Weight Lifting:
Arms, Shoulders
& Abs
The weight lifting you do to build up your arms and shoulders will produce some of your most eye-pleasing results. Few men are going to neglect the biceps in their workout program simply because they are very visible muscles.
The problem is that most people will place too much emphasis on their biceps. You have to remember that this is a minor muscle group which gets indirect work in most of the bodybuilding exercises you do. It can be easy to overtrain your biceps. Often, the way to get your biceps growing is to ease up on the direct work.
Abdominals, on the other hand, are often neglected. The outward appearance of them is more determined by diet than training and you are unlikely to show results while training for mass gain. They should, however, remain an emphasis of your weight lifting in a mass gain program.
Strong abs are necessary to continue growing stronger as, at some level, they support all of the compound exercises necessary to build muscle fast. Additionally, it will be nice to uncover something when you do move to a cutting phase. So, don't neglect the abs, spend quality time with them and you will be rewarded.
The Major Muscles
of the Arms, Shoulders and Abs
- Deltoids (Delts) - The deltoids are the shoulder muscles and have three distinct parts: front (anterior head), back (posterior head) and middle (lateral head). Each of these parts of the delts are used during different movements.
- Delts (F)- The weight lifting exercises that best target the front delts are the military press and the front raise.
- Delts (M) - Lateral raises target the middle delts.
- Delts (B) - The back delts can be effectively worked with the compound exercises for the lats.
- Triceps -These are the muscles on the back of the upper arms. Weight lifting exercises that target the triceps include triceps pushdowns, bench dips, and close-grip bench presses.
- Biceps - Everyone knows the biceps, they are the muscles on the front of the upper arm. The weight lifting exercise for the biceps is the biceps curl.
- Forearms - The forearms are the portion of the arm from the elbow to the hand. Though tough to target, the forearms are worked with virtually every exercise that involves the arms in any way and this can be sufficient for growth. Wrist curls and various grip gadgets can target the forearms.
- Abdominals (Abs) - The abs are made up of the rectus abdominus which is a large flat muscle running the length of the abdomen and the obliques which run along the sides and front of the abdomen. Exercises that target the abs include crunches, decline reverse crunches and incline twisting sit-ups.
Weight Lifting Exercises
for the Arms, Shoulders and Abs
Note: Again, before attempting the weight lifting exercises described below with heavy weight, get your form correct with light weights. Use a spotter. Nothing can ruin your day faster than losing your grip on the bar while bench pressing. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can move faster than gravity.
| M I L I T A R Y P R E S S |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Compound | Delts (F) | Delts (S) Triceps Pecs Traps |
Biceps | |
| Description: Standing, grasp barbell at shoulder width, position in front of the neck, press bar overhead until arms are extended then lower back down to starting position. | ||||
| Tips: Keep chest out and back straight. | ||||
| Variations: Can be done seated and with dumbbells. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: The military press is a very effective weight lifting exercise for the delts and should be the focus of your shoulder training. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| F R O N T R A I S E |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Isolated | Delts (F) | Delts (S) Pecs Traps |
None | |
| Description: Standing, holding dumbbells in both hands, with elbows bent at about a 20 degree angle, raise one arm until it is parallel with the floor, lower and then do the same with opposite arm. | ||||
| Tips: Resist the urge to bend back and let gravity help, keep back straight, your arms should be your only moving body part. | ||||
| Variations: Can be done with a barbell for a change, or raising both dumbbells at the same time. You can also try doing it with simultaneous motion, raising one arm while lowering the other. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: Good isolation for the front delts and an excellent weight lifting choice for supersetting the military press. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| L A T E R A L R A I S E |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Isolated | Delts (S) | Delts (F) | Traps | |
| Description: Standing, holding dumbbells in both hands, elbows slightly bent, raise both arms to the side simultaneously until parallel with floor and then lower to starting position again. | ||||
| Tips: Keep elbows at a height equal to wrists. Keep palms facing towards each other at the bottom of the exercise and downwards at the top to place the emphasis on the side delts. | ||||
| Variations: Can be done seated on a bench for a change. Doing one arm at a time while supporting the other side of the body can allow the use of heavier weights. Bent over lateral raises can effectively hit the rear delts along with the side delts. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: Lateral dumbbell raises are the best way to hit the side delts and as such are a valuable part of a weight lifting routine. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| B E N C H D I P S |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Compound | Triceps |
Delts (F) |
Forearms Biceps Traps |
|
| Description: With two benches of equal height placed parallel to one another, with feet on one bench crossed at the ankles and the hands gripping the other at shoulder width, arms straight, lower your body by bending arms at the elbows until butt touches the floor or upper arms and forearms form a 90 degree angle, then raise back to starting position. | ||||
| Tips: Do not go lower than where your upper arm and forearm form a 90 degree angle in order to avoid injury. Do not allow momentum to do any of the work. | ||||
| Variations: A weight placed in the lap can provide additional resistance. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: Bench dips, along with the close-grip bench press, are excellent weight lifting choices as your main exercises for hitting the triceps. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| C G B E N C H P R E S S |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Compound | Triceps | Delts (F) |
Biceps Forearms Traps |
|
| Description: Lying face up on bench, grab bar from rack with a narrow grip, lower bar to middle of chest and then raise until arms are nearly locked. | ||||
| Tips: Keep elbows close to body. Do not arch your back. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: The Close-grip bench press along with bench dips should be the primary weight lifting exercises you use to work your triceps. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| T R I C E P S P U S H D O W N |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Isolated | Triceps | None | Traps Lats Forearms Pecs Abs Delts (B) |
