Get Stronger Arms for the Summer

Lose the sleeves and the jiggle with this superfast sculpting workout.

Plank Press

What you'll need: a pair of 3- to 5-pound dumbbells, ayoga mat

Targets shoulders, back, triceps, and abs

• Place dumbbells at top of mat, then get into full push-up position with arms shoulder-width apart and hands directly under shoulders; step feet out slightly wider than shoulder-width.
• Keeping hips level, lift right hand and pick up one dumbbell; drive right elbow backward at shoulder level, keeping arm close to side and palm facing down.
• Extend right arm forward.
• Return right elbow to bent position and repeat.
• Do 10 reps, switch sides and repeat. Do 2 sets.

Monkey Arms

Targets shoulders, triceps, and biceps

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms by sides.
• Raise dumbbells up along sides of rib cage to armpits, elbows pointing out to sides.
• Extend arms out to sides, palms down. Reverse motion back to start.
• Do 2 sets of 20 reps.

Pom-Pom Circle

Targets shoulders and arms

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms slightly out to sides in an upside-down V.
• Slowly raise extended arms overhead, drawing five tiny circles with each weight on the way up until arms form a V.
• Slowly lower arms to sides, reversing direction of circles, to complete 1 rep.
• Do 2 sets of 10 reps.

Hammer Punch

Targets shoulders and biceps

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, with arms by sides and palms facing forward.
• Bend elbows near rib cage to bring dumbbells next to shoulders while keeping palms facing forward.
• Punch left arm out to left side, palm facing forward, and then quickly bring dumbbell back to shoulder. Repeat with right arm to right side, then lower arms to start.
• Do 2 sets of 20 reps, alternating sides. MAKE IT HARDER: On final rep, do 20 fast-paced punches with left arm, then repeat with right arm.

Oblique-Twist Triceps Push-Up

Targets triceps, obliques, and outer thighs

• Lie on mat on your right side, hug rib cage with right arm, and place left hand on floor in front of right shoulder. Bend right leg behind you and lift left leg a few inches to hip level, toes pointed.
• Press through left palm to lift torso off floor until left arm is nearly fully extended. Simultaneously raise left leg as high as you can.
• Lower to start.
• Do 20 reps, switch sides and repeat. Do 2 sets.

Stretching to Break Through Plateaus

Unless you need to build your tolerance for boredom, most stretching is a waste of time. After all, when you review the research, it's clear that the most widely held principles of flexibility training simply don't work. Which is why few guys ever stick with it and even regular practitioners struggle to touch their toes. Worse, follow those age-old rules closely, and studies show that you'll actually be more likely to suffer a pulled muscle than if you hadn't stretched at all.

That's why it's time we rewrite the book on stretching and provide you with a flexibility plan that's not only effective, but also simple, fast, and painless. Your first order of business is to forget everything your high-school gym coach, workout partner, or yoga-loving girlfriend ever told you about stretching. Then memorize the new rules that follow. The benefit? You'll reduce your risk of injuries, improve your overall athleticism, and have an easier time tying your shoes.

Flexibility 101

Before we get to the rules, it's important to understand the basic—but typically misunderstood—science of stretching. First, a couple of definitions. There are two major types of stretching: static and dynamic.

You're probably more familiar with the former. For instance, a static stretch for your hamstrings is what you think it is—a movement in which you lean forward until you feel a slight discomfort in the target muscle, then stretch the muscle by holding that position for a few seconds.

Although it's often prescribed as an injury-prevention measure, static stretching before a workout might be the worst of all strategies. Because it forces the target muscle to relax, it temporarily makes it weaker. As a result, a strength imbalance can occur between opposing muscle groups. For example, stretching your hamstrings causes them to become significantly weaker than your quadriceps. And that may make you more susceptible to muscle strains, pulls, and tears in the short term.

Static stretching also reduces bloodflow to your muscles and decreases the activity of your central nervous system—meaning it inhibits your brain's ability to communicate with your muscles, which limits your capacity to generate force. The bottom line: Never perform static stretching before you work out or play sports.

