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3 Amazing Ways to Shape Up Your Muscles in Less Than 7 days!

2008-06-30T01:29:00.015-07:00

Imagine you need to look great to get all the attention at the biggest party of the year. The cloak has already started ticking and you have got 7 days to fix yourself for the D-Day. If you can take out 15 to 30 minutes in the next few days, you can be ready for action.

Step 1:

Exercise: Start with skipping and jogging and chin-ups by hanging from a rod for warming up.

Two steps of crunches or sit-ups for strengthening and toning your abdominal muscles.

Then go for Flat bench press and dumbbell flyers for the entire chest area, focusing mainly on the inner chest and followed by 2 sets of push-ups.

Work on your trapezium for the collar muscle and shoulder pressing.

For biceps the exercise to be followed is standing barbell curl.

Next you can work out on your Triceps with Single dumbbell or French press and fore forearms.

Skipping will have an effect on your legs, other wise you can go for Squats and back with lat pull down.

Step 2:

Diets are just as important as exercise, because it is the most important part of getting the body you want. You have to eat good to look good. You need protein, and you don't need fat. Stay away from junk and fatty foods. Not all fat is bad; there is a healthy fat. This fat can be found in fish, Nuts and some oils. Have Lots of fibers such as leafy vegetables, salads and daily products.

Step 3: The results though wont come easily and they wont come very fast either, So Stay dedicated, motivated and consistent, and do all 3 steps correctly to get the desired result.

By Venkata Ramana

How Do I Gain Weight?

2008-06-30T01:29:00.013-07:00

Try asking people how to gain weight and you'll likely see some bewildered faces staring back at you. For the majority of people, hearing that question is akin to hearing the questions, "How do I stub my toe?" or "How do I run out of gas?"

Those confused faces not withstanding, the question is a legitimate one and one that frustrates those who find themselves on the light end of the scale. While those on the heavy end can't get through a commercial break or flip through more than five pages of a magazine without someone offering up a solution to their weight problems, it can be a lonely struggle for those who want to put on weight.

If you are lucky enough to get a reasoned response to your question, it will probably involve the words "eat more." That, despite being obvious, is great advice. Quite simply, to gain weight you will need to up your calorie consumption to the point where you consume more calories than you expend. Couple an increased caloric intake with a little weight training and you have the recipe for healthy weight gain.

You may think you eat a lot, even enough to keep pace with your more weight-furnished friends, but you are probably over-estimating your intake. After a trip to the doctor's office to rule out medical causes for your inability to bulk up (thyroid disease and other medical problems can hamper weight gain), a first step to designing an effective weight gain program is to journal your eating habits. Counting calories for a week will give you an accurate view of your diet.

From there, increase your daily caloric intake by about 300-500 calories until you start putting on the pounds. Keep in mind though, while your caloric intake will directly influence your bodyweight, it will be other factors like the types of food you eat and your weight training regimen that decide the type of weight you are putting on. So if you are after an aesthetically pleasing weight gain, that of lean muscle weight as opposed to just some extra body fat to lug around, it will be important to pay attention to these factors.

To get the most muscle out of your weight gain, avoid the junk food and focus on eating whole foods. A good weight gain diet should be composed of 30-50% protein, 20-50% carbohydrates and 20-40% fat (the majority of which should be essential fatty acids). Different ratios within these ranges will work differently for different people. Keep up your food journal and experiment to find the ratios that work best for you.

Providing your body with the materials it needs to build muscle is only one piece of the puzzle. A weight training program designed to give the body a reason to add some muscle will be very important to achieving your goals. Your workout routines should concentrate on compound weight lifting exercises (those that involve multiple muscle groups like the squat or bench press) with weights that allow you to do 6 to 12 reps per set. Higher rep ranges will tone your muscles but may not sufficiently signal the body into muscle growth. Try to either increase the amount of weight lifted or the reps completed with each workout.

Don't go overboard with your workouts. Two or three one-hour workouts per week done with intensity should do the trick. Too often those that have trouble gaining weight (hardgainers) spend too much time in the gym. This can be counterproductive in two ways. First, it means you are burning off a lot of the calories that could otherwise be used to build muscle and, second, you can over-train your muscles by working them too hard, basically making them unresponsive.

If you are looking for some company in your quest to gain weight, venture into the bodybuilding community. There you will find many people also seeking ways to put on lean muscle mass. You will also find many products marketed to help you gain weight. Be very cautious when looking at these products. Gaining weight may not be as in demand as losing weight but it is still big business and there are a lot of companies out there looking to take your money. While some of these products can help, others aren't necessary.

With a little motivation, a weight gain diet and a solid weight training program in place you will have all you need to achieve your gain weight goals. Better yet, you will never again have to ask that question that gets all those funny looks aimed back at you.

By JP Clifford

Know All about Power Push Ups

2008-06-30T01:29:00.011-07:00

Push ups are the most convenient way to build up your chest, shoulders, arms and upper back. It can be performed at any place, and you don't need to carry your gym with you wherever you go.

Do you know that most of the men who train with weights cannot do single handstand pushups? When I first found this out I was stunned.

A few Things to keep in mind:

Ø Always keep your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, with fingers together and pointing straight ahead.

Ø If you have ever had any shoulder pain, stick to the 90-degree limit. Deeper push ups can stretch the shoulder capsule and put strain on the joint. This can cause pain.

Ø Start in the upper position with your arms straight.

Ø Inhale as you lower yourself towards the floor.

Ø Don't go lower than forming a 90-degree bend with your elbows.

Ø Exhale as you push yourself up from the floor.

Ø Don't lock your elbows at the top.

Ø Your back should be straight. Don't let it sag and don't stick your butt up in the air.

By Venkata Ramana

A Champion Bodybuilder - Do You Have What It Takes?

2008-06-30T01:29:00.009-07:00

My career began in the eighties. I never found myself going to a health club, much less taking time for myself, until I was in college. I had to occupy my time between classes somehow, so one day I went to the gym. I grew up without self-discipline, confidence, or faith in myself. As a youth, I was overweight and short. In my late teens, during the first few years of my career and with the help of a few close friends, I was fortunate to have discovered three very important things about myself that changed me forever: hope, belief, and motivation.

Hope

I did not set out to be a champion bodybuilder. Nor did I really want to. But I did hoped I could get in better shape with some hard work.

Belief

When I first stepped into a health club, it was frightening. I had two friends that exercised with me on a regular basis. The confidence they had in me started positively affecting my attitude and fear of failure. After awhile, I noticed those fears I had about myself slowly began to disappear.

Motivation

As I developed more confidence, I started to realize how important it was for this change to come from the "inside out." Looking better, having more energy and getting physically stronger are great things to experience, but what I am most grateful for is that my heart was also changing. I felt better about myself. I had purpose and I was doing something positive. That heart-felt motivation became the glue that has kept me going for all these years. No matter what you do in life, if you have purpose, and if it is good for others, life will be rewarding.

Here are a few principles I have learned along the way may help you become a true bodybuilding champion.

Principle #1: Be Sold Out! Whether you are a competitive bodybuilder or just do it as a hobby to stay in shape - have the attitude that you are going to exercise and eat right for life.

Principle#2: Ask not, have not! If you do not know something, ask a man/women that you feel does. Knowledge is powerful.

Principle #3: Leave your ego at the door! Your ego is your biggest competitor by far. The reality is, it's NOT all about you. If you think it is, you will never be a Champion for any length of time.

Principle #4: Work-out smart not hard! Bodybuilding is about efficiency, not effort.

Principle #5: Know when to stop. If you need time off, take it. If you do not want to compete anymore, but are afraid not to, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

Principle #5: Have fun. Don't be wound up like a clock all the time. Relax!

Principle #6: Put variety in your workouts. Never think your workout program is the best. Change it up every three months.

Principle #7: Only compete once a year! If you are a competitive bodybuilder only compete in one show a year. If you do more, you will burn out and lose valuable muscle.

Principle #8: Never compete for a trophy! If you are a trophy hunter you will never be a true champion. True champions do it for the journey.

Arm Training - Building Muscle for Bulging Bis and Tris

2008-06-30T01:29:00.007-07:00

Let's face it, most guys who start lifting want two things - a big bench and big arms. So in this issue we're going to talk about bi's and tri's and I'll share a very effective routine for adding inches to your arms in a very short amount of time.

Everyone wants big arms and it seems as if no one is satisfied with their current arm size. This seems rather strange, since most people constantly blast their arms. There are a few reasons that people don't make the progress they want when it comes to packing on inches to their arms.

First, they don't work the big muscles of the body hard enough. Your arms just aren't going to grow if your big muscles, like your back and legs, aren't growing. You need to work your legs and back hard and concentrate on upping your poundages for these body parts, if you want your arms to grow. Your arms will only get so big without the rest of your larger muscles getting big as well.

Secondly, a lot of people focus on working their biceps, when in fact the triceps make up almost 70% of the size of your upper arm. If you want to build big arms, focus on your triceps not your biceps.

And third, most people overtrain their arms. They do as many or more sets for their arms, and do those sets harder, than they do for their back, chest or legs. And on top of that, most exercises for the back and chest also work the bi's and tri's very hard. You have to cut back on the work you do for you arms and up the intensity. Quality, not quantity.

Here's a kick ass routine guaranteed to add muscle to your arms. It's extremely short. Don't let that fool you. If you perform it with the right level of intensity and your nutrition program is solid, your arms will grow.

Biceps

One repetition chin up
Biceps Curl (dumbbells or barbell)

Perform these two exercises back to back as a superset with no rest between sets.

Triceps

One repitition dip
Tricep extension (one dumbbell in both hands)

Perform these two exercises back to back as a superset with no rest between sets.

Seems easy, doesn't it? Here's the key. For both the one repetition chin up and the one repetition dip, you take thirty to sixty seconds to raise yoursel up (the positive part of the rep) and thirty seconds to lower yourself (the negative part of the rep).

When you can take 60 seconds up and 60 seconds down, add weight. Do 6 - 8 regular reps on the curls and extensions and train to failure.

Do this routine three times per week, for no longer than 2 weeks at a time. If you are currently using a routine that includes a lot of sets for your arms, you may want to drop direct arm training for a week before trying this routine, otherwise you'll quickly overtrain.

Keep your back and chest training to a minimun while performing this routine.

By Gregg Gillies

Bodybuilding Benefits - The Price for Confidence!

2008-06-30T01:29:00.005-07:00

Success came to me at an early age. However, it did not come without a price. Bodybuilding found me; I did not go looking for it. At seventeen I knew nothing about weights, eating right, let alone having any sort of discipline. Here are a few things I learned along the way that I believe it takes to make a champion in your own heart.

Hope:

Deep in side you only need a small amount of HOPE to get you to the next day. In the beginning of my career that's all I had.

Belief:

Confidence can grow inside. If you don't have it, take your ego out of it and sooner or later bodybuilding will give it to you. Whether it comes from you or someone else, you really have to belief. For me, I had two friends that believed in my first, then after a while they began to rub off on me.

Pure Motives:

Have pure motives of being healthy verses just looking good. If you have desires to truly feel better health wise and about your self, then you will have more motivation in the down times. Early on, I started to feel the benefits both physically and emotionally of what bodybuilding was doing to me.

Here are some common mistakes people make that keep them from being Champions!

1. Egos: In many ways most people allow their egos to defeat them and get in the way of the full potential. You might not get this but, bodybuilding is NOT about you! Lose it, or keep on losing in life.

2. Afraid of Change: Most thinks their way works best. Wrong! Bodybuilding is an art. Art is subjective. Each person is different. The minute you think you know everything is the time you should give it up.

3. Ashamed to ask for help: The smartest thing I did when I was first started bodybuilding and competing was to ask for help. Knowledge is power when you adapt it to your personality. You are not living up to your potential if your pride is in the way.

4. No goal of mission. If you are just going to the gym to go, you are not being smart in your training. Map out your training one year in advance. Having purpose promotes focus.

5. The more is better trap. The more you do the bigger and leaner you will be. NOT! Work smart and efficient rather than long and hard. The smartest thing I ever did was set a time frame to my workouts.

6. Off season blues. People slack off after an event of competition. You should be in it for life. You should be sold out to exercise. If you are not, and only train when you are getting ready to compete, you are in the sport for the wrong reasons. Forget it; you will never be a champion. Champions are sold out!

What ever your goals are or level you are at, remember what bodybuilding truly is about. What is truly is about are not what you see, but what you feel. Yes, being a Champion comes with a price. But what price would you pay for the freedom to live your life with confidence.

Greg Ryan is a high profile fitness expert and former employee of Kathy Smiths. Body building champion, public speaker and personal trainer to the stars. He is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT through real behavior change, smart eating and effective exercising. Start getting in better shape today!

The How To Guide for Six Pack Abs

2008-06-30T01:29:00.003-07:00

First off I want to mention that, for most people, getting six pack abs is not an easy task. It requires serious dedication, but it is possible! If were blessed with naturally low body fat and good muscle definition, enjoy it! Otherwise, below is a general 2-step guide that, if followed religiously for 3 months, will produce results.

Step 1: Nutrition

This is the single most important part of the puzzle, hands down. You can have the most impressive set of abs, but if they're covered with a layer of fat, you won't see them! Break up your day with 5 or 6 mini-meals because this jump starts your metabolism. And stop eating the food that is preventing results: white bread, loads of pasta, soda, candy, fast food, hydrogenated oils, sugars and fructose corn syrup.

Instead, replace them with foods that will help you reach your goal: oatmeal, olive oil, whole grain breads, fruits, vegetables, nuts, peanut butter, chicken, fish, protein and water. Be realistic- you'll slip here and there, but make a conscious effort to radically improve your eating habits because getting a six pack will be impossible if you don't.

Step 2: Exercise

You need to concern yourself with 3 different exercises: cardio, weightlifting and ab exercises. And aim to workout no less than 4 times a week.

The cardio you do can be anything: walking, running, biking, swimming....whichever cardio you don't mind doing so that you'll stick with it. Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week.

Weightlifting is important because 3 pounds of added muscle burns as many calories as a 1 mile jog...and this is while you're just sitting around! Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week. If you're confused as to what exercises to do for each body part, check out out the following website. It features professional bodybuilders, but the information is great and can be used by anyone.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm.

The last exercise you need to incorporate into your workout is ab exercises. Aim to work your abs a minimum of 3 times a week. There are a ton of different ab exercises you can do so try to find 3 or so that you enjoy doing so you can mix it up. A good database of different ab exercises is:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exername.php?MainMuscle=Abdominals

Well, there you have it. Follow the above for 3 months religiously, and while results will vary from person to person, you will experience improvement. It will take serious dedication on your part, but imagine the feeling you'll get when you look in the mirror and like what you see.

By Ryan Cote

Muscle Building Workouts at Home!

2008-06-30T01:29:00.001-07:00

Most people make an excuse that they don't have time to workout, they are too lazy to spend any time on workouts. Whatever time they are left with, they want to relax, watch TV or listen to music .Here are a few excesses that may just be a solution for you. These can be done while listening to music or during tv commercials.

PUSH UPS

Place the body in a face down and lift the body on both the palms and feet keeping the body straight. Take the chest toward the floor while exhaling and push up with the power of the arm and chest muscles while inhaling. If floor push ups are to difficult for you, start off with standing push ups with you hand on the wall, then pushing yourself back. Repeat at least 8 - 10 times, increase the number of repetitions as the exercise gets easier .Push ups effect your chest and arms the most . To effect your chest the most do push ups with your arms placed wide apart.

SQUATS

Stand with legs shoulder width apart and feet pointed forward. Sit down and stand up make sure that the knees don't lock. Don't move too far forward, try to keep your neck in line with you spine. Repeat this 20-25 times depending on the comfort level too start with and then increase the no of repetitions as you get used too the exercise. Squat is the best exercise for complete leg fitness. It can do wonders to your thighs hips and butts. For better results squats may be done with weights.

BICEP CURLS

Biceps curls can be done while sitting on a chair or while standing. You need a pair of dumbells. Hold a dumbell in each hand. Lift the dumbells alternatively without bending your elbows. Repeat this atleast 10 times. As you get used to the exercise you can increase the weights or the number of repetitions. Biceps curls is an effective exercise to increase your arm size.

------> Random Tip: Take a break once a week to give your body some rest.

By Jasdeep

The Ultimate Hard Body Exercise

2008-06-30T01:27:00.023-07:00

The Front Squat:

As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man. Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises. In fact, university research studies have even proven that inclusion of squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is gaining muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and deadlift (and their variations) are the ultimate solution. If you don't believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment. You won't find long boring cardio in any of my programs!

Squats can be done with any free weighted objects such as barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags, or even just body weight. Squats should only be done with free weights - NEVER with a Smith machine or any other squat machines! Machines do not allow your body to follow natural, biomechanically-correct movement paths. You also perform less work because the machine stabilizes the weight for you. Therefore, you get weaker results!

The type of squat that people are most familiar with is the barbell back squat where the bar is resting on the trapezius muscles of the upper back. Many professional strength coaches believe that front squats (where the bar rests on the shoulders in front of the head) and overhead squats (where the bar is locked out in a snatch grip overhead throughout the squat) are more functional to athletic performance than back squats with less risk of lower back injury. I feel that a combination of all three (not necessarily during the same phase of your workouts) will yield the best results for overall muscular development, body fat loss, and athletic performance. Front squats are moderately more difficult than back squats, while overhead squats are considerably more difficult than either back squats or front squats. I'll cover overhead squats in a future article. If you are only accustomed to performing back squats, it will take you a few sessions to become comfortable with front squats, so start out light. After a couple sessions of practice, you will start to feel the groove and be able to increase the poundage.

To perform front squats:

The front squat recruits the abdominals to a much higher degree for stability due to the more upright position compared with back squats. It is mostly a lower body exercise, but is great for functionally incorporating core strength and stability into the squatting movement. It can also be slightly difficult to learn how to properly rest the bar on your shoulders. There are two ways to rest the bar on the front of the shoulders. In the first method, you step under the bar and cross your forearms into an "X" position while resting the bar on the dimple that is created by the shoulder muscle near the bone, keeping your elbows up high so that your upper arms are parallel to the ground. You then hold the bar in place by pressing the thumb side of your fists against the bar for support. Alternatively, you can hold the bar by placing your palms face up and the bar resting on your fingers against your shoulders. For both methods, your elbows must stay up high to prevent the weight from falling. Your upper arms should stay parallel to the ground throughout the squat. Find out which bar support method is more comfortable for you. Then, initiate the squat from your hips by sitting back and down, keeping the weight on your heels as opposed to the balls of your feet. Squat down to a position where your thighs are approximately parallel to the ground, then press back up to the starting position. Keeping your weight more towards your heels is the key factor in squatting to protect your knees from injury and develop strong injury-resistant knee joints. Keep in mind - squats done correctly actually strengthen the knees; squats done incorrectly can damage the knees.

By Michael Geary

The Superset Advantage

2008-06-30T01:27:00.021-07:00

Supersets give you the most bang for the buck. They give you more muscle in less time, and don't bore you from how long it takes to actually do the exercises.

If you're into body building at all, you'll know the basics of what a Superset is. It's when you switch between different exercises with a little rest between them, instead of doing all your sets for one exercise before going to the next one on the list.

Now let's figure out a superset to build bigger muscles.

There are 2 kinds of muscle fibers. The smaller ones are "slow-twitch" fibers wich are mostly used for endurance. The bigger " fast-twitch " fibers are mostly used when strenght is required. But both of these can get bigger, so if you want the biggest muscles possible, you'll have to work both. Here's what you'll do:

- Do 10 reps of one exercise
- Do 20 reps of a different exercise for the same muscle without rest.
- Rest 1 min.
- Repeat 2-3 times.

Here's how one would go about using supersets to build strength and power. But you have to know some things first. Strenght and power, aren't the same thing. Strenght is the amount of weight you can move, at any speed. Power, is your ability to move an inanimate object. Or the speed at wich you can lift a certain amount of weight, if you will. Both are important, especially if you play sports. Here's how you train for strength/power.

- Do 5 reps of a heavy-duty strenght exercise
- Doe 10 reps of a power exercise ( something where you can move your body as fast as possible with a lighter weight. )

You can also use supersets for fat-loss purposes of course. Supersets help this even more than normal body building because it requires much more energy, spending all those extra calories. Here's the plan:

- Do 10 reps of one exercise for your lower body
- Without resting, do 10 reps of upper body exercise.
- Make sure both exercises target the largest muscle groups possible.
- Rest 60 secs.
- Repeat 4 times.

With supersets, you'll be in and out of the gym before you know it and more pumped up than ever.

The Secret to Legs with Size, Strength, and Endurance

2008-06-30T01:27:00.019-07:00

There are countless leg workouts in magazines and books that promise big results. Many are good workouts, but the secret to continued progress is to keep your muscles from adapting, while building on what you have already done. What I mean by this is that mixing and matching great workouts just doesn't work very well. You do need to change your workouts frequently to keep your muscles growing, but if you don't plan properly, you could be wasting time.

When you plan your workouts properly, each workout builds on what you accomplished the workout before, so that you keep moving forward, instead of taking steps back each time you change workouts. A good example of this is how many Powerlifters have trained for decades. They begin a training cycle by using lighter weights for higher reps. The first week or two they might do 3 sets of 8 repetitions. The next couple of weeks might be 5 sets of 5 reps. Then they add weight and drop their reps each week until they are ready to test themselves for a single maximum repetition. This is usually done in a contest, with judges and strict rules. This works well if your goal is to lift as much as possible in one lift for one repetition.

In bodybuilding, the weight you use does not need to be as heavy. It is more important to use muscle tension and volume of training to stimulate the muscle to grow. A Bodybuilder might choose 4 different exercises for a muscle group and do 4 to 6 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for each exercise. You won't build as much strength training like this, as you will training like a Powerlifter, but you should increase your muscle mass and improve your muscle shape and definition more.

A Triathlete has fantastic endurance, especially in their legs. They can swim, run and ride their bikes for hours on end, with great intensity! They do not have much muscle size, and most cannot lift much weight. They train so that they can move their bodies as fast and as far as possible, so great strength is not necessary, and size is counterproductive.

All of these sports have something in common. They train with a very specific goal in mind. To achieve the best possible results in these sports, they have to. This is even more obvious in the case of the Triathlete, than it is for Bodybuilding and Powerlifting. I believe that Bodybuilders and Powerlifters should cross train once in a while to break through their plateaus.

I have competed in Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, Strongman, and Highland Games, not to mention several mainstream sports. I trained differently for each of them, except for the Highland Games, which I just did for fun while I was training for Powerlifting. Out of all of those sports, I have been most successful at Strongman. One of the things I like the most about it, is that you have to be well rounded. Without enough strength, you don't stand a chance. If you are too small, you won't be able to move some of the implements. If you can lift a weight, but get tired too soon, you will be left in the dust. You also have to have unbelievable mental toughness and desire to be successful. I mean, let's face it, Strongman events hurt.

The point I am making is that, as a Strongman competitor, I need Size, Strength and Endurance. That is truer for the legs than for any other part of the body. This is also true for other sports that involve both quickness and power. Football, Baseball, Rugby, Soccer, and Sprinting all come to mind. To do that, I can't afford to focus on Strength only, like a Powerlifter. I can't spend my time building size for the sake of size either. I certainly can't spend hours running, swimming and biking if I want to have the power and size that I need. I believe that I have come across a good leg workout that helps me build Size, Strength and relative Endurance for my sport. I still do specific event training, but that is mostly for technique.

This workout involves doing just Squats for your legs, and doing it once a week only. The first two weeks you perform 10 sets of 10 repetitions with only one to two minutes rest between each set. The 10 sets of 10 routine is more commonly known as German Volume Training and it is BRUTAL. I only do this for two weeks, because I want strength as well. This training is excellent for improving your endurance and it will stimulate muscle growth as well. Be aware, that you will be very SORE for a few days after the first week. The second week, you should be able to add some weight to the bar and you won't be as sore. I won't go into details about nutrition here, but if you want to take advantage of the muscle growth potential of this workout, you had better eat enough protein and good quality food.

The following two weeks you squat for 8 sets of 8 repetitions. This is great for muscle growth because it is lower in both sets and reps than the first two weeks, so you can use more weight, but it is still a high volume of work to stimulate muscle mass increases. Just like the first two weeks, you should be able to add some weight to the second week of 8 sets of 8 reps.

Weeks 5 and 6 will be about going heavier and making the transition from training for size, to training for strength. The workout will be 5 sets of 5 reps of Squats. Now that we are going heavier, it is especially important to pay attention to proper form. Make sure to maintain an arch in your back and sit back and down into the squat rather than allow your knees to go out in front of your toes. I explain proper form for the Squat in more detail on my Powerlifting Squat page. You will want to do a couple of warm-up sets before you get to the first of your 5 heavy sets. If you haven't been wearing a lifting belt, it is time to start when you get to this part of the program. Just as in the other sections, you should be able to add at least a little weight on the second week (week 6) of this part.

The 7th and 8th week are true power training. The workout will be 3 heavy sets of 3 reps. Warm up and then get to it. Think pure power and get psyched up for each set. After these two weeks, you will have completed your 8-week cycle to increase the Size, Strength, and Endurance of your Legs. If you have done this in preparing for a Powerlifting contest, take another week to do 3 sets of 1 repetition, and then rest for at least 10 days before contest day. If you are not trying to peak for a strength contest, start over with the 10 sets of 10 and do it all over again. You should be stronger the second time through, and well on your way toward dramatic improvements in Size, Strength, and Endurance.

