Thanks to Eungene Sandow.

Ever since the fitness craze in the 1980's, we have become a world increasingly aware of our health and physique. Millions of dollars are spent every year in the quest for a perfect body. gyms are big business, personal trainers are making a tidy living helping people stay fit, and bodybuilding supplements are at an all-time level of performance.

In actuality the sport of bodybuilding has been around for quite some time. In the late 19th century, the man known as the "father of bodybuilding", "The Great Sandow", Eugene Sandow was credited with inventing the sport by inviting people to view his body in muscle display performances.

Sandow built a stage performance around displays of strength and agility as well as showing off a "Grecian Ideal" physique which was considered the ultimate body. He became so successful that he created several businesses around his fame and was among the first people to market bodybuilding products bearing his name. As he became more popular, he was credited with the invention of the first exercise equipment marketed to the masses.

Sandow was also credited with beginning the first bodybuilding contest called "The Great Competition" which was held in London. This competition was the basis for many others to follow including the Mr. Olympia competition that remains the pinnacle of bodybuilding contests.

When World War II broke out, men were inspired to become bigger in their physique, stronger, and more aggressive in their behavior. Training techniques were improved, nutrition was focused on more than ever, and bodybuilding equipment evolved into effective means for working muscles in ways never thought of before.

It was around this time that many bodybuilding organizations came into being including the Amateur Athletic Union and the International Federation Of Body Building. In 1970, bodybuilding was taken to a new level when the film "Pumping Iron" was released starring "The Austrian Oak" Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Throughout the years, bodybuilding has grown in popularity becoming almost an obsession for many people. Women have started to take an interest in honing their bodies, and the sport continues to evolve year by year.

If you've always wanted to learn about how to build your body to that "Grecian Ideal" envisioned by Eugene Sandow, there can be a lot to learn. This Blog will help with just some of the basics, but nothing can quite compare to actually getting started with those weights. Take my advice though, and get the best advice available first before starting especially if you are a newbie. Begin by getting a thorough checkup at your Doctors Office first, making sure to tell him what you intend to do.

Till next time.

Old School Bodybuilding

We seem to live in a world hell bent on greater and greater complication. Just try a simple phone call to a large company and see how many buttons you have to push to actually speak to a real person. Think of how many new laws are passed by State and Federal Governments on a daily basis. All for our own good, of course! Can you service your own car these days? Just lift the hood and............forget it!

It seems that anything we set out to do has a set of strict rules and regulations governing how that particular task must be performed. You are virtually beaten before you start.

We are told on a daily basis by "Those Who Know" what we should and should not eat, how we should sleep, and how, why, and when we should work out. I wonder how many people set out with the very best of intentions to get back in shape, get a "How To" book or video and immediately give up. Who needs another complication.

There are all the rules - chapter after chapter after chapter. And don't you dare break them!

But wait!

I've got an idea.

Throw out the rule book.

I have just given you permission to throw out the rule book.

Let's get liberated at last. Now, understand, I'm talking about your workouts here. 'Fraid I can't do a damn thing about those governing bodies or the police. Those rules you are just going to have to live with I guess.

What I want you to consider is a set of bench presses where you don't have to go all the way down to your chest or lock out at the top on each rep or perform each and every rep at a certain "best" speed. Think of a set of curls where you don't curl all the way through the full range. You may just be happy doing half curls.

For a change don't go to failure on each set. Think about always doing partial reps.

Guess what happens when you start working out by doing only partial reps on all your exercises - hey presto! No more sore joints or injuries is what happens. But - that's not following the rules set by "Those Who Know"! Yeah? Well guess what? It works.

By throwing out the rules and allowing sloppy and partial, sometimes very partial reps I've started to make gains again. The enjoyment meter on my workouts is also reading high again.

