anconeus Archives - Muscle Motivation

Parallel Bar Dips

Hang from the parallel bars with arms extended and legs suspended:
• Inhale and bend the elbows to bring the chest level with the bars.

Return to the extended arm position.
Exhale at the end of the effort.

The more the chest is angled forward during the exercise, the more the inferior fibers of the pectorals are used. Conversely, the more vertical the chest, the more the triceps brachii will be used.

This exercise is excellent for stretching the pectoralis major and for working on the flexibility of the shoulder girdle. However, it is not recommended for beginners because it requires a certain amount of initial strength.
If you are a beginner, use a dips machine to familiarize yourself with the movement.
Sets of 10 to 20 repetitions provide the best results.
For developing more strength and also more size, athletes used to this movement may use a weight belt, or hang a weight from their legs.

Variations:

Standard Parallel Bar Dip: This variation involves placing your hands on the parallel bars, with your arms straight and your feet off the ground. Lower your body until your elbows are bent to about 90 degrees, then push back up.
Weighted Parallel Bar Dip: This variation involves adding weight to your dips by wearing a weighted vest or holding a weight plate between your legs. This is a great way to increase the intensity of the exercise and build more strength.
Narrow Grip Parallel Bar Dip: This variation involves placing your hands closer together on the parallel bars. This targets the triceps muscles more than the chest muscles.
Wide Grip Parallel Bar Dip: This variation involves placing your hands wider apart on the parallel bars. This targets the chest muscles more than the triceps.
Eccentric Parallel Bar Dip: This variation involves focusing on the lowering phase of the dip. Lower your body very slowly, taking at least 5-10 seconds to complete the movement. This can help to build strength and muscle mass.
Assisted Parallel Bar Dip: This variation involves using an assisted dip machine or resistance bands to help you perform the exercise. This is a good option for beginners or those who are not yet strong enough to perform the full exercise on their own.
Explosive Parallel Bar Dip: This variation involves exploding up off the parallel bars at the top of the movement, using your upper body strength to generate power. This can help to build explosive power and improve your athletic performance.

Push-Ups

Support yourself facedown on the ground, with arms extended, hands shoulder-width (or more) apart, and feet touching or slightly apart:

Inhale and bend the elbows to bring the rib cage close to the ground without arching the low back excessively.
Push back up to complete arm extension.
Exhale at the end of the movement.

This movement is excellent for the pectoralis major
and the triceps brachii.
Varying the tilt of the chest focuses the work on different parts of the pectorals:
• Feet higher isolates the the clavicular head of the pectoralis major.
• Chest higher isolates the inferior part of the pectoralis major.
Varying the width of the hands focuses the work on different parts of the pectorals:
• Hands wider isolates the lateral part of the pectoralis major.
• Hands closer together isolates the sternal head of the pectoralis major.

Variations:

Standard Push-Up: This variation involves placing your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your feet together and your body in a straight line. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the ground, then push back up.
Close-Grip Push-Up: This variation involves placing your hands close together, directly under your shoulders. This targets the triceps muscles more than the chest muscles.
Wide-Grip Push-Up: This variation involves placing your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. This targets the chest muscles more than the triceps.
Plyometric Push-Up: This variation involves exploding up off the ground at the top of the push-up, clapping your hands together in mid-air, and then landing back in the starting position. This is a great way to build explosive power in the chest and upper body.
Incline Push-Up: This variation involves placing your hands on an elevated surface, such as a bench or step. This reduces the amount of weight on your upper body, making the exercise easier. It also targets the upper chest muscles more than the lower chest.
Decline Push-Up: This variation involves placing your feet on an elevated surface, such as a bench or step, and your hands on the floor. This increases the amount of weight on your upper body, making the exercise more challenging. It also targets the lower chest muscles more than the upper chest.
One-Arm Push-Up: This variation involves performing the push-up with one arm. It is a very challenging exercise that requires a lot of upper body strength and stability.

Close-Grip Bench Press

Lie on a horizontal bench with the buttocks on the bench and the feet on the ground, gripping the barbell with an overhand grip and wrists 4 to 15 inches apart, depending on the flexibility of the wrists: Inhale and lower the bar with a controlled movement to the chest, with the elbows out to the side. Extend and exhale at the end of the effort. This exercise develops the pectoral muscles at the sternal notch and the triceps brachii. (With this in mind, it may be included in a program for the arms.) By extending and keeping the elbows next to the body, a greater part of the work is performed by the anterior deltoid. This movement may be performed at a frame that guides the bar.

Attention: Depending on your physical structure, the narrow grip may cause wrist pain. In this case, use a wider grip.

Warning: Bench Presses and Elbow Pain. 
Elbow pain most often develops after bench pressing. This overuse injury is generally related to excessive training with long sets. In bench pressing, locking the extended arms at the end of the movement subjects the elbow to rubbing and microtrauma, which over time may lead to inflammation.

Comment: Occasionally, this condition can lead to intra-articular calcifications, which are particularly crippling. In this case, surgery is often the only solution for regaining complete arm extension.
At the first sign of elbow pain, avoid for several days exercises that involve arm extension in order to prevent serious injury.
When you resume exercises that include arm extension, avoid completely extending the forearms at the end of the movement until the pain has completely disappeared.

Incline Press

Sit on an incline bench angled at 45 to 60 degrees, grasp the barbell with an
overhand grip wider than shoulder width:
Inhale and lower the barbell to the
sternal notch.

Extend the arms.
Exhale at the end of the movement.

This exercise mainly solicits the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, triceps brachii, serratus anterior, and pectoralis minor. This exercise may be done at a frame that guides the bar.

Variations:

Incline barbell bench press: This is a classic variation of the incline press, where you use a barbell and an incline bench. It’s a great exercise for building overall upper body strength.
Incline dumbbell bench press: This variation is similar to the barbell bench press, but uses dumbbells instead. It’s a great exercise to help improve your upper body stability.
Incline machine press: This is a machine-based variation of the incline press that can be easier to perform for beginners. It’s also a good option if you want to focus on your chest muscles without using your triceps as much.
Close-grip incline press: This variation involves bringing your hands closer together on the bar or dumbbells. This places more emphasis on your triceps, making it a great exercise for building arm strength.
Single-arm incline press: This variation is performed using one arm at a time, either with dumbbells or a cable machine. This helps to improve balance and stability, as well as targeting each side of your body individually.
Plyometric incline press: This variation involves performing explosive, plyometric movements with the bar or dumbbells. It’s a great way to improve your power and explosiveness.