| Wouldn’t it be great to turn heads with | | | | knees slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Lean |
| admiration and respect every time you went out in | | | | slightly forward and grasp a dumbbell in your right |
| your favorite t-shirt, tank top or muscle tee? To get | | | | hand with your arm extended toward the floor and |
| this reaction, you need the bodybuilding | | | | your elbow anchored against the inside of your right |
| “ABC’s” of tight, toned Abs, big, | | | | leg. Make sure that your hand is fully supinated and |
| muscular Biceps and a thick, chiseled Chest. Here are | | | | that you remain stabilized on the bench throughout |
| a few exercises and training tips to help you start | | | | each repetition. Don’t jerk your upper body or |
| building the strong, t-shirt bustin’ upper body you | | | | the dumbbell to gain additional leverage or |
| deserve! | | | | momentum. Slowly curl the dumbbell by contracting |
| A. Abs Training | | | | your biceps and flexing your forearm toward your |
| To look great in a t-shirt, you don’t need to | | | | upper arm. You should curl the weight to a point just |
| have “six-pack abs” to the extent this term | | | | below your chin for full biceps contraction. Return to |
| means a super lean or “ripped” mid-section. If | | | | the starting position and repeat. |
| you want a “six-pack,” by all means, go for it | | | | 2. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls |
| – but understand that getting a shredded core | | | | This exercise is one of the best biceps builders ever |
| requires a lot of cardio work and disciplined eating to | | | | – as long as you sit on a bench that has a back |
| reduce your overall body fat percentage. To do this, | | | | rest to prevent torso movement. Too many people |
| you’ll need to add cardio training and bodybuilding | | | | do this exercise either standing or sitting on a bench |
| nutrition to the workout tips provided in this article. | | | | without back support. In order to make sure that |
| But to simply jump start your abs into looking better | | | | your biceps get the most work from this movement |
| in a t-shirt, the first thing you should do is tighten and | | | | you must stabilize your torso so as to prevent any |
| flatten your abdominal wall with the following basic | | | | jerking motion. Also, remember to supinate your |
| exercises. | | | | hands throughout each repetition – do not begin |
| 1. Abdominal Curls or “Crunches” | | | | or end this exercise with your hands in a neutral or |
| Though this exercise gets a lot of negative press, | | | | pronated position. |
| I’ve used crunches effectively for years to tone | | | | 3. Chin Ups |
| and flatten my abdominal wall. Crunches are especially | | | | Chin Ups are an excellent compound bodyweight |
| good for tightening the middle and upper portion of | | | | exercise for building strength and mass in your biceps. |
| the abs just below the pecs. Some people have | | | | This exercise also thickens the latissimus dorsi |
| trouble doing this exercise due to back or neck pain, | | | | (“lats”) and rhomboid muscles on the sides |
| especially those who already have lower back | | | | and upper-middle portion of your back. Simply grasp |
| problems. To avoid lower back strain, don’t | | | | the Chin Up bar with an underhand grip and your |
| move your hips as you contract your abs to raise | | | | arms shoulder-width apart. Inhale as you pull your |
| your body from the floor. Also, if you have your | | | | body upward until your chin nearly touches the bar. |
| hands behind your head, don’t pull them forward | | | | Exhale as you lower your body to return to the |
| as you raise your upper body to avoid any possible | | | | starting position. |
| neck pain. Instead, make your abs do the work of | | | | C. Chest Training |
| pulling your sternum forward to complete the | | | | Even if your abs are tight and your GUNS are |
| “crunch” motion. For more advanced training, | | | | smokin’, you won’t look or feel your best |
| perform the same movement with your knees | | | | without a solid, muscular chest. Try the chest |
| elevated 90 degrees from the floor or add a twisting | | | | exercises below to make sure that you balance out |
| motion to work your obliques. | | | | your t-shirt look! |
| 2. Incline Abdominal Leg Lifts | | | | 1. Weighted Pushups |
| To balance out your abs training, incline leg lifts are | | | | Take a standard pushup position with your hands and |
