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05-18-2003, 09:15 PM
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Exercises & Form
Hey guys,
there is alot of questions on what exercises do what and how to do them. heres a few links to look at: http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/exercise1.htm http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html http://www.theministryoffitness.com/exercises.htm Hopes this cures curious minds.... Last edited by salb3039; 05-08-2006 at 02:22 PM. Reason: Removed dead links... |
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06-09-2003, 10:08 AM
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didn't want to make another sticky just for this, so i'll post the link here:
http://www.t-mag.com/html/body_115b600.html its a great link to help u get ur bench up. |
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06-20-2003, 10:00 AM
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INCREASING BENCH PRESS
Here's the text from the link Jim posted..incase you're lazy to click on it :P I was just readin it, so thought i'd do all of you a favour :wink:
Bench Press 600 Pounds A 12 Step Program by Dave Tate Obviously, not everyone has the genetic raw material to bench press 600 pounds. However, if anyone can teach you to increase your bench, it's Dave Tate. Dave's been assisting and training under Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell fame for over 10 years. He's also the co-owner of Elite Fitness Systems and has consulted thousands of athletes throughout the world. When an athlete wants to get stronger and gain an edge in the world of elite, world class competition, the name Dave Tate is often on the short list of strength coaches who can get the job done. As you'll see, Dave "walks the walk" as well as "talks the talk" when it comes to getting bigger and stronger. We're proud to welcome him as a Testosterone contributor. I spend most of my weekends in transit these days. In fact, I'm writing this article on a plane headed to yet another seminar I'm conducting. This travel time gives me the chance to think, relax, and reflect on many issues dealing with training and life. I also use the time to prepare for my upcoming seminar or consulting session. I normally sit here going over what topics I'll be presenting and how I can better relate them to my audience. But today there's a problem. No there's not a creature on the wing throwing monkey wrenches into the plane's engines, but it's almost that bad. The problem is all I can think about is my bench press! You see, I train at Westside Barbell, which is renowned for producing world-caliber strength athletes. I've been a part of this group since 1990. Before that, I had spent five years stuck at a 1955 pound total in powerlifting. Then I tore my right pectoralis major tendon while trying to bench 500 at a bench press competition. I figured that was the end of competition days and thought about retiring from the sport. Then I thought to myself, retire from what? I haven't done anything yet! I knew I had two options: I could keep training the way I always had and totally fall apart, or I could move to Columbus to train under the watchful eye of Louie Simmons. It wasn't that difficult of a decision. After the surgery I packed the car and moved to Columbus. That was over 10 years ago. Since then, my lifts have increased to a 935-pound squat, 585-pound bench and a 740-pound deadlift. This was after my surgeon told me I'd never bench over 400 again! Although my bench press has increased 85 pounds, it's still a far cry from where it should be. At Westside we have 34 guys benching over 500 pounds and eight benching over 600. (In fact, six of those eight guys press over 650!) My bench pretty much sucks when compared to the others in the gym. When people ask me for bench advice, I cringe because I'm still chasing 600. I've missed that mark five times in competition at the time of this writing. I kept telling myself that once I push up 600 pounds I'd write a definitive article on benching. Well, I haven't hit that mark yet, but I do have the biggest bench out of everyone on my flight, so I'm feeling like an authority on benching at the moment. Who knows, maybe writing this article I'll teach myself something, or remember something I've forgotten? I also feel the need to write this because of the vast amount of misinformation out there on this subject. I feel there're 12 components to a great bench press. If we apply these 12 steps, then perhaps you and I both will reach our bench press goals. 12 Steps to a Bigger Bench 1 – Train the Triceps Years ago, if you had asked Larry Pacifico how to get a big bench, he'd have told you to train the triceps. This same advice applies today. This doesn't mean doing set after set of pushdowns, kickbacks, and other so-called "shaping" exercises. Training your triceps for a big bench has to involve heavy extensions and close-grip pressing movements such as close-grip flat and incline bench presses, close-grip board presses, and JM presses. Various barbell and dumbbell extensions should also be staples of your training program. Don't let anyone try to tell you the bench press is about pec strength. These people don't know the correct way to bench and are setting you up for a short pressing career with sub-par weights. I just read an article in one of the major muscle magazines by one of these authors on how to increase your bench press. The advice given was to train your pecs with crossovers and flies and your bench will go up! This, along with many other points, made me wonder how this article ever got published or better yet, how much the author himself could bench. I believe articles should go under a peer review board before they get printed. I'd like many of my peers to review these authors in the gym or better yet on the bench to see how much they really know. Bottom line: Train the triceps! 