Before we dive in, I would just like to state that this article is
not based on any specific scientific research, or taken out of any books
or magazines. This following article is completely based on personal
experience, derived from trial and error, not without the help of
friends, of course.10 Minute Trainer
Alright, here we go!
More often than
not, most guys that take up weight lifting are looking to gain muscle,
and in turn, get BIGGER. Bigger is better after all, right? The ladies
pay you more attention, your girlfriend feels safe around you, all that
good stuff.
This information I'm about to drop on you may or may
not be better suited for "hardgainers" or "ectomorphs". I only say this
as an ectomorph myself, and my own experience using these muscle
building techniques.
Ok, let's get started.
I have had great
results when it comes to training arms; at 5'7/165lbs, I'm currently
sitting at around 16 inches in the arm department. I've had many people
ask me how I train them, and how they can achieve similar results.
The
first question we need to ask ourselves here is: how many times a week
am I training my arms? - If the answer is more than 2, you may be
overtraining.
The second question I ask these people, and that I
ask you is, are you concentrating on the negative movement? There are
two parts to the most simple bicep exercise, the bicep curl. Whether it
be dumbbell or barbell, the two parts are the concentric contraction,
and the eccentric contraction.
Let's take a look at these a little closer -10 Minute Trainer
The Concentric Contraction
is the upward motion of the curl. This is the movement that 90% of gym
goers focus on. I see a lot of guys hurling up dumbbells that are way to
heavy, spending 4-5 seconds just to get the weight up, and then let it
down in under 1 second. To work out this way is like filling up a tank
of gas, and then pouring half of it out (horribly analogy, but stick
with me here).
The Eccentric Contraction is the
downward motion of the curl. During this movement, your muscles are
actually capable of heavier loads, and it also hits different muscle
fibres. By concentrating on the eccentric motion when lifting, you will
increase the amount of muscle damage, and in turn increase the amount of
muscle growth.
Let's take it a step farther
For
your next arm workout, give this a try - Grab a spotter, and station
yourself on the preacher curl. Sitting or standing is fine. I prefer the
easy curl bar, because it's easier on my wrists when dealing with
heavier weight.
Take the weight you usually curl for 8-10 reps, and add 20 pounds to it.
IE. If you curl 80 pounds normally, use 100.
Now,
starting from the bottom, have your spotter lift the weight up for you.
Now you should be in the top position of the curl, this is where the
fun starts. Lower the weight slowly, I usually aim for a 6-one-thousand
count (1-one-thousand, 2-one-thousand etc.). When you hit the bottom,
repeat. Aim for 5 or 6 reps, and when you start to hit failure, have you
spotter assist you on the negative movement.
3 sets of this and in the coming days you will be feeling a soreness in your biceps that you will not soon forget.
To
begin, I would throw this exercise into your regular arm workout. In
coming articles i'll be going into dropsets and supersets. In addition
to using negative movements, these will help you achieve the gains that
you've always wanted.10 Minute Trainer
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