13 Reasons Why Every Athlete Must Have Fish Oil Daily

If you are an athlete, you need to have fish oil every day. Here are the reasons why:

Fish oil contains omega 3 oils

We eat too much plant oils which contain omega 6 oils. These oils are found in almost all processed food and fast food. You find it in baked foods, fried foods and most snacks. These oils are in unnaturally high concentrations. If our diets were completely natural, there is no possible way that we would get as much omega 6 as we do in our western diets. That's only the beginning. When these plant oils are super-heated (like in frying, baking or processing), they become toxic to our bodies. This is the horrible trans-fat stuff that we hear is so bad for us. These oils encourage obesity, diabetes and cancer. Omega 3 oils are generally come from animals. It is more natural for us to eat these in high quantities. 

Fish oil benefit 1: Balances omega oils in your body

When you consume fish oil, you make a step towards restoring the balance between omega 3 and 6 oils. This will correct the inner working of your body, which will make your body perform better. When your body performs better, it recovers faster and can do more than it could before you had this improved omega oil balance. 

Read on to see how I support these claims. The following points will discuss the ways that fish oil makes your body perform better.

Fish oil benefit 2: Prevents joint injury

Fish oil is one of the recommended ways to prevent joint injury. It lubricates the joints. This decreased risk of injury from impact, decreases the rate at which the joints grind against one another during movement and slows overall wear and tear. Fewer joint injuries decrease the amount of time that you would spend in recovery from injury instead of pushing to get to your next goal.

Heart health

Webmd.com lists the ways that fish oils improve heart function. It says that fish oil supplementation can also benefit people who already have heart diseases. It says that fish oil benefits the heart in the way listed below.

Fish oil benefit 3: Reduces triglycerides

Triglycerides are the main components of fat in humans. They are also the main components in vegetable fat. When triglyceride levels are too high, they limit liver performance, along with heart ability. Your liver is crucial for energy production and recovery after exercise.

Fish oil benefit 4: Lowers blood pressure

When blood pressure is too high, you need to be careful about doing exercise that is too strenuous, because this might momentarily make your blood pressure too high for your body to handle. Another example is the fact that people who have higher blood pressure need to limit their times in steam rooms more than people with regular blood pressure. Steam rooms have many benefits and limiting the amount of time you can stay because of high blood pressure limits the benefit you can get from each visit. High blood pressure will limit your heart's ability to get nutrients to your body. This is crucial for athletes who need maximum recovery as soon as possible. Lower blood pressure is strongly linked to physical fitness.

Fish oil benefit 5: Reduces the risk of abnormal heart rhythms

This has been the reason why many athletes have to leave their chosen career path. Athletes with abnormal heart rhythms should not compete, because training at the high intensity levels that their professions demand poses too much risk for their well-being.

Fish oil benefit 6: Slows the development of plaque in arteries

The restricted space in arteries from plaque development poses a big threat to heart health. It limits the rate at which the body can exchange oxygen and carbon monoxide in the blood. Lower blood oxygen leads to decreased maximum performance, as well as decreased duration of physical performance.

Fish oil benefit 7: Reduces heart attack, stroke and sudden death in people with heart disease

It is a big tragedy that many cyclists and runners have passed this way. It is important to look after your heart health and fish oil goes a long way in your efforts to keep that ticker ticking for as long as possible.

Other benefits

Fish oil benefit 8: Keeps your eyes strong and healthy

Dr. Axe says that fish oil combats eye disease. It improves eye health and has been shown to reverse age related eye disorders like macular degeneration and cataracts. There is a strong link between the amount of fish that people eat and the prevalence of eye disorders. Studies have proven a remarkable benefit for eye function when fish oil is regularly consumed. If your sport requires a quick eye, fish oil might be a great way to protect your eye balls.

Fish oil benefit 9: Keeps your bones strong

Shannon Clark from Bodybuilding.com says that fish oil is essential for bone health. It increases their resilience, decreases the rate at which they degenerate and increases their ability to create more cells. This will decrease risk of bone fracture and lower bone fragility.

Fish oil benefit 10: Improves working memory

www.medicalnewstoday.com says that fish oil could improve your working memory. Working memory refers to your brains ability to work with the information it gets right now and process it in such a way that it can interact with that information quickly and effectively. Working memory is important for athletes that need to make quick decisions without giving them much thought. Medical News does note, though, that the effects of fish oil on working memory might decline with age. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you get good amounts of fish oil in your diet from as young an age as possible.

Fish oil benefit 11: Decreases inflammation

It enhances the activity of a certain type of white blood cell. This white blood cell (B cells) lowers inflammation in the body. This will reduce pain, speed up recovery and discourage disease formation.

