Bodybuilding Weight Classes: December 2011

How to Get Massive - Are You Training Your Most Powerful Muscle?

When most people think of powerful muscles, they usually think arms or chest. Some even think of think of the hips and back. And while these muscles are certainly powerful, they are no where near as powerful as the most powerful muscle you have. Your mind.

Yes, you read that correctly. Your mind or brain is your most powerful muscle, and if used properly can do more for your gains than you could imagine.

How? Simple.

First and foremost you cannot under any circumstances accept defeat. When you are in the gym training, you must always give it your best. Think about this for a minute. How many people do you know who have the best genetics, maybe better than the professionals, but simply do not train hard enough? Do not worry about genetics-give it your best.

Second, you must truly and honestly believe that you can do it-that you can be massive and gain huge amounts of muscle. Again, think about this, do you really believe it-or are you just giving it lip service. Arnold (no last name necessary) was a master at this, he would set a goal for himself and then he would go out and achieve it.

A TIP

Most people fail because they set massive goals-things that are not really achievable, like dropping thirty pounds in month. Instead of doing this, set realistic goals, like adding pound to your over head press every other week.

Yes, I know this is a very small goal, but again, set your self up for success not failure. Achieve this goal then set another one and another one.

You know what will happen by the end of the year? All of those one pound gains (or whatever amount you choose) will add up to a tremendous amount. And chances are this will be reflected in your physique in a positive way that you can see in the mirror.

Same goes with your diet and eating plan, if you are trying to gain muscular body weight, try to consume just a little more protein every couple of weeks. Be it half a chicken breast or a protein shake. All of these added good calories will show up on your physique in positive way a little bit at a time.

CONCLUSION

Your mind truly is your most power muscle, but only if you use it.

Start right now by setting a small goal and then go out and achieve it! You will see, one small success will lead to another and then another. Then one day, you will look in the mirror and see the results of all those achieved goals.

KEEP GOING

Want to learn how to build muscle faster than ever before? Then visit http://www.howtobuildmuscleguide.com/ to get your FREE Five Secrets Report that exposes muscle building secrets that most bodybuilders will NEVER know, but wish they did.

Original article

How to Build Massive Muscle - The Secret to a Great Back

When you think of the Mr. Olympia contest, what usually comes to mind?

Yes, massive physiques crammed with tons of muscle, but something else too.

Massive and complete back development.

And it should, after all four of the most dominant Mr. Olympia winners of all time had serious back development.

From Arnold to Lee to Dorian and to Ronnie, all four of these champions owned backs that were far ahead of their competitors.

O.K.

So how can you go about building a back like these champions-one that is massive and complete from top to bottom?

Read on to find out how.

SIMPLE IS BEST

One of the reasons, I feel people do not make as many gains as they should, is because they complicate things.

Bodybuilders feel they need tons of exercises in order for things to go right in the gym.

Not true.

THE BACK ONE TWO PUNCH

After a good a warm-up bust out as many sets as you can of either chins or pull-ups-you can alternate between the two if you would like.

Then move on over and do five sets of five on either barbell bent over rows with an over hand grip or with an under hand grip.

Again, like with the chins and pull-ups, feel free to alternate between the two at every other workout as each version works the back slightly differently--just what you want.

A COUPLE OF POINTS

I know some people might be saying, what if you cannot do very many chins with an overhand grip.

No problem.

Just work on doing one or two more at every other workout and before you know it you will be able to do sets of ten to twelve reps in good form-and your back will show it.

Also, some might think that with just two exercises-four if you count the different grips-this cannot be enough.

True, but again, I feel most people over-complicate things.

Do yourself a favor give this routine a try for a couple of months, provided you are working it hard, and then if you feel you need more you can start adding in exercises like dead lifts and the like.

Lastly, once you get used to the rows, feel free to mix up the rep ranges at each workout-for example at one you can do the five sets of five and then at another you can do sets of eight to twelve and at yet another you can try sets of twenty reps.

Each rep range will work the muscles a bit differently so it is a good thing to mix it up.

CONCLUSION

I know the above routine looks overly basic, but trust me, if you really put your head down and work the exercises hard your back will start to develop in ways you never thought possible.

GO HARD

Original article

How to Improve Your Upper Back Muscles

Back muscle contains small and large muscle bundles attached to spinal and transverse processes, which support and move the entire vertebral column. Vertebrae are held in place by the different back muscle bundles but this musculature also helps to produce balance in motion and plays a significant role in the ability to move the upper and lower extremities efficiently.

In development of the back, you not only want to strengthen the muscles but for the sake of competitive performance, you also want to create cutting definition that enhances all of the possible striations in muscle that your back can produce.

Back muscles are either extrinsic or intrinsic but breakdown further into specific muscle bundles. Extrinsic muscle includes the superficial, or what you easily see, and intermediate muscle, or muscle that is right below the surface but still can be developed enough for visual appeal. Intrinsic muscle includes the deep back muscles that are capable of development but are not necessarily visible to the naked eye.

Upper Back Muscles for Development

Familiarity with the muscle groups in your upper back can help you target distinct exercises for better form and physique. The largest muscle group of the upper back includes the latissimus dorsi, also referred to as your wings. Large, well developed lats gives the appearance of a V-taper, which is exactly what you want judges to see in competitive bodybuilding. The lats are responsible for allowing the arms to extend and rotate therefore development of the lats involves extension and rotational movements that use your arms.

A hidden gem underlying the lats but still holding its own structure is the musculus infraspinatus. Its cousin teres major, also a small but significant muscle, work in conjunction to allow shoulder extension, arm rotation. Exercises for improving your lat muscles can also help these little guys to develop.

Trapezius muscles begin in the upper part of the back between the shoulders and neck, and then extend down toward the mid-back. The thick neck you might gain from doing shrugs is part of the traps but if you do not also work the extended, migrating portion of the traps you are not doing these upper back muscles justice.

Rhomboid muscles lie in the upper back but right underneath the traps. Rhomboids are intermediate and need development because they can enhance the look of your traps. Rhomboids are particularly important because they allow for the squeezing motion as you move your shoulder blades back and forth during exercise.

Training Moves to Improve Upper Back Muscles

Bent over rows or barbell rows target the lats and rhomboids, but also use the traps, teres and infraspinatus muscles during execution. Bent over rows allows for a well defined V-taper and also support gains in upper back strength. No matter if you are beginning your back development or seasoned in bodybuilding, this exercise is an essential as part of your normal regimen.

Execution: From a standing position, bend your knees slightly and hinge toward the bar or barbells on the floor. If you are using a bar, grab it with a wide, overhand grip with both hands. If you are using barbells make sure to place the barbells in a wide position before grabbing. Remain bent over and pull the weight to your upper waist, or the point in which you are at a hinge. Make sure you push your elbows as far back as possible as you lift the weight and feel the squeeze between your shoulder blades. For better definition, use low weight with high reps. To bulk, use high weight with low reps.

Bent over lateral raises work the traps more precisely and they also target shoulder attached-upper back muscles called the deltoids. Lat raises activate several underlying muscle groups, which improves your overall performance on other back exercises and for creating striations in the traps fibers.

Execution: Use cables or barbells. From standing position, bend the knees slightly. Grab your weight with each hand, arms are extended as if you are about to take flight. You can keep your elbows slightly bent or maintain full arm extension without locking elbows. This move is likened to a reverse fly but you want to emphasize full range of motion and squeeze the upper back muscles as you fully extend upward.

Push-ups, pull-ups, one-arm dumbbell rows or seated rows are additional options for improving and defining the upper back muscles. To enhance the musculature of your back incorporate at least three to five sets of two upper back focused exercises up to three times a week. Compound activity targets several muscle groups at once but isolation moves can further tweak specific areas for better definition.

