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A lot of men are looking to get that ripped muscular beach body. But with summer fast approaching, just how much muscle can you gain in a month?

Building muscle and getting in shape takes time, discipline, and intense motivation.

That's often easier said than done!

But with some of these top exercise and nutrition tips, you will be well on your way.

How much muscle can you gain in a month? Read on to find out!

Factors for Muscle Growth

Everyone is going to be a little different in their ability to put on muscle.

Some of these things are totally in your control, like your workout routine and nutrition intake.

Other aspects, like your genetics and age, are out of your control.

However, you should be aware of how these impact how much muscle you can gain in a month.

Age

As men age, testosterone levels decrease.

This leads to a decline in metabolism and skeletal muscle mass.

Luckily, engaging in exercise will help boost these levels.

Genetics

Hormone levels, muscle length, and bone structure all play a role in the amount of muscle you'll be able to build over time, whether that be a month or a lifetime.

For some people, the process might be a little slower than it is for others, but with a strong work ethic, anyone can achieve amazing strength gains.

Nutrition

The composition of foods you eat will play a huge role in your ability to gain muscle mass.

Protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats will help stimulate muscle growth when eaten in the correct amounts and at the right times.

Resistance Training

This is pretty obvious, but increasing muscle mass requires that you lift heavy weights.

But just like nutrition, the types of exercise and the timing of your workouts will play a big role in determining how fast you will get those ripped muscles.

How Much Muscle Can You Gain In a Month?

Because of these different factors that impact muscle growth, the amount of muscle growth will vary between individuals.

However, on average men can expect to build between 0.25 and 0.5 pounds of muscle per week, or about one to two pounds per month.

Of course, this doesn’t continue at this pace indefinitely.

As you get your body into shape, the amount of muscle you can build will develop at a slower pace.

Build Muscle Early On

When you first start working out, your body will respond to your workouts more quickly.

This means, in the beginning, you can build muscle at a higher rate than those that have been bodybuilding for years.

Physiologic studies reveal that resistance exercise leads to adaptations in skeletal muscle that result in increased muscle size and changes in contractility even after a single episode of exercise.

This is great news when you're just starting out because the instantaneous results can help keep you motivated to continue working out.

It's important to be aware, however, that once your body's begun to adjust to your workout routine, it will become harder to gain muscle mass, which means the process slows down as you bulk up.

Try not to get discouraged and instead look at these tips to maximize your muscle growth.

Top Tips For Building Muscle Mass

Weight Training Is A Must

Resistance exercise stimulates hormones and growth factors that lead to skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

This leads to an increase in the size of your muscles and gives your body that ripped, built physique.

You have to incorporate resistance training with heavy weights to build muscle mass.

If you are just starting out, begin with a light weight and gradually work your way up each week.

This will help you avoid injury as you progressively get stronger.

You should include full body and compound exercises to target multiple large muscle groups at once.

This overall focus will get you looking great while simultaneously making you stronger.

Lift Heavier Weights With Fewer Reps

Aim for six to eight reps each set, doing three to four sets of each exercise.

This will allow you to use heavier weights so that you can really work on muscle hypertrophy.

While you can do lighter weights with higher reps to build muscle, studies have shown that using heavier weights is superior for maximizing strength adaptations.

Plus, if you are doing hundreds of reps with a lower weight, you can actually increase your risk of injury due to overuse injuries and repetitive strain.

Instead, focus on slow movements with proper form throughout the exercises.

Train Each Muscle Group At Least 2-3 Times a Week

To gain muscle as fast as possible, research suggests that you should train each muscle 2-3 times a week.

If you have an open schedule, you may be able to split this up and work specific body parts each day.

For example, Monday could be back and biceps day, Tuesday is chest day, and so on.

If you are like most men, you are pretty busy and may only have a few days that you can devote to formal exercise.

This may mean doing two or three full-body workouts a week to hit every muscle group.

And full-body workouts have shown to be quite effective in building lean muscle mass when done three times weekly.

A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that a training frequency of three days per week produced superior results compared to once a week.

Proper Nutrition To Maximize Muscle Growth

It is important to choose the right types of food, along with the timing of when you consume these nutrients.

Protein is the building block for muscle growth, so you want to include lean protein sources into your diet throughout the day and following your strength training workouts.

Protein is a macronutrient that not only builds muscle but also spares muscle mass while you are working out.

The exact amount of protein you should consume will depend on your specific goals and current weight.

A recent meta-analysis found that muscle-building gains seem to top out at about 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight.

The authors of this study noted, however, that for those looking to maximize muscle-building gains this number could be increased all the way up to 2.2 grams per kilogram, or about one gram per pound of body weight.

What about carbohydrates?

Contrary to some popular fad diets, carbs are not the enemy.

Actually, carbohydrates are essential to gain muscle, especially on training days.

Studies have shown that weight training exercise with carbohydrate ingestion results in significantly greater gains in both type I and type II muscle fibers than in weight training exercise alone.

This means that after a high-intensity strength training workout you should consume both protein and carbohydrates to maximize your muscle growth potential.

Your calories should come from lean protein sources, such as chicken, lean beef, or fish.

As far as carbs and fat intake, you need to limit processed foods such as those high in sugars and simple starches.

To help get you started, check out the free 1-Day Meal Plan from the Fit Father Project.

This is a great introduction to help you plan out your nutrition for the day.

Eat Regularly

Studies have found that spreading your calorie intake out over the course of the day can help you gain muscle and maintain a healthy weight.

So, instead of eating two or three big meals, try to spread this out into five or six smaller meals throughout the day.

Research has shown that by doing this you can lose weight while reducing the loss of lean body mass.

And the type of food you eat throughout the day is also important.

You want to make sure that you are also specifically spreading out your protein intake over the course of the day.

Eating a moderate amount of protein at each meal stimulates muscle protein synthesis more effectively than eating more protein at one meal.

Big Muscle Gains in the First Month and Beyond

While building muscle quickly is a great goal, it is important to remember that these strength gains will continue far into the future.

And you can’t expect to reach your full potential in only 30 days!

These tips and tricks will help you jumpstart your fitness so that you can start on your journey to building a strong looking and healthy body.

And if you are looking for specific workouts, the Fit Father Project offers some great programs, like Old School Muscle, that are specifically tailored for men looking to get a ripped, chiseled physique.

So don’t let another day get away from you! Get started today and discover just how much muscle you can gain in the next month.

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on how much muscle can you gain in a month.

Walking through a gym can be intimidating, even for men that have worked out in the past. Men who want to start strength training after 40 often feel that they can’t achieve the same strength and muscle mass that they once had at a younger age.

The truth is… you CAN still get stronger later in life.

Age is no longer an excuse for not being in the best shape of your life. While it is true that muscle mass tends to decrease with age, something known as sarcopenia, this does not have to be inevitable.

Build Muscle At Any Age!

One recent research study found that middle-aged men between the ages of 35-50 have the same muscle-building potential as those in their 20s.

This same study found that middle-aged men also lost more fat mass and decreased their total body fat percentage more than the college-aged men while performing the same exercises! (1)

The key to strength training after 40 is adapting the exercises to your abilities, minimizing stress to your joints, and also understanding the science behind muscle growth.

The first big factor is knowing how often to train each week.

A wide-scale review of the scientific evidence out there has found that to optimize muscle growth, muscles should be trained at least twice per week, and possibly three times weekly (2).

The Ideal Strength Training Routine For Men Over 40

What does this mean for you? If you are a busy male over 40, you probably don’t have the time to work out seven days a week.

But if you can manage to fit in three solid total body workouts into your schedule, you can still achieve the same strength training benefits as someone going to the gym every day.

As a matter of fact, you could be doing more harm than good by working out too frequently.

If you break down your workouts into specific body areas-like a leg day, or a back and biceps day- you may only have time to hit these muscle groups once each week.

That is where doing full-body strength training days really gets you the most bang for your buck.

Five Best Muscle Building Exercises for Men Over 40 and Old School Muscle

The Fit Father Project specifically uses this evidence-backed science to bring you programs to gain strength and get into the best shape of your life.

There are several free offers, including the 5 Best Muscle Building Exercises for Men Over 40. This is a great free video to start with, to get an excellent introduction to strength training after 40.

Old School Muscle is also designed for men over 40 to build muscle, even at a later age in life.

With this program you will get a comprehensive training plan along with nutritional guidance. Plus, you’ll have the full support of the Fit Father community.

Science Behind Strength Training After 40

A routine to build muscle needs to include the right types of exercises and needs to be done consistently.

It can be confusing reading fitness articles, all with differing opinions on the number of repetitions or sets to do to build muscle mass.

That’s where actual scientific research comes in, to truly determine the ultimate strength-building plan for men over 40.

As I already mentioned, you should be targeting each muscle group at least two times, if not three times, weekly. The next step is figuring out the best types of exercises and the volume of training to get you the best results.

Optimal Training Volume

Research on muscle building has shown that there is a dose-response relationship in muscle growth.

That is, the more repetitions and sets you do, there will be a quicker response in muscle gains. However, this is only up to a certain point.

There is a critical point where performing more repetitions of an exercise will not produce any significant gains in muscle growth. At that point, overtraining becomes counterproductive.

So if you are able to do three total-body strength workouts a week, this means about 3-4 sets each day for each muscle group.

High Weights or High Reps?

Repetitions within a set are also important. It has been taught that high reps with low weights are good for toning muscles, while low reps with heavy weights are better for muscle growth and bulk.

However, studies have also shown that as long as the muscles are exercised to the point of fatigue there can be similar strength gains regardless of the amount of weight used.

For example, one study showed that those doing 10-12 reps with heavier weights had similar muscle gains as those that did 30-40 reps with lighter weights.

The takeaway here is that as long as you are pushing your muscles to fatigue, you can get by with either variation of high reps-light weights or low reps-heavy weights.

Train Smart

In men over 40, lower weight and higher reps may be more beneficial to avoid injury and joint aches while still having the benefit of strength gains.

However, this doesn’t mean you have to do 50 reps with 2-pound dumbbells. What it does mean is starting out with a weight you feel comfortable with and pushing your muscles until they are fatigued.

Now, as far as how heavy you should be lifting, you should start with a weight that allows you to complete the full number of reps.

