Front Dumbbell Raise - Exercise Explained Video Series

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 7

          Series of videos explaining how to perform bodybuilding exercises. In part 7 we are going to explain the single front dumbbell raise. Grip a single dumbbell using a hammer grip then place your other hand over the hand which is placed on the dumbbell. To execute the exercise, stand with your feet shoulder width apart and bring the dumbbell up in front of the body to eye level with only a slight bend in the elbows. This movement isolates and builds the front shoulder muscles. When lifting try not to jerk the dumbbell up and down,do this by keeping the body still. If the dumbbell cannot be lifted by keeping the body still then it is too heavy and a lower weight is needed.

In these videos heavy weights will not be used as the emphasis is on explaination and correct form

 


For information on building more muscle with less weight CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE FOR :-

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 1 - Lateral Raises

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 2 -  Barbell Shoulder Press

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 3 - Behind The Neck Barbell Press

 SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 4 - Dumbbell Shoulder Press

 SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 5 - The Arnold Press

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 6 - Dumbbell Front Raise

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 7 - Front Dumbbell Raise

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 8 - Rear Delt Raise

Beginners Workout Routine

GET INVOLVED

        Post your answers to one or both of these questions:-

 1. What's the best piece of advice you've received since you started bodybuilding? Wether it be from a book,a training partner or just someone in the gym.

 2. What's the biggest bodybuilding mistake you've made since you started?

JUST CLICK ON COMMENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF POSTS

 I'll be updating blog with answers i get from emails and forums to go along with your answers!

         Every top bodybuilder and Mr. Olympia had to start somewhere, they were not born with the fantastic physiques that you see on competition stages and in magazines. Like every beginner they started off with a basic workout routine that worked towards building overall body mass. Also creating a bodybuilding routine that works for you will give you many great benefits like increasing your strength level, adding mass to you physique, reducing your risk of injury, raising your metabolic rate and preventing fat gains from taking place.


           Your first objective as a beginner is to build a solid foundation. To build a solid foundation a beginners workout routine should be built around compound exercises. A compound exercise is a multi joint movement which uses a number of assisting muscle groups. Isolation exercises play a vital part in bodybuilding but the major muscle builders are the big compound exercises such as:- Bench Press, Dips, Rows, Chins, Squats, Deadlifts and Leg Presses.
             
           During the first couple of training sessions, you'll want to go pretty light just to get a feel for how to do the movement correctly. After you feel comfortable with the form, begin adding weight.

           Even an experienced lifter should always do his first set as a warm-up with practically no weight to flush to target muscle and connective tissue with blood. On the second set, add a couple of small plates and do the exercise again. Was it still easy? If so, and assuming you used good form, add more weight. If you struggled to reach 12 repetitions, add just a little bit of weight. (Adding weight on successive sets is called pyramid training and is one of the safest ways to train.)

           Continue adding weight until it becomes tough to complete 8-12 reps. Your goal is to train in the range where you reach muscular failure at 8-12 reps. Once you find a challenging weight, stick with it. So you'll become stronger and be able to increase the number of reps. Once you can do 12, it's time to increase your training poundage by about 10%. At this heavier weight, you won't be able to do 12 reps, but with time you'll once again be able to. Keep working in this fashion.

         The principle behind this type of training is known as overload. It states that for improvements to occur, you must impose a demand on your muscles greater than what they're accustomed to (for bodybuilding purposes, about two-thirds of your maximal strength). Your muscles compensate for this strain on the cellular level by adding protein to grow thicker and stronger. At that point, the same load is no longer sufficient to induce further changes, more load must be added. That is, you must progressively add training stimulus to make continued improvements.

          Keep track of your training poundage by recording your weights, sets and reps in a training log alongside a list of your exercises.

          Some bodybuilders swing and heave, cheating for the sake of pushing heavier weights. Remember, the name of the game here is not weightlifting, but rather bodybuilding, so always make form your top priority.


          The best workout routine for beginners is to separate upper and lower body workouts, so below is what i consider to be a good overall body workout routine for beginners.

