Almost everyone knows the human body is made up of 70% water. But, NOT everyone knows that water is the most vital nutrient for the body and is the primary fuel needed to keep it working properly during physical exercise.

Drinking plenty of water during exercise is so important because it prevents dehydration. There are far too many people that don’t understand the negative effects dehydration can have on your body during exercise. Which is why I would like to discuss this matter first, then provide you with some tips on how I manage drinking water during my exercise routines.

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April is coming to end and that means Summer is just around the corner. I don’t know about you, but I want to make sure all the hard work I did this Winter pays off when Memorial Day weekend rolls around and the pools open up.

With that said, I have compiled a list to help everyone, including myself, get fit before summer hits.

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Here’s an exercise I learned back when I was in college and have continued to use it ever since. It’s called the “Enhanced” Lat Press-Down, and it’s especially good for widening your Latissimus Dorsi or Lat muscles.

The Lat Press-Down is a well-known exercise, but I’ve only seen a few weightlifters who know how to utilize its full muscle-building potential. The secret to making the Lat Press-Down most effective is in the grip, or lack thereof - this is where the “Enhanced” part comes into play.

Most people don’t realize it, but the way you grip something effects what muscles you’re going to train. So, by altering your grip, you’re able to target and train more specific muscle groups. The “Enhanced” Lat Press-Down offers you this ability.

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Here’s a shoulder exercise thats incredibly easy to do and that you’ll actually see and feel the results within hours of doing it.

Plate Raises train numerous upper-body muscles, but mostly effect your front shoulder muscles or anterior deltoids.

Doing Plate Raises often will help develop that muscle bulge on the front of your shoulder and will help add more depth to your collarbone area.

How To Do Plate Raises

Step 1
Grab a barbell plate with both hands like you would the steering wheel of a car. Stand with your feet about shoulder’s width apart and keep a slight bend in your knees and elbows.

Step 2
Raise the plate up to a height just above your shoulders (exhale). Hold the plate for a second to maximize muscle contraction, then slowly lower the plate back to the starting position (inhale). This motion should resemble a semi-circular arc.

Step 3
Repeat as desired. I usually do 3 sets of 12 reps using a 35 lb weight (3×12x35).

(photo from ironworkout.com)

If don’t have a set of barbell plates at your disposal, you can do Plate Raises with pretty much anything. You can use a dumbbell, a sandbag or even a rock, anything thats at least a foot wide and has a substantial amount of weight.

Try doing Plate Raises during your next shoulder workout, you won’t be disappointed.

This is one of my favorite ab exercises. I do it almost every time I’m at the gym. I know there’s thousands of ab exercises out there, but this one really works.

The difference between Cable Crunches and all those other types of crunches is the weight that is added to it. It’s actually more like resistance training because the weight is trying to hold you back. Try Cable Crunches by following the step-by-step instructions below.

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