Trapezius Workout

It is very rare to see weight lifters performing proper trapezius exercises (well at least in my gym). I think the biggest problem with weight lifters who do not target the traps properly is simply being uneducated about the muscle. Most of them think that building big traps is 100% about performing different variations of “shrugs”. What they need to realize is that the traps are made up for three regions.

Trapezius Regions
Upper - Responsible for shrugging your shoulders
Middle - Used during rowing movements
Lower – Used during rowing movements

I vary between 8-10 heavy reps, and 15-20 slow controlled , squeezin at the top reps

A great exercise I found was cable shrugs.

Basically attach a V handle (the ones u do cable rows with) to the low pulley.

I prefer sitting down on a bench with the handle between ur legs so u can shrug up. Go for higher reps (15-20) and SLOW.

I do these at the end of my w/o and its a great finsher and nice pump.

You also can try to do Barbell Shrug :

Tips: Hold a barbell with both hands in front of you with your hands a little wider than shoulder width apart. Keep your feet at shoulder width. Stand straight up with the bar hanging at arms length. Droop shoulders down as much as possible to start. Raise your shoulders up as far as you can go. You can also rotate your shoulders as you go up, going in a semicircular motion from front to rear. Then slowly return to the starting position. Can also be down with dumbbells.

Making Sexy Abs

Things the people think will make them fat:

Full Cream Milk
Sugar

Things that actually make people fat:

Low Fat Milk
Artificial Sweeteners
Sugar (depends on how much)

The adverse hormonal effects of aspartame-based artificial sweeteners and low fat milk which has virtually all nutritional value stripped from it completely, are far greater than the little bit of fat and sugar contents of a regular cup of coffee. Besides, if you want to take advantage of the fat burning potential of coffee (from the caffeine) you will want as little hormonal interference as possible.

Cut back on low-carb snacks. Many bars and candies contain glycerin or sugar alcohols, which can cause bloating because your body can't fully digest them, says Leslie Bonci, R.D., at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Run one mile less. "Your body can interpret excessive exercise as stress, causing you to retain fluid and become constipated," says Diana Taylor, R.N., Ph.D., at the University of California-San Francisco Center for Reproductive Health. But moderate exercise, such as yoga or walking, can speed things through your system and help nix the problem.

For those ab workouts that will require you to lie on the floor, it is good to use an exercise mat, and if not available then you can use a towel as an exercise mat. Select a location where you feel nobody unwanted would spot you, and you will not be distracted. There can be a time set where you can do this comfortably. Just set a time for not more than 20 minutes, and it will pay off every week.

Build Pecs Without Weights

Why would anyone want to workout without weights? Everyone knows that using weights and machines is the fastest most efficient way to gain size and strength. While this is true, there are many reasons why someone would want to, or even be forced to train for a while without the benefit of using weights.

Someone working long hours trying to support his family may not have the time to get to a commercial gym, and may not have the extra space or money to set up a good home gym. Also, someone who has to travel quite often for business might prefer getting a good workout in his or her hotel room rather then wandering the streets of South America asking "Donde esta el gymo?"

Push ups are the best I think. Not only do they make you look good but they also improve your bench remarkably when you do get to the gym. If you put your feet on a chair it increases the weight and helps a little more than a regular push up. They are also good for building up abs believe it or not!

Have you ever tried "dips"? This is great in building the pecs. Google or youtube "dip exercise" to see what i'm talking about and do those. You can do dips with two chairs on your sides or at the playground in between the monkey bars. Try it our with your bodyweight and see how many you can do at once. If you can do more than 10, then get your back pack and add weights to it like 10-20 lbs so that you can only do 7-8 reps at the most per set. Do 3 sets of 7-8 reps of dips after you do your push ups exercises.

If you want to be able to do many push ups but not get big, visit www.hundredpushups.com -that's if you want to be able to do 100 push ups and really tone up. Do this after you get a little bigger.

Dumbbell Flat Bench Presses

Dumbbell bench presses can be performed at the three various angles and they are the flat bench version, decline, and at an incline. But, we are mainly focusing on the flat version for now.

The main benefit of dumbbell presses, as opposed to barbell presses, is using dumbbells in this manner also allows for a greater stretch at the bottom and more efficient peak contraction at the top than a barbell press do.

Lie flat on your back on a free standing flat bench. Have your spotter hand you each dumbbell and slowly press them upward and together. When you press them upward, you want to do so in an explosive fashion. Conversely, be sure that when you lower the dumbbells you do so in a slow and controlled fashion. Repeat this movement for as many repetitions as you can until failure. Remember to always use a spotter when performing this and almost every other free weight exercise!