If you find that you are finishing 10 reps with minimal fatigue, you will need to increase the weight.

On the other hand, if you are struggling to get to 8 reps, it’s time to swallow your pride and drop down to a lower weight.

And always be sure to include a quality warm-up and cool down with every exercise!

…But Still Challenge Yourself

Over time, you will find that it will become easier to finish your sets. At that point, it is time to challenge yourself with a higher weight. This is known as progressive overload.

You may start by doing 15-pound bicep curls during your first few weeks, moving from 8 to 10 reps.

Once that 10 reps becomes easier, it is time to move up to 20 pounds and try to achieve 6-8 reps. You would then stay at that weight until 10 reps are easier to achieve.

From this you progressively and slowly increase your weight based on your progress.

Best Rest For Muscle Gains

Resting between sets is also critical to achieving optimal strength gains for men over 40.

Studies have been a bit conflicting regarding the ideal rest period. It appears that longer rest, about 2-3 minutes, is better for muscle growth compared to rest periods less than 60 seconds.

In order to avoid injury and give your best effort in each set, I advocate for about a two minute rest period between sets.

This will allow you to perform your next set at an optimal level and with the best form.

Strength Workout for Men Over 40

Let’s take a look at a sample full-body exercise to get a better idea of what your workout could look like.

Sample Full Body Workout

In every workout you do, whether it be strength training, cardio, or high-intensity intervals, you should always begin with a warm-up.

This will get your heart rate up and blood flowing to your muscles. Plus, you will loosen up your tendons and ligaments so that your body is prepared for a workout and less vulnerable to injury.

Warm Up:

Any kind of light cardio is great here. Walking on a treadmill, jump rope, or even jogging in place is a good place to start.

If you have a rowing machine available in your gym this is a great way to warm up your upper and lower body at the same time.

After a quick 5-10 minute warm-up, perform a few of these dynamic stretches that involve your upper and lower body as this will be a full-body strength training workout.

Stretching before and after a workout is crucial to avoid injury and prepare your body for the workout ahead.

While static stretching still has its place in helping to increase flexibility and range of motion, dynamic stretching seems to produce better results prior to a workout.

Studies have shown that dynamic stretching is better for muscle coordination and neural drive during a workout, while static stretching could actually decrease muscle power (3).

Dynamic Stretches:

Arm Circles:

1. Stand tall with your arms outstretched to your sides and parallel to the floor.
2. Make small circles with your arms going forward for 10 reps, then backwards for 10 reps.
3. Then make larger circles forward for 10 reps, and backwards for 10 reps.

Arm Cross-Overs:

1. Stand with your arms outstretched to the sides and parallel to the floor.
2. Move your arms across the center of your chest and let them criss-cross each other.
3. Steadily move them back out and repeat; but this time cross them with the opposite arm on top.
4. Continue this for 10-20 reps.

Leg Kicks With Arm Reach:

1. Kick your left leg out straight in front of you while reaching for your toes with the right hand.
2. Then kick your right leg out and reach your toes with your left hand.
3. Repeat for 10 reps on each side.

Main Workout:

• • Incline Dumbbell Press:
    4 sets of 8-10 reps

• • Bent Over Barbell Rows:
    3 sets of 8-10 reps

• • Barbell Squats:
    3 sets of 8-10 reps

• • Tricep Cable Pressdown:
    3 sets of 8-10 reps

• • Hanging Leg Raises:
    3 sets of 8-10 reps

• • Supinated Curls:
    3 sets of 8-10 reps

• • Standing Calf Raises:
    3 sets of 8-10 reps

• • Overhead Seated Dumbbell Press:
    4 sets of 8-10 reps

Cool Down:

Just like every workout starts with a warm-up, it needs to end with a proper cool down.

Do a light walk around the gym or on a treadmill to get your heart rate back down to normal.

This is a good place to add in some static stretching to maintain good flexibility and joint range of motion following a strength training workout.

As you can see, this sample workout hits every muscle group with 3-4 sets.

This means that if you are able to do three full-body workouts a week with a similar format, you will end up with 10-12 sets per muscle group per week.

You can always adjust the sets based on your schedule for that week as well.

If you know that you will only have time for two workouts in a week, you can add additional sets with different movements to one day.

Fuel Your Workouts

Nutrition cannot be overlooked when strength training after 40. This is especially important, as lean body mass may be slightly on the decline already.

Eating the right foods before and after a strength workout is vital to achieving the maximal muscle gains.

Prior to a workout, you want to make sure that your body is fueled to get you through the session.

This means a mix of carbohydrates and protein about two hours prior to your training. Make sure you are staying well hydrated before, during, and after a workout as well.

Maximize Muscle Growth After 40

Within the first 30-45 minutes after a workout, you want to make sure you are getting high-quality protein along with some carbohydrates.

This is the time period where you can really stimulate muscle growth.

Some post-exercise options include whole foods like eggs, lean chicken, greek yogurt, or whole-grain bread with peanut butter.

And it’s not just about the time immediately around a workout that nutrition is important. You want to be sure that you are making smart food choices throughout the week.

Don’t throw away a great workout by making poor food choices later!

Choose fresh, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and try to limit foods high in saturated and trans fats.

The Fit Father Project offers great nutritional articles and dietary guides incorporated into the workout programs like Old School Muscle and FF30X.

Nutrition and weight lifting go hand in hand in getting the most out of your strength training after 40 program.

Anything Is Possible!

While it may seem that building muscle becomes harder as we age, this does not mean you can’t put together a strength-building plan that allows you to achieve your goals.

It all comes down to having a plan, training hard, and being consistent and dedicated to your training.

Before you know it, you will have the muscle and strength gains you never thought possible after 40.

Get started today, for free, with the 5 Best Muscle Building Exercises for Men Over 40 offered by the Fit Father Project.

After this, work your way up to Old School Muscle to really achieve the strength and muscle growth that can be achieved after age 40 and beyond.

Your friend & coach,

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on strength training after 40.

References:

1) Kerksick, C. M., Wilborn, C. D., Campbell, B. I., Roberts, M. D., Rasmussen, C. J., Greenwood, M., & Kreider, R. B. (2009).
Early-phase adaptations to a split-body, linear periodization resistance training program in college-aged and middle-aged men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23(3), 962–971. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181a00baf

2) Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. & Krieger, J.W. Sports Med (2016) 46: 1689. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8

3) Samuel, M. N., Holcomb, W. R., Guadagnoli, M. A., Rubley, M. D., & Wallmann, H. (2008).
Acute effects of static and ballistic stretching on measures of strength and power. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 22(5), 1422-1428.

Sure, the arms and chest may be the glamour muscles, but without leg day you can’t have that full body shredded physique that men strive to achieve!

And leg exercises will give you tons of benefits beyond just looking great.

When we say “leg day”, we are actually talking about a lot of different muscle groups in the lower body.

The major muscle groups here are the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves.

In addition, there are smaller muscle groups like the adductors and abductors that are also targeted on leg day.

Leg day is one of the most important strength training days for a number of reasons.

Keep reading and you'll never skip leg day again!

Leg Day Improves Your Metabolism

For one, when you work out the legs you are exercising big muscle groups.

This means that you will burn more calories during these workouts.

In addition, the lean muscle gained during these sessions will increase your resting metabolic rate and allow you to burn calories more efficiently, even at rest.

For example, studies have shown that strength training increases lean muscle mass, which then leads to increases in resting metabolic rate.

So even when you are sitting at a desk or on your couch at night, you will be burning calories at a higher rate.

Reduce Injuries with Leg Exercises

Leg day is also essential to decrease injuries in all of your activities of daily living.

A strong lower body allows you to stand, walk, run, and climb.

Having strong legs will help reduce falls and improve your overall health.

Think about it — almost every activity you do on a day to day basis requires using your lower body.

From standing up from your desk, to carrying groceries up your front steps, to doing yard or housework. All of these activities require strong legs.

This makes leg day that much more important.

The Best Leg Workouts For Men

You can perform leg exercises with or without equipment.

If you have access to a gym or weights, this will make the exercises more challenging.

However, if you are working out from home you can still get an amazing leg workout that will strengthen all of the major muscles in your lower body.

Top 6 Leg Workouts with Equipment

Free weights and machines will help you build muscle and really develop strength in your legs.

With all of the gym equipment available, it can be hard to know where to start.

But these top six legs exercises with equipment will target all of the big muscle groups in your lower body.

1. Barbell Deadlift

The deadlift is a great exercise that works a bunch of major muscle groups at once, making it ideal to include in a leg day workout.

The deadlift will target the hamstrings, glutes, and quads. In addition, you will also activate muscles in the core, upper back, and deltoids.

You should really focus on form, and not so much on using a ton of weight when you first start doing this exercise.

This is important to avoid injury.

Gradually increase your weight as you perfect your form and gain strength.

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Hinge forward at the hips with a slight bend in the knees and grip the bar just outside of legs.
• Keep the bar close to your body as you straighten your legs and explode up.
• When the bar gets past your knees and your arms are straight, bring it against your thighs while keeping a straight back.
• Then slowly lean forward at the hips while also bending your knees a little at the same time to lower the bar back down.
• Aim for 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

2. Barbell or Dumbbell Squats

Squats are one of the ultimate lower body workouts.

Once again, you will be targeting your glutes, hamstrings, and quads all at once.

This exercise can be done with a barbell or dumbbell depending on how comfortable you are with the movement.

If you're using a barbell, you should always use a spotter, or at least a spotter rack to make sure you are safe doing this movement.

Begin with bodyweight squats if you are new to this move.

• Stand with feet hip-width apart and squat your hips down and back while you bend your knees.
• Try to keep your weight in your heels.
• Then explode back up through your heels to a standing position.
• Once you have perfected the form you can try holding dumbbells by your side to add weight to the movement.

If you have lower back issues, you can also try front-loaded squats by holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of your chest as you squat.

This can help decrease pressure on the low back as you move down into the squat position.

3. Leg Press

If your gym has a leg press machine, this is a great option for leg day, especially if you have low back issues.

Since the leg press machine supports your back, this will keep you stabilized as you work your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves as you press the weight up.

While you won’t get as much of a core workout when using the leg press machine, this is still a great lower body workout.

Research shows that the leg press is one of the best exercises to target the quadriceps, especially the inner quad muscles.

