To get sleeve-stretching arms, the common misconception is that you must focus on building your biceps bigger and stronger. The reality of the matter, however, is that your triceps make up around 70 percent of your upper arm's muscle mass, which is why pressing exercises are just as important for your guns as pulling movements.

The prevailing belief used to be that in order to build a muscular body, you had to perform a workout split -- you know, Monday: back and triceps; Tuesday: chest and biceps, Wednesday: legs and abs, etc. And though this approach may still work quite well for certain people (especially seasoned bodybuilders), the more trusted method these days is to focus on compound moves that target large muscle groups.

So, getting back to your goal to build arms that look like an anaconda that just swallowed a pig, don't spend too much of your time with isolation moves for your triceps ... or your biceps, for that matter. Instead, stick with exercises like the bench press, a compound movement that targets your chest, shoulders, and also hits your triceps with a vengeance. The same logic applies for your biceps. Don't spend 30 minutes of your workout on dumbbell curls; rather, focus your energy on compound pulling exercises, such as the pull-up or the bent-over row, as these moves will work your back, rear delts, and biceps all at once.

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Twenty-five seems to be a watershed age for a lot of guys. Our testosterone level joins hands with our metabolism and together they slowly wander off into the sunset, leaving us to come to terms with difficulty in gaining muscle and seemingly effortless weight gain.

One way to fight back -- and keep your testosterone level and metabolism from absconding -- is to follow a weight training workout. Studies show that resistance training can help boost testosterone levels in men and also increase metabolism (in women, as well). But, in order to effectuate these changes, it takes performing the right resistance training exercises. In short, doing set after set of bicep curls like Ron Burgandy is not going to cut it (for the Anchorman himself or you). Instead, focus on compound exercises -- movements that target major muscle groups, rather than isolation movements that target specific, smaller muscles.

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Gyms are a great place to work out. You have more equipment at your disposal, there are experts on hand to answer questions, and the camaraderie can be motivating. But there's no denying the convenience of working out at home. But if you live in a small apartment or just don't have spare rooms for weight benches and other gear, what are you supposed to do?

Ellen over at Green Daily just posted about an innovative new solution called the Otto Bench. The bench serves as an ottoman when all packed up. But just open up the sides, remove the equipment and it becomes a multi-adjustable bench and a bench press as well as storing free weights.

The Otto Bench was designed for a Life Fitness contest, so it's not available for sale yet. When it is available, I think it will be a great solution for small spaces. I just hope they make it a bit more attractive than the prototype!

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Before starting a resistance training workout, you should always perform a few warm up sets. This is for two reasons, really: 1) It will prepare your muscles for the workload that is about to be placed on them, and 2) It raises your core body temperature, helping to get the blood flowing.

To warm up properly, use a much lighter weight than you normally would to perform a specific exercise. For example, if you are doing the bench press, and you usually lift 185 pounds for sets, warm up with a set of ten reps at 135 pounds. Then, you may also want to perform a second warm up set, only this time using a somewhat heavier weight than the first warm up set (maybe add an additional 10-pound plate to each side of the bar). Once finished with that set, you should be sufficiently warmed up and ready to jump into your first real set.

In addition to warm up sets, it's a good idea to perform at least a 5-minute cardio warm-up on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine. This, too, will help get your body loose and ready for your resistance training workout.

Are your pressing exercises becoming somewhat stale? If so, try doing them with a new twist. Whether it's the bench press, the shoulder press, or even the squat press, your muscles will once again be shocked into response and your brain will send you a mental thank you note for eliminating the boredom.

Although it is possible to add a twisting motion to the end of a barbell press of almost any kind, it's really not all that practical. You would have to drastically reduce the amount of weight you use during the pressing exercise in order to effectively complete the twist at the end of the motion. So, with that being the case, we'll stick to dumbbell pressing exercises.

For the dumbbell bench press, start in the bottom part of the movement with your palms facing each other. Then, as you extend your arms and push the weights upward, twist your wrists. By the end of the movement, your palms should be facing away from you.

For the military press, adding a twisting motion has you performing what's known as The Arnold Press. Yes, this was named after the Governator himself. Start with your palms facing in and with the dumbbells just above your shoulders (but not resting on them). Then, as you push the weight upward, twist your wrists so that your palms are facing away from you by the end of the movement.

And for the squat press, this is where you may want to introduce two kinds of twists to your workout. The first is similar to The Arnold Press, twisting your wrists as you press up the weight so that your palms are facing away from you by the end. But, what you may also want to do is twist at your waist as you rise up from the squat position. Alternate your body twists from left to right with each rep you perform. This additional twist will incorporate more of your core muscles into this movement.

It's always good to change your workout every 4 to 6 weeks. Sometimes this can come in the form of an entirely new workout. Other times, it can be something as simple as changing the amount of weight you use, increasing or decreasing the number of reps you perform, or simply adding a little twist to your current program.

