Florida Agenda

Most guys are in agreement about what constitutes an ideal physique – a tapered V-shaped back, bold defined triceps, biceps like soft balls, a hard bubble butt, and a sleek, well- defined sixpack. A physique with these assets is well worth flaunting anywhere! Just remember, guys, to workout your legs once in awhile… nothing looks sillier than a guy with a big upper gym body on toothpick legs.

One muscle group that guys sometimes forget about, or simply only train routinely, are the deltoids. Whether you’re strutting your stuff on the beach or at the pool, or wearing your best suit for an interview, a great pair of shoulders will set you apart from the rest. The delts are located at the top of each arm, and consist of the anterior or front deltoids, mid or lateral deltoids, and the posterior or rear deltoids. Well-developed deltoids resemble cannonballs, but you need a variety of movements or exercises in order to develop and strengthen them properly. Also, the stronger your deltoids are, the less stress you will experience with those deeper rotator cuff muscles.

Here’s a big boy’s guide to bigger, broader shoulders:

• Seated dumbbell presses are great for front and mid deltoids as well as for traps and triceps. Sit on a bench with your back straight. Grasp two dumbbells with an overhand grip, and lift them to your shoulders, palms facing forward. Inhale and press your arms to an extended vertical position. Exhale as you lower them back to your shoulders.

• Lateral raises are great for the mid delt, and they help you to achieve a broader look to the upper body. Stand with your feet slightly spread. Keep your back straight, your arms hanging at your sides. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Return to the starting position. You can also do this exercise seated on a bench with your back straight, and simply raise the dumbbells to your sides as if you were standing. Doing these exercises in a seated position helps you to isolate the side delts better, but yes, they are harder.

• Front raises are dynamite for the front and rear delts. Stand with your feet slightly apart. Hold the dumbbells with your palms down (overhand grip). Resting the dumbbells on your thighs or slightly to the side, raise the dumbbells forward to shoulder height, alternating each side.

• Bent-over lateral raises are great for the overall shoulder, but especially for the rear deltoids and upper back. Stand with your feet spread apart and your knees slightly bent. Bend forward at the waist and keep your back straight. Hold the dumbbells with your elbows slightly bent. Inhale and raise the dumbbells to your sides. Exhale as you complete the movement.

• The upright row is another exercise for the mid and rear delts. Holding a weighted bar in front of you with an overhand grip, pull it to your chin while keeping your elbows above the bar. Keep the bar close to your body.

• With each of the above exercises, try performing three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps with a manageable but challenging weight. So there you have it, a workout that will give you those distinctive boulder delts.

Also remember to watch your posture. A lot of guys tend to slump their shoulders and crouch over a bit, especially if they are stressed or tired. Stand up straight, chin up, shoulders back, pecs out, and enjoy the attention you’ve earned!

Tom Bonanti is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc Gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave, Fort Lauderdale.
For more tips on how to get bigger beefier armS, give me a shout at TrainerTomB@aol.com

By Tom Bonanti

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you some excellent tips and gave you a dynamite routine to develop beefier biceps by Christmas. Follow my advice and I can guarantee your success. No doubt, bulging biceps with those to die for peaks are impressive! But the real secret to having great arms is to work harder and longer on your triceps (the back of your upper arms).

Triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arm, therefore it is logical that the bigger and more defined these muscles are, the more massive your arms will look, from the front, to the sides and from behind. The triceps are responsible for the movement of extension of the elbow and produce motion of the forearm. Because of their larger size, triceps require more effort and time than the smaller biceps muscles. Hit triceps once a week using 3-4 exercises of 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions for strength and maintenance. Work them at least twice to three times per week using the same formula to add mass and to build them.

Use free weights for triceps to give you a better range of motion and to produce a fuller muscle. Throw in a machine exercise every now and then for isolation and to break up monotony. Always make sure you get a good stretch for tri’s especially as you conclude the workout. Stretching helps bring out the separations and detail in the muscle.

Here are some dynamite exercises that will leave your triceps feeling pumped after only a few sessions.

Whenever you are working a muscle group, always include at least one exercise that will take the muscle group through its full range of motion. Close-grip bench presses will do this for triceps. Lie face up on a flat bench, feet firmly planted on the floor. Take a barbell or E Z curl bar from the rack. Use a narrow grip so that your hands are only 2-3 inches apart. Keeping your elbows close to your body, lower the weight to your lower sternum, and immediately push upwards. Always begin with a light warm-up set.

Triceps extensions are a classic. Start this exercise by holding a lat machine bar with your hands 2-8 inches apart. Now press downwards from your chin until your arms are straight. Return and repeat. Most bodybuilders keep their elbows tucked in at their sides during this movement. A few deliberately hold the elbows out to the sides and lean into the exercise. The choice is yours. This exercise can also be performed with a rope instead of a straight bar or lat machine bar.

Bent-over triceps kick backs are great for isolating each of the triceps. Hold a dumbbell in one h

and and hold on to a rack or bench with the other hand. Raise and lower (kick back) the dumbbell at an even rate, keeping the upper arm in line with your torso and parallel to the floor. Keep your upper arm tight against your waist throughout. Be careful not to over use your wrist as you kick the weight back and extend the elbow.

Lying triceps extensions or “skull crushers,” as they sometimes called, are killers. Lie on your back on a flat bench and hold a barbell or E Z curl bar at arms length above you. Lower it slowly to the forehead and raise the bar again to arm’s length. This is a more advanced exercise and you may have to wait until your tri’s are ready for this one.

During your workouts, do not waste time. When you’re working triceps or any muscle group, remember to stretch and move around between sets. For more tips on how to get bigger, beefier arms by Christmas, give me a shout at trainertomb@aol.com!

Tom Bonanti, is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Email: TrainerTomB@aol.com  Facebook: TrainerTomB.  www.pumpnincgym.com