Playing around with how you execute your sets for a particular exercise can play a major role in taxing your muscles to their limits. The following are some weight training tips you can use in the gym to pulverize a muscle group and force it achieve muscle fatigue (therefore, progressive overload).

1) Super Sets – a super set is a combination of exercises done one after another without rest. There are 2 ways you can go about doing a super set:

a) Same muscle group – if you’re doing chest, for example, you can super set chest flyes with push ups. In this scenario, you’d perform a set of flyes and immediately follow it up with a set of push ups. Only after this would be completed, you would take a rest.

b) Opposite muscle group – arms are often a favorite for what is known as an antagonistic super set. In this scenario, you would perform a bicep exercise and follow it up with a tricep exercise immediately after. Only after this would be completed, you would take a rest.

2) Drop Set – these are usually saved towards the end of an exercise. Let’s say you’re doing 4 sets of bench press. After you have finished 3 sets, you would perform the 4th set, and instead of finishing that particular exercise, you would drop some of the weight, and push out as much reps as you can. Once you are done, you would drop some more weight, and do it again. Drop sets are very intense, and for best results make sure the weights you are using are combined in small increments (25s, 10s, 5s) instead of large weights (45s) because you don’t want to stand there changing the weights for a minute (as that defeats the purpose of a drop set).

3) Pause Reps – let’s say you’re doing bicep curls, instead of doing your set in  a regular fashion (with emphasis on the Mind-Muscle Connection!), you would perform each rep with a pause in the middle. In this scenario, you’d be curling the weight up half-way, holding the weight with your bicep for a couple seconds, and then finishing the rep up top. This is a way of increasing time under tension, a critical aspect of progressive overload much often overlooked (with everybody swinging the weight wildly, minimizing the benefits).

4) Triple Rep Set – using the same bicep curl example, this is often referred to as a “21″. In this scenario, you’d perform 7 reps half-way up, 7 reps half-way down, and 7 full reps to finish the set. Of course, it doesn’t have to be 7. You can do a 15, or even a 30. That’s up to you.

5) Negatives

All of these weight training tips are a great way to play around with how you hit a particular muscle group in the gym. They’re creative, provide a muscle group with a different angle of resistance, and help make sure that you reach that much desired muscle fatigue. Furthermore, these are things that can be thrown in at the end of a particular exercise, or used as the primary basis for performing an exercise (3 sets of only negatives, for example). Get fancy, it’s up to you. For more on what matters in the gym, visit our Gain Muscle article. Good luck!

1.) Grilled Meats – grilled chicken, grilled burgers, grilled steak. These are the staple meats you want to focus on as healthy food choices when eating to lose weight because they don’t come with the extra calories of breaded varieties and aren’t fried in oils. I don’t like to making sweeping generalizations, but if it is grilled you should most likely choose it over your other options. This is especially relevant when it comes to the meat department.

2.) Vegetables – what’s new, right? Ever since we were kids it’s always been about the broccoli. Nothing has changed, vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals and contain fiber that keeps you feeling more full for a longer period of time. Since the end result is always the amount of calories you wind up eating, this can be a great option.

3.) Brown Rice – the caloric difference between white and brown rice is negligible. However, since we’re focused on healthy foods to eat to lose weight, brown rice not only keeps you more satiated for longer (just like the veggies) but it is not as processed as its white rice counterpart. Complex carbohydrates help you eat less overall, because they take longer to digest.

4.) Wheat Bread – almost identical story to the brown vs. white rice match up above. Again with the generalizations, but when in doubt go with the complex carbohydrate version of the food. Processed (simple carb) foods fly right through your stomach, even if you eat a solid amount. As a result, you’ll wind up reaching for a snack an hour or two after when you could’ve still been satisfied.

5.) Fish in a can – tuna, salmon. Rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and a lean source of protein (much like the grilled meats). Low in calories, high in the essentials. One of the best foods available.

6.) Eggs – scrambled, boiled. Eggs are an amazing source of protein (arguably the best) and the yolks contain a variety of fat-soluble vitamins that boost your immune system and keep your teeth, bones, and skin healthy (Zinc, anyone?). The common myth that eating egg yolks is bad for you is simply not true, they do not raise bad cholesterol (LDL).