| great for tightening the lower abdominal area just | | | | arms extended and shoulder-width apart. Have a |
| below your navel. Simply lie back on an incline board | | | | training buddy gently place a 5-10 pound barbell plate |
| with your legs together and grasp the handle above | | | | on your back to force your chest to work harder |
| your head. Contract your abs and slowly raise your | | | | than it would with a standard pushup (you can |
| legs as though to touch your knees to your nose. | | | | increase the amount of weight as needed). Make |
| Then slowly return to the starting position so that | | | | sure you keep your back straight and your head up |
| your abs continue to work through the negative | | | | to balance the weight and put maximum resistance |
| portion of this exercise. | | | | on your chest. Slowly lower your chest to nearly |
| If you don’t have access to an incline board, sit | | | | touch the floor and then push yourself back up to |
| on the end of a flat bench with your legs together | | | | the starting position. |
| and your arms behind you at shoulder width. Lean | | | | 2. Parallel Bar Dips |
| back about 45 degrees and extend your legs | | | | Parallel Bar Dips are great for adding mass and shape |
| forward using your arms to support your body | | | | to your entire pectoral area. Simply grasp the handles |
| weight. Contract your abs and slowly pull your knees | | | | of a parallel dip apparatus and hold your body |
| toward your chest to work your lower abs. Make | | | | suspended between them. For primary training |
| sure to keep your form as you return to the starting | | | | emphasis on your chest, lean forward as you |
| position to work your abs during the negative portion | | | | perform this exercise. Inhale as you lower yourself as |
| of this movement. | | | | far down as you can comfortably descend and then |
| 3. Rope-Handle Pulley Crunches | | | | exhale as you push yourself back up to the starting |
| Rope-Handle Pulley Crunches are great for tightening | | | | position. |
| the entire abdominal region. Just make sure that you | | | | 3. Dumbbell Bench Press |
| don’t use heavy weight with this exercise. The | | | | Dumbbell Bench Press is also great for adding size, |
| goal here is to tighten and flatten your abs rather | | | | strength and shape to your chest. I recommend this |
| than enlarging them through heavy weight training. | | | | exercise over barbell bench press because it allows |
| To perform this exercise, grasp the rope handles at | | | | you to stretch your chest through a greater range |
| shoulder height while kneeling in an upright position | | | | of motion and stimulate more muscle fibers for |
| with your back to the pulley machine. Crunch your | | | | better growth. So if you really want to pack your |
| upper body forward to pull the rope handles and | | | | t-shirts with powerful pecs, this is the way to do it! |
| your chest down towards your thighs. Contract your | | | | Putting It All Together |
| abs fully so that you can really feel them squeeze at | | | | For fun and training variety, I like to mix and match |
| the bottom of this movement. Slowly return to the | | | | these exercises into what I call my “t-shirt |
| starting position to get negative resistance from this | | | | muscle workouts.” That means instead of only |
| exercise. | | | | doing these exercises as part of an abs, arms or |
| B. Biceps Training | | | | chest training session, I mix these exercises into |
| Your biceps are the first thing anyone notices when | | | | various workouts using supersets or tri-sets. For |
| you wear a t-shirt. Whether you’re carrying | | | | example, I sometimes do tri-sets of abdominal |
| groceries or curling a barbell, your biceps are involved | | | | crunches, concentration curls and parallel bar dips. I |
| in all of your basic lifting movements. And no other | | | | also do supersets of dumbbell bench press with incline |
| muscle area symbolizes physical power like beefy, | | | | leg lifts or alternating dumbbell curls with rope-handle |
| bulging biceps. So if you want to look great in t-shirt, | | | | pulley crunches. You should experiment with different |
| you need big, muscular biceps. Try the following | | | | combinations of these exercises as well. I’m sure |
| exercises to get started building a serious set of | | | | that you’ll find them fun and rewarding when it |
| GUNS. | | | | comes to building a strong, t-shirt bustin’ |
| 1. Concentration Curls | | | | physique! |
| Sit comfortably on a flat workout bench with your | | | | |