Author: Kevin Ramsey

The chest is the showpiece muscle group in any physique on the bodybuilding stage. Sure, people like to see big arms. And we all know that big backs seem to win the big pro shows. But in every frontal pose, the chest is a make-or-break point for success. Arnold Schwarzenegger had a set of pectorals worthy of a Greek statue, and always took home the trophy over men who were better conditioned. Phil Heath has the best arms of any bodybuilder in history not named Ronnie Coleman, but his lack of clavicle width has led to a chest which cost…

The front thighs, or quadriceps, are often a very tough muscle group to fully stimulate. You want to hit them with everything you’ve got, and you give it your best. But it’s just so easy to reach the failure point with them. Start your leg workout with high repetition leg extensions. These will serve a few purposes. First, you will be able to loosen up your tendons and get the blood flowing to your lower body. Secondly, you will be able to hit the front thigh muscles directly with an isolation movement. This will result not in their moving as…

We can all agree that for most bodybuilders, training abs is usually 9th or 10th on our list of priorities. We often focus so much of our energies upon developing these larger muscle groups, which allow our bodies to grow and our body weights to climb. Abdominal training, for some, is relegated to the pre-contest phase. Some bodybuilders even design it this way, as they feel training abs only serves to develop a thick midsection. Other bodybuilders will make an effort to hit the abs year round, but they will fall short of a truly well developed midsection because they…

Every muscle group in the body connects to another muscle group by virtue of location and tendon placement. They all work together to form a unique network of muscles, unified in the single purpose of completing tasks we ask of it. When we attempt a simple lift, such as the bench press for example, hundreds of small muscle groups and thousands of fibers are called into play. The simple act of benching 135 pounds for a single rep requires contributions (in terms of contraction and the exertion of force) from the pectorals, three heads of the deltoids, triceps, forearms, and…

Many bodybuilders frequently notice that their back workouts hamper their ability to perform as well as needed on leg day. It’s true that some back exercises do require the hamstrings remain fully flexed while supporting a great deal of weight. Deadlifts are an extremely heavy compound movement which forces the trainer to keep the hamstrings fully flexed throughout. Hyperextensions are another movement which results in the hamstrings briefly receiving the brunt of your body weight (along with any plate you are holding as well), which can leave the hamstrings very pumped at the end of back day. Your initial reaction…

The human body needs breaks. This is undeniable. For every twenty people in the gym pumping away each day, there are probably one or two members stuck at home nursing some sort of injury. It’s the nature of the sport. After all, we’re not perfecting some skill by shooting free throws or studying opponents’ moves in order to ascertain the best way to defend them. Rather, bodybuilding training is something much more destructive that that. When you enter a gym and commence training, you are on a single mission to do nothing but engorge a muscle group with blood, and…

The muscles of the human body are an amazing thing. They start as small pieces of tissue which connect our tendons and bones to one another. They allow the function of moving objects and moving our bodies thorough our normal daily functions. Unlike the bones and tendons, however, muscles are unique in that we are able to grow them through the addition of progressive resistance training. If we force the muscles to move a particular amount of weight beyond their normal training capacity, they will grow in response to this new workload. Once they grow to a point where they…

Tomorrow at the gym, you should stop training on every set before you reach your failure point. When you know you have only 1 or 2 repetitions left in the tank, set the bar down. In some bodybuilding training circles, this would be considered hypocrisy. However, when employed correctly, stopping your lifting before you have reaching your peak of lactic acid buildup and muscle failure can be a wonderful thing You will need less rest between sets Training in this manner means your heart rate will not reach as high of a pace as with normal training. You will be…

Most bodybuilding manuals prescribe about the same movements for training back. You’re supposed to start with deadlifts, move on to chins and barbell rows, then finish your day with some lat pull downs. This primary focus upon free weight movements has served many bodybuilders well over the years, but it has also cost many bodybuilders years off their competitive career due to injury. Additionally, some bodybuilders, because of their training style, body type, or other factors, are unable to attain the pump in their back required for balanced muscle growth. They might get bigger, and they sure get stronger, but…

Everything you do in life starts from the beginner level before advancing to the next advanced stage. The same case applies to bodybuilding. Some popular techniques will embarrass you whenever you don’t seem to be making progress. You can easily avoid those disappointments if you follow the simple steps outlined here. First of all you need to attain the most from the present routines without using more time than is necessary. It is better for you to try to have the same routine done in less time. Observe your recovery rate and compare it with your previous performances. Heave days…