Fish oil benefit 12: Boosts immune system

Organic Facts tells us that fish oil boosts our immune systems and can reduce the amount of times that we get sick. In the long run, this will lead to less down time and more opportunity to further physical progress.

Fish oil benefit 13: Aids in fat loss 

Fish oil helps your body to metabolize fat. The better you can metabolize fat, the better your body can turn fat into energy. This will automatically increase energy levels and will give you more energy to train and better yourself at whatever you are doing. The energy increase will positively impact your physical performance overall, including contest/ race/ test/ game/ match days.

The best way to get fish oil is by eating oily fish like salmon and mackerel. On days that you don't, you can take 1000-2000 milligrams of fish oil per day. Do not overdo the fish oil though, since taking too much can cause problems of its own like thinning the blood too much. It should therefore not be taken with blood thinners and some other medications. Always consult your doctor before taking vitamins or supplements. STAY STRONG!

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12 Ways to Prevent Joint Injury from Exercise and Sports

Prevention is better than cure. Unfortunately, too much of us realize this when it is too late. A joint injury can really set you back in your game. Being forced to take months off to prevent further damage, undergo surgery or end your competitive career because of joint injury can almost always have been avoided. Here are simple and logical ways to prevent joint pain. Perhaps you are currently trying to recover from shoulder joint pain right now.

1. Fish oil

I highly recommend taking fish oil pills daily if you are not eating enough oily fish like salmon. This essential fatty acid (that we simply do not get enough of) promotes and protects joint function. It does this by surrounding and cushioning the joint from impact. This also prevents the joint from grinding against itself. And therefore reduces wear and tear.

2. Proper form

This should top almost every kind of exercise-related prevention list. When you exercise, make sure that you use the right form. This holds true for anaerobic activities like weightlifting and aerobic activities like swimming. Using the wrong form will put unnatural pressure on your joints, instead of allowing the muscles to do the work that they are supposed to do. Make sure that you research and clarify what the correct form is for every exercise that you do. Improper form leads to a large portion of joint pain and injury. This can hurt shoulders in swimmers, knees and ankles in runners and basically any joint in weight lifters. The list goes on.

3. Rest 

Your joints take longer to recover and rebuild than your muscles. Your bones take even longer. Overuse is one the leading causes of joint injury. Make sure that you get enough rest. Not all of these rest days need to be inactive. Using a different kind of exercise to work out, but rest another part of your body is called active rest. For example, swimmers can run on their off days to stimulate energy production but give their shoulder joints a rest. Steam rooms are a great way to speed up recovery. The heat also gets more nutrients to the joints to help them recover. Do you get too frustrated about doing nothing on rest days? Find great rest day advice, ideas and tips here.

4. Eat right

Eat a well-balanced and healthy diet with a variety of different food elements. Diets that are too acidic, for example, will increase your body's acidity level and will therefore erode your joint structures. High acid levels are one of the leading causes of gout and arthritis. One great way to lower body acid levels is to eat raw, fresh foods.

5. Drink lemon juice

Ironically, drinking lemon juice reduces the amount of acid in your body. It also gives you a healthy dose of vitamin C, which is crucial for joint maintenance. Lemon juice speeds up recovery by cleaning out your system and it even gives you more energy. This is why athletes and sportsmen should drink lemon juice.

6. Drink less alcohol

Alcohol increases the acid levels in your body. Also, your body will prioritize alcohol metabolism over recovery from exercise when you drink. See how alcohol affects muscle growth.

7. Don't smoke

Yes: smoking kills your joints as well. Since your body is less able to recover and carry nutrients to the parts that need it because of smoking, your joints will suffer. See how smoking inhibits your body's ability to build new muscle.

8. Vary rep range and intensity

Lower rep ranges and higher intensities put a greater stress on joints. Higher rep ranges and lower intensities are easier on joints. How can you further your fitness or transformation goals when you have to include different rep or intensity levels? By doing just that! In fact, varying your routines will provide muscle confusion and therefore better physical improvement. That is one of the reasons why high reps can build muscle mass in ways you never imagined.

9. Plan your workouts with joint health in mind

For example, many people debate whether you should have separate shoulder days at the gym. Some argue that isolating them on their own day will stimulate them to grow stronger whilst others say that they need more rest. Make sure that you give all of your joints the stimulation that they need to get stronger, and also that you give them the rest that they need to strengthen. Finding the balance and planning your exercise plan accordingly will ensure great joint health.

10. Isometric exercises

Isometric exercises are exercises that work muscles without moving them. A good example of an isometric movement is the plank (a good core exercise). Studies show that isometric exercises can strengthen joints, prevent injury and even speed up recovery from injury. They can give your muscles more power where you need it most!