Even though spring is less than a month away, winter is still very much here. Between the blustery cold temperatures and the solid foot of snow I'm currently staring at, it will clearly be at least a few more weeks before an outdoor workout of any kind can safely be done. Looks like it's going to be a gym workout until then.

Ahhhh....the warmth, the comfort ... the wait? Easily one of the worst parts of any gym workout is waiting for machines, equipment, and -- depending upon how crowded your gym may be -- a mere 3 x 3 space to call your own. This is something I refer to as the "Gym Stall," and it's more than enough to drive you a little nuts when you're trying to squeeze in a workout.

So, what do you do when you've mustered up the determination to get dressed, tie your sneakers tightly, and then drive all the way to the gym, only to find that you won't be able to get on a single piece of equipment for at least a half an hour? Do you reverse-slap the air as you let out an audible "forget about it?" Do you hop back in your car and drive home? Or do you wait out the half an hour, passing the time reading eight-month-old gym copies of National Geographic? Between the three, the third option is probably the best. At least you do eventually get your workout done (and maybe even learn a thing or two about the aboriginal people of Papua New Guinea). But who has that kind of time? Most people don't, which is why your cardio and/or resistance training workout needs to get done in the time that's been allotted. Here's just a few workout alternatives that may help you do just that:

All the treadmills taken? Look for a reasonable alternative; the elliptical machine, the stair stepper, the recumbent bike, the rowing machine, etc. The important thing is to make sure that you will at least burn the same amount of calories that you would during your time on the treadmill. You'd be surprised at the variance that exists with regard to calorie burning from one machine to the next. A quick way to find out how many calories you will burn in, say, a half an hour on a particular machine is to pay close attention to the Calories per Hour readout. Obviously, since for this example we are trying to figure out how many calories will be used in a half an hour, simply divide this number by two. Is it more or less than how many calories you typically use while on the treadmill? If it is more, than you are fine. If it is exactly the same, that's also cool. But, if it's less, you may want to continue for as long as you need to on that machine to at least match the amount of calories you would normally burn while on the treadmill.

As great for your body as resistance training undoubtedly is, there are certain risks inherent to such a taxing workout. In particular, if you are lifting a good amount of weight to increase size and muscle strength (rather than lifting light weights to tone and burn fat), the risk of injury is something that you should always bear in mind.

One of the more common injuries people suffer is to the rotator cuff, which is located in the shoulder near the armpit. This specific injury is on that oftentimes occurs during the performance of the bench press, one of the most popular and effective weightlifting exercises for your upper-body. In light of this fact, researchers have found that narrowing your grip while benching may help reduce your chance of injury. And, to the presumed delight of many seasoned lifters, the researchers also found that this slight narrowing of grip will have little affect on the strength of your lifts.

On most Olympic bars, which are the kind you'll typically find in just about any gym, there are little notches that serve as reference points for your hands. Based on the aforementioned research, which was published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, you should make efforts to keep your hands inside these notches. Placing your hands any wider than this -- which is basically anything wider than shoulder-width apart -- increases the risk of injury.

In addition, always be sure to warm up with about 5 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio before beginning your lifting routine. And, don't forget to stretch before and after your workout.

It's easy to step into a gym for the first time and feel somewhat intimidated. There are a bunch of people you don't know (many of which may be more fit than you), countless machines that look like torture devices, and a language being spoken that is oftentimes difficult to follow.

With regard to the last of those factors, I've started offering a virtual classroom here on that's fit that I call "Gym Lingo." Although much of what is covered may be old hat to some of you, others will benefit from this crash course on gym speak and will have you fitting in with the locals in no time.

The bell has rung. Please find a seat...

For this week's edition of Gym Lingo, we'll take a look at some of the various types of pressing exercises. Some of these are pretty common, while others are a little lesser known. Here are just a few to help you along with your gym vocab:

Military Press. Weights are lifted over the head to almost full extension and then slowly lowered to just above the collarbone. This can be performed with either dumbbells or barbell.

Arnold Press. Similar to the dumbbell military press, only you start with your palms facing your at the bottom of the movement and then twist your hands as you raise the weights above your head. By the end of the movement, your palms should be facing away from you. Oh, and in case you were wondering -- yes, they are named after Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bench Press. One of the most popular exercises in any gym. Usually when people say bench press, they mean with a barbell (whereas if they were using dumbbells, they would call it a dumbbell press). Were someone to ask you "How much you bench?," know that they are curious as to how much weight you can bench press. Authors note: Don't bother worrying about how much you can bench press. Focus on using weight you can handle and maintaining good form.

There's working hard, and then there's working smart. This basic tenet is also applicable to working out. You can spend three hours in the gym each day, performing a mixture of jaw-building exercises (AKA chatting everyone up) and haphazard exercises. Or, you can spend less than an hour in the gym each day and make every last minute count.

