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Minerals are essential nutrients that serve the body in many
ways. Many minerals are active in their own right, serving
individual purposes within the body. However, the much more
common way of working for minerals is partnership. They act as
cofactor in many complex substances and processes. Many minerals
complement each other, serving as cofactor to each other in the
body’s most essential processes.

The skeletal system benefits from the partnership of various
minerals, as do the teeth. Calcium and phosphorus, the two
minerals that are present in the highest amounts in the body,
are the key mineral players in the hard surfaces of bones and
teeth, with the mineral magnesium serving to help the body
metabolize the calcium and the phosphorus. The mineral manganese
serves a purpose in this process as well and the mineral zinc is
needed to metabolize phosphorus. This group of minerals also
combine to protect the health of the nerves and to enhance the
ability of the nerves to communicate, as well as ensures the
ability of the muscles in the body to contract smoothly and
regularly, contributing to, among other things, a regular
heartbeat.

The mineral iron is responsible for the production of hemoglobin
in the blood, which is what the red blood cells store the oxygen
in as they travel the body, supplying the cells and tissues with
the oxygen that is vital to their survival. But, without the
mineral copper, the body would be unable to absorb and use the
iron. A deficiency in copper results in an anemia that is
similar to that caused by a deficiency of iron.

Minerals serve as cofactors in a variety of chemical
combinations in the body that are essential processes of
everything from food digestion to oxygenation of the body’s
cells. The entire functioning of the body is built upon chemical
and electrical reactions. These depend primarily upon the
nutrition we consume, which serves as fuel and, once broken down
to its basic elements, the chemicals needed to complete the
various interactions. The balance of the complex system is
delicate, but must be maintained to ensure health and peak
performance.

The amount of mineral available in food and water can vary from
region to region. That is because the amount of minerals found
in plants depends on the quality of the soil, the type and
amount of mineral deposits in the soil. Growing the same crops
in the same place year after year can deplete the minerals in
the soil. Topsoil erosion also can reduce the minerals available
in soil.

Nutritional supplements can serve as an effective and safe means
of ensuring that each day the body achieves the standard
recommended daily intake levels of the minerals it need to
perform the essential operations of the body. Because the
balance of nutrients in the body is so important, it is a good
idea to engage in a consultation with a licensed nutritionist
who will be able to help you to devise a mineral supplement plan
that is best suited to your individual dietary needs.

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It’s no secret that every serious lifter out there desires an
impressive pair of strong, muscular arms. Who wouldn’t be happy
with tall, peaking biceps sitting on top of rock-hard,
horse-shoe-shaped triceps? Who wouldn’t love to have a pair of
ripped, well-developed guns forcefully bursting through the
sleeves of their shirt? While developing muscular arms is
usually at the top of many peoples’ agenda, the reality is that
the majority of lifters out there have a very poor understanding
of how to properly train their arms for maximum gains. In order
to gain the proper insight into effectively stimulating arm
growth, we must first recognize three basic truths:

1) Relatively speaking, the biceps and triceps are small muscle
groups. 2) The biceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic
pulling movements for the back. 3) The triceps receive heavy
stimulation during all basic pressing movements for the chest
and shoulders.

What do these 3 points tell us about effective arm training? The
most important thing for you to realize is this:

For maximum gains in muscle size and strength, the biceps and
triceps require only a very small amount of direct stimulation!

So why is it that every time I enter the gym I see the same
misinformed people, week in and week out, slaving away on
endless sets of bicep curls and tricep extensions?

It’s very important to understand that the biceps and triceps
receive a very large amount of stimulation from all of your
chest and back training. In fact, a lot of the time when you
reach muscular failure on a chest or back movement, it is
actually your biceps or triceps that give out first! Couple this
with the fact that your biceps and triceps are already small
muscle groups to begin with and it becomes quite clear that
direct arm training is of minor importance.

Remember, your muscles do not grow in the gym. The work that you
accomplish as you train with weights is merely the “spark” that
sets the wheels of the muscle growth process into motion. The
real magic takes place out of the gym while you are resting and
eating, as this is the time when your body will actually be
synthesizing new muscle tissue. Because of this, it is vital
that you do not overtrain your muscles. You must always make
sure to provide them with sufficient recovery time if you want
to see impressive results. Overtraining can actually make your
muscles smaller and weaker.

If you’re looking to achieve serious arm growth, you must stop
placing so much emphasis on direct arm movements. Forget about
performing endless sets of concentration curls and tricep
pressdowns. Strong, muscular arms are mostly a product of heavy
chest and back training. If you are able to accept this basic
truth and place the majority of your focus on building up the
muscle size and strength in your major muscle groups, you will
prevent yourself from overtraining your arms and will therefore
yield greater overall gains in bicep and tricep size.

This is not to say that no direct arm training is necessary,
just not very much. Here is a sample arm routine that you can
use as a part of your program:

Barbell Curls - 2 sets of 5-7 reps Standing Dumbbell Curls - 1
set of 5-7 reps

Close-Grip Bench Press - 2 sets of 5-7 reps Standing Cable
Pushdowns - 1 set of 5-7 reps

Take all sets to complete muscular failure and focus on
progressing each week by using slightly more weight or
performing an extra rep or 2.

If you can incorporate this way of thinking into your arm
training, you will achieve arm size beyond anything you
previously thought possible!

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