|
| Description: Standing straight, elbows tightly at your sides, knees slightly bent, grasp attachment and pushdown until arms are extended then let it raise until forearm is again close to upper arm. | ||||
| Tips: Make sure you are using your triceps and resisting the urge to put some bodyweight into the pushdown. Don't swing, squeeze the triceps at the bottom. | ||||
| Variations: Can be done with one arm at a time for more emphasis. Can be done with an overhand or underhand grip, the underhand grip bringing the more of the forearm into the exercise. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: A great isolation weight lifting exercise but a distant third to the bench dips and close-grip bench press in terms of value to your overall muscle building goals. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| B I C E P S C U R L |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Isolated | Biceps | None | Traps Delts (F) Forearms |
|
| Description: Standing, grasp barbell with shoulder width grip and, with elbows at your sides, raise until forearms are near upper arms and the lower until arms are again extended. | ||||
| Tips: Keep elbows in the same position throughout the exercise, use the full range of motion. Do not bend your back to assist in lifting. | ||||
| Variations: Many valuable variations. Can be done overhand or underhand. One-arm dumbbell curls, seated or standing, allows for extra emphasis. Hammer curls, when the dumbbell is positioned vertically hits some different muscles. Lying on an incline bench, dumbbell curls can be especially tough because cheating is eliminated. Also, preacher curls, where the arms are kept at an angle away from the body by a preacher bench, also are beneficial. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: Biceps curls, in one form or another, are a must for any weight lifting routine as the only way to effectively get the biceps building. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| W R I S T C U R L |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Isolated | Forearms |
None | None | |
| Description: Seated, grasp barbell with underhanded grip and rest forearms on thighs with wrists extending over knees. Lower the wrists and allow the barbell to roll out of grip and onto fingers then re-grip the barbell and extend the wrists upward. | ||||
| Tips: Keep forearms glued to thighs. | ||||
| Variations: Can be done with dumbbells. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: The wrist curl is not an important exercise to the gain weight fast goal but good on occasion to target the forearms. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| C R U N C H E S |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Isolated | Abs |
None | None | |
Description: Lying on your back with knees bent and the soles of your feet flat on the floor, hands lightly touching the sides of the head, roll your shoulders forward keeping the small of the back on the floor and then lower back down. |
||||
Tips: Make sure the small of the back remains touching the floor. Go slowly and guard against momentum. Do not lock hands behind the neck to avoid undue stress on the neck. You can also fold hands across the chest if it feels more comfortable. Keep neck relaxed and not part of the exercise. Your shoulders should only be moving 3 or 4 inches off the floor. Concentrate on using the abs to do all the work. |
||||
Variations: You can put your feet up on a bench with the knees bent at a 90 degree angle. To add difficulty, keep arms outstretched behind the with palms crossed and move arms up as the crunch is performed keeping arms in line with the head. Weighted crunches (holding a weight plate against the chest) can add significant resitance to the exercise. |
||||
Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: Despite all the claims made by infomercials, the simple crunch remains the best way to strengthen the ab muscles and along with the decline reverse crunch should be the focus of your ab training. |
||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| D E C L I N E R E V E R S E C R U N C H E S |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Isolated | Abs |
None | Delts (B) Lats Traps |
|
| Description: On a slightly declined bench, lying on back with both hands holding the bench to the side of or directly behind the head and holding your back position steady, move your pelvis and knees up and into the chest and then lower back down. | ||||
| Tips: Keep knees and feet together throughout the exercise. Concentrate on using the abs. Be careful not to swing and instead use a slow and smooth motion. | ||||
| Variations: Increase the decline to add more resistance. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: Both regular crunches and decline reverse crunches work both the upper and lower abs but regular crunches emphasize the upper abs slightly more while the decline reverse crunch does the same for the lower abs. Together they make a great team for producing impressive abs. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
| I N C L I N E T W I S T S I T U P S |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Main Target |
Other Movers |
Accessory Muscles |
|
| Isolated | Abs |
None | Quads Low Back |
|
| Description: On incline bench lock feet at top of the bench, hands lightly touching each side of the head, butt firmly staying on the bench, raise body up towards the knee while twisting the torso to one side, lower back down and repeat this time twisting the torso to the other side. | ||||
| Tips: Keep butt on the bench and use a smooth and controlled motion. Twist but do not jerk. | ||||
| Variations: Use weight to add resistance, holding a weight plate against the chest. | ||||
| Weight/Muscle Gain Importance: Incline twisting sit-ups are a good exercise to target the obliques and shouldn't be forgotten. | ||||
Back to Arms, Shoulders and Abs Muscle Anatomy
Related Articles
All The Weight Lifting Articles
 |
Arm Training 101 Sean Nalewanyj tells you how to train to grow a massive pair of arms. |
|
How To Get Big Shoulder Muscles Tips and routines from Sean Nalewanyj for developing some massive shoulders. |
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Abdominal Training 101 Anthony Ellis tells you why the best exercises for the "six-pack" abs are the basic exercises. |
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Sample Bodybuilding Routines |
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Weight Lifting Leg Exercises |
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Weight Lifting Chest and Back Exercises |
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| Last Update: June 7, 2007 |
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| Copyright©2007 JP Clifford www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com The Build Muscle and Gain Weight Fast Guide, All Rights Reserved. |
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| This site is solely for informational and educational purposes. It is not intended as medical advice. Consult a physician before beginning any new exercise, nutrition or supplementation program... Full Disclaimer |
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