Exercise news.... (Shoulder-pain free Bench Presses.)
Today's post: Friday, 1-9-2009
One of the best of all kinds of exercise for health, as we’ve posted before, is strength training.
Strength training is also one of the best exercises to improve your sex life whether you are a man or a woman. We’ve also posted on that before.
And, one of the best and most satisfying and best strength training and fat loss exercises due to the large muscles it exercises grows and burns calories with is the Bench Press.
If you can do Bench Presses safely and without injury, it’s a truly great exercise.
UN-fortunately, as you get older it can be extremely hard to use enough weight in the Bench Press for good and satisfying results and without injury and pain -- because many of us as we get older develop shoulder problems and injuries if we use any but the tiniest weights while doing the Bench Press.
Today’s Total Health Breakthroughs feature article
--- by fitness and exercise expert Jon Benson, has a solution!
Since I get pain in my right shoulder if I use a decent amount of weight in the Bench Press myself, I was delighted to read his solution.
And, as I often do, after I post his article for you, I’ll add my comments including some of my previous solutions that might work for you and some ideas on using his solution.
"This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com"
"Friday, January 09, 2009
Three Tips for a Sexier Chest
By Jon Benson
What guy doesn't want a better chest? Greater tone, a bit more size, perhaps more fullness... it is every man's dream.
And ladies, you too can really benefit from stronger chest muscles. Training the upper chest can have a slight breast augmentation effect... and at a cost that no surgeon can touch.
The chest is one of the attributes of a “man's man”, at least according to a survey published in Men's Health on what women find sexy about men. And women can also increase their attractiveness to men simply by looking more fit.
But that's not all. A survey conducted in preparation for National Orgasm Day (who knew?) revealed that eight out of ten women increased their orgasm frequency and intensity through just three days a week of strength training.
Maybe that infamous line from Arnold Schwarzenegger in Pumping Iron isn't such a put-on after all. While "the pump" you get from weight training may not be "as good as [having an orgasm]”, as Arnold proclaimed, the benefits can definitely help both men and women enjoy their lives to a fuller extent in every area. That includes the bedroom. And, as fate would have it, weight training for most people centers around the chest.
But there is a challenge for beginners. Most weight trainees do not know how to work their chest for maximum progress. Since I am all about getting the best results in the least amount of time, I'd like to share three quick tips that anyone can apply to achieve a better chest with less time in the gym.
1. Think "Contraction" and "Explosion"
A major problem with chest training is that most people cannot feel the muscles as well as they should. A lot of guys just "bench" and call it a day. Bad idea. Most men are not structurally suited for bench presses. The ones that are, gain size and fullness easily from bench pressing. The rest of us, myself included, need to be a bit more clever in our approach.
My suggestion is to either opt for dumbbells with your palms facing in toward your head or use a Smith Machine for all chest work. Palms-in dumbbell presses are not commonly seen, but you should try it if you want to protect your shoulders.
The rotator cuff is always susceptible to injury during pressing movements. However, turning your palms in (obviously not possible with barbell movements) takes most of the strain off the rotator cuff region. This tip was given to me by an orthopedic surgeon many years ago, and I credit it to saving my once-ailing left shoulder.
Now that your shoulders are better protected, you should lower the weight slowly (about 3-4 seconds down) and then explode up. Force a hard contraction at the top of the movement. Squeeze the chest muscles, then lower the weight slowly again. You will find you will not be able to press as much, but who cares? Are you after a better chest or a bigger ego?
2. The 4/8 Bulgarian Method
For intermediate and advanced trainees, try alternating sets of four reps with sets of eight reps. Warm up by gradually increasing the weight. Then do four hard reps in the same style as described above.
Do not go past failure. Lower the weight by 30%, rest only 45 seconds, and try for eight reps. Rest for 1-2 minutes, then repeat. Only two cycles of these Bulgarian-style supersets are needed.