To Discover 'The Evolution Of Natural Muscle Building'  CLICK HERE

Day 1: Legs

•    Squats: 4 sets - 1 warm-up set of 20 reps, 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Leg press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Double leg extension: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Romanian deadlifts: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Seated leg curl: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Seated Calf raise: 3 sets of 10-12 reps

•    Lounge: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Standing Calf raise:3 sets 8-12 reps



Day 2: Chest/Back/Abs

•    Flat bench: 4 sets - 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Incline bench: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Flyes: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Straight Arm Dumbell Pull over: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Bent Over Barbell Row: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Seated Cable row: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Wide-grip pullup: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Hyperextension: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

•    Decline Crunch: 4 sets -  1 warm-up set of 20 reps, 3 sets of 15 reps

•    Hanging Knee Raise to The Side -  3 sets of 15 reps

•    Cable Seated Crunch: 3 sets of 15 reps



Day 3: Shoulders/Traps

•    Standing Barbell press: 4 sets - 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Dumbbell lateral raise: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Dumbbell front raise: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Barbell Rear DeltRow: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Upright row: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Barbell Shrug: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Arnold Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps



Day 4: Biceps/Triceps

•    Preacher curl with dumbbell: 4 sets - 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Standing dumbbell hammer curl: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Incline dumbbell curl: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Dumbbell One Arm Triceps Extension: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Rope extension: 4 sets - 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 3 sets of 8-10 reps

•    Dips with weight: 4 sets - 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 3 sets of 8-10 reps

 
 Day 5: Off , then repeat routine.

For The Best Natural Muscle Building System CLICK HERE

                                                          

                                                                                         Ray from Toronto

Bodybuilding Diet Tips

    Below i've listed some of the best bodybuilding diet tips that can help give every bodybuilder more consistent results with their diet program.


         Tip No.1 - Be Patient - Far too many people constantly jump from one diet to the next without giving any of them a chance to work. It takes at least twenty-one days for your body to adapt to any dietary change, and changes do not happen overnight. Give your current diet a chance to prove itself. Then, if you need to make adjustments, include small tweaking.


         Tip No.2 - Eating Consistently - Did you know that random eating works against you because it does not keep a steady flow of nutrients moving through your system? In order to build quality muscle, your body must continually have a positive nitrogen balance. The secret to building muscle and losing body fat is CONSISTENCY! Yes, it is that simple! In order to be consistent, it is best to plan your meals. Pre-cooking helps to take the guess work out your next meal. So this means you will have to invest in some Tupperware and perhaps an ice chest so you can have meals handy.


        Tip No.3 - Eating The Right Amount - It is true that many calories are needed to provide energy for training and building muscle, but excess calories that are not absorbed will be stored as fat. Keep macro nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) in balance, and shock the body every once in a while with a high calorie meal. Eating is good, eating to grow is great, but overeating is UNACCEPTABLE!


         Tip No.4 -  Logging Calories - Not logging calories can lead to either overeating and/or under-eating. Not only should calories be logged, but also each macro nutrient, the time eaten, and the amount. To properly add muscle and lose body fat you must keep accurate records of food consumption. Estimating caloric intake leads to miscalculating, hence, failure.

For The Most Complete Cookbook And Nutrition Guide With Over 200 Muscle Building 

Recipes CLICK HERE

         Tip No.5 - Keep Fats In Your Diet - While keeping fats to a minimum in your diet can lower your calorie intake, never try to completely eliminate them. Completely cutting out fats from your diet will slow your fat metabolism down and also slow your muscle gains. Essential Fatty Acids are needed in your diet to boost your bodies natural testosterone levels.


          Tip No.6 - Using the Scale - Using the scale solely to gauge progress. It is true that a scale is a measuring tool, but it is unable to distinguish between water, fat, and muscle. The best method is to track your progress through body composition. Scales are beneficial if used in conjunction with body fat instruments.
          Remember, bodybuilding is a visual sport so photos are an excellent source to gauge progress, as well as taking precise measurements. Also, having an unbiased eye to provide you with constructive criticism will keep you on the right track. A body fat composition is a starting point, and if you don't know where to begin you will just keep running around in circles.


          Tip No.7 - Make Small Changes - When increasing or decreasing calories from your diet, allow your body to adapt by making small changes. Severe reductions in calories will cause the body to hoard fat, and a severe increase in calories will stimulate fat storage.


          Tip No.8 - Don't Copy Pro Bodybuilders - Mistake made by many beginners, is relying on professional bodybuilders for advice. This is like spitting in the wind, as it will only come back to smack you in the face. We have all admired the huge physiques that take over the stage, thinking they have all the answers. This is true, but professional bodybuilders have accomplished a great deal. They are on a professional level, and there is a big difference between professionals and amateurs. Professional bodybuilders have been training for years, diet for months, and supplement heavily. Learn to read between the lines about what is displayed in the latest muscle magazine and what reality is.