7.) Peanuts – best snack ever? Well, if we’re trying to fit it into our group of healthy foods to eat to lose weight, you bet! High in vitamins and minerals, this snack is rather high in calories but incorporated into your day in moderation they can keep the hunger away. If you’re going to eat some peanuts and survive before your next meal, it’s a better alternative to grabbing some processed snacks, no? Take a look into our Sugar Snap Peas article, for another great snack or “dessert” (if we can call it that).

8.) Beans – fantastic addition to any meal, whether it be a salad, soup, or mash up you’re making. Protein, fiber, low calorie. What more can you want? You get the best bang for your buck here.

9.) Potatoes – the best for last? Quite possibly. Potatoes are complex carbohydrates that aren’t part of the most popular dinners for no reason. Solid fiber content, while having almost every nutrient in the book. These will keep your stomach happy for a much longer time than french fries.

Although this list has certainly not been exhausted, these healthy foods are all top choices for a diet that stresses staying on the healthy side while attempting to lose weight. Remember, losing weight isn’t necessarily about eating healthy. Losing weight is based on the total amount of calories you take in per day vs. the amount you require to stay at the weight you are currently at (maintenance). One can certainly stray away from eating healthy foods and continue losing weight, what matter is managing the total caloric intake for the day. To learn more about this entire concept, check out Clean Food Bad Food.

As always, it is important to note that there is a difference between losing fat and losing weight. For most people the two terms are interchangeable, but when it comes to dealing with body composition and how you ultimately wind up looking they are not one in the same. Lose Weight Lose Fat discusses this difference in great detail. As a summary for our purposes here, however, losing weight involves both fat + muscle loss, unlike focus solely on fat loss. This ultimately plays a role in how your body looks when it is slimmer, and since the purpose for most people is to look more fit in the end, focusing on fat loss is ideal (keep in mind, when you’re dropping fat you’re still dropping weight – the difference is that the weight loss is almost entirely fat loss while your muscles are spared, resulting in a much more fit physique).

As a final tip on the subject of healthy foods to eat to lose weight, make sure that a solid chunk of your total caloric intake is made up of protein. There is a reason a good amount of the foods listed were high in protein, because protein not only spares muscle when you’re eating below your maintenance (so you can focus on fat loss) but it also is a diuretic that can help make you appear leaner as it keeps your water weight amounts on the lower end of the spectrum. For information on how weight loss can be easier than you think, visit our Easy Ways to Lose Weight article. Good luck!

Diet:

There’s certain foods you should be eating, and certain other things you should avoid. These are not things that you should carve your eating habits out of, but they certainly should be a staple in your diet. Eat the right things, and over time the testosterone will have no choice but to level up.

1. Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts – 2 servings a day of these veggies and pesky estrogen will start to dip. Estrogen is the female hormone, the more of it you have, the more it interferes with testosterone. These foods, along with radishes, help decrease estrogen in the body.

2. Red Meat – steak time. Feast like a king, specifically on red meats. Of course, don’t go too crazy as basing all your meat choices on red meat might not be the brightest idea long term (high amounts are related to heart disease). Nonetheless, within your meat menu, include a mix of red meats as they are a great way to boost testosterone production.

3. Nuts – nuts contain monounsaturated fat, which has been hypothesized to have a direct effect on the testes. There’s good fats, and bad fats. Learn what they are, and focus on eating things high in the good fats (such as nuts) in order to increase testosterone. These are especially great to much on as snacks in between meals. To add, lower your carbohydrate intake and increase your fat intake. A diet high in fat and protein has been shown to provide a boost in testosterone over time. Dietary fat is necessary for the production of testosterone, if that doesn’t tell you something I’m not sure what will. Aim for at least 30% fat in your diet. To add, carbohydrates aren’t the only macro-nutrient that can give you energy, fats serve the function well. You’d be surprised. Check out our Fats for Preworkout? article for more information.

4. Celery, Oysters, Avocado – need something to snack on to compliment those nuts? Eating these three foods has been shown to aid in testosterone production as well. Oysters are especially great because they are rich in zinc. Munching on these throughout the day certainly won’t hurt.

5. Onion Juice – although the study was done on rats, there’s something important to note here. At .5grams per 1kg of bodyweight, after 20 days the rats had improved sperm quality and an increased concentration of testosterone in the blood (tripled!). That’s a decent amount of onions to be juicing down each day, but those mega-results are worth something.

Tip: Try not to obtain your protein sources from soy. Consistent soy protein has been shown to lead to an increase in estrogen, the exact opposite of what we’re aiming here for. It’s fine to have soy protein here and there if it’s in a food, but do not make it a staple.

