Best Exercises for Legs

Squats

Grab the bar with a medium grip. Put your feet directly under the bar, get under it and put it between your traps and rear shoulder muscles (“low bar”). Chest up,  upper-back tight. Unrack the bar by Squatting up. Take one step back with one leg, one with your other leg. Stand straight with your knees and hips locked for maximum stability. Take a big breath, hold it and Squat. Do this by pushing your knees to the side and your hips back and down. Squat until you break parallel – your hip crease must go below the top of your knee. Hold your breath at the bottom. Don’t stop but quickly reverse the movement by driving your hips straight up. Keep your knees out, your chest up and your upper-back tight. Lock your hips and knees at the top. Exhale and rest a second. Then take a big breath, hold it and Squat your next rep. After your finished completing the reps, rack the weight back by stepping forward.

Leg Presses

Sit on the machine with your back and head against the padded support.

Place feet on the foot plate about hip width apart, ensuring the heels are flat. The legs should form an angle of about 90 degrees at the knee with a little variation either way as long as the heels sit flat on the plate, the knees should be in line with the feet and neither bowed inward nor outward.

Your bottom should not be raised from the seat platform. If it is, and the legs are at too sharp an angle, then you need to adjust the seat back until the correct position is enabled. You can recognize this poor position when the knees seem to be in front of your eyes and you feel cramped, grasp the assist handles.

Brace the abdominal muscles and push the platform away with heels and forefoot by extending the knees and hips and pushing the back into the seat pad, the heels should remain flat on the foot plate and the front of the foot or toes should not be used exclusively to move the pad forward.

Don’t lock out the knees in an explosive fashion but do express a full range of motion. Return the foot plate to the starting position by allowing the knees to bend under control while maintaining the feet flat on the surface, Repeat the movement.

  

Leg Extensions

For this exercise you will need to use a leg extension machine. First choose your weight and sit on the machine with your legs under the pad (feet pointed forward) and the hands holding the side bars, make sure that your legs form a 90-degree angle between the lower and upper leg. If the angle is less than 90-degrees then that means the knee is over the toes which in turn creates undue stress at the knee joint. If the machine is designed that way, either look for another machine or just make sure that when you start executing the exercise you stop going down once you hit the 90-degree angle.

Using your quadriceps, extend your legs to the maximum as you exhale. Ensure that the rest of the body remains stationary on the seat. Pause a second on the contracted position, slowly lower the weight back to the original position as you inhale, ensuring that you do not go past the 90-degree angle limit, Repeat the movement.

Hack Squats

  

Place the back of your torso against the back pad of the machine and hook your shoulders under the shoulder pads provided.

Position your legs in the platform using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Place your arms on the side handles of the machine and disengage the safety bars Now straighten your legs without locking the knees.

Begin to slowly lower the unit by bending the knees as you maintain a straight posture with the head until the angle between the upper leg and the calves becomes slightly less than 90-degrees Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement, Begin to raise the unit as you exhale by pushing the floor with mainly with the heel of your foot as you straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position, Repeat the movement.

  

Lying Leg Curls

Adjust the machine lever to fit your height and lie face down on the leg curl machine with the pad of the lever on the back of your legs (just a few inches under the calves). Keeping the torso flat on the bench, ensure your legs are fully stretched and grab the side handles of the machine position your toes. As you exhale, curl your legs up as far as possible without lifting the upper legs from the pad. Once you hit the fully contracted position, hold it for a second.

As you inhale, bring the legs back to the initial position, Repeat the movement.

Lunges

Set the bar on a rack just below shoulder level. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it, hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.

Step away from the rack and step forward with your right leg and squat down through your hips, while keeping the torso upright and maintaining balance. Inhale as you go down, using mainly the heel of your foot, push up and go back to the starting position as you exhale, Repeat the movement.

Tip: Alternate with Dumbbells.

Seated Calf Raises

Sit on the machine and place your toes on the lower portion of the platform provided with the heels extending off. Choose the toe positioning of your choice (forward, in, or out)

Place your lower thighs under the lever pad, which will need to be adjusted according to the height of your thighs. Now place your hands on top of the lever pad in order to prevent it from slipping forward, lift the lever slightly by pushing your heels up and release the safety bar.

