26 Jun 2010

Diet to Build Muscle and Lose Fat - How to Get in Shape in 8 Weeks

If you are looking for a diet to build muscle and lose fat then this article will show you how. We outline an 8 week program to deliver your results, though to have some long term success the plan has to become your lifestyle. This way you will be in shape all year round apart from the occasional holidays where we all treat ourselves to some junk food and desserts etc. Then just get back on the program to get quickly in shape again.


Using this 8 week action plan you will be able to build muscle and lose fat with the tips we give you:

Building muscle - Without doubt the quickest way to build muscle is to become stronger, the stronger you are the stronger you will also look. Do barbell exercises for the major muscle groups ie; squats, bench press, shoulder press, deadlifts, bent over rows, barbell curls etc. Learn the exercise form correctly and increase the weight gradually one week at a time. This is great exercise for weight loss too.

Quality Nutrition - This plays a massive part in getting stronger and building quality muscle. You'll also burn fat as long as you keep your meals healthy.

Protein - Meat, poultry, eggs and fish etc. Whey protein shakes with water are great to boost your protein intake.

Fats - Olive oil, saturated fats and fish oils. Great sources of Omega 3.

Vegetables - Focus on the green vibrous ones.

Fruit - Apples, oranges, and low GI berry fruits like strawberries/raspberries etc.

Whole grains - Wheat bread, wholemeal rice, wholemeal pasta.

Water - A minimum of 8 - 10 glasses per day plus your workout water. Water is great for removing fat storing toxins.

Try to eat foods that come in their natural state and avoid foods that come out of a box. Limit your junk food to once a week and stop drinking soda. If your looking for a coffee replacement there are lots of delicious flavored herbal teas to drink. These tips are going to make a huge difference in a short period of time.


 Lose your fat - Strength training exercises will build up your muscles while burning your body fat, its a win - win situation. If you are either impatient or have a lot of fat to lose then here's some helpful tips:


Cardiovascular exercise - After your strength training do 30 minutes of cardio. Keep the intensity low and do this 3 x per week. After week 2 include some interval training to speed up the fat burning process if need be. If you prefer to go outside then running to lose weight is also very effective.


Cut your calories - Start out by eating your current body weight in lbs x 18. One week later cut down on 500 calories. If you lost weight that week eat the same amount of calories. If you never lost weight cut back on another 500 calories.


Getting weighed - Don't get obsessed by the scales. Weigh yourself once a week on the same day, first thing in the morning naked. Take cm measurements and measure yourself once a week. The tape measure and your clothes are the best guide that you are losing weight because you are doing strength training with this program.


Golden rule - Never starve yourself with this diet to build muscle and lose fat. If you don't eat your body will naturally store fat. Plan 5 small meals per day and if you struggle with that because of work etc then use protein shakes as a quick fix. Protein keeps you fuller longer too.


 Motivation - The best way to stay motivated is to set goals and track your progress accurately. Put up a good sized vision board in your house where you can see it everyday.

Nobody ever said that a diet to build muscle and lose fat would be easy to follow. We all can get side tracked occasionally. The good news is with discipline and consistency we can all achieve our goals.


If you are serious about building quality muscle and burning off your unwanted fat and would like a simple step-by step plan to follow, please visit http://www.trainingsecretsrevealed.info

Best Tricep Exercises - Top 3 Exercises For Big Triceps

By now, we all know that if you want big arms, you have to train your triceps. As the name indicates, the triceps consist of 3 parts while the biceps consist of only 2. Simply based on that fact, it's foolish to neglect doing your tricep exercises as they make up the majority of your upper arm.



The 3 parts of the triceps are the medial head, lateral head and the long head. You can specifically target certain parts of the triceps through your exercise selection. However, the best tricep exercises for mass are ones that recruit all 3 heads. All 3 heads of the triceps are recruited when you're using a heavy load.


The best tricep exercises to add mass are the ones that allow you to utilize a lot of weight. Based on that, you'd want to replace the tricep kickback exercise with skull crushers or close grip presses. Below is a listing of 3 best tricep exercises for adding size to your arms.


Best Tricep Exercises 1: Decline Skull Crushers


I had been doing skull crushers for years using a flat bench before I saw the decline version in one of Tudor Bompa's conditioning manuals. In the book (serious strength training), Bompa and his colleagues did an study to determine the most effective exercises for each body-part. They determined the effectiveness of the exercises based on the recruitment of motor units. Without getting too detailed, an increased recruitment of motor units equates to an increased recruitment of muscle fibers. The decline skull crusher exercise triggered the greatest training response and therefore, it tops the list of the best tricep exercises.


Best Tricep Exercises 2: Weighted Dips


Your triceps are at their strongest when your elbow is positioned below your shoulder. What makes dips one of the best tricep exercises is that the favourable alignment of the arm enables you to lift a lot of weight. When performing dips on the parallel bars, keep the torso upright to optimally target the triceps as the more you lean forward, the more the chest will be involved in the movement.


Best Tricep Exercises 3: Close Grip Underhand Bench Press


This is also one of the best tricep exercises. You'll most likely need a spotter to help you get the barbell off the rack. It may feel awkward at first but after a couple sets, you'll get used to it and it'll feel natural. Keep in mind that for this version, you should bring the barbell down towards your sternum rather then the middle to upper portion of your chest as you would with the regular bench press exercise.

