Challenge Nutrition : Semaine 4 !

Challenge Nutrition : Semaine 4 !

Bienvenue dans la 4e et dernière semaine de ce challenge nutrition :) !! 

Pour celles et ceux qui n'ont pas pris le challenge depuis le début, vous pouvez commencer maintenant et le prendre en cours de route, ou commencer à la semaine 1 !

Pour celles et ceux qui n'ont rien lâché depuis le début : bravo ! 

Cette semaine est la dernière ligne droite !
Si vous avez craqué par ci par là, ne culpabilisez pas, la vie ne nous a pas fait pour que nous soyons parfaits tout le temps, et ce challenge n'a pas cet objectif non plus pour vous.

L'objectif était avant tout de vous montrer qu'il n'y a pas besoin de changements drastiques dans l'alimentation pour voir des résultats, qu'il s'agisse de votre santé, de votre énergie ou de votre corps (en perte centimétrique ou en kg).

L'objectif était aussi de vous montrer qu'il n'y a pas besoin de dépenser des fortunes en nourriture exotique pour suivre certains régimes à la mode ou les promesses de certaines aliments magiques, qu'il n'y a pas non plus besoin de se gaver de viande du petit déj au coucher pour suivre les recommandations d'un médecin radié, ni de compter les points de chaque pomme ou abricot grignoté tout au long de votre journée.

Manger des aliments simples, variés, en quantité suffisante est la clé la plus simple et la plus efficace pour obtenir le corps souhaité et gagner en plus en énergie !

Si on résume ce challenge, voici en quoi il consistait : 

• La semaine 1 consistait à consommer une quantité suffisante de protéines par rapport à notre activité et notre poids. En effet, sans tomber dans l'effet Dukan, on est très souvent en carence, carence qui va provoquer envie de grignotage, baisse d'énergie, et du mal à atteindre la satiété longtemps.

• La semaine 2 consistait à supprimer le blé (voire carrément le gluten pour les plus courageuses !) de votre alimentation. Le blé est responsable chez la plupart des gens de ballonnements, digestion difficile, fatigue, envies de grignotage...

• La semaine 3 consistait à ajouter une portion de légumes verts à chacune de vos journées, afin d'apporter une bonne hydratation de votre corps, des nutriments essentiels et une aide au drainage favorisant l'élimination de la cellulite.

• Et pour la semaine 4, comme vous avez pris déjà de très bonnes habitudes, je vous laisse le choix parmi 2 alternatives :

- ajouter des bonnes graisses à votre alimentation
- supprimer totalement le sucre industriel
...ou faire les deux :) !

Voici donc les deux défis de la semaine 4 : vive les bonnes graisses, et à bas le sucre ! 

OBJECTIF DE LA SEMAINE 4 : PLUS DE GRAISSES, MOINS DE SUCRES !

POURQUOI :

En effet, de plus en plus les recherches en nutrition ont démontré que ce n'était pas la graisse, mais le sucre qui nous faisait grossir.
Les régimes type Weight Watchers ont fait beaucoup de mal en diabolisant les lipides. 
Or toutes les graisses ne sont pas mauvaises, et si protéines et glucides sont essentiels à notre équilibre, les lipides le sont tout autant !
Encore une fois, en supprimant totalement les lipides type "je cuisine sans matière grasse", on se prive non seulement d'un élément essentiel pour l'équilibre de notre corps, mais en plus on ne comprend pas pourquoi on n'arrive pas à se débarrasser de ces kilos résistants ou de cette cellulite ! 

Parce que bien souvent cuisiner sans gras est motivé par une envie de perdre du gras justement, et bien...vous avez tout faux :)

Le sucre industriel, vous l'avez sûrement supprimé au courant de la semaine 2, en arrêtant les produits contenant du blé, car ils sont bien souvent blindés de sucre.
Vous pouvez facilement trouver le sucre en le lisant sur les étiquettes des aliments, qui indiquent le nombre de grammes glucides dont le nombre de grammes de sucre.
Et bien c'est ce sucre inutile qui nous fait gonfler, qui provoque des pics d'insuline et va ainsi nous faire stocker de la graisse.

