Basic Guidelines for Calf Workouts

The calves are perhaps the muscles that are most difficult to develop. Much of your success can depend on the length of your calves because there are just some people who were naturally born with small calves. Nevertheless, there are ways for you to develop even the smallest of calf muscles. You just have to be prepared to do a lot of intense calf workouts in order to achieve your exercise goals.

The reason why calf workouts have to be really intense is that your calves are constantly in use. In fact, every time you are on your feet, whether you're running or simply standing still, you are still using your calf muscles. These muscles are therefore used to stress and pressure, so if you want to develop them further, you'll have to subject them to the kind of work that they haven't yet adapted to.

The good thing is that calf muscles recover from intense exercises very quickly, which means that you can do your workouts more often than other types of routine. Performing the workouts more often will help ensure that you get the results you expect. There are several ways to develop your calves, and you can choose to perform light, medium, or heavy calf workouts depending on your preference or your exercise goals.

Example Workouts

Light workouts may involve two sets each of standing calf raises, seated calf raises, and toes raises. Each exercise set should be done in 25 repetitions. Medium routines include three sets each of standing and seated calf raises as well as two sets of toes raises. These exercises should also be done in 25 repetitions. Heavy sessions require four sets each of standing and seated calf raises as well as three sets of toes raises. The exercises in this case should be done in 15 repetitions.

The workout sets outlined above are best done right after doing your quads and hamstrings workouts. The value of doing both standing and seated calf raises lies in the fact that it is essential to work both the outer and inner part of your calves in order to develop them fully. The toes raises will help you avoid shin splints because it helps strengthen the muscles on the front part of your lower legs.

Whereas other workout routines require low-intensity, high-rep sets or vice versa, calf workouts require you to perform high-intensity, high-rep exercise sets as much as possible. Proper stretching techniques are also very important in performing them. Stretching helps lengthen your calves, thus promoting more muscle growth. In performing your exercises, be careful to contract your muscles hard at the top of each repetition and then stretch equally hard at the bottom.

Because your calves recover quickly from these intense exercises, you may also do extra workouts on days when you are scheduled to have your regular weight training routine. You could also building them by incorporating some sprinting or running into your regular cardio workout. And don't get frustrated if your calves don't develop as quickly as you expect; just keep working on those muscles and you will soon reap the benefits of your hard work.


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Home Workout Exercises - 2 Easy Exercises For Building Strong, Toned Calves

The nice thing about home workout exercises, especially in these hard economic times is that you need very little in money and gym equipment in order to get started. There are workouts for every part of your body.

Who needs home workout exercises? The short and quick answer is: all of us. Studies have shown that we just aren't having enough exercise. Whether you are planning to lose weight or you simply want to enjoy a healthier lifestyle, home-based workouts will make a huge difference in the quality of your life.

I've put together 2 easy workouts to develop your calf muscles. We need calf muscles to walk, run and support our body. You need to develop you calves muscles in order to have a balanced physique. All too often, people tend to neglect that part of their body.

Calf pushes - This is an exercise designed to build up your calf muscles using an exercise ball. Here is how: with your two feet firmly placed on the floor, rest your upper back (at the lever of your shoulders) on the ball.

Raise your heels off the floor while you make sure that your buttocks and abdominal muscles remain contracted throughout. Keep the pose for a while then return the heels to the ground.

Calf raises - This is a very simple exercise to build up calves. Stand on one leg on the edge of a slightly raised surface. Make sure that your body weight is only supported by your toes (the heel is suspended). Now slowly lower your heel until it almost touches the floor. Then move it back up. Try to do this 10 times, and then switch legs.

The beauty of the 2 home workout exercises I've just explained is that they both are very easy to perform and yield remarkable results.


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Michelle Obama Workout - Secrets of Her Arm Workout Revealed

The silence is about to be broken about the Michelle Obama workout -- her personal trainer is spilling his guts and revealing all of her workout secrets. Read this article and get all the facts on how to tone and sculpt your arms!

By now most of America -- if not the world -- knows that Michelle Obama has some rocking arms. Most First Ladies are admired for their fashion sense, charity work -- but not Mrs. Obama. The First Ladies arms have been featured on more magazine covers than President Obama's healthcare plan.

The secret to her arm busting workout is "supersets."

Michelle Obama's workout program consists of... resistance training and intense cardio workouts. Once she's done with that part of her exercise program she ends her workout with "arm shaping supersets."

Don't Know What Supersets Are?

Supersetting is a simple exercise protocol that can save you time, increase the intensity and help you breakthrough any weight loss plateaus you might have. Bear in mind that supersetting is an advanced training protocol in which you do two or three exercises -- one after another -- with no rest in between. The exercises can be for the same muscle group or two different muscle groups.

