Bare Your Arms

Jen Jewell�s Armageddon Workout
Don�t cover your arms with sweaters and T-shirts. Have the confidence to bare your arms! Here�s the workout that will help you do it.
What does a set of tight, toned, and sleek arms say about you? It says that you're a fitness badass who's prepared to hit the weights or rock a sexy tank top! Whether your goal is to enter a physique competition or just tone up, building awesome arms should be on your "to do" list.

"But Jen," you might be thinking, "what if I don't want my guns to rival those of a world-champion arm wrestler?" Don't worry, weight training isn't going to make you massive. Women don't produce enough natural testosterone to get huge. But I will say that you won't get rid of that under-arm jiggle by pedaling away on a bike or pushing the handles on the elliptical.

To develop tight, sculpted arms, you've got to pick up those weights and get to work! 

Arm Training Advice

    For my arm workouts, I include a combination of exercises that hit my muscles from various angles. I use dumbbells, barbells, cables, machines�you name it. The point is to stimulate as many muscle fibers as I can to allow for maximum development. Lately, I've been including supersets to make my arm workouts fun, fast-paced, and efficient. I also "remix" my sets and rep ranges so I don't become bored or hit a plateau.

    Remember, you train your arms any time you do compound chest and back movements. (It's impossible to bench press without using your triceps, for example.) Even if you don't dedicate an entire day to arm training, a proper training regimen should still promote biceps and triceps development.

    Make sure that you're challenged through the entire duration of the workout. Yeah, that might seem obvious, but I've had many female clients throw down their weights after they feel that "pump." Go beyond what's normally challenging.

    If you stick with a solid arm workout regimen, results will come fairly quickly. When I gear up my training for a photo shoot or a competition, I make noticeable progress within the first couple of weeks. With hard work, you'll do the same!

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Which is Better, Cardio or Lifting Weights?

How many times have you heard these statements?
"I don't want to bulk up by lifting weights. I want to lose the fat first and then I will try to build muscle."
"You've got to do a lot of cardio if you want to drop excess pounds and inches."
"I don't care about getting strong. I just want to get skinny."
The list goes on and on.

Each one of these statements is born of misinformation and is totally counterproductive to everyone's weight loss and fitness goals.

Here are the facts:

1. One doesn't get bulging muscles like the Incredible Hulk accidentally just because they walk by the weight rack at the gym regardless of their gender or genetics. Men have to work extremely hard for many years to gain the type of mass that might turn off the average Joe Q Public. Women have to work even harder because their levels of testosterone are much lower than their male counter-parts. Add to this calculated dietary manipulation and only a small segment of the population will ever achieve such large amounts of muscle.

2. Cardiovascular activity, while it may be heart healthy is very catabolic (which means it tears down your muscle mass) if done to excess. The simple truth is that most people require a brisk twenty minute walk about 3 times per week in order to attain and maintain good heart health. Giving up your muscle because of "the magic number" on the scale is extremely counterproductive as this will slow your metabolism overall and will actually cause you to gain fat in the long run.

3. Although you burn more calories while performing cardio than you do while at rest, you won't burn as many calories during cardio as you will while performing a rigorous weight lifting routine. Your body will also continue to burn calories for several hours after lifting weights. Your metabolism will not remain so elevated after cardiovascular activity,

4. Your body burns most of its calories from fat when you are sleeping. Think hibernation. Your body still needs energy to sustain itself even though you can't eat. The more muscle you have, the higher your body's metabolic rate will be even at rest.

So the answer to the question is quite simple. This is not a question of either weight lifting or cardio. You need to utilize both strategies to become physically fit. Additionally you need cardio to achieve any long term fat loss goal. The best route to take is by putting an emphasis on weight lifting as this will cause the body to build muscle which will rev up your metabolism around the clock. Cardio vascular activity should be supplemental to insure proper heart health and additional calories burned while you strive to reach your fat loss goals.

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ANABOLIC STEROIDS COMMONLY USED BY WOMEN

The most commonly used steroids by women are Anavar, Primobolan, Winstrol and Nandrolone Phenylpropionate. So let's take a closer look at these substances:

    GP Oxan (Anavar) - This is one of the mildest anabolic out there. Its androgenic activity is also extremely low. Most women who fear side effects usually opt for low dose (5-10mg/day) short duration (6-8 weeks) cycles. Anavar usually produces good gains in strength and reasonable gains in quality muscle mass with little in the way of side effects.

    GP Prima 100 (Primobolan) - Primobolan has long been a favorite with female bodybuilders since it does not primoject_zoomconvert to estrogen and produces very little in the way of water retention. Most women use 25-50mg/week for about 8-10 weeks. Side effects with Primobolan can include oily skin, acne and a possible increase in facial/body hair. Primobolan can be slow to take effect but its long duration of action can produce some pretty dramatic results in women. These steady lean muscle gains are unique in that they don't seem to be dependent on a �hyper-caloric' diet.