Chez les femmes un excès de sucres se remarque souvent par la graisse logée au niveau abdominal !

COMMENT : 

Ce qu'on entend par "bonne graisse", ce sont les fameuses graisses insaturées :
- avocat
- olives
- huile : d'olive, de raisin, de coco ... 
- noix : noix, noisettes, noix de macadamia, amandes, noix de cajou, noix de pécan, ...
- beurre : de cacahuètes, d'amandes
- graines : de tournesol, de chanvre, de sésame, de courge
- poisson gras : saumon, thon, sardines, maquereau ...

Au quotidien : 

Cuisinez avec de l'huile de coco. C'est délicieux en plus ! Et les qualités de l'huile ne s'altèrent pas avec la chaleur, contrairement à l'huile d'olive.
Assaisonnez vos salades avec de l'huile d'olive ou de raisin.
Pour le goûter, piochez une poignée de noix plutôt qu'un gâteau.
Mangez régulièrement des poissons gras.
Pensez à ajouter à votre bol de flocons d'avoines les graines de chanvre, courge, tournesol..

En bref, n'ayez plus peur de consommer des lipides, ils ont tout bons ! 
Oubliez vos préjugés, et vous verrez le bien qu'ils peuvent faire à votre corps et votre ligne :) 

En ce qui concerne le sucre, vous avez sûrement déjà éliminé une bonne partie des mauvais sucres en éliminant le blé.
S'il vous en reste encore (en dehors de votre journée plaisir), c'est le moment d'essayer de les supprimer, vous ne vous en sentirez que mieux !

Mais il arrive qu'à certaines périodes du mois, on ait juste envie de se ruer sur le pot de nutella malgré toutes nos bonnes résolutions... Si vous savez que ca va vous arriver, n'essayez pas de l'ignorer, et essayez plutôt de composer avec, en vous préparant un jour à l'avance un bon dessert qui satisfaira vos envies tout en limitant les dégâts !! 

Je suis fan de l'excellent blog Chocolate Covered Katie, un ptit bout de femme qui assume son amour pour le chocolat et en montrant comment l'intégrer à une alimentation saine !
Ce blog est plein de recettes délicieuses, de variantes de bombes caloriques tout en conservant le goût d'interdit qu'on aime tant !

Jessica Smith a aussi compilé quelques recettes pour faire face aux jours où on a juste envie de se ruer sur le sucré.

LE CHALLENGE

1) Intégrez des bonnes graisses à votre alimentation quotidienne !! Seul moment où la consommation de graisses même saines est déconseillé : après votre séance de sport.
Pour le reste, oubliez vos préjugés, et sachez qu'en allant vers les graisses insaturées vous allez vers un corps plus sain !

ET/OU

1) Supprimez les sucres de votre alimentation, en conservant bien sûr votre journée plaisir hebdomadaire !
Non seulement il existe plein d'équivalents délicieux, qui vous feront découvrir de nouvelles saveurs, mais en plus le sucre agit comme une drogue, donc moins vous en consommerez, moins vous en aurez envie ! Et rien de plus satisfaisant que de se rendre compte qu'on est libéré de cette addiction au sucre !

2) Cette semaine 4 c'est la semaine de l'apothéose, la dernière ligne droite, si vous aviez un peu lâché le wagon c'est le moment de s'y raccrocher ! On finit en feu d'artifice !

• On ajoute les bonnes graisses et/ou on supprime le sucre
• On veille à consommer assez de protéines
• On supprime le blé 6j/7
• On consomme un grand verre de légumes verts tous les jours
• On ne boit que de l'eau 
• On s'octroie une journée plaisir, zéro culpabilité, une fois par semaine !

...et on fait le bilan à la fin de la semaine !!

Bonne semaine à toutes et tous !!