In Michelle Obama's case she is exercising her biceps and triceps by doing hammer curls and tricep push downs. These are not the only two exercises that you can perform to get rid of that saggy flab that most women have on the back of their arm (triceps muscle.) There are other effective exercises that will get you the toned and sculpted arms that you want.

The Essentials of the Michelle Obama Workout

Here is a brief outline of how Mrs. Obama performs her arm sculpting workout:

* Perform one set of hammer curls using dumbbells, resistance bands, or an isometric/isotonic exerciser.

* Without rest in between -- immediately perform a set of tricep push downs.

* Perform 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise -- once you have performed both exercises take a one minute break -- that is one set.

* Perform 2 to 3 sets in the above described matter.

As mentioned earlier you can substitute other exercises instead of hammer curls and tricep push downs. However, this simple two exercise superset will get you started towards a leaner and more attractive arms.


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Arm Workout at Home - Details You Should Be Aware Of

Sometimes we get so caught up trimming our bellies and our thighs that we forget our arms. A bit of extra fat on our arms may not mean so much, but well-toned triceps can really spell the difference between creating an average look to one that makes heads turn. For sexier arms, try doing these home arm workout routines three times a week.

These triceps-toning exercises will require some stretch bands. They're less than $20 and come in various elasticity levels. Aside from being very versatile, these stretch bands can be packed and taken with you anywhere you go and can be used to work out not only the arms but your chest, back and legs as well.

The first arm toning exercise is the overhead triceps extension. Cut two feet of stretch bands from the entire roll. Begin holding one end of the stretch band with your right hand and the other end in your left. Still holding the band, place your right hand behind your head and position your left hand just above your butt, in the center of your spine. Make sure that the stretch band is kept taut between both hands. With your right elbow high in the air and your left hand still anchored near your butt, begin the triceps extension. Straighten your right arm and gradually bring it back down to the starting position. Perform at least 15 repetitions of the extension. Once you're done with your right arm, switch grips so now your left hand is now behind your head and your right is kept steady slightly above your butt. Do the triceps extensions with your left hand this time, again for 15 repetitions. Work your way up to more repetitions as you get more used to the exercise, ensuring that your wrist is straight the whole time. If you want to add more intensity to your workout, use stiffer resistance bands.

Another effective triceps-toning exercise that you can do at home are triangle push-ups. The starting position is similar to any other regular push up, with your torso forming a straight line with your leg. Drop your hips and keep your abs tight. However, instead of just dropping your hands shoulder-width apart, put your hands under your chest, forming a triangle with your thumbs and forefingers. Make sure that your elbows are pointed behind you. Then slowly lower yourself until your nose is almost touching the floor before pushing yourself back up. Don't look up so your neck is always aligned with your spine. Do 10 reps and gradually increase your number as you get used to the exercise.

You can also try another stretch band exercise by wrapping the band around a pole at the same level as your chest. Hold one end in each hand. Slowly, lean forward such you're your upper body is at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Keep your abs tight and your back flat. Then bend your elbows, but keep them closely at your sides. Gradually straighten your arms behind you, ensuring that they are at the same level as your torso. Your upper arms shouldn't move around. Do 10 reps if you can.


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Bicep Workout - Killer Bicep Workout Will Explode Your Arm Size

There is no other muscle on the male body, quite like the bicep. No matter where you are- the office, beach, gym, clubs- people always notice guys who have massive "guns".

Having big biceps is an instant notification that you are in shape and that you take care of your body. Both guys and girls admire men with great arms.

The only problem is that most guys have tiny 12 inch arms, that doesn't impress anyone.

If you want to get shirt bursting, pumped guns then this is definitely the workout for you.

The biceps are a relatively small muscle. When you compare it to the chest, back, legs etc. Because of this you want to make sure that you do enough sets to stimulate growth, but not too much to over train it.

Because a lot of exercises indirectly work them, it is only necessary to train them one a week for great gains.

Some people response better to heavy weight and low reps whilst others prefer lower weight but for more reps. Below I am going to provide 2 examples of my favourite bicep exercises.

The first workout is supersetted with tricep exercise to combine for a killer workout.

Workout 1:
Barbell Curl supersetted with tricep pushdown. 2 x 6-8
Hammer dumbbell curl supersetted with weights dips 2 x 8-10
Preacher curls supersetted with skull crushers 2 x 8-10
Incline dumbbell curl supersetted with close grip bench press 2 x 4-8

Workout 2:
Dumbbell curls 4 x 10-12
Preacher Curls 3 x 10-15
Concentrated Curls 4 x 10-15
21's 1 Set

Try both workouts and see which ones workouts your muscles better. Then continue on with that routine for 3-4 weeks. This will give you effort time to add some solid mass to your guns.

