Grow That Muscle: Build A Quality Body

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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
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Best Bodybuilding Books You’re Missing Out On

It’s 2020 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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ZMA Benefits: Get Better Gains

There are a million different supplements you can buy that will claim will help you get more gains or help you lose fat. Most of the claims are pulled straight from someone’s rear end but the one supplement that lives up to the hype is ZMA. I’ve never gotten such good sleep and better performance in the gym with a single supplement. The benefits of ZMA are real too.

Sleep is such a crucial aspect of muscle growth, and without quality sleep, you could be losing out on gains. Think about it: sleep is the time for your body to recover and actually grow. And if you have crappy sleep, what do you think that does to the recovery aspect? You’re missing out on muscle growth. In the article, I’ll speak about the benefits of ZMA and why you should add it to your supplement regime.

What Does ZMA Do?

ZMA is an organic mineral supplement that comprises zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. In ZMA supplements, zinc supplementation occurs in form of zinc monomethionine aspartate, magnesium occurs in form of magnesium aspartate, and vitamin B6 in form of pyridoxine hydrochloride.

ZMA benefits

The traditional formula consists of 30 mg zinc monomethionine and aspartate, 450 mg of magnesium aspartate and 10.5 mg of pyridoxine hydrochloride. However, some manufacturers might choose to alter the composition of the aforementioned nutrients by adding some other ingredients. All components of the blend are essential in biological processes, numerous studies have proven that a vast majority of Americans have enough stores of zinc and B6 but about half of the population do not meet the daily recommended intakes of magnesium.

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Your Guide To Upper Body Bodyweight Exercises: Grow Without Equipment

You’re at home with no equipment and you want to work out; what do you do? No matter where you are, bodyweight workouts are your best friend. Today  I’ll go over the best upper body bodyweight exercises so you can still get a pump in when you’re away from the gym.

Bodyweight exercises also can be classified as callisthenics, are exercises that use your own bodyweight. Meaning no external equipment, just you and your limbs. While you’re not going to look like Arnold after doing a few sets of dips, it’s still going to stimulate your muscles.

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What are Rack Pulls and How Effective Are They? Gain Back Mass

Lower back exercises are constantly neglected, so you end up with a weak back because you don’t do any. How do you fix it? Rack pulls are the answer.

What The Hell Are Rack Pulls?

You’ve probably seen guys do rack pulls at the gym but you may have thought they were doing barbells rows funny. I don’t find it’s a very popular exercise in of itself, but it’s definitely effective.

In short, rack pulls are a modified deadlift with a limited range of motion.

Rack pulls are performed in a rack (duh). The bar is set on the safety guides at about knee height, depending on how deep you want the range of motion.

Rack pulls are effective at really working your lower back since you’re not limited by leg strength like deadlifts. This way you can target your lower optimally, without relying on your quads or hamstrings.

How Are Rack Pulls Different Than Deadlifts?

When you deadlift, whatever grip it may be, the bar is set on the ground. In some instances, you can step on a platform or plate to increase the range of motion of the deadlift.

As you straighten up with a deadlift you metaphorically push your feet through the floor, using the strength of your legs and back to raise the weight.

Now for rack pulls, the barbell is resting on the safety guides of the rack. For most, the safety is set to around knee height. If it’s too low, you’re just doing a deadlift and if it’s too high, the range of motion will be too short.

Just like a deadlift, you want to hinge your hips as you complete the exercise. Since your legs will be left out of the equation, your lower back will be constantly worked during the exercise.

Since the range of motion is shortened, you can overload the weight on rack pulls. Having said that, if you have a sensitive or weak lower back, this will be the last thing you want to do. Warm-up with a lighter exercise such as hyperextensions, with or without additional weight, before you jump into rack pulls. This will reduce the chance of injury by literally warming up the muscle.

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