5 Workout Routines That Will Make You Look Good In A T-Shirt (Part 6)
We all wear t-shirts, but while this is the case, few of us know its history. Its humble beginnings can be traced as far back as the 19th Century, where it was considered a lowly piece of underwear. But thanks to the sailors and the Marines, the t-shirt found its way into popular culture in the 1950’s, and has since become the most popular piece of clothing that it is today.
Now, since you’ll be walking around in your underwear, then you might as well make sure that you’ll look really impressive in it. Commit to the five steps in this article, and you’ll not only make sure you always look your best in a t-shirt, but achieve a figure that’s both commanding and powerful too.
Step 1: Build Your Back
Fitness buffs tend to just pay attention to the front of their bodies and end up only working out the chest, the shoulders, the front sections of the arms, and of course, the abs. But if you’re to really look your best in a t-shirt, you must also pay your backside, or particularly the triceps, just as much attention.
To work the back of your arms, perform these three routines weekly:
1) Narrow Grip Pushups: Push-ups have long been the go-to routine for developing the arms. But just so you know you’re targeting your triceps properly; make sure that your hands are much closer from each other so that every time you lower and push yourself back up, your elbows get in contact with your ribcage.
2) Dips: Dips are another crucial triceps-building routine. To do it correctly, start by holding stably onto two bars, after which you’ll need to keep your body suspended in the air. Next, you’ll need to prop yourself as far down as you can, or up to such a point where your elbows are at a 90-degree angle, after which you’ve to pull yourself back up.
3) Tricep Pushdowns: Tricep pushdowns are best performed using a cable contraption apparatus that’s rigged either with a bar or a rope. To ensure efficient triceps workout, begin by holding onto the bar or the rope with your arms at a 90-degree angle. Afterwards, extend your arms up to such a point that they’re fully straight.
Step 2: Get Your “V” Toned
No matter how well-toned your arms and shoulders are, you still won’t look good in a t-shirt if you’ve got a beer belly or a muffin top. Now, to achieve a well-toned mid-section, you’ll need to integrate routines that will help develop a “belt” of muscles in and around your tummy area. This belt of muscles will be responsible for drawing in the waist so as to keep the stomach flat at all times.
To achieve this, you’ll have to integrate these four movements in your weekly workout regimen:
1) Abdominal flexion efficiently works the “rectus abdomonis”, or the group of muscles found right on the front of the tummy area.
2) Rotation, meanwhile, takes care of the internal and external obliques – the muscle groups that are located on the side of the abdomen.
3) Waist extension, which works the low back muscles, enhances your posture as well as enables you to suck your stomach in.
4) And last but not the least, planking, which is a wide-ranging exercise, to ensure that all the mentioned muscles above get to be toned at the same time using just this one routine.
To maximize your workout, draw up a circuit which will consist of a routine each from the exercise categories above. Repeat said circuit three or four times with very minimal rests in between.
Step 3: Develop Your Traps
A skinny neck is another thing that can easily ruin your look. If you happen to have a skinny neck though, the solution isn’t to target the neck muscles. Instead, work on the trapezius, or more commonly referred to as “traps”. Do so and you’ll naturally achieve a well-toned muscular neck.
The main function of the traps is for “shrugging the shoulders”. And the exercise routines that best target the traps are farmer’s walks, barbell or dumbbell deadlifts, walking lunges, and of course, dumbbell shoulder shrugs.
Always remember to not allow your shoulders to fall when executing these exercises. One effective strategy to achieve this would be to picture the upper section of your shoulder touching the base of your earlobes. This way, your traps contract properly while you’re doing the routines.
Step 4: Squeeze Back Your Shoulders
If you’ve a desk-bound job, or you spend hours on end swimming or behind the saddle of your beloved bike, then you most likely have a hunched back, wherein the upper section of your spine features this unsightly curvature.
Frequently assuming the hunched-over position, and combine that with weak shoulder or tight chest muscles, and you’ll really end up with this physical feature. Sure, slumped shoulders look all right from the front. But this won’t be the case if people look at you from the side.
But worry not as there are a handful of exercises which can address this issue. These routines are ones that’ll drive you to squeeze back your shoulders so as to correct your posture. Examples of these would be very slow push-ups, wherein you’ll lower your body down while counting from 1-2-3, and then push gradually back up again following this slow counting. Of course, pull-ups and pull-downs, and standing and seated rows, are ideal workout routines for squeezing back your shoulders muscles too.
A handful of guidelines to ensure you’re doing these routines right:
- Make sure that your back is straight, and that both shoulder blades are aligned and their muscles contracted, as well as your abs sucked in, whenever you’re performing the routines.
- Correct breathing should be done if you’re to correct your posture. When doing the weight training segment of the exercise, make sure you breathe in as you lift, and breathe out as you bring the weight down.
Step 5: Acquire The Right Kind of T-Shirt
Of course, you must make sure you choose the right kind of t-shirt to wear. Folks who unfortunately end up looking sloppy in this item of clothing either have chosen incorrect sizes or have picked up brands that have been made with synthetic materials such as synthetic nylon and polyester.
When buying a t-shirt, make sure you get one that’s labelled with “fitted” (for girls), and “muscle-fit” (for guys) as these types are the ones that’ll form-fit your body.
Also, always choose t-shirts that are made from high quality cotton as this material is least likely to crease and crimp ensuring a maximum form-fit every time.
That’s it!
Build your back, get your V toned, develop your traps, squeeze back your shoulders and acquire the right kind of t-shirt, and you’ll surely end up looking really impressive in a t-shirt!