• Sit on the machine with your back and head resting comfortably against the padded support.
• Place your feet on the footplate about hip-width apart with your feet flat and your legs at an angle of about 90 degrees.
• Your knees should be in line with your feet — as you press, make sure to keep this alignment.
• Grasp the assist handles to provide support and keep your spine and head in position.
• Push the platform away with your heels and forefoot.
• Extend your legs and keep your head and back flat against the seat pad.
• Do not lock out your knees at the top.
• Then return the footplate to the starting position by gradually bending the knees.
• Aim for 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

4. Leg Extension Machine

A leg extension is a lever machine that will target the quadriceps muscles in the legs.

Leg extension workouts are great for isolating the front and side of the thighs.

• The exercise involves bending the leg at the knee and extending the legs (raising a padded bar), then lowering them back to the original position.
• When using a leg extension it’s important you adjust the seat so that your knees are directly in line with the axis of the machine.
• Pause at the top of the movement and squeeze your quads to add intensity.
• Aim for 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

5. Seated Leg Curl Machine

Seated leg curls are one of the main exercises for strengthening and toning the hamstrings.

Besides defining the back and front of the leg, leg curls are used for strengthening the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

Another benefit is that they can help in protecting your joints and knees from becoming stressed and injured.

• Put your legs on the padded lever so it sits just below your calf muscles, and set up the lap pad so it sits on your thighs just above the knees.
• Lift your legs so they are straight out in front of you and grasp the side handles on the machine.
• Pull the padded lever down and back towards you as far as you can with your legs, hold for a second, then slowly bring it back to the starting position.
• Like the leg extension machine, when using a seated leg curl machine you should focus on your body position and the direction of your toes.
• Remember that your hamstrings are composed of three major muscles; seated leg curls tend to target your inner hamstring muscles, but can also hit the calf muscles as well.
• You can activate your calf muscles by pointing your toes in different directions.
• To target different muscles, try alternating sets of leg curls with your toes pointed up with sets of leg curls with your toes pointed downwards.

6. Walking Lunges with Dumbbells

This is another great movement that will hit the glutes, quads, and hamstrings.

It will also help you improve your balance and core stability as you target one leg at a time.

• Make sure you have a long clear space to walk across.
• Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back.
• Step forward with your right leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle.
• Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle and does not track over your toes.
• Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position.
• Then repeat on the left as you walk forward.
• Keep alternating legs until you repeat 8-10 reps on each side.

Top 6 Leg Workouts Without Equipment

If you don’t have access to weights or machines, you can still get in a killer leg workout by using your own body weight.

Since you won’t be using extra weight, you will need to really focus on slowing down the movements to really feel the burn.

You will also need to increase your reps to make up for the lack of weight.

1.Wall Sits

This is an excellent exercise to improve muscular endurance while working the quads, hamstrings, and glutes

• Hold yourself in a seated position with your back against a wall.
• Try to keep your thighs parallel to the floor.
• Try to hold this position for 30 seconds to start and gradually work your way up.
• You can even put a backpack or suitcase on your lap to add some weight when you don’t have any equipment.

2. Pistol Squats

As mentioned above, squats are one of the ultimate lower body workouts since you are hitting your glutes, hamstrings, and quads all at once.

Pistol squats will challenge you by focusing on one leg at a time and will really isolate each muscle group.

This means you don’t really have to use weight to still get an amazing leg workout.

• Stand with your feet together, then lift your left foot off of the ground and extend it in front of you.
• Push your hips back and hold your hands in front of you for balance as you go down into a one-legged squat with your right leg.
• Then drive through your right heel to stand back up.
• You can use a chair to help you balance until you get the movement down.
• Aim for 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.

3. Step Up to Reverse Lunge

This exercise targets the glutes, hamstrings, and quads.

Additionally, it has the added benefit of improving your balance, stability, and core strength.

Like the pistol squat, it isolates one leg at a time to give you a killer leg workout without needing any added weight.

• Stand with a step between 6-18 inches in front of you.
• Start at a height that you feel comfortable stepping onto.
• Step up onto the step with your right foot.
• Place your whole foot on the surface with the toes pointing forward.
• Bring your left foot up behind you and up towards your chest while balancing on your right foot.
• Hold this single-leg stance for a moment.
• Then move the raised left leg back to the ground.
• Step back with the right foot so that both feet are now on the ground where you started.
• Do 8-10 reps on the right, then switch and repeat on the left.

4. Standing Calf Raises

This is an excellent exercise to isolate the gastrocnemius muscles.

You can also do this exercise with a slight bend in the knees and you will hit the soleus muscle in your calves as well.

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Push down into the soles of your feet and explode up to your toes.
• Then slowly lower back down.
• Aim for 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

5. Side Leg Raises

Not only is this a great leg exercise to target your glutes, lateral quads, abductors, and abductors, you will also be engaging your core and abdominal oblique muscles.

• Lie on your right side and raise your left leg up to about 30-45 degrees and hold for a pause at the top.
• Then slowly lower the leg back down to meet your bottom right leg.
• Do 8-10 reps with the left leg, then flip over to lie on the left side and repeat 8-10 reps with the right leg.

6. Glute Bridges

This lower body exercise will strengthen the gluteus maximus and medius and will also work the quads and hamstrings.

Strengthening these muscles will not only give you a great looking butt and legs but will also help you improve your other exercises like the squat and deadlift.

• Lay on your back and bend your knees while keeping your feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart.
• Bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arm is on the ground.
• Press your lower back down into the ground to create a posterior pelvic tilt.
• This will help you protect your lower back and engage your abs as well as your glutes.
• Drive up through your heels and upper back to lift your glutes up off the ground.
• Drive your hips up as high as possible without arching your back.
• Focus on squeezing your glutes hard.
• Squeeze your glutes for a second or two at the top and lower all the way back down to the ground before repeating.
• Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
• Do not rush through this exercise. Take time to hold at the top and feel the glutes activate.

Make Leg Day a Priority

Every workout routine needs to include top-notch leg exercises to build a strong lower body.

These exercises will improve your overall fitness and decrease your risk for injuries, all while giving you a well rounded, ripped physique.

There is no shortage of great leg workouts that can be performed either in a gym or at home.

The Fit Father Project also offers a number of lower body exercises that can be done with or without equipment, so there is never an excuse to skip leg day!

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on leg day.

Are you ready to burn some serious calories, build muscle, and get shredded? Even a shorter workout can be high in fat burning and strength building.

The key is to really up the intensity.

HIIT workouts can help you build muscle and get in the best shape of your life.

Get started with these high octane HIIT workouts for men today!

Increase Your Intensity With HIIT

Any workout is going to burn calories, however the higher the intensity of the workout, the more calories you will continue to burn, even after the workout has ended.

This is called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC).

So if you are short on time, the key is to really up the intensity. This ensures that even a shorter workout will be high in fat burning and strength building.

Research has even shown the fitness benefits of intense intervals of activity.

A study out of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism showed that two minutes of sprint intervals produced similar post exercise oxygen consumption compared to 30 minutes of continuous running at a lower intensity.

This makes HIIT an excellent option for those that are short on time but still want to get in a killer workout.

Build Muscle With HIIT

High intensity interval training is a great cardio option to burn calories in a short amount of time.

But it’s not just a cardiovascular benefit you will be getting.

HIIT involves doing intervals of an exercise at the hardest effort you can sustain for a given period of time.

You can do pretty much any exercise you choose during these intervals.

This gives you the opportunity to train multiple muscle groups so that you will build lean muscle while you simultaneously burn fat.

Research has even shown that HIIT is effective at increasing muscle size over a three week period of time.

And while you don’t want to rely solely on interval workouts to build muscle, this shows that on days when you can’t get to the gym to lift weights, HIIT is still an excellent alternative.

Get Started With These HIIT Workouts For Men

It can be hard to figure out where to begin with HIIT workouts.

The big thing to remember is to try to perform the interval exercises at the maximum effort you can maintain for the intervals.

This ensures that you reap all of the benefits of interval training.

You can design your own high-intensity interval workouts with just about any exercise.

To get started, here are some awesome examples of HIIT workouts that will improve your fitness and get you ripped in the process.

Power HIIT Workout For Men

Make sure you have a towel and water available for this short, but intense HIIT workout.

High intensity interval training has been shown to produce similar calorie burning compared to longer bouts of lower intensity endurance exercise. This is despite being much shorter in duration.

This makes HIIT workouts a great option if you are short on time but still want to get an intense and effective workout.

This HIIT workout emphasizes power moves that will have your heart pumping and will also target all of your major muscle groups.

Since this is a high-intensity workout, you don’t want to jump in cold.

Warm-up with some light cardio for 3-5 minutes. This could be easy jogging, jump rope, or jumping jacks. Really anything to get the heart and muscles warmed up.

Set 1

• Burpees with push-up for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds
• Tuck jumps for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds
• Mountain climbers for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds
• Spiderman push-ups for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds

Repeat the circuit three times. Rest for one minute. Then move on to Set 2.

Set 2

• Alternating jump lunges for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
• Side to side push-ups for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
• Jump squats for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
• Tricep dips for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds

Repeat the circuit three times. Then cool down for 5-10 minutes

20 Minute Treadmill HIIT Workout

You can use a treadmill to get an amazing HIIT workout. You can also do this outside if you don’t have access to a treadmill.

The pace that you choose will be dependent on your current level of fitness.

A simple rule of thumb is to use the rate of perceived exertion to gauge the intensity level as follows:

RPE Level

• 1: Very light, sitting around watching TV
• 2-3: Light activity: can maintain for several hours. Can breathe and talk without any difficulty
• 4-6: Moderate Activity: Breathing a little more heavily. Can have short conversations
• 7-8: Vigorous Activity: Becoming uncomfortable, can speak a few words at a time
• 9: Very Hard Activity: Can barely breathe, difficult to even speak one word
• 10: Max Effort: Feels almost impossible to maintain for more than a few seconds. Completely out of breath

0:00-5:00: Start walking or jogging at an easy pace, around an RPE of 3-4. Increase the incline to 1-2% so that by the end of the first five minutes you are at an RPE of 6.

