Well, now is the time to work on your “impressive muscles.” Some muscle groups are more likely to impress people then others, these are the muscle groups that people who have never trained with weights have little to no development in at all. When these areas are fully developed, they become super impressive to people on the street and even your fellow gym rats.

So if you’re ready to take your physique from merely looking good to looking amazing, then here are the areas to work on: 1) Wider Shoulders, 2) Thicker Pecs, 3) Larger Upper Arms, 4) Smaller Waist With Etched Abs and 5) Diamond Calves. When you have developed these to the max, you will take on a classic refined look that will put you a step above everyone else in your gym. OK, I know you’re excited and ready to get started, so let’s get to the workouts you’ll be doing for for each muscle group.

1) Wider Shoulders

What you want to do it maximize your development of the lateral head of the deltoid, this is what gives you width. Start with the Dumbbell Lateral Raise, use a weight that you can do in a slow and controlled manner. Hold the top position for a count of two and really feel the burn in the lateral head of your delts. Do 3 sets of 15 reps. Next is Barbell Upright Rows, keep your elbows high and the bar close to your body, hold at the top for a count of two while flexing your shoulders. Do 3 sets of 10 reps. To finish off your shoulders do Dumbbell Presses, keep your elbows back and don’t lock out at the top. Do 3 sets of 6 reps.

2) Thicker Pecs

Start off with Dumbbell Flys, keeping your arms bent. Get a good stretch at the bottom and come up like your hugging someone, do not touch the dumbbells at the top so you keep constant tension. Do 3 sets of 15 reps. Next is the Bench Press, Keep your elbows back and Don’t lock out at the top. Do 3 sets of 12 reps. Now Incline Dumbbell Press, while keeping your elbows back start at the bottom with the dumbbells wide and as you press move them closer together till then touch at the top, flex your upper pecs hard, lower and repeat. Do sets of 12 reps. Last is Parallel Bar Dips, keep your chin on your chest and your elbows out wide, not close to you body. Do 3 sets of 6 reps, add weight as you get stronger.

3) Larger Upper Arms

Alternating Dumbbell Curls, start off with the palms facing down and as you curl rotate the dumbbells up so your palms are facing up. Raise your pinkly high and flex you bicep hard at the top. Do 3 sets of 15 reps. Next do Barbell Curls, put one foot slightly forward and curl up with out bending back. Do 3 Sets of 8 reps. Lastly do Dumbell Hammer Curls, these build the brachialis a large muscle beneath the biceps. This is often a weak link in arm development. Many have found that by adding specific brachialis exercises to their workouts can increase their upper arm size by as much as one inch in a month. Do 3 sets of 10, 8 and 6 reps adding weight each set.

Now you’ll want to hit the long head of the Triceps and this will make your arms are look huge when standing relaxed. The First exercise is Bench Dips, place two flat benches parallel to each other, about three to four feet apart. Using your hands to support your weight, lift your feet to the top of the other bench so that the rest of your body is suspended between the two benches. Slowly lower your body toward the floor by bending your elbows until your upper arms and forearms form a right angle. Slowly rise back up to the start position by straightening your arms. The secret is to keep your elbows back and as close as possible to each other. Do 3 sets of 12 reps. Next is Dumbbell Kickbacks, keep elbows tight to side also trying to pull them as close together as possible. Hold and flex at the top for a count of two. Do 3 sets of 15 reps. Lastly Tricep Pushdowns, do 3 sets of 10, 8 and 6 reps adding weight each set.

4) Smaller Waist With Etched Abs

Frog Crunches. Lie flat on your back and draw your heels up under your knees wide and out to the sides like a frog. Place your hands with a barbell plate behind your head. Keep your head down with your chin on your chest as your shoulders round forward curl your upper body until only the small of the back remains in contact with the floor. This movement is not a stiff back sit up, it is a roll movement and you must perform it as such for it to produce results. Crunch Your abs hard at the top and hold for a count of of three. Do 3 sets of 20 reps. Remember cruches only tone the ab muscles, you need a lowered calorie intake to burn off the fat, to make the waist smaller and so the muscles then show through clearly.

