How You Can Achive AWESOME BICEPS in Just Minutes a Day

VARY YOUR BICEPS WORKOUT GIVING YOUR BALANCE AND CORE AN UNEXPECTED CHALLENGE

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

Here’s an easy but different bicep workout that will challenge your balance and work some of your core muscles at the same time.

Please, do at least a 5-10 minute warm-up.

It is important that you do these exercises not only correctly, but slowly and through a full range of motion (but without locking your elbows at full extension!). Make sure you do not bounce at the bottom of the movement, but stop for a split second, contract your biceps and then lift the weight, contracting the muscles again at the top of the movement.

Your upper arm should stay fairly stable and you shouldn’t be moving your elbow up and down, or forward and back. The only part that’s moving is your forearm.

Start with 1 set of 12 repetitions and progress to 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions (if definition and lean, sculpted arms are your goal). Just like with any other muscle group, try to work your biceps at different angles to challenge them to their biggest potential. 

Before you introduce any unstable surfaces to stand on, make sure you can maintain your balance on one leg for at least 30 seconds. When you use unstable surfaces the amount of weight will always be slightly lower than you would be able to lift on a perfectly stable ground.

Please, always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.

Click to Tweet this  How to Work Out Your Biceps Video from Monika Tarkowska-Carter, noted trainer.

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Workout Video - Instruction on Chest and Total Core Workout by West LA Personal Trainer

CHEST/TOTAL CORE WORKOUT

FROM EASY TO SUPER CHALLENGING EXERCISES FOR CHEST AND CORE MUSCLES

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

In this video I am showing many options for chest exercises that involve most of the core muscles and use minimal equipment. You will get an amazing workout and get the benefit of using a lot more muscles than you would with typical isolation exercises.  See the details and the video on Chest and Total Core Workout here

SCULPTED BACK + CORE WORKOUT

GET A BEAUTIFULLY SCULPTED BACK WITH EXERCISE OPTIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE YOUR CORE AT THE SAME TIME

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

Here are some different options for back exercises that will tone your back and force you to use all your core muscles while doing them. They may appear easy at first but just by incorporating a balance component you will be targeting muscles that are normally not involved in a typical back training. These are not the exercises to build huge back muscles, but rather to sculpt the back and get more definition. Remember that there are many different muscles in your back and in order to get some real definition you will have to work these muscles at many angles so that all the fibers are challenged. That’s why I am showing exercises that are performed, for example, as a low row, mid-row and high row as well as others, like overhead pullover on the ball, that will allow you to do just that.

Please, remember to do a 5-10 minute warm up before starting any exercise.

Start with 1 set of 12 repetitions and progress to 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions. The weights will vary depending on your level of experience as well as the cable machine used. It’s always good to do a few very different back exercises to hit all those different muscle fibers.

Perform all exercises slowly and through the full range of motion if you can. If balancing on one leg makes it too hard for you, learn the same exercise in a stable position first, and then progress to the less stable one. You have to be able to stand on one leg for about 20-30 seconds before you can start doing one leg exercises. You can challenge your balance by starting on the floor and holding the position for 20-30 seconds. Then do the same on the half foam roll, then the Airex pad and eventually on the Dynadisc. Once you’ve mastered any of these levels you can also add standing upper body exercises for a more advanced challenge.

Always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.

TOTAL ABS AND CORE - Part 1 and 2

GET ROCK HARD ABS AND SUPER STRONG CORE WITH THESE ADVANCED MOVES THAT WILL CHALLENGE YOUR WHOLE BODY

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

These two videos show different variations on exercises for abdominals using the stability ball. In Part 1 I talk about the simpler exercises that most people know, adding slight variations to make them more challenging. Part 2 consists mostly of more advanced exercises. The ball is used here to challenge balance and core stabilization to a higher degree.

Make sure to do at least a 5-10 minute warm-up before beginning any exercises.

Do the level of exercises that fits your ability. Perform them slowly and correctly, through the full range of motion if you can. Make sure your abdominals are contracted at the very beginning and at the end of the movement.  Your lower back should never be sinking down or be overarched. Your butt shouldn’t stick up into the air, unless you have back problems, in which case to protect it, you might want to lift your butt a little bit higher than the straight line.

Start with 1-2 sets of 12 and build up to 15-20 repetitions and up to 3 sets OR do 1 set of different exercises to work the abdominal muscle fibers in many different angles and positions. No matter how effective the exercise or how much you like it, it’s always good to vary your routine. Your muscles get used to the same movement and are not pushed enough if you are doing the same exercise over and over. That’s when you experience plateaus. You will see results faster this way and the routine will be less boring.

Some of these exercises don’t look as hard as they actually are. If performed slowly and correctly you will see how your whole body will feel the burn. You are using a lot of muscles to stabilize the holding positions as well as other muscles to help you with the movement itself. In Part 2, you will particularly feel your shoulders, scapular stabilizers, triceps, lower back, glutes, legs, inner thigh muscles, and of course all the abdominal muscles.

You may want to have a spotter for some of the more advanced exercises, especially at the beginning, until you get used to them, and are sure you are doing them correctly. It is sometimes good to have someone else’s feedback because it’s hard to see your form in some of these advanced moves.

Please, always consult a physician before starting any exercise program.

KILLER TRICEPS/CORE WORKOUT - Part 1 and 2

GREAT TRICEP EXERCISES INCORPORATING THE FULL USE OF THE CORE

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

This is another video where I tried to include a very intense use of the core muscles in all the triceps exercises.  Some of them are very advanced so make sure you can stabilize correctly and are able to do the easier ones first. They require minimum equipment and are all very effective if done slowly and correctly.

