Exercise Descriptions
Chest
Bench Press
Equipment Needed: bar, weights, and bench
How to: Put the weights on the bar. Lay on the bench so that the bar is slightly below your eyes. Grab the bar so that your arms are parallel to the wall. Lift the bar off the rack then slowly lower it to your nipples. After a brief pause at the chest, Raise the bar then lower it just before your arms lock. Keep your elbows out. Don't arch your back. Keep your feet on the floor. If the bar isn't marked for where you grip mark it.
Incline Bench Press
Equipment Needed: bar, weights, and an incline bench
How to: Do these just like when you are flat benching only lower the weight over your collar bone and go down to about your chin.
Dumbbell Flys
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells and a flat bench
How to: Set the Dumbbells next to the bench. Lay on the bench and grab the Dumbbells. Hold the Dumbbells so that your forearm and upper arm make right angles. Push the weight up until your arms are about parallel to the wall then lower the weight back to the right angle position. Try to really focus and stretch the chest.
Pullovers
Equipment Needed: Dumbbell and a flat bench
How to: Set the weight on the ground on either side of the bench. Lay your upper back on the bench and grab the weight. Your grip should look like a triangle with one hand over lapping the other. Raise the weight until it is almost above your head then lower it. Focus on the chest. Fell your rib cage expand.
Biceps
Curls
Equipment Needed: bar and weights
How to: Put the weights on the bar. Grab the bar with a shoulders width grip and lift it until you have almost gone as far up as you can then lower it but stop before your arms are completely straight and raise it again. Do not swing the weight up. Keep your elbows in.
Preacher Curls
Equipment Needed: bar, weights, and a preacher curl bench
How to: First make sure the bench is at the correct height. Then lean your chest up against the bench and grab hold of the weight. Curl the weight up and down through your full range of motion. And when you hit the top of the movement flex your biceps. Do not Lean Back. Slowly lower the weight down. If you do not have a preacher curl bench you can use a sturdy chair and a pillow for padding.
Seated Dumbbell Curls
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells
How to: Sit on the end of a bench. Pick up the Dumbbells keeping your palms in then curl the weight up twisting your palms so that at the peak of the movement they are pointing to your shoulders. Lower the weight the same way only in reverse twisting the weight so that at the bottom they are facing your body.
Hammer Curls
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells
How to: Do these the same way as regular Dumbbell curls only keep your palms facing your body through the whole movement. This will help work the upper forearms.
Concentration Curls
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells
How to: Sit down on the bench kicking the leg opposite the arm you are going to work out and leaning over slightly. With the opposite hand of the arm you are going to work hold on to the bench or the leg that is kicked out to help stabilize yourself. Pick up the weight and rest your arm upper arm -just above your elbow- against the leg that is not kicked out to make sure you don't cheat. Then curl the weight up to your delt and lower it slowly. If you start to fail you can do forced reps by using your free hand to help boost the weight up.
Reverse Curls
Equipment Needed: Bar and as usual weights
How to: While standing take hold of the bar with and overhand grip and curl it in the same fashion as standing b.bell curls. This exercise will work your forearms as well as biceps.
Triceps
Cable Pressdowns
Equipment Needed: Cable Pulley Machine
How to: Grab the handle with an over hand grip and about 10 inches in between your hands. Push the bar down all the way then raise it as far as you can with out moving your elbows. An arm blaster works good to keep the movement strict. Don't lean forward.
Standing/Seated Tricep Pressed
Equipment Needed: Bar and let me think weights
How to: When the bar is in front of you grip it with an overhand grip hands about 8 inches apart. Raise the bar above your head then lower it down behind your head as far as you can then back up.
Lying Tricep Extensions
Equipment Needed: Bench, Bar and yes weights
How to: Do these the same way as standing tricep extensions only laying on the becnch and when you lower the weight only go back as far as the top of your head then press the weight back above your chest. Don't move your elbows. Lean your head over the bench so you can completely stretch the triceps. If you can't do any more extensions start doing close grip bench presses instead.
Close Grip Bench Press
Equipment Needed: Bench, bar and weights
How to: Everything is basically the same as normal bench only your grip is about 8-10 inches wide. Focus on the triceps!
One Arm Tricep Extensions
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells
How to: Take a Dumbbell in one hand and raise it above your head. Lower the Dumbbell behind your head keeping your elbow stationary. Then press the weight back up. Watch your form!
