A demonstration of a close grip bench press

Video: Muscles targeted in the close grip bench press are the front delts, chest and triceps.

Fruit Salad Ideas

Ingredients

6 Bananas (sliced)

2 pint strawberries (sliced in half)

4 Kiwis (peeled and sliced)

1 apple (sliced without core)*

Preparation

After fruit is washed thoroughly and sliced add to a large bowl. Mix by hand and for an even better twist sprinkle some lemon juice on it. Chill and serve!

Choco Nutter Butter Shake Made with Cottage Cheese

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate milk

1/2 cup cottage cheese (2

2 tbsp natural omega-3 peanut butter

2 cup ice

Preparation

Add chocolate milk, peanut butter and cottage cheese to blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Add the ice and continue to blend on high for another 1-2 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Barbell Biceps Curls Intermediate Work Out Level

If you thought that the One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls is hard, well…let?s just say that the barbell biceps curls is a workout that is not meant for beginners. This exercise combines the use of heavy weights with a special movement that helps to place virtually all the pressure exactly where you want it ? on the muscles of your abs. Some people would prefer to work with a trainer until they get used to the exercise

Yes, everyone wants to Get Ripped, but as mentioned earlier on, this exercise is NOT MEANT for beginners! If you have mastered all the exercises that have been explained to you in the past series, then you are good to go.

What You Will Need to Perform This Exercise

In order to perform this exercise, you will need a large barbell, two weight plates that weigh ten pounds (at least) and two weight clips.

How to Perform the Barbell biceps Curls

First set the weight plates on the barbell, then use the clips to hold the weight plates close to the middle of the barbell as much as possible. These plates need to spin freely ? this way, the barbell will roll (they mustn?t wobble).

Then, kneel in front of the barbell, make sure that your knees are shoulder width apart; you should have a firm grip of the barbell with both hands. Ensure that your hands are a bit wider than shoulder width apart.

You should extend both feet behind you ? this way, your body weight will balance on not just your toes but also on your straight arms as well. Your arms should of course be straight but not locked.

Now, roll the barbell ahead of you in way that your body drops almost to the floor. But you will need to nearly lock your arms to do this. Keep looking forward and down and also make sure that your body is in a straight line.

You will then need to push the barbell and yourself back into the push-up position. Make sure you don?t bend your arms or even arch your back when performing this exercise. Ensuring that you keep your body straight will of course need serious concentration on your part and a lot of abdominal strength.

You can repeat this exercise for as many times as you please. But at first, you should do few repetitions in every set and also make sure that you take note of your body position. As you begin to gain endurance and your comfort level with this exercise rises, then you can go on to increase the number of repetitions. You need to understand that it is a lot better (and safer) to do fewer repetitions and execute them perfectly than to do lots of repetitions and do them incorrectly.

It is important to immediately stop if you feel any back or neck pain while performing this exercise and consult your physician before you even attempt to do the barbell biceps curls again.

Shoulder Exercise – Rocky Presses

Video: This exercise targets the shoulder muscles, but gives your triceps a good workout too.

Diet Cranberry Muffins Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups reduced fat baking mix (like Bisquick)

1 cup skim milk

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 egg

Directions

Combine cranberries with the powdered sugar. Let stand for 5-6 minutes. Combine Bisquick and remaining ingredients. Stir until moistened (will be lumpy). Stir in sugared cranberries. Pour into cooking oil sprayed muffin pans. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

A good stretch for your quad muscles

Video: This stretch targets your quads, but you will feel it all the way up to your hip.

How to do a chest press on a ball

Video: A trainer shows how to do a chest press using dumbbells and a stability ball.

Bridge Plank on Elbows

Video: A trainer shows how to do a bridge plank on elbows, an exercise that is very good for the core

How B-Complex Vitamins Help You Lose Weight

There are a couple of lose weight vitamins that your body absolutely needs in order to go through metabolism. Plus, you’ll encounter a couple of other vitamins that you’ll also need to safely go through metabolism without killing you.

The Big B’s

B-complex vitamins are absolutely essential to your body’s metabolism. Without even just one of them, don’t expect the food you’re eating to go down the drain anytime soon. However, there are some particular “lose weight vitamins” in the B-complex family that play particularly important roles in weight-loss:

- Vitamin B 1 / Thiamine ~ for proper metabolism of starch and sugars. Found in eggs, whole grain flour, potatoes, oranges and asparagus.

- Vitamin B 2 / Riboflavin ~ for proper metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Found in milk, cheese, leafy green vegetables and almonds.

- Vitamin B 5 / Pantothenic Acid ~ for the generation of energy to be used in the body. Found in green vegetables, whole grain flour, chicken, eggs, beans and green vegetables.

- Vitamin B 6 / Pyridoxine ~ for the metabolism of unsaturated fatty acids. Found in eggs, beef, chicken, bananas and avocados.

- Vitamin B 12 / Cyanocobalamin ~ for the whole gamut of metabolism: digestion, protein synthesis, food absorption and general metabolism. Found in meat, fish and eggs.

Other Stuff to Help Lose Weight

While the B-complex family is the star of the “lose weight vitamins,” there are some other materials that can help you reach your goal of losing weight in the long run:

- Vitamin C ~ this little puppy not only helps your immune system as heavily advertised, but it also helps keep you healthier by cleaning up the waste products that metabolism leaves behind. These waste products are called free radicals, and these free radicals are responsible for quite a number of problems in the body: ranging from arthritis to cancer.

- Fiber ~ if you have a problem feeling full after a light meal, go for fiber-rich foods instead. Fiber helps promote better digestion by making the food stick around longer in your digestive system while giving you that full feeling even after eating a portion of what you used to eat.

- Caffeine ~ ever wonder why you get so jittery when you drink a couple of espressos? Taking in a moderate amount of caffeine helps you burn up food a little better to produce energy for your body. That doesn’t mean you should guzzle down cup after cup of coffee! Caffeine helps a little, but taking in too much will ultimately be harmful for your body

- Green Tea ~ Although green tea has some caffeine in it, research has ruled out caffeine as the only weight-loss component of green tea. Something in green tea else that hasn’t been identified by science helps increase the metabolism and fat burning rates. Guess that explains how the Japanese, with their green-tea guzzling diets, manage to keep slim.

The Wrap-Up

There is no such thing as a miracle ‘lose weight vitamin’ that’ll shed off the pounds in an instant. It all boils down to getting exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, keeping your body amply supplied with the right B-complex vitamins coupled with some extra vitamins and foods will ensure that you’ll be able to help your own body to healthily lose weight.