believe me they have their own areas of muscle development to deal with.
So now that we all understand what to expect, how do you go about building those well developed arms? There are three main muscles to consider when training arms, the Biceps, the Triceps, and the Forearms. The Bicep is the round ball shaped muscle on the front of your arm between your elbow and front shoulder. Many people think that large Biceps equals large arms! The reality is that the Triceps, located on the back of the arm between the elbow and rear shoulder is actual a naturally larger muscle than the Bicep and contributes to about two thirds of your upper arm. So don't forget to put the time in and get your Triceps up to par.
It's pretty obvious where the Forearm muscles are located but for those that are at a loss, the Forearm is located between your elbow and wrist. To be honest, unless you are planning on getting super huge, often enough you don't really need to work your Forearms all that much since they are brought into use every time you grab and hold a weight, and perform a pull or press. But again if you have genetically small Forearms then you may want to train them additionally.
I personally only train my arm muscles once per week because I genetically have decent arm development. I also find that performing many traditional compound movements like bench press, shoulder press, pull-ups and rows hit the Biceps and Triceps pretty well already. Since on back day I do a lot of pulling and work my Biceps along the way, I generally end my workout with a few Bicep exercises to finish them off. Likewise When I have my chest workout day, my Triceps are already fairly exhausted so hitting them at the end with some sets of Triceps exercises gets them fully worked out.
The best way to educate you on what exercises work best for hitting your arms is to show you in a video so again, make sure to watch the below video where I talk about some of the concepts in this article and also show you some of my favorite Arm building exercises like:
Triceps:
Seated Dumbbell Tricep Extension
Standing Cable Tricep Extension (With Bar or Rope)
V-Dumbbell Narrow Tricep Pushup
Narrow Barbell Tricep Extensions (Free Weights or Smith Machine)
Standing Tricep Kickbacks
Bench Tricep Kickbacks
Biceps:
Barbell Bicep Curls (Free Weights or Smith Machine)
At 45 I was the strongest I have ever been and I even won my first Men's Masters Physic Contest. Now that I turned the ripe old age of 46, it's probably going to be a downhill ride from here on in! I mean, everyone knows that as we get older our metabolism slows down, we lose our energy, our muscle turns to fat and time just starts to catch up with us!
After second thought... I'm gonna have to pass on slowing down and just keep pushing a bit harder each day. Sure I could be like most people and concede to what society says about my age group, and how I am supposed to be a physically lesser version of my younger self. Honestly, I think we can all be pretty awesome at any age, it just takes dedication and hard work!
I was asked by my CrossFit coaches LeeAnn and Darren to tryout some Wrist Wraps they are promoting. Darren and LeeAnn recently started selling their own line of weight lifting products under the name Fox Force located at www.FoxForce.ca.
LeeAnn and Darren have told me they will be adding more products to their Fox Force line of workout gear including: Wrist Straps, Knee Sleeves and Weight Belts.
Previously I was using a basic Buckle Closure wrist wrap and they did help out when doing push type exercises but the Fox Force Wrist Wraps provide superior support and comfort. They come up higher on the wrist and use a thicker more comfortable material.
One exercise I find they benefit me greatly is when I do Back Squats. I use a low bar position on my back that puts a lot of the load on my arms and wrists, pushing down and back on my arms. Without wrist wraps after a set of squats my wrists are in a noticeable amount of pain but when using the Fox Force Wrist Wraps there is no pain at all after a set of squats.
Of course the Fox Force Wrist Wraps are ideal for any push based exercise movement and are even beneficial for activities like arm curls, power cleans and front squats.
Make sure to order a pair of Fox Force Wrist Wraps using this Amazon link if you're in the market for something like this and be sure to check back when LeeAnn and Darren have added some more products to their lineup. I hope to be doing some more reviews for them in the future...
We all get sick from time to time. It can range from a mild inconvenient cold to one of those debilitating flues that you just can seem to shake! The question is, is it better to rest it off or work it off?
Should you workout while you’re sick?
I'm going to have to go with yes you should "for the most part" workout while you’re sick, but it really depends on how bad the illness is. I would rather be the person that doesn't use "being sick" as an excuse to skip a workout, there are already lots of excuses to miss going to the gym.
What kind of sick are we talking about?
I find a mild cold doesn't really slow me down much but an all out flue can not only sap me of my energy but also drain my strength. You need to play it by ear a bit, listen to your body, if it wants rest then take a few days off from the gym but if you feel like your energy is still there, even if not 100%, then by all means get a workout in. If you have some sort of stomach flue or food poisoning then stay home and close to a toilet, you do not want to be pushing weight with that going on!
Listen to your body.
Let's get real, a sniffle is no reason to pack in the towel and take a week off from your training. You will know when it's time to stay home from the gym, if you are questioning if you feel good enough for a workout then you are probably OK.
Scale your workouts back a bit.
So you talked yourself into going to the gym while being a bit under the weather, good for you! Keep in mind that more than likely you are not going to hit any PR's but you never know? Still, keep things simple, don't do a marathon workout and leave a bit of energy for the rest of your day.
Make sure to not pass on germs to others.
It's super important to be considerate of others at the gym and not pass on your germs to others members. Wash your hands before and several times during your workout, make sure to cough into your arm or towel and try not to touch your mouth, eyes or face with your hands.
Medications can help out a lot.
Take advantage of cold and flue medications, they can really help take away or reduce the symptoms of being sick. If you are feeling better, then you are more likely to be up to hitting the gym. And don't forget to take your vitamins on a regular basis so hopefully you don't get sick in the fist place!
Friday, April 10, 2015 at 8:15PM 
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