11. Mobility

Range of motion refers to the range at which a muscle and joint can bend or stretch. Limited range of motion increases injury risk because your body is not able to move as much as you might move it while doing a certain sport or exercise. For example, swimmers need to work on greater shoulder joint mobility. If their mobility is limited, they face a greater risk of hurting their shoulder joints (and muscle) during races when they are exerting themselves as much as they can. The same goes for all physical sports and exercises. Stretching can also improve muscle recovery and size.

12. Get into the habit of warming up

A good warm up will not only decrease the chance of injury but also improve performance. Do an exercise that is lighter than your workout but still warms up your body. Your warm up should produce a light sweat. This will increase blood circulation so that your body is better able to move, provide nutrients to joints and muscle, and expel waste products like carbon monoxide and lactic acid.

Follow these simple tips to strengthen and protect your joints. You will save countless weeks and coin on recovery and you will have one less thing to worry about. As you might have noticed, all of the things listed above have much more benefit than just improving your joints. STAY STRONG!

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The Dust You Inhale When Running on Dirt Roads

I enjoy my long runs. When I moved from the tarred suburbs to the country side, my trails turned from solid road to dirt road. I always tried to hold my breath when a car drove past and kicked up a light cloud of dust around me - not easy when you're on a good run! Today I present whether the dust you inhale from dirt road runs are bad for you or not, and what to do about it.

Whether you are a bodybuilder using cardio to boost muscle growth, taking a leisurely jog as part of an active rest day, use the road as part of your high intensity interval training routine or are pursuing the activities that burn the most calories, you might have wondered whether breathing in the dust around you is making your exercise less healthy.

Minimal amounts of dust are safe...

The truth is that we inhale dust all the time - not just when you are on the road. There are millions of tiny air-born particles in the air that you breathe, wherever you are. Dust and other particles that are found in the air are eliminated by your lungs when they are in small quantities. According to www.biology-pages.info, the cilia in your lungs are responsible for moving particles out of your lungs. They do this through the mucus mechanism.

Too much dust is not safe

Livestrong.com agrees with the fact that cilia moves dust out of your lungs, but says that they only do this at trace (or low) concentrations. Too much dust can lead to dust pneumonia. This happens when too much dust travels further than what it is supposed to and can't get out of your lungs. This can lead to infection, pneumonia and lung failure. This is an extreme case, but it is still possible. The first sign of too much dust inhalation is a dry cough. Your body is trying to expel the dust because there is too much for your cilia to handle to handle on their own. The next sign is coughing up of excessive mucus. This mucus can be mud-colored (from the dust), green or yellow. The excessive dust and mucus and can cause wheezing. Chest pain can occur from too much stuff in your lungs or restriction of your air passageways. If this all becomes infected, symptoms can advance to fever or septic shock.

The moral of the story

If you aren't coughing up a storm, struggling to breath or feel any pain; the amount of dust you inhaled will likely be taken care of by your lungs. All the same, try to inhale as little dust as you can, if possible. Avoid running in dust storms and other scenarios that will lead to excessive dust inhalation. Your body naturally expels this inhaled dust. If you are experiencing coughing, pain or asthmatic symptoms; see your doctor as soon as possible to prevent the risk of things elevating out of control. For the times that you are going to run through excessive dust or dirt, protect your air passageways by covering them with materials that will filter out the dust.

What about color runs?

Now that we're talking about particle inhalation, might as well bring up the stuff you could inhale at color runs. Color runs are running events where people are dowsed with all kinds of colorful powders. They have become very popular.
Let's start off by saying that kshb.com reports that the colored powder is highly flammable. Firefighters lit the substance to test its flammability and it exploded into a ball of fire. Make sure you're not running next a smoker! Unless you like fireworks...
Wfsb.com sent out one of their reporters to participate in a race. They then sent the colorful substances covering her body to the lab for testing. A mixture of corn starch and food coloring was found. These were found to be non-toxic. The article did warn, however, that dangers could arise if you are allergic to corn starch or certain food coloring.

As always, make sure that you stay hydrated and get the right electrolytes that you need and get those electrolytes from the right sources. Fuel up before any cardio session you do. Eating carbohydrates before cardio could help you lose even more fat. STAY STRONG!

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The Anabolic Window

The anabolic window (also called the metabolic window) refers to the period straight after your workout when the speed of nutrient absorption and the specific nutrients ingested make the biggest difference in muscle recovery and growth. When your body is anabolic, it is building muscle. When it is catabolic, it is breaking down muscle. When your body is stressed or senses danger, it breaks down muscle for the nutrients it needs to survive. Muscle-building exercises are catabolic in the short-term, since they break down muscle. They are anabolic in the long-term, however, because they stimulate the muscles to grow bigger and stronger in preparation for the next challenge. The sooner you can exit catabolism (breaking down muscle) and enter into anabolism (building), the greater your recovery will be.

