As the semester continues, students’ schedules fill up, midterm season is in full swing and there are never enough hours in the day. Most students don’t have a mandate to exercise during the school year unless they are in a varsity sport or in a physical education class.

Despite the benefits of exercising, finding time to exercise with a busy schedule can be hard. Danielle Dungen, Trinity coach, personal trainer and nutritionist, gave advice to combat time management difficulties.

“I tell a lot of people: Schedule [time to exercise]. Put it in your calendar. I feel like everyone deserves at least 30 minutes to themselves every day, and you should use it to work out because you don’t have to spend two, three hours in the gym,” Dungen said.

Dungen tied in exercise with nutrition and improving overall well-being. She stated that these benefits make scheduling time to stay active important.

“We have to work out,” Dungen said. “And if you don’t, you’re going to pay for it in school because if you’re not getting the right nutrients, you’re not feeding your brain, and if you’re not feeding your brain, then you’re not going to do well in classes. And you know, sleep, that’s part of it.”

Dungen discussed those who have experience playing sports or who regularly exercised before college and may have fallen out of their routine. When asked what she would tell people looking to get back into making activity a regular part of their week, she outlined a schedule.

“If you’re going to start a routine, I always say you want to get and go by body parts. You never want to work the secondary muscle when you’re working your primary muscle,” Dungen said. ”You don’t want to work on that secondary muscle, because it’s going to fatigue before you get to it.”

Shelby DeVore, aerobic fitness instructor and assistant director of golf, highlighted the importance of activity of any duration for students in an email.

“Anything is better than nothing. Go for a 20-minute walk or do some pushups, lunges and curl-ups in your dorm. It’s amazing what a few minutes of activity will do,” DeVore wrote. “Students forget the importance of activity on their mental health. Even if it’s 20 minutes of exercise, people who are active are overall healthy physically, mentally and emotionally.”

Laura Cook, yoga, kickboxing, conditioning and weight training instructor, recommended ways to get students motivated to stay active, even when they are busy.

“We’re shooting for 150 minutes a week of physical activity. So, do something you like. It doesn’t have to be all at one time. 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at night, you did 20 minutes that day,” Cook said. “That, and get an exercise buddy. You don’t feel like it, they’ll pull you out there. Do something you like.”

While six-time Olympia champion Dorian Yates is famed for releasing his Blood & Guts bodybuilding video guide in 2003, the Englishman still has plenty of exercises to share that didn’t make the cut. Here, “The Shadow” explains the importance of the simple shrug to his legendary success.

“Here’s a few shots of myself performing barbell and machine shrugs,” explained Yates in a recent Instagram post. “I did them throughout the years and often switched them up with dumbbells. For traps, it was only ever one exercise, whether that was barbell, dumbbell or a machine, only one direct exercise.”

Why Shrugs Are Superb for Taxing the Traps

The traps are a muscle group that can be seen front and back. They are the bulging piles of mass that sit between your neck and shoulders, on either side of your frame.  Your traps serve to provide that coveted triangular look in the upper shoulder area.

“On slides 2 and 5 is when I trained with Mike Mentzer using the Hammer Strength shrug machine, using 8 plates per side!” recalls Yates. “It was an excellent machine and was the first time I used their brand of equipment and was impressed. I had a contract with them and had some great machines in for Temple Gym after. And, on slide 3 is at Temple Gym where I used this machine to do shrugs. It could be used as a chest press too, but I used it for traps.”

The man they call “The Shadow” would spend countless hours in the Temple Gym in Birmingham. This is where he began training his physique for bodybuilding success. Shrugs build mass and strength in the upper back, resulting in improved performance in other lifts such as the deadlift. The actual shrugging aspect of the movement occurs when you drive the barbell or dumbbell up. By focusing on the shoulders. They key is to bring the shoulders up towards the ears as you raise the bar, relying less on your arms. The next step should involve a brief pause to make sure the traps are fully activated at the top of the lift, before lowering the weight.

”With traps, I did utilize partial reps when failure was reached to fully exhaust them,” explains Yates, recalling those long and brutal sessions training for each Olympia. “I mixed it up from time to time, you get more freedom with dumbbells but can go heavier with a barbell and machine.”

Not everyone is built like Dorian Yates in his prime, so be sure to choose a weight that doesn’t strain your traps, as that would be counterproductive. Work on your form and progressively add weight, sets, and reps as you go. “In Temple Gym, I eventually had to get 100kg dumbbells made… I was the only user!” shares the legend.

For more fitness inspiration follow Dorian Yates on Instagram 

The French press isn’t just for making coffee anymore! People are doing the “French press” exercise to sculpt muscular, toned triceps—and it works like a charm. If building bigger arm muscles is at the top of your fitness priorities list, it’s crucial to incorporate movements that’ll get the job done in the most effective, timely manner. We spoke with trainers who break down how to perfectly perform the French press exercise and achieve toned triceps. Now it’s your turn to do the work!

Why Is the French Press Effective for Building Toned Triceps?

“The French Press is a great isolation exercise (meaning it doesn’t target any other muscle apart from the triceps) which can be used to build muscle strength and tone on the back of the upper arm—that part of the arm that tends to sag as we get older,” explains Michael Betts, a personal trainer for 30+ years and the director of TRAINFITNESS. “It specifically targets the long head of the triceps, the part closest to your body when your arms are by your side. The long head is the largest part of the triceps muscle, so working it via the French Press will contribute significantly to the shape of your arm.”

The French press is an incredibly versatile exercise, as it can be performed with various pieces of equipment. Although a traditional French press is performed using a barbell, you can also do it with a single dumbbell, set of dumbbells, or resistance bands.

A Trainer’s 14-Day Workout Program To Get Rid of Underarm Jiggle

“[The French press is also beneficial] for functional strength, like lifting objects overhead,” explains Ronny Garcia, CPT, Blink Fitness.

How To Do It:

Garcia breaks down how to perform the French press with perfect form.

1. Choose a barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, or resistance bands to work with.
2. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-distance apart.
3. Use both hands to grab your weight of choice overhead. (If using a kettlebell or dumbbell, hold the top handle; if using a barbell, hold it with your palms facing the ceiling.)
4. Keep both elbows close to your ears.
5. Gradually bend your elbows to lower the weight toward the back of your head.
6. Lower until your forearms become parallel to the floor.
7. Extend your arms to raise the weight back overhead.

10 Best Triceps Exercises To Banish Flab Behind Your Arms

Here’s How Often To Train Your Triceps To Build Muscle

When you want to add muscle and shape to your arms, Betts recommends training the triceps two to three times a week until failure, aka performing as many sets and reps as you can. Be sure to plan one to two rest days between sessions.

“This [training volume] allows for the muscle to be targeted and stimulated, with enough rest between for recovery,” he tells us. “Remember, it’s in the recovery phase that we get growth and development. Consistency is also super important. Stick with the program for six weeks solid.”6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Alexa Mellardo