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Gennady Golovkin Vs Daniel Jacobs 18th March 2017

Daniel Jacobs: I won Fight against GGG by Two Rounds

Daniel Jacobs prevailing on Saturday in taking bound together middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin the separation in a 12-round battle surprisingly, and he likely won over fans while displaying his heart and capacity to box.

gennnady golovkin vs daniel jacobs

The main thing Jacobs didn’t win was the real fight in the ring.

Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) made the eighteenth barrier of his middleweight title yet observed his 23-battle back to back knockout streak arrive at an end as Jacobs satisfied his charging as the most troublesome trial of GGG’s vocation.

At last, Golovkin held tight to guarantee a consistent choice (115-112, 115-112, 114-113) at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“I think I won the fight, and I think these fans bolster me on that choice,” Jacobs said. “… I thought I won by two rounds, least. … I felt like I was ahead on the cards, and I had an inclination that I expected to win the last round just to sort of take care of business.”

He proceeded with: “This is boxing. Clearly he’s a greater draw than me, and they need to make that super matchup with him and Canelo [Alvarez], so Daniel Jacobs presumably got X’d out. … I won this battle.”

Golovkin, 34, outlanded Jacobs 231 to 175, as indicated by CompuBox. In any case, it was Jacobs (32-2, 29 KOs) who landed more power shots, 144 to 126.

“I regard Daniel, and he made a decent showing with regards to and clean employment,” Golovkin said. “Regard to my group and every one of the general population that bolster me. Daniel is my most loved contender – spotless, great, quality, great warrior.”

Jacobs, 30, the cancer survivor to win a world title, got up off the canvas in Round 4 after Golovkin handled a couple of clean flush right hands along the ropes.

“After the knockdown, I revealed to him he would need to slaughter me [to thump me out],” Jacobs said. “When I got up, I thought, ‘This is all he has? I got go down and I thought I won the battle.'”

Not exclusively did Jacobs in a split second recapture his legs after the knockdown, he continually changed his assault by changing to southpaw, which on occasion took away Golovkin’s hit and constrained him to think.

Jacobs, whose certainty kept on developing in the center rounds, battled with an awful streak now and again, incorporating driving with his lower arm and hitting both on the break and after the chime. He additionally earned the regard of Golovkin, seemingly the game’s most dreaded puncher, by standing and exchanging now and again within.

“There were ordinarily amid the battle I went toe-to-toe since I knew I could,” Jacobs said. “I am anticipating what’s to come. I think I picked up a great deal of fans. My style is great, I am a fan-accommodating person, and I thought I won the battle.”

Golovkin could climate storms by depending on his hit, which he outlanded Jacobs by a wide edge of 105 to 31. In any case, in spite of cornering Jacobs on occasion as the assailant, he was never again ready to place him stuck in an unfortunate situation with power shots.

“This is boxing. I am a boxer and I regard his group,” Golovkin said. “This is boxing. I require the choice. I wasn’t believing that I required the twelfth round to win the battle. This was my first test at 12 rounds. I required a quality battle not only the twelfth round.”

Golovkin, who went ahead to lose the last round on two of the three scorecards, repeated his plan to confront Canelo Alvarez in a superfight in September.

“Obviously I am prepared to battle Canelo,” Golovkin said. “Obviously I need that battle. I resemble a creature for that battle. I will [also] give Danny Jacobs a possibility for a rematch.”

“We have conceded to a great deal of focuses and a ton of focuses are as yet remarkable,” said Golovkin’s promoter, Tom Loeffler of K2, in regards to his arrangements with Alvarez’s promoter, Golden Boy.

Loeffler, who had planned to convey Golovkin to his local Kazakhstan in June for a title unification session against England’s Billy Joe Saunders, said those arrangements are still open to question.

“We need to perceive how Gennady is feeling one week from now and we need to perceive what the results are out there,” Loeffler said.

Golovkin and Jacobs featured a four-battle primary card that likewise incorporated a dazzling surprise misfortune by maybe the best pound-for-pound warrior in the diversion, junior bantamweight title holder Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

article originally  :  hboxing.com

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Malignant Mesothelioma Cancer Guide

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the lung and chest lining and/or the abdomen after prolonged exposure to asbestos. There are three different kinds: pleural, peritoneal, or or pericardial mesothelioma. The difference between the three is where the cancer is located. Pleural mesothelioma victims have cancerous cells in the lungs, pericardial mesothelioma patients have cancerous cells in the the pericardium area of the heart, and peritoneal mesothelioma patients have cancerous cells in the linings of the abdomen.