Dumbbells should follow slight arch pattern, above upper arm between elbow and chest at bottom, traveling inward over each shoulder at top. No need to drop weights - see suggested mount and dismount techniques: standard or advanced. Also see mount & dismount from special machine rack.

One Arm Pull-ups Training

Even if you can do dozens of two-armed pull-ups at a time (i.e. you have great strength endurance) you may need to work on building maximal strength before the elusive one-arm pull-up is yours. If you can pull yourself, along with a good fraction of your bodyweight, up over the bar, you may simply need to work on your technique. There are a number of different things you can try.

Only once you can perform at least ten consecutive dead hang pull-ups should you even considering training for this feat. Tendinitis is a bitch, so back off if you start to get pain in or around your elbows.

The following methods have helped me on my quest for the one arm pull-up, but keep in mind that these are not the only ways to train towards this feat. There are many paths that lead to the same destination–feel free to be creative!

The grip is important for an OAP because a strong grip on the bar will allow one to maximally contract the muscles of the upper body. If you are struggling to just hold onto the bar, it will be very difficult to coordinate the rest of your muscles to pull you up.

If you find your grip lacking, here's one way you can strengthen it

Drinking Milk Before Workout

The importance of milk is not understood well enough by most people. Milk is my favorite snack/meal/supplement, and maybe after reading this article it will rank up there on your charts as well. Tolerant to lactose or not, YOU MUST DRINK MILK.

Milk is good to drink both before and after a workout. Before a workout, it provides a simple carbohydrate in an easily digestible form, and after a workout, and research shows that chocolate milk has the optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel recovering muscles. Milk is an extremely nutritious food, but it does not speed up weight loss. The hypothesis was promoted by the dairy industry before it was backed by solid research. Still, everyone needs the calcium, vitamin D, protein, and other nutrients found in milk. Fat-free or 1% fat milk are best because they contain little saturated fat.

First, you need to determine if you are lactose intolerant. If you can tolerate it, go for it!

Please note that if your work out will be intense, then give 1 to 2 hours before you chug that glass of milk. If your workout will exceed an hour, be ready with energy drinks.

Celebrity Inspired Workout Tips

Celebrities are always in the spotlight. As a result, they work hard to look their very best. While you may not be able to afford their red-carpet style, their tips and tricks for staying in shape are no secret. Want Jessica Biel’s toned arms, Halle Berry’s sculpted back and shoulders or Jessica Alba’s lean abs? Learn their key moves to tone target muscles with tips from their trainers, as well as music straight from their workout playlists!

Looking to spice up your workout? Try one of Keri Russell’s favorite ways to keep active and bike to dinner instead of drive, or use a BOSU ball, Christina Hendricks’ go-to way to mix things up at the gym. Cheryl Burke prefers rigorous dancing to shed a few pounds, and if you want to burn calories with minimal effort, but a lot of fun, try Kristen Bell’s trick and just laugh.

For a sure-fire way to tone up, “The Biggest Loser’s” fitness guru Jillian Michaels’ suggests using kettlebells, which incorporate explosive movements, and are core-based, to help make you stronger.

The Trainer: Kathy Kaehler

Celebrity Clients: Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian, Julia Roberts, Denise Richards, Cindy Crawford, Matt Lauer

What’s on Her Playlist:

"A Year Without Rain" -- Selena Gomez & The Scene

"I'm a Fire" -- Donna Summer

"I Will Love Again" -- Lara Fabian

"The Look of Love" -- Nina Simone (Madison Park vs. Lenny B Remix)

"No Air" -- Glee: The Music, Volume 1

"Café Mocha" -- Jesse Cook

"Raise Your Glass" -- Pink

"Off the Chain" -- Selena Gomez & The Scene

"Halo (Gomi Club Remix)" -- Beyoncé

"Rocketeer" -- Far East Movement featuring Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic

Alternate Biceps Curl

Notes:
Keep elbows close to your ribs and stop any shoulder movement. This ensures that any lifting is done completely by the bicep.

Movement:

Stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent.
Hold dumbbells so that arms are by your side and palms are facing inward.
Slowly curl one dumbbell, rotating palm upwards you as you raise it.
Slowly lower back to starting position.

Variations:

There are many possible variations for this movement. For instance, you can perform the exercise sitting down on a bench with or without back support and you can also perform it using both arms at the same time. Additionally, you may perform it with a starting position in which both palms are facing forward. In this case, you may alternate the arms as well, or perform at the same time.
You can also do the exercise starting with both palms of the hands facing the torso and then rotating forward as the movement is performed. At the top of the movement the palms should face forward and the small finger should be higher than the thumb for a peak contraction.

Just like the Dumbbell Biceps Curl except you alternate each hand, curling one dumbbell at a time.