Slowly lower your heels by bending at the ankles until the calves are fully stretched. Inhale as you perform this movement, raise the heels by extending the ankles as high as possible as you contract the calves and breathe out. Hold the top contraction for a second, Repeat the movement.

Best Shoulder Exercises

Everybody knows in order to build huge deltoids you need to start with heavy presses followed by an isolation exercise for each of the three deltoid heads, knowing that the move that comes first will be trained harder as energy levels and focus are higher earlier in the workout so I suggest you start off with heavy presses.

Seated Overhead Barbell Press

To begin, first set yourself on a seat with back support grab a bar with chosen weight Hold on to the bar using both arms with a slightly wider than shoulder width, lift the barbell overhead by fully extending your arms while breathing out, hold the contraction for a second and lower the barbell back down to the starting position by inhaling, repeat the movement.

Tip: Alternate this movement with Dumbbells, smith machine, squat rack

Seated Barbell Military Press

To begin, first set yourself on a seat with back support grab a bar with chosen weight Hold on to the bar using both arms with a slightly wider than shoulder width, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms, lower the bar down to the collarbone slowly as you inhale, lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale, and Repeat the movement.

Tip: Alternate this movement with Arnold dumbbell press, smith machine, squat rack

Dumbbell Front Raises

Pick up a pair of dumbbells and stand with a straight torso and the dumbbells on front of your thighs at arm’s length, lift the dumbbells to the front with a slight bend on the elbow and the palms of the hands always facing down, continue to go up until you arms are slightly above parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this movement and pause for a second at the top as you inhale, lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position and repeat.

Tip: you can do both arms or single arm, you can also use a weight plate.

Dumbbell side Lateral Raises

  

Pick up a pair of dumbbells and stand with a straight torso and the dumbbells by your side at arm’s length with the palms of the hand facing you, lift the dumbbells to your side with a slight bend on the elbow and the hands slightly tilted forward as if pouring water in a glass. Continue to go up until you arms are parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this movement and pause for a second at the top, lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position as you inhale and repeat the movement.

Tip: Alternate with cables Raises, Deltoid fly machines.

Barbell Rear Deltoid Rows

  

Stand up straight while holding a barbell using a wide grip, bend knees slightly and bend over as you keep the natural arch of your back. Let the arms hang in front of you as they hold the bar. Once your torso is parallel to the floor, flare the elbows out and away from your body, pull the barbell up towards your upper chest as you squeeze the rear delts and you breathe out then slowly go back to the initial position as you breathe in, repeat the movement.

Tip: Alternate with Dumbbells, Deltoid fly machines. 

Best Biceps Exercises

The biceps brachii commonly known as the biceps is a two-headed muscle that lies on the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads arise on the scapula and join to form a single muscle belly which is attached to the upper forearm. While the biceps crosses both the shoulder and elbow joints, its main function is at the latter where it flexes the forearm at the elbow and supinates the forearm.

Tip: To isolate the biceps brachii in elbow flexion, place the shoulder in hyperextension which mean don’t swing your elbow follow the simple strict movement and get bigger Biceps.

Standing Barbell Curls

Stand up with your torso upright while holding a barbell at the wide outer handle. The palm of your hands should be facing forward. The elbows should be close to the torso.

Curl the weights up while contracting the biceps as you breathe out, continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second and squeeze the biceps hard.

Slowly begin to bring the bar back to starting position as your breathe in and repeat.

Tip: This movement can be also done with Ez Bar ,Cable station, short Ez bar with pulley alternate various movement like close grip and wide grip.

Incline Dumbbell Curls

 Sit back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand held at arm’s length. Keep your elbows close to your torso; curl the weights up while contracting the biceps as you breathe out continue the movement until your biceps is fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second.

Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back to starting position as your breathe in and repeat.

Tip: Alternate this movement with Hammer Curls, Can do single arm or both arms.

Barbell Preacher Curls

Grab the E-Z curl bar at the close inner handle the palm of your hands should be facing upwards and they should be slightly tilted inwards due to the shape of the bar.

With the upper arms positioned against the preacher bench pad and the chest against it, hold the E-Z Curl Bar at shoulder length as you breathe in, slowly lower the bar until your upper arm is extended and the biceps is fully stretched.