Train hard


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Tricep Workouts - Exercises You Can Do

Tricep workouts are important when you need to develop muscles in your triceps. Take note that the triceps are the biggest muscles in your arms. If you want to make the illusion of larger arms, the triceps need to be developed even when there is slow development in the other areas.

Below are several specific triceps exercises that you may wish to have in your overall workout regime.

Bench Dipping

Bench dipping can help build your triceps. Why? This is because you will have to put much effort on your arms while doing this particular exercise. The effort put in your arm muscles will help build the muscles there.

Bench Presses

In bench press, you will need to use the barbell. You do exercise routines using bench pressing and a barbell that is apt for your specific strength and body size. In this exercise, you get to target your upper arms.

The Cable Extension (Inclined)

In this exercise, you target the upper arms too. You get to pull the cable while in an inclined position, thereby, putting effort via your arms as you do the exercise.

The Cable Extension (Lying Down)

This is similar to the inclined exercise. However, in this particular exercise, you will need to pull the cable while lying down on your back. It will target your arms too.

Dipping

In dipping, you will also target your upper arms. In this exercise, you will need to do dipping movements using two parallel bars. It is an easy exercise as you are only required to use your arm muscles in putting effort into the routine.

Push-Ups

Push-ups are excellent for anyone who wants to develop there upper arms. It needs you to put strength in those upper arm muscles because the arms will do the job. Do several of these during your workout routine, as well.

Conclusions

There are several exercises you can incorporate into your overall plan when doing tricep workouts. There are many exercises that can be done to target your tricep muscles. Take note that when you get to develop your upper arms, you will also make the illusion of having larger arms even when the other areas have not yet been developed. Anyone who wants to have a macho image will want to have big upper arms. It is a show of strength and power for many. Develop those muscles now! Make a workout plan that will incorporate muscle building in the upper arms. They are easy to do and you will get results for it fast.


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Learn the Most Powerful Tricep Workout For Building Monster Arms!

FACT: To get big arms you need to work the triceps HARD.
FACT: I'm going to tell you how to work the triceps HARD and SMART.

If you've ever read articles on arm training, you've probably learned that the tricep muscle makes up about 2/3 of total arm mass. The bicep, while being a great "show" muscle, is actually relatively small!

That's all well and good, and just blindly doing tricep exercises without a plan may net you some results, but to really maximize your triceps (as I mentioned above) you need to work them SMART.

So if you really want to stretch your T-shirt sleeves to the max, take a crack at this workout. It contains three of THE most powerful tricep exercises I've ever used. Not only that, these exercises are arranged strategically to literally force the activation of many more muscle fibers in the triceps, leading to greater muscle growth and strength fast!

The best part is, this workout requires very little in the way of specialized equipment!

In the next section, I will tell you about the three exercises then, I'll tell you how the exercises work together to help you blast your triceps into next week!

EXERCISE #1 - Bodyweight Tricep Extensions - 2 sets of 8 to 12 reps

EXERCISE #2 - In-Set Superset of Lying Tricep Extensions and Close Grip Bench Press - 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps

EXERCISE #3 - Bench Dips - 2 sets of 10 to 12+ reps

Take 90 seconds rest in between each set.

How To Perform Exercise #1 - Bodyweight Tricep Extensions

2 sets of 8 to 12 reps

For this exercise, you will need a horizontal bar/edge about 2 feet off the ground. You can use a Smith machine bar, Universal bench handles, a railing, the edge of a chair or table, or even an Olympic bar set in the power rack with the safety rails a few feet off the ground will work.

Essentially, any horizontal bar that is 1 to 2 feet off the ground will do. It should have some clearance underneath it so you have somewhere to put your head.

-Stand in front of the bar, about a foot back from it. Place your hands about 6 inches apart with a thumbless (false) grip.
-Step back a few feet, letting your body straighten out as you do so.
-Keep your abs tight so that your body stays supported
-Now lower your entire body forward, bending only at your elbows, so that your head ducks under the bar as though you are trying to do an overhead tricep stretch.
-Keep your elbows tucked in close the whole way.
-Keep your entire body tight and stiff. The only movement should occur at the elbows.
-Extend back up using your triceps.

This exercise will build up the long head of the triceps (which runs along the undersides of the arm) as well as give your triceps a great stretch.