Good luck with your training, and make sure to save some money for some new pants with bigger legs!

By Aaron Anderton

How to Increase Your Bench Press by Doing Squats

2008-06-30T01:27:00.017-07:00

My Legs Are Already Big Enough. I Keep Hearing Working Legs Is A MUST. Why Is That So Important?

Believe me? I hated leg workouts. Until I realize the true potential that a simple set of squats could unleash.

Frankly? I see the same people on the leg press machine, leg extensions, doing lunges and doing squats week after week. But for every other muscle group, it's like a new day. There's the familiar faces of course, but there's always new people. It's like working leg is an exclusive club.

And yet that is 50% of your body! Your entire lower body you will neglect because:

? You don't like working legs
? You don't want bigger legs
? Your leg are big enough

But let's suppose? you do work legs. And without much weight at all. Just enough to stimulate your entire body propelling it into new levels of growth. Do you think that is possible?

How can doing squats increase our bench press? If you are stuck on bicep curls, how can incorporating legs into your routine break you thru those plateaus?

I'm here to tell you right now, as you read this, that doing leg workouts is a whole lot more then just getting bigger, more toned, or stronger legs.

Think about it. Testosterone is a primary ingredient of building muscle. So you do a hard set of tricep pushdowns. Your body responds by making more testosterone. Let's just guess at 10% more for the day. Phew. Hard workout. Good job!

Do you qualify as one of those people?

But,? let's say you do a set of breathing squats at 100% intensity.

You just boosted your testosterone production 1000%.

Do you think I'm being facetious?

But back to the purpose of this question. Working your legs isn't an option. It's something you do. So you don't want bigger legs? Fine. Don't pile on the weight. Don't overload them. Just stimulate your metabolism, and stimulate your body changing. So you don't like legs? Get over it.

Fact is, by incorporating legs into your workout, you will see more gains in 6 weeks then most people do in 3 months.

Don't take my word for it. Look around at your gym? The guy with a huge upper body and tiny chicken legs. Do you want to look like that? Who are the bigger guys in your gym? Who are the women that you most want to look like? I can assure you those people do legs. Any top notch physique does legs.

Doing a cardio machine that uses legs is not the same.

So that's why working your legs is so important. Please do not make excuses. You do not have to train to failure where you cannot walk. You don't have to squat 600 lbs. You simply must train the 50% of your body that pretty much 80% of everybody just doesn't do.

Next time you are in the gym take a good look around. Notice the leg equipment. Notice the same people using that week after week.

Become one of the individuals at your gym that trains legs and discover the secret to growth.

Here are the reasons why working every muscle - not just certain ones - is the superior method of getting the results you want:

1. Builds lean muscle
2. Reduces body fat levels
3. Increases energy
4. Balances blood sugar in the body
5. Increases neuromuscular efficiency
6. Improves sexual performance
7. Lowers cholesterol in the body
8. Protects against heart disease
9. Improves mood

All the above reasons are by-products of increased testosterone. For men, this means better muscle gains. For women, don't worry you don't have enough testosterone to get big and bulky like a man. For everybody, working legs will help you with the above factors and assist you in reaching your goals.

By Marc David

Focus on Both Consistency and Variability in Your Workouts for the Best Results

2008-06-30T01:27:00.015-07:00

In one of my recent articles, I spoke about the fact that you must alter your training variables that make up your workouts if you want to continuously get good results, whether it is losing weight, building muscle, or toning up.

While changing your training variables is an integral part of the success of your training program, your workouts shouldn't be drastically different every single time. If you are all over the place on each workout and never try to repeat and improve on specific exercises for specific set and rep schemes with specific rest intervals, then your body has no basis to improve on its current condition. The best way to structure your workouts to get the best results is to be consistent and try to continually improve on a specific training method for a specific time period. A time period of 4-8 weeks usually works best as your body will adapt to the specific training method and progress will slow after this amount of time.

At this point, it is time to change around some of your training variables as I described in the "exercise variables" article, and then stay consistent with your new training program for another 4-8 weeks. To refresh, some of these variables are the numbers of sets and reps of exercises, the order of exercises (sequence), exercise grouping (super-setting, circuit training, tri-sets, etc.), exercise type (multi-joint or single joint, free-weight or machine based), the number of exercises per workout, the amount of resistance, the time under tension, the base of stability (standing, seated, on stability ball, one-legged, etc.), the volume of work (sets x reps x distance moved), rest periods between sets, repetition speed, range of motion, exercise angle (inclined, flat, declined, bent over, upright, etc), training duration per workout, training frequency per week, etc.

For example, let's say you are training with a program where you are doing 10 sets of 3 reps for 6 different exercises grouped together in pairs (done as supersets) with 30 seconds rest between each superset and no rest between the 2 exercises within the superset. If you are smart, I'm sure you are tracking your progress with a notepad (weights used, sets, and reps) to see how you are progressing over time. Let's say that after about 6 weeks, you find that you are no longer improving with that program. Well, now it is time to change up your variables, and start a new program.

This time you choose a classic 5 sets of 5 reps routine, but you group your exercises in tri-sets (three exercises performed back to back to back, and then repeated for the number of sets). This time you decide to perform the exercises in the tri-set with no rest between them, and then recover for 2 minutes in between each tri-set to fully recoup your strength levels.

There you have it...a couple examples of how to incorporate both consistency and variability into your training programs to maximize your results. Want to take the guess work out of all of this? Pick up a copy of my book today at http://truthaboutabs.com and try the scientifically designed programs already illustrated within.

By Michael Geary

The Importance of Maintaining A Weight Training Log

2008-06-30T01:27:00.013-07:00

Do you find gyms intimidating? Feel lost while doing your workouts? Tried different programs with no results? Not always sure of want exercises you are supposed to be doing? Or maybe you're burnt out on the exercises your doing. A weight-training log may be exactly what you need.

Walking into a gym full of big bodybuilders or women built like models can be very intimidating. Having all these beautiful people working out around you can make you wonder if you'll ever be able to look like that. Well let me tell you a little secret they didn't always look that good and with a focused plan you too can look that way. Its simple, write down the exercises that you usually do with the amount of weight used and number of sets performed for a period of three weeks. Use a weight-training log. For example if you are doing a three day split that is you divide the body into three parts and train them over three days, write down three workouts for each group. Don't worry if this takes more or less than three weeks just as long as you record three workouts for each grouping. Now review your workouts after that period and analyze your findings. Were you workouts remarkably similar? Did you use the same amount of weight for the same number of sets? Was your cardiovascular training always for the same amount of time, done the same way? To quote a famous bodybuilder and actor," If you do what you've always done you'll get what you've always got", I'll let you try and figure out who said that. So the next time you have to train, try to improve in small steps maybe a little more weight on the bench press, say 5 lbs. Maybe try a different type of cardio or run on the treadmill for a little longer, say 3 minutes. These small steps will ultimately help you achieve your fitness goals faster than plugging away day after day never improving. Don't get discouraged if you can't improve every time. Remember, little steps.

One of my favorite methods for my training log takes a little longer to run its course but ultimately leads to excellent improvement. Try a heavier weight but for fewer repetitions, for example if I pressed 60 pounds for 12 last week, the following week I would do 65 for 10. Continuing with this pattern I would work down to 6 reps for 75 pounds. All this is recorded in my weight-training log. Now start at the beginning again but this time try 65 pounds for 12 reps; if you can do more than one set go ahead, but try a least one set.

Ultimately the idea behind a weight-training log is to be able to monitor your progress from workout to workout, improving a little with each session. Psychology has proven that positive reinforcement helps to improve your work ethic. One of the best things that arise from keeping a weight-training log is the ability to chart your progress. Even sea captains use maps and you wouldn't drive somewhere you haven't been without a map. So by keeping a weight-training log you should be able to see your progress. Watching your self improve in the mirror is often too slow; having it in front of you in black and white is undeniable proof of your progress, boosting your confidence and self-esteem.

Not every workout is going to be exciting. Life's not always a party and getting back into shape can be drudgery. Sometimes the days seem to run into each other and working out is the last thing you want to do. By maintaining a weight-training log of all your workouts it's easy to see if you are doing the same exercises time after time. If your workouts have become stale quickly review your weight-training log and see if there are patterns. If the same movements pop up week after week try changing things up. Ask your trainer about different training modalities or methods and you interest should perk back up. "I remember what I did last week", you say. Well sometimes the mind will play tricks and you'll forget what you did not than long ago. Countless times I've looked in my weight training log and said" I did that much last time?" Or "Wow, I haven't done this exercise in months". As a bonus to doing this your body has to keep adapting to new stresses which will help achieve those fitness goals faster, but that's a different column altogether.

Working part time at a gym I get exposed to a lot of people's habits as far as training and fitness. Some good and some bad, however the habit I like to see the most of is asking questions. Just the other day, I was approached twice by the same person with questions pertaining to properly performing the exercises on their program sheet. That's what the staff at the gym is there for so don't ever be afraid to ask. But if you have a plan a lot of the guess work is taken out of your workouts. Make little notes to yourself in your weight training log if need to remind yourself of how to do a particular exercise or what machine to use. Even write down how you felt on that day and why, lack of sleep, didn't eat well etc. Perhaps you have an injury, be sure to write this down as it will surely affect all or part of your routine. Knowing this will be useful later when you wonder why that workout was so much lighter than the previous ones. Write down when you felt strong and why this was. With this information it should be easier to duplicate the good days and avoid the bad.

Hopefully you'll be able to use all or part of this article to help achieve your fitness goals. Never stop trying to improve no matter discouraged you get. Remember little steps in your weight training log and you too can look your best. It's all just a matter of time and effort.

By Ray Burton and Rick Northrop

Lifting for the Love of It!

2008-06-30T01:27:00.011-07:00

Over the last couple of years I have taken a number of layoffs, for a variety of different reasons. Many times I wonder why I lift at all. The prevailing belief is that lifting must be one's top priority if one is to be the best at it. That may be true and that is one of the biggest problems I have had. Lifting is not my top priority, it is more like fourth after God, family, and work. Actually work is only ahead of lifting because I need it to support my family, otherwise it would be further down the list. So given the fact that lifting is not everything to me, why do I do it?

I guess what makes this a complicating situation is that I love lifting. I love competing against myself and others in everything. That's why I have done so many different kinds of competitions. I have done 3 strongman contests, 2 highland games, and numerous powerlifting contests.

A perfect illustration of this competitive nature of mine was the exhibition that Bill Kazmaier put on in Spokane, Washington in July 2001. I hadn't been lifting for a couple of months and didn't plan on doing it anytime soon. But I heard about Kazmaier doing a show in the park and I thought it would be cool to watch him. When I got there, I met him and he invited me to do some dumbbell presses with him. When my turn came, I pressed the 100's 14 times overhead. I had done more than that in the past, and so instead of being thrilled about lifting with Kazmaier, I was mad at myself for not preparing better (even though I had not planned on being there). I also felt that I could do much better and I was just chomping at the bit to try something else and redeem myself.

A little bit later Bill brought out an 11/16" steel bar and asked if anyone wanted to try to bend it. I jumped at it and did it without a problem. When Kazmaier brought out a ¾" bar and said that nobody had bent that size of bar before, I wanted to try it. Not because nobody had bent it before, or because so many people were watching, but because my adrenalin was pumping and I felt like I could do anything at that moment. I didn't care if I failed. I would have tried it alone in my garage. That is what I am talking about. It wasn't about winning an award or having a place in history. It was about being the best on that day and conquering the challenge before me. By the way, I did bend the bar.

I am 6'3" and my weight varies between 295 and 335, so it's not surprising that I might do well at the activities listed above. Now get this. I like to play basketball and I like to play it well. I don't post up or play underneath the basket like everyone expects me to. I won't accept the idea that someone my size is slow and can't jump. I like to drive to the hoop, taking people off the dribble. I like to shoot 3-pointers and pass the ball. Just like everything else, I want to excel all the time. When I play basketball I get frustrated with myself for allowing myself to get so heavy and out of shape. You see, playing basketball and lifting in the Super heavyweight class do not go hand in hand. Why don't I give up one and work on the other? Because I love them both!

So to clarify myself to anyone who hasn't yet figured out what I am talking about, I want to know why I can't have it all. I don't want to be limited by other people. Maybe I can't be the strongest man in the world without becoming obsessed with that goal. But since when is obsession a good thing? Last year I took 10 weeks and worked out with a well-known lifter. I wanted to see how the best train, and what sets them apart from the rest of us. We lifted 3 days a week for 2+ hours per workout. This lifter was in constant pain and talked of the day when he could retire from competitive lifting. Needless to say, I was surprised. I did get stronger in those 10 weeks than I had ever been, but I quit after that. It wasn't that the workouts were too hard for me. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed them and the opportunity they provided me to compete against a top lifter. What I didn't like was missing time with my family. At first I was excited and thought about lifting all the time and what great heights I would reach. After a while I was tired of focusing on only one thing at the expense of everything else. I am not writing this to point fingers at those whose priorities are different than mine, but rather to encourage those lifters who feel like I do. I know now that I do not want success in powerlifting at the expense of everything else, but I am not going to quit. I am going to lift the way that I want to lift. The way that will make me happy. I want to use the act of lifting weights to benefit me rather than becoming a slave to that act.

How many times have lifters been told that if you don't do something, you won't succeed? If you don't use steroids, or buy this equipment, you won't be the best. If you don't do a certain exercise you will not be a truly strong person. If you don't train like a madman you'll never make it. Well, I know one thing for sure. I am going to do it my way from now on. I will weigh whatever I feel like weighing no matter how it affects my strength. I will not give up family activities or other important things in my life so I can win a contest or make it on the top 100 list.

Don't get me wrong. I want to be strong and I love to win. But true happiness comes from a well-rounded life. Family, friends, success in all areas instead of one. This may not sound appealing to everyone, but to those who feel like I do, don't let others limit the way you do things. You don't have to sacrifice everything to lift. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

I hope that this benefits somebody, but either way, I know I will be happier lifting this way than I was before.

By Aaron Anderton

The Anabolic Evolution of Modern Bodybuilding

2008-06-30T01:27:00.009-07:00

Since the early days of physical culture, modern man has been searching for the elusive ''Fountain of Youth''. The promise of radiant health, enduring strength and a Herculean physique has drawn millions on this quest for physical perfection.

Through the early decades of bodybuilding, the forefathers of physical culture established basic guidelines for the muscle enthusiast to follow. Natural foods, resistance training, plenty of rest, and a positive outlook in life were the primary ingredients for achieving ones goals. The demand for knowledge on 'how to' reach the stars would result in millions of booklets being sold by mail order, while magazine stands and bookshelves were continually restocked with the latest 'muscle building secrets'. Tons of steel and exercise equipment would find its way into the homes of thousands of Americans all across our nation. Health clubs and iron gyms would sprout up in local neighborhoods and towns, while physique competitions were held to determine whom the best in the land was. The strong roots of physical culture were taking grip in our society, and the mighty oak of bodybuilding would soon branch out through every city in America.

A new 'way of life' became a reality for many as the 'body beautiful' movement swung into high gear. For decades the much traveled road to muscledom kept its promise, then by the mid-60's what seemed pure and natural took a wrong turn setting the course of modern bodybuilding down a dead end. The introduction of anabolic steroids into the sport of bodybuilding would usher in a new era of super sized and equally strong muscular physiques that would attract millions of young men with a desire to achieve the same naturally unattainable goals.

Along with the growth of the sport, the physiques continued to become bigger and more vascular as bodybuilders experimented with 'stacking' the latest in designer muscle enhancing pharmaceuticals. Magazine and ticket sales were at a peak and bodybuilding competitions were seen regularly on network TV. The popularity of the sport was soaring high. Then, what could have been mostly prevented by not promoting and rewarding individuals whose physiques were chemically altered became a reality as the widespread use of drugs in the sport became relevant.

Words such as steroids, cycling, and growth hormones became common place in our gyms, and juicing no longer meant enjoying your favorite health drink. Reports of bodybuilders on dialysis and with heart ailments became a frequent occurrence while the eventual death of several competitive pros hit home hard. What had been a dark cloud in a sport with such great potential turned into a storm that spread its vast shadow on a culture that once shined.

Organizations dedicated to natural bodybuilding and a healthy lifestyle would soon respond to the call for a return to the ideals set forth by the forefathers of physical culture. Physique promoters throughout the land created natural bodybuilding competitions so athletes could compete on a level playing field without running the risk of ruining their health. Publications featuring natural bodybuilders began to spread the gospel of healthy living through proper nutrition and exercise. The televised media developed new bodybuilding and fitness programs to inspire future generations of natural iron pumpers. And as the age of cyber space came upon us, the Internet became a resource of concepts and opinions for bodybuilders to learn and express their views with other physique artist throughout the World. The new millennium is here and those dedicated to physical culture have begun to prevail as the radiant beacon of light from the torch of natural living begins to shine through the storm.

By Mario Strong

Machines VS. Free Weights II

2008-06-30T01:27:00.007-07:00

Machines are bad, there I said it again. How many of us join health clubs or purchase expensive home exercise equipment under the notion that the machine will protect our back, make the exercise easier or guarantee your results quicker. In sports and life for that matter if you are sitting on your butt or laying flat on your back you lost! , so why do we insist on exercising that way. We spend way too much of our existence sedentary, sitting, driving, typing, talking etc..

Has anyone noticed that the commonality of back problems from doing nothing (a traumatic), joint replacements and other injuries of non-traumatic origins continue to escalate?. Did anyone ever put two and two together and realize that maybe the way we have and are exercising is precipitating the problem. My last article went into some specifics on the traumatic forces that the joints experience using common machines. Research continues to emerge validating that most machines place the body and joints in such horrible positions that injury is inevitable.

So what is a health conscious exerciser to do, well, life moves so we better learn to exercise that way. Try performing your current exercise routine standing. That's right, chest presses, shoulder presses, arm exercises, rows all performed standing. This will enable you to engage all of your 'core' muscles, work on balance and lower extremity joint stability.

When was the last time you performed a standing squat, on one leg, on a ball or foam disk? What if you tried training the whole workout using an adjustable cable machine, standing?. Wait, I said machine, yes some machines or good. There are a few pieces out there that I like. If it has an adjustable cable or articulating arms, that we like. Why, simple it forces you to stand and that engages almost all of the core muscles, and as I've stated if you are standing you are using many more muscles than if your were sitting down. Machines that do not force you to remain in a set joint position and allow you to move as biomechanics dictate will by default give you a better and safer workout.

Lunges are one of the best exercises to do, anyone can argue for or against this, but combined with proper hip and leg stability / flexibility they are among the best. Try combining with shoulder presses, abduction, scaptions. You can also combine with bicep curls, torso rotations, stabilization movements, as you can tell the combinations are almost endless.

Dumbbells, almost beyond the scope of this article the amount of exercises you can perform. A ball, BOSU tm, floor and an adjustable bench is all you need.

Bands, yes almost as good as cables, they travel better and the exercises are almost endless. One word on bands, they are easier in the beginning and harder at the end of the movement. This changes the firing of the muscle slightly but they are still an excellent adjunct for fitness, and yes they force you to stand while using them.

What about the floor, generally there is very little floor space in a gym, got to fill it with machines. For the last few years the popularity of Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi and other movement techniques have become popular. Thanks to the baby boomers looking for alternatives for fitness these regimens have become mainstream. They all require a balance of breathing, flexibility, strength, postural awareness and muscular endurance. The message with these techniques is performed by themselves they are good, add strength training and aerobic conditioning and the package is complete.

Does this mean never train on a machine, absolutely not, many still provide a good isolation workout and for some with medical conditions machines allow a degree of safety. My point is that so many of us have spent so much time training wrong and placing our bodies in bad positions that we need to spend much of our time correcting the imbalances and injury that are already there. I tell a lot of my clients that people do not feel there arteries clogging but they sure know when the crushing chest pain starts. We spend much of our lives denying that injuries, both musculoskeletal and internal, will never happen to us, yet we consistently do things to encourage that damage to occur. Let's change how we think and exercise or you may end up laying flat on you back.

Bryan Fass, BA, ATCL, CSCS, NREMT-P

Get Rid of Cellulite, Once and For All!

2008-06-30T01:27:00.005-07:00

Get Fit At Home With Ailsa : Get Rid of Cellulite

Had it up to here with Cellulite? Want to get rid of it forever, and make your body all lovely and sleek? Yeah, me too, so I when one of my old 'Gym Boys' showed me this Exercise years ago, I started doing it al the time, and changed it up a bit to make it work more effectively for me. This is a great Exercise for Women, but I know for a fact that 'manly men' do it, too! ha,ha! (Oh, and in case you are thinking something 'innaccurate' about the 'Gym Boy' thing, that's just what I used to call all the guys at the gym where I used to work out a lot -- it's a term of endearment, but in no way a reference to anyone I went out with -- I either call those guys "that crazy old jerk" or "one of my great old friends"...usually one or the other -- sometimes both! ha,ha!)

Get rid of Cellulite once and for all with this very easy and incredibly inexpensive Exercise. It takes about 20 minutes, or so, depending on how many Reps you do (repetitions -- 'Reps' in Weight Lifting Language...). Pop into www.buildyourownhouse.ca to see pictures of me doing these 'Anti-Cellulite' Exercises!

Here's what you need -- something you can lay down on that will allow you to have good Leg Extension when you are laying on your Stomach. I used to use my Giant Exercise Ball, then it dawned on me that I could easily use the fancy wee Bench at the end of my Bed as an Exercise Bench. Softer and nicer, and not nearly as expensive and hard to find. I've seen these wee Benches for under $50.00 at WalMart -- one of my favorite Stores! You can pick up a Set of Free Weights while you're there, too.

I use a 10 Pound Weight to Start, but if this is brand new for you, start with a 5 Pound Weight. As you get used to the Weight, you can increase it up to about 35 Pounds. You probably don't want to go much higher than that...

Oh, and you will notice when you are doing these Exercises that your legs will seem Longer and Leaner, too. That's because these Exercises can straighten out any 'Bow Legs' that you might have, and you will build some nice Lean Muscle in your Legs. Sounds good, huh??

Step One: Pull the Bench into the Middle of the room, so you have lots of space. Put on some great Music -- I love The Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani and 'Drop it Like It's Hot' by Snoop Dogg, but put on whatever makes you want to move...

Step Two: Set the Weight on it's End, so you can grasp it between your feet. If you are lucky enough to have someone help you with this, have them 'Place the Weight' in the Arch bit of your feet. Then tell them to get their hands off yer legs, you're trying to exercise ovah' here...! ha,ha! It's pretty easy to maneuver the Weight if it's 10 Pounds or less, but you really do need someone to help you when the Weight is over 25 pounds.

Step Three: You should be nice and comfortable laying on your stomach, by now, and up on your elbows. I'm only looking up for the picture, but normally you just look down or at your Dog (or other cute Pet), if they have found you while you're exercising! If you click to Enlarge the lower picture on the Right -- you'll see Tia coming over for a wee cuddle while I'm exercising!

Step Four: Slowly Raise and Lower the Weight, using a Full Extension. Let your feet go toward your Behind, then right back down almost to the floor. It's a good stretch, and great for developing nice Lean Muscles. I would Start with 3 Sets of 10 Repetitions. When you are finding that too easy, increase it to 3 Sets of 20 Reps. I like to do 2 Sets of 50 Reps, but that's because I've been doing these Exercises for a long time.

To add extra weight, I wear the 'wrap around' Ankle Weights to make the Weight a little Heavier. As you increase the amount of Weight you use, you might want to wrap your Ankles with an extra Sock -- men's socks work well because they are bigger and will tuck in around your ankle.

I'm wearing Running Shoes in the pictures on my Site, but generally I like to just wear Socks -- I find it easier to feel the weight between my feet. When you are using Weights that are 25 pounds or more, though, you have to wear Running Shoes or you could get hurt.

Oh, and very slowly lower the Weight to the floor when you are done, so you don't drop the Weight on the floor. That won't work out well! You can set it down on it's End, then it will lightly go on the floor from there. You might want to put a Towel under the weight if you are afraid of anything happening to the floor!

In between Sets, pick up a couple of 3 or 5 Pound Weights, and do a 'Butterfly Move' to work on your Arms in the same work-out. Put the Weights in front of your waist, raise them up in a big sweeping motion over your head, then slowly back down. Just do 10 reps in between each Set of the Anti-Cellulite Exercises, and you'll be in great shape in no time at all!

See ya', stooopid cellulite! Be gone, and don't be back!!

By Ailsa Forshaw

Whats Your Body Type?

2008-06-30T01:27:00.003-07:00

Yep, there are more than ones body types. I'm sure you've noticed it too. The ones who, even if they eat whatever they want, never gain a pound, and others who exercise like there's no tomorrow and STILL manage to gain weight. Well that's a key thing when it comes to training your body. You have to train for your body type, or else your actions may not be doing anything good! There are 2 bodytypes: ectomorphic, mesomorphic & endomorphic. To find out what type of body you have, think back to your teen years and try to remember what your body looked like before age began rearing it's ugly head. So let's get to each body type shall we?!

The Ectomorph

The ectomorph is usually very thin. This person has a hard time gaining weight of any kind. So it takes longer for them and takes much more work to gain muscle. Most people with this body types are models or endurance athletes and such.