5:00-7:00: Increase your speed while maintaining the incline so that you are at about an RPE of 7

7:00-9:00: Now, increase the incline another 1-2% while maintaining the same speed, working at an RPE 8

9:00-12:00: Reduce your speed, but maintain the incline, working at an RPE 7

12:00-15:00: After that short break, Increase your speed again and, if you can, increase the incline. This will be the hardest part of the workout. Try to work up to an RPE 9 by the end of this 3-minute interval.

15:00-20:00: Time to cool down! Gradually reduce your speed and incline. Finish at an RPE 3-4.

This is a pure cardio high-intensity interval workout. Even though 20 minutes may not seem like a lot, when you push yourself during these HIIT intervals you will see amazing fitness benefits.

Rowing Machine Interval Workout

If you have access to a rowing machine, this is another great way to get in a high-intensity interval workout.

Rowing machine exercises are an excellent way to fit in a cardio workout while also getting an awesome upper and lower body strength-building workout.

Start with a 5 minute warm-up at an easy pace with an RPE of about 3-4.

For the intervals, you can try a few different options.

Workout 1: Row at an RPE of 8-9 for 40 seconds, then follow with 20 seconds of easy rowing at an RPE of 4-5. Repeat this 10-15 times.

Workout 2: Row at an RPE of 6-7 for 4 minutes, then slow down to an RPE of 3-4 for 2 minutes. Repeat this 3-4 times.

Cool Down: Row for 5 minutes at a leisurely pace.

Dumbbell HIIT Workout

If you have access to a pair of dumbbells these can be used to get a killer HIIT muscle-building workout from just about anywhere.

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, then move to the next. Rest for one minute, then repeat three times.

• Bicep curls
• Tricep kickbacks
• Shoulder press
• Lawnmower rows
• Squats

Resistance workouts with weights have been found to help reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, even at less than an hour total for the week.

So adding weights into your interval workouts can give you even more bang for your buck.

HIIT workouts are a great way to get your heart rate up and build muscle in a short period of time.

Be sure to pick a weight that you can continue lifting for the thirty second interval while still maintaining proper form.

Improve Your Fitness and Get Shredded With HIIT Workouts For Men!

Try incorporating some of these HIIT workouts into your weekly schedule.

And if you are looking for more ideas for workouts, you can check out some of the programs offered by the Fit Father Project.

Not only will you find an assortment of new exercises and workout ideas, but you will also receive nutrition guidance and motivation to stay committed to your health and fitness.

As a busy dad, life can get hectic.

But just because you are completely swamped doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on being active.

High-intensity interval workouts are an efficient way to improve your cardiovascular fitness, lose weight, and get a shredded physique.

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on HIIT workouts for men.

Working out and focusing on your fitness is even more satisfying when you can share this healthy lifestyle with your family.

Father and son workouts are a great way to spend time with your son and for both of you to be proactive in improving your health.

Plus, you can show your son his old man still has it!

Maybe your son is already a star athlete in school. Or perhaps you want to motivate your kids to add more physical activity into their lives.

Either way, there are a number of father and son workouts that can have you competing with your son and pushing each other to improve your fitness levels.

Combine family time and fitness with the father and son workouts below!

The Importance of Exercise During Adolescence

Not only is working out with your son a great way to enrich your relationship, but it will also have numerous health benefits for your son.

Physical activity in adolescents will help build muscular strength, improve cardiovascular fitness, and improve cognition, mood, and sleep.

And you are sure to reap these benefits as well!

Introducing your son to exercise at a young age will motivate them to continue these healthy habits into their adult years.

This is especially true when they see you enjoying these father and son workouts with them.

And when your son sees how these exercise routines have kept their “old man” fit and healthy, they will want to carry these habits into their adult years.

Father and Son Workouts You'll Both Enjoy!

It is always more fun to work out when you enjoy the exercises that you are doing. This is true for your son as well!

Studies show that motivation for exercise in adolescents may be enhanced when adolescents participate in activities that they find enjoyable.

Plus, it is a lot easier to convince your son to work out if they see it as a fun activity instead of a chore or a necessity.

The 5 Best Father and Son Workouts

Shoot Some Hoops

If you have a basketball hoop in the driveway or a park nearby, a pick-up basketball game is a great cardio workout.

It can be a fun one on one competition between father and son. Or you can play different shooting games to test your technical skills.

Basketball is an excellent full-body workout and helps build strength and endurance.

Defense and rebounding will develop deltoids, traps, lower back, and core muscles, and running and jumping will improve cardiovascular fitness and build strong leg muscles.

Neighborhood or Park Runs

Get in shape by running right alongside your son! Studies have shown that runners experience an increase in performance when training with others.

Running with your son can benefit both you and your son's cardiovascular fitness and improve your run times!

You can choose a distance and go for a nice easy jog. Or you can add some friendly competitive sprint intervals to increase the intensity.

Once races start up again, you can even enter a local 5K or 10K run and make it a fun competition among the whole family!

Bike Rides

Group bike rides are a great way to stay in shape.

You and your son can go out on a ride with just the two of you, or join a club ride if you live in an area that offers these.

Studies have found that when working out, people tend to push harder when exercising with those that have a higher level of fitness.

For example, in a 2010 study, 91 college students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: biking alone, biking with a high fitness training partner, or biking with someone of lower fitness.

All participants were instructed to complete minutes of exercise at 60-70% of their maximum target heart rate.

Results indicated that participants in the high fit condition exercised harder than those in the low fit condition.

Weight Lifting/Resistance Training

Lifting weights is a great way to build on your father-son relationship while building strength and gaining muscle.

By having your son by your side, you can make sure that both of you are using correct form throughout every exercise.

And you can motivate each other to finish out that last rep.

Let’s face it, it’s a lot easier to finish that final rep when you have someone pushing you and spotting you on your last chest press.

Father and son weight training workouts should also involve variety!

A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that increasing the variety of exercise equipment available to children and adults increased their exercise participation and enjoyment of that exercise without altering their perceived exertion.

If you are at home and don’t have access to free weights, you can still get an awesome resistance training workout by doing bodyweight exercises or using resistance bands.

For example, bodyweight squats, lunges, and push-ups are just a few bodyweight exercises you can do together with your son that will build serious muscle and improve your strength.

Interval Training

Interval training is another activity you can do with your son that will build both cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength.

It can be fun to set up stations to do specific high-intensity exercises and then switch off with your son.

For example, you can do a circuit of intervals with 30 seconds on, followed by 30 seconds of rest. This can include exercises like push-ups, jump squats, lunges, and burpees.

You can have your rest interval while your son is doing his exercise interval. That way you can monitor each other’s form and motivate each other to give their full effort throughout the entire 30 seconds.

You can even make it a fun competition and count the number of reps each of you is able to perform during your intervals and try to best one another.

This will ensure a hard workout with maximum fitness benefits.

Father and Son Fitness and the Fit Father Project

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a father is not just about your fitness goals. It is also about sharing and promoting fitness to your family.

Losing weight, building muscle, and having a great looking body is definitely a perk of sticking to exercise and healthy eating habits.

But you also chose this path to decrease your risk of chronic diseases, improve your quality of life, and to be around for your family.

Father and son workouts are an excellent way to spend time with your son and to also share your knowledge of health and fitness with them.

So challenge your son to any of these workouts, and show him that their old man can still keep up with them!

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on father and son workouts.

As a parent, finding exercises for kids is always important. They provide a variety of health benefits and keep kids busy and active.

When school is out, keeping kids busy and active is key!

Well, right now school is pretty much out indefinitely, and this is a hectic time.

With social distancing in full effect, it can be tough juggling becoming a home-school teacher and finding activities for your kids, along with keeping up with your own fitness — and sanity!

Now is the perfect opportunity to introduce exercise and fitness to your kids!

Think of it as physical education and health class all in one. Plus, you can burn calories and build strength right along with them.

More importantly, you will be teaching them lessons about health and fitness that will benefit them for life.

Incorporating Fitness at a Young Age

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that children and adolescents ages 6 to 17 years do 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily.

However, the National Survey of Children’s Health found that only 24% of kids this age actually achieve this level of activity.

This may seem like a lot to a child, but if you make it enjoyable, 60 minutes a day is easily accomplished.

Plus, the time spent doing physical activity can be spread throughout the day to reach a total of 60 minutes.

It does not mean that it has to be 60 minutes of structured exercises.

Taking a walk, shooting basketballs in the driveway, and walking the dog are all ways that physical activity can be incorporated into the day.

Fun Fitness and Exercises for Kids

It is much easier to keep your kids engaged in fitness if they are having fun and don’t see it as a chore or necessity.

A 2016 study from BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine found that a parent’s motivation to exercise due to their personal valuing of exercise was associated with their children engaging in more physical activity.

However, exercising based on pressure and coercion was negatively associated with their child’s engagement in physical activity.

If your kids see you having fun with exercise, they will too!

You can turn fitness into a game or fun competition.

You can even make an obstacle course in the backyard or have relay races!

At-Home Exercises For Kids

Luckily, spring is here and the weather is warming up.

That means that if you have a yard or even a small area around your home, you can enjoy exercising outside.

Start out with some simple exercises that are easy to demonstrate to your kids.

Younger kids will need simpler activities, so tailor the exercises to their abilities.

Exercises For Younger Kids

Start out with some simple exercises that your kids will see more like games.

You can get your kids engaged in fitness without them even knowing it!

And make sure that you are doing the workouts with them.

When your kids see you having fun with these workouts it will make them even more likely to want to participate.

Some great exercises for young kids include:

Hopscotch

Draw out an assortment of different squares on the ground and demonstrate for you kids how to hop on each foot to complete their hopscotch “course.”

Try to get them to attempt hopping on both their right and left feet to improve their agility and coordination.

You can use chalk to draw the boxes outside. If you are indoors, you can use tape to make boxes on a tile floor.

Relay Races or Shuttle Runs

It’s easy to set up relay races in your backyard or in front of your home.

You can use landmarks around your home, or set up cones if you have them.

Jump Rope

Teaching kids how to jump rope will help develop fitness and excellent coordination.

When you make fitness more like a fun game, it will be more enjoyable and your kids will actually want to participate.

Plus, when you join in you are getting the benefit of an easy workout along with quality time spent with your family.

Circuit Style Exercises for Older Kids

As kids get a little older, creating obstacle courses or more advanced circuit training exercises will keep your kids engaged in working out and improving their fitness.

