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Hammer curl: Start position, Implementation  + points of attention

The Hammer curl is a variation of the usual dumbbell curl. With the hammer curl, you focus more on the forearms and the extended part of the biceps (brachialis). It is therefore smart to regularly vary your schedule. You can generally perform the hammer curl a bit heavier than the dumbbell curl. The hammer curl is an effective exercise to train your biceps in isolation.

Specifications of the Hammer curl

Main muscle group(s):  Biceps

Help muscle group(s): Forearms

Exercise Type:  Isolation

Level: Beginner

Start position

Sit or stand. This depends on the variant you want to choose.

Grab the dumbbells or bar with an overhand grip and let them hang at your sides (palms facing in).

As a variation, you can also perform this exercise alternately (unilaterally). Here you can focus a little more on the movement.

Implementation & points of attention

Then raise the dumbbells or bar, keeping your palms facing inward.

Keep your elbows in the same position. It is very important that you do not bring them forward.

When the dumbbells or bar is around shoulder height, hold it for a while and squeeze your biceps extra. This has a positive effect on your focus ( mind-muscle connection ) and muscle growth.

Then QUIETLY lower the dumbbell or bar back. Your arm will return to a fully extended position.

How do you apply it to your schedule?

You can use the hammer curl as a supplement to training your biceps in isolation. I often vary with 1 hammer curl exercise and a normal dumbbell or barbell curl. This way you train all parts of your biceps and you always shift the focus to a different feeling. As you may know, you also train your biceps during a back exercise. It is therefore not necessary to do 4 extra biceps exercises to achieve your weekly volume. The bicep exercise is therefore at the end of my schedule. I think the hammer curl is a great exercise to tackle a bit heavier. I would do it myself around 8-12 reps.

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CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS: 4 COMMON MISTAKES

The close-grip bench press is a great mass builder for your triceps. But then you have to avoid these four execution errors.

1. USING A HANDLE THAT IS TOO NARROW

With the close- or narrow-grip bench press you naturally use a narrower grip than with the conventional bench press. But don't overdo it: a more or less shoulder-wide grip (or slightly narrower) is sufficient. For us, that is with the index fingers just not on the smooth middle part of the rod.

A grip that is too narrow is not only at the expense of the range of motion but also puts an unnecessary burden on your wrist joint and also makes it more difficult to stabilize the weight.

2. DO NOT SQUEEZE THE SHOULDER BLADES TOGETHER

With a narrow bench press, you use largely the same shape as with the regular bench press. The set-up is no different either.

Lie on the bench, squeeze your shoulder blades together and press them down. Your trapezius and buttocks are firmly on the bench; a small arch in your lower back is allowed. Hold this pose throughout the exercise.

If you keep your shoulder blades 'flat' on the bench, you significantly increase the stress on your shoulder joints. The fact that the close-grip bench press as a whole is less taxing on your shoulders than the conventional one does not change that.

3. KEEPING THE ELBOWS TOO CLOSE TO THE BODY

Due to the narrower grip, your elbows will automatically protrude a little less. However, don't keep them too close to your body, no matter what form nazis try to instill in you. If your elbows are too inward, your upper body will roll forward and you will not be able to maintain the correct position of the shoulder blades (see point 2).

Keep your elbows about 30 degrees from your torso. With a regular bench press, they are at about 45 degrees.

4. DO NOT LOWER THE BAR BELOW THE CHEST

A narrower grip also has consequences for the path of movement that the bar must follow.

Normally the bar drops from above your shoulders to the middle of your chest and you push it back in that direction (not straight up). With the close-grip press, you start above the middle of the chest and lower the bar to slightly below your chest. So a bit lower than normal. You hold that position for a moment, after which you press the bar again over the same path, so until it is again above the middle of your chest.

FINALLY A TIP

A Swiss bar or multi-grip bar allows you to perform the exercise with a neutral grip. That makes it easier to keep your elbows close to your body and because of your hand position your triceps have to work even harder.

