FOR ALL TO SEE

232. FOR ALL TO SEE If your calves are weak and you need incentive to train them, try a tip from seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger. Early in his career Arnold had weak calves and a lazy attitude about training them. To kick himself in the ass, he cut the lower legs off his sweat pants so his calves were always on display. Because of negative comments from others and his own dissatisfaction with how they looked, Arnold made calf training a priority.

CALF STRETCHING

231. CALF STRETCHING Cair training is as much about stretching as it is about lifting weights. Perhaps no other muscle group relies as much on extending its range of motion as the calf. As you are resting between sets, stand on a high block of wood (or the calf machine's foot block) and practice stretching your heels as far down as possible. The more flexible your calf and associated Achilles' tendon, the greater your range of motion when you perform calf raises. The end result is greater calf development.

EXPERIMENT WITH FOOT STANCE AND WIDTH

230-EXPERIMENT WITH FOOT STANCE AND WIDTH As you perform toe presses, try experimenting with different stances. Try both wider and narrower than shoulder width. Try toes turned in, forward, and out. Each different angle hits a different part of the calf. When the toes are pointing out at "ten to two" the inside of the calf is worked. The outside is stressed when the toes are pointing in.

TOE PRESSES ON LEG PRESS

229 TOE PRESSES ON LEG PRESS
This exercise is an example of using a machine for an exercise other than the one it was designed for. Sit down in the leg press machine and place your toes on the bottom edge of the pressing platform. Instead of moving the platform by bending at the knees and using your thighs, you flex at the ankle and use your calves. As with standing calf raises, go for the maximum stretch at the top and bottom of the exercise. The primary advantage of this exercise is that you don't have hundreds of pounds placed across your shoulders as you do with the standing calf raise.

CALF INDUCED SHOULDER RASH

228. CALF INDUCED SHOULDER RASH? Don't be shoulder avoid this alarmed if you discover a slight rash on each the day after you do standing calf raises. In simple terms, the combination of pressure and thinness of the skin in the shoulder region causes the breakage of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. It will clear up within a day or two. Adding two sponge rubber pads under the pad may help you problem.

PREACHER CURLS

224-PREACHER CURLS
Preacher curls (also called Scott curls after bodybuilding/s first Mr Olympia, Larry Scott) are another basic biceps builder. They are especially effective at working the lower biceps and filling in the gap between the upper forearms and tower biceps. Start by sitting on the stool or bench attached to the preacher board (a padded board angled at approximately 45 degrees). Raise or lower the seat so the preacher board fits snug under your armpits. Reach forward and lift the barbel! off the rack (most preacher benches have an attached barbel! rack) or have a training partner pass you the barbetl. Curl the bar up until your forearms are parallel with the floor. Slowly lower back down until your arms are just short of locked out. Do not bounce at the bottom of the exercise. Many bodybuilders have torn their biceps tendon doing just that. Once you tear a biceps tendon your only option is surgery, and 100 percent correction is unlikely

DO THE TWIST

223. DO THE TWIST The biceps perform three functions. In addition to the familiar raising of the forearm and as a secondary muscle in raising the arm from the shoulder, biceps also rotate the forearm. You can make alternate ctumbell curls more effective by twisting the dumbells from an inward to outward position as you raise them. Twisting the dumbells as you lift and lower (called supination) stimulates the biceps over their full range of motion.

STANDING BARBELL CURL

221- STANDING BARBELL CURL Considered one of, if not the best biceps exercises, barbell curls are also one of the easiest to perform. Grab a short straight bar with a shoulder-width or slightly wider grip. Slowly curl the bar up until the forearms are at about a 45-degree angle with the horizontal (about 8-10 inches from the shoulders). Lower the bar back down to within a couple of inches of your thighs. Don't swing the body in an attempt to lift a few extra pounds. The only thing moving should be your forearms. Experiment with the EZ-curl bar as well. You probably won't find much difference to your biceps but there may be a big difference to your wrists.

STRAIGHT OR E Z BAR

220- STRAIGHT OR E Z BAR? For variety, try experimenting with straight and EZ-curl bars when doing narrow presses. Many bodybuilders find straight bars stressful on the wrists. On the other hand others have discovered that straight bars seem to target the triceps more effectively. See which one is least stressful and most effective for you.

NARROW PRESSES

219. NARROW PRESSES Narrow presses are another staple exercise for packing mass and strength onto the triceps. The exercise is performed much like standard barbell presses for the chest, with the exception that the grip is much narrower - only about 10 to 12 inches apart. As you press the bar upwards, concentrate on pushing with the triceps and not the chest and shoulders.

DIP NOT ROCK!