So there you have it. 3 of the best tricep exercises for you to implement into your workout routines.

24 Jun 2010

3 Ab Exercises That Don't Hurt Your Back Or Neck

One of the biggest complaints people have about doing ab exercises is that they hurt their back and neck. Indeed, some of the more commong stomach workouts can indeed place a lot of strain on your lower back and neck, cause discomfort and even pain.


However, doing a stomach workout does not have to be this way. It's entirely possible to get an awesome abs workout without feeling any discomfort in your back and neck. A lot depends on your choice of exercises. You just need to do the right ones.



Often, stomach exercises that involve lifting your torso toward your knees are those that create neck and back strain. However, the opposite movement is often much easier on the back. I'm talking about exercises in which you bring your knees and legs toward your chest. You're still crunching your abs to get that tightening feeling but you don't have to lift your head or back off the floor so you're not placing too much strain on them.
Here are 3 ab exercises you can do without hurting your back:


1. Hip lifts - Bring both legs up straight at a ninety degrees angle to the floor. Keep your entire upper body and head on the floor. Lift your hips a bit of the floor pushing your legs straight up. Make sure to use your abs to make this movement. When you go back down, don't let your legs fall toward the ground. Maintain control over them throughout the movement.



2. Reverse crunches - Similar to the regular crunch, you begin this exercise by lying on the floor with both legs bent at the knees. Lift your legs a bit off the floor. Curl both legs toward your chest. You may raise your buttocks off the ground a bit to bring your knees close to your chest. Don't lift your head to not strain your neck. Make sure to exhale while bringing your legs up and inhale while lowering them. Don't let your legs touch the ground.



3. The third abs exercise that you can do without hurting your neck and back is what I like to call the half-bicycle. The bicycle abs workout is done with a movement of your upper body and lower one both. In this version, you only use your legs.

To do the half-bicycle, lie on the ground, raise both legs a bit off the floor and begin alternating between them, bending one and bringing it toward your upper body and straightening the other a bit over the ground.

You can and should do abs exercises. If you suffer from neck or back pain, do these exercises and you may feel better.

For more killer exercises to tone your abs visit Exercises to Burn Tummy Fat
To see how you too can get flat abs visit How to get a Flat Belly Fast
John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. He now runs a weight loss forum and publishes a diet and fitness newsletter.

Exercises to Burn Tummy Fat

One of the keys to get flat and firm abs is being able to get rid of the excess belly fat. To do that, you need to eat right and you need to spend your time on the right exercises, those that burn a lot of fat in a short time and can deliver quick results.




In this article, I want to help you focus on exercises that burn tummy fat fast so you can quickly get that muscle definition you've been seeking.



But first, here's a little scoop: you don't need to do lots of stomach workouts to get flat abs. Why? Because you don't burn fat just from the body part you train but from your entire body. For that reason, you need to let go of stomach exercises and do those workouts that burn the most fat in general.



Here are some exercises to lose tummy fat quickly and effectively:



1. Squat - I don't know about you, but for me, a strength workout doesn't really begin until I do a few squats. There's something about this exercise that just makes the heart pump way faster. It's an intensive exercise that, no matter how fit you are, can get you to shed lots of fat fast.



To make this harder, you can hold a dumbbell in each hand. You can even swing the dumbbells up when you rise from your squat for even greater fat burning.



By the way, lunges are an excellent alternative to squats if you're interested in a little variety.



2. Jumping rope - When it comes to cardio to burn belly fat and to do it fast, a jumping rope is the king. In 5 minutes, you can quickly build a nice sweat. In addition, this exercise brings your entire body into the motion and so creates an even faster flab busting environment.



3. Push-ups + Jumps - Here's a little sequence to make you sweat and beg for mercy: do a push up. Rise to the starting position. Bring your knees close to your hands and jump into the air. This is one rep. When you land, immediately go into another push-up. I dare you to be able to do twenty of these.



4. Bicep curls + shoulder presses - combining two exercises into the same set often leads to a greater intensity and faster fat burning. One example (and you can create your own) is to do a bicep curls with two dumbbells and finish it off with a shoulder press, as the dumbbells at the end of the curl are alread close to shoulder height.



As you can see, none of these are tummy exercises in the pure form but all help to burn a ton of fat. Do these and you may see faster results than you would have otherwise.
For the best way to get a flat tummy visit Truth About Abs Reviews
For more killer exercises visit Tummy Fat Burning Exercises.

Why Older People Need Exercise Too

As you near or hit retirement, it may seem like life is about to get a lot easier. You won't have to work any more, you'll have plenty of time to spend with friends and family and doing what you love. You might even think that you can slow down or stop dieting or exercising, because the "hard" part of your life is over and now's the time for ease and fun.


Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. You might even say that being in good shape is even more important as you get older because as you age systems start to slow down or shut down. Older people lose their ability to balance, their stamina and their strength.


Even if you've been in good shape up to now, if you stop working out regularly you'll start losing muscle mass fast. You also lose bone mass as you age, making broken bones more of a possibility (especially considering the lack of balance that contributes to more falls).

