Grow That Muscle: Build A Quality Body

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Best Stretches To Warm Up Your Chest Before A Workout

Stretching before working out has proven performance results and that’s something you should do before working out.

…..but most people don’t warm up and jump right in. Injury prevention should be #1 when you’re lifting. Since if you injure yourself, you can’t lift. Seems pretty straight forward.

In this article I’m going to go over stretches that are best performed before your chest workout to get the best out of it.

What’s Involved With Chest Pressing?

Let’s break the topic down, which will then funnell into the individual stretches.

During chest pressing movements (eg bench press, dumbbell etc press), several muscles are used simultaneously, namely your pectorals (chest, duh), triceps, and deltoids (shoulders).

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Basketball-sized Shoulders: Here’s how to get ’em

So, you want boulder shoulders huh? You press, you flail, you lateral raise and still nothing. “Where’s my shoulders??” you scream. You want bigger, boulder shoulders? This is your guide to bigger and wider shoulders with the best shoulder workouts. Keep reading.

Let’s take it back to basics.

Your shoulder is comprised of 3 “heads”. Just like your triceps have three, and biceps two, you shoulder has three different heads. There’s the front delt (used in many pressing movements), side or lateral delt (used in lateral raises) and the rear delt (used in many back exercises).

Shoulder muscle anatomy

Best Shoulder Exercises

Barbell Shoulder Press

Oh baby. Nothing else makes you feel like a monster than lifting some heavy-ass weight over your head.

The barbell shoulder press is a mass-building exercise that you need in your program if you want big shoulders. Nothing says “that guy lifts” than huge basketball-sized shoulders.

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Effective Workouts for Seniors and Older Adults

Age is just a number, isn’t it? As you age, your joints and muscles become more brittle and more prone to injury. What’s the best course of action? Exercise of course! Exercise (and movement in general) will help lubricate your joints and help with joint-related pain.

As you age, cartilage naturally deteriorates. Bone mass also decreases, increasing the risk of breakage. It’s a natural process of life that happens to all adults as they age. Muscle mass decreases which also results in reduced strength.

In this article I’ll go over the common issues you’ll have as you age and the best workouts to help improve mobility and overall strength. Just because you’re aging doesn’t mean you have to feel like it either!

What is cartilage and why do I care?

Cartilage is the connection tissue used for joints. Without cartilage, your joints would be bone to bone and be very painful. Cartilage is made up of synovial fluid and water.

As you add load to a joint (let’s say your knees during a back squat), the fluid stored within cartilage is redistributed as to cushion the weight (as you lower and raise the barbell). This helps “soften the blow” and allows more fluid (hehe) movement.

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Best Bodybuilding Books You’re Missing Out On

It’s 2019 and not many people read books, nevermind books about bodybuilding. There’s so much information out there that people don’t take advantage of. There’s a million Bodybuilding.com articles about chest exercises, but how many books have they published? If you’re not reading books, you’re missing out on golden era information. Solidified pillars of information about bodybuilding have stood the test of time.

News Flash! Human musculature hasn’t changed in the last 50 years, so fortunately bicep curls still work your biceps. You don’t need the latest workouts from Mens Health magazines. Back workouts haven’t changed much, just pick up some heavy weight and row it.

Today I’m going to go over the best bodybuilding books money can buy right now so YOU can benefit the most and build a quality body.

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding: The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised

Okay, if you haven’t heard of this book then you must have been living underneath a rock.

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Cannabis And Bodybuilding: What You Need To Know

With many states and provinces legalizing the consumption of cannabis (marijuana), the rise of use among bodybuilders and casual gym goers is increasing. There’s less social stigma around use because of research showing positive benefits of cannabis use. Certain extracts of the plant, such as CBD oil, helps treat chronic pain, lowers chronic pain and can allow you to sleep much easier.

Marijuana isn’t the scary substance it was made out to be, and for the casual bodybuilders out there, it’s a fantastic tool and alternative to many medications.

We all remember that scene in Pumping Iron where Arnold Schwarzenegger is smoking a joint and eating fried chicken.

Arnold Schwarzenegger smoking a marijuana joint in Pumping Iron
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