Here is more information about the anabolic window:

It's all about timing

An article by Krissy Kendall (PhD and CISSN) from bodybuilding.com discusses the theory and reality of the anabolic window. She says that you need to look a little broader than the first hour after your workout. If your pre-workout meal has enough protein and carbohydrates, then those nutrients should still be running through your bloodstream when you are done with your workout. This means that your body already has the nutrients that it needs and therefore you could go for a much longer time post-workout without losing potential muscle gain. On the other hand, people who have not eaten before their workout or exercise before their first meal of the day should definitely ensure that they get the nutrients that their bodies need as soon as possible. 

Your daily nutrition is more important than a single meal

Jeff Barnett from Breaking Muscle reviews a study that measured the effects of consuming protein straight after a workout. While those who got their protein fix straight after their workouts did show greater muscle gain, the difference was minimal and not enough to validate the 'anabolic window' theory. There were issues with this study, however. Firstly, the subjects were untrained athletes. People who are just starting out respond differently to exercise and nutrition. Their bodies aren't used to training in the first place, and their digestive systems are not as adapted at pulling protein into muscle as efficiently as others who have trained for longer. Also, people who are just starting out with weight lifting will generally have a greater muscle response; regardless of whether they are following the best protocols or not. Secondly, this study did not account for carbohydrates. Protein is necessary for muscle growth, but so are carbohydrates! See how carbohydrates are needed for muscle growth. Without studying carbohydrate intake along with protein intake, we are missing too much of the picture to make any valid conclusions. Jeff concludes that the anabolic window probably does exist, but that it is probably a lot longer than the 30 minutes (or hour?) that most people assume. He says that you might even be able to push for up to 6 hours. He said that what was more important was your entire nutritional intake throughout the day. You can have a great post-workout meal or shake, but if the rest of your diet is horrible, the guy that skips his post-workout meal but has his entire eating plan figured out will have a much bigger advantage.

Pre-workout nutrition might be more important than post-workout nutrition

David from How to Beast wrote in interesting article. His viewpoint is that the anabolic window is a myth. He cited studies that were done by bodybuilding nutritionists. These studies found that the nutrition you consume before your workout shows a greater effect than the nutrition you consume straight after. Consuming sufficient protein and carbohydrates before your workout is therefore more effective at giving your body what it needs to grow compared to afterwards. This makes sense, since your muscles will have the nutrition that they need to rebuild while they are breaking down. This would therefore decrease the short-term catabolism of the workout, even though the stimulus is the same. Interestingly, post workout nutrition shortly after exercise did show some benefit. Even though the difference was 'insignificant' compared to getting the right nutrition beforehand, it did make a small difference. That small difference might not be much at first, but tiny differences will certainly add up in the long run. My takeaway: following the anabolic window theory is not as important as it is proclaimed to be, but it does carry some benefit. Just does not benefit us as much as we originally thought.

The anabolic window when you are cutting down on calories

Luke Cafferty from Muscle and Strength outlined the same points as the others did above. Your entire nutritional intake throughout the day is a lot more important than a post-workout meal (or shake). It is only necessary if you are training in a fasted state. Carbohydrates are important because they fill up the energy stores of muscle in the form of glycogen. Sugar is converted into glycogen and stored in the muscle for energy. Bigger glycogen stores equal bigger muscle. Since weight training does not deplete your glycogen stores enough for muscle to significantly benefit from post-workout nutrition, ingesting carbohydrates straight after your workout is not that important - as long as your overall nutritional needs are met and your ate prior to working out. However, post-workout meals can benefit people who are decreasing their overall caloric intake in an effort to burn fat. Since your body has less calories than it needs to function (and will slowly burn fat because of this), you face a greater risk of being in a catabolic state instead of an anabolic state. This is because your body might break down muscle for the nutrients it needs. Your body will most likely do this if it is stressed. A pre and post workout meal that contains carbohydrates is therefore beneficial to people who are reducing their calories because it prevents the body from breaking down muscle to meet its caloric needs when it needs them the most.

Too much reading: Give me a summary!

• The anabolic window is not as important (or effective) as people originally thought.
• It does give you a benefit, but only a little (it can add up in the long run).
• Your pre-workout nutrition is more important than your post-workout intake. Eat well before you work out for better performance.
• Your overall eating plan is the most important. This is where gains come from. Focus on the diet that gives you the most gains.
• Eating carbohydrates straight after a workout will benefit you more if you are reducing your total calories to burn fat.
• Instead of ensuring that you have the protein that your body needs straight after your workout, make sure that it has the protein that it needs all of the time. Choose the right protein for the right time, based on each protein's individual absorption rate.

It is a better idea to focus more on eating right for the entire day and maximizing the hormones that build muscle. STAY STRONG!