Fitness guru Zoltan Bundler writes regularly on the topic of building muscle on his site http://how-to-bulk-up.com/. For a free copy of his short no fluff report "Secrets to Bulking Up Fast Without the Fat" go straight to Secrets of Bulking Up then click on the photo.
© 2011 Zoltan Bundler All Rights Reserved

Original article

Essential and Non-Essential Amino Acids

Many fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders fail to understand the importance of amino acids. It is common knowledge that in taking the right amount of protein is essential for muscle growth. However, the quality of protein totally relies on the balance of the amino acid composition. These are the building molecules of protein. They are actually the building blocks of protein.

There are in total 23 different amino acids, which are divided in two groups: The essential and the non-essential. Essential are the ones that must be in taken from nutrition and non-essential the ones that can be produced from the organism itself. The nine essentials are: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine Methionine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Valine, Glycine and the eleven non-essential: Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Cysteine, Cystine, Glutamic Acid Glutamine, Threonine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine.

Now, let us see how they actually function inside our body during the exercise procedure. Right after workout is the time when your body needs the nutrients the most in order to recover and trigger regeneration of new muscle tissue. If you choose to eat a protein meal directly after training this will have minimum effect on your muscle-building process. The reason is that protein will be metabolized and broken down to amino acids at least a couple of hours later. The problem is that you need to have those valuable amino acids inside your blood stream directly after workout. To avoid any misunderstanding, we have to point out that protein meals during the day are most important for any hard-working bodybuilder in order to keep a constant protein stream to the muscles.

So, the question is what to take directly after the gym? The answer is a quality Branched Amino Acids Chain supplement or just BCAAs. BCAAs contain all the essential amino acids and some of the non-essential and hit the muscle cells inside a few minutes after consumption. Many believe that Whey Protein shakes will have the same results. Although Whey Protein supplements are most important, they cannot fully replace the BCAAs. The reason is that although Whey and in general, all protein shakes are easy digestible they are not able to provide amino acids to the body as fast as BCAAs do.

As a conclusion we might say that BCAAs supplements in addition to your protein shake and your daily bodybuilding meal plan are necessary to achieve your goals in the gym.

Keep those muscles pumping!

Chris G Pap
Since 1993 involved in bodybuilding and fitness area.Visit the following link for more info about bodybuilding, supplementation, workout routines and nutrition.
http://www.strengthtrainingmuscle.com/

Original article

Whey Protein Vs Casein Protein

The most common myth spread around regarding protein is that one type is better than the other. I have been reading numerous articles claiming that consuming Whey or Casein or even Soy protein will be most beneficial for your desired muscle development.

Well, this is only half the truth. Every protein type plays its own unique role and assists you in a different way while you are trying to build serious muscle. Let's pinpoint in two of the most known protein types and try to isolate their pros and cons:

Whey Protein

Whey protein is being extracted from cow's cheese. The element that makes whey protein extremely valuable is its rapid digestion ability. Nowadays, it is widely known that consuming a whey protein shakes immediately after workout is most beneficial for muscle development. Whey breaks down into amino acids no longer than half an hour after intake and the valuable nutrients enter your blood stream almost instantly supporting your muscle growth. That's the reason why nutritionists suggest that Whey should be consumed post workout. But what happens when you are resting or when you are not working out? Whey has the disadvantage that it cannot put up with your long-term needs for protein.

Casein Protein

To be honest casein is a rather underestimated protein type. Most athletes fail to understand that people who train regularly require a constant flow of nutrients and especially amino acids in order to "feed" their muscular system while it is regenerating.

Casein protein is exactly what you need to achieve that. Casein is a protein type that is being extracted from cow's milk. Whenever consumed casein unlike Whey is being digested slowly and it releases its amino acids at a broader time spectrum. That way, you have the constant flow of amino acids you were seeking for into your muscle cells.

As a conclusion, we might say that there shouldn't be any preferences between those two protein types. Each one serves a certain purpose and you should get the best from both. Whey protein gives you the instant boost after your hard work out and casein protein works over a longer time period and supports your muscles during the recovery process. You can find products in the market who combine both protein types, or you can take them separately.

So, if you are still wondering which one, the winner is the answer is protein!

Keep those muscles pumping!

Original article

How to Build Muscle - The One Critical Mistake You May Be Making

Like everybody, when I first started bodybuilding I made mistakes-to be honest I made so many that it was a joke. So in this article I am going to list the one crucial that you may be making-a mistake that can be holding you back in the gym, and what to do about it.

GOING HEAVY AT ALL COSTS

Yep, this is one of the biggest mistakes beginning and even advanced bodybuilders make. They feel that by simply adding more and more weight to the bar-or dumbbells-they will get massive. And while it is true that getting stronger is one way to get bigger, it is also true that if you are simply adding weight to add weight you are on the fast track to injury.

For example, people always complain that they cannot seem to get the old biceps to grow, then you watch them train and you figure out why. When these lifters curl, they are using every muscle EXCEPT the biceps to lift the weight. And then the wonder why they are not seeing any increase in arm size.

WHAT DO TO

If this sounds like you-do not sweat it. Swallow your ego (yes I know it is hard) and take some weight off the bar and do each rep slowly and in control. Please do not confuse this with doing super slow reps where you take thirty seconds to lift the weight and thirty seconds to lower it.

NO!

But take the time to feel the biceps working with each rep-and do not be afraid to take even more weight off the bar if you have to. Remember this is bodybuilding not power lifting. When you get up on stage or are at the beach, no one is going to care about how much weight you can lift-you will either look good or you will not.

ONE MORE POINT

Along with this, try doing slightly higher reps per set-like sets of twelve to fifteen reps. I say this because when people start adding massive amounts of weight to the bar they tend to drop the reps (if you want to call them that) down to doing singles, doubles and triples. So by going up in reps, this will be a new stimulus to the biceps which can lead to new gains.
CONCLUSION

I know taking weight off the bar is tough, but just remember, by using less weight you will actually be helping yourself gain. And chances are those gains will be in the form of new muscle. Not a bad trade-off if you ask me!

GO FOR IT

Original article

Bodybuilding Improves Mental Health

Is there really a connection between bodybuilding and mental health? The answer is yes. Before we get into the details and analyze the facts and the proofs that indicate this connection, we have to see the general connection between sports and mental stability.

More than two thousand years ago the ancient Greeks acknowledged the importance of sports and healthy way of living. They had adopted the mentality that in order to maintain a healthy mind you need to have a healthy body.

This connection between body well-being and mind health went on until the recent years where money and profit invaded the sports community leading to a series of negative things like steroids, drugs, over-training, etc. However, for those who still like to train just for their own health things are much simpler.

Bodybuilding and especially amateur bodybuilding, where the demand for high performance is less, can give you a fit and healthy body, but it can also work as a getaway from your daily stress and routine pressure and help you improve your mental health. Let us see how:

Energy Consumption in a Positive Way

Our modern way of life makes it extremely hard to spend our excessive energy. The great majority of the people works at the office or does a job that gives them few opportunities to actually consume the energy that every individual keeps inside him. Bodybuilding is a very creative way to spend this energy and in the same time improves your looks and of course your health. Scientific studies have shown that people who work out are mentally balanced and clear-minded.

Bodybuilding Is Not Just Weights

Many people wrongly believe that people who are in bodybuilding end up looking like the muscle-monsters on the cover of the magazines. Well, bodybuilding is a lot more than that. It combines weight training, cardiovascular training, fitness, and proper nutrition. So, by following all this you improve your muscular percentage, get rid of fat, increase your physique level and as a result you benefit your mental health.

Setting Goals and Having Perspective

Once you start working out in a regular basis you will be the witness of your own metamorphosis. You will be excited by seeing how you add muscles, you start shaping up and how you generally look and feel better. You will be happy every time you reach a goal you have set. This new perspective in your daily life is going to be extremely beneficial for your mental health.

Keep those muscles pumping!

Original article

So What Protein Should I Use For Bodybuilding?

