Fitness Tips

 A variety of resistance exercises can be used to train the pectorals major muscle.

What is resistance training?  It is the type of exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with dumbbells, bands or your own weight.  These exercises when done correctly are expected to help you build up your strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance.

In the bodybuilding world or for more hardcore training, most prefer dumbbells, barbells on bench or free weights.  People interested in just toning should not shy away or be frightened to use free weights.  You may see quicker and/or better results using dumbbells or by weight training.

Exercises for chest workouts include bench pressing (using dumbbells, barbells or machines at various angles such as decline, incline and flat where the hips are above, below and level with the head respectively).  Pushups, flyers (using dumbbells or machines at either flat or inclined angles), cable crossovers or dips are great exercises for pecs, as well

It doesn’t matter how often you workout or how you prefer to get your sweat on, any person who has been in the fitness world for some time will tell you that there are a few golden rules that you should follow when it comes to working out.

No matter how hard to train, if you fail to follow these basic rules, chances are that you will not see the results that you are hoping for. Get ready, because here are the golden rules of working out

1. Choose a workout that you enjoy

There is no point signing up for 12 weeks of painful bootcamp if you are genuinely going to hate it. Look for a workout that inspires you to keep training and that you genuinely enjoy. Sure you may not enjoy every moment of it, but overall you should look forward to your workouts.

2. Do cardio

If you’re into strength training it can be all too easy to forget your weekly cardio. Experts suggest making sure that you do at least 20 minutes of challenging cardio, three times a week. If you are trying to lose weight then doing up to 60 minutes of vigorous cardio, five times a week is about the maximum you should be doing.

Going shirtless or wearing a tank top at the beach can be a nerve-wracking experience if you aren’t feeling great about your arms.

Recently, training programs have shied away from isolation movements for the “functional” and “athletic” type programs instead. While there’s nothing wrong with that, those approaches can leave certain “problem” areas underdeveloped—especially if you're focused on your physique. And focusing on arm development can be a slow process, especially if you're sticking with the usual set and rep schemes.

Technique 1: Progressive Overload

With progressive overload, you'll continually lift more to make your muscles work harder than they’re accustomed to. This excess demand will help you to make gains in muscle size, strength and endurance.

Here are three ways you can progressively overload your muscles.

1. Increase resistance - Add more weight
2. Increase sets - add a couple more sets to each exercise
3. Increase reps- mix up your volume with higher and lower rep schemes. 

The crowned winner of the Olympia bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas this weekend will reign over the sport for the next year. 

Known as the premiere bodybuilding event in the world, the event gained notoriety with title-holders like Arnold Schwarzenegger making it into a Hollywood showcase. 

But since the heydey of the Arnold, the sport has gotten bigger -- and so have its competitors.

Out of the 200 or so competitors, about 20 will compete for the coveted Mr. Olympia title. 

Notably absent from this year's competition, however, is the Ms. Olympia portion of the event. That's not to say women can't compete, as the Olympia event retained some of the women's categories such as physique and bikini. But the pinnacle Ms. Olympia was dissolved in 2014. 

The move probably didn't shock anyone more so than Las Vegas resident Iris Kyle. She is the 10-time winner of the Ms. Olympia title -- that's more than Arnold had at seven -- and is regarded as the most successful bodybuilder of all time. 

I am experiencing a void right now," Kyle said. "I no longer have the opportunity to continue my career, something that I chose." 

According to Kyle, Olympia organizers didn't give a reason for closing that portion of the event.