If you or a loved one suffer from mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, orasbestosis, you may qualify for substantial compensation. Currently, there is over $30 billion in asbestos trust funds, awaiting those who’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos illness. We invite you to fill out our form today for a free Financial Compensation Packet, filled with information about top mesothelioma lawyers in your area, how to get paid in 90 days, how to file an asbestos trust fund claim, and much more.

Who is Affected?

As with other types of mesothelioma, malignant mesothelioma typically affects people who have worked around and have had prolonged exposure to asbestos, and although the ages will vary, victims are typically males around 60 years of age.

However, children and spouses exposed second-hand to asbestos run the risk of developing the disease. For example, if a wife washes the clothes of her husband who just spent the day working around asbestos, small asbestos fibers may make their way into her lungs, causing the same damage as it would to someone who worked around asbestos for years.

This type of asbestos exposure is rare, but it’s important to remember that anyone who has had any contact with asbestos runs the risk of getting this cancer.

Symptoms

As aforementioned, the average age of malignant mesothelioma victims is around 60. This stems from the fact that it usually takes 20 to 50 years to properly diagnose the disease. As such, symptoms of mesothelioma usually don’t occur for decades after asbestos exposure and usually start out as if the victim is suffering from a common cold or the flu.

Typical symptoms include the following:

• Chest pain that starts out light and increases in severity over time
• Cough and hacking
• Fatigue and lethargy
• Shortness of breath
• Fever

As the disease progresses, the symptoms become more severe, including:

• Unusual weight loss
• Extreme bloating and abdominal pain
• Swelling in the arms and face
• Sweating profusely
• Difficulty in breathing and swallowing
• Chest pain becomes much more pronounced

Testing

When testing for malignant mesothelioma, physicians will normally use chest x-rays and a chest CT, along with a biopsy in order to remove fluids and tissues in the lungs to check for asbestos fibers. Blood tests are also administered and a thorough medical background and work history are reviewed, including times you’ve been exposed to asbestos, will be completed.

Per the American Cancer Society (ACS), when a chest x-ray is performed, physicians look for unusual fluid buildup in the lungs as well as any calcium deposits and changes in the shape of the lungs. This is the first indication that the patient may have this cancer, but other tests must be conducted before a final diagnosis is made.

When performing a CT scan, physicians are able to gather a more in-depth look at the lungs via cross-sectional images. This will allow them to pinpoint and determine the exact location of the cancer.

Biopsies are performed by inserting a long needle into the chest and directly into the tumorous area. Physicians are then able to withdraw a sample of the tumorous cells and analyze more thoroughly. If asbestos fibers are found, a diagnosis of mesothelioma usually follows.

Treatments

Unfortunately, there is no cure for malignant mesothelioma, and it is also one of the most difficult forms of cancer to treat. If mesothelioma has moved into a malignant stage, the disease is so advanced that in most cases, it’s impossible to remove.

Therefore, surgery is usually not an option as this stage unless the patient has a mass tumor. Even then, other factors are taken into consideration such as the patient’s age and overall health. This is not to say that all patients with malignant are not candidates for surgery. Some people may still qualify for different types of surgeries that aim to remove portions of the cancer as opposed to the entire tumor.

If the patient does not qualify  for surgery, a combination of mesothelioma treatments can be used, such as chemotherapy and radiation. This works by reducing  the symptoms and helping  the victim live a better life with less pain.

Keep in mind, however, that if left untreated, victims typically pass away within nine months, according to the ACS. It’s imperative to follow up with medical treatment and assistance even though there is no cure, as it can help to prolong your life.

Your age, how long you were exposed to asbestos, general health, and response to treatments will also determine your survival rate. There is also no set rule to life expectancy as each person’s medical history and health are unique. While one person may survive up to a year, another person may go on to live another decade or more.

