How to Build Lean Muscle - Think Health First

When you look through the pages of any popular bodybuilding magazine you will see ads for products that promise to give you a jolt before you workout.

Products that promise to give you a pump-and products that you take post workout.

While this is all well and good, the one thing that does not get enough play is this-health.

Yes, you read that correctly, health.

Or more to the point, the health of your immune system.

Why?

Simple.

If you are constantly on the verge of a cold or flu, how hard do you think you will be able to train?

Plus, I know a lot of people, when the start to feel sick, the last thing they want to do is pound down a protein drink or some grilled chicken breasts. No chance!

They want junk food-and they want it now.

COVER THE BASICS FIRST

As mentioned above, there are tons of products around, but before you spend some cash, ask yourself this question-do I have my basic nutrition needs covered first?

Like a good quality vitamin and mineral supplement.

Along with a shopping cart full of nutritious vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower and onions-just to name a few.

It would not hurt to have a nice big salad everyday too.

If you are thinking, what does all of this have to do with building lean muscle-or any kind of muscle-for that matter?

Simple.

The better you eat, the better you will feel and the better you feel the harder you can train.

Which means you can gain more muscle.

As an added benefit, by eating foods rich in antioxidants and other healthy substances chances are you immune system will be running in high gear-which can potentially mean less sick days.

Less sick days mean training days-good stuff.

A POINT

Please do not take this article to mean that I am against all traditional bodybuilding supplements-because I am not.

I just think sometimes we get so caught up in the new stuff that we forget about the basics-and the basics have worked for years and will continue to work.

CONCLUSION

Yes, vitamin and mineral supplements along with healthy antioxidant loaded foods are not flashy, but when you combine them with good quality protein, quality carbs, and healthy fats you will have a nutrition profile that will not only help you build muscle, but feel great too-nice!

GO FOR IT!

Who else wants to learn how to build a big chest using two almost completely forgotten exercises? Click here to grab your FREE report. You will also receive weekly tips, advice and product reviews that will help you make greater gains in the gym than ever before. Visit http://www.howtobuildupmuscle.net/

Original article

Build Your Legs and Torso at the Same Time

This plan will allow you to throw down a 45kg goblet squat in just six weeks. For all exercises, make sure that your upper body stays rigid so that your glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings do most of the heavy lifting.

Forty five kilograms may not sound like all that much, but wait till you try it. Once you're able to bang out a few sets of 10 with this weight, you'll realize the full body benefits of squats.

Weeks One and Two

Hone your technique. Five days a week, do two to three sets of five to 20 reps of goblet squats. Use a light dumbbell, or even a heavy book.

Week Three

Do the following squat routines three days a week, resting for at least a day between sessions. You'll improve your technique and increase strength and muscle endurance.

Day One: Do a 'rack walk-up': grab the lightest dumbbell you can find and do a set of 5 goblet squats. Return the weight to the rack and grab the next heaviest dumbbell. The exchange should take less than 20 seconds. Do another set, then keep moving on to heavier weights until you find a dumbbell that's challenging to lift but still allows perfect technique.

Day Two: Do the first day in reverse: a 'rack walk-down'. Start with the second heaviest dumbbell you managed on day one, doing a set of five reps. Move down the rack, lifting a lighter weight for each set of five. Aim for a total of 10 to 12 sets, resting for no more than 20 seconds between sets.

Day Three: Combine your workouts from days one and two. You'll start by moving up in weight, doing sets of five repetitions. When you reach your heaviest weight, work back down the rack. Rest for two days before your next squat workout.

Week Four

By now you should feel comfortable doing the goblet squat. You'll focus on building muscle and strength with the routines below.

Day One: Do two sets of 20 repetitions using a dumbbell that challenges you in the last five reps. Rest for two minutes between sets.

Day Two: Choose a weight that makes it difficult to finish 10 reps. Do three sets of 8 reps, resting 60 seconds between sets.

Day Three: Do a rack walk-up. Aim for three reps with each weight, stopping when you feel your technique beginning to falter.

Week Six

This week's theme is simple: if you can pick it up, you can squat it.

Day One: Do a regular rack walk-down, doing three reps per set with a heavy weight. Then do another rack walk-down, this time starting with a slightly heavier dumbbell. Rest for no more than 20 seconds between sets and for 30 seconds between walk-downs.