So what does an Ectomorph have to do to gain weight? Well the first thing is he has to start eating more calories. Not by eating larger meals, but by eating lots ( around 6 ) of smaller meals throughout the day. Look at the foods your eating now and add to them or seek foods wich have a higher number of calories.

Exercise wise, the Ectoporph needs to limit his activities outside of weight lifting. If your looking to build muscle, almost all your energy needs to be focused on weight lifting. Since you burn energy faster than others, using that energy for other activities will mean less for your muscles to grow. Use a low number of reps and heavy weights. You'll probaly need to rest more too, Maybe every 48 hours. You should also be concentrating on doing compound exercises, like bench presses, deadlifts, exercises that target the most muscles at once.

The Mesomorph

These are what I'd call the "normal" physique. They're average in weight and have the ability to either easily gain weight or loose it. They can mostly eat whatever they want without it affecting their appearance.

They should try and eat a healthy, balanced diet. But they should train regularly if they want to keep their physique. If they're not carefull, they might gain unwanted fat. They should do weight training 2-3 times a week and aerobics either daily or on their off days, when they don't weight train.

Mesomorphs are lucky, they have alot of freedom as to what they can get away with. But they should still be carefull.

The Endomorph

These people are rounder and "soft". They have a hard time loosing weight but can gain muscle pretty easily. Diet and exercise are the 2 most important thing for this body type.

The first thing they should do is eat smaller meals, 6 times a day. By spacing your meals by 2-3 hours each, what you do is you speed up your metabolism. But never eat 2 carbohydrate snacks back to back, since this promotes the accumulation of fat. Because your body will become accustomed to carbohydrates and use them to burn energy, when your goal is to make it use up fat. One important part of your diet is to eat the major part of yoru calories, especially carbohydrates, in the morning and then eat your proteins during the rest of the day, that way, your body burns off the calories and keeps the proteins to build your muscles. A good rule is to decide when you'll go to sleep and then count back 3-4 hours. This should be the time of your last meal. You do this to limit you intake of calories so you don't gain fat. And also, drink water, and lots of it! You body will need it to get rid of the byproducts and waste toxins from the change your making. Your diet should have alot of fruits & whole grain. Eat foods you love though, or you'll then be tempted to eat junk and thus making your efforts pretty useless. BE STRONG!!

Exercising is an important part of the plan. Endomorphs should start by incorporating some aerobics to their daily routine. Gradually step it up until you do at least 30 mins of aerobics 5-7 days a week. Yeah, that's alot, but that's a sacrifice your going to have to make if you want to look good. After that, the next step is to add some weight training to your routine. 2-3 days a week every 2 days should be enough. Start by doing the major compound exercises, like those suggested fro ectomorphs. You can add isolation exercises to tone parts of your body that you desire though. The aerobics will burn the calories and the weight training wil add the muscle and toning to your body.

So you see, what works for your buddy, might not necessarily work for you. So know what type of body you have and workout accordingly.

How to Build a Bigger and Better Chest

2008-06-30T01:27:00.001-07:00

Creating a larger more powerful chest is difficult but if you follow this easy workout you'll see results in no time.

Each of the chest exercises listed should be done with proper form to not only avoid injury, but the better your form is, the better results you will get. Please also note that even though these are only a few chest exercises, these are the most effective. You may or may not want to do every one of these chest exercises in your chest workout routine.

Flat Bench Press - This exercise works the whole chest area. 5 sets, 6-10 reps per set at 70% of your 1 rep max

Incline Bench Press - This exercise works the upper chest area. 4 sets, 6-10 reps per set at 65% of your 1 rep max

Decline Bench Press - This exercise works the lower chest area 4 sets, 6-10 reps per set at 75% of your 1 rep max

Dumbell Flyes - This exercise works the entire chest area, focusing mainly on the inner chest.

5 sets, 8-10 reps per set at 75% of your 1 rep max

If your looking to build muscle and gain mass and size, stick to free weight exercises like the ones listed here. More important than the amount of weight being used is proper form. It is recommended that you have a spotter available when lifting.

You can easily find a workout partner in your area at http://www.daterade.com

About The Author

By Todd Amato

How to Lose the Most Fat and Build the Most Muscle in 30 Days

2008-06-30T01:26:00.019-07:00

A lot can happen in 30 days.

The dream of everyone who trains is to lose maximum fat and build maximum muscle in the shortest period of time possible. While it is definitely possible to both lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, in my experience, the best results come from concentrating on one major goal at a time.

Let me put it this way: to lose fat, you need a caloric deficit. To build muscle, you need a caloric surplus. If you try to do both at the same time, you may just remain exactly where you are!

So the question before us is - how do we maximize both fat loss and muscle gain, two very much opposing goals, in only 30 days?

It's simple, we focus on both goals in the same program but not at the exact same time!

By alternating rapidly back and forth between reduced-calorie fat loss training and higher-calorie mass-oriented training, you can not only accomplish both goals at the same time, you can actually use the two opposing goals to feed on each other and send your results through the roof!

To illustrate my point, remember how quickly you gain weight when coming off a strict diet? Remember how quickly you lose weight when you start to diet and you haven't been careful about what you've been eating? That's your body rapidly adapting to a stress. One of the most powerful features of this switching back and forth is in the change itself - your body changes far quicker when you give it a powerful reason.

What is the result of this switching back and forth? Extremely rapid fat loss and extremely rapid muscle gain.

To maximize the effects of this switching, you must tailor your training, diet and supplementation towards your specific goal during that particular time. Proper manipulation of these factors will greatly enhance the body's hormonal response to this program, which is the real key to maximizing your results.

For five days, we will target everything about your training and nutrition towards fat loss.

You will reduce your caloric intake below maintenance levels to promote fat burning.

You will reduce the rest periods between sets in your weight training to increase the intensity of the workload and boost the metabolism.

You will increase your training volume, performing more sets for each bodypart.

You will not push your body to muscular failure , pushing to failure can be too stressful to the muscles when on a reduced-calorie diet. Stop one rep short of this point.

You will include cardio training, preferably High Intensity Interval Training for best results, to burn calories and further boost your metabolism.

You will NOT take creatine during this time (I'll explain why below).

It is best to follow a low-carb diet during this time for maximum effectiveness. Eating this way will be especially powerful when you switch to the next phase of the program.

After five days, your metabolism will be just starting to get used to the training and nutritional program you're following. Now we'll throw it a curveball and change everything!

For the next five days, you will be focusing your training, nutrition and supplementation completely on muscle building.

You will increase your caloric and protein intake to promote gains in muscle mass.

You will increase your rest periods in between sets to allow for more recovery and increased strength in your sets.

You will decrease your training volume, doing fewer sets but with greater intensity. This is the time to really push your muscles to the edge! You're feeding them now, so don't be shy about training them hard.

You will eliminate all cardio training in order to maximize muscle gain. Cardio training can burn calories that should be used for the muscle building process.

You will load creatine for the first three days of the muscle-gain phase. This will take advantage of and greatly enhance the flood of water and nutrients into the muscles.

You will NOT follow a low-carb diet during this time. We want lots of carbs to provide energy and promote insulin release (the body's primary storage hormone). This insulin release will help shuttle protein and other nutrients into the muscles to help with building.

The body's hormonal response to this huge change in training, nutrition and supplementation is tremendous. Sensing a feast after a famine, it will greedily take in all the nutrients it can and store them in the form of glycogen (for carbs), muscle mass (for protein) and fat (to some extent). Since you will only be doing this phase for 5 days, however, fat gains will be minimal so don't be shy to eat!

It is important to note that you should eat a lot but you should eat clean , loading up on junk food will not give you the best results. You've got to provide your body with quality materials to rebuild with or you may not gain as much muscle and you may add too much fat.

After five days of this training, your metabolism will be cranking along, happily building muscle. Now we'll pull the rug out and go right back into fat-loss training for five days. Since your body is used to getting more food and your metabolism is still moving fast, switching to fat-loss training at this time will immediately result in your body burning far more fat than if you were using a conventional fat loss program.

In 30 days, you will complete three rounds of this rapid-adaptation training. As you will soon experience, this switching back and forth between a short, targeted fat loss program and a short, targeted muscle-building program can have a tremendous and rapid impact on bodyfat and muscle mass levels.

What does this mean for you? It means you can lose fat faster and gain muscle faster, taking FULL advantage of your body's natural reaction and rapid adaptation to massive change.

Think this program sounds good? You ain't seen nothing yet...

This particular program is just a taste of what you'll find in the full All-Star Trainers eBook from AtoZFitness. In addition to a detailed explanation of how to perform my program, including a day-by-day guide and set-by-set workouts to follow, you'll also get the rapid fat-loss and muscle-building secrets of 11 of the most knowledgeable and respected trainers in the world, including Tom Venuto, Pete Sisco, David Grisaffi, Jeremy Markum, Phil Campbell, Christopher V. Guerriero and many others!

The next 30 days are going to pass by whether you get this information or not. You could stick to your conventional programs and get slow (if any) results. How would you like to make these next 30 days the most productive of your entire training career?!

To learn more about what the All-Star Trainers eBook can do for you please visit www.allstarsecrets.com

All the best,

By Nick Nilsson

Why You Do Not have Killer Abs or that 6 Pack Abdominal Muscle

2008-06-30T01:26:00.017-07:00

Ask any woman what is the most attractive part of a male body and most of the time, they will tell you it's the six pack abs, meaning that your abdominal muscle showing up with beautiful definition. Your abs is considered by many as a sexy muscle and is a symbol of a fit and healthy man. Women are instinctively drawn towards a man brimming with health and fitness because it is a primitive indication that the man is strong enough to protect her and her brood. A rippling six pack abs is one such indication. So is it any wonder that in every gym, you will see men of all ages doing crunches, leg raisers and sit ups religiously in the hope of obtaining the much coveted killer abs? Unfortunately, most men will never get to see their abdominal muscle in its glorious splendor. Why? The following fitness tip will show you why.
You may not like what I am going to give to you straight in the face here. But I will give it to you anyway. So here it goes. Listen up carefully. You may do a zillion crunches a day, then another another million leg raisers , but as long as there is a layer of fat covering your tummy, you will never see your abs because it is covered by the blubber of fat. In fact, your waistline will become bigger because you are adding muscles underneath those fats! So instead of having a slim waistline and showing off your abs, you will have a bigger waistline and thicker love handles. Now get this straight. There is no such thing as spot reduction! Once the fats are off, your abs will show. That I promise you. It is just that simple to display your abs. Lose fats! That's all.
Late night TV commercials or magazines has been telling you that you can have well defined abs by using this gadget or that electronic gizmo. Do you really believe that it is that simple? If it is so, then everyone will have that six pack abs in no time, won't they? Then why isn't that so? Because it just doesn't work that way.
To lose fat effectively and permanently for your abdominal muscles to show, you must include a mildly deficit calorie restriction diet, frequent cardio workouts and strength training with weights to build muscle so as to raise your metabolism in order to lose weight and burn fat naturally. Your weight loss goals will not be achieved effectively or permanently if any one of these three elements is done wrongly or not even incorporated in your slimming program. I repeat the three elements again :-
A mildly caloric deficit diet - A mildly caloric deficit diet to help you lose weight.
Frequent cardio workouts - Frequent cardio workout to exercise your heart and lungs and burn fat at the same time.
Weight Lifting to build muscles - Build muscles to burn fat permanently as muscles use up more calories from your food for energy. Lifting weights will also give you a well toned body and help your abs to show.
Forget about any fad diets or popping slimming pills . These may work initially but in the long run, they are bound to fail.
Now supposing that you are successful in your lose weight lose fat program and have very little fat covering your torso but yet you do not have well defined abs....what happened? You are doing your exercises wrongly or in poor form. More about exercise techniques and form in future articles.
by Chris Chew

Muscle Building Workouts and Tips: Dos and Donts

2008-06-30T01:26:00.015-07:00

Packing on Muscle mass involves a lot of dedication and care. At times, trying too hard can have its negative effects too. Right guidance and proper techniques make the perfect recipe to MUSCLE BUILDING. Muscle Building is no joke, but at the same time, very much possible. The bottomline is to workout in the right direction and not to harm your body. Here are some Do's and Dont's for Muscle Building.

Muscle Building Tips: Do's and Dont's

1) Popping a pill to reach your health and fitness goal is not the answer! Results are temporary and effects the body adversely in the long run.

2) Remove the tag " Short cut" from your workout schedule. There is no such thing as quick-fix. Dedication and hardwork hold the key for MUSCLE BUILDING.

3) Dietary Supplements can be helpful in achieving your goals. Supplementation is designed to supplement your healthy eating and exercise habits.

4) Dont go in for any supplement you come across. Before taking a supplement, consult your trained or a physician. Always buy supplements from a reputed DRUGSTORE. Do your research before taking in a supplement.

5) Supplements shouldnt be misunderstood as steroids. Steroids should be a BIG NO. Gather more knowledge on supplements at http://www.weightloss-health.com/Supplements.htm

By Jasdeep

Four Powerful Tricks for Successful Lucid Dreaming

2008-06-30T01:26:00.013-07:00

By definition, Lucid Dreaming means "conscious awareness during the dream state." But how can this be? Every book I've ever read on dreaming has described the dream state as being an entry into the unconscious, so how can you possibly be conscious during dreaming, and be able to enter your dreams. It's an interesting theory, and I've discovered some very positive information that will help you in your Lucid dreaming attempts.

Can you be Conscious while Accessing the Subconscious?

According to Charles McPhee in his book "Stop Sleeping Through your Dreams," the answer to the question on consciousness during sleep is a resounding NO! "Our ability for consciousness-our ability to achieve reflectivity in our minds-is specifically denied us during dream sleep. Single-mindedness is a quality that defines dream experience." If you had the ability to reflect in a dream, you would recognize instantly that you were dreaming, and wake-up, and this is why it becomes difficult to judge and evaluate our dream experience.

An important event occurs with our muscle system with the onset of dream sleep. The main motor neurons of the body are inhibited, which prevents us from "physically" acting out dreams - you wouldn't want to actually leap out of bed and start flying around the house; this would create chaos everywhere at night and you would wake up exhausted. Unfortunately, after the motor neurons are shut down, so is the ability for consciousness during dream sleep.

100 Minutes a Night for Lucid Dreaming

When we first awaken from dream sleep, we will have a good chance of recalling our dreams, whereas if awakened from any other stage, we will not even remember dreaming. We enter various stages of sleep during 90-minute cycles all through the night (you can test this by checking the clock before you go to sleep at night, and again when you awaken during the middle of the night.) This means that if you sleep for six hours a night, you will have four "dream cycles" which you can access for information or fun (most people dream an average of 100 minutes a night). In the book "Directed Dreaming," you discover how to ask the proper questions of your dreams in order to receive problem solving information and direction for your life; now you can go one step further and discover how to step into random dreams to find out what clues they are trying to give you.

Trick # 1 - The First Step

The first step to becoming lucid during dreaming is to start trying to recall the previous nights dreams. This takes practice, but it can be accomplished. You will soon find out that if you work backward from the dream, it is easier to piece it together. This is easiest to do, of course, right after you wake up. If a dream is not written down, or recalled quickly, it will be lost forever. When you achieve the ability for lucid dreaming, you will find out that these dreams are recalled easier and do not vanish as quickly; that's where the fun in lucid dreaming comes from! What good is it if you are able to jump into your dreams and "play," then not remember anything about the experience. Remembering your lucid dreams can give you a calming feeling and something to smile about during the day. Soon, you will become aware of what you want to find out in your dreams, and you can tell yourself that the next time you have the dream where you are flying, you will remember that you are dreaming and want to participate in that adventure.

Trick #2 - The Best Time to Become Lucid

One important thing to remember about our dream cycles is that during the night, the time spent dreaming grows progressively longer with each cycle. This means that the longest stretch of dreamtime occurs just before awakening. This is the time you should concentrate on trying to become lucid. You should have tracked your dream cycles (as explained above), and determined approximately when you will reach the 4th cycle, then, when you awaken after the 3rd cycle, you can consciously tell yourself that next time you see or hear something, you will be dreaming, and you would like to be aware of this dream and enter into it.

Trick #3 - Not Sleeping!

It has been found that if you do not get enough sleep, and haven't had time to dream, your body will compensate by dreaming more! It is almost as if it's essential for us to have dream experiences. Therefore, if you are having a hard time becoming lucid in your dreams, you might want to try staying up later for a few nights, and then you will have more dream cycles as you try to "catch-up." When you have these extra dream cycles in the catch-up phase, it's a great opportunity to practice your lucid dreaming, as your cycles will be long, intense, and deep. It is more difficult to wake yourself out of sleep when the body is very tired, making this an excellent opportunity for lucidity!

Trick #4 - Associations

After you have become accustomed to writing down your dreams, it's time to pick out a few common things in the dream that will remind you that you are dreaming. For example, if you commonly dream that you are driving various kinds of sports cars, the thing to tell yourself when you are awake is that the next time you are driving a fancy car you will be dreaming. That way, you create the association in your mind to trigger the unconscious to recognize that as a dream, and help you participate. If you commonly dream of flying, that's also a good clue that you are dreaming, and if you consciously make a note of it, the next time you find yourself flying, you will wonder what you were supposed to remember about flying. If luck is on your side, this association will trigger your thinking that if you're flying, you must be dreaming, and with that instant thought, you will be able to start your adventure into that dream.

The first few times you attempt to do this, the awareness that you are dreaming may wake you up! This is because your consciousness has been activated, and in order to keep dreaming you need to stay in the subconscious. It takes practice to make the acceptance that you are dreaming into a passing thought, and just go with the flow. If you think about it too much, you will wake up (and, of course, will need to try it all over again). Again, according to McPhee, "Whatever you choose as a clue to identify your dreams, the association will carry over to your dreams. As you keep a dream journal and familiarize yourself with the content of your dreams, you can experiment with clues. Before long, the next time you take off in flight or are pursued by some familiar tormentor, there is an exceptionally good chance that you will have the associated thought, "Oh! I must be dreaming." And with this awareness, you will have successfully identified the dreamscape.

What do You Want to Find Out

After you have successfully entered your dreams, the next step is to find out what you want to accomplish by being there. Do you want to make your lucid dream into a fantasy where you physically fight off attackers, or do you want to be the fastest runner in the world and successfully outrun anything that comes after you, or would you rather have fantasies of a sexual nature? This fantasy type of lucid dreaming is fine, but what purpose does it serve? It does not help us resolve anything in real life; but it can be a good stress-reliever. A better way to work with lucid dreaming is to try to get some insight into why the conflict is occurring. If you were to stop those people who are chasing you in your dreams and talk to them, what would they say? Could they reveal to you why you are running and open up the opportunity to explore unconscious fears in real life? Since the unconscious is probably trying to tell you something, it would be best to find out what it is, so you can act on it when you wake up, and resolve these difficult situations. The more you practice, the closer you will get to resolving your issues -- and then you can go back to fantasy dreaming (my guess is that that's probably what you want to do anyway), but since you are taking your time to practice becoming lucid, you might as well make it work to your advantage every now and then.

Technology Can Help As technology advances, so does the opportunity to get help with your Lucidity. There are now high-tech devices that you can use to induce lucid dreams. Most of them can be found in New Age bookstores, or you can go to the library and find mail order catalogs that carry these devices. You can now find popular devices such as eyeshades that detect rapid eye movement and blink a red diode when you start to sleep. This red light is incorporated into the dream, and reminds the dreamer to clue in that he or she is dreaming. If you want to see more Hi-Tech devices, visit: www.reawakener.com/Lucid_Dreaming.htm

Lucid Dreaming - a Gift for Certain People?

It was once thought that lucid dreaming was a gift given only to certain people, much like true Psychics have; but this is not the case. Anyone can learn lucid dreaming; it just takes practice and time. According to Charles McPhee, you must spend the time to identify when your sleep cycles are, and when your dream cycles come. Then, as you become more aware of your sleep cycles, you can prepare mentally for those times. "When you awaken early in the morning, before you roll over and close your eyes for another cycle, be confident that your dreams are on their way. In the early morning hours, you stand on the brink of thirty to forty-minute blocks of nonstop dreamscape action. The trick, of course, is to recognize the dreamscape." (103).

By Evelyn Grazini

Body Building Mind Games: Dont Let Your Weight Determine Your Mood!

2008-06-30T01:26:00.011-07:00

Is the 'I Feel Fat Day' (IFFD) syndrome affecting your output? That extra flab can overpower you and your work. Thee feeling of being fat can morph into an emotion like 'happy' or 'angry'. Days overpowered with that feeling have been designated as 'I Feel Fat Day' (IFFD). So don't let your weight determine your mood.

How many times have you heard your colleague quipping, "I feel fat" or "It's a fat day feeling?" Can't fit into your favorite pair of jeans? How about a snide comment from a relative or colleague? That's all it takes to turn an ordinary Monday or Tuesday into IFFD(I Feel Fat Day).

Perhaps just like the national celebrations, 'fat' is important enough to get a day named in its honour and it doesn't just come one a year! Carrying extra pounds is necessary but not exclusive prerequisite to an IFFD. To have an IFFD, one must also carry an element of shame. A good IFFD is not complete without tears, self loathing and a frantic scramble for concealing clothes.

So, how to keep away 'fat' from becoming an emotion? Simple semantics: fat is fat. Don't confuse it with the emotions so often attached to it, and recognize that shame and self-loathing are useless distractions. Neither of them will help you get closer to your goal. The way out is simple: instead of wasting time and psychic energy on IFFDs, we could use those special resources for the job at hand.

Here's the ultimate plan for coping with an IFFD:

. Make your very next meal a healthy one. By choosing a lightly dressed salad instead of the usual, you are putting yourself on anew path and abruptly ending the IFFD.

. Get Moving. A body in motion is beauty in progress. Even if it's the middle of the day and you cant hit the gym because of your tight schedule, you can still go up and down the stairs.

. Wear something that makes you feel beautiful and enjoy your unique look.

. Hang out with positive people. Try to be in company of winners, people who feed you energy and inspire the best in you.

. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE AND TRANSFORM YOUR OWN AS WELL. LEARN TO APPRECIATE AND VALUE YOURSELF.

Tip: Many of us feel too flabby while making love, feel too many bulges in the wrong place, feel awkward when lights are on and ask, what's the way out? Obviously there is hope and certain exercises, habits and lifestyle changes one can adopt to get rid of those unsightly fat deposits. You can strengthen your lower back. It is specially improtant when you are working on your abs. Besides that. cut on sodium and try to create a "V" shape in your upper body. Crunches are vital in your quest to eliminate love handles. Also reduce the consumption of alcohol as they contain "empty calories". The magic key lies with the cardiovascular exercises

By Jasdeep

Gain Weight Fast With These Ten Powerful Tips! Part -2

2008-06-30T01:26:00.009-07:00

By the time you finish reading this you will have the basics down to eating to gain weight fast!

If You want to gain weight fast you have to eat right to gain weight! So here we will focus on this crucial yet misunderstood element to gain weight.

Gaining weight fast takes much more than just eating though. In following Parts of this course we will cover:

Lesson 2: Training To Gain Weight Fast
Lesson 3: Rest And Recuperation To Gain Weight
Lesson 4: Planning A Routine For Gaining Weight
Lesson 5: Supplements To Gain Weight
Lesson 6: Answers To Some Commonly Asked Questions about Gaining Weight.

If you would like to receive all 6 parts of this Mini Course to gain weight by email, you can go to here and sign up.

http://www.gainmuscleandlosefat.com

Each one of these jam packed lessons needs to be applied to your gain weight routine if you truly want to gain weight as fast as you can!

Let's now continue with the rest of my Eating Tips To Gain Weight!

Gain Weight Tip-6: Eat "Power Meals" For Added Energy and To Gain Weight.

Power meals is the term I came up for a particular meal structure that if eaten at specified times during the day can boost your bodys abilty to Gain Weight.

A power meal is basically a meal which comprises of a quick digesting source of protein and particular energy foods which also digest quickly and help to increase blood glycogen levels as fast as possible.

An example of this would be a quality whey protein powder blended with certain fruits.

Power meals are for these specified times only. Too many power meals will compromise building lean muscle by increasing fat gain and lowering your sensitivity to insulin.

Gain Weight Tip-7: Eat Foods Your Body Requires For Optimal Growth Hormone Production and Health.

To naturally produce hormones your body requires for gaining weight, specifically testosterone, you need to give it the building blocks it requires. Testosterone is made from cholestrol ( simplified). To gain weight by building muscle you need testosterone. This is the main difference why males are more muscular than females. It is because men have higher testosterone levels than females. To give your body what it requires for optimal hormone production you require the right fats in your gain weight diet.

Examples of these fats would include:

coconut oil

animal fats

eggs

Essential oils

butter

cheese

Stay away from trans fats and hydrogenated fats!!

Gain Weight Tip-8: Eat Enough Fibre

Fibre is not talked about much in relation to gaining weight but is important for digestive system health and nutritional assimilation. It is also important to keep your digestive system moving and assimilating as much nutrient as it can per day. Kind of like an assembly line! The more production you can get out of your digestive system the more you can fuel your muscles for gaining weight!

Gain Weight Tip-9: Eat Enough Protein Per Meal

It is crucial you get enough protein per day and spread it out throughout your day. Protein requirements have been exagerated for many years in the interests to sell more protein.

On the other hand protein requirements are definitely higher for a person or athlete training to gain weight than for a lazy couch potato hunting for his next show with a remote control! At least one gram per pound of lean body mass is required to build muscle to gain weight and up to 1.5 grams per pound of lean muscle mass is optimal for heavy intense weight training.