Never Get Bored With Your Diet Again. For Loads Of Muscle Building Recipes CLICK HERE

                                                                               Wes from Fresno

Dumbell Pullovers

Pullovers - A forgotten exercise that can add inches of seroius mass to your chest


The pullover is an exercise you seldom see done in the gym anymore. Yet back in the "Pumping Iron" days of bodybuilding it was a staple in almost everyone's routine.


           In fact, way back in the old days before the invention of bench presses with upright racks for holding the bar, guys would do a barbell pullover, lifting the bar from the floor to their chest, and then do their bench presses. But gradually over the years this exercise got pushed to the wayside and is hardly ever done by the average gym goer.


         The main benefit from pullovers is that they help expand the rib cage and work all the supporting muscle groups along the torso, chest, lats, arms, and shoulders through a full range of motion. This can really help add thickness and depth to your torso, which is one area that a lot of people lack these days.


         I know from the majority of people that I see at the gym that very few of them have a well developed torso. It's actually quite common to see a guy with muscular arms and shoulders stacked on a slim chest and torso. But by adding pullovers to your routine you can help fill out and expand your rib cage and correct this problem.


         Your rib cage is the frame work that supports all your upper body muscles. So if you have a well built frame underneath, the muscles of your chest, shoulders, lats, and arms will look much more impressive.


         I was fortunate enough to have included pullovers as a regular exercise in my workouts from the start and I think this has certainly helped me to develop a large rib cage and good chest expansion, which is clearly seen when I hit a side chest pose as in the pic above.


        The main reason I even did this exercise was the fact I started training in a simple home gym and didn't have access to a lot of the fancy machines that are so common in most gyms today. So from having limited equipment I tried to include as much training variety as I could using basic free weight barbell and dumbbell exercises. For this reason I sometimes feel that training with limited gym equipment can be a blessing in disguise.


        There are two basic variations to the pullover, the barbell version and the cross bench dumbell version. One is not necessarily better then the other, both work well. I personally feel that the dumbell pullover stretches the chest a bit more and the barbell pullover places a little more emphasis on the lats. But you can pick the one that feels the best for you, or if you have no preference you can alternate back and forth between both variations. The main thing is that you just do them.


        The pullover is a stretching exercise, so you'll make better gains from using a moderate weight, higher reps, and really working through a full range of motion. Add weight to the exercise in a gradual progressive fashion, but never at the expense of sacrificing your exercise form.


        Depending on your body structure and how you do the exercise you may feel it working the chest, or you may feel it working the lats, or a combination of the two. So you could include pullovers with your chest or back workouts. The main thing is that you do them consistently so you reap the results that they have to offer.


       The first time you do the exercise start off with a light weight and just get used to the movement and the range of motion required. Then go up by 5 - 10 pound jumps in weight each set. By going through this process you'll naturally find the sweet spot where you have enough weight that allows you to stimulate the muscles hard, yet still be able to perform the exercise through a deep range of motion and fully stretch out your entire rib cage, chest, and lats.


       Start off with 1 - 2 warm up sets and then take a working weight that allows for 15 reps with good form. Do 2 - 3 working sets and really focus on feeling the muscles stretch and contract with each rep. Another little tip that will help add to the effectiveness is to take a deep breath before each rep and hold your air in as you lower the weight. This will give you an even deeper stretch throughout the rib cage.


      You'll get more benefit from doing dumbell pullovers at the end of your workout when your muscles are already pumped. Doing stretching exercises when you are pumped up and the muscles feel tight will aid in muscle growth because the connective tissues are already being stretched from the blood volume in the muscles, and then by doing stretching exercises at this time as well you get a double whammy effect. This really stretches the connective tissue and increases your muscle growth potential.


      By doing dumbell pullovers as a staple exercise in your workout routine you are going to experience a good upper body growth spurt and also notice an improvement in your flexibility and mobility for a lot of your other exercises as well. Give it a try and don't be surprised if you add an inch or two to your chest measurement in as little as 6 weeks.

 


For information on building more muscle with less weight CLICK HERE

Dumbbell Front Raise - Exercise Explained Video Series

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 6

         Series of videos explaining how to perform bodybuilding exercises.In part 6 we are going to explain the dumbell front raise. To execute the exercise, stand with your feet shoulder width apart and grip dumbbells using an overhand grip. The movement is to bring the dumbbells up in front of the body to eye level with only a slight bend in the elbow. This movement isolates and builds the front shoulder muscles. When lifting try not to jerk the dumbbells up and down,do this by keeping the body still. If the dumbbells cannot be lifted by keeping the body still then they are too heavy and a lower weight is needed.

