My Home workout plan for Shoulder and Traps

Introduction: I'm little tired and stressed out today as I had to do a lot of works, including workouts and got so many problems regarding indexing my home workout plans that I started long before, continued for chest and triceps without equipment and plans with dumbbells, and google thinks all of these as same! 🤣 

But I'm sure after reading those articles, including my overall home workout plan you're somewhat aware of physical fitness and distinguish among the workouts and their differences. So, I'll write about my plans for Shoulder and Traps , the connecting muscle between shoulder and neck (these 2 go well together). You can look above for my workout chart and customize accordingly. By the way, I've also uploaded an YouTube workout video as well for your quick and easy understanding on this article, don't forget to visit! Let's go:

Shoulder: An easy way to workout for shoulder is that, whatever exercise you've done for chest, the hands' positions will now be moved a little wider so that the pressure of focus shifts to the shoulders. Just remember, shoulder muscles also consist of 3 parts in easy language: Front, Side/ lateral and Back/ rear portion. I'll write about the typical ones with dumbbells along with some my own customized plans without any equipment and of course with towels! 🤓

1.1 For the front deltoid, any lift-up in the front position will hit the front muscles of the shoulder. I shuffle 3 different workouts for hitting this area. The first one is Dumbbell Arnold Press which is a modified version of dumbbell overhead press. From a comfortable standing position, lift your dumbbells forward, contracting your front delts while twisting your hands so that your pals face outwards. Squeeze your delts at the top and slowly return to the starting position on repeat.

1.2 The next exercise I do for front deltoid is Dumbbell Front Raise. Here, contract your front deltoids to raise the dumbbells in front of you, stopping just above forehead level. pause for a moment, then slowly return to the starting position like below.

1.3 The last exercise I do is Handstand Push ups which is an advanced version of Angled Downward Push-up/ Pike Push-Up (Try these at first, for easier practice). Simply lie along your wall upright, placing your hands next to each other, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your forehead towards the ground. Pause for a moment and contract your front delts to push yourself back to the starting position.

2.1 For the lateral/ side delts, start with Dumbbell Side Lateral Raises. Engage your core and keep your back straight as you raise your dumbbells to the side, keeping your palms facing your body. Keep raising them until they are parallel to the floor. You can keep your hands straight if the weight is light or bend your elbows a little if the weights are too heavy. Lower the weights back down to your side in a slow and controlled motion.

2.2 The next one in the list is Dumbbell Upright row. Again, engage your core, keep your back straight and you can incline a little depending on the weight. Slowly, bring the dumbbells up, bending your elbows out to the side, keeping your palms facing your body and keeping your hands slightly closer than shoulder-width apart. Keep your dumbbells close to each other and pull them until they reach your chin. Pause at the top, before slowly lowering the dumbbells and repeat.

3.1 For the back / rear deltoids, I keep my traditional towel workouts handy, with Towel Face Pull which is similar to that of Resistance Band Face Pull. Just keep a semi-long stretchable rope/ towel to a stable point, several inches above your head, grab it with an overhand grip, keeping your hands about six inches apart. Step back from the point with your arms extended in front of you until you feel tension in the towel. Keeping your back straight and elbows high, now pull the towel toward your face until your nose reach the anchor pint of towel which will practically take your body forward. Slowly reverse the move to return to the starting position, and repeat for reps.

3.2 The next item I follow is Dumbbell Reverse Fly. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, push your hips back and hinge forwards at the waist until your torso is almost parallel with the floor. Let your arms hang straight down, palms facing each other. Your your back flat and abs engaged, maintain a slight bend in your elbows as you raise your arms out to the sides until they reach shoulder level. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement. Slowly reverse the move to return the weights to the starting position, and repeat for reps.

Traps: Your biceps, triceps, shoulders might be popping but these are nothing without some bulging traps muscles to support your upper look. The muscle in this region as mentioned above falls between shoulders and neck also known as Trapezius. So, any workout that squeezes this portion should come in handy and I've sorted down 3 easy items from the list. Don't forget to watch this Workout Video for detailed demonstration!

1.1 The most common and great item to start with is Dumbbells Shrugs which will activate your upper and middle traps and help to build mass, strength and muscular endurance. Simply, take your weight beside your body, keep your hands straight and pull them by your neck muscles upwards, without moving any other thing at all. Take pause at the peak (for 2-15 seconds) and slowly bring them down on repeat. 

1.2 The next workout is similar to above, but done with the resistance of hands, and I call it Hands Shrugs. Simply lock your fingers of one hand to the other, in the back of your body (as shown in the picture), hold tight and pull downward so that you feel the tension. Now, assuming that you have weights in your hand, pull your traps muscles up, feel the resistance, pause for a few seconds and release the tension. Do it on repeat with alternate hands.