Gain Weight Tip-10: Choose Your Supplements Wisely.

There are lots of supplements to choose from on the market and 99% of them are inferior to natural food for building muscle to gain weight. Natural food is higher in many naturally occuring vitamins and minerals benficial for muscle growth. Stay away from weight gain powders. These are just empty calories not much different than most junk foods on the market. Supplements that are worth trying are Creatine monohydrate , L Glutamine ( in moderation and carefully) and a good healthy protein powder without artificial sweeteners, colors and flavours( more on in a later lesson).

Gain Weight Bonus: Sample Meal Plan to Build Muscle:

As a little bonus here is a sample muscle weight gain meal plan for 2092 calories per day on your weight training days:

Meal 1:

1 banana
1 cup oatmeal

Meal 2:

1 scoop whey protein
1tbsp MCT Oil*
(several tips and recipes are available in my book to add delicious flavor)

Meal 3:

4oz chx brst
1cup spinach
1tbsp MCT Oil*

Meal 4:

1cup frozen strawberries
1 banana
1 kiwi
1 cup orange juice
2 scoops whey

Meal 5:

3 whole eggs
1 tbsp coconut oil

Meal 6:

1 scoop whey
1tbsp MCT Oil*
1/2 cup whole milk

Daily Totals: protein 166 grams/carbohydrates 144 grams/fats 84 grams/Calories 2092

Building muscle and gaining weight is no Fluke! You need to follow the above eating tips to build muscle mass fast to gain weight and combine your eating with an effective and proven training and recuperation program.

Anabolic Hormones - A Two-Edged Sword

2008-06-30T01:26:00.007-07:00

When I was a young boy, emerging muscles were the coolest thing. If a vein popped out a little, that was even more awesome. There were no fitness centers or body building gyms to amount to anything back then (Stone Age). If you aspired to brawn, Charles Atlas paraphernalia advertised in comic books was guaranteed to help you turn the cards on the guy who kicked sand in your face on the beach last summer.

Back then, muscles seemed more legitimate if you earned them from work on the farm or from other labor. Muscles from exercise were thought of as sort of "artificial". So I did lots of farm work and construction in the summers. But leaving nothing to chance, I also cheated by building my own weight set with a pipe that I would insert into the holes of cement blocks.

My dad was of the school that I had better be careful or I could get all "muscle bound" if I exercised too much. I guess he must have worried as he saw me in the back yard hoisting my pipe with blocks dangling from each end. But I loved the exercise and reveled in the pumped feeling in my biceps.

Sorry to sound so narcissistic. But it's the way all of us "guys" thought. We would even compare bumps on the school bus every morning and banter about who could do the most push-ups. This is not to say muscles and fitness are still not important to me, but now I focus primarily on exercise that will help me stay healthy, in shape and trained for the competitive sports I play.

I bring this up not to brag or appall you, but as a backdrop for the current situation in the sport and bodybuilding worlds. Now that society is off the farm, exercise has become a perfectly legitimate way to replace the physical activity lost with modern living. The use of hormones to force the body to grow in a way it would never do naturally, however, is a perversion of what should be clean and healthy personal development. Anabolic hormones totally miss the point of it all. The freaky bodies that can result are aberrations, yet magazines are filled with their photo spreads as if drug induced bodies are icons we should emulate and aspire to.

Aside from the fact that only people with natural bodies and developed talents should compete in sports (otherwise drugs are competing, not athletes), the real tragedy is the toll on health any hormone can take. Of all the drugs I used in medical practice, hormones scared me the most. They could create dramatic and immediate results (and that is their allure), but hormone treatment continued for any length of time always seemed to come back to harm the patient and haunt me.

An example in humans is the use of testosterone patches in women to increase libido. Take them very long and although your passion may be triggered, your voice will deepen and a beard will start to grow (not so good for the libido of the husband). Corticosteroids for allergies can result in extremely serious adrenal gland diseases, immune suppression and vulnerability to infection. In veterinary medicine the same things can happen. One situation I am reminded of that occurred many years ago was related to hormones given to dogs for birth control. Years after discontinuing the drugs, treated dogs would present to veterinarians with life threatening illness, extreme thirst and white blood cell counts off the charts. When their enlarged abdomens were surgically explored, a gigantic uterus would be found filled with pus - quarts of it! All this just because a little ole hormone was given years ago without a hint of an immediate ill effect.

You see, the body is extremely wise. It is not fooled or endlessly forgiving. If you break your arm and put it in a sling, the muscles don't grow bigger, they atrophy. Why? Because the body is also efficient. Why grow muscles or even maintain them if they are not needed? When the sling is removed, the arm will have lost much of its strength. The body shuttled its resources into building bigger muscles in the arm that had to do double duty. It's a very pragmatic thing. The body doesn't pay attention to your agenda; it just does what it must to stay alive, make do and meet stress.

The same thing would happen to both arms - to your whole body - if you had servants do everything for you as you reclined in an easy-chair. Then, if all of a sudden you had to get out of the chair and run a mile or lift 200 pounds to survive, you wouldn't make it. Your wasted and weak body could not rise to the challenge.

Hormones are like a metabolic sling placed on the hormone producing glands-testicles, ovaries, adrenal, thyroid, pituitary, etc. They replace the hormones that the glands normally produce. When this happens there is a negative feed-back: the more hormones from the outside that are introduced into the body, the less the glands do what they no longer need to - synthesize hormones. So the metabolic "muscles" (glands) that create hormones atrophy. If all of a sudden the outside source of hormones is withdrawn, your weak and withered organs may then not have the strength to take up the task again and supply hormones. Since about every function in the body is hormone-influenced, and every hormone interacts with every other hormone in some way, catastrophe results. Is it any wonder that modern anabolic body builders are also racked with heart disease, cancer, immune disorders, digestive failure and metabolic disorders in their (early) later years? The use of anabolic hormones is most certainly a case of desire being a ruinous tenant of its landlord, the body.

Consider this also with regard to anabolics. A normal body weight of 170 lbs. can be changed to 250 lbs. of solid muscle. To get there, massive amounts of food have to be consumed. Yet digestive "muscle" is not being built to keep pace, So the digestive tract and associated organs (liver, pancreas, gall bladder) suited for maintaining a 170 lb. body is forced to digest and assimilate extremely large amounts of food? The result is digestive exhaustion and resultant damage that can last a lifetime. Most of us suffer some digestive problems and intolerances as we age due in large part to eating abuses when we were young. Note the number of television commercials hawking stomach remedies. Body builders force feeding can exaggerate this damage leaving a ruined digestive system tolerant of little more than Maalox..

A huge number of high school kids are trying to "get big" with steroids. What an incredibly dangerous proposition for them. Parents, be aware that this is not innocuous. If the plea is that a little won't hurt, particularly if they are "cycled" properly, don't buy it. If the argument is that taking them is the only way to excel in a sport, then change sports. Insist.

For you adults who are toying with the idea of taking hormones for one reason or another, think long and hard. Read the contraindications and cautions on the drug insert sheets. Take heed. Find other ways to stimulate your body's own natural ability to enhance or improve itself through exercise, lifestyle and nutrition. Don't put your organs in slings and then expect long-term benefit.

The piper will always be paid.

Dr. Wysong is a former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college instructor in human anatomy, physiology and the origin of life, inventor of numerous medical, surgical, nutritional, athletic and fitness products and devices, research director for the present company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong Institute. He is author of The Creation-Evolution Controversy now in its eleventh printing, a new two volume set on philosophy for living, several books on nutrition, prevention and health for people and animals and over 15 years of monthly health newsletters.

Body Part Isolation vs. Complex Movements in Strength Training - Build Real Muscle Instead of Fake!

2008-06-30T01:26:00.005-07:00

Working as a fitness professional, there is one type of question I get all the time that shows that many people are missing the big picture regarding the benefits of strength training. This popular question usually goes something like this:

"What exercise can I do to isolate my _______ (insert your muscle of choice - abs, quads, biceps, triceps, etc)?"

It doesn't matter which muscle someone is asking about, they always seem to be asking how to 'isolate' it. My first response to this question is always - "Why in the world would you want to isolate it?"

The first thing I try to teach my clients is that the body does not work well in muscle isolation. Rather, it works better in movements along a kinetic chain; that is, large portions of the body assist other portions of the body in completing a complex movement. In fact, there really is no such thing as true muscle isolation. There is almost always a nearby muscle group that will assist in some way with whatever movement you are doing. However, this article compares attempting to 'isolate' body parts via single-joint exercises to the much more effective strategy of performing multi-joint complex movements.

When you attempt to 'isolate' muscles by performing single-joint exercises, you are actually creating a body that is non-functional and will be more prone to injury. Essentially, you are creating a body that is a compilation of body parts, instead of a powerful, functional unit that works together.

Now if you really want to end up hobbling around in a body bandaged up with joint problems, tendonitis, and excess body fat, then by all means, continue trying to 'isolate' body parts. On the other hand, if you would rather have a lean, muscular, injury-free, functional body that works as a complete powerful unit to perform complex movements (in athletics or even everyday tasks), then you need to shift your focus away from muscle isolation. Believe me, focusing on how well your body functions will give you the side effect of a body that looks even better than it would have if you focused on muscle isolation. For example, take a look at the physiques of any NFL running backs, wide receivers, or even world class sprinters. Trust me when I say that these guys pretty much NEVER train for muscle isolation (their strength coaches wouldn't be crazy enough to let them), yet they are absolutely ripped to shreds! Just look at guys like Maurice Green or Terrell Owens and tell me who wouldn't want a physique like those guys.

Another benefit to moving away from the 'muscle isolation' mindset to a more 'complex movement' mindset is that you will find it much easier to lose body fat. The reason is that by focusing more on multi-joint complex movements as opposed to single-joint muscle isolation, you not only burn a lot more calories during each workout, but you also increase your metabolic rate, and stimulate production of more fat burning and muscle building hormones like growth hormone and testosterone.

Let's look at an example. The machine leg extension is a single joint exercise that works mainly the quadriceps, can potentially cause knee joint instability in the long run, and doesn't even burn that many calories. On the other hand, exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts are all multi-joint complex movements that work hundreds of muscles in the body (including the quadriceps) as a functional unit, create more stable and strong joints in the long run (when done properly), and also burn massive quantities of calories compared to the single-joint exercises.

If you're interested in discovering more ways to create a body that looks as good as it functions, visit http://truthaboutabs.com

By Michael Geary, NCSF-CPT, AFAA-CPT

But I Dont Want Muscles! Part 1: What Muscle is, and how to Build (or Avoid) It

2008-06-30T01:26:00.003-07:00

One of the common comments I hear from my female clients is, "Please don't give me any weights work - I don't want any muscle, I just want to tone." The reasons differ from client to client, but it most often they seem to be based on a misunderstanding of what muscle is, how we build it, what it has to do with weight loss - or some combination of the above. There's a lot of misinformation outside of the fitness world about muscles and what they do, so I'd like to spend the next two articles exploring the realities behind the myths.

WHAT IS MUSCLE?

When I was younger, I'd never really thought about what the 'stuff' between my skin and my bones was made of. I understood that muscles were what bodybuilders had, and fat was something that made you fat, and that I had some of each. I think, though, that I believed that they existed inside some kind of other substance that filled the space between my skin and my bones. Then, in secondary school, I learned that, in a healthy person, most of this magical substance was just muscle. In fact, I learned that, aside from my body's networks of organs, blood vessels and nerves, and my skeleton there isn't really much under my skin except for muscle and fat.

I learned that muscles were an incredible network of fibres that allowed me to move my limbs, to stay sitting or standing upright, to talk, breathe, and pretty much to translate any thought I had into action of some kind. I learned that if I didn't use them, muscles would shrink and weaken, and if I did, they'd grow stronger. And I learned that as my muscles grew stronger, so did I.

All of this was quite a revelation for me at the time, so I can understand the initial confusion that exists amongst so many of my clients - why they want to tone without building muscles. The truth though, is that muscle is the only thing under their skin that can be toned, and that 'toning' often simply means that muscles become slightly more visible (which then makes the whole body look smoother and firmer). So without enough muscle to start with, there's nothing there that can be toned.

BULIDING THE RIGHT SIZED MUSCLES

Often, the clients I speak to don't have a problem with the idea of a little muscle. The problem is that many don't realise it isn't an 'all or nothing' thing. Unfortunately, because of the lack of clear information out there in the media, the only image they have to associate 'women' with 'muscle' is one of a female bodybuilder at the peak of her competition physique. Not that there's anything wrong with wanting such a physique if that's a client's aim, but for most of the women I speak to, the possibility of developing such large, defined muscles is really quite scary!

Those kinds of muscles, however, don't happen quickly or easily. Really large muscles require long, intense workouts over a period of time, and a base level of testosterone - a hormone most women don't have in sufficient quantities (without the use of steroids, anyway) for size to become a problem. Granted, there are women with naturally high testosterone levels (and I'm one!), who will put on muscle more quickly. But even for me, muscles don't suddenly appear, fully-formed overnight. So if I notice I'm gradually building size in an area I don't want it, it's not difficult for me to change my training in that body area to gradually reduce the size again.

Also, many people believe any kind of weights work will automatically increase muscle size. The truth is that not all training produces size increases. There are a number of variables you can play with in strength training - the heaviness of the weight, the number of repetitions of the movement, and the time you allow yourself to rest between groups of repetitions (or sets). Very generally speaking, training with a heavy weight and low repetitions in each set will increase strength; training with a medium-to-heavy weight and medium repetitions will increase muscle size; and training with a lighter weight with high repetitions per set will increase endurance.

In practice, it's not actually quite this simple, and there are other factors to consider. The important point is that not all training will increase muscle size, that some muscle is necessary if you want to tone, and that working with a competent trainer will help ensure you get only the results that you want from your training.

In Part 2 of the article (http://optimumlife.co.nz/Fitness%20Articles/Muscle/Muscle2.htm), we look at why muscle is so important for weight management and long- term health.

Copyright 2005 Tanja Gardner

Optimum Life's Tanja Gardner is a Personal Trainer and Stress Management Coach whose articles on holistic health and relaxation have appeared in various media since 1999. Optimum Life is dedicated to providing fitness and stress management services to help clients all over the world achieve their optimum lives.

Comeback Bench Program

2008-06-30T01:26:00.001-07:00

For those who are not familiar with my name, I am a National Level Strongman competitor in the United States. I lift stones that weigh just under 400 pounds, flip a 900+ pound tire routinely, and lift logs overhead. I eat regular food and drink a protien powder, that's it. My strength comes from my training, and that is why you can benefit from my programs. This program and the weights used are representative of my strength several years ago. Using this and other programs, my strength has soared to new heights, and so can yours!

This is a program that I have used in the past when I haven't been lifting for awhile and I wanted to get back in benching shape as quickly as possible. It involves heavy singles 3 or 4 times a week for as long as it works, which is usually 3 to 5 weeks. If you haven't lifted at all for a while, you will need to get a couple of lighter bench workouts under your belt before you undertake this program. With that being said, let me take you with me through the first time I used this program and show you what I learned about it.

When I started this program, my previous best shirtless bench was 445. After taking some time off, I couldn't get past 385 for a couple of months. I started this program planning on benching 4 or 5 times a week, or basically as often as I could without overtraining. The first day I warmed up with 135 for a few reps, then 225, 315, and 365. At that point I could feel that I was near my max for the day. Since the idea was to do multiple singles near my max, I did 385 and then a couple more singles at 365. Some days I did no assistance work at all, and others I did some tricep and bicep work. The main program is just heavy near max singles several times a week in the bench press. I repeated that workout 4 times that week and the weight seemed to feel only a little lighter by the end of the week.

When Monday rolled around I was able to do 405 for 2 singles, 385 for 2 singles, and 365 for 6 more singles. I got 405 in each of the 3 other workouts that week, but my total number of sets was more like 4 or 5 singles each workout instead of 10. I felt like I might have been able to do a little more weight on a couple of occasions, but I didn't want to overtrain.

The next week I was surprised when I pressed 435! I mean, I know I had done 445 in the past, but I was stuck at 385 for a couple months and in only 2 full weeks of this program I was already up 50 pounds! The next day I lifted 440 and I was starting to really believe in this crazy program. I only did one more workout that week and only went up to 405 so that I would be fresh for the next Monday.

On Monday, after 3 full weeks on the program, I benched 450 pounds without any supportive equipment. That is a 5 pound all-time personal record, and 65 pounds more than the 385 I had been stuck at for 2 months! I couldn't believe it, and I wanted to stay on this program forever. That's when I discovered that this program was only effective for a short time.

It is very difficult for the body to deal with the stress of benching heavy 4 times a week. All of a sudden 405 seemed heavy and it was obvious to me that I had reached the point where I needed to reduce my benching to once or twice a week again. Now I know that common belief is that all programs work for a little while, but let's face the facts: very few programs can boast even a 20 or 30 pound strength gain in a few weeks, much less 65 pounds. I also admit that it is much easier to regain strength than to gain it in the first place. My experience is that although it is easier to regain strength, it is still amazing to be able to break through a plateau and set a personal record in only 3 weeks. Especially when the 3 week increase is 65 pounds!

I am currently testing a variation of this program on a friend who is serving in the Armed Forces in the Middle East right now. I will be writing another article about what we learn, when he returns later this year.

Until the next time,

Lift Hard and Lift Heavy!

By Aaron Anderton

The Default Rep Range

2008-06-30T01:25:00.029-07:00

I had an hour long conversation with Pavel Tsatsouline on Sunday and per usual his probing questions churned up some things that I had forgotten. One thing that he asked was, "Over the years, was there a single repetition range that you preferred?" What was 'normal' for me? Put another way, what single rep range did I use most often in my weight training and why? Without hesitation I said 5-rep sets. I kind of surprised myself with the quickness of my reply but upon reflection thought it might be worth sharing the whys and wherefores.

As a teen, I wanted usable athletic strength - with the emphasis on explosive power. I was isolated and took my cues from the articles of John McCallum. Mac was the first expert to make the case that high reps built muscle tissue and super low reps peaked power thus finding a rep range that split the difference would provide the balance between high rep muscle size and low rep pure torque. Since 10-reps and above were 'normal' and 1 to 3 reps were 'low rep' than 4 to 9 reps would be mid-range. Split the difference and 5-6 rep seemed the solution. Bill Pearl, another mentor, used 6 to 8 reps to build his incredible mass and Mac suggested Fives. I commenced using five reps, particularly on my squats, overhead presses and power cleans. Being determined and ambitious and having all the training time I needed, over time I developed the ability to take a triple and turn it into a five though sheer willpower and guts.

In retrospect this was physiologically correct and to this day once an individual has gotten passed the beginner stages and wants to take their physique to the next level, 5-rep sets are my continual prescription. Later, when I took up powerlifting and fell under Cassidy's tutelage I found it ironic that he too used 5's as his 'default' rep range. By default I mean that unless the trainee was peaking for a strength competition or athletic event of some type (wherein it was appropriate to use low reps) or in the deep 'off season' and looking to add some size (wherein it was appropriate to use high reps) in normal training times the idea would be to drive the 5-rep threshold upward, ever upward, in all the major lifts.

When I began working with Ed Coan and Doug Furnas I found it more than coincidental that they both used 5-rep sets more than any other rep range. Doug came up under hall-of-famer Dennis Wright who was a big 5-rep man. Doug eventually squatted 900x5 in the old George Zangas supersuit. I passed my love of 5's onto Karwoski and they became the backbone of his training regimen. Typically an athlete in preparation for an event will take 12-weeks to whip themselves into peak condition. The first 2-3 weeks are used for 'conditioning' and the across the board the athlete will use 8-12 rep sets. For the vast middle section of the preparatory cycle, 5's are used. In the final 3-4 weeks low rep sets are used to peak power and strength. It's no coincidence that each of the men I mention developed incredible muscle mass and functional power. Furnas could do a standing back flip weighing 280 and could still run a 4.7 forty.

Does any of this 'inside baseball' exotica have any bearing on the training of normal people? Absolutely: in my experience the average trainee is fixated with 10-rep sets (or higher) for a litany of lame reasons: "Low reps are dangerous," and my favorite, "I don't want to develop big muscles." (As if it were that freaking easy - like within a few weeks of doing 5's they'd build more mass than Arnold in 1975) -- This latter excuse is used universally by women and defies rational thinking and basic biology. We lift weights to build muscle and strength. Period. No other reason. We coordinate cardio and diet to oxidize body fat. The three elements are intertwined to deliver the complete package, i.e. increased muscle size and function combined with low body fat. No matter who you are (assuming you are past the rank beginner stages) a dose of 5-rep sets can blast you out of whatever training rut you find yourself in. Forty-three years down the progressive resistance highway I still believe the 5-rep possesses magical attributes. Perhaps you should consider giving them a test ride.

By Marty Gallagher

BMI Calculator Results

2008-06-30T01:25:00.027-07:00

BMI, Body Mass Index, is the most popular and simple way that health professionals use to determine if you are a healthy weight. This article concerns how to interpret your results.

Summary
Body Mass Index:
25: Overweight
>30: Obese

Calculate Yourself

The calculation is simple, you can do it on a regular calculator. All you need to know is your height and weight. If you want to use metric measurements, take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in meters squared. If you use inches and pounds instead, you need to multiply the result by 703 to get an equivalent result. I am 6' tall and I weigh 180 lbs. 180/(72 x 72) x 703 = 24.4

Underweight

If your BMI is 18 or less, you are considered underweight for your height. My work here is done. Just kidding.

Being underweight is a health problem, just as being overweight is. As Mr. Weightless, I am dedicated to helping those at the other end of the spectrum, but if you are underweight, here are a few tips to become healthier.

Don't try to do the opposite of everything I say to lose weight. You should still be drinking plenty of water, for example.

This may seem obvious, but EAT MORE. Consume more calories than you expend. Consume more protein. One main reason you may be underweight is lack of muscle mass. Resistance training combined with a hefty increase in protein consumption will put some meat on your bones.

The best way to consume more calories while keeping a balanced and healthy diet is to order one of our meal replacement products, but instead of using the meal replacement to replace meals, have a shake between other meals. You will be getting more calories, more protein, but without imbalancing your intake of other essential nutrients.

Normal Weight

If your BMI is between 18 and 25, you are considered normal weight for your height. My work here is done. Really.

Actually, not really. Read the section below "BMI is not Enough" to find out why a BMI that is in the normal range may not mean that you have no risk of disease. And let's face it, for beach season you don't want your waistline to be "normal", you want it to looked "ripped". You can benefit from my articles and products to strip off the last remaining fat cells that are hiding your six-pack.

Overweight

If your BMI is over 25, you are considered overweight for your height. This is a dangerous category because most people ignore the dangers. Technically, being in the overweight category does not seriously predispose you to any health problems. But that does not mean that you are healthy. And if you do nothing, you may just slip into the "obese" category where your risks are great for developing heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

There is a movement these days called "healthy overweight". People may have you believe that if you can jog a mile and do some push-ups that you are healthy despite being large. If you can do these things, that's great, but that doesn't make you healthy. It just means you're not sick yet. The people who believe in the "healthy overweight" basically want to take away any shame you might feel about your size, to make you feel better and relieve some of your stress about your self-image. They say that companies that sell diet products have exaggerated claims and made fat people believe that any amount of excess fat is unattractive and unhealthy. That may be true, we all see advertisements that make us feel unattractive compared to models and actors, and we don't feel as healthy as the athletes we watch in sports. But let's not kid ourselves: If you have excess fat, you are not as healthy as someone without it. Fat, especially around the waist, is a health risk, and it does you no good, unless you find yourself in the arctic. If you're a healthy overweight, lose some weight and you'll be a healthier normal weight!

In some cultures, even in America, being overweight is a status symbol. Having a big belly tells everyone that you make so much money that you can afford lots of food. It also says that you don't do manual labour or work with your muscles because your brain is all you need for your job. I think in most cultures this image is going away, because the muscular superhero look that I'm helping you attain shows just as much success in a different way.

Obese

If your BMI is over 30, you are considered obese. This is the category that is most associated with hightened risk for all sorts of diseases. Risk is not a guarantee, you might live to be 90, but the chances are slim.

I won't go into all of the health problems you are exposing yourself to, because I've written another article about that. Read all about Obesity Statistics and Dangers on my website.

I don't think anything more needs to be said. If you are obese, you need to start losing weight right now to reduce your risks. Would you rather be dead? I don't like scaring people, but I am scared for you.

BMI Alone is Not Enough

One important fact to consider is that BMI is based only on height and weight. Therefore, BMI is not the best measure of your health. It is attractive because it's fast and easy to calculate, not because it is perfect. If you have been lifting weights and have a lot of muscle, your BMI may say you are overweight even though you have little health risk. That is because your big muscles increase your weight, not body fat.

To get a truly accurate picture of your health risks, you can try one or more of the following other indicators.

Percentage bodyfat is the best measure. You cannot do this yourself without special equipment. A doctor or nutritionist must do one of three tests: 1) use skin calipers to measure "skin fold" at four or six points on your body, or 2) submerge you in water to calculate your volume, or 3) use a device that measures BIA (bioelectrical impedence analysis) by running a small electrical charge through your body.

Generally, men should have less than 18% body fat, and women less than 23%.