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Implementation / Explanation Chin Up

The Chin Up is a heavy compound exercise for training the back muscle. This exercise is very similar to the pull up but is slightly different. For example, your hands point towards you with a chin up and you often grip the bar a little less wide. Chin ups are generally a bit easier than pull ups.

In addition to training your back muscles, the chin up is also a good exercise for developing large and strong biceps. For that reason, the Chin up can also be used while training your biceps .

In this article we are going to tell you more about this exercise.

For example, how do you ensure correct execution so that you get the most result from the exercise? What are common mistakes? How do you get stronger? You can read it below!

Implementation / Explanation Chin Up 

Grab a Pull Up bar with your palms together and place your hands about shoulder width apart.

Pull yourself up and try to keep your body as still as possible.

When your chin is approximately level with the bar, hold for 1 second.

Then lower yourself slowly.

Do this until you have reached the desired number of reps.

Tips ​​Chin Ups

Try to keep your body as still as possible

Use an elastic band if you find it too heavy

If you are looking for more challenge, you can choose to perform the negative part of the exercise more slowly.

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Burpees for dummies

You've probably heard of burpees. With this versatile sport exercise, you train almost your entire body. Burpees consist of squats, planking and push-ups. No idea what all this means? For the dummies who want to get fitter from home, the explanation about burpees follows below.

Benefits of Burpees

Burpees belong to the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts, because your heart rate rises sharply during this exercise. Burpees have many different benefits. A burpee is not one exercise, but consists of several actions. More about this in the step-by-step plan. Because of these different exercises you not only train one specific muscle group, but several at the same time. You train these muscles while doing burpees:

leg muscles

hamstrings

glutes

pectoral muscles

abs

back muscles

Shoulder muscles

Arm muscles (triceps and biceps)

Moreover, a burpee is more than just muscle training, it is also a good balance and coordination exercise. During burpees you use your torso, also called core, for balance. This is the part of your body without arms, legs and head. The burpee makes your pelvis, back and abdomen a lot firmer and more stable.

Also important for many: burpees are free. It is in fact the ideal exercise for at home, in other words no costs for a fitness subscription. In addition, you do not have to purchase fitness equipment for burpees.

Step-by-step plan burpees

Burpees seem easier at first glance than they actually are. Just bend over, plank, go up again and that times twenty or thirty. Simple right? First of all, as a dummy and non-fanatic athlete, you are reasonably exhausted within ten burpees. More importantly, a number of techniques are preceded to prevent injuries and overload. Therefore adhere to the following step-by-step plan:

Step 1, Straight Posture: Stand up straight and place your feet wider than your hips apart, about shoulder width apart. Let your toes point out slightly and your arms hang by your sides.

Step 2, Squat: Slowly come down bending your knees. Keep your back straight and your arms extended forward during this movement. Your butt sticks out and your shoulders stay above your knees (so don't hang too much forward). Lower as far as you can, possibly until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

Step 3 Plank: Bring your hands to the floor and do a jump or a few steps back, eventually extending your legs. You are now in a plank position. Your core, legs, neck and head form a straight line during plank position and your arms are directly under the shoulders. Be careful not to accidentally push your butt up and lose the straight line.

Step 4, push-up: Then you do one push-up, also known as one push-up. Keep your core and legs in line by contracting them as you lower yourself down in a controlled manner with your arms. Just don't let your body touch the ground. Then bring your body back up by pushing yourself away from the ground, as it were. Is the plank position too heavy during the push-up? Then come to the floor with your knees and do a push-up from this position.

Step 5, Jump Forward and Up: Jump or step your feet back toward your hands. Then jump up and swing your arms in the air. You can also stand up straight without making the jump. As you continue with another burpee, return to the squat position immediately after the jump.

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Lat Pulldown at home

Do you have a Lat Pulldown at home or in the gym, and do you want to perform this exercise well? Below I explain the correct technique to you.

The Lat Pulldown version

Do you want to learn the Lat Pulldown version? Then follow the steps below.