Protein is used by our bodies for repair and growth following any type of activity that causes muscle tissue to break down. In this case we are particularly looking at how the body uses protein for bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is a form of progressive overload resistance where we challenge our body to exceed any prior demand made on it. When done correctly this will always result in the existing muscle tissue in the body being broken down and needing repair.

Protein is available from a wide variety of foods that most of us will eat every day. These include things like Chicken, Eggs, Milk, Beef, Fish and a lot more. You will also find protein in other foods in smaller quantities but these are not as beneficial for bodybuilding as their bio-availability is much lower. Your body is able to use the lower quality protein but you would have to consume large quantities often leading to high calorie intake and unwanted weight gain.

As a bodybuilder you will want to eat between 1.5g and 2g of protein per lb of bodyweight. A 200lb bodybuilder would need between 300g and 400g of protein daily spready between 5 and 6 servings during your waking hours. Trust me, this is quite a lot of food to eat and that is where a good protein powder offers an alternate way of consuming enough protein.

As far as your body is concerned protein is no different once broken down into amino acids whether it came from solid food or protein powder. Drinking shakes reduces the quantity of food you have to stomach and is very convienient and fast to prepare and drink. The powder is also easily digested which is ideal following a weight training session where your body is trying to repair as quickly as possible.

There are so many different types of protein available along with a huge number of different brands it makes it difficult to pick a good protein powder without spending a fortune. I will try to help you make a good choice with the information below.

Types Of Protein For Bodybuilding

The most common type of protein used in the bodybuilding community is whey protein. For those of you who are interested in where it comes from you may be surprised to learn that it is a by-product of making cheese from cow's milk

Whey protein can be categorised further depending on the process used to extract and purify it. Whey concentrate is the cheapest form and typically consists of up to 89% protein with the rest being made up of carbohydrates and fats. This type of whey has the highest amount of fat and cholesterol so that may be a consideration for some. It's bio-availability is very high and it is digested quickly in the body, suitable for post workout use.

Whey isolate could be considered the next step up in terms of quality when it comes to whey protein. The whey is processed to remove a lot of the fat content and lactose and generally whey isolate is lower in carbohydrates. It is common to see protein content upwards of 90%. The whey has a slightly lower bio-availability than whey concentrate but is preferred by some due to the carbohydrate content being suited to dieting and fat loss. The whey is still digested quickly in the body, suitable for post workout use.

Whey hydrolysate is a partially digested, partially hydrolysed form of protein processed for optimum digestion in the body. This processing normally results in the price being considerably higher than the other two forms of whey protein and you should question whether this extra cost is worth it for you.

There is another type of protein worth mentioning at this stage with a particular use normally associated to it. Casein is another protein derived from cow's milk. It is important as a bodybuilder to not go for long periods of time without ingesting a protein source. Casein is used for bodybuilding to fill this need. Most people drink casein prior to sleeping where the protein forms a gel in the stomach and binds together. This results in the digestion taking a lot longer and a constant supply of protein being drip fed into your blood stream while sleeping. You can also use casein between meals to bridge the gap and maintain high levels of protein in the body.

So What Protein Should I Use For Bodybuilding?

In my opinion it is not a case of picking one source of protein for bodybuilding. You will achieve better results varying the type of food and powder consumed. As always a good overall diet is going to be essential for you to achieve any results and protein powder should be considered a supplement to that diet rather than a staple source of your nutrition. Don't forget that while protein is protein when digested there are other nutrients essential for your health and bodybuilding goals that would be missing if you just consumed shakes. Spread the different types of powder and food throughout your day to suit you. Protein shakes are convienient and anyone looking to build muscle as a bodybuilder would do better to drink a shake than to skip a meal.

Original article

How Much Fat Exactly Do We Have To Consume Daily?

Nearly all kinds of food you consume contains fat. It serves various functions in human body, one of them is to transport essential nutrients to body cells, help food digestion, and provide storage energy. That is why you still need to consume it even when you are on a diet. However, too much of anything is never a good thing. The built up fat in your body will cause some health problems.

How much fat should you consume daily?

How much fat you need to consume depends on some factors such as body weight, diet goal, body fat profile, level of activity, and your lifestyle. American Heart Association recommends that we consume it no more than 30% of our calorie needs. If you are overweight, have high cholesterol levels, or have some health problems, you are advised to consume it less than recommended amount.

Why do you need fat?

Fat is essential to support many functions in your body, such as help digestion and nutrient absorption. The amount of energy in one gram of fat (9 calorie per gram) is twice as much as the amount of energy in one gram of carbohydrate. When glycogen level is low, your body converts fat to energy. Fat is also important in the absorption of some essential nutrients like vitamin A, D, E, and K. If you don't consume enough fat then you are at risk of vitamin A, D, E, and K deficiency.

Why do you have to limit your fat intake?

The main reason you need to limit your fat intake is its high cholesterol levels. Cholesterol can clog your blood vessels which leads to heart attack, stroke, or even death. Besides, if you are overweight, you need to limit your fat intake to prevent calorie surplus. Nevertheless, you still need some amount of fat for your body to function properly. Choose good fats such as Omega 3 or omega 6 to keep you healthy.

Which kinds of fat to avoid?

Saturated fat and trans fat are in the category of bad fat. Saturated fat increase bad cholesterol levels which can lead to many health problems. Foods high in saturated fat are palm oil, coconut oil, and kernel oil. Trans fat was invented by scientist by hydrogenating liquid oil so that it has a longer shelf life and can be packaged more easily. Trans fat can be usually found in many packaged foods like microwaved popcorn and fast foods from chain restaurants like french fries.

Fat is good for you if you consume the right amount of good fats. You should consume more good fats from fruits like avocado, nuts, and oils like canola oil and olive oil. Exercise regularly to keep you healthy and burn the excess fat off your body.

Following a balanced diet and exercising regularly are the keys to a healthy lifestyle. Julian Hee is a fitness enthusiast and has started a website dedicated to bodybuilding supplements: protein powder, creatine monohydrate, meal replacement bar, glutamine, etc.

Original article

Best Lower Back Exercises

The lower back is a very significant part of the human body. Chronic pains can be avoided if the lower back is being trained regularly. There are several exercises that are for lower back strengthening. Here are some of them:

Barbell Dead-lifts

Barbell dead-lifts is probably the best and most effective exercise for the lower back. Here is how to perform it correctly:

Stand in front of the barbell, keep your back straight and slowly bent over and grasp the barbell at a shoulder width. Start lifting the barbell slowly while you push your legs bringing yourself to a standing position. Repeat the whole movement. It is important to breathe out while you stand up and breathe in whenever you bent.

Hyper-extensions

Hyper-extensions is another great exercise for the lower back. It gives strength and helps develop the muscles that surround your back. This is how you should perform it:

Lie on a hyper-extension bench facing down and make sure that your ankles are safely secured under the foot-pads. Start the exercise by bending slowly forward and make sure that your back stays flat during the move. Keep bending until you feel that you cannot keep your back flat any longer. You can hold a weight in your arms while you do the hyper-extension to increase the resistance. Be extra cautious with this certain exercise in order to avoid a potential injury.

Hugging Knees to Chest

For this exercise, you don't need any equipment and you don't have to be in the gym. You can do it practically everywhere including home.

Lie down on your back and start pulling your knees slowly to your chest. Then put your arms under your knees and pull your legs to your shoulders until you feel the pressure building up in your lower back and your buttocks. Repeat the whole movement for as many reps as you wish. Just remember that this exercise should be performed slowly and people with back issues should be aware of the pressure limits to be applied on their lower back in order to avoid worsening of their situation.

Atlas Stone or Barbell Back Training

This particular exercise is designed to give extra strength to the lower back muscle. Here is how to do it:
Most probably you will not have access to an Atlas stone, so alternatively load a bar with weight up to the point that it will not cause any problems to your back. Grab the barbell tightly and start pulling slowly the weight up to your chest. If you think, the weight is too much to handle and then start lowering it to the ground. While you have the weights at your chest level, you can hold it there for a second or two for some extra intensity. Be careful as you start lowering the barbell, in order to avoid an injury.