Another good indicator of health risk related to weight is waist-hip ratio. Stand with stomach relaxed and measure the narrowest part of your waist, and divide that number by the measurement at the widest point of your hips/buttocks. For women, this number should be less than 0.8, for men it should be less than 0.95. If your ratio is higher, then you carry excess fat around the waist, which carries a higher health risk. However, this only really applies if your BMI is already over 25.

If your BMI is over 25, it is time to take action to improve your health. If your BMI is over 30, you are already at risk for many diseases. Start one of our programs today.

By David McCormick

Dorian Yates Secret: What Lean People Are Doing To Get That Way

2008-06-30T01:25:00.025-07:00

A consensus has arisen within the bodybuilding world over the past twenty years regarding the exact modes and procedures needed to become lean as humanly possible while retaining muscle mass. Across the nation and the world, bodybuilders are lifting weights, hitting aerobics and eating with discipline in order to melt body fat. While they might quibble over the content of the workout or the food selections, perhaps they'd argue over what was the superior cardio mode, what they wouldn't argue about was the overall procedures.

The flat-out fact is that a radically lowered body fat percentage can be obtained by anyone who has maniacal discipline: they need to lift weights like a labor camp detainee and blast away at metabolism-elevating cardio with Big Ben regularity. They preplan every bite they eat. If you are that in control of self, environment and life-circumstance and can exert the requisite discipline and denial, you too can achieve a super-low body fat percentile. It requires that eating, exercise and rest are in perfect symmetrical proportion.

The procedures bodybuilders use to lose fat are the absolute best and most effective if the stated goal is to reduce body fat and retain or actually add muscle. To win at bodybuilding above all else, you must be lean. If you are not lean you are damned to nothingness and unless you posses less than a 10% body fat percentile (for a man) don't even consider entering a local meet - you'd get blown into the weeds. In the bodybuilding world, it's assumed everyone will be lean - otherwise they wouldn't be there - the winners are determined by symmetry and muscle mass.

So how do all these bodybuilders routinely acquire 3-9% body fat percentiles - a degree of condition unreachable for all but the elite 25-years ago? It was a confluence of events. The fall of the Iron Curtain allowed all that bottled up information about training to filter westward: this was the start of the information revolution that culminated with the advent to the internet. A leanness quantum leap occurred when bodybuilders began systematically including cardio in the training regimen. It had been assumed cardio would 'tear muscle down' but in fact cardio not only burned extra calories but improved endurance thereby allowing the athletes to train harder, longer, more often. Aerobics resulted in a huge across-the-board improvement as intense cardio burns calories and the metabolism remains elevated hours afterward. Cardio timing tricks improved results.

Bodybuilders began using powerlifter training tactics to grow larger. When the bodybuilders began increasing calories to support the intense training and newly added cardio, a funny thing occurred: they didn't get fat. They got larger. They got more muscular. Incongruously they also became leaner. They discovered that they could eat lots of calories as long as the calories were derived from approved food sources. The caloric consumption was spread over multiple meals eaten at even time intervals throughout the day. The top pros were eating 7,000 to 10,000 calories a day to support 270 to 320 pounds of "off-season" muscle mass. Dorian Yates told me he would whittle from 300-pounds to a contest ripped 260-pounds by imperceptibly reducing his calories from 6,000 a day to 3,500. He reduced gradually, taking 12-weeks to peak. If he dipped below 3,500 calories, hard-earned muscle would evaporate. At 290 Dorian could walk his twin Dobermans at top speed and achieve an 80% age-related heart rate. He was famous for lifting bar-bending poundage yet his food selections were surprisingly 'normal'

Typical daily meal schedule - pre-competition phase

3,500 calories - 50% - 55% carbs, 30% protein, 15% - 20% fat

7am Meal 1 500 grams oatmeal, 6 egg whites, 2 yolks, 2 slices whole wheat toast, banana

10am Meal 2 mid-morning 40-grams of protein (powder mixed with water), 300-grams potato

1pm Meal 3 200 grams chicken breast, 100 grams rice, 100 grams mixed vegetables

4pm Meal 4 40 grams of protein, banana

6pm Meal 5 post-workout 70 grams of carbohydrate powder, 30 grams of protein powder

7pm Meal 6 200 grams of extra lean beef, 300 grams baked potato, 200 grams broccoli

10pm Meal 7 40 grams of protein powder, 50 grams oatmeal

This is Dorian's pre-competition cut diet (eating at his strictest) yet this menu seems hardly inhumane. The key is the type of foods, the timing of ingestion and the mixing of the various foods together. Everything within the diet is selected and prepared and placed for a specific reason.

For example; the first meal of the day is delayed until he completes his early morning cardio session. Glycogen, low coming off the sleep/fast cycle, exhausts itself and at that point body fat is mobilized to fuel the aerobic session. Once the cardio session is complete he replenishes depleted carb stores to curtail controlled catabolism. Throughout the day at equal time intervals he eats. Every two to three hours he refuels in some manner or fashion. He establishes and maintains continual anabolism. The meals are comprised of a protein portion, a fiber carb portion and a portion of starchy carbs. Fiber retards insulin released by starch carbs - protein does also to a lesser degree.

Dorian kept his fat consumption to a realistic (for a pro bodybuilder) 15 to 20% of total calories. He would train in the afternoon and as soon as his brutal training session was over he would re-supply his body with exactly what it needed in the form of a protein/carb shake. He wanted to retain as much of his awesome muscle mass as possible and not consume a single calorie more than necessary to do that! By hovering at the caloric balance point and using the caloric cost of exercise to create a negative energy balance, fat was systematically burned to cover caloric shortfall. He would keep this methodical regimentation up for 12 straight weeks, every single day, without a single break. In order to have his body fat level down to 2-3% on the day of competition, he would maintain a decent number of calories in the face of dramatically increased physical activity: more cardio, more lifting, longer session with poundage designed to etch and shape final muscular detail - the bulk building phase ended months ago.

This is all about melting the last vestiges of fat off the body without destroying mass. The razors edge. No room for error or momentary lapses in discipline - at this levels those who lapse end up 17th. He fuels himself with food throughout the day: he still eats fruit and beef and potatoes. Hardly gulag fare?this approach works: as attested by bodybuilders everywhere who are obtaining sub-10% body fat percentiles on a widespread basis using a similar template to the one used be The Diesel.

If you have the circumstance and the discipline, a mild version of this rigid approach might work wonders.

By Marty Gallagher

The Dangerous Secret of Extreme Muscle Growth

2008-06-30T01:25:00.023-07:00

You've decided to join a gym, but you're not sure the best way to work out, and don't want to pay for a personal trainer who may not really know what he's talking about? Already an experienced weight lifter, but aren't getting the results you want? Read on for the best tips for working out if you have a full gym facility, and the secret to extreme muscle growth.

Before and After
You should always warm up before lifting any weights. This means a light jog or other low-impact activity that will raise your heart rate and raise your core temperature by a few degrees. This should last at least 5 minutes, preferably 10 or more. After this, you should do joint rotations. This is not a stretch, it is preparing the joint for work by encouraging blood flow. Then, do the resistance training. At the end, stretch all of the joints you have worked that day. Studies have shown that stretching before weight training actually reduces the muscle's capacity, and does not prevent injury as was previously thought. Stretching after the work out will protect the joint and prevent cramping.

After working out you will also need an increased intake of protein because that is what muscles are made of.

Length of Time
The resistance training part of your workout should not last longer than one hour. After a warm up, your body is in an anabolic state, meaning that it is ready to "build up" or repair any damage you do to it by running hard or doing other hard work. However, after 45 minutes or so (again, this varies by individual), your body goes into a catabolic state, meaning that your body is ready to "break down" or eliminate anything that may threaten your survival. Entering a catabolic state is good for breaking down body fat and eliminating lactic acid from your muscles, but other tissues are equally damaged by being in a catabolic state. You should be mostly concerned about your kidneys and your muscle fibers that will be compromised if you continue to push yourself. I repeat: working out for more than one hour will hurt your muscles, not help them.

The Isotonic Workout
Isotonics is a fancy word for what traditional bodybuilders do: contract the muscle in order to move a load. In other words, lifting and lowering weights.

As for the weight training itself, free weights are excellent because they make your body balance while lifting them. However, many people prefer nautilus machines for exactly the same reason: they feel safer not having to balance the weight. I will not give you weights, sets and reps to do, because there are a myriad of sources of routines written by all sorts of experts. I recommend you experiment with various programs, because although all muscles fundamentally work the same, everyone has different levels of hormones, different metabolism, and different levels of comfort. Pick up the latest fitness magazine of your choice for current work outs.

The key to remember when following a routine is this: If you are told to do 10 reps for 3 sets, this means that you should select a weight that allows you to do only 10 in a row, but not 11. You will feel tired at around 6, maybe shake a little at 8, and just pump out the 10th rep with no energy left to do even one more. If you can do 11, then you shouldn't stop just because your routine says 10. Do the 11th and 12th if you can, knowing that you should be using slightly more weight the next time. At the end of each set, rest for about 2 minutes (unless your workout specifies something else) and then do your next set.

The Eccentric Contraction
Most people who write workout routines emphasize that you lower the weight slower than you raised it. This is partly for safety. But there is a big secret! But before getting to that, let's back-up a little. Concentric motion is flexing the muscle to SHORTEN it under load, and Eccentric motion is flexing the muscle while LENGTHENING it under load. As your arm moves up in a bicep curl, that is concentric, as your arm moves down, eccentric. Here is the secret: Your muscle can create more power in eccentric motions than in concentric ones. So always lower weights very slowly, to keep the maximum tension while lowering weights!

But we can take that discovery one step further for ultimate results. Skip the concentric motion because it's holding you back! If you're only working out with weights that you can lift concentrically, you're not using the maximum power possible in your muscles.

Warning: the majority of muscle injuries happen during the eccentric phase of motion, and by trying this exercise, you are exposing yourself to risk of injury. So be careful.

You absolutely need a spotter for this, because you will need help to raise the weight. Load a bar with a bit more than you can lift. (If you can do 3 curls with 100 lbs, load the bar with 120 lbs.) With the help of your spotter, raise the bar to the top position of a bicep curl. Both of you will likely have to work a bit at this. Then, as slowly as you can, lower the weight to the normal starting position of the curl, with your bicep at full extension. This should take about 3-5 seconds. If your muscle goes slack or you drop the weight, you've put on too much weight. But if you've got the right amount, you should feel a burn like never before. After recovering for 2 minutes, you may want to do a second rep/set... aim for 3 if you can, but if your muscle is still burning and feels weak after two minutes, go on to a different muscle group.

And that's it. One rep per set, 1-3 sets. One controlled eccentric rep will stimulate your muscle to grow more than 3 sets of 10 reps because you're using the maximum overload possible.

Why? Muscle overload is key to adaptation. When you're using the absolute peak muscular output, it doesn't have to last long. And since the peak is only possible during eccentric contractions, only do eccentric contractions.

I feel obliged to repeat the warning: always use a spotter, and only use weights that you can manage. If you are working out for the first time, get used to good form by doing traditional isotonics, and learn how much you can usually lift to determine your baseline. Also, some exercises are more dangerous to do eccentrically because the bar will fall on you if you go slack: bench-press, squats, military press, etc. For those exercises, use a "Smith Machine" where the bar travels on vertical tracks, and you can set safety measures to keep the bar from falling below a certain height.

Hydration
Always remember while doing resistance training that water is your best friend. Drinking water will keep you from dehydrating, will keep your energy high, will encourage your body to cycle water and fluids throughout your body, and keep your joints healthy while exercising. The main cause of muscle cramps is insufficient hydration. For more information on the importance of Water, read the article all about it on my site.

Caution
For the beginner: start easy. Start at your core and move outwards. Work big muscles before small muscles. Fat burning happens most in the largest muscles (legs and back), so encouraging them to grow will give you the fastest fat-loss results. After your first workout, you will be sore. It would be best to avoid going to your full overload potential the first week, to allow your joints time to adjust to your new activity. However, soon you will see growth, and best of all, you'll see the fat start to melt.

The second-best resistance training (after eccentric contractions) does not even require weights, so you can do it at home without a gym membership. Read my article on the Weightless Workout on my site.

By David "Mr. Weightless" McCormick

Muscle Soreness After Exercise

2008-06-30T01:25:00.021-07:00

Many individuals judge the quality of their exercise session from the amount of pain they experience afterwards. These individuals are convinced by the old adage "No Pain No Gain". Research on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) has demonstrated that here may in fact be some truth to this phrase.

Recall in a previous article presented on this website dealing with Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, we discussed the high probability that muscular pain after exercise results from actual muscle damage. This damage is viewed by the immune system as would any other injury and as a result, an inflammatory response is initiated to start the healing process. Several substances and chemicals are released during an inflammatory response and are thought to enhance the sensation of pain by excessively stimulating the nerve endings in the damaged tissue. So since pain is associated with muscle damage, in some cases it may be a fair indicator of a "good workout" or running session. The repair and healing of damaged muscle allows for hypertrophy or enlargement of the muscle fiber by the addition of myofibrils, thus increasing the cross sectional area.

Excessive muscle pain that continues for more than several days or continuously however is not desirable, as this is often an indicator of athlete overtraining or over-reaching. It must be stressed that if pain is experienced, it should be a "good" pain that is, not originating in the joints and should resolve within a couple of days. As exercise becomes more regular and the exerciser more accustomed to it, it will be noticed however that it becomes increasingly harder to elicit the same painful muscle response. The reason for this is unclear at this time but it is suggested that an exercise session that causes DOMS has a protective effect on subsequent exercise - lasting several weeks. Again it is unclear the exact mechanisms behind this protective effect.

In conclusion then, a regular exerciser should not place a high value on the "No Pain No Gain" evaluation of their workout, as their muscles will be less susceptible to the effects of DOMS. Rather it is suggested to concentrate on other factors such as strict technique and exercise variety so as to avoid undue stress on the joints and overtraining of single muscle groups.

By David Petersen

Bodybuilding on a Budget - It Doesnt Have to Put Your Wallet in a Wheelchair

2008-06-30T01:25:00.019-07:00

As you probably remember the last time you looked at a proposed grocery list or visited the nearest supplement store, you realized you needed to take out an equity loan first in order to get your month's supply of food and supplements.

Believe me?

I've had my fair share of large bills especially when I'm trying to bulk up and gain weight.

Am I right about this so far?

Don't' worry? there are some really overlooked and rather inexpensive methods to get all the food you need without breaking the bank. But I have an even better idea? let me just start off with a quick list of foods that you can find at most grocery stories and warehouse locations that are cheap and are excellent sources of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Low Cost Bodybuilding Foods (no particular order):

1. Tuna
2. Nuts
3. Olive Oil
4. Whey Protein Concentrate, in bulk
5. Pasta
6. Chicken legs
7. Beans

Of course you'll want to get servings of fruits and veggies but normally it's the other foods that are expensive in bulk. With just the above foods, you can get many of them in bulk or for discounts and have plenty of wholesome foods for your bulking, cutting and bodybuilding endeavors.

By now, you're probably wondering?

Okay, that's a nice list of general foods I can use but I am taking some supplements. And they aren't so cheap. I'd like to try everything I see in the latest muscle magazines but I really only have time for what works. Where's the cheap list of supplements?

Inexpensive (best bang for your buck) supplements:

1. Multi-vitamin
2. Fish oil
3. Whey concentrate
4. Dextrose
5. Creatine Monohydrate

Fact is?

I try a lot of supplements myself. I'm curious. I want to know what works and sometimes I stumble across something that is worth it. But the above list is the basic supplement list that I always return to no matter what. It's part of the vitamin closet in the kitchen. If I have no time, no money or no desire to try anything new, I know that above is the only stash I need to make any gains I'll need.

So let me summarize and review?

Bodybuilding on budget is real. If you look for specific foods that are great sources of protein, carbs and healthy fats and mix and match, you have a really well rounded selection to make many meals. No matter if you are on a bulk phase, cutting phase or just want to eat healthy, it doesn't have to be the most expensive things you've ever done.

By Marc David

Bodybuilding Protein

2008-06-30T01:25:00.017-07:00

What helps make comedy also builds muscle?

This is key to getting the most out of your bodybuilding protein intake. There's not much point in stuffing down that half chicken and protein shake?only to roll over and have a nap.

No, we need discipline here?and that means properly timed meals to give a little helping hand to the natural processes that are stimulated by intense exercise.

After a weight training session, your muscles will have been traumatised and at a microscopic level there will be tears and damage to the tiny fibres that make up each muscle. All this means that the real muscle building happens outside the gym!

The recovery stage begins immediately after exercise and is in full effect for around 24-48 hours afterward.

By timing your intake of nutrients to key 'windows' it is possible to radically increase the effectiveness of each exercise session on muscle growth.

Taking a combined bodybuilding protein and carbohydrate drink or meal straight after training has been shown to kick start several well known processes that result in anabolism (or muscle growth).

The 'window' of opportunity is open up to half an hour after exercise ?yes, its not a hard and fast rule?but the sooner the post work out meal is taken, the quicker the 'recovery' processes are assisted.

A typical post-workout meal would include 0.5 gram protein per kilo of bodyweight, taken together with perhaps a high carbohydrate drink with 1.5 gram carbohydrate per kilo bodyweight - containing maybe dextrose, maltodextrin or another high glycemic rated carbohydrate.

This might sound complicated, but its easily done?the protein is equivalent to that found in a small tin of tuna?for someone weighing 150Ib.

An easy way to meet these requirements is perhaps to use a meal replacement supplement as this will have both the bodybuilding protein and carbohydrates in the right proportions - and can be taken easily with you to where you train.

Have you heard the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?...not for people who weight train?the results of a properly planned post workout meal are impressive?

You might already know that Growth Hormone release will be stimulated by this combination of nutrients taken after exercise?also, the higher insulin levels brought on by the carbs will stimulate the movement of glucose and amino acids into the cells to trigger the recovery process.

That's all for now.

Burning Fat

2008-06-30T01:25:00.015-07:00

The more muscle a person has, the greater their metabolism is, which equates to the faster they burn calories. However, resistance training to build muscle is only one part of the equation. The other parts are cardiovascular conditioning and healthy eating. A lot of men that I have encountered feel that weight training is the only thing they need to do in order to get in shape, but wonder why they can never achieve the definition that comes as a result of adding cardio conditioning and healthy eating. If you are not dedicating enough time to any one of these three elements, you will most likely not achieve the results you strive for. Having said that, this edition's column is dedicated to the importance of cardiovascular conditioning for fat burning.

Once you reach your desired weight, you only need maintain it, which usually requires you do cardio about three times per week, every other day, for 20 minutes. However, if you are training for a sport, the frequency and duration will be much different. Assuming you are not training for a sport, you will need to put more into your cardio workouts until you reach your desired weight. Since fat is not your body's first choice of fuel (carbohydrates are), you stand a better chance of tapping into your fat stores if you perform your cardio workouts first thing in the morning before eating. The duration of your workouts should be approximately 45 minutes, four or more days per week for maximum results in order to rid your body of excess fat.

That leads to the next area of importance-intensity. To maximize your results and burn the most calories you can, you need to train at a high enough intensity. This is assuming that don't have any health problems. If you do, consult with your physician before preceding any further. However, if you are healthy, begin whatever method of cardio (walking, bicycling, etc?) you choose at a moderate pace, and then progress from there. Once you have gotten your body used to the exercise, it is time to step it up a notch. If you are a veteran and have been exercising for a number of years, you can skip the slow start and begin with the next step, which is exercising in your training zone. To calculate your training zone, following the steps below:

1) Take the number 220, and subtract your age, then subtract your resting heart rate

2) Multiply that by (.5) and then add your resting heart rate back in. This gives you the low end of your training zone

3) Do the same calculation again, but use (.65) rather than (.5) to calculate the high end

Your final training zone may look something like 130-150 beats per minute, just for an example. Your job is to try to keep your exercising pulse in this zone for the duration of your cardio workout. Remember to warm up in the beginning and cool down at the end for three to five minutes. I was conservative when calculating your training zone, so after you achieve your desired weight, change the above numbers to (.6) for the low end and (.75) for the high.

Remember, cardiovascular conditioning is just one part of the whole fitness equation. Resistance training and healthy, supportive eating make up the other parts. Then throw in the all-important variables like consistency, proper rest, and supplementation to balance everything out!

By Melissa Allen

Building Better Biceps

2008-06-30T01:25:00.013-07:00

Two of the nine pivot points - those stunning body parts located precisely where they attract the most attention - are the lower biceps and long head of the triceps. When fully developed, these muscles lend a mystical beauty to the physique that size alone can't.

BARBELLS FOR BICEPS

To work the lower biceps, use a preacher bench that has a rounded face and well-padded corners. Place a towel over the bench so the vinyl doesn't rub the skin off your elbows.

First, do a set of dumbbell curls with a weight heavy enough that you can do only 6 reps. Go all the way down, uncurl the wrist and then curl it again. you can cheat on this exercise, but be sure to uncurl and curl your wrists at the bottom of the movement. After completing 6 reps and 4 partial reps, go immediately to the wide-grip barbell curl. Form is critical, so follow these tips:

Select a barbell that's about 45% of your one-rep max for standing barbell curls.

Grasp the bar with your palms up and thumbs wrapped around the bar.

Use a grip that's about 4 inches wider than shoulder width.

Let yourself sink all the way down on the bench so your armpits are right down on it. Make every effort to get as deep as possible on the bench.

Your goal is to do this exercise super-strict - absolutely no cheat at all. Point your feet forward so you can't cheat with them either.

Let the bar move all the way to the bottom and uncurl your wrists. (you don't have to uncurl your fingers, just your wrists).

With no cheat at all, slowly curl the wrists up, then curl the arms. This is the critical part of the exercise. Don't pull back with your body or head. Stay fixed on the bench while the biceps and forearms do every bit of the work.

Curl your arms all the way up and rest just long enough to take a breath.

Repeat the exercise for eight reps.

This exercise is truly a killer, but man, it does build mass!

Bodybuilding is a thinking person's sport. So regardless of whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced bodybuilder, the more you think about how you can make each exercise and all its variations work for you, the faster you'll grow and the stronger you'll get.Keep in mind that to make a muscle grown, you must work it with intensity and proper form

Balance Is Key To The Optimum Physique

2008-06-30T01:25:00.011-07:00

As Purposeful Primitives we understand the need practice two distinct types of training: progressive resistance for the external musculature and cardiovascular training for the internal plumbing. In addition, training need be coordinated with a distinct eating regimen that amplifies instead of retards results. We know and accept these ultra-basic premises but then what?

Physiologically we understand that the optimal time to perform cardiovascular exercise is first thing in the morning while glycogen (emulsified carbs) stores are low in order to force the body to mobilize and oxidize stored body fat. We also understand that early morning cardio is sometimes not possible and cardio during the day is preferable to no cardio at all. Okay, so as Thomas Merton told the Dali Lama in 1965 while discussing the subtleties of purposefully thoughtless contemplation, "So Dali, tell me something I don't know." In the world of progressive resistance training it's important to not continually play to your strengths. After you've been weight training for awhile biases for and against certain exercises emerge. "I love to bench press?I hate to squat?I love curls?overhead presses suck." The problem is that by allowing these prejudices to take root and become institutionalized physical imbalances occur and down the long road this becomes problematic. Muscle imbalances set the stage for conditional injuries. Too much quad strength in relation to hamstring strength eventually results in problems. Muscles that lie on opposite sides of a limb need to be worked in roughly equal proportion and ignoring one or the other makes the individual far more susceptible to injury than if they'd never taken up weight training at all.

We can show you how to develop phenomenal strength and power in any muscle. Increase the strength of a muscle dramatically and a concurrent increase in muscle size occurs as a direct result. This is the undeniable physiological cause-and-effect between increased muscle strength and increased muscle size. We all have our likes and dislikes and there is nothing wrong with preferring bench presses over barbell rowing - as long as you do both and do both equally. The problems occur when you double up on bench pressing and drop lat work altogether, or do so little lat work (with a half-ass attitude) that gigantic strength and size imbalances occur. Okay, so in the interest of time let's assume you're convinced by the irrefutable logic of my argument - what constitutes progressive resistance training balance? My advice is to apportion available training time according to body mass. It makes no sense for trainees to spend 70% of their time in the gym training two muscles (pecs and biceps) that account for perhaps 15% of overall body mass. Yet this biased training approach is more common then not: walk into any commercial facility and the young bucks are spending 85% of their time training the infamous 'beach muscles' - pecs, shoulders, biceps, triceps and abs. Why train the back when you can't see it in the mirror? Leg training is a joke - a few sets of leg extensions and lying leg curls. Maybe a few sets of seated calf raises. Back training is sissified to the max: a few sets of wide grip lat pulldowns or sub-maximal seated rows with poundage my 14-year old cheerleader daughter could handle. The back (erectors, traps, rear delts, rhomboids, teres, upper and lower lats) and legs (quads, hams, calves) account for approximately 70% of total body mass; ergo 70% of available training time should be allotted to leg and back training. Fat chance of that!

I would bet the farm that 90% of progressive resistance trainees are bass-akwards and apply the exact opposite ratio when it comes to apportioning training time. Oh, and another thing: while they train with fury and intensity on the pet exercises, come time to train the distasteful muscles they first find an exercise they can sit or lie down to perform - preferably on a machine plusher than a new Jaguar V-12 - and then they muster a yawning intensity that could barely turn a doorknob. The disproportional can breeze through a leg workout while holding a conversation. Any self-respecting purposeful primitive uses a routine that allots that correct amount of time to the correspondingly correct exercises; all based on body mass.