Set the Lat Pulldown machine so that there is a bar on the machine that is suitable for a wide grip. Set the support for your legs at the correct height, so that you can remain seated and not be pulled up by the weight.

Grab the bar overhand, slightly wider than shoulder width.

Then sit with the bar in your hands on the seat of the machine.

Keep your back straight and look forward.

Pull the weight to the top of your chest. Do not let the bar touch your chest.

Don't lean back excessively as you pull the weight toward you.

Pause when the bar is near your chest and squeeze your back muscles. Then return the weight to the starting position.

Repeat for the desired number of reps and make sure to stop when you notice that you can no longer perform a rep correctly.

Lat Pulldown Technique Tips

Achieve maximum results? Check out the technique tips below for the Lat Pull Down.

A common phenomenon is the movement of the upper body. You often see fitness athletes moving forward and backward with the upper body. To achieve maximum results, it is important to keep your upper body stable throughout the entire exercise. This way you keep constant tension on your latissimus, the muscle you want to train!

If you notice that your forearms are hurting when you perform this fitness exercise, grip the bar so that your thumb does not go around the barbell. This releases the pressure from your forearms.

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Dumbbell shrug

Start position

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Grab two dumbbells with an overhand grip.

Keep your back in a straight line and let the dumbbells hang at your sides.

Let your shoulders hang down a bit.

Implementation & points of attention

Then slowly raise your shoulders (shrug shoulders) and make sure that the arms remain straight.

Then lower your shoulders back down.

You don't necessarily have to roll your shoulders back. This can have nasty effects if you have heavy dumbbells in your hands.

How do you apply it to your schedule?

I don't have the shrug in my schedule. If you do want to put this in your schedule, I would do this as a last back exercise. It's really just to supplement your upper back. So I would start with pull ups and rows first. If you then want to give some extras, you can do this. In general, this exercise is performed heavily. Think of a rep range of 5-10 reps.

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What is the correct version for bent over row?

The bent-over row seems like an easy exercise to perform. However, you should pay close attention to a number of posture tips to achieve the best effect. The technique is therefore very important and it is not for nothing that it belongs to the training groups. The big advantage is that you only need a bar with extra-weight discs if necessary. 

 In this article, we assume an overhand grip. Below we have listed a few tips.

You stand facing the bar, with your knees slightly bent

You grab the bar slightly wider than your shoulder width and you have your thumbs inward. Your arms are down here

You bend your buttocks back and back forward (straight) at a 45-degree angle

From the starting position, pull the bar towards the bottom of your chest and pull your shoulder blades together

From here you lower the bar slowly back to the starting position

Essential tip: Make sure your torso during the whole movement remains silent, your back in a neutral (straight) position. You tighten your abs and pull your shoulder blades together. This keeps the isometric (static) tension in your spinal muscles.

Important tips if you want to train harder, for example

To vary or make the exercise more difficult, you can make a number of adjustments in the technique. For example, by turning your hands the other way around with the thumbs out, you transfer more pressure to your biceps. Above we assume the overhand grip, where you mainly train your back and forearms. 

By varying the grip (overhand, underhand, wider, or narrower) you can shift the accent to other muscle parts. Overhand grip? You mainly train your back muscles, the middle and lower part of your monkshood muscle, and the diamond-shaped muscle. Underhand grip? You mainly train your back muscles, your biceps, and the upper part of your monkshood muscle. 

 What are the most common mistakes made when bent over a row?

The most common mistakes are curvature of the back and neck, standing with straight knees, or lifting the bar diagonally. The back is not straight during the movement and the shoulder blades are therefore not pressed together. 

Another common mistake is bending the neck. It is important that you look obliquely down and keep your head in line with your body. Standing with straight knees is disastrous and should be avoided. The bar moves too far away from your body when you raise it diagonally. This will cause you to lose the desired effect.