Supplements:

There’s some essential supplements that you should be taking to increase testosterone levels naturally. You’ll hear about many “placebo” pills that claim to do a great job, however, only a few particular supplements are actually worth a penny. Let’s highlight the two that have been shown to actually work, and work very well.

1. Zinc - zinc is essential to sexual function. It is necessary for the production of testosterone. Among other things, stress and caffeine consumption increase the need for zinc supplementation. It’s pretty hard to get an effective amount through diet, which is why it’s here in the supplements section. Aim for 30-60mg per day, always after food (to avoid stomach discomfort). Buy L-OptiZinc to get the type of zinc that is most easily digested and absorbed by the body. You want as much of those doses being used by the body as possible.

2. Vitamin D-3 - besides maintaining muscle strength and bone density, Vitamin D3 (specifically, D3) boosts testosterone levels. In a study done in Australia, the more Vitamin D3 men supplemented with, the higher their testosterone was. Now, don’t get carried away here. Limit your Vitamin D3 intake to 10-15,000UI. Grab Vitamin D3 pills that are 5,000UI strength. Just a couple a day can do wonders, especially coupled with Zinc.

Activities: 

Boosting testosterone levels isn’t simply about diet and supplements, your daily lifestyle plays an important role in how much testosterone is roaming around in your body. Here’s some things to keep in mind:

1) Rest well – it is essential that you allow your body at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Depriving yourself of proper recovery will not only hinder your results in the gym by not allowing your body to recover and grow, but can cause a dip in your testosterone levels. Well rested means well tested.

2) Focus On Big Compound Lifts – that set of dumbbell curls isn’t going to help your testosterone levels. Instead, do exercises that hit multiple muscle groups at once and should be a staple in any training regimen. Ever notice how you get hornier after a monstrous leg workout? If not, get on it. Exercises to focus on include: bench press, overhead shoulder press, squat, lunge, deadlift. The effects of these tough exercises might be short lived, but a spike is better than nothing, especially if repeated often.

3) Don’t Pet the Monkey Around Workout Times – yeah, I think you know what I mean. There’s a study around that measured testosterone levels over a few hours after the deed was done. Levels were alright up to 1 hour after, but started dropping 80-140 minutes later. Save it for later on. If testosterone might decrease for a short period of time, we certainly don’t want it around workout time.

4. Alcohol Consumption – remember that talk about estrogen? Yeah, alcohol certainly doesn’t help as it increases estrogen levels. Binge drinking has been shown to decrease testosterone levels pretty noticeably. If your’e going out, have fun, but keep it within limits. Check out our Alcohol and Fitness article on how you can reconcile the two without impeding your results.

A natural increase in testosterone is not something that will happen over night. Keep in mind that all of these changes take time to bring about any type of result. You’re not looking for a way to boost testosterone that you have to struggle to maintain in order for it to continue “working”. These are things you should, if you aren’t already, include in your diet and daily lifestyle simply as part of your every day habit. There’s no magic pills, or magic foods you can eat to increase testosterone. It is, instead, the culmination of the things outlined above that can help you get the most out of what your body has to offer. Implement what you’ve learned, and with time you won’t be disappointed. Good Luck!

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Ingredients:
2 pounds of no fat cream cheese
4 large eggs (whole)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 ounce (half cup) milk (low fat, no carb)
1 cup cooking splenda (sucralose)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Using No Fat cooking spray, spray 9 inch pie pan
Mix the ingredients using an electric blender in a large bowl
Pour the mixture into the pre-greased pan
Heat at 350 degrees for about 40-50 minutes
Remove from the oven and place it in refrigerator

This is not mentioned in the video, however:

You must let it sit at least 4-5 hours in the fridge if you want the protein cheesecake to come out well.

Tip: If you add protein powder to the mix, you’ll obviously have even more protein. Good Luck!