Side Effects of Treatment

As with anyone who undergoes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation–regardless of the disease–side effects typically follow. It’s important to remember, however, that treatments affect different people in different way, and not everyone will experience the same side effects.

The typical side effects from surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are as follows:

• Hair thinning and hair loss
• Nausea with or without vomiting
• Easily prone to infections
• Bruising and bleeding easily
• Bladder changes–urinating more frequently or less frequently
• Body swelling
• Mouth ulcers
• Anemia
• Constipation and/or diarrhea
• Hard time remembering and concentrating
• Nerve damage
• Pain

Other less common side effects include internal organ damage, hearing loss, excessive bleeding, and blood clotting. All side effects typically stop within a few months after treatment is complete. However, if you have a high fever or just do not feel well, always consult with your physician as soon as possible.

Getting Legal Help

If you’ve been injured by mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis, keep in mind that there is a good chance that you’ll qualify for considerable compensation. Don’t forget to fill out our form to get our free Financial Compensation Packet, filled with information on the leading asbestos and mesothelioma attorneys in your area. If you have questions or need additional assistance, contact us at 800-793-4540.

article originally  : mesotheliomalawyercenter.org 

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5 Movements to Reverse the Spinal Issues Caused by Excessive Sitting

Every office job or any job in a corporate setting entails a lot sitting for prolonged periods of time. Even though it’s not explicitly stated, sitting is pretty much a job description that many employees have. That’s because their work means sitting for 8 hours per day, 5 or 6 days per week while looking at a computer screen.

Sitting for long periods of time can be the cause for a multitude of health issue like edema, varicose vein, pain in the lower back muscles and many others, that if left untreated can create bigger health problems in the long run. That’s no reason to panic, because we have just the right advice for you that could remedy that in the form of five exercises:
You might like : Sitting Increases the Risk of Dying Early

1. Glute bridges

Lie on your back, bend your knees and keep the feet on the floor. Then, raise the butt and the hips in a way that the body is in a straight line. Hold the position for a few seconds then lower the butt and hips down. You finished one rep. Try doing 4 sets of 12 repetitions. If you find that easy, add additional load and hold it on the thighs while executing the reps. This movement develops the glutes and hips and has an effect on the abdominal muscles as well.

2- Glute bridges

Kneel in front of a wall with your back facing the wall. Put the leg you want to stretch up against the wall with the toes on the actual wall surface. Support on your knee which should be standing right at the base of the wall. Bring the other leg into a lunge position and lift the torso up. The closer your knee is to the wall, the greater the stretch.

Remain in the position for 2-3 minutes. Afterwards, switch legs.

3 - full squat

Photo credit CrossFitMurrayfield.com

With this squat variation you get into a squat position with the feet on the floor, with the back rigid and straight and the but going as low as you can. Something similar to a baseball catcher stance. You are supposed to feel a stretch in the legs, groin and back.

4 - Leg swings

There is a chance you’ve probably seen someone doing leg swings but weren’t sure that they were doing exactly. This exercise is meant for loosening the muscles and stretching them.
It entails holding onto something to keep balance and then swinging the leg in a back and forth motion as high as you can go. You can start doing the swing with each leg one at a time and then side to side. Do 20 swings of both motions.

5. Fire hydrants

This article originally appeared on : fitnessandpower.com                                                   

                                                                                 

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1 Remedies for Lagging Upper Pecs 6

The pec deck - and similar flye machines - allow you to really bombard your inner chest and get a great stretch on your entire pectoral complex. But, Gunter says, keeping your elbows high and parallel to the floor will allow you to bring the upper pecs into play as well.
                                                                                                 

                                                                                        

This article originally appeared on : muscleandfitness.com

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2 Remedies for Lagging Upper Pecs 6

Incline dumbbell flyes are a great way to not only add mass to your upper chest but to etch in freaky detail. Gunter does a variation where his palms remain pronated throughout the movement. This version involves the front delts a bit more but, according to Gunter, "facing the palm forward, it gives you even better tension in your upper chest and it stretches the upper pecs."
                                                                                                       