Perhaps, just perhaps, 10 reps is not the Golden Rule. Try 15, 20 even. At the moment I'm making the best gains ever doing 20 reps a set, partial reps, sometimes full reps, sometimes only like 10 degrees of arc for the whole set (gives a great pump, by the way), any speed I feel like, resting between sets whatever feels good on the day.

See what I mean? - by changing my focus away from strictly by the book workouts to whatever works and feels good on the day both my enjoyment and results have skyrocketed.

Back in the old days of bodybuilding now known as "Old School Bodybuilding" when those guys had the best bodies they also had a lot less rules. They just did what they could do with the apparatus they had at hand - sometimes just a set of dumbbells. At the start, benches for bench presses didn't exist. They built great chests doing presses on the floor. That's right - there elbows never when past there body! And they still built huge chests!

The thing is - if you can get back to enjoying your workouts unhampered by all those rules and regulations you are much more likely to keep on keeping on - which of course is the doorway to success at anything.

For a lot more info take the time to checkout this site - you will love it!

http://www.PalmieriBodybuilding.com

'Till next time.

The key muscles of the shoulders and arms

Build nice big shoulders and you will get that great looking "wide" effect. You will earn yourself the ability to fill out a doorway. The arms.........well, what can I say.......not much grabs more attention than a pair of BIG arms in a t-shirt.

Even though the shoulders and arms do a lot of work together they require very different exercises to achieve maximum growth in strength and size. To get the results you will need a knowledge of what you are working with. The main muscles found in these areas are as follows:

• Deltoids - or "delts". These are made up of three separate segments that cover the shoulder and run quite a few centimetres down the arm. The posterior deltoid draws the arm back, the middle deltoid raises the arm to the side and the anterior deltoid raises the arm to the front.
• Rotators - these are small muscles of the rotator cuff that control small movements of the upper arm. They consist of an internal rotator, external rotator and supraspinatis. These muscles are used in lifting and throwing actions.
• Triceps brachii - The triceps muscles cover the back of the upper arm and consist of three sections - the long, lateral and medial heads. The purpose of the triceps is to straighten the arm at the elbow. Due to the three sections, your triceps have the extra potential for making your arms bigger as compared with only two sections in the biceps. Triceps work is always profitable!
• Biceps brachii - The biceps consists of both a long head and a short head and covers the front part of the upper arm. The long head crosses the shoulder joint and works with the front deltoid to raise the arm to the front.
• Brachialis - This muscle lies between the upper arm bone and the biceps. It helps the biceps synergistically to work the elbow when the palm is facing sideways.
• Forearm muscles - the forearms consist of many little muscles called flexors and extensors. The largest forearm muscle is the brachioradialis which lies close to the elbow.

The Key Muscles Of The Chest And Upper Back

Becoming familiar with the muscles that make up a considerable part of your body has more benefits than simply allowing you to talk shop with the other guys at the gym. The more you come to know the muscles you are working with the better you will be able to judge what is needed to keep improving. This article will help you get to know the main muscles of the chest and upper back.

Although being two different areas, we will consider the chest and upper back together because achieving a muscular balance between them is very important due to shared work effort and posture issues.

The main muscles found in the chest and upper back are:

 1. Pectoralis Major - or the "Pecs". These are the large chest muscles found to either side of the breastbone. It's main job is to bring the upper arm inwards across the body, a movement that is known as horizontal abduction. Get them right and they look great. Make them too large and you will begin to look silly - it's best to leave the really big boobs to the ladies!

 2. Latissimus Dorsi - or the "lats". This is the largest back muscle that runs from the lower back to the upper arm bone. It pulls the upper arm towards the body and acts as an internal rotator of the upper arm. If well developed it will give you the classic "V" shape. Too large and people may mistake you for a bat or flying fox - although a very large one!

 3. Trapezius - or the "traps". This muscle runs from the mid spine to the shoulder and then to the neck. Its main role is to facilitate the movement of the shoulder blades. A good set of traps will give you a powerful "bulldog" look.

Like most things in life - balance is key.