Forearm Workout!! ADVANCED AND BEGINNERS

Solve your forearm aches and pains by producing strong, powerful forearms. Even if it isn’t something you are suffering from you can only benefit by training forearms on the days between your training of the larger muscle groups.

 I sometimes train forearms twice weekly, I feel it really improves my chest, shoulder, bicep and triceps workouts.  I should point out that you should maybe train forearms on a training day when starting out at it, you will quickly get used to it and when your recovery improves you can slot it in between days at the gym or training larger muscles.

The reason I say in between the gym is because I train forearms at home in front of the t.v on the days between gym days J. You can train forearms at home as easily as you can in the gym. BUT!! You NEED!!!.. to be sure that you are not going to over extend your wrist in either direction when wrist curling heavy weights. To be sure of this set up something like this..

..Obviously you should imagine /\ Samson /\ is holding a dumbbell or a plate or something but the illustration is just to show that you need something in place to stop you over extending at the bottom of the movement and injuring yourself. DONT THINK YOU CAN JUST DROP A WEIGHT.. if you do, the damage could be done before you even let go of the weight because as you open your hand (palm up)  the weight will roll out of your hand opening it quickly and forcing your wrist into a vulnerable position.

FOREARM INJURY CAN POTENTIALLY DESTROY THE REST OF YOUR TRAINING SO TREAT IT WITH DUE RESPECT AND DO IT CAREFULLY.

You can also over extend at the top of the movement and cause injury if the weights are heavy enough so be careful of this aswell.

Start light with your workouts and keep the reps high

10kg dumbbell wrist curls (palm up)

20 + 20 + 20 (3sets20reps)

Curl your wrist through the whole range of motion slowly and squeeze at the top for each rep

2.5kg Reverse curls (palm down)

20 + 20 + 20

Sounds very light but to begin with you will only need a very small weight. Even when you are advanced this exercise does not require alot of weight.

You can lower the reps and increase the weight once you are familiar with the movements and performing them safely but don’t drop the reps to less than 12 unless you plateau and even then not for a long period of time, a month at the most. Just to get you out of the rut.

Also you can incorporate POWERBALLS for warm up and warm down operate them for 2mins or so at the beginning and end of your workouts.

And GRIPPERS like Captians of Crush (other grippers available;) I would recommend you use grippers at the beginning of your workout after your warm-ups. You can do closes, partial closes, inverted closes, holds, inverted holds.

Or hang from a pull up bar for time build up to hanging with one hand. Be inventive with your workouts and try not to do the same thing for longer than 4-6 wks

TRAIN FOREARMS SAFELY BUT TRAIN THEM HARD FOR GREAT RESULTS THROUGHOUT YOUR WORKOUTS!!

Forearm pain specifically when training BICEPS

Alot of people ask me about this, when you are training heavy biceps you start to feel a pain in your forearm. you feel that the best way to describe the pain is that it is deep within the bone. The pain is magnified tenfold when you open your hand or release the weight, in other words whenever you take the strain of your arms you recoil in pain. You also may find that when you supinate the wrist (raise the pinky side of the palm)  the pain also worsens.

 I have experienced this first hand!! I know the pain and just how bad it can get. 

Many people will tell you to rest biceps, Others will tell you not to avoid training biceps but to avoid supinated curls or palm up (traditional bicep curls) replacing them with movements like hammer curls, to avoid the stress on the forearm. Although this will temporarily fix the problem after your body gets used to hammers in the same way and you start to increase in weight, you WILL feel pain again.So use this method of alleviating the stress and pain in your forearms, but while you do so, make the best use of the time you have to do the following and you may never have to stop training biceps (although maybe a week off would possibly also benefit your training, But this is more for when you plateau).

The BOTTOM LINE IS...... Your forearms are crying out because they are being left behind! They have went from being the strongest link in the chain (before you began training) to becoming one of the weakest...

Why do I say this? Anyone reading this... searching for this on the internet... I would make a large wager that they DO NOT regularly, effectively train there forearms.( IF YOU DO>>STOP TRAINING AND CONSULT A DOCTOR)

''I thought my forearms would get developed when I do my back,biceps, chest ......'' correct!! BUT not enough if you are starting to lift some heavy weights for biceps... Your forearms are taking the strain of that weight.. Its like strengthening both shores in the hope that a bridge will be able to take more weight... If the bridge is weak, it itself will need strengthening! Especially if you intend to increase the load at any time!

Strengthening your forearms is probably a different ball game than you are already used to. the regularity and methods of training are very different, In fact keep an eye out for my next post and I will walk you though  exactly how to train forearms safely..

If you cant wait check out some of the related videos on my main page>

I USE POWERBALLS AND GRIPPERS TO FACILITATE MY FOREARM TRAINING BRILLIANT TOOLS!! look for links on my blog for best prices. 

Set goals and always advance!