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The biggest component of those vouching for diet soda is the fact that it is indeed a calorie-free drink. On that basis alone, it can help many people avoid taking in extra calories throughout the day, possibly halting weight gain or even allowing for weight loss (depending on the rest of your diet, of course). Those who believe diet soda is bad for you have not taken this calorie-free advertisement as the truth, however. There is a widely popular rumor that diet soda isn’t actually calorie-free, and that the soda companies pay the Federal Drug Administration money to allow them to continue printing a bogus nutritional label. Fortunately, even though we’re highly aware as consumers of the fact that these companies aren’t angels, in regards to this particular rumor we can stick to being content with the fact it really is nothing more than a rumor. I’d imagine those who believe diet soda is bad for you would have come up with a better logical reason behind this secret pay-off that’s supposedly happening. I mean, let’s be real here. Imagine how the courts would be on fire if some diabetics were to enjoy diet soda on a regular basis and intake all that sugar that’s supposedly there. Not happening.

Diet soda is indeed calorie-free, and that is a huge plus for those who truly want to start getting away from regular soda and its sugars. Nonetheless, emerging studies point to quite a dilemma. Since diet soda is an artificial sweetener, there exists the possibility that it may cause bigger calorie issues in the future. To expand on that, imagine your body being tricked into believing that it’s about to ingest some sweet sugars, when in reality you feed it diet soda instead. Over time, research has indicated that there is a strong chance that this may raise sweet cravings. What good is cutting some calories initially, when there’s a high chance you won’t be able to quell the increased desire for sweet foods? 100+ calories now does not sound like the greatest trade-off with 400 calories later (example amounts, of course). This is particularly worrying to those who opt for diet soda as opposed to regular soda because they already have trouble completely removing such cravings, as witnessed by the switch to diet instead of water.

We know that in order to achieve your fitness goals, you must feed your body the nutrients it requires for it to do what you want it to. Diet soda does not provide any nutritional value whatsoever, and as shown above, actually tricks your body. At least regular soda gives you some energy in the form of simple carbohydrates (sugars). Since soda is clearly not a viable alternative we’re attempting to discuss here, the best thing to do would be to switch to something that actually has benefits. Green Tea benefits are plenty. Not only does it increase metabolism so you can burn more calories throughout the day (small, but helpful over time), but it also is antioxidant rich for anti-aging, anti-cancer, basically anti-anything bad. If you’re not interested in that alternative, stick to water. I’d opt for juices, but they’re just as sugary as soda even though they have vitamins and minerals. The topic is about limiting calories associated with diet soda, so let’s stick to that.

The topic that has garnered the most attention in regards to whether diet soda is bad for you revolves around the chemical compound aspartame. It is much sweeter than sugar, and gives diet soda its flavor without the calories. When it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, right? Well, research has demonstrated that when there is a high consumption of aspartame in animals, over time there is a correlation with the development of different diseases, ranging from brain tumors to memory loss. Of course, there’s two problems with this. First, it requires a high consumption; which means that you need to be a diet soda junkie. If you are, you have bigger fish to fry than worrying about whether diet soda is bad for you or not. There is no reason diet soda should be a staple of your diet, and if you indeed do consume it in high amounts, you should start tapering that habit off. Not necessarily because there is a correlation between aspartame and long term consumption, but because I stick to a very easy and important rule when it comes to the high consumption of liquids: if it’s not water or tea, it’s not meant for me. To add to this, the research has been done on animals. Last I checked, that’s not exactly human-oriented.

So when it comes to the question of whether diet soda is bad for you or not, it’s actually up to you to decide. Like I mentioned, if you’re a diet soda junkie, you need to start lowering the amounts you drink per day/week. Nothing is good for you in high doses all the time, moderation is key. However, if you enjoy a diet soda here and there to satisfy a small craving, I see no problem with it. Diet soda in and of itself is not going to kill you (as far as we know so far), so its not necessary to avoid it like the plague. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean you should treat it like liquid candy either. Good Luck!

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Many of these weight gainers promise extensive results in terms of muscle gain (and not weight gain in general). As if the powder you’re ingesting will fuel your body to act a specific way based on the fact you’re supplementing with that particular company’s product. None of this is true of course, and you can unveil the media-hyped cloak about all of this in our Benefits of Supplements article if you’re extra curious. In short summary, no supplement is magical but many can be used with great results if used correctly as a supplement to an already in-check diet and training routine. Buying one type of weight gainer over another will not spur your body to produce more muscle, it just doesn’t work that way.

