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Secret Training Tips #1-10 - Exercise Tips and Tricks For Your Favorite Exercises Don't waste another rep! Get 10 powerful tips for squeezing more results out of every single rep of every exercise you do. These tips will have you eager to get back into the gym for your next workout!

Day in and day out, you do exercises such as pulldowns, bench press, deadlifts, squats. But are you getting everything you can out of every single rep you do to achieve maximum muscle growth and strength? Work out smarter, not harder, to achive maximum results!

The following tips and tricks are going to take the exercises you know and love and show you how to make them even MORE effective! Some you may be familiar with but many will be completely new.

Note: there will be a link to pictures of these techniques at the end of the article.

1. Flat Barbell Bench Press - Overcoming Deceleration Inhibition

What is deceleration inhibition? When you do an exercise, your body (without your conscious thought) will slow down your limbs as they get closer to the end of their ranges of motion. In the bench press, this happens as you get closer to the top of the movement. Your body has this reaction in order to prevent injury but it also limits the amount of power you can apply to an exercise. If your body is actively working to slow down the weight as you come to the top, you simply won't be able to lift as much!

Now look at the bench press...one of the limiting factors in the bench press is that part of the force from the muscles is used to decelerate the bar to keep it from throwing your shoulders out of the socket as you go through the movement. Your body does this by firing the back muscles.

When you're lifting around 80% of your maximum weight, when you get to the halfway point of the movement, your body starts to fire the back muscles to try to slow your limbs down. This means during half of the bench press movement, your body is actually trying to slow down the bar!

When you're using near maximum weights, since the weights are heavier and push down on you more, your body now starts to slow the bar down at about the 3/4 point in the rep, leaving you with a quarter of the movement where your body is trying to slow the bar down. This is still a very significant portion of the rep where your body is working against you!

This slowing can be a cause of sticking points. Quite often, people have trouble locking out the top few inches of the movement when using heavier weight. This can be because their body is actively slowly the bar down as they come to the top. It can also contribute to sticking points about halfway through the movement when using more moderate weight. Naturally, there are many more factors involved with where sticking points happen, but the nervous system can certainly contribute. Overcoming this deceleration inhibition can help you overcome sticking points.

You can overcome nervous system holdback with plyometric (explosive or rebound) training like medicine ball throws (they aren't heavy enough, though). However, a good option is to do pop-up push-ups on the bench press itself, done right before you start your bench workout as a warm-up. Start by kneeling on the end of the bench, facing the bar. Fall forward, catching yourself on the bar in the bench press position then explosively pushing yourself right back up to the start position (letting your hands leave the bar), as though you're popping back up.

Another technique for overcoming deceleration inhibition is to attach large chains to the bar. When you start the rep, most of the length of chain is on the floor. As you lift up and pull more and more links off the floor, the increasing weight of the chains helps to decelerate the weight without requiring muscular involvement. You can push as hard and explosively as you want without your body having to slow the bar down.

You see, what your body doesn't realize is that you don't generally need your limbs to be slowed down in the heavy bench press - if the resistance is heavy enough, that'll slow your limbs down for you! All the inhibition does is make it harder to lift the weight. Doing a set or two of 6 to 8 reps of this pop-up warm-up detailed above (where you explode up and away from the bar) sends your body the signal that it doesn't need to decelerate the limbs in this movement.

The result: you'll be able to lift more weight.

2. Pulldowns and Chin-ups - Puff Out and Lean Back

When doing both pulldowns and chin-ups, it's important to puff out the chest and lean slightly back. The lats cannot fire efficiently when the chest and lower back are flat/vertical, i.e. straight up and down, the way most people do pulldowns and chins. This results in the biceps getting more work. Leaning back and puffing the chest out to meet the bar as you do the exercise forces the arch into your lower back and dramatically increases lat activation.

3. Barbell Bicep Curls - Take a Narrow Grip

Taking a narrow grip on the bar (shoulder-width or a little inside of that) will more strongly activate the biceps during the movement. This happens because the narrow grip forces the biceps into a more supinated position than wider grips (supination is the movement where the hands rotate to a palms-up/forward position). Supination is the other primary function of the biceps and forcing maximal supination increases tension and muscle activation in the biceps.

4. Dumbell Shoulder Press - Pour Water on Your Head

When doing dumbell shoulders presses, tilt the dumbells in towards your head throughout the movement as though you're pouring water on your head with a pitcher. This dramatically increases the tension on the delts throughout the entire exercise - they'll get no break at all!