But if you keep exercising (or start, if you've never done so before) you can slow many of the side effects of aging and in some cases even stop them in their tracks. Even something as simple as walking every day will keep your major body systems in good working order, keeping your bones strong.

What's more, exercising may help delay or prevent the onset of dementia or age-related memory loss, which is something a lot of seniors rightly fear. Keeping the blood pumping keeps your brain healthy as well as the rest of your body.

Being in good shape, along with eating sensibly, may also keep you from getting some diseases that are among the more common causes of death, things like heart disease and other cardiovascular problems and certain types of cancer.

Good health protects everything from your vision to your attitude, your energy levels to your level of happiness, your ability to play with the grandkids and the quality of your sex life. It's no underestimation to say that being in good shape can make your whole life better.

The best part is, getting in shape and staying that way doesn't have to take a big commitment in terms of time, money, or space for workout equipment in your house. All it really takes is a commitment from you to make your life and your health better than it has ever been before so you will have the freedom to do whatever you want with your retirement years.

Jackie Orman is an expert at helping baby boomer and seniors get and stay healthy through diet and exercise plans. Learn more at http://www.Fitnaire.com.

Biceps Muscle Building Exercises

Ask a guy to show you his muscles, and what do you get? That's right: flexed biceps! While the biceps are far from the largest muscles on the body, they are undoubtedly among the most noticeable. Shirts, sweaters, and suits may hide well-defined chest, back, and abdominal muscles, but large biceps seem to grab people's attention even when covered by layers of clothing. It's next to impossible NOT to notice well-developed biceps on a man! If you've ever wanted to have bigger, more muscular arms, here are some biceps building, shirt ripping muscle secrets that can help you develop the bulging muscles of your dreams.




Anatomy of the Biceps

Let's begin by taking a look at the biceps. Many people just assume that they can jump into the gym, start pounding away with some biceps curls, and wait for those perfect arms to just magically appear. One of the least understood secrets is that there is no magic when it comes to muscle development - you need to understand the nature of the muscles you are exercising to ensure that your exercise choices are working the entire muscle group. In the case of the biceps, we are really talking about a muscle with two heads: the inner head - the inner and outer - as well as the brachialis muscle that is responsible for giving your biceps the thickness and shape that you want. To adequately work these three key areas, you need to plan your workout around three exercises to ensure growth in the entire muscle group.


Biceps Building Exercises

Many people find that the straight barbell curl is the most effective inner head exercise, and one of the best biceps building, shirt ripping muscle secrets around. The exercise is performed with the hands shoulder-width, with the wrists and the back straight throughout the movement. Simply curl the bar toward your chest, hold for a second, and then lower it back to the starting position. Keep the elbows tight to your body, and never let them flare outward. You can alternate these curls with barbell preacher curls and dumbbell curls as you use these biceps building, shirt ripping muscle secrets to build more mass and shape in your inner bicep head.

When it comes to the outer head, we need to focus on things like hammer curs (dumbbell curs performed with a hammer grip) and French bar curls. One of the best kept biceps building, shirt ripping muscle secrets for the outer head, however, is the single arm preacher curl. The preacher bench does most of the work for you in as far as maintaining the correct arm position to enable the focus to be on the outer head. As for the brachialis, you will find that the combination of straight bar, dumbbell, hammer, and preacher curls will combine to thoroughly work these important muscles.


The Right Lifestyle for Bulging Biceps

Diet and rest are as important to proper muscular development as the time you spend with weights in hand. Don't forget the nutrients - your body needs plenty of protein - and be sure to get your eight or nine hours of sleep a night, as well as periodic days off from your exercise efforts. Balance these elements, and you will have truly discovered the biceps building, shirt ripping muscle secrets that will make your flexed arms stand out in any crowd!
If you are serious about getting ripped quickly there's a proven step-by-step technique that works:
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How to Get Six Pack Abs Without Crunches

To be able to show off your Abs you ought to remove the layer of fat which is hiding your abdominal muscles. You have to add cardiovascular activities for your workouts. You can require to also alter your diet and minimize the amount of energy you happen to be taking in at your foods. In other words do far more cardio and reduce calories.


Reduce Calories: To cut down calories ought to alter what you happen to be eating. Read the labels with the foods you might be eating. Opt for low calorie items. You will need to approach to take in five to seven smaller foods every single day. You ought to consume no much more than what you possibly can fit to the palm of one's hand at every single meal.

Eat right: You will need to program to take in five to seven modest foods each and every day. You ought to take in no far more than what it's possible to fit to the palm with the hand at every meal. Humans evolved as a species that grazes on food. Three foods each and every day is false knowledge.

Drink a lot of water: You need to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day if you might be training. Maintain your muscles hydrated and you'll speed up your metabolism thus burning much more energy. Water also flushes out toxins in you body and you may really feel much better.

Add cardio to your workout routine: It's feasible to obtain six pack Abs simply by reducing the calories from fat in what you eat however it will take a quite very long time. You'll require to do no less than twenty or so minutes of cardio three times one week, everyday is ideal. Cardio will increase the method of weight loss by burning a lot of energy swiftly.

Training in the morning: Training inside morning is really a good method to lose weight. You might truly maintain burning calories from fat hours after you've stopped training. Also whenever you work out inside morning you may really feel energized all day.