Now, before you abandon static stretching for good, realize that it does have value. That's because improving your "passive" flexibility through static stretches is beneficial in the nonathletic endeavors of everyday life—such as bending, kneeling, and squatting. All you have to know is the right stretch for the right time.

he Rules of Static Stretching

When: Any time of day, except before a workout

Why: To improve general flexibility

How: Apply these guidelines:

Stretch twice a day, every day. Any less frequently and you won't maintain your gains in flexibility—which is why most flexibility plans don't work. Twice a day may seem like a lot, but each "session" will require as little as 4 minutes of your time. Also, there's no need to "warm" your muscles before stretching; that's a myth. So you can stretch at work, while you're watching TV, or while you're grilling burgers.

Keep in mind that duration matters. You can increase passive flexibility with a static stretch that's held for as little as 5 seconds, but you get optimal gains by holding it between 15 and 30 seconds, the point of diminishing returns.

Finally, do just one stretch for each tight muscle. Because most of the improvements in flexibility are made on the first stretch, repeating the same movement provides little benefit.

What: Use these movements to stretch your entire body. Do as shown and, for all but number 2, switch sides and repeat the stretch with the opposite arm or leg.

Upper Trapezius

Place your left hand on your head as shown and position your right arm behind your back. Gently pull your head toward your shoulder.

Latissimus Dorsi

Position your body as shown, then push your arms into the Swiss ball and your chest toward the floor.

Calves

Position your body in front of a wall as shown and lean forward to stretch.

Quadriceps

Position your body as shown and push your hips forward while keeping your torso upright.

Pectorals

Place your arm against a door frame or wall as shown, then move your shoulder forward.

Hamstrings

Place your foot on a sturdy box or bench as shown, then lean forward from the hips until you feel a stretch.

Dynamic Stretching

A dynamic stretch is the opposite of a static stretch. In this version, you quickly move a muscle in and out of a stretched position. Example: A body-weight lunge is a dynamic stretch for your quadriceps and hips.

Here's why the difference matters: Improvements in flexibility are specific to your body position and speed of movement. So if you do only static stretching—as most guys are advised—you'll primarily boost your flexibility in that exact posture while moving at a slow speed. While certainly effective if you're a contortionist, it has limited carryover to the flexibility you need in sports and weight training, which require your muscles to stretch at fast speeds in various body positions. That's why dynamic stretching is a necessary component of any program: It improves your "active" flexibility, the kind you need in every type of athletic endeavor.

Dynamic stretching also excites your central nervous system, and increases bloodflow, and strength and power production. So it's the ideal warmup for any activity. And when you regularly perform both dynamic and static stretches, some of the flexibility improvements from one will transfer to the other.

The Rules of Dynamic Stretching

When: As a warmup before any type of workout or sport

Why: To improve performance and reduce injury risk

How: Perform five to eight body-weight exercises or calisthenics at a slow tempo and in a comfortable range of motion. Increase your range and speed with each repetition, until you're performing the movement quickly from start to finish. Do one set of 10 repetitions of each exercise, one after the other. 

What: Try this sample routine of movements that are probably already familiar to you: jumping jacks, arm circles, trunk rotations, front lunges, side lunges, high knees, and body-weight squats.

Does your treadmill workout make you feel like a rat on a wheel? Then it's probably time to change up your routine. And not just because you're bored. "The human body wasn't designed for conveyor-belt training or repetitive, one-dimensional movement," says Dan John, a fitness coach in Burlingame, California, and the author of Never Let Go. So try one of John's novel cardio drills below. Or better yet, try all three. You'll blast fat and improve your fitness quickly. And the best part: You won't have to find ways to distract yourself during these workouts—you'll be too busy getting in shape. 

The "55" workout
Start by doing one body-weight squat and 10 pushups. Rest for 30 seconds, and then do 2 squats and 9 pushups. Gradually work your way up to 10 squats and down to 1 pushup. You'll complete 55 reps of each exercise by the time you're done—and reap both the cardiovascular benefit of aerobic training and the muscular pump of a strength session. (And if you like this routine, you'll love The World's Most Efficient Workout.)

10-meter sprints
Find an area in your gym where you can sprint for 10 meters. Once you've covered the distance, pause just long enough to inhale and exhale once through your nose. Sprint back and pause, this time inhaling and exhaling twice through your nose. Continue the drill—breathing normally as you sprint, and adding an additional nose inhalation and exhalation when you pause—until you can no longer breathe through your nose. "It takes more effort than breathing through your mouth—even during rest—which increases the intensity of the exercise," John says. The result: more gain in less time (and distance) than on a treadmill. (Don't undermine your fitness efforts: Make sure to avoid The Worst “Free” Restaurant Foods in America.)