1.3 The next workout is also my customized item, which I call Hands Squeeze Up. Just keep your both hands up parallelly and then touch and cross over your fingers to squeeze your traps, so that it creates a cone '^' shape on top. Feel the tension, take a little pause and release the pressure again. 

1.4 Additional workouts you can lend from shoulder workouts are Towel Face Pull and Dumbbell Upright rows where you'll do the similar exercises, but putting the primary focus on your traps. 

 Conclusion: If you haven't read my previous articles on home workout yet, find those below:

1. My Home Workout Journey so far

2. Home workout Plan for Chest and Triceps with and without equipment

3. My Home workout plan for Shoulder and Traps

4. My Home Workout Plan for Back and Biceps

5. My Home Workout Plan for legs

6. My Home Workout Plan for Abs

That's all for today! I hope you found this article helpful and are preparing to lift your goals very soon! You can follow all these aforementioned items step by step, or make your own customized plan by combining those, that suit best for you! I'll be back again to write down more on next chapter. Head to my Youtube channel for these videos for better understanding!

#homeworkoutplan #homeworkoutplanformen #homeworkoutplanforwomen #homeworkoutplanwithoutequipment #homeworkoutplanforbeginners #homeworkoutplantobuildmuscle #fitness #homeworkout 

Till then, keep HYDRATED!

 How to be an Online English Teacher

Introduction: If you have/ haven't read my journey on TEFL already, I am sure you're/ will be enjoying the journey and want to know more about it. For those, who might want to know, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) involves teaching English abroad or online where English is not the primary language. An Online English teacher has great demands worldwide! Teaching English online is a flexible way of earning an income from the comfort of your own home. You can read more about my adventures in Fahadventure. 

Talking about the online teaching, it is absolutely possible to earn between $4 - $30/ hour on average and often, you get to decide the hours you want to work. If earning from home while travelling seems appealing to you,  this article with guide you on how to be an online English teacher. I'm presently teaching in platforms like Upwork and Native camp and you can see my profiles there for better insights.

When I was a Banker, I used to love travelling a lot and wanted to earn money while doing so.  So, I left my job and started my life as an ESL teacher online and increased my rate as I gained more experience. My average rate was between $4-$6 / hour  initially and I earn just a little over, according to my needs doing this part time. Nowadays, I have diversified my income sources, but here are some questions I had when I wanted to teach English from home.

1. Do I need to  have a teaching degree or license?  (No and Yes)

No -  you don't need to have a full-on teaching degree mostly but,

Yes -  you have to have some sort of  teaching qualification, like a TEFL  for some companies or at least some hands on experience (1-3 years).

Before you panic and worry about all the time and money you have to spend getting one, you can get a 168 hours level 5 TEFL certification (120  hours is standard and enough)  which I did and can be done online and at your own pace. It is much much cheaper than a degree and way faster. 

Quite a few of my friends have teaching degrees,  but the online English schools were more interested in their TEFL  certificates then their actual degrees! As far I remember, The TEFL Academy offers several courses online now at discounted rates, which come with a several video modules with specific training for teaching online. They are also endorsed by some reputed companies. TTA offers168 hours LEVEL 5  course that provides extra modules on online/ business/ 1 to 1 teaching (if you finish the course before the time limit. I got one!)  and specific training to ensure your application, resumes, introduction videos for recruiters is done right. You can have a look at my CV if you needed private esl teacher resume examples.

The great thing about this TEFL  compared to other providers,  is it specializes  in preparing you to teach both online and offline, as well as preparing you to teach English  as a second language. By the end of the course, you will have a strong understanding of the online teaching industry and job market, how to prepare your lesson plans and how to motivate your students in an online classroom. I will talk about it in future articles in details.

2. Do I need to be a native English speaker?  (No)

Contrary to popular belief, you don't actually need to be a native English speaker. Speaking English as a first language, you can initially demand higher rate,  but if you gain some experience, you can often raise your rate. I will write down about companies that higher non native English speakers to teach English online in a separate article.

3. What equipment and material do I need to have? ( laptop, internet, headset)

 

It really depends on the type of school and platform you teach on. Some online schools will require minimum internet speed (2 mbps reaching up to any amount maximum), specific RAM  and ROM preferences, operating system etc. Some will require you to know technologies based on Skype, Google meets, their own platforms like Native Camp etc. Some might demand a pair of good headsets or any earplugs as well. But all of them will ask you to keep a clean background,  noise free environment with casual decent dress ups.  most platforms will provide you the material as well. I personally teach with a notebook, which I sometimes use as a tab.