                                                                                           

This article originally appeared on : muscleandfitness.com

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4 Remedies for Lagging Upper Pecs

Think about this as you would the deadlift. With the deadlift, you work without the benefit of elasticity or momentum, pulling the bar from a complete rest on the floor. This builds strength and power quickly through the positive portion of the movement. Power presses are the same idea. Think about this as you would the deadlift. With the deadlift, you work without the benefit of elasticity or momentum, pulling the bar from a complete rest on the floor. This builds strength and power quickly through the positive portion of the movement. Power presses are the same idea. As you get stronger through each range of motion, lower the safety pins.
                                                                                                               

                                                                                

                                                                                           

This article originally appeared on : muscleandfitness.com

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Work Your Abs To Exhaustion With These 5 Exercises

3. BICYCLE CRUNCH 

• Lie on the floor on your back with the hands behind the head and then raise the legs and bend them at 90 degrees.
• Switch both sides by bringing the left elbow to the right knee and the right elbow to the left knee. Do that for one minute.
• Strive to hold the crunch position counting to two on both sides to elicit a slower and more concentrated effect.

By doing this exercise you stimulate all the three areas simultaneously. It combines the standard crunch, the side to side movement which stimulated the oblique muscles and the reverse crunch which stimulated the lower ab area.

4. CROSS CRUNCH

• Lie on the back with your legs and arms spread out diagonally in the form of an ‘X’.
• Keep the legs and arms straight, bring the left hand to the right foot, then the right hand to the left foot, lift the head, neck, and shoulder off the floor.
• You’ve done one rep. Do one set of 10 reps total.

This is a very simple movement, it’s very safe since you are fully supported on the floor. When the legs rise off the ground, you have stimulated the lower ab area. And since you do that at a certain angle, you target the obliques and rectus abdominis too.

5. ROLLOUT WITH A SWISS BALL

• Kneel on a mat and place the hands on a Swiss ball.
• Keep the back rigid and straight and the abs tightened and then start rolling the ball as far away from you as you possibly can and then return slowly to the starting position.
• Strive to do 2 sets of 10 rollouts.

This exercise is very similar to the ab-wheel rollout, however, it’s been proven to be a lot easier and safer for the lower back area. It stimulates the rectus abdominis since you are only moving in one plane. If you like to add more difficulty to the movement, start rolling out at an angle of 45 degrees to the right and left which will target the obliques.

                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                    

This article originally appeared on : fitnessandpower.com 

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10 EXERCISES THAT WILL MAKE YOU BURN BELLY FAT WITHOUT HAVING TO JOG OR RUN !!

6. Spider crawl

Excellent exercise for getting more mobility in your legs and hips!!! It also strengthens your abdominal muscles.

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7. The get up

This is a great exercise for getting those six packs! You will get a great arm workout too and not to forget to mention – this is a challenging exercise!

8. Burpee

This is an excellent cardio workout! It makes your heart race and this melts calories! It may be difficult at the beginning, that’s why you can adjust it by your level.

9. Skater exercise

This is a great exercise for maximum calories burn with minimum effort. It is also a cardio exercise, so your heart will beat faster and you will move from one leg to another in a second. Enjoy it!

10. Rope jumping

Want to tone the arms and legs? Why don’t you try the rope? Great exercise for burning fat and also can be done anywhere!

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This article originally appeared on : healthyuniverses.com

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Build Boulder Shoulders With These 3 Supersets

Most fitness-oriented people simply don’t understand how their shoulders function. What they do know, however, is that the shoulder complex is incredibly vulnerable and prone to injury if trained without extra caution, so they stick to exercises that ‘feel’ the safest or are generally approved and advocated by internet bodybuilding gurus. Unfortunately, that fearful approach also prevents them from adding mass to their shoulders and improving their functional strength!