This can be a great time to introduce your kids to interval training by setting up circuit-style exercises.

These can be done in the backyard or living room depending on the amount of space that you have available.

These types of exercises are great to improve your child’s cardiovascular fitness, strength, agility, and balance.

It’s best to start with simple bodyweight exercises that they are familiar with.

Over time, you can always add more advanced exercises.

Sample Circuit Workout

Warm-Up

At a young age, you should teach your kids to begin every workout with a warm-up.

Prior to starting the workout, have them do a quick five-minute jog around the backyard, or do a few minutes of alternating jumping jacks, jump rope, and jogging in place.

Anything to get the heart pumping a little!

Main Set

Have your kids perform 30 seconds of each exercise, then rest for 30 seconds.

Then they can move on to the next move.

This will be a quick introduction to high-intensity interval training for them!

You can even play some of their favorite music to keep them motivated.

Demonstrate each move for your kids so they can see the proper form.

While you want them to work hard during the intervals, be sure to emphasize that the quality of the exercises is more important than the quantity.

Push-Ups

You can have your kids start on their knees and show them how to bring their chest to the ground in a controlled manner before exploding back up.

You can even show them different push-up variations, like narrow or wide push-ups.

Jump Rope

Start with standard jump rope with single hops on both feet.

Once your kids have mastered this you can teach them some other fun versions, like single-leg or side to side jump rope.

Air Squats

Show your kids how to squat down until their quads are parallel to the ground.

Start with basic squats and progress to jump squats.

Tricep Dips

You can have your kids sit on the ground with their knees bent and their arms behind them with their fingers pointing forward.

Have them straighten their arms so that their butts are slightly off the ground.

Then demonstrate how to do by a tricep dip by bending the elbows to lower their butt to the ground and then extending the arms to come back up.

Or they can put their hands on the edge of a chair with their feet out in front to perform these dips.

Side to Side Hops

Instruct your kids to keep their legs together and knees slightly bent as they jump about one to two feet from right to left.

They should swing their arms by their sides as they do this to keep their momentum going.

After completing these five exercises, tell your kids to rest for one minute. Then repeat one to two times.

This circuit can keep your kids moving for 10-15 minutes and is an awesome introduction to interval training that will boost cardiovascular and strength gains.

Just like with our “adult” workouts, you should teach your kids to cool down after every session as well.

Include some dynamic and static stretches to keep their joints flexible and bodies injury-free.

Cool Down Stretches for Kids

Tricep Stretch

• Raise the right arm up overhead, palm facing in towards your head.
• Then bend the elbow so and reach toward the middle of your upper back.
• Grab the right elbow with the left hand and gently pull back until you feel the stretch in the right tricep.
• Hold for 10-30 seconds.
• Then switch arms and repeat.

Quad Stretch

• You can have your child stand next to a chair to hold onto for support.
• With the left hand on the chair, bend the right leg and grab it with the right hand.
• Gently press the foot toward the body until you feel the stretch in the front of the thigh.
• Hold for 10-30 seconds, and then switch legs.

Shoulder Stretch

• Reach the right arm straight out in front of you.
• Bend the left arm and put the left wrist on the back of the right arm above the elbow.
• Your left palm will be facing to the side.
• Use the left arm to press the right arm across your body until you feel a good stretch.
• Hold for 10-30 seconds.
• Switch arms and repeat.

Hamstring Stretch

• In a seated position, extend the left leg straight forward, toes pointing up.
• Bend the right leg and place the sole of the right foot along the knee or inner thigh of the left leg.
• Reach forward toward the toes of the left foot.
• Hold for 10-30 seconds.
• Switch legs and repeat

Family Fun and Fitness

With the kids being home more than ever now, this is the perfect time for the whole family to stay in shape together.

Not only will you be able to fit in a workout, but you will be introducing your kids to a fun and healthy lifestyle.

Along with these at-home exercises, you can also start talking to your kids about other aspects of health and fitness, like nutrition and dietary choices.

Having the kids help with shopping and preparing meals will not only teach them about a healthy lifestyle now, but also for the rest of their lives.

The Fit Father Project was built around the principles of leading a healthy lifestyle for you and for your family.

Incorporating exercises for kids to enjoy with the whole family is a part of that ideal.

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on exercises for kids.

With everyone stuck in quarantine and gyms across the world closed, many people are looking to develop a home workout plan to maintain their fitness.

The good news is, you can stay in top shape without ever leaving your house!

The trick is to develop a home workout plan that incorporates cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises so that you can target all aspects of fitness.

These workout plans can all be done with zero to minimal equipment so there is no excuse to not continue your fitness goals even when you are stuck at home.

Keep Your Body Healthy

A recent review of numerous studies has found that regular exercise training has an overall anti-inflammatory effect and aids in immune regulation.

With everything that is happening in the world right now, this is more important than ever.

Keep Your Mind Healthy

If you are already active and working out on a regular basis, missed workouts are likely to have you feeling a bit down.

A disrupted workout schedule could even bring on depression or enhance anxiety.

Adding home workouts is a great way to keep your mood up even if you can’t get to the gym.

Many people use exercise as a way to combat anxiety and depression.

This is another reason why home workouts are needed when you can’t get to your gym. Regular exercise has been found to decrease both anxiety and depression.

The Ultimate Home Workout Plan

This workout plan breaks down each day to ensure that you are benefiting from both strength and cardio workouts, while also ensuring adequate rest.

There may be the tendency to “do more” now that many people are stuck at home with more time on their hands.

But “more is better” will only lead to increased injuries and fatigue.

Monday: Bodyweight Strength Training

Studies have shown that you can achieve similar muscle growth using high weights with low reps or high reps with low weight, as long as the exercise is done to failure.

So on the days where you aren’t able to use free weights, you can still challenge yourself by increasing reps of bodyweight exercises to fatigue your muscles.

Another way to challenge the muscles is to modify your positions to add resistance.

This means that even without weights or equipment, you can still get a killer workout using just your bodyweight.

This bodyweight workout will target the upper and lower body and requires no equipment.

Perform eight to 10 reps of each move then move to the next exercise.

Repeat the whole circuit two to three times depending on your current level of fitness.

Standard Push-Ups

• Position your hands under your shoulders with your feet straight behind you.
• Lower your chest towards the ground, pause, and extend your arms to push back up.

Push-ups are the ultimate bodyweight chest workout. When you don’t have access to a gym to do bench presses, there are your go-to.

Tricep Dips

• Place your hands on the edge of a stable surface, like a chair.
• Place your feet out in front of you.
• Lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, then push back up.

This bodyweight exercise will target your triceps. You can change the position of your feet in front of you to vary the intensity of this move.

The closer your feet are to your body, the easier the exercise will be. To really challenge yourself, place your feet up on another chair to perform this exercise.

Bodyweight Squats

• Start in a standing position.
• Drive your hips back and bend at the knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Then drive your legs back up to the top.

Squats are an excellent way to build your quads, glutes, and hamstrings.

You can add intensity to this exercise by exploding up into a jump before landing and starting the next rep.

Pike Push-Ups

• Start in a pushup position.
• Lift your hips so that your body forms an upside-down V.
• Your legs and arms should stay as straight as possible.
• Bend your elbows and lower your upper body until the top of your head nearly touches the floor.
• Pause, and then push yourself back up until your arms are straight.

This bodyweight exercise will target the shoulders as you are lowering your body from a higher angle than a standard push-up.

Reverse Fly Hold

• Stand upright and hinge forward at the hips with your hands hanging in front of you.
• Extend your hands up to the sides until they are parallel with the floor.
• Pause at the top, and then bring the arms back down.

While this may seem like an easy move, by holding the pause at the top and squeezing your shoulder blades together you can still get a good burn in the lats, traps, and deltoids.

You could even hold two soup cans or water bottles in each hand to add a little resistance when weights aren’t available.

Glute Bridge

• Lie on your back with your arms extended to the sides.
• Keep your feet on the ground and bend your knees.
• Drive your hips to the ceiling as you squeeze your glutes.
• Pause, then return your hips back to the floor.

This is a great exercise to target your glutes and hamstrings, and will also help strengthen your lower back.

Elbow Plank

• Place your forearms on the ground with your elbows below your shoulders and legs extended behind you.
• Engage your core and hold this position for 30 seconds.

This is not only an abdominal exercise. It is also great for shoulder stability and muscle endurance of the lower back, neck, and legs.

Tuesday: Cardio/Interval Training At Home Workout

You want to be sure to challenge your cardiovascular system in any workout program.

Interval training is perfect for at-home cardio.

This can be done with minimal to no equipment and a small area of free space.

Warm-Up

Perform each movement for 30 seconds, then move right into the next move

• Jog in Place
• Jumping Jacks
• High Knees
• Arm Circles (15 seconds forward, 15 seconds backward)

Repeat twice through, rest for one minute, then move into the main set.

Main Workout

Perform each exercise as fast as you can for 30 seconds then rest 30 seconds.

Squat with Front Kick

• Squat down, stand back up, then kick forward with the right leg.
• Bring the right leg back, squat again, then kick forward with the left leg as you stand.
• Continue alternating sides.

Bear Crawls with Push-Ups

• Squat down and walk your hands out into a plank.
• Do a pushup, then walk the hands back and stand up.

Side to Side Plank Abs

• Start in a plank position.
• Hop both feet up to the right, bringing your knees to the outside of your right elbow.
• Hop back into a plank position, then bring your knees to the left.
• Continue alternating sides.

Tricep Dips with Leg Extension

• Using a chair or step, lower into a tricep dip.
• As you push up, straighten your right leg and reach your left hand to your right toe.
• Lower your leg and repeat, alternating sides.

Push-Up to a Side Plank

• Start in a plank position and lower down into a push-up.
• As you push back up, rotate your body to the right, moving your right arm straight up into a side plank.
• Rotate back, do another push-up, and then do a side plank to the left.
• Continue alternating sides after each push-up.

Superman Pulses

• Lay on your stomach on the floor or exercise mat.
• Extend your arms in front of you.
• Contract our glutes and back to raise your arms, legs, and chest off of the floor.
• Pulse your arms up and down by squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Lower your arms, legs, and chest back down after the 30-second interval.