4. How much can I earn? ($4- $30 on avg)

It also depends on the type of organization you teach on. For most online schools, salaries range between $4-$30 on average per hour.  However,  if you have your own private students, you can set your own rate.

5. Can I do this part time?  (Yes)

The great thing here is for most companies, you decide how many days and hours you want to work! So if you want to teach English from home, you can work for a couple of hours for 1-2 days a week. This will help you earn extra money, on top of your day job.

6. Do I have to pay tax?  (Yes and No)

  Most online English School will sign you as an independent contractor, so you are liable for your own tax. So this means it's up to you to declare (or not) your income.

#tefl #tta #teaching #english #teacher #language #language #education #ielts #learning #teachers #school #training

Conclusion: Please inform me politely if you find any information misleading, irrelevant or outdated. Most companies change their policies, salaries periodically. I'll correct the information accordingly. Let me know for any guidance and find a sample introduction video, that got me this job!

HAPPY TEACHING!

My 3 secrets of learning skills

Introduction: In a world filled with endless possibilities and opportunities, the ability to learn new skills is a powerful asset. However, many individuals find themselves struggling to acquire and master various abilities due to a lack of proper guidance and effective techniques. This article is for those, who are struggling every now and then for mastering anything or learning skills, be that something related to sport, music, art or even academics.

These are few of the learning skills examples, however, any professional person might find the forthcoming tips quite silly and redundant, but I’m hopeful that my guidelines might bring some lights for the bright amateurs, who are hopelessly roaming around to find the sparkle and potential in them. By breaking down goals, embracing dedication and consistency and maintaining confidence, you too can unlock your potential and embark on a journey of lifelong learning. So, let’s start the art!

1. Breaking down your goals with target: One of the most crucial steps in learning any skill is setting clear and attainable goas. Breaking down your ultimate objective into smaller, manageable targets not only makes the process less overwhelming but also provides a roadmap to follow. Running a marathon or even 10 km at stretch on the first day, for anyone can be challenging, but if the same person is told to run 1 km per hour or day with periodical rests and complete the rest of the 9km in the similar fashion, same thing will become much easier for him/her and achievable in shorter time overall.

For instance, when I decided to learn singing, playing guitar and ukulele, I started by identifying specific songs I wanted to be able to play or sing. By having a tangible target, such as performing a favorite song for friends or at an open mic night, I had a clear sense of purpose and direction. Remember that, it’s very important to have an efficient mindset like this, instead of losing confidence in the beginning to complete a goal. I followed this strict rule, before dancing for the first time, in one of my friend's wedding ceremony. I will tell you more about the technique of learning dance moves at home in one of my next articles.

Furthermore, breaking down goals allows for focused practice and measurable progress. Instead of merely saying, "I want to be a great dancer of performer," I set specific milestones, like learning a new dance move or mastering a choreography within a month before a special occasion. These smaller targets not only kept me motivated but also enabled me to track my growth and celebrate each accomplishments along the way.

Right now, I try to cover and upload a song each Thursday every week, so that my passion keeps alive and the songs remain somewhere organized. Generally, on Saturday, I think of the songs I want to play. On Sunday I explore YouTube videos to find the easiest & somewhat ear-soothing versions and shortlist one or two. On Monday I try to master any 1 minute part of guitarplay, that I wish to learn, probably within 1-2 hours at night. On Tuesday, I listen to the song thoroughly so that I can also sing in the same way. Finally and mostly on Wednesday, I try to play guitar and sing simultaneously and if everything seems alright, I film it on the same day so that I can upload on Thursday. So, my 1 minute YouTube short, is actually a result of 6 consecutive nights of thinking and practicing part by part!

2. Dedication and consistency: Learning any skill requires dedication and consistency. These 2 things are simply among the most important factors here to learn anything. It's the daily commitment to practice and improvement that ultimately leads to mastery. Despite facing challenges or encountering setbacks, staying dedicated and maintaining a consistent routine is crucial. You must spare some of your time, energy, passion in the form of dedication for mastering anything. After that, just have some consistent, regular practice of those things which will also build your discipline in that particular field as a wise man said: "Practice makes a man perfect!" Learning life skills in school and learning life skills through sports can be termed as inter-related if given proper opportunity to them. Throughout my journey of learning various skills, I made it a priority to set aside dedicated time for practice every day.

Creating a schedule and sticking to it helped me build a habit and ensured that progress was not left to chance. Whether it was waking up early to practice guitar scales, allocating time after work for language lessons or dedicating weekends to sports training, consistency played a pivotal role in my success. Remember, progress may be gradual, but with consistent effort, even the most complex skills can be conquered.