Day Two: Do a couple of light warm up sets of goblet squats, then do the rack walk-up twice. Do three reps per set and rest for up to 30 seconds between sets.

Day Three: Do a few easy sets to warm up. Then find the heaviest dumbbell you can lift - aim for 45 kg or more - and do the goblet squat.

Sandra Prior runs her own bodybuilding website at http://bodybuild.rr.nu/.

Original article

How To Gain Weight And Build Muscle

If you've set the goal to focus on building more lean muscle mass to reshape your body, there are many different elements that you're going to want to consider.

Many people think that all they have to do is walk into a gym and pick up a few weights, but building muscle is much more than just that.

More and more men are seeing the covers of magazines and striving to look like the ideal 'model' that graces the cover but in their quest, they're approaching their workouts and diet in the wrong manner.

Let's have a look at some simple tips that you should remember to help you build muscle more effectively and reach your end goal.

Getting Your Diet In Order

The very first thing that you must do is make sure that your diet is in order. Simply put, if you're not feeding your body the quality nutrients it needs to generate more lean muscle mass, you'll be facing a losing battle. You can't build muscle out of thin air, so the right food at the right time is imperative.

First, start making sure you consume at least three meals each day and with each of these meals, take in a high quality source of protein such as chicken, lean beef, fish, eggs, low fat dairy products, or seafood. Along with this, pair together a slower digesting carbohydrate source such as oatmeal, potatoes, whole wheat pasta, or brown rice. These will supply your body with the energy it needs to get through your workouts as well as complete the muscle building process.

Fat is also important when trying to build muscle in moderate amounts because it's necessary to keep your testosterone levels higher and will also help you get your calorie intake up high enough to promote lean muscle mass gains.

Focus on the healthy fats that come from olive oil, nuts and seeds, fatty fish, flaxseeds, and avocado. These are going to promote healthy much better than saturated fat or trans fat varieties. Omega fats are especially important to take in and will be found in fatty fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts.

Finally, make sure that you add some fresh fruits and vegetables to your meal plan as well. You don't want to overdo the volume on these as they will fill you up quickly and don't provide all that many calories, but three or four servings of fruits and a few servings of vegetables each day will ensure you maintain proper health.

After you've formed your diet, stick with it for two weeks and if you aren't seeing muscle growth, start doubling up on some of your servings to boost your calorie intake higher. Likewise, if you're gaining fat while building muscle, reduce your food intake slightly as this indicates that you're consuming just a few too many calories total.

Finally, be sure to stay adequately hydrated to promote optimal energy levels and cleanse the body. Aim for 1.5 liters of water per day taking in another 2-3, 8 oz. glasses around the workout period.

Being Smart With Your Workouts

Moving on to the workout side of things, make sure that you are lifting with intensity. If you want to build muscle, you need to give your body a reason to build that new muscle mass.

Focus on performing compound exercises primarily, which are movements that will work multiple muscle groups all at once. Good examples of this include the bench press, squat, deadlifts, shoulder presses, bent over rows, pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, leg press, and step-ups.

Pick two exercises per muscle group and aim to complete 4-8 sets total amongst those two exercises.
In addition to that, if you're looking for power development, aim for 3-6 reps per set performed while if you're aiming for pure size growth, take it a little higher up to 6-12 reps per set.

If you're someone who wants to focus on muscular endurance, then aiming for 12-20 reps per set will be ideal.
Try and devise a program plan that allows you to work each muscle group two to three times per week, making sure that you take at least one day off between working each muscle group and one day off for complete rest each week.

If you can put all of these tips together with your approach while making sure that you're getting at least eight hours of sleep each night to boost your recovery and muscular repair, it won't be long before you have a new body looking back at you in the mirror.

For more helpful tips and information about a diet to gain weight please visit http://www.easyhardgainer.com/hardgainerdiet.html

A bit of background information I have been into bodybuilding for about 5 years, but only in the past 12 months have I decided to help people achieve their goals, I am a qualified nutrition and weight management advisor so I help people lose weight but my passion lies in bodybuilding so I wrote a website to give people a better understanding of how to gain weight in the form of muscle just so I might be able to help people try to achieve a better physique and their bodybuilding goals my website is http://www.easyhardgainer.com/.

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

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 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

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 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

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

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