Now when it comes to the best weight gain supplement, you have to break that term down to really understand what you’re indeed paying for. Outside of the aforementioned point about supplements not being magical, a weight gain supplement is simply a bunch of neatly separated calories (in terms of the three macronutrients – fats/protein/carbs). Many people seek these out for the wrong reasons, assuming they’re going to solely be responsible for helping them gain weight (muscle, I hope). Well, they won’t. They’re simply a bit of help for you to go past your maintenance calories. Once you are above your maintenance (and you train hard if you’re trying to gain muscle), over time you’ll be able to put on size. Whatever is advertised on the container is just that…an advertisement to lure you in. Therefore, practically speaking, the best weight gain supplement does not even exist because they all have the same function by aiding to provide you with calories. To the human body, calories are calories. If you put in more than you burn, over time it’ll add up and give you a plus on the scale. That plus that you need to put on plus pounds. That’s just how it works.

Of course, the question now becomes…do you even need to spend money on a weight gain supplement in the first place? Well, think of it this way. If we refer to our Clean Food Effects vs. Bad Food Effects article, we know that at the end of the day your body breaks down a calorie as a calorie no matter what the source is. Understanding this, since a weight gain supplement does nothing extraordinary outside of providing a caloric-punch, the only time I see it as a worthy purchase is when you clearly cannot stomach eating enough regular food to go over your maintenance for the day. Notice, however, that doesn’t mean it should be an easy cop out. Unless you are a complete health freak and stay away from “bad foods”, how could you really rationalize ingesting some powder in the form of a shake to get calories when you can eat clean for the majority of the day and then (if necessary) go over by eating anything you’d like? The world is filled with delicious goodies, enjoy the fact you can eat whatever you want and wind up with lean gains. Due to the struggle to get over maintenance in the first place, getting lean gains shouldn’t even be a problem. Therefore, the best weight gain supplement isn’t even a supplement, it’s whole food.

Now, if you really cannot eat enough because you excessively dislike many foods and are really picky, a weight gain supplement is a wise investment. Sometimes an individual just cannot stomach large meals and a small meal is all that is necessary for satiety to be reached. Other times an individual might have a killer combo of excessive physical activity (playing sports + gym) and a high metabolism, and they run into the problem of requiring so much to get above maintenance that it is quite hard when adding the fact that time is also not on their side. These are just a few instances, but they are certainly common. Under these circumstances, those extra calories from a weight gain supplement are more than welcome additions to the diet. Whole foods alone will not suffice to put that individual over maintenance, and packing a caloric-heavy dose through a weight gain supplement is an easy way to fix this problem.

Top 3 Rated Weight Gainers:

1) CytoSport Cyto Gainer

2) Optimum Serious Mass

3) Dymatize Elite Mass Gainer

At the end of the day, you have to decide what you can and can’t accomplish when it comes to meeting your caloric requirements for the day based on your lifestyle and your body. Under certain circumstances a weight gain supplement might be useful, but for most all that is required is a more dedicated initiative in the kitchen. Remember, these weight gainers aren’t going to give you results because they advertise they will. They’re simply going to give you calories. Good Luck!

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Tackling the skinny fat physique requires a hard look at yourself. Are you technically skinny fat, but you actually weigh a pretty hefty amount; or are you skinny fat and look quite skinny? This matters because changing your body requires estimating a ball park idea of how you will wind up looking when you start changing your body based on the goal you’ve chosen (losing weight vs. gaining size). Someone who is skinny should not want to get skinnier (vice versa). With that said, let’s look at the two options.

1. Cutting – to start off your journey away from the skinny fat physique, it is recommended you start cutting only if you already weigh a good amount. In other words, you may look “skinny fat,” based on your body’s weight proportions, but you nonetheless have some solid weight on you. For these people, it is better to slim down overall before they begin to try and build muscle mass. Now, that doesn’t mean you don’t go hard in the gym. It does, but what matters is the amount of calories you are taking in. Cutting requires you to be below your maintenance calories (the amount of calories you require to maintain your weight in one day), how much is discussed in our Calories Per Day article. You should aim for around a 300-700 calories below maintenance level, depending on how you are progressing.

People who weigh a good amount need to still put their work in the gym, running to burn calories shouldn’t be the only form of exercise. Especially if you are new to working out, you may take advantage of what are often termed “noob gains.” With a proper routine and diet, even if you are under your maintenance in terms of calories, as your body gets used to the amount of taxation you are causing it you may experience some muscle gain while losing fat. This, of course, can only help as you re-shape your body slowly into one you are happy with in front of the mirror. How you should be working out is discussed further in the putting on size section below.