These are some pretty effective exercises to train your lower back. Just remember not to over train.

Cardiovascular training Cardiovascular training is also important for developing strength on the lower back. Keep those muscles pumping!

Original article

Periodization and Muscle Building

Periodization is a training method or better said a plan that is used in bodybuilding to divide the workout season in different phases. The question is why should anyone even bother to plan for the whole season? The answer is simple. Periodization is a way to change goals during the season reset your objective, training strategy and to avoid body and mind adaptation.

The main reason periodization is important in bodybuilding is adaptation. If you are an advanced bodybuilder, you have probably noticed that no matter what workout routine you have been on, muscle development is getting slower and slower as the days go by. Muscles tend to adjust to the pressure and your aim should be to change things, set new goals and new workout routines in order to "surprise" your body and restart the muscle growth process.

Periodization is also a great tool to awaken your interest for bodybuilding and helps improve your desire for hard training. Keeping the same training routines and adopting the same goals for a longer period of time will most probably cause you to get bored and in some cases to stop training! I am sure this is something nobody wants to occur.

So, how do we apply periodization? We simply divide the training season in four phases three months long each. Each phase has a different training goal:

Phase 1 Building Muscle Mass
I would recommend starting this phase somewhere in September. Focus on heavy weights and high intensity. Keep your cardio light and do not train more than two body parts in every session. Increase your calorie intake from carbohydrates and try to avoid extra fats. During this phase alter your mass building routine once.

Phase 2 Strength Training
This period will give you the opportunity to increase your strength and experiment on new exercises and routines, which you will be using at the bulking and the definition phases. Your goal should be to add some muscle but primary to strengthen the muscles you gained in the previous phases. Watch your diet and your supplementation and rest properly.

Phase 3 Cutting and Muscle Definition
After covering the previous phase you have probably gained some valuable mass pounds. Your goal in phase three should be to reduce your body fat percentage and define your muscles. In order to achieve that you must increase your reps while you keep the weights at 70% of your maximum lifting load. Double the frequency of cardio exercise and reduce your carbohydrate and fat intake.

Phase 4 Maintaining and recovering
This periodization phase should be carried out during summer. Your objective is to rest, recover and maintain the muscles you gained with hard work. Reduce your workout sessions to three a week. Keep your rep range between 10 to 12 reps. Now is the right time to take some time off the gym. A total stop of every activity for 2-3 weeks once a year can only be beneficial.

As a conclusion we might say that periodization can help you reach your goals and build the muscle you were always dreaming of.

Keep those muscles pumping!

Original article

Riding The Bench Isn't Always a Bad Thing

Trying to find ways to improve your bench press can be challenging. There is just as much misinformation and faulty data in the diet and exercise field as there is on used car lots.

Everybody seems to have some trick or short cut to improving your physique, and those who want a quick solution to a complicated problem can get sucked in by hucksters and get-rich-quick schemers. But there are some simple methods you can use every time you hit the gym that will generate the results you seek.

Sometimes, Less Is More

When I first started training, my friends and I tried to kill ourselves. It only stood to reason that if we worked out for an hour and saw results that we would see even MORE results by working out for 3 hours, six days a week.

Nope.

In fact, we were over trained and we quickly plateaued, thus negating all our hard work and returning us to square one rapidly. For natural bodybuilders, 25 sets per body part twice a week is just too much. Not only will you get there slower because of stagnation, but you will also start to hate your training if it's wearing you out.

Studies have shown that steadier workouts with modest daily demands are more effective and long-lasting and better tuned to the modern gym rat than the pure punishment methods of the past. You should actually cut back on your training frequency and volume if you want to see results. Allowing muscles to repair themselves, after all, is the way to build them, because the repair process is what creates mass and strength.

I cut back my bench press training to once a week and cut my sets in half on the advice of a friend. I was skeptical at first, but in a couple of months the results I saw were undeniable. Plus, I felt better and put on size that made me happy.

Nutrition and Rest Are Key

Beginners usually start out thinking that training hard - fast - is what is going to get them to the promised land in short order. However, if you're not as focused on diet as well as exercise, you will just be spinning your wheels. Muscles cannot grow without fuel, and a solid nutritional and supplemental program is absolutely necessary.

You do not necessarily need supplements - in the event you cannot afford them - but your diet program must be clean and devoid of garbage eating. You have to be consistent.

Also, 7-8 hours of sleep a night is necessary. Sleep is the body's way of recovering from the day's labors, and weight training is no different. Your body will build while it's repairing itself, and you will see results faster and you will be fresher to get back in the gym the next day if you are well rested from the day before.

Three Easy Steps

Weight training can be boiled down to 3 steps. 1. Training - where we stimulate the muscle and break it down; 2. Nutrition - where we give our bodies the fuel they need to repair and become bigger and stronger; and 3. Rest - where your muscles repair and grow. Doesn't seem like much, but that basic plan works every time it's tried.

Switch Things Up

One final note: You might love a particular style of workout for your bench press routine. But even if that's true, you need to get out of your comfort zone. Change things up from time to time. The human body is an amazing machine and adapts to the stress we put it under in remarkable ways. Conversely, if you do the same things over and over, you will continue to see similar results.

While some trainers advocate changing your routine every 4 weeks, I think 6 is more effective and gives you more time on the muscle groups you're working out. But do not go 6 months to a year doing the same old thing. Muscle has memory, and some of the memories can be bad ones. Nothing gets you stronger... faster... than the stimulation of new growth in all your targeted areas.

So taking your strength training to the next level isn't as challenging as you might think. It takes 3 uncomplicated steps to build yourself into an eye-popping machine. Follow these steps with a sense of discipline and determination and you will see results. Guaranteed.

If you want to know how to increase your bench press, check out my site where you'll find a great bench press workout, along with other information to get you moving in the right direction.

Original article

How to Develop Perfect Abs

Seeing all those models or athletes posing on the covers of magazines or on a contest stage exposing their perfectly sculptured abdominal you might believe that it is impossible to accomplish the same thing. Well, the good news is that anybody who can train and follow some nutritional guidelines can form perfect abs. The bad news is that very hard work and even personal sacrifices are required.

In most of the cases, crucial training or nutritional mistakes are involved. First of all, you have to understand that if you really want to get ripped you will have to start treating your abs like any other body part. As you already know, in order to develop your chest, arms or back the best training method is weight-resistance.

I never really understood why people are trying to form their abs just by using gravity. It is time to start working with weights. For example, try doing sit-ups and hold a weight-plate in the same time. You will instantly notice that you won't be able to perform more than 8 to 10 reps. However, you will feel your abs pumped and burning. By using this weight resistance method you will add volume and size to your abdominal, which is your primary target. You should also remember that abdominal like any other body part need resting periods in order to regenerate and develop. So, do not over train them. Three to four times a week is fine.

After following the previous procedure for a couple of months you will notice that your abs have grown dramatically. Now it is time to make your work visible. So, how do we expose our well-trained abs? The answer is minimum fat and protein-rich nutrition combined with lots of cardio.

Reduce your carbs intake and if needed replace your protein shake with one that contains minimum carbs and a high-protein percentage. I know that this will not be easy for some of you, but you must avoid sugars, fried food and fat. In the same time, increase your protein intake by consuming lean beef, chicken-breast, fish, etc.

Cardiovascular exercise is very important in this phase. At least, half an hour every day is obligatory in order to trigger the fat loss procedure around the abdominal.

As a conclusion, we might say that sculpturing a perfect six pack is realistic for every one of us who is determined to work hard in the gym and follow the guidelines listed above.

Keep those muscles pumping!