5) Diamond Calves

Start with Seated Calf Raises, move slow (no bouncing) get a good stretch at the bottom then hold and flex your calf hard at the top for a count of two. Do 3 sets of 20 reps. Next is Standing One Leg Calf Raises, it’s been found that a straight leg generates less torque than when the knee is slightly bent about 20 degrees keep it fixed at that angle throughout the exercise. Hold a dumbbell on the same side as the working calf, use you other hand for support. Do 3 Sets of 12 reps.

Time To Get Pumping!

Hopefully you now see that training your “impressive muscles” will bring your physique up to a whole new level!

About The Author: Paul Becker is a natural (steroid free for life) bodybuilder and fitness consultant. For more information on Bodybuilding and Bodybuilding Supplements visit his website at http://www.trulyhuge.com.

Seeing the scale go down is a nice feeling when you’re “dieting” but if the weight you are losing is lean muscle it will only pose huge problems for you in the future! Muscle weighs twice as much as fat, so if you are dropping weight quite rapidly and not consuming enough protein in your daily diet you are losing valuable muscle! I have been saying this for years – do not just do cardio exercise, but lift weights too! Stimulating and “tearing” your muscle fibers down during resistance training is only part of the equation. You must ingest amino acids (which are in your proteins) to rebuild and recover from those intense workouts!

Lots of cardio exercise without proper protein intake will only result in one thing – weight loss. That weight loss will be some fat of course, some water weight as well but most importantly lean muscle loss. The goal is to lose as much body fat as possible while retaining lean tissue (muscle). I don’t care who you are, nobody wants to purposely lose muscle from their body. The more muscle you have, the more fat you lose. Having more muscle on your frame allows us to eat more food as well because it takes more energy to sustain that muscle.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the “yo-yo dieting” phenomenon? Losing a lot of weight (muscle included) and then finishing your diet only to start eating like you did before your diet will lead to a rebound of rapid weight gain! The difference is this time it will be ALL fat gain and lots more where that came from. Remember I said losing muscle will only pose huge problems in the future? Losing the muscle during your “weight loss” catches up to you because now you have less muscle to combat the fat you had. Fat cells merely shrink when you “lose” so when they begin to get bigger from eating more, you are not packing around the muscle mass you once had to burn more calories. This in turn will make you even fatter than before you started to lose your weight!

How can you stop this from happening? First thing is to change your thinking. Concentrate on losing “fat” NOT just “weight.” Muscle weight is the most important thing you can try and maintain while dropping down on the scale. Psychologically this will be harder because when you do look at the scale it may not go down much. This is why taking measurements is more important than a weigh scale.

Along with taking measurements and using your mirror image to chart your progress it is crucial to maintain a high protein diet everyday to hold on to muscle. Even if the majority of your exercise is of the cardio type, you must remember to not let your body go too long without protein. You want to stay in what is called an “Anabolic state.” (muscle building/muscle sparing). This will enhance your chances of success. Allowing your body to go into a “Catabolic state” (muscle wasting) is a huge mistake that many make.

This is a rather easy thing to avoid. Simply make sure you are ingesting a protein source every 3-4 hours max throughout the day – everyday. Do not forget about the night time either!  You want to remain in that same anabolic state while you sleep as that is when you recover and/or grow. Drinking a slow release protein containing Casein before bed helps this state to be in effect for up to 8 hours. High protein and very low to no carbohydrates is the key. Breakfast needs a high protein source a well. The word Breakfast means to “break the fast” which makes sense, but what I am saying is DO NOT fast over night!

Any questions regarding this or anything else fitness related please email Darren at askgymjunky@gmail.com Good luck with your training!

About my writing: My writing style is my own and to let my reader’s know ahead of time – I say it like it is! My intention is not to offend, but inform. I welcome any questions or even comments YOU the reader has. If for some reason, I do not know the answer, I will find it for you! Please email your questions to:

askgymjunky@gmail.com

I look forward to working with MuscleSport Online Magazine as it is the best online magazine! – Darren Sorensen

My personalized training programs are: $45 US. Personalized eating plans are: $250 US (for 3 months support, included).

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The monthly 500 Word Article Submission Contest on the Muscular Development website forums (www.musculardevelopment.com) has already begun posting some of the entries, with the winner having his/her article published in the print magazine. Voting will begin shortly and go until December 12. Is this a shameless ploy to get some votes for my entry, “Sweatpants and a Duffel Bag” by MuscleSport Mag? You bet, it is! To get your by-line in MD should not be taken lightly, and I’m not doing so. If you have never been on the boards, then you’re doing yourself a disservice. MD is the top publication out there and their website is loaded with great material. The forums are legendary, especially the ‘No Bull’ section. Sign up, post and don’t forget to vote every month.