Other common mistakes

Can you not make the above mistakes? Then make sure that you don't make these mistakes: not fully lifting the bar or incorrect breathing. If you don't raise the bar completely, you have hardly any effect on your back and now let it be mainly a back exercise. Wrong breathing often leads to wrong performance and it also consumes energy. In the next section, we'll explain what proper breathing is.

 What is the correct breathing for bent-over row?

Good breathing is not only beneficial for the execution of the exercise but also to be able to put more power. And over time you will probably want to train a little harder if you can put the above tips into practice. It is important that you hold your breath in the starting position. You keep your abdominal muscles contracted. When you pull up the bar, you exhale at the end of the movement.

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Barbell curl

Start position

Stand and place your feet shoulder-width apart. You could possibly place one foot in front for more stability.

Grab the barbell underhand and place your hands about shoulder-width.

Look forward and keep your upper body straight.

Implementation & points of attention

Curl the barbell up to shoulder height.

Keep your elbows tight at your sides. It is very important that they do not move forward. You have to prevent it from becoming a half-front raise.

When the barbell is around shoulder height, hold it for a while and squeeze your biceps extra. This has a positive effect on your focus and muscle growth.

Then QUIETLY lower the barbell back. So often you see someone putting in a lot of effort to curl it up but then dropping it like a brick. It is precise with the eccentric part that you can focus on the biceps.

Make sure you get the movement out of your biceps (by keeping your elbows in the same position and not pulling it out of your back).

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Barbell Back Squat

CLUES

Use the same medium-wide grip as you did for the bench press and wrap your thumb around the bar - don't use a thumbless grip.

Your hands support the bar but do not support the weight.

Keep your arms almost parallel to your torso.

To create a platform for the bar to rest on, simply contract your shoulder blades. It is not necessary, even undesirable, to force your elbows back.

Tighten your upper back and keep it that way throughout the movement.

Place your feet shoulder-width apart and turn them out about 30 degrees, but no further. Don't make it a sumo squat. By pointing the knees slightly outwards, you prevent them from standing too far forward. Moreover, it is easier to squat deeper than parallel.

Start the squat by flexing your hips (tilting your pelvis forward, in fact) and bending your knees. In fact, you practically bend your hips and knees at the same time ("break at the hips and knees"). More on that later.

While squatting, move your knees in the same direction as your toes—that is, outward—and keep your spine in its natural position. Although it should absolutely not bulge, you should not overextend your lower back either.

As you squat, tilt your upper body to (almost) diagonally. If you didn't, you would tip backward. But make sure that you are not tilted more than 45 degrees in the bottom position.

Squat until your hips are past your knees. If you don't squat deeply enough (i.e. not at least to parallel), you limit the range of motion and thus the effectiveness of the exercise.

You initiate the upward movement from your hips, but let your shoulders rise evenly. Pushing only your hips up forces your torso into a horizontal position, turning the squat into a glorified good morning. With a 'good morning squat,' you do not train your leg muscles optimally and you run a greater risk of injuries in your lower back.

Look straight ahead or down during the exercise (there's something to be said for both ). Don't look at the ceiling.

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SHOULD YOU OR SHOULDN'T YOU TAKE A PROTEIN SHAKE?

Your gym buddies swear by a delicious protein shake after the workout. But is this a good idea for you? And which shake should you choose and when should you take it? There is a lot to be found about the pros and cons of protein shakes and there are many variants to be found. We explain to you when a protein shake has added value to your diet.

The role of proteins

Proteins are, next to fats and carbohydrates, the most important nutrients. They provide calories and amino acids, the building blocks for protein in your body cells. In addition, proteins are important for digestion, the transport of substances in the blood and tissue, and a component of antibodies and hormones. Some amino acids are produced by the body itself, others must be obtained from food. The amino acids that your body cannot make themselves are essential amino acids.

Protein sources

A healthy diet contains sufficient protein. Your body gets animal proteins (the essential amino acids) mainly from meat, eggs, and milk products. There are also vegetable protein sources such as bread, rice, pasta, beans, and nuts. When you start training you need more protein than someone who doesn't exercise. We sometimes forget to add these extra proteins to our diet. In addition, we are eating less meat and dairy products and vegetable sources are becoming more important. In these cases, a protein shake can be a good addition to your diet.