The bottom line being we PPs train legs and back a lot - and we damn well don't do it lying or sitting down using a machine while holding conversations! Let's all take a minute and get introspective and honest about our training template: biases need to be corrected; let's stop continually playing to our strengths. The good news for those who take this lesson to heart is by concentrating on here-to-fore neglected areas progress happens immediately and the lift is incredible.

By Marty Gallagher

Deep Muscle Soreness And Body-Shock Fatigue

2008-06-30T01:25:00.009-07:00

In my experience there are two distinct types of muscular fatigue associated with intense progressive resistance training (only intense training is sufficient to trigger muscle hypertrophy) and these two types should be recognized and understood. The first type of fatigue is direct muscle soreness and is the result of a particular exercise targeting a specific muscle. Scientists are at odds as to the exact cause of muscle soreness but most believe that it is associated with some sort of cellular micro-trauma. Direct muscle soreness is usually the type of pain and discomfort that most folks experience when they begin serious progressive resistance training program.

There are varying degrees of muscle soreness and sometime the intensity of soreness can become so severe as to be debilitating. The muscles are actually sore to the touch. I have self-induced this type of soreness to every degree on every muscle - once, as a 14-year old novice, I found a 10-pound solid dumbbell and proceeded to do 50-repetitions in the one-arm curl for each arm every hour on the hour for 10-straight hours. It seemed like a cool idea to my young and dumb mind but that went out the window the next day when both arms locked up to such a degree that I could not straighten my arms. Both biceps were so traumatized that they remained involuntarily contracted for the next 36-hours. My hands were held at my face and any attempt to straighten my arms resulted in excruciating pain. I had to ride it out until the biceps relaxed. This was an extreme example of muscle fatigue but extremely illustrative of this 1st type of muscle soreness/fatigue.

The second type of muscular fatigue is what I would describe as overall fatigue, I call it body shock. The body is a holistic unit and hard intense training done for long time periods has a cumulative effect. After a while a uniform sense of overall fatigue is experienced manifested by an overwhelming sensation of tiredness. This tiredness envelops the whole body. When in the throes of body shock it seems as if you are moving through water. In my experience this type of fatigue is a direct result of an accumulation of intense workouts. Fatigue and soreness come with the territory and if you never experience either version, likely you'll not make any significant physical progress.

In my experience, if I don't feel some degree of muscle soreness in the target muscle after a workout I become suspect that I didn't work hard enough or the exercise I selected was technically deficient and spread the muscular effect over too wide an area. In this respect I use controlled soreness (no too much, not too little) as a workout report card. When it comes to body-shock fatigue, to my way of thinking a much more serious type of fatigue, I will cut back on my training and kick up my calories, particularly my protein intake. When body-shock descends training through it is a bad idea: first, training poundage plummets (so what's the point?) and secondly there is a very real danger of fatigue-induced injury.

If you experience severe muscular soreness of the 1st type, avoid training that particular body part until the soreness reduces to tolerable levels. If body-shock envelops you cease and desist progressive resistance training and kick up the food intake. I have found that light to moderate cardio actually helps to dissipate muscle soreness. Accelerating circulation within a sore muscle stimulates recovery, assuming the resistance used is light, easy and not taxing. Use your common sense and be aware that even purposeful primitives paid heed to fatigue.

By Marty Gallagher

The Biggest Muscle Mass Gain Myths Exposed

2008-06-30T01:25:00.007-07:00

Performing low repetition/heavy weight workouts will enable you to build muscle mass, however they will only do so for a very short period of time. The reason is that your body is always striving to maintain homeostasis, other wise know as the status quo, or to remain the same. Your body is not interested in building muscle mass, and in getting bigger and stronger, your body is interested in survival and in avoiding change. In order to do this your body has developed many mechanisms that allow you to quickly adapt to a host of possible stimuli's and stresses. So by repeatedly performing low repetition/heavy weight workouts, your body will quickly adapt to this form of stress, and as a result stay the same.

Therefore, in order for you to prevent your body from adapting to the weight training you are performing, and in order to keep yourself growing and getting stronger, you must provide an ample amount of variety to your training. However, you can't just go to the gym and do anything as long as it is different from what you did the last time you where in the gym, the variety must be cycled into your training while adhering to a system. Your system of training should incorporate such training concepts as cycling of repetitions, percentage training, your individual workload capacity, exercise selection, total number of sets, intensity techniques, body part split, and recuperation. And remember above all MAXIMUM VARIETY BUILDS MAXIMUM MUSCLE MASS.

Muscle Mass Myth # 2: Basic exercises only

Yes the basic exercises, like the bench press, squat, dead lift, military press, barbell curl and close grip bench press, etc will definitely help you to pack on muscle mass, but that doesn't mean that they are the only exercises that you should perform to gain mass. You need a complete and balanced training program in order to really do the job and make you grow. What makes you grow is applying stress in the form of weight training at the proper work load capacity for your body. This requires more than just a bunch of basic exercises constantly repeated over and over again. What I suggest is a more balanced approach for getting big. Structure your training around the basic exercises. For example bench, however don't stop there, follow that up with 1 or 2 more exercises that work you're chest, just that they do so in a different manner. And rotate these other exercises, chose a different exercise to perform for your chest after you bench press for each chest workout. Therefore, by keeping the bench press first in your program you will ensure that your training is structured around a basic exercise, and by following it up with 1 or 2 other exercises that you will rotate each workout, you will be providing the variety that is necessary to continuously stimulate your muscles and make you grow.

Muscle Mass Myth # 3: Protein, protein, protein

Just upping your protein intake so that you are consuming massive amounts of protein is yet another muscle mass gaining myth, and I've heard other so called expert's state things like "only protein can build muscle, carbohydrates and fats can't", well I've got news for you buddy, your dead wrong and here's why: As stated in the Merck Manual which is a physician's reference, "carbohydrates and fat spare tissue protein. Unless sufficient nonprotein calories are available from dietary sources or tissue stores (particularly of fat), protein cannot be used efficiently for tissue maintenance, replacement, or growth. What this means is that if you just go and up the amount of protein that you are consuming each day without paying attention to the amount of carbohydrates and fats that you are consuming each day that your body may not use that protein for muscle growth. In addition, Water intake is also vital for protein absorption and muscle growth. Protein will retain 9 parts of water to form tissues, and build muscle. So if you are going to increase your protein intake, you had better make sure that you also increase your water intake so that all of that extra protein will be properly digested and absorbed in order to build muscle.

Muscle Mass Myth # 4: Eating 8-10 times per day

Unless you really are that hungry, that often, eating 8-10 times per day is just one step shy of lunacy. I say this because unless your appetite really is that big, your body couldn't possibly need or use that much food. And as a result of consuming so much food, you are either going to get fat or even worse sick. So what's the best way to eat to build mass? Quite simply you need to increase the total amount of calories that you consume each day. This can most easily be accomplished by choosing to eat foods/drink liquids that are denser than the foods/liquids that you are currently eating/drinking. In this way, you can eat/drink the same serving size of food/liquid that you are currently eating/drinking, but now you can get more calories. For example if you typically drink a can of soda like Coke or Pepsi with your lunch this will provide you with approximately 150 calories. Now if you switch and drink a can of Sunkist, the same serving size is approximately 220 calories, that's 70 calories more for the same amount of liquid. If you apply this principal to the rest of what you eat and drink each day, you can easily find ways of increasing your caloric intake by at least 400-500 calories per day, while still consuming the same serving sizes of food/liquids. This addition in the total amount of calories you consume each day will enable you to keep gaining muscle mass without getting fat or getting sick.

If you would like to read more articles by this author and view his workout programs please visit: http://www.questformuscle.com

By Joseph Krachenfels

Sneak a Little Intensity into Your Workout

2008-06-30T01:25:00.005-07:00

You know you're on autopilot during your workouts when, halfway through you're set on the pec dec, you realize you're sitting on someone's lap. It's time to shake things up a bit. Every gym has a variety of people who come in and do the same routine time after time. The same movements, weight, reps, they even do the exercises in the same order, every workout. Three years later, their body still looks the same. If you don't know the guy I'm talking about, you're that guy.

My suggestion is to put some intensity into your workout. The human body adapts very quickly to whatever we throw at it. If you're not giving your body a reason to make changes, it won't. If your wife just kept asking you to clean the garage, it would probably never happen. But, when she introduces new tactics, like threatening to tell all your friends how you set your Tivo to tape "The Facts of Life" reruns every week, then viola. Clean garage. Your body is the same way. As opposed to the same old nagging, it responds better to variety. If you're doing the same workout, with the same weight, over and over, you're literally boring your body into staying out of shape.

As a trainer I often have clients tell me that they only get a good workout during our sessions together. That, unless someone is pushing them, they don't feel like they're working hard. To solve this problem I've put together a list of techniques that will help you sneak some intensity into your workouts without having anyone yell at you. If you can follow these methods as I've described below, you will experience an unfamiliar sensation during your next workout. Don't be alarmed?you're just sweating.

Keep in mind; this article is about increasing the intensity in your resistance workout. For information about intensity in your cardio workouts, read "Using Nutrition to Boost Your Cardio" here: http://www.shapeyou.com/nutrition_cardio.html

Triple Grips

How: Take, for example, the incline chest press on the Smith machine. Place your hands on the bar as wide apart from each other as you can. Now, engage the Smith machine and do 10 reps with about 60% of your max weight. Rest for ten seconds. Now, bring your grip closer together by about 3 inches and do 10 more reps. Rest for another 10 seconds. Now, bring your grip closer together until they're about 4 inches apart and do 10 more reps. That's one set.

Why: With a standard grip incline press, you only work certain muscle fibers in your chest. In this example, by changing your grip, you work the fibers across your whole upper chest. Use this technique with other exercises by simply changing your grip or the width of your stance.

Pre-Exhaust

How: In this example we'll use the wide grip pull down. With 40-50% of your max weight, do 30 reps a little faster than you would normally go. (Not a typo - 30) Immediately after, bump the weight up to about 80-90% of max and shoot for 10 reps.

Why: You're just trying to fatigue the muscle. It's like doing your 3rd or 4th set, every set. The shock value alone is phenomenal. If your body could talk, it would say "What the $#$% Are you doing"?

Drop Sets

How: After a warm up set of your favorite exercise, do 10-12 reps with about 90% of your max weight. Right away, drop the weight by about 20% and do 10-12 more reps. Again, drop the weight by 20% and do another set without resting. That counts as one set.

Why: By dropping the weight each set, you're allowing the muscle to continue working even though it's too tired to lift the weight you were previously lifting. You should get a great burn by the third set.

Compound Sets & Super Sets

How: A compound set is two different exercises for the same muscle group that are completed without resting in between. (For example: Preacher curls and hammer curls.) A superset is two different exercises for opposing muscle groups that are completed without resting in between. (For example: Chest press and bent over rows.) Simply perform one exercise, followed by the second exercise, without resting in between.

Why: Compound sets will allow you to further fatigue a muscle group while often working different heads of the muscle. Supersets will allow one muscle group to rest while working the opposing muscle group. Both methods add intensity and are great for squeezing in more sets when you don't have time for your full workout.

Target Range of Motion

How: For example, when performing the standing biceps curl, during the upward movement phase, only bring the bar halfway through the range of motion (Until your forearms are parallel to the floor). Perform three of these partial reps followed by one rep that covers the full range of motion. (Bringing the bar all the way up to your shoulders). Count the three partial reps and one full rep as one total rep and shoot for 10.

Why: Just try it. You'll definitely feel this one.

Static Sets

How: I'll use standing dumbbell biceps curls for this example because it's easy to visualize. With your left arm, bring the dumbbell halfway through the range of motion (until your forearm is parallel to the floor), and hold it there while you complete 12 (full range of motion) reps with your right arm. Now, switch and hold the right arm static while completing 12 full reps with the left. Next set, switch the arm you begin with.

Why: The arm that is static still has to work to keep the weight where it is. This is effective as a type of pre-exhaust. The other arm has to work to hold the weight in the static position after completing 12 reps, like a post-exhaust.

Of course, if you choose one of these methods and use it for every exercise, in every workout, then you're wildly missing the point. Use one or two in each workout and continue making changes to keep your body from hitting any plateaus. And for crying out loud, clean the garage.

You may reprint or publish this article freely as long as you include the author bio and all hyperlinks are active and clickable.

By Tony Hale

Boost Your Anabolic Hormone Levels - Naturally!

2008-06-30T01:25:00.003-07:00

Anabolic steroid use appears to be on the rise. With the great increase in modern recombinant DNA technology, steroids such as growth hormone, growth factors and testosterone-based analogs have become increasingly more available and affordable. Despite their renewed popularity however, anabolic steroids are illegal and have negative effects on health, reproductive status and even personality. In response, this article aims to provide some basic information on anabolic steroids and how to boost the body's own production levels naturally, using exercise.

What is an anabolic hormone?

The definition of anabolic is "to build up"- therefore anabolic steroids are hormones that cause increases body and muscle size. Actually, not all "anabolic steroids" are steroids but they are all hormones. An example of an anabolic steroid hormone is testosterone and its analogs. An example of an anabolic polypeptide/non-steroid hormone is growth hormone. Basically, hormones are chemical messengers released from certain tissues into the blood in response to a stimulus. Their role is essentially to help the human body adapt and remain in a state of balance or "homeostasis". While the body is quite efficient at regulating its anabolic state on its own - the temptation exists to use large quantities of anabolic hormones to magnify the results. As recently as 15-20 years ago, growth hormone had to be extracted form the pituitary glands of cadavers. Now however, modern science is able to manipulate the DNA of bacteria to produce large quantities of the hormone. Steroid use has always been rife in bodybuilding arena, but with peer pressure and ever-increasing expectations of sport performance, anabolic steroid use has become commonplace in sports too - even among high school age athletes.

How do I boost my levels of testosterone and growth hormone?

It is possible to increase anabolic hormone production naturally however - the simplest method of doing this is by regulating the intensity of the weightlifting session. This is achieved by manipulating volume (sets and reps), load (%1RM*) and rest periods. Evidence indicates that exercises that recruit large muscle groups (legs and back) in exercises such as squats and deadlifts and that are performed with high intensity and moderate volume boost serum testosterone concentrations. Therefore the exerciser should use heavy loads (85-95% 1 RM) and multiple sets/exercises separated by short rest periods (30 -60s). Testosterone, the male sex hormone is responsible for the increased muscle mass and strength observed in men. This steroid hormone operates both on a gene level to increase muscle protein production (increased gene transcription). It is also suspected to work on the central nervous system, allowing greater muscle activation by motor neurons, resulting in greater force production. (It is unlikely that herbal testosterone "precursors" such as tribulus terestris have a large impact on production - the exerciser should save his time and money and devote more effort into sensible eating and exercising according to these guidelines.)

Human growth hormone (HGH) is a polypeptide (non steroid) hormone released form the pituitary gland at the base of the brain, and its release similar to testosterone, is dependent on the level of "stress" experienced by the body. Its main functions are to increase the transport of amino acids over cell membranes and to increase the synthesis of muscle protein, connective tissue (e.g. collagen) bone and cartilage thus directly causing "growth". It also is responsible for increasing the level of glucose and fatty acids in the blood, and therefore has a direct body-fat reducing quality. Studies involving the release of growth hormone during exercise indicate that a typical bodybuilding program of multiple sets (higher volumes) of moderate intensity (e.g. 10RM) separated by short (1 min.) rest periods produce the largest increases. Many of the actions of growth hormone are actually mediated by another hormone called IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1) released by the liver and other organs in response to HGH. The release of this powerful stimulator of muscle growth has been shown to increase in response to the consumption of a carbohydrate and protein supplement before and immediately after a weightlifting workout.

In conclusion, it is hoped that this article has demonstrated that there are alternatives to using illegal and health threatening anabolic steroids. The human body is a marvel at adapting to stresses such as exercise and weightlifting without the need for external hormone administration. This article has highlighted that is in fact possible to manipulate the body's own natural production of the same substances simply by regulating the intensity of the weightlifting session.

*1RM = the maximum amount of weight that can be lifted with good form for a single repetition.

By David Petersen

Build More Muscle and Lose More Fat by Discovering the Power of Training Variables!

2008-06-30T01:25:00.001-07:00

Everyone will inadvertently hit a frustrating plateau in their training at one time or another. You're cruising along for a while, gaining strength, losing fat, looking better, and then all of the sudden it hits. Suddenly, you find yourself even weaker than before on your lifts, or you find that you've gained back a couple of pounds. It happens to everyone. Most of the time, these plateaus occur because people rarely change their training variables over time. Many people stick to the same types of exercises for the same basic sets and reps and rest periods with the same boring cardio routine. Well, I hope to open your mind and bring some creativity to your workouts with this article!

There are many ways that you can strategically modify your training variables to assure that you maximize your fat loss and/or muscle building response to exercise. Most people only think about changing their sets and reps performed, if they even think about changing their routine at all. However, other variables that can dramatically affect your results are changing the order of exercises (sequence), exercise grouping (super-setting, circuit training, tri-sets, etc.), exercise type (multi-joint or single joint, free-weight or machine based), the number of exercises per workout, the amount of resistance, the time under tension, the base of stability (standing, seated, on stability ball, one-legged, etc.), the volume of work (sets x reps x distance moved), rest periods between sets, repetition speed, range of motion, exercise angle (inclined, flat, declined, bent over, upright, etc), training duration per workout, and training frequency per week. Sounds like a lot of different training aspects to consider in order to obtain the best results from your workouts, doesn't it? Well, that's where a knowledgeable personal trainer can make sense of all of this for you to make sure that your training doesn't get stale. Below are a few examples to get your mind working to come up with more creative and result producing workouts.

Most people stick to workouts where they do something along the lines of 3 sets of 10-12 reps per exercise, with 2-3 minutes rest between sets. Booooorrrrring! Here are a few examples of different methods to spice up your routine.

?Try 10 sets of 3, with only 20 seconds rest between sets.

?Try using a heavier weight and complete 6 sets of 6 reps, doing a 3 minute treadmill sprint between each weight lifting set.

?Try using a near maximum weight and do 10 sets of 1 rep, with 30 seconds rest between sets.

?Try using a lighter than normal weight and do 1 set of 50 reps for each exercise

?Try a workout based on only one full body exercise, such as barbell clean & presses or dumbbell squat & presses, and do nothing but that exercise for an intense 20 minutes.

?Try a workout based on all bodyweight exercises such as pushups, pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, bodyweight squats, lunges, etc.

?Try a circuit of 12 different exercises covering the entire body without any rest between exercises.

?Try that same 12 exercise circuit on your subsequent workout, but do the entire circuit in the reverse order.

?Try your usual exercises at a faster repetition speed on one workout and then at a super-slow speed on your next workout.

?Try completing five 30 minute workouts one week, followed by three 1-hr workouts the next week.

?Try doing drop sets of all of your exercises, where you drop the weight between each set and keep doing repetitions without any rest until complete muscular fatigue (usually about 5-6 sets in a row).

There are many more ways to continue to change your training variables. I hope this article gave you some ideas on methods for you to take your body to the next level.

By Michael Geary

Exercise The Right Way - Dumbbell Lunges

2008-06-13T22:49:00.003-07:00

Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes.

It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.

In this article we'll take a close look at dumbbell lunges.

MUSCLES TARGETED: quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings

STARTING POSITION

Stand with feet flat and placed less than shoulder width with toes pointed slightly outward.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand with the hands facing inwards.

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE

Step forward, keeping the back straight.

Bend the knee of the lead leg until it reaches a 90 degree angle. The knee of your back leg should be roughly two or three inches off the ground at this point.

Push forcefully with your lead leg and return to the starting position.

Repeat the exercise with your other leg and continue to alternate until you reach the intended number of repetitions.

You should note that varying the length of the step will change the emphasis of this exercise. A longer step will place greater emphasis on the hamstring and gluteal muscles. A shorter step will place greater emphasis on the quadriceps muscles.

OTHER EXERCISES WORTH CONSIDERING

A similar effect can be achieved by performing Barbell Lunges.

By Richard Mitchel

They Dont Know Squat!

2008-06-13T22:49:00.001-07:00

There seems to be much confusion amongst trainers and trainees as to whether squats should be performed all the way down or just half way. In most gyms today, a common instruction during squats, deadlifts, and lunges (as taught by many personal training organizations) is not to allow the knees to travel beyond the toes. Doing so will ultimately cause the destruction of your knees! I do not agree. There are certain instances where partial range of motion (ROM) is indicated, but for the most part, I teach people the full squat for the following reasons:

* It is the most primitive movement pattern known to man; our ancestors used to perform many daily functions (i.e. harvesting, gathering, hunting, cooking, eating, etc.) in a full squat position.

* Also, in case anyone hasn't noticed, we spend 40 weeks in the fetal position (which is basically a full squat) prior to entering this world - do we come out with bad knees?

* We should strive to train in full ROM for each and every exercise. The squat is no exception.

* Every exercise produces stress around a joint - the body then adapts to this stress.

* Cocontraction of the quadriceps, hamstrings and gastrocnemius maintains integrity around the knee joint.

* Sheering and compressive forces do occur around the knee joint (as opposed to only sheering forces that occur in some open kinetic chain lower body exercises, such as the leg extension); however, the large contact area of the patella with the femoral groove (as knee flexion increases during the full squat) helps to dissipate compressive forces.

* Therefore, not only is the squat - as a closed chain exercise - considered a natural movement pattern with high functional carryover, but it is also a safe exercise if performed correctly (and that includes full ROM!)

* Drawer tests are performed at a knee angle of 90 degrees because there is a greater amount of laxity in the knee joint at that specific angle. So, does it make sense to only go down half way where you are most vulnerable especially when greater loads can be used (because you are much stronger in this partial ROM?)

* According to Ironman contributor, George Turner, the fulcrum moves to the knee joint in a parallel squat as opposed to the muscle belly of the quadriceps in a full squat.

* Think about it, if you constantly trained in a limited ROM, the likelihood of injury increases if one day you happen to squat beyond your trained ROM.

* Partial squats performed on a regular basis will decrease flexibility.

* There is a low incidence of lower back pain and knee injury in Aboriginal and Oriental societies which perform full squats on a regular basis.

* Even Olympic weight lifters who practice full squats have quite healthy knees compared to other athletes.

* Although you may find some research that indicates full squats as potentially harmful to the knees, only one study has ever proved this to be true. However, it was performed on a skeleton - the same results do not hold true with surrounding connective tissue. On the other hand, numerous studies show the benefits of full squats.

Unfortunately, many personal training certification courses are teaching half squats as a safe version suitable for all individuals and this has now become written in stone. God forbid that you deviate from this golden rule to do something that our bodies are meant to do! Read this carefully: squatting should be performed in a full ROM where the hamstrings make contact with the calves (so that no light can be seen passing through your legs at the bottom position.) It is okay for your knees to travel beyond the toes (just do not relax the knees in the bottom position.) In other words, keep the legs tight and try to stay as upright as possible throughout the exercise. So, next time some fitness instructor approaches you in the gym and advises not to go deep while squatting tell him/her that they don't know squat!

By John Paul Catanzaro

Exercise The Right Way - Seated Pulley Rows

2008-06-13T22:48:00.017-07:00

Exercise The Right Way - One-Arm Dumbbell Rows

2008-06-13T22:48:00.015-07:00

Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes.

It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.

In this article we'll take a close look at One-Arm Dumbbell Rows.

MUSCLES TARGETED: latissimus dorsi, trapezius (mid), biceps brachialis

STARTING POSITION

Grasp a dumbbell with an overhand grip and palm facing body.

Rest your opposite knee on a flat bench.

The supporting leg should be slightly flexed with the foot flat on the floor.

The back should remain straight, parallel to the floor.

The dumbbell should be held at arm's length.

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE

Pull the dumbbell upward in a straight line with the elbow kept close to the body.

Lower the dumbbell slowly to the starting position.

Repeat this movement until the intended number of repetitions have been completed.

Repeat on the other side.

OTHER EXERCISES WORTH CONSIDERING

Other exercises that tackle these muscles include Bent-Over Barbell Rows (mid trapezius), Chin-Ups (upper trapezius) and Lat Pull-Downs Behind the Neck (upper trapezius).

By Richard Mitchell

Exercise The Right Way - The Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

2008-06-13T22:48:00.013-07:00

Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes.

It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.

In this article we'll take a close look at the decline dumbbell bench press.

MUSCLES TARGETED: pectoralis major, anterior deltoids

STARTING POSITION

Sitting at the high end of a decline bench, make sure that ankles and feet are secured under the pads.

Grasp two dumbbells using an overhand grip.

Set the dumbbells in an upright position on your knees.

Lie on the decline bench whilst simultaneously bringing the dumbbells to the side of your chest on either side.

Raise the dumbbells to arm's length with the palms facing forward. Do not lock out the elbows.

This starting position sees the dumbbells touching each other, directly above the chest.

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE

Slowly bend the arms to lower the dumbbells to a postion on either side of the chest. You should achieve a maximum stretch at this point.

Raise the dumbbells slowly to the starting position.

Repeat this movement until you complete the intended number of reps.

OTHER EXERCISES WORTH CONSIDERING

The Decline Barbell Bench Press places a similar emphasis on the lower part of the pectoralis major and the anterior deltoids. Other useful chest exercises have a slightly different emphasis and these include Push-Ups (mid chest), Flat Dumbbell Bench Press (mid chest), Flat Barbell Bench Press (mid chest),Flat Dumbbell Flys (mid chest), Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (upper chest), Incline Barbell Bench Press (upper chest), Incline Dumbbell Flys (upper chest) and Cable Crossovers (lower and mid chest).