 In these videos heavy weights will not be used as the emphasis is on explaination and correct form

For information on building more muscle with less weight CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE FOR :-

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 1 - Lateral Raises

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 2 -  Barbell Shoulder Press

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 3 - Behind The Neck Barbell Press

 SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 4 - Dumbbell Shoulder Press

 SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 5 - The Arnold Press

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 6 - Dumbbell Front Raise

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 7 - Front Dumbbell Raise

SHOULDER EXERCISES PART 8 - Rear Delt Raise

Bodybuilding Program For Beginners

 6 THINGS YOU MUST HAVE IN ANY BODYBUILDING PROGRAM FOR BEGINNERS !

      If you're a bodybuilding beginner looking to pack on solid muscle mass, you'll definitely want to read this article.

     Because there's a lot of confusion on how to gain muscle mass and what it really takes. I want to give you 6 areas you absolutely, positively must focus on in any bodybuilding program for beginners you decide to use:

1: The proper amount of calories.

Since your diet is one of the most important keys to gaining muscle mass, you really need to know HOW many calories to eat, WHAT types of food to eat, and WHEN you should be eating them!


If you consistently under eat, you will NOT gain muscle mass. However, if you tend to overeat a lot, you will likely gain body fat.


So you have to be pretty accurate with your calorie intake in order to gain muscle mass without a lot of fat.

2: The correct approach to training in the gym.

Any muscle building program should give you MASS building techniques so that you can gain quality muscle weight, not just fat.


You want to make sure you're not training too many days. That will stop your body from recovering and your muscles from repairing themselves.


You also want to make sure you're not doing too many exercises, reps, and sets because that too could lead to overtraining.


We'll touch more on it below, but the best approach for building muscle is to stick with the basic compound exercises (bench, squats, deadlifts, barbell curls) and use lower reps and just a few heavy sets.

3: The best possible supplements to help pack on weight.

Let's get this straight...you do NOT need supplements to gain muscle. You need calories. And I've used just about every supplement on the market and many are a complete waste of money! However, there are a few exceptions and some can help you in the muscle gaining process, if you decide to use them.


The main supplements worth taking to gain quality muscle would have to be protein (whey, milk, or egg), creatine, glutamine, EFA's, a multivitamin, and meal replacements.


Save your hard-earned money and time by avoiding the useless ones.

4: The proper amount of sets and reps for muscle growth without muscle breakdown.

Like we talked about above, you want to make sure you're setting up your weight training to be the best use of your time and energy.


Most people train the wrong way for muscle growth. What I mean is, they do way too many reps and sets, thinking more is better.


A lower rep and set range is proven to speed up lean muscle growth while minimizing muscle breakdown.


After all, muscle growth occurs from overload. And it makes sense that one
of the quickest ways to increase overload (weight lifted) is to lessen the amount of reps and increase the amount of weight.

5: The right balance of protein, carbs, and fats.

If you don't get enough protein, you WILL NOT gain muscle. If you consume too many fat calories, you'll gain mostly fat and not muscle. So it's important that you get the right breakdown of protein, fats, and carbs for your specific body type.


Most advice shows that 50% of your calories should come from protein, 40% from carbs, 10 % from fats. But this is just a guideline. Find what works best for you and stick with that.

6: The right approach to cardio so that you do not burn off all your hard earned muscle weight.

Depending on your goals, cardio may help or actually hurt your chances of gaining weight. If you're really looking to gain more weight fast, you may not want to be doing cardio at all. That way, you don't risk losing weight and muscle by expending calories that could have been used for muscle building.


If you're looking to lose body fat while still gaining muscle, 3 to 5 cardio sessions a week is plenty.


For someone wanting to pack on the weight, I'd stick with just a couple sessions, none if you're really desperately trying to gain weight.

Those are 6 basic areas you want to focus on with any muscle building program you use.

The main points again are:

1. Find out the proper amount of calories you need to gain muscle weight without adding a lot of fat.


2. You want to set up your weight training to be the best use of time and energy in the gym. This includes how often to train, how many muscle groups, and how long to rest, both between sets and between workouts.