    Winstrol (stanozolol)- This substance can be taken orally or via injection (some even drink the injectable form). Winstrol is a good mass builder and produces significant gains in strength. However, many women do not like it due to its tendency to produce androgenic side effects such as male pattern baldness, voice deepening, acne and clitoral enlargement. One way to avoid these sides is to keep the dose low (e.g. 5-10mg/day). Since Winstrol can be stressful on the liver, it's also wise to include a liver protecting supplement such as Milk Thistle or Liv- 52. If the injectable form is being used, 12.5mg every 2nd to 3rd day is ideal.

    GP Phenyl 100 (nandrolone phenylpropionate) - Also known as "fast-acting Deca", this is another drug often used by female durabol_frontbodybuilders. This drug produces slow and steady gains in strength and lean muscle tissue. Even though it�s only slightly androgenic, it can produce side effects such as excess facial and body hair. However, unlike its longer-acting cousin, Deca Durabolin, NPP causes significantly less in the way of water retention and severe masculinizing side effects such as thickening of the jawline and deepening of the voice. The usual dosage for this compound is 50mg/week.

     Maxibolin (Ethlestrenol)
    This is a low androgenic oral steroid, which is derived from the 19-nortestosterone parent molecule. This drug is popular with women who favor its high anabolic, low androgenic, compounds. Although hard to find nowadays, many women athletes feel this drug is quite effective for quality muscle gains with minimal water retention. Effective dosages range from 5-15mg per day for wom

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WOMEN AND STEROIDS

Due to their hormonal make up, female athletes need to take a different approach to the use of steroids than their male counterparts. The specific compounds considered to be the safest for use by women are Anavar, Primobolan, Nolvadex, Winstrol, Maxibolin and Durabolin. It's also very important to note that even on low doses of these particular steroids, some women will develop virilizing effects. This is due to the fact that any amount of steroid introduced into the female endocrine system will trigger a reaction, since it's essentially a derivative of a male hormone. With this in mind, it's always recommended that low dosages of weak androgenic steroids are used for short periods of time.










SIDE EFFECTS

Most common side effects experienced by women using steroids are:

•     Acne and oily skin
•     Aggression
•     Male pattern baldness
•     Lowering of voice tone
•     Disruption of menstrual cycle
•     Clitoral enlargement
•     Increased hair growth on face, legs and arms

More positive side effects of steroid use in women would be:

•     Increased feeling of well being
•     Increased energy
•     Decreased recovery time from workouts
•     Heightened sex drive
•     Muscle and strength gain
•     Decreases in estrogenic fat (e.g. upper legs, abdomen, upper arms, butt)

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2013 Ms. International

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Chest Workout And Training Tips

A great upper body is incomplete without chest training. Find out why you shouldn�t be copping out of your chest workout!

When most women approach their trainers with their results wish list, they hope for a firmer stomach, shapelier glutes and thinner thighs. Trainers almost never hear a woman say, "I want a firmer chest." In fact, most females are under the impression that chest training should be left out of the picture!
To these women, chest development should be left to the men. They're afraid chest training will make them less feminine. Ladies, that thought process is junk! Just trash it. If you want a complete program and a body to be proud of, you need to include chest training.

These busted myths and programming tips will help you get past your fears and lead you to a chest revelation!

Myth 1 Chest Exercises Will Make My Boobs Smaller

This myth gets perpetuated because female bodybuilders sometimes hit the stage with flat-looking chests that are far from what we normally deem feminine. It's not the muscle that makes their breasts smaller; it's the extreme diet.
Most bodybuilders walk on stage with body fat levels that are far lower than what's considered healthy for a female. Breasts are primarily fatty tissue, so when body fat levels go way down, so do breasts. Aside from the women who have implants, most fitness and bodybuilding competitors just don't have enough body fat to keep their bras full.

As long as you sustain body fat levels that are well within a healthy range, you won't have an issue. According to the American Council on Exercise, women need to have at least 10-13% body fat for "basic physical and physiological health." Dipping below 10% (for ladies) may bring "underfat" health risks.

Myth 2  Chest Training Will Make My Breasts Firm

This myth just makes me laugh. Supposedly, with some bench pressing, your breasts will go from soft to rock hard. Who needs a sports bra now?
Training your pecs will build muscle underneath the fat makes up your breasts. As long as you aren't dieting too severely, your fat mass should remain. If anything, the added muscle helps your breasts appear fuller and might actually give a little boost to your cleavage!

Myth 3  Just Do Push-Ups

Most women add push-ups to their regular routine as an afterthought and then wonder why their upper body isn't looking better. As with any other muscle group, you need a sufficient level of exercise variety and weight resistance training in your program.
A combination of bench press, incline bench press, cable or dumbbell flyes and push-ups is the variation and difficulty you should be aiming for.
Once you reach a certain level of fatigue, push-ups aren't going to do much for maximizing strength gains. Unless you put a plate on your back or find some other way to add resistance to push-ups, they're not going to help you get stronger.
Instead, add them to the end of your workout as a finisher.