3. Decline Cable Crossovers
The "Iron Guru" Vince Gironda claimed this was the best movement for the lower pectoral line. I tend to agree. Take a decline bench and situate it between two opposing cable machines. Most gyms have cable machines set up for just this kind of movement. Put the bench at a slight decline... nothing too steep.
Then, using relatively light weight, perform a crossover movement. Your elbows are slightly bent as you pull the cables to the lower part of your chest, slightly crossing them at that point. Lower slowly, and be sure to think "contraction" the entire way through.
Apply these three tips and your chest will become a thing of beauty.
[Ed. Note: Jon Benson is a lifecoach and nutrition counselor who specializes in helping individuals discover a life-altering mind/body connection. His work in the field of fitness and mental empowerment has helped thousands rediscover their youthful body and positive outlook...."
X* X* X* X* X*
(I put his key solution and reasons for it in bold. That was NOT in the article originally; but I wanted to highlight it for you.)
1. See www.fitover40.com and www.7minutemuscle.com for more of Jon’s work.
These two sites of his have many other ideas for exercise programs you can do quickly and customize to your situation. Fit over 40 has dozens of successful exercise programs you can adapt as fits you best; and 7MinuteMuscle is Jon’s newer work to help you get good results when you have very little time..
Here are my other comments.:
2. The Bench Press using dumbbells in the position he recommends and a system that gets good results using lighter dumbbells sounds marvelously effective and far safer and less painful for your shoulders.
And, I plan to try it soon myself.
But, you do need a gym or a Bench Press bench and a larger set of dumbbells to use it.
And, there are some tricks to doing it safely.
Once you get strong in your dumbbell Bench Press you can get enough weight between the 2 dumbbells together that you can hurt your back carrying them from the rack to the bench or from the bench to the dumbbell rack. (I did that once when I was doing incline dumbbell bench presses.)
Or, once you get even stronger, you can begin to have trouble sitting down with them and getting in position without hurting your abdomen or in setting them down after your set without injuring your shoulders from that.
One solution is to carry the dumbbells back and forth one at a time.
Another is to use a method such as Jon describes that builds and exercises your muscle with a bit lighter dumbbells.
A third is to just use ONE dumbbell & do a set using your left hand and then do one using your right hand. That way you sit back and then sit up with half the weight; and you only carry half the weight; plus you have both hands to use to lift off the dumbbell when you are done.
A fourth is to get a gym or exercise buddy or a personal trainer to help you carry a dumbbell while you carry one and to “spot” you to help you get into and out of position and offload the dumbbells safely.
Lastly, here are my previous solutions to the problem Jon’s special hand position dumbbell Bench Press solves.
1. In my at home exercises each Saturday, Monday, & Wednesday I simply do fast pushups until I cannot do another. I started at 25 and am currently up to the 52 to 57 range and once got to 64. I get shoulder strains a bit at times but NOTHING as bad as even low weight Bench Presses gives me. Very much as the Bench Press using dumbbells in the position he recommends do, push ups work the Bench Press muscles without straining your shoulders as much as regular barbell Bench Presses do.
2. When I go to the gym I do 2 hand triceps press downs on the pulley machine using a system for getting a strong workout with a lighter weight similar to the one Jon uses for dumbbell Bench Presses.
This works my triceps nearly as well as the Bench Press and works my pectoral muscles in my chest about half as well as pushups or the Bench Press does because the pectorals help hold your shoulders down as well as helping to push them forward.
3. What I plan next is to do the pushups at home; &, at the gym, try the Bench Press using dumbbells in the position Jon recommends – then after some unrelated exercises do the triceps press downs.
So, whether you do the other exercises in Jon’s article or pushups or the Bench Press using dumbbells in the position Jon recommends or the triceps press downs or some combination, it’s now possible to get your Bench Press muscles a great work out and mostly avoid shoulder pain and injuries.
I thank Jon for this article and look forward to trying his Bench Press using dumbbells in the position Jon recommends soon.