By Richard Mitchell

Personal Trainers with Real People, Real Situations

2008-06-13T22:48:00.011-07:00

TO DO OR NOT TO DO? ? ABS

TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO WRITING ARTICLE:

Jeanne is a client I have worked with for a number of years, and through a couple of births with very quick recoveries. She is naturally tall and thin with wide hips and very flat abs. She has that perfect body for wearing couture as you can see from her Vogue magazine write up in October of 2003. She is the type that doesn't want muscle showing at all, just long sleek 'feminine' lines. We have stepped up her workouts of late because she is getting stronger and we do need to keep up the challenge to maintain that high metabolic burn rate for caloric expenditure, without creating muscle definition. Jeanne doesn't like doing cardio so that's not a solution.

Recently when beginning our workout Jeanne stops, pulls up her t-shirt and shows me her abs. Iam very pleased with what I see, which is the definition of where the lower obliques end and the rectus abdominus (your quadrants, also known as '6 packs') begin. There was strong deliniation indicating the muscles beneath. Jeanne points to it and says " I don't want this." In my shock the only thing I can think to say is "If there were a group of women in hear watching us, they'd all groan at you."

Everyone is different and has different goals. So Jeanne now thinks that she should just not do abdominal exercises and asks "Why do I need to do them, my abs are fine the way they are? Can you write about this in your next newsletter so I better understand why I need to do abs."

I then launch into an explanation of the importance of core work(abs). About how your abs stabilize you and help prevent injury by bracing and tightening. The brain sends a message to the transverse abdominus (remember that girdle muscle we all spent time on, with the breathing exercises) before it tells any other muscle to move. For example, the mind tells the knee to lift but before the quadricep muscles initiates the lifting response the transverse abdominus recieves the message to react by tightening for balance, control and strength. So essentially you brace yourself from your abs and then you initiate the movement, braced and centered. Which is why I constantly repeat "pull your navel in and wrap it around your spine." The more this response is practiced, the more proficient, balanced, coordinated, centered and strong you are plus the flatter your abs are.

There is a highly credentialed school of thought that advocates: "Every exercise, every movement and every activity you do is an abdominal exercise if you draw your belly button in and brace your abdominal muscles. Sit-ups and crunches waste your time and do not produce results." I personally believe that there is not one formula for all bodies. For those that have no lower back problems, ever, plus perfect balance, coordination and that conditioned response to pull the navel in to the spine, I say yes, you don't need to do abs. But for us mere mortals who at times twist, bend and pull things (or children!)and forget to brace?well you still need to do your abs. Remember practice makes perfect and that bracing response at varying resistances and degrees is not innate but practiced. So based on this article I will let Jeanne be her own judge and in an informed way let her decide whether she needs to do her abs or not.

PS. If she decides to not do them I will monitor carefully her balance, strength , coordination and lower back response and if I do see any signs of weakness I will discuss with her the need to suffuse an ab workout intermittently.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Jeanne has since clarified that she doesn't want the muscle definition but most of all she doesn't want any roundness of the belly. So, we entirely ommitted crunches. By eliminating the crunches and working the abs through whole body movements and engaging the twisting and bending movements her abs have flattened out entirely again. She has not lost balance, strength or coordination and her conditioned response is now to pull navel in and brace her abs. She will not have that 6 pack definition that is so sought after, but that is her personal choice. For myself personally and all clients who choose to do so I will continue to do crunches, coming up and working only to the point where the navel can stay in towards the center of gravity(spine). If the abdominals pop out at all the belly will develop roundness, and that conditioned response to pulling in may be weakened. But isn't it great to know that you can be working your abs all day long, in whatever you are doing, just brace them and pull in! Voila! Flat abs.

DEBORAH is a highly respected authority in personal training for overall health and fitness, with more than 22 years of experience and success. Her credentials include...

Currently licensed Registered Nurse specializing in Rehabilitative Nursing

Medical Exercise Therapist: certified by AAHFRP, an internationally recognized physical rehabilitation certification

Maternity Specialist Pre & Post Natal certified by Maternal Fitness

Personal Fitness Specialist: certified by NASM, an internationally recognized certification

Yoga Teacher

By Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACE,

Exercise The Right Way - Barbell Shrugs

2008-06-13T22:48:00.009-07:00

Lift More Now - Weight Less Forever!

2008-06-13T22:48:00.007-07:00

It's week three, and you've already learned the importance of drinking plenty of water, and by now, are seeing and feeling the countless benefits of cardiovascular exercise, or walking. So, it's time to turn it up a notch. Let's add weights to our weekly program, to reshape your body, and your mind!

Weight training is one of the most important parts of your life-long exercise program. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine now recommends weight training for every adult. The sooner you start weight training, the more muscle you'll keep. It's a use-it-or-lose-it phenomenon.

Weight training is also a great area in which to practice mental imagery. You can imagine your muscles getting firmer and bigger as you perform your weight training exercises. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how this simple tool will help keep you motivated, and will help yield a higher return on your exercise investment!

Keep in mind, building muscles by lifting weights does more than make you look and feel better. It speeds up your metabolism! Which is great news to anyone trying to lose weight or get fit. Lifting weights also gives you more energy, allows you to eat more food, and recaptures lost youth.

Weight training also increases bone density more than activities like swimming or even running. By stressing the major bones in the body, weight training offers tremendous protection against the thinning of bones, or osteoporosis. And, by building more muscle, you protect your joints as well. For instance, squats strengthen the knee joint by building stronger, firmer ligaments and muscles.

For a weight training program to be effective, you will need to exercise between three and five days per week. You will need to exercise each muscle group with weights, at least once a week, or preferably twice. For example...arms twice, shoulders twice, legs twice, chest twice, etc. Abdominal muscles will be exercised two to three times a week.

I know the rest of this newsletter may be a bit confusing, but to really get detailed and explain exactly how to target your particular goal with weight lifting is beyond the scope and space allocated for this Special Report, so to assure the safety and effectiveness of your workout, you may want to consider using a personal trainer at least once to help you design the proper exercise routine and sequence for your body type. A personal trainer will show you the proper way to do each and every exercise, and help you get things done effectively.

Here a few tips of how to put together a great muscle-toning, fat-burning workout:

? Each upper body muscle gets 2-3 sets, 12-14 repetitions per set. (Twice weekly, but not on consecutive days).

? Each lower body muscle gets 3-4 sets, 12-14 repetitions per set. (Twice weekly, but not on consecutive days).

? Woman should lift a weight that is approximately 60% of the absolute maximum they could handle for this number of repetitions. Men should do at least 75% of their maximum.

? Move from one muscle group to another without rest. When you have worked all the upper body muscles, take 30 seconds of rest. With lower body muscles, you will need 60 seconds of rest. This is known as a circuit. Repeat circuit 3-4 times.

? Abdominal muscles should be worked three times per week. Various crunching exercises are used to best work the abdominal muscles. Do four sets for the abdominal muscles, 20-40 repetitions per set. It is more important to focus on the intensity of the exercise than the number of repetitions or sets. You should achieve a significant "burn" in the abdominal muscles on each set. You should not feel pain, especially not in your neck or back.

? After each of your resistance training or weight-lifting workouts, you should stretch. Some stretching should always be done at the end of a weight-lifting workout because this is when you need to elongate and relax the muscles.

The following are suggestions for easy-to-perform exercises that can be used in your weight-lifting routine, you can choose 2 from each list and put your workout puzzle together with them as your foundation...

(((Upper Body)))

Chest/Shoulders: Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Shrug, Upright Row, Bench Press, Fly's, Incline Press, Parallel Dip, Bent-Forward Cable Crossover

Back: Chin-Up, Lat Pull Down, T-Bar Row, Decline Seated Cable Row

Arms: Triceps Dip, Triceps Press-down, Overhead Triceps Press, Seated Triceps Press, Biceps Curl, Preacher Curl, Machine Preacher Curl, Cable Curl

(((Lower Body)))

Legs/Buttocks: Squats, Lunges (side-to-side and/or front-to-back), Leg Press, Leg Lifts, Leg Curls, Calf Raises

Abdominals: Abdominal Crunch, Rotary Torso, Ab Flexor Machine, Leg Lifts from Roman Chair, Leg Lifts (while flat on back), Leg Scissors (while flat on back)

Change these exercises around, trying different ones each time you exercise a muscle group. This will yield quicker results, while providing many additional benefits. Also, the exercises listed above include exercises that can easily be done at home with dumbbells or a weight bar and weights, as well as exercises that are specific to the gym.

Stop wasting your valuable time! In my famous E-classes and teleseminars, I personally guide you to success.

Isn't it time you got the results you deserve?

By Wisdom Books, LLC & Christopher Guerriero

Enough Already! Stop Coming Up With New Weight Loss Programs...

2008-06-13T22:48:00.005-07:00

Great weight loss techniques are completely worthless.

That's a true statement 99.7% of the time.

Great weight loss techniques are a scam on oneself.

That's also a true statement 99.7% of the time.

Great weight loss techniques NEVER make you thin, lean, healthy, or sexy!

Also a true statement 99.7% of the time.

Great weight loss techniques waste your time, and get you really frustrated..

Again, a true statement 99.7% of the time.

Great weight loss techniques almost ruined my life and my business.

I stopped it - As soon as I saw this horrifying trend in the industry years ago, I stopped testing our new technique after new technique on my clients.

You might think that makes me sound like a quitter - but let me explain how this simple 'step back' allowed my clients to all take 10 steps forward towards their goals.

I define Information Overload as: A condition whereby weight loss techniques come to you in such abundance that you have trouble keeping up with all of them.

When you turn on the television you see them, when you listen to the radio you hear about them, when you enter a store you see signs for them, and they're all "new", and they all proclaim to have finally found a revolutionary combination of exercises, or diets, or nutrients, or some other new gadget that promises you the body of a model or of a bodybuilder if you just buy one bottle of pills or one new system, etc, etc, etc...

For 15 years, my staff and I tested all the new products we came across, trying to determine what worked and what didn't.

When we found a technique that worked, we tested it and tested it and tested it again to make sure that it worked every time it was used by someone.

But there was one common denominator - everything that worked, everything that was actually getting people great results, was already known to man.

Not many of the "new" techniques were actually working.

Every few days. Another technique came across my desk that was supposed to make people thin and healthy. It was amazing.

People trying to lose weight were caught up on Information Overload. They were literally paralyzed because they had too much information. they literally had no idea how or where to get started, and when they did start, they changed direction every time they came across another 'miracle weight loss technique'.

It's a vicious cycle that continues today.

Does any of this sound familiar?

To many, you know this scenario all to well. All to well.

Having loads of information, at first, is thought to be a good thing by most. Years later, when you've done nothing you realize this fact...

Information Overload is an enemy. One that if not controlled will hold hostage your goals and dreams.

There's only one way out.

Decide on 1 tried and true weight loss program that 'does it' for you.

And open fire on the enemy with your only weapon.

Take Action.

Massive action.

It's the step that changed my life and the lives of my clients around the world.

---------------------------

Some of you are asking, "Where did Charles find the information to help him finally take control this life-destroying monster and reach his goals".

Scroll down. It's in the PS of this email.

P.S. Charles put all other program aside, he stopped listening to everyone in the gym who willingly wanted to share their 'secrets' with him, and he quickly changed the channels on the radio and television every time another unsubstantiated weight loss program was being advertised that would just add to his Information Overload. Then he picked up a copy of the Living Health Weight Loss Audio and listened over and over again to 3 deceptively simple techniques that helped him clear his mind of all the garbage, and start getting real, healthy, fast results.

By Wisdom Books, LLC & Christopher Guerriero

15 Quick Body Toning Tips

2008-06-13T22:48:00.003-07:00

Tip 1 - Tummy Toner - In addition to your toning workout, eat smaller portions. Your stomach is only about as large as your fist. So no need to stuff yourself with a large plate full of food.

Tip 2 - Try a Trainer - Get advice or help from a trainer from time to time. Some online trainers are pretty affordable like around $2 week at eDiets.com. Or search your favorite online engine for free fitness forums and chat away.

Tip 3 - Posture Practice - Practice improving your posture daily, no matter whether you are sitting at your work desk, sitting at home in the family room or at the table, or standing and walking.

Tip 4 - Variety - Vary your toning routine during the week. Alternate days that you do cardio work on days when you don't do your toning work.

Tip 5 - Routine - Also vary your routine. Research shows that a body can adapt to the same routine over a 4- to 6-week time frame. When you vary the routine, the body works harder, trying to adapt once again. At least increase the intensity or amount of sets you do. But "change" something.

Tip 6 - Warm Up - Don't forget to warm up with some stretches before diving into your toning exercises in both cardio and strength training. You only need about 5 to 8 minutes. And target the muscle groups that you'll be using. What is "WARM-UP" -A warm-up period helps your body by passing along lots of blood, full of nutrients, to areas that are about to be exercised, resulting in the warming up of the muscles and the lubrication of the joints. No matter whether you are working out at home, in a fitness center or outdoors, regardless of weather, you need to warm up before beginning all exercise activities in order to prepare your body for your workout. So improve your performance and reduce your risk of injury with a warm-up period.

What is "COOL-DOWN" - The period of 5 to 10 minutes at the end of your workout is the cool-down period. It allows time to lower your heart rate before you dash back off to work or other activities after your workout sessions, and reduces your risk of muscle soreness and injury that could come from your workout. This cool-down period should include 5 minutes of cardio exercise like stationary biking or walking, and should proceed at a reduced pace from your previous exercise activities. At the end, you should focus on about 5 minutes of slow, focused stretching, when your breathing goes back to where it was before your workout.

Tip 7 - Get a Grip - When using weights, hold them firmly yet comfortably, not tight, raising your blood pressure in the process.

Tip 8 - Un-Lock - Remember not to lock your knees or your elbows while working out. Don't place undo stress on them.

Tip 9 - Turtle Moves - Remember who won Aesop's famous race and go slow and steady, especially with any equipment and machines you are using. For example, avoid having machine weights slam back into position at all times.

Tip 10 - Focus -From Aesop to the old Kung-Fu movie, here's a tip: focus on the muscle group you are working on during your workout, Grasshopper. Look at a wall if necessary, to maintain your concentration and proceed slow and steady.

Tip 11 - Journal - Keep a diary, journal or some type of record of your progress. Note which exercises you're using for which muscle groups, the number of repetitions and intensity. Track your diet here, too, if you'd like. Then set goals for yourself and update them regularly.

Tip 12 - Attention - Stand up straight! Chest out and up. Shoulders back. Keep good posture.

Tip 13 - Breath - At first it's difficult to monitor everything. But once you learn your routines, remember to exhale when lifting. Inhale when returning back to the beginning position.

Tip 14 - R&R - Don't forget that "All work and no play?" saying. Rest and relax. Work different muscle groups on alternate days.

Tip 15 - NO Hiding! - Psst - Some of the most difficult-to-shed fat is hiding under your belly button. Even though you may have strong abs, no one will see them if the overlying tissue is fat. Ugh! Time to hit the crunches and leg raises.

In conclusion, to get the toned body you desire, you need a regularly scheduled combination program of aerobic exercises, strength training, and good, healthy eating habits. A good place to begin is with your healthcare provider for the latest information about a well-balanced dietary and exercise plan to begin your strategic toning today.

By Tony Newton

Preliminary Isometric Tension Improves the Effectiveness of Dynamic Work by up to 20%

2008-06-13T22:48:00.001-07:00

Are you looking for a simple and effective way to increase your strength? This article will show you how to incorporate isometrics into your training regime to increase the strength of your favorite lifts.

Soviet research, dating back to the sixties of the 20th century, points out that isometric training preceding dynamic work may increase its effectiveness by up to 20%. This is called the "immediate after effect" of isometric training. When the reverse sequence of training was tested (dynamic work preceding isometric work), results actually deteriorated.

According to Mel Siff's "Supertraining", the after effect occurs immediately after the preliminary isometric tension. Strength continues to increase and peaks between the 10th to 20th minute. To maximize the strength boost, I recommend performing isometric holds 15-17 minutes before the hardest sets of dynamic work. Doing so will synchronize the strength after-effect peak with the hardest part of the training session. Example: consider a training session that consists of high-volume Bench Presses and Deadlifts. Iso-Bench-Presses should be performed 15 minutes before the hardest sets of Bench Presses and Iso-Deadlifts should be performed 15 minutes before the hardest sets of Deadlifts.

The intensity of the isometrics should be carefully selected for maximum results. Tensing at 50% of the max intensity should produce the greatest strength gains. Elite athletes may perform better at higher intensities.

One last question remains: how to select the most performance-enhancing isometric position for a given dynamic exercise? Here you have two choices: the isometric drill should train either the weakest position of your lift, or the position where the involved muscles are maximally stretched (sometimes your weakest position is your maximally stretched one). This recommendation has to do with the long term strength effect of isometrics. It makes sense to strengthen the weakest position in a lift, because a chain is as strong as its weakest link. Improving the strength of a muscle in its most lengthened position, has a distinct strength carryover to shorter muscle lengths. Therefore isometric training at stretched positions, should improve the strength through the whole range of motion!

The training protocol that I have mostly used is 3 sets x 10 sec isometric holds at 50% of the max effort with 10-30 seconds rest in between.

Let's give specific examples of isometric exercises. For the bench press, load the bar with 50% of your max, lower it 1-3 inches above chest level, and hold for 10 seconds. Rest 30 seconds and repeat 3 times. For the deadlift, simply pull on the bar with 50% effort, without moving it at all. For the squat put 50% of your max, squat down to the lowest position you train, and sit there for 10 seconds. Don't forget to push your feet into the ground to activate all the squatting muscles. Imagine that you are squatting up, but don't move.

Here's the overall protocol again:

perform 3 sets of 10 sec isometric holds at 50% intensity

the isometric exercise should train the weakest or the maximally stretched position of the corresponding dynamic drill

the isometric exercise should be executed 15-17 minutes before the hardest set of the corresponding dynamic drill

You may find that during the isometric holds you start sweating :] That's because they are a great way to warm up the whole body. You get a dynamic strength boost + a great warm up.

Preliminary isometric tension has these three advantages:
it warms up the body
it has an immediate positive effect on your dynamic strength
it has a long term positive effect on your lifts

You can utilize preliminary iso tension on your max testing days. Here is the scenario: you are testing your Bench Press max. Load 50% of your projected max. Perform 3 sets of 10 sec holds in the position where the bar is 1-3 inches above chest level (rest 10-30 sec between sets). In the next 15 minutes, perform 2-5 sets of 1-2 reps gradually increasing the weight to around 90%. Example:

Rest 3 minutes, 2x50%
Rest 3 minutes, 2x70%
Rest 3 minutes, 1x80%
Rest 3 minutes, 1x85%
Rest 3 minutes, 1x90%, Rest 3 minutes
Psyche up, and go for your projected max. Good luck.

By Hristo Hristov

Current Dietary Recommendations in Strength Training

2008-06-13T22:47:00.015-07:00

Efforts to expand the limits of human strength and endurance have kept the scientist and the athlete occupied for centuries. The quest for another pound of muscle, or to lift next couple of kilos has been relentlessly pursued in the gym and the laboratory alike. As the questions and conquests became more challenging, the answers have become more elusive and complicated. Few concepts and conclusions have withstood the test of time in exercise physiology. Even as we tackle the metabolic and genetic basis of skeletal muscle response to strength training, there are only some things that we know for sure.

Strength is the cumulative expression of the innumerable myofibrils orderly arranged to form the muscle. Strength training attempts to boost these protein motors and the biological machinery that supports them. Resistance exercises create a biochemical environment in the body wherein the turnover of proteins is optimized and the protein synthetic machinery is primed for growth. All that is needed to trigger a spurt of growth is a protein rich meal. This response occurs in all age groups, although it is less efficient in the elderly. According to Philips SM, Tipton KD and others, in young individuals, the muscle is receptive to protein and amino acids for 48 hours after a workout. The only limiting factor for the hypertrophy of skeletal muscles during this period is the availability of high quality proteins.

A few tricks can amplify the growth response to strength training. The synthetic machinery has a ceiling. It can only handle a certain amount of amino acids at a time (specifically, six grams of protein). However, as the response lasts for two days, Bohe` J., in a dose-response study published in Journal of Physiology, 2003, recommended that repeated supplementation with three to six grams of high quality protein during the 48 hours after a workout can optimize the protein synthetic response without topping out the protein synthetic enzyme systems. Combining protein supplements with adequate carbohydrate (35g of sucrose with every 6g of protein) is also helpful. The carbohydrate acts as fuel for the muscle fibers sparing the protein for growth.

Research into the response of untrained strength athletes has come up with surprising results. The demand for proteins increases in both the trained and the untrained states. However, the relative protein requirement of an untrained athlete per kg per day often exceeds the trained counterpart. The initial phase of resistance training is exemplified by rapid growth and hypertrophy of skeletal muscles, before it hits the plateau. Another factor is the relative inefficiency of the protein synthetic machinery in the untrained state. Well-formulated protein supplements are thus necessary to sustain even the early phases of resistance training.

This is not to say that the protein requirements of the trained strength athlete are comparable to the sedentary population. By the time the maintenance phase of resistance training is reached, the lean body mass would have expanded exponentially. The total quantity of proteins that are broken down and reformed during protein turnover in a trained strength athlete is still many times higher than normal levels. Philips SM, in his review on Protein Requirements in Strength Athletes, states that this requirement may be as high as 1.5 times baseline levels.

The hunt then is for a high quality protein diet that would supply all the essential amino acids required. Considering the various biochemical principles discussed, this protein supplementation should be rapidly absorbable so that amino acids delivery can be accurately timed to the post-workout period. Rapid absorption would also enable multiple doses of the protein supplement to be taken during this period. The protein supplement also needs to be in small quantities (3 to 6g) to prevent saturating protein synthesis pathways and to minimize protein waste through excretion.

Protein supplements that meet all of these requirements, such as Profect protein beverage by Protica Research, are used widely across weightlifting communities. The unique constitution of Profect enables it to provide not only all the essential amino acids, but also the specific amino acids used in muscle fiber synthesis. Profect promotes the synthesis of Glutathione, an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals. These free radicals, produced during anaerobic workouts like resistance training, injure the cell membranes. Short term insults like muscle sprains to long term effects like aging and cancer have been attributed to free radicals. Supplementing the diet with Profect can boost the normal levels of the free radical scavenger, Glutathione and help avert free radical damage.

Undeniably, protein reigns as the supreme building block for strength training. The difference between you and your next pound of muscle can oftentimes be a measurement of the type of protein formula you use in your diet.

About Protica

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at www.protica.com. You can also learn about Profect at www.profect.com.

By Protica Research

How Proper Calorie Fragmentation Improves Body Composition?

2008-06-13T22:47:00.013-07:00

It is a well-established fact that calories control everyone's bodyweight. No matter how many meals a day you have, it is the calorie balance in the end of the day that matters. If you eat fewer calories than you are burning, you will lose weight. It won't matter if these calories come from chocolate, bagels, meat, eggs, fruit or whatever else.

Calories control bodyweight.

What about body composition? The two major components of body composition are lean body mass and fat mass. Suppose you just lost 10 pounds of bodyweight. Does it matter how many of those 10 pounds were fat and how many muscle? Sure, it DOES matter. While calorie balance controls bodyweight, other important factors influence the proportions of fat and muscle that you gain or lose! These factors may improve or make worse the way you look naked.

One of those factors is calorie distribution (or calorie fragmentation). Bodybuilders, as the group of people most concerned with their body composition, have been spreading their calorie intake into smaller and more frequent meals for decades. Originally they believed that doing so "raises one's metabolism". Science has never proved this belief. Recent findings reveal that there is no metabolic advantage of eating smaller and more frequent meals.

However recent research has uncovered that spreading your calorie intake into smaller and more frequent meals improves body composition! More calories end up building muscles, and less calories go to your fat deposits. The calorie balance equation still rules, but more calories end up building muscles! That, my friend, means that you will look better!

The most promising research comes from the labs of Georgia State University. Dr. Dan Benardot and colleagues developed a sophisticated computer program that analyzes a person's within-day calorie balance. They named the program - computerized time-line energy assessment (CTLEA). The research team tracked the calorie feeding patterns of 42 gymnasts and 20 runners. The trial found that the athletes with the largest and most frequent energy deficits were the fattest! On the other hand, the athletes with the smallest and least frequent energy deficits were the leanest. The results were equally supportive for both aerobic (runners) and anaerobic (gymnast) athletes.

This research is absolutely fascinating. It irrefutably proves that eating smaller and more frequent meals leads to more muscle and less fat. Whether you are on a 1200 or 4000 calorie diet, it does make sense to spread these calories into more meals. The research suggests that for maximum muscle, we must minimize (if not eliminate) time frames of the day where our calorie balance falls below minus 300 calories.

The most frequent times, a person fails to feed his or her body sufficient calories to keep a (-300;+300) balance are: sleeping and training.