Original article

The Affects of Cardio on Gaining Weight

Cardio is an important part of any fitness regiment. Cardio can increase strength in your heart and lungs, reduce daily stress and anxiety, reduce your risk of heart disease, cause you to sleep better, give you more energy throughout the day. In addition to these, there are numerous other benefits to doing cardio.

Despite all the benefits of cardio, when it comes to gaining weight, it can actually prevent you from reaching your goals. All forms of cardio burns calories. Some burn more than others. When you are trying to build muscle it is necessary to take in more calories than you are burning. This can be hard if you are spending much time burning up calories doing cardio.

Jogging burns around 500-1000 calories per hour depending on how fast your run and how much you weigh. Using a stationary bike you could burn 300-1100 calories. Walking will burn between 200-700.

If you are some one who has a very hard time gaining weight I recommend stopping your cardio all together or at least keeping it to a minimum during your bulking phase. Once you have reached your weight gain goal then you can resume your cardio training. If you do choose to continue doing cardio during your mass building follow these techniques to continue your weight gain progress:

Keep the intensity level at low to moderate. If you use the treadmill jog rather than run, if you use a stationary bike, ease up on the tension a little.
Only do 1-2 cardio sessions per week. No need to over do it. The goal is to maintain your current level of cardiovascular health.

Keep your cardio sessions to 20 minutes or less. We want to keep the total calories burned to a minimum.

Consume calories before and after your cardio. This will not only help you get more calories in but also prevent you from going into a catabolic state.

Eat an additional 250-500 calories on the days you do cardio. This will make up for the extra calories you burn.

As I stated above there are many many benefits to doing cardio so you shouldn't stop doing it for long. In fact if you focus only on gaining weight and never do any cardio you will actually hurt your progress. Because your heart pumps blood to your muscles and provides them with the nutrients that they need in order to grow it is important that your heart is strong and healthy.

Lastly if you're serious about gaining weight you really need to head over to http://www.gainweightquick.com/. It has everything you need to know to gain weight.

Original article

Five Tips to Choose the Best Protein Bar

Protein bars are a quick and easy protein source, especially for people who are on the go and have limited time. However, a common mistake when it comes to protein bars is that many fellow bodybuilders tend to replace the traditional protein sources such as protein-rich nutrition and protein shakes with protein bars.

Although over the last years, the market is overwhelmed with quality protein bars produced from well-known companies, it still remains just a snack. A snack, which is highly nutritional and is always better than a plain chocolate bar. So, the question is what criteria should you take under consideration in order to choose what fits best to your individual nutritional needs?

Here are five tips, which I believe will help you decide:

1) How Many Calories?
Read the product label carefully to make sure how many calories you will intake. Depending on the workout routine and your current training goals you should avoid high-calorie bars if you are trying to lose fat. On the other hand, if you are trying to add mass and you are desperately seeking for extra protein calories a high-calorie product is what you need. There is a large variety in the market to choose from. Promax snack bar gives you just 70 calories per bar and VPX Zero Impact Bar will provide you with over 480 calories per bar!

2) How Many Carbohydrates?
For the same reasons mentioned above you should choose your protein bar according to your training goals. A fat loss workout period requires fewer carbohydrates and a mass adding period more. Regardless of your goals, you can consume protein bars rich in carbs before or directly after workout when your body needs the carbs the most and a low carb bar when you are at work.

3) How Much Fat?
There is a lot of debate, whether a protein bar should contain more or less fat. Most protein brands contain between 2 and 8 grams of fat. Under my opinion, about four grams of fat is just fine. As mentioned above the fat intake also relies on the muscle-building routine you are on at the certain time period.

4) How much Protein?
As you understand this is by far the most important factor you should check. You need the highest possible protein from a bar in order to equally replace a protein shake meal. The best protein bars do contain a high amount of protein.

5) Cost
Cost is an important factor when it comes to choosing the right protein bar. It is not a cheap product since it is considered as a nutritional supplement. However, not everyone can afford to eat it twice a day. If money is an issue for you, then I would suggest you only have it when it is absolutely necessary or when you find yourself somewhere where you cannot drink your protein shake.

As a conclusion we might say that choosing the best protein bar should be the result of detailed research and a combination of the five factors mentioned above.

Keep those muscles pumping!

Original article

Three Secrets That Will Help Skyrocket Your Muscle Gains Fast

Like every young bodybuilder (and not so young) when I started training I wanted to become massive-and I wanted it to happen yesterday!

Of course, I went at it in my usual over-the-top style and was really over trained, but it was O.K because I loved bodybuilding and I could not control myself.

Over the years though, I have learned a few things that will help speed up the get massive process.

Below you will find three of them.

Enjoy!

SECRET # 1 YOU MUST EAT TO GROW

If I had to pick one thing that most bodybuilders who are looking to get massive do wrong-it is this.

They simply do not eat enough to grow.

Beginners especially must understand that muscle does not come simply from training.

Sure you need to train hard, but, you need to supply your body with the necessary calories it needs to repair the damage done in the gym and to grow.

This is where I disagree with most about supplements, yes food is the best way to go, but we need to be realistic-a young man who is looking to grow is also super busy, so I see nothing wrong with having a protein shake (especially if it is high quality) when time is tight.

I would rather see someone who is looking to gain muscular body weight do this than skip a meal.

SECRET# 2 TRYING TO STAY TOO RIPPED

For all but a lucky few, when you are out to gain some muscle, you inevitably will put on some fat.

A lot of beginners get scared-when abs start to vanish-and stop eating enough.

Sure, the abs come back, but gone is almost any chance of gaining muscle.

If you are going to put on some mass you must accept some level of fat gain, no I am not talking about putting on tons of fat, but you must be prepared to lose a little definition.

SECRET# 3 FOCUSING ON SHOW MUSCLES

Yep, most beginners focus too much on the show muscles-the arms and chest.

And not enough on the hips, legs, and back.

All they do is endless sets of curls, triceps work, and benches.

Sorry to say it, but, this approach is not going to get you massive.

What most beginners need is to focus on is heavy squats, dead lifts, overhead presses, and all kinds of rowing movements.

Training this way will not only get you bigger biceps and triceps-but will make you bigger all over.

Of course you must focus on eating enough protein, healthy fats, and carbs when working the above exercises otherwise you will not see as much muscle gains as you could have

CONCLUSION

I know the above three secrets are not fancy, but trust me on this, follow them and you will see muscle growth coming at a rate that you previously thought was out-of-reach.

Original article

How to Build A Physique That Stands Out - Part One the Shoulders

It has been said that shoulders make the man, and I could not agree more. Big, round and ultra-wide shoulders will set off any physique and make it stand out from the rest. Especially since you do not see very many people with really great shoulders. One reason for this is, work, and by this I mean the art of building big shoulders takes hard work and unfortunately a lot of people simply do not want to put the work in.

A DIFFERENT PRESS

When you talk about presses most people automatically assume you mean bench presses, but the kind of press I am referring to is the overhead press. Long before the bench press caught on like no ones business, the overhead press was the upper body exercise of choice, and for good reason. Not only does it work all three heads of the shoulders hard, but works the middle back in a unique manner, helps keep the muscles that make up the rotator cuff strong, and it will give your triceps quite a workout as well. These can be done with a barbell or dumbbells and to be honest I prefer dumbbells as I feel they are easier on the shoulders, but give both a go and see which version you like best.

Another thing you can do is to alternate between barbell presses and dumbbell presses, as each one works the shoulders a bit differently and this approach also helps to prevent boredom. I know, I know, people talk about standing or seated lateral raises for the side deltoid head, but trust me on this, when you work up to handling some good poundage in the overhead press-your side delts will be working hard. And you will see the results.

A COUPLE OF POINTS

First, if you were born with naturally narrow shoulders focusing on the side delt head is a great idea because it will create the illusion of having wider shoulders. And it will help your waist look smaller if you are naturally thick in this area.