218. DIP, NOT ROCK! When performing bench dips, make sure the benches you are resting your feet and hands on are stable. Either use benches with a wide base, or place some weight plates or dumbells on the base ends. Even though it rarely happens, there is the risk of one of the benches tipping over in the middle of your set. You can probably guess the damage this will cause if you are dipping with two or three plates resting on your lap

BENCH DIPS

217.BENCHDIPS While dips are usually performed as a chest exercise, with modification they can be an excellent triceps exercise. Instead of performing the movement on dipping bars, arrange two benches so that they are about four feet apart and parallel to one another. Position yourself between the benches so that your heels are barely resting on one bench and your hands are resting on the other (fingers facing forward). With the knees slightly bent, slowly lower your body between the benches until your butt is about a foot off the floor (your upper arms will be approximately parallel with the floor at this point). Return to the starting position by straightening the arms. Resist the urge to bounce at the bottom of the exercise, as this places tremendous stress on the elbow, wrist, and shoulder joints. Need more weight? You can rest a plate or two on your lap, or hold a dumbell between your legs.

DUMBELL EXTENSIONS

216- DUMBELL EXTENSIONS
While sitting on a flat bench (or better still, one that has some sort of vertical back support), grab a dumbell and lower it behind the head, trying to keep the elbow pointed at the ceiling. You may need to reach across the front of the body with the free hand for balance and support. Some bodybuilders prefer to do this exercise with both hands at once. In this case grab the dumbell as if you were about to volley a votleyball (i.e. the fingers pointing backwards and the palms facing the ceiling). The advantages of using two hands at once are that it saves time and it keeps you balanced (as opposed to one-arm extensions, for which you hold a weight on one side).

INCLINE OR DECLINE EZ-BAR

215. INCLINE OR DECLINE EZ-BAR
For variety try doing your EZ-bar extensions on e decline or incline bench. You'll find that decline extensions target more of the upper triceps, while inclines bring in more of the lower triceps.

LYING EZ BAR EXTENSION

214. LYING EZ BAR EXTENSION
This exercise is another great one for adding masr to the triceps muscles. With an EZ-curl bar placeo on the edge of a bench, lie back and grab the bar with a narrow (10 to 12 inches) grip. Raise the bar above your forehead, and with the upper arm locked vertical with the floor, lower the bar to the forehead by bending at the elbows. There should be little or no upper-arm movement. The popular nickname for this exercise is skullcrushers, but we strongly urge you to avoid actually crushing your skull!

FRENCH PRESSES

213. FRENCH PRESSES One of the best exercises for adding mass to the triceps, French presses have been performed successfully by bodybuilders for years. Although you can use just about any type of bar, most bodybuilders find the EZ-bar less stressful on the wrists and elbows. The key to this exercise is to keep the upper arms locked in position and elbows pointing at the ceiling. The only thing that should be moving is your forearms.

TRICEPS PUSHDOWNS

212. TRICEPS PUSHDOWNS Pushdowns are one of the best exercises for targeting the triceps muscles. You will need to use your gym's cable pushcfown for this exercise. Grab the attachment with the palms facing downwards, hands about shoulder width apart. With the elbows held firmly against the torso, push downwards until the arms are locked out. Slowly raise the attachment back up to about chest level. For variety you can use different attachments. They probably won't make much difference to your triceps but they may make a big difference to your wrists.

LATERAL RAISES

211. LATERAL RAISES [ALSO CALLED SIDE RAISES] Side raises are probably the best exercise for widening the shoulders because they add size to the medial (side) shoulder. With both the elbows and
knees siightly bent, raise a set of dumbells outwards and upwards, until the arms are parallel with the floor. Slowly lower the dumbells down so that they meet in front of the body. The palms should be facing together at the bottom of the exercise. Resist the urge to swing the body as you lift the dumbells. This adds stress to the lower back and lessens the effectiveness of the exercise.

A SLIGHT TILT

210. A SLIGHT TILT To reduce the pressure on the rotator cuff when doing dumbell presses, set the angle of the adjustable bench at about 80 degrees. If you don't have access to an adjustable bench, keep your butt slightly forward on the vertical bench and lean slightly backwards.

DUMBELL PRESSES

209. DUMBELL PRESSES
As with flat barbel! and dumbell presses for chest, you can substitute dumbells for a barbell when working shoulders. Sit down in a chair with some sort of back support and raise a pair of dumbells to shoulder height so that the palms are facing forward. Press the dumbells upwards and inwards so that they touch above the forehead. For variety you can alternate pressing the dumbells. As with front barbell presses, dumbell presses primarily target the front and side shoulders.