Today's post: Friday, 1-9-2009
One of the best of all kinds of exercise for health, as we’ve posted before, is strength training.
Strength training is also one of the best exercises to improve your sex life whether you are a man or a woman. We’ve also posted on that before.
And, one of the best and most satisfying and best strength training and fat loss exercises due to the large muscles it exercises grows and burns calories with is the Bench Press.
If you can do Bench Presses safely and without injury, it’s a truly great exercise.
UN-fortunately, as you get older it can be extremely hard to use enough weight in the Bench Press for good and satisfying results and without injury and pain -- because many of us as we get older develop shoulder problems and injuries if we use any but the tiniest weights while doing the Bench Press.
Today’s Total Health Breakthroughs feature article
--- by fitness and exercise expert Jon Benson, has a solution!
Since I get pain in my right shoulder if I use a decent amount of weight in the Bench Press myself, I was delighted to read his solution.
And, as I often do, after I post his article for you, I’ll add my comments including some of my previous solutions that might work for you and some ideas on using his solution.
"This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com"
"Friday, January 09, 2009
Three Tips for a Sexier Chest
By Jon Benson
What guy doesn't want a better chest? Greater tone, a bit more size, perhaps more fullness... it is every man's dream.
And ladies, you too can really benefit from stronger chest muscles. Training the upper chest can have a slight breast augmentation effect... and at a cost that no surgeon can touch.
The chest is one of the attributes of a “man's man”, at least according to a survey published in Men's Health on what women find sexy about men. And women can also increase their attractiveness to men simply by looking more fit.
But that's not all. A survey conducted in preparation for National Orgasm Day (who knew?) revealed that eight out of ten women increased their orgasm frequency and intensity through just three days a week of strength training.
Maybe that infamous line from Arnold Schwarzenegger in Pumping Iron isn't such a put-on after all. While "the pump" you get from weight training may not be "as good as [having an orgasm]”, as Arnold proclaimed, the benefits can definitely help both men and women enjoy their lives to a fuller extent in every area. That includes the bedroom. And, as fate would have it, weight training for most people centers around the chest.
But there is a challenge for beginners. Most weight trainees do not know how to work their chest for maximum progress. Since I am all about getting the best results in the least amount of time, I'd like to share three quick tips that anyone can apply to achieve a better chest with less time in the gym.
1. Think "Contraction" and "Explosion"
A major problem with chest training is that most people cannot feel the muscles as well as they should. A lot of guys just "bench" and call it a day. Bad idea. Most men are not structurally suited for bench presses. The ones that are, gain size and fullness easily from bench pressing. The rest of us, myself included, need to be a bit more clever in our approach.
My suggestion is to either opt for dumbbells with your palms facing in toward your head or use a Smith Machine for all chest work. Palms-in dumbbell presses are not commonly seen, but you should try it if you want to protect your shoulders.
The rotator cuff is always susceptible to injury during pressing movements. However, turning your palms in (obviously not possible with barbell movements) takes most of the strain off the rotator cuff region. This tip was given to me by an orthopedic surgeon many years ago, and I credit it to saving my once-ailing left shoulder.
Now that your shoulders are better protected, you should lower the weight slowly (about 3-4 seconds down) and then explode up. Force a hard contraction at the top of the movement. Squeeze the chest muscles, then lower the weight slowly again. You will find you will not be able to press as much, but who cares? Are you after a better chest or a bigger ego?
2. The 4/8 Bulgarian Method
For intermediate and advanced trainees, try alternating sets of four reps with sets of eight reps. Warm up by gradually increasing the weight. Then do four hard reps in the same style as described above.
Do not go past failure. Lower the weight by 30%, rest only 45 seconds, and try for eight reps. Rest for 1-2 minutes, then repeat. Only two cycles of these Bulgarian-style supersets are needed.
3. Decline Cable Crossovers
The "Iron Guru" Vince Gironda claimed this was the best movement for the lower pectoral line. I tend to agree. Take a decline bench and situate it between two opposing cable machines. Most gyms have cable machines set up for just this kind of movement. Put the bench at a slight decline... nothing too steep.
