Summer is here and so brings along all the people trying to look good in their bathing suits. From someone that has also recently gotten into working out, here are some tips that I have learned to pass down to those ready for that hot summer bod.

Chest

Chest is an important muscle to hit, man or woman. This especially is a muscle girls don’t want to hit for fear of looking “manly” but that is simply false. Chest is a good muscle to combine with tricep work because they commonly compliment each other within the exercises. Some exercises include

• Bench, flat bench dumbbell press, incline dumbbell press, seated chest press, decline dumbbell press, cable fly, etc

Back

The back personally, seems to be the most difficult to actually work. Because the exercises also hit other muscles and the back is such a large muscle that it can be difficult to “feel” the exercises actually working. Back is awesome to combine with bicep because lots of the exercises interchange with each other. That being said with hard work and patience, you will start to realize how it works and figure out which back exercises are right for your body. Here's some to try!

• Deadlift, pull ups, lat pull down, standing T-bar rows, rows, wide grip cable rows, close grip pulldown, single arm dumbbell row, decline bench dumbbell pullover

Legs

Ah yes, legs are indeed the muscle that everyone knows well. Leg day is very important and often skipped or overdone depending on the person. Although leg day should not be overdone but it should be completed. To work out for your leg day some of the following exercises can be completed.

• Squat, front squat, lunges, leg press, calf raises, reverse lunge, quad extension, hamstring extension, hip thrusts, donkey kicks, hip abductor, hip adductors, dumbbell squats, glute extension, etc

Shoulders

Shoulders can be killer if you do them right. They can usually be added into any day you choose, commonly arms (bi and tri) or chest or back. Some exercises include

• Front barbell raise, upright cable rows, shoulder press, Arnold press, shrugs, lateral raise, etc

Biceps

Bicep curls can be for the girls too! Biceps are not always the most exciting muscle to work but they are still important to hit in order to correctly shape your arms. And for everyone's ears, biceps are not only for frat boys who wanna show off at the next party, they’re for everyone! Kill your next bicep workout with these exercises.

• Lots and lots of curls (dumbbell curls, bar curls, close grip curls, wide grip curls),etc

Triceps

Triceps are personally my favorite muscle to hit. The exercises for them are complex but very effective and really easy to figure out if you are doing them correctly. Some tricep killer exercises include

• Dips, EZ bar tricep extension, tricep pull down, V bar tricep pushdown, reverse grip tricep extension, seated tricep press etc

Abs

Although there is a common misconception that a million crunches will give you a six pack. Realistically, abs showing come from hard work with overall workouts and nutrition and body fat percentage. Abs are formed by a strong core that is established from other body parts, there is no way to specifically target abs but doing the following will help develop a strong core which can lead way to abs.

• Planks, crunches, russian twists, bicycle crunch, v-up, dynamic planks, side crunches, etc

Cardio

Cardio is a great way to burn some extra calories but it should not, in my opinion should not be used as the only form of exercise. Yes, when combined with other exercises it serves as a great benefit to whatever goals each individual is trying to reach but it should not be the only thing a person does at the gym. HIT (high interval training) is also a really good way to do cardio in order to reach your goals without spending two hours on the treadmill.

• Treadmill, elliptical, bike, running, jogging, walking,stair stepper, incline treadmill, etc

Good luck to all of you getting your new bodies on and keeping up with the healthy lifestyle. I hope this is helpful and you find a new favorite muscle to workout!