3 Steps to Do Bicep Curls For Big Ripped Arms

The arms are composed of several muscles. For the purpose of having those big ripped arms, most exercise routines focus on the biceps and triceps. These two muscles cover the upper arm. The biceps cover the front part and the triceps cover the back part.

Huge well-defined muscular arms are like massive guns. They bring a lot of fire power to the owner. They look good on a shirt with our without sleeves for both men and women. The biceps are more visible compared to the triceps so here are three bicep curls for big ripped arms to set you on your way to amazing arms:



1. Front dumbbell curl. Hold one dumbbell on each hand horizontally with your palm facing the front. Lock your elbow to the side of your stomach and your arm must be forming an angle more than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees. Raise the dumbbell slowly so that you feel a slow burn as you lift the weight up. Lower the weight gradually to feel the muscle burn as you release the tension.

When lifting and lowering the weight, keep your elbow locked to your side always. Do the same for the other arm if you are not exercising both arms at the same time. It is advisable to workout only one arm at a time so that you can focus on the muscle and the movement. You can also do a variation of the curl by holding the dumbbell vertically.

2. Modified front dumbbell curl. If you are not comfortable locking your elbow to the side of your stomach, you can use the other hand to support your elbow to hold the position of your upper and lower arms. You need to raise your upper arm in front of you so that it is at a 90 degree angle to your body and then let the other arm hold the elbow.

3. Sideways dumbbell curl. You can have either one or both hands hold the dumbbell. Instead of lifting the weight in front of you, you can exercise your biceps by aligning your upper arm with your shoulder sideways.

For the starting position, put your arm to the side with your palm close to your sides. Slowly lift the weight, with your elbow slightly bent until your upper arm is aligned with your shoulder. Slowly twist your arm outward so that your palm faces the ceiling.

Remember to keep your elbow slightly bent to prevent any injury. Then gradually lift the weight by curling your lower arm towards your upper arm until your arm forms an angle between 45 degrees to 90 degrees. Slowly release the muscle contraction by rolling back your lower arm to its original position with elbow still slightly bent and palm facing the ceiling.

If you are not holding a dumbbell on the other arm, use the other arm to support your elbow and stabilize the position of your arm.

These biceps exercise routines will get you started in getting the massive arms that you want. Exercise with caution and stick to the instructions so that you do not get any injuries along the way. Go and get those arms ripped!

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How to Build Endurance With Lifting Workout Routines

Even though you may be interested in looking good, it is also important to make sure that you feel good. For example, if you make use of certain lifting workout routines, you may have to deal with constant exhaustion, as well as all kinds of other problems. That said, if you know how to do your exercises properly, you will never need to do hundreds of repetitions. This, in turn, will give you plenty of time to enjoy other activities.

Consider a situation where you spend five hours a day at the gym. Regardless of your age, this kind of workout is enough to make anyone exhausted. Interestingly enough, if your body never gets a chance to recover form strenuous activity, you will not develop muscular endurance. Today, Vince Delmonte can help you draw the perfect balance between exercise and rest. When you buy his ebook, No Nonsense Muscle Building, you will be relieved to finally have the right information.



As you learn more about lifting workout routines, it is important to make sure that you use a plant that enables you to progress. In many cases, you will find routines that do not give you the right level of activity at each stage. For example, if your muscles are still stiff and sore after the first week of using an exercise routine, you are not likely to benefit from the program. Unfortunately, the pain that you feel may indicate that you are causing damage to your muscle cells. Once this process reaches a critical point, you may find that you will lose endurance instead of gaining it.

In a sense, the best lifting workout routines grow and develop right along with your body. Typically, you should look for one that will enable you to develop agility and endurance right along with muscle bulking. Aside from helping you get ripped faster than you expected, you will also be able to increase your size for a longer period of time. This, in turn will make it much easier for you to become a competitive body builder with a long and satisfying career.

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Five Methods to Calculate your Body Fat Percentage by Using a Tape Measure

Wouldn’t be nice to be able to determine your body fat percentage without the use of expensive scales, special devices, or traveling to see the doctor? Well, there is a way that it can be done with a only little bit of math and some measurements of your body. Scientists and fitness experts have developed several empirical formulas which can be used to estimate a person’s body fat percentage using a tape measure in lieu of directly measuring it. Even though these methods aren't as accurate as a water displacement test or the "bod pod", they are still a good estimate of body fat percentage. They typically only have an error of +/-3%.