Plan your meals: Without a strategy you will fail. Make a grocery list each and every week. Make sure to pick low calorie foods. Take one day with the week to get ready all of one's foods. I normally make all of my meals on Sunday.

If you are serious about losing belly fat and building muscle, don't wait any longer. The only way your body will change for the better is to take action yourself. Start today with a proven program called the truth about Six Pack Abs which shows you exactly how to boost your metabolism and burn body fat.

Cleanse Yourself and do Body Detox for better Health

There’s fastfood and processed food and practically a deluge of preservatives in the food we take in these days. Our awareness on healthy lifestyle, particularly healthy eating started at the height of the uproar over the use of genetically-modified organisms of fastfood chains like McDonalds.

People are starting to be more aware of their food intake, starting a new hype over the need for detoxification. Detoxification is the process of removing toxic substances from the body. Primarily referred to as a treatment for alcohol and drug dependence, body detox can also refer to the use of diets, herbs and other methods to remove toxins from the body for general health.
So, are you thinking of cleansing your body? Here are a few tips for healthy and wise and effective detoxification.

Go for a non-toxic lifestyle.
 This means going for natural food, drinking lots of fluids, especially water, exercising regularly and avoiding toxic food like junkfood, canned good, and other processed food. At the same time, you can try out a Detox Diet that will cleanse your body and give relief to body aches, allergies, digestive problems and other related concerns.
If you’re on a detox program, take as much fresh fruits and vegetables as possible, nuts, beans, rice and grains. On the other hand, take note not to indulge in sugar, caffeine, yeast, alcohol, chocolates and other food rich in additives and preservatives.

Plan your detox program.
You can do a weekend fast. It is good to start on a Friday, with the weekend giving you the transition in and out of your detox program. Likewise, make sure that your detox plan is something that you can follow. Detoxifying does not mean starving yourself.

Appreciate nature. Exercise outdoors.
The fresh air can do wonders for your lungs and circulation. If you live near the beach, it’s always good to take a walk or sprint early morning by the seashore. Have a balanced schedule of activity that will give you time for work and fun at the same time. Try yoga or pilates. Skip rope or walk in your neighborhood. Do anything to keep that body of yours up and running and always on the go.
Go for the spa. Take a shower and do skin brushing to help you detoxify. Rubbing your skin improves circulation and helps you shed off those dead skin layer.

Make sure that you have a regular bowel movement.
Eat food rich in fiber. There’s also tea and other herbs which can help aid bowel movement. When you’re detoxifying, bowel movement is important as it lessens the possibility of toxins being absorbed into the body.
Be positive. A healthy mind means a healthy body. Rid yourself of all negative thoughts. They’re added toxins to the body. Smile and have the will and the commitment to your detox plan.

It’s never too late to start cleansing yourself, especially your body. With our hurried lifestyle in this up and busy and polluted world, we’re all entitled to some personal pleasures as simple as taking care of our health. Body detox may be as simple as ridding yourself of your negative thoughts by taking a walk in the park and letting the fresh air wash over your thoughts. Or it can be as complicated as following a strict detox diet to eliminate toxins in our deigestive system. Whatever it is, the important thing is, you find a way to cleanse yourself.

23 Jun 2010

Exercise As Power Source

This day and age it can be very difficult indeed to
go to the gym. Life is very hectic and busy, which
will create a serious challenge for remaining
consistent with exercise each day. Exercise is
however, just what we all need to reduce stress,
and give the body the extra energy it needs to carry
out normal living.

The best results of exercise are achieved through
the use of refined techniques, functional exercises,
cardio, the right nutrition, variety, awareness,
consistency, and motivation over a period of time.
The refined techniques mean correct form to isolate
muscles or to target areas of the body. Efficiency
is need to ensure stimulation of the muscles. With
weight lift training, which is also known as
resistance training, you'll need to eliminate any
type of momentum.

It is also important to move the weight about using
a full range of motion. Full range of motion causes
the muscle to contract for the right amount of time
and help to ensure the right length of the tendons.
The goal here is to strengthen the joints of your
body by stimulating the muscles.

Cadence is also helpful, as it is a term that refers
to the rate in which the resistance or the weight
moves. The best results with cadence are gained
by slow movements which will cause the muscle
to contract for a longer period of time. You
can mix in a series of fast and slow cadence,
which is very beneficial with sports type
training.

Using the correct angles will achieve muscle
isolation in target areas and help to decrease
the risk of injuries, which is great for those
using heavy weights.

Functional type exercise is a popular technique
that will stimulate the core and torso of your
body while you work on another muscle group at
the same time. As an example, when you perform
a dumbell press while lying on an exercise ball.
Your abdominal muscles and the core muscles will
contract to hold your body into this position,
while your chest and tricep muscles will push the
dumbells up. This type of exercise and challenge
will cause maximum stimulation to your body and
keep the workout interesting and refreshing.
Cardio is another exercise that is great for the
heart and lungs. The total number of calories
you burn is very important along with maintaining
the right heart rate. The formula for your
heart rate is 220 minus your age times 60 for
the lower number, then 220 minus you age and
times 80 for the upper number.