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Natural Ways To Boost Testosterone

Image Source: Paulaowens.com

Testosterone is often referred to as the manly hormone. People with higher levels of testosterone build muscle faster and are stronger. They have more energy and burn fat more effectively. There are natural ways to boost your testosterone levels. I have searched the web to find the best ways you can increase your natural testosterone levels.

How to Increase Testosterone Levels

1. Do Compound Exercises

Compound exercises like squats, pull-ups and even push-ups increase natural testosterone production. These compound exercises also increase other muscle building hormones like growth hormone. Make sure that a big enough portion of your workout routine involves compound movements that stimulate more than one muscle group.

2. Get Enough Rest

Over-training can decrease your body's ability to produce testosterone. Make sure that your rest days maximize recovery. Allow your body enough resting time to recover and rebuild. Take a rest week every few months for deep recovery and re-calibration. I've found that I come back stronger after a good rest week (one that is earned, of course). Sleep is also very important. Sleep is the critical time for most bodily changes. Besides building muscle, your body also uses sleep to regulate hormones like testosterone. Not enough sleep will deplete testosterone production.

3. Get Enough Zinc

Fitness.mercola.com says that consuming enough zinc to maintain testosterone levels is very important. It states that besides the muscle growth, hair retention and reproductive health benefits of testosterone; it is needed for maintaining bone density and keeping an optimum red blood cell count. It sites a study where increasing zinc levels for 6 weeks increased this hormone's levels in men who had low testosterone levels to begin with. Getting less zinc reduced testosterone levels and zinc protects you from exercise-induce testosterone reduction. Foods that are high in protein are usually high in zinc. Natural sources of zinc include meat, fish, dairy products and beans. Zinc is also important for regular body maintenance and growth. It is needed for immune function, recovery from injury and blood function. Zinc is also touted as a powerful antioxidant that fights cancer. Since conventional farming methods that use a lot of chemicals can deplete zinc content, try to eat as organic and free-range as possible to increase zinc consumption. Go easy on the tabs, though. Zinc supplementation can benefit those who are deficient on zinc, but too much can restrict iron and copper absorption.

4. Stress Less

According to Authority Nutrition, the stress hormone cortisol will decrease testosterone levels if there is too much of it in your body for a long period of time. Cortisol can reduce testosterone levels very quickly. It says that when cortisol levels are high, testosterone levels are reduced and vice versa, since they balance each other out. Not only does cortisol negatively affect your testosterone levels directly; but indirectly as well. Cortisol makes you eat more food and produce more bad fat, which will also decrease the amount of testosterone that your body creates. Consider what makes you stressed and find ways to deal with these situations. Learn to cope better with situations that you can't change. Dedicate enough time to leisure and pleasurable activities and attempt to find a good balance between work and play. Things like exercise, healthy food, laughter and companionship decrease cortisol levels.

5. Eat Fat

www.jackedfactory.com explains that fat is needed to produce testosterone and that low fat diets hamper hormone production in general. Saturated fats (like the cholesterol found in egg yolks) are dangerous in large quantities, but small amounts are needed for the body to function properly. This saturated fat is needed for a strong heart and testosterone function, among other things. Testosterone is actually formed using cholesterol. Fat sources should make up 30% of your total caloric intake. 15-25% of these fat sources should consist of saturated fats. Saturated fats can be found in meat and dairy foods. You don't need any Trans fats, so you can steer clear of those. Trans fats are found in processed oils, baked foods like cakes and biscuits and fried foods. Fats from avocados, fish, nuts and seeds are good for you (when you get them from the food source, not processed).

6. Get the D

www.bodybuilding.com said that vitamin D is arguably the most important vitamin for testosterone production. It cites a study that found that people who were deficient in this vitamin had less testosterone than those who had higher vitamin D levels. You get vitamin D from the sun. Looks like tanning is good for you after all! Just be safe and don't get burnt - that's when skin damage and cancer becomes a risk. Vitamin D is important for strong bones and combats depression, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. People who have more fat often have lower vitamin D levels. This is because fat gets in the way of this little vitamin. Studies have found vitamin D to speed up weight loss in obese individuals. Salmon and mackerel are good food sources of vitamin D.

7. Avoid Alcohol

The Editors of Men's Health say that alcohol decreases testosterone levels. They referred to a study where men drank a medium amount of alcohol every day for 3 weeks. These men had 7% less testosterone than before they started the drinking study. Men’s Health recommends limiting yourself to 1-2 glasses of beer or wine per day to protect your precious testosterone levels. Alcohol also hampers your body's ability to build muscle. When there is alcohol in your blood stream, your body prioritizes the metabolism of the alcohol instead of turning protein into new muscle tissue.