Cool Down
Cool down with some gentle stretches, such as hamstring and quad stretches for the legs, and tricep and shoulder stretches for the arms.

Wednesday: Rest

A good at-home exercise program needs rest days, just like any workout program.

Use today to let your body recover from the previous workouts.

Thursday: Strength Training

Back to resistance training today!

You can do the same workout from Monday, or add in these bodyweight exercises.

Narrow (Military) Push-Ups

• These are similar to standard push-ups, but with a narrow hand position.
• Come down slowly while maintaining a tight core and straight back.
• You can come to your knees if you find your back is arching or you cannot push yourself all the way to the top.

This bodyweight exercise will target your triceps when your hands are placed in a narrow position as your pectoral muscles cannot assist as much from this angle.

Always remember to maintain good form, and come down to your knees if necessary.

Arm Hauler

• Lie on your stomach with your chest lifted and arms behind you.
• Extend your arms out to the side and then swing them around until they meet in front of your face.
• Then slowly swing the arms back behind you again.
• Keep your chest lifted throughout this exercise.

This exercise will engage the lats as you move your arms in front and extend the arms behind your body.

Wall Sits

• Stand with your back flat against a wall and feet shoulder-width apart.
• Walk your feet in front of you about two steps and slide your back down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds.
• Rest for 30 seconds then repeat two more times.

This exercise will strengthen your quads, glutes, calves, and hamstrings.

As you gain strength, try to increase your hold time to a minute.

Progressively challenge yourself by adding more time to this exercise.

You could even place a backpack or briefcase in your lap to add weight to this exercise.

Side Planks

• Stack your legs and place your right hand on the ground below your right shoulder.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds while engaging your core.
• Then switch sides and repeat.

While the elbow plank targets the rectus abdominis muscles of the core, this exercise will target the oblique muscles to give your fully defined abs.

Friday: Stretching and Balance At Home Workout

Strength and cardio are the most talked-about parts of a workout plan, however, stretching and balance exercises are just as important.

At least one day of the week should be devoted to these exercises to maintain healthy muscles and connective tissue.

Seated Hamstring Stretch

• Sit and extend your legs in front of you.
• Slowly bring your torso down towards your quads by hinging at the waist.
• Extend your arms out towards your toes.
• Hold for 30 seconds.
• Sit back upright, then repeat.

Warrior Pose

• Stand upright and step your right foot forward about four feet.
• With your foot parallel and toes pointing forward, bend your right knee into a lunge.
• Keep your left leg straight behind you and turn your left heel in at 45 degrees.
• Raise your arms straight above your head.
• Lift your chin up to look at your hands overhead.
• Hold this pose for 5 deep breaths, and then repeat on the left side.

Tree Pose

• Stand upright, shift your weight into your right foot, and lift your left foot off the floor.
• Bend your left knee and bring the sole of your left foot high onto your inner right thigh.
• Take five to 10 breaths, lower your foot to the floor, and repeat on the other side.

Cobra Stretch

• Lie face down, with your hands by your shoulders as if you were doing a push-up.
• Push your torso up as far as possible or until your hips begin to come off the floor.
• Hold for five deep breaths then lower back down.
• Repeat one to two more times.

Downward Dog

• Start in a plank position.
• Bring your hips up into the air so that your body is in an inverted V position.
• Try to keep your heels as close to the ground as possible.
• Hold for five full breaths.
• Come back into a plank position.
• Repeat one to two times.

Cow-Cat Stretch

• Begin on your hands and knees.
• Inhale and lift your hips upward.
• Press your chest forward and allow your belly to sink.
• Lift your head and relax your shoulders away from your ears.
• This is known as the cow pose.
• Then, to come into cat pose, round your spine and tuck in your tailbone while bringing your head toward the floor.
• Continue to alternate cow and cat pose five times for each.

Child’s Pose

• Come onto your hands and knees.
• Bring your body to the ground with your stomach between your thighs and your forehead to the floor.
• Stretch your arms in front of you with the palms toward the floor.
• Stay as long as you like, but for at least five full breaths.

Some guys may feel that these types of workouts aren’t necessary or won’t help with strength gains.

But these yoga-type moves will keep your muscles and connective tissue strong and healthy while improving your range of motion.

A study done in male division II athletes found that a 10-week yoga program increased the flexibility and balance as well as whole-body measures of these athletes.

Balance exercises and stretching are essential to increase flexibility, improve coordination, and will improve all of your other workouts.

Saturday: Rest or Cardio

You can use the entire weekend for rest or add another cardio day to your week.

You can do something similar to the HIIT cardio from Tuesday, or try something different around your home or neighborhood.

For example, you can go for a jog or walk around your neighborhood.

You can even include the family in an outdoor activity to promote fitness to your kids as well.

Sunday: Rest

Take another rest day! You earned it.

Reach Your Fitness Goals at Home

Even when you can’t get to the gym, you can still put together a killer home workout plan.

By alternating strength and cardio days, you can target all aspects of fitness while still getting adequate recovery between workouts.

The Fit Father Project also offers additional free home workout plans and exercises to keep you motivated and healthy.

These workout plans are tailored to all levels of fitness.

So whether you’re a beginner or have been working out for 20 years, there is an at-home workout plan for you!

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on a home workout plan.

Gym closed? Can't leave the house? Don't have a bench? No more excuses! There are dumbbell chest exercises you can do right from the comfort of your own home.

The bench press is one of the ultimate strength training exercises.

But you don’t need to have access to a barbell, or even a bench for that matter, to get similar muscle-building benefits at home!

All you really need is a pair of dumbbells and a few feet of floor space to do some of the best dumbbell chest exercises.

Get a Chiseled Chest

Many guys focus on the barbell bench press to get strong, ripped chest muscles, but dumbbells can give you a just as good, if not a better, upper body workout.

Using dumbbells forces you to isolate your pecs and core muscles to perform precise movements and really gets your muscles to pop.

A 2017 study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that the dumbbell bench press actually activated the pectoralis major muscle to a greater degree than a Smith Machine or a barbell bench press.

So if you have a set of dumbbells, there is no excuse to not get a great chest workout!

Dumbbell Chest Exercises

When doing dumbbell chest exercises, you want to choose a variety of moves that target the upper, mid, and lower chest.

While the pectoralis major is a large muscle that will be activated during any chest exercise, specific exercises will target certain areas more than others.

Upper Chest Dumbbell Exercises

Even if you don’t have access to a bench, you can still do incline dumbbell chest exercises.

All you need is a stable surface that you can rest your back on. This could be something like the back of a couch, chair, or ottoman.

Incline Dumbbell Chest Press

• Sit on the ground and place your upper back on this stable surface.
• If you are using something like a chair, make sure it is securely pressed up against a wall for support.
• Your body should be at about a 30- to 45-degree angle.
• Then press the dumbbells up and hold at the top.
• Bring the dumbbells back down to the starting position and repeat for eight to 10 reps.

This is just like a standard incline chest press and will activate the top portion of the pectoralis muscles to a greater degree than a standard chest press.

Incline Dumbbell Flyes

• Start on the ground with your back on a stable surface at a 30-45 degree angle, just like in the incline chest press.
• Instead of doing a chest press, perform chest flyes instead.
• With your palms facing each other, lower the weights in an arching motion.
• Bring the weights down until your elbows are even with your chest.
• Pause briefly at the bottom, then bring the dumbbells back together in an arching motion above your chest.

Mid-Chest Dumbbell Exercises

Now that you’ve hit the upper chest, you want to target the pecs' middle muscle fibers.

If you have a bench, great! If not, standard dumbbell chest presses can be done lying on the ground. You can lay down a towel or mat to add some cushion.

Doing dumbbell chest presses on the floor is great if you have shoulder issues.

Laying on the ground instead of a bench helps limit motion in the shoulder joint and minimizes shoulder injuries.

In addition, a dumbbell bench press seems to lead to less elbow soreness when compared to a barbell bench press.

Another 2017 study found that when compared to a Smith Machine bench press and a barbell bench press, dumbbell bench presses led to similar muscle strength gains.

However, muscle soreness of the elbow extensors took a longer time to recover after using a barbell chest press exercise as compared to dumbbell presses.

Standard Dumbbell Chest Press

• To do this exercise, your knees should be bent and your feet flat on the ground.
• Press the dumbbells up over your chest.
• Lower the weight, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle with your body.
• Continue this motion for eight to 10 reps.

Variations

Try pressing one weight up at a time and alternating the chest presses between the left and right arm. This will engage your core to a greater degree.

To add even more of a challenge, keep your legs straight and raise them slightly off the ground as you press up the weights.

This dumbbell chest exercise will sculpt your pecs and abs at the same time!

Floor Dumbbell Flyes

• Lie on the floor with two dumbbells extended up above your shoulders.
• Don’t lock out your elbows completely. Try to keep them at about 15 degrees.
• With your palms facing each other, lower the weights in an arcing motion.
• When your elbows hit the floor, they should be even with your chest.
• Pause briefly at the bottom, then bring the dumbbells back together in an arcing motion above your chest.

Lower Chest Dumbbell Exercises

If you want to get a fuller, defined chest you have to target the lower chest.

A decline bench press is one easy way to exercise the lower pec muscles.

However, if you don’t have a decline bench, it’s still possible to target the lower pecs with these dumbbell chest exercises.

45 Degree Floor Chest Press

• Lie on the ground with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
• Instead of having your elbows at a 90-degree angle to your body, bring them down to a 45-degree angle.
• Press the dumbbells up over your chest.
• Lower the weight, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle with your body.
• Continue for eight to 10 reps.

Dumbbell Chest Pull-Overs

• Grasp one dumbbell with both hands under the inner plate of the dumbbell.
• Raise the dumbbell over your chest making sure to keep your elbows slightly bent.
• Lower the dumbbell over and behind your head until the dumbbell touches the floor.
• Pull the dumbbell back up and over your chest and repeat eight to 10 times.

Inner Chest Dumbbell Exercises

If you want to see real pec definition, you will need a few exercises that emphasize the inner chest muscles as well.

These muscles are often overlooked, but really give definition to the chest muscles where they attach to the sternum.

Squeeze Dumbbell Press

• This is similar to a standard dumbbell press, however, you want to squeeze the dumbbells together as hard as possible the entire time during each rep instead of holding the dumbbells out to the side.
• This will keep tension on the inner chest.
• Repeat eight to 10 times for one set.

