Almost everyone I know wants nice firm and toned arms. They want to be able to see muscle definition and be free of that wobbly tuck shop lady feeling.

However, most people don’t know how to do it.

Want firm arms? Here’s how to tone up!

It seems to me that a lot of people are going after toned arms in a really poor fashion. For example, there is the old myth that low weight and high reps somehow magically tones your muscles so that they appear firmer and with greater definition.

Not true.

You see muscle toning is all about losing the fat that is covering the muscles. It is not about toning the muscles themselves but about burning the adipose cells that are stopping your muscles from showing their natural tone. You see everyone has toned muscles but not everyone is lean.

So how do I tone my arms?

Now that you know that you need to lose weight to tone your arms you need to do a few things. Continue Reading

Learn how to target the outside of your biceps

People often train their biceps with a very limited range of exercises. They use barbell curls, concentration curls and alternate dumbbell curls and never try to change it up.

However, a simple change in your grip and you can target the outside of your biceps and get a taller and more defined bicep.

Here’s how.

Why do you want to target the outside of your bicep?

The main reason people want to target the outside of their bicep is so that the muscle has a more shapely and defined appearance. Of course, if you really want to define your muscles you need to lose the fat on top of them but you can also speed up the process by targeting certain areas.

When you look at the arm from side on the bicep is often engulfed by the larger tricep muscle. If, however, you work on your outer bicep you can create a carved look so that you can see some curve on the outside. This makes your arm look more complete and sharp.

How do I target the outside of the bicep

It is quite easy to target outside of the biceps. It is a simple change of the grip.

For example, take the barbell bicep curl as the test. Normally you would take about a shoulder width grip on the bar and curl it up keeping your elbows still so that your biceps take the most of the stress.

All you have to do is shift your grip inwards. If you take a narrow grip on the barbell you will hit your outer biceps with much more force. You simply use the same technique as a regular curl but curl it to your chest instead of below your nipples.

Conclusion
It is important to remember that every position your body takes during weight lifting will have an impact on the results. This is why technique is so important. One small mistake can cause a bad injury where on the other hand one small adjustment can bring a huge amount of progress. Make sure you always keep your technique perfect.

How to build some huge biceps in under 20 minutes

I am a busy man. I often only have less than 45 minutes at the gym each day to fit in a workout. I love to workout in an explosive way and have found that it works particularly well for my biceps. Here is an explosive workout for your biceps which will bring you much better results than any long drawn out regular workout.

Essential elements of an explosive bicep workout

If you want to have an explosive workout you need a few things in order for it to go well. Otherwise you will probably just end up doing the same old thing that you normally do.

1. Warm up hard
People will often tell you not to waste too much energy on the workout and in many cases this is good advice. However, if you are going to hit your biceps hard and explosive you need to make sure they are warmed up well. If they aren’t warmed up enough you will find that you run the risk of not getting good enough muscle contraction or an arm injury.

A good warm up is one that uses the arms. Try rowing, skipping, boxing and make sure you don’t stop until there is sweat on your forehead and blood flowing through your muscles.

2. Energy
Don’t try performing an explosive bicep workout without some food in your belly. Of course, you don’t want to still feel full because you will probably throw it back up but you should have a little snack of fruit or a protein shake about half an hour before you hit the gym.

3. Music
Doesn’t sound like a crucial element of an explosive workout but trust me, it helps. Set your iPod to whatever music gets you going and take it along with you.

4. Perfect technique
As I always say, if your technique is not spot on you may as well not bother going to the gym at all. The biceps are one of the muscles that need to be hit with perfect technique because if you don’t there are many other bigger muscles waiting to jump in and help carry the load. We don’t want that.

5. Top fitness
If you aren’t fit and healthy and a long time weight lifter then don’t try a workout that promises to be tough and hard. It is out of your league and will do you more harm than good. Continue Reading