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The biceps is symbolic of upper arm strength and power. I doubt that there’s a serious trainer alive who at some point hasn’t looked in the mirror and wished that he had larger, thicker, stronger and harder upper arms. Of course, you might be the one guy out of 10 million who has biceps genes that seem to grow and strengthen just by walking past a weight stack. But more than likely, you’re like the rest of us mortals, who must sweat blood to develop a strong, rock-hard upper arm. Certainly you get some indirect work for the arms when you do your back work (chins, pull-ups, rows, etc.), but that’s not enough to develop a quality upper extremity. However, by shifting your exercise training orders around and prioritizing the biceps, you can make major improvements in your arm strength and contours in only a few months. Although part of the answer to improving your arm size and power is to increase the amount of resistance you lift for each exercise, shear pounds alone won’t get the job done if each repetition isn’t executed in a proper fashion that recruits all of the muscle fibers possible. With one-arm preacher curls, you don’t need a ton of weight to improve your upper arm, but you’ll have to be prepared to put in some serious effort to force your arms into a new dimension.

Arm Structure

The anterior compartment of the arm contains the biceps and brachialis muscles. The primary function of these muscles is at the elbow joint, although parts of these muscles can also function at the shoulder joint. The biceps brachii is a two-headed muscle. The long head of the biceps brachii muscle has its upper attachment on a bump over the shoulder joint called the glenoid tubercle. It sits on the lateral (outer) part of the arm, and its fibers intertwine with the short head of the biceps as it approaches the elbow. Because the long head of the biceps brachii crosses the shoulder, it becomes involved during shoulder flexion (i.e., bringing the arm forward). This anatomical positioning also means that the arms and elbows need to be back to stretch the long head (such as in barbell curls) to maximize the stretch and activation of this muscle belly during elbow flexion.

The short head of the biceps lives along the inside (medial side) of the arm. At the top, it attaches to the coracoid process just below the shoulder joint. This is a beak-like projection on the anterior (front) part of the scapula bone or “shoulder blade.” The muscle stretches along the medial (inner) part of the humerus bone of the arm and it comes together with the long head of the biceps brachii muscle to form the strong bicipital tendon. The bicipital tendon crosses the front part of the elbow joint and it attaches on the radius bone of the forearm near the elbow joint. Contraction of the biceps muscle can pivot the radius bone at the elbow joint and this supinates the hand (turns the palm toward the ceiling) if the hand begins in a pronated position. Because the short head of the biceps brachii doesn’t cross the shoulder joint, it’s activated just as strongly whether the shoulder and arm are forward (arm flexion) or pulled backward (arm extension) during elbow flexion (e.g., curls).

Brachialis Muscle

This muscle is a very important flexor of the elbow joint. It attaches along the anterior side of the humerus bone throughout its journey down the arm. It crosses the elbow joint anteriorly and attaches to the anterior side of the non-pivoting ulna bone of the forearm near the elbow joint. The attachment to the ulna prevents the brachialis from having any role in supination. As much as 60 percent to 70 percent of forearm flexion is thought to be due to the strength of the brachialis muscle.

Single-Arm Preacher Curls

The preacher bench is also called the Scott bench by some, because it was used extensively by the bodybuilder Larry Scott, who was first to be named Mr. Olympia. Largely with this exercise and bench, he turned pretty average arms into one of the fullest biceps of his day – or any other day. The angle of the preacher bench puts the arm forward with respect to the shoulder (arm flexion), and this puts emphasis on the medially placed short head biceps brachii muscle. The bench angle should be quite steep (about 70° to 80°, not 30° to 45°), otherwise, the arm will be too far forward and activation of the long head of the biceps brachii will be severely diminished. The brachialis muscle is active throughout the exercise. Although the exercise can be used with dumbbells or a barbell, the one-arm dumbbell version is described below.

Exercises done with one limb generally require greater neural and muscle activity than if the same exercise is done with two limbs. In addition, one-arm training prevents the weaker of your two arms from riding along on the shirttails of the stronger arm, as is the case if you were to do two-arm exercises. In the case of the one-arm preacher curl, each arm has to pull its full load on every repetition. Furthermore, it’s difficult to cheat on this exercise, so the muscles of the upper arm get fully activated.

1. If possible, position the preacher bench in front of a mirror so you can monitor your exercise form. Bring the dumbbell up to the shoulder. Turn the hand holding the dumbbell to a supinated position (palms up).

2. Sit on the seat (or stand if your bench doesn’t have a seat) while keeping the dumbbell at the shoulder. Position your armpit (axilla) above the edge of the bench and your triceps comfortably on the bench. Don’t jam your axilla into the top edge of the bench because it’s too easy to cheat from this position. If you have a weak or injured lower back or intervertebral disc, you should first position yourself on the bench and invoke the help of a training partner to lift the dumbbell to your shoulder. This will help to avoid flexing your torso and re-injuring your back as you pick the weight up and get into position.