5. Standing Calf Raises - Two-Part Movement

Try using a two-step lift to get a full range of motion. When you start the exercise, come up about halfway, pause, shift your ankles around a little, then finish up to the top. There is a sort of realignment of the ankle joint partway up - with a little practice you'll be able to feel exactly where it is and how to shift your ankles. This little shift will help you get past the sticking point and get a stronger, more complete contraction in the calves muscles.

6. Pushdowns - Weigh Yourself Down

If you're strong in the pushdown exercise, you may notice that you get to a point where your bodyweight is not enough to allow you to push the bar down without forcing you to lean forward into the movement, which can place stress on your lower back.

The solution: wear a dipping belt with a 45-lb weight plate or two hanging from it. This instantly increases your bodyweight, balancing out the resistance, allowing you to use far more weight on the pushdown while maintaining the ideal body position. No more lower back stress!

7. Squats and Deadlifts - Wear Solid Soles or Nothing At All

When you do a squat or deadlift, all the power generated by your body to lift that weight goes through your feet. Here's the problem: if you're wearing soft-soled running shoes (as most people do when training) that are designed to ABSORB impact and resistance, you're actually losing some of the force that should be going towards lifting that weight.

Think about it - when you lift the weight and push down hard, your feet squish down into the shoes. That pushing force is then lost (in fact, the downforce from the weight may even reduce the energy-absorbing effects of your running shoes over time as the soles get more and more compressed from the lifting). If you wear solid-soled or thin-soled shoes (like court shoes) or even work boots (clean ones!), you're not going to lose nearly as much of that pushing force and you'll be able to move more weight.

If you've ever had trouble getting a deadlift off the ground or coming out of the bottom of a squat, try it with solid-soles or barefoot next time and see if you feel the difference.

If you've gone into a gym and seen somebody doing squats or deadlifts in barefeet or sockfeet, this is the reason why. With no shoes at all, they're minimizing any force that could be lost in their footwear. If you decide to try squatting or deadlifting barefoot or sockfooted, just be very careful not to drop anything on your feet and put your shoes back on in between sets so you have protection from other people dropping things on them!

8. Crunches - Feet On The Wall

A good way to get more resistance when doing a regular crunch is do them with your feet placed up on a wall about two feet up (feet flat on it) and your knees bent about 90 degrees. As you crunch up, push hard against the wall. This will activate the abdominals from the other direction, allowing you to work against the resistance provided by your feet pushing back. This technique is very useful when travelling providing a more effective ab workout.

9. Wrist Curls - Concentration Wrist Curls

This is a variation on the dumbell wrist curl. These are done sitting on the end of a bench. Anchor your elbow in the upper/inner part of your thigh, just to the right of your crotch with your legs wide. The tip of your elbow should be just below your hip bone. Let your forearm dangle down at about 45 degrees with your hand pointing diagonally to your other knee. Bend over at the waist.

Stabilize your forearm by gripping your right bicep with your left hand just in the crook of the elbow. Do a wrist curl from there. This will hit the belly of the muscle. When you fail with this technique, switch to the regular supported style (with your forearm resting fully on your thigh). Alternate arms back and forth with no rest for three to five sets. Experiment with position a little to find the groove of the exercise.

10. Leg Curls - Hitting The Inner and Outer Hams

Turning your feet in or out as you do the leg curl affects different areas of the hamstrings. Turning your toes out as you curl up will hit the outer area (semitendinosus and semimembranosus) while angling your toes in as you curl up will hit the inner area (biceps femoris and adductors).

You can tell which you need to work on by noticing which way your toes tend to point as you go to failure on leg curls. If your toes tend to point in, your inner hamstrings are stronger and you should work more on your outer hamstrings. If your toes tend to point out, your outer hamstrings are stronger you need to work on your inner hamstrings. This will ensure hamstring balance and help prevent imbalance injuries, especially if you're involved in sports that require sprinting and fast, powerful movements.

The turning of your feet as explained previously can be done a few ways. It can be done at the start of the rep and held, it can be done during the positive phase of the rep or during the negative phase of the rep, or both. This is kind of like supinating your feet (like your supinating forearms in dumbell curls) to get an extra contraction.

To hit the inner hamstrings, start with your toes splayed out wide (your toes will be flexed, not pointed). As you curl up, internally rotate at the hip joint so your toes point inward at the top. Do the opposite motion (start pointing in and finish pointing out) to hit the outer hamstrings hard at the top. The movement require a little practice to get comfortable with so start with a light weight the first time you use them.