Second, though, is a point most people over look when trying to build a physique that stands out and this is the rear deltoid head. So many physiques are lacking in this area (and the overhead press works this area-hint hint) that by taking care to see to it that this area of your body is on par with everything else, you will stand out from the crowd.

LAST POINT

I mentioned this earlier, but I want to expand on it. The overhead press will help keep your rotator cuff muscles strong, which is especially great, as ask anyone who has injured a shoulder-it is seriously hard to train with a hurt shoulder. So take care to do your overhead presses with good form and hold the barbell or dumbbells over head for a few seconds after each rep, as holding a heavy weight overhead helps strengthen the rotator cuffs.

CONCLUSION

Wide, thick and massive shoulders will set off your physique like no other body part. And if you take the take the time to make sure all three heads-but especially the side and rear heads-are equally developed, you will really stand out. If this sounds good to you, I urge you to give the exercise above a go. Your shoulders will thank you.

GIVE IT EVERYTHING

Original article

Your First Figure Contest

Deciding to compete in your first figure contest is exciting, but it can be an overwhelming decision as well. There is a lot of figure prep information available and if you dig in too deep you can find yourself in information overload mode. However, with the right information you can make a figure body transformation quickly and easily.

In this short article I am going a few tips, tricks, and secrets to make your first figure competition a success.

Know there will be sacrifices along the way - A successful figure prep program is no doubt going to involve some dietary and social sacrifices. There will be times you can't eat at your favorite restaurant with your friends. There will also be times when you will have to workout and do cardio rather than go out partying. These small sacrifices are what really separate the winners from the contenders.

Use cheats to your advantage - While you may not always be able to eat unprescribed food or restaurant food on the whim, you can, however, have such foods if you carefully plan them into your schedule. If you follow your figure competition diet 100% for a solid 6 days, you can allow yourself a cheat day on the 7th day. This one day of cheating will throw a monkey wrench in the works and trick your body into thinking it's going to be receiving a surplus of calories.

Amp-up your training to boost your metabolism - No doubt, your first figure contest will be somewhat of a learning experience, but that's how you get to know your body. While there are many myths stating that you don't need to do high-rep workouts, you will crank-up your metabolism and burn more body fat by including a few more reps in your figure training.

Find a good and well-established figure coach - Usually, with your first figure contest you may tend to be wishy-washy with your diet, cardio, and training. This isn't a bad thing it is just a natural response to unfamiliar territory. To keep you on the straight and narrow path of a successful figure prep, it would be wise to invest in a qualified figure coach. An experienced figure coach will know exactly what to do to boost fat loss, break through plateaus, and take you though peak week to ensure you are at your best and even possibly win.

Your first figure contest should be a journey that's fun and interesting. With the right figure competition diet and training you can compete with confidence and even win.

Now, if you want MORE information on figure competition diets to really melt body fat, you need to Click Here and get a sneak peek at what the IFBB Figure Pro competitors are doing to slash body fat and win competitions!

For IFBB Figure Pro Approved diets, training programs, and cardio systems take a peek at http://www.figurecompetitionsecrets.com/ Right Now and get the insider tips!

Original article

Get an Overall Body Workout With An Elliptical Workout

Elliptical workout is well-known for being an effective workout that's effective without putting strain on the joints and is low impact. This workout puts together the natural movements of the body such as those performed on a treadmill. This gives you great cardio workout without putting much strain on your joints or your back. An Elliptical workout is very ideal for people suffering from arthritis and bad knees as it is less jarring or jolting to the body. This workout puts no pressure on the back because it allows you to perform smooth movements and gives you the option of working either your upper or your lower body.

Elliptical machines have different types of programmed workouts in their memories. They include weight loss trainings, cross-country, strength trainings or you can just use manual options to increase or decrease resistance and incline settings.

Weight loss training with elliptical workouts sets the heart rate to the level where fat burning is at the optimum. This involves intervals on intensity and inclines increase and decrease during the length of the workout. Workout on strength training focuses on building muscles while cross-country mimics the exercise you get on a natural terrain. This imitates hiking on trails with different shifts on every interval on the resistance and incline settings.

However, most users prefer to use the elliptical workout with its manual settings. This mode is best for people who want to keep track of the distance they have covered or the calories burned during their workout. The manual mode of the elliptical workout is also great for people who want to go for the optimal heart rate level and burn more fats while exercising.

Elliptical workout offers the most flexibility to different kinds of workout to help you achieve your goals. You get the quick results based on your very own body movements and assure you get a balanced workout. Upper body exercises with the workout elevate the heartbeat for more effective calorie burning. It also works on toning the upper body and enhances the strength of your arms and shoulders.

The elliptical workout is one of the best options for those who want to lose weight, have stronger muscles or recover from an injury. It is also a great choice for anyone who needs to strengthen their muscles and bones such as for the elderly and as start-up workout for the novice. This exercise machine can be considered as all in one workout for every need and requirement. It can give you the body and ideal weight with quick results and less strain on your joints and low impact on your body.

Elliptical workout machines have a lot to offer for any lifestyle or goal. It would be worth reading the Best Elliptical Reviews to know which will be the right one for you. And check out the Sole E35 Elliptical for more tips, tricks and reviews in using an Elliptical workout machine.

Original article

How to Gain Muscle for Hard Gainers - You Must Eat More

Actually, the title of this article should have been, hard gainers you must always strive to eat more-or even-you must force your self to eat more.

The reason I say this is because most (and again there are ALWAYS exceptions) hard gainers have small appetites and fast metabolisms.

This lack of appetite is compounded by the fact that they feel they are stuffing themselves-and in truth they probably really do feel this way-but it is still not a lot of food.

LIQUID MEALS

O.K. Some of you might be thinking, not protein shakes-I thought that solid food was better.

In most cases it is, but again, you must adapt to the situation, as it is a lot easier for a hard gainer with little to no appetite to drink a protein shake then it is from him/her to eat a couple of chicken breasts.

Think about it, one-or two scoops of a high quality whey protein powder along with some natural peanut butter blended in will provide plenty of good quality protein and healthy fats-and it only takes minutes to prepare and drink.

Compare this to having to cook up (even if it is in the microwave) some chicken breasts and then having to sit down and eat them-because to a young man or woman with a small appetite two chicken breasts can look to be simply a gigantic amount of food-man I wish I had this problem!

WHAT ABOUT WEIGHT GAINERS

Some of you might be thinking, why not simply use a weight gainer instead of a straight whey protein shake? Good question.

First, I really do not think that there are many high quality weight gainers out there.

Second, when you use a high quality whey protein shake as your base, you are free to add to it whatever you like, from the above natural peanut butter, to almond butter, to a banana.

Remember the better you eat the better you will look.

A POINT

Most hard gainers think they have to stuff themselves-nothing could be further from the truth. Carry several shakers filled with a high quality whey protein with you throughout the day and have one every two hours or so.

When you do have time to sit down to a real food meal, again do not stuff yourself, just work at eating a little bit more every couple of days or so. You will see, gradually, your ability to eat more will increase and when you combine this with hard and heavy training- good things will result.

CONCLUSION

For the hard gainer with a fast metabolism and no appetite to speak of, putting on weight can seem almost impossible.

But I know if you follow the advice above, you will find your appetite and with it your weight steadily climbing.

KEEP GOING

Original article

Two High Intensity Exercises That Will Boost Your Fitness Results

Virtually every fitness program, no matter how well designed it may be, eventually has to be changed or modified if we want to continue to improve. Our bodies have this amazing innate ability to detect change and immediately begin to adapt as an instinctive form of self-preservation. This naturally occurring phenomena is wonderful if we find ourselves suddenly with no food for several days... but when it comes to strength training or specific fitness goals it's known as a plateau.