How to Perform Exercise #2 - In-Set Superset of Lying Tricep Extensions and Close Grip Bench Press

3 sets of 6 to 8 reps

Note: One rep of each exercise (1 extension and 1 press) counts as one total rep for our purposes here.

This is a unique type of Superset where you basically mesh two different exercises into a single set - preferably one isolation exercise and one compound exercise.

For this Superset, we'll be using EZ Bar Lying Tricep Extensions and Close Grip Bench Press (with the same EZ Bar). Use a weight you would normally be able to do about 12 reps with for Lying Extensions on their own.

In a nutshell, you will do one rep of extensions then one rep of close grip presses, alternating reps until you can no longer do any reps of the extensions. At that point, you finish with as many reps as you can do of the close grip presses. It's a very intense technique!

This type of Superset maximizes training intensity and allows you to work several different aspects of the muscle at the same time, dramatically increasing workout efficiency.

This exercise is best done lying on the floor (especially if you are training alone) rather than on a bench. If you have a spotter to hand you the weight at the start and grab the weight for you when you're done, you can do these on a flat bench.

Start with a rep of the Lying Tricep Extension. Lower the bar to your forehead then extend back up. Now do a single rep of the Close Grip Press, lowering the bar to your lower rib cage area then pressing back up. Now do another extension, then another press. Repeat until you can no longer do any extensions with good form. Now finish with as many presses as you can do with good form. That's one set!

How to Perform Exercise #3 - Bench Dips

2 sets of 10 to 12+ reps
(the number of reps you're able to get will depend on the body position you use for the exercise)

You can use a bench (or even an ordinary chair) for this one. Start by sitting on the bench. Place your hands on the bench right beside your glutes with your fingers curled over the front edge. It will almost look as though you are sitting on your hands.

Where you set your feet will affect how hard this exercise is. The easiest position is with your feet flat on the floor a foot or two away from the bench. Your knees will be bent.

To make this exercise harder, move your feet further away from the bench (you can straighten your legs). This forces your triceps to take up more of your bodyweight. Your next position after that is with your feet up on a bench with your legs straight. You may even with to try it with your feet on a bench that is higher than the one you have your hands on.

But if you're REALLY looking for a challenge, move your bench so that it's facing a wall (about 2 or 3 feet away). Instead of resting your feet on the floor or on a bench, place your feet flat ON the wall.

That way, the only thing holding you up is your legs pushing back HARD directly against your triceps as you do the exercise. The contraction you will feel in your triceps will be so strong and painful that it's almost cruel!

To start the exercise, move your butt forward off the bench a few inches. Now dip your upper body down as though scraping your back along the front edge of the bench. Push yourself back up, squeezing the triceps hard.

Why This Workout Is So Effective:

As I said above, the key to building the triceps is to work them hard AND smart.

We start the workout with an exercise that puts the triceps in a stretched position. The stretch position has two main benefits - the first is what is called the myotatic reflex (a.k.a. stretch reflex).

When the muscle is placed under tension in the stretched position, a quick change in direction causes more muscle fibers to activate than normally would. This change in direction should NOT be a bounce but almost a twitch.

So when you get to the bottom of the Bodyweight Tricep Extension, get the stretch in your triceps then change direction quickly (but don't bounce!)

The second benefit of the stretch position is in helping to stretch the fascia surrounding the muscle. Fascia is basically a connective tissue "pillowcase" that holds a muscle in place. Fascia is tough and restricts muscle growth. Stretching helps loosen the fascia and make room for the muscles to grow.

Now we move to the second exercise(s). The In-Set Superset combines two movements into one exercise. The Extensions provide another stretch-position exercise for the triceps (this stretch position is not as complete as the overhead position from the first exercise, though) and the press gives you a compound exercise that allows the shoulders and chest to help push the triceps harder.

Completing each set with a burn-out on the presses will really light up your triceps.

Now we move to the coup-de-grace: the Bench Dip. With this exercise, we are looking for a maximum contraction. The position that your arms are in (behind your body) is the position where ALL the muscle fibers of the triceps are in optimal position for peak contraction.

Just keeping your arms straight and trying to touch your hands behind your back will demonstrate that.

After the stretch-position movement and the double-trouble of the In-Set Superset, you hit the triceps with the hardest contraction they are anatomically able to achieve.

Let me tell you right now...if you've not felt your triceps swell up like balloons before, this combination of exercises will do it! And, you'll achieve huge gains in tricep muscle development very quickly!


Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of BetterU, Inc. and has been inventing new training techniques and exercises for 17+ years. Nick has written many training books including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass" & "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss" - http://www.fitness-ebooks.com

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