These rotational movements can be done all focused either on one type of rotation only (e.g. do one set with reps rotating inward or outward) or the movements can also alternated with each rep. For example, do one rep for inner hamstrings starting with toes wide then turn them in, lower the weight toes in, then do a rep for outer hamstrings (your toes are already in the toes-in start position), lower the weight with toes wide, repeat.

Here is the link to view pictures of these exercise tips in action:

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue34-exercises.htm

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Want more great tips for exercises you already know? Have a read through the following previous BetterU News articles:

Breathing Backwards For Pulldowns
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue11.htm

Core Squats
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue30.htm

Trick For Stiff Legged Deadlifts
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue9.htm

The Perfect Bench Press Rep
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue11.htm

Breathing for a Thinner Waist
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue6.htm

Get a Grip - Change Your Bicep Curl Grip
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue7.htm

If you enjoyed these training tips, be sure to check out "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of." This book contains 53 FULL exercises (as well as plenty of tips and tricks just like you've read above) that will work your muscles in ways you've never even dreamed of.

http://www.fitstep.com/Bestexercises/bestexercises.htm

Want more articles like this? Subscribe to BetterU News now!

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Excerpts from the Review of "Optimum Anabolics" by Jeff Anderson Natural Bodybuilding Tips For Building Massive Muscle Review by Rahul Alvares "I must tell you that this is one of the best books on bodybuilding I have ever read. Exceptionally controversial, Anderson attacks the very foundation of bodybuilding." "Anderson has left no stone unturned in writing this book. The training techniques taught in the book make sure also that you stimulate both the fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers. This kind of training will ensure that the muscle is exercised in a holistic way for its optimum growth and development." "Jeff Anderson has a very humorous style of writing. This, coupled with his very practical mind makes 'Optimum Anabolics' truly enjoyable to read. Optimum Anabolics is a must-have for every bodybuilder." Editors Note: Optimum Anabolics also includes a special bonus that incorporates exercises from "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of" into the program itself. If you've got "The Best Exercises", this program makes a perfect companion! 4 1/2 OUT OF 5 STARS To read the full review of "Optimum Anabolics", go to the following link: http://www.fitness-ebooks.com/muscle-building-ebooks/optimum-anabolics-review.htm To learn more about "Optimum Anabolics" directly from Jeff Anderson, click the following link: http://www.fitstep.com/goto/optimum-anabolics.htm

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Training Equipment Review - Power Hooks These unique hooks claim to have the ability to instantly increase the amount of weight you can handle with the dumbell bench press and allow you to build bench press strength faster. Is it fact or fiction?

One of the most challenging aspects of the dumbell bench press is not actually doing the exercise itself but getting the dumbells into position to start the exercise. This may not be so hard when you're using lighter dumbells but when you start getting into relatively heavy weights, getting the dumbells up off the floor and into position can be quite a challenge. This is doubly true on the incline dumbell press (anybody who has ever picked up two 120 pound dumbells off the floor and straight up into the incline press position can vouch for that!).

When you're using heavy weights, you need all the strength you've got. You don't want to use it up just getting ready to start the exercise! That's where Power Hooks come in.

Power Hooks are very simple in concept and elegant in design. They are basically double hooks (similar to an "S" shape) that you attach directly to your dumbells that allow you to hang your dumbells from a bar in the start position of the pressing exercise. This means you don't have to clean and jerk the dumbells up into position yourself. There are two strong bottom hooks that cradle the dumbell, which is secured with thick Velcro straps. The large top hook goes over top of the barbell or bar that you're hanging the dumbell from.

To use the Power Hooks, once the dumbells are secured into the hooks, you lift the dumbells up and hook the large hooks over the bar you're using (the hooks stay attached to the dumbells while you're doing the movement). Lay down on the bench, set your hands on the dumbells, push the dumbells forward and out a little then lift and unhook the Hooks. When you're done with the set, simply rehook the Hooks and lower the weights.

The Benefits:

1. Power Hooks allow you to start the exercise immediately, without having to get the dumbells into position from off the floor or having somebody hand them to you. This saves you energy and power so you have more strength available for the exercise itself.

In the short term, this means you'll be able to perform more reps with more weight. In the long term, it means you'll be able to make much better progress in the dumbell bench press because you'll be able to lift more weight for more reps during your sets (this will also carry over to barbell bench press strength as well).

2. Because the Power Hooks allow you to start the exercise without having to get the dumbells into position yourself, you will prevent possible injuries that can happen as a result of getting those dumbells into position.