I have achieved few of the very well known degrees and certificates from school, college, universities, online, offline, companies, done sketching, extra and co-curricular activities, sports like cricket and football, excelled in those and I think I did most of these out of curiosity, transformed those into my passions and just kept on practicing on a regular basis. Another thing which is very important to my life is working out and since 2017, I have been executing the practice consistently each week. I've been following the similar pattern for learning language online too since the pandemic, during 2020.

3. Maintaining Confidence: Now that your have worked on your targets and consistency, the only thing that might stop you from reaching your goals could be the lack of confidence. Confidence is the key that unlocks the door to skill mastery. A lot of top-professionals have excelled in their field on & off, but didn't lose their temper and confidence as they knew how heavily it would affect their performance. Believing in yourself and your abilities is essential to overcome challenges and persevere during the learning process. Maintaining confidence doesn't not mean being immune to self-doubt or fear of failure; rather, it involves embracing those feelings and using them as fuel for growth. One way of doing it is just enjoy whatever you do and don't think of others, take breaks where necessary and move on again. You will be soon well on your way of succeeding! The reason why it is also called, Form is temporary but class is permanent.

During my journey of learning, I encountered moments of frustration and self-doubt. However, by reminding myself of the progress I had made and the small victories along the way, I was to maintain a positive mindset. Surrounding myself with a supportive community of fellow learners, mentors and friends who shared my interests and passions also played a significant role in boosting my confidence. Their encouragement and constructive feedback pushed me to surpass my limitations and strive for excellence.

Conclusion: Learning new skills is a transformative and enriching experience that opens doors to personal growth, professional opportunities and lifelong fulfillment. By implementing the three secrets of learning skills I have shared some strategies that you can embark on your own journey of mastery. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day and skill acquisition requires patience, perseverance and growth mindset. So, whether you aspire to learn an instrument, excel in academics, become a skilled athlete or explore a new career path, apply these secrets to your learning process. Celebrate the small wins, stay focused on your goals and never lose sight of the incredible potential within you.

That's all for today folks on learning skills and some learning skills examples! Learning life skills can be done through sports, music or any other medium and applicable for adults in companies or even in school. I will try to write down more about the factors and skills separately in my next few articles. Till then, have a look at my YouTube video on learning and let me know if you find these useful!

#learningskills #learningskillsexamples #learninglifeskillsforadults #learninglifeskillsinschool #learninglifeskillsthroughsports #learningdancemovesathome #learningmusictheory #learningsketchupfree

HAPPY LEARNING!

 Home Workout Plan with dumbbells for Chest and Triceps 

Introduction: I'm soooo glad that people are actually putting efforts for their physical well-being and this mindset itself will be heavy enough to lift you up with your fit lifegoals. So, as an appreciation to that dedication, let me guide you there through some of my useful tips, with today's article,  Home workout plan with dumbbells for Chest and Triceps as a continuation of same workout plan but with dumbbells now.

So, here, we don't have to workout with fancy weights, rather just a set of dumbbells (removable ones will be even better) can be enough to overweigh your workout goals. You can have a full look on My YouTube video for better understandings. Just like the previous article, starting this one in similar order, chest followed by triceps.

Chest: I've talked about the different kinds of chest positions, types, distances between the hands in my previous article. Have a quick look and see if you find those useful! So continuing again:

1. For upper chest, consistent flies from any standing position from bottom towards top, squeezing your chest should be effective and my Standing Dumbbell Fly workout is similar to Incline Dumbbell Fly or Cable Crossover. Simply take your hands up from sides, closing in the gap and bringing forward like the picture below.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Another easy exercise for upper chest should be Dumbbell Pullover, where you just need a flat elevated platform for lying and bringing your dumbbells from behind your head through front, parallel to your chest, putting full focus on your chest like as shown below. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
2.  For middle region, do the Close-grip Dumbbell Press again putting full focus on mid-region while pushing the dumbbell up and bringing down. The another name for it is Squeeze press.
   
   
   

   
   
   
3. For lower chest, do the exact opposite thing, i.e consistent flies from top towards bottom, squeezing your chest with any grip which I call Standing Dumbbell Crossover, similar Decline Dumbbell Fly or Cable Crossover. 
   
   

   

   
   

Triceps: Again, before reading this part, I've talked about the different kinds of triceps positions, types in my previous article. Have a quick look and see if you find those useful! So continuing again:

1. The first good examples could be Skull Crusher which is also known as Lying Triceps Extension where you have to put your dumbbells right in front of your eyes parallelly. Now start by only moving your forearms down and then bringing up, without moving anything else. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Next item is Triceps Dumbbell Kickback, similar to rope pushdowns where you take your dumbbells from front to down very slowly, putting all the resistances from your sides and try to extend your hands backward a little after that. You can do it with a single hand, or both hands alternatively or together. 
   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   
   

Till then, KEEP PUSHING UP AGAIN!