If you are looking to build strength in your body and increase your muscle mass, strength building exercises can help you to reach your goal.
Couple these, in addition with cardiovascular exercise such as an elliptical machine, you can change the shape of your body.
To begin with, you need to do some bench presses to increase the strength in your chest and back.
As you lie on the bench, the bar should be at its resting position directly above your eyes.
Everything from your shoulders to your buttocks should be flat on the bench.
Your feet should be at a comfortable width, flat on the floor.
After raising the bar from the resting position, lower it to just below the pecs.
This lowering should happen at a controlled pace-be careful to not drop the bar on your chest.
This could end up knocking the wind out of you, or worse.
Always have someone there to spot you, especially when you are trying to use a higher weight than you are used to.
Press the weight back to the starting position-make sure your arms are fully extended, and your elbows are locked.
This press should take pace with the same amount of control and force throughout the entire motion.
Squats are the next way to shape your legs, and improve your muscles mass.
The bar should be should rest on the rack about three inches lower than the top of the trapezium muscle.
Keep your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
Your hands should be placed evenly on the bar at all times.
Stand up into the bar, holding it steady the entire time.
Slowly lower your body be bending at the knees and hips.
Keep your eyes forward at all times, and keep your torso rigid and firm.
The more steady you keep your eyes, the better your balance will be.
Once you have reached the bottom of your knee bend, extend your hips and knees, and rise to the fully straight position.
Exhale throughout this portion of the movement, and maintain as much control as possible throughout the entire process.
Next, make sure that you try some dead lifts.
Place your feet slightly wider than your shoulders.
The weights should be resting on the ground, with the bar crossing over the balls of your feet.
Squat down, keeping your eyes forward and your back straight.
Grasp the bar just slightly wider than your feet, and keep your back and arms straight while you extend your knees and hips.
The power from this exercise should come from your legs, and not from your back.
If you bend your back, you could end up with a herniated disc, which can be very painful.
With the same pacing and control you used to lift the bar, return it to the starting position by lowering your body from the knees and hips.
Next, trip doing some simple dips.
Dips are done on a set of parallel bars.
You should be raised above the bars, with your arms locked out.
Grip the bars tightly, keeping the muscle contracted throughout the movement, to build the most muscles mass.
Keeping your head up and looking forward, lower your body by bending your arms.
Continue lowering until you have slightly passed the point where your triceps is parallel to the floor.
This is great way to build upper body strength.
Once you are in the down position, raise yourself back to the starting position by extending your arms.
Do not return completely to the locked out position, and keep your weight on your muscles.
Last but not least, do some bent over rows.
Place your knee on a flat bench.
Your other foot should be flat on the ground, and your body should be parallel to the bench and directly above it.
Place the hand that is opposite the knee, flat on the bench.
Use the other hand to grab the dumbbell from the ground.
It should be on the side opposite of your foot.
In a smooth motion, pull the weight from the ground straight up.
It should come to the side of your torso, slightly in front of your hips.
In a controlled descent, move the weight straight down.
If you are diligent about doing these exercises every other day, you will notice a difference in a matter of weeks.
Author Resource:-
Terry Daniels is a personal trainer and has authored hundreds of articles relating to physical training and elliptical trainer. He has been a health expert and physical trainer for over 15 years.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.massagebyben.com/articles/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 