Shoulder Workouts: Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press:

How to perform:

• Stand up, hold a dumbbell in each hand, keep your hands at shoulder height with palms facing forward.
• Raise the dumbbells up until your arms are fully extended and each elbow is above your head and lower them back after a short pause.
• Breath out when you raise the dumbbells and breath in when you lower the weight.
• Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Muscles worked in this exercise:

Primary muscles worked: Deltoids (anterior, medial, and posterior shuoulder).

Secondary muscles worked: Triceps, trapezius, and upper chest.

Equipment: Dumbbells.

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press:

How to perform:

• Sit on a bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand, keep your hands at shoulder height with palms facing forward.
• Raise the dumbbells up until your arms are fully extended and each elbow is above your head and lower them back after a short pause.
• Breath out when you raise the dumbbells and breath in when you lower the weight.
• Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Muscles worked in this exercise:

Primary muscles worked: Deltoids (anterior, medial, and posterior shuoulder).

Secondary muscles worked: Triceps, trapezius, and upper chest.

Equipment: Dumbbells, Bench.

Exercise benefits: This exercise strengthens your upper body and also it helps to tone and slim down your arms, back, and shoulders, increases muscle power and improve your upper body aesthetics.

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Dumbbell Tricep Exercises-Standing Dumbbell Triceps Extension

Standing Dumbbell Two-Arms Triceps Extension:

How to perform:

• Stand up with one dumbbell held by both hands behind your head. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart from each other.
• Lift the dumbbell over your head until both arms are fully extended and slowly lower it back after a short pause.
• Your upper arm should remain still throughout and only the forearm should move.
• Breath out when raise the dumbbells and breath in when you lower the weight.
• Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Muscles worked during this exercise:

Primary muscles worked: Standing dumbbell two-arms triceps extension targets the triceps; the muscles on the back of your upper arm, trapezius, and deltoids.

Secondary muscles worked: Abs, shoulders.

Equipment: Dumbbell.

Standing Dumbbell One-Arm Triceps Extension:

How to perform:

• Stand up with one dumbbell held by one hand behind your head. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart from each other.
• Lift the dumbbell over your head until one arm fully extended and slowly lower it back after a short pause.
• Your upper arm should remain still throughout and only the forearm should move.
• Breath out when raise the dumbbells and breath in when you lower the weight.
• Alternate after each set.
• Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Muscles worked during this exercise:

Primary muscles worked: Standing dumbbell one-arm tricep extension targets the triceps; the muscles on the back of your upper arm, trapezius, and deltoids.

Secondary muscles worked: Abs, shoulders.

Equipment: Dumbbell.

Exercise benefit: These exercises help to strengthen the triceps, increases the stability of the elbows and shoulders, and sculpts the arms.

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BICEP WORKOUTS: Dumbbell Biceps Curl, Alternate Dumbbell Biceps Curl

Dumbbell Biceps Curl:

How to perform : 

• Stand up and hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet as wide apart as your hips.
• Now raise both dumbbells until they reach your shoulders height, give a short pause, and slowly lower them back down, while performing keep your palm outward.
• Breath out when you raise the dumbbells and breath in when you lower the weight.
• Repeat for desired repetitions.

Muscles worked during this exercise: Biceps brachii, Brachialis and Brachioradialis, Deltoid Muscle, Wrist Extensors, Flexors.

Instruments used: Dumbbells.


Alternate Dumbbell Biceps Curl:

How to perform:

• Stand up and hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet as wide apart as your hips.
• Slowly raise the dumbbell with one arm up to your shoulder, slowly lower the dumbbell to starting position and repeat with your other arm.
• Breath out when you raise the dumbbells and breath in when you lower the weight.
• Repeat for desired repetitions.

Muscles worked during this exercise: Primarily biceps also engages anterior deltoids and trazepius muscles for stabilization.

Instruments used: Dumbbells.

Also find Chest Workouts: Incline Bench Press, Flat Bench Press, Decline Bench Press

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Chest Workouts: Incline Bench Press, Flat Bench Press, Decline Bench Press

Train your chest in 3 individual parts:

1. Upper Chest: The upper chest is best stimulated when exercises are done on a incline bench (30-45 degrees) using dumbbells or barbels.

2. Middle Chest: The middle chest is best stimulated when exercises are done on a flat bench.

3. Lower chest: The lower chest is best stimulated when exercises are done on a decline bench (30-45 degrees) using dumbbells or barbels.