2 – Keep your shoulder blades pulled together and tight. This is a very important and often overlooked aspect of great bench pressing. While pressing you have to create the most stable environment possible. This can't be done if most of your shoulder blades are off the bench. The bench is only so wide and we can't change this, but we can change how we position ourselves on the bench. When you pull your shoulder blades together you're creating a tighter, more stable surface from which to press. This is because more of your body is in contact with the bench. The tightness of your upper back also contributes. These techniques also change the distance the bar will have to travel. The key to pressing big weight is to press the shortest distance possible. 3 – Keep the pressure on your upper back and traps. This is another misunderstood aspect of pressing. You want the pressure around the supporting muscles. This is accomplished by driving your feet into the floor, thereby driving your body into the bench. Try this: Lie on the bench and line up so your eyes are four inches in front of the bar (toward your feet). Now using your legs, drive yourself into the bench to put pressure on the upper back and traps. Your eyes should now be even with the bar. This is the same pressure that needs to be applied while pushing the barbell. 4 – Push the bar in a straight line. Try to push the bar toward your feet. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, right? Then why in the world would some coaches advocate pressing in a "J" line toward the rack? If I were to bench the way most trainers are advocating (with my elbows out, bringing the bar down to the chest and pressing toward the rack) my barbell travel distance would be 16 inches. Now, if I pull my shoulder blades together, tuck my chin and elbows, and bring the bar to my upper abdominals or lower chest, then my pressing distance is only 6.5 inches. Now which would you prefer? If you want to push up a bar-bending load of plates, you'd choose the shorter distance. Here's another important aspect of pressing in this style. By keeping your shoulder blades together and your chin and elbows tucked, you'll have less shoulder rotation when compared to the J-line method of pressing. This is easy to see by watching how low the elbows drop in the bottom part of the press when the barbell is on the chest. With the elbows out, most everyone's elbows are far lower than the bench. This creates a tremendous amount of shoulder rotation and strain. Now try the same thing with the elbows tucked and shoulder blades together while bringing the barbell to your upper abdominals. For most people, the elbows are usually no lower than the bench. Less shoulder rotation equals less strain on the shoulder joint. This means pressing bigger weights for many more years. I've always been amazed at trainers that suggest only doing the top half of the bench press, i.e. stopping when the upper arms are parallel to the floor. This is done to avoid the excess shoulder rotation. All they have to do is teach their clients the proper way to bench in the first place! 5 – Keep the elbows tucked and the bar directly over the wrists and elbows. This is probably the most important aspect of great pressing technique. The elbows must remain tucked to keep the bar in a straight line as explained above. Keeping the elbows tucked will also allow lifters to use their lats to drive the bar off the chest. Football players are taught to drive their opponents with their elbows tucked, then explode through. This is the same for bench pressing. Bench pressing is all about generating force. You can generate far more force with your elbows in a tucked position compared to an "elbows out" position. The most important aspect of this is to keep the barbell in a direct line with the elbow. If the barbell is behind the elbow toward the head, then the arm position becomes similar to an extension, not a press. 6 – Bring the bar low on your chest or upper abdominals. This is the only way you can maintain the "barbell to elbow" position as described above. You may have heard the advice, "Bring it low" at almost every powerlifting competition. This is the reason why. Once again, the barbell must travel in a straight line. 7 – Fill your belly with air and hold it. For maximum attempts and sets under three reps, you must try to hold your air. Everyone must learn to breathe from their bellies and not their chests. If you stand in front of the mirror and take a deep breath, your shoulders shouldn't rise. If they do you're breathing the air into your chest, not your belly. Greater stability can be achieved in all the lifts when you learn how to pull air into the belly. Try to expand and fill the belly with as much air as possible and hold it. If you breathe out during a maximum attempt, the body structure will change slightly, thus changing the groove in which the barbell is traveling. 