When do you take a protein shake?

A protein shake is perfect for quickly and in a balanced way to supplement your protein needs after a workout. This way you don't have to think about whether your diet contains enough protein. To allow your muscles to recover optimally after a workout, it is recommended to take 20-30 grams of protein within 20 minutes after your workout. A protein shake is then a good option and also a tasty reward for the hard work during your training.

What should you pay attention to?

When choosing a protein shake, pay close attention to the ingredients. Many manufacturers make the packaging of protein powders and shake very attractive, but use many unnecessary and unhealthy additives (such as sugars). In addition, it is smart to check how many grams of protein are actually in your portion.

This is sometimes difficult if you are going to mix protein powder with water or (vegetable) milk. Don't forget to also count the proteins and calories from these additions. There are now also ready-made protein shakes that you can take with you after your workout on the go. Handy if you go straight to work!

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IS EXERCISE GOOD OR BAD FOR STRESS?

For some, exercising is a way to manage stress, while others prefer to skip a workout during a busy period. But is it wise to exercise if you experience a lot of stress? And how does stress affect your body and your performance?

Physical response to stress

Stress in itself is harmless, but the way a person handles and reacts to stress can affect the body. Stress can cause physical problems but also be a strength. Your body responds to stress by producing adrenaline, which causes your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure to skyrocket. Your muscles tense in preparation for a fight or to flee. In theory, this can make you super strong and give you a boost of energy.

stress resilience

When you suffer chronically from stress, there is distress. The blood pressure and heart rate, in this case, are constantly high and this has a negative effect on the immune system. While exercising, your performance suffers in this state, but that doesn't mean that exercising is harmful.

Sports ensures that you develop more stress resistance and resilience in the long term so that you are better able to cope with stressful situations and events. The temporary stress response that arises during a workout is then naturally dissolved by your body so that it goes back to a stress-free state. Your body ensures that you can let go of the stress after a good effort.

What kind of training can you do best?

Any form of sport and exercise is possible, but it is good to increase the intensity of your workout regularly. As a result, your heart rate skyrockets, and the stress hormone cortisol rises in your blood. Your body then has to work hard to get the stress level under control and to relax again. Limit the intensive effort to a maximum duration of 30 minutes, for example by performing a HIIT workout.

When should you not exercise?

If the stress comes from exercising, it is better to take a rest. This can happen when you train at too high an intensity or at too high a frequency, giving your body insufficient time to recover. The adrenaline and cortisol levels in your body then remain constantly too high. You then commit robbery on your body with the result that you become exhausted and increase the chance of injuries.

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Bench dips: How do you perform the perfect bench dip?

As mentioned, bench dips are relatively easy to perform and are therefore also a perfect exercise for beginners.

You don't need a lot of basic strength and you can make the exercise lighter or heavier for yourself in relatively easy ways, more about that later.

The dips, also called 'dipping', is a well-known fitness exercise. However, there are several variants of this.

For example, there are the tricep dips, the chest dips, and therefore also the bench dips. This variant has one big difference from the other variants. And that is (you guessed it) that you use a sofa for it.

In principle, it does not matter much what kind of bank this is. In any case, it is important that the sofa is stable and that the sofa does not sag too much when you lean on it with weight.

The reason the bench dips are less heavy is that you don't have to push your entire body weight up.

Since you're standing with your feet on the floor, your arms aren't all alone, and don't have to dip your entire body weight.

Performance

Find a suitable bench and then sit on it, placing your hands next to your legs.

Put your feet in front of you, make sure they are stable. You can put them flat or put your heels on the floor.

Now come off the bench with your buttocks and get into the starting position.

Lower down, keeping your elbows stationary, then come up with your arms at a 90-degree angle.

Push yourself back up, starting this movement by pressing your palms into the bench.

Continue until the desired number of reps.