As you exhale, use the biceps to curl the weight up until your biceps is fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder height. Squeeze the biceps hard and hold this position for a second and repeat movement.

Tip: Alternate between Barbell, Ez bar , Cable station with pulley.

  

Hammer Curls

Sit down on a bench with your torso upright and a dumbbell on each hand being held at arm’s length. The elbows should be close to the torso palms of the hands should be facing your torso exhale and curl the weight forward while contracting the biceps. Continue to raise the weight until the biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbell is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a brief moment as you squeeze the biceps after the brief pause, inhale and slowly begin the lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position and repeat movement.

Tip: Alternate between Inclined hammer curls, Can do single arm or both arms.

Concentration Curls

   

  

Sit down on a flat bench with one dumbbell in front of you between your legs. Your legs should be spread with your knees bent and feet on the floor.

Use your right arm to pick the dumbbell up. Place the back of your right upper arm on the top of your inner right thigh. Rotate the palm of your hand until it is facing forward away from your thigh

Curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearms should move. Continue the movement until your biceps is fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the biceps slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back to starting position as your breathe in and repeat the movement.

Best Trap Exercises

Building big traps is a necessity for a symmetrically sculpted upper torso, and most guys usually give these muscles attention at the end of their shoulder workout. But to really build some shirt stretching traps you've got to isolate this area with a variety of exercises that target the upper, middle and lower section of these muscles.

Barbell Shrugs

  

Stand up straight with feet shoulder width apart while holding barbell straight down at thigh level palms facing in, Raise your shoulders up as far as you can go and hold for a second.

Slowly return to the starting position.

TIP: This exercise can also be performed with the barbell behind the back, Smith machine, cable station or shrug machine.

Dumbbell Shrugs

   

Stand up straight with feet shoulder width apart pick up a pair of heavy Dumbbells hold it to the side at thigh level - palms facing in, Raise your shoulders up as far as you can go and hold for a second.

Slowly return to the starting position.

TIP: This exercise can also be performed with heavy weight plates 20 kg etc….

UP right rows

Grasp a straight Barbell palms facing your thighs grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The bar should be resting on top of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position.

Use your side shoulders to lift the Barbell as you exhale. The bar should be close to the body as you move it up. Continue to lift it until it nearly touches your chin your elbows should always be higher than your forearms, Lower the bar back down slowly to the starting position.

Tip: This exercise can also be performed with EZ bar, Cable and Dumbbells.

Best Lat Exercises

Pull-Ups

Pull up is a great exercise to improve strength, the single most important exercise for upper body strength development. It gives your back a super v shape, I bet not many people can do 20 pull ups 3 sets but keep training and you will make it.

  

Grab a bar with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width, with your hands facing away from you.  Hang all the way down.  Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar.  Slight pause Lower yourself all the way back down.  Go up, and really concentrate on isolating your back and biceps.  Don’t swing, if you are not able use a machine or a spotter to help you.

Lat Pull-Downs

The Lat pulldown is an exercise mainly for the back although the shoulders and arms get some workout as well.  latissimus dorsi on either side of the middle to upper back is the main target muscle group and is also the msucle from which the exercise gets its casual name. These muscles are called 'the lats' for short.

Grasp the cable bar with a wide overhand grip, knuckles up and sit on the seat with thighs under the support. Alternative grips, narrow and underhand, are possible, but use the wide grip when starting out, you should just be able to reach the bar when you stretch up. Keeping the back straight, pull the bar down behind your head  to about neck level  in a smooth movement while squeezing the shoulder blades together, Slowly return the bar to full height and repeat the exercise, this motion can be done using a Rope also.

Close Grip Front Lat Pulldown

The Close grip lat pull down is similar to the lat pull down there are only two changes the under hand grip and the bar is pulled in front. 

Position yourself on the lat pulldown machine and grab the bar with an underhand grip while keeping your hands at about a shoulder width distance. Pull the bar straight down using your back muscles and bring the bar in front of you until it is about even with the middle of your chest. Slowly return the weight back up to the start position and repeat.