It's not easy getting extremely heavy dumbells into position for dumbell exercises. It places unbalanced loads on your body and the momentum that can be generated when you're moving the dumbells around to get them into position can result in muscle pulls or connective tissue injuries. The dumbell press exercise itself is much safer compared to some of the tricks people use to get the dumbells into position.

With the hooks, you completely remove that injury potential.

3. Starting from the top of the bench press movement allows you to pre-load your muscles for a more powerful start. Here's what I mean...when you do a barbell bench press, you don't start your first rep from the bottom with the bar on your chest. You start with the bar at the top. This allows your muscles to develop elastic tension as you lower the bar and release it as you come back up, making for a more powerful exercise.

When you do the typical dumbell press, the position you end up in when you get the dumbells into position is at the bottom. You have no elastic tension in the muscles and it can be much harder to get the weights into position to start your set. You've essentially set yourself back right from the start.

With the hooks, you start just as you would with a barbell bench press - from the top position. It's a stronger position to start in and results in a more effective loading of the muscles.

The Drawbacks:

1. While being relatively simple to attach to the dumbell handles (it's just a matter of placing the handle on the hooks and wrapping the Velcro around), it does require some set-up to use in practice. I set the hooks up in my power rack and, at first, it took me a few tries to get the height of the bar right so that I could easily hook and unhook at the start and end of the exercise.

When using the bar on a regular bench press, however, the instructions tell you to simply push the dumbells around in an arc until you can just lift the hooks off. It takes a bit of practice to get good at hooking and unhooking - definitely start with lighter weights to get the idea of how it works and how the dumbells move and feel in your hands with the hooks attached to them. The strap and metal bar used to secure the dumbell to the hooks can feel a little awkward in your hands at first but you will get used to the feel very quickly.

2. When pressing, I found the hooks occasionally contacted the bar that I had set up to hang them on. This gets much less frequent as you become more accustomed to using the Power Hooks, however, but when it does happen, it can throw off your rhythm and distract you. It's a minimal drawback that can be solved by practicing how to best use the hooks and position yourself on the bench.

3. It's difficult to use the hooks with any Swiss Ball pressing exercises. The reason is not because the hooks make the exercise any more unstable...it's that because the ball is inflatable, when you try to unhook the dumbells and lift them off the bar, you sink down into the ball! This effect is really pronounced when using very heavy dumbells, making it difficult to get the dumbells into position. It can certainly be done, but you will need to account for the sinking of the ball and your position on it underneath the bar to be sure you'll be able to get the dumbells rehooked when you're done.

Conclusion:

In my experience with the Power Hooks, I've found them to be an extremely valuable training tool for more efficient dumbell pressing. They are especially useful when you're using very heavy weights, when you're doing incline or seated dumbell presses (for shoulders) and for workouts that have short rest periods (you don't want to spend your rest time hoisting dumbells back into position).

I would say the Power Hooks definitely live up to their claim of allowing you to get more reps and use more weight in your dumbell pressing, especially over the course of several sets as your muscles begin to fatigue. The hooks allow you focus your energy on the exercise rather than on expending it trying to get the dumbells into position to start.

They're safe and effective and, while they do have minimal drawbacks, don't let any of those stand in your way of trying out these very useful training tools. They're a definite "thumbs up!"

To view pictures of Power Hooks in action, please click on the following link:

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue34-hooks.htm

To learn more about Power Hooks and to get a pair for yourself, please use the following link:

http://www.fitstep.com/goto/power-hooks.htm

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What is the Glycemic Index? By Gary Matthews Learn all about the Glycemic Index, how to chart the foods you eat and how you can use this information to increase fat burning and improve your health.

Over the last 30 years, research into food and blood glucose response has completely changed our carbohydrate classification system.

It has been learned that it is impossible to predict the impact on blood glucose levels by certain foods, instead people are fed carbohydrate foods and the response measured.

This response is known as the Glycemic Index (GI). It is a measure of how quickly carbohydrate foods are digested and absorbed, and ranks carbohydrate foods according to their impact on blood sugar (glucose) levels, as indicted by elevated blood glucose.

Foods with a high GI are absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. While foods with a low GI are broken down more slowly over time and keep blood glucose levels more stable (remember that low is slow!).

Some carbohydrate foods will maintain your energy levels for hours, while some may cause your blood glucose to rise and fall. Different types of carbohydrate can also affect feelings of fullness in the stomach and this can influence hunger and your ability to control your body weight.

Why is the GI important?