2. Putting on Size – individuals who are skinny fat but are naturally quite skinny should focus on gaining weight. Not simply gaining weight, but gaining muscle! These individuals need to make sure they are eating a diet that gives them an amount of calories above their maintenance count, also discussed in the calories per day article linked above. An optimal figure is anywhere from 250-500 calories over their maintenance count. These individuals should, first and foremost, focus on building size in the gym with weight training. Running isn’t necessary, especially for those who have trouble eating a large amount of calories. Burning calories through running will only require them to eat even more, impeding the goal of getting bigger.

As a beginner, an individual should focus on building up their strength with compound movements. These are movements that hit more than one muscle group at a time. Examples that should be a staple include squatting or lunging (don’t dare ignore legs), shoulder pressing, dumbbell pressing (bench press if you want to use a barbell), and deadlifts. Check out our Beginner Strength Training article for a great routine to use. You may also want to incorporate a full body workout, instead of hitting one or two muscle groups at a time each day. I’d go so far as to say that a full body routine is recommended here, at least initially.

Diet Tip: It’s about calories, not the foods you eat. However, eating certain foods can help you achieve your caloric goals better. Eating complex carbohydrates (whole wheat, potatoes, brown rice) will keep you more full for longer, which is effective if you like to eat and you decided to cut. For those trying to put on size, don’t pig out by any means. You have a certain caloric restriction as well. If you truly need help, you might opt for a weight gainer shake (you’re better off making your own, however). For either goal, your diet should be high in protein. See whether you prefer eating higher fat amounts than carbohydrates, or the other way around. That is individual-based, so it’s best you test it out.

As you can see, besides the most important diet differences (calorie-wise) between a skinny fat individual losing weight and gaining size, the way they conduct themselves in regards to working out should be almost identical (including running being the main difference). What’s most important is making sure you are calorically where you are supposed to be, and hitting the weights hard. No easy sets with light weights, strength training should be most important for either goal. Consistency is key, and with time and hard work both in the kitchen and the gym, you will start seeing results. Not only results, but results that matter. No more skinny legs and skinny shoulders, balanced with a “gut.” It’s time to even out, and start looking like you want to. On a final note, don’t buy into what you might find advertised for supplements. This can be done without them, but for their role and whether you should buy a supplement to help you with your journey, check out our Supplements article. Good Luck!

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First, to get bigger arms, you have to understand how much each of the two muscles are involved in making up the arm. Without going into detail on all the different heads of each, the triceps make up 2/3rds of your arm size. In turn, the biceps take up only 1/3rd. So for many, not knowing this fundamental difference already sets them back in their arm growth. Undoubtedly, to the average Joe, the bicep muscle is the “gun” everybody refers to. Even when people refer to their arm size, sometimes they say their biceps are (blank) inches, when they’re actually referring to their entire arm.

This infatuation with the bicep muscle unfortunately induces people to work hard towards training their biceps, with the triceps coming second in priority. This is a vital mistake. The tricep is composed of three tricep heads out of a total of 5 on your arm (the other two being bicep heads). Therefore, every time you’re placing less emphasis on your tricep while curling your heart away to get softballs on your biceps you are the cause of limiting your own arm growth. The fix is simple, keep training your biceps hard, but at the very least, do the same for your triceps. I’d venture to say that you’d be better off prioritizing your triceps and doing an extra exercise for them over your biceps. (Again, this is for those lacking in total arm growth – those whose tricep grows easily would not have to prioritize it in their arm training).

Getting bigger arms of course, goes way past what we’ve just gone over. That’s just the bare minimum you need to keep in mind if you’re struggling with arm growth. When it comes to actual training, keep the following in mind:

1) Prioritize – If you’re trying to get bigger arms, it is pretty clear that you’re not one of those people who can grow their arms by looking at a set of dumbbells. Therefore, you can’t attempt to continue focusing on training your arms the same amount that you do your other body parts. I might get a few people shaking their heads at this (for the fact I’m referring to arm training), but if a body part is stagnating in growth you have to prioritize it. Many people will claim that with the added work your arms do for all your other body parts, excluding legs, it is pointless to work them more than one time a week directly. I find that claim ridiculous, and I’m often not surprised to see only those who don’t have a problem growing their arms advocating such a position. They don’t know what it’s like, plain and simple. To add, I bet they prioritize another body part they’re not satisfied with. Arms are no different.