Sweatpants and a Duffel Bag

Remember the first time that you hit the weights? Me neither, but it doesn’t really matter, I suppose. As long as there is a first time to think back to and that there’s been many more since then.

Yeah, the longer that you’ve been training the harder it gets to recall how bad those first few workouts were. Your form was totally off, hands in the wrong position and all. But you got your ass in there and, lo and behold, it wasn’t too much longer before you figured it out.

Watching the ‘big guys’ training near you, reading magazine articles and (if you had the balls) asking questions of the guy waiting for you to finish on the incline bench gave you the knowledge that you needed to make that jump. Before you knew it, you were on the answering end of those same questions.

Over the years, you’ve gone through enough changes but one thing’s remained consistent – no matter what you always found time to get yourself to the gym. Even if it was one of those pieces of home equipment with the rubber band weights. While the people you lived near or worked with made their January cameos to satisfy their fat consciousness, you took care of business.

It may get harder every year, but when you can look yourself in the mirror and say that you’re in the best shape of your life, you know that you’re doing something right. It’s a simple formula – take care of your body and reap the rewards. The kind that stares you down every morning when shaving.

“There goes that guy with the sweatpants and duffel bag again.” Is that what your neighbor thought to himself this morning when you waved to one another as he raked another bag of fallen leaves? Have fun with that cleanup, my friend. I have a little back and bis to take care of.

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag entitled, “This is Your Magazine,” where we profile the every-day athlete. If you would like to see yourself profiled here, please send us your story and photo to superbas@optonline.net.

Perhaps is is just good karma to finish in the top spot the first time someone does something, especially when it’s a bodybuilding contest that takes months to prepare for. Back in 2005, a newcomer entered the NABBA Junior Nationals and walked away with the trophy that all the other competitors had their eyes on.

Monica M. of Doylestown, Pennsylvania may have begun weight training to prepare for high school cross country and sprint meets, but at the young age of 25, she has become an accomplished natural bodybuilder. She went on to win two more contests in each of the following years and has already qualified for professional status.

Her posing routines in all five of the shows Monica has entered have been lauded and she has also taken home ‘Best Poser’ awards on three separate occasions (2006 NABBA Nationals, 2007 USBF Jersey Shore Natural, 2007 USBF Baltimore Natural). On Bodybuilding.com, it has been described as a “sensational posing routine” and a “great combination of diesel, dance and dynamite gymnastics.”

If Monica had never begun working out, she may not have found her hidden talent. That’s the way things shake out at times, and at age 14, Monica could not envision what was to come.

“The heavier weights and dedication to the gym did not come until I was about 18 years old ,” she said. “Once I began lifting heavier and cleaning up my eating habits, I realized that my body responded quite favorably to resistance training.”

Calling track her “ultimate passion,” Monica has certainly been able to share that with bodybuilding. If she did not sustain numerous injuries, she may have become an Olympic champion, knowing her dedication to her body and being the best. As Monica puts it, “I love to compete.”

When Monica was a child, she became inspired by a vision on the television set, much like many of us. “I was obsessed with ‘American Gladiators,” she remembered. “Ice was my favorite. I always wanted to be on the show.”

It would seem that things are timed for a reason, and the second incarnation of the series is once again a hit show. “I was going to open calls in New York last summer, but I was competing and still in school,” said Monica. “I’m still looking for a way to get on that show.”

Only tweaking her routine and diet has kept Monica in the right shape to compete in more than one contest a year. “Whether or not I’m getting ready for a show, my workouts don’t change a whole lot – I just do a heck of a lot more cardio,” she said. Typically holding true to a six-day split, Monica will generally do one bodypart and cardio each day, while hitting her abs three times per week.

Eating clean all year has made Monica’s occasional indulgence into one of her favorite offseason snacks, ice cream, not become a problem. During contest preparation, she will eliminate all salt, sugar and alcohol.

To get to the top is what makes all of these sacrifices worth it to Monica. “Don’t get me wrong, dieting and training are physically and mentally demanding,” she said. “But being a winner is such a wonderful thing.”

The type of thing a girl could get used to.