There are lots of ways to improve your fitness before you appear on-screen, but getting a personal trainer has to be the most effective of all. That one-to-one attention will get you a tailored workout routine and the best motivation. It’s not for everyone, but even a staff trainer at a local gym is good enough for most people. It costs a bit more but you can always use them just when you want to get ready for a particular part you’re playing. Just remember to start well enough in advance of the first day of filming.

The alternative is to use a pre-built exercise program, but ideally one that has some customisation built in to suit your goals and your body type. My current favorite has a cheesy name – “Adonis Golden Ratio” – but the program itself is really good. It has worked for a lot of people, it is designed to customise to your body type and the price is really good too. You can find it online here. There are lots of other programs available, but right now this is the one I go to first.

OK, that aside, here’s some extra tips on those key areas we all like to build to get in on-screen shape.

Know The Two Major Muscle Groups of The Arms

If you want to build your arms, then you need to know a little bit about the muscles of the arms. The two major muscle groups in the arms are the biceps and the triceps. Both of these groups of muscles are equally important and will need to be built to give you great looking arms. Ignoring one group or the other will create an imbalance and will not let you reach your potential. Luckily, building your arms is very easy and all it takes it the use of a dumbbell or two and enough weight.

Do Curling Exercises To Build Your Biceps

When most people think about building their arms they think about their biceps. The biceps are the muscles on the front of the arms, they are what people flex and ask people to feel. Oddly enough, they are smaller in mass than the triceps but they get most of the attention. Biceps are easy to workout and all it takes is a dumbbell and any type of curling exercise. Curling is simply using your biceps to lift a weight. There are many variations such as how the arm is propped, how the wrist and palms are angled.

Do Extensions To Build Your Triceps

The majority of the muscle mass of the arms consists of the three heads of the triceps yet most people focus only on their biceps. If you want really nice arms focus on your triceps. Triceps are best developed by using extension and press type of workouts. With extension type of movements the triceps are worked directly but with presses they are used more in a support role. Here are some extension exercises that can be used with a dumbbell: Triceps kickbacks, triceps extension, dumbbell skull crushers, one hand and two hand extensions. Presses that work the triceps are close grip dumbbell bench press and the military press.

Give Your Body Rest

Muscles don’t grow in the gym is an old saying that new lifters are taught. Our muscles do their most growth when we are at rest and when they are repairing themselves for the work that we have done with them. Do not work the same body part everyday but instead workout every other day or every two days. Less is often more when it comes to building muscles.

If you want more exercise type advice, it’s often worth a quick browse at MensHealth here. They do sometimes contradict themselves but you can build up some useful general info.