3. Hold on to the edge of the seat or bench with the free hand. Slowly lower the dumbbell in the working arm toward the floor. It’s important to make this a slow descent and control the lowering of the weight. At best, a fast descent will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise, but at worse, it will result in injury to your elbow joint and bicipital tendon, particularly as it’s straightened.

4. Stop just before the elbow is straight and begin flexing the elbow joint (i.e., curling the weight) so the dumbbell moves closer to your face and shoulder. The bench will prevent you from pulling the elbows posteriorly into arm flexion; this concentrates the efforts to the short head of the biceps.

5. Continue to curl the weight upward toward your face or nose as far as possible. Because the hands are supinated throughout the exercise, the biceps will be strongly activated throughout the range of motion.

6. Stop the downward descent just before your elbow joint becomes completely straight. Then begin the curl back toward your face. This will maintain the tension on the biceps throughout the full range of motion.

7. After eight good repetitions, your biceps should be screaming. You might want to do a couple of partial repetitions once you can’t complete the full range of motion. Alternatively, you can use your nonworking arm to give your fatiguing arm just enough help on the way up to get another two to three repetitions before calling it a set with that arm. However, you’re not done. Move the weight to the opposite arm and repeat the set.

If you can’t control the weight during the dumbell’s descent, then you need to lower the resistance or stop the set to reduce the risk of becoming injured.

The preacher bench is much harder to complete than standing curls. There’s no way to pull the arms into extension to gain additional assistance from the long head of the biceps or to do any “cheating” to swing the weight up with your torso body movement in the one-arm preacher curl, as is often the case with barbell curls. That doesn’t mean that you should be using pencil weights to do the preacher curls or haphazardly thinking about the next thing on your calendar. It will take extreme concentration and dedicated, gut-busting efforts to get the most out of this exercise. Nothing can replace hard work and gallons of sweat for creating quality biceps. Nevertheless, choosing to invest sweat-laden sets in the preacher curl will almost assuredly bring you closer to acquiring strong, thick, rock-hard arms from top to bottom.

References:

1. Guevel A, Hogrel JY and Marini JF. Fatigue of elbow flexors during repeated flexion-extension cycles: effect of movement strategy. Int J Sports Med, 21: 492-498, 2000.

2. Kulig K, Powers CM, Shellock FG, and Terk M, The effects of eccentric velocity on activation of elbow flexors: evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 33: 196-200, 2001.

3. Moore KL and Dalley AF, Clinically Orientated Anatomy. 4th Edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, P.J. Kelly, Editor. Baltimore, Philadelphia. pp. 720-723, 1999.

4. Munn J, Herbert RD, Hancock MJ and Gandevia SC. Resistance training for strength: effect of number of sets and contraction speed. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 37: 1622-1626, 2005.

5. Munn J, Herbert RD, Hancock MJ and Gandevia SC. Training with unilateral resistance exercise increases contralateral strength. J Appl Physiol, 99: 1880-1884, 2005.

6. Simao R, Farinatti PT, Polito MD, Maior AS and Fleck SJ. Influence of exercise order on the number of repetitions performed and perceived exertion during resistance exercises. J Strength Cond Res, 19: 152-156, 2005.

7. Vance J, Wulf G, Tollner T, McNevin N and Mercer J. EMG activity as a function of the performer’s focus of attention. J Mot Behav, 36: 450-459, 2004.

The post How to Build Rock-Hard Arms appeared first on FitnessRX for Men.

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By: Stephen E. Alway, Ph.D., FACSM
Title: How to Build Rock-Hard Arms
Sourced From: www.fitnessrxformen.com/training/how-to-build-rock-hard-arms/
Published Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2021 23:49:18 +0000

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Mens Health

The Case for Competing as You Age

Published

5 days ago

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May 31, 2023

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By Marc Lobliner

CMO Tigerfitness.com

All of you reading this, from the 20-year-old single guy to the 50-year-old married guy, don’t lose that competitive edge. Do epic sh*t and stay young mentally and physically – COMPETE!

As you can see on “Ronline” and as many of you may know, yours truly competed in this year’s New York Pro. My prep for the Chicago Pro and Tampa Pro were cut short last year by skin cancer and a minor bout of rhabdo. As I look back, my cancer-removal surgery wasn’t recovered enough to compete in the Tampa Pro, so it was a blessing that I didn’t.

After the Tampa Pro drop, I told the world I would not compete again. I felt like a failure, like I wasn’t meant to stand onstage next to these amazing pros. I felt like God was sending me a message.

I misinterpreted what God was telling me.

