Logan Steele
Flexing your muscles is not only about aesthetics, it can also improve your mental and physical health. For instance, flexing can help treat headaches, high blood pressure, digestive problems, and insomnia. Moreover, it can make your muscles stronger. There are various ways to flex different muscle groups, such as your biceps, back, and shoulders. For example, to flex your biceps, you should start with your arms by your sides and make a fist. Then, extend your arm straight down or out to the side and tense your muscles. Finally, slowly bend your elbow to tighten your bicep.
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What You'll Learn
Flexing your biceps
To flex your biceps, start by making a fist with your arms hanging by your sides. Then, extend and tense your arm straight down or out to the side. This lets the arm start at its most expanded state. From here, slowly bend your elbow to tighten your bicep. As you do this, focus your energy on tightening the muscles in your arms. Turn your closed fist so that it's facing your head with your thumb pointing backward. Hold this position to showcase your flexed bicep. Remember not to hold the flex for too long before releasing it.
If you want to build your biceps, you can use dumbbells or barbells. Choose the type of weight you're most comfortable with. When lifting weights, keep your elbows pressed tight to your sides to ensure the focus remains on your biceps. Bend your elbows and raise the weights to shoulder height. At the top of the lift, tense your bicep muscles even more by tightening them while your elbows are still bent. This extra tensing will increase the strengthening effect with each repetition. Finally, slowly lower the weights by extending your elbows until your arms are almost straight.
It's important to focus solely on your biceps when lifting weights to strengthen and flex them. Using other muscles to assist in the lift reduces the effectiveness of the exercise on your biceps. Stop the lift before your arm fully contracts, as your biceps stop working once your arm is fully extended. By learning to recognize the feeling of your bicep contracting during a lift, you can later use this awareness to showcase your muscles when flexing.
Additionally, maintaining proper form during your lifts is crucial. Ensure your elbows remain tight to your sides, and resist the urge to let them drift forward. Allowing your elbows to drift forward engages other muscles, reducing the isolation of the bicep muscle. Proper form maximizes the effectiveness of the exercise on your biceps and minimizes the risk of injury.
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Flexing your shoulders
To flex your shoulders effectively, you need to understand the muscles in your shoulders and how they work. The first step is to raise your shoulders slightly to activate your trapezius muscles, also known as "traps". Be careful not to shrug your shoulders too high, as this can make you look tense and awkward. Instead, focus on tightening your deltoid muscles, which are the rounded part of your shoulders, also called "delts".
There are a few exercises you can do to improve your shoulder flexibility and make them easier to flex. One such exercise is to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height. Start by making small circles with your arms, gradually increasing the size of the circles. Do this for 30 seconds in one direction, then switch and go in the opposite direction for another 30 seconds. This exercise increases blood flow to the shoulder muscles, improves your range of motion, and helps loosen up your joints.
Another exercise to improve shoulder flexibility is to hold a resistance band or a long stick, such as a broomstick, with a wide grip in front of you. Keeping your arms straight, lift the band or stick over your head and move it behind your back without releasing your grip. Then, bring it back to the starting position over your head. Repeat this movement 10-15 times, ensuring that your movements are slow and controlled.
To build strength and definition in your shoulders, you can incorporate weights into your routine. Sit or stand while holding a set of dumbbells or barbells. Keep your elbows pressed tight to your sides and bend your elbows to raise the weights to shoulder level. Focus on tightening your bicep muscles as you do this.
Additionally, when flexing your shoulders for pictures, experiment with different angles. Try turning your body slightly to one side instead of facing the camera head-on. Keep your face and body relaxed to avoid looking stiff or unnatural. With practice, flexing your shoulders effectively and making them look good in photos will become more natural.
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Flexing your back
One way to flex your back muscles is to do the "zombie arms" pose. Stand up straight and relax your arms by your sides. Then, raise your arms in front of you as if you were a zombie reaching out for something. As you do this, flex your lats by pulling your shoulders back, together, and down. You can also try the "T. Rex" pose, where you hold your arms by your sides but extend them awkwardly so that you can feel your upper back contract.
If you want to focus specifically on your lats, try doing a pulldown or row exercise with a neutral grip, meaning your palms face each other. This will help keep your arms closer to your sides and isolate the lat muscles. For even more stability, you can do this movement with your torso supported on a bench, which will prevent you from cheating with momentum and ensure that your muscles are doing all the work.
To really make your back muscles pop, try a rear lat-spread pose. Set a bench to a 45-degree angle and grasp some dumbbells. Rest your chest against the bench and let your shoulder blades spread apart. Then, row the weights to your sides with your elbows at a 45-degree angle from your torso. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top. You may want to use wrist straps to help with your grip.
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Progressive muscle relaxation
PMR can be learned by nearly anyone and requires only 10 to 20 minutes per day to practice. It is often practised at night to help people fall asleep. The technique involves working your way up the body, contracting and relaxing muscle groups. Most practitioners recommend tensing and relaxing the muscle groups one at a time, in a specific order, generally beginning with the lower extremities and ending with the face, abdomen, and chest.
You can practice PMR seated or lying down, wearing comfortable clothing, and in a quiet place free of distractions. While inhaling, contract one muscle group (e.g. your upper thighs) for 5 to 10 seconds, then exhale and suddenly release the tension in that muscle group. Give yourself 10 to 20 seconds to relax before moving on to the next muscle group. While releasing the tension, focus on the changes you feel when the muscle group is relaxed. Imagery may be helpful here, such as imagining that stressful feelings are flowing out of your body.
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Isometric exercises
- Planks: Hold a plank position with your core, leg, and upper body muscles contracted to hold you up while remaining in the same position. You can also try a VertiMax Plank Hold using resistance bands attached to the waist to increase core engagement.
- Wall sits: This exercise involves sitting against a wall with your back straight and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Hold this position for as long as you can, focusing on maintaining strength and improving stabilization.
- Isometric squat: Stand on a VertiMax platform with resistance bands attached to your waist and lower into a squat position. Hold this position to strengthen your quads, glutes, and core.
- Calf raises: Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and place your hands on your hips. Push into the balls of your feet and lift your heels off the ground. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds and then switch sides.
- Hip thrusts: Lie on your back with your knees flexed, feet and palms flat on the ground, and hands on your sides. Gently thrust your hips upwards and hold this position for 10 seconds before lowering back down.
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Frequently asked questions
Start by extending and tensing your arm straight down or out to the side. Then, slowly bend your elbow and tighten your bicep. Turn your hand so that your closed fist is facing your head with your thumb pointing backward. Hold this position to showcase your muscles.
Try a rear lat spread pose. Flex your calves and move one leg backward. Hold your arms upward, bending them at the elbows so they curl toward each other. Then, stand up straight to stretch out your back and show its full length.
Stand tall with good posture. Lift your shoulders slightly to activate your trapezius muscles. Avoid shrugging your shoulders too high, as this will make you look tense and awkward. Slightly push your arms outward to contract your deltoid muscles.
Flexing your muscles can help treat anxiety, insomnia, and migraines. It can also boost your mental and physical health by relieving headaches, high blood pressure, digestive problems, and more.