8 – Train with compensatory acceleration. Push the bar with maximal force. Whatever weight you're trying to push, be it 40% or 100% of your max, you must learn to apply 100% of the force to the barbell. If you can bench 500 pounds and are training with 300 pounds, you must then apply 500 pounds of force to the 300-pound barbell. This is known as compensatory acceleration and it can help you break through sticking points. These sticking points are known as your "mini maxes," or the points at which you miss the lift or the barbell begins to slip out of the groove. Many times I'm asked what to do if the barbell gets stuck four to five inches off the chest. Everybody wants to know what exercise will help them strengthen this area or what body part is holding them back. Many times it isn't what you do to strengthen the area where it sticks, but what you can do to build more acceleration in the area before the mini max. If you can get the bar moving with more force then there won't be a sticking point. Instead, you'll blast right through it. Compensatory acceleration will help you do this. 9 – Squeeze the barbell and try to pull the bar apart! Regardless of the lift, you have to keep your body as tight as Monica Brant's behind. You'll never lift big weights if you're in a relaxed physical state while under the barbell. The best way to get the body tight is by squeezing the bar. We've also found that if you try to pull the bar apart or "break the bar," the triceps seem to become more activated. 10 – Devote one day per week to dynamic-effort training. According to Vladimir Zatsiorsinsky in his text Science and Practice of Strength Training, there are three ways to increase muscle tension. These three methods include the dynamic-effort method, the maximal-effort method, and the repetition method. Most training programs being practiced in the US today only utilize one or two of these methods. It's important, however, to use all three. The bench press should be trained using the dynamic-effort method. This method is best defined as training with sub-maximal weights (45 to 60%) at maximal velocities. The key to this method is bar speed. Percentage training can be very deceiving. The reason for this is because lifters at higher levels have better motor control and recruit more muscle than a less experienced lifter. For example, the maximal amount of muscle you could possibility recruit is 100%. Now, the advanced lifter * after years of teaching his nervous system to be efficient * may be able to recruit 70 to 80% of muscle fibers, while the intermediate might be able to recruit only 50%. Thus, the advanced lifter would need less percent weight than the intermediate. This is one of the reasons why an advanced lifter squatting 80% of his max for 10 reps would kill himself while a beginner could do it all day long. If you base the training on bar speed, then the percentages are no longer an issue, only a guideline. So how do you know where to start? If you're an intermediate lifter, I suggest you start at 50% of maximal and see how fast you can make it move for three reps. If you can move 20 more pounds with the same speed then use the heavier weight. Based on years of experience and Primlin's charts for optimal percent training, we've found the best range to be eight sets of three reps. Based on Primlin's research, the optimal range for 70% and less is 12 to 24 repetitions. We've also found it very beneficial to train the bench using three different grips, all of which are performed within the rings. This may break down into two sets with the pinky fingers on the rings, three sets with three fingers from the smooth area of the bar and three sets with one finger from the smooth area. 11 – Devote one day per week to maximal-effort training. For the second bench day of the week (72 hours after the dynamic day) you should concentrate on the maximal-effort method. This is best defined as lifting maximal weights (90% to 100%) for one to three reps. This is one of the best methods to develop maximal strength. The key here is to strain. The downfall is you can't train above 90% for longer than three weeks without having adverse effects. Try performing a max bench press every week for four or five weeks. You'll see you may progress for the first two, maybe three weeks, then your progress will halt and begin to work its way backward. We've combated this by switching up the maximal-effort exercises. We rotate maximal-effort movements such as the close-grip incline press, board press, floor press, and close-grip flat press. These exercises are all specific to bench pressing and all have a very high carryover value. 12 – Train the lats on the same plane as the bench. I'm talking about the horizontal plane here. In other words, you must perform rows, rows, and more rows. "If you want to bench big then you need to train the lats." I've heard both George Hilbert and Kenny Patterson say this for years when asked about increasing the bench press. When you bench you're on a horizontal plane. So would it make sense from a balance perspective to train the lats with pulldowns, which are on a vertical plane? Nope. Stick to the barbell row if you want a big bench. Now that my trip is over and I'm back in Columbus, I no longer feel like an authority on bench pressing. My 585 pound bench press is considered sort of "puny" by Westside standards, after all. By writing this article, however, I've realized a few things I need to change about my bench pressing. I bet you have too. Hopefully, I've helped you correct a few problems that might've been keeping you from breaking your own personal record. Remember, the smallest things often bring the biggest results.