The Bible is full of tests from God. As I thought it over, this was a test. I was blessed to earn an IFBB Pro Card and the thing about IFBB Pro Card is that they don’t mean a damn thing if you don’t use them. Cancer changed my entire outlook on life, and this was my second round with it. My mindset is different, and I cherish every moment I get to reside on this earth.

But still, with multiple businesses, three kids, a wife, and hundreds of kids I coach daily at Legacy at Carbon … what is the point?

Competing as you age is all about mindset. If you don’t use it, you lose it, and that savage beast that helped YOU build your career, buy a house and be a kick-ass father will soon shrink down to a kitten just getting by. Challenging yourself develops a mindset and makes you uncomfortable. Some simulate this “suck” by taking ice baths, fasting, or simply training hard.

I do all of this, and it’s not enough.

I need to go head-to-head with someone. I need to CHALLENGE greatness and win or lose, I want to fight. This is why I loved boxing – you have two big-ass men trying to beat the hell out of one another. This is primal and men need primal sh*t. Men have become weak in this modern, EASY day in age and in my opinion, part of it is because of the convenience society. We don’t even get out of our cars to get our b*tch-ass lattes from Starbucks, we use the drive-thru! To balance this out, we must fight, and we must compete!

And beyond this, I want my kids to know that if you set goals and work for them, you might not win, but you will kick ass. I want my kids to know that their father is a badass, a hard worker, and a COMPETITOR!

All this needs to have an asterisk that we MUST preserve our health. Bodybuilding is an enhanced sport, and all of this means nothing if you’re dead. Keep your goals in perspective, get your blood work done and LISTEN TO THE RESULTS AND ADJUST every 6-12 months or even more often and supplement wisely. I recommend Ambrosia Nektar, Nattokinase (4,000-8,000 FUs per day) to keep things in check – WE STRESS THE HELL OUT OF OUR BODIES! Heart health and organ health are numero uno! No use looking dry and hard if the reason is rigor mortis.

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WE SHOULD ALL COMPETE IN SOMETHING NO MATTER WHAT THE AGE!

Adult softball, basketball, pickleball … get off your ass and COMPETE! Here are some reasons why!

1. Health benefits: Participating in sports or fitness competitions can improve your overall health and well-being, regardless of your age. Exercise can help lower your risk of chronic diseases, increase your strength and flexibility, and improve your mental health. By having a constant competition or GOAL at the end of the rainbow, you will be exercising for a purpose and not just because of habit and obligation. Training in turn will be more fun, harder and with a purpose!

2. Personal growth: Competing can challenge you to push past your limits and achieve goals you may not have thought possible. It can also give you a sense of accomplishment and pride, which can boost your confidence and self-esteem. Mental health is everything and this will make you a better employee, better father and husband and better MAN!

3. Role model: By competing at an older age, you can serve as a role model for younger generations and inspire them to stay active and pursue their passions. This is the MAIN REASON that I compete, to set an example for my kids and the kids that I coach.

4. Experience: As an older competitor, you likely have more life and competition experience than younger competitors, which can give you an edge in terms of strategy and mental toughness. While they might have a couple of steps on you, you can compensate for this by outsmarting them.

5. Community: Participating in competitions can introduce you to new people and help you build a sense of community with others who share your interests and passions. All my friends are from work or bodybuilding, and the IFBB Pro community is one like no other.

All of you reading this, from the 20-year-old single guy to the 50-year-old married guy, don’t lose that competitive edge. Do epic sh*t and stay young mentally and physically – COMPETE!

https://www.tigerfitness.com/

Instagram @tigerfitness

Instagram @marclobliner

Twitter @MarcLobliner

YouTube: Tiger Fitness

The post The Case for Competing as You Age appeared first on FitnessRX for Men.

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By: Team FitRx
Title: The Case for Competing as You Age
Sourced From: www.fitnessrxformen.com/interviews/the-case-for-competing-as-you-age/
Published Date: Wed, 31 May 2023 12:38:16 +0000

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Mens Health

POWER SMITH MACHINE DUAL SYSTEM UPPER

Published

5 days ago

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May 31, 2023

By

Screen Shot 2023 05 31 at 8.26.17 AM
FREE-WEIGHT

HIGH PERFORMANCE

MULTIPLE WORKOUT MACHINE: FROM INCLINED BENCH PRESS TO SHOULDER PRESS

The Panatta Power Smith Dual System Upper is an innovative machine made to perform thrust movements of the upper limbs, with independent load and along a particular convergent trajectory that amplifies the range of motion if compared to the traditional Smith Machine for an efficient work and ensuring total safety. The inclination adjustment of the backrest allows thrusting on different movement levels, switching the main focus from high pectorals to delts and trapezius. The height and depth adjustment of the seat and the wide range of the thrust units allow the correct use to users of all sizes and features, while the footrests give stability by enabling the person to have the correct lower back posture when performing the exercise and avoiding forward slippage of the pelvis. Safety is ensured by the hooks on the push carriages, which can be engaged and disengaged with a simple twist of the wrist, allowing them to easily position at different heights even if the set or repetition cannot be completed.

