If you have a “show piece” muscle it’s likely to be the biceps. That’s the muscle everyone flexes when someone challenges them to “make a muscle.” The shape of this muscle can really contribute to the impressiveness of your arms even more than sheer size. Nothing makes your arms look better than a biceps peak.

Like any other muscle, it takes the right exercises to develop a biceps peak. These movements will focus more on a peak contraction as opposed to just moving lots of weight. Add one of these peaking exercises at the end of your biceps workout and watch that peak grow!

Concentration Curls – This is the premier movement for developing a biceps peak. You can perform it standing or seated. If you choose standing, bend over at the waist with your free arm supported on your leg. Hold a dumbbell in your other hand with the palm facing in so the wrist is supinated. Keeping your elbow stable and your upper arm perpendicular to the floor, slowly curl the dumbbell up to your shoulder, flexing your biceps at the top. Use an amount of weight that lets you focus on the muscle while still maintaining perfect form.

You can also do concentration curls while seated. Placing your elbow firmly against your inner thigh, bend over at the waist and slowly curl the dumbbell up. With this version, your arm is stabilized with the elbow of your curling arm against your thigh. The standing version requires more concentration.

Preacher Curls – Although the preacher curl exercise is known for developing the lower area of the biceps, it can be modified to focus more on a peak. Using the steep end of the preacher curl bench, drape your upper arms over top and curl the dumbbell or barbell slowly up, feeling the peak contraction in your biceps at the top of the movement. As with the concentration curl, use a moderate resistance that allows you to really feel the muscle peak contract.

Lying Cable Curls – Position a flat exercise bench under a cable apparatus with a straight bar attached. Grab the bar with a moderately close grip and lie on your back atop the bench. With the elbows of both arms facing the ceiling, slowly curl the bar down to your forehead. Maintain elbow position throughout the exercise to better feel the biceps peak contract at the completion of each rep.

Fish oil has become one of the most popular dietary supplements sold in the U.S., and a study published in the Nutrition Journal provides a pretty good indication why so many adults supplement their diets with the omega-3 fatty acids known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Researchers had 40 healthy middle age and elderly subjects supplement daily with either 3 grams of fish oils or a placebo. After 5 weeks, they were given cognitive performance tests that included working memory and selective attention drills. Subjects who supplemented with omega-3s performed better on these metal tests than those given a placebo.

True Strength Moment: DHA and EPA are considered essential fatty acids, meaning your body cannot produce them. They can only be taken in through diet. If you’re not a fan of seafood, or can’t get fresh fish year round, consider supplementing your diet with fish oil. This study suggests it may be a smart move.

A single session of weight lifting can help you plan more effectively and improve memory according to a study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. To test the theory, researchers had 30 middle aged subjects perform 7 different weight training exercises, each for 2 sets of 10 reps, with the resistance set at 70% of one rep max. A control group curled up on the couch with a good book.

Before and after training or reading, all subjects took a well-known test used to determine mental abilities. Resistance training did a better job of enhancing brain power compared to reading. The iron pumping subjects took fewer moves to achieve a higher correct score than the book worms. Pick up the weights and pump up more than just muscle.

A very common misconception states: Whey Protein can harm the kidneys!

Bodybuilders frequently consume up to 500g of protein per day for months – even years. There is no scientific evidence that this high protein intake causes kidney problems. In other studies, animals with high protein intakes for more than half their lifetime showed no kidney damage.

High protein intake may be hazardous only for individuals with abnormal kidney function or kidney disease. For the disease-free individual, the most serious concern with high protein intake is dehydration, because it takes a lot of water to metabolize protein. This is avoided by drinking 8 or more 8 oz. glasses of water a day.

A new study just looked at the effects of a high protein intake on markers of safety in 20 healthy resistance-trained males. The subjects were taking 1.3 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight ­ 3.6 times greater amount than that recommended by the RDI. After 28 days the researchers concluded that the daily high protein intake had no untoward or negative effects on the immune system, renal and hepatic function nor did it induce ketosis or dehydration, thus it appears completely safe.

The results even found out that consuming this amount of protein left the subjects with lower fat percentage and a relatively flat weight change.

It’s been said that lifting weights in the range of 6 to 8 reps is ideal for building muscle. Ideally, after completing the eighth repetition, you shouldn’t be able to complete a ninth. This is what’s known as your 8 reps max (8RM). A study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports tests this theory on 28 untrained men and women in their early 20s using 4 different weight training exercises.

After becoming familiar with each of the exercises, subjects performed 2 sessions of lifting with 2 to 3 days between workouts to allow for recovery. Researchers determined that setting resistance at 8RM was a reliable way for both men and women to build muscle using a variety of different exercises. It might take a session or two to determine your 8RM. In a couple of months, when that 8th rep becomes too easy, it’ll be time to recalibrate your 8RM. Keep in mind, the amount of weight will vary from exercise to exercise.

Flexibility improves joint range of motion. Although being more flexible can be a valuable performance attribute for all types of athletes, and flexibility can be developed through training, it remains one of the least appreciated aspects of fitness. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows how easily your flexibility can be improved.

Scientists from Chapman University in California had subjects stretch their hamstrings 3 times a week, holding each static stretch for 30 seconds. This modest program increased hamstring flexibility, and improvements remained 4 weeks after the program ended.

True Strength Moment: It turns out that women are generally more flexible than men, although both genders can realize about the same degree of improvement with this static stretching program. Even though enhanced flexibility can be maintained for quite a while after you stop stretching, working regular static stretching into your routine is the best way to optimize flexibility.