Watching those makeover shows on TV, you might think the only way to change your body is to recruit a pack of plastic surgeons and line up a camera crew to record it for prime time.With all due respect to the geniuses who produce network TV, we heartily disagree. When it comes to building new muscle, a few tweaks to your diet and fitness routine may be all you need to unleash your potential. But, just to be safe, we'll spot you a hundred. Use them, and you may want to call that camera crew after all.
Bigger Arms
1. Pinch to grow an inch.
To strengthen your grip, try this plate pinch from Strongman competitor C.J. Murphy: Place a pair of 5- or 10-pound plates together, smooth sides out. Pinch the plates between your thumbs and forefingers. Try holding the weights for 30 seconds. Add plates as you gain strength. And watch your toes.
2. Change grips.
It can help you do more reps. Try a set of barbell curls with a narrow grip. When you begin to fail, slide your hands out farther. "You'll get more out of your biceps," says celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, C.S.C.S.
3. Do chinups at a dip station.
Using the parallel bars of a dip station simulates a chinup without lifting all your body weight. Besides your back muscles, you also strengthen your forearms. Grab the bars from underneath and place your feet on the floor. Keeping your body straight, pull yourself up, pause, then lower yourself.
4. Use a mirror.
"It promotes better technique and helps prevent injury," says Chris Jordan, C.S.C.S., of LGE Performance Systems in Orlando.
5. Add extra tension to any move.
At the end of your arm workout, wrap one end of a resistance band around the handle of a dumbbell and place the other end under your foot. Now do a set of biceps curls and overhead triceps extensions to fatigue your arms, says Tim Kuebler, C.S.C.S.
6. Pick up drop sets.
Doing five reps or fewer per set with a weight you can lift only five times trains your muscles to grow bigger and stronger, says Mark Peterson, an exercise and sport scientist at Arizona State University. Do three to five sets without rest, reducing the weight by 10 percent to 25 percent each set.
A Harder Core
7. Hit the upper abs first.
By doing 20 to 30 crunches, you'll limit the upper abs' assistance when you move on to the lower portion, says Gunnar Peterson. This can help define the inguinal crease—the lines that run from hip to groin.
8. Tighten your belt.
One-legged lifts contract your transverse abdominis—a belt of muscle surrounding your abdomen—says Jon Crosby, C.S.C.S., of Velocity Sports Performance in Baltimore. Grab a pair of dumbbells and raise your left thigh until it's parallel to the floor and your left knee is bent at 90 degrees. Bend your right knee slightly and do a set of shoulder presses, biceps curls, or lateral raises.
