One common mistake is thinking that it is enough to jog for 10 seconds or do a few pushups and think that your muscles are warm enough to max out on the bench press.  Could you safely max out on the bench press after doing a few pushups?  Yes, just as easy as you could without having done any prior pushups.

A warm up is good for two things:

1. Safety- A proper warm up greatly reduces your risk for injury.  If a muscle isn’t warmed up, it has a higher risk of tearing or pulling, this could put you on the sideline for months.
2. More Productivity – A warm up does just that, it warms up cold muscles and prepares them to work hard.
3. Muscle contracts more efficiently at warmer inner body temperatures
4. Warm ups increase blood flow to the muscles being worked
5. Increased blood flow equals better range of motion in the muscles and joints
6. Increased blood flow also helps deliver more nutrients and energy to the muscles, while carrying away non productive waste products
7. Warm ups stimulate the nerve pathway to the muscle.  This helps the muscle contract more fully and powerfully.

The key to a successful warm up is to warm up the muscles without tiring them to the point that it hinders the actual performance of your lift.  A good warm up regimen for weight training is to perform one or two sets per individual exercise, using half of the maximum weight that you plan to lift in the actual set.  For example, if you plan to perform 10 reps of 200 lbs on the bench press, you should do a set or two of 10 reps of 100 lbs (rest about 30-60 seconds between warm up sets).

Enjoy a safe warm up, then get into the lift you just warmed up for.  You will notice that you will be able to lift more, with a greater range of motion.

There are many ways to keep workouts fresh and interesting; this includes doing the famous “21s”.  The methods listed below are a few to really squeeze out the most of your sets and reps and maximize your time in the gym.

Forced Reps:

A forced rep is basically a rep that your spotter helps you lift.  When you can no longer lift the weight under your own power your partner comes in and helps you lift the weight, only as much as necessary, for another one or two repetitions.

Negative Sets:

There are basically two parts to a lift, the positive and the negative.  The positive phase of a lift is basically when the weight is being lifted.  The negative phase is when the weight is being lowered.  Negative training can be used by lifting as many reps as possible, then having a partner assist you through the positive phase of the lift by helping you lift the weight.  You would then slowly lower the weight through the negative phase of the lift.  You should lower the weight in 4-6 seconds.  When you are so tired that you can’t lower the weight in at least four seconds, you should end the set.  Do three to six negative reps on your last set.

21s:

Many people like doing this.  It is usually done with standing barbell curls, but can be done with any type of lift.  You should choose a weight you can lift for 12-15 reps normally.  With the standing barbell curl as an example, begin by doing seven half curls from the starting position to where your forearms are parallel with the ground.  Then, immediately do seven half curls from that position to the fully contracted position.  Contract the muscle hard at the top.  Then immediately do seven full reps with full range of motion from the start to finish position.  You have just done 21 “reps,” that’s why the exercise is called “21s”.

Up and Down The Rack:

Choose an exercise that utilizes dumbbells. Let’s use the dumbbell overhead press for an example.  Choose a weight that you can lift for six, correct form reps.  When that set is finished, put the dumbbells back on the rack and pick up the next heaviest set of dumbbells.  Do six reps with this weight.  Repeat this until you are at a weight where you can only do three reps.  Once you are at this point, go back down the rack in the exact opposite manner.

Strip Sets:

Choose a barbell lift that you use considerable weight.  Load up the bar with 90% of your 1 rep max and do two reps.  Once you have done two reps, remove one plate off of each side of the bar.  Do as many reps as you can with this weight.  Continue removing a plate at a time until you have done 25-30 total reps.

These are just a few ways that you can vary your weight training routine.  Obviously, you can’t plan a whole workout based on these muscle building set variations, especially 21s because they are so taxing, but they are great to shake things up occasionally.

If you need a new program, or need to start a muscle building program, check out Klint Newton’s Mental Edge Muscle Building Program, where for a limited time you can download his 7 Part Muscle Building Guide for free.

So I asked him why he was doing what he was doing. He said, “Traps are where it’s at!”  I tend to agree with him.

The trapezius muscles are the muscles that sit on top of your shoulders above your collar bone that extend from the edge of your shoulders all the way to your neck.

Traps are a muscle that separates the men from the boys.  They can be an amazing sight, and can be downright scary, and sometimes just ridiculously big.  Big traps can be the difference between you looking like a person that lifts weights and a person that doesn’t.  Big traps can be the difference in a fit guy looking like a fitness model, or a bodybuilder.  Huge traps basically send a message, they are a statement.  What are your traps saying?

Huge Traps

Weak Traps

Trap Exercises

Most people associate building big traps with “Shrugs.”  The shrug is a good exercise for trap development, but it’s not the only one.  The shrug has been around for years and is a staple for building traps just as the bench press is for the chest.  I can’t deny that the shrug hits the traps well, but I would like to assert to you that there are others moves that can be effective in developing the coveted traps.  Below are a few effective trap building exercises that will deliver huge traps.

1. Lateral Raises, with Traps Flared  3X12-15

This is a tough little exercise.  The first step is to flare your traps up with dumbbells in hand.  Then perform a lateral raise by keeping your elbows almost locked and lifting the weight directly out to the side.  This is the same thing as a normal lateral raise to hit the deltoids (shoulders), but with your traps flared like this, it really works them hard.  I suggest doing 12-15 reps because it is difficult to use much weight and maintain proper form. Take a look at the video below for an example.

1. Bent over lateral raises, with Traps Flared  3X10-12

Same as above, just bend over at about a 45 degree angle.  This is a good trap exercise because it hits the back of your traps.  Built rear traps look impressive from the back and give your back a very built, defined, strong look.  Take a look at the video below for an example.

I couldn’t leave these out, if you must do shrugs, let me give you some tips.   We all know how to do shrugs, but let me give you a few tips.  If you are like me, your traps hit the side of your neck limiting the range of motion.  If this is the case, perform the shrug and push your head forward. This gives your traps more room to contract and you don’t feel like your head is going to pop off, this is definitely a good thing.   Also, keep your shoulders back, you’ll notice that you are hitting the tops and back of your traps.  Also, since there is such a small range of motion, make sure to contract (lift) fully and hold that position for 2 seconds, before slowly lowering the weight back to the starting position.  I would also sit down to avoid cheating by heaving the massive amount of weight.  Take a look at the video below for a demo.

These exercises will directly impact the growth of your traps. This addition to a workout can be incorporated into any workout split.  For those doing a split, this would be a good addition to “shoulders day.”  Add this quick trap routine to your schedule and watch your traps explode in muscle growth!