8. Ginger Ninja

Eat ginger and add it to your food whenever you can. www.mensfitness.com states that ginger is one of the best foods for increasing your T-count. In a study, ginger was found to increase testosterone levels and even increase semen quality in infertile men. Ginger is regarded as a super-food because of its many benefits. These benefits include relief from nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness, morning sickness and pain. It is a powerful immune booster and aids in cancer prevention. It has been shown to decrease the duration of illnesses like flu or colds and make them more bearable. Some even eat it to decrease muscle pain from exercise so that they recover quicker!

I would like to hear other great ways to naturally boost your testosterone levels in the comment below. STAY STRONG!

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How To Build Massive Triceps

Triceps make up around two thirds of the muscle mass in your upper arm. If you want your arms to look big and muscular, you are going to need big triceps. They are also extremely important for maximizing bench press performance. I can build biceps very easily, but my triceps always lagged behind. I was forced to learn the best ways to increase my triceps size. I've put together this list for people like me who need bigger triceps.

Triceps Definition

The triceps are the muscles at the back of your upper arm. They are located opposite from your biceps along the humerus bone. They are responsible for arm extension and are key role players in most chest exercises (like the bench press, push up, dip, cable cross-over).

Triceps Composition

As per their name, the triceps consist of three main muscles. These are aptly named the long head, the medial head and the lateral head.

Image from Webuserblog.com

The Long Head of Your Triceps

The largest of the three, the long head is the only head of the three that attaches from the top of your shoulder joint. It is the one that runs along the bottom part of the back of your arm. It stretches when your arms are above your head. This is important because triceps exercises that are performed overhead (like French presses and overhead presses) stretch the long head and therefore stimulate it fully. Training a muscle when it is not stretched is like doing a bicep curl only half way. When you do chest presses from an incline angle, your arms get closer to an overhead position and therefore the long head of the triceps will be stimulated more.

Exercises That Stimulate the Triceps' Long Head

Since it is fully extended when your hands are above your head; overhead presses, French curls and French presses will work your long head more than other triceps exercises. Make sure to have over-head movements in your routine to fully stimulate your long head. Try to keep your elbows close to each other (don't flare them out) to work this muscle properly. Flaring out will recruit fewer fibers from the long head muscle.

The Medial Head of Your Triceps

The medial head lies around the middle of the back of your arm. It is mostly covered by the long and lateral heads. It is located near the inner sides of the arm (on the side of the elbows towards the torso). It is responsible for elbow extension, extending the forearm away from the upper arm. Triceps kickbacks and extensions work this head very well.

Exercises That Stimulate the Triceps' Medial Head

Pushing and pressing exercises where the elbows are alongside your torso. These include bench presses and cable cross-overs. 

The Lateral Head of Your Triceps

This head is responsible for the horseshoe shape that people like to see. It is the one that lies most outward from your body. This head is best worked with your arms at your sides.

Exercises That Stimulate the Triceps' Lateral Head

Movements that include exercises like presses, cable crossovers and push-downs. Increasing the size of this head will improve your overall upper muscular width.

You can learn more about triceps anatomy and individual head function here.

Image from www.bodybuilding.com

Exercises that Work all Three Triceps Muscles

It is not possible to completely isolate one head from the others since they are so closely linked and are always supporting each other. That being said, the exercises below are great for adding bulk, strength and volume to all three of the triceps heads.

Dips

Dips are one of our favorite compound movements. They stimulate all three triceps heads and also heavily recruit your chest and shoulder muscles. Bench dips are also good, but try the body-weight version where you hold your body on your hands and stabilize yourself in the air. The fact that you have to keep balance forces each of the triceps muscles to participate.

Source: weighttrainingexercises4you.com

Bench Press

Although triceps-specific exercises are also needed to carve out huge triceps, bench presses stimulate the triceps very well. Bench presses add size to your triceps along with your chest and front shoulder muscles. Using a closer grip will isolate triceps more than a wider grip, which will use your chest muscles more. Closer grips also stimulate the triceps more when doing push ups.

Skull Crushers

This exercise is great for all three heads of the triceps. Keep your elbows tucked in (not flaring out) to stimulate your triceps properly and avoid using other muscles that should not be used. Also keep your upper arms still during the entire movement to make sure that the triceps are working throughout all of the movement.

See also: 7 Best triceps Exercises.