For comparison, here is a table of the of body fat percentage categories.

	Women (% fat)	Men (% fat)
Essential Fat	10-13%	2-5%
Typical Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness (In Shape)	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-31%	18-25%
Obese	32%+	25%+

Source: American Council on Exercise Guidelines

Method #1: Covert Bailey Method

This method is probably the newest method available. To use this formula, you need to obtain several measurements of your body.

Women's Formula
To compute a woman's body fat percentage using this method, you will need to measure 4 different factors: A) Hips, B) Thigh, C) Calf, and D) Wrist. All measurements should be taken at their widest points and should be recorded in inches.

Fat% = A+0.8B - 2C - D (for Women 30 years old or younger)

Fat% = A+ B - 2C - D (for Women over age 30)

Men's Formula
The measurements needed to compute body fat percentage using the Covert Bailey Method for a male are: A) Hips, B) Waist, C) Forearm Circumference, and D)Wrist. All measurements should be taken at their widest points and should be recorded in inches.

Fat% = B + 0.5A - 3C - D (for Men 30 years old or younger)

Fat% = B + 0.5A - 2.7C - D (for Men over age 30)

For more information about this method, please refer to Covert Bailey's 1999 book called "The Ultimate Fit or Fat."

Method #2: Department of Defense Formula (aka US Navy Circumference Method)

Everyone knows that you must meet certain physical characteristics if you want to join the military. What many people don't realize is that body fat percentage is the main criteria for acceptance and not weight. When getting ready to sign up, the formula's shown below are used to determine a person's eligibility to join.

Women's Formula
To compute a woman's body fat percentage using this method, you will need to measure 5 different factors: A) Height, B) Neck Circumference, C) Waist (smallest point) and D) Hips (at the fullest point). All measurements are in inches. Note that by using this method, the waist measurement must be taken at the smallest point which is usually found halfway between the sternum and naval.

Fat% = 163.205 × Log₁₀(C + D - B) - 97.684 × Log₁₀(A) - 78.387

Men's FormulaThe measurements needed to compute body fat percentage using the Department of Defense Method for a male are: A) Height, B) Neck Circumference, and C) Waist (at navel). All measurements are in inches.

Fat% = 86.01 × Log₁₀(C - B) - 70.041 × Log₁₀(A) + 36.76

Method #3 Heritage BMI to Body Fat Percentage Method

This method is very simplistic as the only variables needed are your age and yourBody Mass Index (which is a function of your height and weight). Please note that for people with BMI's over 30, this formula begins to overestimate body fat percentages.

Women's Formula
To compute a woman's body fat percentage using this method, you will need to know 2 different factors: A) age, B) BMI. Age should be in years.

Fat% = 1.39B + 0.16A - 9

If you don't want to calculate your BMI first before using this formula, then can directly calculate your body fat percentage using these variables instead: A) Age, B) Weight, and C) Height. A measurements should be in inches, lbs, and years. The modified Heritage formula becomes:

Men's Formula
To compute a man's body fat percentage using this method, you will need to know 2 different factors: A) age, B) BMI. Age should be in years.

Fat% = 1.39B + 0.16A - 19.34

If you don't want to calculate your BMI first before using this formula, then can directly calculate your body fat percentage using these variables instead: A) Age, B) Weight, and C) Height. A measurements should be in inches, lbs, and years. The modified Heritage formula becomes:

Method #4: YMCA Method

This method was developed by the YMCA as a simple way to estimate your body fat percentage using only your weight and your waste circumference.

Women's Formula
To compute a woman's body fat percentage using this method, you will need A)Waist Circumference, and B)Weight. All measurements are in inches and pounds.

Notice that the numerator in the above equation is the amount of fat in pounds that your body has.

Men's Formula
To compute a man's body fat percentage using this method, you will need A)Waist Circumference, and B)Weight. All measurements are in inches and pounds.

Notice that the numerator in the above equation is the amount of fat in pounds that your body has.

Method #5: Modified YMCA Method

Women's Formula
To compute a woman's body fat percentage using this method, you will need to measure 5 different factors: A) Total Body Weight, B) Wrist Circumference, C) Waist (at navel), D) Hips (at the fullest point), and E) Forearm Circumference. All measurements are in inches and pounds.

Notice that the numerator in the above equation is the amount of fat in pounds that your body has.

Men's Formula
This method is easier for men because it only requires two measurements to calculate an accurate measurement of body fat. The measurements needed are: A) Total Body Weight, and B) Waist Circumference. All measurements are in inches and pounds.

