Bodybuilding is an art form that requires great discipline centered around eating and weightlifting. As far as the weightlifting portion goes, all the major and smaller muscles in the body get targeted with exercises. This ensures that a maximal amount of muscle fibers are recruited and the body looks ripped when you step onto a stage. These exercises require dumbbells, barbells and weight machines.
Cable Crossovers
Cable crossovers are basic bodybuilding exercises for the chest. These muscles are known anatomically as the pectoralis major and minor. To do crossovers, attach single handles to high settings on a cable machine, stand between the weight stacks with your feet in a staggered stance and hold a handle in each hand. Your arms should parallel the floor at this point and your palms should face down. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, push the handles down to the front of your body until your fists are approximately four inches apart. Slowly raise the handles back up and repeat. When you push the handles down, squeeze your chest muscles forcefully.
Concentration Curls
Concentration curls work the biceps, found on the front of the upper arms. These are one of the main showcase muscles in a standard flexing pose. To do concentration curls, sit on the end of a weight bench with your legs in a wide stance and a dumbbell in your right hand. Bend forward, pin the back of your upper right arm against your inner right thigh and let the weight hang straight down. Steadily lift the dumbbell up toward your chest and squeeze forcefully for a full second. Lower the weight back down, repeat for a set of reps and switch sides.
Skull Crushers
A skull crusher exercise is performed with a barbell and it works the triceps, which are found on the back of the upper arms. Lie face-up on a bench while holding a barbell straight above your chest with your hands approximately six inches apart. Keeping your upper arms still, bend your elbows and lower the bar right above your forehead. Push it back up by contracting your triceps and repeat.
Leg Extensions
Leg extensions single out the quadriceps on the front of the thighs. This exercise gives the lower thigh a tear drop shaped look during a pose. Sit on the leg extension machine with your lower shins anchored under the padded lever arm and hands grasping the handles next to the seat. Steadily lift and lower the arm by bending your knees. When you raise it up, squeeze your quads forcefully, but do not lock your knees.
Calf Raises
The calves have two components--the gastrocnemius and soleus. Two different forms of calf raises target each one of these muscles. Standing calf raises require a dumbbell and calf block and they work the gastroc. A calf block is an elevated tool that you place your toes on to increase your range of motion with calf exercises. To do the standing calf raise, place the balls of your feet on the calf block and hold dumbbells at your sides. Steadily lift up onto your tip toes and squeeze your calves forcefully. Slowly lower your heels toward the floor and hold this stretched position for a full second. Repeat for a set of repetitions.
Seated calf raises place more emphasis on the soleus muscles, which are the lower part of the calves. To do these, sit on the seated calf raise machine with your toes on the platform and thighs touching the padded support. In a steady motion, lift your heels in the air as high as possible and hold for a second. Lower your heels back down, hold the stretched position and repeat.
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