How to Increase the Size of Your Arms

When people are at the gym they tend to walk past people and make a mental note about how the other person they just passed looked. They may even go as far as deciding if they are stronger or in better shape than the other person. Visually, the eyes tend to go towards the size of the arms, chest and stomach of the other person.

A little basic anatomy is needed to understand the muscles in the arm.  The main muscles are the biceps and triceps.  The biceps are located in the front of your arm and have two heads- the long head and short head.  The triceps are located in the back of your arm and have three heads- the long head, the medial head and the lateral head.

The tricep push and the biceps pull.  When working out it is a good idea to not do both bicep and triceps workouts on the same day as you will end up with soreness in your entire arm, which may cause you to miss a workout or not do the workout properly or with the same effort level the next time.

Basic Arm Exercises
Some of the basic exercises to develop the arms for the biceps include various types of curls. They can be seated, inclined, or standing.  You can also use different equipment and bars to do the exercises.  There are straight bars, EZ Curl bars or you can use machines to help work out the muscles.  For bicep exercises I do standing curls, preacher curls, and seated curls at different angles to help grow the muscle.

For triceps muscle development I do tricep pulldowns, triceps extentions and skull crushers, and triceps kickbacks.

With any of these exercises in order gain mass use heavier weight with fewer repetitions and if you want to get muscle definition use lighter weight with more repetitions.  A good plan will incorporate both so that on some days you focus on gaining mass and other days you can focus on gaining definition.  The key is consistancy and also giving your body enough rest in between workouts. By doing these exercises you will add size to your arms and will get stronger overall.

I Think I'm Going to be Sore Tomorrow

Today I went to the gym and did an upper body workout.  I started with bench press.  I warmed up with 135 lbs and then did 10 reps each at 155 and 165.  It wasn't the most I've ever lifted but I am just starting to work out consistantly after not weight training for a while. 

After doing bench press I moved to inclined bench press with 35 lb dumbells.  I did 3 sets of 10 with those and then moved to working out my shoulders. I did front raises and shoulder presses and finished off with doing some work on a machine that works out the rear deltoid muscle.

I also did some work on tricep pull downs using a rope.

I then did some cardio work on the treadmill.  I started off slow and then did a small HIIT workout.  What is HIIT?  That is an acronym for High Intensity Iterval Training.  One of the best ways to burn fat and get your cardiovacular system in shape is interval training.  HIIT is the principle that the popular workout systems Insanity and P90X use and it is quite effective.  It is hard and if you're not in shape it won't take long to figure that out.

After 15 minutes of cardio work I then moved downstairs to the basketball court and practiced some shots.  Even though I was only shooting baskets and not playing an actual game I still could feel it in my legs when I jumped around and a little bit in the shoulders when actually shooting the ball.

I will probably be sore tomorrow but that will be a good thing.  I will do a lot of stretching to prevent injuries and keep flexibility so the muscles don't tighten up too much.

Why Stretching is Important

Before working out it is important to properly stretch so you do not sustain an injury while working out or playing a sport. The benefits of stretching include reduced muscle soreness after running and even better athletic performance. When playing a sport like tennis, soccer, football or any other sport where there are sudden bursts of speed and sudden stopping it is very important that you stretch before and after exercise so that you don't pull any muscles or experience other injuries. When stretching make sure you stretch the muscle slowly and don't bounce because bouncing can cause injuries. Hold the stretch for around 30 seconds.

If you have just started working out or playing a sport you haven't played in a while it's important to realize that it takes time for your muscles to have the same flexibility that they may have had and that you remember having. This occurred to me when I played soccer for the first time in a few years and I ended up pulling a groin muscle. I knew how to make the moves but because I hadn't stretched properly my body wasn't able to do what I wanted it to do. I stopped quickly and cut back to the side and that is when it happened. Luckily it wasn't a bad pull but it still made it uncomfortable running for a few weeks.

Also, prior to beginning a workout you need to warm up your muscles with a few minutes of jogging or light running so that you warm your body up in preparation of the real workout.

Below is a really good video I found on how to stretch before working out.

Here is a guide from the Mayo Clinic concerning stretching properly.

Remember to stretch properly before and after workouts in order prevent injuries and to increase performance and athletic abilities.

Starting over again

Well it's been a while sinse I last updated this web page.  I'm back now though and am back working out.  The hard part of getting back into shape is that you have to find the time to actually go workout and keep up with it. Here's a video from a guy I subscribe to on YouTube that explains what is needed to get back on track.

It takes consistancy for things to become a habit.  Usually about 2 weeks worth of doing things consistantly will make it a habit.  When applying this to working out it means consistantly making time for working out, eating right so you have the energy to go work out and not letting other reasons get in the way of your goal of making exercise.

I will post more updates on how my exercise goals are coming along on a consistent basis and will keep giving more information on articles and videos that I find related to exercise and health.  Till next time.....

Stretching Guidelines

When you work out don't forget to stretch before you begin the workout. Some of the stretches I always do involve the ankle, the hamstring, the groin, the back and the shoulders and neck. These body parts need to be limber and ready to be exercised prior to the beginning of the workout. Below is a video on proper stretching prior to running.

Reduction of injuries during running and working out can be prevented by stretching before and after the workout. Please be safe when working out and don't forget to stretch.

Effects of Exercise on Your Mental State

Today I'd like to talk about the positive effects that exercise has on our brain and mental health. For years I've noticed that if I'm stress out or upset about something it helps when I work out. Afterward, I do feel better and seem to think a bit more clearly about what is bothering me or causing me stress.

I found an article on WebMD that taled about how regular exercise can increase the amount of endorphins in your brain (they make you feel good) and decrease feelings of depression and sadness.
"Regular exercise has been proven to help:
-Reduce stress
-Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
-Boost self-esteem
-Improve sleep "

If you want to feel better mentally, if you've been stressed out about work, school or perhaps something in your personal life a bit of exercise will help put you in a better mood and assist you in thinking clearer. I notice that a lot of people in business field unrelated to exercise work out on a regular basis and this could be due to what the article talks about.

Go for a run or play a sport or lift weights. Do something because exercise will make you feel better.

Weekend Update

This weekend I only got to work out once and that wasn't much of a work out. I was at work and then hung out with friends watching highlights of football games on Saturday and then Sunday worked until 8PM. It's hard sometimes to find time to work out. Sometimes we need to have a day off from exercising and just enjoy a day off from working out. Enjoy the off days you have because you'll be working out hard again and get back into it.

Monday and Tuesday I work in the early afternoon so I can workout in the morning before I have to go to work. If that is not going to happen for some reason I also have the option of working out after work. The important thing is going to work out. Making time to work out is very important, especially if you have a busy day or quite a few responsibilities at work.

The Importance of Setting Goals

When a person begins to workout there may be a number of reasons why the person eventually quits.

It could be due to not making enough time to workout.

It could be that the person needs an exercise partner to help him or her keep up with the consistantcy needed to eventually make something a habit.


Here's a video from someone that is dealing with motivation and consistancy.

For me I stay motivated by visiting exercise blogs and keeping track of my progress with an excel spreadsheet. The bigger guys at the gym also motivate me to keep up with my workouts and to workout harder.

One of the hardest parts to working out for me is to vary my workout to keep losing fat. For a while I was running at a constant speed on the treadmill but could not get past the 192-193 lbs area. I went to Vitamin World and they suggested doing interval training and to vary speeds when I run as well as doing sprinting. Let's hope I can continue to lose weight and body fat.