3. If you decide to invest in supplements, stick with the proven ones like protein, creatine, and glutamine.


4. Using lower reps and fewer sets means you can use more intensity and overload on the muscles. High reps with low weight does nothing for muscle building.


5. Out of your total daily calorie needs, you want to ensure you're getting the proper ratio of protein, carbs, and fats. You can start with the 50-40-10 ratio or 40-40-20 and go from there, depending on your results.


6. If you want to gain mass quickly, you may want to consider dropping cardio altogether. Or else, 3 to 5 sessions should be more than enough to continue gaining muscle while shedding fat.

For The Best Natural Muscle Building System CLICK HERE

                                                                               Jeff from Portland

Bodybuilding Bulking

GET INVOLVED

        Post your answers to one or both of these questions:-

 1. What's the best piece of advice you've received since you started bodybuilding? Wether it be from a book,a training partner or just someone in the gym.

 2. What's the biggest bodybuilding mistake you've made since you started?

JUST CLICK ON COMMENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF POSTS

 I'll be updating blog with answers i get from emails and forums to go along with your answers!

 


               A lot of people fail at getting the kind of body they want for one reason: DIET!!! What i'm about to write is mainly for bodybuilders that are bulking and are having a hard time eating enough food. These tips i'm about to list have been FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE and other readers feel free to list some of your tips that help you chow down all the food you need.


           1) Start out eating smaller meals: Most of the time people (beginners mainly) go from eating 2500 cals one day and want to get bigger so they up it to 5000 cals in a matter of a couple days. Doing this leads to one of two things or both: getting unwanted fat gain or getting burned out quickly because you are having to eat so much food all of a sudden. Well you have to crawl before you can walk my friend. Adding in a little more food each day with each meal will help your body adjust to the new diet and will help you stick with your diet longer. So an example would be something like this. Say you eat two eggs in the morning with a piece of toast and a glass of milk. The next day or a couple days after that you could up the eggs to three and/or eat another piece of toast. Starting out with smaller meals and gradually increasing your food intake with each meal will help you stick with your diet longer without having to gorge yourself with food starting out.


          2) Drink plenty of water:We all know water works wonders. Water is the best thing to drink with a meal. Not only does it help you eat more food by not feeling you up as quick as say milk or even worse a carbonated drink but it also helps your digestive system break down nutrients with each meal. If you have a hard time eating every two or three hours then try drinking a lot of water between meals. It actually helps me eat more and makes me hungry faster.


         3) Eat slower: Unless you are in a eating contest then there is no reason to scarf your food down like an elephant. When meal time comes around try to relax and take your time eating. It usually takes me 20-30 minutes to eat a meal or sometimes longer unless it's a protein shake or something like that. So if you get full pretty quick then take your time and eat. Plus eating slower gives your body more time to digest your food and helps your body distribute the nutrients to where they really need to go.


         4) Eat more calorie dense snacks: You dont have to eat a steak with a baked potato and a salad every meal. If we did we would all feel like we have a barrel in our stomachs. Some good snacks are peanut butter and nuts. Looking at  my peanut butter container 2 tblspoons has 190 cals with a lot of good fats(if you use natural peanut butter like the majority of us do). 2 tblspoons is hardly nothing to get down. One of my favorite recipes is apple's with peanut butter. Not only are you getting the cals and healthy fats from the peanut butter but also the nutrients an apple supplies. Another good snack is a handful of nuts. I eat fresh pecans right off the tree because i have two big pecan trees in my backyard. Not everyone has this luxury so almonds and peanuts are probably the best two nuts to buy. A handful of almonds usually has around 140-160 cals with a load of healthy fats. And of course you can always go with the king of snacks which is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with glass of milk. If a few of these bad boys a day doesn't put some weight on you nothing will.


         5) Drink protein shakes: If you just can't down another bite then protein shakes are very handy. I dont care if you are one of these anti-supplement, creatine is a steroid type person. You need to buy protein powder if you're serious about working out. Yes it's possible to get your protein intake with just food but you will have to eat a lot more and i hope you have a nice little bank account to get plenty of chicken with. There really is no reason NOT to get a protein powder. They are quick, easy to make, and you can carry them with you in a shaker cup wherever you go and most of them are pretty cheap like ON's 100% whey or Dymatize Elite whey. Plus you can add peanut butter and/or oats to them and you have a nice little shake with a lot of protein and good carbs and fats.

Never Get Bored With Your Diet Again! For Loads Of Muscle Building Recipes CLICK HERE

                                                                         Jay from  Sacramento