As someone who is interested in strength training or just looking good, you must have a goal. If we do not have goals there is nothing to push us forward in our training. You should set your self a long term goal, this might very well change all the time as you develop. You might find it is too achievable or your goal might 

simply change.

200kg aiming long term for 250kg then 300kg 

As well as your ultimate goal you should set small goals towards attaining your ultimate goal. For instance your long term goal may be that you simply want to add 50-100Kg to a compound movement such as deadlift. In order to do so you will train deadlift, lower back, traps, abs and legs progressively to attain that goal. This in itself will keep you busy in the gym, you will never waste time standing around wondering what to do if you always no what you want to achieve. The simple obvious steps towards the example goal have highlighted, is increasing the weight you perform in very small increments over time, in order to eventually realise your goal.

The same way many small bricks are used to build a very large building. Simple in theory yet hard to achieve. There are obviously many ways to do this all though the principal always remains the same,  INCREASE REPS PROGRESSIVELY,  INCREASE WEIGHT GRADUALLY.

Incorporate more challenging movements into your regime.e.g For increasing deadlifts do good mornings. deficit deadlifts. use resistance bands or chains to develop power. All different ways to make deadlifts easier by getting your body used to doing harder movements. 

I like to keep posts short as everyone is busy enough actually training to always be reading long posts check back again for training advice. TRAIN HARD! REST WELL!!

Ditch Bench to increase Bench

Sounds silly but we can often put too much focus on a specific movement, while the way to increase strength in any area is to give your body something new that its never coped with.
For instance... have you ever done floor dumbbell or barbell press? have you ever tried heavy single dumbbell floor or bench press. The unfamiliarity of these movements can help to increase your strength very quickly. I completely understand any apprehension in not wanting to drop a staple exercise such as bench press. If you cant completely ditch the bench press keep a decline or incline press in your routine.bear in mind you only need 4 movements per muscle group. so a heavy single dumbbell floor press, dumbbell flys (thumbs out), dumbbell pullovers. and a decline bench press, would be a great change for 2-4 weeks then go back to flat bench and expect an increase in strength.
Any question or comments don't hesitate to contact me.

P.S DO NOT!!!!! START WITH PULLOVERS BE SURE YOUR SHOULDERS ARE WARMED UP WHEN YOU GET TO THIS IF YOU ARE INCORPORATING IT INTO YOUR WORKOUT.
P.S.S FOR HEAVY FLOOR PRESS DO NOT BRING WEIGHTS CRASHING DOWN AND HENCE YOUR ELBOWS AND ARMS TO THE FLOOR. KEEP MOVEMENTS CONTROLLED FOR SAFETY AND MAXIMUM GROWTH.

WEIGHT TRAINING FOR WOMEN??? Huge misunderstandings by many women

Flicking through any strength training, body-building or fitness magazine you are bombarded by huge vascular mammoths of men. You see size that in your life, without the use of thousands of pounds of steroids you will never achieve. Not to say you cannot achieve similar strength through very very hard work and huge size.

 One other thing you see in these magazines is a range of different looking women, some of which are sculpted by these same steroids (anabolic steroids) these manipulate hormones for growth within the body and within a female body it is filled with testosterone because of these steroids this creates huge muscular women, who (lets be honest) sometimes start to look like men! BUT alot of women don't want to look like this and sadly because of the way the industry is going these people are at the forefront of the ads and articles.

 To any woman (and I know women think this!) DO NOT BE PUT OFF WEIGHT TRAINING!!
if you allow this to put you off you are limiting your time and the results you can achieve in the gym. Using weights in the gym can give great results for weight loss, core strength will increase. MORE CALORIES will be burnt in less time than it would using just cardio. You will begin to look great and feel great.

Do not forget our bodies are designed to cope with whatever we throw at it. If you have a routine of ONLY cardio, Imagine the results you can get by throwing intense weight sessions into the mix. Stick with sets of 12 or more for 3 or 4 sets start with 2 exercises per body part. once your body becomes used to this you can throw in as much as 4 or 5 exercises for isolation techniques. I haven't even mentioned compound movements which burn calories and manipulate change in the body like no other. Do not overlook this amazing life changer you will not look back ladies.

The cheapest and most effective workout tool, BY FAR!

The single most effective tool for someone with any strength goal is also most definitely the cheapest!
what is it? A NOTEBOOK! It is unreal how much people go into a gym and aimlessly pluck away, using the same dumbbells and plates, week in and week out.
If you have never used a book in your training...start now!!
And before you make the excuse if having to hit the shops and find a handy pad, don't bother. use paper and buy one at your next convenience. As humans for some reason we have an excuse to put off everything, so dismiss any excuse that enters your head.

Why do you need a notebook?