Remember these 4 rules of good calorie distribution
Eat before bed.
Eat your breakfast.
Eat before exercise.
Eat after exercise.
Hristo Hristov

By Hristo Hristov

Ab Sculpting Exercise - One Of The Most Productive Exercises For Your Abs That Is Hardly Ever Used

2008-06-13T22:47:00.011-07:00

Before I talk about one of the most productive and forgotten Ab Development exercises ever developed, you will need to know how your abdominal muscles actually work. I know for a fact, if I don't offer some pretty convincing evidence, it will be very difficult for you to believe such a claim so here is where a little education will go a long way to prove my point.

Your abdominal muscles are really one big muscle called the Rectus Abdominus. You do not have upper, mid and lower abs unless you have some genetic anomaly. This is really critical to understand because the long muscle fibers in the abdominal muscles start at ribcage and ends at the pubic region.

So, when you contract your muscles during a curl-up or crunch, the two ends of the muscle fibers move toward each other. It is impossible for the lower portion of the Rectus Abdominus (abs) to function without equally "firing off" all the other muscle fibers in the abs.

Once the muscle relaxes and allows its two ends to move apart and reach its original stretched position, you will complete the full range-of-motion of an abdominal exercise,

I am not forgetting the external and internal Obliques because they are directly and indirectly involved while performing any abdominal movement so it's really not necessary to hammer out your Obliques regularly. In fact, since the only thing a muscle can do is shrink and grow (atrophy or hypertrophy), you probably will not want to overly develop the Obliques because it will create a thicker looking waistline.

That means the key to creating great-developed abs is to use exercises that fully contract the abdominal muscle until it is fatigued and that will take the muscle through it's full range-of-motion, just like any other muscle you build in your body.

Remember though, you will not see your abs if they are hidden under a layer of fat and you cannot spot reduce the fat from waistline by training your abs for hours on end. Simply doing hours of abdominal exercises may develop your abs but you will still carry that layer of fat around your body if you aren't burning the appropriate amount of calories. If you are trying to lose body fat, there are much bigger and better exercises than abdominal exercises for burning calories and body fat.

Now that you know how the abdominal muscle works, it's time to discover, "The most forgotten productive exercise for your Abs."

Reintroducing, TADA - The Sit Up.

Wait! Don't go yet. It's really, really important for you to know how to properly perform a Sit Up. If you perform the Sit Up like you did in Gym Class, you are reducing the Sit Up's effectiveness by almost 50% and you could cause some serious low back pain for yourself.

I know; if a personal trainer or non free-thinking exercise physiologist is reading this section right now they are going to tell me I am crazy for recommending Sit Ups. Here again, it is important to understand the rules behind Abdominal-development and the Sit Up exercise really qualifies as a very effective movement.

Remember, when the abdominal muscle is working, "Two ends of the muscle fibers must move toward each other and be able to fully contract".

Does the Sternum and Pubic area move toward each other when performing Sit Ups?

Does the Abdominal Muscle bend and stretch the spine in its full range of motion in a Sit Up?

Does the abdominal muscles reach full extension to full flexion? - YES, if you perform the exercise correctly! So, why does the sit up exercise get such a bad rap?

Primarily because the old style Sit Ups you performed incorrectly in gym class put too much stress on the lower back and hip flexors. But, do you know what is really crazy about that logic? If more muscles than one are involved, it is called a compound or multi-joint movement. You won't hear me saying compound movements are bad. Are these supposed experts trying to get people to actually believe that compound movements are great for every muscle except the abdominal muscles?

If I remember correctly, didn't these same exercise physiologists claim squats and Deadlifts put too much strain on your knees and back and that we all needed to stop doing those exercises too? Just a few years later, most of the experts are now eating their words, aren't they?

Description of Exercise - Here is the appropriate way to perform an effective Sit Up.

Lay flat on your back with a rolled up towel under your lower back. Bend your knees about 45° with heels on the floor and keep your toes pointing up. Do not anchor your feet.

Spread the knees apart approximately 6-8 inches to prevent the hip flexors from contributing too much to the exercise.

Next, extend your arms between your legs and keep your hands between your legs throughout the movement because it will help keep you in the proper position.

Now, exhale and lift your shoulders off the ground, keeping your neck in a neutral position. Concentrate on trying to force the lower portion of your ribcage into your knees by curling the spine upward into the sit up position. (DO NOT CURL YOUR NECK). Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position by uncurling your spine and you are finished with the repetition when you feel the rolled up towel supporting your lower back again.

Notice how both ends of the abdominal muscle fully contract together and are stretched through its full range of motion. When you perform a Sit Up with proper biomechanics, your next crunch exercise will pale by comparison.

By Randall T. Gartman

Welcome Back Everyone!

2008-06-13T22:47:00.009-07:00

Ah summer time, it's one of my favorite seasons and it has everything to do with free time, sun and surf. Activities like volleyball, tennis, soccer, swimming, surfing, sprinting after curious children, playing frisbee with the dog, walking a mile to get a frozen yogurt or to find that lost flipper on the beach take precedence. All the ingredients that make exercise happen because, it's summer and it's fun.

I'd like to keep that spirit of summer alive through out the year. By finding a greater reason to stay cardio fit, besides the fact that it keeps you young, vibrant and healthy forever. Everyone does their strength training with me and they do fine, with good results. But I'm no longer satisfied with good results! The cardio component is still missing for some, inspite of my stressing its importance. So I've come up with a solution.

I propose that we get involved in training for a charitable events that involves either a 5K or 10K run (you can walk if that's what you can do, unless you've joined a team sport, then your time is a factor). If everyone chooses an event that will be a motivational challenge you may end up making these events a lifestyle, extending your life, expanding your heart and opening your mind. Other very real benefits include reaching goals with real results, a strong sense of purpose to your training, a chance to meet, share and socialize with other like minded souls. A chance to feel the benefits of team spirit and a huge sense of accomplishment that comes along with your lowered body fat levels.

It's time to get into the spirit of giving..?it's guaranteed life promoting. All proceeds of your efforts go to the charitable cause sponsoring the run. This site has a current list of all upcoming events to choose from http://www.newyorkled.com/indexRaces009.htm#races. I will be keeping logs of everyone's progress, which will be documented and discussed in upcoming newsletters. Your story could be the next spot light article in this newsletter. Just think! Your chance to inspire others too!

Eventually if enough people are involved and motivated, I'd like to reach out and sponsor my own event for a good cause. Perhaps I'll sponsor an ab fab marathon (Nicks suggestion), or body fat loss competition (over a month long period)I am open to suggestions, feedback and ideas. Most importantly, together, lets get involved! Improving ourselves as we help others!

By DEBORAH

"Bodybuilding Sins" That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts

2008-06-13T22:47:00.007-07:00

It's one thing for someone who sits at a computer all day and never exercises to have back pain, but for a bodybuilder, someone who spends hours and hours each week pouring everything they've got into building muscle, it should be criminal!

The reason we say this is because, if you are going to spend so much time, money, and energy trying to build the "perfect body", you have to make sure that you not only look good, but also feel good?

We've identified what we call "Bodybuilding Sins" that lead to back pain, sciatic pain, and other injuries? read em and take action now if you are serious about bodybuilding and are fed up with your back pain.

Because there is so much information to share with you, we've broken it down into a series of 5 articles, each covering a different component of how back pain affects bodybuilders.

Here's a breakdown of the articles to look for:

1. Article #1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises (below)
2. Article #2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results
3. Article #3 - Targeted Stretching
4. Article #4 - Targeted Exercises
5. Article #5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention

Article #1 - Choosing the WRONG Exercises

Get ready, this is gonna hurt! The exercises most bodybuilders focus on the most, are the ones that cause the most problems? hopefully, you're different J

But before we share with you what those exercise are, let's talk real quickly about what bodybuilding is?

The goal of bodybuilding isn't to get as big as you can, or at least to us it isn't and shouldn't be, but to build a balanced body that is as strong as possible in every way. For example, while being freakishly big may get people's attention, it serves you no purpose at all?

while on the other hand, what if you were not only big, but also extremely strong and powerful, lightning fast, flexible, and agile enough to kick ass if needed?

So many bodybuilders build massive amounts of muscle yet are so unbelievably weak and inflexible? for example, we know a guy who can bench press over 350 lbs but can't do a measly 50 push-ups!

The point is, the exercises you choose and how you perform them not only determine how big, strong, and flexible you are, but also affect how your body functions and whether or not you suffer from aches, pains, and injuries like back pain and sciatic pain.

Ok, here they are? the exercises that create the most problems and are most likely to lead to back pain:

1. Bench Press
2. Leg Extension

So, any of your favorites on this list?

While there are others, these are the two that cause the most damage.

There are several reasons why these exercises made our list of the "worst bodybuilding exercises". First, all of them target areas that already tend to get worked a lot in everyday life and often times are overdeveloped?

and by focusing so much on these exercises you end up creating muscle imbalances, or worsening existing muscle imbalances, which pull your bones and joints out of their normal position?

and this leads to uneven pressure and wear and tear on your muscle, ligaments, tendons, bones, and joints and will sooner or later lead a break down or injury.

For example, chronic overuse of the bench press, coupled with little or no exercises targeting the upper back, leads to an overdevelopment of the chest and a lack of strength and development in the upper back?

This all too common combination leads to what we call "Turtle Back". You know what we're talking about, when the shoulders are pulled so far forward, lats are as wide as barn, and from behind, their back looks like a giant sea turtle shell!

This "Turtle Back" posture can create neck, upper back, and shoulder pain and injuries faster than you can pop an Advil!

Plus, how many times during your day are you forced to lie on your back and push up a bar loaded with weights? There are so many better exercises for chest development that not only stimulate more muscle, but also build more usable strength.

Now let's talk about the fabulous thigh builder, the leg extension?

Not only does it place an unbelievable amount of strain on the knee joint, but it also will quickly overdevelop the quads, which are already getting far more work than their counterpart, the hamstrings.

An imbalance between the quadriceps and hamstrings, which is also extremely common in bodybuilders, is a key contributor to back pain. This imbalance is easily identifiable by what people often call "Bubble Butt" or "Ghetto Booty".

So hopefully you can see how important it is to choose your exercises wisely. We strongly recommend you cut out these exercises, or at least cut back on using them and add in targeted exercises for the opposing muscle groups and targeted stretches for those tight, overdeveloped muscles.

The key to eliminating back pain, or any other ache, pain or injury for that matter, is to bring your body closer to balance?

What good is muscle if you can't use it? How many more workouts are you going to miss because of back, neck, or shoulder pain? How much bigger and stronger could you be if back pain and other injuries weren't ruining your training?

Just imagine how bad things will be 10, 20, or 30 years from now if you don't make changes to your training now? but don't take our word for it, ask some of the older bodybuilders who are paying the price now... you can spot them easily at the gym because they limp around trying to find something they CAN do.

Look for the next article, "Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results" very soon and in the mean time, if you are suffering from back pain or sciatic pain,

by Jesse Cannone

Weight Training Terminology For Beginners

2008-06-13T22:47:00.005-07:00

Weight training is one of the best ways to shape up and lose weight. The benefits of weight training are too numerous to mention here. The purpose of this article is to help you understand the terminology of weight training so that you can better understand your trainer or salesperson. Perhaps you have thought about joining a gym. Perhaps you have called and inquired about cost, operating hours, whether or not someone would be available to help you or any other number of things. Perhaps you had your eye on a piece of exercise equipment and went and talked to a "salesman" at a department store. Either way you were probably hammered with some terms you did not understand. The gym tends to have a language of its own and this article is intended to help you with weight lifting terminology.

Here are some of the basics:

Routine - The series of exercises that you complete make up your routine. A whole body routine can be done in one day and repeated several times per week, but more than likely a routine will be broken up for Monday, Wednesday, Friday or any other combinations of days. Sometimes a routine will be 2 on 2 off or some other combinations of days. (Workout Monday and Tuesday and then be off Wednesday and Thursday, workout Friday and Saturday, and then off Sunday and Monday, etc. etc.) Remember when you are designing a routine or a personal trainer is designing you a routine; keep in mind that your body needs time to recuperate between workouts.

Repetitions - Remember in gym class when the teacher said "Do 25 jumping jacks"? Each jumping jack was a repetition. When a personal trainer is designing you an exercise routine more than likely they will base the number of repetitions they prescribe to you upon your particular goals.

Sets - If you do 25 jumping jacks and then rest a minute and do 25 more - you have completed two sets of 25 repetitions. A set is performing the prescribed number of repetitions and then resting. Sometimes a personal trainer will recommend one set per exercise and sometimes they will recommend numerous sets. Again, this depends on your particular goals.

Plate - If your personal trainer tells you to slap another plate on the bar what they are referring to is another weight. Plates come in 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 35, and 45 pound and higher increments.

Spot - Anyone ever ask you if you need a spot? A spot is simply assistance or someone watching out for you while you complete a set. Your personal trainer will be your full time spot or you can simply ask someone in the gym.

Partner - A partner is simply someone that you work out with.

Free Weights - Whuh? Free weights are weights that are not attached to a machine. You physically load the weights unto a bar.

Machines - Weight lifting machines are usually "pin selected" meaning you put a pin in to select the poundage you want to lift. Machines are different from free weights in that you usually don't have to balance the weight. The weight moves along a path that the machine's mechanics determine. Machine lifting is generally safer than free weights but in lifting free weights you tend to develop your "stabilizer" muscles because not only do you have to lift the weight but you also must control it.

Rack - Sometimes referred to as the "rack" the power rack can be used for many exercises. It is the big metal contraption you see over in the corner with holes drilled up both sides so that you can slide a safety bar in. Power racks can be used for squats and chin ups and many other exercises.

Circuit routine - A circuit routine combines cardiovascular exercise with weight training. A circuit routine is a routine where you would perform numerous exercises back to back without resting. A sample routine could be 25 jumping jacks followed by 25 push-ups followed by 25 squat thrusts all without resting. When you have finished the squat thrusts you would have completed one circuit. Your personal trainer may put you on a circuit routine to help you burn more calories while you tone up.

Negative - Sometimes you here someone in the gym say something like "Do two negatives!" What they are talking about is most easily described as the "lowering of the weight". If I press a weight overhead - The process of pressing it is considered the "positive" portion of the rep. When I lower the weight - that is the negative part of the rep. The negative part of the repetition is very important when it comes to resistance training. A partner will help you with the positive part of the rep and you control the negative. These are usually completed after some exhaustion has occurred in an effort to create more muscle breakdown.

Some of the body parts that may not be self explanatory:

Pecs - Refers to your chest

Lats - Refers to the muscles in your back that flare out

Hams - hamstrings

Glutes - Butt muscles

Traps - The muscles that go from your neck to your shoulders. Shrug and say "I don't know what he is talking about" and you just used your traps.

Bi's - Biceps

Tri's - Triceps

Quad's - Quadriceps or the muscles on the front of your legs

Delts - Your deltoid or shoulder muscles. Usually defined by rear, middle or front.

And last but not least - Abs - Stomach or Abdominal muscles.

Now for your homework: Call your local gymnasium or personal trainer and tell them you want a 3 on 1 off routine with moderate sets and reps focusing on free weights with special emphasis for your glutes and abs?.Just kidding.

I do hope that you have learned something from this article. Get to moving and enjoying the many benefits of weight training. Be stronger, leaner, and more confident starting tomorrow!

I wish for you the best of health!

By Bill Herren

Water Makes Muscles More Elastic?!

2008-06-13T22:47:00.003-07:00

Before you say, "yeah, yeah, yeah I know to drink 8 cups a day and live until a hundred. Boring, heard it all before" and close the page? your best bet would be to read on, for what you are about to learn may indeed not only broaden your circle of knowledge, but save your life.

I feel like the end of June is the perfect time to bring the topic of "water" to the attention of my fellow athletes.

We all heard stories of dehydration. Temperature climbs over a hundred. A senior citizen is taken to the emergency room due to a heat stroke. An overeager jogger collapses experiencing muscle spasms while exercising. These stories go on and on.

I have to say that the majority of Martial Arts instructors do not have degrees in Exercise Physiology. What they do have is tradition. We can only hope that the tradition they follow is safe. For instance, when I was a student, my master never allowed his students to drink water. He would turn on the fan, and spray the water on every student, yet would not allow us to actually consume it. It was considered as "lack of self discipline" to drink during a workout session. I guess marathon runners don't have any discipline, for all I know.

The fact is that a properly hydrated body can withstand a workout session 30-45 minutes in length without water. After that it must be hydrated. Yes, we all heard about the Special Operation Forces; they workout the whole day and don't eat or drink. That may be true, but this type of training doesn't last long. Few days, a week at most. However, most of us are not training for special missions (although we sure do wish we were). We want to know how to defend ourselves, or win a tournament. Going for a long time without water, is not a requirement for us.

Let's look at some facts. I am not trying to bring back H.S. biology class. Just want to give you some general ideas. An average human body is 80% water. Muscles however are 75% water. The fact is that muscles loose elasticity with diminishing water content. They get tight and if nothing is done, spasms might develop.

Martial Artists happens to be on the higher end of the water loss, as compared to other athletes. Our sport is highly aerobic, thus highly heat producing. When sweat is excreted to cool the body, water is lost. Let's not forget about exercise metabolism. Fat is burned, sugar is burned, and protein is converted. Metabolic products are produced. Some are very toxic. If they are to sit in a body for too long, illness can develop. Our bodies try to prevent it from happening. Toxic metabolites are quickly diluted and excreted. There goes water loss through the kidneys.

Oh, and let's not forget about shouting. Most martial arts styles yell, like there is no tomorrow. There goes water loss, and a lot of it. Lungs facilitate water loss, just as much as the next guy. Who is "kia- ing" now? Don't take my word for it. Remember what happens when you speak a lot? Long speeches make the throat mouth and lips dry. That's what most of us notice, but the train doesn't stop there. To hydrate those areas, water is drawn out of the muscles. No wonder your performance suffers. Remember drinking water is not only necessary to keep the mouth moist, but everything else as well.

It is safe to say that most people are dehydrated but don't even know it. Thirst is not the fist signal of dehydration. It' may not even be the second. So if you do experience thirst, watch out.

Here are some very common symptoms of dehydration:

Fatigue
Digestive discomfort
Headaches
Constipation
Anger
Etc.

As a matter of fact, some experts related dehydration to more serious conditions, such as:

Ulcers
Obesity
Asthma
Allergies

If you want to know more, feel free to do some research.

Remember an elder person, will experience these symptoms more than a youngster, even if the level of dehydration is the same.

If after reading this you decide to drink more water. Remember pure water is the best choice. Go for bottled or filtered variety. If you are active 10-12 glasses will serve you right.

Tip:

Heard about athletic drinks? To replace expensive and artificial re-hydration beverages, try this:

Into a litter of water add sea salt and raw organic dehydrated cane juice. These substances are the most natural and pure sources of salt and sugar. They are not refined and contain many useful vitamins and minerals. The pureness of this substances, minimizes the negative effects of salt and sugar that we are used to hear about. Experiment with taste. Besides replenishing nutrients lost while sweating, this drink helps to prevent water loss, and facilitates water retention in your cells.

Try this for a few weeks as a supplementation to your ElasticSteel program, and you may be marveled by the results.

Best Wishes,

PAUL
ElasticSteel.com
ElasticSteel - Method of Athletic Conditioning
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The statements put force in this newsletter had not been evaluated by the FDA or the Main Stream Medical Community and is for investigative and informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Before trying anything suggested in this and future newsletters, Paul Zaichik, ElasticSteel.com and its Affiliates, urge you to seek the advice of a Physician.

By Paul Zaichik

A Champion Bodybuilder - Do You Have What It Takes?

2008-06-13T22:47:00.001-07:00

Personal Lactate Threshold Training

2008-06-06T02:17:00.000-07:00

These are not the reasons we do Lactate Threshold Training.
What is it?When muscles contract vigorously for long periods, the circulatory system begins to lose ground in delivery of oxygen (necessary for energy production). In these conditions the breakdown of glucose is converted to lactic acid. As the lactate is produced in the muscles, it leaks out into the blood and is carried around the body. If this condition continues, the functioning of the body will become impaired and the muscles fatigue very quickly. This point is often measured as the lactate threshold.
Why Do We Do It?The aim of the training system is to saturate the muscles in lactic acid, which will educate the body's buffering mechanism to deal with lactic acid more effectively. Thus raising the anaerobic (lactate) threshold. It's not the lactic acid that causes the burn in the muscles as you exercise, but the hydrogen ions released as the lactic acid leaks out. An elevation in blood lactic acid levels is a major trigger of growth hormone (HGH) release. Increasing HGH, is beneficial for gaining muscle / lean tissue and reducing fat.
Aging: Many of the physical and personal changes that are associated with the aging process are directly related to the age related decline in Human Growth Hormone, HGH. Many of the 'acknowledged symptoms' associated with 'maturing' are directly related to hormonal demise. In 1996 the US FDA approved HGH for treating symptoms associated with adult hormonal demise. The FDA approved that medical signs and symptoms of HGH demise are parallel with the conditions associated with the progression of aging: Fat gain, muscle loss, loss of energy, poor sleep, skin changes, bone density loss, libido issues .. all HGH related. Increasing HGH has a on our skin, body composition, muscle tone, mood, energy, sleep quality, and bone density.
Metabolism: Fat utilization requires HGH! Low blood sugar triggers the secretion of HGH to utilize fat for energy. The best time for HGH stimulating exercise is in the morning after the all night fast. If you cannot exercise first thing in the morning, time meals so that you have several hours ( 2 - 3 ) to burn off the blood glucose from the meal, before you workout. A relatively hard, planned and synergistic workout will result in up to a 250% increase in HGH secretion.
Posture and Alignment: The constant total body movement (infinite & constant movement variations ) results in a constantly changing center of gravity. You instinctively assume a personally optimum posture and naturally fine tune the muscles of grace, balance, alignment and posture.
Taking a week off from training every 8 to 10 weeks is very important for overall recuperation. Many people have a psychological barrier to taking time off from training. They feel like they are going to shrink. Not so. In fact after your week off for complete recovery you will usually come back stronger and energized.
This program is based on the research published by the recognized leaders of HGH and AntiAging Research: Dr. Donald Rudman, Dr. Ronald Klatz, Dr. Mario DiPasquali, Sandy Shaw and Dirk Pearson. Renowned doctors, authors and scientists with findings published worldwide. New England Journal of Medicine, several best selling scientific / technical medical books and a multitude of magazine articles. Dietary Recommendations
Eat a high protein / lowish carb and fat meal 15 - 45 minutes after exercise. Five to Six small meals per day spaced 3 1/2 hrs apart.
ProteinNo potential problem with consuming 1 gm of protein per pound of body weight per day. Whey protein is inexpensive, low fat, low carb and convenient for a high protein shake.
Animal Protein, Lean Beef, Skinless Chicken , Turkey Eggs. A wonderful, nutritious food!
FishGood Oils. More good OIL not just more fat. 20% - 30% of total calories. Specific Essential Fatty Acids are needed for most of the bodies hormonal functions. Olive, Sunflower or Canola oil for salads & cooking.
Trim the fat out of the beef & pull the skin off the chicken and turkey.
Lower Carbohydrates.
Raw fruits & Vegetables are nutrient dense & fiber rich.
Processed grains are mostly useless, non nutritious calories with minimal fiber.
More Raw Fruit & Vegetables.
Way Less Sugar.
Less bread & pasta. Use whole grains when you do enjoy the grain products.
Eating five or more servings a day of fruit and vegetables lowers your chances of getting cancer. Persons with extreme weight loss requirements ( more than 50 pounds ) obviously have different needs than the average weight conscious person. Persons striving for a 5% body fat and rippled abs probably also have different goals than simply enjoying a healthy life. Recognizing that food is a sensual thing and to enjoy eating is certainly a simple pleasure. However being intelligent in sensual pleasures is certainly not an unheard of concept today. Fast food is a luxury. I eat fast food. I enjoy ice cream. Thank God I don't particularly like doughnuts.
Dr. DiPasquali's diet allows you to low carb for 5 or 6 days per week and "binge" on what ever you want for one or two days. This will make sticking to a "diet" easier and will eliminate the over whelming cravings that can dominate your sub conscious hunger center.
This 'breaking' of the 'low carb' diet will also serve to 'reset or raise' your basal metabolism. Cooking for Good Nutrition and Weight Control
Choose methods of cooking that will retain flavor, color and nutrients. Steam instead of boiling vegetables. Avoid cooking at high temperatures (except for quick stir-frying) and long cooking times. Both extended heat and liquid can destroy or leach out valuable nutrients.
Add vegetables whenever possible to ensure your five-a-day intake. Experiment with more veggie variety in salads, try new vegetable mixes, include some shredded vegetables in casseroles, and add different vegetables to soups and stews. Use chopped red or yellow peppers to "pep" up the flavor. Try vegetable salsas and fruit chutneys as accompaniments to meat or poultry in place of heavy gravies or sauces. When you use oil, select olive, sunflower or canola oil. Drain off visible fat while cooking, blot pan-fried foods on paper towels to absorb extra grease.
Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACEemail: deb@vitalsignsfitness.comweb: www.vitalsignsfitness.com
DEBORAH is a highly respected authority in personal training for overall health and fitness, with more than 22 years of experience and success. Her credentials include...
Currently licensed Registered Nurse specializing in Rehabilitative Nursing
Medical Exercise Therapist: certified by AAHFRP, an internationally recognized physical rehabilitation certification
Maternity Specialist Pre & Post Natal certified by Maternal Fitness
Personal Fitness Specialist: certified by NASM, an internationally recognized certification
Yoga Teacher
Professional Health Member, National Organization of Fitness Instructors (IDEA), a leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals