Flexing is one of the top secrets of advanced and professional
bodybuilders. While some may write off flexing as an exercise
in vanity, in truth, isometric flexing can make a major difference
in your rate of muscle growth, if you use it correctly. When
you do it with proper technique and in the right combination
with progressive-resistance training, you can actually flex
your way to a better physique.
Of course, flexing will help to improve
your posing if you’re already at a competitive level,
but when you’re starting out, it can also help you
to get to the point where you can compete. Performed in
conjunction with high-intensity progressive-resistance
training, the isometric contraction of the muscles can
stimulate additional gains. Focus your attention on the
feel of each muscle, doing the positive and negative portions
of the movement in slow motion. And for best results always
do full-body flexes. These can take the form of the compulsory
poses for competition: the double-biceps, the side-chest
and the lat spread, for example. When you do these poses,
you’re perfecting the way that you’ll present
yourself in public, making sure that your arms are in
the right position. You can also practice transitions
between poses, moving slowly in a smooth
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manner that will give the impression of
confidence on stage and that allows for a controlled,
prolonged isometric contraction.
It’s important to do a full-body flex as often as
possible. Since flexing produces muscle gain, if you only
flex certain bodyparts, the result can be an unbalanced
physique. Your aim should be to maintain or even improve
your aesthetic balance, and this means flexing your lower
body as much as you flex your upper body. It means flexing
your calves. Now, I know that when people ask you to “make
a muscle” they are rarely asking for a calf shot.
Many people focus on the “bar muscles”; that
is, the chest and arms, which are the most visible in
a crowded social setting. The point here is that a whole-body
flex will result in wholesale muscle gains, balanced throughout
the body so that you can move closer to that statuesque
ideal that you have in mind. |
While flexing is often done in front of a minor, you can
achieve the same results while lying in bed before sleep.
You may have heard of a form of meditation that produces a
relaxed state by alternately flexing and stretching the individual
muscles of the body. With this technique you start with one
muscle (say, your right calf). Flex it for 10 seconds, then
relax and stretch it for another 10 seconds. Now do your left
calf in the same manner. Continue with the right quad, the
left quad, and keep on going up until you reach your neck.
Focus totally on the muscle in question, letting all of your
thoughts and frustrations from the day float away. After you
have flexed all of your muscles in this manner, you will immediately
feel a sense of overall relaxation. Finish it off with 10
seconds of full-body flex, and fall off into sleep. This system
not only produces muscle gain, but it actually promotes good
sleep, which will result in greater and more sustained levels
of growth hormone release throughout the evening.
Whenever you flex, it’s very important to approach it
with a positive frame of mind. If you do a whole-body flex
and you look in the minor and say, “Yeah, right. Fat
chance,” you’ll be short-circuiting your potential
for muscle growth. (Why should your body work so hard if you’re
going to be negative about it?) At the same time you shouldn’t
be egotistical, thinking, “I’m one very hot dude.”
The reason for flexing is not arrogance or vanity, but good
solid muscular development. By flexing regularly and acknowledging
your hard-earned gains, you’ll build confidence in your
muscle-making abilities, which will lead to greater growth.
Approach flexing as another part of your balanced training
program. Always find room for it at least once per exercise
cycle. You can do it on your day off from the gym, or, if
you find that you’re overtraining to the point where
you’re still sore and feeling a bit depleted on the
day you’re supposed to go back to work out, try taking
the day off from progressive-resistance training and instead
do some flex training. You’ll find that your muscles
will respond to the attention. Flexing also helps muscular
definition and brings out your veins—provided that you’ve
eaten just the right amount of glycogen-sustaining carbohydrates.
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