The numerator in the above equation is the amount of fat in pounds that your body has. Note that this formula is nearly the same as the regular YMCA Method.

Comparison of These Methods to a Real Measurement

A couple of years ago I had a complete physical done on me. During the physical, my doctor estimated my body fat percentage to be about 26.5% using a NIR (Near Infrared Interactance) device. This machine was placed on my right bicep and measured my body fat percentage in seconds. In addition to this, I obtained measurements of my body (Weight=208lbs, Height=69in, Waist=40in, Neck=16.5in, Hips=52in, Wrist=6.5in, Forearm=11.5in) for my use. The table below shows my measured as well as my calculated body fat percentages at that point in time.

Method	Percentage
NIR Device	26.50%
Covert Bailey Method	25.00%
Department of Defense Method	25.90%
Heritage BMI to Body Fat Method	27.20%
YMCA Method	24.30%
Modified YMCA Method	26.20%
Average (Computational Methods)	25.70%
Range (Computational Methods)	24.3-27.2%

It's interesting to note that all of the methods are within the expected +/- 3%. The Modified YMCA Method was the most accurate for my body with the Department of Defense Method trailing close behind it. I was surprised to find that the YMCA Method was less accurate than the Heritage Method.

Which Method is Best?

It must be noted that no empirical formula is perfect.

In reality, there are many more variables that affect body fat percentage then just the simple things that are being measured for these equations. For me, the most accurate method was the Modified YMCA Method. However, most people will likely tell you that the Department of Defense Method or the YMCA Method are the most accurate. Yet others swear by Covert Bailey's method. Personally, I like to try all the methods and see what the average value and the range is. Based on that information, I can get a pretty good idea of what my body fat percentage really is. Keep in mind that all of these equations, like anything else, has some general limitations:

• These equations are generally not applicable for children or those under the age of 18
• These equations may incorrectly calculate body fat percentages for the elderly, sick, and highly athletic

Tips for Measuring your Body

Care should be taken to ensure that your measurements are taken accurately. This will help to ensure that the equations compute in the most accurate estimate of body fat percentage that is possible.

• Do not use a measuring tape that is old or stretched out.
• All measurements should be taken when the body is in a relaxed state.
• Multiple measurements should be taken and then averaged to avoid creating a large error.
• Measurements should be taken in the morning after having a full night’s rest
• Unless otherwise noted, measurements should be taken at the widest point of their specific area.

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Curve the Body With Kettlebells Fitness Equipment

Free weights, like the kettlebells, are becoming more and more popular with both beginners and professionals. Kettlebells can provide a serious cardio workout minus the boredom. According to research, people lose the will to workout mainly because things get boring quickly. If this is your problem, skip the hamster wheel and try kettlebell routines.

You can curve the body with kettlebells fitness equipment no matter what stage of the workout process you are in. Kettlebells can be used even if you are just starting out. What's more, even if you have advanced your fitness level, kettlebells are still going to be effective. They are perfect for strength training, too.

Are you thinking a kettlebell is just like a dumbbell or barbell? Then you are wrong. Although it is also categorized under the free weights division, a kettlebell is different mainly because of its composition. Its distinct round shape and off-centred weight makes it very effective at working the targeted stabilizer muscles. Isolation exercises done with barbells and dumbbells are not able to work the stabilizing muscles the same way.

Think of the kettlebell as an all-in-one fitness tool. It is not merely for conventional body building. The kettlebell is able to put those curves in your bod as it focuses on functional training of the whole system. Focus is on the movements-not just the muscles.

To ensure that you are buying high quality kettlebells, buy only from legitimate sports or gym shops. If you unsure of how to use a kettlebell, there are sports shops that actually offer home service-which means they can give you advice on what products to use based on your needs as well as the space you have in your house. Kettlebells are quite small and are portable, so it won't take up space in small apartments and homes.

If you already know what you want but don't have time to go to a shop, don't worry. Select gym and sports shops offer online shopping. In fact, there are even some shops that allow you to order via SMS or email. Choose those with flexible payment options. They should offer credit card, bank transfer, or COD.

One of the important things to remember when buying a sports equipment is to check if there is a warranty. If the shop doesn't offer warranty, best to buy from another place. You should also ask about delivery options. If you would rather not pay the delivery fee, find a gym shop that allows self-collection on your kettlebells. It'll be a good way to start your workout.

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