One of the best ways to ensure that you are working out smart is have order. Not order in the judge-banging-a-gavel sense of the word, but with respect to the order in which you perform your exercises. For starters, if your workout calls for both cardio and resistance training on the same day, the proper order would be to perform your weight training first. Otherwise, you leave yourself with little energy left to complete your weight training.

If there's any one exercise that everyone seems to use as a show of pure strength and power, it is certainly the bench press. "How much ya' bench?" is a popular question thrown around weight rooms, and the answers are almost always inflated so as to match the ego of the responder. But, throwing around as much weight as possible may not exactly be the best way to see and feel results from this exercise. That's why I am highlighting the proper form, execution and target muscles of this gym workout staple.

The bench press targets the development of the pectoral muscles (aka the chest muscles), but also calls upon help from your triceps (located on the back of your arms) and deltoids (aka shoulders). To properly do this exercise, you first have to lie flat on your back on a bench (or sturdy alternative -- remember my makeshift bench idea with milk crates and a long, thick plank of wood?). You will then place an equidistant grip on the bar with your hands, lifting it off the support rack. Once you have the bar securely above your sternum and with your arms fully extended, you can now begin.

With more people vowing to get healthier everyday, it's no wonder that new diet trends are popping up every day. NineMSN recently came up with a list of the trendiest diet trends of 2008:

• The Bead Diet. Each bead in your bracelet represents 100 calories, and you wear beads depending on how many calories you want to consume in a day. When you eat a hundred calories, you move a bead. Delta Goodrem and Kate Beckinsale are fans of this approach.
  
• Bench Pressing. This classic exercise is an oldie but a goodie.
  
• Pomegranate. The superfood is so super, it continues to gain popularity.
  
• Skinny Water. This low-cal (?!) water supposedly contains nutrients that will help you burn fat. Jennifer Aniston is known for chugging it.
  
• Marathons. They've been around for a while, but expect everyone and their dog to sign up for one.
  
• The Lunch Box Diet. Armed with a big lunch box, dieters fill it with healthy goodies and much out of it all day.
  
• Workout Shoes. Shoes specially designed to tone your legs are hip this year, even if they look a bit funny
  

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It's easy to step into a gym for the first time and feel somewhat intimidated. There are a bunch of people you don't know (many of which may be more fit than you), countless machines that look like torture devices, and a language being spoken that is oftentimes difficult to follow.

With regard to the last of those factors, I've started offering a virtual classroom here on that's fit that I call "Gym Lingo." Although much of what is covered may be old hat to some of you, others will benefit from this crash course on gym speak and will have you fitting in with the locals in no time.

(tri-sets, drop-sets, straight sets, etc.). This week, we'll learn about a few major muscle groups, including where they are located on the body, how to exercise them, and even their nicknames.

The bell has rung. Please find a seat ...

Pectorals. More commonly referred to as "pecs," these are the muscles that make up your chest (note: sometimes they are also simply referred to as chest). There are a variety of ways to work the various portions of your chest -- including the upper, lower, mid-region, inner, and outer areas. The most popular of chest exercises is the bench press, though you can also incorporate dumbell flyes, incline press, dumbell press, dips, pullovers, and decline press.

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There are several great fitness calculators available online, many of which can be accessed right here on That's Fit. Some can provide you with a fairly accurate estimation of your BMI, while others can approximate how many calories you burned performing a particular exercise in a given amount of time. Hell, there are even some that can determine if you are overstressed (although you probably don't need a calculator for that one in the first place).

One of my favorite calculator tool helps determine what your One Rep Max will likely be on an exercise. For example, if you can bench press 225 pounds for 5 reps, then your estimated 1RM is 253 pounds. Is it accurate? Maybe not precisely, but it's probably pretty close. This same calculator can also be used to quickly figure out a certain percentage of your 1RM. So, if your 1RM is 253 pounds, then 50-percent of that is 127 pounds. Granted, you could have easily figured that one out in your head, but what if you wanted to know what 65-percent of your 1RM is? Not so easy that time, is it, Einstein?

Knowing what your One Rep Max is on an exercise is an important part of designing the right resistance training program for yourself. It will help ensure that the weight you are lifting is neither too heavy -- leading to the increased risk of injury, nor too light -- causing workouts to be less effective than they potentially could be.

Interested in knowing what your 1RM might be? If so, click HERE.

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I'm definitely more of a pear-shape, so I've never really given much thought to my arms when it comes to the whole fitness/body image thing. That is, until I started doing yoga about 2 and a half years ago and realized that positions that others can do with ease, such as downward dog, were a struggle for me because I was severely lacking in arm strength. After that, I began paying attention to my arms and noticed, with horror, that when I hold my arms out to make a T shape, I actually had these saddlebag things that wiggle. Ick. You know how wen daffy duck tries to show off his muscles and a section of his upper arm droops into a U shape? That's how I felt.

So, in the interest of cute tops and not embarrassing myself in yoga class, I've set out to make my arms as strong as my legs, which are toned from endless hours of walking, running and climbing up stairs.

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