Tips of the week hammer curls

Build a bigger brachialis by using slow contractions and consciously tensing your muscles hard for 20 seconds at the highest point of the movement

The quickest way to improve the look of your biceps is to focus on the brachialis. The brachialis - the muscle located underneath the biceps - contributes more to upper arm circumference than the biceps. Getting the brachialis to grow is an easy way to make the arm thicker.

But unfortunately, the way most people train their arms leaves the brachialis understimulated. People believe that simply using a neutral grip/hammer grip is enough for optimal brachialis training. However, this is not the case. Although the grip can have an influence, the type of contraction is a much more important factor when it comes to putting the brachialis under tension. The brachialis is much more active during slower, isometric actions.

The more the speed of the movement increases, the more the activation of the brachialis decreases as more load is shifted to the biceps. So if you perform very heavy dumbbell hammer curls at high speed (and maybe even use momentum of the arms to move more weight), then the brachialis will not experience much stimulation as the brachioradialis will take over. To train the brachialis effectively, you should do hammer curls with a cable grip on the cable pulley.

Perform your training set as follows:

• Perform the repetitions using constant tension. This means that you perform the movement quite slowly and consciously contract the muscle hard during every centimeter of the movement. Imagine that you are squeezing your biceps between your shoulder muscles and your forearms.
• With each repetition, consciously contract your muscles as hard as you can for 2 seconds at the highest point of the movement.
• At the end of the set, maintain a maximum contraction at the highest point of the movement for 10 to 20 seconds, tensing the muscles as hard as possible.

If you really want to prioritize your brachialis development, then perform all of your curls using the above three guidelines: Reverse Curls, Hammer Curls and Regular Curls.

Use vinegar to get lean and build muscle

by TC Luoma

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-use-vinegar-to-get-lean-build-muscle

Insulin can make you fat or lean and muscular. It all depends on whether you have good insulin sensitivity or whether you are insulin resistant. Without optimal insulin sensitivity, all the protein you eat will never be fully transported to your muscles. Instead, a lot will end up as fat in your fat stores. So you should strive to maximize your insulin sensitivity.

Here's an easy way to achieve this: Pour vinegar over everything you eat. Vinegar not only reduces the glucose and insulin response after a carbohydrate-containing meal, but also increases insulin sensitivity. Several studies have confirmed that vinegar can increase insulin sensitivity by an impressive 34% 60 minutes after a meal. Vinegar does this because acetic acid suppresses the activity of the disaccharidase enzyme, which can give you similar physiological effects to acarbose or metformin - two drugs used to treat type II diabetes.

Another study divided 29 subjects into three groups:

• A group with type II diabetics
• A group with pre-diabetic symptoms
• One group with healthy subjects

All subjects were given vinegar before a meal. The results were quite impressive:

• All three groups showed better blood sugar levels with vinegar than with a placebo.
• In the diabetes group, blood sugar levels improved by 25%
• The group with prediabetic symptoms had the lowest blood glucose levels, which were even lower than those of the healthy volunteers.
• The group with prediabetic symptoms benefited the most, as their blood glucose levels were almost halved.

A follow-up study also showed that continued use of vinegar led to an average weight loss of 2 pounds within four weeks. Another study concluded that subjects suffering from type II diabetes who took two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bedtime had 4 to 6% lower fasting blood sugar levels the next morning.

Source:

1. Johnston, Carol S., et al, Vinegar Improves Insulin Sensitivity to a High-Carbohydrate Meal in Subjects With Insulin Resistance or Type 2 Diabetes Care, January 2004 vol. 27 no. 1 281-282.

Use this workout to build up your puny calves

To build mass in your calves, you need to eliminate the stretch reflex and perform stretches under load

By Christian Thibaudeau

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-use-this-workout-to-build-your-puny-calves

The calves are the hardest muscle group to build up. Throughout history, humans have had to walk for several hours a day. The ankle is involved the most in this activity. If all the effort required to move the body upwards while running was only achieved by straining the calves, these muscles would tire too quickly.

This is the reason why the Achilles tendon is so stiff and strong: it is the stretch reflex of the Achilles tendon that is responsible for a large part of the work on the ankle. And the same thing that makes locomotion more efficient is also the reason why it's so hard to get the calves to grow. The Achilles tendon has a very strong and highly reactive stretch reflex. When you perform common repetitions during calf training, it is this reflex that does most of the work. As a result, the muscles themselves do not contribute as much to the movement and are therefore not optimally stimulated.

In addition, the range of motion for calf exercises is very small. If you perform 8 to 12 repetitions, the time during which the muscles are under tension is too short to stimulate maximum hypertrophy. Last but not least, the fascia surrounding the calves is the densest and firmest in the whole body. If it is too tight, it can limit muscle growth.

The solution for flabby calves

1. Take the stretch reflex out of the equation. A 2 to 3 second pause in the stretched position can greatly inhibit the stretch reflex. The stretch reflex is activated to prevent your calf muscles from being damaged. A sudden stretch is what activates this reflex. When you pause in the stretched position, your body considers the situation to be safe and under control and the reflex is inhibited. By pausing at the lowest point of each repetition, you shift most of the work to the muscles.
2. Initiate the concentric part (upward movement) of the movement slowly. You have just deactivated the stretch reflex by pausing - do not reactivate it by moving the weight quickly into a stretched position. The first few centimetres of the movement should be slow.
3. Extend the time under tension. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions for your calves, but hold the highest point of contraction for 2 seconds on each repetition, consciously tensing the muscles as hard as you can. This will extend the time under tension to about 30 seconds per set. On your last repetition, hold the maximum contraction for 10 to 20 seconds. This will at least address the "time under tension" problem.
4. Reduce tension in the fascia. Perform stretches under load when the muscle is inflated. After completing your set, step off the machine for 3 to 5 seconds to allow blood and fluids to enter the muscle. Then return to the machine and hold the lower, stretched position for 30 to 45 seconds.