When our blood glucose levels are stable we have plenty of readily available fuel for the brain and muscles. If our blood glucose levels drop too low (hypoglycaemia) we feel tired, dizzy and generally unwell. If our blood glucose levels rise too quickly a rapid drop usually follows this.

Include low glycemic index foods in meals and snacks to slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream. A low glycemic index snack a few hours before exercise will help maintain your energy levels for more effective training.

After high intensity exercise (strength training) a high glycemic index snack should be consumed within 30 minutes. This will help to replace energy and start the recovery process.

Low-GI foods take longer to digest and help delay hunger pangs that little bit more and thus promote weight loss. So please choose your carbs carefully as this will lower your insulin levels and burn more fat. The secret is to swap high GI foods with low GI foods.

Simple Steps to a Low GI Diet

Step No. 1

Start with a healthy, well balanced and varied diet based on a good nutrition program. The diet should be low in fats, moderate in carbohydrate and protein. The program should be high in fibre and contain a varied amount of foods to provide the required amount of vitamins and minerals.

Step No. 2

Look at the type of carbohydrates that you consume during the day. Look at the carbs that you eat the most, as these will have the most dramatic impact on your diet.

Try to change the carbs you eat the most with at least one low GI one (replace potato with sweet potato, use noodles instead of rice). By substituting half of your daily carbohydrate from high GI to low GI will result in an overall reduction in the GI of your diet.

Reducing the GI in your diet reduces your insulin levels and increases the fat burning apparatus in your body. Try to reduce the high GI's in your diet by substituting them with low GI's.

Regular consumption of low GI foods increases the feelings of fullness and satisfaction and so prevents weight gain. Try taking in six small meals a day of healthy low fat low GI foods to prevent overeating at meal times and control appetite.

Remember, that it is also important to look at the calories in food too. Rice and bread might be low in fat but when your body is burning the carbohydrates in these foods, it doesn't burn as much fat. So if you are on a low fat diet, you wont lose as much weight if your calories are still high.

Have a look at the numbers below for the different GI food ratings.

Low GI (<50)

Grapefruit (26)
Baked Beans (15)
Lentils (29)
Peanuts (13)
Soy Beans (15)

Medium GI (50-70)

Pineapple (66)
Raisins (64)
Sweet corn (59)
Potato Chips (51)
All bran (51)

High GI (70>)

Cornflakes (80)
W/M Bread (72)
Brown Rice (80)
Carrots (92)
Baked Potato (98)

Compare these two menus and try to adjust your diet accordingly.

High GI Menu

Breakfast: 40 Grams of cornflakes with milk. Two slices of whole meal toast with margarine and jam.

Snack: Two sweet biscuits with a white coffee.

Lunch: Ham and salad whole meal Roll with an apple.

Snack: Four crackers with cottage cheese and chives

Main Meal: Serving of Roast chicken with a large baked potato and peas. Small piece of cake.

Low GI Menu

Breakfast: 40 Grams of bran with low fat milk. Two slices of low GI toast (Try Burgen) with margarine and jam.

Snack: Two oatmeal biscuits with a coffee (Low fat milk).

Lunch: Ham and salad Roll (Low GI bread). Soft-serve vanilla yoghurt with toasted muesli sprinkled on top.

Snack: Two bananas.

Main Meal: Serving of Roast chicken with a small baked potato and peas. Two scoops of low fat ice cream with half a cup of canned peaches.

Chicken, beef, fish, eggs, nuts, and avocados contain very little or no carbohydrates. These foods if eaten by themselves will not have much effect on your glucose levels and are very low GI. Alcoholic beverages especially wine are also low GI so can be included in your diet but remember to count them in your daily caloric intake.

Low GI foods are ideal for losing weight due to the slow absorption from the stomach. Low GI foods also help to keep blood sugar levels more stable and this has an effect on reducing sweet cravings.

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Gary Matthews has been a gym instructor for over twenty years. He has trained people from athletes to bodybuilders. His professional career began in the Royal Australian Air Force where he was employed as a Fitness Instructor. His duties consisted of training recruits in various disciplines including strength training and conditioning techniques.

This trainer from "down under" believes in using scientific principles for training. Gary says that "as in life, in training: the simplest is always the best." He believes in strength training programs that are short and simple, but with maximum intensity.

Gary is the author of several ebooks, including "Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks" - the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and "Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks" - easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to "live in the gym".

Visit Gary's website by clicking the following link:

http://www.fitstep.com/goto/maximum-fitness.htm

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