Chestivus For The Rest Of Us

Now that we've covered what not to worry about, here's what you need to know about chest training:

    It might seem like a good idea to use light weights for "tone," but remember that muscles respond best to a challenge. If you lift light weight for high reps, you'll be making very few fitness improvements and won't be doing much besides burning calories.
    You won't gain muscle mass unless you're eating a high-calorie diet -- all the heavy lifting you do on a standard or fat-loss diet will increase fitness and strength, but you won't get big, so don't be afraid to lift heavy!

    Keep your reps within the 8-to-10 range for bench press and incline bench press. For flyes, take it up to 10-to-12.

    2-to-3 sets of each exercise will be perfect for strength gains. Any more or less may not produce the results you want.

    For compound lifts like the bench press, rest one minute between sets. Also, try to hit your compound lifts at the beginning of your workouts.

    Between sets of flyes, decrease your rest to 45 seconds. Because you're just using your body weight for push-ups, rest only 30 seconds between sets.

Frequency

Depending on your current workout split, you can work your chest muscles up to 2-to-3 times per week. Make sure you take a day off between workouts.
If you're using an upper/lower body split, add this chest workout to your upper body days.

The Workouts

If you're feeling really frisky and want to add other compound movements before the accessory lifts, go for it.

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5 Reasons You Should Support Women's Bodybuilding

All bodybuilders are athletes. It's time we give the ladies the same respect we give to the men. Here are five reasons you should support brawny women!
Female bodybuilders get a lot of hate. In fact, many women who blur the lines between what is "normal" masculinity and femininity are ridiculed for their "manly" bodies. Because female bodybuilders have more muscle than most men who don't train, they're laughed at. Instead of being celebrated for their hard work and intense dedication to a difficult lifestyle, they're regarded as "unattractive," "unnatural," and, worst of all, "gross."

Reality check: not everything women do is for men's viewing pleasure. Bodybuilding is a sport. Female bodybuilders are athletes. They deserve your respect.

Still not sure you can get past the whole idea of cheering for a woman whose biceps are twice as big as yours? Let me help you out with five observations:

1  Building Muscle Mass Is More Difficult for Women

Men are genetically designed to carry more muscle�they're generally bigger and heavier than women.
Although a lot of women worry that lifting weights will make them bulky, the truth is that most women don't have the testosterone (or eat enough) to build mass to the same degree that men do.
As a result, female bodybuilders can do the same amount of training as men, and with the same intensity, without achieving the same results. In other words, women work just as hard but get less bang for their buck. Talk about frustrating.
I know, I know, "But steroids!" Clean or not, female bodybuilders have to do a lot of work.

2  Female Bodybuilders Compete Under More Stringent Regulations

If you've never perused the IFBB rules for female bodybuilding, you should. Male competitors don't have any limit to how big they can get. In fact, the bigger the better. Women, on the other hand, have to present a "muscular, yet feminine shape.1" "Femininity" is subjective�it's up to competitors to interpret the rules and then try to apply them.
Besides putting on fake eyelashes and doing their nails, female bodybuilders have to make sure they're not too big. In fact, the IFBB regulations also state that for women, "muscular development must not be carried to such an excess that it resembles the massive muscularity of the male physique."
Lady bodybuilders have to be big, yes, but also shapely, feminine, pretty, and graceful. That's a pretty long list of attributes to fulfill.

3  It's More Difficult for Women to Become Ultra Lean

For reasons having to do with reproduction, women are designed to hold 6-11 percent more body fat than men do. According to some studies, the hormone estrogen also makes it more difficult for women to burn fat2. So, not only do women carry more body fat than men, but it also takes more work for them to lose it.
Now, don't get me wrong�I'm not knocking male bodybuilders. But women have to fight their body to be rid of stored fat. The male body uses fat much more efficiently, and men's additional muscle mass expends more energy. For women, getting lean enough to see glute striations is probably more difficult than we fans can even imagine.

4  Female Bodybuilders Are Less Socially Accepted than Male Bodybuilders

The stigma attached to female bodybuilding goes far beyond the steroid conversation. Our Western culture tells women to be skinny, weak, and above all, desirable.
Women who bodybuild are not weak, they're not skinny, and to most people, they're too masculine-looking to be considered desirable.
Sure, hardcore fans of the sport appreciate female bodybuilding, but the majority of people in and out of the fitness community feel discomfort with the blurring gender boundaries.
I would argue that female bodybuilders have the bravery to ignore the social standards of their culture and do what they love. To me, that's awesome.

5  They're Breaking the Glass Ceiling!

Female bodybuilders are constantly showing the world what women are capable of doing. Women can be strong. We can have big muscles. We can be totally shredded. It doesn't matter what "parts" you were born with�you should be able to create the body you want, society be damned.

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