Perform each set as follows:

1. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions with a 2-second stretch at the lowest point of the movement and a 2-second maximum contraction at the highest point of the movement.
2. On your last repetition, hold the maximum contraction for 10 to 20 seconds.
3. Step out of the machine, wait 5 seconds and then return to the machine. Hold the stretched position for 30 to 45 seconds. Three sets are all you need.

Perform Farmers Walk in this way to get defined

Farmers Walks outperform everything else when it comes to metabolic conditioning and fat loss. Here's why and two ways to perform this exercise.

By Christian Thibaudeau

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-farmers-walks-like-this-to-get-ripped

Some people love weightlifting workouts to keep their body fat under control, but Farmers Walk or Trap Bar Carry are even better for this. This is partly because you are less likely to be limited by metabolic factors. Training with the weight sled causes pretty much the biggest oxygen debt in the shortest amount of time. This is partly due to the high demands of this exercise, but also because it is difficult to breathe while you are pushing.

The Farmers Walk is also metabolically demanding, but at least you can breathe properly while performing it. For this reason, you can carry heavier weights for a longer period of time than you can push heavy weights - and you will also recover faster between sets. This allows for a higher training density (doing a lot of work in a short period of time), which is important if you want to get as lean as possible.

Secondly, the Farmers Walk involves the use of a greater number of muscles. When training with the weight sled, you may work your legs a little harder, but you won't achieve the same trapezius, arm and abdominal muscle involvement as with the Farmers Walk. You will also experience growth in these muscles due to the occlusal stretch you generate, making the Framers Walk an exercise that will give you more for your efforts.

You can use the Farmers Walk for different goals as follows:

• For fat loss: 2 minute passes with one minute rest between passes.
• To build muscle and lose fat: Use heavier weights for one minute circuits with one minute rest between circuits.
• To build mass and strength while keeping excess body fat off: Use really heavy weights for 20 to 30 second reps with up to 2 minutes rest between reps.

Change your grip for stronger shoulder presses

These two simple tweaks can increase your strength for bigger and stronger shoulder muscles.

By Paul Carter | 10/25/15

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-change-your-grip-for-a-stronger-overhead-press

Nothing builds shoulders better than heavy overhead presses. Anyone who can do a few reps of shoulder presses at 130 kilos while sitting or standing will have big, strong shoulders. Two simple changes to your grip will help you achieve this:

1 - Use a "false" grip

This means that you don't wrap your thumb around the bar. You will feel much stronger with a "thumbless" grip. This grip allows for a better path of the bar as it shifts it slightly closer to the center line of the body. A thumbless grip is also easier on the shoulders and puts less strain on the wrists.

2 - Find the right grip width

I use a relatively narrow grip for shoulder presses and my shoulders thank me for this by no longer hurting. Start with a shoulder-width grip - or at least somewhere in that range. As a visual aid, turn your hands back towards your shoulders. When your thumbs are directly towards the outside of your shoulders, you have found the right position for powerful and pain-free pressing movements.

Perform heavier and fewer repetitions for excellent abs

Recruit more muscle by tensing the muscles hard before each repetition of an abdominal exercise

By Christian Thibaudeau

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-harder-fewer-reps-for-great-abs

When you do an abdominal workout, your goal should not be to do more repetitions, but to completely exhaust your abs with the least number of repetitions. Only then will you be efficient in recruiting your abs. If you train your abs in this way and you are lean enough, then you will achieve the six-pack you are striving for.

Here's how it works:

1. Tighten your abs hard before starting the exercise. Imagine that someone is about to punch you in the stomach. When your abdominal muscles are contracted hard, you can start the repetition.
2. Curl your torso upwards. The concentric part of the movement should be a small classic sit-up. The key to this movement is to move your torso upwards in a curl (crunch) motion. Imagine that you are trying to move your head towards your pelvis. It is also very important that you move slowly and never lose tension in the abdominal muscles. If you lose tension in your abdominal muscles, you are moving too fast.
3. Tighten your abdominal muscles hard at the top of the range of motion (when your spine is curved upwards) with each repetition, while continuing to imagine that someone is punching you in the stomach.
4. Then move back to the starting position, following the opposite movement pattern.
5. Start the next repetition at step 1.

Aim for 8 to 12 repetitions - and no more. If you can perform more than 12 repetitions with perfect form as described above, then it's time to increase the resistance. Remember, however, that the goal is to make each repetition as heavy as possible - not just increase the weight. Try to exhaust your abs with the least number of repetitions possible.

Perform leg curls before squats

Pre-pumped leg curls will give you a better feel and more stability during squats

By John Meadows

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-hamstring-curls-before-squats

Most exercisers are extremely quadriceps dominant and leg curls are undervalued as a leg curl development exercise. Starting your training session with leg curls will allow you to emphasize your hamstrings rather than simply performing a few meaningless sets of leg curls at the end of the session.

With pumped-up leg curls, you'll also feel more stable in the lowest position during squats and your hips will feel more "lubricated" with each repetition of squats. And as strange as it may sound, you'll find that your knees will need less warming up if you start your leg training session with leg curls.

Perform 2 to 3 warm-up sets for the leg curls and then 3 sets of 8 repetitions with a hard contraction at the highest point of the movement. On the fourth set, perform 8 repetitions followed by 25 partial repetitions from the stretched position, moving the weight only 10 to 15 centimetres upwards. Then perform squats and see how it feels.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-for-bigger-arms-do-slow-hammer-curls

By Christian Thibaudeau