If you want to build massive biceps quickly, then 21’s is for you. 21’s, also known as 3-Part Curls, is an intense muscle-building exercise that forces your biceps to expand due to extreme muscle exhaustion.

21’s can be performed at either a seated or standing position, and can involve either dumbbells or a barbell. This exercise involves three separate sets that are performed in a continuous motion, each set involving 7 repetitions and adding up to 21 repetitions total (hence the name, 21’s).

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The decline push-up is a perfect exercise for weightlifters who want to build chest muscle and tone their shoulders at the same time. Decline push-ups train the upper pectoral and trapezius muscles, as well as the tricep and abdominal muscles.

The decline push-up is one of the most difficult types of push-ups to perform, and is not for people at a beginner fitness level. To learn how to correctly perform decline push-ups, continue reading the step-by-step directions.

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When exercising your arm muscles, it’s important not to neglect your forearms. Most moderate weightlifters tend to skip training their forearms because they feel other bicep and tricep exercises are enough. It’s true that some arm exercises do help, but not enough to build healthy, strong-looking forearm muscles. To learn how to perform various forearm exercises, continue reading.

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At the gym today I noticed some people working out that caught my attention. I realized they were forgetting a crucial step when exercising - stretching between sets - which brought me to write something about it.

Stretching between sets is key to avoiding muscle tension. It also allows your muscles to work longer and harder, maximizing muscle growth. Ever wonder why your muscles get tense after working out? It’s because you’ve just expanded them, and naturally they want to contract to their original size.

To avoid muscle tension, make sure you’re stretching between sets. I’m not talking about pulling your arm out of its socket, but stretching so that you feel a slight tug on your muscle. Stretch your muscles to let them know that you’re not done working them. Do this so they don’t become too relaxed and return to what is called - full muscle recovery - when muscles return to their full, relaxed state.

Here is an example of how to reduce muscle tension by stretching:

After completing a bench press set, stand up and raise your arms pointing outward. Sway your arms back and forth to the point where your shoulder blades touch at the middle of your back. Do this fairly quickly multiple times. Afterwards, you will notice that your pectorals (chest muscles) don’t feel as tense as they once did.

Be sure to keep stretching and moving throughout your workout. If you do, your muscles should continue to feel loose as you move from exercise to exercise. In the end, your muscles will be able to work longer and harder, ensuring you’ve gotten the most work out of them.

Most weightlifters believe that bench pressing is the quickest way to develop a muscular chest. This is true, but what if you don’t have a bench press to work with? Well, I’ve recently discovered a solution to this dilemma.

Two gyms I currently work out at don’t have a bench press; that is your standard, pulley-free, bench press. It’s tough to cope with, especially because I want develop my lower pectoral muscles. In my case or yours (if you’re in a similar situation), it becomes all about supersets - performing two or more exercises using the same muscle group and taking little to no breaks between sets.

Here is an example of chest superset I used in my workout earlier today:

1. Start with your average push-up. Use dumbells or a closed-grip form to give your shoulders more support.
2. Do a set of 20 push-ups then quickly move onto a chest fly exercise. Complete a set of 10 reps using two dumbbells of substantial weight.
3. After the second exercise take a short break no longer than a minute, then repeat the superset as necessary.

This superset worked particularly well during my chest workout, and should work for you as well. Just remember that supersets are supposed to be performed quickly, so don’t hurt yourself using too much weight. Rather, concentrate on your form instead. The only downfall when performing a superset is that your muscles may get tired more quickly. This is only because you’re working them twice as hard.

So the next time you find yourself without a bench press, try this superset instead, and you’ll still get a great chest workout.