Final Tips for Massive Triceps

• Make sure that you dedicate time to these muscles, over and above your chest and shoulder exercises.
• Stronger triceps will increase your max bench press.
• Chest and shoulder exercises also stimulate your triceps. If you are doing chest on the one day, shoulders on the other and triceps the next; they will be working all three days in a row and won't have enough time to rest. This is especially true if you are pushing your body as far as what you should for best muscle growth. Make sure that they have time to recover and rebuild, or else they won't get a chance to get as big and strong as they could. Take this into consideration when thinking about whether to have separate shoulder days (apart from arms, back or chest days). Also, make sure that you get the most out of your rest and recovery days.
• Prioritize triceps above biceps if they struggle to grow (like mine). For example, I do my triceps exercises before my bicep exercises on arm days because I find them harder to grow. 
• Make sure that your triceps are stimulated by working with a variety of angles. Ensure that your workout regime incorporates pressing movements that have your elbows moving overhead, perpendicular and behind your body. This stimulates the triceps in a variety of ways instead of just one. If you don't have a proper workout plan, try one of these.
• Use a variety of grips. A 'false grip' with your thumbs on the same side as the rest of your finders removes some responsibility from your forearm muscles. When your thumb wraps around the opposite side of the bar, the forearm is recruited to assist with the lift. This gives the triceps less work to do. As you can see in the image above, different hand grips stimulate different parts of the triceps.
• As with all muscle groups, if you want to bulk up your triceps you to need to bulk up your diet. If your body isn't getting the nutrition it needs, it will take longer to grow.
• Always make sure that you are using the correct form. I find this extremely important for triceps exercises in particular, because the wrong form can so easily hurt your elbows or shoulders joints. This means that you will have to waste time recovering from shoulder pain or injury.
• Stretching these muscles regularly will lengthen them and aid in recovery. It will promote blood flow and decrease risk of injury if done right. See how stretching can aid muscle growth.
• A post at Reddit recommends training triceps at high, low and medium rep ranges for better stimulation.

STAY STRONG!

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Research on The Best Workout Split for Muscle Strength and Size

Whether you want to start building muscle with the best workout for beginners or take your workout to the next level, finding the best workout split is imperative in maximizing muscle growth. The best routine split can maximize your bench press and every other important lift. The perfect workout split might even end the old argument about whether to have separate shoulder days. In an attempt to determine the workout split that produces the most muscle growth, numerous studies have been conducted. I bring you the best of these and their findings. Hopefully, this will help you to determine what exercise routine would best suit your individual goals. The results might surprise you!

Previous Studies on Training Frequency and Muscle Growth

The Study

Wernbom, Augustsson and Thomee (2007) analysed previous studies to compare the relationship between stimulus frequency and muscle growth. Conclusions were derived from these different studies. 

The Results

Elbow flexors (biceps and forearms) gain 0.18% per day when trained 2 or 3 days a week (no difference between 2 or 3 times a week). Training these muscle groups for 4 times a week resulted in 0.59% growth per day. Another study showed 0.10% growth when trained 4 times a week.

Knee extensors (quads) grew by 0.11% when trained 2-3 times a week. (No difference was seen by increasing from 2 to 3 times a week).

The Conclusion

Since 3 different studies were used to come to these conclusions; different training programs, diets and volumes were used for each. It is hard to draw conclusions from this because there are too many variables that could be responsible for the reported outcomes. The study concludes with the need for further research.

Split Differences for Beginners

Calder, Chilibeck, Webber, and Sale (1994) studied the difference between a split and full workout routine for beginners.

The Study

30 women were divided into three groups. All women were previously untrained to investigate the effects on people who are new to training. One group performed their entire routine in one day, another split their routines and another acted as a control group (they did nothing). There were 10 woman dedicated to each group. Both active groups did the same exercises: 5 sets of 4 upper body exercises (6-10 RM) and 5 sets of 3 lower body exercises (10-12 RM). The test lasted for 20 weeks.

The whole routine group did all these exercises in one day, training twice a week.

The split group did the upper body exercises on one day and their lower exercises on another, training 4 days a week.

Findings

Strength increased (by measurement of one rep max) by 54% in arm curl, 33% in bench press and 21% in leg press for woman who did the whole routine in one day.

Strength increased by 69% in arm curl, 32% in bench press and 22% in leg press for woman who split their routines.

However:

Muscle tissue increased (by measurement of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) by 10% in arm muscle, 3.4% in trunk muscle and 4.9% in leg muscle for woman who did their whole routines in one day. Whole body muscle tissue increased by 4.1% and fat decreased by 1.1%.

Muscle tissue increased by 9% in arm muscle, 2.7% in trunk muscle and 1.7% in leg muscle for woman who split their routines. Whole body muscle tissue increased by 2.6% and fat decreased by 1.3%

The woman who split their training programs therefore gained more strength on average, but not as much muscle tissue increase or fat loss. The differences between these groups were considered minimal and not significant enough to draw accurate conclusions. 

It was officially concluded that split and whole training routines yielded similar results for the first 5 months of training.

