Here are some of my favorites (I got the descriptions from
MuscleandFitness.com. Easier than me trying to explain!):
Seated Dumbbell Press:
Sit on a low-back seated bench with a pair of dumbbells. Hold them outside your shoulders, palms facing forward, head up.
Press the weights up in an arc until your arms are fully extended overhead, then lower to shoulder level and repeat.
Training Tip: As the weights come together at the top, don't let them bang together, which briefly removes the muscular tension.
Upright Row:
Stand holding a barbell with a pronated (palms-down) grip with your hands slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
Your torso should be erect and your abs tight with your arms fully extended and your focus forward.
Inhale and hold your breath as you pull the bar straight upward, keeping it close to your body during the entire pull. Concentrate on pulling your elbows up, not your hands.
Continue pulling until your arms are about 20-30 degrees above level, with your elbows pointing up and out to your sides.
After reaching the top position, hold momentarily as you exhale.
Return under control to the start position and repeat. Use a moderate rate of speed.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Set an incline bench at an approximately 30-45-degree angle.
Holding a pair of dumbbells, sit back on the bench with your arms hanging by your sides and your head resting against the pad.
To lift the weight, contract your biceps and bend your elbow.
Turn your palm up as you curl to place more stress on your biceps brachii.
Flex your elbow as much as possible, keeping your upper arm perpendicular to the floor at all times.
Pause at the top of the movement before you lower the weight under control.
Inhale during the descent or before you start the next rep and exhale once you pass the sticking point.
Alternate arms and repeat these steps until you perform your desired number of repetitions.
Training Tip: You can also do this exercise using both arms simultaneously. I suggest trying it both ways to see which one you prefer.
Triceps:
Dumbbell Overhead Extension:
Sit on a flat bench or a low-back chair. Lift a dumbbell overhead, cupping the inside edge of the top of the weight with both hands with a tight grip. From an elbows-extended position, slowly lower the dumbbell down behind your head, stopping just short of allowing the weight to touch your neck. Then reverse, squeezing your tri's when extending your elbows fully at the top.
Mistake to Avoid: Letting your elbows flare out to your sides too much; try to keep them facing forward.
Had to add one more - the rear delt flye. VERY neglected muscle and looks so nice when you develop it.
Rear delt flye:
Sit at the pec-deck machine with your chest against the pad. Position the handles so you can achieve a full range of motion.
Grasp the handles, which should be level with your shoulders.
While keeping your torso pressed against the chest pad, begin pulling the handles out and to the rear with a slight bend in your elbows.
Try to keep your elbows pointing out, not toward the floor. This will help emphasize your rear delts even more.
Pull the handles as far back as you can and squeeze your rear delts.
Let the handles move forward until you almost reach the starting point. To keep constant tension on the muscle group, don't allow the weights to rest on the stack.