2) The Big Exercises – there are certain exercises for both the triceps and biceps that are highly recommended over others due to their ability to achieve muscle fatigue much more efficiently than the rest. Sure, tricep pressdowns might work as the main or only exercise for some people but I’m assuming that by reading this article you’re not one of them. Focus on close grip bench press, dips, and skullcrushers/overhead extensions. For biceps, chin ups/barbell curls can do the trick.

3) Mind Muscle Connection – grabbing a barbell and throwing it up with your back isn’t going to help you grow bigger arms. Do it right, focus your mind on moving the weight with the muscle you intend the exercise for. For curls, stand against the wall with your elbows at your sides, don’t let your ego win and lower the weight. Remember, it’s about how hard you hit the muscle, not how much weight you use (especially if that weight is being lifted with the help of supporting muscle groups).

4) Constant Tension – by straightening your arms on skull crushers you’re letting your tricep relax. Instead, stop 5-10% short of straightening and go back down to do another rep. This keeps constant tension on the muscle and helps it reach muscle fatigue faster because you’re not giving it a rest between reps.

5) Dropsets, Supersets, Negatives, etc. – always try to take your muscle to, and past, its limit. Incorporate these various tricks to your sets in order obliterate the intended muscle group. You bet that after a 4-5 set dropset at the end of an exercise your biceps/triceps will be screaming. You get bigger arms by punishing them to your absolute best ability. Utilize these tricks.

Finally, the question of how to get bigger arms is irrelevant if you’re not eating enough to actually allow your body to grow. Make sure you eat above your maintenance calories so your body has enough nutrients in it to rebuild and pack on size. If you’re not eating right, no matter what you do in the gym your arms will stay the same size. Good luck!

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As a beginner, you need to build a strong foundation all throughout your body. Your focus should be compound movements, and for more on that and the ultimate compound routine (as a novice, approach with caution – is my advice), check out our Best Routine article. The reasoning is simple, you can’t get bigger without getting stronger. However, you can get stronger without getting bigger. As you engage in strength training you will be building that strong foundation, and if you eat right you will also be putting on size.

To sidetrack for a second and evaluate the above point, most novice lifters do not have the necessary understanding of diet to put on mass. They believe they need to get protein, but their knowledge often ends there. Often times they will eat tons of protein while avoiding carbs or fats, and will not be eating enough overall to put on size. However, as they train in the gym, their strength increases. This is possible because strength is based on the Central Nervous System (CNS), as it adapts it allows you to increase the amount of weight you can do irrelevant of the fact that you might not be eating enough to grow. This is often the case with beginners because their CNS prior to lifting has not been heavily taxed, and as they enter the gym and begin lifting, it rapidly adapts to the new stresses. Over time, as the adaption levels from one workout to the next are not as extreme, the adaption subsides…until you’re advanced enough where you really won’t make great strength progress if you’re not eating right (as an advanced lifter).

The reason I mentioned the above is simple, even if your diet is not in check, you can establish a strong foundation due to the fact you strength train and your body is new to the experience. Therefore, as you immerse yourself in the subject matter with due time and learn about proper nutrition, when you begin to track your diet and sculpt it to perfection you will have already established a strong foundation for you to now grow in size. Strength training, as a result, is often coined the building block of a lifter’s road to success. For those who don’t have this problem and come into the whole experience understanding the importance of diet and how to manipulate it to their needs (the minority), a strength routine becomes no less important. Although they are ahead a step, they still have to deal with the newly created stress on the body and allow their body to adapt by building a strong foundation. Therefore, regardless of how much you know starting out, your best bet is to focus on strength training. Let the strength rise, and let the mass either come with it, or come later when you catch up to date on the other important factors.

Stick to reps of 5 or 6 on the major lifts. Also, please read our Enhance Training article to start off the gym experience the right way. Learn how important form is, and how to achieve the best results by using a Mind Muscle Connection, because without it, you’re not going to make the best progress. Taking advantage of the wealth of information around the site to catch yourself up to speed on what the best exercises are and how to eat right to achieve great results as well. Good luck!

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Fish Oil comes from the tissue of oily fish (hard to believe judging by the name, right?), but what’s so important about it is that it contains a specific, Omega-3 deposit. Omega-3 fatty acids (there’s 2 crucial ones) are the golden components of Fish Oil that bring us the much talked about benefits. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Decosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are essential fatty acids, in other words, they cannot be created by our bodies. Therefore, we must rely on external sources for their benefits. You may have heard that an individual is recommended to have at least 2 servings of fish per week, since eating fish supplies you with these Omega-3s, you should now understand the correlation between having to get them from external sources and this recommendation.