Exercise Routine Split Differences for Bodybuilders

www.researchgate.net published a study that was very useful. It stated that no other study researched the differences of workout splits in trained athletes - at least at the time of its publishing. Muscle tissue that is used to physical stimulus (training) is different to muscle that is not trained. It reacts differently to training because of the fact that it has already been stimulated to grow and strengthen; and therefore has changed its function, response, anabolic signalling and protein synthesis (creation of new tissue) as a response to exercise. This study was used to investigate the difference in different training splits in individuals that have already trained. The researches hypothesized (guessed) that the group of subjects that trained for 6 days (3-day split) instead of 4 days (2-day split) would see greater gains in muscle size and strength.

The Participants (Bodybuilders)

10 Male participants were randomly selected. These participants were healthy and responsive, with an average age of 27 years. Participants' age was not above or below this average age by more than 3 years. 5 were to chosen use the one training method, and 5 the other. The allocation process was randomized: no participant could choose which exercise program he would like to follow. According to pre-trial tests, there were no significant lean mass and strength differences between test subjects. Food intake for all participants were planned and offered to individuals by nutritionists throughout the duration of the study. All 10 participants were elite bodybuilders, affiliated with a national bodybuilding federation. They had all been competing for at least 3 years, did not used any steroid for at least 6 months prior to the study, were non-smokers and not drink alcohol. All these bodybuilders needed to all be in their off-season, and be currently training at 6 days a week.

The Exercise Programs Used

The study lasted 6 weeks: 4 weeks for training and 2 weeks for testing. 4 sets of each exercise were executed using 6-12 repetitions maximum (RM) for both test groups. These sets were done in a pyramid style, increasing load and decreasing repetitions with each proceeding set. All training sessions were supervised and no other exercise outside of this program was done.

2 Way Exercise Plan (4 Days a Week)

The people in this group trained 4 times a week, doing the same routine (split into 2 sessions) twice.

On Mondays and Thursdays the participants performed following exercises:

• Bench Press
• Incline Dumbbell Fly
• Cable Crossovers
• Barbell Military Press
• Lateral Raises
• Lying Triceps French Presses
• Triceps Push-downs
• Standing Calf Raises
• Seated Calf Raises
• Crunches
• Cable Crunches

On Tuesdays and Fridays the participants performed the following:

• V-Bar Pull-downs
• Bent over Barbell Rows
• Seated Cable Rows
• Arm Curls
• Alternate Incline Dumbbell Curls
• Palm-up Barbell Wrist Curls
• Palm-down Barbell Wrist Curls
• Squats
• Leg Extensions
• Leg Curls
• Oblique Crunches
• Seated Leg Tucks

3 Way Exercise Plan (6 Days a Week)

The people in the group trained 6 times a week, doing the same routine (split into 3 sessions) twice.

On Mondays and Thursdays the participants performed following exercises:

• Bench Press
• Incline Dumbbell Fly
• Cable Crossovers
• Barbell Military Presses
• Lateral Raises
• Lying Triceps French Presses
• Triceps Push-Downs
• Crunches
• Cable Crunches

On Tuesdays and Fridays the participants performed following exercises:

• V-Bar Pull-downs
• Bent over Barbell Rows
• Seated Cable Rows
• Arm Curls
• Alternate Incline Dumbbell Curls
• Palm-up Barbell Wrist Curls
• Palm-down Barbell Wrist Curls

On Wednesdays and Saturdays the participants performed following exercises:

• Squats
• Leg Extensions
• Leg Curls
• Standing Calf Raises
• Seated Calf Raises
• Oblique Crunches
• Seated Leg Tucks

Methods of Measurement

Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry was used to determine body composition and 1-rep max bench press tests were used to determine strength differences. A calibrated electronic scale measured body mass.

Results

The results were reported in the table below.

Image from www.researchgate.net

Conclusions by Researchers 

Similar strength and muscle increase resulted from both training programs. The differences were too low to draw any solid conclusion. The researchers' hypothesis was therefore signed off as: refuted. More time needed to be given to the study, since 4 weeks was not long enough to draw any plausible conclusions. Even though there are differences which can be seen in the above table, these were not significant enough to provide sufficient evidence.

What Does This Mean?

This results from the above studies to bring us to a variety of conclusions:

1. The perfect workout split does not exist.
2. A variety of workout splits can be effective. 
3. Other factors should determine which program you follow like train time available, total length of time spent during each session and fitness level.
4. The old saying 'The best program is the one you haven't done' rings true here. Doing something that your body is not used to would lead to muscle confusion and therefore greater stimulus and response.
5. Use the training routine that works best for you.
6. A lot of different training programs can build muscle efficiently. Even high rep training programs can build muscle.
7. A certain split might be best for you right now, but another might be better for you later on.

Click here for an advanced training program that packs on muscle (rather follow this training program if you are a beginner). STAY STRONG!

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