  

Seated v bar Pull downs

Using V-bar in pulldown is a common alternative to either overhand or underhand pulldowns. When using a V-bar the arms are in their most natural position. Your palms are naturally facing each other and you need to twist them to a weaker position to grab a bar.

  

Sit on the seat of the machine and grab the V-bar attached to the pulley. Bend slightly backwards but do not bend at waist. Hold your hands outstretched while holding the V-bar in line with the pulley, from the position with arms outstretched lead the motion by bending at the elbows and pulling the V-bar to your chest (contracting your chest muscles). Exhale while you pull the V-bar towards your body and inhale while you are returning to the starting position.

Seated Cable Rows

Sit slightly forward on seat or bench and grasp cable attachment. Place feet on vertical platform. Slide hips back positioning knees with slight bent.

  

Pull cable attachment to waist line while straightening your lower back. Pull shoulders back and push chest forward while arching back. Return until arms are extended, shoulders are stretched forward, and lower back is flexed forward. Repeat the movement.

  

Single Arm Dumbbell Rows

Holding a dumbbell in your right hand, bend over to place your left knee and left hand on a bench to support your body weight. Your left hand should be directly under your shoulder and your knees should be positioned directly under your hips.

  

Exhale and slowly pull the dumbbell toward your side body. Keep your arm close to the side of your body as you bend your elbow and pull the dumbbell up a little above your waist, Inhale and gently lower the dumbbell to your starting position. Keep the back straight and strong abdominal engaged and shoulder blades pulling down and back.

Best Triceps Exercises

Flat Close Grip Bench Press

The Closed-Grip Bench Press is another great exercise that destroys all three heads of the triceps at once. Closed grip bench presses are also phenomenal for adding definition to the inner chest and creating that really nice line of separation between the two pecs. The close grip bench press allows the triceps to handle a huge amount of weight, which results in quick muscle and strength gains.

Your hands should be spaced close together at the middle of the bar, about 1 foot apart. Your elbows should be tucked in close to your torso throughout the movement and should not stick out to the sides at all. Slowly lower the weight down until your triceps are parallel to the ground, hold for 1 second at the bottom, and accelerate back upwards.

Lying Barbell Triceps Extensions

Barbell Lying Triceps Extensions, work primarily the long and medial heads of the triceps. Building up the long head adds size to the inner-bottom portion of the arm, which helps add overall height to your arms.

Load a Barbell or EZ bar with weight plates, lie down on a flat bench, and extend your arms straight overhead. Without moving your upper arms at all, slowly bend your arms at the elbow and lower the bar back beyond your head until your arms hit a 90 degree angle. Forcefully extend your arms upwards and hold the contraction at the top for 1 second, lowering the weight behind your head takes stress of the elbow joint and displace it all onto the triceps.

Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions

Overhead Lateral Triceps Extensions are awesome for smashing the lateral head of the triceps, which is critical for building up a dense, well-shaped horseshoe (they also hit the long head hard, the other half of the horseshoe). I love overhead lateral triceps extensions because they really allow you to feel a nice stretch on the way down and a powerful contraction on the way up.

Start by raising one arm vertically overhead. Slowly bend your arm at the elbow and lower the dumbbell sideways behind your head. Make sure to keep your upper arm completely stationary and locked in placed! Lower slowly for 2 seconds, hold at the bottom for 1 second, and then squeeze your triceps hard at the top of the movement.

  

Cable Pushdowns

Cable pushdowns are usually the only machine-type tricep exercise recommend. It can be performed with an overhand or reverse grip various types of handles can be used including a rope.

 Stand at a cable tricep pushdown station with knees slightly bent grab the bar with palms facing down. At this starting point, your forearms and biceps should be pretty much touching, Press the bar down in a semicircular motion towards the front of your thighs by extending your arms at the elbow, Keep elbows close to your sides at all time.

Reverse grip Pushdowns

Facing the bar attachment, grab it with the palms facing up (supinated grip) at shoulder width. Lower the bar by using your lats until your arms are fully extended by your sides. Tip: Elbows should be in by your sides and your feet should be shoulder width apart from each other. This is the starting position.

Slowly elevate the bar attachment only the forearms should move and the elbows/upper arms should be stationary by your side at all times,Then begin to lower the cable bar back down to the original staring position Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions, this exercise can also be performed with a single handle using one arm at a time.