Alright, so they are deemed essential, and you’re recommended (American Heart Association) to eat fish a couple times a week to get Omega-3s, but why is all of this the case? The reason is simple, once you examine the amount of benefits they bestow upon you for consuming them, you’ll quickly realize why the word “essential” isn’t there to make the name sound cooler.

Benefits:

1) Anti-inflammatory – ever feel a sharp pain when you’ve stepped on the ground wrong that won’t go away for a while? That’s inflammation inside your body. Ever have a mosquito bite that is larger than usual? That’s inflammation outside on your body. There are very vast amounts of inflammation that can occur to you, however, getting foods riddled with anti-inflammatory properties make sure that inflammation stays small, if occurs at all. Sounds good right? Omega-3s are highly anti-inflammatory.

2) Skin and Hair – the benefits of Omega-3s on skin are well noted, particularly on inflammatory conditions such as acne, eczema, itching, etc. It allows the skin to stay hydrated by preventing loss of moisture to the cells. Omega-3 properties also help prevent hair loss, and have been linked in terms of helping speed the development of hair.

3) Heart and Brain health – Omega-3s help bring out the “good” cholesterol, while lowering the bad. It can also help lower blood pressure and keep the heart rhythm at a steady pace preventing sudden unnecessary spikes. The brain is composed of 60% fat, a good portion (around half even) is specifically Omega-3 DHA fat. I think that speaks for itself.

4) Weight Loss – that’s right, you read that correctly. Studies have shown that ingesting good amounts of Fish Oil in accordance with regular exercise can help that exercising shed those pounds. Can’t hate on that one!

5) Improvement of Mental Health – whether being used to help treat ADHD, or as something that can help your mood if you are anxious or feeling a little down, Omega-3s work their magic. Older people who may be at risk, or already have, Alzheimer’s disease should be glad to know that Fish Oil is regularly prescribed to help combat the disease.

These are just some of the major benefits of Omega-3s, there are plenty more…but we’d wind up writing a thesis paper, now is that really essential? Others include anti-aging, protection against cancers, wonderful benefits for pregnant mothers not only as the host but also for the developing fetus, improvement to blood circulation, and even fertility (survival of sperm enhanced). Now that we’ve gone over the importance of making sure you take in a solid amount of Fish Oil, what exactly is that solid amount?

Although you can get enough from eating fish such as salmon on a regular basis per week, Fish Oil capsules provide a wonderful quick alternative to meeting the necessary quota you should be feeding your body per day. Keep in mind, however, that there are more than 1 type of oil in “fish” oil and therefore, what it says on the bottle is not what we’re exactly counting into our dose. For example, a standard bottle may have 1 (300mg) to 1.2 (360mg) grams of Fish Oil per pill, however we need to focus on the parenthetical amount because that is the amount of Omega-3s (remember, the essential ones with the great benefits) that the capsule has. Always look on the back at the nutritional label, and note how much Omega-3s are there per capsule (or sometimes per 2, note up top how many servings the bottle describes). Usually if it’s 1 capsule, it’ll either be 300 or 360mg of Omega-3s (EPA + DHA). Also, make sure the EPA amount is higher (it should be standard, but doesn’t hurt to check). For Example, if it is 300mg, it should be 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA. I have not yet encountered one with a higher DHA than EPA, but I heard they’re out there so just check before you buy.

Now, onto the amount. Keep in mind that these amounts are for a healthy individual who is not considering taking Fish Oil for a specific medical condition, if that is the case you need to consult your doctor on the amount. However, if you’re just taking it to reap the benefits discussed, a good amount to start with would be 1g of Omega-3s per day. If that’s 360mg per pill, take 3 a day to reach that amount. If you’re looking to fight acne or other specific conditions that aren’t harmful to you in general, more is advised for noticeable effects. You don’t want to overdo it, however, so don’t rush out and start popping these pills like candy. Anything good can have its downsides if overdosed. Also, make sure the bottle says mercury free, and as a suggestion the common fish used for extracting Fish Oil are salmon, herring, lake trout and sardines. Check the label for the types of fish used. Most likely some of those will be on there, but again, won’t hurt to check. Good Luck!

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