Dumbbell Front Chest Raises

• Stand upright and hold a dumbbell by your sides with an underhand grip.
• Raise the dumbbells from your sides and bring them up to the level of your chest until the dumbbells touch in the center.
• Then slowly lower back down to the starting position.
• You should feel your inner chest working as you squeeze and hold at the top.

Get a Strong Chest with Dumbbells!

You don’t need a gym or even a bench to get a chiseled chest.

A pair of dumbbells and the comfort of your living room is all that is really required to target your chest and pecs!

By altering the angles and position of the dumbbells, you can target all areas of your chest to build strength and definition.

In addition to these dumbbell chest exercises above, the Fit Father Project also offers free at-home workouts that include dumbbell exercises that target all areas of your body.

This just emphasizes the fact that you don’t need fancy equipment or a gym membership to get in the best shape of your life!

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on dumbbell chest exercises.

Working out at home has become the new normal these days, but it's always good to have an at-home workout plan in your arsenal!

The coronavirus pandemic brought about a number of changes in everyone’s lives. This includes disruption to many people’s workout routines.

Just because your gym is closed doesn’t mean that your fitness should be neglected!

Continuing your workouts will keep your body and mind healthy during this time. And this can easily be done by working out at home.

No Gym? No Problem

There are tons of ways to make working out at home similar to your usual gym workouts.

Plus, your home workouts can incorporate all aspects of fitness, including cardio, strength training, balance, and flexibility.

Working out at home also gives you the benefit of doing your workouts on your own time.

No need to worry about gym hours or big crowds.

You can even do several shorter workouts throughout the day!

High-Intensity Interval Training Home Workout

Home workouts should be varied to include cardio and resistance training.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is easy to do at home and will get your heart pumping and build muscle strength at the same time.

HIIT workouts are great for those working out at home that want to incorporate a CrossFit type of workout into their day.

Warm-Up

Dynamic stretches should be done at the beginning of every workout.

Studies have shown that dynamic stretching is better for muscle coordination and power during a workout, while static stretching could actually decrease muscle power.

Arm Circles

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold your arms out to the side at shoulder height.
• Circle around your arms forward, starting with small circles, working up to larger circles.
• Perform 20 circles.
• Reverse direction and perform 20 more.

Front Arm Swings

• Start with your arms extended out to your sides.
• Swing both arms in front of your chest, crossing your left arm over your right, then reverse back to the starting position.
• Then swing both arms back in front of your chest, this time crossing your right arm over your left, then bring back again.
• Continue alternating like this for about 20-30 seconds.

Leg Kicks With Arm Reach

• Kick your left leg out in front of you while reaching for your toes with the right hand.
• Then kick your right leg out and reach to your toes with your left hand.
• Repeat for 10 reps on each side

Main Set

This is a high intensity, Tabata style of workout.

Perform each exercise for 40 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds.

Immediately move to the next exercise.

If you are just starting out, you can decrease the exercise interval to 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds.

Each exercise focuses on either cardio or strength training, utilizing your body weight or dumbbells if you have them available.

Burpees With Push-Ups

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees and lower your body into a squat as you place your hands between your feet.
• Jump your feet back into the plank position.
• Do one push-up.
• Then jump your feet back to your hands.
• Reach your arms overhead and jump up into the air.
• Land and immediately lower back into a squat for your next rep.

Renegade Row

• Start in a push-up position while grasping two light dumbbells underneath you.
• Engage your core and pull up your left arm into a row while balancing on the right arm.
• Return the left arm back to the starting position, then repeat on the opposite side.
• Aim for three sets of eight to 10 reps on each side.

Squats

• Start with feet shoulder-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand.
• Squat until your hamstrings are parallel to the ground with the weights at your side.
• Straighten your legs and stand up to the starting position.
• Be sure to maintain proper form throughout the movement.
• You can start with no weight at first and gradually add weight as you perfect your form and gain strength.

Russian Twists

• Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding one dumbbell with both hands in front of your chest.
• Lean back slightly and lift your feet a few inches off the floor.
• Slowly twist the torso to the left and bring the dumbbell to the left hip.
• Return to center, and then slowly twist to the right and bring the weight to the right hip.
• Continue alternating sides.

Repeat this circuit five times for an intense 20-minute workout!

Cool Down

Walk around your living room or in place to bring your heart rate back towards normal.

Finish with some static stretching that targets both the upper and lower body.

Some examples of stretches to finish your workout include:

Glute Stretch

• Sit on the ground with both knees bent and both feet on the floor.
• Lift your right leg and cross it over your left thigh.
• Pull both legs inwards toward your stomach for a deep stretch of your glutes.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds and then switch sides and repeat.

Chest Opener

• Push your arms up behind you while pulling your shoulder blades together and your back straight until you feel the stretch in your chest.
• Hold for about 20-30 seconds before releasing.

Quad Stretch

• Stand with your left arm holding a chair for balance and support.
• Next, bend your right knee and hold your right foot in your right hand.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds then switch to the left leg and hold for 20-30 seconds.

Low Back Stretch

• Start lying on your back with your knees bent and pulled up toward your chest.
• Hold for 30 seconds before releasing.

Strength Training Home Workout

You can still get a high-quality strength workout without any gym equipment.

Bodyweight workouts provide a great alternative for working out at home.

Use resistance bands or dumbbells to challenge yourself even more!

There has even been research that shows that bodyweight exercises can produce similar strength gains to exercises utilizing weights.

For example, a 2015 study showed that similar strength gains could be achieved in those performing push-ups versus bench press.

Push-ups are the ultimate bodyweight chest workout. Just another reason why working out at home is a great way to stay in shape!

Warm-Up

Again, a dynamic warm-up is the best way to prime your muscles to prepare for resistance training when working out at home.

Dynamic stretches that target both the upper and lower body need to be incorporated to maximize your workout potential.

Main Set

You can perform these exercises in a circuit style of training.

Rest 15-20 seconds after each move then move to the next.

Repeat two to three times depending on your level of fitness.

Push-Ups

• Position your hands under your shoulders with your feet straight behind you.
• Lower your chest towards the ground, pause, then extend your arms to push back up.

Forward to Reverse Lunges

• Start in a standing position and step your right foot forward into a lunge.
• Bend your knees as you bring your left knee just above the ground, while your right thigh comes parallel to the floor.
• Push back up with your right leg to a standing position.
• Then bring your right leg behind you to perform a reverse lunge, and then bring back to the starting position.
• Repeat on the left side.
• Continue alternating sides.
• Perform eight to 10 reps on each side.
• If you have dumbbells you can hold these by your side to add a challenge.

V Push-Ups

• Start in a push-up position and lift your hips up so your body forms an upside-down V.
• Keep your legs and arms straight.
• Bend your elbows and lower your upper body until the top of your head nearly touches the floor.
• Pause, and then push yourself back up until your arms are straight.

Bent Over Rows

• Stand while holding a dumbbell in each hand.
• Hinge forward until your torso is roughly parallel with the floor.
• Bring your elbows up to your torso while bringing your shoulder blades together.
• Then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position under control.
• You can also use resistance bands for this exercise.

Wall Sits

• Stand with your back flat against a wall and feet shoulder-width apart.
• Walk your feet in front of you about two steps and slide your back down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds.
• Rest for 30 seconds then repeat two more times.
• As you gain strength, try to increase your hold time to a minute.
• Progressively challenge yourself by adding more time to this exercise.
• You can hold a weight in front of you to make this move harder.

Bicep Curls

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with dumbbells or a tube resistance band under your feet so that you can grab the handles at both ends.
• Curl the dumbbells or resistance bands up, then lower back down slowly.
• If you don't have dumbbells or bands, you can even use objects around the house, like soup cans or milk jugs!

Plank Hold

• Try to hold a plank for as long as you can until your form fails.
• Aim for at least 15 seconds, then increase your time as you gain more core strength.

Stay in Shape By Working Out At Home

Working out is important on so many levels.

The obvious are the physical benefits — improved cardiovascular fitness, weight loss, strength gains, and improving chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes.

There are also immense psychological benefits of exercise.

A study of 1.2 million people in the USA has found that people who exercise report having 1.5 fewer days of poor mental health a month, compared to people who do not exercise.

This cannot be overlooked in times when your normal workout routine is interrupted.

Finding new ways to continue to workout from home will allow you to maintain your overall health, both mentally and physically.

Studies have shown that symptoms of anxiety and depression are improved after even a single bout of exercise.

The Fit Father Project

There are additional home workouts offered by The Fit Father Project that you can also add to your weekly fitness routine.

The free workouts, like the 24 Minute Metabolism Boosting Workout, are a great alternative when you don’t have access to a gym.

Plus, the ongoing support from the Fit Father team will keep you motivated even in these challenging times!

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on working out at home.

Wondering how to get bigger arms? Are you sick of doing set after set of arm workouts without seeing any gains?

Then today is your lucky day.

With these essential tips and exercises, you can have the strong, ripped arms that you have always dreamed of.

The answer to how to get bigger arms is just ahead. Now let's sculpt those guns!

Why Build Strong Arms?

Being able to lift heavy objects with ease while boasting a ripped physique is a goal many men look to achieve when starting a workout program.

Strong, muscular arms can be attained at any age using a great fitness plan that includes dedicated arm workouts.

Having well-built arm muscles has a number of benefits. The obvious is that it is a sign of strength and power.

Muscular arms are necessary to round out any toned, fit physique and give you that boost of confidence about your body.

And increased muscle mass will increase your metabolic rate as well, making your body more efficient at burning calories and losing or maintaining a healthy weight.

In addition, having strong arms means that you can do everyday activities more easily.

Anything that requires lifting, pulling, and pushing is made infinitely easier when you have powerful biceps, triceps, and shoulders.

Old School Muscle

The Fit Father Project is a great place to start if you are looking to get bigger arms.

Old School Muscle is an excellent program that utilizes research-backed findings to provide you with a one of a kind, full-body muscle-building workout.

With Old School Muscle you get a comprehensive muscle building guide AND nutrition guidance and online support to keep you motivated throughout the program!

This will put you one step closer to those ripped arms.

