Jon-Carlo Astorina
Contributing Writer
Want Bigger Biceps? Do More Squats
Do you spend most of your time in the gym working one specific muscle groups? Are most (or all) of your workouts performed on machines? Are you at a “plateau” despite ruthlessly beating up a muscle? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are probably doing too many isolation exercises and not enough compound lifts.
Many people tend to drift to standard isolation exercises, thinking that if they totally abuse a muscle it will force major growth. This is not true. Isolation exercises move a single joint through its range of motion. Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that use several muscle groups through a range of motion. Your body doesn’t work by utilizing only one piece or muscle at a time – everything works in unison. Since compound movements (like the squat) tend to mimic the movements in daily activity, they can improve coordination, stability and joint strength. Compound movements also burn more calories during exercise and keep your heart rate up.
Performing a squat is essentially a full body workout. From the ground up you are calling on all of your muscle groups to balance, hold and raise the bar. Of course the main muscles used in a squat are your legs, a massive muscle group. The bigger the muscle group trained, the more testosterone and growth hormone your body will produce. When you train these larger muscle groups you stress the body which causes a greater hormonal response. Once these growth hormones are released, they aren’t contained to just your legs – they shoot around your whole body sending signals for growth all over.
In short, any person serious about gaining some major muscle cannot avoid the fact that they need to incorporate good old fashioned compound lifts. Other great compound lifts that should not be left out of any routine include the deadlift, pull-ups/rows, bench press and overhead press.
Good Luck!
Bodybuilding Accomplishments:
2011 ABA Natural Illinois Bodybuilding, Fitness, and Figure Championships
2nd Place Novice Short Class
3rd Place Open Short Class
2011 NGA Heart of America Natural Classic
1st Place Novice Lightweight
1st Place Open Lightweight
1st Place OVERALL NOVICE
2011 NANBF Probody Solutions Natural
1st Place Open Short Class
2011 NGA Titan Classic
OVERALL OPEN MEN WINNER – PRO CARD AWARDED
Jon-Carlo Astorina is a Team JBT Athlete
See More: http://www.nationalgym.com/
BIO:
JC was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. He now resides in Bloomington, IL and works as a private detective for a prominaent PI firm out of Chicago. JC studied Criminal Justice at Illinois State University. He is married with four children. Besides his family, JC’s greatest passion in life is bodybuilding and fitness – a hobby he picked up in college.
JC has been bodybuilding for roughly four years and started competing in 2011. He has a short but impressive competitive resume. To date he has competed in four drug tested bodybuilding competitions, earning his Pro Card at his last competition. He is recognized as a Professional Natural Bodybuilder by the National Gym Association (NGA).
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