Dips (on parallel bars, elbows close to body, without forward lean)

Dips are an interesting exercise. For some people, it may be the best tricep exercise  Stand inside a parallel  dip station and hold on to the bars with a shoulder width grip.

 While keeping your elbows close to your sides at all times, press yourself straight up so that your arms are extended lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor Return to the starting position by pressing yourself back up.

Best Chest Exercises- Highest Rated

Here’s a list of what are considered to be the best and most often used Chest exercises.

Tips:

• ·         Alternate between Barbell and Dumbbell for Bench press.
• ·         Flyes include one per week start with Flat/Incline/Decline/Cable.
• ·         Keep your elbows slightly inward toward your body don’t lock your           elbows.
• ·         Inhale while lowering the weight and exhale while lifting the weight.
• ·         Remember the greater action is when the weights are lowered so             don’t overload weights you can’t handle.
• ·         There are two common grips thumb around the bar and thumb                  under the bar to start off use the thumb around the bar it’s safer.
• ·         Use a spotter to help you rack and unrack the weights, if needed             ask the spotter to help you complete the set, if you don’t have a             spotter use the smith machine.

• Bench press Angles for Flat / Incline / Decline

• Flat Barbell Bench Press / Dumbbell press

The Barbell flat bench press hits the entire chest area. This is a pretty simple exercise to perform. To start, simply lie down on a flat bench. Lower the weight to chest level and press back up to the starting position (as in the image above) the same motion applies for the Dumbbell press except for the Dumbbell will be lowered to the side of the chest.

• Incline Barbell  Bench Press / Dumbbell press

The Incline bench press hits the upper chest area. This is a pretty simple exercise to perform. To start, simply lie down on an incline bench (check the bench position image at the beginning of this page). Lower the weight a little above chest level and press back up to the starting position (as in the image above) the same motion applies for the Dumbbell press except for the Dumbbell will be lowered to the side of the chest.

• Decline Barbell  Bench Press / Dumbbell press

 The Decline bench press hits the lower chest, to start lie down on the decline bench with your lower shins hooked beneath the leg supports at the end once in correct position Lower the weight a little above the chest level and push it straight back up until your arms are fully extended (check the bench position image at the beginning of this page) the same motion applies for the Dumbbell press except for the Dumbbell will be lowered to the side of the chest.

• Flat Dumbbell Flyes

This is a great movement for flat chest routine this exercise will stimulate the entire chest area to perform this exercise, simply pick up a pair of dumbbells like the flat bench press, lie back on the bench and bring the dumbbells to the side of your chest as in the image above, to just  above the parallel and bring the dumbbells back up. keep your arms slightly bent while performing this movement.                        

  

• Incline Dumbbell Flyes

This is a great finishing movement for the upper chest routine, this exercise will simulate the upper chest area, to perform this exercise simply pick up a pair of dumbbells like the incline bench press lie back on the bench and bring the dumbbells to the side of your chest as in the image shown above to just above parallel and bring the dumbbells back up , keep your arms slightly bent while performing this movement.

• Decline Dumbbell Flyes      

                                                                                                                             

This is a great finishing movement for the lower chest routine, t his exercise will stimulate the lower chest area. To perform this exercise simply pick up a pair of dumbbells like the declined bench press lie back on the bench and bring the dumbbells to the side of your chest as in the image shown above to just above parallel and bring the dumbbells back up keep your arms slightly bent while performing this movement.

• Cable Crossovers

                        

Step forward in front between both pulleys while pulling your arms together in front of you. Your torso should have a small forward bend from the waist, extend your arms to the side (straight out at both sides) in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest.

• Push-Ups               

                                             

When down on the ground set your hands at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder-width apart your feet should be set up in a way that feels right and comfortable to you, lower your body and push up as show in the image above.

• Dips (on parallel bars with slight forward lean)

       

                                    

Stand between a set of parallel bars. Place a hand on each bar, and then take a small jump to help you get into the starting position with your arms locked out,Begin by flexing the elbow, lowering your body until your arms break 90 degrees. Avoid swinging, and maintain good posture throughout the descent,Reverse the motion by extending the elbow, pushing yourself back up into the starting position.