The arms and shoulders are possibly the most popular muscles to develop. They are at least the most popular for the teenage male to worry over the development of. The arms consist of three main muscles – the biceps, the triceps and the forearms.

The biceps are best worked by the traditional dumbbell curl. Variations include the barbell curl and the hammer curl, which is a dumbbell curl with the palms facing inwards. There are several exercises for the triceps, including tricep extensions.

The forearms can be worked with normal and reverse wrist curls. The shoulders consist of two main muscle groups, the deltoids and the traps. The deltoids can be exercised with military presses and arm raises. The traps are best developed using heavy dumbbells shrugs.

The chest muscles are the pectorals. A massive chest is instrumental to effective bodybuilding. The two exercises used to develop huge pecs are bench presses and flys. Bench presses can be done with machines or free weights, and both dumbbells and barbells can be used.

The machines allow one to lift without the spotter, and to press a larger weight. Free weights help train additional muscles, and help build muscle control. Flys can be done with dumbbells or fly machines.

The back is often underdeveloped in comparison to the chest by amateurs. This is a disappointment, as a massive back can contribute mightily to the overall impression. The best exercises for working the back are wide grip chin-ups and rows. Like the bench press, rows can be done with either a machine, a barbell, or with a dumbbell.

The legs also consist of three main muscle groups. They are the calves, in the lower legs, and the quadriceps and the hamstrings in the upper legs. The calves can be worked with calf raises.

Simply stand on a step or phone book, with the heels hanging over the edge, and gently raise and lower your body on your toes. Dumbbells can be used to increase the weight. The quads and the hammys can be worked with machines in the form of leg extensions and hamstring curls respectively.

The abs are a key area to work in every session. Sit-ups or partial curl-ups can work the lower abs. Leg raises can be used for the upper abs. On the side of the abdominal region are the oblique muscles, which can be worked with side leg raises.

Your warm up may consist of 3-4 parts: cardio to increase body temperature, stretching to prevent injury, calisthenics, and exercises.

Start by doing some cardio to raise your body temperature. For 5-10 minutes, run on a treadmill. Or for those who are bodybuilding at home, take a run around the block.

Once your body is warm, do some stretching. This helps prevent injury during your workout. Focus your stretching on the area of your body that you are planning on working that day.

For example, if you are working on your upper body, some stretches for your shoulder you might try are:

- Pectoral/deltoid stretch – lift your arms straight behind you until you feel a pull (Keep chin up and torso straight)

- Triceps stretch – cross one arm across the front of your body, pull elbow with other hand

- Overhead triceps stretch – raise one arm over head, pull elbow with other hand

Be sure to do both stretches that try to measure/extend your range of motion such as the triceps stretch, as well as stretches that can contract and then relax your muscle. Also, be careful not to overstretch – stretch just enough that your muscles don’t feel tight.

You could also choose to do some calisthenics, to warm up different muscle groups and get them prepared to work, and to give your body more of a total body workout before you begin focusing on a certain muscle group. You can try the following:

- Push ups

- Lunges (with small weights in hands, and feet shoulder width apart, step forward with one leg, bending knee)

- Body squats (without weights)

- Chin ups

Once you’ve warmed your body and stretched, you may want to get started right away on your first set. Don’t. Finish your warm up by heading over to the machine you are going to use, and doing a few reps with gradually increasing weight.

For example, if you are planning to bench press 225 today, start by pressing 100 seven to nine times, then increase the weight in increments of 50 – 75 while decreasing the reps (50 x nine, 100 x eight, 150 x six and so on) until you reach your target weight. Once you’ve reached your workout weight, start your first set.

A warm up allows your body to adjust to your workout. This will make your bodybuilding session more effective, as well as preventing injury to your joints.

What exactly causes stretch marks? Stretch marks are formed when the skin is stretched rapidly with muscle growth or pregnancy. They are not only common on your stomach, but can also appear on buttocks, arms, hips, thighs, and breasts. However, given the right treatment and care, you can prevent them from starting.

One treatment that helps some people is the administration of cocoa butter or other moisturizing creams to the area. It is believed that the moisture helps the skin to stretch and prevent stretch marks from appearing. These lotions contain alpha hydroxy acid and remove the top layer of cells, thus lessening the visibility of the stretch marks.

Overall, though, it hasn’t been proven that creams will actually prevent them. There are some lotions that can be obtained from dermatologists to lessen your stretch marks, but they must be used only after delivery if you are pregnant.

Another possible treatment, if you can afford it, is surgery. Chemical peels or lasers can remove stretch marks, but these can only be used to a certain depth so they won’t cause scarring themselves.

One drawback of the aforementioned procedures is that they can’t be done on dark-skinned people. If the stretch marks are on the tummy, then a tummy tuck can permanently remove them since the lower region of the stomach are removed.

Nutrition and diet also have a lot to do with the prevention of stretch marks. A diet rich in zinc, vitamins A, D, & C, and protein can help improve your skin’s quality and prevent stretch marks. It is also important to drink plenty of water, at least 8 to 10 glasses a day.

You should reduce the amount of tea, coffee, and soda you drink. Adequate water intake will make your skin soft and pliable which will prevent it from tearing and causing stretch marks.

And last, but certainly not least, good old fashioned genes help prevent stretch marks. The elasticity of your skin has a lot to do with your genetics.

If you are a woman and your mother didn’t get stretch marks when she was pregnant, then chances are you won’t either. If she had them, then you might want to take note of some of the above treatments because you will most likely get them, too.

More on Stretch Marks.