Plateaus are not uncommon to fitness enthusiasts. They tend to occur after a prolonged period of diet and training where our bodies simply adapt to the routine we've been following and progress is stopped dead in its tracks. Most fitness experts agree that incorporating a varied and different approach to your work-outs is the best way to avoid plateaus altogether.

However, hitting this plateau wall can and does eventually happen to everyone that trains long-term. Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is the greatest investment you can make in yourself. Letting a set back or a lack of progress discourage you from continuing can and should be avoided. In this article, I'm going to show you two categories of exercises that have excellent results on your body and will help shock your system into growth again.

Sprinting

Dozens of university studies have linked a direct correlation between sprinting and the release of specific hormones within our body. Depending on the study, growth hormone, thyroid hormones, and testosterone have all been shown to have elevated levels immediately following the sprints and days later. For the average lay person, all you have to do is look at the bodies of Olympic sprinters, as compared to a long distance, marathon runner.

The tremendous intensity that comes from a 90% to 100% all out sprint sends shock waves through our bodies which in turn brings about an increase in these much needed bodybuilding hormones. It doesn't have to be relegated to just running... all out sprints on a stationary bike will produce similar results.

Squats And Dead-lifts

Squats and dead-lifts, when performed correctly, can provide a similar level of intensity that sprinting does. Without a doubt, the muscles in our lower body are huge when compared to the muscle groups of our arms or shoulders. By adding squats and dead-lifts into our routine, we use so much oxygen and energy in order to complete the desired number of sets and reps that the internal hormonal response is often overlooked.

Once again, the key component to these moves is the intensity. Going heavy is not necessary either... high intensity can also be reached by incorporating very strict form with higher reps. Either way, these muscle groups in the legs, thighs and glutes are so big that you should be exhausted when finished. Shaking, out of breath and maybe even a bit nauseous is ok according to the fitness experts that use these in their routines.

It's All About Intensity

The intensity that these exercises have on our system is the real magic behind it. As we get older, particularly after the age of 30, our bodies don't produce these hormones like they did at an earlier age. Each year those levels drop and this becomes a huge contributor as to why we age. Mixing in sprints one or two days a week, and squats or dead-lifts every 5 to 7 days is an excellent way to proceed. If your workouts have hit a plateau, try these out for 12 weeks and you'll be very happy with your results.

George C Taylor has been a fitness enthusiast for more then 25 years. He currently resides in Southeast Asia where he works as a freelance writer for internet marketers and web masters around the world.

Original article

How to Gain 10 Pounds of Muscle in 2 Months

You wish to gain 10 pounds of muscle mass and to do so in two months; truth is this is easy for some but not all. If you are a beginner in bodybuilding or muscle training you are the ideal candidate for such aggressive muscle gain. On-the-other-hand for an experienced athlete your body will be already adapted to previous gains and will need to be shocked into a response to achieve this result. It's rarely an impossible feat in this latter case, just a task that takes greater effort to achieve.

Whether athlete or beginner two factors will determine how long you take. These are genetics and motivation. When it comes to genetics, each of us are born with a specific body-type predisposition. For some this means they are naturally thin and do not pack on the pounds no matter the exercise taken or food eaten. Others can't stave the extra pounds off at all, while a lucky few have an ability to keep the fat at bay while carrying a muscular physique that bulks easily with little effort. Only you know your genetic secret, but no matter the case, try and try again, because you can make it happen if you have the determination.

Surplus the Calories

No amount of growth will occur without a robust and consistent daily load of calories. This is the crux of gains and the smarter you are with your calorie consumption, i.e. food choices, the better the results. Off the bat, increase your daily calorie consumption by no less than 500. This equates to a 1 pound gain of overall body weight per week. Don't worry, your workouts will ensure that you transform these added pounds into muscle if you maintain a diet of nutrient-dense foods. Warning, if you eat more daily calories but do not workout consistently, you will not gain muscle, you will gain fat.

You most assuredly want to gain muscle but you do not want to cause an unnecessary heart condition from eating poorly. This means keep your saturated fats in check and grab muscle building, heart-healthy good food. Opt for lean protein, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains.

Protein is particularly emphasized in the muscle bulking diet because a significant percentage of your muscle is made up of it. Lean, baked or grilled poultry, fish, lean beef, no-fat milk, egg whites and nuts are ideal sources for adding a serving to each meal or snack. Graze regularly on the fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Eat oatmeal, whole grain breads, wheat pasta and beans galore. Create any combination you wish, just make sure it adds calories daily and can support your energy levels for working out.

Train the Temple

You have to tear those muscles down in order to create mountains. This means structure an intense strength training program of four to five workouts each week. Try one of two methods: full body workouts each time, every other day or split it up and do alternative days of upper body and lower body focused workouts. Beginners might do best with the full body each time whereas the athlete might have better results with the upper-lower split.

Regardless of how you segment your weekly workouts, perform compound exercises first and then toward the end of the workout include isolation moves. Compound workouts activate multiple muscle groups at the same time, so you basically get the benefit of bulge in fewer moves. Bench press with wide and narrow grip, dead-lift placing the feet in varying positions, military press with barbells, row, squat, lunge, triceps dip, pull-up and push-up. Isolation moves include biceps curls, dumbbell lat raises, triceps kick backs, calve raises, leg curls and extensions.

Use heavy weight with low repetitions of six to eight. This forces your muscle to work extremely hard, which causes small tears and accelerates muscle recovery. After the first month you can increase your reps up to 15 but you might need to also increase your weight because your newly developed muscles have more power and can handle it.

Rest is imperative to successful muscle gain. This cannot be emphasized enough. Rest equals recovery, which equals muscle growth. If you must workout on your resting day, jump on the treadmill or bike for 30 minutes. Cardiovascular activity keeps your heart muscle strong and dedicating a short amount of time to it will not impede your muscle bulking efforts.

Additional Tips

During weight training, lift and lower gradually. Take your time. The resistance created by the weight and slow, proper motion enhances the work your muscles must do to complete the set. More work means bigger gains. Drink water before, during and after your workout. Water hydrates muscle cells and this makes bigger muscles. Stretch before and after your workouts. Stretching helps to move the built up lactic acid in the muscles that is caused by lifting through your body and this makes room for muscle growth. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. Alcohol dehydrates the muscle cells and impedes your efforts.

Original article

Mr Bangalore 2011: Annual District Level Bodybuilding Competition

Mr. Bangalore 2011 competition was held at Kamalanagar, Bangalore on 25th September 2011.

This is an annual district level bodybuilding competition. There are four categories in to compete for Mr. Bangalore Yuva, Yuva shri, Udaya, Kumara and Kesari which is translated into below 20 yrs, above 21 college students, first timers and about 40 respectively. The checkups with respect to age, height and weight were done earlier during the day to ensure that you are placed into the right or division.

There was a bit of anxiety which was lurking around corner, among the first timers. Among this years contestants was Dhiraj Ramakrishna. Dhiraj qualified for the first timers category representing his gymnasium Eminent Multi Gym, Rajajinagar.

For Dhiraj the day started with 2 big bananas early morning and a hardcore weight training and cardio session for about an hour or two. This was the moment that he had been training for the last 5 years. As the day rolled on the strain and the exhaustion was wrought on the contestant's faces. The day was hot, but with the fellow competitors from my gym all supporting one another, felt like a brother hood going out to win a battle.

Other first timers included Chandrakanth. The weight training starts with a good protein, low fat diet and intense workout schedules with a lot of variations from single body part workouts to 3 body part in a day, along with forearms and abdomen workouts which were compulsory on all days. But nothing beats strain and exhaustion of a competition. The agony and the tension were written all across Chandrakanth's face.

The power, the will, the strength and the energy to go further is determined by the mind. Pain is just reduced to a word with no meaning. Finally the moment that Dhiraj and Chandrakanth have been waiting for. As their numbers are handed out to them they go through their last set of routines. 150 push ups and 100 squats and they are ready to go.