This is also known as fat burning zone. Cardio
will also de-toxify the body and help to strengthen
the immune system along with other benefits. The
muscles will contract and pass the lymph along,
which will allow the immune system to clear away
dead cells and bring new ones in.
Anytime you exercise, warming up is very important,
as it will prepare your body for the more
demanding workout of cardio. You should always
allow 15 - 30 minutes prior to weight lifting and
10 - 15 minutes prior to cardio exercises. You
should also stretch as well, as this will help
get the blood flowing through your musles and
get them limber as well.

An ideal schedule for working out is to warm
up then follow with cardio. You can lift weights
on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday then cardio
only on Tuesday and Thursday.
Even though you may think your schedule is simply
too busy to maintain a schedule for working out,
you'll find that adding exercise will actually add
more time, as you'll have a lot more energy in
your normal everyday life. You can think of
exercise as the batteries that will help to give
your life power.

22 Jun 2010

How to Build Forearms

The forearms are a notoriously hard body part to get good muscular gains on. Some people, no matter how hard they try, will never be able to get forearms like Lee Priest. Why? One word. Genetics!

You can train them everyday, as heavy as you can go, eating huge amounts of protein and none of it will make a difference if you don't have the right genetic make up.

But what you can do is train what you've got to get the biggest, leanest forearm 'you' can get.
Exercise 1 - Barbell Wrist Curls
The Low-Down
The barbell wrist curls focus on the flexors in the forearm. The flexors are responsible for us closing our hand/fingers, holding onto objects, and bringing our wrist towards the inner part of the forearm.

Technique
Kneel next to a bench holding the barbell with your palms up (as if you are about to perform a bicep curl). Now rest your forearms on the bench, letting your hands and the barbell relax over the other side of the bench. Using your wrist and hands, roll the barbell down towards the floor letting it down as far as comfortable, and then curl it back up towards the ceiling, tensing the forearm muscles at the peak of contraction. Complete 10-15 repetitions for 3 sets as a starting point.

Exercise 2 - Reverse Barbell Wrist Curls
The Low-Down
This exercise allows you to focus on the brachioradialis and extensors in the forearm, which enable us to extend our fingers and move our hand backwards towards the outer part of the forearm.

Technique
Almost exactly the same as the barbell wrist curls but instead of having your palms face up, they face down. Also you should just let your wrist roll towards the floor and curl back up towards the ceiling. Allowing your fingers out may reduce grip so that you cannot perform the exercise correctly. Again remember to tense the forearm muscles at the peak of contraction. Complete 10-15 repetitions for 3 sets as a starting point.

Exercise 3 - Dumbbell Twists
The Low-Down
This exercise allows you to focus on the whole of the forearm (flexors, extensors and brachioradialis)

Technique
Grab a dumbbell that is heavy enough to stress your forearms when you pick it up. Then hold onto a rack or bench with the other hand so that you bend over at a 45 degree angle at ease. With the dumbbell in your hand, let your arm relax down so that it is directly below your shoulder. Now begin the exercise by twisting your wrist clockwise and then anti-clockwise in a controlled manner for 'half' reps. Remember to keep your elbow as still as possible to eliminate shoulder rotation which will diminish the isolation of the forearm muscle. Try 3 sets of 20 full repetitions to begin.

Exercise 4 - Reverse Barbell Curl
The Low-Down
The reverse barbell curl is basically a barbell curl, but instead of having your palms facing up, the face down. Simple. It's good for your brachioradialis and helps develop tie-ins between your forearm and bicep.

Technique
Stand erect with the barbell in your hands (palms down). Ensure your feet are shoulder width apart to create a solid base, and that your shoulders are back and chest out to ensure you hold good posture throughout and your back stays straight. Then lift the barbell towards the ceiling, keeping your elbows fixed at your side. Hold at the peak of the contraction and tense your forearm. Complete 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions to start with and then begin to increase the weight once comfortable.

Conclusion
The forearms are a small bodypart and do not take much isolation to fatigue them quickly, if training them correctly. Always use a weight that makes you fail in the given rep range (eg. 10-12), otherwise you are wasting your time and not breaking the muscle down enough to grow.

As a starting point, choose two of the above exercises to perform after your last session of the week. As an alternative you can train them at the end of the session that comes directly before you leg workout. Both ways will allow you ample time to recover before the next upper body workout. Once you have familiarised yourself to training your forearms add an extra exercise, but remember it's quality of training and not quantity that we need to pack on the muscle we want!

Daniel Salvage
http://danielsalvage.com

Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Bodybuilding Training Tips

A body building program can be started. It can be maintained and even pursued to the master stages of bodybuilding. It can even lead to platform of professional body building. But it remains an activity to be undertaken in the daily schedules, a struggle to be pushed forth, a pain to be borne and a sacrifice to be continually given, until the bodybuilding is harmonized into a lifestyle. It is only, and only when body building becomes a lifestyle, a way of life, that it really hits the tarmac.

Successful bodybuilding is powered by the mind, by the attitude, by the efforts, by the consistency and by a perpetual motivation towards the goal. Dieting, exercising and resting schedules must be integrated into the very core of a body builder's life permanently. One must think, feel and act like a body builder, every second of every day, seven days a week. The physique adapts in both growth and definition of a body building lifestyle to yield a champion's masculinity. When separated from any part of an individual's life, bodybuilding slugs through the mud.