Progressive Overload

In order to get bigger arms, you need to not only focus on the arm exercises themselves, but also on form, reps, and how much you are pushing your muscles to fatigue.

If you want to get bigger arms, you have to challenge yourself every workout.

This means trying to improve upon your performance as you gain more strength.

If you constantly lift the same weight for the same number of reps every workout session, you will never see gains in terms of actual muscle growth.

While doing this may burn calories and maintain lean body mass, you need to push yourself above the threshold your muscles have adapted to in order to achieve bigger muscles.

There are different strategies to do this, either through increasing reps or increasing weight.

How To Challenge The Muscles For Bigger Arms

For example, let’s say that you are doing standard dumbbell curls.

You want to complete 10 reps and be able to do so with 15-pound dumbbells. If you find this is easy to do for three sets, try the curls with 17.5- or 20-pound weights.

Maybe you’re only able to complete eight reps with this higher weight. That’s fine! Continue to work with this weight until you can complete 10 reps at the higher weight for three sets.

Once that becomes easier, you can try going up in weight again and starting this process once more.

Now, of course, you won’t be able to continue increasing weight indefinitely. Nobody expects you to one day be curling 100-pound dumbbells!

But the idea is to continually push your muscles to that next level.

Drop Sets

Drop sets are another great way to add muscle mass and increase size.

These can be added to the end of every workout to really stimulate muscle growth.

Basically, a drop set involves starting at a higher weight, and gradually moving down to lower weights without rest until your muscles can lift no more!

Fully fatiguing the muscles at lower weights is key for optimal muscle hypertrophy.

Although small in size, a recent study did find benefits of using drop sets for muscle growth as compared to standard sets.

Types of Drop Sets

There are different variations of drop sets.

With wide drop sets, you drop the weight by about 30% between sets, while with tight drop sets you only drop the weight about 15%.

If you are just starting out, a wide drop is probably the best way to begin. You can always progress to more challenging drop sets as you gain muscular strength.

By doing this you are not just fatiguing your muscles at a high weight, but progressively pushing them to the limit at a lower weight.

This will also increase the training volume and time under tension for the muscles.

Don’t Forget to Focus On The Eccentric Phase

There are three types of muscle contraction-concentric, eccentric, and isometric.

• Concentric muscle contraction occurs when the muscle is being shortened, like when you curl a dumbbell up.
• Isometric contraction is when the muscle is being held at a constant length, such as when you hold a plank.
• Eccentric contraction occurs when the muscle is lengthening under a force, like the lowering phase of a push-up or bicep curl.

When working out, you will see a lot of men do the concentric phase of their exercise, but drop the weights too quickly back to the starting position.

This negates any eccentric activation.

Build Ripped Arms Through The Entire Exercise

Both concentric and eccentric contractions lead to muscle hypertrophy.

These muscle movements actually can induce muscle growth based on distinct pathways, which is why it is important to focus on each phase during a workout.

One study even showed that eccentric activation-induced greater size benefits, however not at a statistically significant level.

Since each of these phases of activation can induce muscle growth signals to build bigger arms, it is important to focus on both while performing all of your workouts.

This will ensure that you are getting the most out of each move.

How to Get Bigger Arms

The exercises below can be added to any workout.

If you are doing a full-body workout, choose one or two exercises from each of the biceps and triceps category to add to your routine.

If you are specifically focusing on arms for your workout session, you can choose three to four exercises from each area.

Aim for three sets of 8-10 reps for each movement.

Warm-Up and Stretch

To avoid injury and protect your joints, make sure you are doing a proper warm-up and cool down prior to every strength training workout.

This should include some light cardio to get your heart rate up and blood pumping, along with some dynamic stretching to loosen up your muscles.

For the upper body, try arm circles and front arm crossovers. This will prime your arms for the exercises to come and increase your range of motion.

To get the most out of each exercise, rest for 1-2 minutes between each set. This will allow the ATP within your muscles to regenerate so that your muscles can perform at an optimal level for the next set.

Biceps

Standard Dumbbell Curls

• Stand upright holding two dumbbells.
• Curl the dumbbells up while keeping your elbows back and close to your body.
• Slowly lower the weight, making sure you feel your biceps contract throughout the movement.

This is a great movement to really work the entire biceps muscle.

It is a simple move that can provide big benefits to build those ripped arms.

Zottman Curls

• Stand upright with two dumbbells hanging by your side.
• Turn your arms so your palms face forward.
• Curl the dumbbells up.
• Pause, then rotate the dumbbells so your palms face forward before slowly returning back to your starting position.

This is an awesome arm exercise that hits all three muscles that make up the biceps – the biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis.

The rotational movement allows you to target each of these muscles.

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

• Stand with your elbows locked by your sides, while holding your dumbbells with your palms facing in towards your body.
• Curl the weights up and slowly lower back down, making sure to focus on the eccentric lowering phase.

Hammer curls are good to include as it targets your biceps as well as your brachialis muscle.

By hitting the biceps muscles at different angles, you will be able to fill out the entire muscular appearance of your arms.

Decline Dumbbell Curls

• Start by setting up a bench at a 45-degree angle.
• Lay chest down on the bench while holding two dumbbells.
• While in this position, curl the dumbbells up to your shoulders.
• Pause, then lower back to the start positions.

Laying on the bench will really isolate your biceps.

You won’t be able to swing or use your body momentum to curl the weight up.

Preacher Curls

• Adjust the height of a preacher bench so your armpits touch the top of the bench.
• Grab a curl bar at shoulder width with your arms extended.
• Curl the bar up while keeping the backs of your arms against the bench.
• Slowly lower the bar back down.

You can also use dumbbells if you don’t have a curl bar available.

Since your arms are resting against a bench, this forces you to focus on only using the biceps instead of using your body’s momentum to curl the weights.

Palms Forward Curls/Reverse Curls

• Grasp a curl bar overhand at about shoulder width.
• Keeping your upper arms against your sides, curl the bar up until your palms face out and the barbell is in line with your shoulders.
• Slowly lower back down.

This movement will hit the brachialis muscle.

This actually pushes the peak of your bicep muscle up higher, which makes for more sculpted arms.

Plus you will work your brachioradialis in your forearm, along with strengthening your wrists.

Drop Set Dumbbell Bicep Curls

• For this exercise, you will be performing standard bicep curls.
• However, start at the highest weight you can do and perform eight reps.
• Then drop down five pounds and perform eight reps.
• Then drop down five more pounds and perform eight reps.
• Do not take any breaks in between.

You will really feel the burn at the end, even if you are only lifting 5-pound weights!

Here you will be working the biceps muscles to absolute fatigue.

This is a great arm exercise to add as a burn-out at the end of your workout.

Triceps

Close Grip Bench Press

• With any bench press moves, always make sure to have a spotter.
• Lay on a flat bench and grasp a barbell with an overhand grip.
• Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart.
• Hold the bar above your sternum with arms completely straight.
• Lower the bar down, pause, and then press the bar back up to the starting position.

By having a close grip you will have to rely on the strength of your triceps, rather than your chest muscles, to press the bar back up.

Start with low weight and work your way up as you gain strength.

Skull Crushers

• Lie on a bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other.
• Press the weights over your chest, then bend your elbows to lower the weights toward your face until you feel a stretch in your triceps.
• Extend your elbows to bring the weights back up.
• Keep your elbows in the same position and facing the ceiling the entire set.
• Try not to let your elbows flare out.

This movement hits all three heads of the triceps.

Since you are only bending at the elbow, you are solely working the triceps muscles, unlike other exercises where you get assistance from the shoulders or chest muscles.

Tricep Dips on Parallel Bars

• Stand over the dip bars and grip them, then hold yourself over the bars with your arms fully extended.
• Lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor but no lower.
• Extend your elbows to push back up.
• If you cannot do a dip unassisted you can use a dip machine or a spotter to hold your feet until you gain enough strength.

By keeping your arms close to your body, you will be really working your triceps as you press yourself back up.

Try not to bend or angle your body forward as this will recruit your shoulders and chest muscles and will not allow you to isolate the triceps as much.

You will still get some assistance from the chest and shoulders, although this will help add overall shape to your upper body and arms.

Rope Tricep Push Downs

• Attach a rope handle to a high pulley station.
• Bend your torso forward at about a 30-degree angle.
• Pull down until your upper arm forms a 90-degree angle with your sides.
• This bent-over position will be where you start from.
• From here, push your arms down until your entire arm is perpendicular to the floor.
• Then slowly let the rope come back up.

It is important to start your body slightly angled instead of standing straight up.

This will force your triceps to work through their full range of motion and will hit all three heads of this muscle.

Diamond Push-Ups

• Start in a push-up position.
• Bring your hands close to each other at chest level, with your thumbs touching one another and your forefingers touching in the shape of a diamond.
• Lower yourself down to the floor while keeping your hands in this position.
• Pause, then push back up to the original position by straightening your arms.

By having the hands in close to your body, you are really isolating the triceps and taking out the assistance that the chest muscles typically have in a standard push up.

Try to complete the full number of reps, even if this means dropping to your knees.

Do not compromise form by dipping or arching your back.

Over time, you will able to complete the full set on your feet as you gain more arm strength.

Overhead Tricep Extensions-Drop Set

• Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart while holding a pair of dumbbells.
• Raise the dumbbells above your head until your arms are stretched out straight.
• Slowly lower the weights back behind your head.
• Try not to flare your elbows out.
• Once your forearms move beyond parallel to the floor bring the weight back up.

Start with a weight that is challenging to complete 10 reps with.

Then drop down by about 20% of that weight and perform another 10 reps.

Drop down to an even lighter weight and perform the final 10 reps to complete the drop set.

Get Bigger Arms Today!

By using techniques such as drop sets and progressive overload you will challenge your muscles to induce greater gains.

And by working the muscles from all angles you can really round out your arms.

These are important concepts to remember when training all areas of the body. Big arms will make you stand out, but having an all-inclusive muscle building program is critical.

That is where the Fit Father Project programs, like FF30X and Old School Muscle, can be a wonderful resource.

These programs can give you further insight on building overall body strength to have a complete muscular physique to go along with your ripped arms.

It is possible to gain arm strength and size no matter what your age. By incorporating the exercises above, you will be well on your way to bigger arms.

The key is to focus on form and to push yourself at each workout. So get started today!

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on how to get bigger arms.