How can anyone advance if they do not know where they started? With weight training for example, if you regularly take note of 3 things then you cannot help but advance in your training. You must take note of the weights lifted the reps and sets ''achieved'' (not expected to achieve but actually completed reps and sets) and rest times between sets.
When you go to start your next workout, have a quick look at the weights the reps and sets achieved and aim to beat that weight or the reps achieved or even an extra set.
This continual checking back will always mean you are striving to advance, you may not always beat previous weeks, but then next time you will make sure you give everything you have eat well before training and take your A game to the gym with a target in mind.very simple! you can achieve this without it written down if you have a good memory but chances are you will forget some detail and that detail could just be something you struggle with week after week.

Gym Membership or Home Gym?

In this a cash strapped climate? alot of people are considering setting up a gym in there own homes. In order to know whether a gym membership or a home gym is right for you, first you need to ask yourself a few questions firstly what stage are you at in your training? are you motivated? do you have the initial outlay to buy equipment?lets quickly look at each of these questions...

What stage are you at in your training?

If you are lifting very heavy weights and you live in an upper flat, perhaps a gym membership IS for you? You have to take into consideration any load, including your bodyweight, the weights being used and the apparatus, on your floors or walls or roof.(wherever the load is applied). Only lift weights at home if the load is not too great for your home, If you are a beginner then a home gym is ideal as you will start with light weights and advance. However if you have access to a garage or a basement or an outdoor area there is no limit to how far you can advance at home.

Are You Motivated?

To successfully workout at home and advance you have to be highly motivated and organised. It is very very easy to substitute a nights training for a night in front of the t.v. and there is not the same motivation once you start your workout to see it through to the end. As well as this alot of people struggle when there is no one else to motivate them or watch them as they are training. Personally I think this has alot to do with your personality and what your motivation for training is. For example if you want to become a bodybuilder and you are a very confident person, you might love the ''performing'' side of lifting in the gym and that might drive you.

Do you have the initial outlay to buy equipment?

This is alot cheaper than you might think, especially if you are a beginner you can buy things like dipping stations, squat racks, benches, barbells and dumbell handles on ebay second hand. There will always be people who have lost motivation for home workouts or people who have purchased new equipment or joined a gym and no longer need there equipment. Make use of ebays ability to localise your search and use gumtree to look for local people selling or giving away equipment. I emphasise looking for local ads to keep postage costs down, after all we are talking about purchasing weights and things are posted according to weight.

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Obviously there are considerations like, expense, how close a gym is to your home, whether the regularity with which you can attend the gym will make it worth while. Whether there are any other facilities at a chosen gym which you will also use. Hopefully this has helped anyone who is trying to make this informed decision.

If anyone reads this and wants specific advice contact me. Thanks for reading! ;)

Busy Gym?!

BUSY GYM?

Too many people enter a gym with no aim, or purpose. This is only fuelled by a certain degree of fear or shyness, no one wants to be seen standing around. So sometimes one is forced to revert to somewhere they feel comfortable in the gym or forego certain exercises or machines altogether because there is someone using that machine or because they just don’t feel confident enough yet. These are the mental hurdles of the gym. They are just as important as the physical “hurdles” that we have to overcome in our training.

Always have a plan, not necessarily a plan that was put in place week before or days before but before your feet hit the floor in that gym you should have a plan. You also need a back up plan.

So for instance if I go into the gym and there is no squat racks free I would revert to the often unused leg press machine and keep an eye on the racks till they free up hopefully coinciding perfectly with the end of my leg pressing. Squatting after leg press is brutally tough but the unexpected swap around of your routine may just trigger some gains. So instead of getting annoyed when things you usually use are occupied. Embrace it and keep the gym environment positive!! Chances are you were reverting to the most familiar exercise or order of excersizes before this challenge made you alter your ways and therefore quite possibly your results.

Lift Heavy, Destroy Plateaus!!

The weights that you lift are tools to your advancement in size and strength, To wield a new tool you need to first get used to the feel of it. The first time you pick it up it will feel unfamiliar. Even though the task for which you use this new tool may be the most familiar task, one that you have performed many times, Your new choice of tool or weight will make the task more difficult. You may have to initially perform partial repetitions with this new weight or assisted or negative repetitions,  Just until this becomes more familiar, until you have conquered that weight.

DO NOT be put off by not being able to perform full reps with a new heavier weight. Power lifters use various methods to advance in weight including boards for bench press to improve lockouts. Bands to aid with lifting, spotters for forced reps, differing heights for squats and deadlifts.

There is only one thing you need to make sure of when training like this, you need to make sure in any lift there is some sort of safety net in place. For instance if you are squatting you would squat in a squat rack or cage, you would set the bars at a height so you didn’t injure yourself if you fail in the lift. A bicep curl on a preacher bench is no different. Have a spotter in place to catch the weight, of course many preacher benches have a stand for the barbell but this is too low to use as a spotter because if you fail with a heavy weight and your arms straighten to that extent you will almost certainly get an injury.

Of course you shouldn’t train like this all the time, unless you want to start experiencing some joint pain. You should use this as a plateau destroyer!! Trust me this will abolish plateaus.