The Power Smith Dual System Upper creates different movements depending on inclination level of the backrest, going from a minimum of 40° to a maximum of 80° with steps of 5° for a total of nine different angles.

• LOWER POSITION (Bench Incline 40°):

Creates a thrust movement on an inclined bench, with a flexion/adduction of the shoulder and simultaneous extension of the elbow; the clavicular portion of the pectoralis major (high chest), the anterior portion of the deltoid and the triceps are mainly activated.

• UPPER POSITION (Bench Incline 80°):

Creates the overhead extension movement like the classic slow forward, with an abduction of the shoulder and simultaneous extension of the elbow involving the deltoid (mainly the anterior and lateral bundle), the upper trapezius and the triceps.

For all the other inclination angles, muscle activation will gradually shift from the high chest to the deltoids and trapezius as the bench inclination increases.

DISCOVER MORE

www.panattasport.com

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The post POWER SMITH MACHINE DUAL SYSTEM UPPER appeared first on FitnessRX for Men.

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By: Team FitRx
Title: POWER SMITH MACHINE DUAL SYSTEM UPPER
Sourced From: www.fitnessrxformen.com/training/power-smith-machine-dual-system-upper/
Published Date: Wed, 31 May 2023 13:55:07 +0000

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Mens Health

CogniSport®

Published

2 weeks ago

on

May 24, 2023

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495713365 hi tech cognisport 60ct bottle 768x1024 1

By Bryan Hildebrand

Senior Editor, Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals

CogniSport® is a unique combination of botanical extracts and nutrients that support cognitive function, mental focus, and overall visual health. The ingredients in CogniSport® are well studied and have been found to provide tremendous benefits, including support for concentration, motivation, mental focus, and reaction time. In addition, CogniSport® can enhance mood and well-being as well as lower cortisol levels to reduce the effects of stress. There are also several ingredients found in CogniSport® not found in any other focus or electronic gaming product.

With the addition of Visual® 2020 to the formula, CogniSport® provides support for optimal visual performance by supporting the ability of the eyes to filter high-energy blue light – from laptops, cell phones, and other blue-light sources. Visual® 2020 also supports visual function under bright light conditions such as the basketball court, gym, football field and other outdoor pursuits.

The alkaloid profile in Thermo-Rx® is unmatched by any other Senegalia species due to its phenylethylamine content, as well as numerous other alkaloids and amines. Phenylethylamine is a sympathomimetic amine found in the leaves of Senegalia Berlandieri. Phenylethylamine also naturally occurs in chocolate, and is responsible for its effects on mood, appetite, and sense of well-being. Researchers believe that Phenylethylamine may be the cleanest stimulant ever studied. Its ability to stimulate the central nervous system without causing a nervous feeling or the “jitters” is remarkable. Phenylethylamine acts on alpha-receptors in the brain, as do norepinephrine and ephedrine. It is also believed by chemists and scientists in the industry to cause the release of dopamine in the pleasure-sensing areas of the brain.

While the idea of providing concentration may seem potentially foreign to bodybuilders and fitness athletes, nothing could be further from the truth. Winding down a day’s training and you still have a few exercises left. Plus, cardio. Plus, the drive home. Plus, dinner for the kids. The energy from pre-workout products have proven they can only take you so far. The clean, long-lasting focal energy found in CogniSport® provides a much longer source of energy and motivation to power even the hardest working athletes, moms and dads through the remainder of their day without that dreaded jitters and impending neurological crash associated with so many high-caffeine pre-workouts and weight-loss products that many use for energy in the gym.

The researched ingredients in CogniSport® have been found to provide huge benefits, including support for concentration, motivation, mental focus, and reaction time. The other side of this is the mood-enhancing properties it exhibits. Gamers, athletes, and students who have used it say it provides reductions in stress and an overall sense of well-being. There are also several ingredients found in CogniSport® not found in any other focus or electronic gaming product!

• Maintain a Mental Edge With High Demand, Rapid Sequencing

• Supports Mental Agility in Fast-Paced Sports

• Improve Reaction Times in Rapid Movement Environments

• Helps Reduce Stress in Physical Situations

The researched ingredients in CogniSport® have been found to provide huge benefits, including support for concentration, motivation, mental focus, and reaction time.

For more information, visit hitechpharma.com/products/cognisport

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By: Team FitRx
Title: CogniSport®
Sourced From: www.fitnessrxformen.com/nutrition/supplements/cognisport/
Published Date: Wed, 24 May 2023 17:16:53 +0000

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