Standing bent over row

Video: A personal trainer shows how to do standing bent over rows which help to strengthen your back.

Stretching and Isometrics Workout

Video: This series of exercises features some great stretches as well as isometric contractions.

Warmup your legs with these simple exercises

Video: If you?re doing a leg workout, these exercises are perfect for getting your legs warmed up.

Exercise Tip: Gorilla Chin Crunch

Video: This exercise works your abs as well as the lats and biceps.

Dumbbell lunges

This is another very important factor for any leg exercise. This is a great exercise because it works so many of the different muscles of the leg giving you a very comprehensive workout. It works the quadriceps and calf of the leg you are lunging with and it allows you to stretch and work the opposite hamstrings. The weight of the dumbbells allows you get more of a workout because that is simply extra weight that these muscles must work to support.

How to do a dumbbell lunge

1. Start with your body completely straight and your feet facing forward hip width apart.

2. Bring one leg forward and lunge. Make sure to keep your foot perpendicular to your shin (do not lean your shin forward) so that you are targeting your quadriceps

3. You will want to make sure that you land on your heel and roll onto the ball of the foot

4. You want to bend your knee and hip as your move your weight from the heel of your foot to the ball so that your thigh is parallel to the floor.

5. Then you will push off from the ball of your foot to go back to standing straight up with both of your feet together, hip width apart

6. Repeat the above instructions with the opposite leg. Continue this pattern of rotating legs until you have completed the amount of reps in your set

Tips for getting the best results whiles doing a dumbbell lunge

Remember your posture because it is very easy to cheat with this exercise by throwing off your posture. What this means is that you can do many sets and find that it is doing little for you because you are not working the right muscles in the right way

You can get a more complete workout by working the upper body with the dumbbells in your hands. This can be as simple as just doing your bicep curls while you are doing your lunges. The one thing to keep in mind though is that you do not want to have an exercise that will throw you off while you are doing this exercise

Make sure that you sit into the lunge and the farther you can go the better

It is important to not let your knee come forward while doing this. Your calf and foot should be positioned in an L position (90 degree angle)

If you want to really blast your legs with this exercise, instead of alternating legs, you can just do all the reps for the set on one leg and then move to the other leg and do all the reps for that leg

It is important to focus on the muscles as you move through the exercise. Do not just move fast. Instead you want to perform it at a speed where you can make sure you are moving with control and focus on the muscles you are working.

How to do weighted bench dips

Video: This exercise is going to help build up the strength in your triceps along with working many other body parts as well.

Feel the Burn with Arnold Presses Shoulder Exercise

This exercise is once again aimed at the shoulders, but it also uses your tricep muscles.

This is classed by many as one of more difficult techniques to learn. It is also, however, one of the most effective for feeling ?the burn?.

This is an ideal exercise to do at the end of your workout session as a finisher. It is suitable for both men and women to do and is a great middle deltoid exercise.

For this exercise you will need a bench with a back support and two dumbbells of an appropriate weight for your level of expertise, fitness and strength.

Position yourself on the bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Make sure that your palms are facing your body and your elbows are bent. Your arms should be in close to your torso.

This will now become your starting position.

Making sure you are inhaling, raise the dumbbells while at the same time turning your hands so that the palms now face outwards.

Exhale slowly while continuing to raise the dumbbells until your arms are stretched above you and your elbows are locked.

Pause for a count of two at the top of the movement, and then start to lower the dumbbells while inhaling.

Continue to lower the dumbbells and rotate the palms of your hands back towards you. The right hand will rotate clockwise, and the left hand will rotate counter clockwise.

Do the required number of repetitions of the same movement.

Tip: Ensure that you work slowly, and get a full 180 degree rotation going through both hands and arms.

Another variation of the same exercise is as follows:

Position yourself on the bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Make sure that your palms are facing your body and your elbows are bent. Your arms should be in close to your torso.

This, as before, has now become your starting position.

Start by bringing your elbows out to your sides with your palms facing inwards towards you.

Continue to move your elbows outwards, while at the same time raising your arms. Turn your hands so that the palms are now facing outwards away from you.

While inhaling continue to slowly raise the dumbbells until your arms are straight above your head until your arms are straight and your elbows are locked.

Exhale, and slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, once again rotating your arms so that your palms are again facing inwards towards you.

Do the required number of repetitions of the same movement.

Yet another variation can be carried out as stated above, but this time, instead of having straight arms and locked elbows, ensure that the dumbbells are overhead, but not touching each other. Also make sure that your elbows remain slightly bent and are not locked.

This exercise can also be performed while sitting on an exercise ball, although it would be recommended that extra care be taken.

Whole Wheat Pancakes for Breakfast

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 tbsp honey

Directions

Whisk whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, combine egg, buttermilk and honey.

Make a well in dry ingredients and stir in egg and buttermilk mixture. Allow batter to rest for a few minutes.

Set a nonstick frying pan to medium-high heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls on to griddle or pan. Cook until the edges begin to dry and bubbles appear in the pancakes. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

(Makes 8 pancakes)

Burpees

Video: The burpee is a full body exercise that incorporates both strength training and cardio.

Increase Shoulder Mass with Rocky Presses

When doing the rocky presses your shoulders are going to get much stronger. This will help to build the strength in the shoulders so you can lift heavier weights with other exercises. These presses will also help to build up your triceps. If you really want to burn calories quickly try doing the rocky presses while standing up. You will definitely feel the difference in your shoulders when you are done.

Before attempting the rocky presses make sure you have a friend that can spot you in case you have troubles. This exercise is going to require the use of a press bench with a back on it and a dumbbell bar.

Pick the weights for using on the dumbbell bar. Make sure the weights are something you will be able to handle comfortably when you are lifting the bar above your head. Attach the weights to the bar and walk over to the press bench. Carefully sit in the chair and place your feet flat on the ground. Your feet need to be aligned with your shoulders and your back needs to be flat against the back of the press bench.

The proper way to grip the barbell is with your hands a little wider then your shoulders. The palms of your hands will be facing the wall in front of you. Now using your forearms lift the dumbbell to your chest. The bar will be sitting right below your chin. This will be your starting position for the rocky presses.

Tighten your grip on the bar and while exhaling lift the bar in the air. Your arms will be straight up and down. The dumbbell will now be over your head. Start inhaling and lower the bar behind your head. Do not try and lift the bar all the way to your shoulders. It only needs to be lifted to the middle of the back of your head. Your elbows will be to the side of you pointing straight out. Hold the position for a second then start exhaling.

While exhaling slowly raise the bar back in the air. Once again your arms will be straight up and down while holding the bar above your head. Hold the position for a second then start inhaling.

While inhaling bring the bar back down to the start position. One complete repetition is lifting the bar from the start position into the air, back behind your head, back into the air and back down to the start position. Do the recommended amount of repetitions.

Once you get the strength built up in your shoulders you can push them even harder. When doing the rocky presses keep the bar in the air, moving it from the front of the head to the back of the head. You will feel the stress mounting on the shoulders almost immediately.

Now that your shoulders are loosened up and feeling good lets go to the next step, Arnold presses. This will help with building shoulder strength.