Dips
Equipment Needed: Dip Bars
How to: This can be done to work the chest if you lean forward but the more you lean back the more you work the triceps. Grab the bars and lift yourself up then lower yourself just before your arms lock. You can increase the amount of weight by wearing weights around your waist or decrease it by using the little contraption some bars have that will help push you back up.
Forearms
Wrist Curls
Equipment Needed: Bar, bench and weights
How to: Sit on a bench and pick up the weight with an underhand grip. Rest your forearms on the bench. Hang your hands over the end of the bench and roll the weight up and down you hands.
Behind the Back Wrist Curls
Equipment Needed: Bar and weights
How to: Set the bar on the rack and then back up to it and pick it up behind your back. Move your wrist up and down rolling the bar across your hands.
shoulders
Military Press
Equipment Needed: Barbell, weighs, and bench
How to: Take hold of the weight with an overhand grip. Holding the bar level with your collar bone push the weight up above your head. Keep your back straight. Lower the weight back to the collar bone and repeat.
Standing Lateral Raises
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells and bench
How to: Take a Dumbbell in each hand and while leaning over slightly hold the two Dumbbells together in front of you. Lift the weights up on both sides until you are about level with your shoulders. Do not swing the weight up.
Back
Deadlifts: http://members.aol.com/usamuscle/routine6.html
Equipment Needed: bar and weights
How to: Put the weight on the bar and stand in front of it. Bend over and grab the bar with a grip slightly wider that a shoulders width, and one hand palm facing out and the other palm facing in. Now start pushing with heels and raise your back. Keep your back flat and head up. These are kind of a hard movement to learn. If you don't do these right odds are you will hurt yourself. Ask someone else in the gym for help on form if you don't know what you are doing.
Chin Ups
Equipment Needed: Chin up bar
How to: Grasp the bar with an overhand grip-if you use an under hand grip you will put a lot of the weight on the biceps. Lift up your knees so that you are not touching the ground then when you lower yourself. Now pull yourself up until your chin is level with the bar then slowly lower yourself. Once you are able to do more than around 12 reps you should start to weight yourself down.
Bent Over Barbell Rows
Equipment Needed: Barbell and weights
How to: Grab onto the barbell with a grip slightly wider than a shoulders width and let it hang below your chest. Raise the bar up to your stomach then lower it. Keep your back straight and head up!
One Arm Dumbbell Rows
Equipment Needed: Dumbbell and a bench
How to: Pick up the Dumbbell. Lean forward and grab onto something like a bench. With the arm with the Dumbbell hanging down raise the weight up to your body so it is next you your outer chest then lower the weight. Concentrate on using your back.
Shrugs
Equipment Needed: Barbell and weights
How to: Grab the barbell with an overhand grip and let it hang in front of you. Shrug your shoulders up and then lower them slowly.
Hyperextensions
Equipment Needed: a hyperextension bench bench
How to: Lay face down on the bench with your feet hooked under the braces. Put your hand behind your head and lower yourself down then raise yourself back up so your body makes a straight line.
Legs
Squats
Equipment Needed: Squat rack and bar with weights
How to: With the weight on the rack step under the bar. Rest the bar on your shoulders and hold on to it to keep it balanced. Step away from the rack and then lower the weight by keeping your back straight and squatting down until your upper legs are parallel to the floor or a little lower. Then lift the weight up until just before you knees lock. After you have completed all reps set the weight back on the rack. Keep your head up and stick your chest out. You can work the outside of your legs by pointing your toes out. If you have long legs and have trouble keeping good form you can stick a board underneath your heals to help you. I recommend using a weight belt to take some of the stress of your lower back. I will also remind you to keep good form.
Stiff legged deadlifts
Equipment Needed: Bar and weights
How to: Stiff legged deadlifts are quite similar to regular deadlifts, only you keep your legs straighter. Only have a slight bend in the knees
Leg extensions
Equipment Needed: leg extension machine
How to: Put the amount of weight you want on the machine. Then sit so your knees are at the end of the seat and your feet behind the leg brace. Now push the weight up by extending your legs out. Do not lock your knees. Keep the movement nice and smooth.
Leg curls
Equipment Needed: leg curl machine
How to: Lay down on the bench with your heels behind the padded bar. Pull the weight up to your butt concentrating on working the hamstring. Sometimes depending on the machine you will be standing, but that will be about the same-you get the idea.
Standing Calf Raises
Equipment Needed: Calf raise machine
How to: Sit on the seat with your knees under the padded bar. Push the bar up by raising your heel so that you are on the balls of your feet. Lower and raise the weight slowly. You can also do these standing with a machine or just grab a bar with some weight and do the same movement only standing.