__________________
[img]http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/3774/eddie7sq.jpg[/img] RIP Latino Heat 
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08-07-2003, 06:23 AM
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http://www.stumptuous.com/dorkdiva.html
This is excellent for helping with form. This applies to both men as well as women and helped me a lot with correcting my form. Tim |
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01-11-2004, 08:41 AM
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here is another good website:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm The layout is excellent, helps you find exactly what you want 
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07-03-2005, 11:22 PM
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good links
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09-19-2005, 05:10 PM
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I thought the other stickey was a bit rough on exercise and form. Just a couple of links that probably some people dont look at. So im bored and i thought i'd try update it and do a better one.
All information is gathered from: http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html However anything you dont find here (unlikely) you can find here: http://www.bsu.edu/webapps/strengthlab/home.htm http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/exercise1.htm http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html http://www.bsu.edu/webapps/strengthlab/home.htm http://www.theministryoffitness.com/exercises.htm This post is going to be about exercise and form. It will provide noobs with the information about muscles and how to target specific muscles with different exercises and how to do them. Im only going to do them major muscle groups: 1.Shoulders 2.Chest 3. arms 4.Legs 5.Back Note: all words in blue are links which can be clicked which will lead you to pictures of the actually muscles and animations of the exercises. 1. Shoulders Basically the shoulder is broken up into three different parts these are: Anterior Deltoid The Anterior deltoid is the front part of shoulder. The anterior deltoid is primarly targeted during these exercises:
Before doing above exercises you should stretch. To stretch the anterior deltoid you can perform these stretch exercies: Lateral Deltoid The lateral deltoid is the 'middle' part of the shoulder. The middle part, when lean, can look like two seperate muscles however they are not. The lateral deltoid can be targeted by:
The posterior deltoid is the backside of the shoulder. It can be targeted by doing the following:
Stretch 2. Chest The chest is broken up into three parts. Pectoralis Major, Sternal This makes up the bulk of the chest and is far the strongest and largest part of the chest. It can be targeted by:
Stretches: Pectoralis Major, Clavicular This is the upper part of the chest. As you can see it is smaller then the sternal part and usually weaker. usually when doing exercises for this muscle a lot of work will be done also by your shoulders as a synergist. Exercies:
This is the smallest part of the chest and not many people tend to actually work this part. Exercises:
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09-19-2005, 05:10 PM
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3. Upper Arm
The upper arm is broken up into again three different parts (arguable) Triceps Brachii triceps are the backside of your arm. This makes up the bulk of your arm and also assits during bench press and shoulder exercises. Exercises:
Biceps Brachii This is the main part of the bicep and is usually associated with bicep peak (arguable). Exercises:
Brachialis Not too many people are aware this muscle exists. Usually associated with bicep length (arguable). It manily is the lower and side part of the bicep. Exercises:
There are many parts to legs. But theres too many to go through, so im am just going to go through the main ones. Most of these exercises will target all muscles in the legs. Quadriceps Quadriceps are the strongest part of your body. You will find that all lifts with legs will dawf all other lifts. That is why it is important to work the legs. It has been said that working the legs will make you bigger on top. Exercises:
Hamstrings Hamstrings are equally important. This will give you that thick look at the back of your leg.
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09-19-2005, 05:11 PM
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Calves
Calves make up the bulk of the bottom of the leg. No point having huge thighs with chick calves. Calves will give you that thick look when u have shorts on. Borken up into 2 groups: Exercises: For the Gastrocnemius
Also: For the Soleus
CONTINUED BELOW |
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09-19-2005, 05:12 PM
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5. Back
The back is broken up into many muscles. The back is another massive group of muscles much like the legs. This is also just as important as legs. There are many muscles for me to go through individually but i'll give it a shot. Basically here are all the back muscles:
This will target the general back, however if you want to target specific back muscles then you should check out the exercises after 'general back' Exercises:
Deadlifts: (one of the best Exercise)!!!