Then, using relatively light weight, perform a crossover movement. Your elbows are slightly bent as you pull the cables to the lower part of your chest, slightly crossing them at that point. Lower slowly, and be sure to think "contraction" the entire way through.
Apply these three tips and your chest will become a thing of beauty.
[Ed. Note: Jon Benson is a lifecoach and nutrition counselor who specializes in helping individuals discover a life-altering mind/body connection. His work in the field of fitness and mental empowerment has helped thousands rediscover their youthful body and positive outlook...."
X* X* X* X* X*
(I put his key solution and reasons for it in bold. That was NOT in the article originally; but I wanted to highlight it for you.)
1. See www.fitover40.com and www.7minutemuscle.com for more of Jon’s work.
These two sites of his have many other ideas for exercise programs you can do quickly and customize to your situation. Fit over 40 has dozens of successful exercise programs you can adapt as fits you best; and 7MinuteMuscle is Jon’s newer work to help you get good results when you have very little time..
Here are my other comments.:
2. The Bench Press using dumbbells in the position he recommends and a system that gets good results using lighter dumbbells sounds marvelously effective and far safer and less painful for your shoulders.
And, I plan to try it soon myself.
But, you do need a gym or a Bench Press bench and a larger set of dumbbells to use it.
And, there are some tricks to doing it safely.
Once you get strong in your dumbbell Bench Press you can get enough weight between the 2 dumbbells together that you can hurt your back carrying them from the rack to the bench or from the bench to the dumbbell rack. (I did that once when I was doing incline dumbbell bench presses.)
Or, once you get even stronger, you can begin to have trouble sitting down with them and getting in position without hurting your abdomen or in setting them down after your set without injuring your shoulders from that.
One solution is to carry the dumbbells back and forth one at a time.
Another is to use a method such as Jon describes that builds and exercises your muscle with a bit lighter dumbbells.
A third is to just use ONE dumbbell & do a set using your left hand and then do one using your right hand. That way you sit back and then sit up with half the weight; and you only carry half the weight; plus you have both hands to use to lift off the dumbbell when you are done.
A fourth is to get a gym or exercise buddy or a personal trainer to help you carry a dumbbell while you carry one and to “spot” you to help you get into and out of position and offload the dumbbells safely.
Lastly, here are my previous solutions to the problem Jon’s special hand position dumbbell Bench Press solves.
1. In my at home exercises each Saturday, Monday, & Wednesday I simply do fast pushups until I cannot do another. I started at 25 and am currently up to the 52 to 57 range and once got to 64. I get shoulder strains a bit at times but NOTHING as bad as even low weight Bench Presses gives me. Very much as the Bench Press using dumbbells in the position he recommends do, push ups work the Bench Press muscles without straining your shoulders as much as regular barbell Bench Presses do.
2. When I go to the gym I do 2 hand triceps press downs on the pulley machine using a system for getting a strong workout with a lighter weight similar to the one Jon uses for dumbbell Bench Presses.
This works my triceps nearly as well as the Bench Press and works my pectoral muscles in my chest about half as well as pushups or the Bench Press does because the pectorals help hold your shoulders down as well as helping to push them forward.
3. What I plan next is to do the pushups at home; &, at the gym, try the Bench Press using dumbbells in the position Jon recommends – then after some unrelated exercises do the triceps press downs.
So, whether you do the other exercises in Jon’s article or pushups or the Bench Press using dumbbells in the position Jon recommends or the triceps press downs or some combination, it’s now possible to get your Bench Press muscles a great work out and mostly avoid shoulder pain and injuries.
I thank Jon for this article and look forward to trying his Bench Press using dumbbells in the position Jon recommends soon.
Labels: Bench Press tips, chest building tips, dumbbell Bench Presses, Shoulder-pain free Bench Presses, strength training tips
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