Please, do a 5-10 minute warm-up before doing any exercises.

Depending on your level, try to do 12-20 repetitions per set.  Aim for the amount of repetitions that gives you a nice burn but not to a point where your form is compromised.

If you haven’t worked out in a while, it’s probably smarter to start with just 1 set and progress to 2-3 sets as some of these exercises can produce extreme soreness.  The weights would vary from 5-15 lbs for women and about 10-25 lbs for men. As always, you don’t have to do all of these exercises in one workout, but rather alternate them with other muscle groups to get a better overall workout. For fat loss, toning and definition you should rest about 30 seconds between sets or switch to a different muscle group without resting at all. Proper stabilization is critical in these exercises as it is fairly easy to strain the shoulder joint doing them incorrectly.

Make sure you engage your core muscles in all the exercises. They play a very important role of supporting and stabilizing you, especially in full body exercises like triceps push-ups.

All the exercises should be performed slowly, without momentum, and through a full range of motion (if you don’t have any injuries or joint issues). Try to engage your triceps muscles at the very beginning of the exercise and then again contract them all the way at the end of the range.

If you don’t have much time to do your workout, choose the exercises that require more core involvement. This way you can skip the abdominal work as your abs will already be involved to a huge degree doing everything else.

Always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.

CAMERA READY SHOULDERS/CORE WORKOUT

HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE SHOULDER EXERCISES PROGRESSIVELY MORE CHALLENGING BY INCORPORATING THE CORE

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

This video shows how you can take very simple shoulder exercises with dumbbells and make them more challenging by incorporating a lot of the core muscles, and in some cases also working on balance. This way you will get a more overall workout, and burn more calories at the same time by using more muscle groups. Therefore, this kind of training is very beneficial in weight loss programs or when time available to work out is an issue.

I would not recommend doing any overhead exercises if you have neck issues of either known or unknown origin. You have to be able to stabilize your spine, and especially the cervical part of it, correctly, before you can attempt lifting any weight overhead. You should also have a fairly good core control to be able to protect your lower back from overarching while extending your arms overhead under load.

Please, do a 5-10 minute warm-up before starting any exercises.

If you are a beginner start with very light weight, let’s say 5 lbs for women and 8-12 lbs for men, and work on the form first, before increasing the weight. Start with 1 set of 12 repetitions and go up to 15-20, depending on what you can comfortably tolerate. Always make sure you can do 15-20 reps with a lighter weight before you start lifting a heavier one. Proper control and form is paramount in these exercises. All of them are done slowly but with very little (30 seconds) or no rest in between the exercises. Make sure these exercises are done as part of your routine and alternate each one with an exercise for a different muscle group. You could do a back exercise, followed by one of the shoulder exercises, followed by a bicep exercise. Don’t do them all in a row. These are just variations. Try to work up to 2-3 sets of 12-20 repetitions.

These are great exercises if your goal is general fitness, weight loss or toning. They can sculpt your muscles beautifully, giving them nice definition. They are NOT the best for increasing strength or hypertrophy as exercises for this purpose should be done in a more stable environment and with considerably heavier weights.

Please, always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

CHEST/TOTAL CORE WORKOUT

FROM EASY TO SUPER CHALLENGING EXERCISES FOR CHEST AND CORE MUSCLES

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

In this video I am showing many options for chest exercises that involve most of the core muscles and use minimal equipment. You will get an amazing workout and get the benefit of using a lot more muscles than you would with typical isolation exercises.

Please, always do a 5-10 minute warm-up before any exercise.

Depending on your level of muscular strength and endurance, as well as your level of stabilization, do 2-3 sets of 12-20 repetitions. If you are a beginner or are not very strong, you might want to start with just 1 set. Remember that these are just variations, from the easiest to the most challenging, so don’t try to do them all in one workout. They can be a part of any routine you normally do, whether a full body, chest and back day or chest and triceps day. The great benefit here is that your core will be working so hard that you won’t need to do many additional exercises just for abs. Also, the total calorie burn from this type of workout, when you incorporate as many muscles as possible into each exercise, is much higher. Therefore, these are great choices if your goal is weight loss or general fitness or you simply have limited time to exercise.

Perform all these exercises slowly and with no rest, going onto a different exercise (for example, back) or take only a 30 second rest between sets so your heart rate stays up.  Don’t rush – it is harder to do these exercises slowly and your muscles stay contracted for a longer period of time.

Always make sure you can do the simpler exercises correctly and without any strain before progressing to more difficult variations.

Please, consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.

GLUTES TO DIE FOR -Part 1 and 2

SIMPLE EXERCISES YOU CAN MAKE PROGRESSIVELY HARDER TO GET AN AWESOME BUTT

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

This is the first in a series of videos to show you how you can take exercises that most of you know from the gym and create a killer burn workout with almost no equipment.

Glutes – Part 1 focuses on the gluteus maximus muscle as well as legs and core. It shows the variations on squat and lunge exercises.

Part 2 shows different variations on a deadlift.

Make sure to do a 5-10 minute warm-up before starting any of the exercises, perform them slowly but with either no rest in between sets or up to 30 seconds of rest only.

Do 12-20 repetitions depending on the level of your strength, endurance and balance, starting with no weight and progressing to higher weight only when you have mastered the previous level. Start with 1 set and increase to 2-3 sets in the following workouts as these exercises can produce extreme soreness.

The exercises I am showing here are amazing for shaping your buttocks and legs and even though they look pretty easy on the video, your muscles will be screaming from burn.

Please, always consult your physician before starting any exercise program.