Today, many body builders are struggling to maintain a diet program or a workout program simply because their body building antics are still in the formative stages. The struggle marks a bodybuilding effort whose road towards the identified goals is both murky and impassible. It is time, that such body builders identified and targeted, joining the tarmac road, where progress and growth are effortless and guaranteed.

How can this be done, you ask. By identifying specific body building goals broken done into specifics like dimensions, measurements, and looks. When the goals are quantified and broken down into the specifics, the techniques to get there is identified. The exercises, the intensity, the workout, the frequency, the durations, the sets, the reps and each and every detail allocated towards achieving the objective is identified and allocated appropriate time. This is charting the means through which the goals will be identified. Resources needed, skills to be acquired encourse, consultations with experts and experienced folks, time demands and all other requirements of the training program are not only identified but also allocated specific times.

By this time, the tarmac is within the vicinity. Whether at the beginner, intermediate or advanced body building stages, such detailed precision of the program requirements is a must as a beginning of successful body building. Glory of a body builder accrues from precise identification and pursuit of a goal. After the plans comes the implementation stage. To begin with, all techniques must be learned and mastered in their appropriate forms and requirement. Geared towards making exercises count in the achievement of goals, learning differentiates between success and stagnation in this game.

And there, there in front of you, lies the tarmac. Put on the gear of consistency in both dieting and exercises routines, put on the pedal of intensity, accelerate with variety of exercises, remind yourself of the objectives often, watch out for the traffic signs of overtraining and stagnation, and then all over a sudden, the wheels of motion shall touch the tarmac. Never again shall illusions cloud your vision, for turning under your hard work will be the gains in muscle and strength, the dream of body building.

Dane Fletcher is the world's most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.

Muscle Building Secrets That Build Muscle Mass Fast

Do you want some muscle building secrets that will help you build muscle mass fast? If you do, let's cut out the chatter and get down to it.

If you want to build muscle quickly you have to give your muscles a reason to do so and force them to grow. There are a whole host of muscle building techniques at your disposal to use and bust through plateaus. Firstly you must understand that muscle growth does not happen in a linear or constant fashion.

Therefore you need to change your workouts accordingly with different phases. We will start with a common but very effective muscle building method.

Volume Workouts

Volume training is great for muscle hypertrophy (growth) as it gets nutrient rich blood pumping through the muscle. It also causes damage to the muscle fibres, so that they have to repair themselves and get bigger in the process.

A great routine for this is German volume training or the 10 sets method. This is were you perform 10 sets of 10 reps for a single exercise. It is a fairly tough workout but has proven time after time to pack on muscle.

Intensification Workouts

Intensification workouts (which are heavy loading routines) are a great routine to use directly after around 3 weeks of volume training. You can use the fresh muscle just built to explode your strength and power. Strength training also gives you denser muscle and a more 'toned' look, that all the girls are trying to get by lifting soup cans for 1000 reps.

A good simple rep scheme to use for strength workouts is the 5 x 5 routine. Another great variable for strength workouts are wave sets. These are workouts were you increase the weight every set to bring the reps down but get more weight onto the bar. A typical wave set scheme can be 8, 6 and 4. You can also do two waves sets for more volume by dropping the weight back to the starting set and doing another round of 8, 6 and 4.

Cluster Sets

Another phase to add into your schedule would be cluster sets. Cluster sets is were you pick a weight you can do for 4-5 reps, then do them 8 times using mini-sets. You do this by performing 1 rep, rack the weight and rest for 8 seconds, before doing another single rep and resting for 8 seconds after each single. These short rest lets you muscles recover but also gets you working with heavier loads.

If you are going to use the muscle building secrets outlined here, you had better be providing your body with plenty of fuel for recovery. Getting plenty of protein and carbohydrates will put your body into an anabolic state to build muscle mass fast.

What is the Muscle Confusion Workout?

A pal recently called me and asked about... what is muscle confusion?

It seems he had been watching some late-night television and had run across an infomercial that touted the benefits of this type of bodybuilding and fitness training.

The reality is that this exercise protocol has been around for many years. Beachbody, the marketing company for this 90 day workout, hired celebrity personal trainer, Tony Horton to come up with an in-home workout program that required very little equipment.

Prior to this workout Horton has created another at home exercise program called power 90. Accordingly, the P90X workout is Tony Horton's extreme version of the P90.

Let's get into some more detail about this exciting muscle building technique and see precisely how it works.

You see, muscle confusion is a methodology employed to increase optimum lean muscle growth and progress. The actual strategy would be to constantly differ your training workouts and exercise strategies to keep your body from adapting to your regimen (In order to stop muscle plateaus.)

I have heard many fitness pro's point out that they believe in changing your exercise regimen every four weeks.

This really is a training or exercise protocol that was developed to stop muscle plateauing. To paraphrase, whenever you first start working out the gains of power and muscle size will probably come to you effortlessly. However, as you continue to work out you can expect your improvement to slow down.

A good personal trainer will often suggest a workout or exercise program that is organized in phases. That is what creates some of the most successful training programs.