Let us start building a massive chest with these workouts:

                               Incline Dumbbell Bench Press Workout

How to Perform: Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 

• Adjust bench to an incline of 30 to 45 degrees.
• Lie down on your back on a bench holding 2 dumbbells straight up above your chest with the palms facing your feet.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells down.
• Pause, push the weights back up, taking care not to lock your elbows.
• Breathe out when raising the dumbbells and breathe in when lowering them back.
• Then repeat for desired repetitions.

What muscles do Incline Dumbbell Bench Press Work:

Main muscles worked: Upper Chest (clavicular portion of the pectoralis major).

Other Muscles Worked: Deltoids (shoulders) and triceps (back of the arms).

Equipment: Dumbbells, Bench.




                               Flat Dumbbell Bench Press Workout

How to Perform: Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 

• Lie down on your back on a flat bench holding 2 dumbbells straight up above your chest with the palms facing your feet.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells down.
• Pause, push the weights back up, taking care not to lock your elbows.
• Breathe out when raising the dumbbells and breathe in when lowering them back.
• Then repeat for desired repetitions.

What muscles do flat dumbbell bench press work:

Main muscles worked: Chest; Pectoralis Major, Clavicular.

Other Muscles Worked: Shoulders, Triceps.

Equipment: Dumbbells, Bench.

                             
                              Decline Dumbbell Bench Press Workout

How to perform: Decline Dumbbell Bench Press: 

• Adjust bench to an decline of 30 to 45 degrees.
• Lie down on your back on a bench holding 2 dumbbells straight up above your chest with the palms facing your feet.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells down.
• Pause, push the weights back up, taking care not to lock your elbows.
• Breathe out when raising the dumbbells and breathe in when lowering them back.
• Then repeat for desired repetitions.

What muscles do Decline Dumbbell Bench Press work:

Main muscles worked: Decline bench press targets the lower part of your chest or pectoral muscles.

Other muscles worked: This exercise also works your triceps and anterior deltoid muscles.

Equipment: Dumbbells, Bench.

Also find BICEP WORKOUTS: Dumbbell Biceps Curl, Alternate Dumbbell Biceps Curl

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Cashew Nutrition and Health Benefits of Cashews

Cashew Nutrition:

A 1 ounce (28 g) serving of raw cashews will provide following percentages of recommended daily nutrient intake:

31% of copper

23% of manganese

20% of magnesium

17% of phosphorus

10% of iron

8% of selenium

5% of vitamin B6

A 1 ounce serving of cashews is about 18 whole cashews.

Health Benefits of Cashews: Here are the top 6 health benefits of Cashews:

1. Keeps Your Heart Healthy: Frequent consumption of cashews will lower the risks associated with heart disease, which including high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure. Cashews lowers your LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and improves your HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). Cashews are rich in magnesium, which help lower your blood pressure and reduces chances of having heart attack. Cashews contain very less fat, they are good source of monounsaturated fat, which reduces triglyceride levels and keeps your heart healthy.

2. Helps in Weight Loss: Cashews are high in fiber and low in saturated fat. As cashews are high in fiber, they make you feel full for longer, which restrain you from overeating, food cravings, and unhealthy snacking.

3. Improves Your Bone health: As cashews contain calcium, potassium, magnesium together with low sodium intake improves bone health. They protect against bone demineralization. Cashews are rich in vitamin K. Vitamin K works with other minerals like calcium to support bone health. It improves bone density, maintains bone flexibility, and prevent from bone deformities.

4. Healthy Skin and Hair: Cashews support healthy skin due to healthy essential fatty acids. Cashews aids in rejuvenating your skin as it contains copper. Keeps hair and skin healthy. Improves hair growth and gives natural color to your hair.

5. Improves Brain Function: Cashews promote healthy brain functioning, improves your brain power and improves oxygenated blood flow to brain, prevent from mental disorders.

6. Improves Nerve Function: Cashews makes your nervous system healthy as it contains magnesium. Relaxes your blood vessels, nerves, and muscles.

Also find Health Benefits of Almonds

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How To Reduce Stress: Stress Management Techniques

Here is the best way to relieve stress for you that you can perform at any place.

ABDOMINAL BREATHING: 

To reduce stress and anxiety, start doing abdominal breathing for 5 to 10 minutes each day. Deep breathing increases supply of oxygen to your brain and stimulates parasympathetic nervous system, helpful in achieving deep relaxation, improving concentration, increases our lungs capacity.