Don’t forget: you are supposed to train your shoulders with plenty of volume and intensity, as long as you mind your form and technique. One of the most underused yet highly effective ways to overload your shoulders and encourage their development is the inclusion of shoulder supersets – sets which include two exercises performed one after the other without any rest in between.

Step out of the box and blow your shoulders up with these 3 shoulder supersets.

Warm-Up Routine

Never skip the warm-up; it will greatly reduce your chance of hurting yourself. These exercises will increase circulation and warm up your muscles, as well as improve their flexibility, coordination and reaction time.

Cardio: 5-10 minutes

Any type of LISS (Low Intensity Steady State Cardio) activity, such as walking, jogging or running is ideal for waking up the entire body and getting you into the right mindset.

Windmills: 30-60 seconds
Warm up your shoulders by performing windmills – stand with arms out straight and parallel to the ground and start rotating them in an arc-like motion. Start from small rotations and gradually increase the size. Perform in both directions
Shoulder dislocations: 10 reps
Don’t worry about the name of this one – it’s actually an amazing exercise that promotes shoulder flexibility. To perform it, stand with a long stick in front of you and position your hands wide at either end, then raise the stick over your head without bending your elbows.

SUPERSET #1

DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE: 4 sets x 8-12 reps

                                                        Dumbbell Lateral Raise

As you stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, take a dumbbell in each hand and slightly bend the elbows as the weights hang by your sides, palms facing one another. Bend your upper body forward and allow your hips and knees to bend slightly as well. Raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the ground, maintaining the torso straight and stabile. Lower the weights down and repeat.

UPRIGHT BARBELL ROW : 4 sets x 8-12 reps 

                                                                  Upright Barbell Row

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Pick up a barbell with a narrow grip and row it vertically up until it reaches the top of your chest. Stop when it reaches just below your chin and your forearms and upper arms are squeezed into each other, parallel to the ground. Lower the weight down and repeat.

SUPERSET #2

DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS : 4 sets x 8-12 reps

Holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit on a bench that has back support and place the dumbbells on the top of your thighs. Raise the weights to shoulder height, then rotate your wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing forward and push the dumbbells upward, straightening your elbows. Instead of locking out as you reach the top, keep a slight bend at the elbows all through the movement. Pause for a moment at the top contracted position, then lower the weights down and repeat.

                                                  Dumbbell Shoulder Press

FRONT DUMBBELL RAISE : 4 sets x 8-12 reps

                                                         Front Dumbbell Raise

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with the palms of the hands facing towards your body. Keeping your torso stationary and maintaining a slight bend at the elbows, raise the weights in front of you until they are parallel to the floor. Pause for a second at the top, then slowly lower the weights down and repeat. Perform the movement in a maximally controlled manner to avoid using momentum.

SUPERSET #3

FACE PULL: 4 sets x 8-12 reps

                                                                     Face Pull

Set up a cable with a rope attachment so that it is in line with your head and grab each end of the rope. Take a couple of steps back from the machine and pull the weight directly towards your face, separating the hands as you do so. As you bring the rope all the way to your face, flare your elbows out but keep your upper arms parallel to the floor. Pause, return to the starting position and repeat.

FRONT BARBELL SHRUG: 4 sets x 8-12 reps

                                                          Front Barbell Shrug
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart as you hold a barbell with both hands in front of you, using a neutral grip. Without rolling your shoulders, shrug them while bringing your arms up and keeping them straight. Avoid lifting the barbell using your biceps and try to touch your shoulders with your ears. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

Take Home Message

Don’t be too easy on your shoulders – they are not delicate flowers, they are muscles designed to work 24/7 and you need to overload them to produce growth. This workout will allow you to reach optimal shoulder hypertrophy without increasing the risk of injury, so don’t hesitate to challenge your shoulders with supersets at the next gym session.

Don’t forget that even the best exercise can be a waste of time if you don’t use it right, so focus on utilizing proper form and achieving hypertrophy. Try the prescribed sets and reps and see how it feels. If your shoulders don’t burn as much as you’d like them to – increase either the weight or the volume. Good luck!

This article originally appeared on : fitnessandpower.com

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