Muscle Confusion and Peroidization

As we discussed before, the key strategy behind this exercise protocol is to consistently change some aspect of your exercise or workout program. In addition, one of the easiest ways to do this would be to change your workouts every four weeks.

Each piece of physical exercise apparatus hits the muscles at a unique angle and level of intensity. By simply changing your workout equipment, sets and repetitions, you are going to considerably increase the likelihood of continuing your muscle gains.

The muscle does not get accustomed to the "regimen" of the work out and as a result is constantly challenged to develop.

Many bodybuilders as well as fitness experts utilize this incredible workout protocol in their customers and their very own exercise programs.

For my part, I employ a muscle confusion work out as a component of my personal training program. Not only do I vary the workout routines that I use, but I also utilize different pieces of exercise equipment.

For example, at times I will utilize an isometric exerciser. Other times I will use strength bands and still in other cases some adjustable dumbbells.
http://www.bullyextreme.com/ and get started

How to get six pack abs

Exercise Bikes

When you decide to purchase an exercise bike, you should first find a place in your home where you can place it. Then, you'll need to think about whether or not you want an upright exercise bike, a semi recumbent bike, or a recumbent exercise bike.

Once you have made the decision of which type of bike you want, check out the reviews that are available in bike magazines and also on the internet.

You can also take the advice of family and friends who are currently using the same as well as personal trainers who have experience. The reviews on exercise bikes are normally rates in accordance to their performance, functions that they have, as well as the type of material that is used for constructing the exercise bikes.

The exercise bike that you select should be very comfortable to sit on and the seat should be easy to adjust, as it otherwise it would be really hard to cycle on. If the height of the seat is wrong, it can put a lot of pressure in your lower area, specifically the groin. To find out more about these types of features, it is very important that you read a review as the reviews can give you valuable information about the features of exercise bikes.

Reviews have other advantages as well. A lot of times, websites on the internet will offer special discounts on the exercise bikes as well, which is just another benefit to reading the reviews. After you have read the reviews, you'll be able to negotiate for a better price once you talk to the sales person.

No matter how you look at it, you really can't go wrong with reading a review on exercise bikes.You can find out anything you want to know, as well as get opinions from those who already own the equipment. A majority of the time, you can find out flaws as well, which can save you a lot of time and effort.

Going to local gyms is also a great way to find out about exercise bikes. If you don't want to buy one or if you don't have the space to keep one at home, you can always join a local gym and use one there. There are several different types available at your local gym, with everything from standard exercise bikes to the newer electronic versions.

Whether you choose to buy on for home use or use one at the gym, an exercise bike can help you stay in shape. All you need to do is ride it a few minutes a day, and you'll be amazed at just how much it helps you. Considered to be a part of cardio, an exercise bike can help you lose weight and tone your body down like never before.

Susans Journey To Keep Fit: Shreded Again:)

Susans Journey To Keep Fit: Shreded Again:)

21 Jun 2010

Muscle Fiction

If you'v been training, here's a short list of bodybuilding fiction.


1. 12 Rep rule

Most weight training program include this much repetitions for gaining muscle. The truth is this approach places the muscles with not enough tension for effective muscle gain. High tension e.g. heavy weights provides muscle growth in which the muscle grows much larger, leading to the maximum gains in strength. Having longer tension time boosts the muscle size by generating the structures around the muscle fibers, improving endurance.

The standard prescription of eight to 12 repetitions provides a balance but by just using that program all of the time, you do not generate the greater tension levels that is provided by the heavier weights and lesser reps, and the longer tension achieved with lighter weights and more repetitions. Change the number of reps and adjust the weights to stimulate all types of muscle growth.

2. Three Set rule

The truth is there's nothing wrong with three sets but then again there is nothing amazing about it either. The number of sets you perform should be base on your goals and not on a half-century old rule. The more repetitions you do on an exercise, the fewer sets you should do, and vice versa. This keeps the total number of repetitions done of an exercise equal.

3. Three to four exercises per group

The truth is this is a waste of time. Combined with twelve reps of three sets, the total number of reps amount to 144. If your doing this much reps for a muscle group your not doing enough. Instead of doing too many varieties of exercises, try doing 30 to 50 reps. That can be anywhere from 2 sets of 15 reps or 5 sets of 10 reps.

4. My knees, my toes

It is a gym folklore that you “should not let your knees go past your toes." Truth is that leaning forward a little too much is more likely a cause of injury. In 2003, Memphis University researchers confirmed that knee stress was almost thirty percent higher when the knees are allowed to move beyond the toes during a squat.

But hip stress increased nearly 10 times or (1000 percent) when the forward movement of the knee was restricted. Because the squatters needed to lean their body forward and that forces the strain to transfer to the lower back.

Focus on your upper body position and less on the knee. Keep the torso in an upright position as much as possible when doing squats and lunges. These reduces the stress generated on the hips and back. To stay upright, before squatting, squeeze the shoulder blades together and hold them in that position; and then as you squat, keep the forearms 90 degree to the floor.

5. Lift weights, draw abs

The truth is the muscles work in groups to stabilize the spine, and the most important muscle group change depending on the type of exercise. The transverse abdominis is not always the most important muscle group. Actually, for most exercise, the body automatically activates the muscle group that are needed most for support of the spine. So if you focus only on the transverse abdominis, it can recruit wrong muscles and limit the right muscles. This increases the chance of injury, and reduces the weight that can be lifted.