Here is the way to perform abdominal breathing:

Sit down: Sit down on a firm comfortable chair.  Make yourself comfortable and keep your shoulders and neck relaxed and keep your knees bent. Now place one hand on your chest and other hand on your lower stomach, so that you can know you are breathing correctly.

Breathe in and breathe out: Focus on the position of your hands while performing. Inhale through your nose, making sure the hand on your lower stomach rises while the hand on your chest remains still and then contract your stomach muscles to relax, breathing out through pursed lips. Perform this exercise for 5 to 10 minutes.

Be stress free and keep relaxing.

How To Lose Weight Fast: Best way to lose weight fast by BMI, BMR, and calorie counting methods

Let us being with the weight loss program so that you can be healthy and energetic.

The first step for weight loss is to calculate your BMI, know in which range you are, and figure out how many kgs or pounds you need to lose to fall within normal BMI range.

Let us know about BMI and calculate in which range you are:

What is BMI: Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on your weight in relation to your height that applies to adult men and women.

BMI ranges: A BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy. A BMI of 25 to 29.9  is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

To work out your BMI:

Divide your weight in kilograms (kg) by your height in metres (m) 

then divide the answer by your height (in meters) again to get your BMI.

For example: If your weight is 80 kg and your height in meters is 1.70

Divide weight in kilograms by height in meters, which is 80/1.70=47.05

then divide the answer by your height again in meters i.e. 47.05/1.70=27.67 is your BMI (overweight)

If you fall in overweight or obese category, aim for a healthy weight in which BMI falls within the normal range (18.5 to 24.9).

Figure out how many kgs or pounds you need to lose in order to fall in normal BMI range.

It is important to lose weight because the higher your BMI, the higher your risk for certain diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.

Once you have set with how many kgs or pound you need to lose, the next step would be to keep a track of how many calories you are eating per day.

There are so many tools online to search calories for every food and drink you eat and drink throughout the day.

Calculate calories for every food and drink you consume throughout the day.

Add up all those calories in everything you consumed and get your grand total for the day.

For example if your grand total is 3000 kcal/day, start to create a calorie defecit of 500 per day through diet or exercise or combination of both and consume only 2500 calories per day, you will reduce 1 pound per week.

According to the National Institutes of Health, aiming to lose 1-2 pounds per week is the healthiest way to go.

Generally, 3,500 calories is equal to one pound. If you want to lose one pound in 1 week, you need to create a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day over seven days.

500 calorie deficit per day x 7 days per week = 3,500 calorie deficit per week.

Weight loss secrets

Keep a track of calories which you are consuming daily and how many calories you are burning per day through physical activity levels in order to maintain your caloric goals.

See that you should not go below your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) levels.

What is BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate): Your BMR is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating.

How can I calculate my BMR levels:

Here is the formula for calculating your BMR levels.

Metric BMR Formula: 

Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)

For example: Man with an age of 31 years with weight of 80 kg and height of 170 cm, the BMR calculations will be according to Metric BMR formula:

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)

66+(13.7*80)+(5*170)-(6.8*31)

66+1096+850-210

2012-210=1802 calories

In this way you can calculate your BMR according to your weight, height, and age and that would be the number of calories required to keep your body functioning at rest.

Remember your BMR is just the number of calories your body needs at rest and does not account for the calories you need to walk, talk, exercise, etc.

To calculate the calories you need to maintain your current weight, convert your BMR to your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) by multiplying your BMR by an activity factor that represents your estimated energy level.

• If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : TDEE= BMR x 1.2
• If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : TDEE=BMR x 1.375
• If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : TDEE= BMR x 1.55
• If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : TDEE= BMR x 1.725
• If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : TDEE= BMR x 1.9

Let us take BMR from an above example and assume the man is lightly active then the TDEE will be 1802 x 1.375=2477 calories.  This is how many calories this person needs to maintain his weight.

Subtract 500 calories and he needs 1977 calories to lose 1 pound per week.

However, women should not eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day, and men should not eat fewer than 1,800 calories a day, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

Once you know your BMR and the number of calories you burn for your activity level, you can start lose weight by setting a lower daily caloric intake limit and increasing your physical activity levels.

Set a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week.

You can achieve this by following a proper caloric diet, exercise, or combination of both.

Here are some articles which helps you to lose 500 calories per day

How to lose 500 calories per day by walking

How to lose 500 calories per day by skipping

Tips: Avoid sugary foods and drinks, junk foods, high calorie foods to maintain your diet.  Always eat nutritious food, low calorie foods, and drink plenty of water.

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