Jumping-jack pyramid
Do as many jumping jacks as you can in 10 seconds. Rest for an equal amount of time. Next, do as many jumping jacks as you can in 20 seconds, and rest 20 seconds. Then do 30 seconds of jumping jacks followed by 30 seconds of rest. Now work your way back down the pyramid (30, 20, 10). Repeat three times. This will change the way you think about jumping jacks forever.

Pack on Mass, Get Huge

The gym has been my home for more than four decades. Spend that much time anywhere, and you figure out what works and what doesn't. Take muscle building, for instance. The greatest fallacy of the mass-building industry is that some big-armed expert is hoarding top-secret, burn-after-reading protocols that are worth whatever he's charging for access. (Usually way too much.)

The truth? There are no secrets. But there are rules. And most of them are surprisingly simple. As an athlete, I used these rules to break the American record in the Weight Pentathlon. And as a coach, I've used them to help hundreds of athletes—including Olympians—pack on double-digit pounds of beef.

One warning: Some of these rules are the opposite of what you're used to reading in fitness magazines. That's because this isn't an article that tells you how to both build muscle and lose fat. This is all about supersizing your body as fast as possible. And all it requires is a little common sense and a lot of time with a barbell.

8 SECRETS OF MASS BUILDING

1. Have a Single Goal
Building muscle and losing fat have one thing in common: Each is best accomplished when you do it to the exclusion of all else. I can't tell you how many guys with 14-inch biceps have asked me about building mass but want a guarantee that they'll keep their six-pack. While you're bulking up, you can't obsess about single-digit body fat or your finishing time in the 10-K. Pack 2 or 3 inches onto your upper arms, and then we'll talk about those other things.

2. Use Medium Reps for Maximum Gains
You'll build the most muscle by doing sets of 5 to 10 reps. They hit a "magical" intersection between heavy loads and extended time under the bar. Each generation of lifters wants to rewrite the rule book, but they all eventually come back to this system, which is the basis for the workout on this month's poster.

3. For Squats, More Is Better
About two decades ago I received good advice that I foolishly ignored: Never do fewer than 10 reps of the barbell back squat. Yes, there are always exceptions. But for most people most of the time, the extra time under the bar seems to stimulate the entire body as well as the appetite. Both are key in helping you add mass.

4. Don't Chase Variety
Good mass-building programs have very few movements. At a time when there is so much equipment to use, it's difficult for many lifters to follow a system with just eight exercises. But that's all you really need. (See "The Best Exercises for Big Muscles" on this page.) In fact, if your singular goal is pure size, then you should do them almost exclusively.

5. Always Leave 1 or 2 Reps in the Tank
It's often said that the secret to adding size is pushing your muscles past their limit, squeezing out extra reps with the help of a training partner or by sacrificing form. But most of you will reap more benefit if you end each set knowing you could've done another rep or two. It's better to do another set than to roast your muscles with forced reps.

6. Let Your Body Tell You How Long to Rest Between Sets
As a general rule for building mass, most guys need about 3 minutes between sets of squats and bench presses, and 90 seconds between sets of other movements. If you're leaving 1 or 2 reps in reserve (Rule 5), you should be able to repeat your performance from one set to the next.

7. Eat Big to Grow Big
When the goal is mass, it's difficult to eat too much. Most men eat too little. A good workout plan not only burns lots of calories but also jacks up your metabolism. If you eat just a little more than usual, you're not even breaking even. You need to eat a lot. When I put on 40 pounds in 4 months my freshman year in college, I ate sandwiches before dinner.

8. Save Your Energy
A guy who's eating to grow needs to minimize his activity outside the gym. Work hard, and rest hard. If you're playing pickup basketball between workouts, you're not resting. And if you're not resting, you're not growing. Remember, a mass-building program isn't a lifetime plan for health. It's a short, focused attempt to become bigger than you are now.

Read more at Men's Health: http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/big-muscle-fast#ixzz1qG7U2Lsu