Latissimus Dorsi & Teres Major
Lever Trapezius, Upper Fibers & Levator Scapulae
See exercises Also see Shoulder exercises Streches: Upper Trapezius Trapezius, Lower Fibers See exercises Also see Shoulder exercises Rhomboids See exercises |
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08-16-2006, 02:26 AM
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http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html favorite one
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09-17-2006, 03:53 PM
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Types Of Exercise Form
Jim's post on form got me thinking I should make this post on the types of form a sticky. So here it is..
Talking of form, we are talking about the quality of execution of an exercise. Form focuses on how an exercise is done and there are different types of form to know in weight training. There are 3 basic types of form- strict, loose, and sloppy. To demonstrate the 3 types I will use the bicep curls as an example exercise: Strict Form -There would be no bouncing off the thighs and no swaying or leaning back of the upper torso as the bar is being curled upwards. Just the biceps moving the weight up. Loose Form -This would have a slight bounce off the top of the thighs and a slight lean backward as the weight is being curled up. More weight can be lifted with this form than strict. Sloppy Form -This would have a strong bounce off the thighs causing momentum of the weight, a real far backward lean and even bouncing of the knees to get the weight up. Strict form will allow you to target the muscle more and reduce the risk of injury and it lessens the amount of weight you can lift and can reduce the intensity of a workout. But with sloppy form, yes you can lift more weight but you will use other muscle groups to get the weight up. This takes stress off of the targeted muscle that you are training and increases the risk of injury. Strict form is always the best place to start. When you reps become impossible to perform with strict form, loosen your form to continue the set but you should never go into sloppy form. I believe that loose form is necessary to handle more weight or get more reps out than with strict form and that is how you can continue to make gains or break sticking points. Its where maximum muscle stimulation will occur as well.
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TEAM NORTON |
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09-17-2006, 04:28 PM
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I know I'll get flamed for this one so i'm gonna say it right off the bat. This is my own opinion and it certainly does not follow the mainstream.
I think controlled cheating is great. It allows you to hit heavier weight, and if done correctly puts more stress on the target muscle then going lighter. I give an example of bicep curls. I used to do a particular weight for high reps and good form, not perfect, but good. I never really got any doms in my biceps. Recently I switched to going heavier, obviously less reps, and more cheating. My arms jumped up like 1/2 inch, and I would get doms for a day or two, and my biceps would flex tight and hard and maintain a pump for the entire duration between bicep training days. The controlled cheating doesnt apply to me for all exercises. Some I feel you simply need good form, and cheating will increase a serious risk of injury. Squats/deadlifts/shoulder movements, to think of a few off the bat. I feel arching the back on flat bench is great, again, only if done correctly!! You have to know how to set your shoulders/lats/traps to achieve a solid balance.
__________________
Founder of F.A. (Fatceps Anonymous) Last edited by Traps; 09-17-2006 at 04:32 PM. |
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09-17-2006, 04:54 PM
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Sometimes cheating is good but not on all exercises. I do for example, cheat with bicep curls but only if I try something like 150+lbs for BB curl. If I do 135-140lbs is in strict form and controled. Got to be very careful not to pop tendons or rip muscles. I think this is an experience and feel issue and good for advanced lifters.
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"all i know is, when im at the beach, chicks dont ask how much i bench, they just want to know how big my arms are." classic
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09-17-2006, 05:03 PM
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Quote:
__________________
Founder of F.A. (Fatceps Anonymous) |
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09-17-2006, 07:14 PM
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Great thread. I generally try to use strict form on the first few reps but it usually goes loose from there. I stop whenever I feel it getting sloppy.
I've seen several times people post a link of how to do several excercises with examples of how to do each one. I think it would be a great addition to this thread. edit: nvm, I found it. Nite, I think this would be a good link to put in the first post of this thread. http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html
__________________
"Train beyond the pain... and death is your only release." Steve Michalik 5'10" 195 lbs. 10-12% bf B: 345 S: 405 D: 475 Total: 1225 Last edited by Merk0135; 09-17-2006 at 07:16 PM. |
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09-18-2006, 01:06 AM
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i agree that controlled cheating can help, i use cheat curls on my last reps on ez-curls for arms... doing wonders so far
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Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead |
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01-06-2007, 08:08 AM
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Best One Ive seen:
Exercise Encyclopedia » Videos » CoopersGuns Health, Fitness & BodyBuilding Surfer
__________________
BB4U Moderator Last edited by surferph34; 04-28-2007 at 02:22 AM. |
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