With bated breath after the routine its time to announce the winners of this year Mr. Bangalore 2011. As the names are called out there is a sense of relief and ease among the participants. Dhiraj and Chandrakanth names are called out among the first timers. The joy is evident on the faces of the winners. For most this has been 5 - 6 years in the making.

Winners from other categories:

Yuva
1. Venkatesh
2. Rajan
3. Ramesh

Yuva shri
1. Dhiraj
2. Akshay
3. Chandrakanth

Udaya Kumara
1. Darshan
2. Adinath
3. Sunil

Kesari
1. Sundar
2. Nimish
3. Shivraj

Original article

Body Building Foods - Tips For Picking The Right Bodybuilding Diet For Maximum Muscle Gains

The right bodybuilding diet is critical to your success as a weight lifter and bodybuilder. The correct diet not only allows your body to repair the damage done by lifting weights and grow new muscle but also stay lean and muscular at the same time.

The problem with the traditional way of eating to accomplish these goals are that they are normally boring and the food is bland and hard to eat making staying on your nutrition plan difficult, so what is a serious strength athlete to do!

First You Need To Avoid Bland Foods

The first step is you have to make your meals enjoyable and something you can look forward to and not force yourself to eat. Look i do not care what your will power and dedication levels are if you try and live on chicken breast and brown rice you will go nuts and eventually go off your diet.

Realize Boring Foods Hurt Progress

This inconsistency will set you back and the pattern will repeat it self over and over and you will never make serious gains! I know this may seem hard but you need to alter your sources of proteins and carbohydrates and use them to make good anabolic meals!

First off the average bodybuilder and weight lifter goes right to the boring old standbys for protein and carbs without realizing the huge amount of alternatives that work just as well. These standbys are normally chicken breast and eggs with brown rice for carbs

Make Your Meals Exciting Again

Imagine if you will instead of sitting down to chicken and brown rice again tonight you sat down to a bison burger on a whole grain bun! Or what about baked fish with a three bean salad? Sounds alot better doesn't it! Well lets look at some alternative sources of protein below

Good Sources Of Protein That Are Enjoyable To Eat!

BisonSalmonTurkeyCornish HenGround SirloinLean Cuts Of Red MeatPork TenderloinVeal Cutlet

This is just a short list but as you can see there is quite a bit more available to you then just plain chicken and eggs to get your protein. The nice thing about the variety above is that you can make a lot of different dishes with them. This variety can keep your meals fun to eat and muscle building as well!

But What About Carbohydrates

No protein source will do the job of building muscle by itself, to get the fuels yo need for your workouts you need complex carbohydrates. Without the proper amount of good carbohydrates your body will start using the protein you need for muscle growth as fuel. So what are some good sources of complex carbohydrates?

Good Complex Carbohydrate Sources

Whole Grain BreadHigh Fiber Breakfast CerealsKidney BeansNavy BeansLima BeansWheat Based PastaOatmeal With FruitNuts and Edible SeedsWild Rice

Combining These foods In To Delicious Recipes Is Easy

Just telling you what these foods are is good but you need to learn to prepare them into meals that are both delicious and nutritionally balanced. To do this I recommend you grab a good Anabolic Cookbook. On my blog I have reviewed one that has over 200 Easy to prepare delicious meals that will help sky rocket your strength and mass. Check it out at http://www.getmusclemassfast.com/.

Original article

Female Natural Bodybuilders - Build Your Muscles Naturally

Because women lack the hormone testosterone which aids muscle growth in men, they tend to use steroids which is a chemical substance to boost their muscle growth. It is not good to use steroid as it has so many negative side effects, such as:

- Mental imbalance
- Cancer
- Breast shrinkage
- Heart diseases
- High blood pressure
- Thicker voice and many more

Natural bodybuilding is better as it has no negative side effects and it helps you live a long and healthy life.

Some female bodybuilders who want to participate in bodybuilding contests often make use of these steroids in order to grow their muscles quickly. They may win a big amount of money but their life is most likely shortened as they will face the consequences.

If you want to build your muscles naturally and quickly, you will have to do your daily workouts intensively, continue until you are totally exhausted, this will help put more pressure on your muscle, thereby forcing it to grow.

Also when lifting weights, start with lighter weights and gradually increase it. Make sure you are in the right posture during weight lifting and do it slowly.

Another important tip that will help you build muscle is to eat the right muscle building foods and prepare them correctly. Some of these foods are:

1. Whole wheat bread: This is a good carbohydrate food and it contains fewer calories that can be used up easily during workouts.

2. Chicken: This is very rich in protein and it helps for quick muscle growth. Eat it without the skin as the skin contains fat. Do not fry it before eating, you can boil or roast it. Another good protein food is turkey.

3. Tuna in water: This is a very good protein food, it is very cheap and can be found easily.

4. Beans: They are very rich in protein. You should soak it in water for 7 hours before cooking or boil for 5 minutes, filter away the water and then add fresh water before cooking.

5. Green Vegetables: This is a very good bodybuilding food as it contains lots of vitamins and minerals. Also it contains fewer calories.

6. Avocado and olive oil: These are healthy fats, they help for normal body functioning and are easily burned out during exercises. Do not eat groundnut oil, palm oil and animal fat as they can't be easily burned out. Your meals should contain 5 percent of fat because it contains more calories.

If you are able to follow the above tips, you will be able to build your muscles naturally even as a female bodybuilder.

For more information and tips on how to get the best out of muscle building without using steroid or any chemical substance, visit:
http://www.femalebodybuildingtips.info/

Original article

Tips For Improving Bench Press Strength That Will Let You Bench The Kind Of Weight Others Dream Of

The bench press is by far the most popular exercise in the gym and the standard by which many judge their own strength and the strength of others. It is also one the exercises that can be hard to excel at and plateaus at certain weights are hard to break through. The article below is going to go over a few points that will help get stronger at bench pressing

Eat Right To Grow and Get Stronger

All the lifting in the world is not going to give you any gains in strength or muscle if you are not feeding your body with the nutrients it needs to build new muscle tissue. This means that you must eat at least 1 1/2 grams of protein for every pound of body weight you have. You must also eat 1-2 grams of complex carbohydrates per pound of body weight as well. Keep in mind these amounts are just starting points and your body may need more or less so adjust them to fit your needs.

Rest Well Between Your Workouts

Most people do not realize this but the muscle growth actually occurs after you are done with your workouts and your body begins to recover not during the lifting periods. During these periods of growth your body will repair the damage you did while lifting the weights so make sure to sleep at least 7-8 hours every night and take a day off after 2 days of working out. To jump start your recovery when you are done with your workouts make sure you eat a protein filled snack!

Start Strengthening Your Supporting Muscles

The bench press involves more than just your chest muscles, your front deltoids, triceps are directly involved as well and almost every other upper body muscle you have is helping to stabilize and balance the weight. So make sure that you are working to get stronger shoulders and triceps as these will help you push heavier weights. But when going for more strength in the triceps and shoulders make sure you use compound movements that will let you move heavier weights as opposed to isolating shaping exercises.

Good Exercises To Build Shoulder Strength

Front Barbell PressSeated Dumbbell PressUpright Rows

Exercises To Build Strong Tricep Muscles

DipsClose Grip Bench PressesEz Bar Extensions

Use Varying Rep Ranges To Shock your Body

The biggest mistake that most guys make when trying to get stronger bench pressing is they only lift heavy weights and never venture into the higher rep range. While it is true the heavier weights will develop strength faster you muscles have fibers that only respond to higher rep training and not stimulating them is costing you both size and strength. I like to switch off to higher reps every few workout sessions just to keep things growing and keep my body confused!

You Also Need The Right Bench Press Routine To Follow

Once you have your diet and rest habits developed a good Bench Press Program that is custom tailored to you will give you that final edge you need to push the really heavy weight! One such program is called Critical Bench 2.0 and a full review can be found on my blog at http://www.getmusclemassfast.com/

Original article

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