Gentle Ways to Detox the Body

When your mind is drained, your body aches and your energy levels are close to zero, its time for a body detox.
Imagine yourself having clearer skin, sharper mind, energy revitalized, stronger immune system and feeling healthy inside out , these are the things that you can enjoy by undergoing a detoxification program.
Detoxification basically means blood cleansing through eliminating impurities from the blood in the liver, through kidneys, lungs, intestines, lymph and skin.

Taking your first step:

First
          you have to reduce toxins in your body. Try to cut down on the following: cigarettes, alcohol, coffee, eating foods with saturated fats and refined sugars (cola and ketchup contains a lot) - these acts as toxins in your body and as a hindrance to your healing development.
The use of household cleaners that are chemical-based and personal health care products such as shampoos, toothpaste, deodorants and cleansers should be reduced as well. These chemicals are inside us; we never really fully eliminate them unless going to a process of detoxification.

There are many ways to detox the body. It’s up to you to choose which suits your lifestyle and preference.

• Juice fasting Drinking only fresh fruits and vegetables such as carrot, spinach, celery, cabbage, apple, pineapple and cranberry (avoid citrus fruits). An effective way of discharging toxins, it also provides loads of nutrients as well as enzymes to lessen the intensity of the cleansing process to an easy stage.
Fast weight loss is the main benefit from juice fasting. A person may drop 30-40 lbs on a 30-day juice fast. By juice fasting, a person gains self-confidence and feels light and clean.
Duration of juice fasting is usually 1-3 days. Medical administration and careful assessment is required for longer fasting.

• Water fasting Only water is consumed during a water fast. Water lets the digestive tract and organs to rest completely, allowing all of your energy to self-repair and strengthen damaged organs. It also eliminates toxin build-ups.
Water fasting not only eliminates obstruction and aids in self-healing, it is also revitalizing and motivating to make a fresh start.

• Gentler way to detox the body: Here are gentler and safer ways to detox your body that you can try out or incorporate different methods as part your routine.

1.Change in diet.

Whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables instead of packaged and fast foods that are high on fats and sugar can become part of your daily lifestyle in maintaining good health.

2.Sauna.

The sauna is widely used by many cultures as a regular part of detox. It is a great method of removing chemicals buildups in fat cells. Saunas are usually combined with diet, exercise and nutritional supplements.

3.Skin brushing.

Again, with the combination of diet, exercise and nutritional supplements, skin brushing is also a gentle way of detoxing. It removes old skin cells, stimulates the lymph system and draws out toxins through the skin. A dry skin brush made of soft vegetable bristles should be used.
Before taking a shower, lightly brush your feet in circular motion towards the chest area for a minute or two.

4.Yoga.

Through breathing exercise, the bloodstream thoroughly oxygenates thus giving energy and improves the body’s physical process. Different positions lightly massage the internal organs and stimulate them to slowly discharge toxins.

These cleansing methods are just a guide to what it can do to improve your health. It is necessary to know why detox is important and understand the different ways on how to detox the body before you begin with the different programs.

Weight Training Routines For Building Muscle

Exercising Properly

There are two main types of exercise that you can do :

Aerobic and Anaerobic

 The first one, Aerobic, means with oxygen. Aerobic type exercise has an important distinction, it burns fat as the main fuel.

Anaerobic on the other hand, burns sugar as the main source of fuel. Despite common myths, exercise doesn't have to be drastic in any way to provide massive benefits. Even if you choose light exercise, you will still burn fat.

Light exercise will clear out lactic acid, which is a waste of the body, and stimulate your cells to regenerate. To be sure that you are burning fat rather than sugar, it's very important to make sure that you are doing several things as you exercise.

The most important thing you can do as you exercise is breathe deep. You should always breathe in deep
into your stomach through your nose, hold it for a few seconds and then exhale hard through your mouth.

Second, you should make sure that you exercise at a comfortable level. You should exercise at a level of 7 out of 10, and still be able to carry on a normal conversation while you exercise. You should do this for 45 minutes or so each day, then you'll begin to notice just how much your energy will explode.

Even if you don't think you have the time to  exercise, rest assured that there is always time. If you have to, use the time that you would  normally spend sleeping. With exercising, you'll actually need less sleep than before. You can also use the time of your lunch break to exercise as well. The increase in productivity
will have you more on the ball, and you can save your time through the dramatic increase in your overall productivity.

Cellularise, or rebounding, is one of the best forms of aerobic exercise there is. If you have access to a rebounder, you shouldn't hesitate to use it. Use any break you have at work to engage in some type of movement and deep breathing.

Any type of exercise you do will strongly benefit your heart. It will make it a stronger and larger organ. Deep breathing will help your lungs become stronger and larger as well. There is research now that links exercise to helping benefit and almost prevent each and every type of disease or ailment.

Movement of the joints will promote proper blood flow and create energy, as sitting down all day will rob your body of much needed energy. If you sit down all day, it's very important that you promote blood flow, circulation, energy, brain flow, and the strength of your heart. With just a little bit of your time devoted to exercise, you'll find yourself healthier than you have ever been in the past.